Before I even have time to thank everyone involved in yesterday’s Mobile Madness conference, I wanted to share some of the highlights that were etched in my brain. Here are my top 10 quotes and takeaways from the day (it’s not comprehensive): 1. Jonathan Bush, CEO of Athenahealth: “We’re the best in healthcare, but we … Continue reading “10 Takeaways from Mobile Madness 2013: Ads, Games, M2M, and More”
Category: National
Boston Roundup: Zipcar, HubSpot, Hack/Reduce, QPID, Billaway
People getting new jobs leads this roundup of news bits from around the Boston-area innovation sector, with a few small fundraising deals thrown in for good measure: —Scott Griffith quit as CEO of Zipcar, coinciding with Avis Budget Group formally completing its acquisition of the rent-by-the-hour car company headquartered in Cambridge. There wasn’t any mention … Continue reading “Boston Roundup: Zipcar, HubSpot, Hack/Reduce, QPID, Billaway”
Dennis Crowley Reveals His Plans for Foursquare’s Mountain of Data
At last night’s New York Tech Meetup, Foursquare CEO and co-founder Dennis Crowley talked about some of his company’s plans for its technology and wealth of data, which he said can curate places and events that users of the app may want to visit. He displayed a video heat map of daily Foursquare check-ins in … Continue reading “Dennis Crowley Reveals His Plans for Foursquare’s Mountain of Data”
Newark Mayor Cory Booker Says Government Must Embrace Tech, Be Open Source
Monday afternoon Newark Mayor Cory Booker crossed the Hudson River to chat at the OnMedia NYC conference about changes he believes government can make through technology. His administration uses social media to get residents more active in improving their community. “I could crowdsource my entire city,” Booker said, “and involve them in empowering Newark.” He … Continue reading “Newark Mayor Cory Booker Says Government Must Embrace Tech, Be Open Source”
Blueprint Medicines Combs Through Genome for the Next Gleevec(s)
Gleevec is like the proverbial shining city on the hill in the pharmaceutical business. When it was first approved in 2001, it beat the long odds of drug development, becoming one of the first targeted cancer therapies. It lived up to the hype, turning a deadly form of cancer into a chronic illness. Even though … Continue reading “Blueprint Medicines Combs Through Genome for the Next Gleevec(s)”
Fighting a Global War on Rare Diseases
Are we winning the war against rare, or “orphan,” diseases? A casual observer could be forgiven for thinking so, given the drumroll of news. The crescendo came in 2011, when the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved 26 drugs in this category, meaning for illnesses that afflict fewer than 200,000 people. It was the … Continue reading “Fighting a Global War on Rare Diseases”
A Call for the 113th Congress to Support an Innovation Agenda
While the 113th Congress addresses hot-button issues like gun control, comprehensive immigration reform, sequester spending cuts and the federal budget, a critical issue that greatly impacts our economy and global competitiveness is being overlooked—innovation. Washington’s approach to innovation policy has been fragmented and detached from other prevalent issues, which led CONNECT to develop an innovation … Continue reading “A Call for the 113th Congress to Support an Innovation Agenda”
Sapphire Energy Signs Deal with Tesoro, Begins Year-Round Production
San Diego-based Sapphire Energy says today it has agreed to supply crude oil produced from algae at its “Green Crude Farm” near Columbus, NM, under a new commercial agreement with Tesoro, the independent oil company based in San Antonio, TX. Sapphire says it also has begun year-round production of algae-based crude oil at its New … Continue reading “Sapphire Energy Signs Deal with Tesoro, Begins Year-Round Production”
Larky’s Online Perks Platform Helps Consumers Connect With Discounts
Andrew Bank and Gregg Hammerman are serial entrepreneurs who met at the University of Michigan and went on to found Techstreet, which was later bought by Thomson Reuters. Now, Bank says, they’ve “gotten the band back together” to launch Larky, a website and mobile app that aggregates various perks and discounts from membership organizations, such … Continue reading “Larky’s Online Perks Platform Helps Consumers Connect With Discounts”
Excess Healthcare Spending Is Undermining Innovation
I read Luke Timmerman’s article yesterday on ProCure with mixed emotions. My first emotion was that of deep gratitude for the men and women who commit their lives to the science of improving healthcare. I continue to be inspired by these professionals and their incredible contributions to a healthcare industry that is very slow to … Continue reading “Excess Healthcare Spending Is Undermining Innovation”
PublicStuff Puts Translation Tools in Platform for Contacting Town Hall
Tuesday morning Lily Liu, CEO and founder of PublicStuff in New York, unveiled an updated version of her company’s platform that connects citizens with local government and municipal services. It is kind of like accessing 311 call centers in app form, but with additional services for citizens and data analytics for local government. The update, … Continue reading “PublicStuff Puts Translation Tools in Platform for Contacting Town Hall”
ViaSat Enrolls 285K in Internet Satellite Service; CEO Talks Costs
As the “Satellite 2013” conference gets underway this week in Washington D.C., Carlsbad, CA-based ViaSat (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VSAT]]) says more than 285,000 subscribers have signed up for its satellite-based Internet service, which began just over a year ago. In a statement yesterday, ViaSat chairman and CEO Mark Dankberg said, “Our results prove that driving down the … Continue reading “ViaSat Enrolls 285K in Internet Satellite Service; CEO Talks Costs”
Accelerator 9Mile Labs Names Initial Class of B2B Startups
Startup accelerator 9Mile Labs received about 100 applicants for its first class and selected nine cloud-based companies working on a range of problems from healthcare to content publishing to employee giving. The initial cohort in the Seattle area’s newest business-to-business focused accelerator begins a three-month run April 8. In exchange for a 4-8 percent equity … Continue reading “Accelerator 9Mile Labs Names Initial Class of B2B Startups”
Miguel de Icaza: From “Anti-Apple” to Xamarin, Helping Windows Devs Go iOS
Sometimes it’s easy to forget that some of the world’s most prominent techies live in Boston. One of those is Miguel de Icaza, who will be in the audience today at Mobile Madness 2013 at Microsoft NERD in Cambridge, MA. De Icaza (pictured) is the open-source software guru who started the GNOME project in the … Continue reading “Miguel de Icaza: From “Anti-Apple” to Xamarin, Helping Windows Devs Go iOS”
Welcome to Xperience
Xperience is the consumer section of Xconomy, where you’ll find news and reviews about the latest technologies and tools to help you accomplish your goals in areas like health, travel, shopping, entertainment, fashion, food and cooking, learning and education, and exercise and fitness. We publish several new articles every week at xconomy.com/xperience. Watch our video … Continue reading “Welcome to Xperience”
TeloMe Turns to Crowdfunding to Promote Telomere Testing
You may take a bit of convincing to send a few dollars to filmmaker Denver Jackson, who’s seeking funds to complete his animated short “Cloudrise” through the crowdfunding site Indiegogo. But at least Jackson has this one advantage—you know what an animated film is. Imagine pitching the Indiegogo crowd for money to pay for “telomere … Continue reading “TeloMe Turns to Crowdfunding to Promote Telomere Testing”
F5’s Terenzoni Takes CEO Helm at Big Data Startup Sqrrl
One of the Boston area’s most intriguing tech startups has hired a new CEO, and he’s from a big company. The startup is Cambridge, MA-based Sqrrl, and the CEO is Mark Terenzoni, formerly senior vice president of global manufacturing at Seattle-based F5 Networks (NASDAQ: [[ticker:FFIV]]). Terenzoni, a longtime Boston techie, came to F5 in the … Continue reading “F5’s Terenzoni Takes CEO Helm at Big Data Startup Sqrrl”
Should Big Data Businesses Be Forced to Prevent Hacking?
Earlier this year, Twitter admitted they lost personal information on 250,000 or so users to hackers. Other organizations, including the New York Times and the Federal Reserve, reported hackers had been inside their systems. The list of high profile hackings is so long that perhaps the day has come when companies should expect they will … Continue reading “Should Big Data Businesses Be Forced to Prevent Hacking?”
Startup Story: Charlie Kindel on Leaving MSFT, Rolling Out MileLogr
When Charlie Kindel left Microsoft in August 2011, he did what plenty of critics say is too rare for refugees from Redmond: He started his own technology company. In a 21-year career at Microsoft (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MSFT]]), Kindel had plenty of experience building digital products and services, including Internet Explorer 3.0, Windows Media Center, Windows Home … Continue reading “Startup Story: Charlie Kindel on Leaving MSFT, Rolling Out MileLogr”
Affymax Cuts 230 Jobs, Mulls Bankruptcy, After Drug Withdrawal
Big cuts were inevitable at Affymax the past few weeks, and confirmation came today. Palo Alto, CA-based Affymax (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AFFY]]) said today that the company is cutting 230 people from its payroll, about 75 percent of its workforce. The job cuts affected people in the company’s commercial side and medical affairs, as well as other … Continue reading “Affymax Cuts 230 Jobs, Mulls Bankruptcy, After Drug Withdrawal”
Partnership Fund for NYC Expects a Spring of FinTech, Life Sciences, & More
Amid the stoic grey marble and granite of the financial district, Maria Gotsch, CEO of the Partnership Fund for New York City, thinks about new ways to foster growth among the city’s innovators in life sciences, digital health, financial technology, and other sectors. She runs the $110 million private fund that puts money towards projects, … Continue reading “Partnership Fund for NYC Expects a Spring of FinTech, Life Sciences, & More”
Detroit Venture Partners Reportedly Invests $750K in Chalkfly
According to a report in Crain’s Detroit Business today, Detroit Venture Partners is poised to announce it has invested $750,000 in Chalkfly, a startup Xconomy profiled in September. Joining the round is Bizdom; Ludlow Ventures, which is also located with Chalkfly in downtown Detroit’s Madison Building; Rick DeVos’ Grand Rapids-based Start Garden; and the Chicago-based Griffon … Continue reading “Detroit Venture Partners Reportedly Invests $750K in Chalkfly”
Women, Success, and Corporate Culture: Are These the Values We Want?
Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s book, Lean In, is probably right. What it takes to be successful in a U.S. company and what we define as success in America requires the kind of singular focus on developing leadership skills and a strong power base that Sandberg discusses in her book. These are the hard facts of … Continue reading “Women, Success, and Corporate Culture: Are These the Values We Want?”
Ex-Googlers Design an Algorithm for Investing in Young Entrepreneurs
“Venture capitalists have long said, ‘We invest in people, not ideas or businesses.’ Well, not really. We are the first people really doing it.” So says Dave Girouard, the founder of Upstart, a new operation in Palo Alto that’s part loan agency, part investment fund, part mentoring network, and part dream factory. Made up mostly … Continue reading “Ex-Googlers Design an Algorithm for Investing in Young Entrepreneurs”
Mobile Madness Is Tomorrow: 8 Tickets Left
We are coming down the home stretch for Mobile Madness 2013: The Next Revolution. Xconomy’s fifth annual mobile tech conference is tomorrow, March 19, at Microsoft NERD in Kendall Square. The agenda runs from 1:30-5:30 pm, with plenty of time for networking (and a reception afterwards). There are 8 tickets left as of this writing…so … Continue reading “Mobile Madness Is Tomorrow: 8 Tickets Left”
AppNeta Adds $16M as IT Performance Management Heats Up
Some new venture money for a Boston business software company that’s been around the block—but might just be hitting its stride. Boston-based AppNeta, an IT performance management firm, has pulled in $16 million in new financing led by previous investors Bain Capital Ventures, Egan-Managed Capital, JMI Equity, and Business Development Bank of Canada. The company … Continue reading “AppNeta Adds $16M as IT Performance Management Heats Up”
Smart Tech Spending for Startups
At a startup, all decisions about hiring, product development, or marketing campaigns have to align with cash flow. One area that can eat into funding is technology spending. How does a young startup know which technology to spend in, and which technology they need? Oftentimes, the trends of the season are obsolete by the end … Continue reading “Smart Tech Spending for Startups”
Why Are Healthcare Costs Exploding? See Proton Cancer Therapy
Whenever a new medical technology comes out in the U.S., a few things happen. Doctors, hospitals, the media, and, of course, the drug and device makers cheer. Newer technology must always be better, right? Never mind if it costs a little extra. We’re talking about a patient’s life and well-being, after all. But when we … Continue reading “Why Are Healthcare Costs Exploding? See Proton Cancer Therapy”
Roundup: Dwellable Partnership, Front Desk Launch, Concur Buy & More
There was deal news for the leisure and business traveler this week as Dwellable partnered with FlipKey to expand the reach of its vacation rental app, and Concur bought conTgo to enhance business travel communications and marketing. Meanwhile, Front Desk landed cash from some big names ahead of its planned launch; Chris DeVore—a member of … Continue reading “Roundup: Dwellable Partnership, Front Desk Launch, Concur Buy & More”
Targeted Growth Spins Out Camelina Biofuels Producer Sustainable Oils
[Updated 3/15/13 2:45 pm. See below.] Sustainable Oils, formed in 2007 by Seattle’s Targeted Growth and Texas-based Green Earth Fuels with ambitious goals for producing camelina-based biodiesel, has been acquired by Global Clean Energy Holdings. Targeted Growth “and the other minority owner of Sustainable Oils” were paid 40 million shares of Global Clean Energy Holdings … Continue reading “Targeted Growth Spins Out Camelina Biofuels Producer Sustainable Oils”
Mid-Michigan’s TechSmith, Growing Globally, Surpasses $50M in Revenue
Late last month, the Okemos, MI-based software company TechSmith announced it had surpassed $50 million in revenue in 2012. TechSmith’s top sellers are Camtasia, which enables even novice users to create interactive videos, and Snagit, screen-capture software that allows users to grab and enhance images. Both products earned awards from PCMag. “We provide great value … Continue reading “Mid-Michigan’s TechSmith, Growing Globally, Surpasses $50M in Revenue”
Where Have All the Gadgets Gone?
A remarkable shift is taking place right under our noses. The universe of electronic devices in our homes and offices has stopped expanding, and has in fact begun to shrink. At the same time, our productivity continues to rise and our information, entertainment, and learning options keep exploding. In other words, we’re getting more stuff … Continue reading “Where Have All the Gadgets Gone?”
Allozyne Conducts Round of Employee ‘Furloughs’
Seattle-based Allozyne, one of the promising biotech drug developers to graduate from the venture-backed Accelerator, recently conducted a small round of employee furloughs. Allozyne made the latest round of reductions to its payroll a little more than a year after another round of job cuts that I reported here in January 2012. CEO Meenu Chhabra … Continue reading “Allozyne Conducts Round of Employee ‘Furloughs’”
How Google Glass, Indoor Location, & Mobile Shopping Can Save Retail
Retail is changing. Roughly $3.7 trillion in annual U.S. spending is up for grabs. That’s a lot of money. Some technology theorists, including Marc Andreessen, believe the change will be revolutionary in nature—predicting the outright death of brick-and-mortar retail. The theory is that soon enough, visiting a physical store will be as archaic as reading … Continue reading “How Google Glass, Indoor Location, & Mobile Shopping Can Save Retail”
East Coast Life Sciences Roundup: GSK, Protein Sciences, IMS Health
One big East Coast pharmaceutical firm abandoned work on a hepatitis C drug this week, while another shuttered a young company that had cost it $720 million to acquire. But new ideas continue to burst forth, and investors pitched in $20 million for another hopeful startup. The Connecticut company that figured out how to make … Continue reading “East Coast Life Sciences Roundup: GSK, Protein Sciences, IMS Health”
Tumblr, Warby Parker, Everyday Health Set for Xconomy April 25 Forum
The more New York makes its presence known on the venture landscape, the more this community faces questions about its sustainability. Xconomy will host a half-day forum on April 25 to delve into what some of New York’s leading entrepreneurs, and the venture capitalists who back them, can do to ensure that the current surge … Continue reading “Tumblr, Warby Parker, Everyday Health Set for Xconomy April 25 Forum”
Attention Startups: The Automotive Industry Isn’t a Rust Belt Monolith
What do you think about when you hear the phrase “online advertising” or “big data”? How about “social network”? Do visions of hoodie-wearing young entrepreneurs dance through your head? Each of these are massive parts of the startup tech sector. In 2012, online display advertising was $12 billion; big data has become the new hot … Continue reading “Attention Startups: The Automotive Industry Isn’t a Rust Belt Monolith”
In Post-CD Era, Gracenote Makes a Big Business of Content Recognition
For Gracenote, the media database company, Christmas used to be the busiest day of the year. They called it “iPod Day,” because that was when millions of people would be unwrapping their new iPods and then rushing to their computers to rip dozens of CDs so they’d have some music to play. For every ripped … Continue reading “In Post-CD Era, Gracenote Makes a Big Business of Content Recognition”
San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Ambit, Lithera, Histogen, & More
Here’s our wrap up of the latest developments in San Diego’s life sciences community. —The increasing importance of emerging markets to portfolio companies of life sciences VC Domain Associates led partner Brian Halak to create a new business model in China. Domain, which has offices in San Diego and Princeton, NJ, joined forces the Beijing-based … Continue reading “San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Ambit, Lithera, Histogen, & More”
NYU-Poly Scientist Gets Google Grant for Social Networks Research
Google has awarded Oded Nov, an assistant professor at Polytechnic Institute of New York University (NYU-Poly), a multiyear grant to support a research project that will examine the role of design in shaping online behavior. Nov, from the Department of Technology Management and Innovation at NYU-Poly, will collaborate on the two-year research project with Mor … Continue reading “NYU-Poly Scientist Gets Google Grant for Social Networks Research”
Has The Pendulum Swung Too Far in Favor of Rare Diseases?
As a politician, one of the worst things you can be accused of is being a flip-flopper, a person who changes their mind on one or more issues. Another way of looking at this character trait is to say one has thoughtfully wrestled with an issue and changed one’s mind, as President Obama recently did … Continue reading “Has The Pendulum Swung Too Far in Favor of Rare Diseases?”
U-M Spinout Diapin Therapeutics Attracts Chinese Investment
When Bruce Markham worked as a research fellow for Pfizer, in the building that now houses the University of Michigan’s North Campus Research Complex, he spent his time developing clinical candidates for the treatment of metabolic diseases. Then, in 2007, came what AnnArbor.com characterized as “the gut punch”: Pfizer announced it was shuttering facilities in … Continue reading “U-M Spinout Diapin Therapeutics Attracts Chinese Investment”
Boston Roundup: NABsys, Zeo, CommonAngels, Wiggio
Raising money, shutting down, hiring people and getting acquired—four different entities just about covering all the bases of early stage business and investing news: —NABsys, a Providence, RI-based gene sequencing startup, says it has raised $20 million in a Series D venture financing. The company says the money will help pay for a commercial introduction … Continue reading “Boston Roundup: NABsys, Zeo, CommonAngels, Wiggio”
Funding for New York Startups in Mobile Ad Tech and Web Monitoring
Catchpoint Systems in New York, a provider of Web and infrastructure monitoring technology, on Tuesday announced it raised $3.2 million in a Series A round led by Battery Ventures. Founded in 2008 by four expatriates from DoubleClick and Google, Catchpoint plans to use the funds for product development and growth. Its technology helps companies monitor their … Continue reading “Funding for New York Startups in Mobile Ad Tech and Web Monitoring”
XL Hybrids Recharges with $4M to Expand Vehicle Powertrain Tech
The broader American clean energy tech sector has been a real bummer over the past few years, with shrinking government support and big-name flameouts like A123 Systems. Tod Hynes, president and founder of Boston’s XL Hybrids, wants you to know that those ills haven’t been affecting his slice of the business. The company, founded by a … Continue reading “XL Hybrids Recharges with $4M to Expand Vehicle Powertrain Tech”
New Domain Partnership Focuses on China’s Emerging Healthcare Market
Domain Associates, the life sciences venture firm based in San Diego and Princeton, NJ, says today it has formed a partnership with the Beijing-based firm Elite Consulting to license biomedical products and technologies from the West, and to help commercialize those technologies in China. The exclusive partnership, called Domain Elite, intends to in-license rights to … Continue reading “New Domain Partnership Focuses on China’s Emerging Healthcare Market”
Crowdsourced Workforces Rising
Crowdsourcing is a growing trend in the tech startup industry, and one that has the potential to address pressing needs in various markets. In particular, crowdsourcing of workforces is seeing tremendous uptick. At 1M/1M we’ve encountered several startups that are applying the model on different problem domains related to hiring and staffing. CrowdFlower founder Lukas … Continue reading “Crowdsourced Workforces Rising”
Pfizer Yields to Rivals in Hep C Drug Race
As flashy new entries piled into the race to create an injection-free hepatitis C drug about a year ago, Xconomy’s national biotech editor, Luke Timmerman, likened the contest to the Daytona 500 of the pharmaceutical world. Now Pfizer, the world’s biggest drug company, has scratched itself from the starting lineup. The New York pharmaceutical giant … Continue reading “Pfizer Yields to Rivals in Hep C Drug Race”
With Kythera as Model, Lithera Tests Drug to Shrink ‘Love Handles’
At the end of last year, the venture fund established by Domain Associates and Russia’s Rusnano disclosed that they had invested $20.6 million in San Diego-based Lithera, an aesthetic biotech developing a drug to reduce the fat tissue that builds up under the skin. Now the six-year-old startup is taking the next step. In a … Continue reading “With Kythera as Model, Lithera Tests Drug to Shrink ‘Love Handles’”
Google Growing in Seattle Area, But Where Are The Startups?
Google plans to double its Kirkland, WA campus by 2015, potentially accommodating another 800 employees and further solidifying its status as an anchor of the Seattle-area technology industry. Google’s growth in Seattle—stretching back to 2004 when it arrived largely to pull talent from Microsoft—has yet to spill over into the local startup scene in the … Continue reading “Google Growing in Seattle Area, But Where Are The Startups?”