So, this is the end. Denver Startup Week draws to a close Friday with a big closing night bash at Galvanize and, down in the theatre district, the debut of a new art project that will turn downtown into an immersive street arcade next summer. But before the fun and games—Galvanize also will host a … Continue reading “DSW Guide, Day 5: Perspectives, Problems, Parties, and Plowing Ahead”
Category: National
San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Ex-CEO Shoots Two, OncoSec, & More
[Updated 9/21/13 8 pm. See below.] It was a quiet week for life sciences news in San Diego, except for a shooting spree in La Jolla that wounded two people, including a prominent UC San Diego cancer scientist. Here’s my rundown. —[Updated to show statement by Petersen about Traversa IP is in dispute] Hans Petersen, who … Continue reading “San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Ex-CEO Shoots Two, OncoSec, & More”
Tom Maniatis’ Dream of a NY Genome Center Becomes a Big Apple Reality
For the past year, the New York Genome Center has existed only as 3,000 square feet of rented space in Manhattan’s Rockefeller University, rather than the sprawling genomics hub molecular biology pioneer Tom Maniatis has long envisioned. Today, that all changed. In one of the bigger steps forward for the life sciences ecosystem in New … Continue reading “Tom Maniatis’ Dream of a NY Genome Center Becomes a Big Apple Reality”
Makers on the Waterfront: Inside Autodesk’s New Pier 9 Workshop
“Only a handful of months ago, this whole thing was only an idea, and at times what seemed like a really crazy idea,” said Autodesk president and CEO Carl Bass. “Now it is the envy of everybody’s workshops.” The leader of the San Rafael, CA-based design software maker was speaking last week at the official … Continue reading “Makers on the Waterfront: Inside Autodesk’s New Pier 9 Workshop”
GM Opens the Doors to Revamped Battery Lab in Warren
This week, General Motors announced it has tripled the size of its Global Battery Systems Laboratory in Warren, MI. The facility is now the largest North American battery lab owned by a major auto manufacturer. Greg Ross, GM’s director of business development alliances, says that even though wireless connectivity seems to be dominating the conversation … Continue reading “GM Opens the Doors to Revamped Battery Lab in Warren”
Xbox, TV, & Asexual Phones: Microsoft’s Bing Talks Design and Tech
Sporting a new fall look, Microsoft’s search engine Bing showed off an updated logo Tuesday night in New York as the company called attention to the relevance of design across various types of technology. On an evening populated with luminaries from the fashion and home décor worlds, Microsoft hosted a chat about how websites and … Continue reading “Xbox, TV, & Asexual Phones: Microsoft’s Bing Talks Design and Tech”
Healthcare Megatrends, Part 1: Shifting Risk
While debates continue on the pros and cons of health reform, one fact remains: the marketplace is changing. There has been approximately $1 trillion in health care M+A activity since 2008. Payers are becoming providers, providers are becoming payers and placing insurance products on the exchanges, benefit consultants are creating exchanges, payers are looking increasingly … Continue reading “Healthcare Megatrends, Part 1: Shifting Risk”
Big Insight—Making Sense of Big Data in Seattle Nov. 19
It’s not about the data, it’s about the insight. While the accumulation of data shows no signs of slowing, some argue the term “big data” has passed peak marketing hype. This is a good thing, because it allows people to focus more on the real reason we’re generating, cleaning, storing, and analyzing every bit of … Continue reading “Big Insight—Making Sense of Big Data in Seattle Nov. 19”
Acceleron Prices Upsized IPO at $15 Per Share, Begins Trading Thursday
Acceleron Pharma has found a sweet reception on Wall Street, continuing 2013’s run of biotech IPO successes. The Cambridge, MA-based biotech priced its IPO late Wednesday, selling 5.58 million shares at $15 apiece. The figure comes in at the high end of Acceleron’s projected $13 to $15 per share range, and reflects big demand from … Continue reading “Acceleron Prices Upsized IPO at $15 Per Share, Begins Trading Thursday”
DSW Guide, Day 4: New Tech Colorado Crew, Governor to Share Stage
It’s Day 4 of Denver Startup Week, and here’s a sampling of some of the cool events going on. The Big Event New Tech Colorado on the big stage. It’s hard to imagine what the grassroots of Colorado’s tech community would be like without the Boulder Denver New Tech Meetup. Formed seven years ago in … Continue reading “DSW Guide, Day 4: New Tech Colorado Crew, Governor to Share Stage”
Total Transit Acquires San Diego Mobile App Developer GoFastCab
Total Transit, a Glendale, AZ-based transportation company and taxi cab operator, has acquired GoFastCab, a five-year-old San Diego startup that had developed mobile apps that enable smartphone users to get a taxi immediately or to schedule a future pickup. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. GoFastCab founders Josh Komenda and Jeremy Schrage, who … Continue reading “Total Transit Acquires San Diego Mobile App Developer GoFastCab”
Shkreli’s Retrophin Makes Hostile Bid For CA-based Transcept
Martin Shkreli made a lot of waves challenging the boards of various biotechs and drugmakers a few years ago as a hedge fund manager. Now his rare disease startup, Retrophin, is taking a similarly aggressive approach to M&A. New York-based Retrophin (OTCBB: [[ticker:RTRX]]) said just after the market closed today that it has made a … Continue reading “Shkreli’s Retrophin Makes Hostile Bid For CA-based Transcept”
Ping Identity CEO Durand to Colorado Entrepreneurs: Be Unreasonable
Don’t tell Ping Identity co-founder and CEO Andre Durand his company isn’t a startup anymore—especially if you work for him. And definitely don’t tell Durand you want to buy Ping Identity and take him away from his dream of building a $1 billion company. I ran into Durand during Denver Startup Week, and he discussed … Continue reading “Ping Identity CEO Durand to Colorado Entrepreneurs: Be Unreasonable”
Report from Techonomy Detroit: Can Technology Rebuild the Middle Class?
Though members of the so-called middle class weren’t necessarily in the room at yesterday’s Techonomy Detroit conference, they seemed to be on a lot of attendees’ minds. One recurring theme to the day’s programming was the idea of utilizing technology as a democratizing agent to give people better access to education, jobs, government services, and investment … Continue reading “Report from Techonomy Detroit: Can Technology Rebuild the Middle Class?”
House of Genius, 1 Million Cups Claim First Grants from Startup Fund
Two grassroots organizations dedicated to building better entrepreneurs won the initial grants from the Startup Colorado Community Fund this morning. House of Genius, which was founded in Boulder and has expanded worldwide, and the Denver branch of the Kauffman Foundation’s 1 Million Cups program each will receive grants of $6,000, which should be enough to … Continue reading “House of Genius, 1 Million Cups Claim First Grants from Startup Fund”
Nomiku’s Story: A Startup Brings Sous-Vide Cooking to Home Kitchens
Take a two-inch thick boneless rib-eye steak. Coat with a tablespoon of chopped fresh rosemary, a quarter-ounce of dried porcini mushrooms (finely ground), a tablespoon of olive oil, and a sprinkling of black pepper. Vacuum-seal in a Ziploc bag and submerge in water heated at a constant 57°C (135°F). Leave for 3 hours and 15 … Continue reading “Nomiku’s Story: A Startup Brings Sous-Vide Cooking to Home Kitchens”
Sales Software Startup Yesware Adds $13.5M Led by Battery Ventures
Boston-based Yesware, which makes e-mail software for salespeople, has raised $13.5 million in a bid to accelerate its growth. Battery Ventures led the investment, which also featured Yesware’s existing backers: Google Ventures, Foundry Group, Golden Venture Partners, and IDG Ventures. With the new cash, Yesware has raised a total of $18.5 million in venture investments. … Continue reading “Sales Software Startup Yesware Adds $13.5M Led by Battery Ventures”
Sonar Sinks Under the Waves: Blog Post by CEO Brett Martin Says Why
Brett Martin sent an e-mail Tuesday night that declared the end of his startup, Sonar, the New York-based developer of a social networking mobile app that introduced its users to people of interest nearby. The app shared information users opted to reveal about themselves, and though it raised almost $2 million from undisclosed investors, the … Continue reading “Sonar Sinks Under the Waves: Blog Post by CEO Brett Martin Says Why”
Aerie Pharma Eyes $58M IPO For Glaucoma Drug Push
Many investors may be waiting for Ophthtotech to price its coming IPO, but another startup from the Tri-state area developing eye drugs has just pushed its way into the queue as well: Bedminster, NJ-based Aerie Pharmaceuticals. Aerie, a developer of glaucoma drugs, outlined plans late Tuesday to go public. The company aims to raise $57.5 … Continue reading “Aerie Pharma Eyes $58M IPO For Glaucoma Drug Push”
No Titles, No Problem: Stackdriver Scores $10M for Cloud Monitoring
Stackdriver. Love the name. Love the concept, though it’s kind of technical. Bear with me. You know how every Web company seems to run its business on Amazon Web Services or Rackspace? That means every Web company also needs to monitor its IT environment—its application performance, website speed, and so forth—in the public cloud. Or … Continue reading “No Titles, No Problem: Stackdriver Scores $10M for Cloud Monitoring”
DSW Guide, Day 3: Crawling Past the Halfway Mark and Building Locally
Wednesday is “hump day” for Denver Startup Week. The panels continue, and so does the networking. The Big Event Startup Crawl: Tech companies around downtown will throw their doors open Wednesday afternoon for the startup crawl. With more than 35 companies participating and at least 20 stops (click the link for a list), the event … Continue reading “DSW Guide, Day 3: Crawling Past the Halfway Mark and Building Locally”
How Did Newspapers Blow It? Not Enough Engineers, NYT Publisher Says
It would be hard to single out just one mistake from the news industry’s fumbled transition to the Internet era. But the most important newspaper publisher in America—Arthur Sulzberger, Jr. of the New York Times—says one stumble sticks out among the rest. “Engineers. That’s what we didn’t focus on fast enough,” Sulzberger says. “The need … Continue reading “How Did Newspapers Blow It? Not Enough Engineers, NYT Publisher Says”
Better Gender Balance is Better for Business, Experts in Denver Say
What can tech companies do to increase diversity in the workplace? Why aren’t more women pursuing computer science careers? And why do so many women leave tech careers? Those questions have plagued technology companies for years. On Monday, a panel sponsored by the National Center for Women & Information Technology tried to offer some solutions … Continue reading “Better Gender Balance is Better for Business, Experts in Denver Say”
Roundup: UW Tech Policy, Deals for F5, WaveDivison, Enclarity, & More
The new University of Washington Tech Policy Lab promises to be a great resource for lawmakers and others trying to keep up with the implications of fast-evolving technology on many aspects of society. Read on for details on that plus a new Staples.com development center in Seattle; acquisitions news from WaveDivision Holdings, F5 Networks, and … Continue reading “Roundup: UW Tech Policy, Deals for F5, WaveDivison, Enclarity, & More”
Occipital Debuts 3D Scanner for iPads, Raises $100K on Kickstarter
Occipital, a Boulder-based startup that specializes in computer vision and augmented reality, has been quiet recently, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been busy. The company announced Tuesday it has created its first piece of hardware, a 3-D infrared scanner called Structure Sensor that attaches to mobile devices. Occipital also launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise … Continue reading “Occipital Debuts 3D Scanner for iPads, Raises $100K on Kickstarter”
Gnip Co-founder Jud Valeski on His Flood Shots Seen Around the World
Gnip co-founder and chief technology officer Jud Valeski has a unique perspective, both professionally and now personally, on disasters like the 100-year flood that just devastated Colorado. In his day job, Valeski helps oversee Boulder-based Gnip’s efforts to collect about 3 billion public social media activities every day. That includes every public Tweet and Tumblr … Continue reading “Gnip Co-founder Jud Valeski on His Flood Shots Seen Around the World”
Yerdle Opens Up Mobile Marketplace for Closet Treasures
Yerdle, a San Francisco startup that’s been helping people share their little-used stuff with their Facebook friends, is broadening the reach of its online swap meet. The company released a new mobile app for iOS devices last Friday that allows anyone to browse through the gadgets, banana-seat bikes, crockpots, outgrown Crocs, and other possible offerings … Continue reading “Yerdle Opens Up Mobile Marketplace for Closet Treasures”
Scivantage Scoops Up Portfolio Director From Scottrade Financial
Financial technology provider Scivantage in Jersey City, NJ, announced Monday it acquired Portfolio Director, a supplier of investment managemen technology, from Scottrade Financial Services. Terms were not disclosed. For Scivantage, which offers platforms for tax and portfolio reporting, the deal brings into the fold Portfolio Director’s performance reporting software used by investment advisors, banks, brokerages, … Continue reading “Scivantage Scoops Up Portfolio Director From Scottrade Financial”
Mobile Delivery Platform Zipments Closes $2.2M Seed Round
Zipments, a New York City-based online delivery platform with roots in Grand Rapids, MI, announced yesterday that it has raised $2.25 million in seed funding from a national syndicate of investors, including First Mark Capital, Huron River Ventures, the Windquest Group, the New York City Economic Development Corporation, Chicago Ventures, and Robert Safrata, CEO at … Continue reading “Mobile Delivery Platform Zipments Closes $2.2M Seed Round”
Regado Biosciences Kicks Off Big Clinical Trial For Heart Drug
Regado Biosciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:RGDO]]) will now have the chance to prove that the two-pronged anticoagulant it pitched at its IPO roadshow is all it’s cracked up to be. The Basking Ridge, NJ-based biotech has officially enrolled the first patient in a massive late-stage clinical trial for its lead drug, REG-1. Regado expects to enroll a … Continue reading “Regado Biosciences Kicks Off Big Clinical Trial For Heart Drug”
CA Lawmakers Punt Decision on Startup Tax to Governor
California Governor Jerry Brown will now have the final say on whether small-business investors will be fully—or just partially—spared from the brunt of retroactive tax increases going back to 2008. Unable to come down on one side of the issue or the other, California legislators chose both, approving two conflicting bills last week and leaving … Continue reading “CA Lawmakers Punt Decision on Startup Tax to Governor”
Cognii Chasing “Siri for Education” at LearnLaunchX & TiE Challenge
This is a story about one entrepreneur, two accelerators, and three big ideas. The first idea is how to make money at an education-tech startup. The second is how to do automated assessment of students’ written responses. The third is how the technology is aiming to become something like “Siri for education.” All of the … Continue reading “Cognii Chasing “Siri for Education” at LearnLaunchX & TiE Challenge”
DSW Guide, Day 2: Jobs, Money, Music, and Speed Dating for Nerds
Denver Startup Week shifts gears Tuesday. If the kickoff luncheon and opening party were Monday’s highlights, Tuesday is all about business, at least until the speed dating for nerds (yes, you read that right.) Panels on jobs and fundraising are among the day’s events top events. Check the Denver Startup Week calendar for more details … Continue reading “DSW Guide, Day 2: Jobs, Money, Music, and Speed Dating for Nerds”
5 Minutes with “Guru” Seth Godin to Kick Off Denver Startup Week
Seth Godin wants you to hurry. Not to get a million Twitter followers and become the next Miley Cyrus, but to take advantage of a moment of upheaval that is allowing entrepreneurs to start companies like never before. And he wants you to hurry because that moment might be passing. Godin, a bestselling author, widely … Continue reading “5 Minutes with “Guru” Seth Godin to Kick Off Denver Startup Week”
Rice Alliance Showcases Breadth of Cleantech Startups, Investors
The first misconception that needs to be banished is that cleantech and traditional energy are different. So began Rice University’s latest Energy and Clean Technology Venture Forum last week, a pitch-day for energy startups as well as a forum for venture and angel investors to discuss trends in the industry. “We need to get away … Continue reading “Rice Alliance Showcases Breadth of Cleantech Startups, Investors”
Amplify Health, Benefitter, MedWhat Among DC to VC Showcase Finalists
[Updated 3:00 pm 9/30/13 with a list of the winning startups—see below] Wondering which digital-health startups are most likely to hit the big time? Then you’ll want to keep an eye on Morgenthaler Ventures’ fourth annual DC to VC Startup Showcase, coming up Sept. 30 at the Health 2.0 conference in Silicon Valley. Morgenthaler sorted … Continue reading “Amplify Health, Benefitter, MedWhat Among DC to VC Showcase Finalists”
Google + Bump, Mindjet + Spigit, and More: Bay Area Deals Roundup
There were too many big mergers and funding announcements from the San Francisco / Silicon Valley tech community this morning to let them all pass by. To wit: —Bump, the Mountain View, CA-based Y Combinator graduate whose apps help mobile users quickly exchange contact information, photos, and other files, has been acquired by Google. Bump … Continue reading “Google + Bump, Mindjet + Spigit, and More: Bay Area Deals Roundup”
ActionX Emerges From Stealth With $3M From SoftBank, Verizon, Others
New York-based ActionX, a developer of a platform that brands can use to reach more consumers via their behavior on mobile apps, emerged from stealth mode Monday. The company announced it raised $3 million in Series A funding from SoftBankCapital, Verizon Investments, AOL Ventures, Lerer Ventures, and Golden Venture Partners, with participation by angel investors. … Continue reading “ActionX Emerges From Stealth With $3M From SoftBank, Verizon, Others”
Slow Down to Speed Up: Startup Advice from Feld, Miner, & Yesware
It was April Fool’s Day, 2011. Matthew Bellows walked into a board meeting for his startup, Yesware. In the room were Brad Feld and Rich Miner, prominent venture capitalists from Foundry Group and Google Ventures, respectively, who had just led seed investments in Yesware. Bellows, the startup’s CEO, had previously started WGR Media and sold … Continue reading “Slow Down to Speed Up: Startup Advice from Feld, Miner, & Yesware”
Don’t Be Naïve: 7 Things to Know Before Taking a Biotech Startup Job
You’ve spent years working hard to hone your skills in science, medicine, or business. You’ve accomplished things, and you have the talent and desire to do more. You may be bored, or stuck at a dead end job in academia, Big Biotech, or Big Pharma. You are intrigued by a job posting you just saw … Continue reading “Don’t Be Naïve: 7 Things to Know Before Taking a Biotech Startup Job”
Do VCs Add Value?
Vinod Khosla’s recent comment during an interview with Michael Arrington that 95 percent of VCs don’t add value (and that 70-80 percent might actually add negative value in their advising) got me thinking about the underlying dynamics of the question. I agree with Khosla that a surprisingly large portion of VCs add little value, but … Continue reading “Do VCs Add Value?”
Dallas Startup Pure Discovery Gets $10 Million for Smarter Search
A Dallas startup has raised $10 million to further develop its “post-search” business. Pure Discovery is a search platform that aims to refine search beyond the keyword model we use today. Their product, Brainspace, aims to create a data “brain” that reads documents and uses artificial intelligence to connect it with other documents that relate … Continue reading “Dallas Startup Pure Discovery Gets $10 Million for Smarter Search”
DSW Guide, Day 1: Seth Godin, Diversity, and Partying Startup Droogs
Denver Startup Week kicks off Monday with an action-packed first day. Here’s a sampling of some of the day’s events. Check the Denver Startup Week calendar for more details about these events, plus lots of other events not mentioned here. The events are free, but they do want you to register in advance. This certainly isn’t … Continue reading “DSW Guide, Day 1: Seth Godin, Diversity, and Partying Startup Droogs”
Mentoring Startups is Hard: Five Ways to Be a Better Mentor
Mentoring has become a more significant part of the economy today than since, perhaps, apprenticeships in the Craftsman Age. Why? The rise of entrepreneurship and our expanding freelance economy are driving massive transformation, and workers are increasingly required to find their own means of making a living. During the Industrial age, most labor was focused … Continue reading “Mentoring Startups is Hard: Five Ways to Be a Better Mentor”
Roundup: LevelEleven Raises $2M, Atomic Object Acquires SRT Solutions
Lots of action in the Southeast Michigan startup world this week: —LevelEleven, the Detroit-based enterprise gamification startup spun out of ePrize, announced this week that it has raised another $2 million in equity financing, bringing the total venture investment in the company up to $3.5 million. Investors in LevelEleven’s latest round include CRM giant Salesforce, … Continue reading “Roundup: LevelEleven Raises $2M, Atomic Object Acquires SRT Solutions”
Denver Ready to Open Doors to Entrepreneurs as Startup Week Returns
Want to know how big Denver Startup Week has become in just its second year? Maybe you should ask the fire marshals. They might have to drop by to make sure things don’t get too crowded, like they did at last year’s kickoff event. Denver Startup Week starts Monday with a luncheon that stars marketing … Continue reading “Denver Ready to Open Doors to Entrepreneurs as Startup Week Returns”
NPR Highlights Seattle’s Pediatric Cancer Innovator, Jim Olson
People who listen to one of NPR’s most popular shows during their morning routine just found out about the work of one of the important innovators in Seattle’s biotech community. Listeners to NPR’s nationally syndicated “Morning Edition” show heard two separate in-depth reports this week about the work of Jim Olson, the pediatric oncologist at … Continue reading “NPR Highlights Seattle’s Pediatric Cancer Innovator, Jim Olson”
Virtuix Opens a Virtual World at Your Feet, in Your living Room
Virtual reality has become a very real startup niche for Jan Goetgeluk. Six months ago, the Belgian immigrant left his job at J.P. Morgan in Houston to focus full-time on Virtuix, a startup that makes the Omni, a 360-degree treadmill that creates virtual environments for gamers. In July, he launched a Kickstarter campaign, hoping to … Continue reading “Virtuix Opens a Virtual World at Your Feet, in Your living Room”
East Coast Life Sciences Roundup: Genocea, Biogen, OvaScience, & More
[Updated, 8:45 am ET] Summer, it’s sad to say, is clearly in the rear-view mirror. No surprise, then, that biotech activity was flying this week. Partnerships, financings, data releases, IPO rumblings and more dot the news below: —Cambridge, MA-based Genocea Biosciences revealed the first piece of clinical data it has collected to date, unveiling interim … Continue reading “East Coast Life Sciences Roundup: Genocea, Biogen, OvaScience, & More”
The iPhone 5S and 5C: Everything Is Amazing and Nobody Is Happy
Our expectations about how fast personal technology should evolve have come totally unglued from reality. That was all I could think this week as I surveyed media and consumer commentary about the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C, which Apple unveiled at a Sept. 10 press event. From any reasonable point of view, these new … Continue reading “The iPhone 5S and 5C: Everything Is Amazing and Nobody Is Happy”