Category: National

Lee Hood’s P4 Initiative Finds Community Partner, PeaceHealth

Leroy Hood‘s fledgling institute for personalized medicine struck its first big partnership with an academic medical center two years ago. Now it’s branching out to include some Northwest hospitals that are philosophically a lot closer to the community than to the academy. The P4 Medicine institute, a nonprofit inside the Seattle-based Institute for Systems Biology, … Continue reading “Lee Hood’s P4 Initiative Finds Community Partner, PeaceHealth”

Merck Returns to SD, Pouring $90M Into New Schultz-Led Institute

The pharmaceutical giant Merck bet big once before that San Diego would be a source for innovative new drugs, and now it’s doing it again. Whitehouse Station, NJ-based Merck (NYSE: [[ticker:MRK]]) is announcing today that it is putting $90 million over the next seven years into a new nonprofit biomedical research institute in San Diego … Continue reading “Merck Returns to SD, Pouring $90M Into New Schultz-Led Institute”

Xconomist of the Week: Rapundalo on How the Affordable Care Act May Thwart Innovation

Stephen Rapundalo, head of the industry association MichBio, has been spending some time on Capitol Hill recently lobbying Michigan’s congressional delegation to repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act, which he says will have a chilling effect on innovation in Michigan’s nascent medical device sector. Along with representatives from 18 other states’ med-tech associations—including the … Continue reading “Xconomist of the Week: Rapundalo on How the Affordable Care Act May Thwart Innovation”

It’s a Lock: Arizona’s LifeLock Acquires San Diego’s ID Analytics

LifeLock, a Tempe, AZ-based startup that offers identity theft protection services to consumers, has tied the knot with ID Analytics, a San Diego-based company that uses sophisticated computer technology to analyze consumer transactions for signs of fraud. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. In a statement released yesterday, Lifelock says it raised more … Continue reading “It’s a Lock: Arizona’s LifeLock Acquires San Diego’s ID Analytics”

Genocea CEO Chip Clark to Speak at Xconomy’s April 4 Biotech Forum

In 2010, biotech entrepreneur Chip Clark was looking for a new challenge after the company he co-founded, Vanda Pharmaceuticals in Washington, DC, completed a $200 million licensing deal with Novartis. When he was offered the opportunity to join Cambridge, MA-based vaccine developer Genocea Biosciences, he jumped. “I was acutely sensitive to the notion that the … Continue reading “Genocea CEO Chip Clark to Speak at Xconomy’s April 4 Biotech Forum”

Google Beefs Up Its Measures Against Counterfeit Advertisers

Google’s AdWords and AdSense platforms are the Web’s largest and most profitable network for keyword-based advertising, which means Google deals with a constant onslaught of hucksters trying to rope consumers into scams and questionable deals. The company has long worked to exclude ads for get-rich-quick schemes, harmful products like cigarettes and guns, and counterfeit goods … Continue reading “Google Beefs Up Its Measures Against Counterfeit Advertisers”

Microsoft’s ChronoZoom: One Web Page, 13.7 Billion Years of History

One of the hardest things to figure out when you hang around Microsoft Research demos is how or when any of this amazing stuff will ever see the light of day. Hell, even Microsoft Research director Rick Rashid thinks the department’s real value is in being a stockpile of ideas, and not so much a … Continue reading “Microsoft’s ChronoZoom: One Web Page, 13.7 Billion Years of History”

In Search of Capital, San Diego Taking Startups on Roadshows to VCs

Venture capital and rainfall have always been in relatively short supply in San Diego. Yet somehow this semi-arid region has managed to grow and even thrive as a center of life sciences, technology, and cleantech innovation. Now, as part of a broader strategic initiative, some of the nonprofit organizations that helped establish San Diego as … Continue reading “In Search of Capital, San Diego Taking Startups on Roadshows to VCs”

Q&A: RTP Ventures’ Jalak Jobanputra Weighs in on New $120M Fund

RTP Ventures, a $120 million fund in New York, which also has offices in Boston, brought in Jalak Jobanputra early this month as a managing director and a founding partner. RTP was founded last year by Moscow-based ru-Net, a $700 million technology and Internet investment company, to extend its investment activity to the United States. … Continue reading “Q&A: RTP Ventures’ Jalak Jobanputra Weighs in on New $120M Fund”

Turntable.fm Signs Pacts With Four Top Music Labels

New York-based Turntable.fm, an online music-sharing site, has signed deals with Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, EMI Music Group, and Sony, the company announced yesterday at the South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas. It was a quick coup for the company, which changed its entire business model just one year ago. Turntable.fm was … Continue reading “Turntable.fm Signs Pacts With Four Top Music Labels”

Akili Interactive Seeks to Make Video Games That Heal, Not Harm

I’m no expert on video games, having only recently discovered the time-wasting phenomenon Angry Birds on my iPad. Like a lot of people, my general impression is that excessive use of video games is probably at least partly to blame for a bunch of neurological and behavioral problems, starting with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in kids. But … Continue reading “Akili Interactive Seeks to Make Video Games That Heal, Not Harm”

Seattle Children’s Sets Up Rare Biobank to Study Premature Birth

Money may be the key fuel that drives biomedical research, but even if you’ve got money, it’s hard to get very far without good tissue samples. Now a group at Seattle Children’s Hospital aims to tackle that problem by setting up an unusual biobank of specimens, open to scientists all over the world, which could … Continue reading “Seattle Children’s Sets Up Rare Biobank to Study Premature Birth”

5 Things to Watch at Mobile Madness: Mobile Mafia, Facebook’s Future, & More

Mobile Madness is here at last. Xconomy’s fourth annual mobile conference is set for today at 1 pm, at Microsoft NERD in Kendall Square, Cambridge. The event is sold out with a sizable waiting list that we are trying to manage as you read this. We are looking forward to an unprecedented crowd and a … Continue reading “5 Things to Watch at Mobile Madness: Mobile Mafia, Facebook’s Future, & More”

San Diego BizTech Roundup: RealAge, Qualcomm, Angel Deals, & More

This week’s roundup of tech news from the San Diego area is short and sweet. —Sharecare, an Atlanta-based interactive health and wellness platform, has acquired San Diego’s RealAge, home of the RealAge test that helps people to live a healthy lifestyle. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, according to a statement. RealAge, which … Continue reading “San Diego BizTech Roundup: RealAge, Qualcomm, Angel Deals, & More”

Unitask Software Wants to Make Oracle Users’ Experience Better

Dale Royal, the CEO of Bloomfield Hills, MI-based Unitask Software, is not a man who lets the grass grow under his feet.  In 2001, he  was an executive at Veritas Software but he realized he needed to tend to his homefront,  so, at age 41, he retired. “I had been running a billion-dollar company, but I … Continue reading “Unitask Software Wants to Make Oracle Users’ Experience Better”

Bellevue Eyes IT Degree, Appature Hires CFO, DataSphere Raises Cash

A few tidbits of Seattle-area tech industry news to get you warmed up on this snowy, miserable day: —Bellevue College is researching a possible four-year degree in information technology, and is looking for help from employers with an online survey about their needs in IT education and training. It’s a very early effort, but there … Continue reading “Bellevue Eyes IT Degree, Appature Hires CFO, DataSphere Raises Cash”

Apperian, Exinda, Adelphic, & More Boston-Area Dealmakers

Here’s a mix of New England tech and life sciences fundings we’ve tracked down over the last week. —Apperian, a Boston-based company focused on enterprise mobile app management, has added $12.4 million in financing to its pot. The money comes from return investors North Bridge Venture Partners, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers’ iFund, Bessemer Venture … Continue reading “Apperian, Exinda, Adelphic, & More Boston-Area Dealmakers”

Localmind Aspires to Answer Questions Around the Globe

Last weekend, Localmind founders Lenny Rachitsky and Beau Haugh took their location-driven question-and-answer app back to South by Southwest, where it first launched a year ago. This time, they put every party at the hip tech conference on the app’s map, so that SXSW users could ask which parties to go to, which had the … Continue reading “Localmind Aspires to Answer Questions Around the Globe”

Hello Health Deploys $10M To Expanding Patient-Funded Health Records

When Westfield, NJ-based internist Peter Weigel began thinking about switching from paper charts to electronic medical records, all sorts of tech salesmen appeared in his office with pitches that seemed to good to be true. They told Weigel if he paid them to implement electronic records in his practice, he would be reimbursed under the … Continue reading “Hello Health Deploys $10M To Expanding Patient-Funded Health Records”

Omeros Bounces Back With Drug For Eye Surgeries; Shares Climb

Omeros was battered a year ago when its lead drug candidate failed in the final stage of clinical trials, but today it is bouncing back as its second product in line passed a key test. The Seattle-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OMER]]) said today that its experimental drug for use in eye surgeries met its goals … Continue reading “Omeros Bounces Back With Drug For Eye Surgeries; Shares Climb”

LoseIt, With 10M+ Users, Looks to Turn Weight Loss App Into Big Business

Want to lose weight fast? Try eating a little less, and exercising a little more. But if that fails, go mobile. As in, try LoseIt, a mobile app that helps you keep track of your diet and exercise so you can shed those extra pounds. You won’t be alone: the free app has more than … Continue reading “LoseIt, With 10M+ Users, Looks to Turn Weight Loss App Into Big Business”

A Seussian Guide to BioPharma

Years ago, pharma’s rep was grand, Selling drugs throughout the land. Many different problems mended, Diseases treated, lives extended. Sulfa drugs, antibiotics, Pain-relieving strong narcotics. A high point before the age of genes, Were Salk and Sabin’s new vaccines. Profit margins super high, Income more than “getting by”. As a group, they were admired, Nowadays, … Continue reading “A Seussian Guide to BioPharma”

Seattle Genetics Digs Deeper Into the Proverbial Haystack

Everyone who has tried to discover new drugs has heard the one about looking for the proverbial needle in the haystack. At Seattle Genetics, they’ve already found one of the needles they’ve been looking for, and it raises a fascinating new set of questions. How many more needles are in the haystack? How can you … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics Digs Deeper Into the Proverbial Haystack”

Women in Bio, After Gaining Momentum Elsewhere, Arrives in SF

There’s no shortage of ways to network in the San Francisco Bay Area’s biotech industry if your interest is in science, dealmaking, patents, finance, or some other specialty. But there was no group until recently geared toward one distinct group of people within the industry—women. That’s changing now as Women in Bio, an international volunteer … Continue reading “Women in Bio, After Gaining Momentum Elsewhere, Arrives in SF”

How to Mentor So That It Means Something

There’s something magical happening in Boston right now, and it’s going to make history. Like many startup scenes, Boston’s is truly exploding, vibrant with passionate founders and bold teams, backed by a fresh crop of seed funds and experienced venture capitalists. But this isn’t merely a rehash of the late ’90s or early 2000s. This … Continue reading “How to Mentor So That It Means Something”

Report from RSA 2012: Mobility, Big Data, and Chinese Handbag Extortion

It’s the time of year for some of the tech industry’s biggest conferences—South by Southwest Interactive, Mobile World Congress, Launch, to name a few—but one notable expo didn’t stir up as much of a tweet storm as the others. That probably means it’s more important, in the grand scheme of things. The RSA Conference in … Continue reading “Report from RSA 2012: Mobility, Big Data, and Chinese Handbag Extortion”

Join Us May 3 For a Tour of the Future of Robotics

Robotics, like AI, is a field plagued by the chronic gap between science fiction and reality. Today’s robots don’t look or act anything like C-3PO, so most consumers lump them in with flying cars as one of 20th-century pop culture’s broken promises. Well, they’re wrong. (About flying cars, too.) Working quietly behind the scenes, academic … Continue reading “Join Us May 3 For a Tour of the Future of Robotics”

GroupMe, OnSwipe, Gilt Groupe, and Others Prep SummerQAmp Program

When notable members of New York’s innovation scene, a rocker from New Jersey, and a former White House insider get together it is no mere jam session. Just such a coalition—including executives from New York’s Gilt Groupe, GroupMe, and OnSwipe—has started a national initiative to train a new work force in high-tech skills. That program, … Continue reading “GroupMe, OnSwipe, Gilt Groupe, and Others Prep SummerQAmp Program”

Korrio, Led by Former Isilon CEO, Seeks Fortune in Youth Sports

Are you sick of platforms yet? I know I am. But I’m not sick of sports. Hence, let’s talk about Korrio, a sports-automation software company that has an interesting bicoastal story. Korrio is based in Seattle, but one of its biggest markets is Massachusetts. Specifically, Massachusetts youth soccer clubs. The Bay State is “sports crazy,” … Continue reading “Korrio, Led by Former Isilon CEO, Seeks Fortune in Youth Sports”

AIDS Drugs Were the Start. Let’s See More FDA Accelerated Approvals

There’s been a lot of talk in biotech lately about the need for reforms at the FDA, to make it run faster and more predictably. One idea is taking shape in a bill starting to move through Congress. And at least at first glance, it looks like it’s based on good common sense. The idea … Continue reading “AIDS Drugs Were the Start. Let’s See More FDA Accelerated Approvals”

Crowdfunding: The Train to the Future Is Leaving—Get on Board

It has been a whirlwind last few days in the crowd-funding world. For those of you who have not yet tuned in to this, there is legislation afoot, backed by the President and (so far) the House, that would enable, in effect, mini- IPOs as a way to fund startups. Forget everything you know about … Continue reading “Crowdfunding: The Train to the Future Is Leaving—Get on Board”

San Diego’s InflammaGen Advances Therapy to Mitigate Effects of Shock

After completing some promising pre-clinical studies, San Diego’s InflammaGen Therapeutics says it is raising additional capital, as it moves to mid-stage trials of an experimental treatment that’s intended to prevent multi-organ failure in patients suffering acute shock. InflammaGen has “almost closed” on a $2.5 million round of Series A financing, according to CEO John Rodenrys. … Continue reading “San Diego’s InflammaGen Advances Therapy to Mitigate Effects of Shock”

Aastrom Closes $40 Million Financing Deal with Eastern Capital

Ann Arbor, MI-based startup Aastrom Biosciences (Nasdaq: ASTM) said today that it has completed a private placement deal with Eastern Capital Limited worth $40 million, the largest round of financing in the company’s history. Last month, Aastrom began a Phase 3 clinical study of ixmyelocel-T, the company’s multicell therapy for patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI) … Continue reading “Aastrom Closes $40 Million Financing Deal with Eastern Capital”

The Lytro Camera Is Revolutionary, But It’s No iPhone

The inventors and investors behind the Lytro, the hot new “light field” camera that creates refocusable digital photos, are trying to have it both ways. They’re arguing that their new camera, which sells for $399-$499, will revolutionize consumer photography in the near term by freeing people from shutter delays and the need to focus their … Continue reading “The Lytro Camera Is Revolutionary, But It’s No iPhone”

Microsoft’s Mayhem: Remote Controls for Everything (Eventually)

Even the biggest gadget freaks out there—you know, the guy with three phones, two tablets, multiple game consoles, TVs galore—faces a pretty pedestrian-seeming problem. Despite all of the mind-boggling things our hardware and software can accomplish these days, these devices still don’t play very well together. A new Microsoft project called Mayhem, quietly available for … Continue reading “Microsoft’s Mayhem: Remote Controls for Everything (Eventually)”

OncoGenex Doubles Down on Prostate Cancer, As Competition Heats Up

There’s some aggressive jockeying going on in the prostate cancer market, and today Vancouver, BC and Bothell, WA-based OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals made some moves that it hopes will keep its lead horse in the race. OncoGenex (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OGXI]]) and its partner Teva Pharmaceutical said today they are expanding one pivotal-stage clinical trial for men with prostate … Continue reading “OncoGenex Doubles Down on Prostate Cancer, As Competition Heats Up”

New England’s Emerging Biotech Stars: The Agenda

We’re just a month away from our next big biotech event in Boston, New England’s Emerging Biotech Stars. We have a stellar lineup planned for this afternoon event, which will be held April 4 at Biogen Idec in Cambridge, MA. Today we’re rolling out the official agenda for this exciting half-day conference. We’ll hear from … Continue reading “New England’s Emerging Biotech Stars: The Agenda”

SavingStar, Exinda, & NeuroPhage: A Trio of Boston Startup Deals

Things have been pretty quiet around Boston in terms of financing deals. Until today. Here are three decent-size funding rounds just announced, across the very disparate sectors of digital coupons, networking tech, and brain diseases (yeah, I do some neuro too): —SavingStar, a digital grocery coupon service based in Waltham, MA, has raised $9 million … Continue reading “SavingStar, Exinda, & NeuroPhage: A Trio of Boston Startup Deals”

Angels Favored Healthcare & Internet, With Bigger Rounds in 2011

Each time new private investing data comes out, it seems like it’s another chance for California to show its dominance. That’s the case with the Halo Report, but this particular report also reveals some interesting trends in angel investing. Put together by the Angel Resource Institute, Silicon Valley Bank, and the data services firm CB Insights, … Continue reading “Angels Favored Healthcare & Internet, With Bigger Rounds in 2011”

San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Aragon, Illumina, CareFusion, & More

We saw some sizable deals in the life sciences domain over the past week, including an interesting partnership that Domain Associates formed with Moscow-based Rusnano. —The venture capital firm Domain Associates and Moscow-based Rusnano, the government-owned Russian Corporation of nanotechnologies, agreed to jointly invest $760 million on both sides of the globe. Under the deal, … Continue reading “San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Aragon, Illumina, CareFusion, & More”

An Opportunity for Congress to Vote for Job Creation

Congressional leaders of both parties have a short-term opportunity to come together in rare bipartisan fashion and get on the right side of American economic growth and job creation. With the House expected to pass a bill this week that would temporarily ease regulatory requirements related to young, high growth companies filing for an initial … Continue reading “An Opportunity for Congress to Vote for Job Creation”

Sramana Mitra Combats Infant Entrepreneur Mortality

Investor Stewart Alsop has called San Francisco Xconomist Sramana Mitra “a symbol of everything that is great about America: a geek, an entrepreneur, an immigrant, a leader.” He could have added “prolific writer”: Mitra is the author of a blog and five books, as well as three years’ worth of Forbes columns. Throughout these writings, … Continue reading “Sramana Mitra Combats Infant Entrepreneur Mortality”

Accedo Broadband Plots NY Expansion to Capture Clients and Talent

Stockholm-based Accedo Broadband plans to set up New York offices in a strategic maneuver to get up close and personal with the consumer electronics giants it works with such as Samsung, Panasonic, and LG Electronics. Accedo, which develops apps and platforms that deliver content to televisions connected to the Web, plans to hire as many … Continue reading “Accedo Broadband Plots NY Expansion to Capture Clients and Talent”

Reinventing Biotech on April 3: Here’s the Agenda

We’re a little more than three weeks away from one of the biggest Seattle life sciences events of the year. Folks have been asking me about it lately, so I figure it’s time to unveil the program for “Reinventing Biotech’s Business Model” here in Seattle on April 3. This half-day conference is attracting top-notch speakers … Continue reading “Reinventing Biotech on April 3: Here’s the Agenda”

4s3, With $20M in Tow, Pursues Route for Delivering Drugs to Muscle

If you ask 4s3 Bioscience CEO Timothy Harris what the name of his Medford, MA startup signifies, you won’t get much of an enthusiastic response. It’s not a play on words or reference to the company’s scientific platform, but rather “it’s just the name we ended up with,” Harris admits. But ask him about the … Continue reading “4s3, With $20M in Tow, Pursues Route for Delivering Drugs to Muscle”

Barry Diller-Backed Aereo Faces Legal Fight with TV Broadcasters

Outraged by Long Island City-based Aereo’s attempts to exploit a supposed loophole regarding the transmission of television shows, broadcasters have sued the startup to keep its service from launching on March 14. Experts say the broadcasters may have a legitimate case. If so, the litigation could jeopardize Aereo’s plan to offer its subscribers live streaming … Continue reading “Barry Diller-Backed Aereo Faces Legal Fight with TV Broadcasters”

Don’t Read Tech Blogs: 10 Ideas from Backupify’s Rob May

You might know him as the founder and CEO of Backupify, one of the fast-growing technology startups around Boston. I know him as a guy who speaks his mind about many a tech topic. And that makes him a fine happy hour companion. Rob May is a Kentucky transplant and a recent example of fresh … Continue reading “Don’t Read Tech Blogs: 10 Ideas from Backupify’s Rob May”

The Thinking Behind Domain’s $760M Life Sciences Deal in Russia

The partnership that the life sciences venture firm Domain Associates and the Russian state technology firm Rusnano disclosed yesterday began almost two years ago, at a time when the U.S. financial crisis was especially bleak. Domain partner Brian Dovey says he initially conceived of the alliance as a way to tap a new and substantial … Continue reading “The Thinking Behind Domain’s $760M Life Sciences Deal in Russia”