Genentech dominated the headlines with its “souped-up” breast cancer drug at the big American cancer meeting in the spring. Now it’s making headlines again this fall at a European cancer meeting with some new details about the drug. The South San Francisco-based biotech company said today that its experimental drug trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) was able … Continue reading “Genentech, ImmunoGen Souped-Up Breast Cancer Drug Extends Lives”
Category: National
World Energy CEO Talks Growth and Profitability Amid Cleantech Downturn
It’s not every day I make it out to Worcester. Especially not the nicest office space in Worcester. Well, at least I haven’t seen a better one. I made the trek out there to visit World Energy Solutions (NASDAQ: [[ticker:XWES]]), an energy management company that occupies the 20th floor of 100 Front Street in downtown, … Continue reading “World Energy CEO Talks Growth and Profitability Amid Cleantech Downturn”
Betting on Biotech to Catalyze U.S. Job Growth? Don’t Count On It
The big national conversation this election year is about jobs. The number of unemployed, underemployed, and discouraged workers in the U.S. has been scary-high for a few years now. Everyone wants to know in the wake of the Great Recession how to create more jobs, more high-wage jobs, and train more Americans to get those … Continue reading “Betting on Biotech to Catalyze U.S. Job Growth? Don’t Count On It”
Xconomy Boston’s Top 20 Stories of Q3 2012: Editor’s Picks
On a rainy Friday morning, it’s time to look back at the past quarter and select a few stories that stand out. These are my picks for the top Xconomy Boston stories of Q3. If you can only read a few, read these. They represent the kind of reporting, writing, and editing that we strive … Continue reading “Xconomy Boston’s Top 20 Stories of Q3 2012: Editor’s Picks”
PokitDok Helps Patients Connect the Dots in a Fragmented Healthcare System
Before co-founding PokitDok, a forum and marketplace for health services, CEO Lisa Maki was in the midst of a major health issue. A serious athlete, Maki had rowed crew at Stanford and snowboarded in Utah, but she was experiencing back pain so severe she couldn’t walk 50 yards, and had to rest halfway through a … Continue reading “PokitDok Helps Patients Connect the Dots in a Fragmented Healthcare System”
San Diego Deals Roundup: Deal Current, PCN, BrightScope, & More
Some of San Diego’s tech companies have been raising modest amounts of capital, mostly from individual investors. Here’s a quick rundown. —San Diego-based PCN, which was known as PCN Technology when I profiled the company a couple years ago, said it has raised $5.25 million from Pennsylvania-based EnerTech Capital and a variety of individual investors. … Continue reading “San Diego Deals Roundup: Deal Current, PCN, BrightScope, & More”
Concur Bets Big on Mobile, the Next Big Revolution in Biz Travel
Concur Technologies is often cited as one of the Seattle area’s under-the-radar success stories: A growing public company, founded in 1993, that sells travel and expense reporting software to businesses big and small. Instagram, it definitely ain’t. But the cool-obsessed technology industry, whose investors and insiders tend to reward swagger, is missing something if it … Continue reading “Concur Bets Big on Mobile, the Next Big Revolution in Biz Travel”
Nuance, IlluminOss, and Biogen Among the Boston Life Sciences Headlines
Drug development, financing, and acquisition news was big in the New England biotech and health IT scenes this week. —InVivo Therapeutics, a developer of treatments for spinal cord injury, celebrated the opening of its new Kendall Square office and lab space in Cambridge, MA, which will serve as the company’s headquarters. —On Wednesday Biogen Idec and … Continue reading “Nuance, IlluminOss, and Biogen Among the Boston Life Sciences Headlines”
Google Acquires San Diego’s Nik Software, a Photo FX Specialist
Google has acquired San Diego-based Nik Software, a 17-year-old company that found its niche making software plug-ins used primarily by professional photographers to create special effects with Adobe Photoshop. Vivek “Vic” Gundotra, Google’s senior vice president for engineering, did not disclose financial terms of the deal in a recent Google+ blog post announcing the acquisition. … Continue reading “Google Acquires San Diego’s Nik Software, a Photo FX Specialist”
Bongotones Launches 3.0 Version, Mobile Apps, Detroit Location
Metro Detroit-based startup Bongotones, which sells customized ringtones, wallpaper, MP3s, games and more to a global customer base, recently launched its overhauled platform. Meant to be more appealing to users, Bongotones’ 3.0 version has a cleaner interface. On Monday, Bongotones will launch the mobile version of its site, followed by iPhone and Android apps a … Continue reading “Bongotones Launches 3.0 Version, Mobile Apps, Detroit Location”
Bayer, Onyx Cancer Drug Wins FDA Approval Ahead of Schedule
Bayer and South San Francisco-based Onyx Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ONXX]]) have had a long-running partnership in marketing one cancer drug, and now they have a second one to start selling together. The FDA said today it has approved regorafenib (Stivarga) as a new treatment in the U.S. for patients with colorectal cancer that has spread after … Continue reading “Bayer, Onyx Cancer Drug Wins FDA Approval Ahead of Schedule”
Tier 3 Adds $10M, Led by Intel Capital, to Expand Cloud Services
Cloud-computing service provider Tier 3 has raised another $10 million to expand its IT products for big businesses. The new money first showed up in a filing with the SEC. A company spokeswoman says new investor Intel Capital led the Series B round, which also included investments from existing backers Madrona Venture Group and Ignition … Continue reading “Tier 3 Adds $10M, Led by Intel Capital, to Expand Cloud Services”
Water Innovation in Massachusetts: 31 Startups and Counting
I sometimes wonder why there aren’t more entrepreneurs working on the really big problems of the environment. Well, it turns out there are, and many of them are right here in Massachusetts. An intriguing event has come to my attention: The Environmental Entrepreneurs group (E2) has organized a discussion about water issues and innovation at … Continue reading “Water Innovation in Massachusetts: 31 Startups and Counting”
Subscription Service Love With Food Helps Gourmets Discover New Treats
When Aihui Ong, founder and CEO of Love With Food, a Birchbox-style food subscription service, was applying to the incubator 500 Startups last fall, she wasn’t too optimistic. She believed in her company, which she had conceived as a sort of Groupon for small food producers, but she knew that she faced tough odds as … Continue reading “Subscription Service Love With Food Helps Gourmets Discover New Treats”
San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Halozyme, Skylight, NuSI, & More
Halozyme Therapeutics got a shot in the arm after the FDA decided that safety concerns over the company’s recombinant enzyme were limited to its drug program with Baxter. Here’s my rundown, along with the rest of San Diego’s life sciences news. —The FDA allowed San Diego’s Halozyme Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:HALO]]) and Exton, PA-based ViroPharma (NASDAQ: … Continue reading “San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Halozyme, Skylight, NuSI, & More”
NanoString Gets EU Clearance To Sell Breast Cancer Diagnostic Test
Seattle-based NanoString Technologies has been maneuvering over the last couple years to get into the diagnostics business, and now it has gotten itself in position to start bringing in real revenues from this new line of business. NanoString is announcing today it has gotten a CE Mark designation from the European Union, which allows the … Continue reading “NanoString Gets EU Clearance To Sell Breast Cancer Diagnostic Test”
VLST Cuts Scientific Group As Focus Shifts to Clinical Trials
Seattle-based VLST is laying off about two-thirds of its staff as it seeks to save cash for clinical trials of a cancer drug candidate it licensed from Pfizer, Xconomy has learned. The biotech company will be downsizing from 17 employees to five at the end of this year, CEO Martin Simonetti says. VLST is eliminating … Continue reading “VLST Cuts Scientific Group As Focus Shifts to Clinical Trials”
Installing an App on Your Genome: 23andMe Opens Up to Developers
Thousands of adventurous souls have signed up to have their DNA sequenced by companies like 23andMe, Navigenics, and Iceland’s deCODEme—businesses that appeal to the curiosity people have about their genetic make-up. For even more adventurous types, there’s the option of uploading that entire genome scan to other Web outfits like SNPedia, a wiki for the … Continue reading “Installing an App on Your Genome: 23andMe Opens Up to Developers”
Kinsella Redux: Charting a Way Back for Life Sciences Startups
As a man of many talents, Avalon Ventures’ Kevin Kinsella has a tendency to apply a term from one of his fields of interests in a conversation about another. Kinsella’s career as a biotech venture investor has spanned nearly 30 years and more than 100 financings. These include early stage bets on San Francisco-based Onyx … Continue reading “Kinsella Redux: Charting a Way Back for Life Sciences Startups”
Mimecast Reels In $62M Expansion Round for E-mail Management
Some big news in the corporate e-mail world today. Mimecast, a London-based e-mail management company with a sizable office in Waltham, MA, has raised a $62 million Series C financing round led by Insight Venture Partners, a New York private-equity firm. Previous investor Dawn Capital also participated in the round, which brings Mimecast’s total raised to … Continue reading “Mimecast Reels In $62M Expansion Round for E-mail Management”
Tire-Recycling Company Reklaim Resurfaces, Raising $4M
Updated 9/27 It’s been a long and twisted path for Reklaim, a cleantech company that seeks to turn old tires into oils and other useful products. Now, it’s finding more investment cash to fuel its next chapter. The Seattle-based company was founded in 2003 and raised some $20 million in capital from investors including Goldman … Continue reading “Tire-Recycling Company Reklaim Resurfaces, Raising $4M”
U-M Grad Program in Entrepreneurship Ranked No. 2 in Nation
The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine have named University of Michigan’s graduate program in entrepreneurship one of the best in the nation, the university announced this week. Coming in at the No. 2 spot—the highest it’s ever been ranked—this is the third year in a row that the Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for … Continue reading “U-M Grad Program in Entrepreneurship Ranked No. 2 in Nation”
Learn from Startup Jedi Masters at “The Power of the Pivot” on Dec. 4
Feels the customer feedback flowing through him, a founder does. Sees the bank account shrinking. Pivots before too late it is. I’ve been thinking lately about starting a blog called “If Yoda Were a VC.” But it’s probably a terrible idea, so to get it out of my system, I’m trying something different: I’m organizing … Continue reading “Learn from Startup Jedi Masters at “The Power of the Pivot” on Dec. 4”
Accedo Acquires CloverLeaf, Makes Good on Promise to Expand into NY
Accedo Broadband, a Stockholm-based developer of technology for smart televisions and IPTVs, says it has fulfilled its plans to establish a New York branch. Wednesday morning the company announced it acquired Brooklyn’s CloverLeaf Digital for undisclosed terms. The deal gives Accedo an immediate New York presence, and CloverLeaf, according to its founder Lawrence Brickman, gains … Continue reading “Accedo Acquires CloverLeaf, Makes Good on Promise to Expand into NY”
5 Questions with Formlabs: How a 3D Printer Could Change the World
A stealthy tech startup in Cambridge, MA, is unveiling its product to the world today. Oh, and what its product does is build other products. Formlabs, a one-year-old company founded by MIT alums, has developed a low-cost 3D printer—a desktop device that fabricates models for industrial designers, architects, and engineers. The device is available for … Continue reading “5 Questions with Formlabs: How a 3D Printer Could Change the World”
Innovation AND Jobs—They’re Not Mutually Exclusive
This article was written by David Nordfors, president of IIIJ Innovation and Communication; Sven Otto Littorin, former Minister for Employment of Sweden; and Anders Flodström, vice chair of the executive committee of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology. Nordfors, Littorin, and Flodström are co-organizing the IIIJ International Summit on Innovation and Jobs, March 18-19, … Continue reading “Innovation AND Jobs—They’re Not Mutually Exclusive”
Silicon Valley Debates the Do’s and Don’ts of Equity Crowdfunding
Your Facebook friends would love an “Attaboy” from you when they post about their new jobs, or an “Awwww” when they share a puppy picture. But what will you do when they offer you shares in their startup company? That expansion of social media is on its way, as soon as securities regulators finish the … Continue reading “Silicon Valley Debates the Do’s and Don’ts of Equity Crowdfunding”
Mobile Madness NY: Ehrenberg, Porteous, & More at Our Forum Dec. 4
Five years after the first iPhones hit the streets, there’s hardly a business that hasn’t been touched by the mobile computing revolution. Think of it this way: Apple’s smartphone business generated more revenue in the past year than all of Microsoft. And Toys ‘R’ Us is now selling a tablet for kids. To help you … Continue reading “Mobile Madness NY: Ehrenberg, Porteous, & More at Our Forum Dec. 4”
Institute Collaborates with Kinect-Based System for Physical Therapy
In a nifty display of healthcare innovation, the nonprofit West Health Institute says today it has developed a prototype system that uses the Microsoft Kinect motion sensing system to help physical therapy patients carry out their exercise regimen. The San Diego-based medical research organization says it also plans to collaborate with the Naval Medical Center … Continue reading “Institute Collaborates with Kinect-Based System for Physical Therapy”
One Giant Leap for Human Genomics Science and Business
[Editor’s Note: This post was co-authored by Becky Drees, Mark Minie, and Richard Gayle.] Several months back Spiral Genetics CEO Adina Mangubat lamented the difficulty of getting actionable information from now-abundant human DNA sequence data in an Xconomy post (“First Comes The $1,000 genome, Then Comes The $10,000 Analysis”. With the simultaneous publication of over … Continue reading “One Giant Leap for Human Genomics Science and Business”
RSA, Stratus, SimpliVity, & More from the Boston Deals Roundup
Acquisitions in the software space were big in the past week, as were financing deals for other New England IT startups. —RSA, the Bedford, MA-based security software division of EMC (NYSE: [[ticker:EMC]]), announced last week that it acquired Silicium Security, a Montreal-based developer of endpoint monitoring technology. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Silicium … Continue reading “RSA, Stratus, SimpliVity, & More from the Boston Deals Roundup”
And the World Rushed In: San Diego Meets the Xconomists
It might seem hard to believe, but our recent “Meet the Xconomists” reception marked the fourth anniversary of Xconomy’s arrival in San Diego. As Qualcomm founder Irwin Jacobs put it in an email, “It doesn’t seem that long, are you sure you are counting correctly?” The reception is our way of saying “Thanks” to the … Continue reading “And the World Rushed In: San Diego Meets the Xconomists”
Attachmate Moves HQ, PopCap Closes Dublin Office
We’ve got a pair of updates on Seattle tech companies reshuffling their offices—one moving to a new space, and another shutting down an overseas office. —Attachmate, a Seattle software icon, is relocating its headquarters from the west side of Lake Union to the Union Station complex, nestled between the International District and the Seahawks and … Continue reading “Attachmate Moves HQ, PopCap Closes Dublin Office”
Streamworks and Others Say Live Video on Mobile Devices Is Changing News
Everyone knows video is a huge driver of Web traffic, but thus far the bulk of that content has been prerecorded, even on news sites. Now change is underway, according to a gathering of media professionals in New York who spoke Tuesday morning about the spread of live video to more mobile devices around the … Continue reading “Streamworks and Others Say Live Video on Mobile Devices Is Changing News”
Genomes-R-Us: Is BGI now Complete?
The sad endgame in the acquisition of Complete Genomics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GNOM]]) came last week: having failed to create a sustainable business, CGI was put up for sale in June of this year, culminating in a takeover by sequencing powerhouse BGI for $117.6 million in cash plus $30 million in bridge financing. Behind that headline is … Continue reading “Genomes-R-Us: Is BGI now Complete?”
Detroit Leading U.S. Development of New Vehicle-to-Grid Technology
It’s no secret that auto manufacturers, battery manufacturers, government officials, and champions of renewable energy everywhere are disappointed by the slow rate of consumer adoption when it comes to electric vehicles like the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf. But imagine how that might change if consumers could earn money from their electric cars. That concept, … Continue reading “Detroit Leading U.S. Development of New Vehicle-to-Grid Technology”
Nutrition Initiative to Fund Exacting Research in What Makes Us Fat
What better place to meet Peter Attia, president of San Diego’s recently unveiled Nutritional Science Initiative (NuSI), than at our “Meet the Xconomist” reception, where invited leaders of San Diego’s innovation community kibitzed while nibbling appetizers? Before co-founding NuSi (pronounced Nu-see) with the science writer Gary Taubes, Attia worked at McKinsey & Co. as a … Continue reading “Nutrition Initiative to Fund Exacting Research in What Makes Us Fat”
Punchbowl Brings Party Data to E-Retail and “Deductive Commerce”
It’s a classic case of big data meets retail. With some partying thrown in. Punchbowl, a Framingham, MA-based startup known for its party-planning software and digital greeting cards, is rolling out a big e-retail component today. The idea is to use information the company has on customers’ event-planning behaviors to offer them products they might … Continue reading “Punchbowl Brings Party Data to E-Retail and “Deductive Commerce””
The iPhone 5: What’s Missing Is App Discovery
The iPhone 5 has arrived! But is it all it’s cracked up to be? When you look at it from the perspective of app discovery the answer is a resounding no. Part of the new feature set of the iPhone 5 is the integration of Chomp to improve search results. This means that app discovery … Continue reading “The iPhone 5: What’s Missing Is App Discovery”
Roche Deal With Tiny Sunnyvale Biotech Revives Old Family Ties
The eight-employee Sunnyvale, CA, company Galaxy Biotech has just scored a licensing deal with Swiss drug giant Roche, which will pay $8 million upfront for exclusive rights to a drug candidate that could complement Roche’s formidable lineup of antibody drugs against cancer. Galaxy’s five PhDs and their research assistants develop antibodies against molecules in the … Continue reading “Roche Deal With Tiny Sunnyvale Biotech Revives Old Family Ties”
Social News Reader Flud Expands to Serve Businesses
Flud, creator of a social news reader that delivers visually appealing, shareable news streams to consumers’ mobile and tablet devices, has pivoted slightly to offer a version of its platform tailored to businesses. The San Diego and Detroit-based startup wants to disrupt the current intranet and inter-office email mode of conversation, with all those annoying … Continue reading “Social News Reader Flud Expands to Serve Businesses”
7 Ways that Security Firm Rapid7 Is Bucking IT-Business Trends
In case you’ve forgotten, cybersecurity is still one of the biggest issues in the tech world—and one that is being fiercely contested by many companies in New England and beyond. One company that stands out from the fray is Boston-based Rapid7. We’ve previously written about the firm’s approach to developing software to protect against cyber-espionage … Continue reading “7 Ways that Security Firm Rapid7 Is Bucking IT-Business Trends”
Boris Wertz & Version One Ventures: The NW’s Newest Early Stage VC
Boris Wertz’s career as an entrepreneur blossomed at an unbelievably exciting time for technology startups: 1999, the height of the first tech bubble, when it felt like the world-connecting power of the Internet was about to revolutionize every business on the planet. The company itself, he says, was a little more pedestrian. “It was a … Continue reading “Boris Wertz & Version One Ventures: The NW’s Newest Early Stage VC”
New Cash for New York Big Data Companies Dataminr and eXelate
A pair of New York big data companies separately announced funding news this morning. Dataminr, a three-year-old real-time social media analytics company, said it raised $13 million in a Series B round with GSV Capital, Deep Fork Capital, Viceroy Capital, Wharton Equity Partners, and others. Founded in 2009, Dataminr uses its access to Twitter’s firehose … Continue reading “New Cash for New York Big Data Companies Dataminr and eXelate”
Intellectual Ventures Settles Lawsuits with Asian Memory Companies
Intellectual Ventures, the controversial patent-licensing company founded by former Microsoft technology chief Nathan Myhrvold, has settled a high-profile legal dispute with a pair of Asian memory manufacturers. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it seems likely that Intellectual Ventures was able to secure licensing payments from South Korea-based SK hynix and Japan-based Elpida Memory—that’s … Continue reading “Intellectual Ventures Settles Lawsuits with Asian Memory Companies”
MGH Medicine Head Ausiello to Join Oct. 4 Xconomy Life Science Forum
Boston is arguably the world’s greatest life sciences cluster. But what’s the long-term outlook—and how can it stay on top 20 years from now? These questions are at the heart of an evening forum that Xconomy is hosting on October 4 called Boston Life Sciences 2032. The lineup for this intimate discussion already featured some … Continue reading “MGH Medicine Head Ausiello to Join Oct. 4 Xconomy Life Science Forum”
Small Companies Storm the Edutech Market
Online education is now available for everyone. Parents can home school their children from the moment they start kindergarten until they graduate from high school. Online colleges and universities continue to gain legitimacy as more and more people pursue bachelor’s and master’s degrees via the Internet. Schools such as the University of Phoenix no longer … Continue reading “Small Companies Storm the Edutech Market”
SimpliVity Snaps Up $25M, Led by Kleiner Perkins, to Simplify IT
SimpliVity, a newly de-stealthed Westborough, MA-based startup, is announcing today that it has pulled in a $25 million Series B round of financing, led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Return SimpliVity investors Accel Partners & Charles River Ventures also joined the deal, which brings the total equity funding SimpliVity has raised to $43 million. … Continue reading “SimpliVity Snaps Up $25M, Led by Kleiner Perkins, to Simplify IT”
We Have To Do Better on TB, In King County and High-Burden Countries
[Editor’s Note: This editorial was co-authored by Jim Connolly, president and CEO of Rockville, MD-based Aeras] Extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) is more prevalent than experts realized and continues to infect new victims, according to a recent study in The Lancet. Even in the best health care settings, these tuberculosis strains are incredibly difficult to cure, … Continue reading “We Have To Do Better on TB, In King County and High-Burden Countries”
Who Should Life Science Pros Follow on Twitter?
[Updated: 6:45 pm ET] Last week, I made a case that Twitter has begun to come of age in biotech, and it’s now a must-read source of real-time industry news and information. But one helpful reader (on Twitter, of course) pointed out something was missing in that column: a list of people in the biotech … Continue reading “Who Should Life Science Pros Follow on Twitter?”