Here are a few notable recent announcements in Wisconsin’s innovation and technology community: —EatStreet, the fast-growing Madison startup, signed an agreement with Yelp to integrate EatStreet’s online food-ordering service with the restaurant review website, allowing users to place orders directly from restaurants’ pages on Yelp. The news marks continued momentum for EatStreet, which is aiming … Continue reading “Wisconsin Roundup: EatStreet, CorvisaCloud, Aereo, Biotech, & More”
Category: National
May 10,000 Cloud Startups Bloom
The cloud services market has fueled a boom of immensely successful startups, most of which have raised millions in venture funding. Take analytics platform company Birst, which started off in the high end financial sector, raised $64 million in venture capital, and is now growing fast as a regular Silicon Valley-style pre-IPO company. Technology Business … Continue reading “May 10,000 Cloud Startups Bloom”
Saying Nothing With Style: The 2014 BioPharma Edition of BS Bingo
Several years ago, I wrote an article venting my frustrations with having to sift through the fog and jargon of poorly written analyses of the biotech/pharmaceutical industry. I recounted that, “years ago, a thoughtful co-worker passed along to me a copy of a game called ‘BS Bingo’ that was designed to keep you awake during … Continue reading “Saying Nothing With Style: The 2014 BioPharma Edition of BS Bingo”
New Partnership Will Ease Startup Accelerator Application Process
Surviving the intense months it takes to go through a startup accelerator is hard. But getting in might be harder. A new partnership between UP Global, a Seattle-based nonprofit, and the Boulder, CO-based Global Accelerator Network might make the latter a bit easier. The duo announced today they are creating new events that will give … Continue reading “New Partnership Will Ease Startup Accelerator Application Process”
Boomtown Accelerator Graduates First Class, Announces Device Lab
Startups in Boulder, CO, might be getting a little more connected. The Boomtown Accelerator hosted its first demo day Friday. Six startups showed off their work and pitched investors at the Boulder Theater, and Boomtown announced it will open up a new “connected device lab” in the city. The accelerator hopes to make Boulder a … Continue reading “Boomtown Accelerator Graduates First Class, Announces Device Lab”
Langer, Led Zeppelin, and Hookups: Three Days Behind the BIO Scenes
Don’t let the blind men groping the elephant fool you. No one can get their arms around the massive, 15,000-attendee BIO conference, the industry’s annual flagship convention, and tell you what the real zeitgeist is. It’s all selection bias: If, say, you’ve been keenly following cancer immunotherapy the past couple years, you probably went to … Continue reading “Langer, Led Zeppelin, and Hookups: Three Days Behind the BIO Scenes”
Seattle Roundup: UW Commercialization, WISErg, Element 8, & More
Big news for the state’s innovation economy this week was the change of leadership in the University of Washington’s commercialization efforts. We also saw funding for WISErg, which takes grocery food scraps and makes organic fertilizer, and heard that cleantech-focused angel investor group Element 8 is on pace for a record year. Meanwhile, Smartsheet and … Continue reading “Seattle Roundup: UW Commercialization, WISErg, Element 8, & More”
Wisconsin Edtech Startup StudyBlue Raises $1.7M
[Updated 6/30/14, 3:53 pm. See below.] StudyBlue, a Madison, WI-based edtech startup, has raised $1.7 million from investors, a new SEC filing shows. StudyBlue said the money comes from return investors Great Oaks Venture Capital, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), and StudyBlue chairman Steve Wallman, a securities analyst with Wallman Investment Counsel in Middleton, … Continue reading “Wisconsin Edtech Startup StudyBlue Raises $1.7M”
Innovation Hub: Is America Becoming the Next Japan?
For much of its history, the U.S. has been a place of innovation, where new ideas and products could flourish. But that era may be coming to an abrupt end, warns Clayton Christensen, who coined the term “disruptive innovation” and teaches at Harvard Business School. Christensen, author of “The Capitalist’s Dilemma,” believes that American business … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: Is America Becoming the Next Japan?”
Colorado Company Gets $2.9M Grant to Develop Test for Ebola Virus
A Colorado-based developer of diagnostic medical tests is continuing the fight against the Ebola virus. Corgenix Medical (OTC: [[ticker:CONX]]) announced Thursday the National Institutes of Health has awarded the company a three-year, $2.9 million grant to further development of the its test for the Ebola virus. Corgenix’s goal is to create a test that will … Continue reading “Colorado Company Gets $2.9M Grant to Develop Test for Ebola Virus”
East Coast Biotech Roundup: Vertex, Cubist, Editas, Polaris, & More
There was a lot of activity back East the past seven days, most of it in Boston and Cambridge, biotech’s ground zero. Vertex released excellent Phase 3 data, and Cubist got a green light from the FDA. Gene editing startup Editas Medicine found a new CEO, while the more advanced gene therapy firm Dimension Therapeutics … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: Vertex, Cubist, Editas, Polaris, & More”
Calm Down: Aereo’s Supreme Court Loss Isn’t Chaos for Cloud Tech
After the U.S. Supreme Court smacked down online TV service Aereo for violating copyright law, worries instantly sprung up that the justices were putting a huge array of Internet and cloud-computing services at risk of similar treatment. That torch was carried highest by Justice Antonin Scalia, who wrote for the court’s three-person minority that the Aereo … Continue reading “Calm Down: Aereo’s Supreme Court Loss Isn’t Chaos for Cloud Tech”
Neelan Choksi on Tasktop’s VC Round and Austin “Growing Like a Weed”
Tasktop Technologies wants to help improve the operations of the brains behind technology companies: the staff that makes the software. What Tasktop does is develop tools for customers that allow their developers to make software more efficiently. With the dozens of tools now in use for each part of the software development process, organizations are … Continue reading “Neelan Choksi on Tasktop’s VC Round and Austin “Growing Like a Weed””
Five Annoying Tech Problems for the Next Hot Startup to Solve
Why is it that we can put a man on the Moon, but we can’t figure out how to screen jet passengers without making everyone take their shoes off? Well, the truth is, we can’t even put a man on the Moon—not anymore. It’s not a technical impossibility, but reconstituting the technologies that helped a … Continue reading “Five Annoying Tech Problems for the Next Hot Startup to Solve”
Q&A: Vikram Jandhyala Wants Entrepreneurship to Be Part of UW’s DNA
Vikram Jandhyala, newly charged with driving technology commercialization and a broader innovation strategy at the University of Washington, wears lots of hats already. His Twitter profile lists many of them succinctly: “Professor. Administrator. Entrepreneur. Researcher. Educator. Husband. Dad. Cat Parent. Sports and Health Enthusiast. Bookworm. Generalist.” Jandhyala, 42, will wear them all and more when … Continue reading “Q&A: Vikram Jandhyala Wants Entrepreneurship to Be Part of UW’s DNA”
MA Warns Ride-Sharing, Car-Sharing Drivers of Insurance Risks
Changes in the transportation sector are happening pretty fast these days, spurred by the wide availability of smartphones and richly funded startups with a new take on old-school taxi and car rental services. That’s meant clashes with local regulators, established competitors, and even the startups’ own drivers. And lately, a seemingly dry topic has become … Continue reading “MA Warns Ride-Sharing, Car-Sharing Drivers of Insurance Risks”
MiRagen Therapeutics Raises $7M, Extends Deal with France’s Servier
MiRagen Therapeutics, a Boulder, CO-based drug discovery company focused on developing microRNA-targeting therapies for cardiovascular and muscle diseases, has extended its collaboration with French pharmaceutical company Servier through October 2016, the company announced Wednesday. The biotech also has raised $7 million, according to an SEC filing submitted Wednesday. Servier and MiRagen are collaborating on pre-clinical … Continue reading “MiRagen Therapeutics Raises $7M, Extends Deal with France’s Servier”
West Coast Biotech Roundup: Affymax, K2, Roche/Stratos, & More
It’s BIO week, and later on we’ll post a separate roundup of news and notes from our perambulations around the biotech industry’s largest annual convention. But beyond the networking, panels, parties, and boldface names gathered in San Diego, there was plenty of other news up and down the West Coast: new San Diego biotechs with … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Affymax, K2, Roche/Stratos, & More”
Ann Arbor SPARK Snags $500K From MEDC to Establish New Angel Fund
The business development agency Ann Arbor SPARK said on Wednesday that it has been awarded $500,000 from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) to continue the Michigan Angel Fund and to raise the group’s second fund, called Michigan Angel Fund II. “The whole idea behind the Michigan Angel Fund is to allow qualified investors to … Continue reading “Ann Arbor SPARK Snags $500K From MEDC to Establish New Angel Fund”
Calysta’s Pivot: Another Green Energy Startup Demotes Fuel Projects
The pioneers of synthetic biology in the early 2000s held out an enticing vision of cutting-edge technology that would churn out renewable fuels made from plant sugars rather than petroleum. They bioengineered microbes such as yeast to eat the sugar and make the chemical building blocks of gasoline or other fuels. However, those early companies … Continue reading “Calysta’s Pivot: Another Green Energy Startup Demotes Fuel Projects”
Could Fallout from Aereo Ruling Have “Chilling Effect On Startups”?
Aereo’s legal war ended in the chambers of the U.S. Supreme Court, but other startups should be wary. In spite of CEO Chet Kanojia’s audacity, on Wednesday the New York-based company that thought it could trump television broadcasters lost its closely watched case. Since its introduction to the public in 2012, doubts swirled whether Aereo’s … Continue reading “Could Fallout from Aereo Ruling Have “Chilling Effect On Startups”?”
Wellntel Aims to Sprout Groundwater Info Market With Sonar Device
Groundwater is a precious resource. It irrigates vast fields of vegetables in California and wheat in Kansas. It supplies water to a third of U.S. cities—and to 90 percent of people who aren’t on systems run by municipalities or private water companies. It’s also increasingly coming under threat. Worries are growing in some areas that … Continue reading “Wellntel Aims to Sprout Groundwater Info Market With Sonar Device”
BIO 2014: Innovations in 3-D Tissue for Disease and Drug Discovery
Editor’s Note: Sharon Presnell discussed the use of bioprinting and 3D tissue to improve predictability in preclinical drug discovery this week at the BIO 2014 convention in San Diego. —BVB The human race consists of a large population of genetically diverse organisms. This inherent diversity is compounded daily by the individualistic way we go about … Continue reading “BIO 2014: Innovations in 3-D Tissue for Disease and Drug Discovery”
King of BIO: The Chairwoman of Biotech’s Top Trade Org Talks Policy
Rachel King is CEO of GlycoMimetics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GLYC]]), a Gaithersburg, MD-based drug developer, and the current chairwoman of the Biotechnology Industry Organization. As a heavily regulated industry, biopharma’s interactions with politicians and policy makers are crucial, and BIO has grown in recent years to become a Washington, DC power broker. Look no further for proof … Continue reading “King of BIO: The Chairwoman of Biotech’s Top Trade Org Talks Policy”
Texas Roundup: New Funds for Phunware, FTL Global; Kudos to Rice
Here is the latest innovation news from Texas. —Phunware, an Austin,TX-based company that makes mobile apps for multinational corporations, announced Monday it has completed a Series E round of $30.72 million, following an investment by Samsung Venture Investment Corporation. The round was opened in March and the close of the Series E brings the total … Continue reading “Texas Roundup: New Funds for Phunware, FTL Global; Kudos to Rice”
San Diego Biotech Raises Over $30M to Fight Deadly Fungal Infections
A new San Diego biotech, led by former Trius Therapeutics CEO Jeff Stein, has raised over $30 million to advance new drugs to treat life-threatening invasive fungal infections, according to a recent regulatory filing. Stein declined to discuss the financing by phone this morning, saying a press release is planned next week for the seed-stage … Continue reading “San Diego Biotech Raises Over $30M to Fight Deadly Fungal Infections”
Thalchemy Raises Seed Funds to Develop Always-on Sensor Technology
[Updated 6/25/14, 2:26 pm. See below.] Thalchemy, a Madison, WI-based startup developing technology to facilitate continuous sensory processing in smartphones and other devices, has raised $650,000 from local and out-of-state investors, Xconomy has learned. The convertible debt round was led by Wingspan Ventures of Menlo Park, CA, with participation by Madison-based Venture Investors and three … Continue reading “Thalchemy Raises Seed Funds to Develop Always-on Sensor Technology”
In Time of Change, Jandhyala to Replace Rhoads in UW Tech Transfer
The University of Washington has significantly improved its processes for transferring technology to startups and established companies, but an advisory group says changes are still needed—including to the basic structure of the commercialization effort—to achieve the “entrepreneurial ecosystem” that university and technology business leaders want. On Tuesday, the university started at the top, naming Vikram … Continue reading “In Time of Change, Jandhyala to Replace Rhoads in UW Tech Transfer”
The Series A Story in Boston Tech: $270M Invested in Past Year
It’s a busy news week for established tech companies around here—see Aereo, Imprivata—but let’s take a look at the other side of the market: the early-stage startups. For all the talk of a Series A crunch and the limited number of Boston venture capitalists investing in A rounds for local tech companies, we saw at … Continue reading “The Series A Story in Boston Tech: $270M Invested in Past Year”
AOL Founder Steve Case: Detroit Has All the Ingredients for a Comeback
The Rise of the Rest bus tour kicked off in Detroit yesterday as part of a broader effort to shine a national spotlight on a shift in the geography of high-growth entrepreneurship and the emergence of strong startup ecosystems in the nation’s heartland. The bus tour, sponsored by AOL founder and philanthropist Steve Case’s company … Continue reading “AOL Founder Steve Case: Detroit Has All the Ingredients for a Comeback”
Medical Software Maker Imprivata Raises $66.3M in IPO
The Boston-area tech industry saw another company graduate to the public markets on Wednesday with Imprivata’s IPO, which netted the healthcare software provider an estimated $66.3 million. Imprivata shares (NYSE: [[ticker:IMPR]]) traded slightly higher in early market activity, which is a good sign that the company and its earlier investors didn’t leave too much money … Continue reading “Medical Software Maker Imprivata Raises $66.3M in IPO”
Supreme Court: High-Tech Aereo Is Really Just a Cable Knockoff
The stakes for online TV streaming startup Aereo were always really high. In the eyes of the law, it was either going to be an innovative way to send consumers the shows they deserved or a clever workaround that really just made money from someone else’s work. On Wednesday, Aereo lost that battle in convincing … Continue reading “Supreme Court: High-Tech Aereo Is Really Just a Cable Knockoff”
MVPs in Health: Minimum Viable Product or Mightily Vexing Problem?
One thing the tech software industry is great at is failing fast. This concept of “failing fast” means, at least in part, rapidly bringing a “minimum viable product” to market, even if it’s a little rocky and feature-light, and then fixing it as it gets adopted by iterating with new releases. We see this all … Continue reading “MVPs in Health: Minimum Viable Product or Mightily Vexing Problem?”
Chegg’s InstaEdu Buy: Looking to Bring 24-Hour Tutoring to Students
Earlier this month, Chegg, a company that pitches itself as “the student hub,” with services like textbook rentals and job and internship help, ponied up $30 million in cash to acquire InstaEdu, an on-demand tutoring marketplace. Santa Clara, CA-based Chegg (NYSE: [[ticker:CHGG]]) already had its own product called Chegg Study, an outgrowth of an earlier … Continue reading “Chegg’s InstaEdu Buy: Looking to Bring 24-Hour Tutoring to Students”
Hostad Wants to Raise MiKE Initiative’s Profile, Impact on Milwaukee
When the nonprofit Greater Milwaukee Committee formed its Innovation in Milwaukee initiative in 2011, the program was billed as a talent developer that would connect corporations and startups, and ultimately help the city transform into a hub for design and cutting-edge technology. The initiative, “MiKE” for short, came online during a time when a growing … Continue reading “Hostad Wants to Raise MiKE Initiative’s Profile, Impact on Milwaukee”
BIO 2014: Two Cities, One Economy, and a Unique Innovation Ecosystem
Editor’s note: Mary Walshok will discuss how Mexican policy is using public-private partnerships to spur biotech innovation and investment in a breakout session Thursday at the BIO 2014 convention in San Diego. —BVB One of the under-appreciated features of the San Diego innovation ecosystem is the increasing significance of its proximity to one of North … Continue reading “BIO 2014: Two Cities, One Economy, and a Unique Innovation Ecosystem”
Don’t Want Google in Your House? Some Home-Tech Startups to Watch
Google’s thirst for connected-home products means that entrepreneurs in the growing sector have another deep-pocketed competitor to outfox. But they’ve also got a new sales pitch: We’re not Google. “We certainly have not been shy,” says Jason Hanna, CEO of home heating-automation startup Embue. “It’s definitely something that we talk about.” Questions about the advertising … Continue reading “Don’t Want Google in Your House? Some Home-Tech Startups to Watch”
CEOs on Colorado’s Advantages, Challenges, and Boulder vs. Denver
Life is good in Colorado, both for tech startups and the people who run and work for them. At least that’s the opinion of five of Colorado’s leading entrepreneurs who sounded off about running tech companies in the state. They spoke last week at the Colorado Venture Summit in Denver. The summit brought together CEOs … Continue reading “CEOs on Colorado’s Advantages, Challenges, and Boulder vs. Denver”
Misfit, Pebble Partnership Brings Activity Tracking to Smartwatch
This morning, Misfit, maker of the activity-tracking device Shine, announced a partnership with Pebble, bringing its technology to the company’s namesake watch. Now, Pebble watch wearers who download the Misfit app can skip wearing a separate tracker altogether, but still record their activity, measure progress, and compete with friends. It may seem odd for a … Continue reading “Misfit, Pebble Partnership Brings Activity Tracking to Smartwatch”
Vertex Stock Up 40 Percent After Cystic Fibrosis Trial Results
This is one of the biggest and most anticipated biotech stories of the year—and it’s based right here in Boston. Vertex Pharmaceuticals is flying high after releasing the results of two Phase 3 studies of a two-drug combination treatment for cystic fibrosis, a deadly genetic disease that affects the lungs. Some 30,000 people have cystic … Continue reading “Vertex Stock Up 40 Percent After Cystic Fibrosis Trial Results”
Katrine Bosley, Former Avila CEO, Takes Helm at Editas
Out on the cutting edge of gene therapy, Editas Medicine nabbed a huge round of early funding. Now it has nabbed one of the highest profile CEOs of the Boston biotech scene. Katrine Bosley and Editas said today she is the Cambridge, MA-based firm’s new chief executive, her first full-time role since she led Avila Therapeutics … Continue reading “Katrine Bosley, Former Avila CEO, Takes Helm at Editas”
Ziosk’s E-Waiter Device Brings Technology to Restaurant Orders
Bringing technology into a restaurant’s dining area is a matter of child’s play. Or, at least the child in all of us. Turns out that $1 tries at games like “7 Little Words,” “Field Runners” or “Operation Math” can add up to enough dough for a restaurant to pay for the installation of “pay-at-the-table” tablets … Continue reading “Ziosk’s E-Waiter Device Brings Technology to Restaurant Orders”
Grand Rounds Raises $40 Million to Help Patients Access Specialists
For about six months, Pat Martell experienced persistent headaches. He went back and forth with his doctor about treatments, but the aspirin and amoxicillin they tried weren’t working. “The doctor was out of ideas,” he says. After an MRI, he got a call telling him to go straight to the emergency room: His doctors had … Continue reading “Grand Rounds Raises $40 Million to Help Patients Access Specialists”
New Wisconsin Seed Fund to Help Commercialize Alzheimer’s Research
A new $1 million seed fund will help commercialize research at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, with an initial focus on disease markers and treatments for Alzheimer’s. The fund is backed by the nonprofit Wisconsin Technology Innovation Initiative (Wi2) and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. (WEDC), which provided a matching … Continue reading “New Wisconsin Seed Fund to Help Commercialize Alzheimer’s Research”
BIO 2014: Training Bio-Entrepreneurs to Use Coffee, Yoga, and Data
Editor’s note: Court Turner was a speaker in the bootcamp for biotechnology entrepreneurship at this week’s BIO 2014 Convention in San Diego. —BVB As a venture partner at San Diego’s Avalon Ventures, I divide my work day into three distinct activities: Coffee (at the best coffee shop in San Diego); Yoga (at a studio near … Continue reading “BIO 2014: Training Bio-Entrepreneurs to Use Coffee, Yoga, and Data”
Under Legal Cloud, Burrill Backs Out of BIO
BIO attendees in San Diego, including this reporter, have one fewer item on their packed calendars. Biotech venture capitalist G. Steven Burrill, accused of fraud and wrongful termination by a former employee in a civil lawsuit, has cancelled his annual speech at the industry’s biggest convention, which is being held here this week. A spokeswoman … Continue reading “Under Legal Cloud, Burrill Backs Out of BIO”
What Can the Northwest Do Best in Clean Energy?
The Pacific Northwest has a burgeoning clean energy industry, underpinned by strong public research institutions, active angel investors, and an environmental ethos that’s part of the culture. But leaders in the field argue that the region could do more if it united behind a few key areas where it could be the best in the … Continue reading “What Can the Northwest Do Best in Clean Energy?”
Keep Calm and Test the Hypothesis
[Editor’s Note: On June 2 we published a video from startup strategy guru Steve Blank on The Real Meaning of “Minimum Viable Product.” A proper MVP, Blank argued in that video, is a prototype with the smallest possible feature set that still shows potential customers how your idea can help them. Once you have an MVP, … Continue reading “Keep Calm and Test the Hypothesis”
Colorado Venture Summit Pairs Top Entrepreneurs, Out-of-State VCs
Last Thursday, the Colorado Venture Summit brought together the CEOs from some of Colorado’s top startups and tech companies and the partners of venture capital firms from across the country. The goal was to help connect promising or thriving companies with investors who are not familiar with Colorado, according to David Gold, chair of the … Continue reading “Colorado Venture Summit Pairs Top Entrepreneurs, Out-of-State VCs”
Connected Devices and the Internet of Things Knocking at Your Door
If someone builds a better doorknob, will the world beat a path to their door? Well, at least the competition will drop by for a look. That was the case at last week’s Digital Experience gadget show in New York. It was one of several events that Pepcom puts on each year where consumer electronics … Continue reading “Connected Devices and the Internet of Things Knocking at Your Door”