Category: National

Technology for the Real World Emerging in NYC Among Digital Startups

Plenty of software-fueled ideas are developed in New York, from big data mining to mobile apps, but part of the innovation community is also building physical technology. Tuesday night a small gathering of startups demoed their prototypes and ideas, for use in the real world, at an event hosted by NYC Tech Connect, which is … Continue reading “Technology for the Real World Emerging in NYC Among Digital Startups”

Boston Roundup: Harmonix, Medrobotics, High Street Partners, & More

Some fundraising, acquisition, and board-member news from Boston-area tech companies big and small, old and new, from video games to surgical robots and beyond: —Harmonix, the video game developer behind Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and Dance Central, is adding Foundry Group VC Brad Feld to its board. Feld notes he was an angel investor in … Continue reading “Boston Roundup: Harmonix, Medrobotics, High Street Partners, & More”

Uber Launches On-Demand Car Service in Detroit

If you’re a car-challenged Detroiter like me, you have at least five phone numbers for taxis in your contact list. There’s the industry standard Checker Cabs, whose line is busy more often than not; there’s the friendly cab driver you had one time who gave you his private number and said to call that number … Continue reading “Uber Launches On-Demand Car Service in Detroit”

XSITE 2013: Boston’s Tech Revival Coming June 19

Boston tech is back, baby. We might not be Silicon Valley, but who cares? The Boston area has incredible amounts of technical talent, business expertise, capital, culture, and new ideas. Over the past few years, those pieces of the innovation community seem to have meshed together into a more unified whole. There are a whole … Continue reading “XSITE 2013: Boston’s Tech Revival Coming June 19”

Biogen Idec Wins FDA Approval For Oral Multiple Sclerosis Drug

[Updated: 3/29/13, 1:40 pm ET] Biogen Idec, already the world’s largest maker of multiple sclerosis drugs, has been eagerly awaiting the green light to start selling its next big thing—its first oral pill for MS. Today, the FDA gave that all-important go-ahead. The Weston, MA-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) won clearance to sell dimethyl fumarate (Tecfidera) … Continue reading “Biogen Idec Wins FDA Approval For Oral Multiple Sclerosis Drug”

The Inevitability of Archiving Social Networking Data

Making A Case For Email Archiving In 1985 In 1985, I was part of a team at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) that was doing some very radical things, including deploying Internet e-mail to the entire campus. Some people were quite skeptical about the whole enterprise, fearing in particular that letting “the masses” loose on the … Continue reading “The Inevitability of Archiving Social Networking Data”

New Enterprise Associates Prepares Studio for Startups by NY Designers

On the hunt for designers who have caught the entrepreneurship bug, venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates is starting a twelve-week program, the NEA Studio, in New York for Web and mobile startups. Dayna Grayson, a partner with NEA, says the objective is not to set up another incubator or accelerator but rather a personalized, … Continue reading “New Enterprise Associates Prepares Studio for Startups by NY Designers”

From San Diego Deal, DSM Plans Industrial Biotechnology Expansion

Royal DSM, the Dutch multinational industrial conglomerate, officially opened a new office in San Diego yesterday, exactly one year after acquiring food enzymes and oilseed processing assets from San Diego-based Verenium in a deal valued at $37 million. While the DSM outpost in Southern California has only a dozen employees, including eight from Verenium, it … Continue reading “From San Diego Deal, DSM Plans Industrial Biotechnology Expansion”

Why Maveron Plans More Venture Investments in Consumer Startups

[Clarified 3/27/13, 9:43 am. See below.] Maveron, the venture capital firm co-founded in Seattle by Howard Schultz and Dan Levitan, plans to make more frequent early investments in tech-enabled consumer businesses. The firm, which expanded by opening a San Francisco office in 2009, has always focused on investing in companies that aim their products and … Continue reading “Why Maveron Plans More Venture Investments in Consumer Startups”

Kleiner & Sequoia’s Fund Returns Could be Exposed in CA Lawsuit

As venture capital firms feel the squeeze from new competitors, unsatisfied investors, and stagnant markets, two of the industry’s biggest names could finally have their performance data revealed to the public. A California lawsuit from the news organization Reuters is threatening to expose the performance records of Sequoia Capital and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers—Silicon … Continue reading “Kleiner & Sequoia’s Fund Returns Could be Exposed in CA Lawsuit”

Tasktop Talks Up New Model to Boost Software Delivery, Productivity

Anything that describes itself as “the opposite of Facebook” is OK with me. Enter Mik Kersten, the CEO and co-founder of Tasktop Technologies. “Vendors want to create ‘Facebook for software,’” he says, referring to more social ways to develop, deploy, and manage applications. “It would be a beautiful world, but Facebook is good at one … Continue reading “Tasktop Talks Up New Model to Boost Software Delivery, Productivity”

Y Combinator Unleashes 47 New Startups, From the Cloud to the Crowd

Y Combinator‘s slimmed-down class of 47 Winter 2013 startups told their stories at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View yesterday. It was the 16th semi-annual Demo Day for the world’s most prestigious and productive startup accelerator, the birthplace of companies like Airbnb, Dropbox, Heroku, Reddit, and Disqus. Some 14 of the companies opted to remain … Continue reading “Y Combinator Unleashes 47 New Startups, From the Cloud to the Crowd”

Standing Up for ‘Lean In:’ What’s Wrong with Managing Your Career?

Sheryl Sandberg got it right. In Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, Facebook’s COO offers a compelling view on how women managers can empower themselves in today’s workplace. Sandberg does not complain about the “glass ceiling” or “the old boys club.” Instead she gives straightforward advice on how to focus on things … Continue reading “Standing Up for ‘Lean In:’ What’s Wrong with Managing Your Career?”

Nextek Wants to Convert You to DC Power

[Corrected 3/27/13, 1:46 p.m. See below.] Nextek Power Systems is tucked away inside the NextEnergy building on Burroughs Street in Detroit, but don’t let its semi-hidden location fool you: Nextek is working on power supply issues with global implications, particularly to developing nations, and wants to educate the masses on the advantages of DC, or direct … Continue reading “Nextek Wants to Convert You to DC Power”

Study: New York Must Reel in More Fresh Minds in Tech Talent Crunch

Aon and the Partnership for New York City on Tuesday released a study that addresses actions needed to ensure New York’s a long-term economic growth. The study dubs the city as “Destination of Choice for Talent” while also citing the competition it faces from around the world on that front. Aon, a London-based provider of … Continue reading “Study: New York Must Reel in More Fresh Minds in Tech Talent Crunch”

What Greenstart’s Reboot Means for Cleantech—And For Accelerators

When Greenstart set up shop in San Francisco in 2011, it was the nation’s first accelerator dedicated to nurturing cleantech startups. Co-founder and managing partner Mitch Lowe said at the time that the organization’s mission was to fill a big gap: He wanted to give alternative energy entrepreneurs access to the same type of training, … Continue reading “What Greenstart’s Reboot Means for Cleantech—And For Accelerators”

Live! Anderson & Ferrara Headline Rock Stars of Innovation Summit

Recession gripped the nation in early 2009, and many startups in San Diego were locked in a desperate struggle to survive. So Connect CEO Duane Roth inaugurated a showcase event for local startups that was initially billed as The La Jolla Research & Innovation Summit. Roth defied conventional wisdom, which was intimidated by the liquidity … Continue reading “Live! Anderson & Ferrara Headline Rock Stars of Innovation Summit”

Build Credibility As You Build Your Business

Whether you are a first-time entrepreneur or a veteran company executive, the one aspect of growing a business and raising capital, or selling a product rarely discussed at seminars is the building of your organization’s credibility. It doesn’t get much attention when you issue your quarterly report because it is not always easy to measure … Continue reading “Build Credibility As You Build Your Business”

Q&A With Bob Tepper on What’s Next for Third Rock Ventures

Third Rock Ventures had the biotech industry buzzing yesterday. It raised its third fund, worth $516 million, to invest in early-stage biotech drug, device, and diagnostic companies. While many biotech VCs are winding down operations or switching to late-stage investing strategies to show quick returns, Boston and San Francisco-based Third Rock has moved in the … Continue reading “Q&A With Bob Tepper on What’s Next for Third Rock Ventures”

Second Boundless Co-Founder Leaves E-Textbook Startup

Another co-founder is leaving Boundless, a Boston-based e-textbook startup that has been battling a federal lawsuit from big textbook publishers. Aaron White, one of three Boundless co-founders, says in a blog post today that he’s stepping down from his job as chief technology officer. He will remain on the board, but says he has no … Continue reading “Second Boundless Co-Founder Leaves E-Textbook Startup”

More Cash, Prizes Added to Pure MI Social Entrepreneurship Challenge

The Pure Michigan Social Entrepreneurship Challenge, a statewide competition to advance innovative solutions to social challenges, has added $40,000 in new prizes, for a competition total of $90,000. It has also extended its idea submission deadline to April 10. Billed as the nation’s first coordinated, public-private effort to advance social entrepreneurship, the Pure Michigan Social … Continue reading “More Cash, Prizes Added to Pure MI Social Entrepreneurship Challenge”

RentShare Adds Handybook to its Web Platform for Splitting Living Expenses

Sharing rent and other expenses with roommates can create more than a few headaches for urbanites, so it’s no wonder that two startups have combined their services to chase this market. New York’s RentShare recently integrated on its website Handybook’s online service for booking handymen, maids, plumbers, and other services. Handybook is headquartered in New … Continue reading “RentShare Adds Handybook to its Web Platform for Splitting Living Expenses”

Rock Health Helps Medical-App Builders Navigate Nascent FDA Rules

[Updated, see below] With more than 60,000 health-related smartphone and tablet apps already available in the iTunes App Store and Google Play—the Android app marketplace—it’s clear that consumers are going to be getting more and more of their health information, and possibly even diagnosis and treatment, from their mobile gadgets. In Washington, DC, last week, … Continue reading “Rock Health Helps Medical-App Builders Navigate Nascent FDA Rules”

Theraclone Secures $14M to Push Antibody Drug Programs

Seattle-based Theraclone Sciences has raised another $14 million to support its antibody drug R&D programs. Theraclone said today it has secured $8 million in equity financing and $6 million in venture debt. The equity came from its existing investors Arch Venture Partners, Canaan Partners, MPM Capital, Healthcare Ventures, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Versant Ventures, and … Continue reading “Theraclone Secures $14M to Push Antibody Drug Programs”

What’s Going on at Avid? Nothing Good, It Seems

Avid Technology, the Burlington, MA-based maker of video and audio editing software, is trying to dig itself out of a pretty big hole. And right now, there are more questions than answers. Avid’s stock (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AVID]]) has fallen steeply since late February, when the company announced that it wouldn’t be able to make the quarterly … Continue reading “What’s Going on at Avid? Nothing Good, It Seems”

Third Rock Stocks Up With $516M New Fund, Looks to Start 16 Cos

Third Rock Ventures has spent the last six years betting big on early stage biotech investing when most other VC firms have been hunkering down or getting out of healthcare investing altogether. Now Third Rock has been rewarded with another $516 million to keep doing what it’s been doing. The Boston and San Francisco-based firm, … Continue reading “Third Rock Stocks Up With $516M New Fund, Looks to Start 16 Cos”

Complying with Regulations Doesn’t Have to Slow Down Your Startup

These are exciting times for innovators. Arguably never before have the right opportunities, circumstances, and technologies come together as they have today to create such a fertile ground for the creation of new products and services. Yet one of the biggest obstacles along the way is the increasing burden of regulations. And the ones who … Continue reading “Complying with Regulations Doesn’t Have to Slow Down Your Startup”

The Bots Are Back! Photos of the Robot Makers You’ll Meet April 11

We’re coming up fast on Xconomy’s second annual Silicon Valley robotics event, Robots Remake the Workplace, where we’ll bring together founders and CEOs of some of the country’s most innovative and interesting robotics companies. To give you a preview of the April 11 event, which is part of National Robotics Week, we’ve assembled photos above … Continue reading “The Bots Are Back! Photos of the Robot Makers You’ll Meet April 11”

Biotech VCs Aren’t Lemmings Anymore. They’re Lone Rangers

A certain song has been running through my head the past few days. Lately, it strikes me as an anthem of sorts for biotech venture capital in 2013. It’s Fleetwood Mac’s classic break-up song, “Go Your Own Way.” Allow me to explain. Biotech venture capital has been going through a shakeout now for a couple … Continue reading “Biotech VCs Aren’t Lemmings Anymore. They’re Lone Rangers”

Roundup: Kick, UW STEM Programs, Funds for Indochino, World CNG

[Corrected 3/26/13, 12:00 pm See below.] In addition to Decide’s $8 million funding round, local companies Indochino and World CNG raised capital this week. Meanwhile, new resources are being added to the front end of the local business and technology pipeline with expanded technology education programs at UW Bothell and UW Tacoma, and a new … Continue reading “Roundup: Kick, UW STEM Programs, Funds for Indochino, World CNG”

Cerulean Pharma Fails to Extend Lives in Lung Cancer Study

Cambridge, MA-based Cerulean Pharma spent a lot of time and money trying to get the answer to an important question—whether its new drug could extend the lives of terminally ill lung cancer patients. The answer isn’t good. Cerulean, the developer of a nanoparticle technology for delivering toxic chemotherapy to cancer cells, said today that its … Continue reading “Cerulean Pharma Fails to Extend Lives in Lung Cancer Study”

Decide Raises $8 million To Expand to ‘All E-Commerce Categories’

Decide.com, the company that uses big data to help consumers buy smarter, is about as Seattle as it gets right now in tech, having just closed an $8 million Series C funding round led by Paul Allen’s Vulcan Capital. Decide combines Seattle’s legacy strength in e-commerce with big data, an emerging cluster here, to aggregate … Continue reading “Decide Raises $8 million To Expand to ‘All E-Commerce Categories’”

San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Health IT, Illumina, & More

San Diego’s digital health community was following a three-day hearing on health IT held in Washington D.C. The House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations said it was focused on potential regulations and taxes on smartphones, tablets, mobile apps and other health-related IT. My roundup of the rest of San Diego’s life sciences news is below. … Continue reading “San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Health IT, Illumina, & More”

Saying Farewell to World Wide Wade

They say it’s better to quit while you’re ahead, and I believe them. It’s easy to see what happens when you don’t. Remember season 7 of The West Wing? The second term of Ulysses S. Grant’s presidency? All of the Star Wars prequels? With precedents like that in mind, I’m shutting down World Wide Wade. … Continue reading “Saying Farewell to World Wide Wade”

Atomic Object’s Watson on Its “No Brainer” Expansion to Detroit

[Corrected 3/22/13, 2:20 p.m. See below.] Bruce Watson spent 20 years working in IT for Nike in Beaverton, OR, and another six years doing consulting work. Finally, he was ready to settle into retirement in a big house on a boutique organic blueberry farm overlooking Mt. Hood, one of the most picturesque spots in the … Continue reading “Atomic Object’s Watson on Its “No Brainer” Expansion to Detroit”

East Coast Biotech Roundup: Moderna, bluebird, Blueprint

During this early spring week, it was a great time to focus on the fledgling efforts of East Coast drug hunters. A couple small companies pulled in lucrative partnerships, and two others saw their NASDAQ dreams come true. Read on, for more of the details. —AstraZeneca inked a notably rich deal with the small biotech … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: Moderna, bluebird, Blueprint”

Pyxis Founder Ron Taylor Joins Connect Entrepreneur Hall of Fame

To the fictional emergency room staff on the Showtime TV series “Nurse Jackie,” the computerized drug dispenser is a source of mischief and dramatic suspense, often referred to as “the Pyxis” or “Pill-o-Matic,” and sometimes as “Not a candy machine!” But to Ron Taylor, the Pyxis Medstation is a real-life San Diego success story. In … Continue reading “Pyxis Founder Ron Taylor Joins Connect Entrepreneur Hall of Fame”

Enanta, Tetraphase Go Public in Boston Biotech IPO Madness

If Boston biotech were playing in this week’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament, it would have to be a No. 1 seed. It’s not every week that a region gets to claim that two of its biotech companies went public, and neither one immediately crashed. This week, the local cluster saw two little companies from Watertown, … Continue reading “Enanta, Tetraphase Go Public in Boston Biotech IPO Madness”

Study Says Medical Device Interoperability Could Save $30B a Year

Like a proverbial Tower of Babel, hospitals nowadays come with medical devices that are unable to share critical data—but innovation enabling health care equipment and systems to share information could save more than $30 billion a year in healthcare costs. That’s the conclusion of a new analysis conducted by the San Diego-based West Health Institute. … Continue reading “Study Says Medical Device Interoperability Could Save $30B a Year”

With Tiny Tycoons, The Tap Lab Leads New Charge of Boston Game Studios

[Updated with game trailer, 2:05 pm] That sound you hear is a dozen or more independent studios churning out new games around town. The games are mostly for the mobile-social set, and they are mostly free to play, with an emphasis on attracting and retaining users. They make money through a combination of advertising, virtual … Continue reading “With Tiny Tycoons, The Tap Lab Leads New Charge of Boston Game Studios”

EverTrue Lands $5.25M to Build Out Alumni-Relations Mobile Tech

Anyone making it through the Series A crunch these days? EverTrue is. The Boston-based alumni-networking software startup has raised $5.25 million in Series A funding led by Bain Capital Ventures, with participation from previous investors Boston Seed Capital, TechStars’ David Cohen, Andy Dunn, and Brian Spaly. Bain Capital Ventures has been busy lately, bringing on … Continue reading “EverTrue Lands $5.25M to Build Out Alumni-Relations Mobile Tech”

Memorial Sloan-Kettering and Eureka Go After ‘Undruggable’ Targets

Drug developers have thrown an arsenal of technologies at tumor cells: nanomachines, vaccines, antibodies, radiation, you name it. David Scheinberg has tried them all in his search for new cancer therapies at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. But in spite of successes amid all these efforts in recent decades, Scheinberg says most of … Continue reading “Memorial Sloan-Kettering and Eureka Go After ‘Undruggable’ Targets”

Bizdom Continues to Attract Out-of-State Talent

As Dan Gilbert, founder and chairman of Quicken Loans, continues snapping up downtown Detroit skyscrapers and adding to his dominion, the Bizdom tech startup accelerator that he established in the Motor City seems to be hitting its stride. The chic, geek-magnet (in a good way) Madison Building—which houses Bizdom and a number of the startups … Continue reading “Bizdom Continues to Attract Out-of-State Talent”

AstraZeneca Shells Out $240M Upfront For Moderna mRNA Drugs

The new CEO of AstraZeneca, Pascal Soriot, has just written a huge check, worth $240 million in upfront cash. It’s going to a little biotech startup in Cambridge, MA, that started a couple years ago with a far-out idea for making drugs in a fast, cheap, and completely unorthodox way. London-based AstraZeneca (NYSE: [[ticker:AZN]]) is … Continue reading “AstraZeneca Shells Out $240M Upfront For Moderna mRNA Drugs”

UCSD Business School’s Venture Fund Joins Texas Startup’s $16M Deal

After launching its student-run Rady Venture Fund three years ago, UCSD’s Rady School of Management says today it has invested $25,000 in its biggest deal so far—a $16 million Series B investment in Savara Pharmaceuticals of Austin, TX. Savara, founded in 2007, is in mid-stage development of an inhaled antibiotic to treat methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus … Continue reading “UCSD Business School’s Venture Fund Joins Texas Startup’s $16M Deal”