Today nobody questions that the apps economy is going to be big. Very big. At least four different researchers predict the apps industry will bring in $30-40 billion dollars a year in just three to five years. Just to put this into perspective, the entire music industry is estimated to generate $25 billion a year. … Continue reading “Choosing The Right Business Model For Your App”
Category: National
Flipboard Pulls in $50 Million, Partners with Oprah
It’s a big week for Flipboard, the Palo Alto, CA, company whose eponymous social news browsing application for the iPad is widely praised as a category-defining app for the new tablet era. In an exclusive story given to Kara Swisher of AllThingsD, Flipboard said it has collected $50 million in new venture funding, mainly from … Continue reading “Flipboard Pulls in $50 Million, Partners with Oprah”
Venture Investment in New England Companies Is Down from a Year Ago; Here Are the Top 10 Deals from the First Quarter
The latest venture capital stats for the first quarter of 2011 are a mixed bag. Maybe it’ll take a little longer for the Boston area to witness what a lot of people are calling the new tech bubble. Venture firms poured $639 million into 90 New England companies in the first three months of this … Continue reading “Venture Investment in New England Companies Is Down from a Year Ago; Here Are the Top 10 Deals from the First Quarter”
Amylin, Alkermes Shares Jump as EU Regulators Recommend Diabetes Drug
Amylin Pharmaceuticals and its partners, Eli Lilly and Alkermes, have had a rough time in their quest to market the first once-weekly injectable drug for diabetes patients in the U.S. But they have found a more sympathetic set of ears in Europe. San Diego-based Amylin, along with Lilly and Waltham, MA-based Alkermes, said today that … Continue reading “Amylin, Alkermes Shares Jump as EU Regulators Recommend Diabetes Drug”
Reporter’s Notebook: A Dozen Digital Media Discoveries
Every day, I come across loads of interesting material that I’d love to blog about but can’t because I don’t have the time or the right venue. I usually just stick this stuff into Evernote and tell myself I’ll write about it later. Well, it’s later. In today’s column I want to round up a … Continue reading “Reporter’s Notebook: A Dozen Digital Media Discoveries”
Why Do I Love Drug Regulation? Simple: It Keeps Us Safe
I frequently read comments from pundits and politicians decrying the US drug regulatory system, specifically the FDA. Many of these people, reading from the same PR playbook, will try to convince you that regulation is the primary factor in stifling innovation. But based on history, I am convinced that without adequate government regulation, companies in … Continue reading “Why Do I Love Drug Regulation? Simple: It Keeps Us Safe”
Medivation Flunks Huntington’s Trial, Calibra Nabs Venture Cash, Open Source Biology Comes to SF, & More Bay Area Life Sciences News
The open source biology movement is converging on San Francisco today at a conference organized by Sage Bionetworks, and I will be there today listening carefully to find out what it might mean for the future of drug development. More to come. —Calibra Medical, the Redwood City, CA-based developer of a mechanical pump for delivering … Continue reading “Medivation Flunks Huntington’s Trial, Calibra Nabs Venture Cash, Open Source Biology Comes to SF, & More Bay Area Life Sciences News”
FIRST Robotics Encourages Healthy Competition and Strong Relationships With Engineering Field
Last weekend, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) held a Regional Robotics Competition for 53 teams at Boston University’s Agganis Arena. High school students were challenged with the opportunity to test themselves as engineers and problem solvers. The game, called LOGO Motion, pits alliances of three robots against each other and awards … Continue reading “FIRST Robotics Encourages Healthy Competition and Strong Relationships With Engineering Field”
Aveo Adds Termeer to Board, Monsanto Partners With Atlas, Biogen Drug Meets Clinical Goal, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News
We saw financings, CEO and board hires, and clinical results from New England area biotechs this week. —Blueprint Medicines, a startup focused on developing personalized cancer treatments, said it nabbed a $40 million Series A financing led by Third Rock Ventures. Mark Levin and Alexis Borisy of Third Rock serve on board of directors at … Continue reading “Aveo Adds Termeer to Board, Monsanto Partners With Atlas, Biogen Drug Meets Clinical Goal, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”
Disparities in First Quarter VC Activity, the San Diego Subsidence, and Top 10 Local Deals
“”Figures often beguile me,” Mark Twain wrote more than a century ago, as he worked his way up to the proposition that “There are three kinds of lies: ‘lies, damn lies, and statistics.’” I wonder what the cantankerous Twain would say today about the disparities in data concerning venture capital activity that are issued each … Continue reading “Disparities in First Quarter VC Activity, the San Diego Subsidence, and Top 10 Local Deals”
Calibra Medical, Maker of Cheap Mechanical Insulin Pump, Pockets $8.1 M
Calibra Medical has raised some new venture cash to see how far it can go in the marketplace with an inexpensive insulin pump for people with diabetes. The Redwood City, CA-based company collected $8.1 million in venture financing out of a round that could be worth as much as $30 million, according to a filing … Continue reading “Calibra Medical, Maker of Cheap Mechanical Insulin Pump, Pockets $8.1 M”
Beyond Mobile: Announcing Xconomy’s May 17 Forum on the 10-Year Future of Computing
In computing, it’s hazardous to try to peer more than a couple of years into the future, let alone a decade. After all, if microchip makers find ways to keep miniaturizing transistors at the rate we’ve seen since the 1960s, there’s time for five or six more doublings in computer power by the year 2021. … Continue reading “Beyond Mobile: Announcing Xconomy’s May 17 Forum on the 10-Year Future of Computing”
Paul Allen’s Billionaire Book Tour Continues with a “60 Minutes” Sitdown This Weekend
When you’re one of the richest people in the world, your autobiography gets the deluxe publicity rollout. Exhibit A is billionaire Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, whose new book, “Idea Man,” is about to hit the market. The first excerpt, adapted in Vanity Fair, caused tons of headlines, mostly for its depiction of a heated fight … Continue reading “Paul Allen’s Billionaire Book Tour Continues with a “60 Minutes” Sitdown This Weekend”
Acorda Stock Halted as Shares Skyrocket on Patent Speculation
Shares of Acorda Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ACOR]]) skyrocketed nearly 27 percent on the NASDAQ exchange to $27.13 today—before being halted mid-afternoon—when RBC Capital Markets speculated in a report that the patent on the company’s multiple sclerosis (MS) drug, dalfampridine (Ampyra), might extend for longer than initially expected. RBC analysts noted that filings from the US Patent and … Continue reading “Acorda Stock Halted as Shares Skyrocket on Patent Speculation”
TechStars Inaugural New York Demo Day Spotlights NYC Web Startups Focused on Fashion, Real Estate, Classifieds, Education, & More
There was a long line outside of historic Webster Hall nightclub in New York this morning, where the marquis—quite appropriately—read “Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained.” A mix of more than 700 startup investors, journalists, and other interested parties showed up to check out TechStars’ first New York Demo Day. TechStars is a mentorship program for startups … Continue reading “TechStars Inaugural New York Demo Day Spotlights NYC Web Startups Focused on Fashion, Real Estate, Classifieds, Education, & More”
Join Xconomy San Francisco on Monday for our Spring Open House
It’s Thursday already, which means Xconomy San Francisco’s spring open house is coming in just four days. So here’s your friendly reminder: All of our Bay Area fans are invited over to our Potrero Hill/Dogpatch office after work on Monday, April 18, for some wine, cheese, and great conversation. The festivities start at 5:00 p.m. … Continue reading “Join Xconomy San Francisco on Monday for our Spring Open House”
Delphi Showcases WiTricity’s Wireless Electric Vehicle Charging Technology at SAE Conference
Randy Sumner takes the hockey puck- like device and holds it several inches above a pad. The light on the device instantly turns on. “Pretty cool, huh?” says Sumner, Delphi’s director of global hybrid vehicle business development. Very cool. Even cooler was the nearby Think City EV parked over a much larger pad. Electricity wirelessly … Continue reading “Delphi Showcases WiTricity’s Wireless Electric Vehicle Charging Technology at SAE Conference”
Zacharon Aligns with Pfizer, Conatus Raises Big Bucks, Software Veteran Wins Wireless Institute Challenge, & More San Diego Life Sciences News
A couple of San Diego biotechs have managed to raise some venture capital in recent weeks. We’ve got details on their good fortune, along with the rest of the local life sciences roundup. —In its first big partnership with a major pharmaceutical, San Diego’s Zacharon agreed to share its expertise in developing small-molecule drugs that … Continue reading “Zacharon Aligns with Pfizer, Conatus Raises Big Bucks, Software Veteran Wins Wireless Institute Challenge, & More San Diego Life Sciences News”
Huron River Ventures: Locked, Loaded, and Ready to Invest In Cleantech
The boys are back in town. Fresh from the high finance worlds of Chicago and New York, University of Michigan grads Tim Streit and Ryan Waddington have returned to the state to launch Huron River Ventures (HRV), a $15 million fund aimed squarely at cleantech startups. HRV has so far raised half of the money … Continue reading “Huron River Ventures: Locked, Loaded, and Ready to Invest In Cleantech”
Zipcar’s $174M IPO and What It Means to the Boston Tech Scene: Some Reactions
Zipcar, the Cambridge, MA-based car-sharing company, has raised $174.3 million in an initial public offering. The company sold about 9.7 million shares at $18 per share—an increase over the 8.3 million shares it originally planned to offer at $14 to $16 apiece—according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The IPO was led by Goldman Sachs and … Continue reading “Zipcar’s $174M IPO and What It Means to the Boston Tech Scene: Some Reactions”
Life Sciences Discovery Fund On Pins and Needles During Budget Talks (Again)
The state budget being hashed out in Olympia is spreading angst far and wide, and you can bet Washington state’s biotech community will feel it this time. The Life Sciences Discovery Fund, the program championed by Gov. Chris Gregoire to foster more biotech innovations and jobs in Washington, is being primed for what looks like … Continue reading “Life Sciences Discovery Fund On Pins and Needles During Budget Talks (Again)”
Atlas and Monsanto the Latest VC and Big Co. Getting Close
Cambridge, MA-based Atlas Venture and the agribusiness giant Monsanto (NYSE: [[ticker:MON]]) are working together to find interesting life sciences investments to complement Monsanto’s agriculture business, Monsanto said today. It’s another case of venture firms working with large companies at an early stage. While no financial terms of the agreement were disclosed, the companies called this … Continue reading “Atlas and Monsanto the Latest VC and Big Co. Getting Close”
Proper Cloth Tackles Custom Shirt Design Online for the Novice to the Expert
Seph Skerritt, a New York entrepreneur, says he has a foolproof way to solve a problem well-known to many New York men—how to find a perfect fitting dress shirt. Skerritt’s company, Proper Cloth, offers an online interface enabling men to custom create dress shirts based on their desired measurements, style, fit, and fabric. I know … Continue reading “Proper Cloth Tackles Custom Shirt Design Online for the Novice to the Expert”
Hitting the Target, Missing the Mark: How Targeted Therapies Have Left Patients Wanting
It is not unusual to read about another drug failure in a challenging neurological disease such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, or Parkinson’s disease. Designing therapeutics with exquisite specificity has been the goal of modern drug development, and significant resources continue to be allocated towards this approach, only to see treatments fail due to inadequate … Continue reading “Hitting the Target, Missing the Mark: How Targeted Therapies Have Left Patients Wanting”
The New Tech Bubble, Biotech Vs. Big Pharma, and More Thoughts from Boston BD Conference
Please excuse this bout of drive-by journalism, but it’s been a very busy couple of weeks for events and news in Xconomy-land. One very impressive local event was the Boston Biotech Business Development Conference on Tuesday (part of the greater Boston Biotech Conference series). The Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Back Bay was full of biotech’s … Continue reading “The New Tech Bubble, Biotech Vs. Big Pharma, and More Thoughts from Boston BD Conference”
Open Source Biology’s Moment, Mirador Advances the Runner, Allen’s Latest Brain Map, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News
We had an eclectic news mix this week, with features on medical devices, open source biology and an innovation story from the East Side of the Cascades. —Sage Bionetworks, the Seattle-based nonprofit seeking to light a spark for open source biology, is gearing up for its second big annual conference, which is expected to draw … Continue reading “Open Source Biology’s Moment, Mirador Advances the Runner, Allen’s Latest Brain Map, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”
Cannibalization, Breakage, and Exposure: Calculating the Value of a Groupon
The humble coupon has become the epicenter of an Internet startup mania, the height of which I believe we witnessed when Groupon rejected a $6 billion buyout offer from Google last December. In the wake of Groupon’s vertiginous arc, a mob of copycats has followed. With names like Weforia, LivingSocial, Tippr, and LevelUp (SCVNGR), they … Continue reading “Cannibalization, Breakage, and Exposure: Calculating the Value of a Groupon”
Looking Up: First Quarter Venture Capital Deals & Dollars Rise
Venture capital investments surged during the first three months of 2011, driven mostly by sharply increased funding for Internet and cleantech-renewable energy startups, according to CB Insights, a New York information and data services firm. Venture investors sunk a total of $7.5 billion into 738 deals throughout the country during the first quarter, a 27 … Continue reading “Looking Up: First Quarter Venture Capital Deals & Dollars Rise”
Northwest Entrepreneur Network Showcases Startups in Health Care, Software, Clean Power, Apparel, & Plenty More
A really interesting variety of startups made their initial pitches to the broader investing crowd yesterday at the Northwest Entrepreneur Network’s First Look Forum. The 12 presenters represented a wide array of sectors, from food to retail to software services and—seriously—nuclear fusion power. “I don’t think we could have imagined a more diverse slate, in … Continue reading “Northwest Entrepreneur Network Showcases Startups in Health Care, Software, Clean Power, Apparel, & Plenty More”
Grab Those Michigan 2031 Tickets While You Can
You know you want to go. So obey those instincts and come out to Xconomy’s Michigan 2031 forum Thursday evening at TechTown in downtown Detroit. Since I’ve arrived in the area three months ago, I’ve seen firsthand the tremendous amount of innovation and initiative circulating in Michigan. What’s now needed is context, a thoughtful discussion … Continue reading “Grab Those Michigan 2031 Tickets While You Can”
Verve Wireless in a Growth Spurt
Verve Wireless, which provides a technology platform to traditional media companies for mobile advertising, has been on a tear in recent weeks—raising additional capital, filling out its management team, and recruiting five digital media leaders for its board of advisors. In a recent regulatory filing, Verve disclosed that it has raised $3.5 million of a … Continue reading “Verve Wireless in a Growth Spurt”
Lexalytics Digests Wikipedia, Sees Text Analysis Markets Broaden to Include Search, Travel, Law
You can learn a lot from Wikipedia, despite all its faults—and Jeff Catlin’s company has done just that. Boston-based Lexalytics said today that its latest text-analysis software incorporates insights from combing through Wikipedia’s entire user-generated online encyclopedia for relationships between words, phrases, and their meanings. The company says its new software, which powers products used … Continue reading “Lexalytics Digests Wikipedia, Sees Text Analysis Markets Broaden to Include Search, Travel, Law”
New York’s New General Assembly Incubator Attracts Entrepreneurs With Camaraderie, Classes, and a College Feel
Brad Hargreaves, co-founder of New York City’s newest tech incubator, was just 19 years old when he learned some bitter lessons about starting companies. He was the chief operating officer of GXStudios, one of the first players in online social gaming. The venture-backed company’s flagship product was GoCrossCampus, a multiplayer, rivalry-themed game played by college kids … Continue reading “New York’s New General Assembly Incubator Attracts Entrepreneurs With Camaraderie, Classes, and a College Feel”
Spokane’s Latest Idea: Invest in New Med School To Create Biotech Hub
The state budget is a mess, but that isn’t stopping the folks in Spokane, WA from thinking big about planting seeds today for biotech. I’ve been in Spokane the past couple days to give a keynote talk on the Northwest biotech industry at an event organized by an entrepreneurial networking group called LaunchPad Inland Northwest. … Continue reading “Spokane’s Latest Idea: Invest in New Med School To Create Biotech Hub”
ShowYou—The iPad Social Video Browser That’s Taking On TV
If you have an iPhone, an iPod Touch, or an iPad, and you’re active on Facebook and Twitter, and you like to watch videos from places like YouTube, Vimeo, and TED, and you have a Wi-Fi network at home with a fast broadband connection, and especially if you have an Apple TV, then there’s a … Continue reading “ShowYou—The iPad Social Video Browser That’s Taking On TV”
Zynga’s Mark Pincus on Becoming the Amazon of Social Games, Big Data Growth, & Recruiting Failures Spawning a Seattle Office
Zynga, the San Francisco-based maker of addictive online games like FarmVille and Mafia Wars, officially opened its new Seattle office with a reception last night that was aimed squarely at recruiting new tech talent. And there wasn’t anything coy about the hunt, echoing a pitch Seattle-area techies have heard from many Silicon Valley companies in … Continue reading “Zynga’s Mark Pincus on Becoming the Amazon of Social Games, Big Data Growth, & Recruiting Failures Spawning a Seattle Office”
Ford, Chasing Nissan and Chevy, Rolling Out Focus EV in San Diego, Other Key Markets
After investing roughly $1 billion to overhaul a Ford F150 truck factory in Wayne, MI, the Ford Motor Co. has begun to introduce a new generation of electric and hybrid electric automobiles in the United States. Ford has targeted San Diego as a key beachhead for the initial commercial rollout of its all-electric car, following … Continue reading “Ford, Chasing Nissan and Chevy, Rolling Out Focus EV in San Diego, Other Key Markets”
Taris Bio Taps Third Rock Ventures and Previous Backers in $18.3M Financing Round
Taris Biomedical, an MIT spinout focused on treating bladder diseases, has brought on Third Rock Ventures as its new investor and lead backer in an $18.3 million Series B round of financing. Sarma Duddu, CEO of Lexington, MA-based Taris, says that the funding will be used to advance the company’s lead treatment, which holds the … Continue reading “Taris Bio Taps Third Rock Ventures and Previous Backers in $18.3M Financing Round”
Mirador Biomedical, Playing ‘Small Ball’ in Medical Devices, Pockets $1.5M Financing
Seattle-based Mirador Biomedical was able to win FDA approval of its first medical device on a shoestring budget of a shade over $1 million, and now investors are rewarding it with some more cash to see what it can do in the marketplace. Mirador has pulled in another $1.5 million in its Series B financing … Continue reading “Mirador Biomedical, Playing ‘Small Ball’ in Medical Devices, Pockets $1.5M Financing”
West Wireless Health Institute Awards $10K Incentive Prize
San Diego’s West Wireless Health Institute has awarded a $10,000 incentive prize to a Rhode Island software developer who answered a challenge the institute issued six months ago in conjunction with the Veterans Affairs Innovation Initiative (VAi2). The institute’s challenge called for development of a cost-effective wireless device or mobile app that enables VA patients … Continue reading “West Wireless Health Institute Awards $10K Incentive Prize”
Google-ITA Acquisition Advances, Nano Terra Buys Surface Logix, Blueprint Medicines Gets $40M, & More Boston-Area Deals News
We saw acquisitions in the life sciences, Internet, and mobile sectors, as well as financings for startups spanning high-tech industries in New England. —Akiban Technologies, a Boston database software maker, added another $3.2 million to its $6.5 million financing from 2009. The company, whose previous investors include North Bridge Venture Partners and Foundation Capital, used … Continue reading “Google-ITA Acquisition Advances, Nano Terra Buys Surface Logix, Blueprint Medicines Gets $40M, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
Lockerz, a Gamified Social Network Site with Original Content, Scores Another $30M
Seattle startup Lockerz, which is positioning itself as a unifying platform for the online lives of teens and young adults, has raised $30 million out of a possible $45 million investment round, according to a new SEC filing. The company declined to disclose the investors, pending further fundraising. That’s a pretty big chunk of change … Continue reading “Lockerz, a Gamified Social Network Site with Original Content, Scores Another $30M”
TuneUp Media Moves Beyond Music Cleanup Into Sharing and Information Discovery
Back in 2008, TuneUp Media in San Francisco created a piece of software so cool that more than 3 million people have registered to use it. The freemium program sifts through your iTunes music library and automatically fixes missing or incorrect song, artist, and album data. It also grabs missing cover art from the Web. … Continue reading “TuneUp Media Moves Beyond Music Cleanup Into Sharing and Information Discovery”
Public Policy Institute on How to Boost Biotech in New York: More Jobs, Better Teamwork, Fewer Taxes
In a scintillating report released today, the Public Policy Institute (PPI) of New York blasts the state’s leaders for failing to support the local biotechnology industry. New York ranks fifth in the nation in biotech employment, for example, and sixth in total capital expenditures made by the industry. And despite churning out more college graduates … Continue reading “Public Policy Institute on How to Boost Biotech in New York: More Jobs, Better Teamwork, Fewer Taxes”
Countdown to Michigan 2031: All In On Cleantech
Michigan may have potential in medical devices and software but in the end, the state’s high tech future, for better for worse, is really tied to cleantech. For one thing, it offers the most natural and logical extension of Michigan’s core expertise in automobiles/manufacturing, experts say. Think lithium batteries, electric cars, next generation engines equipped … Continue reading “Countdown to Michigan 2031: All In On Cleantech”
Webby Award Nominees Include New York, Boston, San Francisco, San Diego, and Seattle Internet Innovators
OK, so they’re not quite the Emmys. And this being New York, they’re not even the Tonys. But for the city’s legions of Web developers and interactive advertisers they might as well be the Oscars. That’s right, it’s time for the 15th Annual Webby Awards. The nominees were announced today in New York. The Webby … Continue reading “Webby Award Nominees Include New York, Boston, San Francisco, San Diego, and Seattle Internet Innovators”
Expedia Spins Out TripAdvisor, PopCap Opens a New Studio, LiquidPlanner Makes Work Social & More in the Seattle-Area Tech Roundup
The digital travel sector was a hot source of news for Xconomy readers in the past week—specifically, we had three major appearances from Bellevue, WA-based Expedia (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EXPE]]). The online travel giant made its biggest headlines with its decision to spin out TripAdvisor into a separate public company. As Xconomy’s Greg Huang reported, Newton, MA-based … Continue reading “Expedia Spins Out TripAdvisor, PopCap Opens a New Studio, LiquidPlanner Makes Work Social & More in the Seattle-Area Tech Roundup”
Investments in Verdasys, Bit9 Add to Funding Pot for Boston-Area Security Firms
It’s a good time to be in the security software business, or so it seems. Two area firms working on enterprise-level security and endpoint security to protect against cyber attacks and malware announced some big funding rounds today. The deal announcements come less than a month after RSA Security, a Bedford, MA-based division of EMC … Continue reading “Investments in Verdasys, Bit9 Add to Funding Pot for Boston-Area Security Firms”
Roche Vet Takes CEO Job at Boston’s Enlight Biosciences
Michelle Browner saw firsthand what huge challenges lie along the way to developing a new drug during her 18 years at Swiss healthcare giant Roche. Now, Xconomy has learned, she has taken the CEO job at Boston-based Enlight Biosciences, a firm that was founded to aid Big Pharma with some of its biggest research and … Continue reading “Roche Vet Takes CEO Job at Boston’s Enlight Biosciences”
Digital Lumens Lights Up With $10M to Get Smart LED Technology to More Customers
Boston-based cleantech startup Digital Lumens has taken in $10 million in a Series B funding from its existing investors Black Coral Capital, Flybridge Capital Partners, and Stata Venture Partners, and has nabbed a line of credit from Silicon Valley Bank. The deal brings Digital Lumens’ funding pot to about $25 million. Digital Lumens has married … Continue reading “Digital Lumens Lights Up With $10M to Get Smart LED Technology to More Customers”