Nasseo, a medical device startup with new technology for dental and orthopedic implants, won the sixth annual UC San Diego Entrepreneur Challenge, a competition for seed-stage startups. The challenge has been drawing broader interest among students and young scientists training in labs throughout Torrey Pines Mesa, where many of San Diego’s elite biomedical research institutes … Continue reading “Dental Implant Startup Wins Top Prize at UCSD Entrepreneur Challenge”
Category: National
Metabolic Solutions Announces New Findings in Diabetes Treatment
Kalamazoo, MI-based Metabolic Solutions Development Company, a company formed to develop drugs and discover new molecular targets in the treatment of insulin resistance, spent the weekend in Philadephia for the American Diabetes Association conference. While there, company officials presented findings about a newly discovered protein complex through which anti-diabetic drugs exert their insulin-sensitizing effects, says Metabolic Solutions … Continue reading “Metabolic Solutions Announces New Findings in Diabetes Treatment”
Igenica Pulls in $33M to Fight Cancer With Antibodies
Targeted antibody drugs are in the news on an almost daily basis, and Burlingame, CA-based Igenica is benefiting from the surge of progress. The startup antibody drug developer said today it has raised $33 million in a Series C venture financing. New investor Third Rock Ventures led the round, which included existing investors The Column … Continue reading “Igenica Pulls in $33M to Fight Cancer With Antibodies”
Here Are the 10 XSITE Xpo Startups: See You Thursday
Here at Xconomy, we are going a little startup crazy. That’s because this Thursday, June 14, we will play host to one of the region’s largest gatherings of startups and entrepreneurs at XSITE 2012, our annual Xconomy Summit on Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship conference at Babson College, co-hosted by Olin College. It won’t be exclusively … Continue reading “Here Are the 10 XSITE Xpo Startups: See You Thursday”
Hamburgers, Coffee, Guitars, and Cars: A Report from Lemnos Labs
Maybe your fallback plan in case your Silicon Valley startup goes bust was flipping burgers at McDonald’s? Well, you might want to rethink that. Even this classic refuge for low-skilled workers is about to be taken over by robots, if Momentum Machines has its way. Momentum is one of four startups emerging this summer from … Continue reading “Hamburgers, Coffee, Guitars, and Cars: A Report from Lemnos Labs”
Wifarer’s Smartphone App Makes Sense of the Great Indoors
The inspiration behind Wifarer, an indoor positioning technology company, came to CEO and co-founder Philip Stanger during a visit to the National Portrait Gallery in London in 2005. As he followed one docent around the museum, he realized that a nearby tour had a better one. “I started following the other one, who was contextualizing … Continue reading “Wifarer’s Smartphone App Makes Sense of the Great Indoors”
Qualcomm Offers Cash Prizes for Mobile Apps at Uplinq Hackathon
The X Prize Foundation likes to say its first $10 million prize (for successfully demonstrating a private rocket can reach space) has multiplied 100-fold, resulting in a $1 billion private space industry—not to mention the benefits of worldwide media coverage in 2004, when SpaceShipOne claimed the prize. In recent years, it’s become increasingly clear that … Continue reading “Qualcomm Offers Cash Prizes for Mobile Apps at Uplinq Hackathon”
Acucela, Turning 10, Gears Up for Pivotal Test With Eye Drug
Any one of a thousand little decisions can trip up an experimental drug on its long journey to the marketplace. Now, after 10 years in business, Seattle-based Acucela will be making a lot of important decisions that will determine whether it someday sells a drug that could help many people from going blind. Acucela, along … Continue reading “Acucela, Turning 10, Gears Up for Pivotal Test With Eye Drug”
JOBS Act: Important Benefits for Startups Not on the IPO On-Ramp
The JOBS Act is probably best-known for creating an “IPO on ramp” intended to reduce the cost and complexity of going public, but the act also contains important benefits for startups that are years away from an IPO, or never plan to go public. By loosening decades-old restrictions on private fundraising, permitting a new financing … Continue reading “JOBS Act: Important Benefits for Startups Not on the IPO On-Ramp”
Moda Operandi Founder, HBS Alum Talks Fashion Curation, Data, and Fit
Moda Operandi, the New York-based startup that allows shoppers to pre-order pieces from luxury runway collections, announced a $36 million Series C round late last week. That’s from a company that had only launched its shopping service a little over a year ago. The round was led by new investor RRE Ventures, and included return … Continue reading “Moda Operandi Founder, HBS Alum Talks Fashion Curation, Data, and Fit”
Fundraising Notes: Xenon Arc, Concurix, Red Loop
Xenon Arc, a semi-stealthy provider of software services for materials manufacturers, has filled out its Series A fundraising to a total of $22 million, CEO Chad Steigers says. The Bellevue, WA-based company had previously reported a $15 million commitment from private equity firm Weston Presidio. Steigers says new cash came in the form of options that … Continue reading “Fundraising Notes: Xenon Arc, Concurix, Red Loop”
Shire Unveils Plan for SD Campus, Regenerative Medicine Expansion
Shire (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SHPGY]]), the Irish drug giant that acquired San Diego’s Advanced BioHealing a year ago, says today it has been working with San Diego-based BioMed Realty Trust to develop a corporate campus in San Diego as part of a substantial expansion of its regenerative medicine business. The move is expected to generate “several hundred … Continue reading “Shire Unveils Plan for SD Campus, Regenerative Medicine Expansion”
DramaFever Digs Up $1.5M More to Distribute Global TV Shows
New York’s DramaFever announced today it raised another $1.5 million with backing from AMC Networks, NALA Investments, Bertelsmann Digital Media, and others. This is in addition to the $4.5 million the Internet TV startup raised in March in a round led by MK Capital. Seung Bak, a co-founder of DramaFever, says the latest funding helped … Continue reading “DramaFever Digs Up $1.5M More to Distribute Global TV Shows”
From Jeopardy to Fighting Cancer—IBM’s Watson at XSITE on Thursday
It was a much-publicized human vs. computer challenge match—and it wasn’t good for the humans early last year, when the IBM supercomputer Watson handily beat two of Jeopardy’s top human contestants ever to win a $1 million prize. But while Big Blue donated its winnings to charity, the intended benefits of Watson, of course, came … Continue reading “From Jeopardy to Fighting Cancer—IBM’s Watson at XSITE on Thursday”
Ready or Not, Genomics is Coming to a Hospital Near You
First came genomics for scientists. Then came genomics for Big Pharma. But this year, at a faster pace than many industry insiders anticipated, we’re seeing genomics enter the world of real-life care for patients. This idea would have sounded like science fiction a couple years ago. It took researchers 13 years and about $3 billion … Continue reading “Ready or Not, Genomics is Coming to a Hospital Near You”
FDA Clears New Genentech Breast Cancer Drug, in Combo With Herceptin
The FDA gave Genentech the news it was hoping for late today, by giving the South San Francisco-based biotech company clearance to start selling a new drug for about one-fourth of women with breast cancer. Genentech, a unit of Switzerland-based Roche, said today it received approval from the FDA to start marketing pertuzumab (Perjeta) as a … Continue reading “FDA Clears New Genentech Breast Cancer Drug, in Combo With Herceptin”
Ford’s Sustainability Roadmap: From EVs to a Future Beyond Cars
When Dan Kapp, Ford’s director of power-train research and advanced engineering, came through San Diego a week or so before Christmas, he told me the first all-electric Focus cars would arrive here in time for Valentine’s Day. Yesterday, the Focus EV road show came through town again as part of a promotional tour ahead of … Continue reading “Ford’s Sustainability Roadmap: From EVs to a Future Beyond Cars”
Ministry of Supply Puts MIT Engineering Cred Into Dress Shirts
There’s a startup in town that’s turning to Kickstarter—the crowdsourced funding platform—to support its newest product. The team is made up of MIT product designers, engineers, and MBAs, and has tested its technology in MIT labs, even incorporating a coating developed by NASA into its newest product So what is that product, you ask? Men’s … Continue reading “Ministry of Supply Puts MIT Engineering Cred Into Dress Shirts”
Sakti3 Founder Sastry to Step Down From U-M
Detroit Xconomist Ann Marie Sastry, founder and CEO of the advanced battery startup Sakti3, has announced that she is stepping down from her post at the University of Michigan, where she has served as the Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, and Materials Science and Engineering. Sastry will be honored at a … Continue reading “Sakti3 Founder Sastry to Step Down From U-M”
Nabeel Hyatt and Mok Oh to Talk Consumer Tech at XSITE 2012
Five words: Nabeel Hyatt and Mok Oh. Five questions: What’s hot in consumer tech? What comes after the lean startup model? How does Nabeel like the VC life? How does Mok like Silicon Valley compared to Boston? What else should we talk about? So many questions, so little time. I’ll be moderating a chat with … Continue reading “Nabeel Hyatt and Mok Oh to Talk Consumer Tech at XSITE 2012”
Fred Hutch Spinoff Blaze Bioscience Pulls in $5M For ‘Tumor Paint’
Surgeons in the business of cutting out tumors have to wonder whether they are getting rid of the whole malignancy, or whether some of the cancer is being left behind to relapse someday. Now a Seattle-based biotech startup, Blaze Bioscience, has raised some significant money to develop technology that helps doctors see during surgery, in … Continue reading “Fred Hutch Spinoff Blaze Bioscience Pulls in $5M For ‘Tumor Paint’”
Q&A: Group Commerce Plans Hires, European Growth with $21M Funding
Years ago it might have seemed strange to see publishers and media companies getting into e-commerce, but New York-based Group Commerce is helping them do just that these days. Working with players such as The New York Times, Thrillist, and DailyCandy, Group Commerce offers content publishers a platform to bring in more cash with deals … Continue reading “Q&A: Group Commerce Plans Hires, European Growth with $21M Funding”
The TV Revolution Will Be in Slow-Mo, Says Flingo CEO
Henry Blodget, the CEO and editor-in-chief of Business Insider, argued in a column this week that the television industry could suffer a sudden revenue collapse as consumers shift their TV viewing to on-demand, Internet-mediated services like Netflix and iTunes. Blodget thinks network and cable executives are in denial about the danger—just as newspaper publishers were … Continue reading “The TV Revolution Will Be in Slow-Mo, Says Flingo CEO”
Rhythm, Ariad, PerkinElmer, & More Boston Life Sciences Newsmakers
Funding, clinical updates, and a new innovation center made up this week’s New England life sciences news. —In his recent BioBeat column, Xconomy national biotech editor Luke Timmerman explored reasons why biotech startups might change their names. One of the recent examples was Cambridge, MA-based Aveo Oncology (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AVEO]]), which changed its name from Aveo … Continue reading “Rhythm, Ariad, PerkinElmer, & More Boston Life Sciences Newsmakers”
AT&T Exec: No `Jihad’ Between Carriers & Over-the-Top Apps
Among startups and app developers, it’s pretty close to gospel that major wireless carriers are slow to adapt and hard to work with. One high-ranking AT&T executive says that’s changing, even if the pace may seem slow from the outside. “We know what’s going on. We embrace what’s going on,” says Abhi Ingle, AT&T’s vice … Continue reading “AT&T Exec: No `Jihad’ Between Carriers & Over-the-Top Apps”
Six Startups Pack their Bags for Turner’s Media Camp
A few days ago I wrote about Media Camp, a new San Francisco-based startup accelerator sponsored by Turner Broadcasting, and said there’d be news soon about the first class of startups admitted to the program. Well, there’s news. Turner unveiled the names of the six startups in an announcement today. The companies, some of which … Continue reading “Six Startups Pack their Bags for Turner’s Media Camp”
Thoughts on Civic Pride, German Journalists, and Serendipity in Detroit
I’ve had the pleasure of spending some time lately with Lu Yen Roloff, a German journalist visiting Detroit, gathering information for radio and magazine pieces about the state of social entrepreneurship in our city. If nothing else, she learned something about the social serendipity that seems to hide in every corner of Detroit, waiting to … Continue reading “Thoughts on Civic Pride, German Journalists, and Serendipity in Detroit”
What’s Actually Interesting About LevelUp: Seth Priebatsch on Money & Merchants
“That’s honestly the least interesting thing we’re up to at the moment,” says Seth Priebatsch of Boston-based startup SCVNGR. And I believe him, mostly. He’s talking about the $12 million financing his company announced today. The money, the first installment of what Priebatsch says will be a larger financing round, comes from a couple of … Continue reading “What’s Actually Interesting About LevelUp: Seth Priebatsch on Money & Merchants”
SD Biotech Roundup: Astute Raises $40M, Correlation Tries New VC Model
Here’s a short, but interesting roundup of life sciences news over the past week. —San Diego-based Astute Medical, which targets certain biomarkers to rapidly diagnose sepsis and other acute conditions, says today it has raised $40.4 million in a Series C Financing led by MPM Capital and Kaiser Permanente Ventures. The company raised roughly the … Continue reading “SD Biotech Roundup: Astute Raises $40M, Correlation Tries New VC Model”
Getaround Aims to Tackle “Car Overpopulation”
Car-sharing service Getaround burst on the scene a year ago a when it emerged as the big winner at TechCrunch Disrupt in New York, capturing the $50,000 prize. The San Francisco-based car sharing service put a twist on the usual model, allowing car owners to rent their vehicles out to the carless for an hourly … Continue reading “Getaround Aims to Tackle “Car Overpopulation””
NEVCA, Common Angels XSITE Startup Tickets Still Up for Grabs
We’re just one week away from the fourth annual Xconomy Summit on Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship, and we are excited to announce that CommonAngels and the New England Venture Capital Association each have five tickets remaining to give away to startups looking to attend the event. The theme of XSITE 2012 is Accelerating Innovation, and … Continue reading “NEVCA, Common Angels XSITE Startup Tickets Still Up for Grabs”
Agrivida Launches Field Production Of Engineered Plants, Plans C Round
Agrivida—the Medford, MA-based startup that is “engineering plants that can break themselves down into sugars,” according to founder and president R. Michael Raab—is scaling up. The startup has been developing its technology in labs and greenhouses since 2003, and earlier this week announced that it had rolled out industrial-sized fields to grow its plants, which … Continue reading “Agrivida Launches Field Production Of Engineered Plants, Plans C Round”
Bristol-Myers Wrangles Top Academics to Study Immunity in Cancer
On May 29, New York-based drug giant Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: [[ticker:BMY]]) announced a major international cancer-research initiative—news that got a bit overshadowed by the biggest cancer conference of the year, which started in Chicago just a few days later. But the new group that the company unveiled that day, called the International Immuno-Oncology Network, is … Continue reading “Bristol-Myers Wrangles Top Academics to Study Immunity in Cancer”
AmberWave Rises Again as Solar Startup: Insights from Investor Russ Wilcox
Has the sun set on the U.S. solar industry? Not in New Hampshire it hasn’t. AmberWave of Salem, NH, has risen from the ashes of AmberWave Systems, a semiconductor company that started in 1998 and shut its doors in 2010 after raising some $91 million to develop “strained silicon” technology for faster and more energy-efficient … Continue reading “AmberWave Rises Again as Solar Startup: Insights from Investor Russ Wilcox”
Genentech Eagerly Awaits FDA Word on 2nd Breast Cancer Drug
Genentech came out with the first targeted antibody drug for breast cancer almost 15 years ago, and made headlines this week with a “supercharged” version that beats the original. What fewer people may realize is that it’s also gearing up this week to start selling a new and different targeted drug for breast cancer. The … Continue reading “Genentech Eagerly Awaits FDA Word on 2nd Breast Cancer Drug”
A Big Crowd and Signs of Increasing VC Activity Mark SD Venture Summit
“Clearly, there’s more activity here today than there was a year or two ago,” Dave Titus said as he was making final preparations for today’s San Diego Venture Group Summit. As a litmus test for San Diego’s innovation economy, the signals coming out of the annual event were all green. More than 640 people registered, … Continue reading “A Big Crowd and Signs of Increasing VC Activity Mark SD Venture Summit”
Emerging Challenges of Prostate Cancer Drug Development
The world’s largest cancer meeting of scientists, physicians and industry has just ended in Chicago. The annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) attracted over 30,000 attendees to hear leading experts on the latest in cancer drug development. From what I heard at ASCO, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies with new prostate cancer … Continue reading “Emerging Challenges of Prostate Cancer Drug Development”
Crashlytics Buys FireTower, Gears Up for WWDC Bash as Post-PC Era Dawns
It’s not always the terms of an acquisition that make it interesting. Sometimes it’s the stuff going on around it. That’s usually the case for young, fast-moving fields of technology and business that have yet to coalesce into something stable. And that’s a good thing, because I can’t tell you all that much about the … Continue reading “Crashlytics Buys FireTower, Gears Up for WWDC Bash as Post-PC Era Dawns”
FDA Rejects Ariad/Merck Sarcoma Pill, Wall Street Unfazed
When the FDA gave the thumbs-down last night to ridaforolimus (Taltorvic)—a drug being co-developed by Ariad Pharmaceuticals and Merck to treat metastatic soft-tissue sarcoma or bone sarcoma—investors barely flinched. Shares of Cambridge, MA-based Ariad (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ARIA]]) closed last night at $16.20, dropped a bit in after-hours trading, but were up to $16.68 just after the opening … Continue reading “FDA Rejects Ariad/Merck Sarcoma Pill, Wall Street Unfazed”
Join Us for a Twitter Chat with Atlas Venture’s Fred Destin Today at 3pm ET
If you’ve been wanting to ask Fred Destin something, here’s your chance. I’ll be hosting a 30-minute Twitter chat with the esteemed VC from Atlas Venture today, starting at 3 pm ET. What’s the occasion? Well, Destin will be speaking on a venture panel at XSITE 2012, Xconomy’s biggest conference of the year, on June … Continue reading “Join Us for a Twitter Chat with Atlas Venture’s Fred Destin Today at 3pm ET”
Kineta, Playing for Bunt Singles, Builds a Biotech Company Without VC Bucks
One of the best-financed biotech startups in Seattle of the last five years hasn’t raised a dime of traditional venture capital. If Kineta can show it delivers returns without such VC backing, then it could provide an interesting alternative example of how to build a biotech company on a series of bunt singles, instead of … Continue reading “Kineta, Playing for Bunt Singles, Builds a Biotech Company Without VC Bucks”
GetTaxi Grabs $20M from Access Industries, Catches a Ride to New York
An Israeli startup is bringing its Web and mobile app to the United States to help people who are tired of waving, whistling, and dancing around to hail cabs in busy cities. GetTaxi announced today it raised $20 million, largely a follow-on investment from Access Industries, to help put its app to work in New … Continue reading “GetTaxi Grabs $20M from Access Industries, Catches a Ride to New York”
Bayer Oncology Dubs ASCO “Turning Point” for Cancer Efforts
If one were to list the top cancer drugmakers of all time, it’s fair to say Bayer wouldn’t make the top 10. Despite the German drug giant’s leadership position across the healthcare spectrum—from over-the-counter aspirin to diabetes glucose-testing meters—it has never made much of a splash in cancer. In 2000, Bayer’s (OTCBB: [[ticker:BAYRY]]) top executives … Continue reading “Bayer Oncology Dubs ASCO “Turning Point” for Cancer Efforts”
Boston Deals Span Skill Tests, Mobile Offers, and Cloud Archiving
Updated 6/6/12, 4:20 am. See below. New England tech startups took the funding spotlight this week, for their offerings ranging from cloud archiving to online skill tests. —Newton, MA-based cloud archiving startup Sonian raised $13.6 million led by new investor OpenView Venture Partners. The deal also included Sonian investors Prism VentureWorks and Summerhill Venture Partners, and … Continue reading “Boston Deals Span Skill Tests, Mobile Offers, and Cloud Archiving”
Bigger Isn’t Better: Why Madrona Capped its New Fund at $300M
Madrona Venture Group could have gone bigger than $300 million for its already oversubscribed fifth venture fund. Much bigger, managing director Matt McIlwain says. So why stop raising money? Well, the few-hundred-million range has worked out pretty well for the Seattle venture firm, which focuses mostly on early stage deals for local technology entrepreneurs. Every … Continue reading “Bigger Isn’t Better: Why Madrona Capped its New Fund at $300M”
Covario Expands Rio SEO Product Line with Top Local Search Deal
San Diego’s Covario, which provides search marketing services for Fortune 500 companies, says today it has acquired Top Local Search, a San Diego-based firm that provides “hyperlocal” search engine optimization (SEO) products and services. Covario plans to combine Top Local Search with its new Rio SEO business unit, which was created in April to serve … Continue reading “Covario Expands Rio SEO Product Line with Top Local Search Deal”
Madrona Raises $300M New Fund, Focus Stays on NW
Madrona Venture Group, one of the top VC firms in the Seattle area, has raised a new $300 million fund that will continue the firm’s focus on early stage investments in the Pacific Northwest. It’s the fifth fund for Madrona, whose previous, $250 million fund dates to 2008. In a statement, Madrona says its new fund … Continue reading “Madrona Raises $300M New Fund, Focus Stays on NW”
Rubicon Genomics Launches New DNA Amplification Technology
Late last month, Ann Arbor-based Rubicon Genomics launched its new ThruPlex technology, which uses enzymology to repair and amplify DNA molecules in samples that were previously too small or too degraded to be tested. Rubicon CEO James Koziarz describes the technology as a front end for “next generation sequencing.” ThruPlex can be used with samples as small as … Continue reading “Rubicon Genomics Launches New DNA Amplification Technology”
Donuts Chases New Crop of Internet Addresses with $100M
The rush for Internet real estate is on once again, and a new Seattle-area company says it’s raised more than $100 million in a bid for hundreds of new domain names. Donuts Inc., a startup founded by veterans in the Internet domain industry, says it has applied for the rights to 307 top-level domains in … Continue reading “Donuts Chases New Crop of Internet Addresses with $100M”
With Media Camp, Turner Broadcasting Hedges Against a Digital Future
Every recent tome on corporate innovation preaches the same basic truth: big companies need to keep taking risks on new products and business models, or they’ll eventually lose market share to nimbler upstarts. It turns out that this is easier said than done—and big media companies like newspaper chains and record labels have been among … Continue reading “With Media Camp, Turner Broadcasting Hedges Against a Digital Future”