In theory, Tony Longo is one of the last people who should be making bad decisions about which block to live on. He founded an online brokerage firm called CondoDomain (recently acquired by Better Homes Realty), and street location was the final factor when he decided where to live in New York City. But when … Continue reading “Block Avenue Takes Big Data Approach to Neighborhood Ratings”
Category: National
Biotech Begins to Come of Age on Twitter
Two years ago, most everybody in biotech had heard of Twitter but most people were looking for reasons to ignore it. A year ago, people in the industry began realizing that even though they’re busy, it’s not a fad, and maybe they should see what the fuss was about. Now we’re just beginning to see … Continue reading “Biotech Begins to Come of Age on Twitter”
Seattle Fundraising Notes: Airbiquity, WebTuner, Lockerz
Before you head off for one of the last good weekends of summer, here are a few tidbits of fundraising action culled from the week’s filings with the SEC. They’re pretty light on the details, but worth noting. —Seattle connected-car software provider Airbiquity has raised about $10.4 million in an equity offering that could grow to … Continue reading “Seattle Fundraising Notes: Airbiquity, WebTuner, Lockerz”
Lessons from Techonomy Detroit: Thought Leaders Must Push City Hall
On Wednesday, Detroit served as the host city for Techonomy, the annual national confab billed by its organizers as “a one-day convergence of today’s brightest minds, gathered to reignite U.S. competitiveness, job creation, and urban revitalization in a technologized age.” Held at Wayne State University, Techonomy was crawling with “thought leaders,” including Jack Dorsey, creator … Continue reading “Lessons from Techonomy Detroit: Thought Leaders Must Push City Hall”
Software-Focused TVC Capital Raises $75M, Emphasizes Value Creation
TVC Capital, a boutique private equity firm based in San Diego, has raised $75 million for its second growth equity and buyout fund. The firm targets software companies and software-enabled service businesses that are profitable or growing to profitability, provide customers with a “mission-critical” service or product, and are seeking capital to accelerate growth. TVC … Continue reading “Software-Focused TVC Capital Raises $75M, Emphasizes Value Creation”
Why Journalists Shouldn’t Try to Think Like Investors
There are way more Bay Area tech companies than I can possibly cover, so I have to say no to a lot of story pitches. When I do that, I sometimes trot out the investor analogy. It goes like this: “I’m sort of like an angel or venture investor. Except I’m investing my time rather … Continue reading “Why Journalists Shouldn’t Try to Think Like Investors”
Tech Tidbits: Akamai, Lilliputian Make Waves
It has been a very busy news week around town, with no signs of slowing down. A few big deals we’re watching today… —Wilmington, MA-based Lilliputian Systems, a company developing portable-power technology for consumer electronics, has raised a distinctly non-Lilliputian round of equity funding: $40 million out of a planned $60 million, led by Rusnano, … Continue reading “Tech Tidbits: Akamai, Lilliputian Make Waves”
Athenahealth, iRobot, PerkinElmer, & More in Boston Life Sciences News
Plenty of public New England life sciences companies have been making headlines this week. —Anesthesia drug developer Annovation BioPharma socked away $8 million in funding from Atlas Venture, Partners Innovation Fund, and The Medicines Company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MDCO]]), which has the option to acquire the startup after it runs its clinical trial in the first half … Continue reading “Athenahealth, iRobot, PerkinElmer, & More in Boston Life Sciences News”
San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Tandem Diabetes, Santarus, & More
How the health care community reacts to the arrival of the nonprofit Nutrition Science Initiative could be an interesting experiment in itself. We have details about NuSI, along with the rest of San Diego’s life sciences news. —San Diego insulin pump maker Tandem Diabetes Care has raised $36.4 million in a new round of equity … Continue reading “San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Tandem Diabetes, Santarus, & More”
Zillow Sues IPO-Seeking Rival Trulia Over Home-Estimate Patent
Online real estate service Zillow is stepping up its competitive attack on San Francisco-based rival Trulia, filing a patent infringement lawsuit just as the smaller company prepares for its IPO. Specifically, Zillow (NASDAQ: [[ticker:Z]]) says Trulia is copying its patented system of letting web users add information to automatic property value estimates—a feature that Zillow … Continue reading “Zillow Sues IPO-Seeking Rival Trulia Over Home-Estimate Patent”
Intrepid Pursuits’ New App, Timbre, Makes Noise at Mass Innovation Nights
At my age, it’s hard to go out and see bands play at night. Plus, let’s just say my new neighborhood doesn’t have a lot of happening music venues. But a new mobile app from a local development shop might change that equation—at least for people at a hipper stage of life. Cambridge, MA-based Intrepid … Continue reading “Intrepid Pursuits’ New App, Timbre, Makes Noise at Mass Innovation Nights”
San Diego Cloud Computing Startup Names Former AT&T CTO as CEO
LonoCloud, a San Diego-based startup that has developed a supra-platform for cloud computing, has named Hossein Eslambolchi, a former chief technology officer at AT&T, as CEO. Eslambolchi, who was consulting with the founders, holds more than 1,000 granted and pending patents worldwide and is known for his expertise in IP network design and reliability, and … Continue reading “San Diego Cloud Computing Startup Names Former AT&T CTO as CEO”
Y Combinator Gets an Historian: Inside YC’s Summer 2011 Session
The best way to find out what it’s like inside Y Combinator is to found a startup and get admitted to the program. The second-best way is to read Randall Stross’s new book, The Launch Pad. Y Combinator, of course, is the exclusive school for startups in Mountain View, CA. It’s been described as a … Continue reading “Y Combinator Gets an Historian: Inside YC’s Summer 2011 Session”
Flashpoint Brings More Atlanta Startups to NY for a Demo Day
Making a return to New York, the Flashpoint accelerator program at the Georgia Institute of Technology will show off 14 startups this afternoon at a demo day hosted at the offices of Union Square Ventures. Back in January, Flashpoint made its first appearance in Manhattan with a demo day that introduced these Atlanta-based startups not … Continue reading “Flashpoint Brings More Atlanta Startups to NY for a Demo Day”
Student? Entrepreneur? I Choose Both
“At MIT, we reject the idea that you can’t be both a student and an entrepreneur” stated Bill Aulet, Managing Director of the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship, as he opened up the first Founders’ Skills Accelerator (FSA) Demo Day this past Saturday. Bill emphasized the importance of utilizing MIT’s resources to start your … Continue reading “Student? Entrepreneur? I Choose Both”
iWalk Chases Down $17M More for “Personal Bionics”
Prosthetics is a hot field these days. Coming off track star Oscar Pistorius’s Olympic efforts and some renewed interest in robotic exoskeletons for physical therapy, two things are clear: the technology is impacting lives, and there is plenty of money to be made. Now Bedford, MA-based iWalk, the developer of a powered prosthetic foot and … Continue reading “iWalk Chases Down $17M More for “Personal Bionics””
Xconomist of the Week: Sean MacLeod Says Stop Trying to Be SF
One of the most popular parlor games in Seattle, and every other city that isn’t in the center of the technology universe, starts with people asking themselves this: How can we become more like the San Francisco Bay Area? Sean MacLeod, president of Seattle’s Stratos Product Development and one of our Xconomists, says he’s heard … Continue reading “Xconomist of the Week: Sean MacLeod Says Stop Trying to Be SF”
Cardiac Dimensions Nabs $5.8M for Heart Failure Device
[Updated: 10:20 am 9/13/12] Cardiac Dimensions has pulled in another round of financing as it looks to sell its first marketable product in Europe. The Kirkland, WA-based company has raised $5.8 million in a combination of equity, debt, and warrants to buy more shares from a group of 17 investors, according to a filing with the … Continue reading “Cardiac Dimensions Nabs $5.8M for Heart Failure Device”
As Apple Steals the Show, 4 Things to Remember About Amazon’s Kindle
The technology industry is in full rapture mode today as it awaits Apple’s latest product unveiling. And if you think too much is made of the company’s announcements, just recall how furiously all of the other technology giants worked to get their news out ahead of the big bomb from Cupertino. For the Seattle area, … Continue reading “As Apple Steals the Show, 4 Things to Remember About Amazon’s Kindle”
Flybridge Capital Expands New York Office, Keeps Boston Roots
After investing in New York startups such as social targeting technology company 33Across, database software developer 10gen, and social media management system developer tracx, Boston’s Flybridge Capital Partners quietly set up an office on Broadway in February, led by general partner David Aronoff. On Monday Flybridge said it sent Matt Witheiler, a principal with the … Continue reading “Flybridge Capital Expands New York Office, Keeps Boston Roots”
Zendesk, Qualys, SoFi: Bay Area Deals News By the Numbers
There’s been a rush of funding announcements from local startups over the last day or two. Could it be that everyone wants to get their news out of the way before the media turns its full attention to Apple’s iPhone event this morning? From biggest to smallest: $113 million—The amount Redwood City, CA-based Qualys hopes … Continue reading “Zendesk, Qualys, SoFi: Bay Area Deals News By the Numbers”
PackBots, Roombas, and Now, Healthcare: The iRobot Story
Robots are in the air these days. They are also quite literally on the ground, in the water, and in many homes, businesses, warehouses, and manufacturing facilities. And they are making lots of money for their creators—something that would have been hard to believe just a few years ago. One company, arguably, has done more … Continue reading “PackBots, Roombas, and Now, Healthcare: The iRobot Story”
Handybook Hopes to Simplify Booking for Household Services in Boston & NYC
Most entrepreneurs don’t cite laziness as the inspiration for their business. But Oisin Hanrahan, founder of Handybook.com, says he and co-founder/roommate Umang Dua hated doing things like cleaning up their apartment or putting together Ikea furniture, and really hated the existing means for finding people to do those tasks. (Those means include Google search, Craigslist, … Continue reading “Handybook Hopes to Simplify Booking for Household Services in Boston & NYC”
Annovation, Agrivida, FashionPlaytes, & More Names from the Boston Deals Roundup
Startups in the biotech, biofuels, analytics, and e-commerce spaces have been inking deals in the last week. —An SEC filing revealed that Forma Therapeutics, a Watertown, MA-based developer of cancer drugs, had raised $10 million in an equity- and rights-based round from two investors. —Cambridge, MA-based Annovation BioPharma pulled in $8 million in funding to … Continue reading “Annovation, Agrivida, FashionPlaytes, & More Names from the Boston Deals Roundup”
Siri’s Co-Creator, Adam Cheyer, Confirms He Has Left Apple
Adam Cheyer, the chief technical architect behind the Siri virtual personal assistant technology in Apple’s iPhone 4S, confirmed a report today that he has resigned from Apple. “I left Apple for personal reasons some time ago,” Cheyer told Xconomy by e-mail today. Formerly a director of engineering in Apple’s iPhone group, Cheyer has not taken … Continue reading “Siri’s Co-Creator, Adam Cheyer, Confirms He Has Left Apple”
Boston Startup School’s Shaun Johnson: Seize the Opportunity
With the new school year under way, I thought it’d be a good time to get to know one of the area’s newer educational organizations: Boston Startup School. As its name suggests, Boston Startup School offers classes to people from all walks of life who are interested in working at a startup. More to the … Continue reading “Boston Startup School’s Shaun Johnson: Seize the Opportunity”
Detroit Bus Company: Disrupting Old Models in a Transit-Starved City
Gail Lanzon is clearly having the time of her life. Though she drives a school bus in tiny Clintondale, MI, during the week, her weekend nights belong to Detroit. It’s the last Friday of summer, and downtown is a zoo. The International Jazz Festival is going on in Hart Plaza, and the Tigers game has … Continue reading “Detroit Bus Company: Disrupting Old Models in a Transit-Starved City”
Romney Disses Green Jobs, But Republican Governors Love Them
If you only listened to the speeches of candidates running for federal office, you might think that there’s a stark partisan divide over federal support for cleantech innovation, and that all Republicans see the idea of “green jobs” as a mirage concocted by the Obama Administration. And you wouldn’t be misreading the campaign statements: Mitt Romney’s … Continue reading “Romney Disses Green Jobs, But Republican Governors Love Them”
More Details from Fledge’s First Class of “Conscious” Companies
The first time I wrote about Fledge, the new Seattle-based “social enterprise” incubator program, I had to make educated guesses about a few of the startups involved. Fledge’s director, Michael “Luni” Libes, politely let me know that some of those guesses weren’t exactly on the mark. But hey, you have to try. Some of these … Continue reading “More Details from Fledge’s First Class of “Conscious” Companies”
MIT Media Lab’s Sandy Pentland on the Future of Our Big-Data Society
Of all the articles I’ve read about “big data” recently, one stands out as particularly enlightening. It’s by Alex (Sandy) Pentland, a distinguished computer scientist and entrepreneurial professor at the MIT Media Lab, and it appears in John Brockman’s Edge.org. Pentland argues that big data—in this case, analyzing details of social interactions and behaviors on … Continue reading “MIT Media Lab’s Sandy Pentland on the Future of Our Big-Data Society”
Web Startup Cut On Your Bias Lets Shoppers Influence Runway Shows
The last time New York held its Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, this past February, fashion designer-turned entrepreneur Louis Monoyudis launched his online platform for bringing consumers into the apparel design process. The website, Cut On Your Bias, allows fashion designers to post pieces they’re working on with potential options for variations. Customers can vote on the … Continue reading “Web Startup Cut On Your Bias Lets Shoppers Influence Runway Shows”
Join Us Oct. 16 for ‘Reinventing Biotech’s Business Model’ in SF
How are you supposed to start a biotech company without a bunch of fat checks from venture capital firms? Entrepreneurs are wondering about that as quite a few early-stage biotech VCs have gone the way of the dodo bird. There’s no shortage of exciting advancements in biomedical research, and lots of patients with diseases that … Continue reading “Join Us Oct. 16 for ‘Reinventing Biotech’s Business Model’ in SF”
With NextGuide, Dijit Continues the Search for the Perfect TV App
There’s one thing everybody in the media, mobile, and software world seems to agree on: tablets and television were made for each other. Even more than a laptop, a tablet such as an iPad or Amazon’s new Kindle Fire HD is great for discovering TV shows, movies, and Internet videos that you might enjoy watching. … Continue reading “With NextGuide, Dijit Continues the Search for the Perfect TV App”
Michigan: An Unexpected Role Model for Growth
A few years ago, there seemed to be a continental divide between the “old economy” and the “new economy,” and the state in which I live, Michigan, appeared to much of the world as the poster child for the former. Never mind that Michigan had been in the top 5 nationally for such important innovation … Continue reading “Michigan: An Unexpected Role Model for Growth”
Tapjoy, at NY Games Conference, Sees More Ads Coming to Mobile Games
Much like other contagious apps, mobile games can spread quickly through the populace with the right buzz. However, turning that attention into dollar signs can be elusive. Developers might try to charge players who want to download mobile games, but let’s be realistic—not every game is going to sell like Angry Birds, even at just … Continue reading “Tapjoy, at NY Games Conference, Sees More Ads Coming to Mobile Games”
Which Cloud Approach is Right for You?
Public cloud, private cloud, hybrid cloud…what’s the difference? The concept of cloud can be very confusing to begin with—there are countless definitions and various interpretations of what the “cloud” really is. However, there is a very clear differentiator between the three clouds mentioned above. In today’s world, the cloud market is accelerating quickly, but it … Continue reading “Which Cloud Approach is Right for You?”
U.S. CTO Todd Park Out to Spur Entrepreneurship With Data “Jujitsu”
The chief technology officer of a company can have a wide range of responsibilities—from overseeing development of innovative new products to making sure servers stay up. But what about the chief technology officer of the United States of America? The position is barely three years old, created by President Obama in 2009, and is evolving … Continue reading “U.S. CTO Todd Park Out to Spur Entrepreneurship With Data “Jujitsu””
Disk Space as Currency: Symform Aims to Leap Ahead in Cloud Storage
Data centers are so 20th century. That’s the idea, anyway, at Symform, a Seattle data-storage startup that uses extra space on its customers’ hard drives to create a virtual data center online. The company was started by a pair of ex-Microsofties, and last year hired former DocuSign CEO Matthew Schiltz to handle the next stage … Continue reading “Disk Space as Currency: Symform Aims to Leap Ahead in Cloud Storage”
Annovation Adds $8M to Develop Safer, More Precise Anesthesia
Annovation BioPharma is announcing today that it has raised $8 million in a Series A funding to put toward the development of new therapies for anesthesia and critical care. The money comes from return seed investors, Cambridge, MA-based Atlas Venture and Partners Innovation Fund, as well as new strategic investor The Medicines Company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MDCO]]). The round … Continue reading “Annovation Adds $8M to Develop Safer, More Precise Anesthesia”
The FDA Turns Friendly Toward Pharma in 2012
The FDA, for most of the past 10 years, was the regulatory agency that many people in biotech and pharma loved to hate. Critics have long complained about bureaucratic foot-dragging, byzantine organization, poor communication, excessive aversion to risk, and arbitrary decisions around whether to approve new drugs for sale in the U.S. But FDA bashers, … Continue reading “The FDA Turns Friendly Toward Pharma in 2012”
On Pixels, Atoms, and Gentrification: What Drives Detroit’s Future?
I attended the Knight Foundation‘s “Civic Engagement Showcase and Learning Conference” this morning in Detroit, and it was an eye-opening experience. (Search for #DetroitShowcase on Twitter to read the attendees’ tweets.) Predictably, non-profits and arts groups were heavily represented—I sat next to Detroit Opera House founder and director David DiChera in our small-group breakout session—but … Continue reading “On Pixels, Atoms, and Gentrification: What Drives Detroit’s Future?”
Dan Weinreb, Boston Computer Geek, Community Figure, Dies of Cancer
We at Xconomy were extremely sad to learn that Dan Weinreb, well-known in Boston’s innovation scene as a computer geek, entrepreneur, prolific commentator on technology, and all around great guy, passed away earlier today after a long battle with cancer. Dan was also an angel investor in Xconomy, and always had great feedback and support … Continue reading “Dan Weinreb, Boston Computer Geek, Community Figure, Dies of Cancer”
Quirky Raises $68 Million to Make Invention More Accessible
Quirky founder and CEO Ben Kaufman may have penned a long and detailed blog post about why it’s not a big deal, but the New York-based startup has just raised a boatload of cash—along with everyone’s expectations of the company, which crowdsources ideas for new consumer products. Quirky announced yesterday that it has collected $68 … Continue reading “Quirky Raises $68 Million to Make Invention More Accessible”
The End of Meat. And Driving. And Football.
Americans are great at giving up things—in emergencies, anyway. Under World War II rationing plans, U.S. citizens cut way back on their use of gasoline, nylon stockings, coffee, sugar, and everything made of steel or rubber. In the 1970s, in response to the Middle East oil embargoes, the federal government imposed odd-even gasoline rationing in … Continue reading “The End of Meat. And Driving. And Football.”
EBay Acquires Pinterest-style Curation Platform Svpply
E-commerce giant eBay (Nasdaq: [[ticker:EBAY]]) in San Francisco said in a blog post Thursday it has acquired New York-based startup Svpply for undisclosed terms. Svpply, which once hailed from Boston, uses bookmarklets to daily curate a collection of some 3,000 stylish products such as apparel, accessories, and gadgets from around the Web. It is kind … Continue reading “EBay Acquires Pinterest-style Curation Platform Svpply”
RealNetworks Separates Games, RealPlayer, SaaS Units
The plan to resurrect RealNetworks continues. In a filing with federal regulators, the Seattle company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:RNWK]]) says it will now operate three of its divisions as separate business units, a move that could set any of those branches up for a spin-off. The change affects the company’s RealPlayer media streaming business, its software-as-a-service arm, … Continue reading “RealNetworks Separates Games, RealPlayer, SaaS Units”
Why Amazon Can Win in Mobile, While Microsoft Sputters
In the span of two days, the Seattle region’s two cornerstone technology companies showed why they’re the most credible challengers to the current duopoly in mobile computing. And it’s pretty clear that only one has a chance to succeed. First up was Microsoft, which presented (via its desperate partner Nokia) an innovative, interesting-looking pair of … Continue reading “Why Amazon Can Win in Mobile, While Microsoft Sputters”
Sarepta Moves From Seattle to Boston for the Talent
Just when it looked like Seattle might be getting another emerging biotech company in Sarepta Therapeutics, it has picked up and moved East. Sarepta (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SRPT]]), the company formerly known as AVI Biopharma, has moved its headquarters from Bothell, WA, to Cambridge, MA, CEO Chris Garabedian said yesterday in a phone interview. The company currently … Continue reading “Sarepta Moves From Seattle to Boston for the Talent”
Pulmatrix, ImmuNext, ProThera, & More in Boston Life Sciences News
Life sciences companies across New England announced personnel moves, clinical trial updates, development deals, and funding this week. —Lexington, MA-based Pulmatrix announced it had promoted its chief scientific officer Robert Clarke to the role of CEO. He replaces former CEO Robert Connelly, who left to head up Cambridge, MA-based WikiCell Designs, a food and beverage … Continue reading “Pulmatrix, ImmuNext, ProThera, & More in Boston Life Sciences News”
Amid Talk of Bubble, Xconomy Incubator Guide Grows to 121 Listings
After we put out the 2011 Xconomy Guide to Venture Incubators, my colleague Wade wrote a Friday column entitled “There Is an Incubator Bubble—And It Will Pop.” That particular guide listed 64 startup incubator programs, up from 34 in 2010, and 20 in our first guide in 2009. Wade concluded his column with the admonition: … Continue reading “Amid Talk of Bubble, Xconomy Incubator Guide Grows to 121 Listings”