Anyone who has taken care of aging parents or family members knows the agony of navigating all the doctors, insurance claims, and post-hospital care. That last one is its own special nightmare: once patients are discharged, they are basically on their own to find the right rehab facility, nursing home, or home healthcare agency. And … Continue reading “CarePort Health Gets $2.2M to Aid Patients After Hospital Visits”
Category: National
Want Immunotherapy Stock? One Guy’s Index Could Become Tradable Fund
In March, independent investor Brad Loncar unveiled a homebrewed stock index, created to track the red-hot cancer immunotherapy field. If he gets his way, there will soon be a publicly traded fund to go with it. Loncar, who lives in the Kansas City suburb of Lenexa, KS, announced this morning his index will form the … Continue reading “Want Immunotherapy Stock? One Guy’s Index Could Become Tradable Fund”
Texas Roundup: Pulmotect, Tech Wildcatters, Houston2035, & SynShark
Here’s the latest innovation news for Xconomy Texas. —Pulmotect, which is making an inhaled therapeutic to prevent and treat respiratory infections in cancer patients with compromised immune systems, received a $3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. The Houston-based biotech company had previously received a $7.1 million matching award from the Cancer Prevention … Continue reading “Texas Roundup: Pulmotect, Tech Wildcatters, Houston2035, & SynShark”
Freedom Meditech Raises $4.8M to Commercialize Ocular Scanner
Freedom Meditech, a San Diego medical diagnostic company, said it has raised $4.8 million in a Series C financing round, bringing total venture funding to about $14 million in the nine years since the company was founded. The company also named John Gerace as CEO and as a member of the company’s board of directors. … Continue reading “Freedom Meditech Raises $4.8M to Commercialize Ocular Scanner”
MIT Clean Energy Prize Grants Go to Startups From Boston to San Francisco
OptiBit, a company with hardware intended to improve the bandwidth and energy efficiency of data centers, won top billing at the MIT Clean Energy Prize in May. The company, which developed its technology over 10 years at MIT, University of California, Berkeley, and University of Colorado, went home with the $275,000 grand prize. The Clean … Continue reading “MIT Clean Energy Prize Grants Go to Startups From Boston to San Francisco”
Wisconsin Roundup: Wooden Microchip, Zendesk, Rockwell, FaB, & More
Here’s a quick recap of some recent headlines in Wisconsin’s innovation and technology community: —FaB Wisconsin, the Milwaukee-based food and beverage industry group with 135 member companies, announced a program intended to help small Wisconsin food and beverage companies boost their businesses. The one-year finance accelerator will include a $10,000 grant, access to mentors and … Continue reading “Wisconsin Roundup: Wooden Microchip, Zendesk, Rockwell, FaB, & More”
BioDelivery Sciences Lands $20M to Prep for Drug Launch
BioDelivery Sciences International has added $20.7 million to its coffers as the specialty pharmaceutical company prepares for the commercial launch of its opioid addiction treatment. Raleigh, NC-based BioDelivery (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BDSI]]) secured the debt funding from MidCap Financial. BioDelivery’s total debt with MidCap now stands at $30 million. BioDelivery’s opioid addiction treatment is not a new … Continue reading “BioDelivery Sciences Lands $20M to Prep for Drug Launch”
Three Predictions for Boston’s Innovation Scene in 2035
One thing’s for sure: in 20 years, people will still complain about the weather. Other than that, death, and taxes, pretty much anything goes. We’re thinking a lot about the long-range future of the New England innovation cluster. As part of our Boston 2035 conference on June 17, we’ve asked a number of speakers to … Continue reading “Three Predictions for Boston’s Innovation Scene in 2035”
Analyze This: Sumo Logic Raises $80M To Expand Data Analytics Service
Redwood City, CA-based Sumo Logic is announcing an $80 million funding round today that will support a doubling of its staff and help it keep pace with customer demand for its data analytics services. Sumo is benefiting from the transformation of businesses in sectors such as travel, entertainment, and retail into software-driven enterprises that generate … Continue reading “Analyze This: Sumo Logic Raises $80M To Expand Data Analytics Service”
At Exelixis, Morrissey Dreams Of Getting the Band Back Together
Mike Morrissey is a self-described meticulous planner. Last fall, when the CEO of cancer drug developer Exelixis saw dismal data crush hopes of having his flagship drug cabozantinib (Cometriq) approved in prostate cancer, he already had the next move in place: 160 layoffs, or 70 percent of the company. “We spent four or five months … Continue reading “At Exelixis, Morrissey Dreams Of Getting the Band Back Together”
Summer Reading List: True Tales That Will Inspire and Educate You
OK, you’ve already read the latest hot science bestsellers—Siddhartha Mukherjee’s The Emperor of All Maladies and Rebecca Skloot’s The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (both terrific, by the way)—and you’re wondering what to grab next. I’ve suggested below a number of remarkable science books that I’m fond of, and that you might find interesting as … Continue reading “Summer Reading List: True Tales That Will Inspire and Educate You”
Celldex Builds Case for Brain Cancer Vaccine With New ASCO Data
Celldex Therapeutics grabbed the spotlight late last year when an experimental vaccine it’s been developing helped extend the lives of some patients with an aggressive, deadly form of brain cancer. In an update to that study today, Celldex is circling back with similarly positive results—and is now trying to figure out what it’ll take to … Continue reading “Celldex Builds Case for Brain Cancer Vaccine With New ASCO Data”
TernPro’s $395K Seed Round to Push Collaboration Software to Market
TernPro, the Detroit-based startup developing collaboration software called Slope, announced this week that it has closed on a round of seed funding worth $395,000. Slope’s investors include Bizdom, Venture for America, and angels based in Michigan, New York, and Ohio. The team behind Slope, which allows marketing and creative teams to store, organize, and collaborate … Continue reading “TernPro’s $395K Seed Round to Push Collaboration Software to Market”
Investment Banks Put Money, Data Analysis Into Visible Alpha’s Launch
When five investment banks collaborate to create a startup, it is a fair bet it will have the backing to scale up quickly. Visible Alpha, based in New York, is working its way out of beta—though it still has a ways to go—with commitments for $30 million in financing in its pocket from a consortium of Bank … Continue reading “Investment Banks Put Money, Data Analysis Into Visible Alpha’s Launch”
With Recent Investments, VMTurbo Growing Fast in Data Center Control
The problem that Benjamin Nye faces selling VMTurbo’s data center control software is that his customers often hear what they expect to hear. Nye, the Boston company’s chief executive, tells customers that his software can give them control of their data center. But, he says, again and again all they hear is that it is … Continue reading “With Recent Investments, VMTurbo Growing Fast in Data Center Control”
East Coast Biotech Roundup: Seres, Editas, PureTech, Pronutria & More
Call it the calm before the storm. All eyes in biotech this weekend will turn to the year’s big cancer meeting, the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual bash in Chicago. There’ll be plenty of data to parse through over the next few days, as cancer immunotherapy once again takes center stage and hordes of … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: Seres, Editas, PureTech, Pronutria & More”
Qualcomm Names First 10 Companies to Robotics Accelerator
Following a global recruiting effort that yielded hundreds of applications, San Diego-based Qualcomm (NASDAQ: [[ticker:QCOM]]) today named the 10 startups selected for the new robotics accelerator program it is operating with Techstars. The inaugural class includes two San Diego robotics startups, Inova Drone and CleverPet, San Francisco-based Carbon Robotics, and early stage companies from Singapore; … Continue reading “Qualcomm Names First 10 Companies to Robotics Accelerator”
Fate of Life Sciences Fund Again in Limbo as Legislature Dithers
Washington state’s main public funding source for applied research and commercialization of new medical treatments could shut down in five weeks, with existing grants rescinded. Or it could see its funding maintained, be in charge of a new state cancer program, and begin advising Washington marijuana regulators on licensing research into that substance. Such is … Continue reading “Fate of Life Sciences Fund Again in Limbo as Legislature Dithers”
Colorado Trendsetter Rally Software Takes CA’s $480M Takeover Offer
Rally Software, the Boulder, CO-based software company that led a new generation of technology startups in Colorado and became the first in years to reach an IPO, is going to be acquired by CA Technologies. CA (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CA]]) announced Wednesday that it had signed a definitive agreement with Rally (NYSE: [[ticker:RALY]]) to buy the company … Continue reading “Colorado Trendsetter Rally Software Takes CA’s $480M Takeover Offer”
Boston 2035: Here’s the Agenda for New England’s Future on June 17
You want robots? We got robots. You want cybersecurity? We got cybersecurity. Healthcare and biotech? Yup, got those too, along with a healthy dose of marketing tech, big data analytics, entrepreneurship education, venture capital, and a few other pillars of the New England innovation ecosystem. It’s all coming to you on June 17 at Babson … Continue reading “Boston 2035: Here’s the Agenda for New England’s Future on June 17”
Mitek Expands Mobile Fintech Role by Acquiring Dutch ID Firm
In a deal that targets emerging opportunities in the mobile fintech industry, San Diego’s Mitek Systems (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MITK]]) has acquired IDchecker, a global provider of identity and document authentication technology. Mitek, which provides its mobile check-deposit technology to 3,700 U.S. banks, agreed to pay as much as $10.6 million to gain access to cloud-based technologies … Continue reading “Mitek Expands Mobile Fintech Role by Acquiring Dutch ID Firm”
Armune Bioscience Develops First Cancer-Specific Prostate Test
Armune Bioscience, the Kalamazoo-based cancer diagnostic startup, has developed what it calls “the world’s only tumor-specific, non-PSA blood test designed to help doctors detect prostate cancer.” Called Apifiny, the test is now available nationally as the company works to get the word out to clinicians that it believes it has developed a better way to … Continue reading “Armune Bioscience Develops First Cancer-Specific Prostate Test”
Trustpilot Grabs $73.5M More, Plans to Double NY Staff This Year
Consumer review site Trustpilot on Thursday said it raised $73.5 million in a Series D round to further fuel its North American expansion. Last summer, Danish-born Trustpilot set up offices in New York, and it currently has a staff of 100 here. The reviews collected on Trustpilot cover such brands as Rosetta Stone, B&H Photo, … Continue reading “Trustpilot Grabs $73.5M More, Plans to Double NY Staff This Year”
Recap: Xconomy’s Houston 2035 Conference, in Pictures
Healthcare and energy, edtech and urban design. Those were among the topics at hand at the inaugural Houston 2035 conference last Thursday, which brought together leaders from Houston and nationally to speak about how Houston can both leverage its assets and prepare for future challenges as an innovative city of the future in the decades to … Continue reading “Recap: Xconomy’s Houston 2035 Conference, in Pictures”
Sharpening Its Focus On Drugs, Pronutria Bags $39M From Fidelity, Flagship
Pronutria looks a little different today than the startup that emerged from stealth in 2013. It’s added “Biosciences” to the end of its name to reflect a shift in strategy. Its research team is now run by a former star scientist at Vertex Pharmaceuticals. And today, it landed its biggest round of funding yet. Pronutria … Continue reading “Sharpening Its Focus On Drugs, Pronutria Bags $39M From Fidelity, Flagship”
NeuWave Grabs $25M to Amplify Overseas Sales of Tumor-Zapping Tech
NeuWave Medical, the Madison, WI-based maker of medical devices that use microwave energy to zap tumors, has raised $25.3 million in a Series C round, the company announced today. The deal is the largest funding round announced by a Wisconsin company so far this year. The round was led by Versant Ventures, with participation by … Continue reading “NeuWave Grabs $25M to Amplify Overseas Sales of Tumor-Zapping Tech”
Virtual Currency Companies Grapple with Role as Crime Watchdogs for Feds
When Chris Morton and his partners co-founded BlockScore in June 2013, they initially planned to get into the business of Bitcoin remittances. That’s a new way to send money via the Web to someone in another country, with the virtual currency Bitcoin as a medium of exchange. Such services—often available through a mobile phone—can be … Continue reading “Virtual Currency Companies Grapple with Role as Crime Watchdogs for Feds”
Milestones Of Innovation 7: FDR Phones Knudsen At General Motors
One of the sharpest controversies about our nation’s history is who gets top credit for the titanic American public-private partnership that won World War II with an avalanche of production. Some call it a rescue by private business, others view it as an example of Franklin Roosevelt’s multi-layered and often-mysterious leadership. How we see this … Continue reading “Milestones Of Innovation 7: FDR Phones Knudsen At General Motors”
Irritable Bowel Drugs Originally Developed by NC Firms Win FDA Nod
Irritable bowel syndrome symptoms range from abdominal pain to diarrhea, but for years, patients had no FDA-approved treatment to turn to for relief. That changes with the agency’s approval of two new drugs that were originally developed by North Carolina pharmaceutical companies. The FDA today approved Actavis’s (NYSE: [[ticker:ACT]]) eluxadoline (Viberzi), as well as rifaxamin … Continue reading “Irritable Bowel Drugs Originally Developed by NC Firms Win FDA Nod”
Gold Bugs? Seres Files For First IPO of Human Microbiome Era
What was it Sigmund Freud said? In dreams, feces is actually a symbol of money. Seres Therapeutics of Cambridge, MA, is about to put that notion to the test. The biotech has filed to go public, looking to tap the public markets on the momentum of its first product, a mixture of bacterial spores derived … Continue reading “Gold Bugs? Seres Files For First IPO of Human Microbiome Era”
Juno, Editas To Collaborate On CRISPR-Juiced Cancer Immunotherapy
The gene editing technology CRISPR-Cas9 might be prompting major ethical questions about its use in altering human intelligence and appearance, but biotech startups are now pushing it forward as a way to make better cancer therapies. In the second deal of its kind, Juno Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:JUNO]]) of Seattle has tapped CRISPR-Cas9 experts Editas Medicine, … Continue reading “Juno, Editas To Collaborate On CRISPR-Juiced Cancer Immunotherapy”
Entrepreneurs Share How and Why to Increase Diversity in Tech
Change seems inevitable for the technology scene as more voices take up the cause of gender and ethnic diversity—but numerous hurdles persist. Predicting what New York’s tech scene will look like in 2020 was the focus of a panel chat during the Internet Week New York conference last week. Much of the conversation though centered … Continue reading “Entrepreneurs Share How and Why to Increase Diversity in Tech”
Roundup: MCWT, Blackstone LaunchPad, Court Innovations, Prix & More
Here’s a look at news from around Michigan’s innovation hubs: —The Michigan Council of Women in Technology (MCWT) has announced its annual scholarship awards for female students pursuing computer science. This year, the nonprofit awarded a record 22 young women with scholarships or laptops. Sponsors such as the FCA Foundation and CMS Energy increased support … Continue reading “Roundup: MCWT, Blackstone LaunchPad, Court Innovations, Prix & More”
Job Recruitment Website Hired Opens in Austin
Hired, a job recruitment website for engineers, data scientists, and other workers who are in high demand from tech startups, is launching its service in Austin, where the company expects 9,000 new tech jobs to appear by 2017. Based in San Francisco, Hired targets workers who are “overwhelmed with job offers,” the company says. Employees … Continue reading “Job Recruitment Website Hired Opens in Austin”
With $500,000 Seed Round, CitizenShipper Moves to Austin
[Updated, 5/28/15, 9:07 a.m. See below] CitizenShipper, a peer-to-peer shipping service, has taken $500,000 of seed financing, packed its bags, and moved to Austin, TX, where the company is joining Capital Factory’s incubator program, CEO and founder Richard Obousy says. The company will use the funding to expand its services, as well as to make hires in … Continue reading “With $500,000 Seed Round, CitizenShipper Moves to Austin”
GrocerKey, Backed By Woodman’s, Aims to Help Grocers Bag Online Sales
The online grocery ordering and delivery industry has heated up over the past few years, with incumbents like Peapod competing against well-funded upstarts like Instacart, as well as e-commerce giants, such as Amazon, that have started offering similar services. In general, the business model for those grocery delivery services either cuts traditional brick-and-mortar grocery stores … Continue reading “GrocerKey, Backed By Woodman’s, Aims to Help Grocers Bag Online Sales”
Houston 2035: Innovative Cities Make Diversity A Growth Engine
What makes Houston one of the nation’s most innovative cities of the future but also represents its biggest challenge? Its diversity. Hand-wringing over the diversification of those who call America’s fourth largest city home is beside the point, said Stephen Klineberg, founding director at Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research. “It’s done; it’s already … Continue reading “Houston 2035: Innovative Cities Make Diversity A Growth Engine”
Retrophin Turns Asklepion Voucher Into $245M Sanofi Payday
File this one under shrewd dealmaking: Less than three months after buying a small drugmaker in Baltimore, MD, Retrophin has already made its money back—and then some. New York- and San Diego, CA-based Retrophin (NASDAQ: [[ticker:RTRX]]) this morning sold what’s known as a priority review voucher to French drugmaker Sanofi in a deal worth $245 … Continue reading “Retrophin Turns Asklepion Voucher Into $245M Sanofi Payday”
With Undisclosed Siemens Funding, CyberFlow Closes $4M Seed Round
San Diego network security startup CyberFlow Analytics said it has closed out its seed funding round after raising a total of $4 million from Toshiba America Electronic Components, angel investors, and Siemens Venture Capital, which did not disclose the size of its investment. As part of the deal, CyberFlow also formed a strategic partnership with … Continue reading “With Undisclosed Siemens Funding, CyberFlow Closes $4M Seed Round”
To Expand Cloud Services, EMC Buys Virtustream for $1.2 Billion
EMC, the Hopkinton, MA-based data storage titan, is buying privately held Virtustream for $1.2 billion as it builds out its cloud-storage services business and seeks to attract customers. Virtustream is an enterprise-class managed cloud software provider that EMC believes will help it better deliver customers a hybrid cloud storage model. Hybrid cloud storage allows customers … Continue reading “To Expand Cloud Services, EMC Buys Virtustream for $1.2 Billion”
Bluebird Adds to CAR-T Arsenal With Five Prime Antibody Deal
[Updated 5/27/15 12:45 pm. See below.] Bluebird Bio is expanding its technology reach with antibodies from Five Prime Therapeutics as part of its plan to develop next-generation cancer therapies. Cambridge, MA-based Bluebird (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BLUE]]) specializes in gene therapy, and its progress treating sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia, both rare blood disorders, is one of the … Continue reading “Bluebird Adds to CAR-T Arsenal With Five Prime Antibody Deal”
Houston 2035: A Look Back at A Look Forward
Last Thursday, in front of a packed house of more than 300 people, we took a day to explore how today’s innovations will shape Houston over the next 20 years. Our attendees took to Twitter to share their thoughts—we’ve aggregated some of the highlights in the Storify below. Houston 2035: A Look Forward Special thanks … Continue reading “Houston 2035: A Look Back at A Look Forward”
Three Colorado Startups Win $25K Contracts From Statewide Challenge
The makers of apps that help college students find mentors, tourists find activities, and commuters find perks took home the $25,000 top prizes as the winners of the second Go Code Colorado challenge. The competition is sponsored by the state in an effort to help startups find ways to use and commercialize the publicly available … Continue reading “Three Colorado Startups Win $25K Contracts From Statewide Challenge”
Fetch Rewards Snags $4M to Help Grocery Shoppers Sniff Out Deals
While more companies are diving into the online grocery shopping and delivery industry, Fetch Rewards is betting on a mobile app that aims to improve the in-store buying experience by helping shoppers find discounts, make lists, and more easily pay at the checkout lane. Now, more investors are betting on the idea, too. Madison, WI-based … Continue reading “Fetch Rewards Snags $4M to Help Grocery Shoppers Sniff Out Deals”
List of ‘Unicorns’ With Billion-Dollar Valuations Climbs to 108
What’s worth $1 billion? Drones, HR benefits software, and the offerings of 106 other private companies worldwide who have “unicorn” valuations, according to a private business data provider CB Insights. The New York-based company has created a real-time unicorn tracker to keep record of the number of startups that received $1 billion or higher valuations … Continue reading “List of ‘Unicorns’ With Billion-Dollar Valuations Climbs to 108”
Exosuits, Startups, and VCs Swarm Around Harvard Robotics Meetup
If you want to catch a glimpse of venture capitalists in their natural habitat, check out the robotics meetups around town. That’s a takeaway from one such gathering of researchers and demos last Wednesday, hosted by the Wyss Institute and Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. A quick look around the room and you’d … Continue reading “Exosuits, Startups, and VCs Swarm Around Harvard Robotics Meetup”
To Back Startups, PureTech Heads Across the Pond For $160M London IPO
PureTech got the financial support of a big U.K. investment manager last year. Now the Boston firm wants the backing of a whole other group of London investors too. PureTech, the creator of a slew of local startups at the nexus of healthcare and technology, this morning filed papers to go public in England. It’s … Continue reading “To Back Startups, PureTech Heads Across the Pond For $160M London IPO”
After Orexigen Gaffe, What Role for Drugs Amid Obesity Crisis?
Two recent happenings prompted this column. First, Orexigen Therapeutics drew fire from, well, nearly everyone earlier this month for an improper release of data related to its weight-loss drug Contrave. The second happening is Memorial Day weekend. I’m assuming you, like me, did not spend the long weekend hunting and gathering, sharpening your arrowheads, and … Continue reading “After Orexigen Gaffe, What Role for Drugs Amid Obesity Crisis?”
Seattle Roundup: Seattle Angel Conference, UW Business Plans, & More
In addition to significant fundraising news from iSpot.tv, Glowforge, and Ignition Partners, we’re tracking the winners of the University of Washington’s business plan competition, Seattle Angel Conference, and more. First, here’s a recap of Xconomy Seattle stories this week, followed by a few other notable developments: —Peach expanded to San Diego. We looked at how … Continue reading “Seattle Roundup: Seattle Angel Conference, UW Business Plans, & More”
Chelsea Clinton Shares 20-Year Data on Women’s Progress, Problems
Putting a number on gender inequality issues can bring attention to the scale of such matters. During Internet Week New York, Chelsea Clinton presented data and findings from a report by the No Ceilings project, which gave a snapshot of progress made in support of women around the world. The report also identified key problems that … Continue reading “Chelsea Clinton Shares 20-Year Data on Women’s Progress, Problems”