When the New Economy Initiative (NEI) kicked off its NEIdeas initiative last year, almost 600 entrepreneurs from all corners of the city of Detroit applied for the chance to win seed money to grow their small businesses. The program is back for a second year, this time open to existing small businesses in Detroit, Hamtramck, … Continue reading “NEIdeas Seeks to Connect Detroit Businesses with Resources to Grow”
Category: National
UC San Diego’s Qualcomm Institute Opens Startup “Innovation Space”
The Qualcomm Institute, the UC San Diego division of the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2), inaugurated a new “innovation space” Thursday, with enough space to house 15 to 20 seed-stage startups. The 6,000-square-foot facility on the second floor of the Calit2 headquarters in Atkinson Hall follows the February 6 debut of “The … Continue reading “UC San Diego’s Qualcomm Institute Opens Startup “Innovation Space””
West Coast Biotech Roundup: Adaptive, Gilead, Juno, aTyr & More
[Corrected 5/8/15, 6:48 pm. See below.] Out west this week there was news, there was an event, and there was coincidence. It just happened that two executives who spoke at Xconomy’s annual Seattle biotech forum Wednesday represented local companies, Adaptive Biotechnologies and Juno Therapeutics, in this week’s news. (Xconomy Seattle editor Ben Romano was there … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Adaptive, Gilead, Juno, aTyr & More”
Somabar’s Robot Bartender Trying to Be the “Keurig of Cocktails”
For aficionados of cocktails: a startup is developing a smartphone app-controlled machine that can create a vast array of drinks at home. Down at Startup Alley during this week’s TechCrunch Disrupt New York event, I caught up with familiar faces from New York such as LumiFi and Dash—and then I came across the Somabar team … Continue reading “Somabar’s Robot Bartender Trying to Be the “Keurig of Cocktails””
Wearables Startup Neumitra Gets New Cash Amid Fitbit, Apple Buzz
Fitbit’s IPO filing and the Apple Watch have dominated the headlines on wearables and healthtech this week. But a number of New England startups have been quietly working on related technologies that could also have a big impact. One of those is Boston-based Neumitra, which has received a new investment from NetScientific, a U.K.-based healthcare … Continue reading “Wearables Startup Neumitra Gets New Cash Amid Fitbit, Apple Buzz”
East Coast Biotech Roundup: NY Bio, Synageva, Kadmon & More
Innovation clusters are built from the ground up. It’s a painstaking process, and takes years of work, a whole lot of money, and perhaps some luck to make them a reality. I’ve been chronicling that effort by New York biotech for a few years now, and a meeting in Manhattan this week produced a good … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: NY Bio, Synageva, Kadmon & More”
Washington Needs a Master Plan to Prepare for the 2035 Energy Economy
The energy system of 2035 will be distributed in nature with a variety of safe, clean generation technologies and load-smoothing technologies like battery storage. The centralized spoke and wheel control system of today will give way to a more dynamic model that can react more quickly and efficiently to the changing needs of the electrical … Continue reading “Washington Needs a Master Plan to Prepare for the 2035 Energy Economy”
Fitbit’s Fitness Open To Scrutiny With IPO Filing
One of the downsides for a young company filing to go public is that it has to start revealing all its secrets to the world. So far, though, observers dissecting Fitbit’s IPO bid have been impressed by the financial numbers disclosed today in the company’s S-1, the registration statement lodged with the SEC for an … Continue reading “Fitbit’s Fitness Open To Scrutiny With IPO Filing”
Big Bay Area Funding Week: Banjo, AltSchool, Twilio, Robinhood
Big chunks of change were falling into the hands of Bay area companies this week, with three of them netting $100 million capital infusions and others in the multi-million dollar range. Maybe the most surprising of the three top fundraisers was a fledgling elementary school chain, AltSchool. But the San Francisco-based education company is no … Continue reading “Big Bay Area Funding Week: Banjo, AltSchool, Twilio, Robinhood”
Seahawks Players, Tech CEOs Trade Ideas at Madrona Gathering
About 15 Seattle Seahawks players met with a similar number of startup and tech company CEOs Wednesday night at Madrona Venture Group’s offices. Madrona managing director Matt McIlwain describes it as an “informal gathering” of NFL pros and CEOs from the firm’s portfolio companies. There are “many great entrepreneurial thinkers and doers on the Seahawks … Continue reading “Seahawks Players, Tech CEOs Trade Ideas at Madrona Gathering”
Slideshow: Seattle Biotech Seizes the Momentum
Seattle biotech leaders gathered at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center on Wednesday received a generally sunny view of the industry in the region, despite the ongoing laments about our lack of a true anchor tenant and lackluster state-level support. The crowd erupted in cheers when Adaptive Biotechnologies CEO Chad Robins announced a $195 million … Continue reading “Slideshow: Seattle Biotech Seizes the Momentum”
Manulith’s MakerOS: Faster, Cheaper 3D Printing Services from Detroit
3D printing has the potential to disrupt logistics and the way we fabricate and manufacture consumer goods. It also promises to take the basement or garage workshop to new heights. But until desktop 3D printers become more affordable and practical, where can do-it-yourself tinkerers or small businesses go to put 3D printing projects in motion? … Continue reading “Manulith’s MakerOS: Faster, Cheaper 3D Printing Services from Detroit”
Saver Rate Ends Today: Houston 2035, the Innovative City of the Future
Don’t wait: Today marks the end of our Saver rate for Houston 2035, a look at the innovative Houston in decades to come. Register today and receive $120 off the regular registration rate of $295 for one of Xconomy’s premier events, which will take place at TMCx at the Texas Medical Center on May 21. The … Continue reading “Saver Rate Ends Today: Houston 2035, the Innovative City of the Future”
Communal Culture Spawns Rental Startups in Construction, Healthcare
How does today’s “sharing economy” look to a guy who grew up in a commune in Missouri, without any technology like phones or computers? It looks familiar—and also like good business. Willy Schlacks was raised in a community that he calls a “mix of theocracy and communism.” He was 27 when he and his brother, … Continue reading “Communal Culture Spawns Rental Startups in Construction, Healthcare”
Epic, IBM Unleash Watson Supercomputer on Electronic Health Records
In yet another high-profile partnership for Epic Systems, the healthcare software giant is teaming up with IBM to bring the supercomputing prowess of Watson to the medical records at the Mayo Clinic and beyond. Epic, based in the Madison, WI, suburb of Verona, has grown into a powerhouse in the electronic health records software industry … Continue reading “Epic, IBM Unleash Watson Supercomputer on Electronic Health Records”
Transform Utilities to Smooth the Way to a New Energy Future
What will the energy system look like 20 years from now—in 2035? Well, it will certainly be less carbon intensive, more distributed, and more electric. If you think about it, electric utilities right now are where the telecomm companies were in the 1980s. The telcos had a comfortable, regulated monopoly, and then a wave of … Continue reading “Transform Utilities to Smooth the Way to a New Energy Future”
Cellular Dynamics Sale a Windfall For Founders, Execs, & Board Members
Fujifilm’s $307 million acquisition of Cellular Dynamics International (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ICEL]]) is officially a done deal, and that means a big payday for the company’s top executives and board members. The biggest winner in the deal was CDI co-founder and stem cell pioneer James Thomson (pictured right), who earned $16.9 million, according to SEC documents. The … Continue reading “Cellular Dynamics Sale a Windfall For Founders, Execs, & Board Members”
Ex-AstraZeneca Exec to Lead Surface’s “Next-Gen” Immuno-Oncology Plan
Say “immuno-oncology” and investors come running these days. That’s because despite all of the advances biotechs have made harnessing the immune system to deal with cancer, there is still much we don’t understand about how the disease disarms our body’s defenses—and plenty to gain for those who can figure it out. No surprise, then, that … Continue reading “Ex-AstraZeneca Exec to Lead Surface’s “Next-Gen” Immuno-Oncology Plan”
Once Part of Sony, Daybreak Games Looks to Conquer New Worlds
After operating for close to 20 years as part of Sony in San Diego, the creators of EverQuest, DC Universe Online, PlanetSide, and other massively multiplayer online games are starting over with a new identity as the Daybreak Game Company. “We’ve finally become an independent studio,” Laura Naviaux, Daybreak’s senior vice president of global sales … Continue reading “Once Part of Sony, Daybreak Games Looks to Conquer New Worlds”
San Diego’s aTyr Pharma Raises Total Proceeds of $75M in IPO
Shares of San Diego-based aTyr Pharma are expected to begin trading on the Nasdaq market tomorrow morning, after the company priced its IPO late today, selling nearly 5.4 million shares at $14 a share. The offering raised gross proceeds of $75 million, and gives aTyr a fully diluted market value of $333 million, according to … Continue reading “San Diego’s aTyr Pharma Raises Total Proceeds of $75M in IPO”
DroneExtra: DJI Raises $75 M; New FAA Initiatives
Big Silicon Valley venture firm Accel Partners has placed a hefty bet on the potential of commercial drones, and it’s one of the VC’s largest funding commitments to date. Accel announced a $75 million investment today in Shenzhen, China-based drone manufacturer DJI, a major player in the fast-developing industry. The big DJI funding news came … Continue reading “DroneExtra: DJI Raises $75 M; New FAA Initiatives”
Funds Raised By ATI Startups Point to Growing Austin Biotech Scene
The Austin Technology Incubator said Wednesday that its current and alumni companies have raised a total of $100 million during the first three months of this year, a record quarterly tally since the organization’s founding in 1989. In particular, one ATI alum is responsible for the bulk of the cash haul: Aeglea Biotherapeutics closed a … Continue reading “Funds Raised By ATI Startups Point to Growing Austin Biotech Scene”
Milestones Of Innovation 6: The Driving Force Of Moore’s ‘Law’
Few phrases have rung louder in the history of innovation than “Moore’s Law,” the amazingly potent guess, published 50 years ago on April 19, that the capacity of electronic circuits would double every couple of years. Since the 1968 founding of Intel, the world’s leading semiconductor-maker, that prediction has formed the basic doctrine of the … Continue reading “Milestones Of Innovation 6: The Driving Force Of Moore’s ‘Law’”
Dextro Rolls Out Way to Make Periscope Video Streams Discoverable
With smartphones now capturing the moment with live video streams, a New York-based startup wants to make it easier to find something to watch. The team at Dextro unveiled software on Tuesday that helps discover publicly shared content from Twitter-owned Periscope, an app that lets people stream live video from their phones’ cameras. Dextro’s CEO … Continue reading “Dextro Rolls Out Way to Make Periscope Video Streams Discoverable”
Adaptive Reels in Whopping $195M For Immuno-Sequencing Work
[Updated, 5/7/15, 11:10 am ET] Adaptive Biotechnologies of Seattle is continuing its busy year, announcing this morning it has reeled it $195 million in financing from a group of new investors. The big cash haul comes four months after the sequencing company, which specializes in understanding the immune system, raised $94 million to help buy … Continue reading “Adaptive Reels in Whopping $195M For Immuno-Sequencing Work”
Wisconsin Roundup: Uber Bill, Angel Deals, Exact Sciences, & More
Here are some of the latest headlines from Wisconsin’s tech and innovation community: —Gov. Scott Walker signed a bill late Friday night that enacts statewide regulation of ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft. The bill had bipartisan support in the Legislature, but has drawn opposition by some Democratic legislators and city officials in Milwaukee and … Continue reading “Wisconsin Roundup: Uber Bill, Angel Deals, Exact Sciences, & More”
Attention Startups: We Have 25 Tickets to Give Away for Houston 2035
Exciting news, folks! Due to the generosity of our sponsors, we have a block of 25 complimentary startup tickets for Houston 2035, our full-day conference taking place on May 21 at TMCx, the Texas Medical Center Innovation Institute. Don’t miss your chance to hear from startup experts like Sue Siegel of GE Ventures, Bill Aulet … Continue reading “Attention Startups: We Have 25 Tickets to Give Away for Houston 2035”
Alexion Shells Out $8.4B for Synageva In Rare Disease Mega-Deal
Got a wholly owned drug for a rare disease in late-stage testing? In biotech, that often makes you a buyout target. Witness Synageva Biopharma, which is about to be acquired by Alexion Pharmaceuticals for more than twice what it was worth just a day ago. Alexion, the rare disease drugmaker from Cheshire, CT, has agreed … Continue reading “Alexion Shells Out $8.4B for Synageva In Rare Disease Mega-Deal”
Leadership: An Essential Variable in Washington’s 2035 Energy Equation
When I look out 20 years, I see a future energy system that is a lot more distributed and a lot more efficient. The centralized inefficiency problem that we currently wrestle with will be greatly mitigated, and we’ll be matching the variability of supply and demand much better. There will likely also be a sophisticated … Continue reading “Leadership: An Essential Variable in Washington’s 2035 Energy Equation”
Cybereason Brings Consumer-Tech, Defense Investors Aboard for $25M
In case you haven’t heard, cyber attacks have become a pretty big deal. Many different security approaches have emerged from big companies and startups alike—but in trying to protect customers, a lot of them still miss the point. “The problem is usually you don’t see the magnitude of the attack, and you don’t have the … Continue reading “Cybereason Brings Consumer-Tech, Defense Investors Aboard for $25M”
Bunker’s Veteran-Led Startups: Retail Tech, Crowdfunding, & More
The Bunker, an accelerator targeting military veteran entrepreneurs, will be moving into a new home at Austin, TX-based Capital Factory. The dozen startups in the Bunker’s first class had been working since the program’s beginning in January out of the offices of RideScout, a transport app company founded by Joseph Kopser. (Last year, the West … Continue reading “Bunker’s Veteran-Led Startups: Retail Tech, Crowdfunding, & More”
SessionM Banks $12M to Expand in Enterprise Mobile Marketing
SessionM, a mobile marketing startup based in Boston, is on a hot streak. The latest win came Tuesday, when the company announced it has raised a $12 million funding round. The round brings the total SessionM has raised to $38.5 million since it was founded in 2011. Causeway Media Partners led the round. The firm … Continue reading “SessionM Banks $12M to Expand in Enterprise Mobile Marketing”
MI Roundup: NextEnergy, Stratos, URC, Vectorform, Comcast
Here’s a look at news from around Michigan’s innovation hubs: —NextEnergy, the Detroit-based nonprofit accelerating advanced energy technologies, has awarded a total of $295,000 to three companies as part of the Michigan Accelerating Technology (MATch) Energy Grant program. Navitas Advanced Solutions Group, from Ann Arbor, received $20,000 to support research on new electrode coating and … Continue reading “MI Roundup: NextEnergy, Stratos, URC, Vectorform, Comcast”
Epic Systems: Madison Healthtech’s “Unwitting” Anchor Company
As healthcare technology grows increasingly important in our everyday lives—from the software that manages our medical records to the explosion of health and fitness-monitoring devices and apps—different cities around the country are trying to claim the mantle of “America’s healthtech capital.” Madison, WI, is among the places vying for that title. And while it can … Continue reading “Epic Systems: Madison Healthtech’s “Unwitting” Anchor Company”
Houston 2035 Preview: 3-D Printing Could Lower New Housing Costs
Urban revitalization is a priority for many American cities, and Houston is home to significant efforts to develop urban living as never before. Residents have returned to downtown, and some in-town neighborhoods are creating an urban lifestyle that for the first time is not necessarily built around the car. But other areas—former industrial quarters or … Continue reading “Houston 2035 Preview: 3-D Printing Could Lower New Housing Costs”
Nara Logics Gets New CEO, Recruits Renowned Neuroscientist
One of the leaders in computational neuroscience is taking a role with Nara Logics, a Cambridge, MA, spinout from MIT that marries advanced brain-science research with computer science to create enterprise software capable of making big data manageable. The company announced Tuesday that computational neuroscience researcher Sebastian Seung will join its board of advisers. Seung … Continue reading “Nara Logics Gets New CEO, Recruits Renowned Neuroscientist”
Big Apple Biotech “Bootstraps” Forward at NewYorkBio Meeting
Tom Cirrito was dining out at a Mexican restaurant in midtown Manhattan over a decade ago when he overheard something that piqued his interest. At a table next to him, someone was talking about biotech. Cirrito, then an analyst at Piper Jaffray, was intrigued. He butted in, and his life changed. His restaurant neighbor was … Continue reading “Big Apple Biotech “Bootstraps” Forward at NewYorkBio Meeting”
Even with Turmoil at Top, NuVasive Beat First-Quarter Expectations
San Diego spinal implant maker NuVasive (NASDAQ: [[ticker:NUVA]]) posted first-quarter financial results yesterday that exceeded analysts’ estimates for both revenue and earnings. But the first three months of 2015 also turned out to be an especially busy quarter for the company’s lawyers. During an afternoon conference call with investors and analysts Monday, NuVasive chairman and … Continue reading “Even with Turmoil at Top, NuVasive Beat First-Quarter Expectations”
Readying the Distributed Grid for the Big Energy Challenges of 2035
Predicting the future in the energy business is difficult for five years, let alone 20 years. That said, we feel the “better bet” is a future energy system that will be a lot more distributed as compared to the largely centralized grid of today. There will be much more generation and storage at the individual … Continue reading “Readying the Distributed Grid for the Big Energy Challenges of 2035”
Denver “Smart Parking” Startup Parkifi Raises $2M, Readies Rollout
Anyone who has tried to park his or her car on a busy day has thought there must be a better way to find a spot. Parkifi, a Denver-based startup, thinks it has found a way, and a group of Colorado investors agree. Parkifi announced Monday it has raised a $2 million round that is … Continue reading “Denver “Smart Parking” Startup Parkifi Raises $2M, Readies Rollout”
Factom Q&A: Secure Record-Keeping a Chip Off the Old Blockchain
In 1994, Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel wondered “What is the Internet?”—something immortalized in a comical clip that was recently revived in a set of commercials. Yet there are other technologies today that might be just as perplexing to laypeople: take blockchains and cryptocurrencies, for example. Factom, based in Austin, TX, deals in both. But … Continue reading “Factom Q&A: Secure Record-Keeping a Chip Off the Old Blockchain”
Cloud Host Atlantic.Net Opens Data Center Aimed at NY Startup Scene
Switching on a data center near New York, Atlantic.Net is chasing the growing developer community here. This is the fifth data center for the company, which is based in Orlando, FL, says CEO Marty Puranik. He is already setting the bar high for its outlook. “We’re expecting it to become our biggest site,” he says. … Continue reading “Cloud Host Atlantic.Net Opens Data Center Aimed at NY Startup Scene”
French Chefs & Pirates: Houston’s Biotech Community Bonds Over Chili
[Updated 5/4/15 5:08 pm. See below.] The sky threatened thunderstorms but the only jolt came from the spices at BioHouston’s latest annual chili cookoff. Houston’s biotech and life sciences community gathered for the 12th time not only to make chili and share drinks but show off their creative sides, with booths and costumes that included Parisian chefs, pirates, flaming (devil) … Continue reading “French Chefs & Pirates: Houston’s Biotech Community Bonds Over Chili”
AirMap: App Helps Drone Flyers Navigate Airspace Restrictions
When a government worker was investigated by the Secret Service for crashing a small drone on the White House lawn in January, most people probably thought, “How dumb could the guy be?” After all, he could have avoided any hassle just by flying the small recreational quadcopter in a park or an open field somewhere. … Continue reading “AirMap: App Helps Drone Flyers Navigate Airspace Restrictions”
Using Telecom Tech, eCurv Looks to Lower Energy Bills, Raise Money
The year eCurv spent pitching its energy management software to potential customers has taught its founder a few lessons. “The opportunity is much bigger than we thought,” said Edison Almeida, founder and chief executive of the Cambridge, MA, startup, which raised $2.5 million last June and has its eyes on another round of financing by … Continue reading “Using Telecom Tech, eCurv Looks to Lower Energy Bills, Raise Money”
CyPhy Promises “Better Way to Fly” With New Consumer Drone
CyPhy Works’ co-founder and CEO Helen Greiner knows what it takes to get robots into the hands of consumers. As a co-founder of iRobot, she helped create the Roomba vacuum, which brought affordable and user-friendly robots into the home. Now she and CyPhy Works are trying to repeat that accomplishment with drones, and they think … Continue reading “CyPhy Promises “Better Way to Fly” With New Consumer Drone”
NetSuite’s Bronto Buy Signals Coming Changes to Online Commerce
Bronto Software’s bread-and-butter business is helping companies understand what their customers browse and buy online—information that can then be used to nudge consumers to buy even more. This type of “marketing automation”—the ability to analyze consumer behavior in order to form targeted and personalized e-mail messages—primarily serves retailers. But the Durham, NC-based company has its … Continue reading “NetSuite’s Bronto Buy Signals Coming Changes to Online Commerce”
New Investment Fund Forming in Seattle to Back Cleantech Innovation
A new cleantech-focused investment fund is forming in Seattle. The Element 8 Fund is emerging from the Element 8 angel investing group (formerly the Northwest Energy Angels) as a way to give individual accredited investors a chance to broaden their portfolios in the sector. The Element 8 Fund will be a separate legal entity from … Continue reading “New Investment Fund Forming in Seattle to Back Cleantech Innovation”
Game-Changing Clean Technology Essential to the Energy Economy of 2035
Our energy portfolio in 2035 will come from a wide variety of sources. The core of the energy mix will be much more diverse than oil, gas, and coal. Renewables will comprise a significant portion of supply. And, over the next 20 years, improvements to batteries and other energy storage technology, and scale, will drive … Continue reading “Game-Changing Clean Technology Essential to the Energy Economy of 2035”
The Innovation Challenge: Assessing BioPharma Startups
Developing new medicines is really difficult and very expensive. A recent report, “Decline In Economic Returns From New Drugs Raises Questions About Sustaining Innovations,” suggests that the newest medicines are generating a negative rate of return across the industry. A viewpoint commonly found on the Web opines that Big Pharma has lost the ability to … Continue reading “The Innovation Challenge: Assessing BioPharma Startups”