Category: National

Tech Heritage in Ireland Spawns Internet of Things Activity

The tech industry first took root in Ireland in the 1980s, a time when the word “computer” typically meant a refrigerator-size office machine or a boxy home PC. Now Irish companies are building tools and services for a new era, in which computing is spread throughout the physical world. They’re betting that the emerging Internet … Continue reading “Tech Heritage in Ireland Spawns Internet of Things Activity”

Trustev Offers Anti-Fraud Tech, From Cork to New York

Being able to trust online transactions is a major part of e-commerce. But given the data breaches du jour, the technology meant to prevent fraud may also stop legitimate business. What’s a website to do? Trustev, founded in Cork, Ireland, and with U.S. offices in New York and Dallas, is trying to solve this problem. … Continue reading “Trustev Offers Anti-Fraud Tech, From Cork to New York”

Craft Beer and Coffee: The Rise of Dublin’s Innovation Culture

Seamus O’Hara made the career leap from life sciences venture capitalist to full-time craft beer brewer. A more lucrative industry? Perhaps. O’Hara’s brewery is in County Carlow, about an hour south of Dublin. He started the Carlow Brewing Company with his brother in 1998, while working in the biotech sector. Back then, Ireland’s only other … Continue reading “Craft Beer and Coffee: The Rise of Dublin’s Innovation Culture”

OPINION: Ireland Needs Smart Policies to Keep Innovating

Ireland has recently been appearing in the world press in relation to stories about its tax system, with some commentators equating Ireland to a tax haven. The commentary is far off the mark, and the recent Irish budget statement by Finance Minister Michael Noonan will hopefully bring much of the controversy to an end and … Continue reading “OPINION: Ireland Needs Smart Policies to Keep Innovating”

Uber CEO Kalanick Takes a Victory Lap in Boston

Two years ago, smartphone car-hailing startup Uber ran into the kind of bruising regulatory battle in Boston that it seems to start just about everywhere. Faced with a statewide shutdown for using an unapproved taxi meter, the company rallied fans and media boosters to its cause and won a swift reprieve from Gov. Deval Patrick. … Continue reading “Uber CEO Kalanick Takes a Victory Lap in Boston”

Backed by Gates, Affinivax Ramps up Velcro-like Vaccine Tech

Prevnar 13 is a vaccine that, as its name suggests, protects against 13 of the most common strains of pneumococcal bacteria, which can cause deadly pneumonia and meningitis infections. There’s just one problem: there are around 90 total strains of pneumococcus that can cause disease. What about the other ones? A new startup with backing … Continue reading “Backed by Gates, Affinivax Ramps up Velcro-like Vaccine Tech”

I Believe in Angels

My colleague and friend Jeb Spencer recently wrote a piece for Xconomy about angel investors looking for “Unicorns,” those rare early stage companies with valuations—justified or not—of $1 billion or more. He wondered if angels are flying too close to the sun by misunderstanding their chances of success and failing to do their homework on … Continue reading “I Believe in Angels”

Exact Sciences Execs Cash in on Colon Cancer Test’s Early Momentum

It’s been a good month for Exact Sciences and its top executives. With the Madison, WI-based company’s stock (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EXAS]]) trading near its all-time high, three executives and a board member cashed in significant chunks of their stock holdings earlier this month, earning them about $19.4 million total, according to SEC documents. In transactions from … Continue reading “Exact Sciences Execs Cash in on Colon Cancer Test’s Early Momentum”

HauntPay Scares Up $1M in Online Event Ticket Sales, Plans Expansion

Michiganders love their haunted corn mazes. Southeast and mid-Michigan are home to a wide array of Halloween attractions, many of them old-fashioned mom-and-pop operations on family farms. Now, thanks to HauntPay, the owners of these attractions have a newfangled way to sell tickets online. HauntPay, founded by Core Detroit’s Alex Linebrink, allows users with an … Continue reading “HauntPay Scares Up $1M in Online Event Ticket Sales, Plans Expansion”

Innovation in Ireland: Overview to Xconomy’s Special Report

Until earlier this October, the only time I had visited Ireland was in April of 1989, on the World B. Tour. A group of American former collegiate basketball players came to the Emerald Isle on a hoops tour, taking part in an international tournament outside Dublin and playing exhibition games against Irish all-stars and holding … Continue reading “Innovation in Ireland: Overview to Xconomy’s Special Report”

The Future of Dublin Tech, Part 1: U.S. Firms Tout Market, Talent

If it were warmer, the Docklands area of Dublin could almost pass for a mini Silicon Valley. In the span of a mile or two, you’ll come across the massive offices of Google, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other international Web giants. These companies employ hundreds, and in some cases, thousands, of people in Dublin. And … Continue reading “The Future of Dublin Tech, Part 1: U.S. Firms Tout Market, Talent”

An Entrepreneur Grows Along With Ireland’s Medtech Cluster: Galway

When you think of the biggest centers in the world for medtech, places like Massachusetts and Minneapolis naturally come to mind. After all, that’s where many of the largest medical device companies—Boston Scientific, Medtronic, and St. Jude Medical, among them—are based. John Power hails from a completely different cluster. A native of London, Power built … Continue reading “An Entrepreneur Grows Along With Ireland’s Medtech Cluster: Galway”

Inside Dublin’s Tech Startup Incubators: Dogpatch, Wayra, NDRC

Visit any major city in the world that claims to have a healthy tech startup community, and chances are it’s got at least one accelerator program or incubator space. The accelerator model that Silicon Valley-based Y Combinator made famous—providing seed money and mentorship to a new group of early-stage companies every few months, in exchange … Continue reading “Inside Dublin’s Tech Startup Incubators: Dogpatch, Wayra, NDRC”

CurrencyFair Rides Irish Fintech Wave With Money Transfer Market

These days, people can send a text message halfway around the world in a matter of seconds, but wiring money across the globe can still take several days. And the typically poor exchange rates and fees charged by banks and other intermediaries can make international money transfers “a blatant rip-off,” in the blunt assessment by … Continue reading “CurrencyFair Rides Irish Fintech Wave With Money Transfer Market”

OPINION: Ireland’s Innovation Economy: Roots at Home and Abroad

Before the European headquarters came the call centers. Only a decade before the much-vaunted arrival of the Celtic Tiger boom years, the 1980s were a brutal time for Ireland. The conflict known as the Troubles engulfed Northern Ireland, as its violence and insecurity damaged the business and political relationship between Dublin and London. Unemployment levels … Continue reading “OPINION: Ireland’s Innovation Economy: Roots at Home and Abroad”

Pharmas, Others Bet $33M More on Aileron’s P53 Peptide Drug

There are tough targets in drug development, and then there’s p53. It’s a holy grail, of sorts, in cancer biology—a tumor suppressor protein that gets shut down in some form in every known type of cancer. Yet every company that’s tried to protect it with a drug has failed for one reason or another. Over … Continue reading “Pharmas, Others Bet $33M More on Aileron’s P53 Peptide Drug”

UCSF Chancellor Hawgood Kicks Off “Biotech’s Epicenter” Forum 12/17

It’s my six-month anniversary at Xconomy, and I’m working to put together my first live event. As a native San Franciscan—I believe we’re known as “unicorns,” as folks on the tech side might say—I mulled over the theme and decided, what better way to get people together than to drum up a little hometown pride? … Continue reading “UCSF Chancellor Hawgood Kicks Off “Biotech’s Epicenter” Forum 12/17″

Panel: Houston Needs Seasoned CEOs to Build Robust Biotech Ecosystem

There is a buzz among Houston’s biotech and life sciences community. In recent weeks, both the Texas Medical Center and Johnson & Johnson have announced ambitious programs aimed at boosting commercialization in a way never before seen in the state. And last week, during the FreshAir conference—a University of Texas System initiative designed to connect … Continue reading “Panel: Houston Needs Seasoned CEOs to Build Robust Biotech Ecosystem”

Invest Michigan Awards $275K to Four Early-Stage Tech Startups

Invest Michigan announced this week that it has invested $275,000 in four early-stage tech startups through the Michigan Pre-Seed Fund 2.0. The four startups also secured co-investments worth $3.4 million from private investors, far exceeding the minimum 1:1 matching funds required by Invest Michigan. “All of the startups we funded look like very promising companies … Continue reading “Invest Michigan Awards $275K to Four Early-Stage Tech Startups”

Justworks Looks to Scale Up Its HR Software Service with $6M Round

For startups that survive long enough to grow their ranks, learning to handle payroll and employee benefits can be an unwanted new headache. At least that’s what New York-based Justworks has been banking on, and its new backers seem to agree. The company has developed software to simplify various tasks associated with human resources; it also pools … Continue reading “Justworks Looks to Scale Up Its HR Software Service with $6M Round”

Bio Venture Specialists Advent Raise $235M For European, U.S. Deals

Another early-stage biotech investor has clocked in with a new fund. London-based Advent Life Sciences said Tuesday it has closed a $235 million vehicle, its second specialized fund since the tech and life science investors of Advent Venture Partners went separate ways last decade. The firm used to invest in tech and life sciences from … Continue reading “Bio Venture Specialists Advent Raise $235M For European, U.S. Deals”

Who Knew? Fun Facts About Boston Innovators—the Slide Show

They fly. They sing. They build. They race. They played professional basketball, were nationally ranked fencers and rock climbers. They perform on stage with Yo-Yo Ma, and collect America’s Cup yachts. It’s no surprise that the entrepreneurs, CEOs, angels, VCs, inventors, and other members of the Boston innovation community Xconomy covers every day are pretty … Continue reading “Who Knew? Fun Facts About Boston Innovators—the Slide Show”

Seattle Roundup: UW Startups, CSE Expansion; New Funding Flows

Northwest technology companies have racked up more than $67 million in fresh funding over the last two weeks, including investment rounds for Limeade, Acumatica, Urban Airship, Blue Box, and Lytics. Meanwhile, we’re following news of another wireless sensors company emerging from the University of Washington’s computer science department, which has already run out of space … Continue reading “Seattle Roundup: UW Startups, CSE Expansion; New Funding Flows”

Another Mega Battery Factory in U.S., This One For the Grid

A stealth Swiss startup called Alevo plans to make the equivalent of Tesla Motors’ “gigafactory” in North Carolina. The main difference: its batteries will be as big as shipping containers and connect to power plants, rather than electric cars. These new batteries, designed to store energy for use in the power grid, would be built … Continue reading “Another Mega Battery Factory in U.S., This One For the Grid”

Nest Buys “Smart Home” Startup Revolv, Discontinues Automation Hub

Revolv’s idea for a smart hub that could control lights, speakers, locks, and more won’t come to fruition. Nest, a division of Google that makes smart thermostats and home automation technology, has acquired Revolv, a startup based in Boulder, CO. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Nest was after the Revolv team, which will … Continue reading “Nest Buys “Smart Home” Startup Revolv, Discontinues Automation Hub”

The Commons, Milwaukee Student Startup Accelerator, Finds a Home

The Commons, a planned Milwaukee startup accelerator and corporate research and development initiative driven by local university students, today crossed a big item off its checklist: securing its own physical space. The nonprofit initiative, formed by Startup Milwaukee and Innovation in Milwaukee, or MiKE, was announced in August, but it still had a lot of … Continue reading “The Commons, Milwaukee Student Startup Accelerator, Finds a Home”

Cellular Dynamics Gets Into Regenerative Medicine With Eye Cell Deal

Cellular Dynamics International, the Madison, WI-based provider of human cells, took its first big step into regenerative medicine today with the announcement of a $1.2 million contract from the National Eye Institute. Under the agreement, Cellular Dynamics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ICEL]]) will make stem cells and retinal cells that federal researchers will use to develop treatments for … Continue reading “Cellular Dynamics Gets Into Regenerative Medicine With Eye Cell Deal”

$21M NIH Grant Will Help Detroit Colleges Improve STEM Diversity

True innovation doesn’t exist without diversity, experts say, so the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a consortium of Detroit colleges $21.2 million over five years to encourage more underrepresented students to pursue careers in biomedical research. With the backing of the NIH funding, Wayne State University (WSU), University of Detroit Mercy (UDM), Marygrove … Continue reading “$21M NIH Grant Will Help Detroit Colleges Improve STEM Diversity”

Houston Meets the Xconomists, Spotlights Energy, Biotech Innovation

A golden early evening served as host for our second annual Houston “Meet the Xconomists” reception last week when we welcomed nearly 70 of the city’s innovation leaders. Xconomy publisher Jim Edwards joined me, along with Kamille McIver-Girton, Texas’s director of business operations, to welcome our Xconomists to Carrabba’s, a landmark Italian restaurant in Houston. … Continue reading “Houston Meets the Xconomists, Spotlights Energy, Biotech Innovation”

More Drama for Sarepta as FDA Delays Duchenne Drug, Shares Tank

It wasn’t too long ago that Sarepta Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SRPT]]) was one of the darlings of biotech. Holding a drug with very promising results—albeit in a small sample size—for a crippling disorder with no cure, the Cambridge, MA-based biotech zoomed up the stock charts. The past year, however, has been a humbling one for Sarepta … Continue reading “More Drama for Sarepta as FDA Delays Duchenne Drug, Shares Tank”

Texas Roundup: Mozido, BeatBox, Spinlister, J-Labs, Macheen, Cratejoy

Golden days and cooler evenings have returned to Texas and homes are dressed in their Halloween finery. But there’s no spooky vibe among Texas’s entrepreneurs. Here is the latest innovation news throughout the state. —Mozido, an Austin, TX-based developer of cloud-based mobile payment systems and marketing software, said it has secured a two-part round of … Continue reading “Texas Roundup: Mozido, BeatBox, Spinlister, J-Labs, Macheen, Cratejoy”

Syros Raises $53M More To Push Gene-Control Drugs Into Human Trials

The backers of Syros Pharmaceuticals are sparing no expense. The Watertown, MA-based biotech has reeled in a $53 million Series B round, a huge sum for a company based on relatively new understanding of fundamental human biology: the way our genes are controlled by extremely complicated signals within our cells. “Our investors and board said … Continue reading “Syros Raises $53M More To Push Gene-Control Drugs Into Human Trials”

On a Wing and a Prayer: 300,000 Angels in Search of a Unicorn

As co-founder and managing partner of San Diego’s TVC Capital, I awake every morning to a certain routine that includes scanning my Term Sheet e-mail to see what investments and acquisitions got done in the tech space. I have noticed in recent years that the space Dan Primack has devoted to investments is long, while … Continue reading “On a Wing and a Prayer: 300,000 Angels in Search of a Unicorn”

Q&A: WA Gov. Inslee on Education, Life Sciences, Climate, R&D

Before Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and state legislators can even think about renewing or expanding research and development incentives for innovation industries, they need to find a way to fill a hole in the state budget on the order of $5 billion over the next four years. But in an interview with Xconomy on Friday, … Continue reading “Q&A: WA Gov. Inslee on Education, Life Sciences, Climate, R&D”

Nonprofit Accelerator Plans Milwaukee Coding Camp to Grow Talent Pool

Milwaukee startup advocates have made a lot of effort over the past few years to inspire more local entrepreneurship. Now, the area could use a boost in grooming the professional talent that tech companies need. That’s according to leaders of the Global Entrepreneurship Collective (GEC), a Milwaukee nonprofit that runs two local startup accelerators. The … Continue reading “Nonprofit Accelerator Plans Milwaukee Coding Camp to Grow Talent Pool”

Ornicept Takes Flight with New Office, More Funding, Explosive Growth

Ornicept, the Ann Arbor-based startup focused on remote data management, has experienced significant growth since we first profiled the company in June 2013. Last month, the team of 12 moved out of the Ann Arbor SPARK incubator and into its own 2,500-square-foot office off North Main Street, and CEO Russell Conard already has his eye … Continue reading “Ornicept Takes Flight with New Office, More Funding, Explosive Growth”

Cambia Grove Aims to Spur Healthcare Innovation in Seattle

Cambia Health Solutions, which owns a portfolio of insurance and healthcare companies, wants Seattle to become a center of healthcare innovation. To help, Cambia is building a new 9,000-square-foot meeting and workspace in downtown Seattle, set to open early next year. (A rendering is at right.) The Cambia Grove will be in the 1800 Ninth … Continue reading “Cambia Grove Aims to Spur Healthcare Innovation in Seattle”

East Coast Biotech Roundup: PureTech, Celgene, Unum, Biogen & More

Deal flow is in full swing on the East Coast. At least three life sciences startups launched out of Boston and New York this week, with a few other firms filling up their bank accounts with either new funding rounds or partnership deals. Those stories and plenty more below: —Boston-based PureTech raised $55 million from … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: PureTech, Celgene, Unum, Biogen & More”

Code School Runner Galvanize Offers Data Science Degree in San Francisco

San Francisco is becoming a spawning ground for new institutions of higher learning that don’t feel bound by the traditional organizational structures of academia. The first freshman students of the baked-from-scratch college founded by the Minerva Project moved into their Nob Hill residence hall this fall, and now the city’s South of Market neighborhood is … Continue reading “Code School Runner Galvanize Offers Data Science Degree in San Francisco”

Organovo CEO: Closing IPO Window Could Spur More Reverse Mergers

Shifting perceptions and a cooling IPO market could lead more biotech startups to join a public stock exchange via a reverse merger with a shell company that is already publicly traded, says Organovo CEO Keith Murphy. That’s the route his San Diego-based company took in 2012, merging with a shell company whose stock was traded … Continue reading “Organovo CEO: Closing IPO Window Could Spur More Reverse Mergers”

West Coast Biotech Roundup: Genentech, Sutro, Amgen, Regulus & More

Immunotherapy deals that could reach $1 billion? We’ve got two of them this week. Sure, those billion-dollar figures include, as they often do, a lot of biobucks, but the rest of the details in those deals—Genentech and NewLink Genetics; Celgene and Sutro Biopharma—are no small potatoes. Let’s get to the roundup. —Roche’s Genentech division in … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Genentech, Sutro, Amgen, Regulus & More”

The Startup Hall Story—How it Could Transform Seattle’s U District

The second floor of what used to be known only as Condon Hall—and the University of Washington’s ugliest building—holds seeds of a re-invented neighborhood where students, researchers, and entrepreneurs learn, work, and live; where tech startups and established companies build businesses with the technology and talent flowing from the university; and where professionals zip to … Continue reading “The Startup Hall Story—How it Could Transform Seattle’s U District”

Try Then Buy? Sutro Deal Could Be Celgene’s Biggest Antibody Bet Yet

Celgene, one of biopharma’s most aggressive and creative dealmakers, said Thursday it has forged a deep partnership with South San Francisco, CA-based Sutro Biopharma that could end up with an acquisition. If it does, it would dramatically expand Celgene’s footprint into the world of biologics, which the Summit, NJ-based company has mainly stayed away from … Continue reading “Try Then Buy? Sutro Deal Could Be Celgene’s Biggest Antibody Bet Yet”

Innovation Hub: A Genetically Modified Menu

People have been cross-breeding their food for thousands of years—but modifying food in a lab is still relatively new and has ignited serious controversy. We recently talked with New York Times science reporter Amy Harmon and genetics professor Pamela Ronald about the opportunities presented by genetically modified foods, and the myths that surround them. (This interview … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: A Genetically Modified Menu”

Wisconsin Roundup: Deltanoid, Cellectar, Startup Grind, ZBB, & More

Here’s a quick rundown of recent news from Wisconsin’s technology and innovation community: —Madison-based Deltanoid Pharmaceuticals announced top-line data from a Phase 2b clinical trial of its vitamin D-based drug, DP001, as a treatment for a hormonal imbalance that can occur in patients with chronic kidney disease. In a 12-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study involving … Continue reading “Wisconsin Roundup: Deltanoid, Cellectar, Startup Grind, ZBB, & More”

Grid-Scale Energy Storage: Is the Price Finally Right?

The high cost of batteries has made them impractical for storing energy from wind and solar or providing back-up power on the electricity grid. Now, though, several battery startups are claiming price reductions that make energy storage on the grid look more feasible. Fremont, CA-based Imergy Power Systems today said it’s developed a shipping container-size … Continue reading “Grid-Scale Energy Storage: Is the Price Finally Right?”

MVCA: 2014 is Shaping Up to Be A Banner Year for Michigan Startups

According to data released last week by the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), the third quarter of 2014 was a busy one in the state of Michigan. The NVCA’s report, based on information collected by Pricewaterhouse Coopers and Thomson Reuters, says that Michigan-based startups raised a total of $2.2 million in four venture deals during … Continue reading “MVCA: 2014 is Shaping Up to Be A Banner Year for Michigan Startups”

J&J to Open J-Labs Incubator at Houston’s TMC to Boost Biotechs

Young Houston biotech companies will, by late next year, have a new partner in Johnson & Johnson. The pharmaceutical giant said today that that it will house one of its J-Labs, formerly known as Janssen Labs, at the Texas Medical Center in Houston. J&J, which runs such programs in San Diego and Boston, will now … Continue reading “J&J to Open J-Labs Incubator at Houston’s TMC to Boost Biotechs”