[Updated 5:40 pm Eastern with comment] Uber, the smartphone-based car-for-hire service that has been running into taxi industry opposition around the country, has just landed in court again. And the case is a doozy. Two of Boston’s largest cab companies are suing San Francisco-based Uber in a local court, arguing that the heavily financed startup … Continue reading “Uber Sued in Boston; Case Could Wind up in Federal Court”
Category: National
Ambit Still Committed to Leukemia Drug After Astellas Ends Pact
[Corrected 3/12/13, 11:55 pm. See below.] They say that breaking up is hard to do. Ambit Biosciences knows that it’s true. After Japan’s Astellas Pharma said last night it had exercised its right to terminate their worldwide licensing agreement, Ambit spokesman David Schull says San Diego-based Ambit remains “fully committed” to moving ahead with mid-stage … Continue reading “Ambit Still Committed to Leukemia Drug After Astellas Ends Pact”
Two New State-Backed Capital Funds Launch
Last week, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) announced its new Michigan Venture Match Fund, a $5 million pot of money from the Michigan Strategic Fund for early-stage companies in the state that have already gotten funding commitments from at least one venture firm. The fund just invested $2.76 million in six companies across a variety … Continue reading “Two New State-Backed Capital Funds Launch”
GlaxoSmithKline Shuts Down Sirtris, Five Years After $720M Buyout
[Updated 2:25 pm ET, 3/13/13] GlaxoSmithKline is closing down Cambridge, MA-based Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, almost five years after it paid $720 million to acquire the hot biotech with a plan to fight diseases of aging. London-based Glaxo (NYSE: [[ticker:GSK]]) is shutting the Cambridge, MA Sirtris facility, and plans to offer transfers to the Philadelphia area for … Continue reading “GlaxoSmithKline Shuts Down Sirtris, Five Years After $720M Buyout”
MLB Advanced Media Ups Its Game Streaming More than Baseball to Mobile
[Updated 3/13/13, 9:26 am. See below.] Naturally, there is much ado about baseball at Major League Baseball Advanced Media in New York, especially with spring training underway. But its technology reaches far beyond the bleachers—and even beyond the TV screen. “Mobile, in our business, isn’t the second screen,” says Matthew Gould, vice president of communications … Continue reading “MLB Advanced Media Ups Its Game Streaming More than Baseball to Mobile”
Mobile Madness 2013: One Week to Go (Here Are Some Questions)
In case you aren’t conferenced out yet, Xconomy Boston is convening a pretty special group of tech leaders a week from today, on Tuesday, March 19. It’s our fifth annual Mobile Madness event in Boston, and it’s all going down at Microsoft NERD in Kendall Square. I’m told there are just a few tickets left; … Continue reading “Mobile Madness 2013: One Week to Go (Here Are Some Questions)”
Spiral Genetics, Maker of Software for the Genome, Gets $3M from DFJ
Spiral Genetics, the Seattle-based maker of software that helps crunch big volumes of DNA data, has just raised its first sizable round of venture capital. Spiral is announcing today it has raised $3 million in its Series A financing from DFJ, the high-profile venture firm formerly known as Draper Fisher Jurvetson. Spiral has now raised … Continue reading “Spiral Genetics, Maker of Software for the Genome, Gets $3M from DFJ”
If You Like Jennifer Aniston, You Won’t Like This Article About Reverb
Erin McKean, the founder of the self-organizing online dictionary Wordnik, told me at the end of our first interview back in 2011 that she would like her company to become a verb, the way Google has. When you’re telling someone to look up a word, you’d say “Wordnik that.’” Well, McKean has gotten her wish, … Continue reading “If You Like Jennifer Aniston, You Won’t Like This Article About Reverb”
IMS Health Acquires Appature to Get Healthcare Marketing Software
[Updated: 11:30 am PT] Seattle-based Appature, the maker of software for healthcare marketers, has graduated from scrappy startup into something much bigger. Appature is announcing today that it has agreed to be acquired by Parsippany, NJ-based IMS Health, the giant data provider that tracks prescription trends for healthcare companies. IMS, a private company founded in … Continue reading “IMS Health Acquires Appature to Get Healthcare Marketing Software”
Biotech for the Belt-Tightening Era: Last Chance For Early-Bird Tix
The explosion of healthcare spending affects everybody who pay taxes to support Medicare and Medicaid. It affects anyone who has a job that comes with healthcare benefits, which keep getting more expensive. It affects anybody who ever has to see a doctor. No doubt, this issue affects everybody. But people in the biotech industry have … Continue reading “Biotech for the Belt-Tightening Era: Last Chance For Early-Bird Tix”
CloudHealth, $4.5M in Tow, Looks to Run Networking Playbook on the Cloud
Let’s get the name question out of the way first. CloudHealth Technologies is not a health IT company. It is a cloud infrastructure and analytics startup, aimed at helping software companies manage their business. Not sure that’s much clearer, but we’ll explain why they chose that name in a minute. Boston-based CloudHealth, a young startup, … Continue reading “CloudHealth, $4.5M in Tow, Looks to Run Networking Playbook on the Cloud”
How Zynga Boston’s Shutdown Birthed Proletariat, a New Mobile Studio
They don’t look any different from the other people packed into this buzzing shared work loft, just a few blocks from MIT in the heart of the Boston area’s startup scene. Amid the funky couches, bright-colored walls, two-liters of soda, and Nerf guns awaiting battle, they’re just another five guys sitting at a long table, … Continue reading “How Zynga Boston’s Shutdown Birthed Proletariat, a New Mobile Studio”
Four Things I Learned From Studying Innovation in 3 U.S. Cities
I’ve spent most of my career studying how key regions around the world have harnessed their indigenous research capabilities, entrepreneurial spirit, and industrial prowess to realize the economic and employment returns many innovative technologies promise. I’m particularly intrigued by the differences that make some places engines for innovation. If we are to be successful in … Continue reading “Four Things I Learned From Studying Innovation in 3 U.S. Cities”
Histogen Forms Joint Venture to Advance Regenerative Orthopedics
San Diego-based Histogen, a regenerative medicine company founded in 2007, says today it has partnered with a group of medical device investors to establish a joint venture, PUR Biologics, to adapt its expertise in fibroblasts, the cells that form connective tissue, for use in orthopedics. The joint venture is based in Aliso Viejo, CA, in … Continue reading “Histogen Forms Joint Venture to Advance Regenerative Orthopedics”
Michigan Life Sciences Roundup: Swift Biosciences, Aastrom
A few Southeast Michigan biotech companies are in the news today: —Swift Biosciences, based in Ann Arbor, has just rolled out its Accel-NGS DNA Library kit, the first in a suite of new products for next-generation sequencing sample preparation that the company plans to release in 2013. “What we have is a kit that makes … Continue reading “Michigan Life Sciences Roundup: Swift Biosciences, Aastrom”
MA to Pay Half the Cost of Tech Company Interns
Cheap labor just got cheaper in Massachusetts—if you’re a relatively small tech company, anyway. Today, the state government is kicking off its new MassTech Intern Partnership, which promises to reimburse qualifying companies for half the cost of their interns’ salaries. The program also gives prospective interns a place to sign up for gigs with smaller tech … Continue reading “MA to Pay Half the Cost of Tech Company Interns”
Nipendo CEO Talks $8M VC Round, Supply Chains, and Move to Boston
Nipendo is the latest Israeli startup to expand to the Boston area. The 50-person company, which makes software to connect large enterprises with suppliers, has just raised $8 million in Series B funding led by Horizons Ventures, and it is setting up new headquarters in Burlington, MA. Horizons is known for its investments in Facebook, … Continue reading “Nipendo CEO Talks $8M VC Round, Supply Chains, and Move to Boston”
Protein Sciences’ Pitch: a “Pure” Flu Vaccine Alternative
The small private company Protein Sciences skirted bankruptcy, fought off a hostile takeover bid, spent three years angling for a sorely-needed government contract, and survived a four-year dialogue with the FDA before winning approval this year for the first influenza vaccine made with genetic engineering and without eggs. Now comes the hard part. The 115-employee … Continue reading “Protein Sciences’ Pitch: a “Pure” Flu Vaccine Alternative”
Some Bold Baseball and Biotech Picks for the 2013 Season
Spring training is here. That means I get to spend days thinking and writing about biotech and nights dreaming about hard-throwing setup men with decent walks-plus-hits-allowed per inning pitched (WHIP) ratios who have a shot at becoming a closer. I’ll leave it up to you to decide which obsession is the greater malady. Kidding aside, … Continue reading “Some Bold Baseball and Biotech Picks for the 2013 Season”
Wanted: Star Journalist to Help Launch Xconomy in the Lone Star State
It’s no secret that we’re on a little bit of an expansion bender these days (hey there, Boulder/Denver), and our next hit is going to be a big one: Xconomy Texas. With the combination of Houston’s first-class research hospitals and growing life sciences sector, Austin’s vibrant tech scene, and the state’s massive energy sector we … Continue reading “Wanted: Star Journalist to Help Launch Xconomy in the Lone Star State”
What Makes an App Awesome? A Case Study with Mokriya Craigslist
If you were starting a Mobile App Design Hall of Fame, how would you decide which apps to nominate? Personally, I think I’d vote for the apps that keep me engaged through creative, elegant use of touchscreen-specific design principles. I’d point to a handful of mobile apps that are so delightful to play with that … Continue reading “What Makes an App Awesome? A Case Study with Mokriya Craigslist”
Veracyte Wins Over UnitedHealth With Thyroid Cancer Diagnostic
South San Francisco-based Veracyte was built to provide clear diagnostic answers for patients with curious thyroid lumps that might be cancerous. It’s taken a lot of research to build a convincing body of evidence, and now it’s getting an important endorsement from UnitedHealthcare, the nation’s largest private health insurer. Veracyte is announcing today that Minnetonka, … Continue reading “Veracyte Wins Over UnitedHealth With Thyroid Cancer Diagnostic”
East Coast Life Sciences Roundup: Merck, Celgene, PTC, Cerulean
New Jersey life sciences companies grabbed the spotlight this week as they raised money, joined with partners, and made new hires. Merck’s research division will have a new leader as a former executive comes back from a long stint at the world’s largest biotechnology company. And a Cambridge, MA, company is in suspense as it … Continue reading “East Coast Life Sciences Roundup: Merck, Celgene, PTC, Cerulean”
Wanderu Heads to SXSW, Wants to Be Like Kayak for Buses & Trains
For those of you lamenting the end of an era—the Fung Wah bus era—fear not. For there is Wanderu to help you find another way to get where you’re going on the ground. Boston-based Wanderu is on a journey of its own this week, as it heads down to the South by Southwest festival in … Continue reading “Wanderu Heads to SXSW, Wants to Be Like Kayak for Buses & Trains”
IDInteract’s Vision to Reinvent Brand Interaction Starts in Detroit
After quietly filing patents and operating in “stealth mode” since 2009, IDInteract‘s founder and CEO, Matt Standish, formally launched his brand interaction software platform in December. Now, he’s in the process of opening what he calls a “center of excellence” in Detroit, which will eventually employ 100 software developers, to go with a three-person office … Continue reading “IDInteract’s Vision to Reinvent Brand Interaction Starts in Detroit”
NYSE Euronext’s Scott Cutler Talks IPOs and New York’s Need for Big Exits
The select few startups that brave the leap to public markets have an opportunity to provide their early backers with healthy returns, but also come under deeper scrutiny. Scott Cutler, executive vice president with NYSE Euronext and head of global listings, let Xconomy into his office this week to chat about the IPO market’s potential … Continue reading “NYSE Euronext’s Scott Cutler Talks IPOs and New York’s Need for Big Exits”
Boston Roundup: Facebook, Bain Capital, Joi Ito, & More
Some big names making a little news around the Boston area this week, along with updates from startups, investors, and growing companies: —It’s the return that, oh, everybody in the Boston-area consumer tech scene has been wondering about for years: Facebook might be opening an office in the area, according to this report from the … Continue reading “Boston Roundup: Facebook, Bain Capital, Joi Ito, & More”
Roger Perlmutter Returns to Merck, Looks to Biotech Future (Again)
Roger Perlmutter is heading back to Merck, after a decade away. This time around, he’s got a lot more experience knowing how to build a pharmaceutical pipeline. The Whitehouse Station, NJ-based pharmaceutical giant (NYSE: [[ticker:MRK]]) said today it has hired Perlmutter as executive vice president and president of Merck Research Laboratories, starting April 15. He … Continue reading “Roger Perlmutter Returns to Merck, Looks to Biotech Future (Again)”
HealthTap Positions Itself for Rush of Obamacare Patients in 2014
When you run into a Silicon Valley startup that’s been around for two or three years and has a popular, fast-growing product or service, but is earning little or no revenue, then you know that one of two things is going on. Either the startup has a clear business model in mind, but is waiting … Continue reading “HealthTap Positions Itself for Rush of Obamacare Patients in 2014”
Haiku Deck Rises From the Ashes of ‘Mix-N-Match with Sir Mix-A-Lot’
After Giant Thinkwell flopped with its initial efforts—a celebrity based social game starring Sir Mix-A-Lot and later a social video play—the Seattle startup was falling apart. For a while, co-founders Adam Tratt and Kevin Leneway were the only ones left. “At that moment of darkness, we realized we needed to sort of start over,” Tratt … Continue reading “Haiku Deck Rises From the Ashes of ‘Mix-N-Match with Sir Mix-A-Lot’”
Got Hardware? Dragon Innovation Helps Big Names Get Built
A few months before his little startup company became a poster child for the crowdfunding revolution, Eric Migicovsky had one of those moments of serious panic. He’d been through the prestigious Y Combinator accelerator program, and attracted some early money. But bigger investors weren’t willing to back the project he’d been working on—and when the … Continue reading “Got Hardware? Dragon Innovation Helps Big Names Get Built”
Boston Biotech Seizes the Momentum: Last Chance for Early Bird Tix
I live in Seattle, and recently had a couple conversations with well-known West Coast biotech executives about what they see happening in Boston. “Clearly, Boston has taken the leadership role” among U.S. biotech clusters, said Mitch Gold, the former CEO of Dendreon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DNDN]]), the cancer immunotherapy pioneer. A few days ago, a San Diego … Continue reading “Boston Biotech Seizes the Momentum: Last Chance for Early Bird Tix”
Actifio CEO: We’re a “Sleeper Company” Worth $500M in Enterprise IT Market
Actifio might be the Boston tech scene’s greatest paradox. The Waltham, MA-based data management startup just raised $50 million in venture capital (it has raised $107.5 million total) at a valuation of around $500 million. It is one of the fastest-growing software companies in town, with just over 200 employees worldwide (80-plus in Waltham). Yet, … Continue reading “Actifio CEO: We’re a “Sleeper Company” Worth $500M in Enterprise IT Market”
Guy Kawasaki, Citing Apple Parallel, Is Now Advising Motorola
Guy Kawasaki, the former Apple evangelist, startup founder, venture investor, and author, is famous in Silicon Valley for his entrepreneurial enthusiasm and verve. When Kawasaki decides he likes something, he really likes it—and he goes to bat for it in a deep way. Obviously this happened for Apple when he was there in the 1980s, … Continue reading “Guy Kawasaki, Citing Apple Parallel, Is Now Advising Motorola”
AutoHarvest Seeks to Become the “Amazon of Innovation”
AutoHarvest, a nonprofit website that aims to connect the auto industry with entrepreneurs and inventors, has just announced a partnership with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. It’s the latest big name to come aboard—other supporters include Ford, Chrysler, General Motors, Covisint, and various universities and economic development agencies. “Our mission is to help accelerate the … Continue reading “AutoHarvest Seeks to Become the “Amazon of Innovation””
Japan’s Ajinomoto Acquires Contract Drug Maker Althea Technologies
[Updated 3/7/13 7:34 am to include terms, other details. See below.] Ajinomoto, a Japanese food, pharmaceuticals, and specialty chemicals manufacturer, is acquiring San Diego-based Althea Technologies, a contract manufacturer of drugs, proteins, and injectable products that was founded in 1998. In a statement, Ajinomoto valued the deal, expected to close next month, at about $175 … Continue reading “Japan’s Ajinomoto Acquires Contract Drug Maker Althea Technologies”
Innovid Lands $11M Series C Round for Video Ad Tech Platform
New York’s Innovid announced Wednesday that it has raised $11 million in a Series C round with backing from new investor Vintage Investment Partners and existing investors Sequoia Capital, Genesis Partners, and T-Venture. Innovid’s platform lets ad agencies working for brands and marketers put interactive video ads on mobile gadgets and PCs. The ads can … Continue reading “Innovid Lands $11M Series C Round for Video Ad Tech Platform”
Actifio Adds $50M, Goes Big in Noisy Data Management Market
Yes, the data management sector is pretty hot right now. You don’t even have to call it “big data” anymore. In one of the bigger tech financings we’ve seen in a while, Waltham, MA-based Actifio has raised $50 million in new funding led by Technology Crossover Ventures. Previous investors Andreessen Horowitz, Advanced Technology Ventures, Greylock … Continue reading “Actifio Adds $50M, Goes Big in Noisy Data Management Market”
Backupify Rolls Out Gmail Tool, Wants to Build Data Protection Layer for the Web
Three pearls of wisdom from Backupify CEO Rob May, right off the bat: 1. “Successful companies often look like bad ideas at the beginning.” 2. “The company that solves the ‘big data’ problem for businesses won’t have set out to do that.” 3. “We’re losing the ability to see patterns across history.” May (pictured above) … Continue reading “Backupify Rolls Out Gmail Tool, Wants to Build Data Protection Layer for the Web”
Cerulean Pharma Arrives at Turning Point With Cancer Drug
One day this month, Cambridge, MA-based Cerulean Pharma will get the answers to two important questions that few private, venture-backed biotech companies ever get far enough to answer. It will find out if it has a legit new technology platform for fighting cancer, and whether it has a drug that helps cancer patients live longer. … Continue reading “Cerulean Pharma Arrives at Turning Point With Cancer Drug”
The Bay Lights: Video from An Improbable Art Project’s Debut
Thousands of San Franciscans braved the blustery rain Tuesday night to witness the official debut of the Bay Lights, an art installation that—every night for the next two years—will transform the western span of the San Francisco Bay Bridge into a giant LED display. At 9:03 p.m., three minutes after the promised time, the 25,000 … Continue reading “The Bay Lights: Video from An Improbable Art Project’s Debut”
Limit the Decisions You Make as a Leader
My hardest job as a CEO: Not making decisions. Yes, you read that right. My goal as an executive is to make only one significant decision a year. But isn’t that what a leader is supposed to do? Take the heat, call the shots, and have the final say? That’s the conventional wisdom on leadership. … Continue reading “Limit the Decisions You Make as a Leader”
“Minority Report” in the Office: Oblong’s Long Road Back to Boston
One of the newest tech companies setting up shop in Boston has taken a pretty unusual route to get here: from the MIT Media Lab to big Hollywood studios and back again. We’re talking about Oblong Industries, a venture-backed company that makes software for controlling computer displays by waving your hands in the air. With … Continue reading ““Minority Report” in the Office: Oblong’s Long Road Back to Boston”
LIA Raises $400K for Mobile App Targeting Enterprise-Scale Customers
After a period of relatively rapid software development, San Diego-based LIA has raised $400,000 in seed financing to extend development of its mobile app and secure, Web-based platform for enterprise-scale customers. The convertible loan from two San Diego investors, Analytics Ventures and La Costa Investment Group, will be used to fund another round of software … Continue reading “LIA Raises $400K for Mobile App Targeting Enterprise-Scale Customers”
Company Born At Startup Weekend Detroit Releases Sales App
When Sandy Barris came to Startup Weekend Detroit last year, he had an idea for an app that would help people working in direct sales track their activities and stay motivated. He hooked up with some developers at the marathon event, and a rudimentary product was created. Barris says it wasn’t long before things fell … Continue reading “Company Born At Startup Weekend Detroit Releases Sales App”
Small Businesses to Tech Providers: Nah, We’re Good
If you’re a technology entrepreneur thinking about trying to crack the small-business market, be prepared for an unenthusiastic reception. That’s a big takeaway from a recent survey of small businesses in the Boston area sponsored by Dell and Intel. After asking 101 local small companies (less than 100 employees), the survey found 91 percent “satisfied … Continue reading “Small Businesses to Tech Providers: Nah, We’re Good”
Hybris Raises $30M from Meritech, Greylock, and Huntsman Gay
Hybris, a German enterprise software provider with its U.S. headquarters in New York, said Tuesday it raised $30 million in a round led by Meritech Capital Partners, with participation from Huntsman Gay Global Capital, which previously invested in the company, and Greylock Israel. Hybris, which also has offices in Boston, has developed a merchandising, data, … Continue reading “Hybris Raises $30M from Meritech, Greylock, and Huntsman Gay”
WePay Joins the Fray in Mobile Payments
There’s a bit of news from WePay, a Palo Alto payments startup we’ve been following for years, that shows just how quickly everyone, small business owners included, is shifting their online work from the desktop Web to their mobile devices. Last week WePay released its first mobile app (iOS only for now). It lets owners … Continue reading “WePay Joins the Fray in Mobile Payments”
EnerG2 Takes Energy Storage Innovation From UW Lab to Factory
A year after opening a $28.5 million factory, Seattle-based EnerG2 is looking like a textbook example of laboratory innovation in a strategically important industry generating U.S. high-tech manufacturing jobs, with an assist from Uncle Sam. Someone page Joe Biden. The company got a $21.3 million Department of Energy stimulus grant covering three-quarters of the cost … Continue reading “EnerG2 Takes Energy Storage Innovation From UW Lab to Factory”
NuoDB, Morgenthaler Ventures Talk Disruption in Databases
The database startup that is closest to my office, if not my heart, has a compelling story. Roughly speaking, it’s one of these “if it really works, it is a game changer” types of companies. Which is fairly common in the tech world—but not as common as, say, “even if it works, who cares?” NuoDB, … Continue reading “NuoDB, Morgenthaler Ventures Talk Disruption in Databases”