Allozyne can’t be accused of thinking too small. The Seattle-based startup, after taking a hard look at its first clinical trial, is daring to push ahead with a frontal attack on the world’s largest maker of multiple sclerosis drugs, Weston, MA-based Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]). The challenger’s experimental treatment, a long-lasting injection for multiple sclerosis, … Continue reading “Allozyne Passes First Clinical Trial, Dreams Big About a Once-Monthly Multiple Sclerosis Drug”
Category: National
On-Q-ity Strikes Deal With LabCorp To Help Researchers Spot Rare Tumor Cells
On-Q-ity is betting that it can help improve cancer research and treatment by spotting the rarest of tumor cells circulating in the blood. Now the startup’s technology has found an important new benefactor in Laboratory Corporation of America (NYSE: [[ticker:LH]]). Waltham, MA-based On-Q-ity is announcing today it has formed a strategic alliance with LabCorp in … Continue reading “On-Q-ity Strikes Deal With LabCorp To Help Researchers Spot Rare Tumor Cells”
Top 4 Cleantech Headlines to Watch for in 2011
1. Cap and Trade Discarded by Congress in National Energy Policy Cascadia believes that Congress will implement a national energy policy in the coming year that focuses primarily on incenting new production of natural gas, renewable energies and nuclear; however, it will not include economic penalties for not achieving a reduction in carbon emissions. 2. … Continue reading “Top 4 Cleantech Headlines to Watch for in 2011”
See You at the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference
Techies gathered last week for the annual show-and-tell/schmoozefest known as the Consumer Electronics Show. Now it’s the biotechies turn to have their big conference of the year. The madhouse known as the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference officially starts today, for the 29th year, at San Francisco’s Union Square. I’m here as always, looking forward to … Continue reading “See You at the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference”
Luma Resources Finds Innovative Road Ahead, Through Solar-Power Shingles
When I hear roofing and sheet metal, I don’t think about technological innovation. But Luma Resources, a Rochester Hills, MI-based startup that sprung out of the now 60-year-old roofing company Allen Brothers, is using its expertise in that business to put solar energy into more homes. Rather than finding ways of affixing solar panels to … Continue reading “Luma Resources Finds Innovative Road Ahead, Through Solar-Power Shingles”
San Diego’s Avalon Ventures Closes Ninth Fund, Raises $200 M
When Avalon Ventures began fund-raising for its ninth venture fund back in May, the San Diego VC firm said it was targeting $150 million. Today Avalon plans to announce that it has closed capital commitments of $200 million for its ninth and largest fund. Founder Kevin Kinsella says Avalon Ventures IX was more than 33 … Continue reading “San Diego’s Avalon Ventures Closes Ninth Fund, Raises $200 M”
Ten Thoughts from MIT Sloan’s Silicon Valley Tech Trek
Each year, we at the MIT Entrepreneurship Center at the Sloan School of Management travel to Silicon Valley for a three-day immersion program with our MBA students who have a very entrepreneurial spirit and interest. While we make visits during other parts of the year, this is different in that it is a 24×7 analysis … Continue reading “Ten Thoughts from MIT Sloan’s Silicon Valley Tech Trek”
MIT Museum Opens 150th Anniversary Exhibition: A Few Items of Entrepreneurial Note
The MIT Museum in Cambridge, MA, is running a special exhibition, starting this weekend, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of MIT’s charter. The “MIT 150” exhibit showcases a collection of stories and artifacts that represent the institute’s contributions to science, technology, business, education, and society—things like Marvin Minsky’s robot arm, Claude Shannon’s maze-solving machine, J.C.R. … Continue reading “MIT Museum Opens 150th Anniversary Exhibition: A Few Items of Entrepreneurial Note”
XL Hybrids Raises $2M More, Signs Key Partnership to Retrofit Vehicles
[Updated 1:15 pm. See below] It’s been a busy week for Boston-area company financings, but it’s particularly interesting to zero in on some progress in cleantech. Somerville, MA-based XL Hybrids, a startup that converts commercial fleet vehicles into hybrids, said it has raised an additional $2 million from undisclosed investors. The company also has formed … Continue reading “XL Hybrids Raises $2M More, Signs Key Partnership to Retrofit Vehicles”
GM Ventures Invests $5M in Powermat, Gets Exclusive Right to Wireless Chargers for Year
General Motors is not only an investor in wireless charging startup Powermat, it will also be its exclusive automotive customer for a year. GM Ventures, the Detroit automaker’s venture capital arm, has invested $5 million in Powermat to help push the Commerce Township, MI-based company’s products into GM cars, including the gas-electric hybrid Chevy Volt. … Continue reading “GM Ventures Invests $5M in Powermat, Gets Exclusive Right to Wireless Chargers for Year”
Dendreon Plans to Go It Alone in Europe, Build Provenge Factory in Germany
Dendreon took a big leap ahead last year when its new immune-boosting therapy for prostate cancer hit the U.S. market. Now in 2011, it is mapping out plans to take this new mode of treatment into the European Union for the first time. The Seattle-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DNDN]]) said today that it plans to … Continue reading “Dendreon Plans to Go It Alone in Europe, Build Provenge Factory in Germany”
Here Are Six Features Apple Should Include in the iPad 2 (And They’re Not the Ones You Think)
Unlike most of my tech-journalism brethren, I’m not at the circus in Las Vegas this week. Neither is Apple—the hardware giant has traditionally skipped the International Consumer Electronics Show, rightly figuring that it can generate all the hype it needs just by inviting a few hundred people to the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco … Continue reading “Here Are Six Features Apple Should Include in the iPad 2 (And They’re Not the Ones You Think)”
E-Commerce Pioneer Sets Up Cancer Commons, Affymax Hires New Boss, Plexxikon Opts In, & More Bay Area Life Sciences News
The biotech year doesn’t really start until the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference gets underway in San Francisco next week, but there were a few small news items that hit this week. See you next week in Union Square. —Affymax (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AFFY]]), the Palo Alto, CA-based developer of an experimental anemia drug, said it has hired … Continue reading “E-Commerce Pioneer Sets Up Cancer Commons, Affymax Hires New Boss, Plexxikon Opts In, & More Bay Area Life Sciences News”
Salesforce.com Scoops Up Dimdim’s Web Conferencing Technology for $31M
Salesforce.com’s acquisitions binge continues. The San Francisco-based maker of cloud-based customer relationship management tools has added WebEx-like conferencing and collaboration capabilities to its arsenal through the purchase of Lowell, MA-based startup Dimdim. Announced late Thursday, the acquisition cost Salesforce.com $31 million, net of Dimdim’s cash. Dimdim had raised venture funding from Nexus Venture Partners, Index … Continue reading “Salesforce.com Scoops Up Dimdim’s Web Conferencing Technology for $31M”
Longwood Raises First Fund, Biogen Adds Executives, Boston Scientific Acquires Intellect, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News
New England’s life sciences companies and investors are wasting no time this new year. We saw headlines of financings, clinical trial results, acquisitions, and executive moves at biotech and pharma companies this week. —Genocea Biosciences of Cambridge, MA, wrapped up $35 million in Series B financing from new investors Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation, MP … Continue reading “Longwood Raises First Fund, Biogen Adds Executives, Boston Scientific Acquires Intellect, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”
Some Prognostications on Biotechnology in 2011
After consulting with the Oracle at the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, here are a few of the trends I was told to watch for in 2011… Two revolutionizing pharmaceutical frontiers are on the horizon—RNA therapeutics and stem cell therapies: —RNA therapeutics will become a big reality in 2011. Mipomersen, a LDL lowering drug from … Continue reading “Some Prognostications on Biotechnology in 2011”
Affymax Hires New CEO, Former Genentecher, to Complete FDA Push With Anemia Drug
Affymax (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AFFY]]), the Palo Alto, CA-based developer of an experimental anemia drug, said today it has hired John Orwin as its new CEO, to replace Arlene Morris. Orwin was formerly the senior vice president of marketing and sales for Genentech before he joined Affymax last April as president and chief operating officer. Morris, who … Continue reading “Affymax Hires New CEO, Former Genentecher, to Complete FDA Push With Anemia Drug”
The iPad and Rich Media Apps—Capitalizing on the Future of Storytelling
Storytelling has a “storied” past. In written form, it dates back some 10,000 to 12,000 years to ancient petroglyphs (also known as cave paintings). Personally, I have a passion for storytelling as a means to communicate, educate and socially engage all at the same time. As an interactive and content marketer, I appreciate storytelling as … Continue reading “The iPad and Rich Media Apps—Capitalizing on the Future of Storytelling”
Desh Deshpande on Starting Merrimack Valley Innovation Center—and Making a Global Impact from Massachusetts to India
For some people, innovation is not enough. Gururaj “Desh” Deshpande is one of those people. Let’s just say the Boston-area tech entrepreneur and billionaire philanthropist has earned the right to make such a claim. “For innovation to have impact, it needs relevance,” he says. “Innovation plus relevance equals impact.” Deshpande is talking about global impact, … Continue reading “Desh Deshpande on Starting Merrimack Valley Innovation Center—and Making a Global Impact from Massachusetts to India”
Less Changey, But Still Hopey About 2011
Last year at year end, I wrote about technology trends. Those trends, like the merger of the cloud and mobile devices, personalized medicine, reprogramming of human cells to cure disease, and the re-emergence of nanotechnology, still hold. Startups are breaking down impossible barriers in computing, biology, energy, and materials science. The USA is leading and … Continue reading “Less Changey, But Still Hopey About 2011”
Independa Launches ‘Smart Reminders’ Service to Help Elderly and Their Caregivers
San Diego-based Independa was in stealth mode until September, when founding CEO Kian Saneii gave a presentation about the startup and its technology at the Demo conference in San Jose. Today, Saneii is unveiling Independa’s first apps at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. “This is the first time that customers can sign up … Continue reading “Independa Launches ‘Smart Reminders’ Service to Help Elderly and Their Caregivers”
Inside Google’s Age of Augmented Humanity, Part 3: Computer Vision Puts a “Bird on Your Shoulder”
It’s a staple of every film depiction of killer androids since Terminator: the moment when the audience watches through the robot’s eyes as it scans a human face, compares the person to a photo stored in its memory, and targets its unlucky victim for elimination. That’s computer vision in action—but it’s actually one of the … Continue reading “Inside Google’s Age of Augmented Humanity, Part 3: Computer Vision Puts a “Bird on Your Shoulder””
John Mendlein Tries His Hand as a ‘Parallel Entrepreneur,’ Santaris Continues RNA Therapeutics Work for Pfizer, & More San Diego Life Sciences News
The holiday left a void of sorts in San Diego’s life sciences news, or maybe everybody is prepping for J.P. Morgan’s big biotech conference in San Francisco next week. Either way, we’ve got the latest update here. —Luke profiled John Mendlein as a life sciences jack-of-all-trades who made his name as a CEO in 2007, … Continue reading “John Mendlein Tries His Hand as a ‘Parallel Entrepreneur,’ Santaris Continues RNA Therapeutics Work for Pfizer, & More San Diego Life Sciences News”
Biogen Idec’s New R&D Boss, Doug Williams, Spurns Corner Office for a Return to Big Science
Doug Williams spent more than 20 years working his way up from bench scientist to CEO, and long after reaching the top, a realization hit. What he wanted most was to go back to his true passion—getting his hands dirty in a big and strong R&D organization with potential to create new drugs. “Having done … Continue reading “Biogen Idec’s New R&D Boss, Doug Williams, Spurns Corner Office for a Return to Big Science”
The Immunex Alumni, Hood Wins Russ Prize, Williams Grabs Biogen Gig, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News
‘Twas the week before JP Morgan and all through the house…OK you get the idea. Not much biotech news was stirring this week as everybody is prepping for the big industry confab next week in San Francisco. I’ll be reporting there as always. —We rang in the New Year on the biotech desk with a … Continue reading “The Immunex Alumni, Hood Wins Russ Prize, Williams Grabs Biogen Gig, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”
Ann Arbor’s Mobiata, After Expedia Takeover, Seeks to Put Travel Info on Your Handheld
Ann Arbor-based Mobiata got a good second birthday present, even if it was a day late. The mobile app developer was acquired by Internet travel empire Expedia.com in November, in a deal that was referred to as Expedia’s “most significant investment to date in addressing the mobile travel market.” The acquisition came one day after … Continue reading “Ann Arbor’s Mobiata, After Expedia Takeover, Seeks to Put Travel Info on Your Handheld”
Rich Aldrich, Biotech Powerbroker, Breaks Silence on New $87M Longwood Founders Fund
The Boston biotech scene was abuzz about a year ago when news broke about three of the most influential figures in the sector—Rich Aldrich, Michelle Dipp, and Christoph Westphal—joining forces to form a new venture capital firm called Longwood Founders Fund. Yet this power trio has been mostly mum about what they are doing with … Continue reading “Rich Aldrich, Biotech Powerbroker, Breaks Silence on New $87M Longwood Founders Fund”
My Three Predictions for 2011
In 2011, the U.S. economy will come roaring back as our businesses and their customers gain confidence that the electorate has come to its senses and chosen not to grow governments but economies instead. In 2011, the last jihadist jerk will accidently blow himself up, at home without harming anyone else. In 2011, the progress … Continue reading “My Three Predictions for 2011”
CES Kicks Off With Focus on Tablets, Smart Phones, and Internet TVs
The world’s biggest consumer electronics show, officially known as CES International 2011, is holding some preview events this evening, with the main event opening tomorrow for 126,000 registered attendees at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Global retail sales of consumer electronics are expected to grow by 10 percent this year, from $873 billion in 2010 … Continue reading “CES Kicks Off With Focus on Tablets, Smart Phones, and Internet TVs”
Biogen Idec Nabs Doug Williams as R&D Head, Steve Holtzman as BD Chief To Fill Out Management Team
Biogen Idec, after a long search, has found a new scientist to spearhead its R&D group—Doug Williams, the former CEO of Seattle-based ZymoGenetics. The Weston, MA-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]), the world’s largest maker of multiple sclerosis drugs, also added another heavy hitter from the Boston biotech scene to its management team—Steve Holtzman, the former … Continue reading “Biogen Idec Nabs Doug Williams as R&D Head, Steve Holtzman as BD Chief To Fill Out Management Team”
Elemental Teams Up With Intel, Looks to Improve Video Delivery to Devices
Interesting news from the video world today. Portland, OR-based Elemental Technologies says it has been working with Intel (NASDAQ: [[ticker:INTC]]) for the past year to make its video-processing software run on the chip giant’s new “Sandy Bridge” microprocessors, which blend traditional processing with graphics capabilities. The two companies are demoing the technology at the Consumer … Continue reading “Elemental Teams Up With Intel, Looks to Improve Video Delivery to Devices”
Oren Etzioni, Leading UW Computer Scientist and Entrepreneur, Comments on “Cyber Stalking” Suit
Oren Etzioni, the Internet search expert at the University of Washington and founder of Farecast, has been sued by a Seattle attorney who accuses him of cyber stalking in connection with a divorce case, according to a report by The Seattle Times. Etzioni sent a series of anonymous e-mails to attorney Mabry DeBuys, who represented … Continue reading “Oren Etzioni, Leading UW Computer Scientist and Entrepreneur, Comments on “Cyber Stalking” Suit”
Five Technology Trends to Watch in 2011
“Real” 4G Mobile broadband. Verizon recently launched its 4G LTE network (via laptop modem cards). The Verizon network speed dwarfs the “4G” networks being advertised by Sprint and T-Mobile. Verizon’s 4G will be users’ first taste of true mobile broadband and will further drive mobile data usage and the percentage of time users spend on … Continue reading “Five Technology Trends to Watch in 2011”
Todd Park, HHS Tech Chief, Headlines Xconomy’s Health IT Evening on Feb. 9
Got plans for the evening of February 9? If you’re involved or deeply interested in health IT, and how the digitization of medicine could improve the healthcare system, then join us and sign up here for Xconomy Xchange: HHS CTO Todd Park and Friends on the Future of Health IT. Park, who is the keynote … Continue reading “Todd Park, HHS Tech Chief, Headlines Xconomy’s Health IT Evening on Feb. 9”
Inside Google’s Age of Augmented Humanity: Part 2, Changing the Equation in Machine Translation
When science fiction fans think about language translation, they have two main reference points. One is the Universal Translator, software built into the communicators used by Star Trek crews for simultaneous, two-way translation of alien languages. The other is the Babel fish from Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, which did the same … Continue reading “Inside Google’s Age of Augmented Humanity: Part 2, Changing the Equation in Machine Translation”
Qteros Raises $22M More, Signs Deal to Commercialize Biofuels
The biofuels industry is still chugging along in Massachusetts. Marlborough, MA-based Qteros said today it has closed $22 million in the first tranche of its Series C financing. The investors in the round were not disclosed, but Qteros said both new and existing ones participated. The company’s previous backers include Battery Ventures, Venrock Associates, Long … Continue reading “Qteros Raises $22M More, Signs Deal to Commercialize Biofuels”
Zafgen Weight Loss Drug Shows Promise in First Human Test
People working on new drugs for obesity had a pretty crummy 2010 on the whole, but now an intriguing startup in Cambridge, MA, called Zafgen is starting the new year with a bang. Zafgen is announcing today that its experimental weight loss drug for severe obesity was well-tolerated, and able to help people lose about … Continue reading “Zafgen Weight Loss Drug Shows Promise in First Human Test”
SCVNGR Scares Up $15M, Genocea Gets $35M, Zeo Zeros in on $12.3M, & More Boston-Area Deals News
2001 is off to a running start for dealmakers in New England’s tech and life sciences sectors, it seems. —Cambridge, MA-based Genocea Biosciences pulled in a tidy $35 million in a Series B funding round. The vaccine developer, a spinout of Harvard, saw contributions from new investors Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation, MP Healthcare Venture … Continue reading “SCVNGR Scares Up $15M, Genocea Gets $35M, Zeo Zeros in on $12.3M, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
Five Things To Look For In The Coming Year In Healthcare/Life Sciences
1. Data‐Driven Healthcare. In 2011 and into this next decade, the rate of data generation from biological measurement will continue to accelerate. Making sense of this deluge of data from sources as disparate as electronic medical records, biometric sensors, population statistics, environmental factors, and genomics will be the interesting part! Nimble start‐ups that can aggregate … Continue reading “Five Things To Look For In The Coming Year In Healthcare/Life Sciences”
Daily Grommet, With New Financing (and Attention), Looks to “Pour Fuel on the Fire”
A quick update from one of the darlings of the Boston consumer tech scene. Lexington, MA-based Daily Grommet says it has raised just over $475,000 in financing as an extension to its $3.4 million Series A round last April. The new money came from the company’s existing angel investors, including John Landry, Nancy Peretsman, LaunchCapital, … Continue reading “Daily Grommet, With New Financing (and Attention), Looks to “Pour Fuel on the Fire””
Qualcomm Reportedly in Talks to Acquire Atheros Communications
[Updated 1/5/10 11:15 am. See below.] It’s official: Qualcomm (NASDAQ: [[ticker:QCOM]]) today announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire San Jose’s Atheros Communications (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ATHR]]) at $45 a share, or roughly $3.1 billion. The transaction has been approved by the boards of both companies, but must still clear the necessary regulatory requirements. Atheros … Continue reading “Qualcomm Reportedly in Talks to Acquire Atheros Communications”
HowRandom Targets College Students With Website For Anonymous Chats
At a time when Facebook ranks as the most-used social networking site on the planet, a couple of young San Diego entrepreneurs are trying to establish their own niche in an expanding universe of social networks, online chat rooms, and Internet forums. Co-founders Jon Cook and Jason Humphries have created HowRandom as an online forum … Continue reading “HowRandom Targets College Students With Website For Anonymous Chats”
Follica Co-Founder and Team Find New Clues About Male Baldness
Hold on to your toupees. Scientists have spotted a trend in scalp samples from men with pattern baldness that could lead to a new way to treat hair-loss. The discovery hits close to home for Follica, a startup focused on hair-loss treatments, whose scientific co-founder was one of the main researchers behind the new findings. … Continue reading “Follica Co-Founder and Team Find New Clues About Male Baldness”
Redstar, From ATG Founders, Reveals Funding Strategy, Sets Up Office Space, Looks to Hire Entrepreneurs
Redstar, the stealthy new venture from the founders of e-commerce software maker Art Technology Group (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ARTG]]), is coming a bit more out of the woodwork. Redstar, which has been described by co-founder and ATG veteran Jeet Singh as “a company that builds companies,” has moved into a temporary space in Harvard Square this week … Continue reading “Redstar, From ATG Founders, Reveals Funding Strategy, Sets Up Office Space, Looks to Hire Entrepreneurs”
Ann Arbor Fuel Cell Developer Adaptive Materials Acquired by Ultra Electronics Holdings
Adaptive Materials, an Ann Arbor, MI-based developer of solid oxide fuel cells for use by the military and in recreational vehicles, has been acquired by UK-based Ultra Electronics Holdings. Adaptive Materials announced in a news released today that it will continue to develop and manufacture its propane-powered fuel cell systems from its current Ann Arbor … Continue reading “Ann Arbor Fuel Cell Developer Adaptive Materials Acquired by Ultra Electronics Holdings”
Skytap, Fresh Off Boston-Led $10M Financing, Seeks to Make Cloud Computing Work Better
[Update: 3:45 pm] Turn on a TV, and you’ll see Microsoft running commercials touting something few men on the street know much about—cloud computing. So if the concept is starting to go mainstream, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that one of Seattle’s early movers in the space, Skytap, has already made some serious headway … Continue reading “Skytap, Fresh Off Boston-Led $10M Financing, Seeks to Make Cloud Computing Work Better”
Vaccine Innovations That Will Expedite Access for the Next Generation of Treatments
As viral pandemics and drug resistant bacteria become more common, it is imperative that the pharmaceutical industry increases its efforts to develop truly revolutionary treatments to combat infectious diseases. One area of focus is the development of new prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines. When a pandemic strikes, the traditional vaccine development and manufacturing process is cumbersome … Continue reading “Vaccine Innovations That Will Expedite Access for the Next Generation of Treatments”
Motorola Splits in Two, But No Word Yet on Mobility’s New HQ
Motorola, which began business in Chicago 83 years ago as the Galvin Manufacturing Co., is officially splitting into two separate companies today: Motorola Solutions (NYSE: [[ticker:MSI]]) retains the company’s mainstay public-safety radio, bar-code scanner, and RFID businesses, while Motorola Mobility (NYSE: [[ticker:MMI]]) gets the cell phone and cable set-top box businesses. I had expected Motorola … Continue reading “Motorola Splits in Two, But No Word Yet on Mobility’s New HQ”
Creating the Next Silicon Valley—The Chilean Experiment
I spent two weeks of December in Chile as a guest of Professor Cristóbal García, Director of EmprendeUC at the Catholic University of Chile, which just signed up a 3-year collaboration partnership with Stanford’s Technology Ventures Program. I did a keynote on innovation hubs at the newly created DoFuture program, spoke at Santiago’s Startup Weekend … Continue reading “Creating the Next Silicon Valley—The Chilean Experiment”
SCVNGR Scoops Up $15M for European Expansion and More Game Mechanics
Seth Priebatsch strikes again. The wunderkind CEO’s location-based gaming startup, SCVNGR, announced today it has raised $15 million in a new venture financing round led by London-based Balderton Capital. SCVNGR’s existing investors, Google Ventures and Highland Capital Partners, also participated in the round, which was raised at a valuation of just over $100 million, according … Continue reading “SCVNGR Scoops Up $15M for European Expansion and More Game Mechanics”