Ensemble Therapeutics has attracted a number of Big Pharma companies who want access to its library of synthetic mid-sized drugs, which are supposed to be able to hit molecular targets that other drugs can’t. For the first time, however, Ensemble has struck a deal to go beyond the discovery stage, and see how far it … Continue reading “Ensemble Reels in Novartis to Develop Oral, Mid-Sized Inflammation Drugs”
Category: National
Isis Ends Program, Still Has Options For Rheumatoid Arthritis Drug
Wall Street showed little reaction today after Carlsbad, CA-based Isis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ISIS]]) said it would halt development of its antisense drug ISIS-CRPRx for treating rheumatoid arthritis. Isis shares lost 58 cents, or slightly less than 2 percent, in regular trading today, closing at $28.65 a share. Isis said data from a mid-stage trial of … Continue reading “Isis Ends Program, Still Has Options For Rheumatoid Arthritis Drug”
Medicines Buys ProFibrix, Led by Former Zymonite, for $90M
[Updated: 4:55 pm PT] ProFibrix, the Netherlands-based biotech company with a Seattle drug development office, has agreed to be acquired by The Medicines Company for $240 million after passing the final stage of clinical trials with a new treatment for surgical bleeding. Parsippany, NJ-based The Medicines Co. (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MDCO]]) said today it has agreed to … Continue reading “Medicines Buys ProFibrix, Led by Former Zymonite, for $90M”
NASA’s Next Mars Mission Leaves Colorado on Trip to the Red Planet
Next stop: Mars. NASA’s next mission to the Red Planet is the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN spacecraft, or MAVEN, which on Friday arrived at the Kennedy Space Center. The satellite was designed and built outside Denver by Lockheed Martin Space Systems. MAVEN is scheduled to launch this November, following prelaunch setup and testing. The … Continue reading “NASA’s Next Mars Mission Leaves Colorado on Trip to the Red Planet”
Bezos Buys Washington Post for $250M in Surprise Deal
[Updated 6 pm Eastern.] Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has long talked about his knack for operating businesses on very low profit margins. Now, he’s getting another chance to test that muscle. In an announcement that shocked the media industry, the Washington Post Co. says it is selling its flagship newspaper “and affiliated publications” to Bezos … Continue reading “Bezos Buys Washington Post for $250M in Surprise Deal”
Obama to Discuss Housing with Zillow CEO, Answer Public Questions
President Obama is certainly hamming it up with Seattle-based companies lately. Just last week, Obama toured a Chattanooga, TN, warehouse owned by Amazon, giving a speech on jobs policy and granting an interview with the editor of Amazon’s Kindle Singles publishing arm. This week, the president is sitting down with Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff, who … Continue reading “Obama to Discuss Housing with Zillow CEO, Answer Public Questions”
Techstars Picks 11 Startups for 2013 Class in Seattle
Techstars Seattle has picked 11 startup companies to participate in its 2013 class, which begins today. The fourth edition of the top-tier startup accelerator in Seattle includes three companies working on some aspect of online education; a social media metrics play; a collaborative news reader for businesses; mobile customer service tools; a service for continuous … Continue reading “Techstars Picks 11 Startups for 2013 Class in Seattle”
A Light Goes Out: Some Reflections on the Passing of Duane Roth
I am saddened to report this morning that Connect CEO Duane Roth died Saturday at UC San Diego Medical Center, where he had been hospitalized since July 21 after sustaining a head injury while bicycling in the Cuyamaca Mountains east of San Diego. He was 63. In my conversations with his brother, Ted Roth, it … Continue reading “A Light Goes Out: Some Reflections on the Passing of Duane Roth”
HiredMyWay Shifts Model to Serve Employers Instead of Job Seekers
When we last caught up with the Detroit-based startup HiredMyWay in April 2012, CEO Matt Mosher said the company had roughly 20,000 job seekers paying a premium to guarantee that their resumes would be read by hiring manager. The company also had plans to expand into five additional markets: New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, … Continue reading “HiredMyWay Shifts Model to Serve Employers Instead of Job Seekers”
FlightCar Hopes Car Owners Will Rent Their Ride for Monthly Checks
If you’re comfortable putting strangers in your car, there’s suddenly some extra money to be made. A new class of small companies is seeking to build next-generation vehicle fleets by tapping into everyday car owners, either having the owners pick up paying hitchhikers or rent their cars to other drivers. Among the upstarts is FlightCar, a startup that … Continue reading “FlightCar Hopes Car Owners Will Rent Their Ride for Monthly Checks”
How to Think Like a Hacker, Even If You Can’t Code
What do Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and Larry Page all have in common? Yes, they’ve founded multi-billion dollar businesses with virtually no formal business training, with combined revenues of over $80 billion. But they are also former software engineers and hackers, an experience that undoubtedly taught them skills in critical thinking and problem solving. Making … Continue reading “How to Think Like a Hacker, Even If You Can’t Code”
Celgene Emerges as Biotech’s Shrewdest, Nimblest Dealmaker
Celgene is best known for taking a notoriously dangerous compound, thalidomide, and turning a derivative into a hugely successful cancer drug. But what fewer people may realize is that it is fast building the biotech industry’s best network of partnerships with innovators. This feels odd to say, even though Celgene (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CELG]]) has been a … Continue reading “Celgene Emerges as Biotech’s Shrewdest, Nimblest Dealmaker”
A Band of Postdocs Pursues a New York Biotech Dream in Harlem
For years, life science innovators in New York City have pounded tables in frustration at the Big Apple’s inability to form a biotech cluster despite all of its financial and institutional might. The problem, they’ve been saying for years, is there just isn’t an inexpensive, convenient way for entrepreneurs to conduct lab experiments in one … Continue reading “A Band of Postdocs Pursues a New York Biotech Dream in Harlem”
Texas Roundup: EIV Capital, Appconomy, and UTMB
Temperatures are rising in Texas, but it’s not tamping down startup activity across the state. Our latest Texas Roundup includes new funds for energy investment, a new partnership that brings a Boston startup to China (with its Austin partner), and how reality TV can influence a top medical institution. —EIV Capital Management Company in Houston … Continue reading “Texas Roundup: EIV Capital, Appconomy, and UTMB”
Roundup: HootSuite’s $165M, Plus News on Chirpify, Exo Labs, Blucora
This is the “put a bird on it” edition of the Northwest tech news roundup. HootSuite, the Twitter dashboard maker, hauls in $165 million, the most venture capital in one go for a Canadian software company. Meanwhile, Chirpify, which enables commerce in Twitter and other social media, grabbed a more modest sum. There are some … Continue reading “Roundup: HootSuite’s $165M, Plus News on Chirpify, Exo Labs, Blucora”
Buyout Battle Highlights Dell’s History, Role in Austin Startup Scene
While it’s still uncertain if Michael Dell will succeed in bringing his namesake company private, the approval of his more generous buyout terms by a special committee on Friday does seem to make his path easier. Shareholders convened very briefly Friday to accept a proposal that sweetens the bid by Dell and Silver Lake Management … Continue reading “Buyout Battle Highlights Dell’s History, Role in Austin Startup Scene”
Wayfair Buys DwellStudio, Expands Retail Vision in Home Goods
Good time to check in on the Wayfair express. The Boston e-retailer, specializing in home furnishings, is one of the big innovation stories of the past decade. Wayfair (fka CSN Stores) is also the biggest venture-capital bet in New England tech, with $200 million raised, all in the last couple of years. Today the company … Continue reading “Wayfair Buys DwellStudio, Expands Retail Vision in Home Goods”
Colorado Dominates List of Best Places to Work for Outdoorsy Types
Colorado-based companies dominated Outside Magazine’s annual list of best places to work Thursday, with companies based in Boulder, Denver, and the Denver suburbs taking three of the top five and five of the top 10 spots. The list includes some tech companies that are familiar names, like ninth-ranked Gnip and 24th-ranked Rally Software (NYSE: [[ticker:RALY]]). … Continue reading “Colorado Dominates List of Best Places to Work for Outdoorsy Types”
BizGrid Details Resources for Detroit Entrepreneurs
This week, the Detroit Business Support Network released the BizGrid, a resource for Motor City entrepreneurs who may be unsure of where to turn for support. Billed as an “infographic,” the BizGrid is a 9-by-27 ½-inch chart with an eye-catching design that serves as a sort of map to the different resources available to local … Continue reading “BizGrid Details Resources for Detroit Entrepreneurs”
Uber Boston: $9M of Fares in 15 Months, Barely Denting Cab Market
Smartphone car-booking startup Uber has made a big splash since its debut in Boston, inciting political battles and court fights with competitors seeking to protect their turf. But according to revenue figures disclosed as part of a lawsuit, the well-funded startup still looks like a pipsqueak in the city’s lucrative car-for-hire market. Between its October 2011 … Continue reading “Uber Boston: $9M of Fares in 15 Months, Barely Denting Cab Market”
What’s In Your Earthquake Kit? Here’s a Look at Mine
If you live in California, where earthquakes measuring 4.0 or above hit once or twice a month, you can’t ignore the fact that the continental plates are shifting. Frequent, minor temblors help to remind us that someday, the Big One could instantly disable our fragile highways, aqueducts, and communications networks. In that scenario, all of … Continue reading “What’s In Your Earthquake Kit? Here’s a Look at Mine”
East Coast Biotech Roundup: Cubist, Acetylon, Foundation, & More
With the IPO market sizzling and biotech valuations riding high, M&A in the sector hasn’t exactly run rampant this year. Even so, a few companies on the East Coast managed to pull out their checkbooks this week. We’ve got that and much more below: —Lexington, MA-based Cubist pulled the rare biotech twofer this week, agreeing … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: Cubist, Acetylon, Foundation, & More”
Four Startup Challenges that Technology Can Help Solve
Many startups think that their greatest challenge is to get funding. Sure, that’s tough. And when you do find a willing investor, half the battle is won. But after that, the real work begins. You need to build a good team, put in place processes and infrastructure, innovate, and of course, pursue aggressive marketing strategies. … Continue reading “Four Startup Challenges that Technology Can Help Solve”
Omeros Seeks FDA Green Light For Eye Surgery Drug
Omeros will be 20 years old as a company next year, and it hopes to celebrate that milestone by getting the go-ahead to start selling its first new drug. Seattle-based Omeros (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OMER]]) said today it has filed an application to the FDA for clearance to start selling OMS302, an experimental drug to help people … Continue reading “Omeros Seeks FDA Green Light For Eye Surgery Drug”
Dave McClure Rides a “Sharknado” into NY for 500 Startups Demo Day
Leave it to Dave McClure, founding partner of 500 Startups, to compare the intensity of running a startup to chain sawing one’s way “out of a great white shark’s stomach.” At Wednesday’s demo day in New York, the latest batch of 29 startups to emerge from the Mountain View, CA-based accelerator program gave the expected … Continue reading “Dave McClure Rides a “Sharknado” into NY for 500 Startups Demo Day”
Zayo’s Startup Story: Building a $6B Telecom From Behind a Pizzeria
[Editor’s note: Dan Caruso is CEO of Zayo Group, a telecom company based in Boulder. Zayo has grown into a company with revenue of $1.1 billion and an enterprise value of $6 billion. Zayo and Caruso are giving back to Boulder, although as Caruso admits, it took a little time before he “got it.” This … Continue reading “Zayo’s Startup Story: Building a $6B Telecom From Behind a Pizzeria”
Flud Co-Founder Says News Platform Is Closing Down Aug. 8
Flud co-founder and CEO Bobby Ghoshal sent an e-mail around to users and supporters yesterday announcing that the company had decided to “wind down” operations. Starting Aug. 8, Flud’s social news aggregation platform will no longer be in service. In the e-mail, Ghoshal wrote, “Flud managed to capture the hearts of millions of you all … Continue reading “Flud Co-Founder Says News Platform Is Closing Down Aug. 8”
Theraclone Merges With PharmAthene, Plans to Stay in Seattle
[Updated: 11:40 am] Theraclone Sciences is likely headed for the public markets, but not through the IPO route. Seattle-based Theraclone, the developer of targeted antibody drugs, said today it has agreed to a merger with Annapolis, MD-based PharmAthene (NYSE MKT: [[ticker:PIP]]). The combined company will be headquartered in Seattle and led by CEO Cliff Stocks, while PharmAthene … Continue reading “Theraclone Merges With PharmAthene, Plans to Stay in Seattle”
Pumps & Pipes Aims to Bring Together Energy, Medicine, Space Innovators
Companies often struggle within themselves to get different departments to collaborate. So trying to bring together completely disparate sectors—say, innovators in energy and medicine—to work together for mutual benefit would seem like madness. But that’s exactly the mission of the Houston organization Pumps & Pipes. “We work very hard to establish that even dissimilar areas … Continue reading “Pumps & Pipes Aims to Bring Together Energy, Medicine, Space Innovators”
Building an Entrepreneurial Pipeline in Santa Cruz
This is Part 3 of a three-part series on efforts to create a stand-alone startup culture in Santa Cruz, CA. Part 1 was published on July 30 and Part 2 was published on July 31. UC Santa Cruz, tucked into the folds of a redwood-covered hill about three miles outside the downtown, is the city’s … Continue reading “Building an Entrepreneurial Pipeline in Santa Cruz”
The Sowing of a Startup Community in Telluride
All it takes are the right seeds and soil for a startup community to take root and thrive. I recently saw this first hand in a seemingly off-the-beaten-path city—Telluride, CO. I discovered Telluride’s entrepreneurial aspirations last summer, when I received a call from Jesse Johnson, an entrepreneur who relocated from New York City to Telluride … Continue reading “The Sowing of a Startup Community in Telluride”
Boston Deals: aPriori, Pwnie Express, Space Ape, Micronotes
A fresh helping of investment deals, stretching across Massachusetts and up to Vermont, in sectors ranging from enterprise software to mobile gaming: —aPriori Technologies, a provider of cost-tracking software for manufacturers, has raised another $6 million in venture financing. The Concord, MA-based company said the financing was led by Sigma Prime Ventures. Existing investor Sigma … Continue reading “Boston Deals: aPriori, Pwnie Express, Space Ape, Micronotes”
San Diego Life Sciences News: Trius, Optimer, aTyr, Ligand, and More
It’s been a week of big deals for San Diego’s life sciences sector. I also got an update on Connect CEO Duane Roth, who remains hospitalized with a head injury. —Lexington, MA-based Cubist (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CBST]]) agreed to pay over $1.2 billion to buy San Diego’s Trius Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:TSRX]]) and Optimer Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OPTR]]), which … Continue reading “San Diego Life Sciences News: Trius, Optimer, aTyr, Ligand, and More”
Dicerna Snags $60M as RNAi Heats Up Again
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ALNY]]) has spent the last couple of years amassing clinical trial evidence it needs to show that RNA interference just might work against diseases that can’t be treated by conventional pills or protein drugs. And Alnylam’s rising tide is apparently helping lift at least one more RNAi boat. Watertown, MA-based Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, … Continue reading “Dicerna Snags $60M as RNAi Heats Up Again”
Startup Phenomenon Launches, Aims to Capture Essence of Startup Hubs
You could call the recent interest in startup communities and entrepreneurial hubs a movement, a trend, a revolution, or possibly just a fad. But whatever it is, entrepreneurs clustered in cities around the world are making something happen, and as with any natural, technological, or economic phenomenon, people are watching it and trying to learn. … Continue reading “Startup Phenomenon Launches, Aims to Capture Essence of Startup Hubs”
Sage Wins $10M Grant to Push Fragile X Treatment Into Clinic
Sage Therapeutics’ identity shift towards edgier central nervous system disorders is now paying dividends—as much as $10 million in grant money, to be exact. The Cambridge, MA-based biotech landed a National Institutes of Health grant to help it push forward a treatment for some of the social problems—fear and anxiety, for instance—experienced by patients with … Continue reading “Sage Wins $10M Grant to Push Fragile X Treatment Into Clinic”
Building Great Founding Teams
There’s been a lot written about the individual characteristics of what makes a great founder, but a lot less about what makes a great founding team and how that’s different from a great founding CEO. I think we’ve been imprecise in defining three different roles. In doing so we’ve failed to help founders understand what … Continue reading “Building Great Founding Teams”
Fractured Atlas Acquires Gemini SBS, Plans Wide Release for Artful.ly
When nonprofit Fractured Atlas in New York acquired software developer Gemini SBS, also of New York, it brought in-house the talent to create more platforms to help the arts community be more efficient. The deal, announced on Monday, comes as Fractured Atlas readies the wide release of Artful.ly, its cloud-based business management software for individual … Continue reading “Fractured Atlas Acquires Gemini SBS, Plans Wide Release for Artful.ly”
Bolt Unveils 7 Hardware Startups at Its Boston Accelerator
Suddenly, the business world is clamoring for hardware startups. Venture capitalists—last seen stumbling over each other to bankroll high-margin software companies—are publicly singing the praises of building physical products. Notable manufacturers are busily building bridges to the startup world, hoping to tap into the next wave of innovative companies. Meanwhile, in Boston, a group of … Continue reading “Bolt Unveils 7 Hardware Startups at Its Boston Accelerator”
Seeding a New Generation of Startups in Santa Cruz
This is Part 2 of a three-part series on efforts to create a stand-alone startup culture in Santa Cruz, CA. Part 1 was published on July 30. Norm Fogelsong, a general partner at Menlo Park venture capital firm IVP, and an early investor in Santa Cruz-born hard disk pioneer Seagate Technology, says he looks for three … Continue reading “Seeding a New Generation of Startups in Santa Cruz”
Workshops Illustrate Growth of Houston Startup Scene
The Dog Days of August are soon upon us, but the startup scene in Houston is not showing any sign of slowing down. The Saturday afternoon traffic was brisk across Morningside Drive. And it wasn’t just the patrons of the bars and restaurants in the Rice Village, a shopping center tucked in between the Texas … Continue reading “Workshops Illustrate Growth of Houston Startup Scene”
Leaf Looks to Kill the Cash Register, Own “Entire Merchant Experience”
Point of sale is moving to the cloud. In other words, the Internet revolution, which has disrupted massive industries such as advertising, retail, and entertainment, is finally coming to your corner store. You’ve seen inklings of it already. From daily deals to mobile check-ins and payments, companies of all sizes have been vying for a … Continue reading “Leaf Looks to Kill the Cash Register, Own “Entire Merchant Experience””
Why Deborah Dunsire’s Unusual Bet on Alzheimer’s Makes Sense
Just because a biotech company has landed a high-profile chief executive, does that mean its product is going to work? I’ve been asking myself that question in the wake of the unexpected July 11 announcement of the hiring of a biotech superstar, the Novartis veteran and former Millennium Pharmaceuticals CEO Deborah Dunsire, by Boston-area biotech … Continue reading “Why Deborah Dunsire’s Unusual Bet on Alzheimer’s Makes Sense”
La Jolla Institute Extends 25-Year Partnership with Japanese Pharma
[Corrected 8/01/13, 00:30 am. See below.] The La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology says it has extended its industry-academic collaboration with the California-based subsidiary of Kyowa Hakko Kirin (KHK), the Japanese specialty pharmaceutical company. Financial terms of the six-year agreement were not disclosed. The collaboration that began in 1988 combines the institute’s expertise in … Continue reading “La Jolla Institute Extends 25-Year Partnership with Japanese Pharma”
Digital Health Meets The Voice: Startup Contest Puts VCs On Stage
When Morgenthaler Ventures partner Rebecca Lynn organized the first “DC to VC” startup and healthcare policy showcase in 2010, there weren’t any competitions, challenges, or hackathons for digital health companies. Heck, there were barely any digital health companies, period. Now almost every big tech hub has a digital health startup accelerator, and “every time you … Continue reading “Digital Health Meets The Voice: Startup Contest Puts VCs On Stage”
NEA, Genzyme Join $18M Round For Rare Disease Startup Edimer
Edimer Pharmaceuticals has been bracing for this moment for four years. Its challenge? Enrolling infant patients—newborns just a week or two old—in a mid-stage clinical trial of its experimental drug, which is designed not only to fight an ultra-rare inherited disease known as X-linked hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia, or XLHED, but beat it. The logistics are … Continue reading “NEA, Genzyme Join $18M Round For Rare Disease Startup Edimer”
Cubist Adds Antibiotic Punch, Buys Trius and Optimer for $1.24B
Cubist Pharmaceuticals wants to become more than another biotech company with a nice little franchise built around a single drug. So today it opened up the checkbook, shelled out more than $1.24 billion, and acquired a couple more drugs that will make it a much more formidable player in the antibiotics world. Lexington, MA-based Cubist … Continue reading “Cubist Adds Antibiotic Punch, Buys Trius and Optimer for $1.24B”
Roundup: Funding for Rover, Union Bay, Conductiv, Powerit, & More
A handful of Seattle-area tech companies have landed small financings in the last week, including dog-sitter site Rover.com, a quiet new effort of F5 Veterans called Union Bay Networks, retail software maker Conductiv, and industrial energy efficiency technology company Powerit Solutions. Meanwhile, Amazon is adding fulfillment center jobs and INRIX measures an uptick in U.S. … Continue reading “Roundup: Funding for Rover, Union Bay, Conductiv, Powerit, & More”
After Raising Private Equity, Sapphire Energy Repays Loan Guarantee
San Diego’s Sapphire Energy, a leading developer of algae-based biofuels, says today it has repaid a $54.5 million federal loan guarantee. As a result of the loan guarantee, made in 2009 through the Department of Agriculture’s Biorefinery Assistance Program, Sapphire says it is now producing the world’s first renewable “green” crude oil at its demonstration … Continue reading “After Raising Private Equity, Sapphire Energy Repays Loan Guarantee”
Clock Ticks Toward Last Call for Potential Denver Startup Crawl Hosts
Have a great startup you want to introduce people to? Want to show off the cool new office? Interested in recruiting new talent in a relaxed setting over a beer or two? Then Denver Startup Crawl might be the event for you. The Startup Crawl is back and looking for startups to be hosts. The … Continue reading “Clock Ticks Toward Last Call for Potential Denver Startup Crawl Hosts”