San Diego-based NeuroVigil, which has developed a wireless sensor and related technology to analyze human brainwave patterns, says it has closed its first round of financing. In its statement Monday, the startup did not identify the amount of funding or investors, saying only that the round “was led by an anonymous American industrialist and technology … Continue reading “NeuroVigil Raises Seed-Stage Financing”
Category: National
Charles River VC, a $300M Investor in Intellectual Ventures, Says Patents Are Huge Market, Not a “Dirty World”
Quick, which Boston- and San Francisco-area venture firm has invested hundreds of millions of dollars into the burgeoning—and controversial—market of intellectual property and patent protection over the past five years? If you said Charles River Ventures, you are correct. In fact, CRV is the only big venture investor behind Intellectual Ventures, the Bellevue, WA-based firm … Continue reading “Charles River VC, a $300M Investor in Intellectual Ventures, Says Patents Are Huge Market, Not a “Dirty World””
Oregon’s RadiSys Acquires San Diego’s Continuous Computing in Deal Valued at $120M
Hillsboro, OR-based RadiSys (NASDAQ: [[ticker:RSYS]]), which provides hardware and software for Internet-based telecommunications, has agreed to acquire San Diego’s Continuous Computing, a privately held company whose wireless infrastructure technologies are based on a set of software protocols called Trillium. Under terms of the deal, RadiSys agreed to pay roughly $120 million, which includes $73 million … Continue reading “Oregon’s RadiSys Acquires San Diego’s Continuous Computing in Deal Valued at $120M”
The Big Science Challenge With Biofuel: A Chat with ISB’s Nitin Baliga
Talk to any biofuels entrepreneur, and you are likely to hear a passionate riff on why their technology trumps all the up-and-comers. Some, like San Diego-based Sapphire Energy, say you’ve got to harness free sunlight and the magic of photosynthesis, to grow oil-rich algae in open ponds at the scale of modern agriculture. Others, like … Continue reading “The Big Science Challenge With Biofuel: A Chat with ISB’s Nitin Baliga”
Can’t Buy Me Love: Michigan Life Science Startups Best Cleantech In Cash, Not Attention
Given Michigan’s expertise in batteries and automobiles, the state’s top high tech sectors should be clean technology and advanced manufacturing, right? Wrong. Michigan, home to the Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors, is actually a life sciences state, at least according to the annual report of the Michigan Venture Capital Association (MVCA). Of the $215 million … Continue reading “Can’t Buy Me Love: Michigan Life Science Startups Best Cleantech In Cash, Not Attention”
Anybots, DrChrono, TRUSTe Join Lineup for Beyond Mobile on May 17; How to Win Free Tickets on Twitter
The big IT event we’re running this spring, Beyond Mobile, is now just two weeks away. We’ve got a trio of big thinkers from big organizations coming in to help us grapple with our big question—namely, what comes after the current wave of smartphones and tablets? What will our computers look like, and how will … Continue reading “Anybots, DrChrono, TRUSTe Join Lineup for Beyond Mobile on May 17; How to Win Free Tickets on Twitter”
New York and San Francisco Firms Top List of Webby Winners
The winners of the Webby awards were announced in New York today, and included a fair amount of famous names (Justin Bieber, Jim Carrey) and usual suspects (Angry Birds, Foursquare, Dropbox). New York and San Francisco companies made a good showing, especially on the list of winners in multiple categories. Here are the most winning … Continue reading “New York and San Francisco Firms Top List of Webby Winners”
The Lean LaunchPad at Stanford—Class 8: Key Resources, Activities and Expense Model
The Stanford Lean LaunchPad class was an experiment in a new model of teaching startup entrepreneurship. This post—part eight—was the last formal lecture. Parts one through seven of the lectures are here, Syllabus is here. While this is the last lecture, the teams still have one more week to work on their companies, and then … Continue reading “The Lean LaunchPad at Stanford—Class 8: Key Resources, Activities and Expense Model”
BMW’s Bernhard Blattel on New York City as a Hub of Mobility Services
In February, Munich-based car giant BMW set up a corporate fund, BMW i Ventures, in New York City, with the goal of fostering startups that are developing location-based technologies. The fund’s first investment was MyCityWay, a company founded by three former Wall Street execs who created a series of apps designed to help people find … Continue reading “BMW’s Bernhard Blattel on New York City as a Hub of Mobility Services”
Software Equity Group Sees Improving Valuations, M&A Activity, in Software Sector
There were 394 software buyouts and mergers around the world during the first three months of 2011, with the cumulative value of all deals totaling $8.3 billion, according to a M&A tracking report from the San Diego-based Software Equity Group. That was down from the 421 M&A deals that amounted to a total value of … Continue reading “Software Equity Group Sees Improving Valuations, M&A Activity, in Software Sector”
With Help from BMW, MyCityWay Rolls Out Popular City-Guide App Around the World
You often hear about inspiration prompting a great business idea, but for the three founders of New York-based MyCityWay, the impetus came from quite a different sensation—frustration. Archana Patchirajan, Sonpreet Bhatia, and Puneet Mehta were all working on Wall Street and struggling to find an app for their smartphones that would provide day-to-day information to … Continue reading “With Help from BMW, MyCityWay Rolls Out Popular City-Guide App Around the World”
Kleiner Perkins’ Organic Waste-to-Energy Play, Harvest Power, Bets $150M on Turning Compost Into Natural Gas
The team at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers gets inundated with pitches from entrepreneurs who dream of winning support for their own big ideas. But once in a while, the big VC firm turns the tables by hatching the idea, crafting the business plan, and recruiting the founding management team to make it into a … Continue reading “Kleiner Perkins’ Organic Waste-to-Energy Play, Harvest Power, Bets $150M on Turning Compost Into Natural Gas”
San Diego Health IT Startup, Cognitive Medical Systems, Recruits DefenseWeb CEO
Cognitive Medical Systems, a previously unknown health IT startup based in San Diego, is today naming local software industry veteran Douglas Burke as president—and employee No. 4. Burke, who was previously the CEO of San Diego-based DefenseWeb Technologies, announced the move in an e-mail blast to his professional contacts yesterday. Mary Lacroix, a longtime health … Continue reading “San Diego Health IT Startup, Cognitive Medical Systems, Recruits DefenseWeb CEO”
UW Business Competition Highlights, ExtraHop’s $14M Haul, PopCap’s Acquisition, & More in the Seattle-Area Tech Roundup
Anybody concerned with the future of entrepreneurship in the Seattle area would have been buoyed by the enthusiasm at the University of Washington‘s annual business plan competition last week on the waterfront. Nearly 40 teams were whittled down to a “sweet 16” by a horde of judges, but I picked out five that caught my … Continue reading “UW Business Competition Highlights, ExtraHop’s $14M Haul, PopCap’s Acquisition, & More in the Seattle-Area Tech Roundup”
What Do Amazon, Ezell’s, and Virginia Mason Have in Common? They Supply General Biodiesel
Biodiesel made from leftover kitchen grease isn’t going to wean the country off fossil fuels, but at least one Seattle-based company has shown there’s a market for this stuff, and enough local suppliers and customers to make this into a business. I’m happy to say that this organic waste-to-energy company, General Biodiesel, will be part … Continue reading “What Do Amazon, Ezell’s, and Virginia Mason Have in Common? They Supply General Biodiesel”
PayPal’s Pickup of Fig Card, the End of Eons, and the Bose-MIT Lovefest—Some Thoughts
I’ve been flat-out for the past week or so. Here are three pieces of Boston-area tech news that are worth catching up on, and a few thoughts on each: —Fig Card, the mobile payments company that just started last year, was acquired by eBay, via its PayPal division, for an undisclosed sum. Co-founders Max Metral … Continue reading “PayPal’s Pickup of Fig Card, the End of Eons, and the Bose-MIT Lovefest—Some Thoughts”
Open Letter to Mike Arrington: Please Stop Investing in Startups
Hi Mike, I’m one of your customers. We don’t really know each other. We’ve chatted at a few events, you’ve covered some of my antics, but I’m mostly just a guy who reads TechCrunch a lot. I find it’s a pretty good place to see what’s important in the industry. And you and your team … Continue reading “Open Letter to Mike Arrington: Please Stop Investing in Startups”
Assessing the Best M&A Opportunities for 2011
As 2011 nears its midpoint, we’re now in a position to see how the recession-era and follow-on consolidation trends have impacted middle-market and growth-stage mergers and acquisitions. Large blue-chip technology companies, both old and new, have spent the better half of the past decade chasing the latest fads to generate growth and keep up with … Continue reading “Assessing the Best M&A Opportunities for 2011”
Life360, IndieGoGo, and KQED’s Bold Experiment: The 1-Minute Version of Last Week’s Bay Area BizTech News
The local technology news last week was all over the map, ranging from mobile devices to crowdfunding to public broadcasting. There was also an interesting little flurry of acquisitions, with two San Francisco firms getting scooped up by outsiders and one merger going the other way. —As a preview of Xconomy San Francisco’s May 17 … Continue reading “Life360, IndieGoGo, and KQED’s Bold Experiment: The 1-Minute Version of Last Week’s Bay Area BizTech News”
Sony Takes Online Entertainment Website Offline
[Updated 5/2/11 5:35 pm. See below.] A hacker attack that eviscerated the San Diego data center for the Sony PlayStation Network last month apparently led Sony to also shut down its Station.com online gaming website today. The episode involving the PlayStation Network prompted Sony executives to bow in apology in Tokyo yesterday, according to The … Continue reading “Sony Takes Online Entertainment Website Offline”
Fiksu Looks to Help Brands Like Gilt, Barnes & Noble, Groupon Spend Less to Get More Mobile App Customers
You could say Fiksu, one of Boston’s most buzz-worthy mobile startups, took the lemons its first product gave it, and made lemonade. The firm, founded in 2008 under the name Fluent Mobile, rolled out a news aggregator mobile app in 2009, to help consumers track and read publications from their smartphones. “What happened with the … Continue reading “Fiksu Looks to Help Brands Like Gilt, Barnes & Noble, Groupon Spend Less to Get More Mobile App Customers”
Service-now Hires New CEO, Fallbrook Yanks IPO Filing, VoIP Specialist VoxOx Launches iPhone App, & More San Diego BizTech News
Is software-as-a-service provider Service-now.com be poised to become San Diego’s next big thing? We’ve got that and the rest of the local tech news, and our roundup starts now. —San Diego-based Service-now.com co-founder Fred Luddy told me he expects the company’s revenue to double every year for the foreseeable future. So it’s hard to underscore … Continue reading “Service-now Hires New CEO, Fallbrook Yanks IPO Filing, VoIP Specialist VoxOx Launches iPhone App, & More San Diego BizTech News”
Five Questions on Innovation, Health IT, and Biotech for Lux Capital’s New Venture Partner Richard Foster
On April 26, New York-based venture capital firm Lux Capital added two new partners: former CIA director James Woolsey, who will focus on energy investments; and Richard Foster, a former McKinsey & Co. partner who will help Lux identify new business opportunities in life sciences and healthcare IT. Throughout his career, Foster has been on … Continue reading “Five Questions on Innovation, Health IT, and Biotech for Lux Capital’s New Venture Partner Richard Foster”
Semyon Dukach, the MIT Blackjack King, Takes SMTP Public in Latest Effort to Fight the Power
An intriguing Boston-area tech company is going public after more than 10 years—and it’s not too late to shake things up in its market. I’m not talking about Zipcar (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ZIP]]), which had its long-awaited IPO a couple weeks ago. I’m talking about SMTP, a pioneering e-mail software firm based in Cambridge, MA. Yes, the … Continue reading “Semyon Dukach, the MIT Blackjack King, Takes SMTP Public in Latest Effort to Fight the Power”
Kilimanjaro Energy Seeks to Pop Loose Trillions’ Worth of Underground Oil, Save the World
Four years ago when Ned David and his wife were thinking of starting a family, a realization hit. Why was he using his knowledge of chemistry and entrepreneurship to start biotech companies? Wasn’t there something more meaningful to do with his life than come up with a new diabetes drug or antibiotic? How about saving … Continue reading “Kilimanjaro Energy Seeks to Pop Loose Trillions’ Worth of Underground Oil, Save the World”
Considering a Career in Biotech? How About Trying Computer Science Instead
Sometimes biotech really feels like an industry in danger of being left behind. Take last Friday afternoon for example. I was at a networking reception at the University of Washington, chatting with undergraduates from all kinds of engineering fields about the job market. People were finding jobs, but nothing much to brag about, until I … Continue reading “Considering a Career in Biotech? How About Trying Computer Science Instead”
Belle Capital Pulls The Trigger; Invests Up To $500,000 In Electric Motorcycle Startup Current Motor
Belle Capital, a new Michigan-based angel fund that backs women-run companies, has made its first investment, as much as $500,000, in Current Motor, an electric motorcycle startup in Ann Arbor, MI. Current Motor also raised another $200,000 from Belle Capital co-managing director Lauren Flanagan, the Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund, and former General Motors vice chairman … Continue reading “Belle Capital Pulls The Trigger; Invests Up To $500,000 In Electric Motorcycle Startup Current Motor”
Washington Companies Scored $53M in Equity Financing for March, Led by nLight, Tier 3 & Physware
Washington state companies collected about $53 million in equity financing from venture capitalists and angels in March, led by an $11 million VC round for Vancouver, WA-based semiconductor laser manufacturer nLight Photonics, according to data compiled by research firm CB Insights. nLight still had another $4 million left to sell from the offering, according to … Continue reading “Washington Companies Scored $53M in Equity Financing for March, Led by nLight, Tier 3 & Physware”
Xconomy to Tech Journalists: Help Us Take an Even Bigger Bite Out of the Big Apple
It’s been less than a month since we launched Xconomy New York, and (to none of our surprise, really) we’re already finding there are more important innovation stories than even Arlene Weintraub, the intrepid editor of Xconomy New York, can tell on her own. So to all you reporters pounding the pavement in NYC’s tech … Continue reading “Xconomy to Tech Journalists: Help Us Take an Even Bigger Bite Out of the Big Apple”
My 33 Months at Xconomy, a Nano-Memoir (of Sorts)
By the time you read this, I’ve probably already wrapped up my work as a correspondent for Xconomy, turned in my key to office on Rogers Street in Cambridge, MA, and taken a deep breath in anticipation of my exciting new role as an executive editor for the life sciences group at FierceMarkets. I’m really … Continue reading “My 33 Months at Xconomy, a Nano-Memoir (of Sorts)”
Goin’ Mobile: VoxOx Launches iPhone App with International Calling Feature
San Diego-based VoxOx, which provides a free communications service based on voice over Internet (VoIP) technology, hopes to make a big splash today with the release of its VoxOx Call for iPhone—the startup’s first mobile app. When VoxOx debuted three years ago, users could download a free application to their desktop, enabling consumers to combine … Continue reading “Goin’ Mobile: VoxOx Launches iPhone App with International Calling Feature”
From Smartphones to Smart Spaces: SRI’s Vision of Computer Evolution
If the future is here but unevenly distributed, as William Gibson said, then where is it concentrated? One place, certainly, is the contract research giant SRI International. Created by Stanford University in 1946, it’s the organization we have to thank for inventions like automated check processing, the computer mouse, hypertext, the ARPANET (which evolved into … Continue reading “From Smartphones to Smart Spaces: SRI’s Vision of Computer Evolution”
PacBio Goes Commercial, Tweet by Tweet from BayBio, VCs Turn Up the Heat on FDA, & More Bay Area Life Sciences News
One of the ambitious new players in the field of superfast/supercheap gene sequencing graduated from R&D mode into a commercial enterprise this week. The plot thickens in this competitive world… —The sequencing company in Menlo Park, CA, Pacific Biosciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PACB]]), had a coming out party this week when it said it has converted its … Continue reading “PacBio Goes Commercial, Tweet by Tweet from BayBio, VCs Turn Up the Heat on FDA, & More Bay Area Life Sciences News”
FDA Panel OKs Vertex Drug, Dyax Works With FivePrime, Genzyme Amends Anika Lawsuit, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News
New England biotechs made news this week with approvals from FDA advisory panels, licensing deals, collaboration agreements, and lawsuits. —An FDA advisory panel unanimously recommended the FDA approve telaprevir, the thrice-daily pill for hepatitis C from Cambridge, MA-based Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VRTX]]). The FDA, which usually takes the recommendations of these panels, is scheduled to make … Continue reading “FDA Panel OKs Vertex Drug, Dyax Works With FivePrime, Genzyme Amends Anika Lawsuit, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”
Smartphone Robots, Insect-Wing Wind Power, Online Video Game Tourneys & More Notes from the UW Business Plan Competition
Hundreds of people packed the Bell Harbor Conference Center on Seattle’s waterfront yesterday for the University of Washington’s annual Business Plan Competition. Now in its 14th year, the competition is a great showcase of energy and ideas from student entrepreneurs and some of their more experienced collaborators. Last night, the group of 37 teams was … Continue reading “Smartphone Robots, Insect-Wing Wind Power, Online Video Game Tourneys & More Notes from the UW Business Plan Competition”
Turning Garbage Into Fuel, S4 Energy Joins Xconomy Lineup on May 19
Most people in the renewable fuel business will say that if you want to make ethanol, then corn is a lousy choice of raw material. The U.S. certainly has a lot of it, but corn is an inefficient source of energy, and it hogs up land that can be used to produce food. But what … Continue reading “Turning Garbage Into Fuel, S4 Energy Joins Xconomy Lineup on May 19”
Vertex Wins FDA Panel’s Recommendation for New Hepatitis C Drug
Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ bid for FDA approval of its new drug for hepatitis C has been treated by most observers as a slam dunk, and the company, as expected, nailed its high percentage shot on goal today. Cambridge, MA-based Vertex (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VRTX]]) received a unanimous 18-0 endorsement from an FDA advisory panel, which said the company’s … Continue reading “Vertex Wins FDA Panel’s Recommendation for New Hepatitis C Drug”
U-M Spinout MEMStim Seeks Its Fortune In Neurostimulation Devices
Though Angelique Johnson is pleased her team won the $27,000 top prize in the Michigan Business Challenge earlier this year, the University of Michigan student, who’s earning a doctorate in electrical engineering, says the competition was not just about money. “Coming from the engineering side, I had a piece of technology, I did not know … Continue reading “U-M Spinout MEMStim Seeks Its Fortune In Neurostimulation Devices”
Gates Foundation Dishes Out Latest $100K Grants for ‘Out of the Box’ Global Health Ideas
You can liken the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to a giant mutual fund for global health, with a diversified portfolio like you might find at T. Rowe Price. The world’s largest philanthropy invests in some big, stable, blue-chip global health projects that are sort of like its version of IBM or Boeing stock, and … Continue reading “Gates Foundation Dishes Out Latest $100K Grants for ‘Out of the Box’ Global Health Ideas”
David Cancel, Stephen Kaufer, Katie Rae, and Others Join XSITE Program on June 16
As we hurtle towards XSITE 2011, our full-day conference on June 16 at Babson College, a few thoughts come to mind. The theme this year is “the entrepreneurship era”—the idea that there is increased attention to startups and company-building as a key to revitalizing the U.S. economy. But now that entrepreneurship is at the top … Continue reading “David Cancel, Stephen Kaufer, Katie Rae, and Others Join XSITE Program on June 16”
The Lean LaunchPad at Stanford—Class 7: Revenue Model
The Stanford Lean LaunchPad class was an experiment in a new model of teaching startup entrepreneurship. With one week and one more updates to go, this post is part seven. Parts one through six are here, Syllabus is here. With a week to go the teams are starting to look like opening night before the … Continue reading “The Lean LaunchPad at Stanford—Class 7: Revenue Model”
NYC’s Vivaldi, Allied With Harvard and San Francisco VC Firm, Forge a New Way to Fight the Flu
Vivaldi Biosciences is a rare and highly sought after property in New York City: a promising biotech startup. Why rare? Because office space is so expensive, and wet-lab space so hard to find, that most biotech companies that originate in NYC end up fleeing for some other city that has more to offer them. But … Continue reading “NYC’s Vivaldi, Allied With Harvard and San Francisco VC Firm, Forge a New Way to Fight the Flu”
Nootkatone, So A-peeling in Grapefruit, is Repellent to Mosquitoes and Ticks
When I profiled Allylix last summer, CEO Carolyn Fritz explained how the San Diego startup was using genetically engineered yeast and proprietary fermentation technology to produce specialized “aroma chemicals” for the $1.9 billion flavor and fragrance market. The company’s first product was a compound with a keen grapefruit taste and smell called nootkatone, a flavor … Continue reading “Nootkatone, So A-peeling in Grapefruit, is Repellent to Mosquitoes and Ticks”
“My Parents Won’t Let Me Marry You Because You’re an Entrepreneur:” Cultural Challenges to Growing Entrepreneurship
During my recent trip to Korea, an American expat told me about his friend, a successful young Korean entrepreneur who employed a half-dozen people in an education business. He fell deeply in love with a Korean woman and wanted to get married, but her parents refused to approve of the marriage until he got a … Continue reading ““My Parents Won’t Let Me Marry You Because You’re an Entrepreneur:” Cultural Challenges to Growing Entrepreneurship”
Polaris Prepares for Liver Cancer Trial, Goal Draws Near for Hepatitis C Drug, & More San Diego Life Sciences News
Is sentiment coming together to push for FDA regulatory reform? Luke’s BioBeat column described industry efforts to shake up the FDA, and U.S. Rep. Darell Issa convened a hearing in San Diego last to collect life sciences testimony on needed reforms. We have details on all that and more. —In a run-up to an FDA … Continue reading “Polaris Prepares for Liver Cancer Trial, Goal Draws Near for Hepatitis C Drug, & More San Diego Life Sciences News”
Life360’s Family Safety App Rides the Wave of Smartphone Adoption—and Parental Fear
Contrary to popular belief, the world is not a more dangerous place for kids today than it was in the mid-20th century. Rates of violent crime and kidnapping involving children are no higher today than they were in the 1960s, and physical and sexual abuse against children have declined dramatically since 1990. For some reason, … Continue reading “Life360’s Family Safety App Rides the Wave of Smartphone Adoption—and Parental Fear”
Immune Design Gets New CEO, Seattle Biomed Nabs $9M, VCs Turn Up Heat on FDA, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News
This week we had a couple of notable personnel moves, a big clinical trial result for a drug with local roots, and some sobering commentary about how this crazy biotech business keeps getting harder by the day. —Seattle-based Immune Design, the developer of new vaccine technology, hired a big fish to be its new CEO. … Continue reading “Immune Design Gets New CEO, Seattle Biomed Nabs $9M, VCs Turn Up Heat on FDA, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”
Startup Funding In March Doubles to $260M; Internet Edges Out Healthcare
Spring has sprung for the state’s tech and life sciences startups. After raising a slim $130.9 million in February, things really warmed up last month. Thirty-nine startups pulled in a whopping $260 million in equity-based funding, with a few sectors in particular taking sizeable chunks of cash, according to data from CB Insights’ FundingFlash, a … Continue reading “Startup Funding In March Doubles to $260M; Internet Edges Out Healthcare”
PacBio, After 7 Years and $580M, Starts Shipping New Generation DNA Sequencer
Pacific Biosciences has spent seven long years in R&D, and raised $580 million, to arrive at a milestone that all businesses must reach sooner or later. Today, it has officially started selling its much-anticipated commercial product. Menlo Park, CA-based PacBio (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PACB]]) is announcing today that it has begun commercial shipments of its PacBio RS … Continue reading “PacBio, After 7 Years and $580M, Starts Shipping New Generation DNA Sequencer”
David Brophy and the Michigan Growth Capital Symposium: A 30-Year-Old Growth Story
When I first started at Xconomy three months ago, people consistently urged me to meet two people: Dug Song and David Brophy. Song, a successful local Internet entrepreneur, was obvious. But why Brophy, a long time business professor at the University of Michigan? Well, it’s a little something called the Michigan Growth Capital Symposium (MGCS). … Continue reading “David Brophy and the Michigan Growth Capital Symposium: A 30-Year-Old Growth Story”