Is consumer tech finally taking off in the Boston startup community? The broad answer still seems to be no. The city’s enterprise-focused roots remain dominant. But there are exceptions. Wanderu is one of them. The online travel-search company has just raised a $5.6 million Series A funding round led by new investor Metamorphic Ventures. Other … Continue reading “Wanderu Adds $5.6M, Wants to Become Big Consumer Travel Brand”
Category: National
NimbleGen Cofounder Opens Invenra, A “Cell-Free” Antibody Shop
If you pay attention to emerging biotech companies, you might have heard of Sutro Biopharma. With a new way of making therapeutic monoclonal antibodies, the Northern California company has raised more than $90 million and just struck a major deal with Celgene. It’s a lot less likely you’ve heard of Invenra. But the Madison, WI-based … Continue reading “NimbleGen Cofounder Opens Invenra, A “Cell-Free” Antibody Shop”
Urban Agriculture Takes Root on a Roof in Boston
Can cities grow their own food? That’s the premise behind urban agriculture, a movement to convert urban spaces into growing spaces. An experiment in urban agriculture is taking place at the Boston Design Center, a huge building in a formerly industrial space in South Boston. I visited Higher Ground farms and talked with one of … Continue reading “Urban Agriculture Takes Root on a Roof in Boston”
After Some Revamping, Mogl Raises $11M for Nationwide Expansion
San Diego’s Mogl, founded almost four years ago as a Web-based restaurant loyalty program, has raised an additional $11 million in venture funding. The startup plans to use the cash to expand beyond its existing market of six cities, which includes San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, into 14 additional metro areas—including New York, … Continue reading “After Some Revamping, Mogl Raises $11M for Nationwide Expansion”
Wisconsin Roundup: Epic, Shine, Virent, Cover5, & More
Here’s a quick rundown of recent news from Wisconsin’s tech and innovation community: —Wausau Financial Systems was acquired by Shoreview, MN-based Deluxe Corp. (NYSE: [[ticker:DLX]]) for $90 million, according to the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. Mosinee, WI-based Wausau Financial Systems makes accounting software for banks and big companies. —Cover5 has raised $325,000 in debt funding … Continue reading “Wisconsin Roundup: Epic, Shine, Virent, Cover5, & More”
Proteostasis, Astellas Join up on Genetic Disease Drugs
Proteostasis Therapeutics got a new CEO a few months ago; now the Cambridge, MA-based startup has a new development deal to work on, and a new high-profile investor too. Japanese drugmaker Astellas Pharma inked a partnership today with Proteostasis to try to discover and develop new drugs for an unspecified genetic disease and, potentially, other … Continue reading “Proteostasis, Astellas Join up on Genetic Disease Drugs”
NimbleTV Trying to Make Good on Potential for Streaming Television
The technology seems ready, so why aren’t we all streaming TV on portable devices? This idea has been long gestating, but thus far has only seen trickles of real-world use. “TV everywhere as a concept has never really happened,” says Anand Subramanian. He believes his company, NimbleTV in New York, can make streaming television on … Continue reading “NimbleTV Trying to Make Good on Potential for Streaming Television”
Texas Roundup: “Moon Shots,” TeVido, TMCx, Clarify & Spanning
This last week was an especially busy one for the biotech community in Houston, from using big data to fight cancer to nurturing the next generation of entrepreneurs at the Texas Medical Center. In Austin, meanwhile, Clarify raised a seed round, Spanning’s founders found an exit with EMC, and TeVido BioDevices worked on creating a … Continue reading “Texas Roundup: “Moon Shots,” TeVido, TMCx, Clarify & Spanning”
Nitro Raises $15M from Battery Ventures
[Corrected 11/4/14, 8:45 am. See below.] Nitro Software, a San Francisco-based startup competitor to digital media giant Adobe (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ADBE]]), has raised $15 million from Battery Ventures to expand the market for its document creation and sharing products. [The term “PDF” has been omitted from the lead sentence in an earlier version of this story. Although Nitro’s software … Continue reading “Nitro Raises $15M from Battery Ventures”
History, Yes, But Biologist’s Imagination Is No Flight Of Fancy
Any book about life science innovation that starts with quotes from Frank Zappa and Albert Einstein promises to be a good read. The Biologist’s Imagination holds to that promise, as authors William Hoffman and Leo Furcht, both of the University of Minnesota Medical School, take several forays back in history to explain the “crossroads”—perhaps an … Continue reading “History, Yes, But Biologist’s Imagination Is No Flight Of Fancy”
Digital Health Accelerator Rock Health Raises Third Fund
Rock Health, the San Francisco-based seed fund and startup accelerator for digital healthcare companies, said today it has raised a new fund, its third and largest. In the three years since it launched, Rock Health has become a hub of the West Coast digital health scene, providing seed funding, sector data and analysis, events, and … Continue reading “Digital Health Accelerator Rock Health Raises Third Fund”
MD Anderson Showcases “Moon Shots” Progress in Fight Against Cancer
Through its “Moon Shots” program, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center aims to use big-data techniques to radically change how cancer is treated—and, perhaps, help find a cure. The goal is decades old, of course, but the institute hopes new technologies will enable its teams to make significant progress in patient care in … Continue reading “MD Anderson Showcases “Moon Shots” Progress in Fight Against Cancer”
Quantum Medical Concepts Invests $100K in Advanced Amputee Solutions
Quantum Medical Concepts, a partnership between the Michigan State Medical Society and Commonwealth Enterprises to support early-stage healthcare startups, has made its first investment, worth $100,000, in Advanced Amputee Solutions. Advanced Amputee Solutions is developing a Cushioning Implantable End Pad (CIEP), a polymer-based cushioning device that is inserted during surgery to eliminate pain and discomfort … Continue reading “Quantum Medical Concepts Invests $100K in Advanced Amputee Solutions”
LabCorp to Expand Drug Research Reach with $6.1B Deal for Covance
LabCorp (NYSE: [[ticker:LH]]), already one of the largest laboratory testing and diagnostics companies in the nation, plans to further expand its reach into clinical trials by buying contract research organization Covance (NYSE: [[ticker:CVD]]) in a deal valued at approximately $6.1 billion. The Burlington, NC, company will pay $105.12 per share in cash and stock to … Continue reading “LabCorp to Expand Drug Research Reach with $6.1B Deal for Covance”
Inmar Buys Digital Coupon Startup Hopster in Wiegand’s Latest Exit
[Updated 11/3/14, 2:50 p.m., to include comments from Hopster and Inmar executives.] In another exit for Wisconsin serial entrepreneur Brian Wiegand, e-commerce technology provider Inmar has acquired Wiegand’s digital coupon startup Hopster for an undisclosed price. This marks the fourth tech startup that Wiegand, Hopster’s CEO, has guided to a sale. BizFilings, NameProtect, and Jellyfish were … Continue reading “Inmar Buys Digital Coupon Startup Hopster in Wiegand’s Latest Exit”
Ireland Notebook: A Look at National Labs and Research Centers
A main challenge facing Ireland as it seeks to remain competitive in a global economy is its ability to be more than a tax haven or place for low-cost manufacturing and call centers—especially when other nations are offering stiffer competition at this low end of the innovation spectrum. One critical way to do this is … Continue reading “Ireland Notebook: A Look at National Labs and Research Centers”
Dublin’s Startup Commish Brings Lesson in Buzz From NYC
If you ask people to name the top startup clusters in Europe, most will say London and Berlin. But Dublin is growing—and starting to become better known. That may be obvious this week, as the city is hosting its annual Web Summit that draws thousands of attendees and tech celebrities, but it wasn’t always this … Continue reading “Dublin’s Startup Commish Brings Lesson in Buzz From NYC”
Tax Scrutiny Highlights Need to Boost Ireland’s Homegrown Tech Scene
Ireland has spent years wooing international tech companies to its shores, offering famously friendly tax rates and an able workforce for anyone looking to open an office across the Atlantic. That recipe has worked wonders. Today, Ireland boasts that it’s host to nine of the technology industry’s top 10 companies. An industry study last year … Continue reading “Tax Scrutiny Highlights Need to Boost Ireland’s Homegrown Tech Scene”
Irish Brothers’ Startup Makes 3D Printers Fed By Office Paper
Irish brothers Conor and Fintan MacCormack were into 3D printing before it was cool. In fact, Conor first discovered the concept in 1986, when he was in secondary school, watching a BBC television special. The technology hooked the 16-year-old right away, just like motorcycles, rocket ships, and computers already had. He was in awe watching … Continue reading “Irish Brothers’ Startup Makes 3D Printers Fed By Office Paper”
Irish Venture Capitalists Talk Local Challenges, Think Global
Some of the best stuff I learned in Dublin, I learned from venture capitalists. That’s not always the case, depending on the city. A simple lunch with Brian Caulfield, a local partner with DFJ Esprit, taught me the following: —Talent is flowing between multinational corporations and Irish startups, in both directions. The big tech companies … Continue reading “Irish Venture Capitalists Talk Local Challenges, Think Global”
OPINION: The Irish Economic Recovery
The Irish recovery dynamic is strengthening. Following the much stronger-than-expected first half performance revealed in the latest recent national accounts figures, analysts have been busy upgrading their growth forecasts in recent months. Even on conservative assumptions about the second half of the year, real GDP growth is now likely to exceed 4 percent this year … Continue reading “OPINION: The Irish Economic Recovery”
EasyVote’s Software Promises Smoother Running Elections
As voters queue to fill out ballots on election Tuesday, some voters might notice the lines moving a bit faster, the precincts running more orderly, and as the polls close, vote totals coming earlier than in past elections. They might have new election software to thank for that. EasyVote Solutions, a Wilmington, NC company, has … Continue reading “EasyVote’s Software Promises Smoother Running Elections”
Butterfly Network Seeks to Slash Price of 3-D Medical Imaging
Entrepreneur Jonathan Rothberg, who led sequencing startups 545 Life Sciences and Ion Torrent before they were acquired, has a new venture that also applies the power of Moore’s Law to medicine. The Rothberg-founded Butterfly Network on Monday said it has raised $80 million from investors that include several family offices and Stanford University. It’s the … Continue reading “Butterfly Network Seeks to Slash Price of 3-D Medical Imaging”
Led by Boeing Vet, Tempered Networks Securing the Internet of Things
Here’s a scary headline: “BlackEnergy crimeware coursing through US control systems.” That’s from a report on a security vulnerability discovered in the Internet-connected pieces of industrial infrastructure that control things like electricity generation and water systems. A Seattle startup says its technology, first developed to help secure robotic tooling on Boeing’s 777 assembly lines, can … Continue reading “Led by Boeing Vet, Tempered Networks Securing the Internet of Things”
Ebola Outbreak a Proving Ground for Lucigen’s Rapid Diagnostic
Two years ago, no one could’ve predicted the worst Ebola outbreak in history would hit West Africa this year. And Lucigen—a small Wisconsin life sciences company with a federal grant to develop a simpler, faster test for diagnosing serious pathogens—certainly didn’t expect to play a part in the effort to assess and contain the deadly … Continue reading “Ebola Outbreak a Proving Ground for Lucigen’s Rapid Diagnostic”
The Future of Cleantech Is Here—It’s Just Not Evenly Distributed
[Updated on Nov. 4] Entrepreneurs and investors in the U.S. are facing dueling narratives about cleantech: either it’s a failed experiment, or it’s central to our future economy. Which one is closer to the truth really depends on where you operate. Venture capitalists—and their fund investors–have figured out that expensive, multi-year investments in solar, biofuels, and … Continue reading “The Future of Cleantech Is Here—It’s Just Not Evenly Distributed”
Seattle Roundup: Commercial Space Setbacks, Cray’s Big Deal, & More
For the commercial space industry, this disastrous week began with a fiery setback and ended with a tragedy. The implications of two catastrophic vehicle anomalies will take time to play out, but Redmond, WA-based Planetary Resources pledges to press on. Meanwhile, supercomputer maker Cray signs a major deal with the U.K. Met Office, laying bare … Continue reading “Seattle Roundup: Commercial Space Setbacks, Cray’s Big Deal, & More”
Tetra Discovery Lands Funding, Plans Alzheimer’s Drug Trial in 2015
Grand Rapids, MI-based biotech startup Tetra Discovery has been in the news a lot lately. This week, the Michigan Pre-Seed Fund 2.0 announced that Tetra Discovery was the recipient of a $100,000 investment. The company also recently scored additional financing from Grand Angels and Johnson & Johnson Development Corp., the venture capital subsidiary of healthcare … Continue reading “Tetra Discovery Lands Funding, Plans Alzheimer’s Drug Trial in 2015”
Innovation Hub: How Immigrants Fuel Innovation
Immigration policy reform is a hot-button issue right now, but it’s affecting the innovation economy in unexpected ways. U.S. companies are having a hard time recruiting enough skilled workers to fill all their high-level science, tech, and engineering positions. I discussed the issue with Stanford Law School professor Dan Siciliano and Silicon Valley Leadership Group … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: How Immigrants Fuel Innovation”
Fab Lab Moves Downtown as San Diego Creates its Own SoMa
A redevelopment plan to create a “Makers Quarter” in downtown San Diego’s upper East Village is beginning to come into focus with the arrival of Fab Lab San Diego, a nonprofit DIY workshop that supports entrepreneurs, offers classes, and provides fabrication services. The San Diego Fab Lab, established in 2007 as part of MIT’s Global … Continue reading “Fab Lab Moves Downtown as San Diego Creates its Own SoMa”
New Cubist CEO Joins Our Healthcare Summit Nov. 18—Get Your Invite
We’ve got two big announcements for our annual Xconomy Healthcare Summit, which is coming up on November 18 here in the Boston area. The first is that incoming Cubist Pharmaceuticals CEO Rob Perez has joined the lineup. I will be doing a keynote chat with him to discuss his views on Cubist, infectious diseases, and … Continue reading “New Cubist CEO Joins Our Healthcare Summit Nov. 18—Get Your Invite”
Boston Tech Roundup: Harvest Power, North Bridge, Visible Measures
We’ve got some companies in software and clean energy raising money, and a big VC firm shedding more partners in this quick catch-up on innovation news around the Boston area: —Harvest Power, a Waltham, MA-based company that converts yard waste and food scraps into energy and soil products, has raised another $20 million. The money was … Continue reading “Boston Tech Roundup: Harvest Power, North Bridge, Visible Measures”
East Coast Biotech Roundup: Sarepta, Aegerion, Syros, Aileron & More
All types of scary news in the life sciences world in time for Halloween, from the highest levels of Big Pharma, where Sanofi’s board unceremoniously dumped CEO Chris Viehbacher, to biotech, where three local companies were put in the Wall Street penalty box. Details from the East Coast scene below: —Shares of Cambridge, MA-based Sarepta … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: Sarepta, Aegerion, Syros, Aileron & More”
BagIQ Tries Its Hand at Streamlining Food Tracking While Gathering Data
Keeping tabs on what we eat should be easier thanks to technology—but the many different apps catering to health-conscious consumers can make it confusing. It is a crowded space, with calorie and exercise trackers such as MyFitnessPal and LoseIt among the competing options. This month, BagIQ in New York launched its app that CEO and founder … Continue reading “BagIQ Tries Its Hand at Streamlining Food Tracking While Gathering Data”
New to Data Analytics? Here’s 3 Simple Steps For Getting Started
Since I got involved in the big data and analytics world a few years ago, I’ve become the person that friends come to (and refer their friends to) for answers to questions about data. Recently I’ve been asked a few times by entrepreneurs how they can make sure their company is prepared to do analytics, … Continue reading “New to Data Analytics? Here’s 3 Simple Steps For Getting Started”
Taking the Copenhagen Wheel for a Spin in Cambridge
I’ve long been a bicycle commuter. And with the rise of urban bike-share programs, many more people are finding the benefits of biking, both for individuals and cities. More bikes on the road means less car congestion and less pollution, and it’s a good way to get exercise. But what if biking to work or … Continue reading “Taking the Copenhagen Wheel for a Spin in Cambridge”
We Learn Live Envisions New Model of Entrepreneurship Education
Yoli Chisholm, a Microsoft marketer, thinks there are lots of people like her: They’ve got good ideas, and aspire to be entrepreneurs, but may lack the resources or safety net to go out on their own. She’s recruiting for a new Seattle-area program to begin in January called We Learn Live (WELL) that aims to … Continue reading “We Learn Live Envisions New Model of Entrepreneurship Education”
Abbott Acquires Topera for $250M, Gains Entré to Global AFib Market
Abbott, the healthcare giant based near Chicago, IL, has acquired Topera, a venture-backed startup founded on diagnostic technology developed by a San Diego cardiologist to pinpoint the electrical impulses that drive abnormal heartbeats. In a statement yesterday, Abbott said it would acquire all outstanding equity of Topera for $250 million upfront, with potential future payments … Continue reading “Abbott Acquires Topera for $250M, Gains Entré to Global AFib Market”
West Coast Biotech Roundup: Amgen, Inslee, Fibrogen, Receptos & More
Amgen keeps adding to the layoffs, the governor of Washington has a lot to say to Xconomy about his state’s life sciences industry, and San Francisco’s Fibrogen hopes to crank up the IPO engine. Let’s get to the roundup. —Under hedge fund pressure to break itself up, Amgen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMGN]]) of Thousand Oaks, CA, instead … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Amgen, Inslee, Fibrogen, Receptos & More”
TeVido Taps 3D Printing Technology to Build a Better Nipple
Thirty-four years ago the five-year survival rate for women with breast cancer was 74 percent. Today, that number is 99 percent. The good news in increased life expectancy also exposed a gap in innovation in breast reconstruction surgery. “The better the survival rate, the more important long-term quality of life is,” says Laura Bosworth, CEO … Continue reading “TeVido Taps 3D Printing Technology to Build a Better Nipple”
Edmunds.com Acquires CarCode to Help Further its Mobile Strategy
Car-shopping website Edmunds.com announced this week that it has acquired CarCode, an app maker based in Seattle and Ann Arbor, MI. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. “It’s a great company to be joining,” says Nick Gorton, CarCode’s co-founder. Even though we’re living in an age of ubiquitous smartphones and Edmunds saw a … Continue reading “Edmunds.com Acquires CarCode to Help Further its Mobile Strategy”
Kauten Takes Helm of Lucigen as it Heads Down New Diagnostic Path
Ralph Kauten, one of Wisconsin’s more successful biotech entrepreneurs, was named CEO of Lucigen, a local life sciences supplier that is developing technology to rapidly identify pathogens, including Ebola. Kauten takes over for molecular biologist David Mead, who has served as the Middleton, WI-based company’s CEO since he founded it in 1998. Mead was pulling … Continue reading “Kauten Takes Helm of Lucigen as it Heads Down New Diagnostic Path”
“Mad Geniuses” Take on Pandora in Quest to Create Online Radio Magic
Here’s a challenge: Turn off Spotify, Pandora, or iTunes for a minute, and try to remember the last time you really loved listening to the radio. What made it special? Was it the particular time in your life, or a crew of disc jockeys who had a sixth sense about introducing you to the perfect … Continue reading ““Mad Geniuses” Take on Pandora in Quest to Create Online Radio Magic”
More Speakers for Tech Agenda 2015: Rae, Andre, Seseri
We’re adding more amazing speakers to The Tech Agenda 2015, our year-end conference that offers an insider’s debriefing on the biggest issues facing some of our most innovative industries. They make an already strong group even more impressive, and their resumes shine a spotlight on the diversity of topics that our experts will dive into once … Continue reading “More Speakers for Tech Agenda 2015: Rae, Andre, Seseri”
Digital Lumens Bags Growth Capital Buoyed by Internet of Things Buzz
Digital Lumens is showing that an unlikely industry—industrial lighting—can be a high-tech business with room for growth. The Boston-based company today announced that it’s raised $23 million in a Series C round to fuel its growth geographically and into new product areas. The round brought in three new investors: Nokia’s venture arm Nokia Growth Partners, … Continue reading “Digital Lumens Bags Growth Capital Buoyed by Internet of Things Buzz”
The Future of Dublin Tech, Part 2: Startups Look West, Grow Diverse
Just up the stairs from Munchies, a sandwich shop owned by his mother, Ben Harris shows me his startup’s digs. It has the intense feel of people getting stuff done on deadline. Ten employees cram into one room, a mix of young programmers, designers, and business folks. Harris’s startup is called Drop, and it’s getting … Continue reading “The Future of Dublin Tech, Part 2: Startups Look West, Grow Diverse”
Aiming to Boost Innovation, Trinity Fine-Tunes Its Tech Transfer
Trinity College is Dublin’s most prestigious educational institution. Started over 400 years ago by Queen Elizabeth I, a number of the world’s best-known writers—Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett, and Bram Stoker, to name a few—are among its famous alumni. But as with any university across the world, Trinity can’t just lean on its reputation if it … Continue reading “Aiming to Boost Innovation, Trinity Fine-Tunes Its Tech Transfer”
With DNA From DEC and HP, Galway Builds Startup Hub Outside Dublin
Irish entrepreneur Michael FitzGerald still gets calls from investors and potential partner companies in the U.S. who ask him “How’s Dublin?” when making small talk—even though his startup, OnePageCRM, is located a two-hour drive west in the coastal city of Galway. FitzGerald usually doesn’t bother to correct them. “They just presume we’re in Dublin,” he … Continue reading “With DNA From DEC and HP, Galway Builds Startup Hub Outside Dublin”
SurgaColl Aims to Fix Your Bones and Joints Without Drugs or Grafts
When you’ve got osteoarthritis in your knee or hip, there’s a good chance you may have to get that joint replaced—a costly procedure often followed by a lengthy stretch of rehab. Short of that, you may get some drugs to deal with the pain, but they don’t tackle the real cause of the problem, that … Continue reading “SurgaColl Aims to Fix Your Bones and Joints Without Drugs or Grafts”
Chimerix Plans $105M Stock Offering to Finance Ebola Drug Trials
Antiviral drug developer Chimerix (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CMRX]]), which recently received the regulatory go-ahead to begin human tests of a potential Ebola drug, is launching a stock offering that could pay for those clinical trials. The Durham, NC company on Wednesday announced plans to sell $105 million in stock, part of a $150 million shelf offering. Chimerix … Continue reading “Chimerix Plans $105M Stock Offering to Finance Ebola Drug Trials”