Tech shows at the tail end of the year always bring a flurry of slick devices. During the past few weeks, I have bounced from event to event in New York, snapping photos of the latest wares to hit the electronics scene. Some gadget makers hope these shows will boost their holiday sales. Others tease … Continue reading “Water-Resistant Tablets, Surgical Robots, and Curved TVs Come to NY”
Category: National
Google Anti-Aging Startup, Calico, Snags Big Names: Barron, Botstein
[Updated: 5:55 pm PT] Google’s new high-profile anti-aging startup, Calico, stirred up plenty of intrigue this fall when it made the cover of Time magazine. Now it has recruited a few superstars of biomedical R&D to work full-time on the startup, including Hal Barron, the chief medical officer and head of global product development at … Continue reading “Google Anti-Aging Startup, Calico, Snags Big Names: Barron, Botstein”
See You Thursday for “D2: The Future of Data and Devices” at FCAT
We are all set to talk about the future of big data and connected devices in Boston and beyond. I’m talking about our D2 conference, which is almost upon us. It’s all happening this Thursday, Nov. 21, at the Fidelity Center for Applied Technology in Boston. We have just a few tickets remaining, which you … Continue reading “See You Thursday for “D2: The Future of Data and Devices” at FCAT”
My Adventures with Aereo and Cutting the Cable Cord
A few weeks ago, Xconomy’s Wade Roush wrote a blistering piece suggesting that all of us old-school suckers still paying $80-plus per month for cable were making it possible for him to live the dream. “After all, your money goes straight to the studios and networks that produce and distribute all the expensive first-run programming … Continue reading “My Adventures with Aereo and Cutting the Cable Cord”
As Total U.S. IPOs Mount, Several Biotech Deals Stumble
With less than six weeks remaining in 2013, the number of U.S. IPOs continues to mount at a rate unseen since the financial meltdown of 2008. Ten companies are set to go public on U.S. markets this week, according to Renaissance Capital, the IPO investment firm based in Greenwich, CT. That includes Vital Therapies, a … Continue reading “As Total U.S. IPOs Mount, Several Biotech Deals Stumble”
Futuristic “Human-on-Chip” Models Will Help Drug Development
The pharmaceutical industry needs better scientific models for testing drugs before they get to the proving ground of human clinical trials. Current lab dish models and animal testing models are time-consuming, expensive and chronically unable to predict which drugs are going to work in clinical trials. The industry is crying out for new modes of … Continue reading “Futuristic “Human-on-Chip” Models Will Help Drug Development”
Houston’s Capital Royalty Evolving in Healthcare Growth Financing
[Updated Nov. 26, 2013] When Charles Tate moved home to Texas after a 35-year career as a New York finance executive, he started weighing opportunities for a new investment firm. Plenty of Texas investment firms were already focused on real estate and oil and gas. But Tate had seen first-hand the potential of biomedical innovation … Continue reading “Houston’s Capital Royalty Evolving in Healthcare Growth Financing”
Building Biotechs to Last: A Sneak Peek at the Agenda for Dec. 9
What does it take to build a life sciences company that can stand on its own two feet for a long, long time? There’s no single answer to that question. Lots of companies have different ideas. That’s why I’m excited to bring together a great group of thoughtful life sciences executives on Dec. 9 for … Continue reading “Building Biotechs to Last: A Sneak Peek at the Agenda for Dec. 9”
The Big Agenda for Our “Hardtech Revolution” Event 12/9
We’re less than a month away from our latest tech event in New York, and it promises to be a good one. But you already knew that, right? Well, here’s a little more proof—the full agenda for “The Hardtech Revolution: Makers, Markets, and Mobile” on Dec. 9, hosted by our partners at AppNexus. This afternoon … Continue reading “The Big Agenda for Our “Hardtech Revolution” Event 12/9”
NASA’s Colorado-built Mars Satellite Lifts Off, Starts 10-Month Trip
The Colorado-built MAVEN satellite blasted off today for its mission to the Red Planet. MAVEN—or the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN mission—will orbit Mars and study its atmosphere. The question MAVEN is trying to answer is how Mars’ loss of atmospheric gases affected its climate. The rocket carrying MAVEN launched at 1:28 EST and the … Continue reading “NASA’s Colorado-built Mars Satellite Lifts Off, Starts 10-Month Trip”
City Council Maintains Planned Funding for Seattle Startup Initiative
The Seattle City Council is on its way to approving funds allocated for the Startup Seattle initiative, despite an effort to cut or delay the funding by three council members skeptical of the effort’s merit. The $151,000 line item for a staff position to run the initiative—unveiled in May by Mayor Mike McGinn—was the only … Continue reading “City Council Maintains Planned Funding for Seattle Startup Initiative”
Dallas’s HipLogiq Raises $7M to Expand Twitter Marketing Software
Dallas’ HipLogiq announced Monday it has raised $7 million in a Series B round to expand its sales and marketing staff. Hadron Global Partners, a division of Connecticut private equity firm Carriage House Partners and RLB Holdings, led the round. The social media marketing startup says its products use the popular social media service Twitter … Continue reading “Dallas’s HipLogiq Raises $7M to Expand Twitter Marketing Software”
See You There: Big Insight—Making Sense of Big Data in Seattle
We’ve got a great group of innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers, and investors lined up to help us make sense of big data in Seattle tomorrow afternoon. The agenda for this Xconomy forum is full, and we expect the house will be too. Just a few tickets remain. They’re available at the door, beginning at 1 p.m. … Continue reading “See You There: Big Insight—Making Sense of Big Data in Seattle”
U-M Opens MCubed Portal to the Public to Fund Fast Innovation
The University of Michigan said on Friday it will open its online MCubed seed-funding portal to the public. Any person or organization can nominate a problem or research project for $75,000 in funding. If at least three faculty members agree that it’s a good potential study topic and “cube” around the project, the $75,000 funds … Continue reading “U-M Opens MCubed Portal to the Public to Fund Fast Innovation”
IT Appliance Startup SimpliVity Raises $58M to Expand Staff, Sales
SimpliVity, a Westborough, MA-based seller of IT appliances, has raised a $58 million Series C round to expand hiring and further compete with giants in the data storage and processing market, including EMC. SimpliVity’s business is built around a device called the OmniCube, which is pitched as an all-in-one box that replaces several other pieces … Continue reading “IT Appliance Startup SimpliVity Raises $58M to Expand Staff, Sales”
After Starting Over from Scratch, Reece Pacheco Launches New Shelby.tv
Reece Pacheco finally took the lid off the new version of his video discovery platform. Back in 2012, New York’s Shelby.tv snuffed its old incarnation and then began to rebuild the technology. Now, with brand new code and a new direction, CEO and co-founder Pacheco will see if he’s got the right recipe. So what … Continue reading “After Starting Over from Scratch, Reece Pacheco Launches New Shelby.tv”
TechStreet, a Houston-Style SXSW, to Showcase City’s Startups
For Kim Evans, boosting the Houston startup scene is personal. In 1999, she left BMC Software to found her own startup, Covasoft, but venture capitalists told her she would have to relocate to Austin before they would invest. “My VCs felt Houston was a poor choice for a tech startup because of the lack of … Continue reading “TechStreet, a Houston-Style SXSW, to Showcase City’s Startups”
Kayak’s Paul English Out to Reinforce Good Behavior With Driving App
“Can your phone be used to retrain you?” That’s Paul English, the co-founder and chief technology officer of travel search site Kayak. He’s talking about an emerging trend in mobile apps: software on smartphones increasingly is being designed to reinforce and reward good behaviors. Think nutrition, health, fitness, stress management, and sustainability. Now add driving … Continue reading “Kayak’s Paul English Out to Reinforce Good Behavior With Driving App”
Big Pharma Quartet Puts $30M Behind Aileron’s P53 Peptide Drug
Aileron Therapeutics decided long ago to design a stapled peptide drug that just might be able to protect one of cancer biology’s most tantalizing, yet untouchable targets—the tumor suppressor protein known as p53. Now, the Cambridge, MA-based startup’s investors have armed it with $30 million to see if it’s on to something. Aileron has pulled … Continue reading “Big Pharma Quartet Puts $30M Behind Aileron’s P53 Peptide Drug”
The Biotech Startup Class of 2013: Don’t Worry, It’s a Short List
[Updated: 12:45 pm PT 12/13/13] We’ve heard a lot this year about the IPO boom for biotech companies. Even after a few high-profile blowups (Ariad, Sarepta), the public biotech stock indexes are still outperforming the Nasdaq Composite Index and S&P 500. Some biotechs have been acquired for megabucks (Onyx, ViroPharma). We’ve heard about another biotech … Continue reading “The Biotech Startup Class of 2013: Don’t Worry, It’s a Short List”
Hamburger Heaven: Business Lessons from a Child’s Bookshelf
Perhaps because I have a sales/marketing/product background, or perhaps because sales/marketing/product development are such a focus of conversation when you hang around with entrepreneurs, I am often asked what business book I would most recommend on these topics. I am sure that most would expect me to recommend one of the “classics,” such as Clayton … Continue reading “Hamburger Heaven: Business Lessons from a Child’s Bookshelf”
DigitalGlobe Turns to the Crowd to Analyze Post-Typhoon Images
Since Super Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines last Thursday, the world has witnessed scenes of devastated villages, destroyed homes, and washed-out roads and bridges. The pictures are heartbreaking and have motivated people around the world to try to help. Usually that means donating money or supplies, but DigitalGlobe, a satellite imagery company based in Colorado, … Continue reading “DigitalGlobe Turns to the Crowd to Analyze Post-Typhoon Images”
SNUPI Technologies’ Home Sensor Network Monitors Water Leaks, Babies
SNUPI Technologies wants to help homeowners spot mold, leaks, and appliance failures before they become a big problem, but that’s just the beginning. This Seattle startup is building a platform at the intersection of low-cost, low-power sensor networks, cloud computing, and machine learning, that is showing potential beyond the initial product and service that SNUPI … Continue reading “SNUPI Technologies’ Home Sensor Network Monitors Water Leaks, Babies”
Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition Winners Announced
Yesterday, the winners of the annual Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition were announced after a two-day competition at the Book Cadillac Hotel in downtown Detroit. At stake was more than $1 million in cash prizes, plus awards of services, staffing, and software. More than that, Accelerate Michigan winners are usually considered among Michigan’s most promising startups and … Continue reading “Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition Winners Announced”
The Hottest High-Tech Toy of 2013: Anki’s iPhone-Driven Robot Cars
If you had wandered up to the second floor of the Apple store in San Francisco on a Thursday evening a couple of weeks ago, you would have seen an unusual spectacle. The big wooden tables were cleared of the usual iPads and MacBooks, and in their place visitors had laid out large sheets of … Continue reading “The Hottest High-Tech Toy of 2013: Anki’s iPhone-Driven Robot Cars”
East Coast Biotech Roundup: Sarepta, Zalicus, Alkermes, & More
It’s been an optimistic year for biotech. IPOs have come fast and furious, and have made a lot of money for investors. The Nasdaq Biotechnology Index is up big. But this week offered a cold reminder of the high risk that comes with those potentially high rewards. Those stories and more below: —Cambridge, MA-based Sarepta … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: Sarepta, Zalicus, Alkermes, & More”
Tealium Tries to Simplify Tag Chaos, Adds Data Layer for Marketers
It was almost a year ago when veteran software executive Jeff Lunsford took over as CEO at San Diego’s Tealium, a five-year-old startup providing data-management technology for the online marketing teams at companies like Urban Outfitters, Fox Networks Group, McAfee, and Travelocity. In a recent call from the airport in San Jose, CA, Lunsford says … Continue reading “Tealium Tries to Simplify Tag Chaos, Adds Data Layer for Marketers”
Catabasis Scores $32M Series B Round With IPO in Sight
When investors better known for backing public companies jump into a startup’s private financing round, it’s typically a signal that an IPO is on the way. That looks to be the case for Cambridge, MA-based Catabasis Pharmaceuticals. Catabasis is announcing today that it has raised $32.4 million in equity financing through a Series B round … Continue reading “Catabasis Scores $32M Series B Round With IPO in Sight”
Seattle E-Commerce Startup Zulily Raises $253M in IPO, Soars 71%
[Updated throughout 11/15/13, 1:42 p.m. PT] Seattle is home to another multi-billion-dollar tech company with the initial public offering of Zulily, which sold 11.5 million shares for $22 each Thursday and watched its stock climb as much as 87.8 percent in trading on the NASDAQ Friday. Zulily shares, trading under the ticker symbol ZU, closed … Continue reading “Seattle E-Commerce Startup Zulily Raises $253M in IPO, Soars 71%”
San Diego’s Celladon Postpones IPO, Cites “Poor Market Conditions”
Maybe that IPO wasn’t such a good idea after all. San Diego’s Celladon, on the fast track to advance clinical development of its first-in-class gene therapy for patients with systolic heart failure, postponed its IPO Wednesday, according to Renaissance Capital, an institutional research firm that specializes in IPOs. The company cited poor market conditions. Celladon … Continue reading “San Diego’s Celladon Postpones IPO, Cites “Poor Market Conditions””
Austin’s MapMyFitness Charts Digital Fitness Course to $150M Exit
2007 wasn’t that long ago, but at that time when Robin Thurston and Kevin Callahan founded what was then called MapMyRun, using digital devices to enhance one’s fitness routine was still largely the domain of ultra-athletes. Smartphones were new and everyday use of GPS was uncommon. Six years later, the rechristened MapMyFitness has gone from … Continue reading “Austin’s MapMyFitness Charts Digital Fitness Course to $150M Exit”
Redfin Raises $50M From Tiger Global, T. Rowe Price, Others
Redfin just raised $50 million, more than double what the Seattle-based online real estate brokerage had raised from venture capitalists in its prior 11 years in business. The company brought on new investors Tiger Global Management and T. Rowe Price Associates’ portfolios for this “mezzanine investment.” Previous investors Greylock Partners, Globespan Capital Partners, Draper Fisher … Continue reading “Redfin Raises $50M From Tiger Global, T. Rowe Price, Others”
In Defense of Sarepta’s Chris Garabedian
Anyone who follows the biotechnology industry surely is aware of the setback Cambridge, MA-based Sarepta Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SRPT]]) experienced this week after FDA changed their mind about the company’s ability to request early approval for its Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy drug, eteplirsen, on the basis of an encouraging Phase IIb study of 12 patients. However, the … Continue reading “In Defense of Sarepta’s Chris Garabedian”
San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Tandem, Sorrento, Volcano, & More
[Updated 11/14/13 3:40 pm to show that Celladon postponed its IPO.] Another San Diego life sciences company completed its IPO, and at least one more local IPO (Biocept) is waiting in the wings for its moment in the spotlight. (San Diego’s Celladon has postponed its IPO.) We have details, along with the rest of the … Continue reading “San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Tandem, Sorrento, Volcano, & More”
Saxena, Hirschtick, Wolfram to Talk Big Data and Devices on 11/21
What can we learn about big data from the founders of Netezza, SolidWorks, and Wolfram Research? Quite a bit, I wager. And we will, one week from today, at our “D2: The Future of Data and Devices” conference. It’s all going down on Thursday, Nov. 21, at the Fidelity Center for Applied Technology in Boston, … Continue reading “Saxena, Hirschtick, Wolfram to Talk Big Data and Devices on 11/21”
Qloo, Now Out of Beta, Wants to Learn Your Different Cultural Tastes
Lots of apps try to tell people where to find stuff they like. New York’s Qloo came out of private beta Thursday promising deeply personal recommendations for multiple interests. The company already has $3 million in seed funding in pocket from backers including Kindler Capital, as well as individual investors such as comedian Cedric the … Continue reading “Qloo, Now Out of Beta, Wants to Learn Your Different Cultural Tastes”
Clot-Busting Inventor Breaks Barriers for Medtech Entrepreneurs
A typical entrepreneur accepted into the competitive startup incubator at the Fogarty Institute for Innovation in Mountain View, CA might be an engineer from the Stanford Biodesign Program, a formal academic program that trains students to invent medical devices. But Dr. Thomas J. Fogarty, who founded the Fogarty Institute in 2007, says he’d be equally … Continue reading “Clot-Busting Inventor Breaks Barriers for Medtech Entrepreneurs”
Ovuline Takes Geeky Approach to Pregnancy Tracking with Ovia App
For a lot of people who get pregnant, the freak-out-and-gather-information phase still looks a lot like it did decades ago: stockpiling thousands of pages of advice books, and trying to burn through them all without gagging on all the conflicting pointers. It’s not a terribly efficient way to gather information. But anyone who’s tried to … Continue reading “Ovuline Takes Geeky Approach to Pregnancy Tracking with Ovia App”
Austin’s MapMyFitness Bought by Under Armour for $150M
MapMyFitness, an Austin, TX-based workout app company, is being acquired by the athletic apparel company Under Armour (NYSE: UA) for $150 million. The Austin startup, which was founded in 2007, has about 20 million users for its most popular apps, MapMyRun and MapMyRide. By using GPS and other technologies, fitness apps like MapMyFitness help users … Continue reading “Austin’s MapMyFitness Bought by Under Armour for $150M”
The Future of Microsoft Research: One on One With New Boss Peter Lee
How do you help invigorate the Microsoft machine? Well, for Peter Lee, the answer lies in the frontiers of computer science. Lee is the new managing director of Microsoft Research, the company’s global research arm. His job is to help his parent company, not always quick on the uptake with emerging technology, understand the latest … Continue reading “The Future of Microsoft Research: One on One With New Boss Peter Lee”
New Enterprise Associates Sets up Shop in Kendall Square
New Enterprise Associates has had a hand in a number of Boston’s biotech startups over the years. But it wasn’t until now that the big VC firm officially put a physical footprint in the biotech cluster in Cambridge, MA. NEA today is announcing that it has opened an office in Kendall Square. It’s on the … Continue reading “New Enterprise Associates Sets up Shop in Kendall Square”
Genentech CMO Hal Barron Joins ‘Building Biotechs to Last’ Dec. 9
Hal Barron, when he was a young physician, joined Genentech as a clinical scientist back in 1996. It was the year of Genentech’s 20th anniversary. It sounds hard to believe today, but that was at a time before names like Rituxan, Herceptin, and Avastin meant anything in the world of cancer care. Point being, if there’s … Continue reading “Genentech CMO Hal Barron Joins ‘Building Biotechs to Last’ Dec. 9”
Pocket, the Read-Later App, Makes a Bid to Own the “Interest Graph”
[Corrected 11/14/13, see below] In the world of news-reader apps, the individual reigns supreme. These days, nobody dares to release a news aggregation product for smartphones, tablets, or the Web without including some sort of personalization feature to weed out unwanted content. (The idea that editors should tell you what they think you need to … Continue reading “Pocket, the Read-Later App, Makes a Bid to Own the “Interest Graph””
Tandem Diabetes Care Raises $120M in Bigger-Than-Expected IPO
The IPO class of 2013 continues to amaze, with San Diego’s Tandem Diabetes Care joining the parade as the 48th life sciences company in the United States to go public so far this year, according to Renaissance Capital. Tandem Diabetes is expected to begin trading on the Nasdaq exchange tomorrow under the ticker symbol TNDM, … Continue reading “Tandem Diabetes Care Raises $120M in Bigger-Than-Expected IPO”
Revolv Flips Switch on its Smart Hub to Unite Home Automation Devices
There are a lot of companies that say they can make your home electronics and appliances smarter. Sonos, Phillips, Belkin, Honeywell, Trane, Kwikset, Yale, and of course Nest all sell products that automate stereos, lights, thermostats, and locks. The list of manufactures and products is sure to grow. But who’s building the device that makes … Continue reading “Revolv Flips Switch on its Smart Hub to Unite Home Automation Devices”
Agencies Turn to Denver Company to Raise Money for Typhoon Relief
International disaster relief agencies continue working to help the victims of the catastrophic typhoon that hit the Philippines on Friday, and many people are looking to make donations. I’d like to take a moment to highlight the Denver software company that’s working behind the scenes to make sure those donations are getting to the right … Continue reading “Agencies Turn to Denver Company to Raise Money for Typhoon Relief”
Early Bird Rate Ends Today: Xconomy’s Hardtech Event 12/9
We’ve assembled a killer lineup of entrepreneurs, investors, and innovators for our latest New York tech event, The Hardtech Revolution: Makers, Markets, and Mobile. And today is your last chance to save big on early bird tickets to this half-day forum, hosted by AppNexus. Just what is the Hardtech Revolution? We’re seeing it play out … Continue reading “Early Bird Rate Ends Today: Xconomy’s Hardtech Event 12/9”
Pharmacyclics, J&J Win FDA Approval for Big Blood Cancer Drug
[Updated: 11:15 am PT] Investors have been projecting billions in future sales for a new blood cancer treatment from Sunnyvale, CA-based Pharmacyclics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PCYC]]) and Johnson & Johnson, and today the two companies got the official green light from the FDA to start selling the drug. The FDA said today it has cleared ibrutinib (Imbruvica) … Continue reading “Pharmacyclics, J&J Win FDA Approval for Big Blood Cancer Drug”
A Year After TechStars, Fetchnotes Focuses on Stickier Sharing
When we last caught up with the University of Michigan student startup Fetchnotes, the team was preparing for a stint in the elite TechStars Boston accelerator, the first U-M student startup to do so. Now, a year later, the digital note-capturing/life organizing service is relaunching today with a majorly overhauled iPhone app that includes a … Continue reading “A Year After TechStars, Fetchnotes Focuses on Stickier Sharing”
Former Decide CEO Fridgen to Advise Social Commerce Startup Yabbly
Yabbly proclaims on its Web site: “Product search powered by people, not an algorithm.” So it was interesting to learn that Mike Fridgen, who headed Decide.com—which offered very powerful product and pricing searches powered by algorithms, not people—has signed on as an adviser to Seattle-based Yabbly. I had a chance to talk with Fridgen to … Continue reading “Former Decide CEO Fridgen to Advise Social Commerce Startup Yabbly”