The proposed StartingBlock Madison development project got an important boost today, with the announcement of “significant” financial support from American Family Insurance. The size of American Family’s investment wasn’t disclosed, as the details are still being finalized, according to a press release. StartingBlock is part of a high-profile development in downtown Madison, WI, that would … Continue reading “StartingBlock Madison Gets Key Investment From American Family”
Category: National
Audicus Thinks It Can Be the Warby Parker of Hearing Aids E-tailing
Devices that could improve sound for the hearing impaired are a few mouse-clicks away. New York-based startup Audicus wants to cut out the middleman and position itself as the Warby Parker for hearing aid sales online. Audicus founder Patrick Freuler says a pair of hearing aids can cost as much as $7,000 and might not be … Continue reading “Audicus Thinks It Can Be the Warby Parker of Hearing Aids E-tailing”
Connecture Prices Well Below Projection in Nasdaq Debut
When healthcare software company Connecture filed plans with the SEC in October to go public, it was a significant announcement in Wisconsin. Relatively few tech companies here go that route, opting instead for mergers and acquisitions. The Brookfield, WI-based company followed through with those plans today, pricing 6.6 million shares at $8 apiece, which would … Continue reading “Connecture Prices Well Below Projection in Nasdaq Debut”
Big Events, Exits Raising Boston’s Innovation Profile at Year’s End
Boston’s stock as an innovation cluster is on the rise. At least in the eyes of the outside world. In addition to increased interest in the region’s technology and life sciences companies, there’s a critical mass of activity taking shape as we head into the new year. One notable effort: MIT Technology Review is organizing … Continue reading “Big Events, Exits Raising Boston’s Innovation Profile at Year’s End”
Boston Tech Roundup: Predilytics, Altaeros, Threat Stack, Next Step Living
An interesting cross-section of companies have reported new private investment in recent days around the Boston area, including startups that deal with digital security, clean energy, and medical data: —Predilytics, a Burlington, MA-based seller of predictive data analytics for healthcare, has raised another $8.9 million in investment, according to an SEC filing. The paperwork also indicates … Continue reading “Boston Tech Roundup: Predilytics, Altaeros, Threat Stack, Next Step Living”
Roundup: Delphinius Medical Technologies, Fontinalis, U-M, Detroit Labs
Here’s a look at news from around Michigan’s innovation hubs: —Fontinalis Partners, a Detroit-based venture capital firm focused on early-stage mobility and transportation startups, has launched a new Special Venture Partner (SVP) program in an effort to enhance the firm’s capabilities and reach new markets. The SVPs will serve as advisors to Fontinalis portfolio companies. … Continue reading “Roundup: Delphinius Medical Technologies, Fontinalis, U-M, Detroit Labs”
Seattle’s QuestionPro Acquires RapidEngage (aka SlimSurveys)
QuestionPro, a Seattle Web-survey and market-research company, has acquired RapidEngage, a San Diego startup with micro survey technology that enables merchants and other businesses to gather customer feedback in less than 30 seconds. RapidEngage was co-founded in 2012 as SlimSurveys by Sean Callahan, Rodney Rumford, and Daniel Marashlian. They self-funded the startup, and Rumford said … Continue reading “Seattle’s QuestionPro Acquires RapidEngage (aka SlimSurveys)”
Lending Club Shares Soar 56 Percent In Market Debut
[Corrected 12/12/14, 12:10 pm. See below] Venture investor Rebecca Lynn says people thought she was crazy back in early 2009 when the she led an early stage financing round for San Francisco-based Lending Club, an online loan marketplace for consumers and small businesses. At the time, the U.S. financial system was in crisis, banking titans had … Continue reading “Lending Club Shares Soar 56 Percent In Market Debut”
Microsoft Plans More Startup Accelerators in Seattle, Elsewhere
Microsoft feted the first batch of startups to go through its Seattle accelerator Wednesday with a demo day in the heart of Amazon’s neighborhood. And despite their competition for workers and customers, Amazon employees were invited inside, a gesture that the accelerator’s leader called a sign of Microsoft’s new openness, particularly in support of entrepreneurship. … Continue reading “Microsoft Plans More Startup Accelerators in Seattle, Elsewhere”
West Coast Biotech Roundup: Versant, BayBio/CHI Merger, von Emster
A programming note: The American Society of Hematology’s annual meeting, which took place Friday through Tuesday in San Francisco, took up much of the week’s biopharma news. We’ve decided to post a separate roundup of our own reports and news we couldn’t cover. Overshadowed by ASH, there was nonetheless other news on the West Coast. … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Versant, BayBio/CHI Merger, von Emster”
How Big Data Improves Sales Management and Predicts Performance
Enterprises worth their salt typically use a set of standard key performance indicators (KPIs) to evaluate progress, but there are limits to the effectiveness of these measures in improving or predicting future performance. According to Harvard Business Review, the top KPIs in sales include average annual quota and quota attainment average. The former describes the … Continue reading “How Big Data Improves Sales Management and Predicts Performance”
ASH Roundup: Immunotherapy Stars, Gene Therapy Leaps Ahead
Cancer immunotherapy and gene therapy grabbed many of the headlines from this past weekend’s American Society of Hematology meeting in San Francisco, and a number of the companies those fields look primed to cash in with big offerings in the coming weeks. Two such companies are already prepping to do so: Juno Therapeutics of Seattle, … Continue reading “ASH Roundup: Immunotherapy Stars, Gene Therapy Leaps Ahead”
Ford, Magna, Verizon Help Launch Techstars Program in Detroit
If you’re looking for further validation that Detroit’s tech ecosystem is gaining respect in the eyes of the world, here it is: Ford, in partnership with global auto supplier Magna International and Verizon Telematics, will announce today that it is helping to bring the esteemed Techstars startup accelerator to the Motor City. Techstars Mobility will … Continue reading “Ford, Magna, Verizon Help Launch Techstars Program in Detroit”
100health Scraps Incubator, Pursues Redox, a Tool to Build Health Apps
Less than a year after launching healthtech startup incubator 100health in Madison, WI, the three co-founders have abandoned that business in favor of trying to turn one of the incubator’s ideas into a successful company. Xconomy chronicled 100health’s inception in February. By August, co-founders Niko Skievaski, Luke Bonney, and James Lloyd had decided to stop … Continue reading “100health Scraps Incubator, Pursues Redox, a Tool to Build Health Apps”
Huddle Raises $51 Million To Compete In Online Collaboration Market
Huddle, a company that offers Web-based workspaces to businesses for collaboration and document storage, announced today it has raised $51 million in a financing round to arm it for competition with rivals, such as Los Altos, CA-based Box Inc. A significant percentage of the new capital will be spent on building up the San Francisco … Continue reading “Huddle Raises $51 Million To Compete In Online Collaboration Market”
Automated Marketing Software Nets Austin’s OutboundEngine $11M
OutboundEngine, which makes marketing and business development software, has raised $11 million in a Series B round. The Austin, TX-based startup’s software automates marketing duties for independent small businesses such as real estate agents, mortgage brokers, plumbers, and electricians. The startup creates content for the business while managing e-mail and social media channels on both … Continue reading “Automated Marketing Software Nets Austin’s OutboundEngine $11M”
Backupify Bought by Datto Amid Consolidation in Cloud Companies
The cloud is a good place to build data-storage startups—but it’s also a sector that’s seeing a lot of companies get snapped up or fall by the wayside. Backupify, a six-year-old startup in Cambridge, MA, is getting acquired by Datto, a Connecticut-based data-protection company. The terms of the deal aren’t being disclosed, but the acquisition … Continue reading “Backupify Bought by Datto Amid Consolidation in Cloud Companies”
Developers, Get Ready: 3D Images Are Coming to Mobile Devices
Showing snapshots from vacations is nice, but what if you could use a phone or tablet to walk your friends through a three-dimensional reconstruction of Notre Dame or Angkor Wat, based on your photos? That’s just one application of “immersive” 3D imaging technology, which is coming to smartphones and tablets. The biggest names in computing, … Continue reading “Developers, Get Ready: 3D Images Are Coming to Mobile Devices”
In 4th San Diego Draft, Plug and Play Picks 7 Startups for Bootcamp
It took 11 judges just 30 minutes yesterday afternoon to draft seven seed-stage tech companies to spend three months next year in a startup boot camp at the Plug and Play Tech Center in Sunnyvale, CA. The seven winners were chosen following presentations by 24 finalists on the 15th floor of a downtown high-rise at … Continue reading “In 4th San Diego Draft, Plug and Play Picks 7 Startups for Bootcamp”
As VCs Move Upstream, Madrona Venture Labs Builds Its Own Startups
In recent years, venture capitalists have been investing earlier in promising entrepreneurs and startups, nurturing their ideas in incubators, and creating programs to select the best teams and accelerate their growth. Seattle-based Madrona Venture Group is going one step further with an effort to directly form and develop high-potential software startups—based on the ideas of … Continue reading “As VCs Move Upstream, Madrona Venture Labs Builds Its Own Startups”
First Solar Buys Into Clean Energy Collective’s Community Solar
If you live in an apartment and don’t have roof space, you can still buy into solar power through shared ownership programs—a niche market that a number of solar startups are trying to open up. Louisville, CO-based Clean Energy Collective said today that solar panel maker First Solar has invested an undisclosed sum in the … Continue reading “First Solar Buys Into Clean Energy Collective’s Community Solar”
Out of Stealth, Zype Launches Video Service for Publishers
On Wednesday, Zype came out of stealth mode to launch its cloud-based video service for publishers who want to go beyond using YouTube to connect directly to consumers. Zype lets publishers draw upon their video libraries on Hulu, YouTube, Crunchyroll, and elsewhere on the Web, and put the content on branded websites and apps for … Continue reading “Out of Stealth, Zype Launches Video Service for Publishers”
Virtual Reality Startup Virtuix Raises $2.7M, Readies for CES Debut
A Houston startup’s dream of “taking virtual reality beyond the chair” is getting closer to reality. Virtuix announced today it has raised $2.7 million that it will use to fund its final push to manufacture a treadmill that, when paired with an Oculus Rift virtual reality headset and currently available video game systems, will enable … Continue reading “Virtual Reality Startup Virtuix Raises $2.7M, Readies for CES Debut”
Wisconsin Roundup: StudyBlue, Cellectar, 1 Million Cups, & More
Here are a few of the latest headlines in Wisconsin’s tech and innovation community: —Madison-based edtech startup StudyBlue tacked on about $438,000 to a funding round reported in June, bringing the total amount raised to more than $2.1 million, SEC filings show. The money came from previous investors, including Great Oaks Venture Capital, the Wisconsin … Continue reading “Wisconsin Roundup: StudyBlue, Cellectar, 1 Million Cups, & More”
“Innovation at Biotech’s Epicenter,” Dec. 17: Check Out the Agenda
A quick reminder that we’re one week away from our annual biotech event in San Francisco. This year, it’s called Xconomy Forum: Innovation at Biotech’s Epicenter, and we’re gathering December 17 in the Mission Bay neighborhood to talk about the emerging science, unique geography, and risk-taking strategies that will spur the Bay Area’s biomedical innovation … Continue reading ““Innovation at Biotech’s Epicenter,” Dec. 17: Check Out the Agenda”
Microbe Monitors & Microchips At the NYC Internet of Things Fair
Down in the Financial District on Monday, at the first-ever NYC Internet of Things Fair, a score of companies demoed ideas to bridge data, the cloud, and real-world devices. The technology on display ranged from a monitor that keeps tabs on the microbes that clean wastewater to a type of tiny LED that could be … Continue reading “Microbe Monitors & Microchips At the NYC Internet of Things Fair”
Network Security Startup DB Networks Raises $17M
DB Networks, a Carlsbad, CA-based company developing database security technology, says today it has raised $17 million in a new financing round led by Grotech Ventures. The additional cash will be used to advance its network technology and expand its business, according to a statement. Founded in 2009, DB Networks previously raised a $2.3 million … Continue reading “Network Security Startup DB Networks Raises $17M”
With Funding from Samsung, Battery Startup Seeo Advances
Material science typically moves slowly, so companies developing better batteries need investors able to stick around for more than just a few years. Seeo has found that some corporate investors are willing to bet on next-generation batteries. The Hayward, CA-based company, which was founded in 2007, today said that the venture arm of Korean tech … Continue reading “With Funding from Samsung, Battery Startup Seeo Advances”
DataGravity Grabs $50M More to Combine Storage and Computing
Let’s hear it for Series C funding rounds in tech. In a tough year for mid-stage startup financing deals, at least one Boston-area company isn’t feeling a crunch. Its market sector has a lot to do with that. Nashua, NH-based enterprise IT startup DataGravity has raised a $50 million C round, led by new investor … Continue reading “DataGravity Grabs $50M More to Combine Storage and Computing”
How Ebola Drug Trials Today Could Shape Future Drug Development
Ebola research has yet to yield a proven vaccine or antiviral drug but the work done so far could be paving the way for something else—faster and more efficient ways of testing drug candidates for other diseases. Jeffrey Spaeder, chief medical officer for Durham, NC, contract research organization Quintiles (NYSE: [[ticker:Q]]), says the current Ebola … Continue reading “How Ebola Drug Trials Today Could Shape Future Drug Development”
Techstars, Mayo Clinic Team Up to Launch Post-Accelerator Program
Add the Mayo Clinic to the list of companies, entrepreneurs, and investors that are in Techstars’s seemingly ever-growing network. The Boulder, CO-based startup accelerator announced today that it has a new relationship with the Rochester, MN-based nonprofit hospital and research institute that will enable healthcare-related Techstars startups to work with experts from the Mayo Clinic … Continue reading “Techstars, Mayo Clinic Team Up to Launch Post-Accelerator Program”
I Spy: Will High-Tech Holiday Gifts Fuel Family Feuds?
This is the time of year when marketers bombard us with holiday gift lists to promote their products—and foremost among them are technology-enhanced gizmos to dazzle the family as they tear off the wrappings and ribbons. But do these electronic device makers ever wonder how such gifts might alter the atmosphere at the annual family … Continue reading “I Spy: Will High-Tech Holiday Gifts Fuel Family Feuds?”
Members Push Merger of 2 California Life Sciences Industry Groups
The move to combine two nonprofits that are dedicated to advancing California’s life sciences interests was set in motion 11 months ago, when CEO David Gollaher resigned from the San Diego-based California Healthcare Institute (CHI). Gollaher’s departure from the public policy group he co-founded in 1993 created an opening to assess whether it made sense … Continue reading “Members Push Merger of 2 California Life Sciences Industry Groups”
Pioneer’s Lament: Lack of Checkpoint Immunotherapy For Blood Cancer
It might be hard to tell these days, but cancer immunotherapy can be disappointing, too. In a lunchtime review Monday at the American Society of Hematology annual meeting in San Francisco, Ronald Levy, a Stanford University professor with a long, storied history in the field, reviewed the trickle of clinical research presented at the meeting … Continue reading “Pioneer’s Lament: Lack of Checkpoint Immunotherapy For Blood Cancer”
Bluebird 4 For 4 As Gene Therapy Helps More Blood Disease Patients
The story of gene therapy’s recent renaissance is well known at this point. Established pharma companies who abandoned the field a decade ago are returning and building up their own gene therapy divisions. Startups are getting backing from venture firms. Programs are advancing, and starting to produce real clinical data—without the safety setbacks that plagued … Continue reading “Bluebird 4 For 4 As Gene Therapy Helps More Blood Disease Patients”
Immunotherapy Confidence (And Audience) Abundant At ASH T-Cell Talk
With cancer immunotherapy tallying impressive patient results and new drug approvals, people in the field are confident about expanding its scope. That confidence was abundant in back-to-back presentations Sunday at the American Society of Hematology annual meeting before an audience into the thousands. Two heavyweights in cancer immunotherapy, Carl June, a professor at the University … Continue reading “Immunotherapy Confidence (And Audience) Abundant At ASH T-Cell Talk”
New McNair Ignition Fund Pledges $3M to Boost Houston Tech Startups
As many as 30 Houston tech startups could receive $25,000 in investment next year thanks to the McNair Houston Ignition Fund. The fund is sponsored by the McNair Group, a financial and real estate firm owned by Houston Texans owner Bob McNair. McNair is investing $1 million a year for three years to boost tech … Continue reading “New McNair Ignition Fund Pledges $3M to Boost Houston Tech Startups”
Boston Heart Diagnostics Bought by Eurofins for $140M
Cubist isn’t the only life sciences acquisition in Boston today. Boston Heart Diagnostics, based in Framingham, MA, is getting bought by Eurofins for $140 million plus earn-outs of about $60 million based on achieving certain milestones. The deal is expected to be complete within 60 days. Boston Heart Diagnostics is led by CEO Susan Hertzberg … Continue reading “Boston Heart Diagnostics Bought by Eurofins for $140M”
Ad Tech Company Collective Beefing Up Its Software and Big Data
New York-based ad technology firm Collective recently moved into new offices and, in the fall, bulked up its management ranks as it competes in this increasingly noisy industry. John Vandermay, the company’s new chief technology officer, joined Collective in what the company calls a move to increase its focus on technology and new software. Given the … Continue reading “Ad Tech Company Collective Beefing Up Its Software and Big Data”
The Risks and Opportunities in a Startup: Age 5 Years and Up
In my last two articles, I explored the top risks and opportunities that startups face during their first five years of existence. In this conclusion to the series, I’d like to discuss the final phase of startup growth—Year 5 and up. If your business has made it to the crucial 5-year mark, that’s a good … Continue reading “The Risks and Opportunities in a Startup: Age 5 Years and Up”
Independent No More: Cubist Sold to Merck for $9.5B
Cubist Pharmaceuticals is one of biotech’s unlikely stories. Rising from a fortuitous licensing deal to become a leader in the antibiotics field, Lexington, MA-based Cubist made the big leap from startup to profitable mid-cap biotech; one with an established franchise and the cash flow to buy companies of its own. In biotech, however, that type … Continue reading “Independent No More: Cubist Sold to Merck for $9.5B”
Web Startup Experiment Engine Turns to Crowd to Ease A/B Testing
Constantly testing and optimizing your website to turn more visitors into customers is one of those things everyone knows they should be doing. But companies often lack the time, expertise, and money for it. Experiment Engine, a startup in Austin, TX, would like to make it easier for companies to do A/B testing on design … Continue reading “Web Startup Experiment Engine Turns to Crowd to Ease A/B Testing”
Raleigh-Durham Roundup: LabCorp, UNC, HQ Greensboro, & More
Here are the week’s headlines in North Carolina tech and biotech news: —Diagnostics and laboratory testing company LabCorp (NYSE: [[ticker:LH]]) is expanding its DNA testing capabilities by acquiring Bode Technology. Burlington, NC-based LabCorp disclosed no financial terms for its purchase of Bode Technology from SolutionPoint International. Bode Technology specializes in forensic DNA analysis, proprietary DNA … Continue reading “Raleigh-Durham Roundup: LabCorp, UNC, HQ Greensboro, & More”
StartingBlock, Madison’s Answer to Chicago’s 1871, Hits Crucial Stage
A vacant 1.75-acre piece of land in downtown Madison, WI—once the site of a car dealership—could become one of the most important hubs for tech entrepreneurship in the state’s capital, if the backers of a proposed project called StartingBlock Madison make their vision a reality. StartingBlock would put startup accelerator Gener8tor and maker space Sector67 … Continue reading “StartingBlock, Madison’s Answer to Chicago’s 1871, Hits Crucial Stage”
At ASH, Sunesis Dices Data to Argue For “Failed” Leukemia Drug
No drug has been approved to treat acute myeloid leukemia in four decades. As two specialists in the field wrote a couple years ago, “We indeed regularly administer the same chemotherapy regimens that became standard care for AML in the 1970s, back when each of us was playing Little League baseball.” South San Francisco, CA-based … Continue reading “At ASH, Sunesis Dices Data to Argue For “Failed” Leukemia Drug”
With New Data, Agios Plots Quick Turn into Key Late-Stage Trials
Agios Pharmaceuticals has already established itself as a star of the 2013 biotech IPO class. Since going public last year, the company has increased its value nearly six fold—from $18 per share to $105 as of Friday—and shown early signs that two different drugs might have an impact on a deadly blood cancer known as … Continue reading “With New Data, Agios Plots Quick Turn into Key Late-Stage Trials”
Amid String of Exits for VenBio, a Founding Partner Leaves, Too
With three acquisitions of its portfolio companies, San Francisco biotech investment firm venBio has had a few good exits recently. Now one of its partners is exiting, too. Kurt Von Emster, one of four venBio founders, has decamped for Abingworth, a life science venture firm with a much longer history and global reach. Abingworth made … Continue reading “Amid String of Exits for VenBio, a Founding Partner Leaves, Too”
Seattle Roundup: Blab, Amptab, Icbrg.io, Dropbox, Alibaba, 9Mile, Fledge
Seattle’s cloud computing cred was bolstered by yet another big cloud player planning a local office. This time it’s Dropbox, which will be competing for local talent with just about everyone else, as a new survey of Seattle CIOs reveals. Meanwhile, startups Blab, Amptab, and Icebrg.io announced new funding rounds. And if you want to … Continue reading “Seattle Roundup: Blab, Amptab, Icbrg.io, Dropbox, Alibaba, 9Mile, Fledge”
Tech Agenda 2015: Our Big Year-End Conference in Photos
Our latest innovation conference, Tech Agenda 2015, was a ton of fun. Some of the brightest people we’ve ever assembled delivered the latest insights from a wide range of innovative industries, including e-commerce, digital security, early stage investing, and more. The day’s final panel, a look ahead to the year to come with predictions for big changes in business, … Continue reading “Tech Agenda 2015: Our Big Year-End Conference in Photos”
Plymouth Ventures Leads $4.5 Investment Round in CloudOne
Plymouth Ventures, the Ann Arbor, MI-based venture capital firm focused primarily on Midwestern companies, led CloudOne’s Series D round, valued at $4.5 million. CloudOne, based in Indianapolis, brings enterprise applications to the cloud and helps corporations figure out their place in the Internet of Things. The new investment will help the company grow its hybrid … Continue reading “Plymouth Ventures Leads $4.5 Investment Round in CloudOne”