In Rick Rashid’s eyes, the biggest reason to have a huge corporate research division isn’t to feed a conveyer belt with fancy new products. Instead, the head of Microsoft Research says, basic research serves as more of an insurance policy, something to keep a company alive in a constantly evolving industry. “We’re really here to … Continue reading “Microsoft’s Future Factory Shows Off its Latest Ideas”
Category: National
Molecular Health Sets up in NYC With Personalized Med Tools
When executives at medical software developer MolecularHealth were working on a new product for oncologists, they consulted with a cancer center that was grappling with an emerging trend: About 100 patients a year were paying for their own genomes to be sequenced. Jeffrey Marrazzo, chief business officer of MolecularHealth, a Swiss-founded company that recently set … Continue reading “Molecular Health Sets up in NYC With Personalized Med Tools”
Ford Software Upgrade Doubles Down on Connectivity, Customer Satisfaction
Ford took another step on its journey toward becoming a mobile technology company on wheels with the release of a free MyFord Touch software upgrade to more than 300,000 existing customers. The upgrade is being mailed to MyFord Touch users in the form of a USB flash drive that contains the new software, detailed instructions for … Continue reading “Ford Software Upgrade Doubles Down on Connectivity, Customer Satisfaction”
How Biogen Idec Overhauled R&D Under Doug Williams
Biogen Idec took heat for years from shareholders who accused it of bumbling in the R&D department. But a little over a year ago, the Weston, MA-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) brought in a new guy to run research and development, and—presto!—a few months later the new product engine was perceived as world-class once again. … Continue reading “How Biogen Idec Overhauled R&D Under Doug Williams”
BG Medicine, Bottomline, 4s3 Bioscience Among the Week’s Dealmakers
Partnership news, funding announcements, and an acquisition made up the New England deals news in the past week. —Concert Pharmaceuticals sold a worldwide license of its psychiatric drug to California-based Avanir Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AVNR]]). The Lexington, MA-based biotech received an undisclosed upfront payment and is eligible for more than $200 million in additional sales and … Continue reading “BG Medicine, Bottomline, 4s3 Bioscience Among the Week’s Dealmakers”
Qualcomm’s Irwin Jacobs Becomes CEO Emeritus, 20 Years After IPO
Qualcomm shareholders gave a standing ovation to Irwin Jacobs, who marked his passage into emeritus status at the San Diego wireless giant’s annual meeting today, 20 years after he convened the company’s first meeting as a public company. Jacobs said in December that he planned to step down from the board at the company he … Continue reading “Qualcomm’s Irwin Jacobs Becomes CEO Emeritus, 20 Years After IPO”
Disease Foundations Play Growing Role in Biotech Business Model
California is home to the largest concentration of biotechnology companies in the world. They are responsible for 27 percent of the nation’s biomedical pipeline and they received $2.6 billion in venture capital investment in 2011, by far the largest sum for any state. For the first time ever, California’s life sciences companies will have a … Continue reading “Disease Foundations Play Growing Role in Biotech Business Model”
Oncothyreon Shares Tumble on Lung Cancer Study Speculation
Seattle-based Oncothyreon saw its shares plummet today amid speculation among investors that its experimental lung cancer vaccine isn’t going to work. Oncothyreon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ONTY]]) shares fell 3.14 a share, or 37 percent, to $5.27 at 11 am Eastern today. The sell-off was triggered by news that Oncothyreon’s partner, Germany-based Merck KGaA, said an independent monitoring … Continue reading “Oncothyreon Shares Tumble on Lung Cancer Study Speculation”
SessionM, Led by GameLogic and Quattro Vets, Unveils Mobile Ad Platform
If there’s a new angle to mobile advertising, Lars Albright has seen it. That’s why his latest company, Boston-based SessionM, is so interesting. Albright previously co-founded Quattro Wireless, the Boston-area ad-tech firm that Apple picked up for about $275 million in 2010. Before that, he was a vice president at m-Qube, the mobile marketing startup … Continue reading “SessionM, Led by GameLogic and Quattro Vets, Unveils Mobile Ad Platform”
Foodspotting CEO: It’s About Discovery, Not Food Porn
As Foodspotting founder and CEO Alexa Andrzejewski prepared for the launch of the company’s third-generation app last month, she had an interesting challenge: making potential users realize that the service is more than just a photo sharing app for serious foodies. “It’s kind of not what we intended—it sounds very niche,” she says. “It’s not … Continue reading “Foodspotting CEO: It’s About Discovery, Not Food Porn”
Q&A: KeyView’s Holistic Stance on Fostering Health IT Startups
One week after unveiling itself as a new player in the health-investing landscape, New York-based KeyView Partners is releasing today a guide for entrepreneurs who want to succeed in the booming health IT startup space. The report—which is called iHealth Ecosystem and has an accompanying website—identifies six major trends driving change in the health care … Continue reading “Q&A: KeyView’s Holistic Stance on Fostering Health IT Startups”
San Diego’s Aragon Raises $42 Million, Targets Hormone-Driven Cancers
Aragon Pharmaceuticals, a San Diego startup targeting hormone-driven cancers, has raised $42 million in a Series C financing led by a new investor, the Topspin Fund, a Long Island, NY-based firm affiliated with the hedge fund Renaissance Technologies. Aragon CEO Richard Heyman tells me the life sciences startup was founded in 2009 to advance work … Continue reading “San Diego’s Aragon Raises $42 Million, Targets Hormone-Driven Cancers”
How to Build a Business on Facebook: Brand Networks, Nanigans, & More
Facebook may not have an office in the Boston area, but it certainly has friends here. Take, for instance, the startups that are building their businesses on top of the social-networking giant—and have some thoughts on where the company is headed. Last week, those startups (among many others) watched the first-ever Facebook Marketing Conference in … Continue reading “How to Build a Business on Facebook: Brand Networks, Nanigans, & More”
Tech Twurl:Whiz Kid Runs Online Enterprise From His Dorm Room
Usman Majeed is not your typical college student (though, admittedly, my concept of the modern college student is heavily shaped by Texts From Last Night). He studies neuroscience at Michigan State University in preparation for med school, and, in his off hours, he runs a successful online business called Tech Twurl, where he buys old … Continue reading “Tech Twurl:Whiz Kid Runs Online Enterprise From His Dorm Room”
Connect Bestows ‘Hall of Fame’ Award on Hybritech Founder Ted Greene
Biotech pioneer Ted Greene was a little teary-eyed when he stepped to the lectern last week to acknowledge his role as the founder of a San Diego biomedical diagnostics startup called Hybritech—and the parade of life sciences companies that followed. “I would like to thank the wonderful people who joined me on the wonderful adventures … Continue reading “Connect Bestows ‘Hall of Fame’ Award on Hybritech Founder Ted Greene”
Google’s Rules of Acquisition: How to Be an Android, Not an Aardvark
In the technology world, acquisitions so often go awry that it’s a wonder big corporations keep shelling out to buy smaller ones at all. Just look at disasters like News Corp’s acquisition of MySpace, eBay’s acquisition of Skype, or more recently, AOL’s acquisition of TechCrunch. Acquirers are so likely to overpay for their purchases, misjudge … Continue reading “Google’s Rules of Acquisition: How to Be an Android, Not an Aardvark”
Songza’s Music Strategy Poised to Disrupt Pandora, Spotify, iTunes
The team at Songza in Long Island City is chasing a trend in the music world: They’re moving away from downloads and towards streaming content. And the Songza folks are hoping their platform, which curates song lists for users, can stifle the likes of larger Internet music player Pandora. To leverage its curation strategy, company unveiled … Continue reading “Songza’s Music Strategy Poised to Disrupt Pandora, Spotify, iTunes”
From MIT’s Media Lab to Time Warner’s: Innerscope’s Biometric Tech
It doesn’t take a neuroscientist to know that the past two New England Patriots vs. New York Giants Super Bowl games have been emotionally charged for fans. But it might take one to measure the more under-the-surface emotional responses to advertising throughout the games. That’s where Boston-based Innerscope Research comes in. Founded in 2006, Innerscope … Continue reading “From MIT’s Media Lab to Time Warner’s: Innerscope’s Biometric Tech”
Five Reasons Illumina Should Fight Roche’s Insulting Low-Ball Bid
Illumina is like the Apple of the genomics business. Tools made by the San Diego company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ILMN]]) are revered by genomics researchers around the world just like millions of consumers love their iPhones and iPads. And Illumina holds its dominant position at an enviable moment in history, as we’re heading into a scientific golden … Continue reading “Five Reasons Illumina Should Fight Roche’s Insulting Low-Ball Bid”
Connect and Xconomy Present: The Rock Stars of Innovation 1 Stop Tour
For the young entrepreneurs who work at the vanguard of innovation, there may be no more important topic to address in San Diego these days than the scarcity of venture funding. While venture funding nationwide has regained most of the ground lost during the Great Recession, the overall mix has been changing and the venture … Continue reading “Connect and Xconomy Present: The Rock Stars of Innovation 1 Stop Tour”
How Zite’s News App Altered the Zeitgeist in Personalized Publishing
It’s just past noon on March 30, 2011. The entire executive team from Zite is at the Sharon Heights Starbucks in Menlo Park—the usual hangout for entrepreneurs making the venture circuit. They’re killing time between VC meetings on Sand Hill Road, and they’re a little nervous. But it’s not because of the meetings, or the … Continue reading “How Zite’s News App Altered the Zeitgeist in Personalized Publishing”
Ad Tech Boom Continues With $1M Funding of Precision Health
Ever since Xconomy New York launched almost a year ago, we’ve been tracking the incredible rise of advertising technology startups in the city. Now we can add another up-and-comer to the list: New York-based Precision Health Media, which announced Wednesday that it has raised $1 million in a Series B, bringing its total venture haul to … Continue reading “Ad Tech Boom Continues With $1M Funding of Precision Health”
CytomX Therapeutics Seeks to One-Up Lilly, Amgen Cancer Drugs
There are lots of little biotech companies with dreams of beating the big boys, and one of those classic storylines is playing out in South San Francisco at CytomX Therapeutics. CytomX has fixed its attention on making an engineered antibody drug (which it calls a Probody) that is more precisely targeted to cancer cells, and … Continue reading “CytomX Therapeutics Seeks to One-Up Lilly, Amgen Cancer Drugs”
The Canary Mask: From Side Project to Orders in a Weekend
About a week ago, Jerome Healy’s idea for creating cheap, durable, reusable filter masks for developing countries was pretty much just that—an idea. He’d developed some prototypes of the masks for an industrial design project while at the University of Washington, and even took a few variations over to India to research whether people would … Continue reading “The Canary Mask: From Side Project to Orders in a Weekend”
Concert, Alere, TremRx, & More Names from Boston Life Sciences News
Acquisitions, licensing deals, and companies emerging from stealth mode made up the New England life sciences news this week. —My colleague Arlene took a closer look at the Alzheimer’s drugmaker Satori Pharmaceuticals, which last week scored a $15 million venture funding round. Cambridge, MA-based Satori is looking to an unusual source to develop Alzheimer’s drugs: … Continue reading “Concert, Alere, TremRx, & More Names from Boston Life Sciences News”
SD Life Sciences (and Cleantech) Roundup: DexCom, Ligand, Genomatica
In addition to some advances on the life sciences front, we saw a flurry of developments among San Diego’s industrial biotechnology startups over the past week. —San Diego’s DexCom (Nasdaq: [[ticker:DXCM]]), which makes continuous glucose monitoring devices for patients with diabetes, acquired SweetSpot Diabetes Care, a Portland, OR, health IT company. DexCom said it will … Continue reading “SD Life Sciences (and Cleantech) Roundup: DexCom, Ligand, Genomatica”
U-M Business Competition Awards $90K to Student Startups
I don’t have any children, but almost all of my girlfriends do. I remember a time early last decade when they were constantly shipping maternity clothes back and forth to one another to avoid spending money on an entirely new wardrobe. They could have used a website like Fashion Forward Maternity, an online boutique that … Continue reading “U-M Business Competition Awards $90K to Student Startups”
State of the Recruitment Union
Recently we hosted a roundtable discussion at Rapid7 titled “New Year, New Job,” attended by some of the best recruitment minds in Boston. The idea was to create an open forum for these leaders in talent acquisition (from companies like HubSpot, Vistaprint, and Bullhorn) to discuss the relevant topics of the day around the hiring … Continue reading “State of the Recruitment Union”
ITA Software Emerges from Google’s Shadow with New Airline Platform
For having one of the larger tech presences in Kendall Square, ITA Software has been quiet lately. Too quiet. The Cambridge, MA-based travel software firm, which was acquired by Google for $700 million in 2010 (the deal finally went through last spring), hasn’t been saying much about its integration with the Mountain View, CA-based Web … Continue reading “ITA Software Emerges from Google’s Shadow with New Airline Platform”
A123 Systems Inks Supply Deal With India’s Tata Motors
A123 Systems (NASDAQ: AONE), the Watertown, MA-based manufacturer of lithium-ion battery packs with significant operations in Michigan, today announced a deal with Tata Motors to supply battery packs for its line of hybrid electric buses and other commercial vehicles. Tata Motors is India’s largest automaker. “Strategically, this is very important for us since Tata has … Continue reading “A123 Systems Inks Supply Deal With India’s Tata Motors”
Xconomist of the Week: Roger Perlmutter’s Parting Thoughts on Amgen
[Updated: 1:50 pm PT] Roger Perlmutter had a long run by biotech standards, a full 11 years, to put his stamp on R&D at Amgen. Some of the work he oversaw was unequivocally good (denosumab for osteoporosis and cancer), some bad (the EPO debacle), and some of the record is still a work in progress (44 … Continue reading “Xconomist of the Week: Roger Perlmutter’s Parting Thoughts on Amgen”
The Harvard Fashion Tech Crew, Round Two
Call it an embarrassment of riches. On Valentine’s Day (no coincidence) I published a roundup of 16 fashion tech startups with founders from Harvard Business School, and asked any entrepreneurs I may have missed to please come forward. What resulted was enough new submissions to merit another story. So here we are. This new set … Continue reading “The Harvard Fashion Tech Crew, Round Two”
With $21.7M in New Funding, Luxtera Signs Deal to Make Optical Chip
Carlsbad, CA-based Luxtera, which recently raised $21.7 million in venture funding, says today it has signed a partnership with European semiconductor giant STMicroelectronics (NYSE: [[ticker:STM]]) to produce a new generation of chips that combine high-performance optics with silicon-based electronics. “We think it’s a really big deal,” says Chris Bergey, Luxtera vice president of marketing. “We’re … Continue reading “With $21.7M in New Funding, Luxtera Signs Deal to Make Optical Chip”
Seattle Times Rolling Out New Paid Mobile Apps, Hints at Paywall
The Seattle Times plans to offer premium paid Web apps for tablets and smartphones in late April, part of an emerging digital strategy that also has the family-owned newspaper hinting at a possible paywall for traditional website access. In a press release, the newspaper said the upcoming “tablet and smartphone editions” were built in the … Continue reading “Seattle Times Rolling Out New Paid Mobile Apps, Hints at Paywall”
San Diego’s Young & Restless: A Cross-Section of Tech Entrepreneurs
After working over the past two years to help tech startups get started in San Diego, Brant Cooper tells me he’s sensing “a global renaissance in entrepreneurship.” It sure seems that way, if the attendance at a recent San Diego Tech Founders “demo night” is any guide. San Diego Tech Founders is a virtual grassroots … Continue reading “San Diego’s Young & Restless: A Cross-Section of Tech Entrepreneurs”
How to Disrupt IBM, Oracle, and VMware: The CloudBees Story
Sacha Labourey was one of the early skeptics when it came to cloud computing. “For me, initially, the cloud was not that interesting. It was actually pretty boring,” he says. That’s in part because he was the chief technology officer of middleware firm JBoss, which in 2006 was bought by open source software giant Red … Continue reading “How to Disrupt IBM, Oracle, and VMware: The CloudBees Story”
Harvard-Born TremRx Pursues New Vaccine Technology
Boston-based TremRx is coming out of stealth mode today with a study that describes the startup’s method of using immune cells in the skin to mobilize the body’s disease-fighting defenses. The company, founded by Harvard dermatology professor Thomas Kupper, has identified several opportunities to develop vaccines for a range of illnesses, from cancer to viruses … Continue reading “Harvard-Born TremRx Pursues New Vaccine Technology”
Sapphire Boosts Yields from Blue-Green Algae, Signs Earthrise Deal
In a move that extends the scope of its algal biofuel production, San Diego’s Sapphire Energy says it has modified certain cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, to produce significantly higher yields of “green” crude oil. In a statement released today, Sapphire says it also has signed a licensing agreement with Earthrise Nutritionals, an Irvine, … Continue reading “Sapphire Boosts Yields from Blue-Green Algae, Signs Earthrise Deal”
Concert Nabs $200M Deal From Avanir to Make Psych Drugs
Lexington, MA-based Concert Pharmaceuticals has found a second partner looking to take advantage of its technology for making deuterium-modified drugs. Concert is announcing today that Aliso Viejo, CA-based Avanir Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AVNR]]) has bought a worldwide license to Concert’s experimental drug that modifies dextromethorphan as a treatment for neurological and psychiatric disorders. Concert is getting … Continue reading “Concert Nabs $200M Deal From Avanir to Make Psych Drugs”
Verinata’s Big Day Arrives, With Prenatal Down Syndrome Test Debut
Researchers have been dreaming for a couple decades of taking a simple blood draw from a pregnant woman, and using it to determine whether a developing fetus has Down syndrome. Now this week, after a decade of R&D fits and starts and $100 million of investment, doctors will be able to get their hands on … Continue reading “Verinata’s Big Day Arrives, With Prenatal Down Syndrome Test Debut”
Matt Harris to Pursue Growth Investments at Bain Capital Ventures
Village Ventures co-founder Matt Harris is busy preparing to become a managing director at the New York offices of Bain Capital Ventures, where he plans to explore investments in early and growth-stage companies in the financial-services sector. It is a bit of a homecoming for Harris, who started his investing career at Boston-based Bain in … Continue reading “Matt Harris to Pursue Growth Investments at Bain Capital Ventures”
Charles River, FirstFuel, Quiet Logistics, & More Boston Deal News
[Updated 2/29/12 at 10:45 am. See below] Life sciences, cleantech, mobile, and IT companies all had their fair share of deals announcements this week. —Zipcar (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ZIP]]), the Cambridge, MA-based car-sharing pioneer, led a $13.7 million investment round in Palo Alto, CA-based Wheelz, another startup in the space that’s targeting college students. —Cambridge-based Satori Pharmaceuticals … Continue reading “Charles River, FirstFuel, Quiet Logistics, & More Boston Deal News”
Dendreon Adds ImClone Vets to New Management Team
[Updated: 1:40 pm 3/1] Seattle-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DNDN]]). Johnson, who took over as Dendreon’s CEO on February 1, today installed a trio of new executives. Two of the three are new hires who previously worked with Johnson at New York-based ImClone Systems before that company was acquired for $6.5 billion by Eli Lilly (NYSE: … Continue reading “Dendreon Adds ImClone Vets to New Management Team”
MBI Helps Biotech Companies De-Risk and Expand
MBI International, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Michigan State University Foundation, has an ambitious goal: To help Michigan’s bioeconomy sector grow by working with companies to negotiate the “valley of death”—taking their early-stage innovations to commercial viability, and, if failure is imminent, helping companies fail quickly before too much money is spent. That MBI … Continue reading “MBI Helps Biotech Companies De-Risk and Expand”
New CEO Takes Flux Drive’s Magnetic Energy-Saver Out For a Spin
It’s easy to forget that Washington’s economy, for all of its prowess in software, is driven mostly by manufacturing—namely Boeing, still easily the state’s largest private employer. But there’s plenty of opportunity in things a little less grand than, say, a jetliner. Consider Flux Drive, an angel-funded company based in Sumner, WA. Founded by mechanical … Continue reading “New CEO Takes Flux Drive’s Magnetic Energy-Saver Out For a Spin”
KeyView Launches With Plan to Fund Health Startups
A new growth-equity firm, KeyView Partners—headed up by veterans of Ernst & Young, Deloitte & Touche, and Johnson & Johnson—is set to open its doors next month in New York, with a plan to fund medical-technology startups. According to its website, the company’s goal is to “bring together capital, operational expertise, and strategic planning.” KeyView’s … Continue reading “KeyView Launches With Plan to Fund Health Startups”
How Big Data Is Changing Everything
There’s a radical transformation happening in information technology today, one that promises to be every bit as significant—and every bit as disruptive to existing business models—as were Web applications in the 1990s and virtualization in the first decade of the 21st century. It’s a foundational change in the way enterprises, their employees, and their customers … Continue reading “How Big Data Is Changing Everything”
Poppin Pulls in $6M for Office-Products Site
In the latest sign that e-commerce is alive and well in NYC, office-products e-tailer Poppin announced that it has raised $6 million in a Series A funding round. The funding was led by Shasta Ventures, with participation from First Round Capital and a group of angel investors. Poppin, which is still in beta mode, seeks … Continue reading “Poppin Pulls in $6M for Office-Products Site”
Satori Cultivates Prolific Herb for Promising Alzheimer’s Weapon
Alzheimer’s drug developer Satori Pharmaceuticals raised $15 million last week, bringing its total venture capital raised to $37 million—an impressive haul, considering the Cambridge, MA-based company doesn’t expect to begin human testing of its lead compound until early 2013. But what may be even more notable is that Satori’s investors are betting on an entirely … Continue reading “Satori Cultivates Prolific Herb for Promising Alzheimer’s Weapon”
Tonic Health Looks to ‘Gamify’ Dull Doctor Office Forms
Fun isn’t the first thing that pops to mind when you’re asking thousands of people about their last mammogram. But Sterling Lanier is wagering that one of the dullest parts of modern healthcare, the standard patient questionnaire on a clipboard, can be made fun. It’s the organizing principle behind the startup he co-founded, Tonic Health. … Continue reading “Tonic Health Looks to ‘Gamify’ Dull Doctor Office Forms”