Just in time for fans facing the prospect of pigskin withdrawal after this weekend’s Saints vs. Colts Superbowl matchup, Foxborough, MA-based Quick Hit has added an intriguing, and potentially lucrative, new feature to its online football strategy game. For the first time, it’s giving players the chance to add past NFL greats of their choice … Continue reading “At Quick Hit, Players Can Now Draft NFL Legends for Virtual Currency”
Category: National
Ernst & Young Counts More IPO Filings as Sign of Increasing Activity
A study released today by Ernst & Young shows that 53 companies submitted the necessary paperwork during the fourth quarter of 2009 to hold initial public offerings—the highest number of new registrants in a quarter since 2007. At of the end of December, Ernst & Young counted 54 companies in the U.S. that were ready … Continue reading “Ernst & Young Counts More IPO Filings as Sign of Increasing Activity”
Allylix, Specialty Chemical Maker, Nails Down $6M Financing
Allylix, the San Diego-based company that uses genetically engineered yeast to make specialty chemicals, has raised $6 million in new equity capital, according to a regulatory filing. The document doesn’t say who invested, although it does list CEO Carolyn Fritz, Simon Barnes of Tate & Lyle Ventures in London, Stephen Block of Tech Coast Angels, … Continue reading “Allylix, Specialty Chemical Maker, Nails Down $6M Financing”
Why the Apple iPad Is a Kindle Killer, or Not—and How Amazon Must Step Up
Almost everyone in the consumer tech industry has been thinking about how the Apple iPad, unveiled on Wednesday, affects their line of business—whether it’s gaming, video, mobile content and advertising, mobile interfaces, or digital books. Especially digital books. Yesterday, Ben Elowitz, the CEO and co-founder of Seattle-based Wetpaint, argued in TechCrunch that the iPad will … Continue reading “Why the Apple iPad Is a Kindle Killer, or Not—and How Amazon Must Step Up”
Student “Tech Treks” Lend Reality to B-School Case Studies
Earlier this month, we wrapped up two consecutive weeks of treks—business school jargon for trips that combine company visits and cohort-building activities—organized by MBA students at MIT’s Sloan School of Management in the bicoastal innovation hubs of Greater Boston and Silicon Valley. Ninety MIT Sloan MBAs enjoyed sun and mild weather while visiting companies in … Continue reading “Student “Tech Treks” Lend Reality to B-School Case Studies”
BG Medicine Taking Second Shot at Public Market, Proposes $86.3M IPO
BG Medicine has matured since it pulled its previous plans for an initial public offering in January 2008. The Waltham, MA-based developer of molecular diagnostics revealed a new proposal this morning to raise $86.3 million in an initial public offering to bring its first test, for heart failure, to patients in the U.S. and Europe. … Continue reading “BG Medicine Taking Second Shot at Public Market, Proposes $86.3M IPO”
Who Should You Start a Company With? As Seattle Evolves, FounderDating Has an Answer
Bill Gates and Paul Allen. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Before they were the co-founders of billion-dollar technology companies—Microsoft, Apple, Google—they were friends, classmates, lab mates. But most people aren’t lucky enough to meet their ideal co-founder before it’s time to start a company. Is there a more systematic way … Continue reading “Who Should You Start a Company With? As Seattle Evolves, FounderDating Has an Answer”
Xconomy Innovators’ Lunch Is at Noon Today—Free Pizza at Our Cambridge Office for Those Who Brave the Cold
A quick reminder for all you startup entrepreneurs, tech & life sciences veterans, and Xconomy readers: If you aren’t hunkered down to avoid the cold, and you’re up for a free slice or two (or three as one reader warned us), come on over to our Cambridge HQ today at noon for an impromptu pizza … Continue reading “Xconomy Innovators’ Lunch Is at Noon Today—Free Pizza at Our Cambridge Office for Those Who Brave the Cold”
What’s So Magical About an Oversized iPhone? Plenty—And There’s More to Come
The Apple iPad is one of the most eagerly anticipated computing devices in history. With all the heat and hype that preceded Wednesday’s public debut of the device, it was inevitable that the backlash from skeptical bloggers and Twitterers would be equally ferocious. Still, even after you filter out all the bozos who keep repeating … Continue reading “What’s So Magical About an Oversized iPhone? Plenty—And There’s More to Come”
Biotech Bigwig, Steve Burrill, Brings National Profile to Local Conference
Steve Burrill, the San Francisco-based merchant banker with one of the best Rolodexes in the life sciences industry, is getting serious about Seattle. And his name and connections might be just the thing to help lift the Northwest’s annual biotech investing conference out of obscurity. Burrill & Co. made it official yesterday that it has … Continue reading “Biotech Bigwig, Steve Burrill, Brings National Profile to Local Conference”
Alnara Adds $35M, Harvest Power Teams Up with Waste Management, & More Boston-Area Deals News
We spent some time this week looking at the data on last year’s venture deals, big and small, while New England’s tech and life sciences companies announced some of the first deals of 2010. —All but one of the 10 biggest Boston-area private equity deals in 2009 were closed by life sciences firms, a survey … Continue reading “Alnara Adds $35M, Harvest Power Teams Up with Waste Management, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
Verari Founder Outlines Strategy After High-Speed Wipeout and Rebirth
The demise of San Diego’s Verari Systems and its resurrection as Verari Technologies happened so fast you might not have realized what happened unless you were paying close attention over the holidays. The longtime local company, which specializes in making high-performance servers, server racks, and energy-efficient data storage centers, laid off 223 employees and ceased … Continue reading “Verari Founder Outlines Strategy After High-Speed Wipeout and Rebirth”
UW Honors Medical Device Entrepreneur Joe Eichinger For 35 Years Of Service
About 40 prominent researchers, physicians, and businesspeople gathered at the University of Washington’s bioengineering department Wednesday night to honor Joe Eichinger for mentoring students and faculty about how to best apply their inventions in the business world for the past 35 years. Matt O’Donnell, the dean of the UW College of Engineering, and Paul Yager, … Continue reading “UW Honors Medical Device Entrepreneur Joe Eichinger For 35 Years Of Service”
Flexion Snags Pfizer Bucks, Three Pharma Deals, For New Drug Model
Flexion Therapeutics is a little company built on the idea it can steer through early clinical trials in a faster and cheaper way than a lumbering Big Pharma giant. Now the Woburn, MA-based startup, founded by a pair of Eli Lilly veterans, has secured backing from four major drugmakers to put the idea to the … Continue reading “Flexion Snags Pfizer Bucks, Three Pharma Deals, For New Drug Model”
Introducing Erin Kutz, Belatedly
You know a new hire is a good fit when by the end of her first day you’ve already forgotten that she’s new. And that’s just what happened when our new assistant editor, Erin Kutz, joined the Boston team a couple weeks ago. In fact, we so quickly forgot that she’s new that we forgot … Continue reading “Introducing Erin Kutz, Belatedly”
Bill Gates Funds Geoengineering and Climate Projects, Steve Ballmer on China, and Other Microsoft-Related News
Lest Apple take all the headlines this week, a certain software powerhouse in Redmond, WA, is making waves in its own way. Analysts and stockholders are anxiously awaiting the results of Microsoft’s fourth-quarter earnings call today, with some predicting a boost in revenues thanks to Windows 7. But there are other things going on too. … Continue reading “Bill Gates Funds Geoengineering and Climate Projects, Steve Ballmer on China, and Other Microsoft-Related News”
Boston Startups Stake Out iPad Territory: Big Plans at Apperian, Jumptap, Skyhook
For Boston-area startups that have already spent years staking out their corners of the mobile marketplace, getting on board with the Apple iPad—and the new set of business opportunities it creates—is a no-brainer. At least two local companies have already announced they’re providing technologies or services targeted at the tablet-sized device, and the area’s application … Continue reading “Boston Startups Stake Out iPad Territory: Big Plans at Apperian, Jumptap, Skyhook”
It’s Snowing Today, So Let’s Have the Next Xconomy Innovators’ Lunch at Noon Tomorrow (Friday): the Pizza is on Us
The day before Thanksgiving, folks here hit on the idea of bringing those hard-working entrepreneurs who were still in town over to our new headquarters for an almost-spur-of-the-moment Innovators’ Lunch. We had so much fun—except when I spilled the Greek salad all over the carpet—that we decided on the spot to do it quasi regularly. … Continue reading “It’s Snowing Today, So Let’s Have the Next Xconomy Innovators’ Lunch at Noon Tomorrow (Friday): the Pizza is on Us”
Carl Icahn Nominates Three More Candidates for Biogen Board Seats
The season of proxy battles at Biogen Idec (NASDAQ:[[ticker:BIIB]]) is upon us. Billionaire investor Carl Icahn and his affiliates have sent word to Cambridge, MA-based Biogen that they plan to nominate three additional people for election to the board of directors at the company’s annual meeting this year, Biogen says. Two of Icahn’s nominees are … Continue reading “Carl Icahn Nominates Three More Candidates for Biogen Board Seats”
A Contract Services Cluster Emerges, the Burnham Gets a Big Donation, Somaxon Resubmits Sleep Drug Application, & More San Diego Life Sciences News
San Diego’s life sciences sector had a busy week. Allow me to recap it for you. —Working with Assay Depot, a San Diego-based online marketplace for CRO services, Bruce found 144 companies in San Diego that provide contract services to life sciences companies, providing a glimpse of what appears to be a thriving new sector. … Continue reading “A Contract Services Cluster Emerges, the Burnham Gets a Big Donation, Somaxon Resubmits Sleep Drug Application, & More San Diego Life Sciences News”
BuddyTV Rising Fast, Looking for New Revenue Streams in a Changed Media Landscape
This Seattle-based website draws some 6 million visitors a month. It has been seeing annual traffic growth of about 300 percent, and was recently named the #2 fastest-growing website in the U.S., according to comScore. Yes, I’m talking about BuddyTV, the social site for television fans led by prominent entrepreneur and investor Andy Liu. Fans … Continue reading “BuddyTV Rising Fast, Looking for New Revenue Streams in a Changed Media Landscape”
Vertex CEO on Building a Blockbuster, Genzyme Investor on Fixing Up the Firm, Cubist CEO on Pipeline and Patent Challenges, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News
If in-depth interviews with some of the heaviest hitters in the New England life sciences industry are your cup of tea, this was the week for you. —Ryan had a fascinating chat with Jorge Conde, co-founder and CEO of Cambridge, MA-based Knome, about how the startup is evolving in the rapidly evolving field of personal … Continue reading “Vertex CEO on Building a Blockbuster, Genzyme Investor on Fixing Up the Firm, Cubist CEO on Pipeline and Patent Challenges, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”
Announcing Boston Battle of the Tech Bands Door Prizes: Reasons (Other than Regional Pride) to Attend Xconomy’s Bicoastal Showdown
For the past two years, Xconomy has invited bands from Boston area companies to submit their music files to a select panel of judges to compete for the right to take the stage at our Battle of the Tech Bands, but this year we’ve added a twist. Rather than go through the selection process, we’ve … Continue reading “Announcing Boston Battle of the Tech Bands Door Prizes: Reasons (Other than Regional Pride) to Attend Xconomy’s Bicoastal Showdown”
Amira Mixes Small Biotech Irreverence, With Big Pharma Rigor, To Create New Lung Drugs
Amira Pharmaceuticals looks and feels like a typical small biotech company, with the sort of irreverent sense of humor that you don’t often find at a Big Pharma shop. While CEO Bob Baltera showed me around the Amira offices on my last visit to San Diego, he opened up a storage room where employees had … Continue reading “Amira Mixes Small Biotech Irreverence, With Big Pharma Rigor, To Create New Lung Drugs”
Accelerator Slowed Down, Inside the Latest Seattle Genetics Deal, Ekos Finds New Use, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News
Biotech companies took a vow of silence during this week of breathless national celebration over the latest creation from Apple. The sarcasm you detect is intended. A few other things happened this week. —The University of Washington has hired two heavy hitters from the world of high tech and biotech to help it get better … Continue reading “Accelerator Slowed Down, Inside the Latest Seattle Genetics Deal, Ekos Finds New Use, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”
Alnara Bags $35M B Round, Plans to Seek FDA Approval for Cystic Fibrosis Drug
[Corrected 1/28/10, 3:15 pm. See below] Alnara Pharmaceuticals has received a big financial boost at a critical time. The Cambridge, MA-based biotech firm says it has nabbed $35 million in a Series B funding round as it puts the finishing touches on the paperwork it needs to complete before asking the FDA for permission to … Continue reading “Alnara Bags $35M B Round, Plans to Seek FDA Approval for Cystic Fibrosis Drug”
The Apple iPad’s Impact on Mobile, Gaming, and E-Books: Local Techies and Startups React
[Updated 1/28/10, see below] The wait is over, but the endless mulling of the details and implications is just beginning. As Apple unveiled its long-rumored tablet device, the iPad, at a press event today in San Francisco, mobile industry insiders in Seattle, Boston, and elsewhere were watching closely. Which is exactly what you would expect, … Continue reading “The Apple iPad’s Impact on Mobile, Gaming, and E-Books: Local Techies and Startups React”
Biogen Idec Advances First Regenerative MS Medicine into Human Study
One of the more intriguing experimental drugs for multiple sclerosis has just entered its first clinical trial. Cambridge, MA-based Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) has now started what it believes to be the first-ever clinical trial of a drug with the potential to regenerate the fatty protective coating around nerves that gets damaged in people with … Continue reading “Biogen Idec Advances First Regenerative MS Medicine into Human Study”
Steve Singh, CEO of Concur, Joins Voyager Capital Advisory Board
[Corrected 1/27/10, 3:00 pm (see below).] Seattle-based venture firm Voyager Capital has added a heavy hitter from the local tech scene to its advisory board. He is Steve Singh, chairman and chief executive of Concur Technologies, the Redmond, WA-based software firm focused on corporate travel and expense management. It’s another step in Voyager’s recent efforts … Continue reading “Steve Singh, CEO of Concur, Joins Voyager Capital Advisory Board”
Boston Tech Scene Needs Fewer Doubles and Triples, More Home Runs
If the NSA monitored communications in Massachusetts, their analysts might raise an alert. With the baseball season over, there has been an anomalous amount of chatter using baseball terms as code for something. They would trace the threat to Bill Warner, Avid founder and long time innovation activist. Bill has recently published a manifesto on … Continue reading “Boston Tech Scene Needs Fewer Doubles and Triples, More Home Runs”
Under the Radar Deals: 11 Northwest Startup Financings from December Worth $1M or Less
As you may have noticed, we here at Xconomy look at startups’ financing as signs of what companies or industries are making a big impact on innovation in the region. Just last week we reported on the major equity investments in Northwest startups in December, tracked by our partner ChubbyBrain, a New York-based information services … Continue reading “Under the Radar Deals: 11 Northwest Startup Financings from December Worth $1M or Less”
San Diego’s Life Sciences CROs—The Map of Clinical Research Organizations
Economic downturns often light the fuse of revolutionary change. And one key change is becoming apparent now in San Diego’s life sciences community—which has been hammered by the 2008 capital markets collapse and plunge in VC funding. Unable to raise capital, many biotechs and medical instrument makers were forced over the past 16 months to … Continue reading “San Diego’s Life Sciences CROs—The Map of Clinical Research Organizations”
Carbonite Eyes IPO, Aims to Be the Symantec of Online Backup
The first thing you should know about Carbonite, the Boston-based online backup company, is that it is indeed named after the ice-like substance in which Darth Vader encased Han Solo at the end of The Empire Strikes Back. David Friend, Carbonite’s co-founder and CEO, even has a replica of the frozen Solo in his office. … Continue reading “Carbonite Eyes IPO, Aims to Be the Symantec of Online Backup”
Vertex’s Matt Emmens on His Journey From Security Guard to CEO
The man hired to turn Cambridge, MA-based Vertex Pharmaceuticals into biotechnology’s next big success story might never have gotten into the industry if he hadn’t been a security guard. It was the early 1970s, and Matt Emmens was a middle-class New Jersey kid with a vague idea of studying business at nearby Fairleigh Dickinson University. … Continue reading “Vertex’s Matt Emmens on His Journey From Security Guard to CEO”
Accelerator Slowed Down in 2009, Expects to Rev Back Up in 2010
Any fair assessment of Seattle biotech over the past five years would have to count Accelerator as one of the bright spots. But the past year or so has been unusually quiet at the biotech startup incubator. Accelerator recently endured a six-month dry spell when it didn’t see any exciting new investment ideas enter its … Continue reading “Accelerator Slowed Down in 2009, Expects to Rev Back Up in 2010”
Virtify Plans Global Expansion, Forms Key Partnership with IMS Health
Virtify is making great strides lately, based on the strength its Web-based software that helps life sciences companies manage the data they need to comply with health regulators around the world, like the FDA. Satish Tadikonda, the company’s co-founder and CEO, told Xconomy this week about his plans to accelerate the growth of the company … Continue reading “Virtify Plans Global Expansion, Forms Key Partnership with IMS Health”
Inside Seattle Genetics’ Big Partnership, Motricity Files for $250M IPO, VC Stats for 2009, & That’s About It for Seattle-Area Deals News
It was a quiet week for deals in the Northwest—too quiet. Maybe companies are steering clear of breaking news so they don’t get drowned out by all the big quarterly earnings news and Apple’s much-anticipated product announcement tomorrow. Probably there’s a storm coming. —Ryan took us inside a major partnership between Bothell, WA-based Seattle Genetics … Continue reading “Inside Seattle Genetics’ Big Partnership, Motricity Files for $250M IPO, VC Stats for 2009, & That’s About It for Seattle-Area Deals News”
Harvest Power Strikes Deal with Waste Management to Turn Trash Into Fertilizer and Fuel
Homes and businesses in North America generate about 55 million tons of organic waste every year, and that’s without even counting sewage. Roughly half of this solid waste comes from grass clippings and other biomass from the typical yard, and the other half is food scraps. Most of the yard waste gets recycled, but most … Continue reading “Harvest Power Strikes Deal with Waste Management to Turn Trash Into Fertilizer and Fuel”
San Diego’s Top 10 Venture Deals of 2009
The good folks at Dow Jones VentureSource provided us with a list of the 10 biggest private-equity deals in Southern California in 2009, but it might have been just as easy if Dow Jones had focused solely on San Diego. Seven of the region’s 10 biggest deals of 2009 were in the San Diego area, … Continue reading “San Diego’s Top 10 Venture Deals of 2009”
Burnham Snags $50M Gift, Sparks Translation of Basic Science into New Treatments
Big news is out this morning from the Burnham Institute for Medical Research. The San Diego-based nonprofit says it’s getting a $50 million donation from T. Denny Sanford, enough for the whole institution to be re-named in honor of the philanthropist. The center will now be called the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute. That decision was … Continue reading “Burnham Snags $50M Gift, Sparks Translation of Basic Science into New Treatments”
Under the Radar Deals: 20-Something New England December Financings Worth $1M or Less
We recently summarized the major December equity investments in Massachusetts’ tech and life sciences startups, but the New England region also had some more pint-sized deals worth noting. They’re between $100,000 and $1 million—what we like to call the under-the radar-deals tracked by our partner, New York-based ChubbyBrain, an information services company developing tools for … Continue reading “Under the Radar Deals: 20-Something New England December Financings Worth $1M or Less”
Millennium, In a New Role, Flexes Global Muscle to Cut Deal With Seattle Genetics
Millennium is playing the role of global development and marketing partner to Seattle Genetics, something that would have been tricky for Cambridge, MA-based Millennium to nail before it became the cancer R&D arm of Japanese drug giant Takeda Pharmaceutical Company in May 2008. Last month, Millennium closed a major collaboration deal with Seattle Genetics (NASDAQ:[[ticker:SGEN]]), … Continue reading “Millennium, In a New Role, Flexes Global Muscle to Cut Deal With Seattle Genetics”
Addressing the Innovation “Valley of Death:” It’s the Products, Stupid!
Several articles published in the press this past year have emphasized the importance of technology innovation in creating high-paying jobs and fueling our nation’s economy. Janet Rae-Dupree’s aptly titled New York Times piece, “Innovation Should Mean More Jobs, Not Less,” makes the case that investing in innovative technologies is critical to the future of the … Continue reading “Addressing the Innovation “Valley of Death:” It’s the Products, Stupid!”
San Diego’s Halozyme Injects New Life into Old Drugs
Smart companies are cautious about fiddling with successful products. So I was intrigued to learn that Roche was reformulating its blockbuster breast cancer drug trastuzumab to include an enzyme from San Diego-based Halozyme Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:HALO]]). Last week I caught up with Halozyme CFO Kurt Gustafson, who offered some insight into why companies like Roche … Continue reading “San Diego’s Halozyme Injects New Life into Old Drugs”
What Entrepreneurs Need Most in 2010—and Which Seattle Startups Are Hiring
January for startup companies is a little like spring training for baseball teams. Everyone is 0-0, they have the whole year in front of them, and anything is possible. With that in mind, I recently checked in with Rebecca Lovell, the executive director (and commissioner?) of the Northwest Entrepreneur Network, to hear her thoughts on … Continue reading “What Entrepreneurs Need Most in 2010—and Which Seattle Startups Are Hiring”
Brightcove Wants to Help Its Customers Adapt to Comcast’s Proposed Controls on Internet Video
Before the week gets away from me, I wanted to make brief note of an interesting piece of news yesterday out of Brightcove, the Cambridge-based provider of online distribution platforms for video publishers. Hundreds of companies use the Brightcove 4 platform to organize their video content online and serve it up on demand to Internet … Continue reading “Brightcove Wants to Help Its Customers Adapt to Comcast’s Proposed Controls on Internet Video”
VCs Are Not Evil: What Entrepreneurs Need To Know
Venture capitalists are not evil. That is the message that Bill Bryant, the prominent Seattle venture capitalist and venture partner at Draper Fisher Jurvetson, had for Seattle technology entrepreneurs earlier this month at the STS (Seattle Tech Startups) meeting. In recent years VCs have been vilified as “vulture capitalists” among tech entrepreneurs for demanding ridiculous … Continue reading “VCs Are Not Evil: What Entrepreneurs Need To Know”
2009’s Top 10 Private Equity Deals in Massachusetts: The List
Life sciences companies nabbed nine of the 10 largest private equity deals in the Boston area in 2009, a year when investors were called on to fund biotechs and medical devices companies in late stages of product development, according to a recent survey by Dow Jones VentureSource. The survey data indicate that private equity investors … Continue reading “2009’s Top 10 Private Equity Deals in Massachusetts: The List”
Ralph Whitworth on What Must Change at Genzyme, Verari Starts Anew, V-Vehicle Tries to Keep it Stealthy, & More San Diego BizTech News
Shareholder activist Ralph Whitworth explained his move on Cambridge, MA-based Genzyme in a week that was abuzz with news about San Diego people and capital. Here’s a recap of what all that buzzing was about. —Verari Systems, the San Diego provider of server racks that shut its doors and laid off all but a handful … Continue reading “Ralph Whitworth on What Must Change at Genzyme, Verari Starts Anew, V-Vehicle Tries to Keep it Stealthy, & More San Diego BizTech News”
Helixis, Like PC Firms of Old, Putting “Desktop” Genetics Tools on Every Biology Bench
The folks at Life Technologies, the giant Carlsbad, CA-based maker of supplies and instruments for biologists, like to say they seek to “democratize” molecular biology. That means simplifying sophisticated tests so they don’t have to be done in a few hard-core, central labs, but can be done at an everyday lab bench. This is the … Continue reading “Helixis, Like PC Firms of Old, Putting “Desktop” Genetics Tools on Every Biology Bench”