LocalData, a digital information-gathering and sharing platform born out of the work done by three Code for America fellows deployed to Detroit, has just been awarded funding from the Knight Foundation. The $300,000 grant was announced this week at San Francisco’s Online News Association conference as part of Knight’s News Challenge competition. Knight, along with the … Continue reading “Detroit’s LocalData Wins Knight Foundation Funding”
Category: National
Why Too Many Startups Suck
While statistics are weak on startup success rates, the worst one I’ve seen suggests that 2 in 1000 venture backed startups will ever achieve $100-million or more in valuation. Another stat puts that number at 2 percent rather than 0.2 percent. Either way, the “hurdle” for successful, scalable startups is high, and it gets higher … Continue reading “Why Too Many Startups Suck”
WellnessFX Offers Insights—But Are Americans Ready to Be Healthy?
“It says here you drink four or more cups of coffee a day. Do you feel like you really need that much?” Yes. Yes, I do, thank you very much. I’m on the phone with a doctor in Sacramento. He’s looking at the results of the blood-chemistry tests I recently commissioned through WellnessFX, along with … Continue reading “WellnessFX Offers Insights—But Are Americans Ready to Be Healthy?”
Roche Picks New Big Apple Tower as Home for Research Center
The Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche announced yesterday that that it will locate its new Translational Clinical Research Center in the West Tower at the Alexandria Center for Life Science in Manhattan. Roche has taken an 11-year lease on the space, which is currently under construction, and hopes to occupy it by the end of 2013. … Continue reading “Roche Picks New Big Apple Tower as Home for Research Center”
Can Microsoft Convince People to Subscribe to Software?
On the verge of what Steve Ballmer says will be a momentous year for his company, Microsoft is about to conduct a massive social experiment to see whether people are willing to pay yearly fees for basic software programs. If it works, the company will have built a stable, lucrative new way of raking in … Continue reading “Can Microsoft Convince People to Subscribe to Software?”
From Yoga to Political Funding: ERA Summer Startups Demo Their Ideas
It is getting rather hectic these days in New York trying to keep track of each batch of startups getting a boost from an accelerator. TechStars New York naturally attracts plenty of attention but the Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator (ERA) program is busy making its own noise in town. The latest round of fledglings to emerge … Continue reading “From Yoga to Political Funding: ERA Summer Startups Demo Their Ideas”
Grishin Robotics Puts $250K into Y Combinator-Grad Double Robotics
Investment fund Grishin Robotics in New York announced Friday it invested $250,000 in Double Robotics, a Mountain View, CA-based maker of mobile, robotic stands for Apple iPads. This is Grishin’s first investment after being founded in June by Mail.ru’s CEO Dmitry Grishin, who plans to back new innovations in robotics across the U.S. Double Robotics, … Continue reading “Grishin Robotics Puts $250K into Y Combinator-Grad Double Robotics”
UW Spinoff Cardiac Insight Gets New CEO, Gears Up for FDA Push
Cardiac Insight got its start with a scientist at the University of Washington. Then it needed an experienced engineer/entrepreneur to put together a medical device that was good enough to put on the market. Now it’s turning to the guy who it hopes will end up selling the company for a big return. Bellevue, WA-based … Continue reading “UW Spinoff Cardiac Insight Gets New CEO, Gears Up for FDA Push”
Boston Scientific, Foundation, GnuBio, & More in Boston Life Sciences News
Grants, acquisitions, partnerships, and venture funding news was seen throughout the New England drug and devices industries this week. —Natick, MA-based Boston Scientific (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BSX]]) said that it signed a definitive agreement to acquire BridgePoint Medical, a Minneapolis, MN-based developer of a catheter systems for treating coronary artery disease. The deal, whose price tag was not disclosed, … Continue reading “Boston Scientific, Foundation, GnuBio, & More in Boston Life Sciences News”
Former LinkedIn Researcher Starts Meritful, a Network for Students
While teaching high school as he was pursuing his phD at the University of Michigan, Azarias Reda spent a lot of time with kids. However, something always bothered him: These students were always online, but what were they telling the world about themselves? “They’re actively generating content, except not a lot of it is useful … Continue reading “Former LinkedIn Researcher Starts Meritful, a Network for Students”
Pixable Picked Up By SingTel for $26.5M
The New York-based startup Pixable, a provider of social photo sharing technology, is being acquired by Singapore Telecommunications for $26.5 million. Pixable has raised about $6.6 million from investors that include Menlo Ventures and Highland Capital Partners, and its most recent fundraise was a $3.6 million Series B round in April 2011. Pixable was founded … Continue reading “Pixable Picked Up By SingTel for $26.5M”
Almost Time for Face Time with Sam Waksal, Kevin Kinsella, and More
Calendar double-take of the day: there are only two weeks left until our big New York biotech event—and your big chance to hang out with the likes of Sam Waksal and Kevin Kinsella. Waksal, of ImClone fame, and Kinsella, founder of Avalon Ventures, will join Cancer Research Institute CEO Jill O’Donnell-Tormey and Enumeral Biomedical CEO … Continue reading “Almost Time for Face Time with Sam Waksal, Kevin Kinsella, and More”
Azigo, Dyn, Pathogenica, and Smarterer: Boston Startup News
A quick look at what’s happening around the horn today: —Boston-based Pathogenica, a DNA-sequencing technology startup specializing in detecting pathogens, has formed an exclusive partnership with Life Technologies (NASDAQ: [[ticker:LIFE]]) to co-market and distribute its hospital-acquired infection biodetection kit in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Pathogenica started in 2009 and is led by CEO … Continue reading “Azigo, Dyn, Pathogenica, and Smarterer: Boston Startup News”
Why Innovators Should Still Aim for an IPO, Not An Acquisition
I was extremely pleased to see Congress pass and the President sign the JOBS Act, which will loosen the IPO process for emerging growth companies. A lot of ink (or is that pixels) was spilled talking about how this bill will help the economy, but I want to dig a bit under the covers to … Continue reading “Why Innovators Should Still Aim for an IPO, Not An Acquisition”
Third Rock’s MyoKardia Gets $38M for Genetic Forms of Heart Disease
When Boston Celtics star Reggie Lewis dropped dead during a shootaround 20 years ago, little was known about his underlying heart problem. It took an autopsy to confirm that he had a genetic defect known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which leads to thickening of the heart tissue and irregular heartbeats. Years later, as a slew of … Continue reading “Third Rock’s MyoKardia Gets $38M for Genetic Forms of Heart Disease”
Foundation Medicine Grabs $42.5M For Cancer Genome Test
You rarely, if ever, see hedge funds, drugmakers, venture capitalists, and diagnostic companies rally around any single idea in biotech. But that unusual cast of characters is coming together to put their money to work in a startup, Cambridge, MA-based Foundation Medicine. Foundation is announcing today it has snapped up $42.5 million in its Series … Continue reading “Foundation Medicine Grabs $42.5M For Cancer Genome Test”
Innovative Pulmonary Pockets $10.6M, Finds New CEO
Innovative Pulmonary Solutions, a stealthy Bellevue, WA-based medical device startup, has raised more than $10 million in venture capital and recruited a new CEO with experience selling a couple of other startups, Xconomy has learned. The company is planning to announce today that it closed a Series B equity financing in March worth $10.6 million, … Continue reading “Innovative Pulmonary Pockets $10.6M, Finds New CEO”
Join Cliff Stocks, Pat Gray, Mike Gallatin & More Nov. 27 for ‘The Icos Impact’
Icos was once the great hope for Seattle biotech. Founded in 1990 with investment from Bill Gates and inspirational leadership from George Rathmann, it went on over the next 15 years to assemble a team of 700 employees and create a $1 billion molecule. But as anyone in business more than a few years knows, … Continue reading “Join Cliff Stocks, Pat Gray, Mike Gallatin & More Nov. 27 for ‘The Icos Impact’”
Corporate Venture Activity Rebounds After Slump in Deals and Dollars
Corporate venture capital investments started strong and stayed high during the second quarter, with $2.1 billion invested in innovative startups throughout the United States during the three months that ended in June, according to a survey released today. That’s a 16 percent gain over the $1.8 billion that corporate VCs invested during the same quarter … Continue reading “Corporate Venture Activity Rebounds After Slump in Deals and Dollars”
Mobilisafe: Security Questions as Kindle Fire Pops Up in Workplace
The tech world is in the middle of a new device explosion, as manufacturers and retailers prepare for the crucial holiday sales season. And once people start firing up those new gadgets, it’ll set off a new round of security headaches back at the office. That’s because employees are increasingly using their own smartphones and … Continue reading “Mobilisafe: Security Questions as Kindle Fire Pops Up in Workplace”
Detroit Lions Pledge $500K to Support Local Entrepreneurs
The entrepreneurial momentum in Detroit these days has apparently touched even our reborn NFL team, the Detroit Lions. The team announced a new philanthropic initiative yesterday called Living for the City, part of which involves a partnership between the Lions and Hatch Detroit, a popular local business plan competition, to help entrepreneurs in neighborhoods outside … Continue reading “Detroit Lions Pledge $500K to Support Local Entrepreneurs”
Saban Brands Adds San Diego’s Zui to its Kid Entertainment Holdings
Saban Brands, a Los Angeles-based holding company, said today it has acquired San Diego’s Zui, the kid-friendly Internet startup founded in 2008 as KidZui. The deal includes Zui.com, a search engine for Web content approved for pre-teens, and KidZui, a plug-in Internet browser. Saban said Internet traffic for the combined Web services amounts to about … Continue reading “Saban Brands Adds San Diego’s Zui to its Kid Entertainment Holdings”
Twist’s App Spells RIP for OMW—But It’s Really About “Selling Time”
It would be easy to glance at Twist and conclude that it’s just another rinky-dink location app for the iPhone. “Twist is the easiest way to let your family, friends, and colleagues know when you will arrive,” the description in the iTunes App Store languidly asserts. In operational terms, that means it monitors your progress … Continue reading “Twist’s App Spells RIP for OMW—But It’s Really About “Selling Time””
Startup Gets First Aid From Revamped West Health Institute
San Diego’s West Health Institute has enrolled the first company in its new startup incubator, a move that advances wireless fetal monitoring technology developed in-house when the nonprofit was known as the West Wireless Health Institute. The institute says it is licensing its Sense4Baby technology to the startup, also called Sense4Baby. The institute says the … Continue reading “Startup Gets First Aid From Revamped West Health Institute”
Audio: Amazon, Microsoft, and the Mobile Wars on KUOW
The Seattle area is now home to the two big tech companies with a realistic shot at breaking up the Apple/Android duopoly in mobile computing: Amazon in tablets, and Microsoft in smartphones. In a recent story, I laid out why I thought Amazon’s job was a bit easier than Microsoft’s, and why the e-commerce company’s … Continue reading “Audio: Amazon, Microsoft, and the Mobile Wars on KUOW”
Illumina Steps Up Diagnostics Game, Acquires UK’s BlueGnome
Illumina wants to become not just a genomic instrument company, but a more diversified maker of genetic diagnostic tools that make it into everyday clinical use. Today it took another step in that direction. The San Diego-based maker of DNA sequencing tools (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ILMN]]) said it has agreed to acquire Cambridge, UK-based BlueGnome for an … Continue reading “Illumina Steps Up Diagnostics Game, Acquires UK’s BlueGnome”
Paul Arena Out, Robert Hussey In as CEO of Augme Technologies
With the end of summer comes a change in leadership at Augme Technologies (OTCBB: [[ticker:AUGT]]) in New York. The company announced that Robert F. Hussey, who served as its interim chief operating officer from June until the beginning of September, was appointed interim CEO, replacing Paul Arena. Augme is the parent company of Hipcricket, a … Continue reading “Paul Arena Out, Robert Hussey In as CEO of Augme Technologies”
We Are the 51 Percent: Surveying Women Medtech Leaders
The organization called Medtech Women just held its second annual Medtech Vision Conference last week and it was another sold-out event. (You can see my story on the first year of the Medtech Vision conference here.) With a focus on the era of the “empowered patient” and how that is changing medicine, 200 women business … Continue reading “We Are the 51 Percent: Surveying Women Medtech Leaders”
Apperian Targets Big Enterprises for Mobile App Management in BYOD Era
If you’re like me, the biggest question about the iPhone 5 is how far you can dropkick it. Ditto the Nokia/Microsoft Lumia 820, the Motorola/Google Droid Razr M, the Kindle Fire HD…and pretty much every new device du jour. (I’m an equal-opportunity hater of screens—especially screens advertised incessantly on other screens—but I’m resigned to using … Continue reading “Apperian Targets Big Enterprises for Mobile App Management in BYOD Era”
Philip Kiracofe and Others Talk About Healthy Failure at Ignite NYC
There’s no shortage of ways that a startup can fail. Money runs out, a rival wins over the customer base, or the company just does not deliver on its expectations. But while failure may wound pride, it also creates room for new ideas to flourish in the innovation scene. Philip Kiracofe, entrepreneur, investor, and co-founder … Continue reading “Philip Kiracofe and Others Talk About Healthy Failure at Ignite NYC”
Ensuring TPP Doesn’t Derail Innovation
From e-commerce and the iPad to new medical devices and cutting edge manufacturing breakthroughs, American innovation has been on hyper drive over the last decade and has dynamically altered the ways in which we work and live in today’s modern economy. Yet, now there are questions as to whether the United States will continue to … Continue reading “Ensuring TPP Doesn’t Derail Innovation”
Nuance, iRobot, Akamai, & More Boston Dealmakers
The last week has been full of acquisitions and funding news from New England’s robotics and IT industries. —Late last week Lilliputian Systems, a Wilmington, MA-based developer of portable power technology for electronics, said that it brought in $40 million in funding from Rusnano, the Russian investment fund. The financing round could hit a total … Continue reading “Nuance, iRobot, Akamai, & More Boston Dealmakers”
Twitter’s iPad App Update Provokes a Backlash
Twitter CEO Dick Costolo appeared on NBC’s Today Show Tuesday morning to unveil a new look for profile pages on Twitter’s website and, much more interesting to this reporter, the new “5.0” version of Twitter’s iPad app. Not earthshaking news, in the grand scheme of things; the previous version of the iPad app was designed … Continue reading “Twitter’s iPad App Update Provokes a Backlash”
ShowUhow Expands Online Video Technology, Targeting CRM
At booth 35 on the floor of the Dreamforce 2012 conference in downtown San Francisco this morning, ShowUhow founder and CEO Kim Folsom was demonstrating technology that represents a new initiative and a strategic shift for the San Diego startup. Folsom founded ShowUhow in 2007 to create and host online video user manuals and instruction … Continue reading “ShowUhow Expands Online Video Technology, Targeting CRM”
Stik.com Relocates From San Francisco to Downtown Detroit
Stik.com, a website that allows users to seek and provide business referrals via Facebook, announced today that it’s relocating operations from San Francisco to Detroit. It’s the first time we know of that a Bay Area startup has decided to pick up and move to join the Motor City’s burgeoning tech hub. Co-founders Nathan Labenz … Continue reading “Stik.com Relocates From San Francisco to Downtown Detroit”
NYC Innovation News Spans Music, Biotech, & Media
It seems that New York innovators in every slice of the city’s tech scene have been making news this week, so we’ve rounded up some of the top items we’ve come across. —Seth Goldstein, founder of real-time music service Turntable.fm, has launched a new startup called DJZ to serve as an online hub for news … Continue reading “NYC Innovation News Spans Music, Biotech, & Media”
Blinkx Reinvents Itself Again, Adapting to the Future of Video
I’ve rarely run into a company as adaptable, even Protean, as Blinkx. I’ve been following it since it spun off from Autonomy in 2004 with the mission of finding applications for Autonomy’s search and indexing technology. The first area that founder and CEO Suranga Chandratillake explored was desktop search for Macs and PCs, but within … Continue reading “Blinkx Reinvents Itself Again, Adapting to the Future of Video”
Jules Pieri on Curation, Trust, and Daily Grommet’s Deal with Rakuten
Yesterday the Lexington, MA-based e-retail startup Daily Grommet revealed it had closed a Series B round of funding led by Rakuten, a Japanese e-commerce and Internet giant with CEO Hiroshi “Mickey” Mikitani at its helm. Let me correct myself, though. Daily Grommet—which each day showcases an independently made, often unknown product with story and video—is … Continue reading “Jules Pieri on Curation, Trust, and Daily Grommet’s Deal with Rakuten”
Morgenthaler Names 13 Finalists for Health IT Pitch Fest
For three years running, Menlo Park, CA-based Morgenthaler Ventures has organized a fall event called DC to VC, with a focus on the conditions for health IT innovation in an era of rapid healthcare reform. The 2011 edition of the DC to VC event was organized around a pitch competition called the Health IT Startup … Continue reading “Morgenthaler Names 13 Finalists for Health IT Pitch Fest”
Exelixis and Onyx Await Their Cancer-Drug Fates
Two kids who grow up in the same dodgy neighborhood can end up worlds apart—depending on the choices they make, and often, a big dash of luck. Two South San Francisco companies born in the risky environs of biotechnology in the early 1990s have both survived through two decades of twists and in turns on … Continue reading “Exelixis and Onyx Await Their Cancer-Drug Fates”
iRobot Doubles Down on Floor Cleaning, Vacuums Up Evolution Robotics for $74M
The Boston tech scene is all about robots today. While Rethink Robotics was unveiling its new humanoid factory worker to the world, the godfather of commercial robotics was busy doubling down on its core strength. Bedford, MA-based iRobot (NASDAQ: [[ticker:IRBT]]), the maker of Roomba vacuum cleaners, said last night it is acquiring Evolution Robotics, the … Continue reading “iRobot Doubles Down on Floor Cleaning, Vacuums Up Evolution Robotics for $74M”
Tech Tidbits: New Google Guy, Amazon & Taxes, GameHouse & Kindle
A few bits of news involving Seattle-area tech companies and startup organizations to get you up to speed as the week continues: —There’s a new site director at Google’s Kirkland, WA office. Brier Dudley reports in The Seattle Times that the new head honcho is Chee Chew, 42, a user interface expert and MIT graduate … Continue reading “Tech Tidbits: New Google Guy, Amazon & Taxes, GameHouse & Kindle”
Synthetic Genomics Gets Rights to Key Genome-Building Technology
Synthetic Genomics, the San Diego startup developing biofuels, industrial chemicals, sustainable animal feed, and other genetically engineered products, says it has acquired worldwide rights to key synthetic genomic technologies from Germany’s Febit Holding. Financial terms of the purchase were not disclosed. “We need to make hundreds to thousands of genomes a day, not one every … Continue reading “Synthetic Genomics Gets Rights to Key Genome-Building Technology”
Rod Brooks and Rethink Reveal an Industrial Robot for the Masses
“Want to see some robots?” says Rodney Brooks. Yes I would, I say. And so would the rest of the world. Brooks is a renowned roboticist and artificial intelligence expert, the founder, chairman, and chief technology officer of Boston-based Rethink Robotics. In a previous life, he was an MIT faculty member for 25 years, and … Continue reading “Rod Brooks and Rethink Reveal an Industrial Robot for the Masses”
From San Diego to Boston: ValoreBooks CEO on SimpleTuition Deal
Back in August, I talked with entrepreneur Jonny Simkin about the sale of HubEdu, his San Diego online college textbook and retailing platform, to San Mateo, CA-based Rafter. Last week, Boston-based SimpleTuition said it had acquired ValoreBooks, another San Diego Web startup that enables students to order more than 18 million titles online. Financial terms … Continue reading “From San Diego to Boston: ValoreBooks CEO on SimpleTuition Deal”
Kapitall Appoints Jarrett Lilien, Former E-Trade COO, as Its New CEO
Sometimes using a simple layout to explain a complex task such as investing can make it easier to comprehend. Kapitall in New York developed an online investing platform that uses a game-like interface to help its users better understand the stock trading world. Now the three-year-old company is eager to scale up and expand its … Continue reading “Kapitall Appoints Jarrett Lilien, Former E-Trade COO, as Its New CEO”
Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer on Surface, Phones—and No More Yelling
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is dropping some more hints about what it hopes to accomplish with the Surface tablet and new Windows phones, and the company’s sales strategy to compete with Apple this holiday season. It’s mostly what you’d expect, and what others have already asserted. But there are some glimmers that Ballmer at least … Continue reading “Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer on Surface, Phones—and No More Yelling”
Complete Genomics Sold to BGI-Shenzhen for $117.6M
Complete Genomics has been looking for a life raft the past few months as its cash ran low. Today it got what it was looking for from BGI-Shenzhen, the Chinese genome sequencing operation. Mountain View, CA-based Complete Genomics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GNOM]]) said today it agreed to be acquired by BGI for $3.15 a share, or about … Continue reading “Complete Genomics Sold to BGI-Shenzhen for $117.6M”
Yes, Investing $100,000 in Boston-Area Companies Live on Stage Is Bananas
If there’s only one event you can attend this year—just one—it has to be the FutureM Shark Tank on October 25. That’s because you’re going to see real companies and real entrepreneurs receive $100,000 of actual money on the spot. And because you’ll get to view those companies through the eyes of luminaries like Fred … Continue reading “Yes, Investing $100,000 in Boston-Area Companies Live on Stage Is Bananas”
Yottaa, an Anti-Lean Startup, Makes Move to Undercut Compuware, Akamai, HP
Web infrastructure is a lucrative but tricky business. It requires a lot of resources and investment to come up with a compelling product. Now a Boston startup has a new set of offerings that broaden its scope on the Web—and could end up disrupting the big boys in the field. Yottaa, a three-year-old company known … Continue reading “Yottaa, an Anti-Lean Startup, Makes Move to Undercut Compuware, Akamai, HP”