Gyms are packed, forlorn Christmas trees lie on curbs, and the Green Bay Packers are in the NFL playoffs—it must be January in Wisconsin. Make it a resolution to stay plugged into the state’s innovation community, starting with these recent headlines: —Phoenix Nuclear Labs has raised $790,000 in debt financing, according to an SEC filing, … Continue reading “Phoenix, Baird’s New CEO, & Epic’s Growth: This Week’s WI Watchlist”
Category: National
Seattle Roundup: CES News from Satellites to Connected Cars, & More
With CES sucking up all the early 2016 air, we’ve cherry picked a few announcements from the big technology show from Seattle-area companies including Planetary Resources, Kymeta, and UIEvolution. (Our correspondent João-Pierre S. Ruth is on the scene, covering all the droids you’re looking for and more.) We’re also tracking a merger between TalentWise and … Continue reading “Seattle Roundup: CES News from Satellites to Connected Cars, & More”
Car Wars: Mary Barra Talks GM’s Future, Nvidia Takes the Wheel at CES
Make way for autonomous cars on the highways ahead. That was a common theme from the auto industry at the CES technology trade show this week in Las Vegas. In years prior, carmakers tried almost too hard at CES to make their vehicles seem more hip by talking up connectivity and putting apps in cars … Continue reading “Car Wars: Mary Barra Talks GM’s Future, Nvidia Takes the Wheel at CES”
East Coast Bio Roundup: NY Startups, Editas, Bonney, C4 & (Much) More
Most everyone in biotech is on their way to San Francisco this weekend, making their annual trek to the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference for a few days of wall-to-wall meetings, schmoozing, and state-of-the-industry pontifications. But rather than get swallowed up by the conference maelstrom, biotechs try to get their big news out ahead of the … Continue reading “East Coast Bio Roundup: NY Startups, Editas, Bonney, C4 & (Much) More”
Predictions for 2016: Self-Driving Cars, AI, and Brain Monitoring
Whether we have been in a tech bubble or not is frankly not that interesting. What is interesting is that the foundation for innovation is as strong as we’ve ever seen and entrepreneurs are bringing the future to reality at an amazing pace. Here are a few of my predictions for what we’ll see in … Continue reading “Predictions for 2016: Self-Driving Cars, AI, and Brain Monitoring”
Ringing in the Years (and Ears): What I’d Like to Hear in 2016
For the last 30 years, the tech revolution in PCs, Macs, and Smartphones has been largely connected with our eyes, not our ears. 2016 will mark the beginning of the commercialization of virtual and augmented reality, and although our visual experience will continue to be the main focus for these radical changes, it’s time our … Continue reading “Ringing in the Years (and Ears): What I’d Like to Hear in 2016”
Exosome Diagnostics Closes $60M Series B for Liquid Biopsy Test
It may have taken a couple of years, but Exosome Diagnostics has finally raised the money it said it wanted to potentially launch its liquid biopsy-based diagnostic test. Exosome announced today it has closed a $60 million Series B round of funding, money that it is putting toward getting its first oncology products on the … Continue reading “Exosome Diagnostics Closes $60M Series B for Liquid Biopsy Test”
Syfy Labs Brings “The Expanse” to MakerBot 3D Printers at CES
Syfy really wants tech lovers and hobbyists to get onboard with one of its latest TV programs—and the timing might even help 3D-printer company MakerBot Industries. Viewers of science-fiction series The Expanse can now 3D-print replica spaceships from the show through a collaboration between the Syfy cable network and Brooklyn-based MakerBot. Introduced on Wednesday at CES … Continue reading “Syfy Labs Brings “The Expanse” to MakerBot 3D Printers at CES”
Former Cubist CEO Mike Bonney Joins Third Rock Ventures
As CEO of Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Mike Bonney spent a decade building a mid-cap biotech company that eventually accepted a massive buyout. Now he’ll be helping start new companies from scratch. Bonney (pictured) has joined Boston-based Third Rock Ventures, which specializes in launching startups in cutting-edge areas of biomedicine. Third Rock also tends to start companies, … Continue reading “Former Cubist CEO Mike Bonney Joins Third Rock Ventures”
Massachusetts Aims to Raise Its Stature in Digital Health
Massachusetts is home to a sizable healthcare technology sector—some 250 companies, according to state estimates, including names like American Well, Athenahealth, Kyruus, PillPack, and Maxwell Health. But a group of prominent stakeholders from the public and private sectors wants to take the state’s digital health cluster to new heights. An initiative announced Thursday aims to … Continue reading “Massachusetts Aims to Raise Its Stature in Digital Health”
$100M Richer, Cempra Still Needs FDA OK To Market Pneumonia Drug
Cempra is raising nearly $100 million through a stock sale to bring its first drug, a new antibiotic called solithromycin, to market as a pneumonia treatment. But Chapel Hill, NC-based Cempra (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CEMP]]) can’t move forward with those plans until the FDA gives its blessing. That could take a while. The firm said in a … Continue reading “$100M Richer, Cempra Still Needs FDA OK To Market Pneumonia Drug”
Roundup: Inforum, Techstars Mobility, LevelEleven, Occipital
Here’s a look at innovation news from around Michigan: —Inforum, a professional women’s organization, is now accepting applications for an upcoming master class aimed at second-stage entrepreneurs. Led by Patti Glaza and Paula Sorrell, the class provides a confidential forum where emerging startup founders will meet monthly to evaluate their company’s operations and identify new … Continue reading “Roundup: Inforum, Techstars Mobility, LevelEleven, Occipital”
UW Lab Links Healthcare Innovators with Primary Care Doctors
There is no shortage of innovation in healthcare, but startups and even large companies face challenges in getting their new technologies in the hands of the front-line doctors who would implement them. Enter the University of Washington’s new Primary Care Innovations Lab, which aims to connect private companies with doctors and other experts to assist … Continue reading “UW Lab Links Healthcare Innovators with Primary Care Doctors”
Flash Sale: Web Retailer Gilt Groupe Sells to Hudson Bay for $250M
Discount fashion and merchandise retailer Gilt Groupe has sold itself in a fitting fashion: to Hudson Bay Co. for $250 million, a price tag that is a steep discount to the hefty billion-dollar valuation it once held. Hudson Bay, the operator of department store brands such as Saks Fifth Avenue, is trying to build on … Continue reading “Flash Sale: Web Retailer Gilt Groupe Sells to Hudson Bay for $250M”
Minnesota Data Center Sold For $46M As Epic, Mayo Strike Another Deal
Epic Systems, the healthtech giant based in Verona, WI, is expanding its already sizeable footprint in neighboring Minnesota. At least nine health systems headquartered in the state use or plan to use Epic’s electronic health records (EHR) software to schedule appointments, document patient information, bill for services, and perform other tasks. One of them is … Continue reading “Minnesota Data Center Sold For $46M As Epic, Mayo Strike Another Deal”
UniQure’s Shares Rise on Early Gene Therapy Data For Hemophilia
There are a slew of gene therapy companies trying to develop a long-lasting, perhaps even permanent treatment for hemophilia. The proof that these companies can really make an impact on the disease will come out in dribs and drabs from clinical trials over the next several years, and today, one of them, Dutch firm UniQure, … Continue reading “UniQure’s Shares Rise on Early Gene Therapy Data For Hemophilia”
With $100M, Guardant Health to Expand Reach of Blood Test for Cancer
We’ve all heard that dust is at least partly made up of dead skin cells. However true or untrue that may be, living tissue that is growing rapidly, such as a cancerous solid tumor, does indeed shed dead cells. When a person has a tumor that is growing, it sheds dead cells and their contents—including … Continue reading “With $100M, Guardant Health to Expand Reach of Blood Test for Cancer”
Yahoo Draws Fire From Activist Investor, Plans Workforce Cuts
As hopeful tech innovators strut their stuff at the annual CES show in Las Vegas this week, Yahoo’s continuing troubles illustrate what can happen to a former tech star that doesn’t stay ahead of the curve. The talk surrounding Sunnyvale, CA-based Yahoo (NASDAQ: [[ticker:YHOO]]) no longer focuses on how CEO Marissa Mayer can revive the … Continue reading “Yahoo Draws Fire From Activist Investor, Plans Workforce Cuts”
The Myth Of A Secure Back Door For Encryption
It seems like an appealing move–give the FBI and other law enforcement agencies, as well as our spy organizations, a back door—a “golden key”—to unlock encrypted communications to help catch criminals and terrorists and to protect Americans from harm. This notion of heightened protection is particularly compelling in the wake of the recent terrorist attacks … Continue reading “The Myth Of A Secure Back Door For Encryption”
A Tipping Point in Robotics, and My Five Predictions for 2016
While scientists are making progress in understanding how the mind works, robotics has failed to live up to the expectations set in the 1950s and ‘60s for human-like robots, exemplified by the Jetson’s cartoon character, Rosie the robot maid. Since the rejuvenation of robotics began in the 1980s, we have discovered that engineering and building … Continue reading “A Tipping Point in Robotics, and My Five Predictions for 2016”
Tech Mogul, Patriots Owner Lavish $73M On Dana-Farber Startup
When physician-scientist Jay Bradner left the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute last year, he left behind some key scientific work that had already intrigued a group of investors. Bradner is now president of the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, but his Dana-Farber research continued in the hands of others. It’s now the basis of a new startup … Continue reading “Tech Mogul, Patriots Owner Lavish $73M On Dana-Farber Startup”
Boston Scientists Tweak CRISPR Scissors For More Precise DNA Cuts
[Corrected, 1/6/16, 8:05pm. See below.] Keith Joung, a scientist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and his colleagues say they have come up with a way to make the gene editing system known as CRISPR-Cas9 far more precise when it enters cells to snip DNA. But as Joung, who is also a founder of Cambridge, … Continue reading “Boston Scientists Tweak CRISPR Scissors For More Precise DNA Cuts”
Siemens Showcases Future of Smart Cities with Ann Arbor Partnership
Siemens, a global tech company with more than 340,000 employees in 200 countries, has chosen Ann Arbor, MI, as its first Center of Excellence for Intelligent Traffic Technology, designating the city as a so-called “living lab” to test and demonstrate the latest smart city innovations. Although the company has had a technology partnership with Ann … Continue reading “Siemens Showcases Future of Smart Cities with Ann Arbor Partnership”
Texas Roundup: AT&T’s Foundry, Virtuix Omni, Silvercar, Innowatts, & CultureMap
Welcome to 2016 and our first roundup of Texas innovation news for the new year: —The Texas Medical Center has added another name to its list of innovation partners: AT&T. The telecommunications giant will open a research hub, called the Foundry, at the Houston campus to focus on “connected health.” AT&T also has a facility … Continue reading “Texas Roundup: AT&T’s Foundry, Virtuix Omni, Silvercar, Innowatts, & CultureMap”
Shine Announces New Funding Total, Says Building Plans Are On Track
Shine Medical Technologies, a Madison, WI-based startup that’s part of the race to produce a vital medical isotope domestically, has now raised nearly $50 million in total, vice president of business development Katrina Pitas said in an e-mail. In October, Greg Piefer, Shine’s founder and CEO, told Xconomy the company had raised about $45 million … Continue reading “Shine Announces New Funding Total, Says Building Plans Are On Track”
Ever Fond of Options, Atlas Finds Potential Buyers For Rodin, Quartet
Biotech venture firms take a number of different approaches to lowering the risk of an inherently risky business. One of them is known as the option-to-buy deal, when one company agrees to buy another on prearranged terms, after certain milestones are met. And they’re clearly a preferred tool of Cambridge, MA-based Atlas Venture, which just … Continue reading “Ever Fond of Options, Atlas Finds Potential Buyers For Rodin, Quartet”
From Ambitions To Markets: Richard Kitney And More Synthetic Bio Views
Last week, Xconomy ran the first part of my conversation with Richard Kitney, a bioengineering professor at Imperial College London and a pioneer in the field of synthetic biology. We met in his campus office in November. Kitney has coauthored hundreds of papers and helped galvanize U.K. government support for synthetic biology. He is also … Continue reading “From Ambitions To Markets: Richard Kitney And More Synthetic Bio Views”
3 Boston VCs Share Investment Themes for 2016
The early results are in: 2016 will be a year of conversational interfaces (think actually having a back and forth with Siri), on-demand services, new tools for sticking to your healthcare goals (and meds)—and of bringing innovation to the underserved. And yes, there will still be a place for the “weird and wonderful.” Those, anyway, … Continue reading “3 Boston VCs Share Investment Themes for 2016”
Our Relationship With the Internet: Trust Is the Big Concern in 2016
There is no denying we all have a relationship with the Internet. It used to be just a data source, now it is a companion as we go to sleep at night. It informs, entertains, and excites us. And it engages, disappoints, and saddens us. Internet experts and visionaries say 2016 will get even more … Continue reading “Our Relationship With the Internet: Trust Is the Big Concern in 2016”
Artificial Intelligence Growing Slowly in Healthcare, And That’s OK
One of the most significant advances in 2015 was the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) in a variety of fields, including healthcare. While work on AI has been going on for years and still has a long way to go, 2015 saw progress made on self-driving cars, a growing ecosystem of AI startups, and open-sourcing … Continue reading “Artificial Intelligence Growing Slowly in Healthcare, And That’s OK”
With $48M For Petra Pharma, Accelerator Places First NYC Bet
Seattle’s Accelerator Corp. has been largely silent since it opened up an office in New York a year and a half ago with a $50 million-plus bankroll and a plan to start up some new biotechs in Manhattan. But that’s changing today, because the first of those companies, Petra Pharma, is making its debut with … Continue reading “With $48M For Petra Pharma, Accelerator Places First NYC Bet”
NuVasive Buys Skeletal Specialist in First Deal under New CEO
San Diego’s NuVasive (NASDAQ: [[ticker:NUVA]]), a medical device maker that specializes in spinal procedures, said today it is acquiring privately held Ellipse Technologies for $380 million in cash, with an additional $30 million in potential milestone payments. Ellipse, an Aliso Viejo, CA-based medical technology company founded in 2005, specializes in implantable rods that can be … Continue reading “NuVasive Buys Skeletal Specialist in First Deal under New CEO”
Valencell Sues Apple, Fitbit, Claims Wearable Sensor Tech Infringed
As Steven LeBoeuf, president and co-founder of Valencell, wrapped up a 2014 tech conference pitch describing how his startup’s biometric sensor technology works in wearable devices, he was asked to comment about Apple’s then widely expected but still yet-to-launch smart watch. “Absolutely not,” LeBoeuf told the audience at the CED Tech Venture conference in Raleigh, … Continue reading “Valencell Sues Apple, Fitbit, Claims Wearable Sensor Tech Infringed”
AT&T’s Foundry to Open Skunkworks at Houston’s Texas Medical Center
The Texas Medical Center’s Innovation Institute has a new partner in building up its digital health ecosystem: AT&T. The global telecommunications giant will in February open its latest “Foundry” at the TMC campus, a skunkworks designed to boost health IT innovation. The facility will be the sixth one AT&T (NYSE: [[ticker:T]]) has in the country; … Continue reading “AT&T’s Foundry to Open Skunkworks at Houston’s Texas Medical Center”
Boston Tech Watch: EMC, DraftKings, RapidMiner, NaviNet, & More
This week, we’re tracking new funds for Boston-area software companies, looming job cuts at the state’s biggest tech company, the latest on the clashes between daily fantasy sports companies and state governments, and more. Read on for details. —RapidMiner raised $16 million in a round led by Nokia Growth Partners, with participation by previous investors … Continue reading “Boston Tech Watch: EMC, DraftKings, RapidMiner, NaviNet, & More”
VR, Bio Sensors, & Gesture-Controlled Droids Roll Out at CES Preview
Before this week’s big reveals of new technology at CES, a few teaser events are offering glimpses of things to come. CES Unveiled Las Vegas, one such event held Monday evening, had a smattering of gadgets eager for their share of the spotlight (see slideshow). A number of the devices I spied, such as Somabar, … Continue reading “VR, Bio Sensors, & Gesture-Controlled Droids Roll Out at CES Preview”
Toast, From Endeca Vets, Orders Up $30M For Restaurant Software
Don’t underestimate seasoned software developers who come highly recommended—even when they’re building a product for an industry in which they have little experience. That’s the lesson that Bessemer Venture Partners’ Kent Bennett learned with Toast, the fast-growing Boston restaurant technology company that today announced a $30 million Series B round led by Bessemer. GV, formerly … Continue reading “Toast, From Endeca Vets, Orders Up $30M For Restaurant Software”
Making Time to Think in an Always-On World
I schedule thinking time as needed, like it’s a customer meeting or other commitment. Although I produce my work digitally, I think in analog. I’m most effective at brainstorming on paper or whiteboards where I can think in free-form. These mediums are inherently free of digital distractions like e-mail alerts and text messages, and they … Continue reading “Making Time to Think in an Always-On World”
With $2.25M More, Tara Bio Grows And Hunts For NYC Lab Space
Slowly, the ranks of New York biotechs are increasing, thanks in part to a growing group of early-stage venture capitalists dipping their toes in the local startup scene. Tara Biosystems is one of those startups, and today it’s brought a few new investors in as part of a plan to take root and grow in … Continue reading “With $2.25M More, Tara Bio Grows And Hunts For NYC Lab Space”
Formerly Atterocor, Millendo Changes Name, Strategy—And Nabs $62M
When a biotech company with one product in development misses its milestones, investors typically don’t throw more money at it. Not so with the newly renamed Millendo Therapeutics. The Ann Arbor, MI-based drug firm has reeled in a $62 million Series B round to shift from a one-product company seeking a buyer to a pipeline … Continue reading “Formerly Atterocor, Millendo Changes Name, Strategy—And Nabs $62M”
Oncology’s Future: Liquid Biopsies and the Heterogeneity of Cancer
We have known for some time that cancer is not a static, monolithic disease. Instead, we now think of cancer as heterogeneous. Each patient’s cancer may arise from widely dissimilar origins, even in patients with the same type of tumor. Several studies in the last year have spelled out the extent of this diversity, which … Continue reading “Oncology’s Future: Liquid Biopsies and the Heterogeneity of Cancer”
Lab Space on a Navy Ship, And Other Creative Solutions for NY Biotech
I was a management consultant in a former life, and was trained in that role to always have three arguments to support any conclusion. But having spent the last six months living and breathing biotech in New York City, I am convinced there are only two strategic challenges holding this city back from becoming a … Continue reading “Lab Space on a Navy Ship, And Other Creative Solutions for NY Biotech”
Virtuix Omni Ships First Units, Plans Possible Crowdfunding Round
Virtuix Omni, the Houston-born virtual gaming company, has a special affinity for crowdfunding. On its way to its second appearance at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, founder and CEO Jan Goetgeluk says the company—now based in Austin, TX—is considering using newly passed Jobs Act investing rules to solicit money from … Continue reading “Virtuix Omni Ships First Units, Plans Possible Crowdfunding Round”
Eight Things You Might Not Have Known Until Editas Filed Its S-1
Here’s a CRISPR first: Editas Medicine of Cambridge, MA, has filed paperwork for an IPO. Its S-1 document became public today, marking the first one from a company working to turn the gene editing system CRISPR-Cas9 into human therapeutics. The reaction of the public markets to Editas, assuming it gets as far as an IPO, … Continue reading “Eight Things You Might Not Have Known Until Editas Filed Its S-1”
DishUp App Takes Visually Appealing Approach to Restaurant Discovery
If a startup could be assembled from a list of things Millennials like, Detroit-based food tech company DishUp might be the result. DishUp’s food discovery app incorporates the ubiquitous meal close-ups that people love to post on social media sites; users swipe left or right a la Tinder to make their choices; and the DishUp … Continue reading “DishUp App Takes Visually Appealing Approach to Restaurant Discovery”
With $7.5M Series A, Healthfinch To Keep Evolving Automation Software
When Jonathan Baran started a healthtech company in 2011, he says he saw its mission as “evolving healthcare.” So he and co-founder Lyle Berkowitz chose the name Healthfinch, a nod to the species of birds Charles Darwin discovered during a voyage to the Galápagos Islands. Healthfinch, which makes software to automate routine tasks performed by … Continue reading “With $7.5M Series A, Healthfinch To Keep Evolving Automation Software”
With $28M Series C, Silvercar Tightens Ties With Audi
Silvercar, the car rental startup that leases silver Audi automobiles through a mobile app and online, has raised $28 million led by a corporate sponsor that isn’t too much of a surprise: Audi. Silvercar plans to use the Series C funding to expand into Las Vegas, the company’s 12th, and to improve its digital and … Continue reading “With $28M Series C, Silvercar Tightens Ties With Audi”
Historic CRISPR Patent Fight Primed To Become Head-To-Head Battle
The fight to determine who invented fundamental parts of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology appears to be headed into a long, arcane battle, the likes of which would never be seen again in the U.S. patent system. The move toward a so-called interference proceeding was signaled before the holidays by a slight change in the … Continue reading “Historic CRISPR Patent Fight Primed To Become Head-To-Head Battle”
Chimerix, DeSimone, Merz, & More in NC Innovation News
As we kick off the new year, here’s a look at some of the headlines in North Carolina biotech and tech news from the holiday break. —Chimerix’s (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CMRX]]) lead antiviral drug candidate failed a late-stage clinical trial of its ability to prevent a potentially deadly infection in transplant patients, sparking a more than 80 … Continue reading “Chimerix, DeSimone, Merz, & More in NC Innovation News”
Scholar Rock Rolls Up $36M To Move Muscle Drug To Clinical Trials
In recent years, a number of drug companies have zeroed in on a protein called myostatin, which can limit muscle growth and even cause them to waste away in certain diseases. A startup called Scholar Rock is now part of that group, and the Cambridge, MA-based company said today it has raised the cash needed … Continue reading “Scholar Rock Rolls Up $36M To Move Muscle Drug To Clinical Trials”