If you’re a runner, walker, or cyclist, there’s a lot of great mobile technology these days to help you track your activity and stay motivated. On Friday I reviewed two apps in particular: RunKeeper from Boston-based FitnessKeeper, and Runmeter from San Francisco-based Abvio. I talked about my personal experiences using the apps, which both work … Continue reading “Abvio vs. FitnessKeeper: The Running App Founder Smackdown”
Category: National
Dicerna, Actifio Headline Top 10 Third Quarter VC Deals in Massachusetts
[Corrected, 9:50 am. See below] The third quarter of 2010 has been in the books for a couple weeks. Time to look back at the top 10 venture capital financings for Boston-area companies from the past three months (July-September). The roundup comes courtesy of the MoneyTree Report, which is prepared each quarter by PricewaterhouseCoopers and … Continue reading “Dicerna, Actifio Headline Top 10 Third Quarter VC Deals in Massachusetts”
Twitter Plea Helps Baydin Get Seed Money from Angel Investor Dave McClure; Startup Moving to the Valley Next Month
So an entrepreneur helps out a prominent angel investor when the latter needs a ride, and gets a seed investment as a result. It sounds like something you might see in a movie. But it’s a reality for Baydin, an e-mail technology startup out of Boston (but soon to be based in the San Francisco … Continue reading “Twitter Plea Helps Baydin Get Seed Money from Angel Investor Dave McClure; Startup Moving to the Valley Next Month”
New CEO Hired at V-Vehicle, Now Called Next Autoworks
V-Vehicle, the San Diego-based automotive startup whose investors include Google Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, and T. Boone Pickens, has a new name and a new CEO. The company, which has been rechristened Next Autoworks, named former Tower Automotive CEO Kathleen Ligocki as chief executive earlier this week. Next Autoworks also has operations in Detroit and northeastern … Continue reading “New CEO Hired at V-Vehicle, Now Called Next Autoworks”
MIT Launching Follow Up to Landmark Made in America Study
With the loss of U.S. manufacturing jobs an ever-present political and economic issue, MIT is kicking off a global manufacturing study, Xconomy has learned. The effort apparently follows up on the school’s famous Made in America report from the late 1980s, which examined the declining state of American industrial productivity and explored ways to get … Continue reading “MIT Launching Follow Up to Landmark Made in America Study”
31 Northwest Ideas Compete in the GE Ecomagination Challenge
Three months ago General Electric (NYSE: [[ticker:GE]]) announced a $200 million open innovation competition, with the goal of finding and financing breakthrough ideas that will help create a smarter, cleaner, more efficient, and more economically viable grid, and help accelerate the adoption of smart grid technologies. Since the “GE Ecomagination Challenge” was introduced on July … Continue reading “31 Northwest Ideas Compete in the GE Ecomagination Challenge”
10 Takeaways from MassTLC’s UnConference
Overwhelming. Inspiring. Thought-provoking. These are all words that apply to the spectacle that was yesterday’s Mass Technology Leadership Council’s Innovation 2010 “unConference,” held at the World Trade Center Boston and organized by entrepreneur and investor Bill Warner, Matrix Partners’ Antonio Rodriguez, and MassTLC’s Tom Hopcroft. And one more word, ridiculous—that’s what it feels like to … Continue reading “10 Takeaways from MassTLC’s UnConference”
RunKeeper Versus Runmeter on the iPhone: A Newbie Runner’s Review
[Corrected, see p. 2] If there’s one seductive thing about being a startup entrepreneur, it’s that you can utterly neglect exercise without feeling guilty about it. After all, doesn’t building a great company require every moment of wakefulness, every ounce of concentration? I know I’ve got a lot to show for my last three years … Continue reading “RunKeeper Versus Runmeter on the iPhone: A Newbie Runner’s Review”
Alkermes Drug Approved for Opioid Addiction, Genzyme Faces Shareholder Lawsuits, NinePoint Gets $33M, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News
New England area biotechs made the news this week with FDA approvals, clinical study results, new financings, and partnership news. We also saw a few interesting trend and profile pieces on drugmakers. —Boston-based Gelesis, a biotech working on treating obesity, announced that its technology helped rats reduce their food intake over 18 hours when compared … Continue reading “Alkermes Drug Approved for Opioid Addiction, Genzyme Faces Shareholder Lawsuits, NinePoint Gets $33M, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”
Mirador Biomedical Wins FDA Approval for Tool to Prevent Dangerous Hospital Errors
Seattle’s medical device community has another member of the commercial club—a company that found a way to reach the marketplace after less than two years of work and with only a little more than $1 million of investment. Mirador Biomedical, the startup with a digital sensor that can tell the difference when a syringe pokes … Continue reading “Mirador Biomedical Wins FDA Approval for Tool to Prevent Dangerous Hospital Errors”
Amylin, Alkermes Eagerly Await FDA Verdict (Again) For Once-Weekly Diabetes Drug
Back in March, it was “pins and needles” time at San Diego-based Amylin Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMLN]]) and Waltham, MA-based Alkermes (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ALKS]]). Now these two companies are getting that prickly feeling again. Both biotech companies are eagerly awaiting word from the FDA on whether the agency will allow the first once-weekly injectable diabetes drug for … Continue reading “Amylin, Alkermes Eagerly Await FDA Verdict (Again) For Once-Weekly Diabetes Drug”
Exelixis Gets $60M from Bristol, Genentech Surpasses Original Herceptin, Synosia Pockets $30M, & More Bay Area Life Sciences News
News on cancer drugs, stem cells, and the rare item about promising drugs for Parkinson’s disease crossed our desk this week. —South San Francisco-based Exelixis (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EXEL]]) rebounded a bit from its rough summer when it said this week it has raked in a $60 million payment through a new partnership with Bristol-Myers Squibb. Back … Continue reading “Exelixis Gets $60M from Bristol, Genentech Surpasses Original Herceptin, Synosia Pockets $30M, & More Bay Area Life Sciences News”
New Reality for U.S. Venture Capital: Data Shows Startup Deals Are Smaller, More Numerous and More Capital-Efficient
The MoneyTree Report on third-quarter venture funding echoes results that we reported earlier this week, showing $4.8 billion was invested in 780 venture deals nationwide. That was a 7 percent decline in venture capital invested—but a nearly 9 percent increase in the number of deals—compared with the same quarter in 2009, when almost $5.2 billion … Continue reading “New Reality for U.S. Venture Capital: Data Shows Startup Deals Are Smaller, More Numerous and More Capital-Efficient”
Spark Capital Raises $360M Fund
Score one for New England tech VCs. Boston-based venture firm Spark Capital said today it has raised a new $360 million fund to invest in Web and digital media startups. The news was first reported by the New York Times. Spark Capital focuses on early-stage investments in technology, media, and entertainment companies. Its portfolio includes … Continue reading “Spark Capital Raises $360M Fund”
We’re Hiring at Xconomy San Francisco
It’s time for Xconomy to expand its Bay Area coverage. We’ve been on the ground here since June, writing about innovation and entrepreneurship in all corners of the high-tech economy, including software and the Web, biotech and drug development, energy and cleantech, and angel and venture investing. Now we want to take it the next … Continue reading “We’re Hiring at Xconomy San Francisco”
NinePoint Medical Raises $33M A Round to Develop New Diagnostic Devices
Cambridge, MA-based NinePoint Medical said this morning it has raised $33 million in a Series A round of funding from Third Rock Ventures of Boston and Prospect Venture Partners of Palo Alto, CA, and it’s planning to quickly beef up its staff with 25 additional workers over the next year. NinePoint is aiming high with … Continue reading “NinePoint Medical Raises $33M A Round to Develop New Diagnostic Devices”
A Peek Inside the Story Pipeline at Xconomy San Francisco
Journalists are usually pretty secretive about the stories they’re planning to write. The fear is that if we give away what we’re working on, some other outlet will jump on the story and beat us to it. To be honest, that prospect doesn’t bother me, because the truth is that very few others will make … Continue reading “A Peek Inside the Story Pipeline at Xconomy San Francisco”
EnergySavvy Finds Unexpected Support from Governments Looking to Spur Retrofits
When EnergySavvy rolled out its online energy audit tool in February, CEO Aaron Goldfeder thought it would appeal directly to consumers. But he quickly learned that the company had a second opportunity, one that the founding team had initially overlooked—government and non-profit programs, and utilities companies. “When we launched EnergySavvy.com, we really had no plans … Continue reading “EnergySavvy Finds Unexpected Support from Governments Looking to Spur Retrofits”
Healthcare Venture Investment Deals Climbing Back, Halozyme Sells Its Diagnostics Business, Dry Lab Biotechs Cluster in Carmel Valley, & More San Diego Life Sciences News
We took a long Columbus Day weekend here at Xconomy, but it didn’t shorten our roundup of life sciences news much. Here’s your latest update. —Healthcare venture capital deals continue to climb back from their first-quarter plunge during the three months that ended September 30, according to the latest report from CB Insights, a New … Continue reading “Healthcare Venture Investment Deals Climbing Back, Halozyme Sells Its Diagnostics Business, Dry Lab Biotechs Cluster in Carmel Valley, & More San Diego Life Sciences News”
Mike Huckman, Former CNBC Reporting Ace, Joins Stellar Lineup at Boston’s War on Cancer
Pretty much anyone who makes a living in the pharmaceutical and biotech business, and has turned on CNBC in the past decade, knows the name Mike Huckman. He reported on the biggest developments in the cancer drug development field in those years, telling the stories of groundbreaking therapies like Eli Lilly’s Erbitux, Roche’s Avastin, and … Continue reading “Mike Huckman, Former CNBC Reporting Ace, Joins Stellar Lineup at Boston’s War on Cancer”
Seattle Genetics Nails 2nd Trial, Bristol Clinches Zymo Buyout, Halosource Goes Public, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News
One of Seattle’s biotech mainstay companies had an unceremonious ending this week, while another took a step ahead toward national prominence. —New York-based pharma giant Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: [[ticker:BMY]]) said this week that it had essentially clinched its takeover of Seattle-based ZymoGenetics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ZGEN]]) by purchasing 95 percent of the company’s shares at $9.75 apiece. … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics Nails 2nd Trial, Bristol Clinches Zymo Buyout, Halosource Goes Public, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”
Fate Therapeutics Snags Deal With Becton Dickinson to Market Stem Cell Technology
Fate Therapeutics, after months of hunting, has found a deep-pocketed partner to take its stem cell technology mainstream, at least for academic and pharmaceutical industry labs. The San Diego-based startup—founded by scientific big shots at Harvard University, Stanford University, The Scripps Research Institute, and the University of Washington—is announcing later today that it has struck … Continue reading “Fate Therapeutics Snags Deal With Becton Dickinson to Market Stem Cell Technology”
The “Disney-Sized Imaginations” at Loveland Are Out to Reverse Detroit’s Decay with Digital Maps
It would be easy to dismiss Jerry Paffendorf and his friends as a bunch of art-nerd carpetbaggers from San Francisco who see Detroit as the latest canvas for their airy-fairy ideas about virtual communities and social entrepreneurship. In fact, that’s how some locals reacted when reports surfaced in The Detroit News last year that Paffendorf … Continue reading “The “Disney-Sized Imaginations” at Loveland Are Out to Reverse Detroit’s Decay with Digital Maps”
A Nobel Laureate’s Stealthy Biotech, Its Japanese Pharma Backer, and the Englishman In Charge
Outside of certain circles at MIT, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who is familiar with the biotech startup Galenea. The Cambridge, MA-based firm has been researching drugs for schizophrenia and other neurological disorders for more than five years, yet it has done so with a unique funding strategy that has kept its significant … Continue reading “A Nobel Laureate’s Stealthy Biotech, Its Japanese Pharma Backer, and the Englishman In Charge”
Negroponte on the Media Lab’s 25th: A Salon des Refusés That Could Only Have Happened at MIT
The MIT Media Laboratory, whose 1985 launch created a new intellectual center of gravity for studies of the future of computing while blazing trails in industry-university research partnerships, will mark its 25th anniversary this Friday. MIT is celebrating the occasion with a day of festivities that include an appearance from Google CEO Eric Schmidt and … Continue reading “Negroponte on the Media Lab’s 25th: A Salon des Refusés That Could Only Have Happened at MIT”
Investors Suing Genzyme Over Its Handling of Sanofi’s $18.5B Buyout Bid
Genzyme (NASDAQ:[[ticker:GENZ]]) is fending off multiple shareholders who are suing the Cambridge, MA-based biotech company for rejecting French drug giant Sanofi-Aventis’s $18.5 billion buyout offer, according to court documents filed with the SEC. Bloomberg News reported the lawsuits in a story Tuesday afternoon. The lawsuits call attention to Genzyme’s repeated rejection of Sanofi’s (NYSE:[[ticker:SNY]]) offer … Continue reading “Investors Suing Genzyme Over Its Handling of Sanofi’s $18.5B Buyout Bid”
CarWoo Promises Car Buyers Hassle-Free Quotes Online, Raises $4.2 Million
The Internet was supposed to make car shopping easier, Tommy McClung is explaining. Back in the 1990s, sites like Vehix.com, Cars.com, and Autotrader.com promised a future where you wouldn’t have to haggle with a salesman, and where you didn’t have to drive from dealer to dealer just to see who could offer the best price … Continue reading “CarWoo Promises Car Buyers Hassle-Free Quotes Online, Raises $4.2 Million”
Marvell Funds OLPC Tablet, Viewdle’s Face Recognition Advances, Aneesh Chopra Speaks, & More Bay Area BizTech News
Thanks to the long Columbus Day weekend (observed at Xconomy’s Massachusetts headquarters, if not by many Californians), last week seems like it was ages ago. But not so long ago that I couldn’t scrape up our main business and technology headlines. —I scored an interview with Aneesh Chopra, the chief technology officer of the United … Continue reading “Marvell Funds OLPC Tablet, Viewdle’s Face Recognition Advances, Aneesh Chopra Speaks, & More Bay Area BizTech News”
Prop. 24 Will Hurt California Businesses, Big and Small
Proposition 24, on the November ballot, is all about jobs. Prop. 24 will cost us as many as 322,000 jobs a year…next year, and for some years to come. Prop. 24 will cost us as much as $1.8 billion a year in revenues to the state…next year, and for some years to come. Those numbers … Continue reading “Prop. 24 Will Hurt California Businesses, Big and Small”
San Diego’s Mini-Cluster of Virtual Biotechs Without Labs on High Bluff Drive
One fascinating geographic pattern jumped out at me on my last visit to San Diego a couple weeks ago. More and more of my meetings with biotech leaders are occurring in places other than Torrey Pines Mesa, the regional heart of science and home to UC San Diego, The Scripps Research Institute, the Sanford-Burnham Medical … Continue reading “San Diego’s Mini-Cluster of Virtual Biotechs Without Labs on High Bluff Drive”
Isolating the Elusive Management Gene
They have done it. Finally. Biologists at the National University of Singapore have isolated the Management gene. Now DNA technology will forever change how we think about business—and who runs it. That same rigor that was used to sequence the genome can now tell us who is going to be a good/great manager from the … Continue reading “Isolating the Elusive Management Gene”
5 Biotech Storylines to Watch in Boston
It almost goes without saying that the Boston biotech scene is rapidly evolving—perhaps as fast as any industry we write about here at Xconomy. So the editors and I thought it would be useful to highlight five of the most important storylines that we have been and will continue to follow in New England. 1. … Continue reading “5 Biotech Storylines to Watch in Boston”
Biotech’s Back in Seattle: Xconomy Forum to Convene Leaders of Dendreon, Seattle Genetics
Seattle’s biotech industry has experienced what has to be considered a lost decade. Many of the region’s brightest stars of the 1990s—Immunex, Icos, Rosetta Inpharmatics, Corixa—ended up getting bought by companies in other places that ultimately axed hundreds of talented scientists and businesspeople. The jobs may not have all come back, but Seattle biotech has … Continue reading “Biotech’s Back in Seattle: Xconomy Forum to Convene Leaders of Dendreon, Seattle Genetics”
Test Driving the Future of General Motors: My Experience Behind the Wheel of the Chevy Volt
Ten years ago the electric car seemed to be the wave of the future. But in those days of peace and cheap gas, consumers weren’t really demanding the technology. Today that problem has been turned on its ear, as clean energy vehicles are popping up on the factory floor of most major car companies, each … Continue reading “Test Driving the Future of General Motors: My Experience Behind the Wheel of the Chevy Volt”
Impinj, Riding Wave of RFID Resurgence, Looks to Double Sales, Add 20 Employees
As a reporter, you can tell when the innovation economy tide is turning, when a particular sector is rebounding, or when certain companies have turned the corner. How? Because all of a sudden CEOs want to talk on the record, PR people are your best friends, and marketing and real estate guys chat you up … Continue reading “Impinj, Riding Wave of RFID Resurgence, Looks to Double Sales, Add 20 Employees”
Venture Trend Toward Smaller-Size Deals Continues as Survey Shows Big Q3 Funding Surge in Texas, Drop in Massachusetts
Our friends at CB Insights made an early break out of the gate again today with data on venture capital investments in private companies, this time reporting total VC funding of $5.4 billion in 715 deals nationwide for the third quarter that ended Sept. 30. The CB Insights Venture Capital Activity Report shows, though, that … Continue reading “Venture Trend Toward Smaller-Size Deals Continues as Survey Shows Big Q3 Funding Surge in Texas, Drop in Massachusetts”
ImmunoGen Inks $45M Deal With Novartis, Tata Leads $9.5M Sun Catalytix Deal, InfraReDx Gets $21M, & More Boston-Area Deals News
We saw a number of startup financings, acquisitions, and partnership deals in the healthcare IT, cleantech, life sciences, Web, and software spaces this week in New England. —Black Duck Software, a Waltham, MA-based open source software firm, announced that it had purchased Ohloh.net from Geeknet (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GKNT]]) for an undisclosed sum. Black Duck said it … Continue reading “ImmunoGen Inks $45M Deal With Novartis, Tata Leads $9.5M Sun Catalytix Deal, InfraReDx Gets $21M, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
Synosia Raises $30M, Strikes Deal With UCB Worth Up to $725M for Parkinson’s Drugs
Synosia Therapeutics made some waves in biotech today with a couple of deals that reflect its progress in developing new therapies for Parkinson’s disease. The company, with offices in South San Francisco and Basel, Switzerland, said today it has formed a partnership with Belgium-based UCB that could generate as much as $725 million in milestone … Continue reading “Synosia Raises $30M, Strikes Deal With UCB Worth Up to $725M for Parkinson’s Drugs”
Halosource, Maker of Clean Water Technology, Raises $80M in London IPO
Halosource, the Bothell, WA-based maker of technology to purify drinking water in developing countries, has raised $80 million through an IPO on the London Stock Exchange. The company is taking in about $50 million in net proceeds, while certain shareholders sold their stakes to institutional investors for another $30 million, according to Halosource’s chief financial … Continue reading “Halosource, Maker of Clean Water Technology, Raises $80M in London IPO”
Beringea, Women’s Angel Fund, and Resonant Venture Partners: An Investor Roundup
It’s shaping up to be a busy week for Michigan venture capital and angel investment news. —Dexter, MI-based ReCellular, an electronic waste company focused on collecting and recycling mobile phones, cameras, and other devices, said yesterday it has received an investment from Beringea. The amount of financing was not disclosed, but it was made through … Continue reading “Beringea, Women’s Angel Fund, and Resonant Venture Partners: An Investor Roundup”
InfraReDx Gets $21M to Launch Coronary Imaging System
Burlington, MA-based InfraReDx said today it has raised $21 million in a Series D round of equity financing from new and existing backers. The cash infusion will enable the firm to start U.S. sales of its latest-generation coronary imaging system, which gained FDA clearance this summer. The 12-year-old firm says that its “LipiScan IVUS” system … Continue reading “InfraReDx Gets $21M to Launch Coronary Imaging System”
But How Will It Affect Me? An Xconomy Forum on Consumers, Innovation, and Opportunities in Health IT
These are days of tremendous changes in healthcare, as legislative reforms take effect over the next four years in an effort to make healthcare available to everyone—and at a cost they can afford. At the same time, technology advances in Web-based services, wireless communications, and other information technologies offer new possibilities to lower health costs. … Continue reading “But How Will It Affect Me? An Xconomy Forum on Consumers, Innovation, and Opportunities in Health IT”
Architexa Grows Up at MassChallenge, Seeks to Help Developers “Understand” Complex Software
The MassChallenge global startup competition is in full swing. The 110 chosen companies have been pitching their wares over the past few days, trying to make the cut down to the 26 or so that will advance to the next round and compete for a piece of the $1 million prize. Architexa, a three-year-old company … Continue reading “Architexa Grows Up at MassChallenge, Seeks to Help Developers “Understand” Complex Software”
Qualcomm Ends Direct Flo TV Service, Chumby Gets New CEO and $3M in Venture Funding, Equifax Acquires Anakam, & More San Diego BizTech News
We had a lot of wireless news pile up in San Diego last week. Good thing we had the bandwidth here at Xconomy to bring it all together for you here. —Aneesh Chopra, the first federal chief technology officer of the United States, offered numerous examples of how the Obama Administration is opening government data … Continue reading “Qualcomm Ends Direct Flo TV Service, Chumby Gets New CEO and $3M in Venture Funding, Equifax Acquires Anakam, & More San Diego BizTech News”
Appature Snaps Up Startup Attorney, Eric Koester, To Help Run Fast-Growing Operation
Seattle-based Appature has signed up more new customers in the last nine months than it did in its first two and a half years in business, combined. Growth at that pace can drown a small company if it doesn’t put the right people, and right processes, in place to keep the operation running smoothly. So … Continue reading “Appature Snaps Up Startup Attorney, Eric Koester, To Help Run Fast-Growing Operation”
BuddyTV Bets the Company That TV Will Go Social on Smartphones and Tablets
Seattle-based BuddyTV got its start as a place where people could go online to talk about their favorite shows. But five years later, a lot of the hit shows have changed, and so has Buddy TV’s strategy as it seeks to stay relevant. BuddyTV has undergone a transformation this year as it seeks new ways … Continue reading “BuddyTV Bets the Company That TV Will Go Social on Smartphones and Tablets”
Microsoft Invests in AppNexus, Optimum Raises $1.2M, Motricity Talks Post-IPO Expansion, & More Seattle-Area Deals News
It’s been another slow deals week for Seattle-area tech companies. Maybe everyone is so distracted by the sunny October skies that they’ve forgotten to carry on with business as usual. Don’t worry, the rain will set in soon enough. In the meantime, take a look at the highlights from the last week: —Redmond, WA-based Microsoft … Continue reading “Microsoft Invests in AppNexus, Optimum Raises $1.2M, Motricity Talks Post-IPO Expansion, & More Seattle-Area Deals News”
Threat to VC Is from Regular Angels, Not Super Angels, CEO Survey Says
[Corrected, see below] “Mounting tensions” would be the journalistic cliche to describe recent relations between traditional Silicon Valley venture capital firms and the growing class of “super angel” investors—groups like Ron Conway’s SV Angel, Mike Maple’s Floodgate Fund, Dave McClure’s 500 Startups, Aydin Senkut’s Felicis Ventures, and Jeff Clavier’s SoftTech VC. The relationship between these … Continue reading “Threat to VC Is from Regular Angels, Not Super Angels, CEO Survey Says”
FashionPlaytes Raises $4M More, Goes for Billion-Dollar Customized Clothing Idea
Score another one for the “She-E-Os,” the Boston-area support network for female chief executives. And more specifically for Sarah McIlroy, a member of the group. McIlroy’s startup, Salem, MA-based FashionPlaytes, said today it has raised an additional $4 million, bringing its Series A round to $5.8 million. New investor Fairhaven Capital led the round and … Continue reading “FashionPlaytes Raises $4M More, Goes for Billion-Dollar Customized Clothing Idea”
BNI Video Reveals Software That Could Better Enable Cable Companies to Compete With Internet Video Providers
With so many options for finding, managing, and viewing video available today, from Netflix to Hulu to Boxee, the traditional cable TV interface is starting to look a little old-fashioned. Boxborough-MA-based BNI Video says it has software that could help cable operators out of that bind. Cable companies have become increasingly sophisticated in the types … Continue reading “BNI Video Reveals Software That Could Better Enable Cable Companies to Compete With Internet Video Providers”