Category: National

Meet VeeMe: The Virtual Agent Programmed to Think Like Me

Meet VeeMe, my “virtual me” that acts like me and reacts like me. I’ve written about him/me before (here and here). If you think VeeMe sounds creepy, I agree! But I think it will happen. I both fear it and hope for it. So far, the information revolution has consistently performed beyond our imaginations. Twenty … Continue reading “Meet VeeMe: The Virtual Agent Programmed to Think Like Me”

With New Antibiotic in Hand, RQx Pharmaceuticals Looks for Partner

The genesis of San Diego’s RQx Pharmaceuticals began in 2010, with a chance encounter by two strangers at Zumbar Coffee & Tea in Sorrento Valley. Floyd Romesberg says he likes to start his day at Zumbar because it’s a good place to get some paperwork done before he heads into The Scripps Research Institute, where … Continue reading “With New Antibiotic in Hand, RQx Pharmaceuticals Looks for Partner”

In-Game Ads Push Into Mobile Market, But Play It Safe

Considering the growing amount of time people spend using their smartphones, phablets, and tablets—especially to playing games—it’s no surprise that advertisers and marketers want to use mobile devices in new ways to get their messages in front of us. Last night in New York, executives from marketing companies such as Publicis and game developers Funtactix … Continue reading “In-Game Ads Push Into Mobile Market, But Play It Safe”

Detroit’s Ubi Video Offers Smaller Cable Providers a Way to Compete

The only shows I watch on regular TV anymore are sporting events. I’m an avid consumer of television, particularly those shows in the HBO-Showtime-AMC stable, but appointment television has become a thing of the past as I’ve discovered the joys of on-demand and its magnificent pause and fast-forward buttons. On Thanksgiving, I took my TV … Continue reading “Detroit’s Ubi Video Offers Smaller Cable Providers a Way to Compete”

Nick Beim Jumps from Matrix Partners to Venrock

Boston-based venture capital firm Matrix Partners has lost its New York-based partner. Star investor Nick Beim, who had been with Matrix for 12 years and in New York for the firm since 2010, has joined Manhattan-based Venrock. A Venrock spokesperson says the firm is not commenting on Beim’s switch. But according to Beim’s Linkedin page, … Continue reading “Nick Beim Jumps from Matrix Partners to Venrock”

Ginger.io Gets $6.5M, Led by Khosla, to “Open Up” Data-Driven Healthcare

Vinod Khosla has strong opinions on everything from education to energy storage. And he’ll speak his mind. On the topic of healthcare innovation, the bigwig entrepreneur and investor recently said that 80 percent of doctors could be replaced by machines. So perhaps it’s no surprise that Khosla Ventures has just backed MIT health-tech startup Ginger.io, … Continue reading “Ginger.io Gets $6.5M, Led by Khosla, to “Open Up” Data-Driven Healthcare”

Broken iPhone? Call iCracked, the Aspiring “AAA of Smartphones”

In the underappreciated 2000 M. Night Shyamalan thriller Unbreakable, Bruce Willis played a security guard with powers of invulnerability and super-strength, and Samuel L. Jackson played his brittle-boned archnemesis, Mr. Glass. Imagine that you were recasting the movie with Apple’s iPhone in a starring role—which part would the device play? After AJ Forsythe’s iPhone had … Continue reading “Broken iPhone? Call iCracked, the Aspiring “AAA of Smartphones””

Boston Deals: Incentive Targeting, Nantero, A123, TransMedics & More

[Updated 2:30 pm] A flurry of Boston-area investment and acquisition news hitting our radar screens today: —Incentive Targeting, a startup that priovides Web-based behavioral marketing services for grocery stores, has been acquired by Google. The startup has now confirmed the news, but isn’t providing any details. We don’t have any numbers to put with the deal yet, but … Continue reading “Boston Deals: Incentive Targeting, Nantero, A123, TransMedics & More”

Healthcare in Transition: Agenda Live for Xconomy Forum Dec. 10

There are few things that touch our lives, and our economy, like healthcare. That’s why we are especially excited about the stellar lineup we have assembled for our Dec. 10 forum that will provide a first-hand, personal dimension to what’s happening in healthcare innovation. Keynote speakers include Bryan Sivak, CTO of the U.S. Department of … Continue reading “Healthcare in Transition: Agenda Live for Xconomy Forum Dec. 10”

Zaarly at Mobile Madness: 2013 a Big Year for the ‘Peer Economy’

When local commerce startup Zaarly set out to create specialized home pages for people selling goods and services, the company had plenty of digital expertise to draw from. But part of its homework was decidely old school. In San Mateo, CA, a city just south of San Francisco, the startup with high-profile venture capital backers … Continue reading “Zaarly at Mobile Madness: 2013 a Big Year for the ‘Peer Economy’”

Selecta in Development Deal with Sanofi Worth up to $900 Million

[Updated 11/28/12, 11:04 a.m.]Selecta Biosciences, one of the many startups to emerge from the lab of famed MIT bioengineer Robert Langer, reported today that it scored a development deal with Paris-based Sanofi (NYSE: [[ticker:SNY]]) that includes potential milestone payments of up to $300 million each for new drugs for three life-threatening allergies. The Watertown, MA-based startup … Continue reading “Selecta in Development Deal with Sanofi Worth up to $900 Million”

Big Pharma’s Role in Supporting the Life Science Innovation Ecosystem

The life sciences industry has been challenged over the last several years with an economic environment that is not conducive to breeding new innovation. While things are slowly improving, reports abound of fewer investments in life science start-ups and fewer active investors in the sector. Many new ideas aren’t being developed—because the financial climate can’t … Continue reading “Big Pharma’s Role in Supporting the Life Science Innovation Ecosystem”

Pfizer Invests in Rhythm to Support Diabetes, Obesity Drug Programs

Boston-based Rhythm can move ahead with its experimental drugs for obesity and diabetes assured of a very deep-pocketed partner. The startup announced today that Pfizer Venture Investments, the venture capital arm of New York pharma giant Pfizer (NYSE: [[ticker:PFE]]), agreed to invest $8 million in the company, completing a $33 million Series B financing. That … Continue reading “Pfizer Invests in Rhythm to Support Diabetes, Obesity Drug Programs”

Is DealDown Winding Down after Brief Foray in Deals Badlands?

It is not clear what is happening at DealDown in Brooklyn. Co-founder Martin Mittelman said via e-mail he could not currently comment, but according to a candid blog by former content manager Jeremy Davis, the startup DealDown seems to be on the way out: “Yesterday, I walked into work to find out that DealDown was … Continue reading “Is DealDown Winding Down after Brief Foray in Deals Badlands?”

Mobile Madness NW: Save Big on Tickets to See Siri’s Inventor & More

Great news for all you post-Thanksgiving bargain hunters: This is your last chance to save nearly 30 percent on tickets for Mobile Madness Northwest, our premier year-end conference bringing together some of the region’s top innovators. Our special saver rate expires after today, so be sure to pick up your tickets now for this afternoon … Continue reading “Mobile Madness NW: Save Big on Tickets to See Siri’s Inventor & More”

Mobile Madness Motor City: Linkner, Song, & More at Jan. 17 Forum

All of you smartphone-toting innovators know it’s true: Five short years since the first iPhones sparked lines around Apple stores, mobile computing has completely transformed our lives. Whether revolutionizing the way we communicate or how we run our companies, there’s hardly a business in operation that hasn’t been affected by the power of mobile. In … Continue reading “Mobile Madness Motor City: Linkner, Song, & More at Jan. 17 Forum”

And the Global Capital of Robotics Is…Everywhere

Here at Xconomy we’ve spilled considerable ink over the question of why Silicon Valley robotics companies seem to lag behind their peers in big centers of robotics like Boston and Pittsburgh. But if you look at the locations of robot makers worldwide, it’s clear that no single region really dominates this emerging industry. Makers of … Continue reading “And the Global Capital of Robotics Is…Everywhere”

Gemvara CEO Matt Lauzon Steps Down: Thoughts on Startup Legacy and Future

Mr. Lauzon, we hardly knew ye. To some in the entrepreneurial community, you are a startup god. To others, you are a young Boston tech CEO who tweets too much. To me, you are a great story—and ultimately, perhaps, a greater loss. Matt Lauzon, the founder and chief executive of Boston-based online jeweler Gemvara, is … Continue reading “Gemvara CEO Matt Lauzon Steps Down: Thoughts on Startup Legacy and Future”

PowerInbox Merges with ActivePath, Looks to Push Interactive E-mail

What happens in Boston doesn’t always stay in Boston. Just ask Mark Zuckerberg, who famously moved Facebook from Harvard to Silicon Valley in 2004. But Matt Thazhmon, who wouldn’t mind overthrowing Zuck as the king of social, is playing things a little differently. His Cambridge, MA-based social e-mail startup, PowerInbox, is merging with New York-based … Continue reading “PowerInbox Merges with ActivePath, Looks to Push Interactive E-mail”

Mobile Madness: Last Day to Save $125 on Our Dec. 4 Conference

The leftovers are dwindling and the food coma’s well past. Maybe you camped out for a big sale, or spent Monday scouring the Web for deals. But if you’re still in the mood to save some serious cash, Thanksgiving isn’t quite over. That’s because today is the last chance to claim Thanksgiving Special tickets for … Continue reading “Mobile Madness: Last Day to Save $125 on Our Dec. 4 Conference”

Trapit Adapts AI-Driven Personal Search for Paying Customers

When the global artificial intelligence of the 22nd century—let’s call it, oh, Skynet—is writing its autobiography, it will find that some of its grandparents were born in Silicon Valley in the years 2003-2008. That’s when the defense-backed CALO Project was underway at the contract research outfit SRI International in Menlo Park, CA. Short for Cognitive … Continue reading “Trapit Adapts AI-Driven Personal Search for Paying Customers”

In Comeback Study, Acadia Says Drug Controls Parkinson’s Psychosis

Clinical trials of a new drug intended to control hallucinations associated with advanced Parkinson’s disease also have become a trial in perseverance for San Diego’s Acadia Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: [[ticker:ACAD]]). Despite a big setback three years ago, the company is reporting some encouraging results today in a comeback study evaluating the efficacy, tolerability, and safety of … Continue reading “In Comeback Study, Acadia Says Drug Controls Parkinson’s Psychosis”

Coridea Out to Prove Devices can Replace Drugs—and Succeeding

The burning question of the biopharma industry over the last several years is “where are the new drugs?” With blockbusters going off patent and investigational drugs failing in clinical trial after clinical trial, there has been a dearth of important new medications, and venture capital financing in life sciences startups has dropped like a stone. A … Continue reading “Coridea Out to Prove Devices can Replace Drugs—and Succeeding”

Does Jerusalem Have What It Takes to Build A Life Sciences Cluster?

Dark news was coming out of Israel on the morning of November 15. But in a talk that morning at MIT, Nir Barkat, mayor of Jerusalem, painted a bright picture of the city’s future. Barkat—whose name, incidentally, means “light”—argues that Jerusalem’s “brand name” has been building for over 3,000 years. As a panelist at the … Continue reading “Does Jerusalem Have What It Takes to Build A Life Sciences Cluster?”

San Diego’s Antengo Marching to Next Round in Mobile Classified Ads

Marcus Wandell tells me he was attending a music festival in New York City’s Lower East Side in 2009, “getting price-gouged on a $12 beer,” when he came up with the idea for Antengo. What if there was a mobile app that could help you find the nearby places to buy a less-expensive beer? Since … Continue reading “San Diego’s Antengo Marching to Next Round in Mobile Classified Ads”

CampDoc Offers Web-Based Way to Manage Campers’ Medical Needs

Michael Ambrose grew up going to Tamarack Camps in Ortonville, MI,  each summer. Once he was too old to attend Tamarack, he began volunteering. All throughout college and medical school at the University of Michigan, he loved working in the camp’s health center, organizing health forms, distributing medications, and tending to injuries. As the world … Continue reading “CampDoc Offers Web-Based Way to Manage Campers’ Medical Needs”

Y Combinator Alters Investment Package to Avoid “Contested Divorces”

Startups admitted the Winter 2013 class at Y Combinator, the prestigious startup accelerator in Mountain View, CA, will be greeted by a smaller investment package. Under a new program outlined in a blog post today, startups will get $80,000 each from a group of four outside venture investors, in addition to Y Combinator’s investment of … Continue reading “Y Combinator Alters Investment Package to Avoid “Contested Divorces””

Hello Health Raises $11.5 Million to Expand Electronic Health Records

Hello Health, which has an unusual model for offering electronic health records systems to doctors, said today that it raised $11.5 million in additional financing, with First Generation Capital as its lead investor. That brings the total amount raised by the New York-based subsidiary of Montreal’s Myca Health to $21.5 million in the past two years. … Continue reading “Hello Health Raises $11.5 Million to Expand Electronic Health Records”

Giftly Looks to Disrupt Traditional Gift Card Market

When CEO Tim Bentley founded Giftly, a site that allows users to give gift certificates through recipients’ credit cards, he realized business would be heavily seasonal. The three big holidays for gift cards are Christmas, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day, and almost 50 percent of the market is sold in the fourth quarter of the … Continue reading “Giftly Looks to Disrupt Traditional Gift Card Market”

Hipcricket’s Ivan Braiker to Chat about Ads, Commerce at Mobile Madness NY

Innovation will only carry a business so far without a plan to grow—and that can mean seeking out a partner who brings different technology and expertise to the table. In late summer 2011, Hipcricket decided it was time to make such a move when it agreed to be acquired by New York-based Augme Technologies. More … Continue reading “Hipcricket’s Ivan Braiker to Chat about Ads, Commerce at Mobile Madness NY”

The Few and the Proud: The Biotech Startup Class of 2012

[Updated: 3:35 pm PT, 12/3/12] Quick: Can you name three exciting biotech companies that got started, in your city, in 2012? I can’t, as a citizen of Seattle. Chances are, no matter where you live in the U.S., and no matter how plugged-in you are into the industry, you can’t either. This wasn’t supposed to … Continue reading “The Few and the Proud: The Biotech Startup Class of 2012”

East Coast Life Sciences Roundup: Insider Trading, Shire, Pfizer

Alleged skullduggery by some New Jersey pharma execs, drug development pacts, and a European drug approval marked this holiday week on the East Coast. —The holiday-shortened week started out with an apparent crime caper right out of Law and Order. Three New Jersey-based pharma execs from Celgene (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CELG]]), Sanofi (NYSE: [[ticker:SNY]])and Stryker (NYSE: [[ticker:SYK]]) … Continue reading “East Coast Life Sciences Roundup: Insider Trading, Shire, Pfizer”

San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Allergan, Qualcomm Life, & More

We saw a spate of funding deals and other activity in the week or so preceding Thanksgiving. Here’s our roundup of life sciences news, with best wishes from Xconomy for your Thanksgiving holiday. —Allergan (NYSE: [[ticker:AGN]]), the Irvine, CA-based multi-specialty healthcare company, said it has agreed to pay $350 million upfront to buy the skin … Continue reading “San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Allergan, Qualcomm Life, & More”

Harvest Express Brings Online Grocery Service to Detroit

[Corrected 11/26/12, 9:21 a.m. See below.] Jenile Brooks was born in raised in Detroit, and she always knew that one day she’d be back. Brooks headed East after high school and eventually settled in New York City, where she was working as a film producer. It was in that capacity that she finally returned to … Continue reading “Harvest Express Brings Online Grocery Service to Detroit”

The Road Not Taken and Genomatica’s Renewable Chemicals Strategy

A few weeks ago, BP cancelled a $350 million project in Highlands County, FL, that was supposed to produce 36 million gallons of ethanol a year from “energy grasses” and other high-cellulose plants. In a statement at the time, the global energy conglomerate said it was refocusing its U.S. biofuels strategy on research and development—and … Continue reading “The Road Not Taken and Genomatica’s Renewable Chemicals Strategy”

Boston Deals: Swoop, OwnCloud, Lookout Gaming, Streetwise Media

Updated 2:50 pm A buffet of small Boston-area fundraising items to whet your appetite as Turkey Day approaches: —Cambridge-based Swoop, a startup that offers what it calls “native” advertising to help Web publishers make money from their content, has raised $3 million of a financing round that could grow to $5 million, according to a … Continue reading “Boston Deals: Swoop, OwnCloud, Lookout Gaming, Streetwise Media”

Investors Interested in Health IT—With Caveats

Established companies such as Dell Computer (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DELL]]) and Becton Dickinson (NYSE: [[ticker:BDX]]) say they are eager to invest in health IT startups—they just need to figure out how the U.S. healthcare system is going to evolve over the next five years; what applications are most likely to get reimbursed; what technologies make the most sense … Continue reading “Investors Interested in Health IT—With Caveats”

Empowered and UCLA Bring Career Retraining to the iPad

Many of us see a reason to lament when we hear that millions of Americans are unemployed while millions of US jobs go unfilled. Steve Poizner looks at the same facts and envisions a $100 billion market opportunity. But then, most of us are not serial tech entrepreneurs like Poizner, who sold the second company … Continue reading “Empowered and UCLA Bring Career Retraining to the iPad”

Sonar CEO Brett Martin to Speak at Mobile Madness NY

For all the power crammed into mobile devices, there are more ways we can use them to connect with the world immediately around us. Many people already turn to their smartphones to find retailers, restaurants, and driving directions. We also use these gadgets to update friends in our social networks on our day-to-day activities, regardless … Continue reading “Sonar CEO Brett Martin to Speak at Mobile Madness NY”

Hydrovolts Prepares For 2013 Commercialization With New Leadership

The first half of November was busy for Seattle micro hydropower technology developer Hydrovolts with a leadership change, an important new federal funding opportunity, and an international award. Burt Hamner, co-founder of the 5-year-old company, is stepping down as chief executive, though he will remain on the board of directors. Mike Layton, chief operating officer … Continue reading “Hydrovolts Prepares For 2013 Commercialization With New Leadership”

Here’s the Agenda for “The Power of the Pivot” on December 4

Pivot (ˈpɪvət) n. Basketball: The stationary foot around which the ball handler is allowed to pivot without dribbling. Also: Figuratively, that on which some matter or result hinges or depends; a turning-point. The first definition comes from the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition; the second comes from the Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia. (Both … Continue reading “Here’s the Agenda for “The Power of the Pivot” on December 4″

Women 2.0, Google Partner to Launch Detroit Founder Friday

A popular networking series for female tech entrepreneurs that began in the Bay Area has now launched in Detroit. Called Founder Friday, it’s the product of the San Francisco-based Women 2.0, a media company offering “content and community” for current and aspiring women in tech, and Google for Entrepreneurs. Detroit is the only Midwestern city … Continue reading “Women 2.0, Google Partner to Launch Detroit Founder Friday”

General Catalyst Co-Founder John Simon Joins Sigma Prime

Updated at 5:30 pm John Simon, a veteran venture investor and entrepreneur, has found his next job: Managing director at Boston’s Sigma Prime Ventures. Simon was a co-founder at Cambridge-based General Catalyst Partners, but announced in July that he was leaving the firm after 12 years. Simon also has served as an executive at several companies, … Continue reading “General Catalyst Co-Founder John Simon Joins Sigma Prime”

NVCA Sponsoring 40 Startup Tickets for Mobile Madness NY on Dec. 4

The madness is nearly upon us…mobile madness, that is. We’re only two weeks away from Mobile Madness New York, a half-day forum filled with interactive talks with some of the top names in mobile computing and innovation, from Android co-inventor Rich Miner (now at Google Ventures) to Roger Ehrenberg of IA Ventures to Zarly co-founder … Continue reading “NVCA Sponsoring 40 Startup Tickets for Mobile Madness NY on Dec. 4”

Outbrain Purges Customers Who Abused Platform, Takes Hit on Revenue

It can be easy to make a quick buck in this city, but New York’s rapidly growing Outbrain chose recently to turn down some business that it says cast a pall on its long-term plans. The six-year-old company, which developed a content recommendation engine, steers its users to online stories and videos from publishers that … Continue reading “Outbrain Purges Customers Who Abused Platform, Takes Hit on Revenue”

Data-Storage Startup Qumulo, Founded by Isilon Vets, Lands $24.5M

Some key participants in one of the Seattle area’s biggest tech company success stories of recent years are back with a new company. And as of today, they’ve got sizable backing from venture investors to attack the data storage market. The startup is Qumulo, a Seattle-based company that is announcing today a $24.5 million Series … Continue reading “Data-Storage Startup Qumulo, Founded by Isilon Vets, Lands $24.5M”

The Icos Impact: What to Expect Next Week

We’re one week away from our next big life sciences gathering in Seattle, called “The Icos Impact.” We’re expecting more than 150 people at this event who either worked at this important local biotech company or crossed paths with many of the smart and hard-working people who worked there in the ‘90s and 2000s. As … Continue reading “The Icos Impact: What to Expect Next Week”