The CEO of DraftKings, one of Boston’s fastest-growing and most controversial startups, used his speech at last night’s MassChallenge awards ceremony to endorse the Bay State’s capacity to build great consumer tech companies. It’s been a tumultuous few weeks for Jason Robins and his staff, who have faced legal and regulatory questions about their daily … Continue reading “DraftKings CEO Endorses Boston Consumer Tech at MassChallenge Awards”
Category: National
Fred Wilson, Others Discuss On-Demand Economy Growing Beyond Uber
Has the world irrevocably been changed by the on-demand and gig economy? Wednesday night at Work Market’s headquarters in New York, venture capitalist Fred Wilson, co-founder of Union Square Ventures, Bradley Tusk, founder of Tusk Holdings, and André Dua, director at McKinsey & Co., discussed how the workforce, business models, and drivers of the economy … Continue reading “Fred Wilson, Others Discuss On-Demand Economy Growing Beyond Uber”
TAI Diagnostics Hires CEO, Nabs $8.3M to Push Post-Transplant Test
Five months removed from raising $6 million from investors, TAI Diagnostics has upped the ante. Last week the Milwaukee-area startup, which is seeking to commercialize a non-invasive test to monitor the health of heart transplant recipients, said the value of its Series A round has climbed to $8.3 million. The company also said it hired a CEO: Frank … Continue reading “TAI Diagnostics Hires CEO, Nabs $8.3M to Push Post-Transplant Test”
Despite Sanofi’s Help, MyoKardia Prices IPO Below Expectations
One thing is becoming clear to companies in today’s biotech IPO market: Don’t expect the market value you would’ve gotten a year ago. San Francisco-based MyoKardia was the latest example. The company priced 5,437,500 shares at $10 apiece, for a roughly $50.5 million haul after discounts due to underwriters. Even with the help of partner … Continue reading “Despite Sanofi’s Help, MyoKardia Prices IPO Below Expectations”
Enrollment Begins at UCSF in Study of Avelas Cancer Illuminator
San Diego’s Avelas Biosciences says today that UC San Francisco has begun enrolling women who face breast cancer surgery in a clinical trial for AVB-620, a diagnostic agent that helps surgeons differentiate cancerous tissue from healthy tissue in real time. The technology behind AVB-620 was developed by Roger Tsien, a UC San Diego biochemist who … Continue reading “Enrollment Begins at UCSF in Study of Avelas Cancer Illuminator”
Venture Veterans Frazier Commit New $262M Fund To Biopharma Bets
Whether the unprecedented biotech boom has undergone a slight correction or is shuffling toward bear territory, veteran venture group Frazier Healthcare Partners has a new pool of cash to invest. The firm says it has closed on a $262 million fund that it will begin to deploy in 2016, but with a twist on its … Continue reading “Venture Veterans Frazier Commit New $262M Fund To Biopharma Bets”
Pendo’s Engagement Software Clicks With VCs, Sparking $11M Round
Pendo, a company whose software helps companies glean insights about their customers by analyzing their Web behavior, has raised $11 million in a Series A round of financing. Battery Ventures led the round, joined by Salesforce Ventures and existing investors Contour Venture Partners, Core Capital Partners, and IDEA Fund Partners. With Pendo’s new financing, Battery … Continue reading “Pendo’s Engagement Software Clicks With VCs, Sparking $11M Round”
Envelop VR Raises $4M in Seattle’s Revved Up Immersive Tech Cluster
Imagine donning a headset that transforms your office from a drab cubicle to a mountain top, with virtual screens floating all around you. You can move them into view with a click, or eventually a gesture. Or you can just turn your head. You can invite in colleagues on another floor or another continent. You can … Continue reading “Envelop VR Raises $4M in Seattle’s Revved Up Immersive Tech Cluster”
MassChallenge Chooses Jerusalem For Next Startup Accelerator Outpost
MassChallenge’s international expansion continues with today’s announcement that the Boston-based startup accelerator will launch a new outpost in Jerusalem next year. The move establishes a stronger connection with Israel. MassChallenge has had a “feeder program” for three years that has so far brought 32 Israeli startups to Boston and London to participate in the nonprofit’s … Continue reading “MassChallenge Chooses Jerusalem For Next Startup Accelerator Outpost”
SXSW Panel Controversy Highlights Free Speech, Diversity Issues in Tech
A decision on Monday by South By Southwest to cancel two panel discussions related to sexism in tech, gaming culture, and the bounds of free expression set the year-long Gamergate controversy newly aflame—and seemed to raise questions about the signature tech festival’s commitment to diversity. That brief announcement said the decision was prompted by threats … Continue reading “SXSW Panel Controversy Highlights Free Speech, Diversity Issues in Tech”
Paddle8 Raises $34M Series C Round for Digital Auctions for Art
For art lovers looking to bid on an Andy Warhol painting, as well as pieces from some lesser-known artists, the team at Paddle8 will soon scale up its digital auction, thanks to new funding. The New York-based marketplace for art and collectibles announced Wednesday it raised $34 million in a Series C round. The funding round’s backers—who come … Continue reading “Paddle8 Raises $34M Series C Round for Digital Auctions for Art”
Ambassador Helps Companies Manage Word-of-Mouth Marketing Online
Royal Oak, MI-based Ambassador came into being the way startups sometimes do—after its founder grew disillusioned with practicing law and took up full-time entrepreneurship instead. “I grew up in Southeast Michigan and went to law school in Chicago,” Ambassador CEO Jeff Epstein says. “I stumbled into affiliate marketing through online poker in the early 2000s, … Continue reading “Ambassador Helps Companies Manage Word-of-Mouth Marketing Online”
Early Biotech Startups Take Stage at Carlsbad Bio Incubator
When Bio, Tech, & Beyond held its first open house a little over two years ago, co-founders Joseph Jackson and Kevin Lustig described it as an experiment in do-it-yourself biology. “We represent an opportunity where [scientists] can come in with their idea, and very inexpensively come up with results,” Lustig said at the time. With … Continue reading “Early Biotech Startups Take Stage at Carlsbad Bio Incubator”
Techstars Seattle Startups Do Demo Day Twice
In the midst of its annual celebration of all-things startup, Seattle tech investors and supporters heard from 11 well-polished new companies—some already gaining significant momentum—graduating from the Techstars program on Tuesday. The startups in the 2015 Techstars Seattle class are tackling everything from candy to cloud security. Managing director Chris DeVore calls it one of … Continue reading “Techstars Seattle Startups Do Demo Day Twice”
Death in the Digital Age: Tech Startups Help Us Cope With Mortality
How do you want to be remembered? It’s a weighty question that we’ve all thought about at one time or another. Everybody hopes to have meaningful impact on the world while they’re here, whether that means touching the lives of millions or even just one person. That’s never going to change. But the ways in … Continue reading “Death in the Digital Age: Tech Startups Help Us Cope With Mortality”
Cengage Snaps Up ePortfolio Tool from SF Startup Pathbrite
In a continuing drive to assemble a comprehensive suite of online learning tools for schools, Boston-based edtech company Cengage Learning is adding San Francisco-based startup Pathbrite’s student portfolio feature to its repertoire of acquisitions. Pathbrite’s product, the Portfolio Learning Platform, allows students to store their completed course assignments, such as essays, artwork, and videos, in … Continue reading “Cengage Snaps Up ePortfolio Tool from SF Startup Pathbrite”
Enlitic CEO: Deep-Learning Software Could Soon Help Diagnose Patients
“Take two aspirin and call me in the morning” is the punch line to decades’ worth of doctor-diagnosis jokes, but San Francisco software company Enlitic doesn’t see the humor in it. Enlitic is building a computer system to help doctors make faster, more accurate diagnoses, and it’s gotten its first major customer in the Australian … Continue reading “Enlitic CEO: Deep-Learning Software Could Soon Help Diagnose Patients”
Stratasys, Big VCs Bet $14M on 3D Printing Startup Desktop Metal
Sometimes an idea and a track record are enough to score big bucks from venture capitalists. The latest example: Desktop Metal, a nearly two-month-old 3D printing startup in Cambridge, MA, just announced $14 million in its first funding round—despite not having a working prototype or even a website. The 11-person company includes MIT materials science … Continue reading “Stratasys, Big VCs Bet $14M on 3D Printing Startup Desktop Metal”
Why Passion and Preparedness Matter to Urban-Focused Investors
Detroit is considered by many to be the ultimate proving ground for social entrepreneurs, a place where they can test solutions to homelessness, lack of functioning public transit, and other major problems. Capitalizing on that reputation, the Urban Entrepreneurship Symposium—held Friday at Detroit’s College for Creative Studies and co-hosted by Michigan State University, Wayne State … Continue reading “Why Passion and Preparedness Matter to Urban-Focused Investors”
E-Mail Testing Company Litmus Nabs $49M in First VC Round
Mobile apps might represent the future for brands selling their wares, but e-mail remains a crucial tool for digital marketers. At least, that’s the bet that Spectrum Equity made with a $49 million investment in Litmus, a Cambridge, MA-based company that helps marketers create and test e-mail messages and then analyze their campaigns. The funding … Continue reading “E-Mail Testing Company Litmus Nabs $49M in First VC Round”
NYC Tech Talent Pipeline’s Mobile Dev Course Comes to Flatiron School
Can workers who get a crash course in technology truly compete on the job front? New York may soon see. Last week, the NYC Tech Talent Pipeline—an initiative from Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration—announced it chose the Flatiron School coding academy to run its new Mobile Dev Corps training program. This is yet another page … Continue reading “NYC Tech Talent Pipeline’s Mobile Dev Course Comes to Flatiron School”
Report: Austin’s Startups Need More Homegrown, Later-Stage Capital
Austin may be known as a startup hub, but its homegrown investment scene lags far behind that of the nation’s top technology centers. That’s the conclusion of a report released today by the Austin Technology Council and the Austin Chamber of Commerce. While Austin’s “funding landscape includes a strong representation of seed- and early stage funding … Continue reading “Report: Austin’s Startups Need More Homegrown, Later-Stage Capital”
Patheon’s Mullen: Drug Price Debate Could Shape Pharma’s Future
Even as Patheon CEO Jim Mullen sees promise in the scientific advances made in drug development, he says many of the pharmaceutical industry’s challenges ahead are economic. With pharmacoeconomics—the comparison of the economic value of therapies—playing a greater role in how insurance companies cover medicines, it’s critical for companies to think about reimbursement early on, … Continue reading “Patheon’s Mullen: Drug Price Debate Could Shape Pharma’s Future”
Seattle Roundup: Outreach, Salesforce, Remitly, Pyramid, & More
[Corrected 10/27/15, 9:54 am. See below.] Cloud-based customer relationship management software giant Salesforce is beefing up its presence in the region. Meanwhile, sales software upstart Outreach is raising $9.2 million for what it calls a faster, more efficient approach to selling. Read on for details on these stories, as well as a big new market for … Continue reading “Seattle Roundup: Outreach, Salesforce, Remitly, Pyramid, & More”
Taris 2.0: A Year After Buyout, VCs Bet $32M More on a Second Strike
It’s hard enough to successfully create and sell a biotech company, let alone strike gold twice or more on the same group of assets. But that’s the type of thing Taris Biomedical and its venture backers are shooting for, a year after selling one of the company’s programs to Irvine, CA-based Allergan (NYSE: [[ticker:AGN]]). In … Continue reading “Taris 2.0: A Year After Buyout, VCs Bet $32M More on a Second Strike”
Seattle 2035 Reading List: Stories to Get You Ready for Friday
We’re four days away from Seattle 2035, Xconomy’s exploration of the future of our region’s innovation economy. The topics, companies, and individuals we will focus on at this unique event are very much in the news. We’ve highlighted a handful of stories to get you primed for an interactive discussion on everything from artificial intelligence … Continue reading “Seattle 2035 Reading List: Stories to Get You Ready for Friday”
Wisconsin Roundup: TAI Diagnostics, WhyHigh, DevCodeCamp & More
As the leaves change colors and kids prepare to trick-or-treat, the Badger State’s tech and innovation community has been staying busy. Here are some of the past week’s notable happenings: —TAI Diagnostics, a company started by Medical College of Wisconsin researchers that’s aiming to develop a blood-based test to determine if heart transplant recipients are properly … Continue reading “Wisconsin Roundup: TAI Diagnostics, WhyHigh, DevCodeCamp & More”
McGuire, Bosley, Watson, & More at Our Health Summit—Register Today
We have just over three weeks to go before our third annual Healthcare Summit here in Boston. And if you act quickly, you can take advantage of our Procrastinator’s Special and save $100 off regular registration…if you don’t put it off, that is. The agenda is live—and you can see for yourself the fantastic afternoon … Continue reading “McGuire, Bosley, Watson, & More at Our Health Summit—Register Today”
Chinese Investors Looking at Boston Startups in Robotics, Biotech
It’s not as prevalent as in Silicon Valley, but venture capitalists from China are increasingly looking to invest in New England companies. Several factors come into play locally: the presence of strong research universities, experienced technical talent, a vibrant community of startups, and often lower company valuations as compared to the West Coast. The recently … Continue reading “Chinese Investors Looking at Boston Startups in Robotics, Biotech”
Washington Tech Industry Weighs Approaches to Improving Diversity
Seattle and its booming tech industry are grappling with how to ensure that the prosperity being created here can be shared by minority groups that have been under-represented in the field. A new report—or “playbook”—from the Washington Technology Industry Association indicates widespread concern about the tech industry’s poor showing on diversity, and the racial and economic … Continue reading “Washington Tech Industry Weighs Approaches to Improving Diversity”
Roundup: Macomb Community College, Weyn, Wayne Med-Direct & More
Here’s a look at innovation news from around Michigan: —Macomb Community College announced it will use a $700,000 gift from a donor’s estate to fund programs meant to foster innovation and startups. The gift will support a $50,000 endowed scholarship for accounting students and a $100,000 endowed fund to be used to pay for the … Continue reading “Roundup: Macomb Community College, Weyn, Wayne Med-Direct & More”
BioDelivery Sciences Opioid Gets FDA Approval for Chronic Pain
BioDelivery Sciences International has received FDA approval for a chronic pain treatment that uses the company’s proprietary drug-delivery technology. With the regulatory nod, Raleigh, NC-based BioDelivery (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BDSI]]) is now in line for a $50 million milestone payment from Endo Pharmaceuticals, the unit of Endo International (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ENDP]]) that licensed the treatment in 2012. The … Continue reading “BioDelivery Sciences Opioid Gets FDA Approval for Chronic Pain”
Vertex, CRISPR Tx Team up on Gene Editing Drugs in $105M Pact
There’s still got a long way to go before we know if the landmark gene editing system known as CRISPR-Cas9 can really change how diseases are treated. But big biotech companies are now starting to dabble in it. The latest example: Vertex Pharmaceuticals has cut a deal with one of the field’s startups to try … Continue reading “Vertex, CRISPR Tx Team up on Gene Editing Drugs in $105M Pact”
Phoenix Nuclear Labs Looks to Diversify in Defense, Energy
In the race to start domestic production of molybdenum-99, a crucial medical radioisotope used in diagnostic imaging, Shine Medical Technologies is betting big on neutron-generating accelerator technology developed by Phoenix Nuclear Labs. Yet Phoenix, a 10-year-old company, is about more than isotopes. It’s also working on applications in military imaging and solar-cell production. Greg Piefer, … Continue reading “Phoenix Nuclear Labs Looks to Diversify in Defense, Energy”
Texas Roundup: Solar Winds, VMware, Procyrion, Houston Tech Center
It was a soggy weekend in Texas, so happy Monday as we get on with the week. Let’s recap the most recent innovation news in the state. —Austin, TX’s Solar Winds was taken private by PE firms Thoma Bravo and Silver Lake Partners. (Two years ago, Silver Lake also took Dell Computer private.) The 16-year-old … Continue reading “Texas Roundup: Solar Winds, VMware, Procyrion, Houston Tech Center”
Skills Fund Aims to Be Accreditor, and Creditor for Coding Schools
The creation of Skills Fund, the Austin, TX-based startup that makes loans to people enrolling in coding and Web development bootcamps, started with two ideas. The first is that students should have access to loans that are easy to understand and that state the terms of the loan—such as knowing exactly what interest rate they will … Continue reading “Skills Fund Aims to Be Accreditor, and Creditor for Coding Schools”
Can Banks Ride the Surge of Fintech, Or Has the Wave Gotten Too High?
The roar of startups clamoring to break into the financial world is starting to approach deafening levels. That also makes it harder to hear the worthwhile voices among the mob. Sorting out the cacophony was the subject of the “FinTech Barbarians at the Gates” MarketTech 2015 conference held on Wednesday in New York. The final … Continue reading “Can Banks Ride the Surge of Fintech, Or Has the Wave Gotten Too High?”
West Coast Bio Roundup: Theranos, 23andMe, Invitae, Gritstone, Etc.
Biotech executives and investors gathered in San Francisco this week to size one another up, schmooze, and eat rubber chicken lunches—although the vegetarian ravioli option wasn’t bad. It was the best-attended of the 14 BioInvestor Forums (Fora?) so far, according to its organizers. It certainly beat the 2011 version, which featured creative room-remodeling to hide … Continue reading “West Coast Bio Roundup: Theranos, 23andMe, Invitae, Gritstone, Etc.”
Sakti3’s Sastry on Dyson Acquisition, What’s Next for the Company
This week, Ann Arbor, MI-based battery startup, Sakti3, announced it had been acquired by Dyson, a past investor, for $90 million. Dyson, known for its high-end, sleekly designed vacuum cleaners, is interested in Sakti3’s solid-state lithium battery technology. We traded e-mails with Xconomist Ann Marie Sastry, Sakti3’s CEO and co-founder, to find out more about … Continue reading “Sakti3’s Sastry on Dyson Acquisition, What’s Next for the Company”
East Coast Biotech Roundup: Cancer Vaccines, Biogen, LabCentral & More
There was a loud cheer in New York this week—originating from Queens, to be exact—and it had nothing to do with biotech. The New York Mets, for many years Big Apple baseball’s second-class citizens, stormed through the Chicago Cubs in a four-game demolition and are now headed to the Fall Classic for the first time … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: Cancer Vaccines, Biogen, LabCentral & More”
Wisconsin Beertech: Savvo Adding Features to BeerMapper App
Not all cool ideas make good businesses. And sometimes an intriguing technology might have business potential, but the creators aren’t interested in commercializing it. The latter situation is the case with BeerMapper, the subject of the fourth installment in our ongoing Wisconsin beertech series. The app was created as a side project by former University … Continue reading “Wisconsin Beertech: Savvo Adding Features to BeerMapper App”
SurveyMonkey Ups Cred As Pollster, Hires Election Czar
Technological changes have knocked the election polling industry off the rails—but now tech companies are trying to get it back on track. SurveyMonkey just announced it is amping up its commitment to capturing public opinion during political contests, starting with the 2016 presidential election. This week, the company announced the hiring of its first head … Continue reading “SurveyMonkey Ups Cred As Pollster, Hires Election Czar”
Seattle 2035: New Specials Added
We’re in the final countdown to Seattle 2035, and we are looking forward to hosting attendees and industry experts for insightful panel discussions and networking sessions. We’ve added a new Halloween Special rate, and morning and afternoon specials for people who can’t attend the full conference. Register before midnight on October 29th to save $70 … Continue reading “Seattle 2035: New Specials Added”
Boston Tech Roundup: Xamarin, Mobiquity, CIC, Outlearn, & More
This week, we’re tracking new funding for several Boston tech companies, an acquisition, and a new outpost for the Cambridge Innovation Center. Here are the details: —San Francisco-based Xamarin, which has an office in Boston, said it purchased Swedish software company RoboVM for an undisclosed price. Both companies offer a software platform for developing mobile … Continue reading “Boston Tech Roundup: Xamarin, Mobiquity, CIC, Outlearn, & More”
Dev Bootcamp Adds San Diego Program as Coding Schools Multiply
Dev Bootcamp, a San Francisco-based training program for Web developers, has arrived in San Diego. The three-year-old company is accepting applications for its first 19-week course in downtown San Diego, which begins November 9. The company describes itself as a pioneer of the software coding bootcamp model, intensive programs that teach students the fundamentals of … Continue reading “Dev Bootcamp Adds San Diego Program as Coding Schools Multiply”
NorthStar Gets $11.8M to Support Radioisotope Production Development
NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes has received an $11.8 million grant from the National Nuclear Security Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Energy, the company announced Thursday. The startup, based in Madison, WI, said it will use the funding to continue its march toward commercial production of molybdenum-99, the material that decays into technetium-99m, the most … Continue reading “NorthStar Gets $11.8M to Support Radioisotope Production Development”
Enterprise Tech Strikes Back on Dec. 2 in Boston
Dell, Schmell. You may think you can come in here, drop $67 billion, and leave with our state’s biggest technology company, EMC. Well, OK, I guess you can. But see how much our innovation community cares, really. There are dozens of companies around town that are looking to become the next EMC—whether it’s in data … Continue reading “Enterprise Tech Strikes Back on Dec. 2 in Boston”
$90M Acquisition of Sakti3 One of Year’s Biggest Cleantech Deals
Last year, Dyson—the global manufacturer of vacuum cleaners, fans, hand dryers, and other products—announced it had invested $15 million in Ann Arbor, MI-based advanced battery company Sakti3. Wednesday, the University of Michigan announced the spinout startup has been acquired by Dyson for $90 million. Makers of consumer goods are hungry for more powerful battery technology … Continue reading “$90M Acquisition of Sakti3 One of Year’s Biggest Cleantech Deals”
With New Startup, Caperna, Moderna Gets in on Cancer Vaccine Buzz
Moderna Therapeutics remains the Boston area’s most mysterious, yet well-capitalized private biotech, with more than $800 million to play with. And while it’s still unclear just what type of progress the messenger RNA specialist has made scientifically, it’s just put more of that cash to use today by christening its fourth drugmaking subsidiary. The new … Continue reading “With New Startup, Caperna, Moderna Gets in on Cancer Vaccine Buzz”
Gene Therapy Startup Dimension Cuts Price But Bags $72M in IPO
The sentiment for biotechs trying to go public these days continues to be lukewarm. Witness Dimension Therapeutics, which couldn’t hit its IPO pricing goal despite a cadre of big name investors and ties to one of gene therapy’s scientific pioneers. Cambridge, MA-based Dimension sold 5.5 million shares at $13 apiece on Wednesday and will make … Continue reading “Gene Therapy Startup Dimension Cuts Price But Bags $72M in IPO”