Though it might seem that way to some, technology never was strictly the domain of men. The programming languages of Rear Adm. Grace Hopper and the algorithms of Ada Lovelace run deeply in the digital DNA of computer science. Women do found and build startups, as we have seen in New York this past year. … Continue reading “Women-led Startups Show New York’s Tech Scene Not Just a Boys’ Club”
Category: National
The Top Stories of 2013 at Xconomy San Francisco and Xperience
As the clock ticks down on 2013, I thought it might be fun to look back at the most popular stories of the year in the two sections I edit: Xconomy San Francisco and Xperience, our new consumer section. The links below are ranked by page views. Many of these stories, you’ll notice, are slide … Continue reading “The Top Stories of 2013 at Xconomy San Francisco and Xperience”
Xconomy Boston’s Top 10 Stories of Q4: Editor’s Picks
As 2013 draws to a close, let’s not short-change the events of the most recent quarter in our retrospective. A lot has happened in the Boston innovation scene since early October, and most of it was not commodity news. Here are my picks for 10 of the most compelling and representative stories in Xconomy Boston … Continue reading “Xconomy Boston’s Top 10 Stories of Q4: Editor’s Picks”
Why Business and Personal Email Are Not the Same
We all carry certain expectations about email from our private lives into a corporate setting. Some of those expectations are met, but in other ways business email is very different from consumer email. These differences can be confusing at best and, at worst, lead to major problems for organizations. The Inside and the Outside To … Continue reading “Why Business and Personal Email Are Not the Same”
Good, Business, and Good Business
Here in the 20-teens, the roles of for-profit businesses, non-profit organizations, government, NGO’s, foundations, investors and philanthropists are beginning to blur together. We are quickly finding ourselves in a world where it is not only possible to do good while doing business, but expected. This is quite a change from the “Friedman Doctrine” that claimed … Continue reading “Good, Business, and Good Business”
Where Electronic Devices Go to Die, and Be Reborn
Millions of people are today enjoying new electronic devices, becoming familiar with a tablet, phone, PC, or television that was waiting under the tree. But just as this year’s bounty displaces a generation of older devices, so too will these new toys eventually be made to seem obsolete. They will reside in a box in … Continue reading “Where Electronic Devices Go to Die, and Be Reborn”
4 Tech Trends That Will Impact Risk and Compliance Efforts in 2014
Once business organizations reach a certain size, their leaders have to start thinking systematically about how to structure reporting relationships to ensure vital information reaches the top; how to identify and account for the internal and external risks that could hobble the company; and how to ensure the organization is complying with a skein of … Continue reading “4 Tech Trends That Will Impact Risk and Compliance Efforts in 2014”
My Top Picks in Bio-Venture Innovations, and Predictions for 2014
I am a biotech VC, but not a techie. So I don’t follow stem cells, gene therapy, and other similar “blockbuster” technologies in the life sciences. Rather than looking at all the gosh-and-golly stuff going into the biotech pipeline, I wait to see what is coming out of the other end. So far, very little … Continue reading “My Top Picks in Bio-Venture Innovations, and Predictions for 2014”
We Ask the Xconomists: Some Quick Predictions for the New Year
As 2013 drew to a close, we asked some of our Xconomists to ponder innovation, past and future, and to give us their predictions for the breakout innovations they expect to see in their respective fields. Here’s what they had to say: Texas Xconomist Blair Garrou, managing director at Mercury Fund in Houston: I’m excited … Continue reading “We Ask the Xconomists: Some Quick Predictions for the New Year”
Priori Legal Pairs Data and the Web to Connect Lawyers with Small Biz
Searching for an attorney might not be fun. But many businesses, even tiny ones with tight budgets, wind up needing their services. A pair of Yale law school grads says their online marketplace, Priorilegal.com, makes it easier for small businesses to find lawyers who are willing to work on the cheap, matching attorneys to the … Continue reading “Priori Legal Pairs Data and the Web to Connect Lawyers with Small Biz”
Boston Roundup: GNS, DailyFeats, Wymsee, Moontoast, Where Angels
It wouldn’t be the holidays without a good old-fashioned news dump. Here’s a few deals that have popped up on the radar while most people are getting ready for a few days off: —GNS Healthcare, a “big data” healthcare company, has filed paperwork for a nearly $10 million equity fundraising. GNS has compiled a database … Continue reading “Boston Roundup: GNS, DailyFeats, Wymsee, Moontoast, Where Angels”
How do Michigan and Wisconsin Compare in the Eyes of VCs?
It’s no surprise that Detroit’s civic problems would resonate most clearly with people around the Great Lakes region. And in Milwaukee, the discussion has been pretty pointed at times—questions about the city’s urban poverty, how Detroit’s bankruptcy might affect Milwaukee, and whether state policies could drive public employees into the suburbs. One thing they definitely … Continue reading “How do Michigan and Wisconsin Compare in the Eyes of VCs?”
ApoCell Entering the Commercial Ring In Rare Tumor Cell Diagnostics
In less than a decade, the Houston-based research services company ApoCell has made a name for itself amid the developing life sciences industry in Texas. Based on its rapid revenue increases, ApoCell has been named to the Inc 5000 list of fastest-growing private US companies for the past three years. ApoCell has now set a … Continue reading “ApoCell Entering the Commercial Ring In Rare Tumor Cell Diagnostics”
Observations From Korea’s Creative Economy 2013 Conference
Innovation is one of those goals that transcends borders. Spurring technology innovation, and through it the creation of new industries that accelerate job growth, is always high on the agenda of any advanced economy. But what if you had to change the culture of an entire nation at the same time? That’s a major part … Continue reading “Observations From Korea’s Creative Economy 2013 Conference”
Hampton Creek Foods Reinvents the Egg—and Cookie Dough
Hampton Creek Foods’ products may be vegan, but that’s not the point. Founder and CEO Josh Tetrick started the company after his best friend, Joshua Balk, told him about some of the problems with eggs—high cholesterol, the cramped conditions the chickens that lay them are kept in, and the environmental impact of big agriculture. “The … Continue reading “Hampton Creek Foods Reinvents the Egg—and Cookie Dough”
SnowShoe Makes Impression with High-Tech Software, Low-Tech Stamp
So how does SnowShoe, a four-person tech startup originally from Madison, WI, and now split between that city and San Francisco, plan to make it big? With a little plastic widget that’s about 2 inches long, 1 inch wide, less than an inch thick, and can be made by a 3-D printer for less than … Continue reading “SnowShoe Makes Impression with High-Tech Software, Low-Tech Stamp”
A Need to Know: Adding DNA and Geomedicine Data to Patient Records
It takes a lot of patience to be a patient. There are about 1.2 billion physician office visits annually in the United States, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. The center, which has collected data on this subject for decades, also reports that patients wait an average of just “north” of 11 minutes … Continue reading “A Need to Know: Adding DNA and Geomedicine Data to Patient Records”
Age of Surprise
For about 500 years, it seems that we’ve been living in an era of permanent surprise, of unanticipated discoveries like Columbus’ landfall in what he thought was an outpost of China. Ever since, we have been conditioned to expect the unexpected. And around 1760, about halfway through our age, we entered the factory era that … Continue reading “Age of Surprise”
Vaccine Developer Genocea Files For IPO, Plans to Raise $75M
Genocea Biosciences has spent years fine-tuning a platform that’s supposed to make it quicker and easier to produce a vaccine. Now, with its two first products in early development, it’ll see if public investors have taken to its progress. In filings with the SEC, Cambridge, MA-based Genocea said it plans to raise up to $75 … Continue reading “Vaccine Developer Genocea Files For IPO, Plans to Raise $75M”
General Catalyst Raises $675M, Wants to Grow Silicon Valley Office
Venture capital firm General Catalyst Partners has raised $675 million for its seventh investment fund, saying it wants to continue investing in fast-growing companies from coast to coast—with a special focus on Silicon Valley. The deal, announced today, comes about two years after General Catalyst raised $500 million for its sixth fund. The firm has invested … Continue reading “General Catalyst Raises $675M, Wants to Grow Silicon Valley Office”
Investors Sink Tesaro Shares on Phase 3 Misses For Cancer Drug
Waltham, MA-based Tesaro (NASDAQ: [[ticker:TSRO]]) is trumpeting some late-stage success for its lead cancer drug, rolapitant, but investors clearly aren’t buying the results. Tesaro this morning released the top-line data from two Phase III trials for rolapitant, a drug it’s developing for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). The company emphasized that rolapitant hit the primary … Continue reading “Investors Sink Tesaro Shares on Phase 3 Misses For Cancer Drug”
DFJ Growth Backs Foursquare, Barry Schuler Sees an “Inflection Point”
Dennis Crowley seemed to be on a quest in 2013 to change minds about—and revive the prospects for—his company Foursquare. Earlier this year, Foursquare rolled out new versions of the check-in app, adding real-time recommendations and other features. But now, Crowley has the input of a former CEO of AOL. Last Thursday, word came that … Continue reading “DFJ Growth Backs Foursquare, Barry Schuler Sees an “Inflection Point””
Detroit Native Returns to the City to Launch Pedicab Startup
Gabby Bryant, 23, is exactly the kind of person Detroit needs to help execute its comeback. She was born and raised in Detroit, but eventually left to study economics and African American studies at Harvard. She thought she’d go on to Washington, DC, after she graduated, but instead she found herself thinking more and more … Continue reading “Detroit Native Returns to the City to Launch Pedicab Startup”
SnowShoe Tries to Succeed With One Foot in Madison, Other in SF
To stay in the nurturing environment of the place where you were raised, or to strike out into the unknown to find your fortune? It’s a quandary even for startups—especially when they become the local favorites and standard bearers. An example is SnowShoe, a startup from Madison, WI. The four-person tech firm was born in … Continue reading “SnowShoe Tries to Succeed With One Foot in Madison, Other in SF”
Diverse Software Developer Talent—A Gift That Keeps on Giving
Here’s a fresh take on the spirit of giving: Ten Washington technology companies have agreed to “pay it forward” by supporting Seattle’s first not-for-profit coding academy focused on preparing women who show technical aptitude, but have little or no technical experience, to become software developers. During the Technology Alliance’s early days in the mid-1990s, Washington … Continue reading “Diverse Software Developer Talent—A Gift That Keeps on Giving”
10 Tips for Maximizing the JP Morgan Healthcare Experience
San Francisco, we’re coming. Of course, you are ready for the biotech onslaught. The cab drivers, hotel people, cops, security dudes, restaurant and bar staff—you all know the drill come January. So what about all the healthcare industry capitalists? Are you ready to make the most of this week when all the decision makers and … Continue reading “10 Tips for Maximizing the JP Morgan Healthcare Experience”
Colorado-based Boulder Ventures to Raise $100M Venture Fund
The flurry of activity in Colorado’s small venture capital world continues, with news emerging that local VC firm Boulder Ventures is raising a new $100 million fund. Boulder Ventures is a Boulder-based firm that specializes in investing in companies in the Boulder-Denver area. The firm invests in software, hardware, IT, and biotech companies. Its list … Continue reading “Colorado-based Boulder Ventures to Raise $100M Venture Fund”
Texas Roundup: Apollo Endosurgery, Pros Holdings, START
Before we head into the holiday week, Texas startups are wrapping up fundraising, acquisitions, and new expansions. Here is the latest news from Xconomy Texas: —Austin-based Apollo Endosurgery said it raised $60.7 million in a planned $63.7 million Series C financing. The medical device company had 11 investors in this round, according to a filing … Continue reading “Texas Roundup: Apollo Endosurgery, Pros Holdings, START”
Cohen Likely to Keep Aim on “Angel-Scale” Deals with new $150M Fund
The evolution of Techstars CEO David Cohen from an entrepreneur “vaguely dissatisfied with the way angel investing worked” to a full-fledged venture capitalist has taken another major step forward with his fresh efforts to raise a $150 million investment fund. While Cohen is best known as the head of the Techstars startup accelerator, which has … Continue reading “Cohen Likely to Keep Aim on “Angel-Scale” Deals with new $150M Fund”
Ariad’s Cancer Drug to Return to U.S. in January, Shares Soar
It’s been a rough few months for Ariad Pharmaceuticals, but the Cambridge, MA-based company finally got some good news today. The FDA has given Ariad the green light to bring its cancer drug, ponatinib (Iclusig), back to the U.S. market in the middle of January. While that’s big news for Ariad—ponatinib is its only drug—it … Continue reading “Ariad’s Cancer Drug to Return to U.S. in January, Shares Soar”
News, Social Networking Meet in Prismatic’s “Interest Network”
Over the last 20 years, three new technologies have come together to reshape the way information enters our lives. First, of course, there was the Web, starting around 1993. Then came social networking, starting around 2003. And finally—hugely amplifying the effects of the first two—came broadband-capable smartphones and tablets, starting in 2007. Any one of … Continue reading “News, Social Networking Meet in Prismatic’s “Interest Network””
With U-M Tech, Ford Research Car Maps Its Surroundings in 3D
A press preview event put on last week ahead of January’s North American International Auto Show had, as one might expect, the relentlessly positive feel of a pep rally. Joe Hinrichs, Ford’s president of North American operations, told the crowd that 2014 “represents a massive year for Ford.” Less than a week after the Dec. 12, of … Continue reading “With U-M Tech, Ford Research Car Maps Its Surroundings in 3D”
East Coast Biotech Roundup: Curoverse, Sia, Trinity, & (Much) More
Time to bid an adieu to 2013. Xconomy will go on a little holiday break once Christmas rolls around next week, so this’ll be the last roundup of the year. True to form in what’s been a wild year for biotech—the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index is up more than 50 percent since Jan. 2— it’s jam-packed. … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: Curoverse, Sia, Trinity, & (Much) More”
How WARF Plans to Stay Relevant in Lean Times for Tech Transfer
Quick, name one of the oldest—if not the oldest—university tech transfer institutions in the country. If your brain automatically took you to a spot in New England or sunny California, think again. It’s the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, or WARF, which was founded nearly 90 years ago in 1925. What would become WARF started when … Continue reading “How WARF Plans to Stay Relevant in Lean Times for Tech Transfer”
Radius Health Churns Through 3 CEOs, as Osteoporosis Drug Delayed
Radius Health’s skin patch for osteoporosis appears to have fallen short of expectations in a mid-stage clinical trial, leading to a roughly two-year delay in development and what’s been a revolving door of four CEOs over the past month, Xconomy has learned. The Cambridge, MA-based company, which tried to go public last year, but ultimately … Continue reading “Radius Health Churns Through 3 CEOs, as Osteoporosis Drug Delayed”
Arrowhead Picks Up Where Roche Left Off, Jumps Ahead in RNAi
One of the big stories on the leading edge of drug development is unfolding at a small biotech company few people have heard of on the west side of Madison, WI. Arrowhead Research (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ARWR]]) isn’t a household name in Madison, even in the local biotech community, as I discovered on a recent visit. But … Continue reading “Arrowhead Picks Up Where Roche Left Off, Jumps Ahead in RNAi”
Techstars CEO David Cohen to Raise $150M Fund
Techstars co-founder and CEO David Cohen has begun the process of raising a $150 million fund, according to an SEC filing made earlier today. While Cohen is best known as the head of Boulder, CO-based Techstars, he’s also an active investor who has made a few hundred “angel-scale” investments in startups across the country. Many … Continue reading “Techstars CEO David Cohen to Raise $150M Fund”
IDRI CEO Stewart Parker Steps Down, Erik Iverson Steps Up
Seattle-based IDRI just reflected a bit as it celebrated its 20th anniversary, and now it is getting a new business leader to take it ahead. The nonprofit global health research center said today that CEO H. Stewart Parker is stepping down from that full-time day-to-day leadership role on Jan. 1 to become a senior advisor. … Continue reading “IDRI CEO Stewart Parker Steps Down, Erik Iverson Steps Up”
Sympoz Closes $35M Series C Round Backed by Adams Street Partners
Sympoz has been hard at work building an online education service. Turns out, the company might be able to teach a few lessons of its own about raising investment cash. Denver-based Sympoz, the parent of Craftsy, has just raised a $35 million Series C round, with private equity firm Adams Street Partners coming on as … Continue reading “Sympoz Closes $35M Series C Round Backed by Adams Street Partners”
HealthNetConnect on the Future of Telemedicine, Remote House Calls
Judging by last month’s Medical Main Street conference held in Troy, MI, health IT has never been hotter in Michigan. Among the many companies looking to compete on this crowded field is a Michigan medical supply company that has developed a remote diagnostic system that is already being used by major local hospitals. J&B Medical … Continue reading “HealthNetConnect on the Future of Telemedicine, Remote House Calls”
VC-Backed Travel Startup Inspirato Takes over Rival’s Portfolio
Inspirato, the Denver-based luxury vacation club that has raised $48.5 million from Silicon Valley heavy hitters like Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Institutional Venture Partners, said Wednesday it is taking over the portfolio of rival Portico. Portico had been part of Denver-based Exclusive Resorts. The deal was officially labeled a “combination,” and the amount … Continue reading “VC-Backed Travel Startup Inspirato Takes over Rival’s Portfolio”
San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Rempex, Pfenex, Halozyme & More
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, especially at San Diego’s Rempex Pharmaceuticals, which was acquired in one of the bigger deals of the year. We have details, along with the rest of the region’s recent life sciences news. —The Medicines Co. (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MDCO]]) of Parsippany, NJ, agreed to pay $474 million—including $140 million … Continue reading “San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Rempex, Pfenex, Halozyme & More”
Jack Dorsey & Harlem Small Business Owners Discuss Entrepreneurship
A different kind of show went on stage at the Apollo Theater in New York on Tuesday night. Square CEO and Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey kicked off a conversation with small business owners in Harlem about their goals and needs. It was the final “Let’s Talk” chat for the year, a series of panels sponsored … Continue reading “Jack Dorsey & Harlem Small Business Owners Discuss Entrepreneurship”
Vertex Looks to Patient Subset as CF Drug Misses Mark in Latest Study
The results are out from Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VRTX]]) latest cystic fibrosis study. And while the Cambridge, MA-based company didn’t get what it was looking for, it still says the numbers are good enough to bring to the FDA next year. Vertex announced the results of a late-stage study testing its cystic fibrosis drug, ivacaftor … Continue reading “Vertex Looks to Patient Subset as CF Drug Misses Mark in Latest Study”
At Unbounded Robotics, Smart Compromises Bring Down Costs
When is one arm better than two? When you’re trying to build a mobile-manipulator robot that somebody can actually afford to buy. One of the problems that kept PR2, a humanoid robot developed by Menlo Park, CA-based Willow Garage, from succeeding commercially was its $400,000 price tag. And one of the things that made PR2 … Continue reading “At Unbounded Robotics, Smart Compromises Bring Down Costs”
Roundup: DreamBox, Resolution Tube, & Qazzow Funded; U District Startups
‘Twas the week before Christmas and Seattle-area entrepreneurs filled their stockings with venture capital. Another local ed-tech company, DreamBox Learning, pulled down a significant early-stage funding round. Two companies taking different approaches to customer service in very different industries—Resolution Tube and Qazzow—each landed venture funding. And the U District got some more attention as a … Continue reading “Roundup: DreamBox, Resolution Tube, & Qazzow Funded; U District Startups”
Fresh from IPO, Five Prime Advances Arthritis and Cancer Drugs
Investors in healthcare’s big IPO class of 2013 have seen some wild swings in share values since the debuts of dozens of new public companies. Hot trading in the Cambridge, MA-based companies Foundation Medicine and Epizyme pushed their peak prices above $40 for a time, followed by declines that sent the stocks swooning below their … Continue reading “Fresh from IPO, Five Prime Advances Arthritis and Cancer Drugs”
Milwaukee Investor Mosher on WI Startups, Twitter’s Business Model
George Mosher has never really enjoyed golfing, and for that Wisconsin entrepreneurs should be thankful. Rather than fading into the sunset after he and his wife sold their $125 million business, National Business Furniture, in 2006, Mosher has become one of Wisconsin’s most prolific angel investors. The 74-year-old Boston native has made 162 angel investments, … Continue reading “Milwaukee Investor Mosher on WI Startups, Twitter’s Business Model”
Seattle Startup Koru Takes On Tech Training, Hiring for Recent Grads
Think of Koru, a Seattle startup bridging the worlds of education and high-tech recruitment, as akin to a study-abroad program paired with a high-powered internship for recent graduates looking to burst into tech, but facing a dismal employment picture. The company landed a $4.35 million investment, which we reported in October when it was going … Continue reading “Seattle Startup Koru Takes On Tech Training, Hiring for Recent Grads”
Avago’s $6.6B Acquisition of LSI Could Have Major Effect on Colorado
Avago Technologies’ planned $6.6 billion cash acquisition of LSI could be felt in Colorado, where LSI has about 650 employees, but officials with the company said their fate has not been determined. Avago Technologies (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AVGO]]) makes and sells analog semiconductor devices, while LSI (NASDAQ: [[ticker:LSI]]) designs semiconductors and software for storage and networking in … Continue reading “Avago’s $6.6B Acquisition of LSI Could Have Major Effect on Colorado”