Washington Gov. Jay Inslee heaped praise on Seattle energy storage materials maker EnerG2 as he celebrated the University of Washington’s Clean Energy Institute last week. As we’ve reported, the company is a fine example of innovation from a university lab translating to a cleantech job creator. It’s a model Inslee, university leaders, and area investors … Continue reading “Energy Angels Provide Key Support for Cleantech Innovation in NW and Beyond”
Category: National
Boundless Settles Copyright Lawsuit From Textbook Publishers
Online education startup Boundless has settled a copyright lawsuit from three major college textbook publishers, moving the young company past a turbulent period that saw business growth, but also the departure of two of its three co-founders. A settlement had been in the works for some time, as we reported this summer. The lawsuit was … Continue reading “Boundless Settles Copyright Lawsuit From Textbook Publishers”
Houston’s Decisio Crunches Patient Data for Better Care
Doctors and nurses in Houston’s Memorial Hermann Hospital scramble among hospital beds, making split-second decisions on treatment based on experience and a half-dozen blinking screens flashing different vital signs. “There are a lot of data sets—plus, blood on the floor,” says Bryan Haardt, chief executive officer of the Houston-based medtech startup Decisio Healthcare. It’s a … Continue reading “Houston’s Decisio Crunches Patient Data for Better Care”
RidePal and the Private Bus Wars: Q&A with Founder Nathalie Criou
Aside from rent increases, few effects of the economic boom lifting up the San Francisco Bay Area (or afflicting it, depending on your point of view) have drawn more ire and resentment lately than the private buses. These big, faceless, Wi-Fi-equipped vehicles crawl the streets and highways of San Francisco and the peninsula, shuttling tech … Continue reading “RidePal and the Private Bus Wars: Q&A with Founder Nathalie Criou”
MdotLabs, Backed by Great Oaks & Others, Sifts Out Bogus Web Traffic
When is a page view not a real page view? That is one of the questions MdotLabs offers to help Web companies answer through its software. Much of the revenue in digital publishing and online ads rides on audience flow. So being able to verify the number of people who check out websites is crucial. … Continue reading “MdotLabs, Backed by Great Oaks & Others, Sifts Out Bogus Web Traffic”
Stem Cells, Inc. Expanding Trial in Age-Related Eye Affliction
In the seven years since companies including Genentech/Roche and Regeneron launched new drugs to slow vision loss from an eye disorder called “wet” age-related macular degeneration, the market for those drugs has risen to an estimated $4 billion. But that substantial market may some day be dwarfed by the revenues flowing to companies with new … Continue reading “Stem Cells, Inc. Expanding Trial in Age-Related Eye Affliction”
Exact Sciences, Once Near Death, Bounces Back With Colon Cancer Test
Four years ago, Exact Sciences was roadkill. The company, based in greater Boston at the time, had been experimenting with molecular diagnostic technologies for more than a dozen years. It had a stellar scientific pedigree from founder Stanley Lapidus. But it had burned through more than $170 million of investor cash, and still had no … Continue reading “Exact Sciences, Once Near Death, Bounces Back With Colon Cancer Test”
Roambi Adds Cloud-Based Publishing, Analytics for the Masses
In a move to democratize its data visualization technology and expand its market, Solana Beach, CA-based Roambi says today it is launching a new iPad app intended to bring the power of its Roambi Flow publishing platform to the Internet masses. The company, founded as Mellmo in 2008, introduced Roambi Flow for its corporate customers … Continue reading “Roambi Adds Cloud-Based Publishing, Analytics for the Masses”
Boston Roundup: Infinio, Rethink Robotics, Boston Dynamics
Fundraising, layoff, and acquisition news from around the IT software and robotics sectors in the past few days: —Infinio, a Cambridge, MA-based IT software developer, says it has raised a $12 million Series B investment. The money comes from existing backers, including Bessemer Venture Partners, Highland Capital Partners, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Osage University Partners. The … Continue reading “Boston Roundup: Infinio, Rethink Robotics, Boston Dynamics”
Curoverse Gets $1.5M to Develop Open Source Genomics Tool
George Church created the Personal Genome Project, a big plan to sequence more than 100,000 human genomes in the U.S. Now the database he’s been using to store all that information has become the basis for a new startup. Boston-based Curoverse is announcing today that it’s raised $1.5 million in seed funding to continue developing … Continue reading “Curoverse Gets $1.5M to Develop Open Source Genomics Tool”
Acucela Seeks $125M IPO in Japan to Develop Eye Drugs
[Updated: 7:40 am PT 12/18/13] Seattle-based Acucela is looking to raise as much as $125 million in an initial public offering to support its development of treatments against eye diseases. Acucela today filed its IPO prospectus with the Securities and Exchange Commission, outlining plans to go public on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. It’s a logical … Continue reading “Acucela Seeks $125M IPO in Japan to Develop Eye Drugs”
Onde Ficar Raises $2M to Expand Software for Booking Hotel Rooms
Just in time for this summer’s 2014 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament in Brazil, San Diego-based Onde Ficar says it has raised $2 million in a Series A funding round to build out its Web-based applications for marketing and managing small and medium-sized hotels. Onde Ficar, which means “Where to Stay” in Portuguese, is initially … Continue reading “Onde Ficar Raises $2M to Expand Software for Booking Hotel Rooms”
TouchCast Opens Up Two-Way Interactive Window for Videos
Ever feel disconnected—figuratively—from videos online? Aside from clicking on ads or links that pop up during playback, there is not much for the audience to do but sit back and watch. Now a startup in New York thinks viewers want more. “Up until now, video has been this other [type of] media,” says Erick Schonfeld, … Continue reading “TouchCast Opens Up Two-Way Interactive Window for Videos”
Seattle Renewable Energy Forecaster 3TIER Acquired by Vaisala for $14.7M
[Updated throughout 12/17/13, 1:19 p.m.] 3TIER, the Seattle-based provider of weather forecasting and other information to the renewable energy industry, has been acquired by Vaisala, a Finnish measurement company, in a deal worth about $14.7 million. “3TIER will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Vaisala, so you will still interact with 3TIER as you … Continue reading “Seattle Renewable Energy Forecaster 3TIER Acquired by Vaisala for $14.7M”
Wisely Analyzes Customer Spending Patterns in New Mobile App
A year ago, Glyph was a Detroit-based startup with an iPhone app that helped users maximize their credit card rewards. Over the summer, the company relocated to Ann Arbor and, on Dec. 5, pivoted and relaunched as Wisely with a new app in the iPhone store. “We changed the name and the focus,” says co-founder … Continue reading “Wisely Analyzes Customer Spending Patterns in New Mobile App”
SWIB, WARF Narrow Search for Investment Manager at 4490 Ventures
By the time the champagne begins to flow on New Year’s Eve, tech entrepreneurs in Wisconsin may know who they should pitch if they want an investment from 4490 Ventures, the state’s new $30 million, information technology-focused venture fund. The State of Wisconsin Investment Board (SWIB) and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) are working … Continue reading “SWIB, WARF Narrow Search for Investment Manager at 4490 Ventures”
HouseCall, Led by Ex-Qualcomms, Advances App for Home Chores
HouseCall, a San Diego-based startup that enables homeowners to tap an online marketplace for plumbers, housekeepers, and other home maintenance services, says it has raised $1.5 million in seed funding from San Francisco’s e.ventures, an initial investor in Angie’s List and Groupon. HouseCall takes a different approach than Angie’s List, Yelp, or HomeAdvisor (previously known … Continue reading “HouseCall, Led by Ex-Qualcomms, Advances App for Home Chores”
Milwaukee Investor Keane Views World Through a Nikon Lens
Any entrepreneur worth his salt has a creative spark. Not everyone takes it to Tim Keane’s level. The 65-year-old has had a long and winding career, but he is best known in the Milwaukee area for starting Web analytics company Retail Target Marketing Systems in Waukesha, WI; growing the business to $20 million in annual … Continue reading “Milwaukee Investor Keane Views World Through a Nikon Lens”
Cisco Scoops Up Collaborate.com After Boston Startup Rebrands
Collaboration software for businesses is hot, so it helps to own the domain name Collaborate.com. That was one smart move in a series of many by CEO Matt Cutler and his team over at Boston-based Collaborate.com (formerly known as Kibits). Today, Cisco Systems said it is acquiring Collaborate to strengthen its offerings in document sharing, … Continue reading “Cisco Scoops Up Collaborate.com After Boston Startup Rebrands”
JumpCloud Names Colorado Startup Veteran Rajat Bhargava Its New CEO
[Corrected 1/15/14, 9:19 am. See below.] JumpCloud, a Boulder, CO-based startup trying to capitalize on the IT industry’s “DevOps” trend, announced Monday it has appointed a new CEO. Rajat Bhargava, a veteran of Colorado’s startup scene and one of JumpCloud’s co-founders, is taking the reins. JumpCloud launched in September and is developing cloud-based software that allows … Continue reading “JumpCloud Names Colorado Startup Veteran Rajat Bhargava Its New CEO”
Gates Foundation Gets UCSF Chief Desmond-Hellmann as New CEO
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation just got a physician, big university administrator, and one of the world’s most respected drug developers rolled into one as its new CEO. Susan Desmond-Hellmann, the chancellor of UC San Francisco since 2009 and the former president of product development at Genentech, has been hired as the new CEO … Continue reading “Gates Foundation Gets UCSF Chief Desmond-Hellmann as New CEO”
Trinity Snares $15M to Sell Analytics to Big Pharma, Biotech
Trinity Pharma Solutions has spent eight years building itself up without the help of any outside financing. But Trinity’s founders see an opportunity to grow, so the Waltham, MA-based startup is finally raising some venture capital, and giving up a portion of its equity ownership in exchange. Trinity is announcing today that it has raised … Continue reading “Trinity Snares $15M to Sell Analytics to Big Pharma, Biotech”
Project Frog Rethinks Construction With Smart Component Buildings
For CEO Ann Hand, the hardest part about building up Project Frog, a company that creates ready-to assemble “smart buildings,” was convincing venture capitalists and customers that it was indeed possible to disrupt the long-stagnant construction industry. “You would look at construction and say, because nothing has changed in 1,000 years, it should have all … Continue reading “Project Frog Rethinks Construction With Smart Component Buildings”
Betting on the Recurring Revenue Market
Big companies are betting big on recurring revenue—that is, pricing plans designed to guarantee continuing income, as opposed to one-time payments. They believe that if they play their hands correctly, this strategy will deliver profitability and growth. We’ve been watching the red-hot recurring revenue market closely, and in recent months, we’ve seen one established company … Continue reading “Betting on the Recurring Revenue Market”
For CytRx’s Insiders, What a Difference a Day Makes
CytRx (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CYTR]]) investors had a lot to be happy about last week. The good times came on Wednesday, Dec. 11, after the small cap biotech announced encouraging summary results from a mid-stage clinical trial of its doxorubicin conjugate, aldoxorubicin, in patients getting their initial treatment for soft tissue sarcoma. This announcement sent Los Angeles-based … Continue reading “For CytRx’s Insiders, What a Difference a Day Makes”
Kymeta Sees ‘Clear Path’ Ahead After Successful Antenna Demonstration
Kymeta, the spinout from Intellectual Ventures making thin, light-weight satellite antennae with engineered metamaterials, has completed a key demonstration, taking it one big step closer to commercialization in 2015. A prototype antenna in Vancouver, B.C., established a two-way Internet connection with a Ka-band satellite, the company says. It was able to stream video and carry … Continue reading “Kymeta Sees ‘Clear Path’ Ahead After Successful Antenna Demonstration”
Atara Bio Grabs $38.5M to Help Kidney Patients, Fight Cancer
Amgen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMGN]]) tends to scoop up entrepreneurial teams and plug their work into the mother ship, not spin out cool ideas and entrepreneurs. But a couple of experimental drugs from Amgen’s pipeline are getting new life at a startup called Atara Biotherapeutics. Atara, which has headquarters in Brisbane, CA and operations in Thousand Oaks, … Continue reading “Atara Bio Grabs $38.5M to Help Kidney Patients, Fight Cancer”
Wetpaint Acquired by Viggle for $30M, a Loss for Investors
Wetpaint, a digital publisher that focused on churning out entertainment and celebrity news distributed over social media, has been acquired by “second screen” TV app maker Viggle for $30 million in cash and stock. The deal will be a disappointment for Wetpaint’s investors, who poured about $40 million into the company—venture firms DAG Ventures, Accel Partners, … Continue reading “Wetpaint Acquired by Viggle for $30M, a Loss for Investors”
3D Design Software Helps Dearborn Mid-West Stay on Track
The Dearborn Mid-West Company (DMW) started as a small fabrication shop outside of Detroit in 1947. The company has rolled with the punches of the automotive industry ever since, incorporating new technology along the way to remain competitive. Today, DMW designs and manufactures major material handling systems, such as the kind of conveyors that pull … Continue reading “3D Design Software Helps Dearborn Mid-West Stay on Track”
Texas Roundup: New Funding in Austin and Dallas; Tate’s Transition
For some Texas startups, the holidays came a little early with new funding. Also, Houston’s Capital Royalty announces a management transition. Here’s the latest innovation news from Texas. —Datical, a technology startup based in Austin, TX, said Monday it has raised $3 million in Series A funding. The money will be used by Datical to … Continue reading “Texas Roundup: New Funding in Austin and Dallas; Tate’s Transition”
Cubist Shares Climb As Antibiotic Scores in Phase 3 Again
Cubist Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CBST]]) just got some more promising results to take to regulators next year. The Lexington, MA-based company said today that CXA-201— the antibiotic it acquired when it bought out Calixa Therapeutics a few years ago—succeeded in the second of two Phase III trials. This time around, the drug proved to be just … Continue reading “Cubist Shares Climb As Antibiotic Scores in Phase 3 Again”
Xconomy Launches in Wisconsin: Innovation Isn’t Something We Fly Over
There are no flyover zones in the United States. That’s the way Xconomy views the map, anyway, because we see innovation happening all over America. So it is with great pleasure that today we are launching Xconomy Wisconsin, the ninth hub in our growing national network. It is our third launch this year—after Boulder-Denver and … Continue reading “Xconomy Launches in Wisconsin: Innovation Isn’t Something We Fly Over”
Exit Strategy: Wisconsin Investors Seek Next Wave of Startup Wins
Tom Shannon started getting nibbles from potential suitors for Prodesse in 2005, three years after he came on as president and CEO of the biotech firm based in Waukesha, WI. The company was founded in 1996 by Kelly Henrickson, a Medical College of Wisconsin pediatrics and infectious diseases professor. Shannon and a professional management team … Continue reading “Exit Strategy: Wisconsin Investors Seek Next Wave of Startup Wins”
19 Wisconsin Company Exits Since 2008 Show State’s Strengths, Trends
Wisconsin’s innovation economy has seen at least 19 significant exits over the past six years, according to an Xconomy Wisconsin analysis. The following list was compiled with data provided by the National Venture Capital Association, which tracks initial public offerings and merger and acquisition activity involving venture-backed companies. Xconomy also consulted the Wisconsin Angel Network … Continue reading “19 Wisconsin Company Exits Since 2008 Show State’s Strengths, Trends”
Wisconsin a Land of Innovators, Not Just Cheeseheads
Wisconsin: the land of beer, brats, and, yes, cheese. Ask a random person on the streets of New York or San Francisco what they know about Wisconsin, and that might be the sort of answer they would give. In my experience, folks on the coasts sometimes can’t even point out Milwaukee or Madison on a … Continue reading “Wisconsin a Land of Innovators, Not Just Cheeseheads”
Healthcare Gets Personal: The Photos
Healthcare is a strange thing. We all need it, but we don’t necessarily do what’s in our best interest. Take genetic information. Sequencing technology is reaching a price point where many people could afford to learn a lot more about themselves—their risks, predispositions, and so forth. Yet most aren’t touching it, at least not yet. … Continue reading “Healthcare Gets Personal: The Photos”
What Was Hyped, and What Fell Out of Favor, This Year in Biotech
Every year, Science magazine profiles its “Breakthrough of the Year.” People get excited. But what many readers don’t fully appreciate is that these discoveries—at least in biomedicine—are almost always decades away from turning into useful new drugs, diagnostics, or other products that advance human health. There are, shall we say, kinks that need to be … Continue reading “What Was Hyped, and What Fell Out of Favor, This Year in Biotech”
How Nelson Mandela Inspired Me to Fight Infectious Disease
[Editor’s Note: Alan Aderem is a former political activist from South Africa who now serves as the President of Seattle BioMed, a research institute that focuses on global infectious diseases.] My first response to Nelson Mandela’s death was one of profound loss and sadness. This feeling was soon replaced by recognition of Mandela’s mammoth contributions … Continue reading “How Nelson Mandela Inspired Me to Fight Infectious Disease”
A Revolution is Taking Place in the Treatment of Blood Cancers
I try to avoid sensationalizing early clinical trial results presented at medical conferences, what’s commonly known as “hype over hope.” But at this year’s annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) in New Orleans I was struck by the thought that I was a witness to the beginning of a revolution in the … Continue reading “A Revolution is Taking Place in the Treatment of Blood Cancers”
Former MIT President Charles Vest Dead of Cancer at 72
[Updated, Dec. 14, 2013–see below] Charles Vest, one of the leading contemporary figures of higher education, engineering, and science, and an early friend of Xconomy, has passed away. He was 72, and the cause was cancer, according to an announcement from MIT. Chuck, as most people called him, was the down home, congenial president of “the … Continue reading “Former MIT President Charles Vest Dead of Cancer at 72”
Inslee Opens UW Clean Energy Institute, Targets Carbon Regulation
Gov. Jay Inslee, inaugurating a new Clean Energy Institute at the University of Washington on Thursday, reaffirmed his calls for a price on carbon dioxide emissions in the state. Having secured $6 million from the state Legislature for the inter-disciplinary institute, a feat Inslee describes as “a dream come true for me,” he is turning … Continue reading “Inslee Opens UW Clean Energy Institute, Targets Carbon Regulation”
Roundup: AutoHarvest, Wayne State, TechSmith & Google
Here’s a look at some of the news from the Southeast Michigan innovation community that you may have missed: —AutoHarvest, a nonprofit website that aims to connect the auto industry with entrepreneurs and inventors, announced late last month that it will collaborate with Omnia Group to translate its English-language website into Chinese, German, French, and … Continue reading “Roundup: AutoHarvest, Wayne State, TechSmith & Google”
Economist: Startups Showing Increasing Impact on Colorado’s Economy
Colorado is wrapping up a record year for startups, and according to the state’s leading economic forecaster, they could be having a growing impact on the Centennial State’s economy for years. Richard Wobbekind is the executive director of the Business Research Division at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and he oversees the university’s annual … Continue reading “Economist: Startups Showing Increasing Impact on Colorado’s Economy”
San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Orexigen, Accelrys, Otonomy, & More
Drug development and deals continued apace as the Christmas holiday draws near. Here’s the latest in San Diego’s life sciences news. —-Orexigen Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OREX]]) said it has resubmitted its application with the FDA for its new weight-loss drug, a sustained release formulation of bupropion that’s being marketed as Contrave. Orexigen said last month it … Continue reading “San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Orexigen, Accelrys, Otonomy, & More”
Houzz—the Alluring App for Home Remodelers and Wannabes
The first time you open the Houzz app on your Apple or Android tablet, you’ll take in the midcentury modern living rooms with their Eames sofas and Noguchi coffee tables, the gleaming neo-Craftsman bungalows surrounded by herb gardens, and the outdoor kitchens complete with wood-fired pizza ovens, and you’ll think you’ve landed inside the digital … Continue reading “Houzz—the Alluring App for Home Remodelers and Wannabes”
Sam Sia’s NY Biotech Incubator Already Bustling With 16 Startups
It was less than a year ago when Columbia University professor and entrepreneur Samuel Sia sat on an airplane sketching out the floor plan for a biotech incubator in the middle of Manhattan. That vision is now becoming real. Sia is the co-founder of Harlem Biospace, a new biotech incubator on 127th Street in Manhattan’s … Continue reading “Sam Sia’s NY Biotech Incubator Already Bustling With 16 Startups”
East Coast Biotech Roundup: ASH, Proteostasis, Retrophin, & More
[Updated, 8:35 am ET] 2013 is winding down, and with it, a lot of the biotech news flow. But there was still a flurry of dealmaking this week, even with many of the sector’s top names busy at one of the year’s biggest medical meetings. Those stories and more below: —Much of the biotech world … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: ASH, Proteostasis, Retrophin, & More”
State Economic Rankings Don’t Measure Up
This post was co-written with Yasuyuki Motoyama and Jared Konczal. A few weeks ago, a new ranking was published measuring “opportunity” on a state-by-state basis. Vermont came out on top as the friendliest state for upward mobility, scoring well on both the Community and Education metrics. Someone from Vermont e-mailed us here at the Kauffman … Continue reading “State Economic Rankings Don’t Measure Up”
San Diego’s Genomatica Inks Development Deal for “Bio Butadiene”
Genomatica, the San Diego industrial biotech, and the Brazilian petrochemical company Braskem have agreed to work together to commercialize technology needed to produce bio-based butadiene—one of the key chemicals needed to make tires. According to a joint statement yesterday, Braskem would provide “significant” but undisclosed funding over several years for Genomatica’s work to develop processes … Continue reading “San Diego’s Genomatica Inks Development Deal for “Bio Butadiene””
Care.com Seeks $80M IPO, Still Unprofitable
Care.com, an online marketplace for childcare, tutoring, and other personal services, has made its IPO paperwork public. We knew this was coming—media reports had already picked up on the Waltham, MA-based company’s confidential IPO filing, which companies with less than $1 billion in annual sales can do under new federal rules. Care.com is seeking $80 million … Continue reading “Care.com Seeks $80M IPO, Still Unprofitable”