Cambridge, MA-based Biogen Idec told investors today that it’s willing to wage a proxy battle to take control of the board of Facet Biotech, which it has been trying to acquire without success since September. Biogen (NASDAQ:[[ticker:BIIB]]) said that it would run a proxy contest to take a majority of seats on the board of … Continue reading “Biogen Prepared for Proxy Battle for Facet Biotech”
Category: National
Microsoft Buys Opalis and Sentillion, Swype and Widevine Raise Cash, Dendreon Rakes In $409M, & More Seattle-Area Deals News
It was a busy week for Northwest deals, as companies tried to beat the holiday rush. Lots of action in software, mobile, and biotech. —Seattle-based Swype, maker of text-input software for touch screens, raised $5.6 million in a Series B round led by Samsung Ventures, Nokia Growth Partners, and Benaroya Capital. Swype released its first … Continue reading “Microsoft Buys Opalis and Sentillion, Swype and Widevine Raise Cash, Dendreon Rakes In $409M, & More Seattle-Area Deals News”
PatientKeeper Collects $13M Funding, Puts VC Chip Hazard on Board
PatientKeeper is developing software for physicians that will help them comply with planned federal guidelines for the use of electronic medical records. And the Newton, MA-based firm says today that it’s raised $13 million in debt and equity funds to cover the costs of updating its products and supporting business growth. The equity portion of … Continue reading “PatientKeeper Collects $13M Funding, Puts VC Chip Hazard on Board”
Cloud3 Speakers Share Their Presentations
At Xconomy’s Cloud3 Forum on December 10, several attendees asked me whether we would be putting the speakers’ presentations online. It seemed like a great idea—in fact I wished I’d thought of it myself! So I asked all of our speakers for permission to post their decks, and voila, here are seven of them. You … Continue reading “Cloud3 Speakers Share Their Presentations”
Connect’s Innovation Report Highlights Higher Federal Spending
A comprehensive snapshot of San Diego’s innovation economy shows a slowdown in new company formation, with 78 technology startups created during the three months that ended in September. But federal grants for basic research jumped to new highs, with funding awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) up 44 percent and funding from the … Continue reading “Connect’s Innovation Report Highlights Higher Federal Spending”
Azure Reorganization Raises Questions About the Future of Ray Ozzie at Microsoft
Last week, we reported that Microsoft is moving Windows Azure, its cloud computing platform, into a new business unit called the Server and Cloud Division, as the company gears up to offer a paid cloud service early next year. Azure now falls under the authority of Bob Muglia, president of the company’s Server and Tools … Continue reading “Azure Reorganization Raises Questions About the Future of Ray Ozzie at Microsoft”
The Cloud3 Crowd: Photos from Xconomy’s Cloud Computing Forum
Xconomy’s Cloud3 Forum on December 10 attracted a capacity crowd of more than 200 people—and now we’ve got the photos to prove it! We used the morning event, which was hosted by Microsoft, to hash out some of the stickiest issues around cloud computing, such as cost and security, and to bring the audience up … Continue reading “The Cloud3 Crowd: Photos from Xconomy’s Cloud Computing Forum”
New Faces, New Vacancies on Biogen Idec Board May Foretell Another Proxy Battle
The Biogen Idec boardroom has seen a lot of turnover in the past few months, and who ends up filling the empty slots could say a lot about whether the Cambridge, MA-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) will have another proxy fight with billionaire investor Carl Icahn on its hands this spring. Since Icahn won a … Continue reading “New Faces, New Vacancies on Biogen Idec Board May Foretell Another Proxy Battle”
In Online Advertising Auctions, DataXu’s Rocket Science Turns the Tables in Buyers’ Favor
The introduction of pay-per-click advertising in the early 2000s by Overture, Google, Yahoo, and others made the Web a lot more appealing to advertisers, since it meant they only had to pay for ads when Web surfers actually clicked through to their sites. A more recent innovation—real-time bidding for individual display-ad impressions—also helps advertisers, by … Continue reading “In Online Advertising Auctions, DataXu’s Rocket Science Turns the Tables in Buyers’ Favor”
The Top Five Biotech Innovations of the 2000s
[Editor’s Note: As the decade comes to an end, we’ve asked a number of Xconomists around the country to weigh in with the Top 5 innovations they’ve seen in their respective fields the past 10 years, or the Top 5 disruptive technologies that will impact the next decade. Here’s the first installment.] Here are the … Continue reading “The Top Five Biotech Innovations of the 2000s”
Seattle Genetics Nabs $60M Upfront From Millennium For “Empowered Antibody”
Seattle Genetics lost one marquee partner last week, and a few days later, it gained another. The Bothell, WA-based biotech company said today that it has clinched a partnership with Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company to co-develop and market an “empowered antibody” for Hodgkin’s disease and related lymphomas. Millennium, a Cambridge, MA-based operation that handles … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics Nabs $60M Upfront From Millennium For “Empowered Antibody””
Swype Raises $5.6M, Looks to Go Global with Text Input Software for Smartphones
Seattle-based Swype, a maker of text-input software for touch screens, has raised $5.6 million in Series B equity financing from new investors Samsung Ventures and Nokia Growth Partners, and returning investor Benaroya Capital. The funding should help Swype expand its technology to more mobile phones around the world, and eventually explore other types of devices … Continue reading “Swype Raises $5.6M, Looks to Go Global with Text Input Software for Smartphones”
Shire Making Lemonade with Genzyme’s Lemons
Shire, the British drugmaker with a big presence in Massachusetts, has seen its fortunes rise during this year of manufacturing woes over at Cambridge, MA-based Genzyme. Shire (LON: [[ticker:SHP]]) doesn’t yet have regulatory approval to market two treatments for genetic diseases that will rival Genzyme, but U.S. regulators have allowed the company to go ahead … Continue reading “Shire Making Lemonade with Genzyme’s Lemons”
Widevine Closes $15M in Growth Capital for Online Video Platform
Seattle-based Widevine Technologies announced today it has raised $15 million in equity funding from strategic partners Liberty Global, Samsung Ventures, and an unnamed corporation. The round looks to be an extension of a smaller amount of funding reported last month. Widevine makes a software platform for delivering Internet video to consumer electronic devices including TVs, … Continue reading “Widevine Closes $15M in Growth Capital for Online Video Platform”
San Diego’s Verari Systems Restructuring its Data Storage Business
PE Hub reports today that San Diego-based Verari Systems shut down on Friday, but a top executive at the company, which provides blade servers and data storage technology, says the doors are still open and that Verari is restructuring its business. Verari is backed by venture investors including Seattle-based Voyager Capital. “Verari has initiated a … Continue reading “San Diego’s Verari Systems Restructuring its Data Storage Business”
Cubist to Acquire Calixa Therapeutics in Deal Worth up to $402.5M
Lexington, MA-based Cubist Pharmaceuticals says today that it’s inked a deal to buy fellow antiobiotic drug developer Calixa Therapeutics, of San Diego, for $92.5 million upfront and up to $310 million more in potential payments to Calixa shareholders. Calixa—which Luke profiled back in March after it cleared a key safety study for one of its … Continue reading “Cubist to Acquire Calixa Therapeutics in Deal Worth up to $402.5M”
Novomer Uses Kodak’s Idle Film Plants to Scale Up Its Green Process for Making Plastic
There’s news out of Boston-based Novomer today offering a measure of encouragement to environmentalists fixated on this month’s climate-change negotiations in Copenhagen. The material science startup, which has venture backing from Kirkland, WA-based OVP Venture Partners and other firms, says it has embarked on a partnership with Kodak to use the 117-year-old company’s chemical manufacturing … Continue reading “Novomer Uses Kodak’s Idle Film Plants to Scale Up Its Green Process for Making Plastic”
Alnylam, Studying History of Genzyme, Eyes Drug to Make Big Impact for Rare Disease
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals has a technology, RNA interference, that scientists say has potential to break new ground against hundreds of diseases for decades to come. But when you have a proverbial “platform” technology that can do so much, how exactly should you set priorities, and decide which drugs to develop first? I got a sense for … Continue reading “Alnylam, Studying History of Genzyme, Eyes Drug to Make Big Impact for Rare Disease”
San Diego’s Pfenex, a Dow Spinout, Signs Merck to $52M Licensing Deal
Pfēnex, which just announced its presence in San Diego last week, today says it has granted Merck an exclusive worldwide license to use its technology to produce specific proteins for use in developing an undisclosed vaccine. A Pfēnex spokesman says the deal, which could be worth as much as $52 million in total payments, represents … Continue reading “San Diego’s Pfenex, a Dow Spinout, Signs Merck to $52M Licensing Deal”
Sequoia Gains Stake in Service-Now.com, Analytics Startup Moves HQ, Transaction Wireless Gets $2M, & More San Diego BizTech News
Software analytics continues to be one of San Diego’s busier high-tech sectors, with ParAccel leading a new generation of technologies that combine data warehousing and analytics. Get ready for the week ahead with this overview from Xconomy: —Sequoia Capital, the Menlo Park, CA, venture firm, is taking a big stake in Service-now.com, the Software-as-a-Service company … Continue reading “Sequoia Gains Stake in Service-Now.com, Analytics Startup Moves HQ, Transaction Wireless Gets $2M, & More San Diego BizTech News”
From Russia With Love (for Biotech), Stewart Parker Gets “Antsy” to Return
H. Stewart Parker’s biotech dream came to an end a little more than a year ago. The company she founded back in 1992, Seattle-based Targeted Genetics, had essentially run out of time and money for its quest to develop groundbreaking new gene therapies. It’s still around, but it never developed a cure, and it is … Continue reading “From Russia With Love (for Biotech), Stewart Parker Gets “Antsy” to Return”
Sugar Gets Sweeter: Former OLPC Exec Walter Bender on Netbooks, E-books, Blueberry, and Cloudberry
Every so often, we like to check in with Walter Bender, the former president of software and content for the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) Foundation. He’s always busy with something interesting—and lately, it’s been Sugar, the classroom-oriented software environment that he and a team of software engineers originally developed for the OLPC’s $200 XO … Continue reading “Sugar Gets Sweeter: Former OLPC Exec Walter Bender on Netbooks, E-books, Blueberry, and Cloudberry”
San Diego’s BioTheranostics Gears Up to Sell Test That Predicts Breast Cancer Relapse
One big question women often have after getting diagnosed with breast cancer is whether their first round of treatment is really going to work, or whether they need more aggressive therapy to prevent a relapse. Another big one is whether aggressive treatment is likely to work. Now a little diagnostic company from San Diego, called … Continue reading “San Diego’s BioTheranostics Gears Up to Sell Test That Predicts Breast Cancer Relapse”
Cytori Says Early Results of its Breast Reconstruction Treatment Are Promising
[Corrected 12/13/09, 9:45 am. See below] San Diego’s Cytori Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CYTX]]) is reporting encouraging interim results today concerning its breast reconstruction technology at the 32nd Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. Cytori has been developing its treatment for women whose partial mastectomy or lumpectomy has left a soft-tissue crater or deformity, as well as … Continue reading “Cytori Says Early Results of its Breast Reconstruction Treatment Are Promising”
Breast Cancer “Smart Bomb” Drug From Roche, ImmunoGen Passes Important Trial
The emerging “smart bomb” drug for breast cancer, developed by Roche’s U.S.-based Genentech unit with technology from Waltham, MA-based ImmunoGen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:IMGN]]), has passed an important clinical trial that could clear the way for this new kind of treatment to reach the U.S. market. About one out of every three people (32.7 percent) who enrolled … Continue reading “Breast Cancer “Smart Bomb” Drug From Roche, ImmunoGen Passes Important Trial”
Top 10 Fails, Five New Startups, and More Seattle Tech Tidbits
Catching up on a bunch of tech startup news from around the blogosphere this week, most of it not very serious, but notable nonetheless… —Brier Dudley at the Seattle Times took a considered look at the local video game industry and its outlook heading into 2010. Three things caught my eye: the comparison of the … Continue reading “Top 10 Fails, Five New Startups, and More Seattle Tech Tidbits”
Cleantech Recylcer EcoATM Among Winners of San Diego’s “Most Innovative Products” Awards
EcoATM is on a tear. The San Diego startup founded last year has developed automated kiosks that enable consumers to recycle their used cell phones and other devices (and get a redemption) was today named the most innovative product in the cleantech category by Connect, the non-profit organization that supports technology and entrepreneurship. Just last … Continue reading “Cleantech Recylcer EcoATM Among Winners of San Diego’s “Most Innovative Products” Awards”
Thank You to Our Cloud3 Speakers, Seeders, Sponsors, and Underwriters–And an Update on Speaker Slides
Here at Xconomy, the stories we cover give us great ideas for networking events, and at our events we meet great people who give us ideas for more articles. Our Cloud3 Forum on Thursday was a perfect example. Every company on yesterday’s agenda is working on technologies we’ve chronicled—and will keep chronicling—in these pages, including … Continue reading “Thank You to Our Cloud3 Speakers, Seeders, Sponsors, and Underwriters–And an Update on Speaker Slides”
San Diego’s Analytics Cluster Adds Algebraix, a Texas Transplant
As I noted in a recent post about ParAccel, there seems to be a recent proliferation of startups that are combining database management systems with sophisticated analytical capabilities. Another one has just come to my attention: Algebraix Data Corp. is a business intelligence software company that moved its headquarters to San Diego from Austin, TX, … Continue reading “San Diego’s Analytics Cluster Adds Algebraix, a Texas Transplant”
Roche Scraps Partnership With Seattle Genetics on Lymphoma Drug
If Seattle Genetics is destined to emerge a leading maker of antibody drugs that specifically target diseased cells, it will get there without the help of the world’s dominant player in the market for antibody drugs. The Bothell, WA-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SGEN]]) said today that Roche’s U.S.-based Genentech unit has canceled a partnership the … Continue reading “Roche Scraps Partnership With Seattle Genetics on Lymphoma Drug”
AdReady CEO and Former aQuantive Exec Karl Siebrecht on His Big New Opportunity
AdReady is one of those startups that everyone talks about but no one really understands. At least not most lay readers, whose eyes glaze over once they get past the words “online advertising.” I can’t really blame them. After all, can most people explain why Seattle online ad firm and local success story aQuantive was … Continue reading “AdReady CEO and Former aQuantive Exec Karl Siebrecht on His Big New Opportunity”
Bay State Venture Funding Perked Up in November: There Were Even Some Energy Deals
Entrepreneurs and anyone else interested in the Bay State’s high-tech economy had more than Thanksgiving to be thankful for last month. After a big dip in October, venture funding for Massachusetts startups seemed to get cooking again in November, as $186 million was infused into 22 deals. The result was a solid 10 percent rise … Continue reading “Bay State Venture Funding Perked Up in November: There Were Even Some Energy Deals”
5AM Gathers $200M Fund, Advanced Cell Technology Advances with $2.8 Million, Gloucester Picked up for $640M, & More Boston-Area Deals News
Lots of deals to report this week from New England tech and life sciences companies. —Gloucester Pharmaceuticals of Cambridge, MA, agreed to an acquisition by Summit, NJ-based Celgene (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CELG]]). Gloucester will get $340 million in cash, plus $300 million in future milestone payments out of the deal, which is expected to close by the … Continue reading “5AM Gathers $200M Fund, Advanced Cell Technology Advances with $2.8 Million, Gloucester Picked up for $640M, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
Dendreon Raises $356 Million for Manufacturing, Marketing of Prostate Cancer Drug
Dendreon has just nailed down one of the biggest biotech financings in the U.S. this year. The Seattle-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DNDN]]) has secured $356 million for its quest to market the first treatment in the U.S. designed to actively stimulate the immune system to fight cancer cells like a virus. The company sold 15 … Continue reading “Dendreon Raises $356 Million for Manufacturing, Marketing of Prostate Cancer Drug”
Biogen Idec Chairman Steps Down as Board Re-Shuffles in Wake of Icahn Arrival
Bruce Ross, one of the lightning rods for criticism from billionaire investor Carl Icahn during last spring’s proxy battle at Biogen Idec, has agreed to relinquish the company chairmanship and leave the board at next year’s annual meeting in what appears to be an ongoing boardroom shakeup. He will be joined on his way out … Continue reading “Biogen Idec Chairman Steps Down as Board Re-Shuffles in Wake of Icahn Arrival”
Gilead Cystic Fibrosis Drug Gets Green Light From FDA Panel
Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GILD]]) has had a tough time branching out into treatment of cystic fibrosis, but today it got some good news. The Foster City, CA-based biotech giant, which has a lung disease research center in Seattle, said today that a panel of expert advisers to the FDA has recommended that the company’s inhalable … Continue reading “Gilead Cystic Fibrosis Drug Gets Green Light From FDA Panel”
Microsoft to Buy Sentillion, Looks to Strengthen Efforts in Electronic Medical Records
Let the healthcare-IT acquisitions begin. Microsoft announced today it plans to buy Sentillion, a healthcare software company based in Andover, MA. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition is expected to close early next year. Microsoft says it plans to incorporate Sentillion’s technology into the Microsoft Amalga Unified Intelligence System that’s supposed … Continue reading “Microsoft to Buy Sentillion, Looks to Strengthen Efforts in Electronic Medical Records”
Zogenix Raises Cash for Headaches, Sleepless in Somaxon, Dow Chemical Spins Out Pfēnex, & More San Diego Life Sciences News
From Adamis to Zogenix, we’ve got the A to Z in San Diego life sciences news. Here’s your chance to catch up now. —Zogenix said it has raised a total of $71 million for the anticipated launch in January of its needle-free, drug-and-device delivery system for migraine and cluster headaches. The San Diego life sciences … Continue reading “Zogenix Raises Cash for Headaches, Sleepless in Somaxon, Dow Chemical Spins Out Pfēnex, & More San Diego Life Sciences News”
Oncothyreon Partner Starts New Lung Cancer Trial, Prompts Takeover Scuttle
Seattle-based Oncothyreon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ONTY]]), the developer of a vaccine treatment to stimulate the immune system against cancer cells, said today that its partner has started another pivotal trial of the product. Germany-based Merck KGaA has begun a trial that will include 420 patients in Asia who will get the vaccine, dubbed Stimuvax, or a placebo … Continue reading “Oncothyreon Partner Starts New Lung Cancer Trial, Prompts Takeover Scuttle”
Polaris to Open Dogpatch Labs in New York
Attention East Coast entrepreneurs—another incubator is on its way. Polaris Venture Partners is announcing today that it is opening a Dogpatch Labs branch—this time in New York City. This will be the third Dogpatch incubator, and the second on the East Coast. The Waltham, MA-based venture firm opened its first Dogpatch on San Francisco’s Pier … Continue reading “Polaris to Open Dogpatch Labs in New York”
Introducing the X Lists: The Region’s Best Resource for Innovators and Entrepreneurs
Longtime readers of Xconomy may have noticed, to our embarrassment, that our Boston Resources page has been “coming soon” for months. Many months. But good things come to those who wait, as they say, and now we’re ready to introduce a resources section that we’re really proud of, the X Lists. We believe that the … Continue reading “Introducing the X Lists: The Region’s Best Resource for Innovators and Entrepreneurs”
Acceleron Pharma Invests in Bricks & Mortar When Virtual is In Vogue
Acceleron Pharma had to be kidding, I figured, when it scheduled me to visit their labs and offices a few weeks ago in Cambridge, MA. They insisted that I take a walking tour of their biotech drug factory. Why is that unusual? Quite a few biotech startups are pinching pennies, and operating in a “virtual” … Continue reading “Acceleron Pharma Invests in Bricks & Mortar When Virtual is In Vogue”
Microsoft Inks NetApp Partnership in Virtualization, Forms New Server and Cloud Division for Azure
It has been a busy week for Microsoft in cloud computing and virtualization. For starters, the Redmond, WA-based company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MSFT]]) announced on Tuesday a three-year strategic alliance with data storage firm NetApp to collaborate on products and technical integration in virtualization, storage and data management, and cloud computing and hosted services. Financial terms of … Continue reading “Microsoft Inks NetApp Partnership in Virtualization, Forms New Server and Cloud Division for Azure”
San Diego’s Anvita Health Seeks to Prevent Medical Errors
[Corrected 12/10/09, 1:05 am to show Anvita does not store or manage EMRs.] Ahmed F. Ghouri was frustrated. Too often, the anesthesiologist had seen seemingly preventable prescribing errors that threatened the lives of patients. So nine years ago, with angel backing from doctors who shared his same frustrations, Ghouri co-founded Anvita Health, a San Diego … Continue reading “San Diego’s Anvita Health Seeks to Prevent Medical Errors”
LifeImage Raising $2M-Plus in Oversubscribed Round, CEO Says
LifeImage has advanced quickly since forming late last year. There are at least several hospitals or hospital systems using the startup’s software, which enables physicians to share digital radiology images within their facilities and with doctors at outside clinics via the Internet. And the Newton, MA-based firm expects to secure more than $2.1 million in … Continue reading “LifeImage Raising $2M-Plus in Oversubscribed Round, CEO Says”
Dendreon Grasps for $400M, ZymoGenetics Cuts 52 Jobs, Calistoga Advances at ASH, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News
I groused last week that Seattle biotech news was slow, so naturally, this week I got swamped. —Seattle-based Dendreon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DNDN]]), the developer of a first-of-its-kind treatment to stimulate the immune system against cancer, is seeking to raise more than $400 million in a stock offering. The company plans to use the loot to build … Continue reading “Dendreon Grasps for $400M, ZymoGenetics Cuts 52 Jobs, Calistoga Advances at ASH, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”
Windows on the Cloud: Windows Azure Basics from Microsoft’s Yousef Khalidi
Xconomy’s Cloud3 Forum gets underway this morning at Microsoft’s New England R&D Center in Cambridge, MA, so I thought it would be a great time to write up my recent Q&A with Yousef Khalidi, a distinguished engineer in Microsoft’s Windows Azure team in Redmond, WA. Azure is Microsoft’s public cloud platform. Announced as a free … Continue reading “Windows on the Cloud: Windows Azure Basics from Microsoft’s Yousef Khalidi”
Sequoia Investment in San Diego’s Service-Now.com Provides a Big Holiday Payout
It’s going to be a Merry Christmas this year for many employees at suburban San Diego-based Service-now.com, a privately held company that was founded in the aftermath of the corporate accounting scandal at San Diego’s Peregrine Systems. Perhaps merrier for some more than others. In a regulatory filing submitted yesterday, Service-now.com discloses that it has … Continue reading “Sequoia Investment in San Diego’s Service-Now.com Provides a Big Holiday Payout”
Gov. Gregoire’s Budget Axe Leaves Life Sciences Discovery Fund Unscathed
Washington state’s Life Sciences Discovery Fund has apparently survived the first round of major budget cuts circulating in Olympia. Gov. Chris Gregoire released her proposed state budget this morning that makes deep cuts in aid to college students, state health insurance for poor people, and assistance to the disabled. But based on an initial read … Continue reading “Gov. Gregoire’s Budget Axe Leaves Life Sciences Discovery Fund Unscathed”
Washington Firms Raised $44.4M in 10 Venture Deals (Six Software) in November
If last month is any indication, 2009 is going out with a whimper when it comes to the number of dollars in new venture deals for Washington companies. Though there has been a mini-comeback of small software financings since October. That’s according to the latest roundup figures from ChubbyBrain, a New York-based maker of tools … Continue reading “Washington Firms Raised $44.4M in 10 Venture Deals (Six Software) in November”