New York’s innovation scene has a number of things going its way—from investors with deep pockets to mature industries ripe for disruption. Yet access to robust data connections, vital to the development of many startups, is catch-as-catch-can here. At last night’s New York Tech Meetup, a huge monthly gathering that features tech demos, the issue … Continue reading “The Campaign to Rebuild New York’s Data Infrastructure Comes to NYTM”
Category: National
An Innovative Cleantech Strategy: Invest in Solar PV for Nonprofits
For decades we’ve been led to believe that donating money is the only way to financially support a nonprofit organization committed to a mission we care about. However, what if there was a different way to support nonprofits that could also provide a modest financial return? Perhaps the biggest challenge for nonprofits that want to … Continue reading “An Innovative Cleantech Strategy: Invest in Solar PV for Nonprofits”
TripAdvisor CEO Kaufer: Reinvent the Company in Good Times
Yes, TripAdvisor. You use it. I use it. But do you know the man behind this popular travel site? And why he is leading a major push to revitalize the company? Founder and CEO Steve Kaufer (pictured) keeps a relatively low profile around town. That’s the way he likes it, but he probably wouldn’t mind … Continue reading “TripAdvisor CEO Kaufer: Reinvent the Company in Good Times”
New Nine Plus Accelerator Stretches Out the Startup Timeline
Brooks’s Law of software development, coined by Fred Brooks in his 1975 book The Mythical Man-Month, is that adding personnel to a late software project makes it even later. His pithy summary of the law: “Nine women can’t make a baby in one month.” (That’s a lesson the folks building the Healthcare.gov portal at the … Continue reading “New Nine Plus Accelerator Stretches Out the Startup Timeline”
Toyota Licenses Wireless Battery Charging Tech from WiTricity
Toyota is getting more serious about wireless charging for its electric cars, and a Boston-area company is benefitting. The world’s largest car-maker says it is licensing patents from Watertown, MA-based WiTricity, an MIT spinout that has developed technology to recharge batteries without using wires. The two companies didn’t say how much money the deal is … Continue reading “Toyota Licenses Wireless Battery Charging Tech from WiTricity”
A Tablet App from Invention Labs Helps Kids with Speech Disabilities
The field of educational technologies is going through an exciting period. From massively open online courses (MOOCs) like MIT’s OCW or edX and Khan Academy to a range of tablet and smartphone applications, the field is rife with exciting innovations that have dramatically changed the face of education. There is a higher degree of self-learning … Continue reading “A Tablet App from Invention Labs Helps Kids with Speech Disabilities”
Building Biotechs to Last: See the Agenda for Monday
Why would anybody want to build a biotech company for the long term? Nobody should cry a river for well-paid biotech executives, but there are easier ways to make a living. If you are good or lucky enough to go public, you may have a couple months before shareholders ridicule and second-guess your every move. … Continue reading “Building Biotechs to Last: See the Agenda for Monday”
Seven San Diego Startups Selected for 2014 Plug and Play StartupCamp
Seven local startups have been selected for the Plug and Play San Diego StartupCamp program, the tech accelerator that provides workshops and other services in San Diego and Silicon Valley—and includes $25,000 in equity financing. The selection was made yesterday by a panel of 14 judges following presentations by 17 companies at the Co-Merge shared … Continue reading “Seven San Diego Startups Selected for 2014 Plug and Play StartupCamp”
Cleantech Overcoming Challenges, Rough Years, Tesla VC Investor Says
Building revolutionary companies is not easy, and bad times have to be expected and endured. But dark days don’t dissuade visionaries. Ask Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, or the innovators who built Silicon Valley’s greatest companies. In the eyes of Ira Ehrenpreis, an early investor in Tesla Motors (NASDAQ: [[ticker:TSLA]]) and a current director, it shouldn’t … Continue reading “Cleantech Overcoming Challenges, Rough Years, Tesla VC Investor Says”
Fallbrook Technologies Gets $35M To Boost Its Transmission System
Fallbrook Technologies, a suburban Austin automotive cleantech company, announced Wednesday it had secured a $35 million loan. The company is initially drawing down on $25 million of the total and will use most of this to continue development and licensing on its NuVinci transmission, which it says is a greener and more fuel-efficient transmission technology … Continue reading “Fallbrook Technologies Gets $35M To Boost Its Transmission System”
Startups in First Class of R/GA Connected Devices Accelerator Named
Things just got real for a new accelerator in New York. Ten startups were announced today, all working on ideas for networked electronics, for the inaugural R/GA Connected Device Accelerator class. The plan is to build companies to be part of the “Internet of Things” movement, which is all about technology that ties physical products … Continue reading “Startups in First Class of R/GA Connected Devices Accelerator Named”
5AM Ventures, an Early Stage Biotech VC Still Standing, Raises $250M
Like its name suggests, 5AM Venture Management likes to place its bets early in the life of a company. Now it has reloaded with another $250 million to put to work in more early-stage biotech companies. Menlo Park, CA-based 5AM Ventures said this week it has closed on 5AM Ventures IV, its fourth fund since … Continue reading “5AM Ventures, an Early Stage Biotech VC Still Standing, Raises $250M”
Boston Roundup: Volition Capital, Freight Farms, Technical Machine
A few notable fundraising deals: —Volition Capital, a spinout from Boston-based Fidelity Investments’ venture operation, has finished raising its second growth equity fund at more than $170 million. The firm, led by co-founder and managing partner Larry Cheng, showed up in the news this summer when it filed SEC paperwork for the first $80 million … Continue reading “Boston Roundup: Volition Capital, Freight Farms, Technical Machine”
Healthcare Gets Personal on Dec. 12 at Google: Here’s the Agenda
I first met George Church in the Connecticut backyard of literary agent John Brockman. It was 2007, and Church, the genomics pioneer, was giving an informal talk on synthetic biology. Afterwards, he got stung by some sort of weird-looking bee. The event stuck in my mind. Here’s hoping next Thursday, Dec. 12, will be just … Continue reading “Healthcare Gets Personal on Dec. 12 at Google: Here’s the Agenda”
Zafgen Corrals $45M More to Fuel Obesity Drug Push
Zafgen is just weeks removed from some encouraging results from a mid-stage clinical trial of its obesity drug candidate, beloranib. Now it’s parlayed those numbers into another big raise from investors. Cambridge, MA-based Zafgen today snagged a $45 million Series E round from a group of both private and public investors—typically a sign that a … Continue reading “Zafgen Corrals $45M More to Fuel Obesity Drug Push”
NYCEDC Amassing $100M Biotech Fund; Boehringer Jumps Into Kendall Square
Boston’s biotech cluster is light years ahead of the one the Big Apple is hoping to form. But the two geographic rivals are both getting help from big pharmaceutical companies to bolster their respective life sciences ecosystems. In Manhattan, the New York City Economic Development Corp., a local government entity, and three big life sciences … Continue reading “NYCEDC Amassing $100M Biotech Fund; Boehringer Jumps Into Kendall Square”
Issuu, Now California-Based, Helps Niche Publishers Go Digital
Say you’re a small publisher producing a print-only publication—anything from a hobbyist magazine to a regional real estate guide to a crafts catalog. You know you could reach more readers if you could offer a digital version. But you don’t have a huge design staff, and you can’t afford the expensive software, such as Adobe’s … Continue reading “Issuu, Now California-Based, Helps Niche Publishers Go Digital”
San Diego’s Telephus Seeks $5M to Advance Anti-Infective Antibody
According to Greek mythology, “the wound that would not heal” was inflicted by the intemperate warrior Achilles when he fell upon Telephus, son of Hercules, after invading an allied kingdom in the mistaken belief that he had landed at Troy. Terrible was Achilles’s spear, and terrible was the wound that would not heal. Telephus recovered … Continue reading “San Diego’s Telephus Seeks $5M to Advance Anti-Infective Antibody”
Juno Therapeutics Grabs $120M to Coax Immune System to Fight Cancer
Scientists have tried for decades to coax the body’s immune system to hunt down and kill cancer cells, much in the same way it fights viruses and bacteria. The idea has always been to create a standard treatment against tumors that’s more effective and more tolerable than traditional chemo, radiation, or targeted therapy. Today, after … Continue reading “Juno Therapeutics Grabs $120M to Coax Immune System to Fight Cancer”
Roundup: Founder’s Co-op, Wire, Inside Social, Indow Windows, & More
Tired of turkey? Have some Thanksgiving leftovers from Seattle tech: Rudy Gadre is joining Founder’s Co-op as a partner; 2013 Techstars companies Wire and Inside Social got investors’ attention; Indow Windows also raised new capital; Point Inside launched an interesting new mobile app for Lowe’s; and Ed Lazowska argues for the value of computer science … Continue reading “Roundup: Founder’s Co-op, Wire, Inside Social, Indow Windows, & More”
NYU Alums Form Network to Help Each Other in Entrepreneurship
Landing the right introductions can change the fortunes of startups. That can mean getting a big-name customer or finding the perfect developer to join the team. But making that first, important contact is a challenge for many founders. To tackle this, and other matters that plague startups, Ricky Berrin, an MBA grad from New York … Continue reading “NYU Alums Form Network to Help Each Other in Entrepreneurship”
Building the “Passion Graph” With Pavo
It happens to me all the time. I’m scrolling through Facebook feeds or Pinterest boards only to see an item of clothing or a plate of food (ok, usually food) that makes me think, “Must. Have. Now!” Pavo, a new Detroit-based Internet startup, feels my pain. Its motto is “Share your passion because a ‘like’ … Continue reading “Building the “Passion Graph” With Pavo”
Biodesix Closes $8.3M Round, New Clovis Shareholders Begin Selling
Biodesix, a medical diagnostics startup based in Boulder, CO, has raised an $8.3 million Series E round, the company announced Monday. The round included $4.3 million in new funds from existing investors and the conversion of a $4 million convertible note, Biodesix said in its release. Biodesix has now raised about $78 million since forming … Continue reading “Biodesix Closes $8.3M Round, New Clovis Shareholders Begin Selling”
SomaLogic Names New CEO; Founder Larry Gold to Stay on as Chairman
After 13 years at the helm of SomaLogic, a Boulder, CO-based startup developing diagnostic tests that use protein biomarkers to identify maladies, Larry Gold is stepping down as CEO, the company announced Tuesday. Gold founded SomaLogic in 2000 and has been its CEO and chairman ever since. Gold will remain SomaLogic’s chairman and plans to … Continue reading “SomaLogic Names New CEO; Founder Larry Gold to Stay on as Chairman”
Houston’s Rebellion Photonics Helps Spot Dangerous Leaks
It’s not every startup that gets a Twitter endorsement from MC Hammer. But that’s the sort of year it’s been for Houston-based Rebellion Photonics, which makes a real-time hyperspectral camera that can detect poisonous or potentially explosive gas leaks from oil refineries or rigs. While the startup has been selling its camera since its founding … Continue reading “Houston’s Rebellion Photonics Helps Spot Dangerous Leaks”
Celgene Plunks Down $177M Upfront for OncoMed’s Stem Cell Drugs
OncoMed Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OMED]]) may be a long ways away from actually winning FDA approval of a product, but it just got a big vote of confidence from Celgene that it’s on the right track with its cancer stem cell work. Celgene (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CELG]]), the big cancer drugmaker from Summit, NJ, has struck a big … Continue reading “Celgene Plunks Down $177M Upfront for OncoMed’s Stem Cell Drugs”
Blaze Bioscience Snags $9M More to Take “Tumor Paint” to the Clinic
Seattle-based Blaze Bioscience, the company making “tumor paint” so surgeons can tell the difference between healthy tissue and tumors that should be removed, just raised another $9 million to see if its technology is legit. The company pulled in the Series B financing from its existing investor network of about 70 high net-worth individuals, and … Continue reading “Blaze Bioscience Snags $9M More to Take “Tumor Paint” to the Clinic”
Superpedestrian Starts Selling “Copenhagen Wheel” Electric Bike Kits
At first glance, this square-faced building about a mile from the MIT campus doesn’t look like the kind of place that’s fixing the future of urban transportation. Not until the doors swing open and a guy zips into the street, piloting a bike that sports a big red disc affixed to the rear wheel. This … Continue reading “Superpedestrian Starts Selling “Copenhagen Wheel” Electric Bike Kits”
Burrill VC Fund Splits into New Firm, Biomark, After Short Marriage
San Francisco-based Burrill & Company looked like it had beaten the odds a little more than a year ago during a tough time for biotech venture capital firms. Burrill said in a statement that it had put together Burrill Capital Fund IV, with “aggregate capital commitments” of $505 million to invest in drugs, diagnostics, medical … Continue reading “Burrill VC Fund Splits into New Firm, Biomark, After Short Marriage”
Modern Day Scrooges Are Ruining Our Health Care System
More than a 150 years ago Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol introduced the character Ebenezer Scrooge, who was the embodiment of greed, “tight-fisted…. a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire.” If Dickens were alive today he’d recognize that … Continue reading “Modern Day Scrooges Are Ruining Our Health Care System”
Techstars’ Elihuu Makes Move to Oakland, Lands $30K from CU Students
Colorado has been good to Elihuu, the Techstars Boulder 2013 graduate that wants to play matchmaker between a new generation of designers and manufacturers. But now the startup is moving to Oakland, CA, to capitalize on the Bay Area’s larger manufacturing industry. Before Elihuu left, though, it got one last parting gift in the form … Continue reading “Techstars’ Elihuu Makes Move to Oakland, Lands $30K from CU Students”
Tis the Season for 3D-Printed Tchotchkes and Stocking Stuffers?
With the gifting frenzy now underway, some companies in 3D printing want their goods on more consumers’ wish lists. Naturally grandma can knit scarves for everyone, but what if she busts out with custom-made jewelry or figurines this year? That is the gist of what 3D printers claim they can offer a public eager for … Continue reading “Tis the Season for 3D-Printed Tchotchkes and Stocking Stuffers?”
PharmAthene Backs Out of Theraclone Sciences Merger
Theraclone Sciences tried to merge with PharmAthene for a couple of months, but the deal is off. Annapolis, MD-based PharmAthene (NYSE MKT: [[ticker:PIP]]) chose to pull the plug on a pending merger with Seattle-based Theraclone on the day before a special meeting of shareholders, and Theraclone said today it has agreed. PharmAthene will now pay … Continue reading “PharmAthene Backs Out of Theraclone Sciences Merger”
HealthPocket Offers a Partial Workaround for Healthcare.gov Mess
As thousands of Americans struggle to sign up for health insurance on the overloaded government exchange set up under the Affordable Care Act, two Bay area companies are offering their own free Web platforms as easier places to shop around. Both HealthPocket of Sunnyvale, CA, and HealthSherpa in San Francisco provide one-click access to a … Continue reading “HealthPocket Offers a Partial Workaround for Healthcare.gov Mess”
Akamai to Acquire Security Company Prolexic for $370M
Akamai is beefing up its defenses against Internet attackers. The Cambridge, MA-based network company, best known for handling about a third of the Web’s traffic globally, is paying $370 million to acquire Prolexic, a Web security company. Prolexic sells security software that protects data centers and big-business Internet applications from distributed denial of service (DDoS) … Continue reading “Akamai to Acquire Security Company Prolexic for $370M”
Financial Apps Will Make People Smarter and More Open About Money
Socially acceptable topics of conversation are always evolving. It’s no longer uncommon to hear discussions about religion and politics at the dinner table. However, there’s still one incredibly important issue that most people would just as soon sweep under the rug: finances. When was the last time you had a detailed conversation with your spouse, … Continue reading “Financial Apps Will Make People Smarter and More Open About Money”
3 Life Sciences Companies That Are Built to Last
Lots of biotech companies today say they want to be great for a long, long time. But which of today’s companies are actually doing it? Which ones are truly visionary, and built to last? These questions have been on my mind since I re-read “Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies” in preparation for … Continue reading “3 Life Sciences Companies That Are Built to Last”
Visterra Adds $8M, Ex-Amag Execs, To Begin Clinical Push for Flu Antibody
Visterra has spent four years designing and fine-tuning an antibody that it thinks can combat all types of influenza. Now it’s pocketed some cash and filled out a revamped management team to take that drug into the clinic. Cambridge, MA-based Visterra has added $8.1 million in venture dollars to its bank account, representing the third … Continue reading “Visterra Adds $8M, Ex-Amag Execs, To Begin Clinical Push for Flu Antibody”
Inspired by Arduinos, Do It Your Selfing, and the Big Maker Faire
I’ve always enjoyed making cool things. When I was in fourth grade, my teacher at Grant K-8 School told me about Arduinos, micro-controllers that can be used to input data from sensors and to control outputs such as LEDs and motors. I also learned about Make, a magazine, blog, and store devoted to making, DIYing … Continue reading “Inspired by Arduinos, Do It Your Selfing, and the Big Maker Faire”
It’s Time to Play Moneyball: The Investment Readiness Level
Investors sitting through Incubator or Accelerator demo days have three metrics to judge fledgling startups – 1) great looking product demos, 2) compelling PowerPoint slides, and 3) a world-class team. We think we can do better. We now have the tools, technology and data to take incubators and accelerators to the next level. Teams can … Continue reading “It’s Time to Play Moneyball: The Investment Readiness Level”
Vertical Search Works Reaches Across the Pond with London Office
British publishers and marketers are about to get more help from a U.S. player in search. New York-based Vertical Search Works, a developer of semantic search technology, announced Tuesday it opened a London office to lead its expansion in the European market. Semantic search, in short, is a way to give contextual meaning to the … Continue reading “Vertical Search Works Reaches Across the Pond with London Office”
San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Orexigen, Avalon, GSK, and More
Here’s my pre-holiday wrap-up of San Diego’s life sciences news. Have a happy Thanksgiving! —San Diego’s Orexigen Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OREX]]) said it plans to resubmit its new drug application for its obesity drug, which combines bupropion and naltrexone (Contrave), after additional analysis showed it did not increase heart-related risks. Orexigen shares climbed about 17 percent … Continue reading “San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Orexigen, Avalon, GSK, and More”
Seattle Startup Hydrobee Would Bring USB Power Anywhere Water Flows
After studying innovative ways to make electricity from water for the last seven years, Burt Hamner’s latest venture aims to turn the typical hydroelectric model on its head. Instead of making lots of power in one place—say from a massive dam, an array of tidal energy devices at the bottom of Puget Sound, or even … Continue reading “Seattle Startup Hydrobee Would Bring USB Power Anywhere Water Flows”
Cleantech Investors, Startups Try to Pair Up in New Climate for Industry
A few years ago, investors raced to put money into the hottest clean energy startup. Some people might not remember those days fondly, especially as a few of the biggest bets turned into breathtaking busts. In some cases, like the now-infamous Fremont, CA-based Solyndra, the technology and startup’s management just weren’t ready. Across the industry, … Continue reading “Cleantech Investors, Startups Try to Pair Up in New Climate for Industry”
Xenex’s Bug-Fighting Robots Gain Traction with Hospitals
In the war against microscopic pathogens, some hospitals are turning to drones. But the weapons in these robots, made by San Antonio’s Xenex Disinfection Services, are not bullets, but pulsating xenon-based UV light capable of neutralizing microbes that kill about 100,000 people each year. “We can show beyond a reasonable doubt that using Xenex reduces … Continue reading “Xenex’s Bug-Fighting Robots Gain Traction with Hospitals”
Think Digitally, Give Locally: Benevolent Opens Detroit Office
Darnell lives in Southwest Detroit. He recently transitioned out of homelessness and into a new apartment, thanks to support from the Coalition on Temporary Shelter. He hasn’t had the ability to put his home together, however—an absence made worse because of his medical condition, which makes getting from a seated to standing position difficult. But … Continue reading “Think Digitally, Give Locally: Benevolent Opens Detroit Office”
Boston Roundup: Care.com, Sonian, QD Vision, Rest Devices
—Care.com, a Waltham, MA-based operator of Web search services for finding babysitters and other personal service providers, has reportedly filed secret paperwork for an IPO. The Wall Street Journal has that report, citing anonymous sources, part of the new routine for IPOs under secret filing provisions of the Jobs Act. Care.com has raised some $110 … Continue reading “Boston Roundup: Care.com, Sonian, QD Vision, Rest Devices”
Is This the End of Premium Pricing in Drug and Device Innovation?
Healthcare costs in the United States today account for approximately 18 percent of our gross domestic product—far more than any other developed country. Americans’ average life expectancy and the efficiency of our healthcare system are ranked near the bottom of countries with advanced economies. It’s not just a healthcare problem, either. It’s an economic problem. … Continue reading “Is This the End of Premium Pricing in Drug and Device Innovation?”
San Diego Venture Group Picks Three Finalists for Annual PitchFest
Three finalists have been selected to present their business plans at the San Diego Venture Group’s 14th annual PitchFest, which offers more than $25,000 in cash and in-kind services for local startup founders who can deliver the best presentations. More than 90 startups applied for the program. A panel of local venture capital investors winnowed … Continue reading “San Diego Venture Group Picks Three Finalists for Annual PitchFest”
23andMe: Victim of an Overboard FDA Crackdown, or Provocateur?
Last Friday, the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning letter to the direct-to-consumer genetic testing company 23andMe ordering it to stop marketing its Personal Genome Service. According to the FDA, the 23andMe genetic test is a medical device, and subject to intense regulation before it can be marketed, because “it is intended for use … Continue reading “23andMe: Victim of an Overboard FDA Crackdown, or Provocateur?”