I guess this means it’s game on in Seattle for tech-company hiring gimmicks. The folks at Cheezburger Network, fresh off a new acquisition and $30 million in venture financing, put together a quick marketing stunt today outside Key Arena, where Amazon.com was having a big company meeting. About a half-dozen Cheezburger employees, including CEO Ben … Continue reading “Cheezburger Steps Up the Hiring Stunts With Free Burgers Outside Amazon Staff Meeting”
Category: National
Omeros Fails in Pivotal Trials With Drug for Knee Surgery, Stock Crashes
[Updated: 3:45 pm] Omeros, the Seattle-based biotech company, went public back in the fall of 2009 partly on optimism that it had found a novel way to help people recover from knee surgery. Today, the company is reporting that the program was essentially a bust. Omeros stock fell 40 percent on the news in after-hours … Continue reading “Omeros Fails in Pivotal Trials With Drug for Knee Surgery, Stock Crashes”
Editor’s Picks: Xconomy Seattle’s Top Stories of the First Quarter
It’s time to close the books on the first quarter of 2011. As the editor around here, that means it’s time to look back at the journalism we did that broke new ground, shed some new light, or otherwise exemplified what we think is the best stuff we did to serve our readers the past … Continue reading “Editor’s Picks: Xconomy Seattle’s Top Stories of the First Quarter”
DVP Ready To Rock N’ Roll. Will Others Follow?
Detroit Venture Partners (DVP), the much-hyped tech fund launched by Quicken Loans founder/Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, will soon debut its inaugural class of homegrown startups. DVP currently has six term sheets out and expects to make an announcement on its first investments in 30 days, says CEO and managing partner Josh Linkner. The fund … Continue reading “DVP Ready To Rock N’ Roll. Will Others Follow?”
Snapshot of a Rising Young Star(Street): Startup Lessons from Jeremy Levine
Entrepreneurs get younger every day. Jeremy Levine was born one month after the ball rolled through Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner’s legs on that fateful night in Shea Stadium, 1986. Levine probably doesn’t remember the painful 1-15 Patriots of 1990 either. He says his first sports memory was watching the great Larry Bird with … Continue reading “Snapshot of a Rising Young Star(Street): Startup Lessons from Jeremy Levine”
Embracing Angels: A VC’s Perspective
Is there increased tension between venture capitalists (VCs) and angel investors? Lots of stories these days would lead you to that conclusion. Are angels cutting into our deals? Are they making venture capitalists less relevant, especially if some angels are raising sizable funds? Are we competing with them for LP money? The answer to each … Continue reading “Embracing Angels: A VC’s Perspective”
The Microsoft Memos on Outgoing Marketing Chief Mich Mathews: ‘I Started Here When Microsoft Was the New, New Thing’
One day after AdAge broke the news that Microsoft marketing chief Mich Mathews was leaving the company, All Things Digital has word that her counterpart at Apple also is moving on. So, whose resignation should we look for tomorrow? In any case, here are the internal email announcements about Mathews’ departure, from Microsoft Chief Operating … Continue reading “The Microsoft Memos on Outgoing Marketing Chief Mich Mathews: ‘I Started Here When Microsoft Was the New, New Thing’”
Ligand CEO Outlines Strategy, Arena Rebalances its Debt, Venture Biotech Versus Pharma Debate Flares Anew, & More San Diego Life Sciences News
A debate over the sustainability of the venture biotech ecosystem continues to percolate, and the San Diego Venture Group is even planning a breakfast debate on the topic. We’ve got the rest of what’s brewin’ in life sciences too. —San Diego’s Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:LGND]]) is pursuing a fundamentally different strategy under CEO John Higgins. … Continue reading “Ligand CEO Outlines Strategy, Arena Rebalances its Debt, Venture Biotech Versus Pharma Debate Flares Anew, & More San Diego Life Sciences News”
Lessons from Smart Grid Pilot in Canada Can Be Applied to New England
Recently I attended the Boston Smart Grid Forum, where some of the leading “smart grid” minds met to discuss the challenges and opportunities that currently exist. Ontario has been one of the investment leaders in smart grid technology, much of which is being developed through the University of Waterloo. There are a number of similarities … Continue reading “Lessons from Smart Grid Pilot in Canada Can Be Applied to New England”
Report: Movik Networks Raises $25M
Littleton, MA-based Movik Networks, a developer of software for delivering content to mobile devices, has raised $25 million in a Series C round of funding, according to a report in Mass High Tech. The financing was led by Oak Investment Partners and also included previous investors Highland Capital Partners and North Bridge Venture Partners, according … Continue reading “Report: Movik Networks Raises $25M”
Dendreon Wins Medicare Coverage, Clarisonic Tops $100M in Sales, Sage Partners Up, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News
This was a pretty quiet news week for Seattle biotech except for one big decision that affects the hot cancer drug company in town. —Seattle-based Dendreon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DNDN]]) has produced enough evidence to win full reimbursement from Medicare for its $93,000 prostate cancer drug, sipuleucel-T (Provenge). This move was widely expected since Dendreon passed muster … Continue reading “Dendreon Wins Medicare Coverage, Clarisonic Tops $100M in Sales, Sage Partners Up, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”
Cloudkick Founder Alex Polvi on the Experience of Getting Acquired by Rackspace in Startup Year One
Alex Polvi is on the tech world’s express elevator. Just a few years ago, the 25-year-old computer science graduate from Oregon State University was a system administrator at Open Source Lab, the home of Linux, Apache, Drupal, and other huge open-source software projects. It’s the place developers around the world depend on to maintain and … Continue reading “Cloudkick Founder Alex Polvi on the Experience of Getting Acquired by Rackspace in Startup Year One”
Editor’s Picks: Xconomy Boston’s Top 20 Stories of the First Quarter
Grass is growing. Birds are singing. IPOs are filing. And snow is coming tomorrow. In other words, it’s springtime in New England. Every so often, we like to take a breath and look back at some of Xconomy’s top stories from the past few months. These are not necessarily the ones that generated the most … Continue reading “Editor’s Picks: Xconomy Boston’s Top 20 Stories of the First Quarter”
Accuri Exit Showers Michigan With A Lot Of Love
The more you look at Becton, Dickinson & Co.’s (NYSE:[[ticker:BDX]]) recently completed acquisition of Accuri Cytometers in Ann Arbor, MI, the more there is to like. Even savor. BD did not disclose financial terms, which is a little annoying since the medical device and equipment maker, based in Franklin Lakes, NJ, had no problem telling … Continue reading “Accuri Exit Showers Michigan With A Lot Of Love”
Dendreon Wins Full Reimbursement From Medicare for $93K Prostate Cancer Drug
Chalk up another victory for Seattle-based Dendreon—it has persuaded Medicare officials to provide full reimbursement to doctors who prescribe its new $93,000 prostate cancer drug. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the agency that runs the federal health insurance program for the elderly, said today in a draft memo that “the evidence is … Continue reading “Dendreon Wins Full Reimbursement From Medicare for $93K Prostate Cancer Drug”
Paul Allen’s Book: Rich Guy Spats, Early Days with Gates, and Being OK as a Generalist
Vanity Fair got the first-excerpt scoop on Microsoft co-founder and Vulcan head honcho Paul Allen’s new book, “Idea Man,” and one element in particular is drawing most of the attention today: Allen’s depiction of a past rift with longtime friend and co-founder Bill Gates over Allen’s holdings in the company. The Wall Street Journal has … Continue reading “Paul Allen’s Book: Rich Guy Spats, Early Days with Gates, and Being OK as a Generalist”
HelloFax Lets You Ditch Your Fax Machine and Sign Everything Electronically
This is the third in a series of profiles of Y Combinator Winter 2011 (YC W11) startups. You don’t run into many startups that are already planning for their own technology’s demise. But that’s the case at HelloFax, part of the Winter 2011 batch at the Y Combinator venture incubator. Ostensibly, the company’s service is … Continue reading “HelloFax Lets You Ditch Your Fax Machine and Sign Everything Electronically”
IT Employment Staging a Comeback In San Diego, Silicon Valley
Statewide employment data released last week suggest that California’s jobless rate is finally subsiding, as every major industry in the private sector added workers last month for the first time since the Great Recession began in 2007. Employers added a total of 96,500 jobs in February, reducing the statewide jobless rate to 12.2 percent from … Continue reading “IT Employment Staging a Comeback In San Diego, Silicon Valley”
Gemvara Grabs $15M, RueLaLa Spins Off, Mobiquity Launches With $5M, & More Boston-Area Deals News
New England’s tech firms inked a bunch of deals this past week. Here are a few of them. —Gemvara raised $15 million in a Series C funding round led by London-based Balderton Capital and joined by return investors Highland Capital Partners and Canaan Partners. The Lexington, MA-based online jewelry customization startup, which has now raised … Continue reading “Gemvara Grabs $15M, RueLaLa Spins Off, Mobiquity Launches With $5M, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
Clarisonic Cracks Big-Time With $100M Sales, Riding Rave Reviews From Lady Gaga, Oprah
One of Seattle’s hottest tech startups has nothing to do with the sizzly Internet trends you read about a lot—social media, location-based marketing, or mobile apps. It has everything to do with making more than 2 million women so far—Lady Gaga and Oprah among them—look good and feel good about themselves. Unless you read fashion … Continue reading “Clarisonic Cracks Big-Time With $100M Sales, Riding Rave Reviews From Lady Gaga, Oprah”
Follica Sheds More Light on Hair Re-Growth Invention
There’s been some buzz on the Web in recent weeks about Follica’s technology for treating one of the most common maladies of aging in men—male pattern baldness. The company, which got its start in offices of PureTech Ventures in Boston in 2006, sheds some light on its internal research in a patent application, published March … Continue reading “Follica Sheds More Light on Hair Re-Growth Invention”
Intellectual Ventures Creates a New Kind of Market from Scratch: Tales From the Wild West Era of Patents
[Updated at 9:35 a.m. with a correction, see Page 2.]Don Merino used to be the guy sitting across the table when someone went to Intel looking to sell a patent—sometimes he dealt with inventors, but a lot of times it was patent lawyers. Merino liked to say the job was about dealing with “random $40 … Continue reading “Intellectual Ventures Creates a New Kind of Market from Scratch: Tales From the Wild West Era of Patents”
As Kinsella Affair Goes Global, Sofinnova’s Papiernik Says Don’t Blame Big Pharma for Weak Biotech Ventures
Big Pharma has maintained radio silence since Avalon Ventures’ Kevin Kinsella launched a verbal attack last month on what he called the industry’s “predatory business practices,” saying they are doing “enormous damage to the life sciences venture capital ecosystem.” The San Diego biotech investor, in an exclusive interview with Xconomy, argued that pharma’s brass-knuckled M&A … Continue reading “As Kinsella Affair Goes Global, Sofinnova’s Papiernik Says Don’t Blame Big Pharma for Weak Biotech Ventures”
Yes, Now That Stranger Across the Bar Can Text You. No, It’s Not As Scary As It Sounds, Says Mobile App Developer PoKos
Imagine a world where you can point your phone at the people you’re interested in talking to, and a message magically appears on their phones, regardless of whether you’ve ever spoken to them before or actually have their digits in your possession. (Heaven forbid you actually talk to them face to face.) Now, imagine there’s … Continue reading “Yes, Now That Stranger Across the Bar Can Text You. No, It’s Not As Scary As It Sounds, Says Mobile App Developer PoKos”
Silicon Valley Veteran To Lead Ann Arbor SPARK
Ann Arbor is getting a fresh infusion of Silicon Valley. Ann Arbor SPARK, one of four business accelerators in Southeast Michigan, said Tuesday that it named Paul Krutko president and CEO. Krutko, previously the chief development officer for San Jose, CA., will replace Mike Finney, who’s now CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corp. Krutko … Continue reading “Silicon Valley Veteran To Lead Ann Arbor SPARK”
VMIX Unveils Technology to Rent Videos on Facebook, Watch on a Variety of Web Devices
San Diego-based VMIX says today it is offering video rentals on Facebook. Its technology enables users to watch movies, TV programs, and other video on the social networking site—or on a smartphone, tablet, PC, or Internet-connected television. VMIX, a six-year-old startup that provides a technology platform for video streaming and content management, says VMIX Social … Continue reading “VMIX Unveils Technology to Rent Videos on Facebook, Watch on a Variety of Web Devices”
Cheezburger Hits the Big Apple, Zaarly’s Big Debut, Sizing Up the Talent Crunch & More in the Seattle-area Tech Roundup
The Cheezburger Network‘s bid to dominate meme-dom took another leap forward this week with the acquisition of Know Your Meme, a site that attempts to trace the histories of passed-around bits of Internet pop culture that are the fodder for Cheezburger’s humor sites. But the purchase of Know Your Meme, said to be in the … Continue reading “Cheezburger Hits the Big Apple, Zaarly’s Big Debut, Sizing Up the Talent Crunch & More in the Seattle-area Tech Roundup”
Elemental, Riding Wave of Online Video Delivery, Picks Up More Broadcast Business as Rivals Exit
File this under “one to watch more closely.” Before I tell you about the company or its news, consider a few trends. People are watching more videos on their iPads and other tablet devices. Broadcasters, cable companies, and video content owners are starting to focus more on how to deliver TV shows and other entertainment … Continue reading “Elemental, Riding Wave of Online Video Delivery, Picks Up More Broadcast Business as Rivals Exit”
TechStars Takes In $8M for Startup Programs
TechStars, the seed-stage investment fund and startup boot camp, said today it has raised $8 million for its mentorship programs in Boston, Boulder, New York, and Seattle. The latest round, from a number of venture funds and angel investors, brings Boulder, CO-based TechStars’ funding to nearly $11.5 million to date, and should enable the program … Continue reading “TechStars Takes In $8M for Startup Programs”
Anyleaf—Putting an End to the Old Supermarket Circular
Having a computer-science background, an appetite for risk, and an eye for solvable problems put you in a decent position be an Internet entrepreneur in Silicon Valley. But there’s also a downside to these traits. You wind up seeing all the flaws and inefficiencies in everyday things and wondering how you could use Web tools … Continue reading “Anyleaf—Putting an End to the Old Supermarket Circular”
Napkin Entrepreneurs
The barriers for starting a company have come down. Today the total available markets for new applications are hundreds of millions if not billion of users, while new classes of investors are popping up all over (angels, superangels, archangels, and even seraphim and cherubim have been spotted). Entrepreneurship departments are now the cool thing to … Continue reading “Napkin Entrepreneurs”
Amazon, Challenging Apple Head-On, Makes Move Into Cloud-Based Music Service
[Updated at 1:40 p.m. with more pricing info, see below] Apple’s iTunes has become the default music store, playback platform and digital locker for millions of consumers. But the market-owner certainly has limits—chief among them are terrestrial storage and a limited number of machines authorized to use a given account. Seattle’s Amazon.com (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMZN]]) is … Continue reading “Amazon, Challenging Apple Head-On, Makes Move Into Cloud-Based Music Service”
Vertex CF Drug Shines in Late-Stage Study in Children
Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:[[ticker:VRTX]]) reported today positive results from an ongoing late-stage study of its cystic fibrosis drug, VX-770, that show that the drug is working about as well in children as it did in older patients with the genetic disorder. The Cambridge, MA-based company said that the Phase III study of the drug, which aims … Continue reading “Vertex CF Drug Shines in Late-Stage Study in Children”
University Officials: Budget Cuts Won’t Hurt Campus Entrepreneurship
Universities and colleges across Michigan may be scrambling to reduce costs as state officials weigh deep budget cuts to higher education. But programs that encourage entrepreneurship and innovation will likely be spared, school officials say. The programs are well-established and often funded by outside sources and therefore won’t be directly affected by the state funding … Continue reading “University Officials: Budget Cuts Won’t Hurt Campus Entrepreneurship”
Apperian Adds $9.5M from North Bridge, Bessemer, Kleiner Perkins, Looks to Dominate in Enterprise Mobile Apps
It’s a big day for the New England mobile community. Boston-based Apperian, the maker of a software platform for enterprise mobile apps, said it has raised a $9.5 million Series A round from North Bridge Venture Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners, and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (iFund, focused on Apple iPad and iPhone software). The … Continue reading “Apperian Adds $9.5M from North Bridge, Bessemer, Kleiner Perkins, Looks to Dominate in Enterprise Mobile Apps”
Catch: The Online Notekeeping System for the Non-Organized
Steve Brown, co-founder and CEO of Catch.com, a cloud-based personal content management system, says he’s the only dad at his daughter’s end of the season pizza party who remembers every single soccer game. And he can pull out the notes and pictures to prove it. During the season, Brown uses his phone to snap pictures, … Continue reading “Catch: The Online Notekeeping System for the Non-Organized”
Innovation Report Details Ups and Downs of San Diego Startups
San Diego’s innovation economy continues to move mostly sideways, with venture capital investments plunging and employment improving slightly among high technology and life sciences startups, according to a report today from Connect, the nonprofit group for technology and entrepreneurship. The mixed signals also showed San Diego’s merger and acquisition activity soared and federal grants to … Continue reading “Innovation Report Details Ups and Downs of San Diego Startups”
Epizyme, Riding High on Two Big Pharma Deals, Zeroes in on Personalized Cancer Therapy
Big Pharma companies are not exactly known for being nimble, but they have made a couple of quick bam-bam moves in succession to land deals with Cambridge, MA-based Epizyme. The company made news in January when it pocketed $20 million upfront, and lined up another $630 million in development milestones, through a drug discovery partnership … Continue reading “Epizyme, Riding High on Two Big Pharma Deals, Zeroes in on Personalized Cancer Therapy”
RealNetworks CEO Bob Kimball Out, Presided Over Big Changes
More turbulence at Seattle’s RealNetworks: President and Chief Executive Bob Kimball has resigned, the company says today. Kimball had only been in the job since January 2010, although he’d been with RealNetworks (NASDAQ: [[ticker:RNWK]]) for about a dozen years. Kimball replaced founder Rob Glaser as CEO and presided over a period of big change: The … Continue reading “RealNetworks CEO Bob Kimball Out, Presided Over Big Changes”
Cheezburger Snaps Up Know Your Meme, Planting a Foothold in New York City
Hey Big Apple: Ready for some Cheezburger? Seattle-based Cheezburger Network, the holding pen for online humor sites like I Can Has Cheezburger and Fail Blog, has acquired the Internet-culture trackback site Know Your Meme. It’s the first big acquisition move that we’ve seen Cheezburger make since securing $30 million round of venture financing early this … Continue reading “Cheezburger Snaps Up Know Your Meme, Planting a Foothold in New York City”
Device Coating Startup Biotectix Buys IP From Chameleon BioSurfaces
Biotectix is putting some of its new financial firepower to work. The Ann Arbor, MI-based startup, a spinoff from the University of Michigan, said Monday that it acquired the intellectual property portfolio of Chameleon BioSurfaces in Cambridge, England. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Biotectix is developing polymer materials designed to improve how implantable … Continue reading “Device Coating Startup Biotectix Buys IP From Chameleon BioSurfaces”
Countdown to Michigan 2031: Will Medical Devices Lead the Way?
If Michigan was looking for an industry to bolster its future high tech economy beyond automobiles, medical devices would appear to be a good bet. HandyLabs and Accuri Cytometers, both University of Michigan spinoffs based in Ann Arbor, MI, were recently purchased by Benton, Dickinson & Co. With nearly $8 billion in revenue last year, … Continue reading “Countdown to Michigan 2031: Will Medical Devices Lead the Way?”
Chegg, Inkling, Color, Y Combinator—The 1-Minute Version of Last Week’s Bay Area Biztech News
For followers of the Silicon Valley startup scene, 320 Pioneer Way in Mountain View, CA, was the place to be last week. The converted warehouse was the scene of Y Combinator’s Winter 2011 demo day, featuring pitches from 43 newly minted startups, 24 of which have already been publicly unveiled (the rest are still in … Continue reading “Chegg, Inkling, Color, Y Combinator—The 1-Minute Version of Last Week’s Bay Area Biztech News”
EBay Makes $2.4 Billion Bid for GSI Commerce, But Without RueLaLa
It looks like GSI Commerce (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GSIC]]), the parent company of Boston-based private sale website RueLaLa, is about to become part of eBay—but without RueLaLa attached. The San Jose, CA-based auction giant announced in a press release and conference call this morning that it has agreed to acquire King of Prussia, PA-based GSI for $29.25 … Continue reading “EBay Makes $2.4 Billion Bid for GSI Commerce, But Without RueLaLa”
NASA Scrubs Work on 3D Zoom Cameras, Nixing Avatar Director’s Next Mega Pix
NASA has halted work on an advanced zoom 3D camera system under development in San Diego for the SUV-sized Mars Science Laboratory rover—to the disappointment of Avatar filmmaker James Cameron. In a statement Friday, privately held Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS) of San Diego said there wasn’t enough time remaining to finish testing and integrating … Continue reading “NASA Scrubs Work on 3D Zoom Cameras, Nixing Avatar Director’s Next Mega Pix”
Should You Drink the Social Kool-Aid?
Social media may be fomenting revolution in autocratic states, but is it really revolutionizing marketing? I understand the skepticism; I work in an industry famous for hyperbole. But you can’t deny the decline of traditional media. Americans spend an average of 11 hours a month on Facebook while print and broadcast consumption are in free … Continue reading “Should You Drink the Social Kool-Aid?”
How to Maximize Startup Success, Get a Free Book, and Make the Most of VC65 on April 6
Chance favors the prepared startup mind. Excuse the slight variation on an old saying. But with our VC65 conference set to take place on April 6, just 9 days from now, I find myself thinking more and more about what makes a successful startup—and how much of it you can control. A lot, of course, … Continue reading “How to Maximize Startup Success, Get a Free Book, and Make the Most of VC65 on April 6”
TVC Capital Cashes in on Accordent, GA Aeronautical Systems Delivers Last Predator, Ortiva Wireless Forms Tech Alliance, & More San Diego BizTech News
It was relatively quiet on San Diego’s tech front last week, but the mix of news was unusual and interesting. Check it out for yourself. —San Diego-based TVC Capital, a small private equity investment firm focused solely on software deals, was the lone investor in El Segundo, CA-based Accordent Technologies, which was acquired last week … Continue reading “TVC Capital Cashes in on Accordent, GA Aeronautical Systems Delivers Last Predator, Ortiva Wireless Forms Tech Alliance, & More San Diego BizTech News”
Vertica CEO Chris Lynch Talks HP Acquisition, Fires Back at Netezza, IBM in “Big Data” Battle
Big data, schmig data. I know, you’re sick of it. Too bad. Let’s get right to the trash talk, shall we? A few weeks ago, Netezza CEO Jim Baum (who’s now part of IBM) was telling me about the competitive landscape in “big data” analytics—the software and machinery that businesses are using these days to … Continue reading “Vertica CEO Chris Lynch Talks HP Acquisition, Fires Back at Netezza, IBM in “Big Data” Battle”
Bigger Isn’t Better: It’s Time for Big Pharma to Break Up Into Little Pharma
Fresh headlines cross my desk almost weekly about the crisis in the pharmaceutical business. Jaw-dropping sums of money, about $65 billion a year, flow into the pursuit of new medicines. Yet every year we hear the same old refrain—a pathetic number of new FDA-approved drugs, just 21 last year—come out the other end. This highly … Continue reading “Bigger Isn’t Better: It’s Time for Big Pharma to Break Up Into Little Pharma”