Cellular Dynamics International has already situated itself as an early leader—if not the leader—in large-scale manufacturing of human cells from induced pluripotent stem cells. Today the company says it has strengthened its market position with three new patents related to making stem cells from human blood samples. Madison, WI-based Cellular Dynamics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ICEL]]) says it … Continue reading “Cellular Dynamics Claims Patents on Making Stem Cells from Blood”
Category: National
CureLauncher Aims to Match Patients With Clinical Trials
Two years ago, Steve Goldner was at a funeral. He started chatting with a family friend, a strapping young man in his late 20s who had a girlfriend, a great job in Boston, and his whole life in front of him, except for one thing: He kept blinking his eyes despite the fact that they … Continue reading “CureLauncher Aims to Match Patients With Clinical Trials”
Brazil: Ready for Future Growth in Health Care
The eyes of the world are on Brazil. It is one of the most dynamic countries in the southern hemisphere; the sixth-largest economy in the world; and host of the World Cup, now drawing to a close. In 2016, Brazil will host the Summer Olympics. The World Cup is bringing attention to Brazil, and being … Continue reading “Brazil: Ready for Future Growth in Health Care”
Startup Summer School: Rice’s ProsthetiTech Builds a Robotic Arm
The slow days of summer don’t apply to student entrepreneurs at Rice University and the University of Houston. For the first time, the schools’ startup accelerators—Houston’s RedLabs and Rice’s OwlSpark—are working together, with joint mentor meetings and social hours, towards a shared demo day next month that they are calling the first “Bayou Showcase.” (Fun … Continue reading “Startup Summer School: Rice’s ProsthetiTech Builds a Robotic Arm”
Celgene Drug Misses Mark in Spinal Arthritis Study
Celgene branched out from its blood cancer roots earlier this year when it won an FDA nod for an oral arthritis drug called apremilast (Otezla). But the Summit, NJ-based company’s plan to turn that drug into a franchise took a hit on Wednesday after it failed a late-stage trial for a form of arthritis affecting … Continue reading “Celgene Drug Misses Mark in Spinal Arthritis Study”
Oh Canada! Versant’s Strategic Shifts Lead to $300M Fund
Versant Ventures, based in the San Francisco Bay Area but growing in Europe and especially Canada, is a few million dollars away from closing a new US$300 million fund, according to a regulatory filing. The fund, the fifth for the life science specialists, has been in the works for several years, with more than the … Continue reading “Oh Canada! Versant’s Strategic Shifts Lead to $300M Fund”
For EMC, Three Acquisitions Lead to Three Big Products
The Boston area’s biggest tech company is known for at least two things: non-compete clauses and acquisitions. On Tuesday, the latter paid off in terms of new products. EMC, the Hopkinton, MA-based data storage giant (NYSE: [[ticker:EMC]]), has a long history of buying startups and competitors. Acquisitions are an important part of its growth and … Continue reading “For EMC, Three Acquisitions Lead to Three Big Products”
Never Forget a Face? How About Names? Spincard App Could Help
How many times have you been at a party or crowded networking reception, and the introductions are coming so quickly that you forget people’s names almost as soon as you’re introduced to them? A Detroit-based startup called Spincard is trying to build a better mousetrap when it comes to the exchange of personal information. Spincard’s … Continue reading “Never Forget a Face? How About Names? Spincard App Could Help”
The Path of Our Lives
“Some men see things as they are and say, why; I dream things that never were and say, why not?” —George Bernard Shaw (paraphrased by Ted Kennedy) I got a call that reminded me that most people live their life as if it’s predestined—but some live theirs fighting to change it. At 19 I joined … Continue reading “The Path of Our Lives”
Handybook Bringing Its Household-Help Booking Service to London
[Updated 7/8/2014, 1:15pm. See below.] Handybook is putting its new venture investment to work. The New York-based startup, which helps consumers arrange for cleaners and other home services, is expanding its offerings to London. Handybook was founded in Boston in 2012 by Harvard Business School students who later moved the company to New York. Its app and … Continue reading “Handybook Bringing Its Household-Help Booking Service to London”
Can Accela’s “Civic Cloud” Turn City Bureaucrats Into Heroes?
On April 9, 2013, a severe hailstorm swept through western Nebraska, pounding the Omaha area with stones so large they shattered car windows, punctured skylights, and destroyed roofs. Suddenly, thousands of Omaha homeowners needed emergency repairs. But first, they needed the city permits required for all that roof construction. It was the kind of crisis … Continue reading “Can Accela’s “Civic Cloud” Turn City Bureaucrats Into Heroes?”
WordStream’s $12M Round Highlights Dearth of Mid-Stage Tech Funding
A search-marketing startup is making fundraising news, but there are larger forces at work in the tech ecosystem. Boston-based WordStream has raised $12 million in new funding—$9 million in a Series C venture round led by Baird Capital (Sigma Partners also participated), and $3 million in debt financing from City National Bank. The new money … Continue reading “WordStream’s $12M Round Highlights Dearth of Mid-Stage Tech Funding”
Coding For All: Makersquare Aims to Expand the Programming Corps
Ravi Parikh was a health IT student at the University of Texas at Austin, which has one of the top computer science departments in the country. “They were teaching us about how IT worked, and how to sell and implement it, but they weren’t teaching us how to write the code,” he says. “UT doesn’t … Continue reading “Coding For All: Makersquare Aims to Expand the Programming Corps”
EvoNexus, San Diego’s Pro Bono Incubator, Expands to Orange County
CommNexus, the longtime industry group for San Diego technology companies, is expanding its “no strings attached” EvoNexus business incubator program into Orange County. CommNexus began the nonprofit incubator in mid-2009, as waves of layoffs decimated the economy and venture capital funding in San Diego was at low ebb. A few years later, commercial office space … Continue reading “EvoNexus, San Diego’s Pro Bono Incubator, Expands to Orange County”
Boston Tech Roundup: CRV, Gridco, Luminoso, Smart Lunches
Venture firms and startups have been closing fundraising deals left and right in the past week: —Charles River Ventures has raised $393 million for its 16th venture fund, according to an SEC filing. The firm, with offices in Cambridge, MA and Menlo Park, CA, previously raised a $375 million fund in February 2012. Charles River … Continue reading “Boston Tech Roundup: CRV, Gridco, Luminoso, Smart Lunches”
UniEnergy Technologies Goes from Molecules to Megawatts
Vanadium, in the eyes of energy storage innovators, is a lovely, generous element, even though it’s often found in some dirty places. It is named for a Norse goddess of beauty. Its color, when dissolved in an electrolyte solution, changes from lilac to green to blue to yellow as it easily gives and takes electrons, … Continue reading “UniEnergy Technologies Goes from Molecules to Megawatts”
Drive Capital, Led By Sequoia Vets, Sees Midwest as Next Startup Hub
Chris Olsen thinks the Midwest is a better place to build a startup than either coast, and he intends to prove it. The Cincinnati native was a partner for six years at the well-known Silicon Valley venture capital firm Sequoia Capital, before former Sequoia colleague Mark Kvamme recruited Olsen back to Ohio to start a … Continue reading “Drive Capital, Led By Sequoia Vets, Sees Midwest as Next Startup Hub”
Trust but Verify: When Customer Feedback is Not Enough
[Editor’s Note: If you’re following the methodology laid out by startup strategy guru and Xconomist Steve Blank, you have begun with a hypothesis about a customer need or problem. Then you develop a “mininum viable product” (MVP), a prototype with the smallest possible feature set that still shows potential customers how your idea can help … Continue reading “Trust but Verify: When Customer Feedback is Not Enough”
Q2 In Review: Fire, Fundings, Floating Wind, Biotech Ups and Downs
Happy Fourth of July, everyone. Here’s a review of some notable Xconomy Seattle stories from the second quarter. Enjoy the holiday weekend! Ahead of Amazon’s smartphone announcement, Curt Woodward looked at why the company wanted to build one in the first place. And here’s Woodward’s take on the Fire phone as another way the e-commerce … Continue reading “Q2 In Review: Fire, Fundings, Floating Wind, Biotech Ups and Downs”
Photo Sharing + Playlists = Selocial
David Baird was working in London as a musician and producer—he’s had his songs featured on the Showtime series “House of Lies” as well as the Wayans Brothers movie “White Chicks”—when he hit upon on the idea of a photo-sharing app that allows users to pair the photographs that they post with short playlists. So … Continue reading “Photo Sharing + Playlists = Selocial”
Lone Star Innovation: Xconomy Texas’ Top Stories for Q2 2014
At Xconomy Texas these last three months, we started with the world’s richest business plan competition and ended with a somewhat rare event, that of a local biotech company going public. In between, the financing market for Texas startups, especially those in Austin, really took off. In addition to separate venture capital and angel deals, … Continue reading “Lone Star Innovation: Xconomy Texas’ Top Stories for Q2 2014”
Data Creates a View from Outer Space at New York Tech Meetup
The Earth never looked so three-dimensional. At July’s New York Tech Meetup, the intrepid team from The Satellite showed off their out-of-this-world idea for a real-time, big-screen exhibit that lets people see our planet as if they were looking down from the International Space Station. The Satellite isn’t a business in the making—it’s an art project, … Continue reading “Data Creates a View from Outer Space at New York Tech Meetup”
72Lux Making It Easier for Consumers to Buy What They Want Online
Heather Marie is betting folks want to simplify how they shop around the Web. As CEO and founder of New York-based 72Lux, she previously created a universal checkout that lets people complete purchases in one place on items they found at different websites. The idea was to get impulse buyers to not abandon their online … Continue reading “72Lux Making It Easier for Consumers to Buy What They Want Online”
Innovation Hub: The American Economy Is in Better Shape Than Ever
Despite increasingly good job numbers, pessimism about the economy persists. According to Gallup, almost 60 percent of Americans think the economy is still getting worse. Last week, Clayton Christensen told Innovation Hub that America was on its way to becoming Japan—a country that has been wrestling with stagnation for a quarter century. But Joel Kurtzman, … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: The American Economy Is in Better Shape Than Ever”
West Coast Biotech Roundup: Seragon, Ambrx, Pregenen, and More
Our nominee for the just-created “Bio Man with the Midas Touch” award goes to Richard Heyman, who co-founded San Diego’s Seragon Pharmaceuticals 11 months ago. Roche’s Genentech unit agreed yesterday to pay over $1.7 billion for Seragon, which has an early-stage drug targeting metastatic breast cancer. Heyman was previously the CEO of San Diego’s Aragon … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Seragon, Ambrx, Pregenen, and More”
Regado Halts Big Heart Drug Trial, Shares Hammered
Regado Biosciences has been trying to show that it doesn’t need Big Pharma to run a massive, pricey Phase 3 study on an anticoagulant drug. But the Basking Ridge, NJ-based company suffered a setback Wednesday when it was forced to suspend the trial pending a review of potential safety problems. Regado (NASDAQ: [[ticker:RGDO]]) said that … Continue reading “Regado Halts Big Heart Drug Trial, Shares Hammered”
11 Stories and 11 Deals: Xconomy Wisconsin Quarter in Review
As everyone gets ready to kick back for a long holiday weekend, I figured it’s a good time to reflect on the biggest stories in Wisconsin’s tech and innovation community during the second quarter. The recurring theme: funding. By my count, 11 Wisconsin startups raised a combined $32.2 million between April and June. Those are … Continue reading “11 Stories and 11 Deals: Xconomy Wisconsin Quarter in Review”
UW Breaks Last Year’s Record With 18 New Companies Formed
[Updated 7/2/14, 4:10 pm. See below.] The University of Washington spun out 18 startup companies in the fiscal year just ended, a record level that serves as a powerful counterpoint to recent criticism that its commercialization practices have over-emphasized revenue generation at the expense of other priorities. This year’s class of startups follows 17 spun … Continue reading “UW Breaks Last Year’s Record With 18 New Companies Formed”
IncWell Invests in Seattle Digital Marketing Startup Inside Social
IncWell, the Birmingham, MI-based venture capital fund led by former auto executive Tom LaSorda, said today that it has invested in Inside Social, a Seattle-based startup that has built software to help companies measure how social media engagement translates to actual business results. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Evonna Karchon, IncWell’s director … Continue reading “IncWell Invests in Seattle Digital Marketing Startup Inside Social”
Zurex Pharma Raises $4M to Battle Hospital-Acquired Infections
Zurex Pharma, a Middleton, WI-based startup developing antimicrobial products to prevent hospital-acquired infections, has raised $4.1 million from investors in a round that could top out at $5.1 million, according to a new SEC filing. There are 13 investors in the round, which appears to be the company’s Series B raise. Zurex officials couldn’t immediately … Continue reading “Zurex Pharma Raises $4M to Battle Hospital-Acquired Infections”
Soraya Darabi on Ethical E-Commerce, Storytelling, and Zady.Com
Soraya Darabi already has had an amazing career as a digital media entrepreneur, and she’s only 30 years old. Darabi and friend Maxine Bédat are the co-founders of New York-based Zady.com, a socially conscious e-commerce website for what they call “slow fashion.” They are building Zady.com as a brand that sells high-end apparel, accessories, and … Continue reading “Soraya Darabi on Ethical E-Commerce, Storytelling, and Zady.Com”
Udacity’s Nanodegrees: Edtech’s Challenge To College Credentials?
Sometime next year, an AT&T executive may be sitting at a desk, trying to decide whether to hire that computer science major from a good college—or a whip-smart high school graduate who just passed five or six courses on mobile iOS development from an online catalog. The value of the college grad’s four-year degree will … Continue reading “Udacity’s Nanodegrees: Edtech’s Challenge To College Credentials?”
Songza, With Music Streams to Fit Your Mood, Acquired by Google
With a rather understated mention on its website, music streaming platform Songza of Long Island City, NY, said yesterday it was becoming part of Google. Terms have not been disclosed, though some reports suggest the deal could have been anywhere from $15 million to more than $39 million. This is the second acquisition this week … Continue reading “Songza, With Music Streams to Fit Your Mood, Acquired by Google”
VenBio Scores Again as Genentech Pays $1.7B+ for Seragon Pharma
The big year for San Francisco, CA-based life sciences venture firm venBio just got bigger. Genentech, the big cancer drugmaker from the Bay Area, has agreed to buy a less than one-year-old San Diego, CA-based startup called Seragon Pharmaceuticals for a whopping $725 million up front. Seragon’s backers—the Column Group, OrbiMed Advisors, Aisling Capital, venBio, … Continue reading “VenBio Scores Again as Genentech Pays $1.7B+ for Seragon Pharma”
Synchroneuron Nets $20M to Combat Drug-Induced Movement Disorder
With a few tweaks, Synchroneuron believes it’s been able to turn an old, flawed drug for alcoholism into a new one for a completely different disorder. Now the Waltham, MA-based startup has just banked a big round of cash to go prove it in clinical trials. Synchroneuron is announcing today that it’s raised a $20 … Continue reading “Synchroneuron Nets $20M to Combat Drug-Induced Movement Disorder”
Chamber Hopes Pitches Could Boost Silicon Valley-Madison VC Deals
When Brian Jensen walked into the room filled with Silicon Valley venture capitalists, the co-founder and CEO of Madison, WI-based startup Fishidy thought there might be some eye-rolling. After all, “here’s some Wisconsin guy coming into Silicon Valley talking about fishing and his fishing app,” Jensen said. Instead, the entrepreneur felt like the VCs came … Continue reading “Chamber Hopes Pitches Could Boost Silicon Valley-Madison VC Deals”
Roundup: Upwardly Global, BoostUp, Jacapps, Quicken Loans, Sakti3
Here’s a look at news from around Michigan’s innovation ecosystem: —On June 20, we published an article in which Steve Tobocman, director of Global Detroit, predicted that Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan would soon announce new “immigration reform strategies.” On June 23, the city did indeed announce that the San Francisco-based nonprofit Upwardly Global has opened … Continue reading “Roundup: Upwardly Global, BoostUp, Jacapps, Quicken Loans, Sakti3”
Twitter Buys TapCommerce, Increases Its Strength in Mobile Adtech
[Updated 7/1/2014, 4:30pm. See below.] Twitter has snapped up a mobile ad retargeting startup from New York as it beefs up its digital advertising technology muscle. On Monday, news broke that the social media network acquired TapCommerce. Re/code reported the deal to be around $100 million; however, no official price has been given. This is … Continue reading “Twitter Buys TapCommerce, Increases Its Strength in Mobile Adtech”
Ex-Genentecher Kelsey Grabs Reins at Moderna’s Onkaido Therapeutics
Moderna Therapeutics’ master plan is to whip up a slew of startups to help develop the messenger RNA, or mRNA drugs it creates. Today, it’s picked a former Genentech executive to lead the first of those companies, Onkaido Therapeutics. Moderna is announcing today that Stephen Kelsey has been named president of Onkaido, a startup that … Continue reading “Ex-Genentecher Kelsey Grabs Reins at Moderna’s Onkaido Therapeutics”
Climbing the Mountain: Or, Life as a Black Founder in Tech
Please give me a minute to talk about diversity in tech, even though I know whenever anyone talks about diversity in the tech industry, there are two types of responses I typically hear: The first is tokenism or the defensive argument. People will usually point to one example of the “diverse” person they hired, funded, … Continue reading “Climbing the Mountain: Or, Life as a Black Founder in Tech”
Steve Wozniak on Galaxy Gear, Google Glass, & Future of Wearables
There’s been much ado in the past year over wearable devices, as a proliferation of smartwatches and fitness trackers desperately try to win over consumers and prove they have staying power in the market. Yet even if most of them don’t last, these emerging technologies at least provide new gadgets for Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak … Continue reading “Steve Wozniak on Galaxy Gear, Google Glass, & Future of Wearables”
Gnip, Twitter, Datalogix, and VC Rounds Top Colorado Stories for 2Q
It was a good spring for Colorado’s startups and tech companies, with Twitter’s acquisition of Gnip and big venture rounds earning headlines. Here’s recap of some of the second quarter’s biggest stories. -Twitter Buys Gnip Gnip, a Boulder-based startup founded in 2008, and Twitter have been partners for years. This April, that relationship got closer … Continue reading “Gnip, Twitter, Datalogix, and VC Rounds Top Colorado Stories for 2Q”
Xconomy Boston’s Top Stories of Q2 2014: Editor’s Picks
Here are my picks for our top local stories of the past quarter (April-June), and why. Not a ranked list, just in reverse chronological order: 1. MA Warns Ride-Sharing, Car-Sharing Drivers of Insurance Risks Could something as boring as insurance derail Uber? 2. Katrine Bosley, Former Avila CEO, Takes Helm at Editas Cutting-edge genomics company, … Continue reading “Xconomy Boston’s Top Stories of Q2 2014: Editor’s Picks”
San Diego’s Ambrx Withdraws IPO, Citing Market Conditions
Ambrx, a San Diego biotech developing antibody-drug conjugates to treat solid tumors and other diseases, said today it is withdrawing its planned IPO because of current market conditions. The company had planned to raise as much as $86 million in an IPO, according to a confidential filing that was made public in early May. Ambrx … Continue reading “San Diego’s Ambrx Withdraws IPO, Citing Market Conditions”
Austin’s Bigcommerce Taps Steve Case’s Fund to Take On Amazon
[Corrected 06/30/14, 8:22pm] Bigcommerce, an e-retail software maker in Austin, TX, has gotten a $40-million boost from one of tech’s biggest names. In the year since Steve Case’s Revolution Growth Fund made the investment, bringing the company’s total funds raised to $75 million, BigCommerce has aggressively expanded both its workforce and its target customer. [The … Continue reading “Austin’s Bigcommerce Taps Steve Case’s Fund to Take On Amazon”
With $32M, Boston Anti-Fungal Startup Morphs Into San Diego’s Cidara
Details about the new San Diego biotech headed by former Trius Therapeutics CEO Jeff Stein have been released today. I reported last week on the company’s regulatory filings. The company, founded two years ago in Boston as K2 Therapeutics, has been rechristened as Cidara Therapeutics in a restructuring that includes $32 million in Series A … Continue reading “With $32M, Boston Anti-Fungal Startup Morphs Into San Diego’s Cidara”
TurtleCell Announces Partnership, Prepares National Product Launch
When we spoke to the Ann Arbor, MI-based startup TurtleCell last year, the company had recently won the $10,000 first-place prize at the annual American Society of Mechanical Engineers Innovation Showcase for its iPhone case with headphones embedded inside on a retractable cord. Earlier this month, TurtleCell finally made the headphone case for the iPhone … Continue reading “TurtleCell Announces Partnership, Prepares National Product Launch”
CE Week Takeaway: Device Makers Want to “Connect All the Things”
This year’s CE Week is a wrap, and the consumer electronics world is still in a tizzy to connect with every part of our lives. It was to be expected, this rise of devices beyond smartphones that share data wirelessly and learn about their users. But it finally seems manufacturers are embracing the notion that … Continue reading “CE Week Takeaway: Device Makers Want to “Connect All the Things””
Kiwi Startup Xero Pries Accountants Away from Intuit’s QuickBooks
[Updated 6/30/14, see below] If you run a small- or medium-sized business and it’s big enough to have bookkeeper, chances are he or she is using QuickBooks, the desktop accounting program sold by Intuit since the mid-1990s. QuickBooks has a market share of around 90 percent in North America, making it one of the most … Continue reading “Kiwi Startup Xero Pries Accountants Away from Intuit’s QuickBooks”
Boston Tech Roundup: MassChallenge, True Fit, SmashFly, & More
Here’s a collection of fundraising headlines that surfaced around the Boston-area technology scene in the past week, from cleantech companies and startup accelerators to enterprise software, e-commerce tools, and more: —Next Step Living, a Boston-based company that aids homeowners with energy-efficiency retrofits, has raised a $25 million Series D investment. The round was led by … Continue reading “Boston Tech Roundup: MassChallenge, True Fit, SmashFly, & More”