It’s been almost a year since UC San Diego and Qualcomm (NASDAQ: [[ticker:QCOM]]) confirmed an initiative was underway to create an ambitious robotics institute that would include a new incubator for robotics startups. The effort was conceived as a way to put San Diego on the map as an up-and-coming innovation hub in robotics, create … Continue reading “Building a Robotics Ecosystem: Q&A with UC San Diego’s Al Pisano”
Category: National
Software, More than New Batteries, Unlocks Energy Storage on Grid
It’s tempting to believe a battery breakthrough is just around the corner, enabling electric cars that drive hundreds of miles on a charge and `round-the-clock solar power. But some of the most tangible advances in energy storage on the grid are coming from digital technologies, rather than material science. Greensmith, an Emeryville, CA-based company that … Continue reading “Software, More than New Batteries, Unlocks Energy Storage on Grid”
Alios’s Corporate Venture Backers Ride RSV (And Hep C) To Big Payday
The venture arms of Big Pharma have helped hold up early stage biotech funding the past few years. The acquisition of Alios BioPharma, announced Tuesday, could be the biggest win yet for that group. Alios, a South San Francisco, CA-based developer of antiviral drugs, went to Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a division of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: … Continue reading “Alios’s Corporate Venture Backers Ride RSV (And Hep C) To Big Payday”
Xconomy Boston’s Top Stories of Q3 2014: Editor’s Picks
It’s the start of a new quarter: time to look back on some of our top stories from July to September. A lot has happened in the Boston-area innovation scene, and this fall is shaping up to be a doozy. This installment of editor’s picks spans tech, life sciences, and energy. The stories concern some … Continue reading “Xconomy Boston’s Top Stories of Q3 2014: Editor’s Picks”
App Leverages the Crowd to Help Domestic Violence Victims in Crisis
A Dallas social venture group has created an app to harness crowdfunding to help domestic violence victims. And, now, after a year-long pilot in California, the company is bringing the app to North Texas. Aidmatrix, which makes supply chain management software for humanitarian organizations, developed the SafeNight app, which allows users to donate money to … Continue reading “App Leverages the Crowd to Help Domestic Violence Victims in Crisis”
One Week to Boston’s Life Science Disruptors—Check Out the Agenda
It’s just one week to our annual fall biotech event—where the founders and lead investors of three of Boston’s hottest companies share their stories of trying to build great companies out to make a real difference in people’s health. The event is called Boston’s Life Science Disruptors. And in this case, the stories are from … Continue reading “One Week to Boston’s Life Science Disruptors—Check Out the Agenda”
Roundup: U-M, Grand Circus, MTAM, Automation Alley, Delphinius, MBI
Here’s a look at news from around Michigan’s innovation hot spots: —The Zell Lurie Institute at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business has been named one of the top three graduate entrepreneurship programs in the country for the third year in a row. The rankings are compiled by the Princeton Review and Entrepreneur … Continue reading “Roundup: U-M, Grand Circus, MTAM, Automation Alley, Delphinius, MBI”
Q3 In Review: Microsoft, Life Sciences Roller Coaster, UW Startups
Before the summer sun becomes a memory, here’s a look back at Xconomy Seattle’s top stories from the third quarter: Nathan Myhrvold’s May 1997 vision for expanding Microsoft Research helped set the foundation for “what has arguably become the world’s leading corporate research organization in software and computing—signaling its move from a one-off lab into … Continue reading “Q3 In Review: Microsoft, Life Sciences Roller Coaster, UW Startups”
Franklin Out, VMLogix and Citrix Exec In as SendGrid Replaces CEO
SendGrid, the Colorado-based e-mail delivery company, has a new CEO. Sameer Dholakia will take the reins of the company, SendGrid announced Tuesday. Dholakia formerly was a vice president with Citrix (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CTXS]]) and CEO of VMLogix. Dholakia replaces Jim Franklin, who led the company since 2011. During his tenure, SendGrid has grown into one of … Continue reading “Franklin Out, VMLogix and Citrix Exec In as SendGrid Replaces CEO”
Kemp Trying to Ride Wave of Change Coming to Networking Technology
The way networks run is getting an overhaul. Software rather than hardware, says Ray Downes, is doing a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to steering data traffic for applications. Downes is the CEO of Kemp Technologies in New York and believes this movement is shaking up a landscape long dominated by network … Continue reading “Kemp Trying to Ride Wave of Change Coming to Networking Technology”
Rise of the Rest Announces Finalists for Madison Pitch Competition
Steve Case’s Rise of the Rest tour, meant to highlight growing startup ecosystems in five Midwestern cities, will embark on its second leg next week. Today, the tour announced the finalists for pitch competitions at each of the five stops. At stake is a $100,000 personal investment from Case and a trip to next year’s … Continue reading “Rise of the Rest Announces Finalists for Madison Pitch Competition”
Veterans Head Back to Boot Camp, Business Plans in Hand
Veterans and military spouses from across the country came to Madison, WI, last weekend to take part in Techstars‘ Patriot Boot Camp. “We’ve been working with a group of approximately thirty military veterans and their spouses to focus on how they can become successful entrepreneurs,” said Taylor McLemore, founder of the Patriot Boot Camp. According … Continue reading “Veterans Head Back to Boot Camp, Business Plans in Hand”
ZMapp Ebola Drug Production Set for Texas, Possibly North Carolina
A federal initiative to ensure that the United States can respond to biological threats at home will be put to the test in response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. A Texas site is preparing to manufacture the experimental Ebola drug ZMapp, says Robin Robinson, director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority … Continue reading “ZMapp Ebola Drug Production Set for Texas, Possibly North Carolina”
SproutsIO’s Microfarming Units Can Turn Your Apartment Into a Garden
I often say that moving to Detroit was the best decision I made last decade, but there is one thing I left behind that I constantly pine for: My garden. There’s a beautiful, well-tended community garden in my neighborhood, but good luck getting a spot in it—nobody ever gives theirs up. Apartment rules prevent me … Continue reading “SproutsIO’s Microfarming Units Can Turn Your Apartment Into a Garden”
Daiichi Sankyo Offers $315M Up Front to Get Ambit and Leukemia Drug
Japan’s Daiichi Sankyo has agreed to acquire San Diego cancer drug developer Ambit Biosciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMBI]]) for $315 million in cash, with additional milestone payments that could bring the total to $410 million. The transaction comes just over a year after another big Japanese drug maker, Astellas Pharma, officially ended its four-year partnership with Ambit … Continue reading “Daiichi Sankyo Offers $315M Up Front to Get Ambit and Leukemia Drug”
Making It: Scenes From Milwaukee’s First-Ever Maker Faire
Variety was the word of the weekend at Milwaukee’s first Maker Faire, a gathering for craftspeople of all types and legions of the interested public. Hundreds of do-it-yourself enthusiasts—from soapmakers to robotics design teams, from clothiers to 3D printers—showed their wares to guests and fellow makers at State Fair Park over two days. Many of … Continue reading “Making It: Scenes From Milwaukee’s First-Ever Maker Faire”
Raleigh-Durham Roundup: Tengion, IBM, Velocity, & More
Here are this week’s headlines in North Carolina tech and biotech news: —Tengion (OTC: [[ticker:TNGN]]) is looking to use its regenerative medicine technology to secure a possible deal with another company as the Winston-Salem, NC, firm tries to find a way to supplement its dwindling pile of cash. Tengion’s technology, spun out of Wake Forest … Continue reading “Raleigh-Durham Roundup: Tengion, IBM, Velocity, & More”
Well-Traveled Rhodes Leaves Epizyme For Atlas Venture Partnership
One month after his resignation from Epizyme was announced, Jason Rhodes says he’s becoming a partner at Atlas Venture. At Cambridge, MA-based Epizyme, Rhodes was chief financial officer and president as he helped the firm turn its exploration of epigenetics, a cutting-edge area of biomedical science, into a clinical pipeline and a spot on the NASDAQ. Epizyme … Continue reading “Well-Traveled Rhodes Leaves Epizyme For Atlas Venture Partnership”
Ex-Elan Trio Grabs Their Former Employer’s Kinase Inhibitor Program
Elan lives on. No, former CEO Kelly Martin isn’t swooping back in his infamous corporate jet. Elan was a high-profile Irish-American biotech that created the multiple sclerosis treatment natalizumab (Tysabri), developed the promising but unsuccessful Alzheimer’s treatment bapineuzumab, and built a billion-dollar drug-delivery business. But a long boil of shareholder discontent over management practices (the … Continue reading “Ex-Elan Trio Grabs Their Former Employer’s Kinase Inhibitor Program”
Bay Area Tech: The Soviet Connection
In a story now typical among math and computer science students, Alexei Stoliartchouk formed a software startup company during his final year in college. He and his friends launched it for fun, but then they started making some decent money. Next thing they knew, a group of what Stoliartchouk calls “bandits” visited the startup, demanding … Continue reading “Bay Area Tech: The Soviet Connection”
Steve Case Gears Up For Second “Rise of the Rest” Midwestern Tour
AOL co-founder Steve Case likes to point out that a century ago, Detroit was America’s innovation capital, and Silicon Valley was just a bunch of farmland. Today, Silicon Valley is the bustling tech capital of the world, and the Motor City is trying to reinvent itself after a couple of decades marred by the outsourcing … Continue reading “Steve Case Gears Up For Second “Rise of the Rest” Midwestern Tour”
East Coast Biotech Roundup: GliaCure, Civitas, T2, & More
Biotechs have been parading into the public markets at a record-setting pace over the past few years, particularly in Boston. But one local startup decided against independence at the last minute this week, choosing M&A, and a definitive payout for its shareholders, instead. We’ve got that story and plenty more in a packed week on … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: GliaCure, Civitas, T2, & More”
In 2-Minute Drill for Startups, a Winning Pitch for Clinical Trials
In two minutes, Summer Rogers said it all. The founder and CEO of San Diego-based nPruv said she founded the Web-based health IT startup to help match chronically ill patients with clinical trials of new drug candidates. As she put it, “We are a Match.com for clinical trials.” Rogers said 80 percent of clinical trials … Continue reading “In 2-Minute Drill for Startups, a Winning Pitch for Clinical Trials”
Seattle Roundup: Pro.com, Array Health, Ghostruck, DocuSign, & More
Fall in Seattle began this week with a flurry of investment deals. In addition to new capital for Apptentive and Context Relevant, which we covered earlier this week, Pro.com, Array Health, Ghostruck, DocuSign, and POW announced new investments. Read on for details: —Pro.com, a new online service for estimating home remodeling costs and connecting with … Continue reading “Seattle Roundup: Pro.com, Array Health, Ghostruck, DocuSign, & More”
Innovation Hub: Techies Fix Government
No one had heard of Mike Krieger when he responded to a call to organize San Francisco’s crime data. He was in his early 20s, working on his coding, and he created an app to help visitors and city-dwellers alike know when they had entered a high-crime area. A few years later, Krieger and a … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: Techies Fix Government”
Big Delta Systems Say Spray-On Batteries Are the Future of Power
Big Delta Systems say batteries don’t only have to be square. Or rectangles and circles. Entrepreneurs at the Rice University startup say they have developed technology that performs as a battery but is able to be molded into an infinite number of shapes and styles. “The battery takes up around 40 percent of a device,” … Continue reading “Big Delta Systems Say Spray-On Batteries Are the Future of Power”
Detroit’s Cribspot Raises $660K Seed Round, Plans 15-City Expansion
Cribspot, the Detroit-based startup focused on disrupting the campus rental market, announced this week that it has closed on a $660,000 seed round led by Huron River Ventures, with the First Step Fund and undisclosed angel investors participating. “I think we have the model to really change how people find housing,” says co-founder Alex Gross. … Continue reading “Detroit’s Cribspot Raises $660K Seed Round, Plans 15-City Expansion”
Colorado Tech Roundup: Big Bucks for Biofuel and Mapquest’s New App
Here is a quick roundup of recent news from Colorado startups and tech companies, including a great week for a Fort Collins biofuels startup, smart sprinklers, and a new app from Mapquest. Biofuel startup’s big week: The past few years have been rough ones for cleantech startups, as the enthusiasm around the industry has waned … Continue reading “Colorado Tech Roundup: Big Bucks for Biofuel and Mapquest’s New App”
A Quick Stroll Through the Microsoft Technology Center at Times Square
Eager for the world to see its digs in Times Square, Microsoft recently invited me over for a visit to its New York technology center. Equal parts showroom, demo ground, and cloud services hub, this is one of several locations the company maintains around the world to let enterprise clientele check out its technology. Keith … Continue reading “A Quick Stroll Through the Microsoft Technology Center at Times Square”
The Tech Industry’s Changing of the Guard: New CEOs, New Challenges
Silicon Valley is having a moment. A generational shift moment, that is. A new crop of CEOs has taken the helm of tech industry giants who, starting in the 1970s, achieved dominant positions in software, devices, Web services, and mobile technology. Some of these powerhouse companies, which set the tech agenda for decades, have slipped … Continue reading “The Tech Industry’s Changing of the Guard: New CEOs, New Challenges”
PPD Acquires Drug Discovery Startup X-Chem
Contract research organization PPD has acquired biotechnology startup X-Chem, buying the remaining shares of the company that it did not already own a little more than a month before its option to acquire that stake expired. Waltham, MA-based X-Chem has a drug discovery platform that includes a proprietary library of compounds, as well as drug … Continue reading “PPD Acquires Drug Discovery Startup X-Chem”
Blessed By Angels, GliaCure Tests New Alzheimer’s Approach In Humans
Giant pharmaceutical companies have spent billions of dollars trying to crack Alzheimer’s disease, only to come up empty time after time. For small, cash-strapped biotechs, the challenge is even harder. Tufts University professor Philip Haydon is trying to make the improbable journey anyway. Haydon has created GliaCure, a tiny startup run out of his Boston … Continue reading “Blessed By Angels, GliaCure Tests New Alzheimer’s Approach In Humans”
West Coast Biotech Roundup: Ebola, Immunotherapy, Avalon & More
[Updated with Novo Nordisk obesity news, 9/26/14, 12:38pm. See below.] Out west this week, there was Ebola-related pharmaceutical news large and small. Vancouver biotech Tekmira Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:TKMR]]) got emergency clearance from the U.S. and Canada to administer its unproven Ebola drug to people with the infection, and the company announced a few people had … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Ebola, Immunotherapy, Avalon & More”
Baidu’s Push into AI Hints at Why Google Loves Robots
One of the big mysteries in the tech industry is why Google has acquired eight robot companies. The activity of Baidu—Google’s main rival in China—in artificial intelligence suggests that tech companies’ interest in robotics could be motivated as much by software as hardware. Baidu believes that in five years, half of all Internet searches will … Continue reading “Baidu’s Push into AI Hints at Why Google Loves Robots”
Goldman Sachs, BofA Back Context Relevant, Use Its Analytics Tools
Context Relevant CEO Stephen Purpura is spending so much time with financial services customers in New York City that he got a condo there. The attention is paying off: Purpura’s Seattle-based company is raising $13.5 million from some of the biggest names on Wall Street—Goldman Sachs, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, New York Life, Bloomberg … Continue reading “Goldman Sachs, BofA Back Context Relevant, Use Its Analytics Tools”
Ping Identity’s CEO Talks About $35M Round, What’s Next for Company
Andre Durand still keeps the original business plan he created for Ping Identity back in 2002 in his desk drawer. Sure, it’s mixed in with some other papers and under a Nerf dart gun, and sometime in the past 12 years someone spilled Sriracha on it, leaving dried hot sauce caked on the spiral binding … Continue reading “Ping Identity’s CEO Talks About $35M Round, What’s Next for Company”
LabCorp to Acquire Diagnostics Firm LipoScience for $85M
LabCorp (NYSE: [[ticker:LH]]) has reached an agreement to acquire LipoScience (NASDAQ: [[ticker:LPDX]]) in an $85 million cash deal that the Burlington, NC, laboratory testing and diagnostics giant says will boost its efforts to offer doctors more specialized tests. For Raleigh, NC-based LipoScience, which has struggled to find market traction since going public last year, the … Continue reading “LabCorp to Acquire Diagnostics Firm LipoScience for $85M”
The Risks and Opportunities in a Startup: Age 0-2 Years
It’s a great time to start a tech company. The economy is recovering. The business opportunities are immense. And thanks to the boom in seed investments and crowd-funding it’s easier than ever to raise money for the business. Meanwhile, cloud computing has leveled the playing field by minimizing upfront costs, while social media has made … Continue reading “The Risks and Opportunities in a Startup: Age 0-2 Years”
Resolve Minor Civil Infractions Online with Court Innovations
Imagine: You’re late for work and going 10 miles-per-hour over the speed limit to try to shave a few minutes off your commute, when you’re pulled over. The police officer gives you a ticket, but it’s more expensive than you anticipated. You want to take care of the matter quickly, though, before the late fees … Continue reading “Resolve Minor Civil Infractions Online with Court Innovations”
Zendesk CEO Mikkel Svane on IPO Honeymoon, Wisconsin Growth
Zendesk’s first two employees hired in Madison, WI, were originally supposed to relocate to the company’s San Francisco headquarters. They never ended up moving. After several months, co-founder and CEO Mikkel Svane took notice of the small Midwestern city’s strong talent pool, budding startup community, and humble, hard-working culture that reminds him of his home … Continue reading “Zendesk CEO Mikkel Svane on IPO Honeymoon, Wisconsin Growth”
In-App Tools Maker Apptentive Raises $5.3M from SurveyMonkey, Others
Apptentive, which makes tools to help companies communicate with customers within mobile apps, has raised $5.3 million in a Series A funding round led by online surveys company SurveyMonkey and Origin Ventures. It marks another substantial investment attracted by a Techstars Seattle 2012 company, following the $8 million Series B round raised this summer by … Continue reading “In-App Tools Maker Apptentive Raises $5.3M from SurveyMonkey, Others”
Ada Developers Academy Offers Women a Way into Tech Boom
As technology companies like Google scramble to address the lack of gender diversity in their ranks, a Seattle nonprofit is demonstrating a sustainable model for training women in software development. The 15 students in the first class of the year-long Ada Developers Academy (ADA) are wrapping up their internships now, and two-thirds of the local … Continue reading “Ada Developers Academy Offers Women a Way into Tech Boom”
Austin’s Spiceworks Finds Niche Bringing Together IT Professionals
Imagine if LinkedIn invited its users to an “in-real-life” family reunion. That’s the idea behind SpiceWorld, an annual gathering hosted by Spiceworks, an Austin, TX-based company that describes itself as both a LinkedIn and an iTunes for IT professionals at small to mid-sized companies. These system administrators are frequently single practitioners in law or accounting … Continue reading “Austin’s Spiceworks Finds Niche Bringing Together IT Professionals”
Dmitry Grishin Talks Ugly Robots and Mistakes Hardware Startups Make
Robots may be tiptoeing closer to the mainstream, but they have some ways to go before they are in every household. Dmitry Grishin, a prominent tech investor, sees big potential in startups building robots for the consumer market—if they come up with appealing designs and clear other hurdles. “Nobody will buy ugly robots,” he says. … Continue reading “Dmitry Grishin Talks Ugly Robots and Mistakes Hardware Startups Make”
Backed By a Baidu Founder, Allele Raises $7M to Reprogram Stem Cells
After subsisting mostly on Small Business Innovation Research grants and sales of laboratory reagents over the past 15 years, San Diego-based Allele Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals says it has raised $7 million in its first round of institutional funding. Yuan Capital, a private equity firm with offices in Beijing and Hong Kong, led the Series A … Continue reading “Backed By a Baidu Founder, Allele Raises $7M to Reprogram Stem Cells”
Peter Thiel to Harvard MBAs: Value Mission Over Money
Investor Peter Thiel took his book promotion tour to Harvard Business School last week, predicting the university will be safe from online college degrees and advising entrepreneurs to drive toward a goal besides making money. In an on-stage interview, Thiel recapped some of the arguments in his book Zero to One: the most successful businesses … Continue reading “Peter Thiel to Harvard MBAs: Value Mission Over Money”
Alkermes Spinoff Civitas, Poised for IPO, Sells to Acorda for $525M
Civitas Therapeutics was all set to become the latest in the long line of biotechs in 2014 to go public. Then, apparently, it got an offer from Ardsley, NY-based Acorda Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ACOR]]) that it couldn’t refuse. Acorda today agreed to pay $525 million in cash to acquire Civitas, the Chelsea, MA-based company developing an … Continue reading “Alkermes Spinoff Civitas, Poised for IPO, Sells to Acorda for $525M”
The Story Behind GrabCAD’s Acquisition: MakerBot, Motives, & More
The price was reportedly $100 million in cash, but the reasons are always personal. I’m talking about startup acquisitions—in this case, 3D printing giant Stratasys swooping in and buying Cambridge, MA-based GrabCAD, a maker of design software and convener of mechanical engineers. The deal closed Tuesday. Back in January, I put GrabCAD on my short … Continue reading “The Story Behind GrabCAD’s Acquisition: MakerBot, Motives, & More”
Merrimack, Baxter Ink $970M+ Deal for Pancreatic Cancer Drug
It’s been an up and down year for Merrimack Pharmaceuticals. On one hand, the Cambridge, MA-based company succeeded in a Phase 3 trial in the notoriously tough field of pancreatic cancer, and has a chance to win FDA approval for its first drug, MM-398. On the other hand, Merrimack lost Sanofi as a partner for … Continue reading “Merrimack, Baxter Ink $970M+ Deal for Pancreatic Cancer Drug”
Olin College President Rick Miller on Reengineering Engineering
[Corrected, 9/26/14. See below] Every day in business, we hear how technology is disrupting the old guard. Uber disrupts the cab industry. Airbnb disrupts hotels, and so on. And in education, MOOCs (massively open online courses) are supposedly upending education. But let’s take the case of education. What about non-technology disruptions? What about new ways … Continue reading “Olin College President Rick Miller on Reengineering Engineering”