[Corrected on 4/25/16, 1:58 pm. See below.] In December, the calls and e-mails from concerned Sound Band backers started coming in once again. “Please, please do an update on Hybra,” read one e-mail, whose author asked to remain anonymous. “267 backers now formally want a refund. Considering that most people probably forgot about the project … Continue reading “Sound Band Saga Continues After Redesign; Hybra Founder Not Worried”
Category: National
Join Us for Robo Madness West at SRI on April 7
The robotics industry is at an inflection point. Self-driving cars, automated warehouses, and drone delivery systems are on the horizon. Commercial robots have become more capable and accessible, thanks to cheaper and more powerful sensors and computers, open-source software and hardware, and advances in 3D printing and connected devices. While giants like Google, Facebook, and … Continue reading “Join Us for Robo Madness West at SRI on April 7”
Instagram Backer Sequoia Capital Bets $10M on PicsArt
PicsArt, a growing mobile photo-editing system that claims almost 60 million active users a month, is moving its top brass to San Francisco so it can tap into the area’s tech talent pool and venture community. The results so far: The company announced today that Silicon Valley venture firm Sequoia Capital is investing $10 million … Continue reading “Instagram Backer Sequoia Capital Bets $10M on PicsArt”
Milwaukee Institute Plugs Into National Supercomputer to Boost Resources
[Updated 2/5/15, 10:24 a.m., with additional comments.] The Milwaukee Institute, a nonprofit that offers high-performance computing services to Wisconsin academics and companies, has struck a partnership with the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, located at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The move allows the Milwaukee Institute and its clients to tap into the resources … Continue reading “Milwaukee Institute Plugs Into National Supercomputer to Boost Resources”
Find Out “What’s Hot in Boston Biotech” on April 8
Life sciences innovation is moving fast these days, and Boston is right in the center of it. Consider the past year alone: Gene therapy, once an abandoned research field fraught with safety issues, produced real human data suggesting it might be able to reverse a crippling blood disorder. Cellular immunotherapy techniques are showing real promise … Continue reading “Find Out “What’s Hot in Boston Biotech” on April 8”
Cancer Drug Developer G1 Therapeutics Closes $33M Series B Round
G1 Therapeutics CEO Mark Velleca knows that three large pharmaceutical companies are researching the same cancer target as his tiny startup. But even though Velleca concedes those companies are ahead for now, he believes G1 can eventually stand out against those bigger, better-financed counterparts by taking a different approach. Now the Research Triangle Park, NC-based … Continue reading “Cancer Drug Developer G1 Therapeutics Closes $33M Series B Round”
Analysis: Microsoft Missed Mobile, So It’s Buying Its Way In
For most of Steve Ballmer’s long tenure as Microsoft CEO, the company’s cash-cow applications for white-collar workers were a very effective way to keep people using its PC operating system. But Microsoft whiffed badly on the mobile revolution, letting Google and Apple control the next major computing platform. In mid-2013, after years of speculation, Microsoft finally relented … Continue reading “Analysis: Microsoft Missed Mobile, So It’s Buying Its Way In”
New York Tech Meetup Recap: Pager Brings Doctors to the Doorstep
Some of the ideas demoed at New York Tech Meetup can use a bit of TLC before they get on their feet, but Tuesday night brought out an app that literally books house calls from doctors. The other demos (see slideshow) featured at the monthly gathering for new ideas in tech included a Web service for stealthily searching for new jobs … Continue reading “New York Tech Meetup Recap: Pager Brings Doctors to the Doorstep”
French Utility Giant Funds Tendril’s European Expansion With $7.2M
Tendril Networks, the Boulder, CO-based company that develops software for the utility industry, announced Tuesday it has received a $7.2 million investment from one of the largest utilities in the world, and that it will use the new money to expand into Europe. The investment comes from GDF Suez, an international energy provider based in … Continue reading “French Utility Giant Funds Tendril’s European Expansion With $7.2M”
Coolhouse Labs Incubator to Expand to Ann Arbor, Offer More Funding
Coolhouse Labs, the incubator that has run a successful “summer camp” for startups for the past two years in Harbor Springs, MI, announced this week that it is planning to expand its operations to Ann Arbor next year, where it will host approximately 10 early-stage companies between January and April of 2016. Founder Jordan Breighner … Continue reading “Coolhouse Labs Incubator to Expand to Ann Arbor, Offer More Funding”
Digital Marketer MaxPoint Interactive Files Plans for IPO
Digital marketing company MaxPoint Interactive, a company founded and led by former eBay (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EBAY]]) executives, has filed paperwork to raise an estimated $75 million in an initial public offering of stock. Morrisville, NC-based MaxPoint’s software analyzes “big data” to develop targeted marketing campaigns that help national retailers boost sales—not online, but at their brick … Continue reading “Digital Marketer MaxPoint Interactive Files Plans for IPO”
Madison Startups Sound Off on Exposure, Integration, Diversity
The Madison Startup Fair on University of Wisconsin-Madison’s campus brings together a cross-section of local startups each year, from software to 3D printing technology to alternative insulation material for outdoor gear. The event, now in its third year, aims to help university students connect with startups and learn more about possible careers, while companies get … Continue reading “Madison Startups Sound Off on Exposure, Integration, Diversity”
Zoom Snags $30M Series C For Video Calling Service
Video calling service Zoom has landed a $30 million Series C to build its sales and marketing worldwide. The funding was led by new investor Emergence Capital, though big-name existing investors contributed as well, including healthcare financier Patrick Soon-Shiong and Yahoo! co-founder Jerry Yang. Zoom, founded in 2011 by former employees of Cisco and WebEx, … Continue reading “Zoom Snags $30M Series C For Video Calling Service”
ThinkingPhones Buys Contactive to Bring Better Caller ID to Business
It seems like decades since Caller ID—that humble but useful improvement to old-school landline telephones—felt high-tech and cutting-edge. But ThinkingPhones, a Cambridge, MA-based communications software company, thinks Caller ID has a future, and that new technology can give it new life. That’s why the company just bought Contactive, a New York City-based big data startup, … Continue reading “ThinkingPhones Buys Contactive to Bring Better Caller ID to Business”
Find a Better Job With Artificial Intelligence: The Beansprock Story
It’s a great time to be a software developer. And to be using artificial intelligence to solve real-world problems. Combine those trends, and you have a company called Beansprock. The Boston startup is rolling out a new site today for software engineers looking for jobs. The idea is you sign up, tell the site what … Continue reading “Find a Better Job With Artificial Intelligence: The Beansprock Story”
Wisconsin Roundup: Exact Sciences, Walker Budget, WARF, & More
Here’s a recap of the latest headlines in Wisconsin technology and innovation: —Madison-based Exact Sciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EXAS]]) has gone on a hiring spree in the wake of securing approval in the U.S. and Europe for Cologuard, its stool-based DNA test for detecting colorectal cancer. The company has grown from 110 employees a year ago to … Continue reading “Wisconsin Roundup: Exact Sciences, Walker Budget, WARF, & More”
With a Knife as a Microscope, 3Scan Maps in 3D
There was a beauty salon on Mission Street in the South Market neighborhood of San Francisco that went out of business. Occasionally, people still wander in looking for a trim. The new tenant, 3Scan, has to explain that hair styling is not a service they offer, even though they do have knives. “You don’t want … Continue reading “With a Knife as a Microscope, 3Scan Maps in 3D”
Seattle-based Qumulo Raises $40M for Modern Data Storage
It’s about the water, not the bucket. The money, not the safe. And for Qumulo, a Seattle startup that’s just raised $40 million, it’s the data, not the storage. Qumulo—founded in 2012 by early employees of enterprise storage provider Isilon Systems, which was acquired just over four years ago by EMC for $2.5 billion—is part … Continue reading “Seattle-based Qumulo Raises $40M for Modern Data Storage”
Built for a Deal, Annovation Rewards Backers With Medicines Co. Buyout
These days, it seems biotech investors are happy to take all kinds of risk. But there are still times to hedge bets, which Atlas Venture did a few years ago with Cambridge, MA-based Annovation Biopharma. That lower-risk investment is paying off nicely today. The Medicines Co. (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MDCO]])—an investor in Annovation that had an option … Continue reading “Built for a Deal, Annovation Rewards Backers With Medicines Co. Buyout”
Third Rock’s New Revolution Looks to Squeeze More Drugs From Nature
Over and over, drugmakers have turned discoveries in nature into human medicine. Aspirin came from the willow plant, and the cholesterol-lowering statins originated in fungi. But once the foundation of the drug business, so-called natural products have fallen out of favor in our high-tech age. Third Rock Ventures thinks it can go back to nature … Continue reading “Third Rock’s New Revolution Looks to Squeeze More Drugs From Nature”
Frustrations Turn Fiksu Into Potential Mobile Marketing Juggernaut
A few years ago, Micah Adler and his colleagues had a problem. His startup, Fluent Mobile, had developed a mobile app named Fluent News Reader that received rave reviews, but after the interest created by a successful launch the app had difficulty finding users. It turned out no matter how good the reviews, it was … Continue reading “Frustrations Turn Fiksu Into Potential Mobile Marketing Juggernaut”
MaxLinear Gains Entropic’s Connected Home Portfolio in Buyout Deal
MaxLinear (NYSE: [[ticker:MXL]]), a Carlsbad, CA-maker of radio frequency and mixed-signal semiconductors, has agreed to acquire San Diego-based Entropic Communications (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ENTR]]) in a cash-and-stock deal valued at nearly $287 million. The acquisition enables MaxLinear to broaden its access to broadband technology for the “connected home” and related markets by adding Entropic’s proprietary technology portfolio … Continue reading “MaxLinear Gains Entropic’s Connected Home Portfolio in Buyout Deal”
Report: Troubled Salix Emerges as Valeant’s Latest Takeover Target
Rocked by accounting problems, Salix Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SLXP]] is now in the sights of serial acquirer Valeant Pharmaceuticals International (NYSE: [[ticker:VRX]]), according to a report from Bloomberg News. Valeant’s exploration of a bid comes a week after news surfaced that the Raleigh, NC-based Salix, a gastrointestinal drug maker, had hired third party advisors to consider … Continue reading “Report: Troubled Salix Emerges as Valeant’s Latest Takeover Target”
As Promised, LTI Pulls In Big Series A to Advance Parkinson’s Drug
Lysosomal Therapeutics of Cambridge, MA, has closed a $20 million Series A round to push forward a drug for Parkinson’s disease that exploits the link between neurodegeneration and a family of rare genetic disorders. LTI raised a $5 million seed round last year. When it found a compound to develop as its lead Parkinson’s candidate, … Continue reading “As Promised, LTI Pulls In Big Series A to Advance Parkinson’s Drug”
Hardware Investor Bolt Adds San Francisco Office, $25M Fund
Bolt is heading west after closing a $25 million second venture fund. The Boston-based investor and manufacturing consultant is opening West Coast operations in San Francisco, in a fabrication facility owned by Autodesk, one of its financiers. Bolt plans to hire California-based engineers to work with local portfolio companies, possibly growing its current staff of … Continue reading “Hardware Investor Bolt Adds San Francisco Office, $25M Fund”
Stratasys Takes Write-Down on MakerBot; Is 3D Printing Due a Reckoning?
[Updated 2/3/15 5:30 pm. See below.] Last evening, 3D printing company Stratasys lowered its expectations for its 2014 financial results, putting its subsidiary MakerBot Industries, based in Brooklyn, in a different kind of spotlight. In its preliminary 2014 financials, Stratasys (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SSYS]]) said it would take a write-down, which is a reduction in the book value … Continue reading “Stratasys Takes Write-Down on MakerBot; Is 3D Printing Due a Reckoning?”
Algal Biofuel Icon Sapphire Energy Moves to Diversify Product Line
After James Levine stepped in last summer as CEO at Sapphire Energy, he told Xconomy he would be looking for ways to broaden and diversify Sapphire’s core expertise in algae-based biofuels by developing new businesses in related fields. Now that strategy is beginning to take form. The San Diego company said Jim Astwood has joined … Continue reading “Algal Biofuel Icon Sapphire Energy Moves to Diversify Product Line”
Linkner Announces New Business Leadership Venture Based in Detroit
Serial entrepreneur, best-selling author, and Xconomist Josh Linkner today announced he is launching a new venture called Fuel Leadership in order to innovate something he considers to be woefully outdated: leadership development events. “Having spoken at many business events, I’ve seen how the general model is flawed,” he says. “The need for leadership is greater … Continue reading “Linkner Announces New Business Leadership Venture Based in Detroit”
Guardant Grabs $50M to Expand Cancer Blood Test
Guardant Health has received a $50 million Series C funding round to make its blood test for cancer more readily available. The test, called Guardant360, analyzes the genetic traits of tumor cell DNA, which can help physicians predict what therapies might be most effective at treating a patient. As Xconomy’s Bernadette Tansey wrote after she … Continue reading “Guardant Grabs $50M to Expand Cancer Blood Test”
Join Xconomy, And New York’s Life Science Disruptors, on March 12
It may be freezing in New York, but that doesn’t apply to a biotech scene that continues to gain steam. No, biotech in the Big Apple isn’t yet the bubbling cluster you’ll find in Boston or San Francisco; there is much work still to be done. But if you take a look across various areas … Continue reading “Join Xconomy, And New York’s Life Science Disruptors, on March 12”
Eero Aims to Bring Elegant Mesh Networks to Home Wi-Fi
As a kid, Nick Weaver was obsessed with Wi-Fi. His home was one of the first on the block in his Chicago-area neighborhood to get a high-speed Internet connection, and the young Weaver was soon turning that speedy digital pipe into a wireless network that blanketed his home. “I’ve been thinking about this problem for … Continue reading “Eero Aims to Bring Elegant Mesh Networks to Home Wi-Fi”
Harvard i-lab Leader Leaving for Boise State to Revamp Education
The head of the Harvard Innovation Lab, Gordon Jones, has accepted a new position as dean of the College of Innovation and Design at Boise State University in Idaho. Jones will continue to serve as the lab’s managing director through the end of the academic year in June, and then head west. “This isn’t your … Continue reading “Harvard i-lab Leader Leaving for Boise State to Revamp Education”
Now Playing: California’s $1 Billion Stem-Cell Renovation Show
Home remodeling shows are a reality TV staple. But no Park Avenue mansion or country estate can top the nearly $1 billion price tag of the house C. Randal Mills is trying to renovate on the fly in California. Mills, who goes by Randy, is the president of the State of California’s stem cell agency, … Continue reading “Now Playing: California’s $1 Billion Stem-Cell Renovation Show”
Three Colorado Startups Get Chance to Make Pitch at Google Demo Day
Three Colorado startups are making plans for a possible trip to Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, CA, where they could meet Google personnel and make their pitches before Silicon Valley investors and a worldwide audience watching online. The three startups—Conspire, Native, and RxRevu—beat out 13 other startups last week for the chance to present at this … Continue reading “Three Colorado Startups Get Chance to Make Pitch at Google Demo Day”
What Are We Watching on YouTube? Super Bowl Leftovers, Of Course
Super Bowl Sunday is a singularly American gathering where, despite our fragmenting popular culture, millions of people still turn their attention to a shared spectacle of sports, entertainment, and commerce. Even after all that gluttony, however, it appears the year’s biggest media onslaught isn’t enough for most consumers. The day after the biggest NFL game of the year, millions of … Continue reading “What Are We Watching on YouTube? Super Bowl Leftovers, Of Course”
Catching Up With Kidpreneur, and One of Its Kids, a Year Later
Last year, serial entrepreneur Thanh Tran launched a new venture to teach kids about Web design, coding, robotics, and the “lean startup” philosophy of entrepreneurship. In October, the company moved into a new office space in Wixom, MI, and Ben Seidman, Kidpreneur’s business and marketing manager, says things are booming. “Out here, we have more … Continue reading “Catching Up With Kidpreneur, and One of Its Kids, a Year Later”
No Oil Change, No Problem For New Briggs & Stratton Lawnmower Engine
It’s a dirty task that most homeowners probably wish they could avoid (and some skip altogether): changing the oil in their lawnmower engine. Now they won’t have to, thanks to a new product from Briggs & Stratton (NYSE: [[ticker:BGG]]). The Wauwatosa, WI-based small engine and power equipment manufacturer says it has developed a new engine … Continue reading “No Oil Change, No Problem For New Briggs & Stratton Lawnmower Engine”
From Telemetry to Wearable Wednesdays: Q&A with Daniel Obodovski
As a director of business development at Qualcomm (NASDAQ: [[ticker:QCOM]]) for nine years, Daniel Obodovski participated in the commercial launches of multiple devices that were early examples of machine-to-machine communications (M2M). Before 2010, he says, “We launched a child-tracking device together with BestBuy, an Alzheimer patient-tracking device, and a covert cargo tracking device.” These days, … Continue reading “From Telemetry to Wearable Wednesdays: Q&A with Daniel Obodovski”
Texas Roundup: Volusion, SeatSmart, Xenex, Decisio, BioHouston, AveXis
After an unseasonably cold start to the new year, sunny skies and warmer days have returned. The pace of startup launches and new financing deals is as brisk as ever. Here is the latest innovation news from Xconomy Texas. —Austin, TX-based Volusion raised $55 million to further develop its e-commerce software. The Series A round … Continue reading “Texas Roundup: Volusion, SeatSmart, Xenex, Decisio, BioHouston, AveXis”
WaVe Gets $18M to Solve RNA’s “Underappreciated” Chemistry Problem
The field of RNA-based drugs is moving fast. Isis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ISIS]]) has an approved drug, and more potentially on the way. Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ALNY]]) has a slew of them in development, and a few that could be approved in the next few years. Younger entrants with different approaches, like Moderna Therapeutics are raising … Continue reading “WaVe Gets $18M to Solve RNA’s “Underappreciated” Chemistry Problem”
TrueVault: Helping Digital Health Apps Grapple With HIPAA
Look on Apple’s app store, and you’ll find endless columns of exercise counters, baby trackers, cardio monitors, personal medication diaries…and many, many butt workout regimens. Consumers use these digital health apps to stay fit, but there are pitfalls both for their users and their developers, says Jason Wang, CEO of San Francisco-based TrueVault. For one … Continue reading “TrueVault: Helping Digital Health Apps Grapple With HIPAA”
Did the Super Bowl Flu Strike Your Office?
Look around. A few of your colleagues missing today? Maybe yesterday’s game was just too much for them? Seattle-based healthcare IT startup Healthentic says it’s not your imagination. The company tracks health insurance usage and other data for companies to help them find ways to save money and improve benefits for their employees. It looked … Continue reading “Did the Super Bowl Flu Strike Your Office?”
Innovation Hub: 10 Years After the Larry Summers Controversy
Ten years ago, Harvard’s then-president, Larry Summers, wondered why women are so scarce in elite math and science departments. Is it because they’re less ambitious than men? Or, perhaps, they’re less inclined to be extremely smart? His comments caused a national furor, and Summers stepped down as president the following year. Now, Professor Eileen Pollack, … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: 10 Years After the Larry Summers Controversy”
Fiksu Makes Move to Expand in Mobile Marketing
For the past few years Fiksu has been one of Boston’s fastest growing startups by helping mobile app and game developers stand out and get downloaded. Now Fiksu is getting more aggressive and is making a big play in mobile marketing with new software that companies, agencies, and marketers can use to target mobile device … Continue reading “Fiksu Makes Move to Expand in Mobile Marketing”
Taykey Putting $15M Round Towards New Online Marketing Software
New York-based Taykey says its software is evolving from being used like an ad network into a tool for broader marketing strategies. Taykey tries to help marketers sort out how best to reach an audience whose attention is increasingly diffuse. CEO and founder Amit Avner says since its inception, his company has helped push its … Continue reading “Taykey Putting $15M Round Towards New Online Marketing Software”
Roundup: U-M, NextEnergy, Blackstone LaunchPad, Rockwell Medical & More
Here’s a look at news from around Michigan’s innovation hubs: —The University of Michigan is constructing a 32-acre mini-city to test driverless vehicles on the northern part ofcampus. Called M City, it will include a network of roads with up to five lanes, intersections, roundabouts, traffic signs and signals, sidewalks, bus facilities, benches, simulated buildings, … Continue reading “Roundup: U-M, NextEnergy, Blackstone LaunchPad, Rockwell Medical & More”
East Coast Biotech Roundup: Yumanity, Biogen, Blizzards, & More
Funny thing happened on the East Coast this week. The so-called Blizzard of 2015 threw us New Yorkers into a panic before unexpectedly veering eastward in a post-Christmas miracle and giving the city little more than a dusting. We weren’t relieved; we were livid—at weathermen for scaring us, politicians for shutting the city down for … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: Yumanity, Biogen, Blizzards, & More”
Crinetics Gets $1.5M Grant for Work on Women’s Health Disorders
Since 2008, when Scott Struthers founded San Diego’s Crinetics Pharmaceuticals, the startup has advanced its development of small-molecule drugs for treating endocrine-related disorders and cancers chiefly through a series of Small Business Innovative Research awards and foundation grants. The company says its passion for drug hunting “is tempered by a post-recession startup culture.” This week, … Continue reading “Crinetics Gets $1.5M Grant for Work on Women’s Health Disorders”
Dendreon Gets $296M Bid From Valeant as Bankruptcy Auction Looms
It looks like someone is interested in salvaging Provenge after all. The ever-acquisitive, Quebec-based Valeant Pharmaceuticals (NYSE: [[ticker:VRX]]) made a surprising $296 million all-cash offer late Thursday to buy Seattle’s Dendreon (OTC: [[ticker:DNDNQ]]) out of Chapter 11. The move signals that, at minimum, the struggling proprietor of the cellular immunotherapy sipuleucel-T (Provenge) has at least one … Continue reading “Dendreon Gets $296M Bid From Valeant as Bankruptcy Auction Looms”
Tech Pup of the Day: Airbnb’s Nutmeg
Toiling among the elite technology specialists of Silicon Valley and San Francisco’s SOMA neighborhood is a class of workers whose pay is low, and who are often barred from company dining areas and kitchens. However, their standing among their co-workers sometimes approaches adulation, and their perks may far exceed those granted to their colleagues. We celebrate … Continue reading “Tech Pup of the Day: Airbnb’s Nutmeg”