Category: National

Ambri Adds $35M From Gates, Khosla, KLP Enterprises

Cleantech seems to be coming back in New England. Or, more likely, it never really left. Today an MIT startup called Ambri (formerly known as Liquid Metal Battery) says it has raised a $35 million Series C funding round from new investor KLP Enterprises, as well as previous investors including Khosla Ventures, Bill Gates, and … Continue reading “Ambri Adds $35M From Gates, Khosla, KLP Enterprises”

New Colorado Conference to Connect Top Startups with National VCs

Some of Colorado’s heaviest hitters in the tech industry and in venture capital will be at Coors Field this summer, but they won’t be there to watch the Rockies. Instead, they’ll be there for the first Colorado Venture Summit, where they’ll celebrate recent successes, discuss future opportunities, and maybe make connections that will lead to … Continue reading “New Colorado Conference to Connect Top Startups with National VCs”

New Napa Speakers: Kawasaki on Startups, Ashenfelter on Wine

McLuhan said that the medium is the message. Here at Xconomy, we agree, and we think it even goes for the venues we pick for our events. When we hold a big conference in a university lecture hall, the message we’re sending is: deep thoughts and nuanced arguments coming. If we gather at the campus … Continue reading “New Napa Speakers: Kawasaki on Startups, Ashenfelter on Wine”

WI-Bred Weather Startup Understory Raises $1.9M, Moves HQ to Boston

Understory, a weather data and analytics startup that moved from Madison, WI, to Boston, has raised $1.9 million in a seed funding round, the company announced today. Palo Alto, CA-based True Ventures led the round, with participation from RRE Ventures, Vegas Tech Fund, SK Ventures, and Boston entrepreneur and angel investor Andrew Payne. Understory previously … Continue reading “WI-Bred Weather Startup Understory Raises $1.9M, Moves HQ to Boston”

Otonomy Raises $49M to Advance 3 Drugs for Treating Ear Diseases

Otonomy, the San Diego biopharmaceutical startup developing new treatments for diseases and disorders of the ear, has refined its strategy, raised capital, and advanced three drug candidates in the three and a half years since David Weber stepped in as CEO. And today Otonomy says it has secured $49 million in a new Series D … Continue reading “Otonomy Raises $49M to Advance 3 Drugs for Treating Ear Diseases”

BioPharma Learns From Marvel, Begins Real Life Search For “X-Men”

Biopharma employees read, as you might expect, a wide spectrum of scientific journals and trade publications. What might be surprising is that their reading lists appear to have expanded recently to include classic Marvel comics. What’s led me to this conclusion? The Belgian pharmaceutical company UCB has sponsored an Innovation Challenge on the InnoCentive Website … Continue reading “BioPharma Learns From Marvel, Begins Real Life Search For “X-Men””

CleverPet Feeder is Like a Dance Dance Revolution for Dogs

While Dan Knudsen was getting his doctorate in neurosciences at UC San Diego, he studied auditory perception and learning, using behavioral, electrophysiological, and computational techniques. While Leo Trottier was enrolled in UC San Diego’s graduate program in cognitive science, he published research on visual processing, and was interested in the idea of using a video … Continue reading “CleverPet Feeder is Like a Dance Dance Revolution for Dogs”

GlobeImmune Sets $15 to $17 Price Range in Second IPO Attempt

GlobeImmune has taken a big step forward in its second attempt to go public. Now the question is whether the Louisville, CO-based biotech will get to the finish line this time around. According to a regulatory filing posted by the company on Tuesday, GlobeImmune intends to price its shares between $15 and $17 apiece and … Continue reading “GlobeImmune Sets $15 to $17 Price Range in Second IPO Attempt”

Seeking Tau: BMS Buys iPierian and Brain-Disease Program for $175M

Born five years ago from the merger of two cutting-edge stem cell companies, iPierian has agreed to an acquisition. Bristol-Myers Squibb is buying the South San Francisco-based biotech firm for $175 million upfront, with potentially $550 million more based on the progress of iPierian’s pipeline of antibodies to treat tau-mediated neurodegenerative disease. Details of those … Continue reading “Seeking Tau: BMS Buys iPierian and Brain-Disease Program for $175M”

Mobile App Hitlist Aims to Be a Travel Agent with Social Connections

Why choose a trip destination alone when friends can help? That is the central pitch behind the Hitlist app developed by TripCommon in New York. This recent entry in digital travel booking helps users consult friends while figuring out where they want to go on vacation. Getting the input of people who have already been … Continue reading “Mobile App Hitlist Aims to Be a Travel Agent with Social Connections”

CommercialTribe Lands $3.2M Series A Round from Colorado Syndicate

While some classic sales techniques have stood the test of time, the way sales teams train hasn’t, at least in the eyes of Paul Ironside, co-founder and CEO of CommercialTribe. Improve on the inefficient old standbys such as classroom training and sales conferences, he believes, and you could make a fortune. Ironside isn’t alone in … Continue reading “CommercialTribe Lands $3.2M Series A Round from Colorado Syndicate”

As Tag Service Expands, San Diego’s Tealium Secures $20M Financing

San Diego-based Tealium, which provides Web-based technology that enables corporate marketing teams to manage their metadata tags, says it has secured $20 million in debt financing to help fuel the company’s global expansion. Tealium has previously raised over $27 million in venture capital since it was founded six years ago. In a phone interview yesterday, … Continue reading “As Tag Service Expands, San Diego’s Tealium Secures $20M Financing”

What’s Hot in Boston Biotech: The Photos

Biogen Idec’s executive vice president of Research & Development, Douglas Williams said it best: “What’s hot in biotech? I’d say damn near everything.” Williams, of course, was kicking off the festivities at Xconomy Boston’s latest life sciences event, “What’s Hot in Boston Biotech,” on April 16. Attendees then got a taste of the big ideas … Continue reading “What’s Hot in Boston Biotech: The Photos”

Indi Reels In $47M To Push Launch Of Lung Cancer Diagnostic

Lung cancer diagnostic company Integrated Diagnostics launched its first product last fall, and now it has plenty of cash to go out and sell it. The firm, which grew out of Seattle’s Institute for Systems Biology and the California Institute of Technology, said Tuesday it has raised $47 million in equity and debt. The cash … Continue reading “Indi Reels In $47M To Push Launch Of Lung Cancer Diagnostic”

Milwaukee Has Startup Ecosystem Elements, Awaits Chain Reaction

Obviously the startup communities on the coasts are different than those in “flyover country” (as it is often referred to). I’d like to comment on some of the differences between two startup communities I am familiar with: Boston and Milwaukee. While I grew up in Milwaukee, I left after high school to go to MIT … Continue reading “Milwaukee Has Startup Ecosystem Elements, Awaits Chain Reaction”

Apartment List Takes the Pain out of Finding a New Place

After college, Apartment List CEO John Kobs and his co-founder Chris Herndon both decided to buy property and become landlords. Kobs purchased some single-family homes in his Ohio hometown, while Herndon bought property in Austin, where he had attended college. Both used Craigslist to find renters, but found the popular listing site wasn’t doing much … Continue reading “Apartment List Takes the Pain out of Finding a New Place”

Why Would Amazon Want its Own Smartphone, Anyway?

It’s been called one of the worst-kept secrets in the mobile technology industry, but it’s still generating a lot of buzz—Amazon.com, the king of online commerce and trend-setting provider of cloud-computing services, wants to sell its own smartphone. With leaks and rumors being churned out on an almost daily basis, it looks like those long-developing … Continue reading “Why Would Amazon Want its Own Smartphone, Anyway?”

Verdezyne Gets $48M to Advance Industrial Biotechnology in Malaysia

President Obama and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak applauded a business deal in Malaysia yesterday, as the Malaysian agricultural conglomerate Sime Darby Berhad agreed to lead a $48 million investment in Verdezyne, the Carlsbad, CA-based industrial biotech. The deal is expected to make Sime Darby the single largest investor in Verdezyne, which has committed itself … Continue reading “Verdezyne Gets $48M to Advance Industrial Biotechnology in Malaysia”

Keeping Kids Safe and Beer Fresh at the Milwaukee Hardware Hackathon

There’s a word for people who can turn an air conditioner into a homebrew station, a cell phone vibration panel into a child safety device, and a coffee table into a beer fridge: hackers. Hardware hackers, to be specific, and 46 of them gathered this weekend to do that and more at the first-ever Milwaukee … Continue reading “Keeping Kids Safe and Beer Fresh at the Milwaukee Hardware Hackathon”

Detroit’s Canvas Watch Co. Wants Customers’ Design Input

What makes a 26-year-old Michigan native leave a job working for Tesla in Silicon Valley? Shaun Reinhold, founder of the Canvas Watch Company, wanted to apply what he’d learned about supply chain management to a custom watch e-commerce business. “It started with the idea of building a physical product and selling it online,” Reinhold says. … Continue reading “Detroit’s Canvas Watch Co. Wants Customers’ Design Input”

Texas Roundup: Funds for Virtuix, Ortho Kinematics; FPX Buys Glider

Here is the latest innovation news for Xconomy Texas for the past week. —Virtuix, a Houston-based virtual reality gaming startup, has raised $3 million in seed funding from investors such as Mark Cuban, the Houston Angel Network, and Tekton Ventures in San Francisco. The company’s product, the Omni, is a 360-degree treadmill on which users … Continue reading “Texas Roundup: Funds for Virtuix, Ortho Kinematics; FPX Buys Glider”

“Top of Rockies” Honors Xconomy’s Davidson with 2 First Place Awards

We’re proud to report this morning that one of our own has added his name to the summit log in the “Top of the Rockies” journalism competition awards, a program organized by the Colorado Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Michael Davidson, who joined Xconomy just over a year ago as editor of … Continue reading ““Top of Rockies” Honors Xconomy’s Davidson with 2 First Place Awards”

OncoGenex’s Long Wait For Cancer Drug Ends With a Phase 3 Stumble

OncoGenex has waited for years for the outcome of a Phase 3 trial that would tell it whether it had a real treatment for prostate cancer patients on its hands—all while watching increasingly effective drugs seep into the marketplace. The news finally came down today, and unfortunately for the Bothell, WA- and Vancouver, BC-based company, … Continue reading “OncoGenex’s Long Wait For Cancer Drug Ends With a Phase 3 Stumble”

Five Views of the Microsoft Research Silicon Valley TechFair

Microsoft, with a new CEO and a new corporate structure, is pushing hard to burnish its image as a source of innovation in business and consumer computing. Satya Nadella, Steve Ballmer’s replacement (and only the third CEO in the company’s 39-year history), continues to talk about Microsoft’s future as both a “mobile first” and a … Continue reading “Five Views of the Microsoft Research Silicon Valley TechFair”

Entrepreneurs Hope to Fuel Collaboration with Oil and Gas Industry

While Colorado is gaining a reputation as a great place to launch a startup, there’s still a different industry that reigns supreme, especially in Denver: oil and natural gas. “Oil and gas” generates $29 billion per year in the state, according to the industry’s trade association. But while many of Colorado’s most important companies are … Continue reading “Entrepreneurs Hope to Fuel Collaboration with Oil and Gas Industry”

GroundMetrics Lands $2.7M to Expand Geophysical Survey Technology

San Diego-based GroundMetrics says it has raised over $2.7 million to advance its geophysical sensing technology in an extended Series B financing led by Cowboy Technology Angels, an Oklahoma angel group comprised of alumni and friends of Oklahoma State University. GroundMetrics was founded four years ago with advanced electromagnetic sensing technology developed by Quasar Geophysical … Continue reading “GroundMetrics Lands $2.7M to Expand Geophysical Survey Technology”

Six Foods Cooks Up Cricket-Flour Chips & Big Dreams for Bug Meals

If you’ve never eaten bugs before, here’s an interesting tidbit: fried crickets are a lot more substantial than you might think. The first bite is crunchy, which isn’t much of a surprise. But where you might expect a thin, empty shell, the bug offers up a thick, chewy little nugget, not unlike a small hunk … Continue reading “Six Foods Cooks Up Cricket-Flour Chips & Big Dreams for Bug Meals”

In Need Of Revenues, Aastrom Buys Sanofi’s Cell Therapy Products

More than a year after the failure of its lead program forced a major overhaul, Aastrom Biosciences (NASDAQ:ASTM) announced Monday it had acquired pharmaceutical giant Sanofi’s cell therapy and regenerative medicine business for $6.5 million. “We’ve taken steps to strengthen Aastrom and broaden the business, and I think this transaction is a clear reflection of … Continue reading “In Need Of Revenues, Aastrom Buys Sanofi’s Cell Therapy Products”

How A Kidney Drug Almost Torpedoed Concert Pharma’s IPO

[Updated, 4/27/14, 10:49 am ET] Drug development is a humbling thing. Hard as you might try, the numbers show that 90 percent of the time, you’ll fail. What if the signs of such a failure were to emerge, of all times, when you’re pitching an IPO? That’s just the situation that Concert Pharmaceuticals confronted last … Continue reading “How A Kidney Drug Almost Torpedoed Concert Pharma’s IPO”

The Arts Meet Coding: Fractured Atlas Fellowship for Tech Training

That old cliché about actors waiting tables to eat might get upended by a fellowship in technology. Local artists could find their future “day jobs” in software development—thanks to Fractured Atlas. This New York-based nonprofit develops cloud-based management platforms for arts organizations and individual artists. Founder Adam Huttler says the fellowship he has introduced will … Continue reading “The Arts Meet Coding: Fractured Atlas Fellowship for Tech Training”

Beauty Is Everywhere, Except On Your TV Screen. Time to Change That.

Your mother probably taught you to turn off the TV when you weren’t watching it. That made sense, back in the day: television sets used to consume a lot of juice. Today, they don’t. If you bought the largest, most electricity-guzzling flat-screen TV you could find and left it on all the time, you’d still … Continue reading “Beauty Is Everywhere, Except On Your TV Screen. Time to Change That.”

Boston Tech Roundup: docTrackr, WiTricity, Dogpatch Labs

Here’s a splash of news about acquisitions, executive hires, and incubator shutdowns from around the Boston innovation scene to wind up your week: —DocTrackr, a developer of document-management software, has been acquired for $10 million cash. The buyer is New York-based Intralinks, a publicly traded enterprise software company. Intralinks CEO Ron Hovsepian tells GigaOm that … Continue reading “Boston Tech Roundup: docTrackr, WiTricity, Dogpatch Labs”

Kittyo Puts Lasers and Smartphones to Work for Playtime With Pets

Cats, lasers, and smartphones. As the adoration of cats continues to dominate the Interwebs (though squeaky baby sloths are catching up), it was only a matter of time before other technologies got thrown into the mix. Kittyo is a forthcoming device that will be used in homes to shoot a laser dot that people can … Continue reading “Kittyo Puts Lasers and Smartphones to Work for Playtime With Pets”

Seattle Roundup: PayScale, LSDF, Blucora, Glider, Utrip, VirtualQube

PayScale is getting up to $100 million from Warburg Pincus; Blucora bought HowStuffWorks; the Washington Life Sciences Discovery Fund is making more grants; Glider is acquired by FPX; and Utrip and VirtualQube raised capital. More details: —PayScale, the Seattle compensation data company, will cash out existing investors and fund continued growth with an investment of … Continue reading “Seattle Roundup: PayScale, LSDF, Blucora, Glider, Utrip, VirtualQube”

East Coast Biotech Roundup: Sarepta, Alkermes, Boston Biotech, & More

It was megamerger week in the pharma world. Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline, and Eli Lilly executed the drugmaking equivalent to the most complex three-way fantasy football trade of all time. Pfizer was rumored to make a kajillion dollar bid for AstraZeneca. Allergan has become the ever-acquisitive Valeant Pharmaceuticals’ latest target. Even a $13 billion med tech buyout … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: Sarepta, Alkermes, Boston Biotech, & More”

Wisconsin Roundup: BuySeasons, Uber, 96square, Nuclear Energy

Here’s a rundown of notable news items in Wisconsin’s tech and innovation community this past week: —On Monday, I featured Milwaukee serial entrepreneur Jalem Getz’s latest startup, Wantable. Meanwhile, his former company, BuySeasons, continues the CEO carousel that began when Getz left in 2010. On Tuesday, BuySeasons announced that Dev Mukherjee had stepped down and … Continue reading “Wisconsin Roundup: BuySeasons, Uber, 96square, Nuclear Energy”

The Xconomy San Francisco Six: Airbnb, Apple’s Acquisitions, & More

Here are the top six things we’re paying attention to in the San Francisco tech scene this week. —AdRoll, the San Francisco-based ad retargeting platform, closed a $70 million funding round lead by Foundation Capital. The San Francisco startup plans to use the funding to expand its reach on mobile devices, so that products you … Continue reading “The Xconomy San Francisco Six: Airbnb, Apple’s Acquisitions, & More”

Domain Elite Invests $6.5M in GI Device Maker to Expand in China

When Domain Associates unveiled an initiative to commercialize new healthcare technologies in China last year, partner Brian Halak said one of the big challenges would be getting biomedical innovators to license their technologies for the huge, but still-developing market. The venture firm, which is based in San Diego and Princeton, NJ, has been thinking outside … Continue reading “Domain Elite Invests $6.5M in GI Device Maker to Expand in China”

Amid Court Fight and Trial Pauses, Juno Closes First Round at $176M

Supercharged Seattle startup Juno Therapeutics said Thursday it has topped off its first round of venture funding, totaling $176 million in one of the largest cash infusions a private biotech has ever received. It’ll need every penny, and more. Not only is Juno trying to launch an ambitious set of clinical trials in the burgeoning … Continue reading “Amid Court Fight and Trial Pauses, Juno Closes First Round at $176M”

San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Illumina, Vital Therapies, and More

Some big trends in molecular diagnostics, wireless health, and Big Data are converging, and San Diego seems to be one of the places where they are coming together. A few examples are here, along with the rest of the week’s life sciences news. —The Johnson & Johnson Innovation Center, based in Menlo Park, CA, and … Continue reading “San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Illumina, Vital Therapies, and More”

Madison Healthtech Firm Vonlay Sold to Huron Consulting Group

Vonlay, one of the largest healthcare IT consulting firms in Madison, WI, will be acquired by Chicago-based Huron Consulting Group, according to an announcement today. The purchase price wasn’t disclosed. The deal is expected to close in May. Vonlay, founded in 2009 by Aaron Carlock, has 130 employees at its headquarters in Middleton, WI, near … Continue reading “Madison Healthtech Firm Vonlay Sold to Huron Consulting Group”

MD Anderson Leverages IBM Watson in Cancer-Fighting Efforts

Even a powerful “mind” like Watson needs regular checkups. Mike Rhodin, senior vice president for IBM’s Watson Group, was in Austin Wednesday meeting with staff in the group’s emerging technologies and strategies departments. The Texas capital is a key node in Watson, IBM’s big artificial intelligence project, whose endeavors include a collaboration with the University … Continue reading “MD Anderson Leverages IBM Watson in Cancer-Fighting Efforts”

Two San Francisco Startups Sharing In Third Rock’s Rich Third Fund

Third Rock Ventures, an investment firm known for founding life sciences companies from scratch, made a big splash last year by raising $516 million for its third fund while many of its fellow venture capital firms were struggling. Since then, it’s been putting that new money to work. Over the past three months, Third Rock’s … Continue reading “Two San Francisco Startups Sharing In Third Rock’s Rich Third Fund”

Varsity, Malleable Medical Take Top Honors at CU-Boulder Competition

College life can be overwhelming for some students. There are so many events to attend, clubs to join, classes to take—and parties to go to—that finding out about the coolest stuff and what’s right for you can be a challenge. Varsity, a mobile application designed by a team of University of Colorado at Boulder computer … Continue reading “Varsity, Malleable Medical Take Top Honors at CU-Boulder Competition”

Life Sciences Research in Washington Delivers Economic Punch

In addition to novel therapies, improved crops, and cleaner fuels, life sciences research at University of Washington and Washington State University delivers a multibillion-dollar economic boost to the state. Research and development spending by Washington state universities exceeded $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2010, with more than half of that spent in life sciences fields … Continue reading “Life Sciences Research in Washington Delivers Economic Punch”

NFL’s Richard Sherman on Social Media: “You Can Only be Yourself”

[Updated 4/24] He’s one of the best players on the NFL’s top defense, and just won the first Super Bowl in his team’s history. But Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman might be just as well-known for another skill: highly entertaining online smack-talk with other NFL players. There’s more than a bit of calculation behind his … Continue reading “NFL’s Richard Sherman on Social Media: “You Can Only be Yourself””

Why Are Hybra’s Kickstarter Backers So Upset? CEO Joe Thiel Responds

[Updated 4/24/14 and 4/25/14. See below.] When we last reported on Hybra Advance Technology, a Traverse City, MI-based consumer electronics startup, it was September 2013, and the company was days away from closing an extremely successful Kickstarter campaign. Now, half a year later, Kickstarter backers are up in arms, some going so far as to … Continue reading “Why Are Hybra’s Kickstarter Backers So Upset? CEO Joe Thiel Responds”

Corporate Acquisitions of Startups: Why Do They Fail?

For decades large companies have gone shopping in Silicon Valley for startups. Lately the pressure of continuous disruption has forced them to step up the pace. More often than not the results of these acquisitions are disappointing. What can companies learn from others’ failed efforts to integrate startups into large companies? The answer – there … Continue reading “Corporate Acquisitions of Startups: Why Do They Fail?”

Texas Roundup: Neos, See Forge, Ilumi, M-87, Food on the Table

Here’s the startup innovation news from Xconomy Texas this week. —Neos Therapeutics announced Wednesday it has secured a $20 million loan facility with Hercules Technology Growth Capital (NYSE: [[ticker:HTGC]]) and that it raised $18 million in a recent Series C funding round, an increase from the $15.5 million initially reported. The suburban Dallas company makes … Continue reading “Texas Roundup: Neos, See Forge, Ilumi, M-87, Food on the Table”