Happy 2015! There’s lots to catch up on in Northwest tech news after a long holiday break, including the prospect of better U.S. weather forecasts powered by Cray supercomputers. Also, funding news for Blue Box, Glassdoor, Front Desk, TINYpulse, Elemental Technologies, and the sale of BigDoor Media. Read on for details. —Seattle supercomputer maker Cray … Continue reading “Seattle Roundup: Cray, Blue Box, BigDoor, Late ’14 Deals, & More”
Category: National
Box Steps Back Onto IPO Runway
Web-based data storage provider Box, which retreated from plans to go public last spring, is now preparing to make another run at an initial public offering. In an amended filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission today, Los Altos, CA-based Box says it seeks to raise as much as $162.5 million from an offering of … Continue reading “Box Steps Back Onto IPO Runway”
Vineyard Capital, Detroit Venture Partners Lead $5M Round for Reach Influence
Royal Oak, MI-based retail analytics firm Reach Influence announced yesterday that it has closed a $5 million funding round led by Vineyard Capital Group, which is based in Bloomfield Hills, MI. Detroit Venture Partners also participated in the round. Eric Green, CEO of Reach Influence, says the investment comes with an invitation to locate in … Continue reading “Vineyard Capital, Detroit Venture Partners Lead $5M Round for Reach Influence”
Austin Startup RoverPass Looks to Become Kayak for Camping Industry
“We’re not doing rocket science. We’re just trying to get people to go camping.” So says Ravi Parikh, co-founder and CEO of Austin, TX-based startup RoverPass. While his comment is a little self-deprecating, it certainly explains his company well. RoverPass helps campers and RV owners find and book places in campgrounds and RV parks while … Continue reading “Austin Startup RoverPass Looks to Become Kayak for Camping Industry”
East Coast Biotech Roundup: Pre-J.P. Morgan Preening Edition
It’s here again: J.P. Morgan week. Over the next few days, most everyone in healthcare will head to San Francisco for the industry’s biggest annual conference (a blessing for us East Coasters, who get a reprieve from the sub-zero wind chills). Typically there’s a big deal or two preceding the conference. This year? A stampede … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: Pre-J.P. Morgan Preening Edition”
Second Exit for DeCode Investors as Spinout NextCODE Sold to WuXi
How fast is the world of genomic data changing? Consider this: The pioneering Icelandic genomics company deCode Genetics, founded in 1996, had to go through bankruptcy and back before selling itself for a handsome sum to Amgen a few years ago. Its spinout, NextCODE Health, needed just 15 months and a single $15 million round … Continue reading “Second Exit for DeCode Investors as Spinout NextCODE Sold to WuXi”
As Turner Suspends Media Camp, Its Founder Yearns To Duplicate It
For a consumer or a reporter, the International Consumer Electronics Show would be an exhilarating tour of the latest gadgets and tools, as well as a preview of marvelous technologies of the future. For established companies, the annual CES event might be a sobering catalog of technological changes they must either master or allow to … Continue reading “As Turner Suspends Media Camp, Its Founder Yearns To Duplicate It”
Milestones of Innovation 1: Hamilton’s 1790 Report on the Public Credit
Today is the 225th anniversary of a milestone in the history of American innovation. On January 9, 1790, the 35-year-old secretary of the Treasury of the United States sent the House of Representatives a 40,000-word blueprint for the new nation’s financial system. The report was produced just four months after Congress commissioned it. Proposing the … Continue reading “Milestones of Innovation 1: Hamilton’s 1790 Report on the Public Credit”
Boston Tech Roundup: Kanojia, NetProspex, Jana, Erecruit, & More
A new year means a bunch of new deals to catch up on around the Boston-area innovation sector, including secretive new companies from notable executives, an acquisition, and fundraising for several private companies: —Chet Kanojia, the founder and CEO of defunct video-streaming startup Aereo, is apparently looking for his next gig. News comes via Re/code, which reports … Continue reading “Boston Tech Roundup: Kanojia, NetProspex, Jana, Erecruit, & More”
Silver Spring Networks Acquires Escondido’s Detectent for $12M
Silver Spring Networks (NYSE: [[ticker:SSNI]]), which makes smart grid technologies for electric utilities, says it has agreed to pay $12 million in cash to acquire Detectent, an Escondido, CA-based company that provides analytic software to utilities. Detectent initially began in 2004 as a research project, when ConEdison asked founder Mike Madrazzo to analyze the New … Continue reading “Silver Spring Networks Acquires Escondido’s Detectent for $12M”
Schuster: Milwaukee Has Good Startup Ideas, Still Lacks Capital
Milwaukee’s economy still relies heavily on legacy manufacturing companies, but there’s a growing recognition of the need to seed new businesses in sectors with prospects for growth. Efforts are afoot to foster more entrepreneurship in sectors like water technology, energy, and software, and to spin more startups out of the area’s universities. And while most … Continue reading “Schuster: Milwaukee Has Good Startup Ideas, Still Lacks Capital”
West Coast Biotech Roundup: Hep C, 23andMe, Kite, Cash, Isis & More
What a week for life sciences news, and it’s not even over. Perhaps we’ll get a slight break as the healthcare and biopharma worlds get on airplanes and descend upon San Francisco starting in 3…2…1…. Two requests from this veteran attendee: Leave your colds and flu at home, and wear bright colors if the weather’s … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Hep C, 23andMe, Kite, Cash, Isis & More”
Seismic Raises $20M in Round Led by Software Growth Equity Fund
After tripling revenues in 2014, Encinitas, CA-based Seismic says today it has closed a $20 million round in Series B funding led by JMI Equity, the growth equity firm that specializes in software and services. Seismic was founded in 2010 to advance what co-founder and CEO Doug Winter calls “sales enablement software” that helps sales … Continue reading “Seismic Raises $20M in Round Led by Software Growth Equity Fund”
Startup to Watch at CES: A Chat with Captureproof’s CEO Meghan Conroy
Medical diagnosis may get more mobile and visual through Captureproof’s app. The San Francisco-based startup is trying to reduce the need for patients to see their doctors in person. Through an iPhone app and mobile Web portal, Captureproof lets people send images and video to their physicians to help assess their recovery from surgery, as … Continue reading “Startup to Watch at CES: A Chat with Captureproof’s CEO Meghan Conroy”
Wisely Expands Mission to Help Businesses Serve Their Best Customers
As I was driving through the Poconos on my way home from a holiday vacation last week, I flipped on NPR just in time to hear a Marketplace report on Wisely, the Ann Arbor-based startup that is on a new mission to cultivate relationships between customers and merchants. Wisely has been through a few iterations … Continue reading “Wisely Expands Mission to Help Businesses Serve Their Best Customers”
Welltok Raises Additional $12M, Readies for Debut With IBM’s Watson
Welltok, a Denver-based health software startup, just closed the books on a very successful 2014, announcing today it raised $12 million from two new investors. Welltok also is already setting the stage for a big 2015, with plans to unveil a new app that relies on IBM’s Watson supercomputer next week. The investors are Hearst Health … Continue reading “Welltok Raises Additional $12M, Readies for Debut With IBM’s Watson”
GE Ventures, Goldman Sachs Are New Investors in Rethink Robotics
Rethink Robotics is trying to become the preeminent robot company of its generation—and in doing so, reinvent the fields of manufacturing and logistics. The company certainly has interesting technology—a two-armed, dexterous robot named Baxter—but the question is whether it can gain widespread adoption in factories and warehouses, and if so, how quickly. Now the company … Continue reading “GE Ventures, Goldman Sachs Are New Investors in Rethink Robotics”
Par8o Picks Up $10.5M From Investors Moving Into Health IT
Get ready for an influx of venture funding in healthcare software. Especially to startups whose founders have prior experience at well-known companies. A case in point is Boston-area startup Par8o (“par-eight-oh”), which said today it has raised a $10.5 million Series A funding round. The company’s investors include Atlas Venture (the tech side of the … Continue reading “Par8o Picks Up $10.5M From Investors Moving Into Health IT”
One Week Into The New Year, Five Biotechs Reel in $220M Venture Cash
Is everyone in biotech putting out news this week so they won’t be distracted from their partying next week at the J.P. Morgan healthcare conference in San Francisco? That’s a joke, of course, but the news flow of the new year is serious enough to merit an extra round-up from us. We’ll still have our … Continue reading “One Week Into The New Year, Five Biotechs Reel in $220M Venture Cash”
Moderna Forms Latest Venture, Valera, to Fight Infections With mRNA
Moderna Therapeutics has been talking up plans to create a group of separate venture units based on the preclinical drug programs under its roof. That effort started last year with cancer drug developer Onkaido Therapeutics, and it continues today, as the Cambridge, MA-based company announces the formation of what’s being called Valera. Valera is the … Continue reading “Moderna Forms Latest Venture, Valera, to Fight Infections With mRNA”
Dato, Formerly GraphLab, Raises $18.5M for Intelligent Apps
[Corrected 1/9/15, 2:43 pm. See below.] Seattle startup Dato, formerly known as GraphLab, has raised an $18.5 million Series B round to continue building tools that allow companies to make predictive applications that use machine learning to parse enormous databases. The funding comes from new investors Vulcan Capital, which led the round, and Opus Capital … Continue reading “Dato, Formerly GraphLab, Raises $18.5M for Intelligent Apps”
Surface Oncology Raises $35M to Develop Cancer Immunotherapies
Surface Oncology of Cambridge, MA, announced today a $35 million Series A round led by Atlas Venture, Fidelity Biosciences, New Enterprise Associates, and Lilly Ventures. Surface wants to develop cancer immunotherapies, but acting CEO Dave Grayzel (pictured) says it’s got different ideas than Juno Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:JUNO]]), Novartis (NYSE: [[ticker:NVS]]), Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: [[ticker:BMY]]), Amgen … Continue reading “Surface Oncology Raises $35M to Develop Cancer Immunotherapies”
State of the Internet: U.S. Connection Speeds Rank 17th in World
If you think Internet speeds could be faster in the U.S., you’re not imagining things. The latest rankings of global Internet speeds by digital traffic company Akamai have the U.S. once again absent from the top 10 list of countries with the speediest networks. The U.S. has fared better in previous editions of these quarterly rankings, which are part of … Continue reading “State of the Internet: U.S. Connection Speeds Rank 17th in World”
GlySens Raises $12M for Wireless Implantable Glucose Sensor
San Diego-based GlySens says it has raised $12 million in Series C funding to advance its wireless technology for an implantable sensor that could be used to monitor blood sugar levels in people with diabetes. No investors were identified in the statement issued by GlySens, which says only that several new investors participated in the … Continue reading “GlySens Raises $12M for Wireless Implantable Glucose Sensor”
Techstars Expands With New Accelerator in Berlin
How do you say “startup accelerator” in German? We might soon know, now that Techstars is opening a new program in Berlin. The first program is this summer, with applications being accepted through March 15. Techstars said the program will be run in English, and it expects to have more than 100 mentors. Techstars announced … Continue reading “Techstars Expands With New Accelerator in Berlin”
The Man Behind SiteSpect’s Rise in Digital Marketing
In a world of Uber financings and 800 percent revenue growth curves, one startup founder won’t talk sales numbers, company valuations, or IPOs. He says his market opportunity is a billion-plus, not $10 billion. He takes $13 million from investors, not $100 million. And that’s after being self-funded and profitable for a decade, building a … Continue reading “The Man Behind SiteSpect’s Rise in Digital Marketing”
MadCap Acquires Doc-to-Help, Expands Lineup of Authoring Tools
San Diego’s MadCap Software, which specializes in software used to create help documents, owners’ manuals, user guides, and other types of professional documentation, says today it has acquired longtime rival Doc-to-Help from GrapeCity, the Japanese software and services provider. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Privately held MadCap was founded in 2005 by … Continue reading “MadCap Acquires Doc-to-Help, Expands Lineup of Authoring Tools”
Wisconsin Roundup: Epic, Exact Sciences, Semba, Wicab, & More
With the holidays behind us, it’s time to catch up on some recent news in the world of Wisconsin technology and innovation: —Madison-based Semba Biosciences raised $511,175 from investors, according to a new SEC document. Investors have put at least $2.4 million into the company since it was founded in 2005, SEC documents show. Semba … Continue reading “Wisconsin Roundup: Epic, Exact Sciences, Semba, Wicab, & More”
Amid Robotics Buzz, Rethink Retools With $27M More
Building a robotics company is expensive, but it could pay off in a big way. Just ask Rethink Robotics, which has added $26.6 million in venture funding to its war chest, which has totaled at least $100 million over several rounds. Rethink Robotics’ investors include Highland Capital Partners, Sigma Partners, CRV, Bezos Expeditions, and DFJ. … Continue reading “Amid Robotics Buzz, Rethink Retools With $27M More”
Startup 101: Texas Venture Labs Pairs UT Students With Entrepreneurs
Dig a little deeper into the entrepreneurial gestation of a few of Austin, TX, startup successes and you’ll find they have something in common: the Texas Venture Labs. Part of the University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business, TVL is a relative newcomer to the Austin startup scene. It was founded five years … Continue reading “Startup 101: Texas Venture Labs Pairs UT Students With Entrepreneurs”
With $21M, Retooled Blend Whips up Mini-Smart Bombs For Cancer
Sometimes in biotech, you go in with one plan, and an unexpected discovery changes everything. That’s the case with Blend Therapeutics, which has morphed into a company trying to use nanotechnology to create a new type of cancer therapy. Watertown, MA-based Blend is announcing today that it has raised $21 million in new equity and … Continue reading “With $21M, Retooled Blend Whips up Mini-Smart Bombs For Cancer”
CART + CRISPR = 1st-Of-Its-Kind Biotech Deal From Novartis, Intellia
Novartis has already invested in Intellia Therapeutics. Now it wants to use Intellia’s cutting-edge gene-editing tools on one of the world’s most promising new kinds of medicine. In a deal that brings together two of the highest-profile fields in biotech, healthcare giant Novartis (NYSE: [[ticker:NVS]]) has negotiated with tiny Intellia for exclusive rights to the … Continue reading “CART + CRISPR = 1st-Of-Its-Kind Biotech Deal From Novartis, Intellia”
Even When Money is Easy, Rules of Biotech Finance Still Apply
Last month Juno Therapeutics closed a $250 million IPO, bringing the total raised since it was founded in Seattle in 2013 to close to $600 million. The money is earmarked to support more than ten clinical trials over the next 12 months. Last year, 133 biotech companies around the world raised $11 billion in initial … Continue reading “Even When Money is Easy, Rules of Biotech Finance Still Apply”
Mobile Survey: Startups Leading the Way as New Devices Gain Steam
Now that the old standby debates in mobile have been largely sorted out—iOS vs. Android, apps vs. the Web—it’s time to find new areas for rapid growth and change in this era’s dominant computing story. A fresh survey of mobile-industry insiders shows that leaders in the sector are looking at new kinds of devices and … Continue reading “Mobile Survey: Startups Leading the Way as New Devices Gain Steam”
Don’t Get Comfortable: 5 Biopharma Flashpoints to Consider in 2015
The annual J.P. Morgan healthcare conference starts this weekend in San Francisco. Pundits are predicting a much higher tally of shoulder injuries than usual. You know, from all the people patting themselves on the back. After a year filled with medical promise and cash raining down from everywhere, the self-congratulation could be thicker than the … Continue reading “Don’t Get Comfortable: 5 Biopharma Flashpoints to Consider in 2015”
U-M Spinout 3D Biomatrix Secures U.S. Patent for Cell Culture Product
3D Biomatrix, the Ann Arbor, MI-based life science startup spun out of the University of Michigan in 2010, has finally secured a U.S. patent for the technology behind its hanging drop plates, which are used by researchers to grow cells in culture. It’s the first and only drop plate patent of its kind issued in … Continue reading “U-M Spinout 3D Biomatrix Secures U.S. Patent for Cell Culture Product”
Need for New Approaches to Encourage Women to Join, and Stay in, Tech
The ongoing paucity of women in the technology world has led to various efforts to tackle this imbalance—but so far the results of such campaigns have been debatable. Now many voices are rising to share their thoughts on what more needs to be done. Despite the emergence across the country of advocacy organizations such as … Continue reading “Need for New Approaches to Encourage Women to Join, and Stay in, Tech”
First-Ever Pediatric Health Pitch Day at SXSW to Be Hosted by Mark Cuban
Mark Cuban might be bringing a little “Shark Tank” to South By Southwest this spring. Cuban, the IT entrepreneur and billionaire who owns the Dallas Mavericks basketball franchise and stars in the entrepreneurial reality TV show, will leave the judging to others. But in his role as emcee, he will likely provide entrepreneurs with his … Continue reading “First-Ever Pediatric Health Pitch Day at SXSW to Be Hosted by Mark Cuban”
Lawn Love Raises $1.9M to Provide On-Demand Gardening Services
Lawn Love, a San Diego Web startup that emerged from the Y Combinator accelerator in August, has raised $1.9 million in seed funding from Launch Capital, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, Binary Capital, and other investors. “We’re bringing software and tech to a traditionally low-tech space,” says Jeremy Yamaguchi, a San Diego entrepreneur who started Lawn … Continue reading “Lawn Love Raises $1.9M to Provide On-Demand Gardening Services”
Cempra Antibiotic Hits Pneumonia Goals; $100M Stock Sale Planned
With positive late-stage clinical trial data for its lead drug now in hand, Cempra (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CEMP]]) is preparing a $100 million stock offering to finance further work on the antibiotic, which some observers say has blockbuster potential. CEO Prabha Fernandes is not giving a timeline for filing solithromycin’s new drug application (NDA) with the Food … Continue reading “Cempra Antibiotic Hits Pneumonia Goals; $100M Stock Sale Planned”
SiteSpect Scoops Up $13M After Decade of Bootstrapping
It’s a strategy we’ve seen before, from tech companies like Wayfair. Sign up loyal customers, make them happy, bootstrap yourself to profitability, expand your team—and then, after 10 years, take outside investment so you can grow faster. SiteSpect, a Web and mobile marketing software company based in Boston, is following that model, albeit at a … Continue reading “SiteSpect Scoops Up $13M After Decade of Bootstrapping”
Technology Upgrades: Welcome to My Nightmare (Yours Too?)
I was having coffee with a friend recently and the subject of word processing software came up. My friend related how he was happily using WordStar. WordStar? I hadn’t thought about it in years, but it was the first computer program I ever used, way back in 1984. I was surprised to find that not … Continue reading “Technology Upgrades: Welcome to My Nightmare (Yours Too?)”
Tracon Files for $57.5M IPO to Move Cancer Drugs to Next Stage
San Diego-based Tracon Pharmaceuticals, which raised $27 million in a Series B financing round in September, plans to raise a total of $57.5 million in an IPO, according to a recent regulatory filing. The company was founded in 2004 to develop new drugs for treating cancer, age-related macular degeneration, and fibrotic diseases. Curiously, this is … Continue reading “Tracon Files for $57.5M IPO to Move Cancer Drugs to Next Stage”
Four Colorado Storylines to Watch as 2015 Gets Underway
Whether on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange or in orbit around the Earth, Colorado entrepreneurs, engineers, and investors made a mark last year, and more big things are sure to come in the year ahead. Here’s a quick look at some of the top storylines from 2014 that will carry over into … Continue reading “Four Colorado Storylines to Watch as 2015 Gets Underway”
With New Apps, Bridj Gets Closer to Vision of Private Bus Network
Anyone who’s driven around Boston quickly confronts its twisting, colliding, narrow streets, an unapologetically old-world system that somehow embodies the city’s charmingly abrasive style. How people got around before GPS, I’ll never know. Transportation startup Bridj is hoping to tap into this generation’s biggest technology platform—mobile smartphone networks—to make commutes in the region a bit easier. … Continue reading “With New Apps, Bridj Gets Closer to Vision of Private Bus Network”
Wellbe Snags $2.4M For Software to Guide Patients Through Treatment
Wellbe, a Madison, WI-based provider of software that helps guide patients through medical treatments and surgeries, has raised $2.4 million from investors, the company announced today. Wellbe has now snagged about $4 million from investors since CEO James Dias co-founded the company in 2008. Investors in the latest round include Terrence Gibbons, former Pharmacy OneSource … Continue reading “Wellbe Snags $2.4M For Software to Guide Patients Through Treatment”
With Massive Venture Round, Moderna Has $450M Reasons to Stay Private
Investment dollars have been pouring into private and public biotechs, but nothing can quite match Moderna Therapeutics. Cambridge, MA-based Moderna says it has raised a $450 million private investment round, the largest ever financing for a privately held biotech company. Moderna has now secured $950 million in venture cash and non-dilutive funding since its inception … Continue reading “With Massive Venture Round, Moderna Has $450M Reasons to Stay Private”
Birdhouse Aims to Be Go-To App for Families Coping with Autism
[Corrected 1/5/15, 2:35 pm. See below.] Ben Chutz and Dani Gillman, co-founders of the Detroit-based startup Birdhouse for Autism, launched their company in 2012 because they were struggling to manage their daughter’s autism with the current tools available. For years, Gillman relied on paper notebooks, then a table she designed in Microsoft Word and printed … Continue reading “Birdhouse Aims to Be Go-To App for Families Coping with Autism”
Harvard Spin-off Voxel8 Takes 3D Printing Into Electronics
3D printers give hardware designers a way to convert their computer models into objects they can see and feel. A Boston-area startup has made a desktop printer that goes one step further: by printing wires, it allows designers to make working prototypes of their electronic creations. Voxel8 today launched its website and has begun to … Continue reading “Harvard Spin-off Voxel8 Takes 3D Printing Into Electronics”
Wisconsin Startup Introduces Wallet Designed to Foil E-Pickpockets
Give pickpockets their due. It takes undeniable skill and dexterity to weave through a crowd and steal a wallet with the victim none the wiser—or to use a radio scanner to steal signals transmitted by the radio frequency identification (RFID) chips implanted on passports and an increasing number of “contactless” smart credit cards. But don’t … Continue reading “Wisconsin Startup Introduces Wallet Designed to Foil E-Pickpockets”