OK, not literally. But some good stories were told. Last Thursday’s XSITE conference at Babson College, our fourth annual full-day innovation conference (see photos here), had plenty of highlights that didn’t make it into my previous recap. One of them was a session on “founders’ stories” in tech companies. Of particular note: mistakes made, how … Continue reading “Founders’ Stories: Backupify, BzzAgent, and Pixability CEOs Bare It All”
Category: National
Nuance, Swype Combine Strengths—with an Eye On More than Mobile
When Nuance acquired Seattle startup Swype last year, it wasn’t just another startup buy for the Burlington, MA-based mobile-input juggernaut. It was actually a kind of reunion, bringing together a core group of mobile veterans who had worked at Tegic Communications in the mid-1990s. If Tegic’s name doesn’t ring a bell, think back to the … Continue reading “Nuance, Swype Combine Strengths—with an Eye On More than Mobile”
Context Matters Helps Pharma Execs Make Sense of Drug Data
S. Yin Ho, founder and CEO of New York-based pharmaceutical data provider Context Matters, isn’t impressed with all the entrepreneurial excitement around “big data”—the effort to lasso all the information being collected about consumer buying patterns and the like and use it to improve business strategies. As far as Ho is concerned, it’s not the … Continue reading “Context Matters Helps Pharma Execs Make Sense of Drug Data”
HAXLR8R Startups Report Back from Shenzhen, the Hardware Candyland
HAXLR8R may sound like a geeky vanity license plate number, but it’s actually a Shenzhen, China-based startup accelerator—one of a new breed of business incubators, along with San Francisco-based Lemnos Labs, focused on hardware startups rather than software companies. I profiled HAXLR8R back in February, when it had just admitted its first batch of startups, … Continue reading “HAXLR8R Startups Report Back from Shenzhen, the Hardware Candyland”
$20 Million W Fund, Focusing on Research Spinouts, Open for Business
We’ve been hearing about a new investment fund for university spinouts in Washington state for close to two years. Starting today, the W Fund is officially ready to start cutting checks—and it’s already started investigating promising research projects from colleges and government R&D labs around the state. Officials say the $20 million W Fund is … Continue reading “$20 Million W Fund, Focusing on Research Spinouts, Open for Business”
Bullhorn, Seaside, Sand 9, & More in the Boston Deals Roundup
This week’s New England deals news featured some more grown up companies in hardware, life sciences, and networking. —Bullhorn, a Boston-based maker of human resources and recruiting software, was acquired by Vista Equity Partners, a firm with offices in Chicago, San Francisco, and Austin. The dollar value of the transaction was not disclosed, but a … Continue reading “Bullhorn, Seaside, Sand 9, & More in the Boston Deals Roundup”
Five Questions for Syncapse CEO Michael Scissons On Buying Clickable
The growing demand to provide information to companies about how effectively they are reaching customers on the Web is driving consolidation among tech companies that provide such insight. The latest example of such deal-making happened last week, when Toronto’s Syncapse announced it acquired—for an undisclosed sum—New York-based Clickable, a social and search ad management platform. … Continue reading “Five Questions for Syncapse CEO Michael Scissons On Buying Clickable”
Astia and Inforum on Pulling Women Into MI’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
I was talking to a female entrepreneur recently. I can’t say who because, in that self-effacing way that women do so well, she had reservations about criticizing Michigan’s entrepreneurial ecosystem without the protection of anonymity. She suggested I look up a picture of the recent winners of the Great Lakes Entrepreneur’s Quest to see that only … Continue reading “Astia and Inforum on Pulling Women Into MI’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem”
Vindicia Helps Subscription Providers Keep a Bird in the Hand
Cloud commerce is here to stay. The advent of subscription-billed digital delivery has brought massive, recurring revenues to the media and content industries, as well as makers of consumer and enterprise software. So if you asked software companies, media giants, and game publishers whether they’d prefer to go back to the days when they sold … Continue reading “Vindicia Helps Subscription Providers Keep a Bird in the Hand”
San Diego’s SmartDrive Systems Raises $47M, Names New CEO
Here come the freeway metaphors. San Diego’s SmartDrive Systems, which provides Web-based services linked to dashboard video, says it has topped off its tank with $47 million in additional venture funding and named former Veoh CEO Steve Mitang as its new designated driver. The company, founded in 2004, targets public and commercial motor vehicle fleets, … Continue reading “San Diego’s SmartDrive Systems Raises $47M, Names New CEO”
Snapshot of Boston Tech Deals: Heartland Rethink, Sand 9, & Sonus Networks
A trio of decent-size technology deals around Boston today…and not a frivolous social/mobile app company among them. In fact, there is something quintessentially “Boston tech” about these companies—think networking, robotics, and hardware. —Heartland Robotics, the stealthy Boston company working on a new kind of robot for manufacturing, has changed its name to Rethink Robotics and … Continue reading “Snapshot of Boston Tech Deals: Heartland Rethink, Sand 9, & Sonus Networks”
Plexxi, With $28M in Tow, Looks to Transform Networking for Data Centers
Plexxi sounds like it might be a materials company. It’s not. But its name evokes the notions of flexibility and transparency. Until today, Plexxi wasn’t saying anything about what it is or isn’t. The Nashua, NH-based startup, which also has an office in Cambridge, MA, took $28.5 million in funding from Matrix Partners, North Bridge … Continue reading “Plexxi, With $28M in Tow, Looks to Transform Networking for Data Centers”
ImpulseSave Opens Up App for Instant Gratification Savings
Cambridge, MA-based ImpulseSave is taking its on-the-fly saving application to the masses. The startup announced today that it’s graduated from a four-month beta period and is launching its application on the iTunes App Store. Co-founder and CEO Phil Fremont-Smith touts his technology as one that actually works with humans’ hard-wired drive to act impulsively, rather … Continue reading “ImpulseSave Opens Up App for Instant Gratification Savings”
Join Us Today for a Tweetchat at Noon ET/9 am PT With Katrine Bosley
Katrine Bosley is having a pretty good year. She was the CEO of Bedford, MA-based Avila Therapeutics when the company was acquired by Celgene for $350 million upfront in January. OK, six months have gone by since that big event. Did she sip a few mai tais on some Carribbean island, recharge her batteries, and … Continue reading “Join Us Today for a Tweetchat at Noon ET/9 am PT With Katrine Bosley”
Biotech Wasn’t Immune to Job Loss in Great Recession, BIO Report Says
The biotechnology industry is often held up by public officials as an engine for producing lots of high-skill, high-wage jobs. But bioscience-based industries shed thousands of jobs in the Great Recession, and industry employment still hasn’t completely recovered to the pre-recession levels of 2007, according to a new economic analysis. Biotech, which was defined broadly … Continue reading “Biotech Wasn’t Immune to Job Loss in Great Recession, BIO Report Says”
ESPN, PepsiCo, Billboard, and American Express Talk Partnering with Startups
It is no secret that finding a big company to work with can give a startup a boost that lands them more business and credibility. No matter how novel a platform or technology is, when a major client or partner comes onboard the market takes more notice. Startup Weekend brought together a panel of executives … Continue reading “ESPN, PepsiCo, Billboard, and American Express Talk Partnering with Startups”
Startup Weekend Expands Global Operations with New Foreign Offices
Startup Weekend has grown into a global network of entrepreneurs and mentors who flock to its 54-hour company-creating events. And despite that worldwide footprint, the nonprofit organization’s efforts have all been tied back to its hometown of Seattle—until now. Startup Weekend now says it’s now opening its first official foreign branch offices, part of a … Continue reading “Startup Weekend Expands Global Operations with New Foreign Offices”
Qualcomm Expands its Power Efficiency Prowess in Summit Micro Buyout
A few weeks after last year’s Mobile World Congress, Qualcomm’s Bill Davidson talked with me about the importance of making energy efficiency a priority in wireless chip design. Davidson, who is Qualcomm’s senior vice president of global marketing and investor relations, voiced frustration over some of the gigahertz-size claims that some companies coming out of … Continue reading “Qualcomm Expands its Power Efficiency Prowess in Summit Micro Buyout”
Kiva Detroit, MEDC Partner to Grow and Replicate Microlending Model
Kiva Detroit, Kiva’s first domestic microlending initiative—and the country’s first community-led microlending program—spent its first year focused on growing the social network of lenders and community volunteers on the ground actively recruiting small businesses in need of a loan. Now, it will partner with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) to build capacity and, if … Continue reading “Kiva Detroit, MEDC Partner to Grow and Replicate Microlending Model”
Aiming for Third-Time Charm, San Diego’s Astute Networks Raises $12M
[Corrected 6/19/12, 10:25 am. See below.] San Diego’s Astute Networks, which reinvented itself almost two years ago by focusing on flash-based technology for accelerating virtualized computing systems, has closed on a $12 million Series B financing led by Samsung Investment Corp. The deal reflects the merits of the company’s new strategy, says Astute CEO Steve … Continue reading “Aiming for Third-Time Charm, San Diego’s Astute Networks Raises $12M”
Merck Bets $15M on Ambrx’s “Smart Bomb” Antibodies
Merck is making its first move into one of the hotter corners of biotech, by forming a partnership to make “smart bomb” antibody drugs with San Diego-based Ambrx. The Whitehouse Station, NJ-based pharmaceutical giant (NYSE: [[ticker:MRK]]) has agreed to pay Ambrx $15 million upfront, another $288 million in milestone payments, and an undisclosed royalty rate … Continue reading “Merck Bets $15M on Ambrx’s “Smart Bomb” Antibodies”
Three Good Things About BIO 2012, and Four Not-so-Good
People from all over the world are gathering in Boston today to talk about biotech dreams. Like most years at the Biotechnology Industry Organization’s international convention, at least 15,000 people are expected to come together to pursue those dreams in a variety of ways. You can count on lots of selling, schmoozing, cheerleading, prognosticating, attention-seeking, … Continue reading “Three Good Things About BIO 2012, and Four Not-so-Good”
XSITE 2012: Accelerating Innovation, Captured on Camera
Don’t fret if you weren’t one of the 500 or so people registered for our XSITE conference yesterday. We’ve pulled together the top 10 quotes and takeaways from the program, and for those who learn by seeing, we’ve got a photo gallery too. Our theme for the day at Babson College was Accelerating Innovation, and … Continue reading “XSITE 2012: Accelerating Innovation, Captured on Camera”
Augment Ventures’ Vijayargiya Feels Bullish About Midwestern Cleantech
Sonali Vijayargiya is back in Michigan after representing Midwestern VCs in the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Clean Energy Business Plan Competition, which was held as part of the Obama administration’s Startup America Initiative. She’s the founder and managing director of Augment Ventures, an Ann Arbor, MI-based venture firm that invests in cleantech and IT startups that aim to … Continue reading “Augment Ventures’ Vijayargiya Feels Bullish About Midwestern Cleantech”
Top 10 Quotes from XSITE 2012: Bill Warner, Andy Ory, Phil Libin, & More
Yesterday was our fourth annual XSITE conference, and our biggest to date, with 500+ registered. It was a glorious day out at Babson College. Thanks to our hosts and all of our sponsors for making it happen. We tried to bring together a mix of big companies and small startups, first-time entrepreneurs and public company … Continue reading “Top 10 Quotes from XSITE 2012: Bill Warner, Andy Ory, Phil Libin, & More”
StartupCity Connects Seattle Entrepreneurs, Looks to Keep Growing
In a city the size of Seattle, there’s still some room to spread out. And for startup companies, that can be a problem. As entrepreneurs who move on to bigger cities often lament, there’s just not as much action crackling all around town. In Seattle, you still have to spend a little more time hunting … Continue reading “StartupCity Connects Seattle Entrepreneurs, Looks to Keep Growing”
Mail.ru’s Dmitry Grishin Launches Fund in New York for Robotics
When the head of one of Russia’s largest Internet companies starts investing in technology, the impact can be felt across continents. Today Dmitry Grishin, CEO and chairman of Mail.ru, announced the launch of Grishin Robotics, a New York-based investment fund focused on backing next generation technology in robotics. With Mail.ru—a popular Russian portal for e-mail, … Continue reading “Mail.ru’s Dmitry Grishin Launches Fund in New York for Robotics”
SD Biotech Roundup: Life Technologies, KFx Medical, Shire, & More
From dollops of cash to big project announcements, here is our roundup of San Diego life sciences news for the past week. —Waltham,MA-based Alere (NYSE: [[ticker:ALR]]) recalled an additional 650,000 Triage cardiology screening tests after a FDA inspection of the company’s San Diego facility raised concerns about quality control. Alere recalled more than 803,000 tests … Continue reading “SD Biotech Roundup: Life Technologies, KFx Medical, Shire, & More”
Join Us for BIO Tweetchat at 12:30 pm ET with John Maraganore
[Updated: 7:07 am ET 6/18] One year ago, I felt the need to say that Twitter was no fad, that it was truly here to stay in biotech. Now it has become such a mainstream tool for information sharing in biotech that I’ve decided to do some of my bigger interviews next week on the … Continue reading “Join Us for BIO Tweetchat at 12:30 pm ET with John Maraganore”
Can Your Friends Bribe You to Get Healthy? Neuroscience Says Yes
HealthRally is a company that Paul McCartney would understand well. It’s all about getting a little help from your friends. A little help making health-related changes, that is—like quitting smoking, losing weight, or adhering to an exercise program. There’s plenty of science to suggest that these goals are easier to achieve when a person has … Continue reading “Can Your Friends Bribe You to Get Healthy? Neuroscience Says Yes”
Seventh Sense, Polaris, & More Boston Life Sciences Newsmakers
This week we saw innovation initiatives and new funding for both established life sciences companies and startups in New England. —-Seventh Sense Biosystems, a Cambridge, MA-based startup developing a so-called painless system for sampling blood, pulled in the first tranche of a $10 million Series A round from Flagship Ventures and Polaris Venture Partners. The … Continue reading “Seventh Sense, Polaris, & More Boston Life Sciences Newsmakers”
VLST Raises $5M To Carry on With Autoimmune R&D
VLST CEO Marty Simonetti likes to joke that his company’s name stands for “very large secret technology.” It’s only half in jest, because VLST hasn’t said much publicly about its progress the past couple years. But the Seattle biotech company has made enough progress to raise another $5 million in venture capital in a deal … Continue reading “VLST Raises $5M To Carry on With Autoimmune R&D”
TechStars NYC Spring Class Demos Their Ideas for Investors
A fresh batch of TechStars graduates held their demo day in New York today to show off ideas they believe can change how we shop, watch videos, invest in local businesses, and even move to new homes. The spring class of 13 startups pitched their platforms and technology to a full house at Webster Hall. … Continue reading “TechStars NYC Spring Class Demos Their Ideas for Investors”
Theraclone Takes 2nd Antibody into the Clinic Against Common Virus
Theraclone Sciences just got the results a few weeks ago from the clinical trial of its first antibody drug candidate, and today it’s moving ahead with program No. 2. The Seattle-based biotech company said today it has started the first clinical trial of an antibody it calls TCN-202, which is designed to fight human cytomegalovirus … Continue reading “Theraclone Takes 2nd Antibody into the Clinic Against Common Virus”
SD at Center of Shire’s Plan for Regenerative Medicine Business
Shire plans to spend more than $100 million to develop a new campus in San Diego, where the Irish specialty pharmaceutical wants its regenerative medicine acquisitions to coalesce into a $1 billion business, according to Kevin Rakin, Shire’s Regenerative Medicine President. “We believe we’re on the front lines in a new era [with regenerative medicine],” … Continue reading “SD at Center of Shire’s Plan for Regenerative Medicine Business”
SURF Incubator Sees Tenant Base Double in 2 Months
In the first stages of creating a new company, timing can be everything. The folks behind SURF Incubator know that principle all too well. As they were trying to build a new group office for technology startups, a few of the key pieces started falling into place. An entire floor of office space in downtown … Continue reading “SURF Incubator Sees Tenant Base Double in 2 Months”
TastemakerX Builds a “Taste Graph” to Reward Music Trendspotters
Take a guy with dual lifelong passions for new music and fantasy sports; run him through business school, the dot-com gold rush, and the world of big-brand advertising; and then set him loose in the new world of mobile apps and media sharing. What do you get? For Marc Ruxin, the answer is TastemakerX, a … Continue reading “TastemakerX Builds a “Taste Graph” to Reward Music Trendspotters”
Global Blood Therapeutics, Third Rock’s First West Coast Startup, Gets $41M
Third Rock Ventures has made its name on the East Coast the past five years by betting big money on biotech startups with big ideas, when most other venture capitalists have turned gun-shy. Now it’s putting that same strategy to work in its first homegrown startup on the West Coast. Today, the venture firm is … Continue reading “Global Blood Therapeutics, Third Rock’s First West Coast Startup, Gets $41M”
13 Reasons to Be Optimistic About Healthcare, Courtesy of Rock Health
There are many reasons to fear that the healthcare crisis in this country is going to get worse—a lot worse—before it gets better. More than two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese, with costly knock-on effects from heart disease to diabetes. The overall cost of care seems to be spiraling upward unstoppably. The FDA is … Continue reading “13 Reasons to Be Optimistic About Healthcare, Courtesy of Rock Health”
Polaris, J&J Idea to Solve Drug R&D Crisis: Work Together Early
When people think about experiments in Big Pharma, the image that comes to mind is probably that of a petri dish. But given the crisis state of pharma R&D and early-stage biotech investment, there are also a lot of experiments going on now to find ways to reform the way drug companies and venture capitalists … Continue reading “Polaris, J&J Idea to Solve Drug R&D Crisis: Work Together Early”
Dendreon Shareholders Vent at Annual Meeting
Dendreon has had some triumphant annual meetings, where investors celebrated its work in creating the first FDA-approved drug that actively stimulates the immune system to fight cancer. This wasn’t one of them. At today’s annual meeting at the Seattle Art Museum, there was a whole lot of disappointment, frustration, and scorn in the room. Even … Continue reading “Dendreon Shareholders Vent at Annual Meeting”
A123 Talks New Battery Tech, New Hires, and More Focus on Grid Storage
Waltham, MA-based A123 Systems, the lithium-ion battery manufacturer with operations in Michigan, announced new advances in its battery technology yesterday that could have a significant impact on the company’s penetration in the transportation, grid storage, and telecommunications markets. Though A123 Systems has had a few struggles lately, most notably layoffs and a first-quarter loss of $125 million in revenue, … Continue reading “A123 Talks New Battery Tech, New Hires, and More Focus on Grid Storage”
Amazon, Microsoft join Donuts in Web Name Race: .book, .xbox, .shop
Seattle-area domain-name company Donuts Inc., which raised more than $100 million to amass new Internet domains, faces some heavy competition in the race for fresh digital territory. But it also stands to own some valuable chunks of new Web real estate without a bidding war, including .email and .games. That became clear Wednesday morning when the … Continue reading “Amazon, Microsoft join Donuts in Web Name Race: .book, .xbox, .shop”
Venture for America Unveils First Fellows Bound for Detroit, Other Cities
Venture for America believes that attracting talented college graduates to cities grappling with unemployment may help jumpstart those local economies, and now it’s moving forward with its mission to do just that. Last night the New York-based nonprofit debuted its first class of 41 fellows and the companies they will work for across country. Ten … Continue reading “Venture for America Unveils First Fellows Bound for Detroit, Other Cities”
Constant Contact Buys SinglePlatform for $65M+, Continues NY (& Web) Expansion
Constant Contact keeps on expanding in the world of digital marketing. Today the Waltham, MA-based marketing tech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CTCT]]) announced it has acquired New York City startup SinglePlatform for $65 million in cash, plus earnouts and retention fees that could bring the total price to around $100 million. SinglePlatform started in 2010, and its … Continue reading “Constant Contact Buys SinglePlatform for $65M+, Continues NY (& Web) Expansion”
Rhythm Drums Up $25M to Advance Diabetes and Obesity Drugs
Boston-based Rhythm Pharmaceuticals is announcing today it has raised $25 million in a Series B financing round, bringing the total amount of capital hauled in by the two-year-old company to $65 million. Existing investors MPM Capital, New Enterprise Associates, and Third Rock Ventures participated in the funding, along with new investor Ipsen, the Paris-based drugmaker. … Continue reading “Rhythm Drums Up $25M to Advance Diabetes and Obesity Drugs”
InDi Unit Looks to Take PET Imaging ‘From Black & White to Technicolor’
Integrated Diagnostics is best known as the Seattle startup looking to carry out Lee Hood’s vision of spotting cancer in a drop of blood. But the company is moving ahead on another bold vision, in which it is seeking to disrupt the world of molecular imaging. InDi is announcing today it has set up a … Continue reading “InDi Unit Looks to Take PET Imaging ‘From Black & White to Technicolor’”
XSITE Startup Audience Booming for Thursday Summit: See Who’s Coming
We’ve got a top-notch roster of speakers and panels for our Xconomy Summit on Innovation, Technology, & Entrepreneurship—less than 48 hours away—at Babson College. Entrepreneurs from companies like Evernote, Birchbox, and Terrafugia will take the stage to talk about innovation from their corner of the startup world. You’ll see more from the trenches during breakouts … Continue reading “XSITE Startup Audience Booming for Thursday Summit: See Who’s Coming”
Merck Sleep Drug Hits Trial Goals, Raising Hopes for New Blockbuster
At the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies in Boston today, drug giant Merck (NYSE: [[ticker:MRK]]) released promising data from two late-stage human trials of its experimental insomnia drug, suvorexant. The compound—which promotes sleep through an entirely different pathway in the brain than those targeted by the drugs on the market today—achieved 15 … Continue reading “Merck Sleep Drug Hits Trial Goals, Raising Hopes for New Blockbuster”
Arctic Sand, Nanocomp, Expressor, & More From the Boston Deals Roundup
Things seem to have slowed down a bit after the flurry of New England startup funding news last week. —Concord, NH-based Nanocomp Technologies said it inked a financial and strategic partnership with DuPont (NYSE: [[ticker:DD]]), which will participate in the startup’s $25 million Series C round. Dupont will also incorporate Nanocomp’s carbon nanotube materials into its … Continue reading “Arctic Sand, Nanocomp, Expressor, & More From the Boston Deals Roundup”