Category: National

Navdy’s $20M for Heads-Up Displays: Why It Raised More Than Expected

The things that can distract a driver’s attention are innumerable, from crying children to a spilled soda. Navdy, a San Francisco-based hardware and software maker, believes its windshield display technology is the innovation that can cure the latest plague attacking driver safety: smartphones, with their notifications that are constantly tempting owners to answer while driving. The … Continue reading “Navdy’s $20M for Heads-Up Displays: Why It Raised More Than Expected”

Now Biotech-Only, Atlas Reloads With $280M Fund For New Startups

It’s been a transition year for Atlas Venture. Last October, the Cambridge, MA-based firm announced its tech and biotech teams would part ways and raise their own funds. The biotech group, which kept the Atlas name, has just settled into its new digs in the heart of Kendall Square, Cambridge’s biotech epicenter. It is also … Continue reading “Now Biotech-Only, Atlas Reloads With $280M Fund For New Startups”

Dip, But No Slowdown in First-Quarter VC Funding, & Top 10 Deals

A new MoneyTree Report being released today shows that U.S. venture capital activity eased off during the first three months of 2015. Yet it still marked the fifth consecutive quarter in which U.S. venture funding remained above $10 billion. VCs invested $13.4 billion in 1,020 deals throughout the U.S. during the first quarter of 2015, … Continue reading “Dip, But No Slowdown in First-Quarter VC Funding, & Top 10 Deals”

West Coast Biotech Roundup: CRISPR, Doudna, Aduro, Amgen, NEA & More

Berkeley, CA, is famous as the birthplace of the Free Speech Movement, led by Mario Savio, and the modern foodie movement, led by godmother Alice Waters. What about the gene editing movement? Jennifer Doudna, one of the scientists behind the technology known as CRISPR/Cas9, is a biochemist at the University of California, Berkeley. She was … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: CRISPR, Doudna, Aduro, Amgen, NEA & More”

Early Bird Ends Today for Houston 2035: Innovating the City’s Future

Houston’s future direction is something both Catherine Clark Mosbacher and Stephen Klineberg have spent much time analyzing. It makes sense given their day jobs leading the Center for Houston’s Future and Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, respectively. Each group is gathering data and running scenarios on what the Houston of decades to come … Continue reading “Early Bird Ends Today for Houston 2035: Innovating the City’s Future”

IBM Security Opens Up Library of Malware and Threat Intelligence

Despite a career spent trying to defeat increasingly skilled and sophisticated hackers, Marc van Zadelhoff remains an optimist—at least a cautious one. Van Zadelhoff, IBM Security’s vice president of strategy, isn’t ignorant of the risks his team is dealing with. He can rattle off the number of endpoints—270 million—and security events—more than 15 billion—IBM Security … Continue reading “IBM Security Opens Up Library of Malware and Threat Intelligence”

Duo Security: (Big) New Money, New Platform, New Offices

Duo Security, the Ann Arbor, MI-based startup developing two-factor authentication tools to protect businesses from hackers, announced this week that it has raised $30 million in a Series C round led by Redpoint Ventures. Duo co-founder and CTO Jon Oberheide said the round included follow-on participation from previous investors such as Google Ventures, Resonant Venture … Continue reading “Duo Security: (Big) New Money, New Platform, New Offices”

3 Things Startups Need to Know to Move to the Cloud

Despite concerns around data security, businesses are optimistic about the cloud. In fact, software-as-a-service adoption has more than quintupled from 13 percent in 2011 to 72 percent in 2014, according to a cloud computing survey conducted by North Bridge Venture Partners and Gigaom Research. For startups, the cloud has always been a great equalizer, enabling … Continue reading “3 Things Startups Need to Know to Move to the Cloud”

Rethink Robotics Adds $13M More From Wellington, Others

More money going into a prominent robotics startup today: Boston-based Rethink Robotics has raised an additional $13.4 million led by Wellington Management Company. That brings Rethink’s Series D venture haul to an even $40 million, with GE Ventures and Goldman Sachs being the other big, recent investors in the company. Rethink Robotics has raised a … Continue reading “Rethink Robotics Adds $13M More From Wellington, Others”

Levin Steps in as Ovid CEO, Confirms Plan to Target Rare Neuro Diseases

Ovid Therapeutics finally had its official launch this morning, confirming what we thought we knew about the once-stealthy startup and filling in a few additional details. Chief among them: former Teva Pharmaceutical CEO Jeremy Levin has returned to biotech to lead New York-based Ovid. Levin has been the chairman of Ovid since October, and he’ll … Continue reading “Levin Steps in as Ovid CEO, Confirms Plan to Target Rare Neuro Diseases”

Panel Encourages Entrepreneurship Among Young Milwaukee Professionals

Surpassing goals and learning to fail are some of the keys to successful entrepreneurship in Milwaukee, according to a Young Professionals Week panel hosted by networking group Newaukee. County Executive Chris Abele, founder of the CSA Partners venture fund and Ward4 co-working space, was joined on the Entrepreneurship 101 panel by Digital Measures Founder and CEO … Continue reading “Panel Encourages Entrepreneurship Among Young Milwaukee Professionals”

Diving Deeper Into Cybersecurity, Recorded Future Reels In $12M

[Updated, 5/6/15. See below] Cyber attacks are so bad for business, they have made at least one rising tech company apply its broader data-analysis software to security problems. Recorded Future got started about five years ago—originally to develop technology for helping defense and financial analysts track global events and try to predict when and where … Continue reading “Diving Deeper Into Cybersecurity, Recorded Future Reels In $12M”

UCSD Marks an Innovation Milestone: Control Over Tech Transfer

San Diego’s place as a hub for innovation in biotechnology, chip design, telecommunications, and other industries was made possible by a change that went mostly unnoticed in early 1994, UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep Khosla said Tuesday night at a campus event. That was the year a University of California ad hoc advisory committee recommended … Continue reading “UCSD Marks an Innovation Milestone: Control Over Tech Transfer”

Acorns Lands $23M For App Attracting Investment-Phobic Millennials

A bevy of surveys paint a pretty clear picture: Today’s young adults don’t trust the financial markets. Fewer in the younger generation—broadly dubbed the millennials—are putting their money in traditional investment markets after they saw turn upside-down in 2008. Instead, they are holding onto the cash. Online credit card marketplace, Austin,TX-based CreditCards.com, says over a … Continue reading “Acorns Lands $23M For App Attracting Investment-Phobic Millennials”

Doudna, Berkeley Gain Expert’s Backing In CRISPR Patent Fight

Jennifer Doudna is urging caution in the use of genetic manipulation. But she and her colleagues are also fighting for ownership of the scientific tools that make it possible. Through Doudna’s employer, the University of California, Berkeley, the biochemist and her colleagues are forging ahead with a patent fight, bolstered with documents published Monday, over … Continue reading “Doudna, Berkeley Gain Expert’s Backing In CRISPR Patent Fight”

Harvard Startup Connects Picture Frames with Wi-Fi, Touchscreens

Let’s be honest—digital picture frames are pretty lame gifts, especially for mom and dad, let alone grandpa. But that could change if a Boston startup named Glimpse has its way. Glimpse makes Skylight, a new digital picture frame that takes advantage of touchscreens and Wi-Fi to make a frame its creators say is easy to … Continue reading “Harvard Startup Connects Picture Frames with Wi-Fi, Touchscreens”

Big Day For Biotech IPOs as Aduro More Than Doubles In Price

[Updated 4/15/15, 7:14pm. See below.] Aduro Biotech (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ADRO]]) kept the immunotherapy bulls running Wednesday after raising $119 million in its initial public offering. Berkeley, CA-based Aduro sold 7 million shares at $17 apiece, a price that has more than doubled in its first trading day on the Nasdaq, pushing past $38 in late trading. … Continue reading “Big Day For Biotech IPOs as Aduro More Than Doubles In Price”

Xbiotech’s $76M Offering Sets Course for Late-Stage Cancer Studies

Xbiotech, an Austin, TX-based company founded a decade ago, has taken its mission to develop drugs from naturally occurring monoclonal antibodies to the public markets. The company sold 4 million shares at $19 a piece, in the middle of its expected range, to raise $76 million. WR Hambrecht + Co. was the sole underwriter of … Continue reading “Xbiotech’s $76M Offering Sets Course for Late-Stage Cancer Studies”

Innocrin Pharmaceuticals Lands $28M for Prostate, Breast Cancer Trials

[Updated 4/16/15, 10:56 am. See below.]  Innocrin Pharmaceuticals is moving forward with a prostate cancer drug that it believes could better target the cancer while also causing fewer side effects compared to existing treatments. Now the company has some additional cash to try and make its case. The Durham, NC, company has raised $28 million … Continue reading “Innocrin Pharmaceuticals Lands $28M for Prostate, Breast Cancer Trials”

StemBioSys Takes $8M to Build Homes For Stem Cells

Sometimes the difference between thriving and foundering can come down to having a nice place to call home. This is true even at the cellular level, so San Antonio, TX-based StemBioSys has built what’s essentially a home for stem cells—a three-dimensional matrix made of natural materials in which cells can replicate more rapidly than in … Continue reading “StemBioSys Takes $8M to Build Homes For Stem Cells”

Real Estate Platform TheSquareFoot Nets $2M, Expands to NY

Th SquareFoot, a Houston-born and now New York-based online platform for commercial real estate, has raised $2 million in seed funding following its expansion into the Big Apple. “Being in New York is a very different animal,” says Justin Lee, a SquareFoot co-founder. “The commercial real estate market in New York is super, super competitive … Continue reading “Real Estate Platform TheSquareFoot Nets $2M, Expands to NY”

Healthcare Is Transforming Regardless of What Happens to the ACA

Powerful arguments and emotions continue to challenge the future of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The Supreme Court, partisan ideology, presidential elections, and deeply held convictions about the role of government will all make their mark. Most healthcare leaders, however, share a fundamental belief that healthcare transformation is happening now—driven by some of the same … Continue reading “Healthcare Is Transforming Regardless of What Happens to the ACA”

Fetchnotes Co-Founder on Mobile Collaboration, Acquisition by Driftt

Buoyed by $15 million in venture funding, Cambridge, MA-based Driftt announced this week that it has acquired Ann Arbor-born startup Fetchnotes. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Fetchnotes co-founder and CEO Alex Schiff confirmed that it’s purely a technology acquisition; none of the Fetchnotes team will join Driftt. In 2012, Fetchnotes was … Continue reading “Fetchnotes Co-Founder on Mobile Collaboration, Acquisition by Driftt”

Citymaps Trying to Be a More Personalized Alternative to Google Maps

Hop in a cab in New York and chances are you will see Citymaps at work. The company’s digital maps showing points of interest in the area appear on video screens in many of the taxis that crisscross the city. Lately though, Citymaps has broadened its borders to serve the rest of the globe. The … Continue reading “Citymaps Trying to Be a More Personalized Alternative to Google Maps”

NEA Closes on $3.1 Billion for Its Latest Fund, Sticks to Its Strategy

In a way, it will be more of the same for New Enterprise Associates (NEA)—just with a hefty addition to its war chest to work with. Early Wednesday morning, the venture capital firm announced it closed on $2.8 billion in committed capital for its fifteenth fund, plus $350 million more for its NEA Opportunity Fund—a … Continue reading “NEA Closes on $3.1 Billion for Its Latest Fund, Sticks to Its Strategy”

Kyriba Raises $21M to Expand Treasury Management Software

San Diego-based Kyriba, a cloud-based provider of corporate treasury management software, raised $21 million in a Series C financing round that includes a strategic investment by HSBC, the U.K. multinational financial services company that ranks as the world’s second-biggest bank. Existing investors that also participated in the round include France’s BRED Banque Populaire, Beirut-based Daher … Continue reading “Kyriba Raises $21M to Expand Treasury Management Software”

Massachusetts Healthcare, Internet Companies Lead Pack in VC Chase

The Massachusetts tech and life sciences community might have reason to boast, following a second-straight quarter during which companies in the state raised more than $1.3 billion from venture investors. The amount was good enough to make the Commonwealth the second-highest ranking state, beating out New York for that honor. Companies in the Bay State … Continue reading “Massachusetts Healthcare, Internet Companies Lead Pack in VC Chase”

Wisconsin Roundup: Arrowhead, Cellular Dynamics, Madworks, & More

Here are a few of the latest headlines from Wisconsin’s technology and innovation community: —Arrowhead Research (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ARWR]]) said it received FDA approval to begin a Phase 2b study of its experimental RNA interference (RNAi) drug for treating hepatitis B. In January, the FDA put a partial hold on the trial, partly because it wanted … Continue reading “Wisconsin Roundup: Arrowhead, Cellular Dynamics, Madworks, & More”

Startups From Asia, Germany, and Texas, Kick Off Rice Student Contest

Rice University kicks off its prestigious business plan competition this week with 42 student companies from universities all over the United States and as far as Hong Kong, Germany, and Bangkok. The Rice Business Plan Competition, now in its 15th year, begins Thursday evening with a catered barbecue dinner—this is Texas, folks—followed by two intensive … Continue reading “Startups From Asia, Germany, and Texas, Kick Off Rice Student Contest”

Localytics Acquires Splitforce to Personalize Mobile Marketing

Localytics continues its roll. The Boston-based mobile marketing and analytics company announced today it has snapped up Splitforce, a New York startup that Localytics CEO Raj Aggarwal said will help the company advance its vision of bringing a more sophisticated form of marketing to apps. Localytics did not say what it paid for Splitforce. The … Continue reading “Localytics Acquires Splitforce to Personalize Mobile Marketing”

Arcadia Health Gets $13M Shot to Boost Healthcare Data and Analytics

Private equity has already helped Arcadia Health Systems use technology to reinvent itself. Now a PE firm is writing the Burlington, MA, business a check to continue the transformation. The data provider and healthcare consultant has gotten a $13 million investment from healthcare private equity firm Peloton Equity, existing investors, and Zaffre Investments, which is … Continue reading “Arcadia Health Gets $13M Shot to Boost Healthcare Data and Analytics”

HAP Innovations Tackles Missed Meds with Automated Dispenser

Most people who take prescription medication relate to the experience of occasionally missing a pill. For those who juggle multiple prescriptions, forgotten doses can become a regular occurrence. Durham, NC, company HAP Innovations believes it can resolve those problems with a device that tracks all of a patient’s pills and dispenses them precisely when they … Continue reading “HAP Innovations Tackles Missed Meds with Automated Dispenser”

Pop That Bubble: 5 Reasons Biotech Needs A Different Metaphor

Back in April 2011, at a biotech conference in San Francisco, a panel convened to discuss how hard it was to build biotech companies that could push through long, costly clinical trials before a drug comes to market. One panelist hedged to say, well, at least the financial reticence had a silver lining: there was … Continue reading “Pop That Bubble: 5 Reasons Biotech Needs A Different Metaphor”

VC Funding Slows as Big Funds Crowd into Late-Stage Venture Deals

Following a December surge, when U.S. venture firms invested $7.2 billion in 342 deals nationwide, VC activity reset at a lower pace during the first quarter of 2015, according to data being released today by CB Insights. The New York venture capital tracker says VCs invested $11.3 billion in 805 startups over the three months … Continue reading “VC Funding Slows as Big Funds Crowd into Late-Stage Venture Deals”

NASA’s Space Apps Challenge Tries to Coax More Women to Data Science

Space exploration could launch more diversity in the technology scene. Over the weekend, NASA held its annual International Space Apps Challenge, a hackathon that encourages the development of new ideas that relate to the space agency’s mission. Once again, New York was the global headquarters and epicenter of the hackathon, with Space Apps NYC serving … Continue reading “NASA’s Space Apps Challenge Tries to Coax More Women to Data Science”

Peer-to-Peer Lending Grows Up, and Gets Wall Street’s Attention

[Corrected 4/14/15, 11:31 am. See below] Borrowing money, or refinancing borrowed money, is easier now than it’s ever been as new online lenders put credit lines just a few clicks away. And now the traditional titans of Wall Street are jumping on board. In the last decade, a handful of online lending companies have chipped away … Continue reading “Peer-to-Peer Lending Grows Up, and Gets Wall Street’s Attention”

Symphony Corp. Plans Healthtech Startup Incubator in Madison HQ

Symphony Corp., the Wisconsin-based healthcare technology consultant with employees in the U.S. and India, is planning an incubator space in its Madison headquarters for healthtech startups, company leaders say. Symphony, founded in 1997 by India native and University of Wisconsin-Madison engineering graduate Ravi Kalla, provides a variety of information technology services to the healthcare industry, … Continue reading “Symphony Corp. Plans Healthtech Startup Incubator in Madison HQ”

1366 Technologies, Yeloha Making Progress in Solar Energy

The past week has been good for Boston-area solar energy startups—and not just because the sun is finally shining in New England. Silicon wafer manufacturer 1366 Technologies announced it has raised an extra $5 million in an extension of its Series C financing. The extra money brings the amount the Bedford, MA, company raised in … Continue reading “1366 Technologies, Yeloha Making Progress in Solar Energy”

Houston’s TCC Aims to Help NASA Find Energy, Biotech Partners

Turns out, even internationally renowned institutions like NASA need a little help making a connection. In the post-Shuttle era, federal funding has dropped and its traditional project-management relationship with outside partners has failed to provide the support to tackle NASA’s goals. Now, in hopes of finding a new path to industry partners, the Houston-based Johnson … Continue reading “Houston’s TCC Aims to Help NASA Find Energy, Biotech Partners”

Seattle’s UIEvolution Opens Ann Arbor Office to Grow Auto Business

UIEvolution, based in Kirkland, WA, makes a technology platform for application delivery, branding, and marketing across screens found everywhere from connected cars to cruise ships. Earlier this month, it announced it has opened an office in Ann Arbor, MI, to service its automotive customers. UIEvolution was established in 2000 as a mobile app company “way … Continue reading “Seattle’s UIEvolution Opens Ann Arbor Office to Grow Auto Business”

Robo Madness West: The Photos and Takeaways

Xconomy’s fourth annual Robo Madness conference in Menlo Park this week drew the best of robotics audiences and speakers, carrying on a strong tradition. This original Robo Madness event is now called Robo Madness West, because its successes in the Bay Area spurred Xconomy to export the idea to Boston this year. For the lively … Continue reading “Robo Madness West: The Photos and Takeaways”

Hunting for an IPO? Voyager Gets $60M From “Crossover” Backers

[Updated, 11:19 am ET, see below] It’s been a big few months for Voyager Therapeutics. First, it landed a partnership with Genzyme, a deal that included a $65 million up front check for the gene therapy startup. Now it’s got $60 million more to play with, and an investor syndicate that’s starting to look like … Continue reading “Hunting for an IPO? Voyager Gets $60M From “Crossover” Backers”

Blend Therapeutics Taps Former Clinical Data Chief Fromkin As New CEO

When Blend Therapeutics reshaped itself and raised cash earlier this year, it hinted some of those dollars would help bring on a full-time top executive. The Watertown, MA, startup is checking that box today, naming Drew Fromkin its president and CEO. Fromkin was the leader of Clinical Data of Newton, MA, which he helped revamp … Continue reading “Blend Therapeutics Taps Former Clinical Data Chief Fromkin As New CEO”

East Coast Biotech Roundup: Cellectis, Bristol, What’s Hot & More

We’re going on a biotech road trip this week, from the Garden State to Beantown. Just after finding the venture backers for a $150 million life sciences fund, New York biotech got another jolt with the arrival of a high-profile French company. A startup in New Jersey grabbed over $70 million and looks poised for … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: Cellectis, Bristol, What’s Hot & More”

UW-Milwaukee, Medical College Continue Healthcare App-Making Program

More than a year ago, Milwaukee-area trauma surgeon Jeremy Juern had an idea for a mobile app. He and some colleagues at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) had published research on the analysis of acid levels in the blood and had come up with some equations to help interpret the readings. Not enough base … Continue reading “UW-Milwaukee, Medical College Continue Healthcare App-Making Program”