Jon Gilbert says when he started the Blue Sky Network in 2001, he saw an opportunity to combine his passion for aviation (he’s a pilot) with his experience in telematics—technology that combines communications, GPS tracking, and informatics. Gilbert had gained his experience as the CEO at Boatracs, a small San Diego company that had licensed … Continue reading “Blue Sky Network Finds Markets Beyond Aviation for Satellite-Based Technology”
Category: National
Accuri Generates Windfall for Plymouth Ventures, But Not University of Michigan
Plymouth Ventures Partners stands to cash out big from Becton, Dickinson’s (NYSE:[[ticker:BDX]]) pending acquisition of Accuri Cytometers in Ann Arbor, MI. But the University of Michigan, where the technology originated? Uh…not so much. Plymouth was one of Accuri’s first investors when the company spun out of the university in 2005, providing around $2 million in … Continue reading “Accuri Generates Windfall for Plymouth Ventures, But Not University of Michigan”
Plexxi, VisionScope, and CashStar: A Trio of New England Tuesday Financings
Tech companies across the New England region revealed today that they have been raising some cash. Check out the details below: —CashStar, a Portland, ME-based startup in the digital gifting and incentives space, announced today that it has raised $5 million in funding, led by San Francisco-based Passport Capital, with participation from investment bank Allen … Continue reading “Plexxi, VisionScope, and CashStar: A Trio of New England Tuesday Financings”
Stewart Parker Joins IDRI as New CEO, Bringing Biotech Sensibility to Global Health Effort
[Updated: 2:15 pm] H. Stewart Parker did some soul-searching after her dreams fizzled out at Seattle-based Targeted Genetics, but now the well-known biotech executive has found herself a big new challenge at the Infectious Disease Research Institute. Parker, 55, the founder and longtime CEO of Targeted Genetics, has agreed to sign on as the CEO … Continue reading “Stewart Parker Joins IDRI as New CEO, Bringing Biotech Sensibility to Global Health Effort”
U-M adds more tenants to Venture Accelerator
The University of Michigan has officially inked deals to house two more startups at its Venture Accelerator in Ann Arbor, MI. Engxt and Civionics will join inaugural tenant Life Magnetics at the former Pfizer research and development center located at the school’s North Campus Research Complex. Two additional firms, 3D Biomatrix and Phraxis Pharmaceuticals, are … Continue reading “U-M adds more tenants to Venture Accelerator”
What You Probably Don’t Know About Non Disclosure Agreements
There is no love like a first time entrepreneur’s love with nondisclosure agreements. They are a romantic dream: secret pacts bonding two economic entities together as one, if only for the transaction. Promises of futures together and sweet nothings exchanged. Now let’s talk reality. First… NDAs don’t stop leaks. Theoretically, a nondisclosure agreement commits the … Continue reading “What You Probably Don’t Know About Non Disclosure Agreements”
Bay State Startup Funding Booms to $242.5M in January; Healthcare Firms Lead the Way
Funding dollars for Massachusetts tech and life sciences startups surged by more than 25 percent from December to January, with 32 startups bringing in $242.5 million in equity-based funding, according to data supplied by our partner CB Insights’ FundingFlash, a daily roundup of companies receiving venture capital, angel investment, and growth equity funding. The healthcare … Continue reading “Bay State Startup Funding Booms to $242.5M in January; Healthcare Firms Lead the Way”
Biotech Vet Gerngross Dishes Out More Details On Latest VC-Backed Startup Arsanis
Our immune systems churn out antibodies to fight infections, so perhaps it’s about time that some biotech companies started getting in on the action. Arsanis, co-founded late last year by successful biotech entrepreneur Tillman Gerngross, is using the antibody discovery technology from another of Gerngross’s startups, Lebanon, NH-based Adimab, to find antibody drugs that might … Continue reading “Biotech Vet Gerngross Dishes Out More Details On Latest VC-Backed Startup Arsanis”
The Active Network Files for IPO
San Diego’s Active Network, which operates a Web-based network that provides online registrations for everything from campsite reservations to tee times, filed for an IPO yesterday, proposing to raise $150 million. The company, founded in 1998 to provide online registrations for marathons and triathlons, has expanded its services through acquisitions and organic growth. It now … Continue reading “The Active Network Files for IPO”
ODesk Charts the Future of Distributed Work
Consider these five trends, and then ask yourself what kind of Internet business you would create to exploit them. 1. Persistent economic uncertainty, leaving employers unwilling to hire lots of new permanent employees—but needing to get work done nonetheless. 2. The emergence of outsourcing as a mainstream, accepted, even expected corporate practice. 3. A growing … Continue reading “ODesk Charts the Future of Distributed Work”
College and Business Will Never Be the Same: Philadelphia University Integrates Design, Engineering and Commerce
Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school. —Attributed to Albert Einstein, Mark Twain and B.F. Skinner There are 4633 accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities in the United States. This weekend I had dinner with one of them—a friend who’s now the president of Philadelphia University. He’s working hard to … Continue reading “College and Business Will Never Be the Same: Philadelphia University Integrates Design, Engineering and Commerce”
RIM Buys Gist, RealNetworks Cuts Jobs, Microsoft’s Nokia Deal, & More Seattle-Area Tech News
The biggest deal this week around the Xconomy office is that we have a new writer to cover the local tech beat. More on that and other Seattle area deals news below. —Seattle-based Gist, the maker of software for managing your contacts online, said this week it has agreed to be acquired by Research in … Continue reading “RIM Buys Gist, RealNetworks Cuts Jobs, Microsoft’s Nokia Deal, & More Seattle-Area Tech News”
SearchReviews’ New Web and Mobile Tool Aggregates Millions of Consumer Reviews
Every once in a while a startup pops up to lay claim to some area of search that Google, inexplicably, has not. (Yes, there are some.) This week it’s SearchReviews, a small Palo Alto, CA-based company that’s tapping the Web’s tens of millions of user-generated reviews of everything from electronic gadgets, to books to travel … Continue reading “SearchReviews’ New Web and Mobile Tool Aggregates Millions of Consumer Reviews”
Genomic Health, Taking a Hit on Bottom Line, Bets Next-Gen Sequencing Will Yield Next-Gen Diagnostics
Genomic Health built itself into a profitable business in molecular diagnostics by using genetics analysis instruments that were state-of-the-art in the middle part of the last decade. But as the Redwood City, CA-based diagnostics company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GHDX]]) looks further into the future, it has come to a clear conclusion. Out with the old, and in … Continue reading “Genomic Health, Taking a Hit on Bottom Line, Bets Next-Gen Sequencing Will Yield Next-Gen Diagnostics”
What Does “Out-Innovate the World” Mean Today?
Today, much manufacturing has gone to China, many services are going to India, and agriculture is threatening to go to South America. What will the U.S. excel in? Innovation is the frequent response. Indeed, President Obama has issued a clarion call to the nation: “We need to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the … Continue reading “What Does “Out-Innovate the World” Mean Today?”
Mok Oh, Founder of EveryScape, Joins Where in New Innovation Role
The one thing Mok Oh was afraid of getting last month was an offer he couldn’t refuse. As it turns out, that’s exactly what happened. Oh, the founder and former chief technology officer of Newton, MA-based EveryScape, had just left the company and was looking at his options for what to do next. He wanted … Continue reading “Mok Oh, Founder of EveryScape, Joins Where in New Innovation Role”
Tech Coast Angels Makes First Investment From New Fund
Southern California’s Tech Coast Angels said today its new Angel Capital Entrepreneurial (ACE) Fund 1, which was formed last year as an alternative investment vehicle for early stage startups, has made its first investment—in Vokle, an Internet startup in the Los Angeles area. The fund is not announcing how much capital it has raised so … Continue reading “Tech Coast Angels Makes First Investment From New Fund”
Tachi Yamada, Gates Foundation’s Global Health Leader, Stepping Down in June
The former Big Pharma executive who ran the global health program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is moving on. Tachi Yamada, 65, an accomplished physician/scientist and former chairman of R&D at London-based pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline, joined the Seattle-based Gates Foundation as the executive director of global health back in June 2006. He plans … Continue reading “Tachi Yamada, Gates Foundation’s Global Health Leader, Stepping Down in June”
RIM Buys Gist To Help Manage Contacts in BlackBerry Smartphones
The early scuttlebutt was right on the mark. Seattle-based Gist, which was reportedly in talks to be acquired by Research in Motion back in December, has closed the deal and agreed to be sold to the giant maker of BlackBerry smartphones. Gist, which makes software to help people keep track of their contacts online, said … Continue reading “RIM Buys Gist To Help Manage Contacts in BlackBerry Smartphones”
500 Startups Launches Accelerator, Animoto Goes HD, Inside Astia’s Success & More Bay Area Biztech News
In startup and technology news last week, it was nearly all incubators and accelerators, all the time. —Angel investing whirlwind Dave McClure, the founder of 500Startups, took the lid off his new startup accelerator program, based in downtown Mountain View, CA. Twelve companies have already joined the program, which provides startups with mentorship, product design … Continue reading “500 Startups Launches Accelerator, Animoto Goes HD, Inside Astia’s Success & More Bay Area Biztech News”
Vertica Acquisition by HP Signals a Business Intelligence Battle in the Bay State
Don’t look now, but there’s a “big data” war brewing in our backyard—one that involves several technology giants. Vertica, a database management and analytics software company based in Billerica, MA, confirmed today it is being acquired by Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: [[ticker:HPQ]]). Financial terms of the deal haven’t been released, but I’m hearing that the price could … Continue reading “Vertica Acquisition by HP Signals a Business Intelligence Battle in the Bay State”
Peregrine Semi and Fallbrook in IPO Lineup, Qualcomm Unveils FlashLinq in Barcelona, Algebraix Raises $7.5M, & More San Diego BizTech News
With the Mobile World Congress underway this week in Barcelona, you can expect a cacophony of wireless news this week. San Diego’s Qualcomm was among the companies that issued some news ahead of the conference, and we’ve got it wrapped up for you here. —Two San Diego technology companies, Peregrine Semiconductor and Fallbrook Technologies, were … Continue reading “Peregrine Semi and Fallbrook in IPO Lineup, Qualcomm Unveils FlashLinq in Barcelona, Algebraix Raises $7.5M, & More San Diego BizTech News”
PariSoma “Innovation Loft” Is Movin’ On Up; A Taste of Parisian Startup Community in San Francisco
Let’s say you left the Bay Area in 2009 and spent all of 2010 assisting ornithologists in Antarctica, or writing cookbooks in Provence, or whatever it is that adventurous startup types do on their getaways. Arriving back in San Francisco today, one of the first things you’d notice is the explosion of incubators and coworking … Continue reading “PariSoma “Innovation Loft” Is Movin’ On Up; A Taste of Parisian Startup Community in San Francisco”
Meet Xconomy Seattle’s Newest Team Member: Ace Reporter Curt Woodward
Xconomy Seattle is adding a lot more journalistic horsepower to serve the Northwest innovation community, starting today. I’m searching for the right word here—ecstatic pretty much nails it—to say how I feel about Curt Woodward joining us as the new senior editor here in Seattle. Curt’s job will be to cover the people and companies … Continue reading “Meet Xconomy Seattle’s Newest Team Member: Ace Reporter Curt Woodward”
Eisai, with Oncology Group H3 Biomedicine, Doubles Down on Boston
H3 Biomedicine is one of the latest experiments that hopes to revamp the way biotech drugs get developed, to save both time and money. Japanese drugmaker Eisai, which is bankrolling Cambridge, MA-based H3, is betting that a combination of $200 million in cash, access to scientific luminaries, and the support of Eisai’s global research and … Continue reading “Eisai, with Oncology Group H3 Biomedicine, Doubles Down on Boston”
Will 2011 Be a Breakout Year?
[Editor’s note: This post was co-authored by Moss Adams partners Ken Salgado (based in Southern California) and Derek Dowsett (Silicon Valley).] It’s early in the year, and although there are a number of positive trends building, it’s hard to make overly optimistic predictions. But based on the data we currently have, 2011 could be a … Continue reading “Will 2011 Be a Breakout Year?”
In Southeast Michigan, Keeping Young Talent in the State a Constant Challenge
If Ashley Hartmann had her way, the junior at the University of Michigan would leave the state after getting her degree. “The job opportunities are horrendous in comparison to the rest of the nation,” Hartmann, a chemistry major, said at the MPowered Entrepreneurship career fair in the school’s student union last week. Michigan has struggled … Continue reading “In Southeast Michigan, Keeping Young Talent in the State a Constant Challenge”
David Cancel: I Want Performable to Be the Salesforce.com of Online Marketing
Performable is one of those startups that sounds cool, but who really understands what it does? Until recently, not that many people outside the Cambridge, MA-based marketing technology company. To learn more, I met with David Cancel, Performable’s founder and CEO, at the startup’s cavernous new digs near Central Square. As he admits, marketing technology … Continue reading “David Cancel: I Want Performable to Be the Salesforce.com of Online Marketing”
Xconomy’s Todd Park and Friends on the Future of Health IT Event: Photos, Ideas, and Thanks
I learned a bunch during Wednesday’s Xconomy Xchange, which featured Todd Park, chief technology officer of the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, and other luminaries discussing the future of health IT. The sold-out event in Cambridge, MA, brought to light lots of intriguing ideas about how to improve the healthcare system. Below are … Continue reading “Xconomy’s Todd Park and Friends on the Future of Health IT Event: Photos, Ideas, and Thanks”
Oneforty Moves Beyond Twitter App Store Into Big, Bad World of Social Business
You might think that someone with 75,000 Twitter followers would be just plain annoying. But Laura Fitton (@pistachio) has some very useful things to share—on Twitter and elsewhere. What she’s saying today is that oneforty, the Cambridge, MA-based tech startup she founded in 2009, has expanded beyond its original focus on building a Twitter app … Continue reading “Oneforty Moves Beyond Twitter App Store Into Big, Bad World of Social Business”
Cartoon Raccoons Lampoon Startup Life
I was too busy to write a regular column this week. Or maybe I’ve simply run out of weighty things to say about mobile gadgets, digital media, the future of journalism, and the like. In any case, I thought I’d entertain you instead with a few of my favorite startup cartoons. These animated shorts all … Continue reading “Cartoon Raccoons Lampoon Startup Life”
Fluidigm Completes IPO on 2nd Try, Geron CEO Exits, Amgen Pushes ‘Son of Dmab,’ & More Bay Area Life Sciences News
We’re starting to see a little—just a little—bit of life get injected into the IPO market for life sciences companies. Nothing much to get too excited about yet, but it’s worth monitoring. —South San Francisco-based Fluidigm had an epic yarn of a story when it first IPO attempt was botched during the financial crisis of … Continue reading “Fluidigm Completes IPO on 2nd Try, Geron CEO Exits, Amgen Pushes ‘Son of Dmab,’ & More Bay Area Life Sciences News”
Stromedix Adds Debt to Finance Clinical Trial, Eliza and Google Team Up for Health IT Website, Arsanis Gets $10M, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News
We saw headlines from health IT firms and drug developers in New England this week. —Cambridge, MA-based drug developer Stromedix is looking to kick off a mid-stage clinical trial of its lead drug, and has attracted some debt-based financing to cover the costs, Ryan wrote. CEO Michael Gilman says the firm has also gotten interest … Continue reading “Stromedix Adds Debt to Finance Clinical Trial, Eliza and Google Team Up for Health IT Website, Arsanis Gets $10M, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”
How About a Little Air Bag Chat? Ford Seeks to Make Cars That Talk to Each Other
Drivers today like to gab and text on their phones while they are on the move. So I guess it makes sense that their cars should also talk to one another. But unlike distracted drivers, Ford hopes vehicle-to-vehicle communication will prevent accidents, not cause them. Ford, based in Dearborn, MI, is accelerating research into “intelligent” … Continue reading “How About a Little Air Bag Chat? Ford Seeks to Make Cars That Talk to Each Other”
Adriana Jenkins, Boston Biotech PR Maven, Dies from Breast Cancer at 41
The New England biotech community has lost one of its well-known members way too early. Adriana Jenkins, a public relations specialist for numerous biotech companies, has died from breast cancer. She was 41. Jenkins worked the last several years with The Yates Network, an independent PR firm that represents quite a few of the Boston … Continue reading “Adriana Jenkins, Boston Biotech PR Maven, Dies from Breast Cancer at 41”
488 To Go? Dave McClure’s 500 Startups Unveils New Incubator with 12 Startups
500 Startups, the early stage investment fund founded by PayPal alum and startup guru Dave McClure, today took the wraps off its long-rumored Mountain View, CA-based startup accelerator program. With an investment and mentorship structure patterned after Y Combinator and other successful venture incubators, the new program has already admitted 12 new startups for terms … Continue reading “488 To Go? Dave McClure’s 500 Startups Unveils New Incubator with 12 Startups”
Helping Entrepreneurs Make Sense of M&A Deal Terms
Selling a company is hard. For starters, how do you know if you’re getting a good price, especially with a company that has little to no revenue? Is $10 million a good number? $50 million? $100 million? Nobody wants to be the sucker who sold a company for a fraction of what it was really … Continue reading “Helping Entrepreneurs Make Sense of M&A Deal Terms”
Kauffman Labs Inaugural Incubator Program Brings In Education-Focused Entrepreneurs from Massachusetts, Michigan, and Bay Area
Surprise: we’re writing about an incubator. (OK, it might not come as a surprise. There’s been no shortage of news surrounding programs designed to create and accelerate tech startups across the nation, as my colleague Greg recently noted.) The Education Ventures Program, which will kick off later this month, is a bit different, though. It’s … Continue reading “Kauffman Labs Inaugural Incubator Program Brings In Education-Focused Entrepreneurs from Massachusetts, Michigan, and Bay Area”
Algebraix Data Raises $7.5M for Unstructured Analytics Technology
San Diego analytics startup Algebraix Data, which moved its headquarters to San Diego from Austin, TX, at the end of 2009, has raised about $7.5 million in a combination of debt, securities, and rights to acquire securities, according to a regulatory filing this week. As I reported in 2009, Algebraix has developed analytics software that … Continue reading “Algebraix Data Raises $7.5M for Unstructured Analytics Technology”
Fluidigm Raises $75M in Second Chance at IPO
You know what they say about how if you don’t at first succeed, try, try again. South San Francisco-based Fluidigm said today it has completed its initial public offering, which comes more than two years after it had the misfortune to attempt an IPO at the height of the worst financial crisis since the Great … Continue reading “Fluidigm Raises $75M in Second Chance at IPO”
The Geographic Agnostic Looking for Hot Biotechs, Steve Burrill, Gravitates to Seattle
Steve Burrill, the biotech prognosticator/meeting impresario/speaker/writer/banker/investor, likes to say he’s “geographically agnostic.” To me, that sounds like one way of saying he hunts for the best biotech investing opportunities in the world. It also essentially means he could care less about the chamber-style boosterism and sentimentality that sometimes clouds the judgment of well-intended folks who … Continue reading “The Geographic Agnostic Looking for Hot Biotechs, Steve Burrill, Gravitates to Seattle”
Stephen Wolfram Joins Xconomy’s Mobile Madness Lineup on March 9: Here’s the Agenda
We’re coming off a fantastic health IT event last night at Microsoft New England Research & Development Center (more on that soon), but I wanted to take a minute to give our readers an update on Mobile Madness 2011, our next forum, which is just under a month away. It’s Xconomy’s third annual mobile event, … Continue reading “Stephen Wolfram Joins Xconomy’s Mobile Madness Lineup on March 9: Here’s the Agenda”
Illumina Rides Business Surge, IntegenX Acquires GenValult, Orexigen Cuts Payroll, & More San Diego Life Science News
There was good news and bad news from San Diego’s life sciences community over the past week. Here’s our recap for you. —San Diego-based Illumina (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ILMN]]) said it shipped a record number of DNA mapping systems during the fourth quarter that ended Jan. 2. With demand for its genetic equipment soaring, Illumina said its … Continue reading “Illumina Rides Business Surge, IntegenX Acquires GenValult, Orexigen Cuts Payroll, & More San Diego Life Science News”
Bay Area Coworking Spaces: The Xconomy Guide
Building a company is hard enough—there’s no need to do it in lonely isolation. That’s the realization hitting a growing number of tech entrepreneurs seeking desks at the coworking spaces scattered around San Francisco Bay. The appeal of these spaces goes well beyond the free coffee and the Internet access: proximity to other creative people … Continue reading “Bay Area Coworking Spaces: The Xconomy Guide”
Dendreon Adds $80M, Amgen Advances ‘Son of Dmab,’ Mobisante Wins FDA OK, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News
My favorite team, the Green Bay Packers, won the Super Bowl on Sunday. So it’s kind of amazing I was able to concentrate on work at all this week. I’m beginning to think there’s a Green & Gold glow coming out of my skin, as a matter of fact. —Seattle-based Dendreon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DNDN]]) tacked on … Continue reading “Dendreon Adds $80M, Amgen Advances ‘Son of Dmab,’ Mobisante Wins FDA OK, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”
Orexigen Axes 40 Percent of Workforce After FDA Turns Down Obesity Drug
No surprise here, the axe has fallen at San Diego-based Orexigen Therapeutics. Orexigen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OREX]]) said today it has eliminated 23 jobs, or about 40 percent of its workforce, a little more than a week after the FDA shot down Orexigen’s application to start selling its first product, a new drug for obesity. The company … Continue reading “Orexigen Axes 40 Percent of Workforce After FDA Turns Down Obesity Drug”
Arboretum Ventures in Ann Arbor Seeks Greener Pastures With New $125M Fund
Arboretum Ventures is gonna need a bigger garden. The early stage investment firm, based in Ann Arbor, MI, plans to raise a new $125 million fund, its third in so many years, according to SEC documents. The company previously pulled together $73 million and $24 million for its first two funds. Arboretum, which specializes in … Continue reading “Arboretum Ventures in Ann Arbor Seeks Greener Pastures With New $125M Fund”
Astia: Knocking Down the Hurdles for Women-Led Startups
Quick: Name the Bay Area startup accelerator where 60 percent of the companies go on to get acquired or win funding within 12 months of graduating, and where the 220 companies that have participated since 2003 have raised, in total, nearly a billion dollars in venture funding. If you answered Y Combinator, you’re wrong. In … Continue reading “Astia: Knocking Down the Hurdles for Women-Led Startups”
Amgen Pushes Ahead With ‘Son of Dmab’ For Treating Broken, Frail Bones
Folks who follow Amgen closely know there’s really been one main theme to this story the past couple years—Dmab, Dmab, Dmab. Also know as denosumab, this is the targeted antibody drug Amgen developed for bone disorders that is supposed to be biggest thing to emerge from its internal R&D pipeline in about 20 years (although … Continue reading “Amgen Pushes Ahead With ‘Son of Dmab’ For Treating Broken, Frail Bones”
Qualcomm Ventures’ Kashyap Sees QPrize Drawing Better Entries, Especially Overseas
Qualcomm Ventures’ Nagraj Kashyap told me back in 2009 that the economic slowdown was a key factor when San Diego-based Qualcomm (NASDAQ: [[ticker:QCOM]]) decided to set aside $550,000 and to launch its first “QPrize” competition. Qualcomm designed the incentive prize to provide seed money to very early stage mobile technology startups. When I sat down … Continue reading “Qualcomm Ventures’ Kashyap Sees QPrize Drawing Better Entries, Especially Overseas”