Category: National

Hexadite Nabs $8M as Cybersecurity Urgency Grows

This week brought more reminders that cybersecurity remains top of mind for leaders from the White House to boardrooms everywhere. President Barack Obama grabbed headlines with a $19 billion initiative—$5 billion higher than the federal government’s current cybersecurity spending—to battle cyber threats, overhaul federal computer systems, and boost cybersecurity training. The investment, part of Obama’s … Continue reading “Hexadite Nabs $8M as Cybersecurity Urgency Grows”

Founder Nathan Smith on What Comes Next for Wink, Smart Homes, & IoT

To say the least, the past year was “colorful” for Wink, the New York-based developer of a hub and app that control smart home devices. Back in the fall, the company that Wink spun out from and shared a headquarters building with, Quirky, went bankrupt in spectacular fashion. However, in that time of seeming uncertainty, … Continue reading “Founder Nathan Smith on What Comes Next for Wink, Smart Homes, & IoT”

Gene Editing Execs Talk Scientific, Regulatory Hurdles At BIO Panel

On a day when the top American intelligence chief called gene editing a potential “weapon of mass destruction,” executives of companies working with CRISPR-Cas9, the most widespread gene editing tool, met to discuss ethical and scientific questions that must be answered before it can be used to treat human disease. The hurdles haven’t stopped investors … Continue reading “Gene Editing Execs Talk Scientific, Regulatory Hurdles At BIO Panel”

One Year Post-Launch, Yumanity Lands $45M For Yeasty Discovery

Yumanity Therapeutics has reeled in a $45 million Series A round as it uses nontraditional ways to find drugs that might treat neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. The Cambridge, MA-based startup is based upon a drug discovery system created by its cofounder Sue Lindquist, a member and former director of the Whitehead Institute … Continue reading “One Year Post-Launch, Yumanity Lands $45M For Yeasty Discovery”

Biogen’s Scangos on Pricing, Deals, Hemophilia, Alzheimer’s & More

It’s been a roller coaster year for Biogen. A year ago, the Cambridge, MA-based company was the toast of biotech. Executives telegraphed positive early data about an experimental Alzheimer’s drug, and shares boomed, trading as high as $475 apiece last March. Things have changed since. The biotech bubble has deflated, taking valuations down with them. … Continue reading “Biogen’s Scangos on Pricing, Deals, Hemophilia, Alzheimer’s & More”

Inventev Nabs $500K Grant to Test Mobile Power Generation Technology

Inventev, the Detroit-based cleantech startup working on mobile power generation via plug-in hybrid electric vehicle architecture, announced Monday that it has snagged a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Inventev’s CEO and founder, Dave Stenson, said the company will use the money to model, develop, and test key elements of its drive … Continue reading “Inventev Nabs $500K Grant to Test Mobile Power Generation Technology”

12 San Diego Life Sciences Startups to Watch in 2016

A whole new crop of life sciences startups are germinating in San Diego, which is good news for the regional cluster of established companies that are focused on innovation in biotechnology, medical devices, healthcare technologies, and medical diagnostics. Renewal is crucial to sustaining and growing an innovation cluster like San Diego’s life sciences community. But … Continue reading “12 San Diego Life Sciences Startups to Watch in 2016”

Vast, an Algorithm-Based Search Engine for Used Cars, Grabs $14M

Austin—Making a big-decision purchase like a car or home can feel like a futile task given all the details to consider, especially with so many options online. Vast is an Austin, TX-based company that aims to use its data analytics-powered search tools to help people purchase cars, homes, and travel options. The company has historically … Continue reading “Vast, an Algorithm-Based Search Engine for Used Cars, Grabs $14M”

Stash Raises $3M Seed Round for App for Stock Investing Novices

The stock market might be cruel and unforgiving these days, but a New York-based startup with an app for investing is on the rise. In a deal announced Tuesday, Stash got $3 million in a seed round led by Goodwater Capital, with Entrée Capital and Peter Thiel’s Valar Ventures participating. Previously, Stash raised $1.5 million … Continue reading “Stash Raises $3M Seed Round for App for Stock Investing Novices”

Thinking IPO? ThinkingPhones Dials Up $112M, Adopts the Name Fuze

Tech IPOs are sparse in the Boston area (and the rest of the country), but the pipeline seems to grow more crowded every day. The latest local IPO candidate is Cambridge, MA-based ThinkingPhones, which today announced a $112 million growth equity round and a new name. The company—which provides cloud-based business communications software—now goes by … Continue reading “Thinking IPO? ThinkingPhones Dials Up $112M, Adopts the Name Fuze”

BioCryst Stock Tanks After Rare Disease Drug’s Phase 2 Failure

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals’ strategy to recast itself as a rare disease drug developer hit a stumbling block Monday when the company released results showing that its experimental treatment for a rare genetic disorder failed to work better than a placebo in a mid-stage clinical trial. The BioCryst (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BCRX]]) drug, called avoralstat, was developed to treat … Continue reading “BioCryst Stock Tanks After Rare Disease Drug’s Phase 2 Failure”

How Google Enables VR Content, From Pro Rigs to Smartphone Cameras

While investors might fret about when or whether forthcoming virtual reality headsets will be ready to support a new technology ecosystem, Google is building out a substantial one of its own around its low-end Cardboard viewer. Much of the work behind the scenes is led by a team in Seattle. There are now more than … Continue reading “How Google Enables VR Content, From Pro Rigs to Smartphone Cameras”

What’s New in Boston VC Land: Assemble, Hyperplane, Pillar

As the snow falls in our fair city, let’s take a tour of the winter wonderland that is New England tech venture capital. It should prove useful as a snapshot of what’s new and different in 2016 (plus some national context at the bottom): —General Catalyst Partners has raised $845 million for its eighth fund. … Continue reading “What’s New in Boston VC Land: Assemble, Hyperplane, Pillar”

Houston Healthcare Firm Medical Adhesive Revolution Is Now Adhesys

Houston — Executives at Houston’s Medical Adhesive Revolution have been focusing on developing wound-closure technology since the company first came to prominence following its win at the 2014 Rice Business Plan Competition. Since that time, company president Alexander Schueller and his management team have turned their attentions to softer yet important issues such as marketing and … Continue reading “Houston Healthcare Firm Medical Adhesive Revolution Is Now Adhesys”

Canary Finds Its CMO in Marketing Vet From Yahoo & Virgin Mobile USA

[Updated 2/8/16 11:50 am. See below.] The executive team at Canary just got more seasoned, with the addition of Bob Stohrer as its chief marketing officer. This particular hire, announced last week, is interesting because Stohrer has been chief marketing officer for such companies as Virgin Mobile USA and iHeartRadio. His latest gig was as … Continue reading “Canary Finds Its CMO in Marketing Vet From Yahoo & Virgin Mobile USA”

Roundup: San Antonio Fund, Filamet Labs, 5miles, Decisio, BioHouston

Let’s catch up with the latest innovation news from Xconomy Texas. —Early stage San Antonio, TX, startups can again tap into funds provided by the Texas Research & Technology Foundation (TRTF). The McDermott Legacy Fund, which is managed by the foundation’s subsidiary, the Texas Technology Development Center, is reloading a seed fund it operates that … Continue reading “Roundup: San Antonio Fund, Filamet Labs, 5miles, Decisio, BioHouston”

San Antonio’s TRTF Reboots Seed VC Fund

San Antonio — Funding for startups is hard to come by anywhere. York Duncan knows this, and the point was emphasized just last week when he heard someone from Austin, TX, lamenting about the lack of local capital available to the city’s numerous startups. “I’m thinking, you outta come to San Antonio,” Duncan said in … Continue reading “San Antonio’s TRTF Reboots Seed VC Fund”

Syngenta, NC Biotech, PSEG Solar, & More NC Innovation News

Panthers country is licking its wounds from Sunday night’s big game, but there’s plenty going on in the business community to take minds off of the stinging Super Bowl defeat. Here’s a recap of some of the top headlines in North Carolina biotech, tech, and cleantech news. —Switzerland-based agribusiness giant Syngenta (NYSE: [[ticker:SYT]]), which maintains … Continue reading “Syngenta, NC Biotech, PSEG Solar, & More NC Innovation News”

Coming Soon: Coding Lab, Co-Working Space, and More in Highland Park

Highland Park, for those who don’t know, is a separate city within Detroit’s borders—along with Hamtramck, it’s actually one of two sovereign cities inside Detroit—and for a long time, it’s been considered by many to be Detroit’s shabbier, financially ruined cousin. Once an upscale enclave that was home to Henry Ford’s first assembly line and, … Continue reading “Coming Soon: Coding Lab, Co-Working Space, and More in Highland Park”

Patient IO Wants to Improve Care Management with Mobile Thinking

Austin — [Updated 5/5/16, 4:34 p.m. See below.] When Jason Bornhorst created Filament Labs about three years ago, the goal was to build a business that promotes healthy habits, intended to be distributed through insurance companies. “We pretty quickly figured out there was not a strong business there,” he says. The software was strong enough … Continue reading “Patient IO Wants to Improve Care Management with Mobile Thinking”

Flint’s Water, Wicab, & New Leaders: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist

The water crisis in Flint, MI, funding announcements, and personnel changes are among these recent headlines from Wisconsin’s innovation community: —The physician who detected problems with Flint’s water supply and escalated her findings, bringing to light the city’s current water crisis, did so using software developed by Verona-based Epic Systems, the Wisconsin State Journal reported. … Continue reading “Flint’s Water, Wicab, & New Leaders: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist”

West Coast Bio Roundup: Tessier-Lavigne, Twist, Unity, Grail & More

The biggest news on the West Coast this week came from Stanford University. The school has lured decorated neuroscientist Marc Tessier-Lavigne away from New York’s Rockefeller University to be the 11th president on The Farm, as Stanford is often known. It’s a return to the West Coast for Tessier-Lavigne, who had risen to chief scientific … Continue reading “West Coast Bio Roundup: Tessier-Lavigne, Twist, Unity, Grail & More”

CommonBond, The Muse, Common, and Gimlet Media Get Real on Startup Life

What is the best way to build a startup? Naturally there are lots of different answers, but a few misconceptions and wrongheaded ideas should get put to rest while chasing unicorn dreams. Thursday morning in New York, David Klein, CEO of student loan marketplace CommonBond; Brad Hargreaves, CEO of Common and co-founder of General Assembly; … Continue reading “CommonBond, The Muse, Common, and Gimlet Media Get Real on Startup Life”

4 Worst-Case Scenarios That Make the Case For Disaster Recovery

It’s a topic frequently heard in board meetings and splashed across the news: storm-related data loss and downtime trigger threats to our IT environments. For instance, last winter in New England caused a scare among executives and IT professionals alike. Record-breaking snowfall and increased risks to regional business data created a huge buzz about the … Continue reading “4 Worst-Case Scenarios That Make the Case For Disaster Recovery”

E-commerce App 5miles Raises $30M, Plans Expansion Beyond Dallas

Dallas—The garage sale has gone mobile. 5miles, a year-old online marketplace, is based in China but has its U.S. headquarters in Dallas. Last week, it announced a Series B+ fundraising round of $30 million from IDG, Morningside, and individual investors in Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce company, among others. The company raised a Series B round … Continue reading “E-commerce App 5miles Raises $30M, Plans Expansion Beyond Dallas”

East Coast Bio Roundup: CRISPR, Tessier-Lavigne, Pricing, Spero & More

There was biotech news up and down the East Coast this week. In Boston, all eyes were on the first biotech IPO of the year—and the sector let out a collective sigh when things went well. New York, meanwhile, suffered a tough blow to its life sciences scene, as one of its strongest advocates announced … Continue reading “East Coast Bio Roundup: CRISPR, Tessier-Lavigne, Pricing, Spero & More”

Baobab, Oculus, Penrose, Et Al: The Disneys Of Early VR Animation?

You’re a film director whose last feature was a blockbuster, and now you’re funded to make a movie from a fabulous script of your own. It’s a dream job, but there’s just one hitch. Every day, a fan is released onto the set to point your cameras wherever he or she wants. When your stars … Continue reading “Baobab, Oculus, Penrose, Et Al: The Disneys Of Early VR Animation?”

One Writer’s Strategy for Avoiding Information Overload

This week one of my favorite podcasts, WNYC’s Note to Self, is featuring a project called Infomagical. Every day the show is sharing new challenges designed to help listeners cope with information overload. We all know that feeling of being so far behind on the e-mails, texts, articles, and all the other stuff our digital … Continue reading “One Writer’s Strategy for Avoiding Information Overload”

Microsoft Taps 10 Machine Learning Startups for Seattle Accelerator

Ten nascent businesses applying machine learning to everything from answering medical questions to recruiting university students were tapped for Microsoft Ventures’ latest accelerator, kicking off this week in Seattle. It’s the third running of the accelerator program in Seattle. The focus this time around is machine learning and data science, enabled, naturally, by Microsoft services such … Continue reading “Microsoft Taps 10 Machine Learning Startups for Seattle Accelerator”

Rockefeller’s Tessier-Lavigne Heads Back to the Bay to Run Stanford

[Updated, 2/5/16, 7:06 am ET] Marc Tessier-Lavigne spent much of his professional life on the West Coast before becoming president of Rockefeller University in 2011. From that perch, the neuroscientist was a ringleader in New York’s emerging life sciences community. After five years, however, he’s heading back to the San Francisco Bay Area to run … Continue reading “Rockefeller’s Tessier-Lavigne Heads Back to the Bay to Run Stanford”

Roundup: Swift Biosciences, Champion of Change, Innovation Research

Here’s a look at innovation news from around Michigan: —Ann Arbor’s Swift Biosciences announced last week it will partner with SeraCare Life Sciences to accelerate development of novel circulating tumor DNA reference material to be used in liquid biopsies and next-generation sequencing. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. In a press release, Swift Bioscience’s … Continue reading “Roundup: Swift Biosciences, Champion of Change, Innovation Research”

CD Changer: Meet Chris Wheeler, Murfie’s New CEO

[Updated 2/5/16 5:12 pm. See below.] Murfie, the online music market that will convert your collection of compact discs and vinyl records into high-quality digital audio files, has made some changes at the top of its org chart. Chris Wheeler has been named CEO, according to an e-mail from Matt Younkle, who co-founded Murfie in … Continue reading “CD Changer: Meet Chris Wheeler, Murfie’s New CEO”

IRobot Sells Defense Business to Focus on Connected Home Robots

Over the past few years, iRobot’s business has been shifting away from military applications and towards home robots and other areas. Today the company is making a clean break. The Bedford, MA-based robotics giant (NASDAQ: [[ticker:IRBT]]) says it’s selling off its defense and security business to private equity firm Arlington Capital Partners. The deal, expected … Continue reading “IRobot Sells Defense Business to Focus on Connected Home Robots”

Improving Odds for Women in Tech? Take Notes from Biotech

At our entrepreneurial support organization, the Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED), we often joke about adhering to the proper dress and catering code for our networking events: jeans and beer for tech; suits, wine and cocktails for life sciences. But there is more to these superficial differences between the two networks serving 1,200 entrepreneurial companies … Continue reading “Improving Odds for Women in Tech? Take Notes from Biotech”

Polaris Partners Unveils New Startup Notarize with $2.4M Funding

The market for notarizations may not strike you as a booming industry, but it accounts for billions of transactions annually, according to Polaris Partners’ Pat Kinsel. Kinsel, a venture partner at the Boston-based firm, says there are an estimated 1 billion to 2.5 billion documents notarized each year, making it a $30 billion market. Even … Continue reading “Polaris Partners Unveils New Startup Notarize with $2.4M Funding”

Blood Simple? Grail’s Cancer Screening Quest Faces Tough Questions

[Corrected, 2/4/16, 2:05pm. See below.] Three weeks ago the world’s biggest genomic sequencing company, Illumina (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ILMN]]), unveiled a spinout called Grail to make blood tests that could spot all kinds of cancer in seemingly healthy people, perhaps as soon as 2019. If you know anything about the history of screening healthy people for cancer, … Continue reading “Blood Simple? Grail’s Cancer Screening Quest Faces Tough Questions”

5D Robotics Raises $5.5M to Commercialize Technology for Vehicles

Carlsbad, CA-based 5D Robotics said it has raised $5.5 million in a seed round from private investors to accelerate the commercial development of its automation technology in such sectors as industrial heavy equipment, mapping, and inspection. The investors were not identified. 5D Robotics, not to be confused with Berkeley, CA-based 3D Robotics, was founded in … Continue reading “5D Robotics Raises $5.5M to Commercialize Technology for Vehicles”

ViaCyte Reports on Stem Cell Diabetes Trial, Absorbs BetaLogics

[Corrected 2/8/16, 11:20 am. See below.] In a deal that consolidates its position as a leader in developing a stem cell-derived treatment for diabetes, San Diego’s ViaCyte says today it is absorbing its chief rival, New Jersey-based Janssen BetaLogics. [Clarifies that the packet is filled with engineered stem cells, not embryonic stem cells] The asset … Continue reading “ViaCyte Reports on Stem Cell Diabetes Trial, Absorbs BetaLogics”

BioDirection Scoops Up $4M for 90-Second Diagnostic of Concussions

Whether it’s from advocates shining a spotlight on the underlying dangers of concussions or actors bringing to life the inherent drama of the subject, the foreboding impact of concussions has been top of mind for the last couple of years. That’s what makes new funding for a medical device being developed by Boston-based BioDirection so … Continue reading “BioDirection Scoops Up $4M for 90-Second Diagnostic of Concussions”

Unity Bio Wants To “Lengthen Health Span,” But 1st Goals More Modest

Live longer? How about starting with healthier knees or clearer eyesight? That’s the proposal from Unity Biotechnology, unveiling itself today with drug programs based upon research into a biological process that, when left undisturbed, seems to hasten aging. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Unity wants to interrupt that process—not to tap into a … Continue reading “Unity Bio Wants To “Lengthen Health Span,” But 1st Goals More Modest”

Is 2016 the Year Virtual Reality Platforms Take a Magic Leap?

Try as he might, Madrona managing partner Tim Porter could not get Sachin Deshpande to share much of anything about Magic Leap. The two were on stage last week at a virtual reality conference in Seattle. Deshpande is senior director of product management at Qualcomm Ventures, an early investor in the Florida augmented reality company, … Continue reading “Is 2016 the Year Virtual Reality Platforms Take a Magic Leap?”

GenSpera, Pursuing Partners, Tests Toxin-Based Drug in Brain Cancer

Like many small biotechs, San Antonio, TX-based GenSpera has plenty of options for developing its cancer drug and limited resources to do so. While GenSpera’s treatment, called mipsagargin or G-202, has potential to treat cancers ranging from brain to liver to prostate, the company is limited by funding. GenSpera raised $2.5 million in December, which … Continue reading “GenSpera, Pursuing Partners, Tests Toxin-Based Drug in Brain Cancer”

FDA Puts Heat Biologics Bladder Cancer Trial on Partial Hold

The FDA has stopped Heat Biologics from enrolling patients in a clinical trial evaluating a treatment for bladder cancer while the company works through an issue regarding the cells used as the source for its cancer immunotherapy. Chapel Hill, NC-based Heat (NASDAQ: [[ticker:HTBX]]) said Wednesday that it does not believe that there are any safety … Continue reading “FDA Puts Heat Biologics Bladder Cancer Trial on Partial Hold”

Social Impact Challenge Students Compete to Solve Complex Problems

Every winter semester, the University of Michigan’s Center for Social Impact partners with a Detroit-based nonprofit on a project that helps the partner organization tackle pressing strategic roadblocks. Now in its third year, the Social Impact Challenge focuses this time around on the Police Athletic League’s (PAL) Kids at the Corner redevelopment campaign to transform … Continue reading “Social Impact Challenge Students Compete to Solve Complex Problems”

Misfit Vets Out to Debug Science Experiments With Elemental Machines

You’ve heard of the smart home. You probably haven’t heard of the smart lab. Until now, that is. The idea is analogous to a connected home: you hook up a science lab with sensors and software to track things like temperature, humidity, and which piece of equipment was used when. Why? If you’ve ever spent … Continue reading “Misfit Vets Out to Debug Science Experiments With Elemental Machines”

Ex-Tech CEO Steps Out of Retirement to Reinvent Medical Walker

Dave Purcell meant to stay retired after he ended his 23-year stint with Encad, a San Diego company he co-founded to manufacture large-format inkjet printers capable of printing poster-size images and banners. Purcell gradually eased out of the business after Eastman Kodak (NYSE: [[ticker:KODK]]) acquired Encad in 2002 in a deal that was valued at … Continue reading “Ex-Tech CEO Steps Out of Retirement to Reinvent Medical Walker”

Boston Tech Watch: Localytics, Walt Doyle, Flyp, NuTonomy & More

This week in Boston, we’re tracking a bunch of funding announcements, trouble at Localytics, additions to the resume of local entrepreneur and investor Walt Doyle, and a new direction for a young co-working space. Read on for details. —Waltham, MA-based advanced battery maker SolidEnergy raised $12 million in a Series B round led by an … Continue reading “Boston Tech Watch: Localytics, Walt Doyle, Flyp, NuTonomy & More”

With Partnership, Tesoro To Help Virent Develop Plant-Based Biofuels

In 2015, a year that saw gasoline stay relatively cheap across much of the country, vehicle sales were especially brisk in one category. Light-duty trucks, which include many pickup and SUV models, accounted for 56 percent of vehicles sold in the U.S. last year, that segment’s highest market share since 2004, according to research from Autodata … Continue reading “With Partnership, Tesoro To Help Virent Develop Plant-Based Biofuels”