There comes a point when every “new” campaign to nurture startups either matures itself or fades away. L’Oréal USA’s Women in Digital looks like it plans to stick around. Now in its fourth year, the annual program continues to provide mentorship to three woman-led startups, who also get a shot at running pilots with the … Continue reading “Getting Down to Business with L’Oréal USA’s Women in Digital Winners”
Category: National
Placester’s Big Year Keeps Rolling With $27M More From NEA, Romulus
If Placester makes good on its vision of becoming a market leader with staying power, 2015 will be viewed as the year that the real estate software company turned the corner. Among the milestones this year: Placester snagged $15 million in a Series B funding round, grew from 43 employees to 105, and signed major … Continue reading “Placester’s Big Year Keeps Rolling With $27M More From NEA, Romulus”
Boston Tech Watch: Startup Deals, Robots, & Patent Lawsuits
This week in Boston, we’re tracking new funds for software companies, the latest happenings in the local robotics sector, and an update in an Akamai patent lawsuit. Read on for details. —PatientPing said it raised $9.6 million in a round led by Google Ventures and Fidelity affiliate F-Prime Capital, with participation by First Round Capital and … Continue reading “Boston Tech Watch: Startup Deals, Robots, & Patent Lawsuits”
NEVCA Sponsors Startup Tix for Our Big Dec. 2 Tech Event—Claim Yours
Exciting news, startups! Thanks to the generosity of the New England Venture Capital Association, we have a block of 10 complimentary tickets for Enterprise Tech Strikes Back, our half-day forum in downtown Boston on Dec. 2. Don’t miss your chance to hear from leading innovators in the enterprise tech space. You can learn all about … Continue reading “NEVCA Sponsors Startup Tix for Our Big Dec. 2 Tech Event—Claim Yours”
Novozymes, TranS1, Symberix, & More in NC Innovation News
Here are some of the top headlines in recent North Carolina biotech, tech, and cleantech news: —Novozymes (NASDAQ OMX: [[ticker:NZYM]]) and Monsanto (NYSE: [[ticker:MON]]) set an ambitious target of having their agricultural microbials reach between 250 million and 500 million acres of U.S. farmland by 2025. Currently, microbial products from the two companies are used … Continue reading “Novozymes, TranS1, Symberix, & More in NC Innovation News”
Roundup: Station Houston, Launch Health, Pryor Medical, DEC, Fannin
The first blast of wintry air has come to Texas this week of Thanksgiving. Before we get to the turkey, let’s catch up with the latest innovation news. —Houston will be home to a new startup hub. Station Houston is looking to launch in early 2016 and is the brainchild of Emily Keeton, a Houston … Continue reading “Roundup: Station Houston, Launch Health, Pryor Medical, DEC, Fannin”
East Coast Biotech Roundup: Pfizergan, Zafgen, Codiak, Boston Pharma
It’s the time of year for Americans to rack up massive bills on shopping sprees, gorge themselves with calories they don’t need, then worry how they’re going to make it all fit when normal life resumes. We’re talking of course about the just-announced $160 billion Pfizer-Allergan merger, a deal that could have implications for patients … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: Pfizergan, Zafgen, Codiak, Boston Pharma”
One Year In, Carbonite CEO Aims Higher in Data Protection Market
Carbonite is one of those stalwarts of the Boston tech scene that doesn’t get a lot of attention—unless it’s about to get bought, say, or its stock price sees a big change. But the company’s story holds lessons for where the digital world is headed—specifically, in technology areas like data protection, disaster recovery, cloud infrastructure, … Continue reading “One Year In, Carbonite CEO Aims Higher in Data Protection Market”
After a Clinical Trial Death, Zafgen Presses On, Families Stay Calm
[Update: Zafgen announced on Dec. 2 that a second patient in its clinical trial has died, see more details here.] Whether or not a new drug is approved boils down to one basic question: How does the risk of taking the treatment balance against the benefit it provides? And the weight that regulators give to … Continue reading “After a Clinical Trial Death, Zafgen Presses On, Families Stay Calm”
U-M to Help Lead NSF-Funded Regional Big Data Center
The University of Michigan will help direct a country-wide big data research and commercialization effort as part of a National Science Foundation (NSF) initiative announced earlier this month. U-M will lead the new Midwest Big Data Innovation Hub, one of four hubs the NSF has set up across the United States, with the University of … Continue reading “U-M to Help Lead NSF-Funded Regional Big Data Center”
Small Molecules: The Silent Majority of Pharmaceutical Pipelines
The pharmaceutical industry is constantly evolving. There always seem to be new, innovative therapeutic approaches emerging that capture our imagination and advance our ability to make a difference in the lives of patients. Take, for example, T-cell therapy for cancer, microbiome therapies, and CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, each of which could potentially have a significant impact … Continue reading “Small Molecules: The Silent Majority of Pharmaceutical Pipelines”
Paris Rampage Rekindles Conflict Over Government-Proof Encryption
The recent terrorist attacks in Paris were executed with guns and bombs in the physical terrain of city streets and cafe terraces. But the horrific incident is reviving government calls for greater control of the cyber environment. A host of top U.S. officials including the directors of the CIA and FBI, Senator Dianne Feinstein, New … Continue reading “Paris Rampage Rekindles Conflict Over Government-Proof Encryption”
New Space Health Challenge Aimed at Life Science Innovators
An important untapped resource for biotech researchers? That’s the final frontier. So say the organizers of a new startup initiative called the Launch Health Challenge, a year-long effort to help healthcare entrepreneurs leverage the environment of space in order to accelerate their proposed medical devices and, possibly, therapies. “Many researchers don’t know how easy it … Continue reading “New Space Health Challenge Aimed at Life Science Innovators”
Schwartz Talks Diversity in Tech & General Assembly’s Growing Clout
The more the innovation community grows, the more diversity will become intrinsic to startups’ development. That was one of the messages from The Next Web (TNW) Conference USA held this week in New York, where General Assembly CEO and co-founder Jake Schwartz did a fireside chat with TNW editor Natt Garun. Schwartz said General Assembly, … Continue reading “Schwartz Talks Diversity in Tech & General Assembly’s Growing Clout”
What’s On Tap? Propeller Health
Earlier this year, my colleague Jeff Engel created a series exploring Wisconsin tech companies at which employees enjoy drinking a couple beers together to wrap up the week. A few months back, Engel moved to Boston to work from Xconomy headquarters, and I joined the company as the new Wisconsin editor. I want to keep the series going, and … Continue reading “What’s On Tap? Propeller Health”
West Coast Bio Roundup: Shkreli, T4 Diabetes, Cella-Done, A16Z+Bio
So much for lying low. Investors led by Martin Shkreli have bought a majority of the shares of failed South San Francisco, CA-based KaloBios Pharmaceuticals, which has been in dire straits for some time after clinical failures and the abrupt departure of its longtime CEO David Pritchard earlier this year. For those of you just … Continue reading “West Coast Bio Roundup: Shkreli, T4 Diabetes, Cella-Done, A16Z+Bio”
Xconomy’s Healthcare Summit 2015: The Photos
The problems in healthcare are vast, and the potential solutions are wide-ranging. But as we saw at Xconomy’s annual Healthcare Summit this week, tackling today’s challenges in healthcare requires a combination of good ideas, laser focus, and plenty of help from your friends. In hearing from the entrepreneurs and investors on the front lines of … Continue reading “Xconomy’s Healthcare Summit 2015: The Photos”
Salk Recruits Nobel Laureate Liz Blackburn as First Woman President
The Salk Institute has named Elizabeth Blackburn, a Nobel laureate and UC San Francisco professor of biochemistry and biophysics, as its first woman president. Blackburn has been a non-resident fellow at Salk since 2001, and will take over as president on Jan. 1. She is succeeding William Brody, a doctor and biomedical engineer who joined … Continue reading “Salk Recruits Nobel Laureate Liz Blackburn as First Woman President”
Join Xconomy for an Unconference and Reception Dec. 10
Though it takes less than an hour to travel from Detroit to Ann Arbor, the distance between the two communities can sometimes seem daunting. Gerry Roston, CEO of Civionics and TechTown Detroit’s Executive-In-Residence, refers to the psychological barrier between the two cities as an invisible forcefield buttressed by the economic and social upheavals of the … Continue reading “Join Xconomy for an Unconference and Reception Dec. 10”
Agenda Posted: Xconomy’s Bay Area Life Science Disruptors On Dec. 10
Our annual San Francisco Bay Area biotech forum is right around the corner. This year we’re highlighting the most disruptive areas of life science and the Bay Area scientists, entrepreneurs, and investors behind them. Spend a few hours with us on Dec. 10 to explore the profound effects these people hope to trigger in healthcare, … Continue reading “Agenda Posted: Xconomy’s Bay Area Life Science Disruptors On Dec. 10”
Newcomers Help Fuel Rise of Raleigh’s Startup Community
The tech startup community’s emergence in Raleigh, NC, shows itself in different ways, such as the expansion of co-working space or a company that lands investment from an out-of-state venture capital firm. At VergeNC this week, that progress was apparent in a show of hands. Will Hardison, host of the monthly event for entrepreneurs and … Continue reading “Newcomers Help Fuel Rise of Raleigh’s Startup Community”
Ex-Sanofi CEO Gets $600M to Drug Hunt With Boston Pharma
Former Sanofi CEO Chris Viehbacher was handed the keys to a big biotech fund from Gurnet Point Capital a few months ago, and today he announced what he’s doing with it. Viehbacher (pictured above) will become the chairman of a new company, based in Cambridge, MA, called Boston Pharmaceuticals. This isn’t your average startup, founded … Continue reading “Ex-Sanofi CEO Gets $600M to Drug Hunt With Boston Pharma”
Waving White Flag, Celladon Merges With Rare Disease Co. Eiger Bio
A slew of companies have gone public amidst gene therapy’s recent renaissance, and technological advances have gotten these types of treatments closer than they’ve ever been to impacting healthcare in the U.S. But today, Celladon offered a reminder of how quickly it can all go wrong in gene therapy. The San Diego biotech and its … Continue reading “Waving White Flag, Celladon Merges With Rare Disease Co. Eiger Bio”
MI Apps Make Splash in Mobileys, & Other Recent Tech News
Here’s a look at recent news from around Michigan’s innovation hubs: —Mobile Future recently announced the 12 finalists in its national Mobileys competition honoring innovative mobile apps, products, and services. This year, four Michigan-based companies were among the finalists: Companion, an app developed by University of Michigan students that allows users to keep an eye … Continue reading “MI Apps Make Splash in Mobileys, & Other Recent Tech News”
Slowing the Global Spread of Climate-Sensitive Infectious Diseases
Climate change is already suspected of causing legions of deaths every year as a result of extreme weather events: heat waves and floods; degradation of water supplies and sanitation with negative impacts on agriculture; and air pollution, which, in 2012, was responsible for 7 million deaths—one in eight deaths worldwide. But climate change is also … Continue reading “Slowing the Global Spread of Climate-Sensitive Infectious Diseases”
Can Edtech Turn Post-Millennials Into News Junkies? Newsela’s Trying
Much has been written—and often lamented—about the supposed effect of Web technology on the Millennial generation. These digital natives care to read only in short snippets, the stereotype goes; they get all their news from their Facebook friends, and rarely subscribe to newspapers, some of their elders complain. Even if there’s evidence of such trends, … Continue reading “Can Edtech Turn Post-Millennials Into News Junkies? Newsela’s Trying”
5 Life Tips From Xconomy’s Healthcare Summit 2015
You can learn a lot about doing great science, building big companies, and even living a healthy life, by listening to the right group of people. Of course you also have to do stuff yourself—not just listen—but getting exposed to the right ideas can’t hurt. And those ideas (and people) were in abundance at Tuesday’s … Continue reading “5 Life Tips From Xconomy’s Healthcare Summit 2015”
Mimecast, Square IPOs Disappoint in Challenging Environment for Tech
[Updated 11/19/15, 4:33 pm. See below.] It’s a disappointing day for tech IPOs in Boston and elsewhere. Mimecast, a U.K. e-mail management and security firm with a significant presence in Watertown, MA, is set to go public Thursday with an offering of 7.75 million shares priced at $10 each, which raised $77.5 million. That fell … Continue reading “Mimecast, Square IPOs Disappoint in Challenging Environment for Tech”
TwoXAR Grabs $3.4M for Algorithm-Based Drug Discovery
One of the most frustrating aspects of drug discovery is the years spent testing drug candidates in the lab against various diseases they could treat. A new startup that received a $3.4 million seed round from Andreessen Horowitz has developed a method of expediting the process using algorithms. Palo Alto, CA-based TwoXAR is using computations … Continue reading “TwoXAR Grabs $3.4M for Algorithm-Based Drug Discovery”
More Folks Take Sides in Quarrel Over Ridesharing, Taxis, & NY Law
A group called the New Yorkers for Ridesharing coalition announced its presence to the world this week to advocate for companies such as Uber, and help them operate in upstate New York. The coalition spoke Monday on a conference call with the media—just as more opposition to Uber cruising the streets of Manhattan bubbled to the … Continue reading “More Folks Take Sides in Quarrel Over Ridesharing, Taxis, & NY Law”
Cybersecurity Firm Assured Enterprises Moves Headquarters to Austin
The secret to building a robust cybersecurity firm? Hire video gamers. That’s partly why Assured Enterprises announced last week it was relocating its headquarters to Austin, TX, from northern Virginia. CEO Stephen Soble told me that engineering talent is top of the 3-year-old cybersecurity company’s to-do list. “They are comfortable thinking outside of the box,” … Continue reading “Cybersecurity Firm Assured Enterprises Moves Headquarters to Austin”
Somasegar Is Latest Outgoing Microsoft Exec to Join Madrona
Madrona Venture Group has welcomed another long-tenured Microsoft executive to its ranks, naming S. “Soma” Somasegar, who last month left the software giant after 27 years, as its newest venture partner. Madrona has been a way station for other top Microsoft leaders after exiting the Redmond, WA, company. Kurt Delbene spent 21 years at Microsoft … Continue reading “Somasegar Is Latest Outgoing Microsoft Exec to Join Madrona”
“Innovation” a New Campaign Theme for Local Politics in San Diego
Something unusual has been happening to the innovation community in San Diego. Local pols are starting to pay more attention to entrepreneurship, and to the clusters of innovative tech and biotech startups sprouting throughout the region. In contrast to San Francisco, where local politics gets polarized over tech startups like Airbnb and Uber, San Diego’s … Continue reading ““Innovation” a New Campaign Theme for Local Politics in San Diego”
RetroSense Therapeutics Closes $6M Series B, Begins Clinical Trials
Ann Arbor, MI-based biopharmaceutical startup RetroSense Therapeutics announced Monday that it has raised $6 million in a Series B round. Participating investors include Blue Water Angels, RBV Capital, ExSight Capital, and Santen Pharmaceutical. RetroSense has raised a total of $13 million since it licensed its lead technology from Wayne State University in 2011. Sean Ainsworth, … Continue reading “RetroSense Therapeutics Closes $6M Series B, Begins Clinical Trials”
Epic’s Data Deal With HealthMyne, UW Health Could Help Quell Critics
Epic Systems, based in the Madison, WI, area, has been described as an “unwitting contributor” to the local healthtech startup ecosystem it helped spawn and now towers over. But that reputation could begin to shift, if a partnership unveiled Tuesday is a harbinger of things to come. HealthMyne, a Madison startup that makes analytics software … Continue reading “Epic’s Data Deal With HealthMyne, UW Health Could Help Quell Critics”
Doug Williams, Codiak at Today’s Health Summit: Last Chance for Tix
Last week, we announced that a stealth company would make its public debut at this afternoon’s (Tuesday, November 17) Healthcare Summit at the Broad Institute in Kendall Square. Now we can tell you that the company is Codiak BioSciences and the speaker, former Biogen research head Doug Williams, is its new CEO. (Williams has also … Continue reading “Doug Williams, Codiak at Today’s Health Summit: Last Chance for Tix”
Cogito Dials Up $5.5M for Software to Coach Customer Service Reps
As consumers, we’ve all had a frustrating experience (or several) talking with a customer service representative on the phone. Maybe the voice on the other end of the line was speaking too quickly, not really answering your question, or simply being rude. For many businesses, the volume of calls coming in to their call centers—millions … Continue reading “Cogito Dials Up $5.5M for Software to Coach Customer Service Reps”
Keeping Score, Clinical Watchdogs Push Drugmakers For More Open Data
Should drug companies publicly release all data from the tests they conduct on human volunteers? A growing number of parties say yes, and last week, a group of academics unveiled a scorecard to spotlight companies that have recently kept their clinical data hidden from public view—and those that have made the data available. As with … Continue reading “Keeping Score, Clinical Watchdogs Push Drugmakers For More Open Data”
Big Bucks, Tiny Bubbles: Ex-Biogen Exec’s Exosome Startup Nabs $80M
Exosomes were once thought of as cellular garbage bins, bubbles filled with waste and shipped out for elimination. But a more sophisticated view of exosomes—and a better understanding of their biological role—has led companies to exploit their diagnostic and therapeutic potential. The latest startup is Codiak BioSciences, which has just reeled in over $80 million … Continue reading “Big Bucks, Tiny Bubbles: Ex-Biogen Exec’s Exosome Startup Nabs $80M”
Salvaged From Bankruptcy, TranS1 Medical Device Finds New Life
Spinal fusion is a complex procedure that requires a surgeon to navigate through muscle, nerves, and organs before reaching bone. TranS1, a Raleigh, NC, medical device company, developed an alternative: a minimally invasive medical device that can fuse the lowest spinal joint in less time, at less cost, and with faster patient recovery. TranS1, named … Continue reading “Salvaged From Bankruptcy, TranS1 Medical Device Finds New Life”
Datto Drums Up $75M for Data Protection and Networking
In case you had any doubt that enterprise infrastructure is a hot area of tech, especially in New England, consider Datto. The Norwalk, CT-based company, which has about 80 of its 500-plus employees in Boston, just closed a big financing round to fuel its expansion. Datto says today it raised $75 million in Series B … Continue reading “Datto Drums Up $75M for Data Protection and Networking”
With An Influx of Startups, CES Trying to Not Be the Same Old Show
Change is underway in the consumer gadget scene, thanks to new blood—and a rallying cry for support—from startups, as the organization that stumps for this industry gets a bit of a makeover. At last week’s CES Unveiled in New York, a preview hosted for the press of things to come at the January conference, Gary … Continue reading “With An Influx of Startups, CES Trying to Not Be the Same Old Show”
With $550K, Beekeeper Gets Buzz for Building “MailChimp for Data”
Matthew Rathbone left his job at Foursquare, the location-based social network headquartered in New York City, in 2013 after nearly three years of employment. While he didn’t miss his old job enough to return to the company, he says he did long to use some of the tools he had co-developed there. During his time at Foursquare, one … Continue reading “With $550K, Beekeeper Gets Buzz for Building “MailChimp for Data””
DTE Harnesses SPLT’s Ride-Sharing App for New Commuter Program
SPLT, the Detroit-based ride-sharing app designed to connect people traveling similar routes so they can split taxi fare or the cost of gas, kicked off its first large-scale commuter program last week with DTE Energy. SPLT, which recently finished a stint in Detroit’s Techstars incubator, is exploring mobility as a service with the DTE program, … Continue reading “DTE Harnesses SPLT’s Ride-Sharing App for New Commuter Program”
Clovis Oncology Shares Plummet on FDA Request for More Data
Clovis Oncology has hit another bump in the road—causing the company’s stock to fall to its lowest price since 2013—in developing a therapy for a type of lung cancer that pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca is also targeting. The Boulder, CO-based company announced today that potential approval may be delayed because Clovis must now submit additional clinical … Continue reading “Clovis Oncology Shares Plummet on FDA Request for More Data”
This Week’s Wisconsin Watch: Rockwell, Connecture, Shine, & More
Here are some of the major Wisconsin innovation news items from the past week: —Milwaukee-based Rockwell Automation (NYSE: [[ticker:ROK]]) announced it’s working with software giant Microsoft (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MSFT]]) and Cambridge, MA-based Nubisa to expand its mobile toolkit for workers in industrial settings, where there may not be reliable wireless Internet. Technology from Project Thali, a … Continue reading “This Week’s Wisconsin Watch: Rockwell, Connecture, Shine, & More”
ThinkingPhones Buys Fuze, Stays Aggressive in Communications
The way businesses communicate is evolving rapidly, and technology providers can’t afford to rest on their laurels if they want to win in this new world of mobile devices, cloud-based software, and video-conference tools. At least, that’s the strategy of ThinkingPhones, a fast-growing Cambridge, MA-based company that has been on a hiring and acquisition spree. … Continue reading “ThinkingPhones Buys Fuze, Stays Aggressive in Communications”
Flagship Merges Biofuel Maker Red Rock with R&D-Focused Joule
Flagship Ventures is combining a biofuels business that it first invested in eight months ago with a renewable fuels maker that it created eight years ago. The reason? To have one project that should generate cash in the near term (from the more recent investment) under the same roof as the more innovative long-term investment, … Continue reading “Flagship Merges Biofuel Maker Red Rock with R&D-Focused Joule”
With Secure Data Storage Tool, Neone Focuses on Selective Sharing
[Updated 11/17/15, 8:36 a.m. See below.] Internet security can seem a distant, extraneous issue until it directly affects you, in the form of something like stolen credit card information or a photo that goes public when you didn’t intend it to. For the founder of Austin, TX-based Neone, the issue of security extends beyond merely shared … Continue reading “With Secure Data Storage Tool, Neone Focuses on Selective Sharing”
Stealth Co Unveiling, New Speakers Added to Nov. 17 Healthcare Event
Two great new speakers—one of whom will bring a major new company out of stealth mode—have just joined the lineup for Tuesday’s Healthcare Summit 2015. If you were on the fence before, you should get off it fast. If you are interested in the future of healthcare, you will not want to miss these new elements. The summit … Continue reading “Stealth Co Unveiling, New Speakers Added to Nov. 17 Healthcare Event”