Buying a house has huge financial consequences for a family, but the decision is often based on emotion rather than dollars and cents, says Vincent Turner, a veteran developer of online real estate tools for consumers. As an Australian tech entrepreneur, Turner watched the U.S. financial system nearly buckle between 2007 and 2009, in part … Continue reading “Planwise’s Real Estate Reality Check: Keeping Homebuyers On Budget”
Category: National
Austin’s RideScout Buys Ticketing App GlobeSherpa
RideScout, an Austin, TX-based transportation app, announced Tuesday that it has acquired GlobeSherpa, a ticketing app based in Portland, OR. GlobeSherpa operates a mobile book-and-pay service in three U.S. cities: Portland, San Francisco, and Chicago. RideScout was founded four years ago as a one-stop-shopping app to access transportation options, including bike-share services, taxis, buses, and … Continue reading “Austin’s RideScout Buys Ticketing App GlobeSherpa”
Exact Sciences Outlines Pipeline of Diagnostics for Deadliest Cancers
Exact Sciences’ ambitious plan to commercialize molecular diagnostic tests for several of the deadliest cancers is starting to come into focus. Fresh off announcing a partnership with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston to co-develop multiple blood-based diagnostic tests for lung cancer, Madison, WI-based Exact (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EXAS]]) shared new details last … Continue reading “Exact Sciences Outlines Pipeline of Diagnostics for Deadliest Cancers”
Roundup: Hatch Detroit, TechTown, DeNovo, & More
Here’s a look at news you may have missed from Michigan’s innovation hubs: —Comerica Hatch Detroit, the annual contest that awards $50,000 to the winning startup venture, will accept applications from entrepreneurs until July 24. (All applications must be filled out online.) In addition to the cash, the winner will also receive a package of … Continue reading “Roundup: Hatch Detroit, TechTown, DeNovo, & More”
Washington Budget Would End Life Sciences Discovery Fund
Washington lawmakers have put the Life Sciences Discovery Fund on life support and unless Gov. Jay Inslee saves it again with his veto pen Tuesday afternoon, the plug will be pulled. An 11th-hour operating budget passed by the state Legislature overnight delivers a significant blow to the state’s life sciences industry, particularly at the very … Continue reading “Washington Budget Would End Life Sciences Discovery Fund”
Shapeways Gets $30M More, Investing in R&D for 3D Printing Materials
The ramping up of the 3D printing sector continued Tuesday as New York-based Shapeways announced it raised $30 million in a round led by INKEF Capital, with Andreessen Horowitz, Lux Capital, Union Square Ventures, and Index Ventures participating. Corporate venture capitalists Hewlett Packard Ventures and Presidio Ventures, part of Sumitomo Corp., also invested in this funding … Continue reading “Shapeways Gets $30M More, Investing in R&D for 3D Printing Materials”
Texas Roundup: SXSW, SparkCognition, TMCx, & Austin’s Biotech Scene
Here is the latest innovation news in Texas: —Officials with South By Southwest were in Houston recently drumming up support for the upcoming V2V event in Las Vegas next month, as well as launch the Panel Picker program for next year’s next year’s festival. The program is the process by which a large number of … Continue reading “Texas Roundup: SXSW, SparkCognition, TMCx, & Austin’s Biotech Scene”
Corporate VCs Still Out to Prove They Belong At the Deal Table
Though corporate capital may be just a sliver of the overall funding scene, the money is nothing to sneeze it. Corporate venture groups in 2014 invested $5.4 billion in U.S. startups—making up 11 percent of venture dollars spent—across 775 deals. That was the word from a panel at last week’s New York Venture Summit, citing a … Continue reading “Corporate VCs Still Out to Prove They Belong At the Deal Table”
Five Obstacles That Impede Startup Innovation
If you’re building a startup, chances are that you’re aspiring to innovate – to create something new or do something differently. In fact, innovation and entrepreneurship go hand in hand. However, many startups unwittingly create obstacles that hamper innovation in their organization. What are some of those obstacles and how can you avoid them? Fear … Continue reading “Five Obstacles That Impede Startup Innovation”
Celgene To Pay $1B For A Big Piece of Juno and T Cell Therapies
[Updated 6/29/15 7:00 pm. See below.] It seemed only a matter of time. One of biotech’s most aggressive deal makers, Celgene (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CELG]]) has struck a wide-ranging, billion-dollar partnership with one of biotech’s highest-profile drug makers, Juno Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:JUNO]]), whose T cell therapies are part of a wave of products that could transform the … Continue reading “Celgene To Pay $1B For A Big Piece of Juno and T Cell Therapies”
Milestones of Innovation 9: Early Bird On Station
Fifty years ago, on June 28, 1965, an exotic device named Early Bird made it possible to transmit an uninterrupted live television show across the Atlantic from Europe to America or vice versa. This event, a landmark on the way to today’s interconnected world, happened less than 40 years after the first radio-telephone conversations between … Continue reading “Milestones of Innovation 9: Early Bird On Station”
BioMarin, Sarepta Update Positions In Race To Produce DMD Drug
The race to produce a drug to treat and perhaps cure one version of the rare Duchenne muscular dystrophy remains neck and neck. The entrants, BioMarin Pharmaceutical (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BMRN]]) and Sarepta Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SRPT]]), both had updates this morning in their final push to have their drugs approved by the FDA. BioMarin is a few … Continue reading “BioMarin, Sarepta Update Positions In Race To Produce DMD Drug”
Raleigh-Durham Roundup: Cree, Google Fiber, Bayer CropScience, & More
Here are the highlights from recent North Carolina tech and biotech news: —Cree (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CREE]]) is restructuring its LED products business in response to an oversupply of LEDs and a weakening forecast for LED sales. The company said it would consolidate two manufacturing plants at its home in Durham, NC, and two in China to … Continue reading “Raleigh-Durham Roundup: Cree, Google Fiber, Bayer CropScience, & More”
FKA Atlas Has a New Name: Accomplice
One of Boston’s most active tech investing firms has a new name: FKA Atlas Venture is now Accomplice. No big announcement, and that’s the way the firm wants it. But the news ends months of speculation, as the tech side of Atlas Venture opened up a crowdsourcing contest in March to find its new name. … Continue reading “FKA Atlas Has a New Name: Accomplice”
Out of the Digital Health Fog, More Investments Are Coming in 2015
Venture capitalists have been talking up the rewards of digital health for some time now, and we are certainly putting our money where our mouth is. Record-breaking dollars continue to flow into health care IT startups. According to Rock Health, digital health saw over $4B in funding in 2014, more than doubling funding from 2013 … Continue reading “Out of the Digital Health Fog, More Investments Are Coming in 2015”
NY FinTech Lab Graduates Class, Says U.S. Fintech Investment Booming
According to a report, by Accenture and the Partnership Fund for New York City, $9.89 billion worth of investments went into fintech in 2014 across the U.S., up from $3.39 billion in 2013. That was the word on Thursday at the demo day for the 2015 class of the New York FinTech Innovation Lab. The five-year-old … Continue reading “NY FinTech Lab Graduates Class, Says U.S. Fintech Investment Booming”
Seattle Roundup: Indix, Auth0, Appuri, UW Health Innovation, & More
It’s a momentous day in U.S. history, and a beautiful start to a hot, prideful weekend in Seattle. It’s already been a hot week in terms of startup funding and innovation news. Read on for details on new funding for Indix, Auth0, and Appuri; the acquisition of Radiant Vision Systems; a new Health Innovation Challenge … Continue reading “Seattle Roundup: Indix, Auth0, Appuri, UW Health Innovation, & More”
U-M’s Desai Family Accelerator Announces Inaugural Startup Class
Last summer, the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and College of Engineering announced the creation of a new accelerator that would be open to any startup—no university affiliation required. Earlier this month, the Desai Family Accelerator selected its first cohort of five companies, and they’ll now spend the summer trying to refine and … Continue reading “U-M’s Desai Family Accelerator Announces Inaugural Startup Class”
West Coast Biotech Roundup: Bock, Celladon, Arivale, Conkwest & More
It was a big week across the nation for Xconomy’s biotech coverage. We launched Exome, a redesigned site with more stories, livelier graphics, and other features to give readers a more comprehensive snapshot of the day’s health, biotech, and life sciences news. We’ve had great feedback from readers so far; please keep it coming. If … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Bock, Celladon, Arivale, Conkwest & More”
How Your Startup Can Run With Unicorns
Have you noticed those unicorns outside your office? Recently, there’s been an uptick in the all-important $1 billion “unicorn” valuation for startups in the tech industry. In the VC-funded startup community, the young companies receiving such valuations are in the media daily. When an entrepreneur considers her unicorn counterparts, it’s not hard to see why … Continue reading “How Your Startup Can Run With Unicorns”
New Amazon Fund Invests in Boston Hardware Firm Dragon Innovation
Dragon Innovation has been helping startups build their hardware products and raise funding since the Boston-based consultancy was founded in 2009. Now Dragon is adding a new focus when working with customers: voice. Dragon has received an undisclosed investment from a new fund created by Amazon, called the Alexa Fund, that invests in developer and … Continue reading “New Amazon Fund Invests in Boston Hardware Firm Dragon Innovation”
East Coast Biotech Roundup: Flagship, SQZ, Epizyme, IPOs & More
We’ve got a new site launch, local IPOs, and much more to dig through in this week’s roundup. But first, a programming note to you Xconomy readers: I’ll be away on a long break, returning in late July. In the meantime, stay tuned to Alex Lash and David Holley, who will take the lead on … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: Flagship, SQZ, Epizyme, IPOs & More”
Bon Appetit: Seres And Its Microbiome Gut Treatment Notch $134M IPO
In the first big test of public investor appetite for the human microbiome, Seres Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MCRB]]) has priced shares tonight for its initial public offering at $18 each. The Cambridge, MA-based developer of bacteria-based treatments for serious gastrointestinal ailments sold 7.43 million shares to gross nearly $134 million. That sum is one-third more than … Continue reading “Bon Appetit: Seres And Its Microbiome Gut Treatment Notch $134M IPO”
Library High: San Francisco Public Library Offers Online Diploma With Cengage
[Corrected 6/26/15, 9:32 am. See below.] Educational technology is often cast as a solution to the high cost of a college degree, which Americans see as the essential gateway to reasonable earnings. But in San Francisco, which has one of the most highly educated populations in the country, more than 30,000 people over 25 lack … Continue reading “Library High: San Francisco Public Library Offers Online Diploma With Cengage”
Invenra Partners With U.K. Company to Research Therapeutic Antibodies
Invenra, one of the few companies working on new ways to make therapeutic monoclonal antibodies using cell-free protein expression, today announced a partnership with U.K.-based Oxford BioTherapeutics aimed at commercializing a new cancer treatment. Madison, WI-based Invenra is one of the companies offering a way to make antibodies without using genetically modified cells such as … Continue reading “Invenra Partners With U.K. Company to Research Therapeutic Antibodies”
Cybersecurity, DraftKings, OBJL, and 24M: A Boston Tech Roundup
In the run-up to summer, there have been a bunch of technology deals to catch up on around town. The news spans cybersecurity companies, business software, gaming, and energy—kind of a microcosm of New England tech innovation. —BitSight Technologies has just raised a $23 million Series B round from Comcast Ventures, Globespan Capital Partners, Flybridge … Continue reading “Cybersecurity, DraftKings, OBJL, and 24M: A Boston Tech Roundup”
Second Life Creator Linden Lab Prepares To Test Parallel VR Universe
[Corrected 6/26/15, 10:02 am. See below.] San Francisco-based Linden Lab, the granddaddy of virtual reality companies, is celebrating the 12th birthday of its cyberworld Second Life this week with a digital fairground full of fanciful constructions, including a concert stage shaped like a birthday cake. But Linden, founded in 1999, is also getting ready to … Continue reading “Second Life Creator Linden Lab Prepares To Test Parallel VR Universe”
On Eve of Seres IPO, A Rival Nonprofit Microbiome Treatment Expands
If you’re an investor anticipating the potential $100 million-plus IPO of microbiome company Seres Therapeutics, your wait should be over before the weekend comes. If you’re a patient with a terrible bacterial infection in your gut anticipating Seres’ lead product, you’ll probably have to wait at least a couple more years. But that doesn’t mean … Continue reading “On Eve of Seres IPO, A Rival Nonprofit Microbiome Treatment Expands”
San Diego Developer/Philanthropist Gives $100M to Sanford-Burnham
The San Diego-based Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, which also operates in Orlando, FL, has been renamed the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute following a $100 million gift from the developer and philanthropist Conrad Prebys. Prebys, a real estate developer and owner of San Diego-based Progress Construction and Management, was identified as one of America’s … Continue reading “San Diego Developer/Philanthropist Gives $100M to Sanford-Burnham”
MIT Startup Celect Gets $5M to Apply Predictive Analytics to Retail
By now you’re used to the idea that companies are trying to predict your every move when you shop online. But how about in the real world? Boston-based startup Celect has a new approach to understanding and predicting customer behavior in brick-and-mortar stores. Now the company has raised a $5 million Series A round led … Continue reading “MIT Startup Celect Gets $5M to Apply Predictive Analytics to Retail”
Security Startup SparkCognition Uses AI to Protect Connected Devices
When trying to solve a problem, people often disregard possible solutions because they don’t seem to make sense. But in doing so, their brains may prevent them from solving certain problems—in particular, those that involve vast amounts of data. That’s part of the premise on which SparkCognition’s business is built. “My mind, because of common … Continue reading “Security Startup SparkCognition Uses AI to Protect Connected Devices”
Tech Training Startup Andela Gets Series A Funds from Spark Capital
Hiring developers, engineers, and other professionals who are remotely located around the world is an emerging trend among some tech companies, but where can more of these workers be found? Andela—based in New York and Lagos, Nigeria—offers training to folks in Africa who have an interest in technology careers, but until now have had limited access … Continue reading “Tech Training Startup Andela Gets Series A Funds from Spark Capital”
Retooled Catabasis Cuts Price, Upsizes to Grab $60M in IPO
Catabasis Pharmaceuticals has done some strategic tinkering over the past few years, and the Cambridge, MA-based company did a bit more maneuvering on Wednesday to price its IPO. Catabasis is set to debut on the Nasdaq this morning after raising $60 million in an IPO. It had to sell more shares at a lower price … Continue reading “Retooled Catabasis Cuts Price, Upsizes to Grab $60M in IPO”
Connect Charts Signs of Expansion in San Diego’s Innovation Economy
A record 446 technology and life sciences startups were founded in San Diego in 2014, according to the latest innovation report released by Connect, the nonprofit group that supports regional innovation and entrepreneurship. The number was slightly higher than the 426 companies that Connect counted in 2013, and represents a new high in the number … Continue reading “Connect Charts Signs of Expansion in San Diego’s Innovation Economy”
The Decade Of The Brain: 25 Years Later
My phone rang late in the day on a pleasant fall afternoon. It was a close friend and business associate of mine and, because we talk often enough about a whole variety of things, I didn’t think for a moment about not answering. I rarely talk about my days as a practicing physician, and it’s … Continue reading “The Decade Of The Brain: 25 Years Later”
Putting Waste to Profitable Use: Carbon Fiber and Food Scraps
More than two dozen Washington companies and organizations presented solutions to save water, energy, and wasted material during the CleanTech Showcase, presented by the CleanTech Alliance on Monday. Two that caught my eye are focused on putting waste material to beneficial use, and doing so locally. The Composite Recycling Technology Center in Port Angeles is … Continue reading “Putting Waste to Profitable Use: Carbon Fiber and Food Scraps”
The Water Council Raising $5M Fund, Names Next Accelerator Startups
The Water Council is raising a $5 million venture fund to take its water technology startup investments to the next level. Meanwhile, the Milwaukee organization announced the companies selected for its third session, beginning in the fall (see below). During The Water Council’s annual Water Summit held this week, the group celebrated the graduation of … Continue reading “The Water Council Raising $5M Fund, Names Next Accelerator Startups”
Tesora Takes In $4.5M to Advance Database as a Service
A local tech startup has some new money to push its vision of making database-as-a-service useful for enterprise customers. Cambridge, MA-based Tesora, formerly known as ParElastic, says it has raised $4.5 million from new investor Rho Canada Ventures and previous investors, including General Catalyst, CommonAngels Ventures, and Point Judith Capital. The company now has raised … Continue reading “Tesora Takes In $4.5M to Advance Database as a Service”
GoFundMe Gets Undisclosed Funding Led by Accel Partners, TCV
GoFundMe, a San Diego-based crowdfunding startup, has sold a majority stake to an investor group led by Accel Partners and Technology Crossover Ventures, according to a report this morning on The Wall Street Journal’s website for tech news. GoFundMe, which operates a website that enables individuals and charities to raise funds for tragedies and good … Continue reading “GoFundMe Gets Undisclosed Funding Led by Accel Partners, TCV”
Metro Detroit Teacher’s App Helps Students Master Organic Chemistry
In 20 years of teaching college-level organic chemistry to high school students at Detroit Country Day, Julia Winter has perfected a method of conveying difficult scientific concepts to students. Now, she’s formed a company based in Ann Arbor, MI, called Alchemie to share what she’s learned with parents and kids. The endeavor began two years … Continue reading “Metro Detroit Teacher’s App Helps Students Master Organic Chemistry”
Duke Long-Term Health Study Aims To Join Obama’s Precision Med Plan
The small North Carolina mill town of Kannapolis left its mark on the U.S. economy and history by becoming the nation’s largest center for textiles manufacturing. In its next chapter, Kannapolis could become part of medical history. Duke University wants the medical research already underway at Kannapolis to become part of the federal Precision Medicine … Continue reading “Duke Long-Term Health Study Aims To Join Obama’s Precision Med Plan”
It’s Elementary: At TMCx, Grade School Students Pitch Health IT Innovations
The Texas Medical Center has said that its accelerator TMCx aims to boost fledgling healthcare startups. On Tuesday, the young inventors getting a boost were aged eight and nine. About 100 students from the British International School of Houston had a demo day at TMXc pitching health IT innovations such as a wearable to detect … Continue reading “It’s Elementary: At TMCx, Grade School Students Pitch Health IT Innovations”
With Fresh Eyes, A Return To Biotech’s City Within A City
What a difference a decade makes. I left the Boston/Cambridge biotech community in 2005, when it was a lot sleepier and a lot smaller. Focused densely within just a few dozen blocks around the MIT campus, nascent successes like Vertex stood shoulder to shoulder with more established companies that were only older by single-digit years. … Continue reading “With Fresh Eyes, A Return To Biotech’s City Within A City”
SQZ Biotech Shifts to Therapy Development with $5M Series A
Scientists lucky enough to develop a breakthrough technology often still face the difficult task of commercializing the product. Do they license the technology to researchers? Do they develop it themselves, or maybe instead find a bigger, more experienced partner? SQZ Biotech finds itself today in such a time of transition. The Boston startup, founded through … Continue reading “SQZ Biotech Shifts to Therapy Development with $5M Series A”
Introducing Exome, Xconomy’s New Home For Biotech and Health Coverage
By now you’ve had a day or two to meet Exome, Xconomy’s new place for all things life sciences, health, and biotech, which launched Monday. Let me amend that. Some things are new, which I’ll get to in a moment, but some things remain the same: the reporting and analysis you expect from me, Ben … Continue reading “Introducing Exome, Xconomy’s New Home For Biotech and Health Coverage”
U.S. IPO Activity Loses Steam to PE Deals in First Half of 2015
In the strange times category of today’s innovation news, a preview of IPO activity through the first half of 2015 suggests that market bubbles don’t always rise. In fact, the total number of IPO deals and proceeds actually sank through the first half of 2015, with 101 IPOs raising total proceeds of $19.7 billion, according … Continue reading “U.S. IPO Activity Loses Steam to PE Deals in First Half of 2015”
Automation Alley Puts More Cash Into Civionics, Lighthouse Molding
Automation Alley, the Troy, MI-based technology business association and accelerator, announced today that it has put additional money into two of its incubator clients, Civionics and Lighthouse Molding, through its pre-seed fund. Each company received $25,000 earlier this year when they started in Automation Alley’s 7Cs program to help advanced manufacturing startups grow. Today, Civionics … Continue reading “Automation Alley Puts More Cash Into Civionics, Lighthouse Molding”
Cash Flow: Credit Karma Pulls Down Another $175 M
[Updated 6/24/15, 9:40 am. See below.] San Francisco-based Credit Karma, an online personal finance site that raised $75 million in September, followed up with a $175 million Series D financing round announced today. Observers had valued the company at about $1 billion after the September round, but are now estimating Credit Karma’s worth at $3 … Continue reading “Cash Flow: Credit Karma Pulls Down Another $175 M”
Accera Pivots From Medical Foods to Potential Drug for Alzheimer’s
The war against Alzheimer’s disease has been a brutal, losing fight. Those stricken with the disease, their loved ones, and their doctors are on the front lines every day, but the battles researchers and drug companies fight behind the scenes in labs also have led to virtually no victories. Accera, an early stage drug company … Continue reading “Accera Pivots From Medical Foods to Potential Drug for Alzheimer’s”
Formlabs Takes a Step in Making Tough, Durable 3D-Printed Pieces
Can 3D-printed parts be tough enough for load-bearing, hands-on stress? The folks from Formlabs say they are moving, just a bit, in that direction with new material for their desktop printers. The Somerville, MA-based company is visiting New York now for CE Week, an annual conference for consumer electronics. On Tuesday, Formlabs announced the debut … Continue reading “Formlabs Takes a Step in Making Tough, Durable 3D-Printed Pieces”