Microsoft Research announced today that it’s adding a 13th site to its fold, with the creation of Microsoft Research New York City. Jennifer Chayes, managing director of Cambridge, MA-based Microsoft Research New England, will lead both campuses, which will function as “sister labs,” she says. A month or so into baseball season, it’s a bit … Continue reading “Microsoft Adds NYC Research Site Targeting Social Science Questions”
Category: National
Geeks on a Train Coming to NY, Boston on May 24 to Foster Intercity Innovation
While a good chunk of the startup community is celebrating TechStars Boston demo day with various pre- and post-parties, I thought I’d take the opportunity to think outside the local box for a moment. I’m talking about Geeks on a Train, and it’s headed our way on May 24. If you’ve heard of Geeks on … Continue reading “Geeks on a Train Coming to NY, Boston on May 24 to Foster Intercity Innovation”
Box Looks to New York, Boston, and Seattle for Innovation
At a time when new rivals are emerging in the file-sharing industry, Box in Palo Alto, CA, is looking to New York and other markets as potential destinations for opening new offices and finding talent. Box is a venture-backed startup that has made name for itself in Silicon Valley. In recent weeks, however, the company … Continue reading “Box Looks to New York, Boston, and Seattle for Innovation”
Virtual Biotech Companies: Built on Solid Bedrock or Unstable Landfill?
A recent meeting focused on “Reinventing Biotech’s Business Model” provided an interesting window into the spectrum of approaches being used to create new biotech companies. Unfortunately, it did little to relieve the concerns I recently voiced regarding the expanding numbers of “virtual” biotechs. This model is becoming a popular archetype for the creation of new … Continue reading “Virtual Biotech Companies: Built on Solid Bedrock or Unstable Landfill?”
See You at “The Future of Robotics” at SRI Today
The robots are coming—to SRI International in Menlo Park, that is, where the crew of Xconomy San Francisco is looking forward to welcoming a big crowd at The Future of Robotics in Silicon Valley and Beyond. This is our first attempt at organizing a half-day conference on robots, how they’re changing our lives, and how … Continue reading “See You at “The Future of Robotics” at SRI Today”
Buying SD’s Ortiva Wireless Adds Video Optimization to Allot’s Tools
Israel’s Allot Communications (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ALLT]]), which optimizes data traffic and performance for both fixed and mobile broadband networks, says it is acquiring San Diego-based Ortiva Wireless, which specializes in optimizing video streaming across wireless networks. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Ortiva CEO Marc Zionts, who was working to finalize the deal this … Continue reading “Buying SD’s Ortiva Wireless Adds Video Optimization to Allot’s Tools”
Genomic Health, OncoMed Team Up on Personalized Cancer Drug Work
Cancer drugmakers and diagnostics companies rarely find ways to work together early in the product development process, because corporate priorities, budgets and timelines rarely match up. But Genomic Health and OncoMed Pharmaceuticals are teaming up at an early stage to try to improve the odds they’ll come up with better ways of tailoring cancer treatment … Continue reading “Genomic Health, OncoMed Team Up on Personalized Cancer Drug Work”
Zillow Buys RentJuice for $40M, Reports Record Revenue
Zillow, one of the country’s leading online real-estate companies, is acquiring San Francisco-based RentJuice to beef up its growing professional services business. Zillow is paying $40 million in cash for the smaller company, which is the second acquisition Zillow has made since going public last July. In a statement, Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff said the … Continue reading “Zillow Buys RentJuice for $40M, Reports Record Revenue”
After 6 Years and $26M, Insolvent Chumby Selling Remaining Assets
Alas, poor Chumby! We knew him well. The Internet-enabled device of infinite jest and excellent fancy is now the unfortunate subject of an asset sale supervised by a trustee—Insolvency Services Group of Beverly Hills, CA, according to Mike Freeman, who broke the story in today’s U-T San Diego. To the creditors go the spoils. As … Continue reading “After 6 Years and $26M, Insolvent Chumby Selling Remaining Assets”
Amazon Expands Content-Creation Play with Original TV Show Project
Amazon.com’s ambitions in signing up content creators are taking another step forward. The company is now showing off the details of its new TV programming project for Amazon Studios, an entertainment division that had thus far been focused on developing movie scripts. Any shows would be piped to viewers over Amazon’s streaming video service, which … Continue reading “Amazon Expands Content-Creation Play with Original TV Show Project”
Bursting the Education Bubble: MIT and Harvard’s edX Is Just the Beginning
If the higher-education bubble bursts, it may well start in Boston. That would be fitting, given how many universities, students, and education-focused tech innovators we have here in the Northeast. Yes, I know the premise of such a bubble is controversial. But anyone dealing with the skyrocketing costs of college tuition, coupled with the high … Continue reading “Bursting the Education Bubble: MIT and Harvard’s edX Is Just the Beginning”
Wantful’s Customized Catalogs Aim to Bring Back Thoughtful Gift Giving
I’m not the kind of person who loves to flip through retail catalogs. I’m very goal-directed when it comes to shopping, and to me, a typical catalog is just a confusing mish-mash of miscellaneous merchandise that takes too much time and effort to sift through. But if somebody gave me a catalog where every item … Continue reading “Wantful’s Customized Catalogs Aim to Bring Back Thoughtful Gift Giving”
Boston Deals: Hologic, CustomMade, and the MIT Clean Energy Prize
New England clean energy, life sciences, and Internet startups pulled in funding this week. Plus there was some big acquisition news. —Hologic (NASDAQ: [[ticker:HOLX]]), a Bedford, MA-based maker of women’s health products, said Monday it will acquire San Diego-based molecular diagnostics company Gen-Probe for $82.75 a share, for a total of $3.7 billion. The deal represents a … Continue reading “Boston Deals: Hologic, CustomMade, and the MIT Clean Energy Prize”
Pfizer Takes on Genzyme With New Gaucher Drug
Last night, just hours after New York drug giant Pfizer (NYSE: [[ticker:PFE]]) reported first-quarter profits that suffered from generic competition on its blockbuster cholesterol drug atorvastatin (Lipitor), the company announced that the FDA approved its new drug to treat Gaucher Disease. It was easy to overlook the news. Pfizer’s net income in the quarter announced … Continue reading “Pfizer Takes on Genzyme With New Gaucher Drug”
Giffen Solutions, Created by Fed-Up Doc, Connects MDs and Patients
Michael Nusbaum rarely thought twice about giving his personal cell phone number to patients after he operated on them. Nusbaum is a bariatric surgeon at New Jersey’s Morristown Medical Center, and he wanted patients to be able to reach him easily by phone or text. But then he found out that sending text messages to … Continue reading “Giffen Solutions, Created by Fed-Up Doc, Connects MDs and Patients”
The Affymetrix Alumni: Where Are They Now?
[Updated: 3:55 pm PT, 5/3/12] Affymetrix changed the way researchers thought about genetics in the mid-‘90s when it developed the original DNA microarrays, which it trademarked as “GeneChips.” The Santa Clara company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AFFX]]) attracted bright minds from all over the world to test their skills in biology and semiconductor technology. Now in its 20th anniversary … Continue reading “The Affymetrix Alumni: Where Are They Now?”
5 Things to Do Before the New Patent Law Takes Full Effect
On September 16, 2011, President Obama signed into law the America Invents Act, the most important modification to U.S. patent law in 60 years—and some even argue, since 1836. Some changes went into effect immediately, such as fee penalties for submitting paper applications and strict rules on when multiple defendants can be joined together in … Continue reading “5 Things to Do Before the New Patent Law Takes Full Effect”
ArdentCause Scores New Investment From Philanthropic Accelerator
ArdentCause, the Ferndale, MI-based startup that has developed software to help nonprofits manage resources and track the progress of grantees, recently received funding from the Southfield, MI-based Mission Throttle, a philanthropic accelerator, by way of the Detroit Development Fund. Though ArdentCause co-founder Kathleen Norton-Schock declines to specify the amount of the investment, she will say … Continue reading “ArdentCause Scores New Investment From Philanthropic Accelerator”
Zmags CEO Talks Future of E-Commerce and Marketing (Think iPad)
The Boston area has a distinguished history of companies with innovative approaches to e-commerce and digital marketing. From Art Technology Group (now part of Oracle) to Demandware (which went public in March) in helping brands boost sales online; from Wayfair to Gemvara in new approaches to e-retail sites; from HubSpot to Constant Contact in Web … Continue reading “Zmags CEO Talks Future of E-Commerce and Marketing (Think iPad)”
How Startups Will Disrupt the Food Business: A New Video Feast
Here in the Bay Area, we love startups, and we love food. So it stands to reason that we’d love startups working to transform the way the food industry works. And indeed, just as you’d expect, the region is home to one of the largest clusters of food-related startups anywhere, as I documented in my … Continue reading “How Startups Will Disrupt the Food Business: A New Video Feast”
How Innovation Dies
Faced with disruptive innovation, you can be sure any possibility for innovation dies when a company forms a committee for an “overarching strategy.” I was reminded how innovation dies when the e-mail below arrived in my inbox. It was well written, thoughtful, and had a clearly articulated sense of purpose. You may have seen one … Continue reading “How Innovation Dies”
San Diego’s EcoATM Raises $17M As It Builds Recycling Cash Machine
San Diego’s EcoATM is ringing up $17 million in a Series B round of venture funding today to expand the operation of its automated kiosks, which recycle cell phones and other handheld electronic devices and immediately dispense cash or gift cards. After deploying several generations of its kiosks in shopping malls, retail stores, and companies … Continue reading “San Diego’s EcoATM Raises $17M As It Builds Recycling Cash Machine”
Innovation Report Shows San Diego Added 695 Tech Jobs at End of 2011
San Diego’s innovation economy added 75 new technology companies and 695 jobs during the last three months of 2011, according to the Connect Innovation Report for the fourth quarter of 2011. New jobs created in San Diego’s innovation sector during the fourth quarter of 2011 accounted for more than half of the 1,182 jobs added … Continue reading “Innovation Report Shows San Diego Added 695 Tech Jobs at End of 2011”
Signpost Grabs $3.75M in Funding, Hires from AOL, and Moves into New Office
New York–startup Signpost says today it closed a $3.75 million Series A funding round led by Spark Capital. Signpost, an advertising platform that helps small merchants get their deals published online, previously raised more than $1 million. Its backers include Google Ventures and angel investors. Signpost isn’t just another Groupon. The company serves as a … Continue reading “Signpost Grabs $3.75M in Funding, Hires from AOL, and Moves into New Office”
SEOmoz Raises $18M from Brad Feld, Sees a Possible Path to IPO
SEOmoz, the Seattle-based provider of online marketing software, has raised $18 million in venture financing to fuel its expansion in the growing sectors of social media, online publishing, and search engine optimization. The profitable company, always refreshingly open about its performance, says it doubled revenue last year to $11.7 million and is projecting revenue growth … Continue reading “SEOmoz Raises $18M from Brad Feld, Sees a Possible Path to IPO”
Mersana Adds $4M For Next-Generation “Armed” Cancer Drugs
Cambridge, MA-based Mersana Therapeutics is working in one of the hottest areas of biotech research—it’s figuring out new ways to attach potent anti-cancer drugs to specialized molecules that deliver the medicine directly to tumors while sparing healthy tissue. Now the company has added $4 million to a previously disclosed debt round that brought in $10 … Continue reading “Mersana Adds $4M For Next-Generation “Armed” Cancer Drugs”
San Diego BizTech Roundup: Independa, Zui.com, Bandsintown, and More
It was a light week for tech news in San Diego. Our roundup today is short and sweet. —Fueled by strong growth over the past nine months, San Diego’s Zui.com introduced “Facetube,” a social network intended to empower pre-teens to share age-appropriate content. The company that began in 2008 as KidZui also re-branded itself earlier … Continue reading “San Diego BizTech Roundup: Independa, Zui.com, Bandsintown, and More”
Berwick’s Advice: Cost-Effectiveness Is Here to Stay
Dr. Donald Berwick, the former administrator of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, held his post from July 2010 until December 2011 (about 18 months if you’re counting), before resigning in the face of sustained Senate opposition to confirmation. He has kept a fairly low profile since his departure from the agency, but he … Continue reading “Berwick’s Advice: Cost-Effectiveness Is Here to Stay”
Hologic Buys Gen-Probe for $3.7B, Making Molecular Diagnostics Push
Hologic has made big-money acquisitions before, and today it’s making another sizable one. The Bedford, MA-based maker of women’s health products (NASDAQ: [[ticker:HOLX]]) said today it has agreed to purchase San Diego-based Gen-Probe (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GPRO]]), a molecular diagnostics company, for $3.7 billion, or $82.75 a share. The price represents a 20 percent premium over Gen-Probe’s … Continue reading “Hologic Buys Gen-Probe for $3.7B, Making Molecular Diagnostics Push”
New Health IT Initiative Takes Cognitive Medical Beyond Military
Doug Burke, president of Cognitive Medical Systems, tells me this morning the San Diego-based health IT startup is implementing a wireless clinical support system for the Perinatal Quality Collaborative of North Carolina. The startup will integrate its health IT system and analytics platform with handheld devices that doctors and other health care providers can use … Continue reading “New Health IT Initiative Takes Cognitive Medical Beyond Military”
Abroad101 Aims to Be TripAdvisor for Study Abroad, Seeks Series A
There’s a matchmaking startup in town that’s in the midst of raising its Series A round. I’m not talking about an online dating service, though. “We’re like an eHarmony for study abroad programs,” says Mike Stone, co-founder and president of said startup, Abroad101. The Boston-based company was one of the winners of the inaugural section … Continue reading “Abroad101 Aims to Be TripAdvisor for Study Abroad, Seeks Series A”
Biotech IPOs Start to Show Some Modest Signs of Life
[Updated: 2:10 pm ET, 5/2/12] Something feels wrong about putting the words “biotech” and “IPO” together in a headline. This market has been lifeless for so long that few investors even play the game anymore. Biotech entrepreneurs I talk to seem to feel a bit sheepish about saying they are considering an IPO, probably because … Continue reading “Biotech IPOs Start to Show Some Modest Signs of Life”
Michigan State Creates Spartan Innovations to Launch Spin-Offs
Michigan State University is stepping up its efforts to turn research into viable startups with the newly formed subsidiary Spartan Innovations, which will help the university’s faculty and students form spin-off companies based on technology developed at MSU, while also building the local culture of entrepreneurship. “Our goal is to accelerate the formation of companies … Continue reading “Michigan State Creates Spartan Innovations to Launch Spin-Offs”
Taking Open Biology to the Next Level: Notes from the Sage Congress
Last week, attendees of Sage Bionetworks’ 3rd Annual Congress came to San Francisco with the bold charge to speed up drug discovery and ready to stand on the shoulders of the previous two Congresses to take the nascent open source biology movement from a thinking to a doing stage. Pitched as “Building Better Models of … Continue reading “Taking Open Biology to the Next Level: Notes from the Sage Congress”
Big Fish Games Founder Thelen Back in CEO Job
Updated 4:15 pm with comment The surprising announcement that Big Fish Games CEO Jeremy Lewis was stepping aside was a planned change of power that puts the focus on founder Paul Thelen’s expertise in gaming and product development, Thelen says. “It was in the planning with both Jeremy and myself, and the board, for a … Continue reading “Big Fish Games Founder Thelen Back in CEO Job”
SD Life Sciences Roundup: Amylin, Illumina, AstraZeneca Acquires Ardea, & More
Some big changes are underway in San Diego, with AstraZeneca’s big buyout of Ardea Biosciences and Illumina’s ambitious bid to develop an app store. There’s big biology and big data happening too. —Illumina (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ILMN]]), the San Diego maker of DNA sequencing instruments, unveiled its plan to create Basespace Apps, an open platform for genomic … Continue reading “SD Life Sciences Roundup: Amylin, Illumina, AstraZeneca Acquires Ardea, & More”
New NYC Accelerator Boosts Health IT Startups
The New York eHealth Collaborative announced yesterday that it has created a new incubator, called the New York Digital Health Accelerator. The program, which is now accepting applications for its first class of 12 startups, will be run by the collaborative, in cooperation with the New York City Investment Fund. The impetus for the new … Continue reading “New NYC Accelerator Boosts Health IT Startups”
Women’s Founders Forum Offers Moral Support for Startups Across Harvard
There was a set of startup presentations happening in the Boston area this week, and unlike the demo day events for incubators like TechStars or MassChallenge, the goal wasn’t to get money. “Don’t think pitch and tell,” says Harvard Business School senior lecturer Janet Kraus. “The purpose is to help them understand what the next … Continue reading “Women’s Founders Forum Offers Moral Support for Startups Across Harvard”
Hey, Silicon Valley: Wake Up and Smell the Robots
Investors and entrepreneurs in the Bay Area pride themselves on being the first to identify and exploit new technologies with huge commercial potential. And they’ve earned the right to be a little cocky. Since 1960, Silicon Valley companies have been the pacesetters in four consecutive infotech revolutions (semiconductors, personal computers, the Internet, and mobile). It’s … Continue reading “Hey, Silicon Valley: Wake Up and Smell the Robots”
Genzyme, Epizyme, & Rib-X Among the Week’s Life Sciences Newsmakers
We’ve seen clinical trial, funding, partnership, and IPO news from local drug developers this week. —Genzyme, the Cambridge, MA-based unit of Sanofi (NYSE: [[ticker:SNY]]) shared more positive data about its experimental multiple sclerosis drug alemtuzumab (Lemtrada) at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting this week. Patients in a late stage trial receiving the drug were … Continue reading “Genzyme, Epizyme, & Rib-X Among the Week’s Life Sciences Newsmakers”
Fledge, a New Social Enterprise Incubator, Opening in Seattle
Could Seattle become a center of innovation for social enterprise? Mobile and tech startup veteran Michael “Luni” Libes is betting on it with Fledge, a new incubator aimed at fostering companies that hope to improve society. Libes is calling these ventures “conscious companies,” and the second part of that phrase is key—Seattle-based Fledge is not … Continue reading “Fledge, a New Social Enterprise Incubator, Opening in Seattle”
Reid Hoffman: Not All Tech Is Social (Think Toilets); Let’s Be Better Humans
It’s amazing who you can run into just crossing the street around MIT. Yesterday morning, it was Silicon Valley legend Reid Hoffman (see photo below), the co-founder, executive chairman, and former CEO of LinkedIn, and now a partner at venture firm Greylock Partners. Hoffman was in town to speak at the MIT Media Lab’s 2012 … Continue reading “Reid Hoffman: Not All Tech Is Social (Think Toilets); Let’s Be Better Humans”
UW Startups Look to Improve Bras, Bicycle Ads, Mental Health
The University of Washington campus is so big, with 42,000 students, that it’s impossible to get a handle on everything going on there. But this much I can say for sure: there are some very creative and enterprising students working on fighting brain tumors, improving video editing, and helping young women carry around smartphones in … Continue reading “UW Startups Look to Improve Bras, Bicycle Ads, Mental Health”
Acme Packet, Akamai, & EMC: Three Public Companies Going Places
Exactly where they are going, I’m not sure. They seem to be heading in different directions. But this trio of big Boston-area tech firms, each focused on enterprise customers, has made news in the past week. —Acme Packet (NASDAQ: [[ticker:APKT]]), based in Bedford, MA, said today it has acquired IPTEGO, a German network-management software firm, … Continue reading “Acme Packet, Akamai, & EMC: Three Public Companies Going Places”
Big Data, Big Biology, and the ‘Tipping Point’ in Quantified Health
Two of the biggest trends in technology innovation are converging—and as they come together, there is a chance to accomplish something rare in San Diego. Something exponential. One of these forces is “big data,” the ever-increasing capabilities of computers and analytic software to move from gigabytes to terabytes, petabytes, and beyond. The other is “big … Continue reading “Big Data, Big Biology, and the ‘Tipping Point’ in Quantified Health”
Announcing Xconomy’s Napa Summit: Keeping America Growing
As the Presidential campaign heats up, one of the most pressing issues on the minds of candidates and voters alike is the future of American growth and competitiveness. So it is our great pleasure to announce an exclusive Xconomy gathering dedicated to exploring this vital issue with some of the most knowledgeable experts on the … Continue reading “Announcing Xconomy’s Napa Summit: Keeping America Growing”
The Robots Are Coming! A Pre-Event Photo and Video Gallery
Part of the reason people like to stare at babies is that they’re edge cases. It’s hard to believe something so small could actually be human. Robots are sort of the same way. They’re obviously mechanical, but sometimes they can also seem so…well, human. That’s certainly the case with several of the robots made by … Continue reading “The Robots Are Coming! A Pre-Event Photo and Video Gallery”
Xconomist of the Week: Michael Greeley Dissects the VC Data
Michael Greeley is no pessimist. Eeyores don’t get picked to run the New England Venture Capital Association, as Greeley did from 2005 to 2008, and they don’t win gubernatorial appointments to state entrepreneurship boards. But he’s more willing than most VCs to talk about troubling trends in the innovation economy. So we paid attention earlier … Continue reading “Xconomist of the Week: Michael Greeley Dissects the VC Data”
Cardeas Gears Up for Clinic, With Drug Combo for Hospital Infections
Once while reporting on a medical meeting for new antibiotics, I met a physician/researcher who said “stay in the hospital long enough, and something bad will happen to you.” Now the prolific drug developer Bruce Montgomery and his Seattle-based startup have set their sights on making new antibiotics to fight one of those bad things … Continue reading “Cardeas Gears Up for Clinic, With Drug Combo for Hospital Infections”
Unroll.me CEO on Learning from Mistakes and Striking When the Market is Hot
Like many entrepreneurs, Josh Rosenwald ate a healthy slice of humble pie after his previous startup went under. So he planned carefully before committing to his latest endeavor. This time he believes he found a scalable idea he can monetize. That does not mean Unroll.me, his New York-based startup, is a sure bet, but he … Continue reading “Unroll.me CEO on Learning from Mistakes and Striking When the Market is Hot”