—It wasn’t exactly news when the board at San Diego-based Illumina (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ILMN]]) said it had rejected the $5.7 billion hostile takeover offer from Swiss drug maker Roche. Now Wall Street’s arbitragers are placing their bets on whether Roche can prevail. The most intriguing news about the deal, however, came from The Wall Street Journal, … Continue reading “SD Life Sciences Roundup: Illumina, Applied Proteomics, & Tocagen”
Category: National
Constant Contact and HubSpot: Some Boston-Area Marketing Tech News
Time for an update on Boston’s marketing tech cluster. It’s one of the real strengths of the local entrepreneurial ecosystem. And it looks like it’s getting stronger, with a couple of leaders making news this week. Here is a tale of two companies that have become competitors: —Constant Contact (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CTCT]]), the Waltham, MA-based online … Continue reading “Constant Contact and HubSpot: Some Boston-Area Marketing Tech News”
WTIA Awards: Try These Kids’ Games and Pick a Scholarship Winner
Angel investors and venture capitalists spend a lot of their time beating the bushes for that next great tech genius and entrepreneur who is destined to change the world. This seems like a pretty good place to get some super-early scouting done: the Washington Technology Industry Association’s award for Technology Leader of Tomorrow. As a … Continue reading “WTIA Awards: Try These Kids’ Games and Pick a Scholarship Winner”
Werner Vogels on How Amazon Web Services Wins: Fast, Flexible, Cheap
It can be pretty dizzying to tally up the scope of Amazon Web Services, a potentially $1 billion business that serves up critical cloud computing infrastructure for a big slice of the digital economy. Even keeping up with the number of individual services the company offers can be a challenge—and Amazon CTO Werner Vogels wants … Continue reading “Werner Vogels on How Amazon Web Services Wins: Fast, Flexible, Cheap”
To Attract Investors, Put Your Best Financial Foot Forward
As you have read this week about the financial details of Facebook’s IPO filing, you have no doubt stopped to think about—or daydream about—what your own company might be worth. While going public might be a distant or inappropriate goal for your own venture, Facebook’s IPO serves as a timely reminder that you should be … Continue reading “To Attract Investors, Put Your Best Financial Foot Forward”
Xconomist of the Week: Tim Mayleben on Building University Startups
Last month, Aastrom Biosciences president and CEO Tim Mayleben and his wife, Dawn, announced they are funding a new “venture shaping” program at the University of Michigan. Venture shaping refers to the process of systematically vetting a nifty idea for a startup, with the idea that the failure of a less-than-viable business will occur at … Continue reading “Xconomist of the Week: Tim Mayleben on Building University Startups”
HAXLR8R Opens a China-Based Accelerator for Hardware Startups
Over the last week, 10 lucky companies have been getting the calls from HAXLR8R: they’ve been admitted to the inaugural session of the startup world’s newest venture incubator. Following the popular model pioneered by TechStars and Y Combinator, HAXLR8R will provide teams with a stipend of $6,000 per founder and about three months of mentorship, … Continue reading “HAXLR8R Opens a China-Based Accelerator for Hardware Startups”
Persistence Pays Off for Synchroneuron Founder
When Barry Fogel first started developing a new treatment 15 years ago, his main goal was to help his own patients. Fogel, a physician trained in both psychiatry and neurology, saw many patients with a movement disorder called tardive dyskinesia (TD). The condition—which can be caused by drugs that block dopamine, such as antipsychotics—is characterized by … Continue reading “Persistence Pays Off for Synchroneuron Founder”
When Green is Not Enough: Lessons from a Cleantech CEO
Funding for clean technology startups has increased substantially in recent years, with 323 U.S. companies raising a total of $4.3 billion in 2011, according to the recently released MoneyTree Report. In the San Diego area, the same report shows that four cleantech startups raised $78 million last year, including $15 million that went to SG … Continue reading “When Green is Not Enough: Lessons from a Cleantech CEO”
Smarterer, Senexx, & Take the Interview: Some Talent Management News
Today’s West Coast announcement that Oracle is buying human resources management firm Taleo for $1.9 billion—yes, billion—puts some Boston-area talent and recruiting startups in a new light. Unfortunately, one of them is no longer in Boston… —Take the Interview, the video-based recruiting startup and former Dogpatch Labs Cambridge resident, has relocated to New York City … Continue reading “Smarterer, Senexx, & Take the Interview: Some Talent Management News”
Celgene Pours $15M Into Acetylon, Takes “Observer” Role on Board
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft may still be smarting from his team’s loss to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl, but at least one of Kraft’s other organizations has some good news to cushion the blow: Boston-based Acetylon said today that it has received a $15 million equity investment from Celgene (NASDAQ: … Continue reading “Celgene Pours $15M Into Acetylon, Takes “Observer” Role on Board”
Spongecell Gets $10M Series B, Continues Growth in Ad Tech
In the fast-evolving advertising arena, Spongecell is a prime example of how a hard pivot with different technology in place can transform a company’s fortunes. On Tuesday the New York company, which adds interactive functions such as video and Twitter feeds to banner ads, announced it raised $10 million in a Series B round led … Continue reading “Spongecell Gets $10M Series B, Continues Growth in Ad Tech”
UW Incubator: Ground Zero for Doubling Startup Spinouts in 3 Years
In a typical year, research at the University of Washington will spawn about a dozen promising young companies. In the next three years, the school’s new president wants to see that output double—and ground zero for a lot of those startups will likely be a new incubator space unveiled this week. When renovations are complete, … Continue reading “UW Incubator: Ground Zero for Doubling Startup Spinouts in 3 Years”
Is DVP’s Quest to Get Startups to Detroit Working? Ask Shawn Geller
[Corrected 2/9/12, 9:05 a.m. See below.] A few weeks ago, Dan Gilbert and the Detroit Venture Partners (DVP) crew welcomed reporters for a tour of the newly renovated Madison Building in downtown Detroit. Gilbert had recently spent $12 million to turn the former theater into a sort of fantasy workspace for budding entrepreneurs, and the … Continue reading “Is DVP’s Quest to Get Startups to Detroit Working? Ask Shawn Geller”
Geeking Out with Evernote: The Photo Gallery
In the nearly five years since we started Xconomy, I’ve looked forward to few events more than our Silicon Valley “Xconomy Xchange” forum last night with Evernote CEO Phil Libin, Sequoia Capital partner Roelof Botha, and Morgenthaler Ventures partner Gary Little. I’m a longtime power user of Evernote’s online notekeeping application—it’s installed on my Mac, … Continue reading “Geeking Out with Evernote: The Photo Gallery”
Xconomy Is on Google+!
All the cool kids were doing it, so we just couldn’t resist. We’ve created an Xconomy page on Google+, where we’ll share several of our most interesting stories every day. We’ve also added Google+ sharing buttons to all of our stories here on the site—you’ll find them in the sharing box at right, and at the … Continue reading “Xconomy Is on Google+!”
Akamai Buys Blaze as Web Optimization Heats Up in Boston
A young Canadian software startup with Boston investors is now part of a big Boston-area company. Ottawa-based Blaze Software has been acquired by Cambridge, MA-based Akamai (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AKAM]]) for an undisclosed cash sum. What’s interesting here is that Akamai, the Web content delivery and networking giant, is making a move into Web performance optimization—basically tackling … Continue reading “Akamai Buys Blaze as Web Optimization Heats Up in Boston”
NYC Consortium Promotes Collaboration Among Scientific Researchers
New York is home to several organizations that are uniting the city’s disparate academic institutions in pursuit of common goals. This month will mark the opening of the New York Genome Center, an effort among 11 colleges to collaborate on genomics research. In November, the New York eHealth Collaborative held its first conference, which was … Continue reading “NYC Consortium Promotes Collaboration Among Scientific Researchers”
OncoSec Medical Advancing Inovio’s Technology Against Cancer
OncoSec Medical CEO Punit Dhillon tells me the startup he helped establish in San Diego last March is beginning mid-stage safety and efficacy trials of its proprietary technology for enhancing drug delivery in treatments of several types of skin cancer. The technology, which OncoSec acquired from Blue Bell, PA-based Inovio Pharmaceuticals (AMEX: [[ticker:INO]]) almost a … Continue reading “OncoSec Medical Advancing Inovio’s Technology Against Cancer”
UW Opening “New Ventures” Incubator to Support Spin-Offs
When the University of Washington hired Michael Young to be its new president last year, one qualification that stood out was an impressive record of spinning out companies from his previous employer, the University of Utah. Today, the UW is taking a step toward fulfilling some of that promise by opening its New Ventures Facility, … Continue reading “UW Opening “New Ventures” Incubator to Support Spin-Offs”
Zoora Aims to Marry Indie Designers with Shoppers Hungry for Options
She started her career as a management consultant, but Aubrie Pagano says she always knew she wanted to be an entrepreneur. And she was particularly energized by fashion. So Pagano spent her free hours assisting local Boston designer Emily Muller in launching her collection, in exchange for the opportunity to get some firsthand experience in … Continue reading “Zoora Aims to Marry Indie Designers with Shoppers Hungry for Options”
Timehop Revives Old Memories from Facebook, Foursquare, and Twitter
Everyone wants to recapture pieces of the past these days. Facebook for example changed all profiles to the timeline format this year, and others in the social media space are pursuing ways of tracking the past. New York-based Timehop has developed its own technology to let individuals recall content from their personal histories, via once-day … Continue reading “Timehop Revives Old Memories from Facebook, Foursquare, and Twitter”
Detroit-Born Serial Entrepreneur Quits Boston for Pro Hoops Contract
Yo, is there a ballplayer in the house? Well, there is a House playing ball—professional basketball, that is. At the age of 33, Adam House, a serial entrepreneur (and shooting guard) who has successfully built and sold three companies—his most recent startup, Velocitude, was acquired by Akamai in 2010—has at least temporarily put aside the … Continue reading “Detroit-Born Serial Entrepreneur Quits Boston for Pro Hoops Contract”
Brightcove, Radius, Synchroneuron, & More Boston-Area Dealmakers
Plans for IPOs and venture funding dominated the New England deals news this week. —A new seed fund, backed by venture firm New Enterprise Associates and hosted by Harvard, came out of the woodwork last week. The Experiment Fund will invest up to $250,000 in seed funding in selected startups, with a focus on technologies … Continue reading “Brightcove, Radius, Synchroneuron, & More Boston-Area Dealmakers”
Candid Advice for Founders as Kinect Accelerator Deadline Hits
Long hours, breakneck deadlines, high stakes, and conflicting advice—it’s all part of the package when entrepreneurs submit a few months of their life to an incubator program in hopes of creating the next big thing. Not surprisingly, some groups crumble under the pressure, says TechStars Seattle director Andy Sack. “The number one risk facing your … Continue reading “Candid Advice for Founders as Kinect Accelerator Deadline Hits”
Xconomy Event Tonight: Building the 100-Year Company at Evernote
Perhaps you’ve been meaning to buy a ticket to our big Silicon Valley event with Evernote CEO Phil Libin tonight, but you keep forgetting. Well, now’s the time to take action. We still have some tickets available online for $50 ($40 if you work for a startup)—but a walk-in ticket tonight will cost you $95. … Continue reading “Xconomy Event Tonight: Building the 100-Year Company at Evernote”
Life Sciences VC Investing Up in Dollar Value, Down in Deal Volume
At first glance, a report released last week by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association seems to portend rich times for life sciences startups. Biotech companies raised $4.7 billion in 2011—more than any other sector except for software and enough to help make last year one of the top three years for venture fundraising … Continue reading “Life Sciences VC Investing Up in Dollar Value, Down in Deal Volume”
Radius Health Seeks $86M IPO
Cambridge, MA-based Radius Health, which is on a quest to enter the multibillion-dollar market for osteoporosis treatments, said today it has filed to go public. The company hopes to raise $86 million in the proposed offering. The IPO will be underwritten by UBS Investment Bank and Leerink Swann, and co-managed by Cowen and Company and … Continue reading “Radius Health Seeks $86M IPO”
Gotham Greens: Cleantech and Farm Tech Converge in Brooklyn
Hidden amid the technology startups clamoring for attention in New York, which is packed with media, data, and social networking players, is an unlikely company more interested in vegetables than video sharing. Gotham Greens Farms is out to prove its resilience by cultivating crops on rooftops in a landscape dominated by bricks, mortar, and steel. … Continue reading “Gotham Greens: Cleantech and Farm Tech Converge in Brooklyn”
EMC’s Comeback in Server-Side Memory: Q&A with Pat Gelsinger
In enterprise data centers, servers and storage go together like hot dogs and buns. One isn’t much good without the other. But if your specialty is baking buns, you probably don’t spend a lot of time thinking about how to improve the dogs. And that, in essence, is one of the limitations that Hopkinton, MA-based … Continue reading “EMC’s Comeback in Server-Side Memory: Q&A with Pat Gelsinger”
Applied Proteomics, Co-Founded by Danny Hillis, Gets New CEO, $22.5M
Applied Proteomics hasn’t exactly been operating in stealth mode since it was founded five years ago. Co-founders David Agus, a cancer specialist at USC, and Danny Hillis, the MIT-trained computer scientist, gave TedMed talks about the startup’s technology, which provides a 40-gigabyte snapshot of all the proteins circulating in a drop of blood. By pure … Continue reading “Applied Proteomics, Co-Founded by Danny Hillis, Gets New CEO, $22.5M”
San Diego Tech Roundup: Web Startups Heat Up, New Incubator Opens
We’re starting to see fresh signs of life among the Internet software startups in San Diego. Check out this news. —During a visit last week, TechStars CEO David Cohen talked with the leaders of San Diego’s grassroots Web startup community about the factors that help to create and sustain entrepreneurial communities. One crucial issue confronting … Continue reading “San Diego Tech Roundup: Web Startups Heat Up, New Incubator Opens”
Detroit4Detroit: Citizen Philanthropy for a Digital World
Citizen Effect, the Washington, D.C.-based microphilanthropy organization that is perhaps best known for its work in India, has just launched a new initiative called Detroit4Detroit, which aims to fund 150 community-improvement projects using a strategy that’s heavy on social networking and other digital tools. “Detroit4Detroit is based around the idea that anyone can be a philanthropist,” … Continue reading “Detroit4Detroit: Citizen Philanthropy for a Digital World”
Rapid7’s Mike Tuchen on Cyber Espionage and Startup Lessons
How are companies spying on each other these days? One of the surprising ways I’ve heard about recently is through the webcam in boardrooms. That’s right, apparently it’s easy to hack into some companies’ video conference systems, because they lie outside typical security measures. Companies sometimes set up video conferences so they can be accessed … Continue reading “Rapid7’s Mike Tuchen on Cyber Espionage and Startup Lessons”
FDA vs. Drug Ads: Cut the Kids and Dogs, Spell Out Side Effects
If you’ve turned on your TV anytime in the last, oh, decade or so, you’ve no doubt been bombarded by ads imploring you to “ask your doctor” about Drug X. And you’re well familiar with the routine: You get treated to happy images of folks dancing, perhaps, or walking their dogs in pretty green meadows, … Continue reading “FDA vs. Drug Ads: Cut the Kids and Dogs, Spell Out Side Effects”
EquaShip Suspends Operations, Overhauls Shipping Network
Seattle shipping startup EquaShip, which aims to save small and medium-sized businesses big bucks over UPS and FedEx, has hit a big stumbling block. The company is suspending operations to overhaul the way it routes packages in a bid to speed up delivery times. The change is major—CEO Ron Wiener says it could take a … Continue reading “EquaShip Suspends Operations, Overhauls Shipping Network”
New York’s Venture Emergence: The Photos
Xconomy held its first Big Apple tech event (well, mostly tech, since there was one life sciences company on hand) on Wednesday. We called it New York’s Venture Emergence, and a fantastic crowd of nearly 250 turned out to the Apella Center on East 29th Street for an afternoon of startup snapshots, VC-entrepreneur stories about … Continue reading “New York’s Venture Emergence: The Photos”
Calling All Boston-Area Marketing Mavens…
…or really just one great one: Xconomy needs your help. We’re busy cranking out terrific tech and life sciences journalism and putting on stellar events across the six cities in our network, and we’re looking for a kick-ass marketing coordinator to help us get the word out about all of it. Full details are here, … Continue reading “Calling All Boston-Area Marketing Mavens…”
10 Apps & Sites That Bring Back the Joy of Reading
You wouldn’t throw a fancy dinner party in a 7-Eleven. You wouldn’t hold a symphony concert in a subway station, or teach a meditation class on a tilt-a-whirl ride. So why does anyone expect readers to read long articles on the Web? Call me a traitor to my kind, but I think the World Wide … Continue reading “10 Apps & Sites That Bring Back the Joy of Reading”
San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Amylin, Optimer, and the Economy
—San Diego’s Amylin Pharmaceuticals says Bydureon, its new once-a-week drug for treating Type 2 diabetes can hit the market as early as next month, after the FDA cleared Bydureon. The FDA rejected the Amylin’s drug twice before. An estimated 26 million people in the United States, or roughly 8 percent of the population, have type … Continue reading “San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Amylin, Optimer, and the Economy”
Boston Startups: Get Aggressive in Working with Big Companies
Boston startups should be focusing more on creating strategic partnerships with big companies. An “if we build it, they will come” mindset appears to dominate the Boston startup scene. Too many startups also rely mostly on a pricing and plans revenue model combined with implementing the latest inside sales and marketing 2.0 tools to “get … Continue reading “Boston Startups: Get Aggressive in Working with Big Companies”
7 Lessons from TechStars’ David Cohen on Building a Startup Culture
When it comes to tech startups—especially in Internet software and app development—San Diego has been adrift in the horse latitudes. That’s the term Spanish mariners had for the waters where the trade winds died out for days and even weeks at a time. Becalmed sailors desperate to gain some headway would heave their horses overboard … Continue reading “7 Lessons from TechStars’ David Cohen on Building a Startup Culture”
FDA Approvals for Alkermes & Vertex Among the NE Life Sciences News
News of FDA drug approvals shone the spotlight on some New England biotechs this week. —Waltham, MA-based Alkermes (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ALKS]]) and San Diego-based Amylin Pharmaceuticals(NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMLN]]) won FDA approval for their injectable diabetes drug exenatide once-weekly (Bydureon). This was their third time seeking clearance for the drug, which uses technology from Alkermes to last long … Continue reading “FDA Approvals for Alkermes & Vertex Among the NE Life Sciences News”
Fred Wilson, Todd Dagres, and More Cheer NY’s Growth in the VC Game
Much like the New York Giants charging onto the football field, companies such as bitly, BarkBox, and Gilt Groupe—along with their backers—have upped the caliber of innovation expected from startups in New York. In response to this upswell of activity, Xconomy brought some 250 members of the local investor and entrepreneurial community together Wednesday to … Continue reading “Fred Wilson, Todd Dagres, and More Cheer NY’s Growth in the VC Game”
Parallels: Windows-on-Mac Guys Say Small-Biz Software is Sexy
Most people probably know Parallels as the company that puts Microsoft Windows on the Mac. And as Apple products continue their almost unbelievable proliferation, that’s not a bad business to be in—Parallels is seeing strong growth tied to Apple’s rise, particularly with more penetration of Macs and iPads in big business. But if you ask … Continue reading “Parallels: Windows-on-Mac Guys Say Small-Biz Software is Sexy”
Wayne State Hires Former Pharma Exec to Lead Tech Commercialization Efforts
In Michigan, technology spun out of the University of Michigan is firmly entrenched in the startup success stories that get the most press: HandyLab, Accuri Cytometers, and the like. What’s less publicized is the key role Wayne State University’s technology has played in major companies like Asterand and the California-based SciClone Pharmaceuticals. Wayne State is particularly … Continue reading “Wayne State Hires Former Pharma Exec to Lead Tech Commercialization Efforts”
FaceCash Founder Claims New Regulation is Unconstitutional
For months, Aaron Greenspan, the founder of the now-defunct mobile payments service FaceCash, has been getting deeper into a legal battle with the State of California over the way it regulates money transfers. And he thinks the implications of his fight go well beyond his startup. According to an open letter Greenspan wrote to Governor … Continue reading “FaceCash Founder Claims New Regulation is Unconstitutional”
Founders of Harvard Experiment Fund Talk Goals, Strategy, & Zip Codes
Don’t know about you, but I’m less interested in Facebook’s IPO than I am in the efforts of people trying to find the next Facebook out of Boston/Cambridge. One such effort is the new Experiment Fund, based at Harvard University, which I wrote about earlier this week. Turns out there’s more to the latest seed-stage … Continue reading “Founders of Harvard Experiment Fund Talk Goals, Strategy, & Zip Codes”
Xconomist of the Week: Gilt Founders Say Friends Can Work Together
At Xconomy’s event yesterday, New York’s Venture Emergence, members of Gilt Groupe’s founding team fascinated a standing-room-only audience with the tale of how, in just four years, they grew from a scrappy startup to one of the most successful e-commerce sites on the Web. Co-founders Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, who is one of our Xconomists, and … Continue reading “Xconomist of the Week: Gilt Founders Say Friends Can Work Together”
The Web Without the Muck: A Long Interview with Longform.org
The Web, as we’ve known it, is all about velocity. It wants you to move along. Click here! Go there! Watch this! As a result, it’s never been a great place to settle down and focus for the 30 minutes it might take you to read an 8,000-word article—the sort of long, in-depth non-fiction that … Continue reading “The Web Without the Muck: A Long Interview with Longform.org”