When an obscure archaeological term like “skeuomorphism” starts to show up in the pages of the country’s leading newspapers, you know people must be talking about Apple again. In technology circles, the biggest news this week wasn’t Superstorm Sandy, or the elections, or even the Disney-Lucasfilm deal and the prospect of another Star Wars trilogy. … Continue reading “Less Is Not Always More: The Argument for Apple-style Skeuomorphism”
Category: National
Zagster CEO Tim Ericson on Tapping Into the Sharing Economy
If you want to be the “Zipcar for bikes,” Boston is not a bad place to be—and Zagster isn’t a bad name. I first saw Zagster co-founder and CEO Tim Ericson speak at a TechStars Boston demo day in May. The Cambridge, MA-based bicycle-sharing startup has been around since late 2007 (fka CityRyde, based in … Continue reading “Zagster CEO Tim Ericson on Tapping Into the Sharing Economy”
San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Shire, Thesan, ViaCyte, and More
What do Thesan Pharmaceuticals, ViaCyte, and Reflexion Health have in common? Each one disclosed that it raised a significant amount of capital. We have that and more. —San Diego’s Thesan Pharmaceuticals, a newly formed biotech developing innovative drugs for dermatological disorders, said it closed on a $16 million Series A round of financing that was … Continue reading “San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Shire, Thesan, ViaCyte, and More”
East Coast Life Sciences Roundup: Vertex, Thermedical, More
There were signs of progress this week for a few East Coast life sciences company as they strived to develop new drugs and devices, except for Aveo, which is pulling back on R&D to throw most of its resources behind its lead product. —Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VRTX]]) scored some big-name development partners this week for its … Continue reading “East Coast Life Sciences Roundup: Vertex, Thermedical, More”
Omeros Settles Wrongful Termination Suit With Former CFO for $3.9M
Omeros, the Seattle-based drug developer, has ended a long-running dispute with former chief financial officer Richard Klein by agreeing to pay him $3.94 million to settle a wrongful termination case he brought against the company three years ago. Omeros (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OMER]]) said today in a regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it … Continue reading “Omeros Settles Wrongful Termination Suit With Former CFO for $3.9M”
In San Diego Talk, Venter Says Biofuels ‘Dead’ Without Carbon Policy
Blunt to the bone, human genome pioneer J. Craig Venter flatly declared in San Diego this week that algae-based biofuels “are just dead” unless the federal government sets an effective carbon policy. “It doesn’t matter what the scientific breakthroughs are, there’s no way to beat oil,” Venter said after someone in the audience asked when … Continue reading “In San Diego Talk, Venter Says Biofuels ‘Dead’ Without Carbon Policy”
TechStars Seattle Demo Day: Have You Invested Yet?
[Updates at 3:45 p.m. PT Nov. 1 and 10:33 a.m. PT Nov. 2, See below] There are a number of ways to measure the success of TechStars Seattle as its third class comes to a close with Demo Day this afternoon. But let’s follow the money. I think we’ll see that this year’s class has … Continue reading “TechStars Seattle Demo Day: Have You Invested Yet?”
A Robot Rides Out Sandy, Gathering Data to Predict Storm Intensity
As millions of East Coast residents scrambled to get out of the way of “superstorm” Sandy this week, Liquid Robotics was steering one of its seagoing robots directly into the storm’s path. The Sunnyvale, CA-based company says its robot, a “Wave Glider” model named Mercury, rode out the storm unscathed, and was able to transmit … Continue reading “A Robot Rides Out Sandy, Gathering Data to Predict Storm Intensity”
Beringea Invests $3.2 Milion in InSkin Media
Michigan’s largest venture capital firm, Beringea, announced this week that it has invested $3.2 million in InSkin Media, a British digital advertising company. InSkin Media will use the investment to develop its mobile format and build international operations. Launched in 2009, InSkin appealed to Beringea because of its innovative online advertising formats that wrap around … Continue reading “Beringea Invests $3.2 Milion in InSkin Media”
Ann Arbor’s Llamasoft Raises $6M Series A Round
Lllamasoft, the Ann Arbor-based analytics software company, announced this week that it has raised a $6 million Series A round with investments from Ann Arbor-based Augment Ventures, Detroit-based First Step Fund, and MK Capital, which has offices in California, Illinois, and Ann Arbor. “We’ve been on a significant growth path, and we’ve established Llamasoft as … Continue reading “Ann Arbor’s Llamasoft Raises $6M Series A Round”
TechStars NYC-alum Moveline Weathers Sandy, Raises $1.5M Along the Way
Across the Northeast, people, businesses, and governments continue the long work of recovery in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy—and startups in New York were not spared from disruption. Moveline, a graduate of the spring TechStars NYC class, was one of them. The startup designs software used to compare prices from moving companies, and help people … Continue reading “TechStars NYC-alum Moveline Weathers Sandy, Raises $1.5M Along the Way”
Dayna Grayson Leaves North Bridge, Joins NEA as Partner in DC
[Updated 10:50 am. See below] There aren’t many prominent female VCs based in Boston. Now there are even fewer. Dayna Grayson, a former principal at North Bridge Venture Partners, has left the firm and joined New Enterprise Associates (NEA) as a partner. She will be based in the Washington, DC, area as part of NEA’s … Continue reading “Dayna Grayson Leaves North Bridge, Joins NEA as Partner in DC”
Rewarder Taps the Crowd of Amateur Detectives and Problem Solvers
The San Francisco startup Rewarder scored one of its first investors through a unique move: it found the venture firm director a replacement part for his vintage BMW motorcycle. It wasn’t just an oddball favor. The successful quest for the rare bike part was a demonstration of Rewarder’s core mission, says co-founder and CEO Kendall … Continue reading “Rewarder Taps the Crowd of Amateur Detectives and Problem Solvers”
Sapphire Energy & Institute for Systems Biology Partner on Biofuels
San Diego’s Sapphire Energy and Seattle’s Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) have established a strategic partnership that is intended to significantly expand and diversify the genetic resources that Sapphire needs to commercialize algae-based biofuels. Financial terms of the collaboration were not disclosed. In the five years since it was founded, Sapphire Energy has demonstrated how … Continue reading “Sapphire Energy & Institute for Systems Biology Partner on Biofuels”
UW Spinoff Resolve Therapeutics Snags $5.8M for Lupus Drug
Resolve Therapeutics, the University of Washington spinoff with a new strategy for the treatment of lupus, has nailed down $5.8 million in its second round of venture financing, Xconomy has learned. The company has secured the additional cash from its existing investors New Science Ventures and Easton Capital, as well as a new backer, Seattle-based … Continue reading “UW Spinoff Resolve Therapeutics Snags $5.8M for Lupus Drug”
Ensemble Signs Pact with Boehringer Worth up to $186 million
Ensemble Therapeutics of Cambridge, MA, said today that it may receive up to $186 million from a new collaboration with Germany-based Boehringer Ingelheim to develop drugs against a range of unnamed disease targets. Ensemble said it will receive an up-front payment and more money for research as it reaches successive milestones leading up to commercial success, … Continue reading “Ensemble Signs Pact with Boehringer Worth up to $186 million”
Google Ventures’ Rich Miner, Stamped CEO Stein at Mobile Madness NY
Few people have played a more instrumental role in the mobile computing revolution than Rich Miner. As the co-founder of Android, Miner spread the seeds of an operating system that has spread at a breathtaking pace, becoming the most widely used mobile OS in the world. In fact, some analysts say Android could surpass even … Continue reading “Google Ventures’ Rich Miner, Stamped CEO Stein at Mobile Madness NY”
Report: Isilon Co-Founder Sujal Patel Leaving EMC
Sujal Patel, co-founder of Isilon Systems, one of the Seattle area’s biggest recent VC success stories, is leaving data-storage giant EMC, which acquired Isilon for $2.25 billion in late 2010. The move, first reported by John Cook at GeekWire, raises the welcome prospect of a seasoned and successful Seattle tech entrepreneur again on the prowl. … Continue reading “Report: Isilon Co-Founder Sujal Patel Leaving EMC”
Veteran Exec Kevin Hell, former DivX Head, Named On-Ramp Wireless CEO
After raising at least $44 million in venture capital and demonstrating its wireless networking technology in smart grid field trials, San Diego’s On-Ramp Wireless is ready to significantly expand and diversify its operations. As part of that move, the company today named veteran executive Kevin Hell as president and CEO. His appointment takes effect today. … Continue reading “Veteran Exec Kevin Hell, former DivX Head, Named On-Ramp Wireless CEO”
Mobile Consumers’ Effect on the Mobile Enterprise
Recently, we have seen a whole new wave of high-end smartphones announced. While Apple’s iPhone 5 was the undisputed star of the show, Samsung, Nokia, Motorola and RIM have all had big launches, each trying to grab market share in the phone industry’s most vibrant sector. Whether it’s bigger screens, better cameras or improved performance, … Continue reading “Mobile Consumers’ Effect on the Mobile Enterprise”
Aveo Cuts Staff, Announces 3rd Quarter Loss
AVEO Oncology (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AVEO]]), based in Cambridge, MA, said it is cutting 45 jobs—17 percent of its workforce—and eliminating another 30 open positions in an effort to save money while it waits for FDA approval of its tivozanib, its experimental treatment for kidney cancer submitted for approval in September. The company announced the staff reductions … Continue reading “Aveo Cuts Staff, Announces 3rd Quarter Loss”
Privy Gets Global Experience at 500 Startups Accelerator
Plenty of Boston-area tech startups want to learn from West Coast mentors. Few actually go out there and do it. And most that do, don’t come back. Privy is an exception—for now. The Boston startup, which helps restaurants and local businesses manage online marketing and promotions, is taking part in the 500 Startups Accelerator in … Continue reading “Privy Gets Global Experience at 500 Startups Accelerator”
Litle & Co. Sold for $361M in Payments Processing Consolidation
Helping money change hands has always been a good business. Smooth out the bumps in e-commerce payments, and you’re on another level altogether. That’s the driver behind today’s acquisition of Lowell, MA-based Litle & Co., a decade-old payments processing provider that counts some big names in e-commerce among its roster of clients. The company is … Continue reading “Litle & Co. Sold for $361M in Payments Processing Consolidation”
DealDown Thinks There’s Life Left in Beleaguered Daily Deals Sector
The first question that came to mind when DealDown in Brooklyn took its website public was, why dive into the daily deals market at this stage? Bigger names such as Groupon and LivingSocial have lost their early glamour, and the investor community—especially Joanne Wilson—has chilled to this type of business. Regardless, DealDown unveiled its public … Continue reading “DealDown Thinks There’s Life Left in Beleaguered Daily Deals Sector”
Seattle Genetics, Millennium Cancer Drug Cleared in EU
Seattle Genetics cashed a $60 million check three years ago from Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company, as Millennium wanted a piece of a potent new cancer drug it could sell outside the U.S. Now regulators have given Millennium the go-ahead to start recouping that investment by selling the drug in the 27-member European Union, world’s … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics, Millennium Cancer Drug Cleared in EU”
Stanford Bests Harvard, MIT on Entrepreneurs, Report Finds
Harvard may be the No. 1 dream school for every over-achieving tiger parent, but if they want their babies to grow up to be wildly successful entrepreneurs, they might want to shift their focus west. A new study by New York-based research firm CB Insights tracked the money raised and deals closed by the entrepreneurial … Continue reading “Stanford Bests Harvard, MIT on Entrepreneurs, Report Finds”
PacBio Looks to Hang On, Pull a Turnaround With Genomics Tool
Pacific Biosciences represents one of the big dreams in genomics of the past decade. It rallied big money and prominent people around a one-of-a-kind sequencing technology. The Menlo Park, CA-based company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PACB]]) ended up reaching the market, and has helped researchers make some high-profile discoveries, like the origin of the 2010 cholera outbreak in … Continue reading “PacBio Looks to Hang On, Pull a Turnaround With Genomics Tool”
Storage & Health IT Deals: EMC, Nasuni, Recombinant Data, QuantiaMD
Plenty of deals to watch around Boston this week. Here are the big ones: —EMC (NYSE: [[ticker:EMC]]), the Hopkinton, MA-based data storage giant, has acquired Silver Tail Systems of Menlo Park, CA. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but weren’t expected to have a material effect on EMC’s earnings if the acquisition closes as … Continue reading “Storage & Health IT Deals: EMC, Nasuni, Recombinant Data, QuantiaMD”
ViaCyte CEO Says $10M Grant Will Move Stem Cell Therapy to Trial
A $10.1 million grant the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) awarded to ViaCyte last week will be used to move the San Diego diabetes company’s stem cell and cell encapsulation technologies into human clinical trials, according to ViaCyte CEO Paul Laikind. CIRM administers $3 billion in funding for stem cell science that California voters … Continue reading “ViaCyte CEO Says $10M Grant Will Move Stem Cell Therapy to Trial”
Tris Pharma Benefits from Pfizer/NextWave Deal
Who’d have thought a 60 year old off-patent drug for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder would lead to a $700 million payday? That’s how much New York-based Pfizer (NYSE: [[ticker:PFE]]) agreed to pay for NextWave Pharmaceuticals of Cupertino, CA, last week. NextWave can credit at least part of that windfall to its development and manufacturing partner, Tris Pharma, … Continue reading “Tris Pharma Benefits from Pfizer/NextWave Deal”
LevelEleven Spins Out of ePrize With $1 Million in Seed Funding
A new enterprise gamification company called LevelEleven officially launched in Detroit today, backed by $1 million in seed funding from investors like Detroit Venture Partners and ePrize, and fueled by the hope that the company’s software will transform the way managers keep salespeople motivated. The relationship between LevelEleven’s CEO Bob Marsh and DVP’s CEO Josh … Continue reading “LevelEleven Spins Out of ePrize With $1 Million in Seed Funding”
A New Online “Pre-Accelerator” from Steve Blank and Startup Weekend
In the past, most early-stage startups went down one of three well-worn paths. They either rented office space from a business incubator, in the hope of running into investors and business partners; applied to an accelerator program like TechStars or Y Combinator, which provide mentorship and networking over a set period of several months in … Continue reading “A New Online “Pre-Accelerator” from Steve Blank and Startup Weekend”
Four New Energy Stars: A Greenstart Demo Day Preview
Shouldn’t there be an easy online place to share a bike, the same way people are sharing their cars and apartments these days? Shouldn’t it be easier and cheaper for homeowners to put solar panels on their rooftops? Shouldn’t it be possible to control your electrical plugs, your fridge, your thermostat, or your home security … Continue reading “Four New Energy Stars: A Greenstart Demo Day Preview”
Travora Wants First Class Seat to Consolidation in Online Travel
Between William Shatner playing pitchman for Priceline and those quirky ads from Kayak, competition is intensifying in the online travel market. In fact the Web is getting rather crowded with search engines for lodging and portals for discovering new places to visit. Travora.com in New York launched this month with its eye on bringing such … Continue reading “Travora Wants First Class Seat to Consolidation in Online Travel”
Reflexion Health Raises $4.5M to Advance Idea for ‘Prescribed Software’
Reflexion Health, a San Diego startup developing a system that uses Microsoft’s Kinect motion sensing system to help physical therapy patients with their rehab, has raised $4.25 million in seed funding from the West Health Investment Fund. Reflexion CEO and co-founder Spencer Hutchins tells me the company plans to use the funding to advance development … Continue reading “Reflexion Health Raises $4.5M to Advance Idea for ‘Prescribed Software’”
Wolfram, Sivak to Headline Our Healthcare in Transition Forum Dec. 10
It’s no surprise that healthcare has been a huge issue this election cycle. But while the ballots will (hopefully) all be counted in a week from now, healthcare will remain front and center for years to come—and everyone agrees it will have to be dealt with in new and innovative ways. We at Xconomy are … Continue reading “Wolfram, Sivak to Headline Our Healthcare in Transition Forum Dec. 10”
UCSF Spinout Principia Biopharma Thinking Big and Covalent
[Updated and corrected 9:35 am PT] Anyone who invested in Sunnyvale, CA-based Pharmacyclics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PCYC]]) or Bedford, MA-based Avila Therapeutics the past couple years must love to see the words “covalent” and “drug” in the same sentence. While most people probably haven’t thought much about covalent bonds since high school chemistry, those two companies have … Continue reading “UCSF Spinout Principia Biopharma Thinking Big and Covalent”
Digging in the Closet for Halloween? Get Out Your Icos Mementos
Somewhere, buried deep in the closets of many biotech professionals in the Northwest, there are old T-shirts, coffee mugs, or little squeezy stress balls with a logo that says “Icos.” Even though many of these things probably have been stuck in boxes for years, it’s time to dig them out for a big party coming … Continue reading “Digging in the Closet for Halloween? Get Out Your Icos Mementos”
Nasuni Snags $20M More for “Storage as a Service”
Where else but the Boston area would you find a startup looking to disrupt traditional enterprise data-storage companies like IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Hitachi, NetApp, and, yes, EMC? The company in question is making progress in a crowded field. Natick, MA-based Nasuni has raised a $20 million Series C financing round led by an undisclosed new investor … Continue reading “Nasuni Snags $20M More for “Storage as a Service””
Seven Tech Startups Snag $232,000 in State Microloans
Seven early-stage tech startups have received loans from the Michigan Microloan Fund Program, the state announced earlier this month. The funding, dispersed quarterly, this time amounted to a total of $232,000. To date, the microloan fund program has lent $2.8 million to Michigan companies that are on the brink of being revenue-ready. “The criteria is … Continue reading “Seven Tech Startups Snag $232,000 in State Microloans”
Future of Big Data in Boston: The Photos
Not even Hurricane Sandy can wash away the fruits of the past week in Boston tech—quite a momentous week for events, by all accounts. One of the biggest was Xconomy’s “Future of Big Data” conference, held on Wednesday at the Fidelity Center for Applied Technology in Boston. A huge thanks to all of our speakers; … Continue reading “Future of Big Data in Boston: The Photos”
With a Push from Calysta, Biofuels Economy Tilts Toward Natural Gas
Natural gas is best known to most people as a fuel burned to heat homes or generate electricity. Josh Silverman, chief scientific officer and co-founder of the Menlo Park startup Calysta Energy, sees it as an untapped raw material that, like crude oil, could be converted into high-value products from transportation fuels to plastics. “The … Continue reading “With a Push from Calysta, Biofuels Economy Tilts Toward Natural Gas”
Startups Progress with Novel Drugs for Parkinson’s Disease
In the world of Parkinson’s disease drug development, one promising candidate after another has succumbed to what scientists like to call the “Valley of Death”—the period between the discovery of a promising compound and success in human trials. Nevertheless, more than 30 drugs for the disease are in development and a number of startups are beginning … Continue reading “Startups Progress with Novel Drugs for Parkinson’s Disease”
Shire Hunts More Deals Amid Reawakening Interest in Stem Cell R&D
[Updated 10/29/09 12:20 pm. See below.] As the Stem Cell Meeting on the Mesa convenes its second annual investor and partnering forum in San Diego this morning, Dean Tozer says the last 18 to 24 months have seen a rejuvenation of interest in the commercial prospects for biomedical products arising from stem cell research and … Continue reading “Shire Hunts More Deals Amid Reawakening Interest in Stem Cell R&D”
The New Power Players in Drug R&D Are Wearing Bright T-Shirts
See all those people signing up for the 10K charity run/walk in your hometown this weekend? Those folks in your Facebook photo album, decked out with colorful T-shirts and uplifting messages about fighting some disease? You could easily have written off many of these nonprofit fundraisers a few years ago as well-intended, but ultimately ineffective, … Continue reading “The New Power Players in Drug R&D Are Wearing Bright T-Shirts”
With SIC, Seattle’s Digital Marketing Ecosystem Finally Gets Its Due
Despite more than a decade leading digital advertising in Seattle, Razorfish chairman Clark Kokich is giving his first speech in his home town tomorrow. That’s an odd oversight for a 21st century Mad Man who’s sought after in advertising hotspots around the world. But Kokich’s newfound recognition close to home says something about what has … Continue reading “With SIC, Seattle’s Digital Marketing Ecosystem Finally Gets Its Due”
Enterprise Tech Panel Discusses Hiring Challenges for NY B2B Startups
Startups aimed at serving consumers attract a large share of attention from would-be hires. Who wouldn’t want to work for a company their friends and family immediately know? Startups in the business-to-business sector might not have the same name recognition but they face similar challenges picking the right talent as business-to-consumer companies. Last night, the … Continue reading “Enterprise Tech Panel Discusses Hiring Challenges for NY B2B Startups”
Boston’s Rapid7 Appoints New CEO, Former Boss Tuchen Now an Advisor
Enterprise IT security provider Rapid7 has a new CEO, announcing today that former president and chief operating officer Corey Thomas has taken over for Mike Tuchen. Word of the CEO change came in a Friday news release, which buried the big news under some statistics about revenue growth and examples of its customers. No explanation … Continue reading “Boston’s Rapid7 Appoints New CEO, Former Boss Tuchen Now an Advisor”
Buzzword Bashing & Database Narcs: The Future of Big Data in Boston
First of all, let’s get our terminology straight. Depending on whom you ask, “big data” is either: A. Bullshit (Brad Feld) B. No substitute for judgment (David Friend) C. The marriage of corporate data with external data (Chris Lynch) D. Data that’s growing faster than Moore’s law (Richard Dale) After this week, my answer would … Continue reading “Buzzword Bashing & Database Narcs: The Future of Big Data in Boston”
How the Larklife Wristband Could Turn Us All Into Quantified-Selfers
If you’re willing to to walk around all day wearing sensors that record your activity and compile the data into fancy reports and graphs, you must be either a pretty big geek, or a fanatical athlete training for an ultramarathon-style event, or both. At least, that’s been the conventional wisdom. And there’s some truth in … Continue reading “How the Larklife Wristband Could Turn Us All Into Quantified-Selfers”