When people think of Bill Gates, they probably think one of two things. He’s either a hard-driving software mogul, or warm-hearted billionaire devoted to saving the poor. But what fewer people realize is that Seattle’s most famous son also spends a lot of his time thinking about, and investing in, clean energy technologies that he … Continue reading “Bill Gates on The Energy Challenge: Optimistic on Science & Business, but Not So Much on Politics”
Category: National
Goby, with New iPhone App, Shifts Focus from Activity Search to Mobile Recommendations
Please…not yet another recommendation engine for telling me where I should eat, what clothes to buy, or which places to visit on my trips. Didn’t StyleFeeder get acquired by Time Inc. last year? Didn’t Where just get bought by PayPal? But I guess that’s why startups keep trying to innovate with recommendations—if they do it … Continue reading “Goby, with New iPhone App, Shifts Focus from Activity Search to Mobile Recommendations”
Fallen Angel: Michigan’s Angel Investment Tax Credit Likely to Die
Oh angel investment tax credit! We barely knew ye! Michigan’s new and improved three year, $27 million angel tax credit, signed into law just last fall by then Gov. Jennifer Granholm, will likely not survive contentious budget negotiations, according to sources close to the state legislature. Last week, the Michigan House passed a budget that … Continue reading “Fallen Angel: Michigan’s Angel Investment Tax Credit Likely to Die”
Dan Reed, Microsoft’s Resident Futurist, Thinks Past Windows to the Fusion of Mobile and Cloud Computing; Meet Him Next Week at Beyond Mobile
Dan Reed heads a crew within Microsoft that may have the coolest name of any division in the company: the eXtreme Computing Group, or XCG. Formed a little less than two years ago, the group is part of Microsoft Research, but its mandate goes beyond R&D: it’s to help the company as a whole look … Continue reading “Dan Reed, Microsoft’s Resident Futurist, Thinks Past Windows to the Fusion of Mobile and Cloud Computing; Meet Him Next Week at Beyond Mobile”
The Lean LaunchPad at Stanford—The Final Presentations
The Stanford Lean LaunchPad class was an experiment in a new model of teaching startup entrepreneurship. This last post – part nine – highlights the final team presentations. Parts one through eight, the class lectures, are here, Guide for our mentors is here. Syllabus is here. This is the End Class lectures were over last … Continue reading “The Lean LaunchPad at Stanford—The Final Presentations”
Microsoft & Skype, in $8.5B Merger, Could Have Tons of Applications, but Mobile and Kinect are Ones to Watch
With its $8.5 billion acquisition of Skype this morning, Microsoft (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MSFT]]) appears to be embracing one of the classic digs at Redmond: It’s grown too big to truly innovate. According to the companies’ announcement, Luxembourg-based Skype, which has offices and investors in Silicon Valley, will be its own division within the Redmond, WA, software … Continue reading “Microsoft & Skype, in $8.5B Merger, Could Have Tons of Applications, but Mobile and Kinect are Ones to Watch”
San Diego’s MIR3 Expands Mass Notification Technology to Social Media Networks
On the day a Magnitude 9 earthquake and major Tsunami struck Japan, customers of MIR3 used the San Diego company’s automated notification system to transmit more than 650,000 real-time messages around the world. “The minute it happened, I checked with engineering and our customers were using every modality of communications—SMS [text messaging], e-mail, phone calls,” … Continue reading “San Diego’s MIR3 Expands Mass Notification Technology to Social Media Networks”
BigDoor Media Adds Power-Hitter Client: Seattle Startup Brings Gamification to Major League Baseball’s Website
The trend of gamification—adding virtual rewards and other game mechanics to all kinds of customer relationships—is barely a year old. But Seattle startup BigDoor Media is showing that the developing field could have some big potential: Today, the company is announcing that its technology is being integrated with MLB.com, the website for Major League Baseball. … Continue reading “BigDoor Media Adds Power-Hitter Client: Seattle Startup Brings Gamification to Major League Baseball’s Website”
Akamai, Riverbed Team Up to Speed Cloud Applications, Wherever They May Run
This deal is all about combining Internet optimization and WAN optimization to accelerate enterprise adoption of hybrid cloud networks. Got that? Let’s try to deconstruct this considerable jargon. Cambridge, MA-based Akamai Technologies (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AKAM]]) and San Francisco-based Riverbed Technology (NASDAQ: [[ticker:RVBD]]), two big players in IT performance management, are announcing today a unique strategic alliance. … Continue reading “Akamai, Riverbed Team Up to Speed Cloud Applications, Wherever They May Run”
Meritage Pharma Passes Key Test With Drug to Reduce Swelling of the Food Pipe
[Update: 11:30 am] San Diego-based Meritage Pharma set out a few years ago to develop a unique drug for people who suffer from a dangerous allergy that causes swelling and narrowing of the esophagus. Now it has some hard data to suggest that it’s on the right track. Meritage (pronounced MARE-uh-tazh) is announcing today that … Continue reading “Meritage Pharma Passes Key Test With Drug to Reduce Swelling of the Food Pipe”
Aneesh Chopra on Innovation, Pinpoint Pickup Takes on Uber, Charles River Embraces IP, & More in the Seattle-Area Tech Roundup
A chat with the nation’s first chief technology officer was one of the highlights of the past week in tech news. Aneesh Chopra, President Barack Obama’s CTO, is in town this week for a panel discussion at the Technology Alliance’s State of Technology luncheon. He had lunch with local corporate execs yesterday, and we published … Continue reading “Aneesh Chopra on Innovation, Pinpoint Pickup Takes on Uber, Charles River Embraces IP, & More in the Seattle-Area Tech Roundup”
Pharma-Academic Alliances: What the Numbers Don’t Tell You
If you’ve been following the drug industry at all for the past few years, you know that Big Pharma has gone alliance crazy. It seems that every other week a new deal is announced in which a pharmaceutical company has partnered with an academic institution to help identify or develop new drugs for a variety … Continue reading “Pharma-Academic Alliances: What the Numbers Don’t Tell You”
How Did You Start Your Company? Tell the Entrepreneurs’ Census
Are we in another tech bubble? Is all the money going to Social, Local and B2C? Any love for B2B out there? And is it true that all you need to get funded these days is a new buzzword and a flashy smile? Although startup companies produce essentially all the new jobs in the United … Continue reading “How Did You Start Your Company? Tell the Entrepreneurs’ Census”
LocalResponse Turns Check-Ins Into Instant Marketing Opportunities
If you managed a major brand-name product, how much would you pay to be able to advertise directly to consumers right as they were arriving at a place where your brand is sold? Nihal Mehta, CEO and co-founder of New York-based LocalResponse, is betting that most consumer-products makers would say “a lot” when asked that … Continue reading “LocalResponse Turns Check-Ins Into Instant Marketing Opportunities”
Molecular Imaging Research Finds New Life in Ann Arbor Thanks To $7M Investment From Baird Venture Partners and Arcus Ventures
Michganders are sensitive about jobs and by jobs I mean there are not nearly enough of them. Mention Pfizer shutting down its research and development center in Ann Arbor, MI or Becton, Dickinson pulling HandyLab’s operations out of Michigan after acquiring the local startup, and people get downright grumpy. What good is an exit if … Continue reading “Molecular Imaging Research Finds New Life in Ann Arbor Thanks To $7M Investment From Baird Venture Partners and Arcus Ventures”
Get Out Your Crystal Ball & Win a Pair of Free Tickets to Beyond Mobile
There’s a remarkable fact in today’s New York Times: if you stepped into a time machine with your iPad 2 and went back just 17 years to 1994, the Apple gadget would rank among the world’s 500 fastest supercomputers. And that’s just measuring processing speed—when it comes to ease of use, the iPad obviously leaves … Continue reading “Get Out Your Crystal Ball & Win a Pair of Free Tickets to Beyond Mobile”
Aneesh Chopra, Obama’s Chief Techie, on Building a Startup-Friendly Region and Why Now is the Best Time to be an Innovator in America
As chief technology officer for the Obama administration, Aneesh Chopra has been heavily involved in efforts to expand access to huge amounts of government data, and encourage techies and entrepreneurs to help solve public policy problems using that data. Xconomy’s Wade Roush talked with Chopra last year, producing this in-depth Q&A that included discussions about … Continue reading “Aneesh Chopra, Obama’s Chief Techie, on Building a Startup-Friendly Region and Why Now is the Best Time to be an Innovator in America”
New York City Investment Fund Supports Biotech, Cleantech, and Now “Fintech” Startups
On May 2, six startups that are developing new technology tools for the financial services industry started a 12-week program of mentorship, networking, and seed funding from New York City Investment Fund, a 15-year-old fund founded by Henry Kravis, founding partner of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. The companies and their products will be in … Continue reading “New York City Investment Fund Supports Biotech, Cleantech, and Now “Fintech” Startups”
Expanding Wireless Health Summit Looks to Inform and Change Patient Behavior
After years of carefully shepherding San Diego’s emerging mobile health industry, Rob McCray says the sixth annual wireless health convergence summit that begins tomorrow in downtown San Diego isn’t just about “convergence” any more. McCray, who is CEO of the nonprofit Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance (WLSA), instead sounded a theme that seems to resonate in these … Continue reading “Expanding Wireless Health Summit Looks to Inform and Change Patient Behavior”
What Kind of Taste Does Lee Hood Have for Interior Decoration? Get a Sense on May 19
There was a big ribbon cutting, and lots of back-slapping local politicians, when Merck officially opened up the fancy labs it built for Rosetta Inpharmatics in March 2004. Merck and Rosetta are long gone now—and so are most of the local officials, come to think of it—but the modern biomedical research center at 401 Terry … Continue reading “What Kind of Taste Does Lee Hood Have for Interior Decoration? Get a Sense on May 19”
Kilimanjaro, RPX, and Embargoes: The 1-Minute Version of Last Week’s Bay Area BizTech News
I was pretty busy last week getting ready for Beyond Mobile: Computing in 2021, Xconomy’s next big Bay Area event at SRI International on May 17. So I didn’t have time to write as many features as usual—but I got a lot of help filling up our pages from my colleagues. —Luke profiled Kilimanjaro Energy, … Continue reading “Kilimanjaro, RPX, and Embargoes: The 1-Minute Version of Last Week’s Bay Area BizTech News”
Motorola Mobility Stays Put, RadiSys Acquires Continuous Computing, Watchwords From Qualcomm’s Town Hall Meeting, & More San Diego BizTech News
Much of San Diego’s tech news came out of the mobile industry last week, along with a dash of cleantech and a dollop of software. In other words, a feast for the hungry reader. —The big deal of the week came when Hillsboro, OR-based RadiSys (NASDAQ: [[ticker:RSYS]]) announced an agreement to acquire privately held Continuous … Continue reading “Motorola Mobility Stays Put, RadiSys Acquires Continuous Computing, Watchwords From Qualcomm’s Town Hall Meeting, & More San Diego BizTech News”
SwipeGood Works to Make Giving So Easy, It’s a Rounding Error
This is the fifth in a series of profiles of Y Combinator Winter 2011 (YC W11) startups. “Keep the change.” You might say that to a taxi driver who’d delivered you speedily and safely to your destination, but it’s unlikely you’d ever say it to a grocery checkout clerk or a Nieman Marcus salesperson. Yet … Continue reading “SwipeGood Works to Make Giving So Easy, It’s a Rounding Error”
Alkermes Acquires Elan Drug Manufacturing Unit for $960M
Alkermes has struck a big acquisition deal that vaults it into the club of “Big Biotech” companies it has long yearned to join. The Waltham, MA-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ALKS]]) is announcing today it has agreed to acquire Elan Drug Technologies, the chemical formulation and manufacturing unit of Ireland-based Elan (NYSE: [[ticker:ELN]]) in a deal … Continue reading “Alkermes Acquires Elan Drug Manufacturing Unit for $960M”
Why Are Drugs Getting Such Weird Brand Names?
Oddball product names are one of the occupational hazards of biotech writing. Drugs in particular can be hard to spell, and often hard to pronounce. While I can practically type telaprevir, telaprevir, telaprevir in my sleep at this point, I can almost feel the reader reaction when that scientific name flows from my keyboard. ZZZ…. … Continue reading “Why Are Drugs Getting Such Weird Brand Names?”
SBIR Overhaul Stalls In the Senate, to the Detriment of VC-Backed Innovation
Venture capital-backed startups got a slap on the back this week, but that was followed by a slap in the face in the latest round of Washington political gamesmanship over how much lawmakers should or should not encourage venture capital-backed innovation. So far, the battle to enhance U.S. innovation is taking yet another hit. What … Continue reading “SBIR Overhaul Stalls In the Senate, to the Detriment of VC-Backed Innovation”
All Things Connected: Qualcomm Executives Talk About Mobile Complexity
What do the top executives at Qualcomm view as the key developments as mobile communications accelerate with the proliferation of smartphones, tablets, and other wireless devices? At a town hall forum last night at the wireless giant’s San Diego headquarters, Qualcomm chairman and CEO Paul Jacobs said the mobile experience has gone through a critical … Continue reading “All Things Connected: Qualcomm Executives Talk About Mobile Complexity”
The Challenge of Financing Renewable Fuels: A Chat With James Dack of Stern Brothers
The cleantech industry has a million different technology ideas out there, and just about as many financing strategies. There are mom-and-pop companies raising cash from friends and family, there’s venture capital, government grants, big energy company partnerships, and huge projects such as wind farms or ethanol refineries that rely on deep pockets in private equity … Continue reading “The Challenge of Financing Renewable Fuels: A Chat With James Dack of Stern Brothers”
Striptease Threats, Aggressive Shushing & Mascot Mania: Memorable Moments from the Seattle 2.0 Awards
Updated 4:15 pm with new photo. Anytime you get a few hundred people in a room and add a couple of drink tickets, there are bound to be some interesting moments. And when that crowd is comprised of the techies, entrepreneurs, risk-takers and rich people from the startup scene, you’re starting from some pretty fertile … Continue reading “Striptease Threats, Aggressive Shushing & Mascot Mania: Memorable Moments from the Seattle 2.0 Awards”
How Do You Like to Get Your Xconomy Content? Check Out Our New Look on Facebook
Facebook, for me at least, has mainly been about looking for newly updated photos of my two-year-old nephew who lives two time zones away in the Midwest. But I’m well aware this isn’t a mainstream point of view, and that many of the online social network’s 600 million global users really like to get their … Continue reading “How Do You Like to Get Your Xconomy Content? Check Out Our New Look on Facebook”
Great Lakes Angels Vet Deals, Try Not To Be A–holes
What’s the secret to a successful angel investor group? “No assholes,” John May, chairman emeritus of the Angel Capital Association, told the Great Lakes Angels Thursday. People laughed, but May was perfectly serious. “The group has to treat entrepreneurs well,” says May, the co-founder and managing director of New Vantage Group in Vienna, VA. “You … Continue reading “Great Lakes Angels Vet Deals, Try Not To Be A–holes”
The News Embargo Is Dead. TechCrunch Killed It. Let’s Move On.
My passion is for storytelling, and the stories that fascinate me most are about new technologies, how they’re brought into being, and how they’re changing everyday life. But there’s a wrinkle that’s been distracting me from doing my best work and getting it out to the readers who will appreciate it most. It’s called the … Continue reading “The News Embargo Is Dead. TechCrunch Killed It. Let’s Move On.”
A Rundown of Can’t-Miss Boston-Area Innovation Events: MIT Sloan CIO, MassTLC, Angel Bootcamp, XSITE, and More
[Updated 5/8/11. See below] It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of events, it was the age of allergies, it was the epoch of objectivity, it was the epoch of PR and self-promotion, it was the season of writing stories, it was the season of prescription … Continue reading “A Rundown of Can’t-Miss Boston-Area Innovation Events: MIT Sloan CIO, MassTLC, Angel Bootcamp, XSITE, and More”
PerkinElmer Acquires Geospiza, Beefing Up Software for DNA Analysis
Geospiza has been around the block a time or two in the bioinformatics business, and now after 14 years in the game, it has come to the end of the road. The Seattle-based company, which makes software for scientists who analyze data from genetic experiments, said today it has agreed to be acquired by Waltham, … Continue reading “PerkinElmer Acquires Geospiza, Beefing Up Software for DNA Analysis”
Geron Nabs $25M Loan from Stem Cell Agency, Paves Way for State Support of Clinical Trials
Geron is getting a big boost from the state of California stem cell agency to see if it can deliver the goods with an embryonic stem cell therapy for spinal cord injuries. The Menlo Park, CA-based company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GERN]]) said it has been awarded $25 million from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) to … Continue reading “Geron Nabs $25M Loan from Stem Cell Agency, Paves Way for State Support of Clinical Trials”
Harvard Innovation Lab Head, Gordon Jones, Talks Goals and Challenges in Creating the Newest Incubator in Town
He says he is “part entrepreneur, part educator…part ambassador, part politician.” Who is this masked man? He’s Gordon Jones, the inaugural director of the Harvard Innovation Lab, and until last week many people in the startup community might not have known who he was. I’m just starting to get to know him, having talked with … Continue reading “Harvard Innovation Lab Head, Gordon Jones, Talks Goals and Challenges in Creating the Newest Incubator in Town”
New Health IT Startup Targets Military Programs, Allylix Sniffs New Market for Nootkatone, Biocept Builds Team, & More San Diego Life Sciences News
Much of the local biotech news over the past week was focused on several early stage companies, which are busily raising money and building their leadership teams. We have the latest news for you here. —A new San Diego health IT startup, Cognitive Medical Systems, recruited a veteran software CEO to serve as president and … Continue reading “New Health IT Startup Targets Military Programs, Allylix Sniffs New Market for Nootkatone, Biocept Builds Team, & More San Diego Life Sciences News”
Amidst Google Lawsuits, Skyhook Sees Victories With App Developer Deals and Press on Privacy Concerns—And Isn’t Looking to be Acquired Just Yet
It’s no secret that some big West Coast players have shown interest in Boston’s homegrown mobile technology lately. In the past few weeks, San Jose, CA-based eBay (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EBAY]]) has bought Where, a location-based mobile advertising and recommendations provider, and mobile payments startup Fig Card, to roll into its PayPal division. But Boston-based Skyhook Wireless … Continue reading “Amidst Google Lawsuits, Skyhook Sees Victories With App Developer Deals and Press on Privacy Concerns—And Isn’t Looking to be Acquired Just Yet”
Hotel Review Site Oyster.com Gets a Boost from Travel Channel Deal
When New York startup Oyster.com sealed a $7.5 million deal with the Travel Channel on April 25, the New York press focused almost exclusively on what the deal would mean for the TV channel, which is owned by media giant Scripps. No doubt Oyster—which posts in-depth reviews of boutique hotels and offers online booking services—will … Continue reading “Hotel Review Site Oyster.com Gets a Boost from Travel Channel Deal”
Zipcar Cofounder Robin Chase Bids Adieu to U.S., Launches Car Sharing Startup in France
Oh là là. Pronouncing the European market far more primed for a transportation revolution than the U.S., Zipcar cofounder Robin Chase has quietly left GoLoco, her Cambridge, MA-based ride sharing company, to fend for itself and launched a car sharing startup in Paris. Called Buzzcar, the company began pilot testing in two French cities a … Continue reading “Zipcar Cofounder Robin Chase Bids Adieu to U.S., Launches Car Sharing Startup in France”
Kleiner Perkins’ Bet on a Concrete Stomach, The Gates Foundation’s Out-of-the-Box Ideas, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News
We had a grab bag of life sciences-related coverage this week, with a big device company acquisition, some wild ideas for global health, and a whole lot of focus on biofuels. —Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers never has done much investing in the Northwest from what I can tell, but this week I came across … Continue reading “Kleiner Perkins’ Bet on a Concrete Stomach, The Gates Foundation’s Out-of-the-Box Ideas, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”
Qualcomm Convenes Town Hall Meeting at Critical Juncture
At the market research and consulting firm CCS Insight, Boston-based analyst John Jackson says he views San Diego-based Qualcomm (NASDAQ: [[ticker:QCOM]]) as a company “that faces some tectonic shifts in an industry that used to be known as the telecom industry.” Now telecom has converged with computing and the Internet, and Jackson says it’s all … Continue reading “Qualcomm Convenes Town Hall Meeting at Critical Juncture”
Delmia Pushes Its Digital Manufacturing Software Beyond Automobiles
When I was in elementary school, we played kickball during recess. There weren’t any umpires, so we had to police ourselves. If there was an intractable dispute, we would yell “Do Over!” and simply repeated the play. No harm, no foul. However, things are little more complicated–and expensive– in the adult world. For manufacturers of … Continue reading “Delmia Pushes Its Digital Manufacturing Software Beyond Automobiles”
In the Age of Health Reform, Healthcare IT to the Rescue?
Talking about health insurance is a good way to clear a room. It is a rare person who is excited to interact with their insurance company or who can understand the explanation of benefits they receive in the mail detailing all of the things that the insurance carrier has decided not to pay on their … Continue reading “In the Age of Health Reform, Healthcare IT to the Rescue?”
Did ViaSat Network Carry Live Feed of Commando Raid on Osama bin Laden?
In an interview on the PBS News Hour last night, CIA Director Leon Panetta describes the U.S. raid on the Pakistan compound where Osama bin Laden was killed—saying that neither he nor President Obama watched the actual shooting of bin Laden as it happened inside the main building. Yet both were apparently watching a live … Continue reading “Did ViaSat Network Carry Live Feed of Commando Raid on Osama bin Laden?”
RPX, Defensive Patent Firm, Goes from Zero to $160M IPO in Less than Three Years—Thoughts from Boston Investor CRV
As examples of ultra-fast growth in the tech world, people like to talk about Groupon and Zynga. While they are phenomenal success stories, neither of those companies is publicly traded yet—nor, for that matter, are Twitter or Facebook. Well, how about a different kind of tech company that started in 2008 and held its IPO … Continue reading “RPX, Defensive Patent Firm, Goes from Zero to $160M IPO in Less than Three Years—Thoughts from Boston Investor CRV”
OnSwipe’s Platform for Beautifying iPad Web Pages Attracts Investors
On April 14, OnSwipe co-founder Jason Baptiste marched onto the stage at TechStars’ first New York Demo Day and told the audience of venture capitalists, “We’re not raising a Series A, we’re raising a Series Awesome.” In fact, his company was on the verge of locking up a funding round—one he felt so secure about … Continue reading “OnSwipe’s Platform for Beautifying iPad Web Pages Attracts Investors”
Blue Marble Energy Joins Ensemble Cast at Alternative Fuels Confab May 19
Oil, one of my college buddies who majored in chemical engineering once told me, is in everything. He was talking about not just the fuel that goes in your car, but also the petrochemicals in the laptop you type on, the chair you sit on, the clothes you wear, and the pharmaceuticals you take. Kelly … Continue reading “Blue Marble Energy Joins Ensemble Cast at Alternative Fuels Confab May 19”
Toyota Invests in WiTricity, Gambling.com Goes for $2.5M on Sedo, eBay Buys FigCard to Roll Into PayPal, & More Boston-Area Deals News
Acquisitions and financing headlines were prominent this week for companies in the Web, mobile, and enterprise IT spaces. —TA Associates and Summit Partners, growth equity firms with offices in Boston and Silicon Valley, nabbed a controlling share of the Germany-based online gaming company Bigpoint, by investing $350 million in recapitalization financing. Previous Bigpoint shareholder Comcast … Continue reading “Toyota Invests in WiTricity, Gambling.com Goes for $2.5M on Sedo, eBay Buys FigCard to Roll Into PayPal, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
Pinpoint Pickup, the Car-Booking Startup Facing off Against Uber, has Seven Cities Under its Belt—and Wants More
For anyone who’s ever stood in the rain waiting for a cramped bus, or wondered if that hurried call to the taxi dispatcher was going to pay off, there’s now a quick way to book a pricier, but more luxurious ride by tapping a few times on your smartphone. I’m not talking about Uber, the … Continue reading “Pinpoint Pickup, the Car-Booking Startup Facing off Against Uber, has Seven Cities Under its Belt—and Wants More”