The role of data and technological innovation in health care was front and center at a conference of top health experts from academia, industry and government, convened by the New York Times at the University of California, San Francisco yesterday. Voices of both optimism and caution were plentiful, but the discussion of technology was consistently … Continue reading “What Price Technology? At NYT Health Confab, It’s a Loaded Question”
Category: National
Startups and “The Future of Informing”: Q&A with Matter’s Corey Ford
Don’t let it be said that the media industry is anti-innovation. Journalism schools sponsor hard-hitting studies saying news organizations must reinvent themselves to survive. A leaked innovation report from the New York Times shows that the venerable paper is serious about doing exactly that, even if it’s still struggling to figure out how. And KQED, … Continue reading “Startups and “The Future of Informing”: Q&A with Matter’s Corey Ford”
Boston Tech Roundup: Spark, Swipely, Harmonix, Grove
Venture firms and startups are raising money, while an established name in the rough-and-tumble video game world stumbles again in this collection of innovation headlines: —Spark Capital, the Boston-based venture capital firm known for its investments in Twitter and Oculus VR, has raised a new “growth” fund to invest in later-stage companies. The $375 million … Continue reading “Boston Tech Roundup: Spark, Swipely, Harmonix, Grove”
Boston 2034: Three Predictions for the Future of Innovation
These days, it can seem a little dicey to make big predictions about what’s going to happen in the next few months. Seriously, raise your hand if you called Apple buying Dr. Dre’s headphone company for $3 billion or Facebook paying $2 billion for virtual-reality goggles. But that’s what makes this era so interesting. And it’s … Continue reading “Boston 2034: Three Predictions for the Future of Innovation”
Next Class of NYU Summer Launchpad Accelerator to Start Monday
The semester may be over, but some student entrepreneurs at New York University are about to head back to class. A 10-week summer accelerator for recent grads of NYU kicks off Monday with its second batch of young startups. There are more cross-disciplinary groups this time around, says Frank Rimalovski, executive director of the NYU … Continue reading “Next Class of NYU Summer Launchpad Accelerator to Start Monday”
Texas Update: Localeur, Need Raise New Funds & Plan Expansions
It’s been just over a year since we launched Xconomy Texas. One of the items I’ve recently been considering adding to our roster of innovation coverage is a regular catch-up feature with some of the many entrepreneurs we’ve met. And that’s when two of them—Joah Spearman, founder of Localeur in Austin, and Matt Alexander, founder of … Continue reading “Texas Update: Localeur, Need Raise New Funds & Plan Expansions”
LearnLaunchX Startups Showcase Two Big Themes in Edtech
On a cold, miserable day in late May, seven edtech startups gave 10-minute pitches to a room full of mentors, investors, and press. It was demo day for the second class of startups in Boston’s LearnLaunchX accelerator. These companies serve as a kind of barometer for education-tech businesses in New England and beyond. In addition … Continue reading “LearnLaunchX Startups Showcase Two Big Themes in Edtech”
Madison, WI-based Mobile Gaming Startup PerBlue Raises $3M
[Updated 5/30/14, 11:02 am. See below.] PerBlue, a Madison, WI-based mobile game developer, has raised $3 million in venture capital from investors, including Chicago-based Lightbank. There are eight investors in the equity raise that totals just shy of $3 million, a new SEC filing shows. Lightbank is leading the funding round, which marks the VC … Continue reading “Madison, WI-based Mobile Gaming Startup PerBlue Raises $3M”
ByteLight Teams up with GE on New Location-Sensing Lights
Indoor location tracking is one of those ideas that seems to forever be on the verge of breaking into the mainstream. Now that millions of people are toting around sophisticated, Internet-connected phones, it should be possible to beam coupons and other sales-increasing nudges right to their home screen as they prowl the aisles of the … Continue reading “ByteLight Teams up with GE on New Location-Sensing Lights”
West Coast Biotech Roundup: Volcano, Twist, Calibr, ARMO, and More
For scheduling purposes, we’re moving the West Coast biotech roundup to Thursday. That move, plus the long Memorial Day weekend, means a short week and a fairly short roundup. It’s like hanging six or seven instead of the full ten. Next week’s roundup will catch a full wave of activity, we promise. —San Diego medical … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Volcano, Twist, Calibr, ARMO, and More”
ExtraHop Raises $41M from TCV to Untangle Corporate Networks
ExtraHop, a Seattle company that taps the low-level data coursing through IT systems to better manage them and the businesses they support, has raised a $41 million Series C round led by Technology Crossover Ventures. Earlier investors Madrona Venture Group, Meritech Capital, Isilon Systems founder Sujal Patel, and other angel investors joined the round. It … Continue reading “ExtraHop Raises $41M from TCV to Untangle Corporate Networks”
Rodin Moves From Seedling to Neurology Startup With $12.9M Series A
Rodin Therapeutics started up last year with a plan to treat neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s by enhancing cognition, rather than trying to wipe out the plaques that build up in the brain. Roughly a year later, the Cambridge, MA-based startup has come far enough to warrant a big round of venture dollars. Rodin is announcing … Continue reading “Rodin Moves From Seedling to Neurology Startup With $12.9M Series A”
Volcano Diversifies its Product Line with $115M Buyout of AtheroMed
San Diego-based Volcano (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VOLC]]), a medical device maker focused mostly on diagnosing and treating coronary and peripheral vascular disease, is acquiring privately held AtheroMed of Menlo Park, CA, for at least $115 million. AtheroMed received FDA clearance five months ago for its Phoenix atherectomy system, which treats peripheral artery disease by opening up narrowed … Continue reading “Volcano Diversifies its Product Line with $115M Buyout of AtheroMed”
Datalogix Closes $45M Round, Reportedly Considering IPO This Year
Datalogix announced today it has closed a $45 million equity financing round. The announcement comes a few days after a media report that Datalogix is working with investment banks to prepare for an upcoming initial public offering. The Westminster, CO-based company collects information about real-world retail sales and other customer data and sells that information … Continue reading “Datalogix Closes $45M Round, Reportedly Considering IPO This Year”
Five Lessons for Consumer Tech Startups in Springpad Shutdown
“We fought the good fight. It’s pretty emotional.” That’s Springpad co-founder Jeff Janer talking about shutting down his company after six years and almost $10 million in venture funding. Charlestown, MA-based Springpad ran out of money while trying to raise a Series B round, Janer says. Its digital-organizer product, which had about 5 million users, … Continue reading “Five Lessons for Consumer Tech Startups in Springpad Shutdown”
UP Global Hires Enrique Godreau III For Its New York Expansion
The folks at UP Global are busy this week at a summit in Las Vegas, but that has not kept them from announcing a notable hiring. Enrique Godreau III was named a senior vice president with the organization, which runs programs to mentor and encourage entrepreneurs to build their ideas into businesses. Godreau will officially … Continue reading “UP Global Hires Enrique Godreau III For Its New York Expansion”
Hear Founder and Investor Stories at Boston 2034 on June 10
[Updated, 2:25pm. See below] Just under two weeks to go before Boston 2034, our blowout innovation conference of the year. The theme is to look out 20 years and talk about the future of New England as a leader in areas like software, hardware, energy, education, healthcare, and life sciences. It’s all happening on Tuesday, … Continue reading “Hear Founder and Investor Stories at Boston 2034 on June 10”
Austin Startup Voter Trove Brings Big Data Analytics to the GOP
Justin Gargiulo wants to bring Republican political campaigns into the 21st century. The young political consultant was at an industry conference three years ago when he noticed that the panelists discussing campaign technology were either Democratic or non-partisan. “I thought, I’m a Republican. We should have this,” he says. “And I saw a market opportunity, … Continue reading “Austin Startup Voter Trove Brings Big Data Analytics to the GOP”
Jobaline Raises $7M to Take Hourly Labor Recruiting Market National
In a testament to its success in a large corner of the employment market that has been underserved by technology providers, Jobaline is raising a substantial round of fresh capital. The Kirkland, WA, company has raised $7 million in Series B funding for a nationwide expansion of its mobile, bi-lingual marketplace for recruiting hourly workers. … Continue reading “Jobaline Raises $7M to Take Hourly Labor Recruiting Market National”
Prostate Cancer Screening: Seduction Of The Innocent
Many rare book collectors keep an eye out for an original copy of Seduction of the Innocent, a cause célèbre when it was published back in the 1950s by psychiatrist Fredric Wertham. The tome purported to show that the root cause of juvenile delinquency in the U.S. was comic books! Sensationalistic congressional hearings followed in … Continue reading “Prostate Cancer Screening: Seduction Of The Innocent”
How to Keep More College Grads in Boston? Better Jobs, Lifestyle
It’s a sad Boston tale told many times. Tech whiz kid moves to New England for college, attends Prestigious School X, and leaves the area for greener pastures—usually the West Coast—after graduating or dropping out to start a company. The big outliers are well known—Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and Drew Houston, for starters. But what … Continue reading “How to Keep More College Grads in Boston? Better Jobs, Lifestyle”
WI-based Aver Informatics Gets $8.5M From GE Ventures, Drive Capital
It’s easy to leave out Green Bay in conversations about Wisconsin’s tech startup scene, but Packer country grabbed the spotlight today with healthtech startup Aver Informatics announcing an $8.5 million Series A investment from some prominent national names. It’s possibly the largest capital raise by a Green Bay-based startup, Aver CEO Kurt Brenkus said, and … Continue reading “WI-based Aver Informatics Gets $8.5M From GE Ventures, Drive Capital”
Decibullz Bests 16 Startups to Win $250K Prize at Pitch Competition
Decibullz, a startup that sells earphones and earpieces that buyers can custom mold for a unique fit, took home $250,000 Saturday after winning the inaugural CSU Blue Ocean Enterprises Challenge. Decibullz, which is based in Loveland, CO, beat out 16 other startups to win the pitch competition. The event, which was in Fort Collins, CO, … Continue reading “Decibullz Bests 16 Startups to Win $250K Prize at Pitch Competition”
Twist Bio Aims for Better DNA Synthesis With Silicon Engineering
[Corrected 5/27/14, 6:32pm. See Below.] Like so many other biological building blocks, genes have become just another lab material to order from a specialty shop. Several sophisticated companies can synthesize practically any sequence and ship them to customers for all kinds of experiments, but San Francisco startup Twist Bioscience thinks it has broken through the … Continue reading “Twist Bio Aims for Better DNA Synthesis With Silicon Engineering”
Website Software Seller Acquia Adds $50M, Led by NEA
[Updated 2:30 pm with comment from company] Acquia hasn’t been shy over the past few years about its hopes to become a public company. Today, the seller of website management software is stacking up some more venture capital: a $50 million investment that Acquia says will help it continue growing in multiple areas. The new … Continue reading “Website Software Seller Acquia Adds $50M, Led by NEA”
East Coast Biotech Roundup: Bristol, PTC, Ophthotech, & More
More immuno-oncology dealmaking ahead of the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual meeting, more activity on the biotech IPO front, and some big stock movers on the East Coast this week. Those stories below. —Another week, another couple of immuno-oncology deals for New York-based Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: [[ticker:BMY]]). The company announced plans to pay South … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: Bristol, PTC, Ophthotech, & More”
Need Writing Help? Grammarly Goes Beyond Spell Check to Offer Serious Edits
After Ukrainian engineers Max Lytvyn and Alex Shevchenko sold their first company, MyDropBox, they were left with a great team but no product. So they gave their employees a challenge: solve the most interesting problem you can think of. All of their engineers were English language learners, so “without thinking about market or monetization, they … Continue reading “Need Writing Help? Grammarly Goes Beyond Spell Check to Offer Serious Edits”
Wisconsin Roundup: Ideadvance, MiKE, Fontarome Chemical, & More
It’s coming down to the wire for the Wisconsin startups competing in the Governor’s Business Plan Contest. A group of 12 early-stage companies born at Wisconsin public universities received seed investments. Innovation in Milwaukee (MiKE) has a new leader. And Milwaukee-based Fontarome Chemical, which flirted with a shutdown a few months ago, has come back … Continue reading “Wisconsin Roundup: Ideadvance, MiKE, Fontarome Chemical, & More”
Navigating JOBS, Wrangling Investors: A Biotech CFO Roundtable
In biotech, the visionary scientists and serial entrepreneurs often—arguably too often—get described as “rock stars.” The financial guys… well, not so much. But in a business where cash is constantly burned at the altar of R&D, and financial engineering can be as prized a skill as drug hunting, the CFOs perhaps deserve more time in … Continue reading “Navigating JOBS, Wrangling Investors: A Biotech CFO Roundtable”
Startups and Sports: 3 Lessons From CoachUp’s Jordan Fliegel
Sports have universal appeal, but they resonate particularly strongly with startups. So what can entrepreneurs learn from successful sports teams and players? First, that they share a common bond. Entrepreneurs and athletes “both like creating, and they both like being part of small teams,” says Jordan Fliegel, the CEO and founder of CoachUp. “They also … Continue reading “Startups and Sports: 3 Lessons From CoachUp’s Jordan Fliegel”
Roundup: Tech Economy, Startup Competitions, Code Fellows, Solar Storage
Usually, long before a company gets that eight-figure Series B investment—as Seattle’s Context Relevant did this week—it has to scrape together experience, validation, and more modest sums through investment competitions, such as Seattle Angel Conference and the University of Washington Business Plan Competition, both of which took place this week. They play a key role … Continue reading “Roundup: Tech Economy, Startup Competitions, Code Fellows, Solar Storage”
Cribspot Wins Techweek Detroit Startup Competition
Since Monday, Techweek Detroit has taken downtown by storm, hosting discussions and keynote speeches featuring tech titans, a show highlighting local fashion designers, a town hall meeting, a “food truck face-off,” and cocktail parties galore. Techweek’s two-day conference, held Thursday and today at the old federal building on Fort Street, was a fun atmosphere when … Continue reading “Cribspot Wins Techweek Detroit Startup Competition”
Boston Tech Roundup: SimpliSafe, SeeWhy, Springpad, Evergage
Some fundraising deals big and small, an acquisition, and a startup shutdown in this trip through innovation sector headlines around Boston in the past week: —SimpliSafe, a Cambridge, MA-based home security company, has raised $57 million from venture firm Sequoia Capital. The deal had been rumored last month, and the company disclosed the amount of … Continue reading “Boston Tech Roundup: SimpliSafe, SeeWhy, Springpad, Evergage”
The Lighter Side, and a Touch of Shadow, in New York’s Tech Scene
[Corrected 5/25/14 6:30 pm, See below.] It has been a celebratory few days here as another Internet Week New York fades into memory. Mayor Bill de Blasio essentially asked local innovators to collaborate with his administration to further the city’s growth. And there was plenty of revelry among the who’s who of New York techies. … Continue reading “The Lighter Side, and a Touch of Shadow, in New York’s Tech Scene”
EU Reverses Course on PTC Drug, Shares Boom
PTC Therapeutics got an unexpected jolt this morning as European regulators reversed course and recommended approval of its Duchenne Muscular dystrophy drug, ataluren (Translarna). South Plainfield, NJ-based PTC (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PTCT]]) said this morning that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP)—an advisory panel of the European Medicines Agency (EMA)—has recommended conditional approval of … Continue reading “EU Reverses Course on PTC Drug, Shares Boom”
Cleantech Entrepreneurs—and Sasquatch—Star at Surge Demo Day
Energy is a vital industry to the global economy, yet many of the basic practices to find, extract, and deliver oil and gas have not changed in decades. That situation has proven to be fertile ground for cleantech accelerator Surge and its startups. Earlier this week, Surge’s third class made their debut in front of … Continue reading “Cleantech Entrepreneurs—and Sasquatch—Star at Surge Demo Day”
Stuck on Website ‘Help Island’? First UW iSchool Spinout Has the Answer
[Corrected 5/23/14, 10:53 am. See below.] The University of Washington Information School has more than a century of history, and now, it’s first startup company, AnswerDash, which aims to improve self-service online help for e-commerce, government, and other Websites. While startup companies and technologies with commercial potential regularly emerge from the larger UW Computer Science … Continue reading “Stuck on Website ‘Help Island’? First UW iSchool Spinout Has the Answer”
West Coast Biotech Roundup: Ligand, Ardelyx, Mango Health, and More
In the aftermath of nervewracking fires, it was a fairly quiet week for life sciences news in San Diego. In the Bay Area, venture dollars flowed and a public-market hopeful emerged as the IPO machine creaked back to life. Here’s our weekly roundup. —Nurix of San Francisco unveiled Thursday a $25 million Series B round … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Ligand, Ardelyx, Mango Health, and More”
The Xconomy SF Six: Big Name Investors, Funding for Clarizen, and More
Here are the top six things we’re paying attention to in the San Francisco tech scene this week. —iRhythm Technologies, maker of technology to improve the diagnosis of heart arrhythmia, announced a $17 million Series E round led by life science investment firm Novo A/S. The company plans to use the funds in part to … Continue reading “The Xconomy SF Six: Big Name Investors, Funding for Clarizen, and More”
Cord Cutting: How to Get High-Speed Internet Service Without Cable
[Updated article for 2017 is here, 10/25/17.] Last fall I wrote a column called Please, Keep Paying $80 a Month for Cable So I Can Enjoy Cheap TV. The article was addressed to folks who complain about the exorbitant fees they’re paying to Comcast or AT&T for premium cable bundles. Adopting a cheeky, sarcastic tone—which … Continue reading “Cord Cutting: How to Get High-Speed Internet Service Without Cable”
Startup Introduces Qubit-Generating Device for Quantum Computing
A San Diego startup says it has developed a laser-based device for generating qubits, the basic unit of information needed to carry out complex calculations in quantum computers. The startup, founded in 2012 as GridCOM Technologies, was initially focused on developing quantum encryption systems to provide cybersecurity in the IT systems that electric utilities use … Continue reading “Startup Introduces Qubit-Generating Device for Quantum Computing”
Texas Roundup: Filament Labs, LiveOak, Capital Royalty, Alafair
Here is the latest innovation news from Texas: —Austin, TX-based Filament Labs announced Thursday that it has raised $1 million in seed funding to develop an app that creates digital patient self-care programs with task reminders and educational information and videos. The round was led by Mercury Fund in Houston. —LiveOak Venture Partners closed Tuesday … Continue reading “Texas Roundup: Filament Labs, LiveOak, Capital Royalty, Alafair”
GlobeImmune Cuts Size of Pending IPO by 29 Percent
History might be repeating itself for GlobeImmune, a Colorado-based drug development company that once again appears to be having trouble finding investors for its IPO. GlobeImmune is planning an IPO that is expected to price soon. It is the second time the Louisville, CO-based company, which is developing drugs for pancreatic cancer and hepatitis, has … Continue reading “GlobeImmune Cuts Size of Pending IPO by 29 Percent”
Facebook Boston Looks to Build Tech for the “Next Few Billion Users”
The Boston area’s prominence in biotech and life sciences has an unexpected side benefit for tech companies. Consider Ryan Mack of Facebook. Mack has been with the social-networking giant for almost five years. Originally based at headquarters in Silicon Valley, he moved to Boston about three and a half years ago when his wife got … Continue reading “Facebook Boston Looks to Build Tech for the “Next Few Billion Users””
TechTown, Bizdom to Use JPMorgan Chase Grants to Support Startups
Yesterday, JPMorgan Chase chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon joined Governor Rick Snyder and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan to announce the global financial services firm plans to invest $100 million in Detroit over the next five years—including some funding for local startup initiatives. Critics immediately pointed out that $100 million is a drop in the bucket … Continue reading “TechTown, Bizdom to Use JPMorgan Chase Grants to Support Startups”
New Funding, Commercialization Officer at Texas Cancer Agency
The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas Wednesday awarded about $82 million in grants, the largest of which went to Austin, TX-based Mirna Therapeutics. The board approved spending $25 million in a three-year grant to support the biotech firm’s efforts to develop therapies based on microRNAs, very short RNA strands that work as genomic … Continue reading “New Funding, Commercialization Officer at Texas Cancer Agency”
Baxter Meets World: Rod Brooks on What Rethink Robotics Is Learning
At San Francisco’s Fort Mason yesterday, former MIT roboticist Rodney Brooks gave the opening keynote address at Solid, a new O’Reilly Media conference focused on innovation at the confluence of software and hardware. True to that theme, Brooks talked about Rethink Robotics, the company he founded in 2008 to build humanoid manipulator robots, and the … Continue reading “Baxter Meets World: Rod Brooks on What Rethink Robotics Is Learning”
OncoGenex Retrenches, and Searches for Answers, After Failed Trial
There are several harsh lessons to be learned in drug development, and OncoGenex learned perhaps the most brutal one of all: a knockout Phase 2 trial doesn’t guarantee a thing in Phase 3. Earlier this year, Bothell, WA- and Vancouver, BC-based OncoGenex (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OGXI]]) thought it had everything figured out. Its RNA-based cancer drug, custirsen, … Continue reading “OncoGenex Retrenches, and Searches for Answers, After Failed Trial”
Danish Social Media Management Startup Falcon Social Opens NY Office
The Danes have landed in New York. Last week Falcon Social opened up its U.S. office here, expanding from its Copenhagen headquarters. CEO and founder Ulrik Bo Larsen believes his company’s software gives enterprises a comprehensive way to manage and monitor social media that others do not. “It’s not enough to have a Radian6 [software] … Continue reading “Danish Social Media Management Startup Falcon Social Opens NY Office”
As Expected, Nurix Taps Into $25M for New Drug Discovery
More details have emerged on Nurix, the San Francisco biotech funded by Third Rock Ventures and The Column Group. The two venture firms, which seeded Nurix with $6 million in 2012, announced Thursday they have teamed to provide a $25 million Series B round, which my colleague Bernadette Tansey anticipated last month in this report … Continue reading “As Expected, Nurix Taps Into $25M for New Drug Discovery”