Technology companies are clamoring for more software developers, and the industry as a whole is struggling to recruit more women to its ranks. Enter the Ada Developers Academy, an immersive program to teach women with no prior programming experience the fundamentals of coding and place them in internships for hands-on training. The deadline to apply … Continue reading “Women-only Coding School Aims at Worker Shortage, Gender Imbalance”
Category: National
Roundup: Covisint Stocks Soar After IPO, Longbow Software Opens U.S. Office in Ann Arbor
It’s been a busy week in Southeast Michigan’s tech scene. Here’s a roundup of some of the recent news: –On Wednesday, Compuware announced the pricing of its initial public offering of shares of Covisint, its wholly owned subsidiary. The offering includes 6.4 million shares, representing approximately 17.6% of its issued and outstanding shares of Covisint. The shares … Continue reading “Roundup: Covisint Stocks Soar After IPO, Longbow Software Opens U.S. Office in Ann Arbor”
Boston Deals: LevelUp, Ministry of Supply, Predilytics, CO Everywhere
Lots of startup funding news around town: —LevelUp, the Boston-based startup that has gone through several changes in direction as it tries to figure out a mobile payments business, has raised more investment cash—and it’s significantly less than last time. An SEC filing shows that LevelUp (through its parent company, SCVNGR) has raised $7.5 million … Continue reading “Boston Deals: LevelUp, Ministry of Supply, Predilytics, CO Everywhere”
San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Evoke, Halozyme, Biocept, and More
The life sciences are on a roll in San Diego, as more companies line up to go public. We have the latest on local IPOs, along with the rest of the local industry news. —Healthcare IPOs are back, according to EY’s U.S. IPO Insights Report. The quarterly report issued by the firm previously known as … Continue reading “San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Evoke, Halozyme, Biocept, and More”
East Coast Life Sciences Roundup: Foundation, Ophthotech, Sato, & More
If there was any question whether the appetite for biotech IPOs had died down as of yet, the market answered this week with a resounding ‘no.’ That and a whole lot more below: —Cambridge, MA-based Foundation Medicine (NASDAQ: [[ticker:FMI]]) enjoyed a warm reception from Wall Street this week. The cancer diagnostics company upsized its IPO … Continue reading “East Coast Life Sciences Roundup: Foundation, Ophthotech, Sato, & More”
Reimagining Work: Scott Berkun’s Year Without Pants at Automattic
From my desk at Xconomy San Francisco—aka my Potrero Hill apartment—I can look out the window at Highway 280, watch the traffic that crawls into the city every morning and back out every evening, and chuckle smugly. There’s never any traffic congestion on the commute from my bed to my coffee machine to my laptop. … Continue reading “Reimagining Work: Scott Berkun’s Year Without Pants at Automattic”
Outdated IT Skills Slowing Enterprise Shift to Cloud Computing
What’s the biggest thing stopping big companies from using cloud computing for their business? People with outdated skills. So says Simon Crosby, co-founder and CTO of Bromium, a cloud security company, and a panelist at this week’s Washington Technology Industry Association TechNW: North to Innovation event on cloud computing and big data. Crosby, who previously … Continue reading “Outdated IT Skills Slowing Enterprise Shift to Cloud Computing”
Reselling Tractors & Guiding High Schoolers: Report From ERA Demo Day
Backhoes, bulldozers, and forklifts typically do not pop up in the world of startups. But that changed at Wednesday’s showcase of the latest graduates from the Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator. The demo day for this summer’s class of 10 startups featured ideas in fashion, education, and advertising technology, which are bread-and-butter markets in New York, but … Continue reading “Reselling Tractors & Guiding High Schoolers: Report From ERA Demo Day”
Boulder Startup Founder Seeks to Build Stronger Ecosystem in Dallas
Michael Sitarzewski wants to bring a little bit of Denver to Dallas. After seven years in the Mile High City, the founder and CEO of Epic Playground recently returned to Dallas, where he has become the entrepreneur-in-residence at the Dallas Entrepreneur Center. “In Denver, a lot of my time outside of my company was spent … Continue reading “Boulder Startup Founder Seeks to Build Stronger Ecosystem in Dallas”
VictorOps Raises $6.5M, Releases Mobile-Capable Tool Kit for DevOps
Those dreaded late night phone calls that go out to operations and admin guys when everything goes to hell create a sense of brotherhood, at least in the eyes of Todd Vernon, a serial entrepreneur in Boulder, CO. Vernon knows from experience. He’s been on both sides of those calls and knows how they ruin … Continue reading “VictorOps Raises $6.5M, Releases Mobile-Capable Tool Kit for DevOps”
Agenda Live for Xconomy Healthcare Summit Oct. 15–Get Your Invite
Quick question: What is so important to Americans that the U.S. Congress is willing to shut the government down over it? The answer (as if you didn’t know already): healthcare. Here at Xconomy, we have long been tired of the political spin doctoring that surrounds healthcare. So we set out to convene a very exclusive, … Continue reading “Agenda Live for Xconomy Healthcare Summit Oct. 15–Get Your Invite”
Evernote Spins Up an In-House Accelerator for App Builders
If you’re passionate about Evernote, the Web- and mobile-based storage platform for personal notes and other documents, chances are you’re in San Francisco this week for the third annual Evernote Conference. It’s the high point of the year for Evernote power users (like me) and for people building third-party applications that make Evernote more useful. … Continue reading “Evernote Spins Up an In-House Accelerator for App Builders”
Entrepreneur-YOU Competition Showcases Women-Led Startups
On Tuesday, at Walsh College in Troy, MI, fifteen startups led by women competed for $75,000 in venture funding and in-kind support at the second annual Entrepreneur-YOU business plan competition. Huntington Bank, the Ford Motor Company Fund, and the Kellogg Foundation provided the funding, and the panel of judges included Nancy Phillippart, general partner of Belle Michigan; Maria … Continue reading “Entrepreneur-YOU Competition Showcases Women-Led Startups”
Biotech CEOs Don’t Know It All. They Need Mentors
Biotech CEOs are human beings too. But somehow they are often portrayed, particularly by themselves, as herculean beings that can independently solve it all. Time for brutal honesty: every CEO relies heavily on others’ guidance regarding how the company collective can be successful. Much of this input is appropriately provided by the rest of the … Continue reading “Biotech CEOs Don’t Know It All. They Need Mentors”
Foundation’s IPO Isn’t Bubbly, It’s a Jolt for Genomic Diagnostics
Foundation Medicine, the Cambridge, MA-based cancer diagnostic company, reminded me of the 2000 genomics bubble when it went public this week. The company sold its IPO shares at $18, and the stock (NASDAQ: [[ticker:FMI]]) almost doubled in its first day of trading, closing at $35.35, a 96 percent increase off an already bumped-up IPO price. … Continue reading “Foundation’s IPO Isn’t Bubbly, It’s a Jolt for Genomic Diagnostics”
Google Partnership is Galvanize’s Latest Big Success in Debut Year
It’s been a whirlwind month for the crew at Galvanize. Even more so than usual. Galvanize, an incubator/co-working community in Denver, is not even a year old, but during that time it has become the focal point of Denver’s tech startup community. Just ask Google. On Wednesday, Google (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GOOG]]) announced it had selected Galvanize … Continue reading “Google Partnership is Galvanize’s Latest Big Success in Debut Year”
Austin Travel Startup Digitizes Holiday Rentals For a Hotel Alternative
For TurnKey Vacation Rentals, there’s no place like your home. The Austin startup offers second-home and vacation home management services for property owners looking for short-term tenants. “That’s a big ticket in travel,” says T.J. Clark, TurnKey’s co-founder and CEO. “We think it’s the largest travel ticket there is.” Clark estimates the vacation rental market … Continue reading “Austin Travel Startup Digitizes Holiday Rentals For a Hotel Alternative”
Foundation Medicine, Ophthotech Both Find Open Wallets on Wall Street
Life sciences IPOs are still humming along, as both Foundation Medicine (NASDAQ: [[ticker:FMI]]) and Ophthotech (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OPHT]]) found out today when they made their public debuts. The day’s big winners were the pre-IPO investors of Cambridge, MA-based Foundation. The cancer diagnostics company priced its offering last night at $18 per share and closed at $35.35, … Continue reading “Foundation Medicine, Ophthotech Both Find Open Wallets on Wall Street”
Google Partners with Technology Hubs in 7 Cities
Google’s outreach program for entrepreneurs is planting its flag in seven new outposts in the U.S. and Canada with new “tech hubs” that will offer technical and infrastructure support for fledgling tech startups, the company announced today. The six U.S. cities are Denver, Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis, Nashville, TN, and Durham, NC. The only Canadian city … Continue reading “Google Partners with Technology Hubs in 7 Cities”
Oncothyreon Stock Surges on Partner’s Renewed Bet in Lung Cancer
Seattle-based Oncothyreon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ONTY]]) was written off by a lot of investors last year when a cancer immunotherapy it developed failed in a pivotal clinical trial run by one of its partners. Today, the company bounced back as its partner, Merck KGaA, said it essentially saw enough of a silver lining in the data to … Continue reading “Oncothyreon Stock Surges on Partner’s Renewed Bet in Lung Cancer”
Janssen Introduces Mobile Health Manager to Send Med Reminders
For people who forget to take their meds—which is about half of us—Janssen Healthcare Innovation has introduced a free mobile app and Web-based platform designed to help anyone with almost any type of cell phone take their medications as prescribed. Janssen, part of New Brunswick, NJ-based Johnson & Johnson, says its Care4Today Mobile Health Manager … Continue reading “Janssen Introduces Mobile Health Manager to Send Med Reminders”
Backed by $6M, BetterCloud Is Tuning Up Its Software for Salesforce.com
Looking to grow beyond its roots in Google Apps, New York-based BetterCloud announced today it has raised $6 million in a Series B round led by Flybridge Capital Partners with participation from Greycroft Partners, BLH Venture Partners, TriBeCa Venture Partners, Bear Creek Capital, and Hallett Capital. A provider of enterprise cloud management and security software, … Continue reading “Backed by $6M, BetterCloud Is Tuning Up Its Software for Salesforce.com”
Balancing Act: How a Working Mom Built Steals.com
Working mothers are constantly struggling to strike a balance between spending time with their kids and making the most of their professional skills or supporting their families financially. Jana Francis, co-founder of Steals.com, has achieved this balance, and for her, the most rewarding part is that her employees are able to strike a balance as … Continue reading “Balancing Act: How a Working Mom Built Steals.com”
Wearables, Cancer Care & Algorithms: Rock Health Demo Day in Photos
Rock Health, the San Francisco-based startup accelerator focused on companies at the intersection of healthcare and digital technology, presented its latest class of startups to the world yesterday in a demo day session at UCSF’s Genentech Hall. The 10 companies in this batch—Rock Health’s fifth since its founding in 2011—are working on technologies as diverse … Continue reading “Wearables, Cancer Care & Algorithms: Rock Health Demo Day in Photos”
X-Chem, Aiming For Tough-to-Drug Targets, Cuts Deal With AstraZeneca
Little information has been made public about Waltham, MA-based X-Chem since it started up in early 2010. But the startup has come up for air to give the type of announcement that every drug discovery company craves: a member of Big Pharma has snapped up a few drug candidates that its technology helped identify. X-Chem … Continue reading “X-Chem, Aiming For Tough-to-Drug Targets, Cuts Deal With AstraZeneca”
Ophthotech Prices IPO at $22 Per Share, Reels in $167M
Apparently, investors liked what they saw on Ophthotech’s roadshow. The New York-based ophthalmics company, founded by former Eyetech Pharmaceuticals executives David Guyer and Samir Patel, priced its IPO late Tuesday, and sold 7.6 million shares at $22 apiece. Those figures mean Ophthotech ended up raising a whopping $167.2 million from the offering—a number that could … Continue reading “Ophthotech Prices IPO at $22 Per Share, Reels in $167M”
Foundation Medicine Scores $106M in Upsized IPO
The biotech IPO stampede this year hasn’t led to the same type of success for diagnostics companies—that is, until Foundation Medicine priced its offering late Tuesday. Cambridge, MA-based Foundation upsized its IPO and then sold 5,888,888 shares to investors at $18 apiece, raising about $106 million. Foundation, two weeks ago, planned to sell 5 million … Continue reading “Foundation Medicine Scores $106M in Upsized IPO”
VIPorbit Offers Apple Users Apps to Manage Their Digital Lives
A suburban Fort Worth, TX, startup has raised $1 million in angel funding in order to promote its Apple-based contact management software. VIPorbit Software is a series of apps that can be downloaded onto the Apple iPhone, iPad, and desktops, as well as laptops and MacBooks to manage contacts, calendars, and tasks across all social … Continue reading “VIPorbit Offers Apple Users Apps to Manage Their Digital Lives”
Techstars Teams Up With Sprint to Launch Mobile Health Accelerator
Techstars has named its next major corporate partners, the next market it is working with startups to conquer, and the next location for a “powered by Techstars” accelerator. Techstars is getting into mobile health, announcing today it is co-creating the Sprint Accelerator in Kansas City, MO, with the wireless company. The program is looking for … Continue reading “Techstars Teams Up With Sprint to Launch Mobile Health Accelerator”
Aiming for Chartbuster, Germany’s BASF Acquires San Diego’s Verenium
San Diego-based Verenium (Nasdaq: [[ticker:VRNM]]), created in 2007 with the merger of Cambridge, MA-based Celunol and San Diego-based Diversa, had all the makings of a country-western song. Diversa was a rambler, and gathered enzymes from the farthest corners of the world. Celunol was an Ivy League moonshiner. They got married—changed their name to Verenium—but times … Continue reading “Aiming for Chartbuster, Germany’s BASF Acquires San Diego’s Verenium”
Snaps Grabs $2.25M from Steve Kantor, Others, & Gets Bostonian Prez
Mobile branding app developer Snaps based in New York, announced Monday it raised $2.25 million in a round led by Steve Kantor, CEO of merchant banking firm S2K Partners, with participation from other angel investors including Ben Barokas, co-founder of AdMeld (acquired by Google); Jonathan Carson, chief revenue officer at Vevo; and Michael Kassan, CEO … Continue reading “Snaps Grabs $2.25M from Steve Kantor, Others, & Gets Bostonian Prez”
Numerate Trains Its Drug Design Platform On Huntington’s Disease
The path toward a breakthrough drug often starts with a new insight about the molecular cause of an illness, but only a few of these discoveries lead to new treatments. Steven Finkbeiner at the Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco has uncovered a mechanism behind Huntington’s disease, and his lab is now working with the San … Continue reading “Numerate Trains Its Drug Design Platform On Huntington’s Disease”
Dunnhumby Ventures, Led by Balter, Looking for a Few Good Retail Startups
In case you’ve been wondering what Dave Balter is up to, I have the answer: running a new seed-stage investment fund out of Boston. Balter (pictured) was the founder and CEO of BzzAgent, the Boston-based marketing firm that was acquired by Dunnhumby (a subsidiary of U.K. retail giant Tesco) in 2011. He’s a well-known angel … Continue reading “Dunnhumby Ventures, Led by Balter, Looking for a Few Good Retail Startups”
“D2: The Future of Data and Devices” Coming to Boston Nov. 21
Big data, schmig data. Let’s talk about how the field has really evolved in the past year. Big data has morphed from visionary hype to economic reality. As more companies and industries try to make sense of ever-expanding worlds of information—with mixed results so far—a few key sectors are winning mindshare and investment: product design, … Continue reading ““D2: The Future of Data and Devices” Coming to Boston Nov. 21″
Circling the Block? ParkMe Lets Drivers Reserve Spots—At a Discount
Sam Friedman can thank Bruce Willis for the inspiration behind his parking technology company, ParkMe. Friedman and cofounder Alex Israel were straight out of college, with some spare time on their hands, when they headed to the movies to see the latest Die Hard sequel. But when they arrived at the Los Angeles area theater, … Continue reading “Circling the Block? ParkMe Lets Drivers Reserve Spots—At a Discount”
Humanitarian Toolbox Cranks Out Open-Source Apps for Disaster Relief
Bill Wagner spent his career building SRT Solutions, a successful software development company based in Ann Arbor, MI, that was recently acquired by Atomic Object. Now, he’s putting his coding skills to use for the benefit of human welfare with a new startup called Humanitarian Toolbox, a global effort led by four co-founders in Michigan, … Continue reading “Humanitarian Toolbox Cranks Out Open-Source Apps for Disaster Relief”
Mapping the Genome in the Big City: A Slideshow Look at the NYGC
New York life science professionals have long pounded the tables in disgust at the Big Apple’s inability to capitalize on its institutional research: too often, the scientific ideas generated in Manhattan research labs and medical centers get shipped off to other, more established biotech hubs like Boston, San Francisco, and San Diego. As I wrote … Continue reading “Mapping the Genome in the Big City: A Slideshow Look at the NYGC”
The Work Revolution Summit: Creating a Cure for Doing Work You Hate
Brilliant ideas may help entrepreneurs launch startups and grow companies, but at the end of the day the tedium and toils of the job can wear on most anyone. The culture within a business, tiny or huge, can influence the performance potential of its team. So last Friday and Saturday, entrepreneurs, experts in technology, investors … Continue reading “The Work Revolution Summit: Creating a Cure for Doing Work You Hate”
San Diego’s Connect Begins Search for New Innovation Leader
Connect, the San Diego nonprofit supporting local innovation and entrepreneurship, has hired an executive search firm to help the organization recruit a new leader following the death of Connect CEO Duane Roth. Roth, who led Connect for nearly nine years, suffered a traumatic head injury in a July 21 bicycling accident in the mountains east … Continue reading “San Diego’s Connect Begins Search for New Innovation Leader”
Heavybit: Grad School for Startups Building a Software Supply Chain
James Lindenbaum, the Heroku co-founder who has spent the last year building a new startup training program called Heavybit Industries, thinks the software industry is still just as primitive as the automobile business was back in the Great Depression. As late as 1930, Ford and other automakers remained vertically integrated, even building the ore processing … Continue reading “Heavybit: Grad School for Startups Building a Software Supply Chain”
VC 101: Houston Fund Gives Students Startup Investing Experience
The University of Houston has waded into the venture capital market. Administrators have launched the new Cougar Venture Fund this fall as part of its entrepreneurship curriculum for graduate business students. “The goal is to teach students in an entrepreneurial finance class about raising money for a startup, what the options are, how to evaluate … Continue reading “VC 101: Houston Fund Gives Students Startup Investing Experience”
RainDance Nets $35M in Debt Financing To Continue Growth Push
RainDance Technologies is just five months removed from raising $20 million from a group of investors. So there’s no way the company would turn back around and tap the debt market for more cash, right? “As you often hear venture CEOs, or [venture capitalists] say, you take money when you don’t need it—not when you … Continue reading “RainDance Nets $35M in Debt Financing To Continue Growth Push”
The Best Biotech Graduate Schools in Real Life
[Updated 2 pm ET 9/30] Let’s imagine, for a second, you are someone in your 20s or 30s, getting started in the biotech industry. You want to work somewhere you can acquire a well-rounded set of experiences over the next five to 10 years so that you will have what it takes to be qualified … Continue reading “The Best Biotech Graduate Schools in Real Life”
Lavin Lift Strap, Invented for Family, Lightens Load for Caregivers
When Manuel Lavin’s father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease a few years ago, his mother was adamant about her desire to keep him at home as long as possible. As the disease progressed, however, his father became combative. Particularly challenging tasks were changing and cleaning him. Lavin’s mother didn’t have the physical strength to lift … Continue reading “Lavin Lift Strap, Invented for Family, Lightens Load for Caregivers”
DSW Panel Talks Colorado Open Data, Sees Opportunities, Challenges
Hackers, developers, and public servants came together during Denver Startup Week to discuss improvements that have been made, as well as challenges that exist, when it comes to Colorado’s publicly available data. The issues are at the core of broader trends in “big data,” open government, and finding new ways to help startups use the … Continue reading “DSW Panel Talks Colorado Open Data, Sees Opportunities, Challenges”
10 Ways to Live Longer, Without Help from Google
With a simple blog post or news exclusive, Google can instantly glamorize any field of research, whether it’s teaching cars to drive themselves, sending robotic rovers to the Moon, blanketing Earth with wireless data from balloons, or—this week—helping people live longer. The airiest of promises from the company evokes the world’s awe and admiration, and … Continue reading “10 Ways to Live Longer, Without Help from Google”
OhHeckYeah to Debut “Immersive Street Arcade” as Startup Week Closes
Is there one last startup, one last demo, one last party you should check out before Denver Startup Week wraps up? OhHeckYeah. That’s the name of the giant “arts and technology urban intervention” Brian Corrigan, a local “creative strategist,” and local “creative coders” Mode Set and Legwork Studio are planning for next year. Sound too art-jargony? … Continue reading “OhHeckYeah to Debut “Immersive Street Arcade” as Startup Week Closes”
InDi Spinoff Gets $1.5M, Aims to Beat Antibodies in Diagnostics
Seattle-based InDi, aka Integrated Diagnostics, is planning to graduate from startup mode this year and start selling its first product, a diagnostic test that spots lung cancer in a tiny sample of blood. But before it does that, it has decided to spin out some of its key intellectual property into a new startup called … Continue reading “InDi Spinoff Gets $1.5M, Aims to Beat Antibodies in Diagnostics”
East Coast Life Sciences Roundup: NY Genome Center, Acceleron, Bind, & More
[Updated, 12:42 pm ET] The Big Apple has been desperate to become a regional biotech powerhouse in the mold of Boston and San Francisco, and it took a big step forward this week. That, your latest life science IPO news, and much more below: —The New York Genome Center officially set up shop in its … Continue reading “East Coast Life Sciences Roundup: NY Genome Center, Acceleron, Bind, & More”
Langer’s Bind Therapeutics Prices IPO at $15 Per Share
The biotech IPO frenzy of 2013 continued late Thursday as Bind Therapeutics, a startup co-founded by famed MIT professor Robert Langer, became the latest to gear up for its Nasdaq debut. Cambridge, MA-based Bind sold investors 4.7 million shares at $15 apiece late Thursday, raising a total of $70.5 million. The IPO price was right … Continue reading “Langer’s Bind Therapeutics Prices IPO at $15 Per Share”