Category: National

Stem Cell Maker Cellular Dynamics Strikes Deal With Nestle

The market for Cellular Dynamics International’s manufactured stem cells has so far consisted mainly of large pharmaceutical companies, stem cell banks, and other life science researchers. Now Nestlé will use the cells in nutritional research. Cellular Dynamics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ICEL]]), based in Madison, WI, on Wednesday announced a supply agreement with the Nestlé Institute of Health … Continue reading “Stem Cell Maker Cellular Dynamics Strikes Deal With Nestle”

Could a Little Startup Called Diffbot Be the Next Google?

In tech journalism, it’s inadvisable to call any company “the next Google.” It’s almost always breathless hype or marked naïveté. After all, people have been predicting the search giant’s demise for nearly as long as the company has existed. I wrote a Technology Review cover story called “Search Beyond Google” nearly 10 years ago. But … Continue reading “Could a Little Startup Called Diffbot Be the Next Google?”

Scott McNealy’s Social Media Startup Wayin Buys Argentine Company

Wayin, a Denver-based startup co-founded by Sun Microsystems co-founder Scott McNealy, announced today it has purchased Buenos Aires-based Comenta TV, a social media analytics startup in South America. The price was not disclosed. Wayin is a startup that collects social media postings from sites like Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook and filters them according to criteria … Continue reading “Scott McNealy’s Social Media Startup Wayin Buys Argentine Company”

Seattle Genetics Nabs $25M More From AbbVie for Souped Up Antibodies

Seattle Genetics is best known for its one successful marketed cancer drug, but it has been busy working behind the scenes for years on new technologies for making souped-up antibodies against cancer. Now AbbVie has agreed to pay $25 million to gain more access to some of the new technology that links targeted antibodies to … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics Nabs $25M More From AbbVie for Souped Up Antibodies”

Houston’s MD Anderson Partners With Pfizer on Cancer Immunotherapies

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has a new partnership with Pfizer that moves forward a key component of the hospital’s year-old “Moon Shots” program aimed at dramatically improving survival of cancer patients. The hospital announced Monday it will work with the New York City-based pharmaceutical giant to develop immunotherapies, an approach that … Continue reading “Houston’s MD Anderson Partners With Pfizer on Cancer Immunotherapies”

Janssen Tests Ideas, Apps, in Bid for Clinical Trials Innovation

As the cost and complexity of drug development has skyrocketed in recent decades, Big Pharma has focused increasingly on improving the way clinical trials are conducted. In 2007, the FDA and Duke University Medical Center established a public-private collaboration called the Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative (CTTI). The idea was to streamline the process so clinical … Continue reading “Janssen Tests Ideas, Apps, in Bid for Clinical Trials Innovation”

Despite Benefits, Biogas Systems Face Challenges at Wisconsin Dairies

Wisconsin is already a leading producer of energy from dairy waste, and sunny industry reports suggest the opportunity for the number of digesters in the U.S. to grow more than tenfold in the next decade to a mature market worth nearly $3 billion a year. But today, the market for anaerobic digesters—covered lagoons or tanks … Continue reading “Despite Benefits, Biogas Systems Face Challenges at Wisconsin Dairies”

From MIT Robot Whiz to DoD Engineer: The Gener8tor Startup Founders

The fourth gener8tor accelerator program got underway this week with a blitz of “speed dates” between the entrepreneurs and a field of potential mentors. On Tuesday I hung out at gener8tor’s office in downtown Madison, WI, where the program’s winter crop of five startups shuffled between office suites in 15-minute individual sessions with mentors. The … Continue reading “From MIT Robot Whiz to DoD Engineer: The Gener8tor Startup Founders”

Boston Roundup: MC10, PeerTransfer, CO Everywhere, Bridge Boys

A few fundraising deals you may have missed over the holidays: —MC10, which makes thin, flexible, sensor-packed electronics, has raised nearly $20 million more in equity financing. It’s not clear who the investors in the round were, since the news comes via the bare-bones SEC filing and there’s no additional word on the company’s website. The … Continue reading “Boston Roundup: MC10, PeerTransfer, CO Everywhere, Bridge Boys”

Blueprint Medicines Hauls in $25M For Cancer Drug Push

Blueprint Medicines has just grabbed a new round of cash to help get its first drug candidate into a clinical trial next year. The Cambridge, MA-based company said today that it’s completed a $25 million Series B round led by new backer Nextech Invest Ltd., as well as some new investors—Biotech Value Fund and Casdin … Continue reading “Blueprint Medicines Hauls in $25M For Cancer Drug Push”

Texas Roundup: Bellicum, Spredfast, People Pattern, Neos, Localeur

The start of the new year is proving to be fertile ground for Texas startups in the fundraising mode. Here’s the latest news from around the state. —Bellicum Pharmaceuticals said Tuesday it closed its Series B fundraising with an additional $14.7 million, bringing the total raised in this round to $34.4 million. Investors included Axia Ventures … Continue reading “Texas Roundup: Bellicum, Spredfast, People Pattern, Neos, Localeur”

ProNAi Announces Progress on Its Novel Cancer-Fighting Drug

Mina Sooch, Detroit Xconomist and president and CEO of ProNAi Therapeutics, says 2013 was a landmark year for the biotech startup based in Plymouth, MI. ProNAi, which was spun out of technology discovered at Wayne State University and the Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, aims to “quiet” disease using novel drugs that target cancer and … Continue reading “ProNAi Announces Progress on Its Novel Cancer-Fighting Drug”

Curves Are “In” with TV Makers: First Impressions from CES 2014

New devices often strive for slim and sleek looks. This year, some tech giants are flaunting curves. The exhibits opened today for this year’s International CES in Las Vegas but, as usual, journalists got an early look Monday at a few of the gadgets that will be on display. The weeklong event is a frenzy … Continue reading “Curves Are “In” with TV Makers: First Impressions from CES 2014”

IRobot’s New Floor-Cleaning Bot a Key to Company’s Future

IRobot has built a pretty large business on the gee-whiz proposition of letting robotic vacuum cleaners tidy up around the house. But the company won’t get truly huge until home cleaning robots are as commonplace as dishwashers or sonic toothbrushes. That’s a big part of the thinking behind the company’s introduction of a new robot, … Continue reading “IRobot’s New Floor-Cleaning Bot a Key to Company’s Future”

Versal Steers Away from the YouTube Model in Online Education

Ask educators and entrepreneurs today how technology is changing the way students learn, and they’ll point first to MOOCs, or massive online open courses, the new teaching approach being developed by companies like Udacity and Coursera and non-profit ventures like edX. But how new are MOOCs, really? If you look beyond the delivery mechanism—the Internet—the … Continue reading “Versal Steers Away from the YouTube Model in Online Education”

Green Roof Tech Firm Offers Cloud-Based Fix for Cloud-Born Problem

The idea of blanketing buildings with living plants as a way to mitigate their environmental impact isn’t new, but Vegetal i.D. is adding a couple twists on the so-called green roof concept that company leaders think could shake up the industry. Chief among them: a cloud-based system that could allow the roof to work in … Continue reading “Green Roof Tech Firm Offers Cloud-Based Fix for Cloud-Born Problem”

Wisconsin Lab is at Nexus of Innovation for U.S. Forest Service

It takes an unusual person to get excited about the latest advances in such common building materials as medium-density fiberboard. Yet Michael Rains’ runaway enthusiasm comes tumbling through—even on a long-distance phone call from his office, where Rains does double duty as director of the U.S. Forest Service Northern Research Station in Newton, PA (responsible … Continue reading “Wisconsin Lab is at Nexus of Innovation for U.S. Forest Service”

Orbotix, GeoPalz Lead Colorado Startups at CES in Las Vegas

It’s that time of the year again, when Colorado tech companies leave the winter behind for Las Vegas and the annual Consumer Electronics Show. This year a handful of locally based startups will make the trip, including Orbotix, which is unveiling a new robot, Sphero 2B. According to the CES media guide, 41 firms headquartered … Continue reading “Orbotix, GeoPalz Lead Colorado Startups at CES in Las Vegas”

Brightcove Spends $49M for Ad-Tech Company Unicorn Media

Boston-based online video company Brightcove is paying $49 million, mostly in stock, for a smaller private company that specializes in digital video advertising technology. Brightcove says it will continue offering products from Tempe, AZ-based Unicorn Media once the deal is complete, and turn the Unicorn offices into a Brightcove branch operation. The purchase involves about … Continue reading “Brightcove Spends $49M for Ad-Tech Company Unicorn Media”

Propeller Health Takes Off With Digital Tracker for Asthma

The holiday season just past was a feast for the senses—decorations, scented candles, fresh-cut evergreens, and the happy faces of visitors. But all the household cleaning and holiday decorating can also set off an asthma attack, as some sufferers from the disease may have learned over the last month if they’ve been keeping careful daily … Continue reading “Propeller Health Takes Off With Digital Tracker for Asthma”

Bad Statistics, and Bad Training, Are Sabotaging Drug Discovery

One of the most widely read college textbooks in the 1960s and ‘70s was How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff. Despite the humorous title, the serious intent of the book (written by a journalist, not a statistician) was to illustrate how common errors in the use of statistics frequently lead to misleading conclusions. … Continue reading “Bad Statistics, and Bad Training, Are Sabotaging Drug Discovery”

Motor City Mapping Tackles Urban Blight Using Loveland Tech

A new day seemed to be dawning in Detroit when Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert paraphrased 50 Cent and told an audience at Marygrove College that Detroit’s recently announced urban blight task force is “going to get this done or we are going to die trying.” The bold statement made last month was a welcome … Continue reading “Motor City Mapping Tackles Urban Blight Using Loveland Tech”

Josh Boger Finds Beauty Off the Coast of Fiji, in Life After Vertex

What has Josh Boger been doing the past four years in his supposed “retirement” from Vertex Pharmaceuticals? Turns out, he’s found peace and beauty. He discovered it about as far away from the biotech grind as you can possibly get. Boger, as many readers know, is the founder and former president and CEO of Cambridge, … Continue reading “Josh Boger Finds Beauty Off the Coast of Fiji, in Life After Vertex”

Gener8tor Goes International With Latest Startup Accelerator Class

Last summer, gener8tor’s startup accelerator class featured companies from outside Wisconsin, a first for the program. Now the Madison and Milwaukee-based startup nurturer has an international flavor. Five new startups have been accepted into the winter class in Madison that gener8tor is starting tonight. The companies hail from Mexico, Massachusetts, Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin. From … Continue reading “Gener8tor Goes International With Latest Startup Accelerator Class”

Roundup: Maveron Fundraising; Vidible & Doxo Funded; NWEN’s Future?

We know the holidays are over because Starbucks has switched its cups back to white. 2013 closed with word of a new fund for Maveron, funding for video marketplace Vidible and paperless billing provider Doxo. As 2014 revs up, we’re watching for the next iteration of the Northwest Entrepreneur Network. Read on for details of … Continue reading “Roundup: Maveron Fundraising; Vidible & Doxo Funded; NWEN’s Future?”

Startups Poised to Make Their Mark Alongside the Big Guys at CES

Much of the technology world will descend this weekend on Las Vegas, bound for the annual spectacle of new gadgets known as the International CES. As soon as the Northeast digs its way out of the snow, I will be on my way for hands-on coverage of this carnival of consumer devices. Big companies such … Continue reading “Startups Poised to Make Their Mark Alongside the Big Guys at CES”

Scientific Reproducibility: Raising the Standards for Biomedicine

The vast majority of findings published in high-profile biomedical research publications can’t be reproduced by independent laboratories. Multiple groups have come to this same shocking conclusion in recent years, and it has deservedly generated considerable attention. It matters because the ability to reproduce a result is fundamental to establishing the legitimacy of a new research … Continue reading “Scientific Reproducibility: Raising the Standards for Biomedicine”

East Coast Biotech Roundup: Scholar Rock, Dicerna, Eleven, & More

Just when you thought the biotech IPO stampede was over, the holiday break came, and with it, a new batch of prospective publicly-traded life sciences companies. Those stories and more below as the roundup returns from a short vacation: —Growth factors are well known in the biotech world, but a new Cambridge, MA-based startup named … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: Scholar Rock, Dicerna, Eleven, & More”

H2Oscore Pushes Water Conservation Via Software, Utilities, and Beer

It can be challenging enough to change water consumption habits built up over years, like leaving the faucet running while brushing one’s teeth or taking long showers. Now try encouraging conservation in a water-rich area like Milwaukee, nestled against the largest collection of fresh water bodies on Earth. That’s the task McGee Young is tackling … Continue reading “H2Oscore Pushes Water Conservation Via Software, Utilities, and Beer”

The Future of Education: 10 Trends To Watch

It is that time of the year when we tend to pause, reflect, and look forward. What have we achieved in the year just passed? What are the highlights of culture, business, technology, and trends that we have observed around us? For me, the most exciting and positive movement at present is in the domain … Continue reading “The Future of Education: 10 Trends To Watch”

New Online Services Put You Back in Command of Your 401(k)

If you’re still in search of a New Year’s resolution, here’s one you’re free to borrow from me: Become a more active and self-reliant manager of your retirement investment accounts, using some of the affordable new tools available online. This week I’ve been exploring two of the leading services, Jemstep and Personal Capital. After just … Continue reading “New Online Services Put You Back in Command of Your 401(k)”

Luminex Finds Growth in Diagnostics Along a Texas-Wisconsin Corridor

To paraphrase the self-help saying, the first step in curing a problem is knowing that you have it. And Austin’s Luminex (Nasdaq: LMNX), with the help of its R&D team in Madison, WI, says it has found a way to help clinicians and researchers diagnose disease faster and more efficiently by enabling them to look … Continue reading “Luminex Finds Growth in Diagnostics Along a Texas-Wisconsin Corridor”

MassRoots Building Digital Hub for Multi-Billion Cannabis Industry

Colorado took a big step toward becoming “the Silicon Valley of cannabis” on Wednesday when it became legal to sell marijuana in the state, according to the founder of MassRoots, a tech startup that’s moving here to take advantage of the state’s burgeoning cannabis economy and friendly laws. MassRoots is an app-based social network for … Continue reading “MassRoots Building Digital Hub for Multi-Billion Cannabis Industry”

Here’s What Mobile Industry Insiders See Ahead for 2014

By now, you should know the truly big stories in the mobile sector: Samsung’s rise to challenge Apple, Microsoft finally acquiring Nokia, Google leaping into wearables, more moves toward carrier consolidation. But if you want to get a jump start on some of the biggest trends shaping up in the mobile industry, you could do … Continue reading “Here’s What Mobile Industry Insiders See Ahead for 2014”

Tinypass Lets Web Publishers Put Different Paywall Options in Play

Figuring out how to make money from online content is still akin to trying to build the better mouse trap. Publishers try many different ways to sell access to articles, videos, and other media—and sometimes fall flat on their faces. But one New York-based startup hopes to make it easier for such sites to figure … Continue reading “Tinypass Lets Web Publishers Put Different Paywall Options in Play”

New Venture Funds, Sympoz’s Big Score are Top Colorado Stories for 4Q

With 2013 finally in the books, here’s a rundown of some of the top stories from the final three months of the year.  -VC firms close 2013 with a flourish Colorado’s small community of venture capitalists seized the spotlight in late December, with news emerging that two prominent local firms were seeking to raise funds … Continue reading “New Venture Funds, Sympoz’s Big Score are Top Colorado Stories for 4Q”

Dicerna Joins Biotech IPO Queue, Plans $69M Raise

When Dicerna Pharmaceuticals hauled in $60 million back in August, CEO Doug Fambrough hinted that an IPO was on the way. The Watertown, MA-based company made good on that prediction this morning. Dicerna has filed papers with the Securities and Exchange Commission outlining plans to raise up to $69 million from public investors through an … Continue reading “Dicerna Joins Biotech IPO Queue, Plans $69M Raise”

Tech Bubble Leaks Air, Healthcare Bests Biotech, & More for 2014

The coming year will see some good news and some bad news in tech. Here are five predictions. • IPOs: This past year witnessed an extraordinary resurgence in IPO activity for venture-backed companies. It felt much like 1999 right before the crest of the wave. With modest growth, unsustainably high valuation multiples, little excess left for … Continue reading “Tech Bubble Leaks Air, Healthcare Bests Biotech, & More for 2014”

Scholar Rock Aims to Hit Disease-Causing Proteins in a “Niche”

For the better part of a year, Scholar Rock has worked behind the scenes mapping out an approach to hit well-known disease targets in an unusual way. Now, the nascent Cambridge, MA-based startup is ready to discuss what it’s found. Scholar Rock is emerging from stealth mode today to make two announcements: First, it’s licensed … Continue reading “Scholar Rock Aims to Hit Disease-Causing Proteins in a “Niche””

Microbe Detectives Brings DNA Sequencing to Water

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett wants southeastern Wisconsin to be known as the “Fresh Coast.” Others have thrown around the phrase “Silicon Valley of water.” Marketing verbiage aside, the conversation around turning this region on the shores of Lake Michigan into a fresh water business hub continues to grow louder. Southeastern Wisconsin is home to the … Continue reading “Microbe Detectives Brings DNA Sequencing to Water”

The Year in Innovation: Xconomy’s Top 13 Stories of 2013

If you only have time to read a few of our articles from the past year, these are the ones. These are editor’s picks (mine). They are not based on Web traffic, but rather on a subjective weighting of their impact, significance, and representation of our mission and geographies. Xconomy is now in 9 regions … Continue reading “The Year in Innovation: Xconomy’s Top 13 Stories of 2013”

Remembering James L. Vincent, Longtime Biogen Leader

Are they making innovators quite like James L. Vincent any more? This question, spurred by Vincent’s death on Dec. 5, has more edge these days as we worry how Americans are going to keep inventing, making, and selling new things to earn a good living in a sharply competitive world. More bluntly, do the innovators … Continue reading “Remembering James L. Vincent, Longtime Biogen Leader”

Help Wanted: Houston vs. Austin and the Search for the Best IT Talent

Last May, we announced that we were moving Datafiniti to Austin. A big reason for our move was the lack of a suitable talent pool from which to hire. There was a lot of skepticism—perhaps surprisingly so—around our reasoning. At the time, we provided what I thought was a healthy dose of data to back … Continue reading “Help Wanted: Houston vs. Austin and the Search for the Best IT Talent”

Why Angels Should Keep Their Distance from Crowdfunding in 2014

There’s certainly been a lot of uncertainty in the angel and venture capital arenas over the past decade, and understandably so. Add to that, the lure of crowdfunding—a nearly $3 billion business in 2012—and it’s led some angel groups to consider if there is a role for individual investors in crowdfunding their deals. My advice … Continue reading “Why Angels Should Keep Their Distance from Crowdfunding in 2014”