It took enterprise social networking startup Yammer 18 months to gain its first million users, nine months to add its second million, and only six months to add its third million. At that rate of increase, according to my calculations, the startup will have 20 million users by late 2012, and 7 billion by 2014. … Continue reading “Yammer is Not Just Facebook for Enterprises: A Deep Dive with CEO David Sacks”
Category: National
Clovr Changes Name to Linkable Networks, Nabs Investment from Citi Ventures to Push Card-Linked Offers
Less than a year after announcing its seed financing, Boston-based Clovr Media is changing its name to Linkable Networks and is adding another big-name investor to its roster. The digital media startup is announcing today that it has received an undisclosed investment from Palo Alto, CA- and Shanghai-based Citi Ventures, a unit of Citigroup. As … Continue reading “Clovr Changes Name to Linkable Networks, Nabs Investment from Citi Ventures to Push Card-Linked Offers”
Join Xconomy Tonight for New York Life Sciences 2031
What is the 20-year outlook for the life sciences industry in New York City? That’s the topic of our first public event in NYC: Life Sciences 2031. We have a great panel of experts from across the industry lined up for what’s sure to be a lively discussion. They are: Barbara Dalton, VP of venture … Continue reading “Join Xconomy Tonight for New York Life Sciences 2031”
Patricia Beckmann, Co-Inventor of Enbrel, to Join “The Immunex Impact” Dec. 1
Patricia Beckmann has covered lots of bases in biotech—science, venture capital, entrepreneurship, and state officialdom. But once an Immunoid, always an Immunoid. So I’m excited to have her join Xconomy as one of the speakers at our next big Seattle life sciences event, “The Immunex Impact,” on Dec. 1. For those who may have lost … Continue reading “Patricia Beckmann, Co-Inventor of Enbrel, to Join “The Immunex Impact” Dec. 1″
Mayor Bloomberg Announces New Advisory Council on Technology at NY Tech Meetup
Tuesday night’s NY Tech Meetup took on a new spin when a special guest took the stage. Though it was interesting to spot David Tisch of TechStars in the audience, what was most notable was that Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg spoke at the monthly gathering of local technology entrepreneurs and innovators for the first time … Continue reading “Mayor Bloomberg Announces New Advisory Council on Technology at NY Tech Meetup”
MassChallenge Matures: Breaking Down the Final 26 Startups & Their Accelerator Experience
[Updated 10/14/11. See below] And then there were 26. Startup teams competing for $1 million in cash prizes, that is. Welcome to the final stage of MassChallenge 2011. MassChallenge, for anyone who doesn’t know, is a Boston-based startup accelerator program now in its second year. It may very well be the world’s largest incubator of … Continue reading “MassChallenge Matures: Breaking Down the Final 26 Startups & Their Accelerator Experience”
San Diego’s Economic Engine Boosted by High-Tech Jobs, Wages
San Diego’s high-tech sectors did not escape unscathed from the great recession of 2007-2009, but a new study says local technology industries have had a disproportionate effect in boosting the regional economy in recent years. Using state employment data, the study released yesterday by the National University System Institute for Policy Research counted just over … Continue reading “San Diego’s Economic Engine Boosted by High-Tech Jobs, Wages”
Amgen Mulls R&D Cuts, Thong Le Named WBBA Chairman, NanoString’s Version 2.0, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News
The Seattle biotech community got an energetic new leader this week, but there was also some more grim news about budget cuts coming at one of the biggest local life sciences employers. —Amgen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMGN]]), the Thousand Oaks, CA-based biotech giant, is looking to “improve focus” and “re-allocate resources” in its $2.9 billion R&D budget, … Continue reading “Amgen Mulls R&D Cuts, Thong Le Named WBBA Chairman, NanoString’s Version 2.0, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”
Sequenom Plans $19M Lab in North Carolina, Illumina Shares Plunge, PatientSafe Advances Device, & More San Diego Life Sciences News
It was a full and busy week for life sciences news in San Diego, with interesting advances in wireless health and a variety of deals. I’m planning at least one more report from the Wireless Health 2011 Conference, but in the meantime, here’s everything else. North Carolina Gov. Beverly Burdue said yesterday that San Diego-based … Continue reading “Sequenom Plans $19M Lab in North Carolina, Illumina Shares Plunge, PatientSafe Advances Device, & More San Diego Life Sciences News”
Boston Xconomists and Area Innovators Gather for Special Xconomy Event: The Photos
As you may or may not know, it’s not just Xconomy’s staff editors who are powering our website with thoughtful reflections on the happenings in each of our city’s high-tech and innovation communities. We have more or less a dream team of innovators in each city who write for our Xconomist Forum, submitting posts on … Continue reading “Boston Xconomists and Area Innovators Gather for Special Xconomy Event: The Photos”
VC Keeps up Hot Pace, 2011 Could Mark 10-Year Peak, CB Insights Says
Market meltdowns, international turmoil, stubborn unemployment—none of the lingering macro-economic troubles seem to be holding back the momentum for venture investing in 2011, according to a report on third-quarter investments from research firm CB Insights. The latest tally from the firm’s venture capital database shows venture investments reaching $7.9 billion in the quarter across 790 … Continue reading “VC Keeps up Hot Pace, 2011 Could Mark 10-Year Peak, CB Insights Says”
Detroit Startup iRule Wants to Control Your Universe
About three years ago, two buddies who worked together at an automotive company were fed up with paying thousands of dollars for the universal remote controls required to manage their home theaters. Itai Ben-Gal, an engineer, lamented to Victor Nemirovsky, a computer programmer, that he wished he could just use his iPhone to control his … Continue reading “Detroit Startup iRule Wants to Control Your Universe”
Amgen Looking to Improve Focus and “Re-allocate Resources” for R&D, Say More Oct. 24
Amgen, the world’s largest biotechnology company, just sent a signal to its staff that cuts could be coming soon to its R&D operations. Amgen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMGN]]) is based in Thousand Oaks, CA, and has R&D operations in Seattle, South San Francisco, and Cambridge, MA. News of potential cuts to Amgen’s R&D operations were reported earlier … Continue reading “Amgen Looking to Improve Focus and “Re-allocate Resources” for R&D, Say More Oct. 24″
NanoString Rolls Out Souped-Up DNA Analysis Instrument at Genetics Confab
[Update: 7:45 am Pacific 10/13] NanoString Technologies has spent much of the last year talking about its foray into diagnostic applications for its basic genetic analysis tool, but today it’s talking to researchers simply about getting some more oomph out of the machine. Seattle-based NanoString said today, in an announcement at the International Congress of … Continue reading “NanoString Rolls Out Souped-Up DNA Analysis Instrument at Genetics Confab”
Box, Qumu, Zenprise: Bay Area BizTech News by the Numbers
Time for our occasional data-driven roundup of local business and technology news. From biggest to smallest: $81 million—A Series D expansion round formally announced yesterday for Box.net, the Palo Alto, CA-based enterprise document sharing startup. The round involved new investors Salesforce.com, SAP Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, New Enterprise Associates, as well as existing investors Andreessen Horowitz … Continue reading “Box, Qumu, Zenprise: Bay Area BizTech News by the Numbers”
Pfizer, deCode Genetics Strike Deal To Look For New Lupus Drug Targets
Companies like Pfizer that constantly need to develop new drugs never got much return on the investment in genomics a decade ago. But Pfizer is showing some renewed interest in genomics through a partnership being announced today with deCODE Genetics, the Iceland-based genomics company. deCODE, a 15-year-old operation which Arch Venture Partners and Polaris Venture … Continue reading “Pfizer, deCode Genetics Strike Deal To Look For New Lupus Drug Targets”
Overland Set to Ring Turnaround Bell with Disruptive Technology at a Disruptive Price
With yesterday’s introduction of a new line of data storage products, San Diego’s Overland Data (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OVRL]]) has set out to make a name for itself in the same high-tech market where it has been operating for the past 31 years. Since it began making IBM-compatible 9-track tape drives in 1980, Overland Storage has been … Continue reading “Overland Set to Ring Turnaround Bell with Disruptive Technology at a Disruptive Price”
Incubator Payoff? TechStars, 500 Startups Alums Among the Tech Deals in the Last Week
We caught a fresh wave of tech startup financings, from companies working on improving e-mail, shopping, wellness, video surveillance, and enterprise computing. Here’s a quick rundown: —Boston-based HelpScout, developers of software for managing group collaboration across a single e-mail address, announced the closing of its $435,000 equity round. The TechStars Boston graduate told me when … Continue reading “Incubator Payoff? TechStars, 500 Startups Alums Among the Tech Deals in the Last Week”
How Will Your Doctor Use Your Genome? Ask Our Panel Oct. 24
When you can sequence an entire human genome for less than $5,000, and the price is diving fast to $1,000, what kinds of questions will your doctor be able to ask about you? Once all the DNA sequences get generated, and software companies start figuring out better ways to analyze/interpret/visualize all the data, then the … Continue reading “How Will Your Doctor Use Your Genome? Ask Our Panel Oct. 24”
Onyx Gets $160M in Settlement With Bayer for Cancer Drug, Royalty Stream on Next Treatment
Onyx Pharmaceuticals has snapped up a $160 million upfront payment as part of a legal settlement with Bayer, its longtime partner. South San Francisco-based Onyx (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ONXX]]) said today it has restructured its partnership with Bayer for the marketing of their existing drug sorafenib (Nexavar) for kidney and liver cancers, while striking a new agreement … Continue reading “Onyx Gets $160M in Settlement With Bayer for Cancer Drug, Royalty Stream on Next Treatment”
LocalResponse Raises $5M for Social Marketing Platform
New York-based LocalResponse announced that it has closed a $5 million funding round from Cava Capital, Vodafone Ventures, Advancit Capital, and Progress Ventures, with participation from previous investors. LocalResponse makes tools that allow companies to detect when people are “checking in” to places where their products are sold—so they can offer them coupons and the … Continue reading “LocalResponse Raises $5M for Social Marketing Platform”
OvaScience Uses Stem Cells to Revive Fertility
Boston-based OvaScience is emerging from stealth mode with a technology designed to improve in vitro fertilization by rejuvenating tired eggs. Yesterday the company unveiled its technique, which is based on technology it licensed from Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. OvaScience co-founder Jonathan Tilly—director of the Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology at MGH—will talk … Continue reading “OvaScience Uses Stem Cells to Revive Fertility”
Checking In from the Meebo Bar: A Social Startup’s Latest Big Swing at Bat
“Meebo has a culture of doing what we call ‘big swings at bat’ every 12 to 18 months,” Seth Sternberg is saying. “We try something new, a hard project that’s highly innovative. And either it’s going to flame out wildly, or succeed wildly. If it works, great. If not, oh well, it was an experiment. … Continue reading “Checking In from the Meebo Bar: A Social Startup’s Latest Big Swing at Bat”
Wanderfly’s Technology Feeds Wanderlust on The New York Times’ Travel Pages
For vacationers who are unsure of where to go for their next trip, New York’s Wanderfly is bringing its recommendation technology to a broad audience of travelers. Last Wednesday, technology from Wanderfly began running on some 1,000 travel pages hosted by The New York Times, according to Christy Liu, co-founder and director of marketing for … Continue reading “Wanderfly’s Technology Feeds Wanderlust on The New York Times’ Travel Pages”
Zulily’s $43M Leads the Seattle-area Pack in End-of-Summer Fundraising Tally
They grow up so quick! Zulily, which offers daily “flash sales” on moms-and-kids items, easily led the field for angel and venture financing deals in Washington in August. That’s according to monthly data compiled by our partners at CB Insights, which tallied $79 million in overall financings across tech, biotech and cleantech companies for the … Continue reading “Zulily’s $43M Leads the Seattle-area Pack in End-of-Summer Fundraising Tally”
Modo Labs, Open Source Spinoff from MIT, Wants to Be the JBoss of Mobile Design
Any question about the impact MIT is having on the field of mobile software design can be answered with two words: Modo Labs. The Cambridge, MA-based startup grew out of the MIT Mobile Framework, an open source project that began in 2007 with the goal of helping developers build mobile websites for universities. The plan … Continue reading “Modo Labs, Open Source Spinoff from MIT, Wants to Be the JBoss of Mobile Design”
Courtagen Grabs $8M, Nuance Buys Swype, OpenView Eyes Expansion Stage Investments, & More Boston-Area Deals News
The death of Steve Jobs dominated the tech news world in the last week, even on this coast, but we still saw some deals headlines from New England IT and life sciences players. —Agios Pharmaceuticals, a Cambridge, MA-based developer of cancer-starving drugs, added $20 million to the already $130 million collaboration it inked with New … Continue reading “Courtagen Grabs $8M, Nuance Buys Swype, OpenView Eyes Expansion Stage Investments, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
Seattle: Coffee Town with a Software Problem
Are you a highly educated, salmon-eating, coffee-swilling tech worker who likes soccer? Congratulations! You fit pretty easily into the profile of a Seattle consumer, as detailed by this infographic from Zaarly. The startup, which lets people crowdsource their needs by putting a price on specific goods or services, is based in San Francisco and Kansas … Continue reading “Seattle: Coffee Town with a Software Problem”
UCSF Chancellor Susan Desmond-Hellmann “Shapes an Empire,” Says NYT
Susan Desmond-Hellmann joked to me a couple weeks back in an interview about how UCSF doesn’t quite have the national profile it deserves, partly because it doesn’t have a football team. But this week, at least, UCSF got some major national attention, as the UCSF chancellor got a lot of ink in the New York … Continue reading “UCSF Chancellor Susan Desmond-Hellmann “Shapes an Empire,” Says NYT”
Ann Arbor Startup Aims to be ‘Stub Hub of Event Parking’
The success of the Detroit Lions and Tigers has dominated the headlines recently, but perhaps you’ve heard there’s another big game coming up this weekend: The intense in-state rivalry between Michigan State University and the University of Michigan on Saturday at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, MI. I’m not planning on going to the game, … Continue reading “Ann Arbor Startup Aims to be ‘Stub Hub of Event Parking’”
Swype, Jobs, Clearwire: the One-Minute Week in Seattle Tech Headlines
—Swype, one of the most talked-about startups in the Seattle area, made good on all the attention it’s earned by selling to mobile-software leader Nuance (NASDAQ: [[ticker:NUAN]]) for $102.5 million. Nuance has been gobbling up lots of technology and talent in the past few years, including Tegic Communications, the former home of Swype’s Cliff Kushler. … Continue reading “Swype, Jobs, Clearwire: the One-Minute Week in Seattle Tech Headlines”
The Genetics Institute Impact: Join Mark Ptashne, Tom Maniatis & Gabe Schmergel on Dec. 14
Quite a few people study genetics in Boston. But there was—and can only be—one true “Genetics Institute.” Even though 15 years have gone by since the company was swallowed up in a corporate merger, the people who made “GI” one of the biotech industry’s pioneers in the ’80s are still making waves throughout the Boston biotech … Continue reading “The Genetics Institute Impact: Join Mark Ptashne, Tom Maniatis & Gabe Schmergel on Dec. 14”
CTIA Convenes Apps & Enterprise Conference Amid Predictions of Explosive Growth
The CTIA wireless industry group convened its annual enterprise and apps conference in San Diego yesterday, and the biggest buzz so far has been around Google and Samsung’s decision to cancel the debut they had planned for both the “Ice Cream Sandwich” version of Android and the Nexus Prime, characterized as the next “pure Google” … Continue reading “CTIA Convenes Apps & Enterprise Conference Amid Predictions of Explosive Growth”
Courtagen Snaps Up $8M
Woburn, MA-based Courtagen Life Sciences, has pinned down an $8 million equity investment from 67 backers, an SEC filing shows. The company raised $7 million in Series A funding in August 2010, under its previous name Avantra Biosciences. Courtagen is developing protein biomarker technology for disease detection. The technology was purchased from the now-bankrupt Decision … Continue reading “Courtagen Snaps Up $8M”
A Preview of Xconomy Forum: New York Life Sciences 2031
Xconomy’s first public event in New York City—a look ahead at the biotech scene over the next 20 years—is coming up this Thursday, October 13. We’ve been chatting with our panelists over the last few weeks, and the consensus is clear: There are a lot of great topics to cover, and the diverse set of … Continue reading “A Preview of Xconomy Forum: New York Life Sciences 2031”
Websense Partners With Facebook, Qualcomm Shuffles Top Execs, ViaSat Satellite Set for Launch Next Week, & More San Diego BizTech News
There’s been a lot of tech news in San Diego over the past week, from Web 2.0 startups like SocialIQ that are identifying and measuring social media influencers, to changes in the executive leadership at established companies like Qualcomm. Our roundup begins now. —San Diego’s Websense (NASDAQ: [[ticker:WBSN]]) said it has installed its network security … Continue reading “Websense Partners With Facebook, Qualcomm Shuffles Top Execs, ViaSat Satellite Set for Launch Next Week, & More San Diego BizTech News”
Cleave Biosciences Nabs $42M, Veteran Execs, to Chase Personalized Cancer Therapies
Some big money is being put behind big names at a new biotech company called Cleave Biosciences. The company in Burlingame, CA, founded in the summer of 2010, is emerging from stealth mode today with a $42 million Series A financing from US Venture Partners, 5AM Ventures, Clarus Ventures, OrbiMed Advisors, and Astellas Venture Management. … Continue reading “Cleave Biosciences Nabs $42M, Veteran Execs, to Chase Personalized Cancer Therapies”
Agios and Celgene: Anatomy of an Ultra-Valuable Biotech Marriage
It wouldn’t be much of an over-statement to say Cambridge, MA-based Agios’ $150 million cancer-drug development deal with biotech giant Celgene is unprecedented. At least not in the view of Kevin Starr, a partner at Third Rock Ventures, which helped found Agios in 2008, providing part of its $33 million Series A funding. In April … Continue reading “Agios and Celgene: Anatomy of an Ultra-Valuable Biotech Marriage”
How Not to Start a Startup
Startups can be a lot like first girlfriends (or boyfriends). You fall madly, passionately in love, think of them 24/7, talk, walk, eat, drink, breathe them, put everything into them and beyond, but sometimes, despite the passion, it just doesn’t work out. And, actually if you’re willing be to be brutally honest, in retrospect the … Continue reading “How Not to Start a Startup”
Atlantis Technologies Cleans Up at Angels’ Quick Pitch Competition
Atlantis Technologies is a San Diego cleantech startup that has developed proprietary, low-energy, chemical-free water desalination systems for treating industrial wastewater—especially the 1 trillion gallons of salty wastewater created each year by the oil and gas industry ‘s fracking practices. In a presentation last week, Atlantis CEO P.M. Curran said the company is now seeking … Continue reading “Atlantis Technologies Cleans Up at Angels’ Quick Pitch Competition”
Jana, Formerly Txteagle, Unveils Strategy for “Giving 2 Billion People a Raise”—A Talk with CEO Nathan Eagle
One of the Boston area’s most intriguing tech startups—because of its global reach—has emerged from a fairly quiet period with a new name and a refined mission. Boston- and San Francisco-based Txteagle, a mobile research and marketing startup focused on developing countries, has rebranded itself as Jana (pronounced “Jah-nuh”). The name is Sanskrit for “people,” … Continue reading “Jana, Formerly Txteagle, Unveils Strategy for “Giving 2 Billion People a Raise”—A Talk with CEO Nathan Eagle”
Stem Cell Therapy: A Process With a Promise
Stem cells hold the promise of ushering in a new era of regenerative medicine, as scientists and engineers have made significant progress in directing these powerful cells towards use in drug screening models and replacements for failing tissues. More recently, scientists have developed even more efficient and alternative methods for reprogramming cells into their desired … Continue reading “Stem Cell Therapy: A Process With a Promise”
Qliance Medical Names Erika Bliss New CEO
Seattle-based Qliance Medical Management, the company Jeff Bezos, Michael Dell and Drew Carey have supported to deliver primary care medical services in a new way, has shuffled around its executive team. Erika Bliss, one of the primary care physicians who founded Qliance in 2006, has been promoted to become president and CEO, while co-founder Norm … Continue reading “Qliance Medical Names Erika Bliss New CEO”
Smoke on the Water: Fireworks at the Cleveland Clinic Medical Innovation Summit
I spent the early part of this week attending the Cleveland Clinic Medical Innovation Summit and, despite the fact that the Cleveland Clinic stubbornly insists on holding its conference in Cleveland (aka The Mistake on the Lake), it was well worth attending. Cleveland is an interesting town. Once upon a time, when old white men … Continue reading “Smoke on the Water: Fireworks at the Cleveland Clinic Medical Innovation Summit”
Five Things Industry Can Do to Support True FDA Reform, and Restore Public Confidence
The FDA is one of the easiest punching bags in American politics. Depending on your point of view, it’s either too hard on business with its unreasonable demands, or too soft on those predatory drug companies seeking to profit off Grandma’s illness regardless of whether the products are safe. When it does its job well, … Continue reading “Five Things Industry Can Do to Support True FDA Reform, and Restore Public Confidence”
Sprint Makes it Pretty Clear: Clearwire on Its Own
Sprint (NYSE: [[ticker:S]]) is unveiling a new plan to upgrade its national wireless network today, and Kirkland, WA-based Clearwire is not part of the picture. That’s sent shares of Clearwire (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CLWR]]) into a nosedive, losing a third of their value in afternoon trading. It had previously seemed that Sprint, as the majority shareholder, might … Continue reading “Sprint Makes it Pretty Clear: Clearwire on Its Own”
Michigan Clean Energy Venture Challenge Now Underway
The revamped Michigan Clean Energy Venture Challenge (MCEVC) is now accepting applications, the University of Michigan’s Center for Entrepreneurship announced this week. The MCEVC is a business competition designed to help Michigan students turn cleantech ideas into thriving businesses. New this year is the contest’s six-month format, which includes skill-building and acceleration phases in addition … Continue reading “Michigan Clean Energy Venture Challenge Now Underway”
Report: Tolerx Folds Its Tent, After $150M in Investment and a Failed Diabetes Drug Trial
Tolerx, a once promising Boston biotech with a novel drug in development for diabetes, has reached the end of the road. The Cambridge, MA-based company is winding down operations, according to a report today in FierceBiotech. The company, which raised more than $150 million in a decade in business, hit the rocks back in March … Continue reading “Report: Tolerx Folds Its Tent, After $150M in Investment and a Failed Diabetes Drug Trial”
Illumina Stock Dives on Weak Quarterly Sales Report
Illumina shareholders are having a rough day today. The San Diego-based maker of genome sequencing tools (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ILMN]]) fell $12.85 a share, or 32 percent, to $27.08 at 11:45 am Eastern time today. The drop came after Illumina released a dismal third-quarter sales report, in which it reported $235 million in revenue on an unaudited … Continue reading “Illumina Stock Dives on Weak Quarterly Sales Report”
When Will Software for the Genome Take Off? Find out Oct. 24
Illumina CEO Jay Flatley memorably called the bioinformatics industry “road kill” in an interview with Xconomy about 18 months ago. But have new opportunities started to emerge for genomic software startups now that scientists are really, Really, Really! crying out for better software to manage the data deluge? After all, isn’t the genomic data going … Continue reading “When Will Software for the Genome Take Off? Find out Oct. 24”