[Corrected and updated, 10/28/09, 12:40 p.m.; see page 4.] Back in 2002, it must have sounded like a good idea for Orange, a fast-growing European wireless provider known more for the simplicity of its services than for their sophistication, to open an R&D center in Boston, where it could hire a troop of brainy engineers, … Continue reading “R.I.P. Orange Labs Cambridge (2002-2009): A Story of Opportunities Missed”
Category: National
Excaliard, an Isis Spinoff With Anti-Scarring Drug, Marches Ahead in Clinical Trials
Isis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ISIS]]) likes to talk about how its gene-silencing technology known as antisense creates so many innovative ideas for new drugs that it can’t commercialize them all itself, so it spins a few off into what CEO Stanley Crooke calls “satellite companies.” One of the more interesting ideas orbiting around Isis in Carlsbad, … Continue reading “Excaliard, an Isis Spinoff With Anti-Scarring Drug, Marches Ahead in Clinical Trials”
ZymoGenetics Rival Emerges, Omeros IPO Casts Shadow, Microsoft’s HealthVault Seeks Users, & More Seattle Area Life Sciences News
We had a little something for everybody on the life sciences beat this week, with news on biopharmaceuticals, devices, and healthcare software. —Seattle-based Omeros (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OMER]]) had potential to be a bellwether for the U.S. biotech sector earlier this month, as the first true biopharmaceutical company to go public since February 2008. But its stock … Continue reading “ZymoGenetics Rival Emerges, Omeros IPO Casts Shadow, Microsoft’s HealthVault Seeks Users, & More Seattle Area Life Sciences News”
Virdante Pharma Lands $30M in A Round to Combat Inflammation
Virdante Pharmaceuticals is expanding development of its anti-inflammatory drugs with a second closing of what is now a $30 million Series A round of venture capital, the company’s CEO, John Ripple, said. The Cambridge, MA-based biotech startup has found potential ways to boost the anti-inflammatory effects of conventional antibody drugs and to create novel therapies … Continue reading “Virdante Pharma Lands $30M in A Round to Combat Inflammation”
Stryker Biotech Division Indicted for FDA Fraud by Massachusetts Grand Jury
Stryker, the Kalamazoo, MI-based maker of orthopedic hip implants and other medical devices, said today that its biotech division in Hopkinton, MA, along with certain current and former employees, have been indicted by a federal grand jury for conspiracy to defraud the FDA. The company (NYSE: [[ticker:SYK]]) disclosed on March 10 that its Stryker Biotech … Continue reading “Stryker Biotech Division Indicted for FDA Fraud by Massachusetts Grand Jury”
Google Kirkland Is Hiring, and Other Highlights from the Company’s Northwest Birthplace
This morning I checked my e-mail, powered by Google, and then used Google Maps to find my way to the Google Kirkland open house. It reminded me a little bit of the scene in “Being John Malkovich” when Malkovich, the actor, finds a portal into his own brain and sees that everyone looks like him … Continue reading “Google Kirkland Is Hiring, and Other Highlights from the Company’s Northwest Birthplace”
TEDMED Sessions Seek the Patterns in Health Care and Life Sciences That Hold Ideas Together
It may be that TEDMED founder Richard Saul Wurman is the Brett Favre of emcees, or perhaps he’s like Al Pacino in Godfather III, who proclaims in exasperation, “Just when I thought I was out—they pull me back in!” But after a five-year hiatus, TEDMED has returned this week (opening last night at San Diego’s … Continue reading “TEDMED Sessions Seek the Patterns in Health Care and Life Sciences That Hold Ideas Together”
Pennsylvania Firm Buys Rue La La, Smart Bargains for As Much As $350 Million; Throws Open Doors to Invitation-Only Retail Site
GSI Commerce (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GSIC]]), an e-commerce company that powers the online stores for dozens of prominent consumer brands, announced yesterday that it will purchase Boston-based Retail Convergence Incorporated (RCI) for $180 million in cash and stock and up to $170 million in follow-on payments, depending on RCI’s performance. RCI owns both Rue La La, a … Continue reading “Pennsylvania Firm Buys Rue La La, Smart Bargains for As Much As $350 Million; Throws Open Doors to Invitation-Only Retail Site”
Vertex Hepatitis C Drug Wipes Out Virus For Toughest-to-Treat Patients
Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VRTX]]) is vying to set a new standard of care for hepatitis C in some of the toughest patients to treat, and today it is reporting some surprisingly strong evidence that suggests the drug is working like researchers hoped it would over the long haul. The Cambridge, MA-based biotech company offered an … Continue reading “Vertex Hepatitis C Drug Wipes Out Virus For Toughest-to-Treat Patients”
My Worst Boss Ever: Hard-Earned Lessons on Entrepreneurship and Leadership From Members of Boston’s Innovation Community
Bosses come and bosses go. Great bosses can inspire and mentor and lead through the toughest times. Really bad bosses can poison and divide an organization, and lead it to ruin even if things aren’t that bad. In the course of my career I’ve come across many a successful person with a bad-boss tale to … Continue reading “My Worst Boss Ever: Hard-Earned Lessons on Entrepreneurship and Leadership From Members of Boston’s Innovation Community”
Sequel Pharmaceuticals’ CEO on How to Start a Biotech and Sell it For a Bundle, and Repeat
I’ve heard about serial entrepreneurs who start a company, build it up to a certain point, sell it to someone bigger, and then repeat the whole cycle again. But I had never heard of a true biotech sequel until I met Randall Woods a couple weeks ago. Woods is the CEO of San Diego-based Sequel … Continue reading “Sequel Pharmaceuticals’ CEO on How to Start a Biotech and Sell it For a Bundle, and Repeat”
Under the Radar Deals: 16 Northwest Financings You Haven’t Heard About
They are the deals that slip through the cracks unnoticed. They are worth less than $1 million, but at least $100,000. Though small in size, these investments need to be included along with the bigger deals that get more press, if you want a more complete picture of the funding landscape in the innovation community. … Continue reading “Under the Radar Deals: 16 Northwest Financings You Haven’t Heard About”
European Regulators Question Antigenics and Biogen Idec Drugs, BioAssets Bags $30M in Option Deal, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News
Europe’s drug regulators were not kind to a couple of Massachusetts biotech firms this week, but other New England life sciences companies had happier news to report. —European drug regulators turned down Lexington, MA-based Antigenics’ bid for approval to market vitespen (Oncophage), a “cancer vaccine” for patients with kidney cancer. Shares of Antigenics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AGEN]]) … Continue reading “European Regulators Question Antigenics and Biogen Idec Drugs, BioAssets Bags $30M in Option Deal, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”
Helixis, Caltech Spinoff With Desktop Genetic Analysis Tool, Nabs $7.3M Venture Financing
Carlsbad, CA-based Helixis, the startup maker of genetic analysis tools founded from the Caltech lab of Nobel Laureate David Baltimore, has raised $7.3 million out of a venture capital round potentially worth $10 million, according to a regulatory filing today. Helixis reported back in July that it had raised $5.5 million, so today’s filing is … Continue reading “Helixis, Caltech Spinoff With Desktop Genetic Analysis Tool, Nabs $7.3M Venture Financing”
Diabetes drug from San Diego’s Amylin caught up in Aussie Brouhaha
From Australia comes word that San Diego-based Amylin Pharmaceuticals’ biggest drug, exenatide (Byetta), has been caught up in a controversy over a diabetes report co-sponsored by Amylin’s marketing partner, Eli Lilly & Co. The study, compiled by researchers at the University of Canberra’s National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling (NATSEM), warned that 1.6 million … Continue reading “Diabetes drug from San Diego’s Amylin caught up in Aussie Brouhaha”
UK’s Enigma Diagnostics to Establish U.S. Headquarters in San Diego
Enigma Diagnostics, a UK-based medical diagnostics startup, plans to close its current U.S. office in San Francisco and open a new office in San Diego as its U.S. headquarters, according to chairman and CEO John McKinley. McKinley outlined Enigma’s development of rapid molecular diagnostic technology in a presentation yesterday at the annual investor conference organized … Continue reading “UK’s Enigma Diagnostics to Establish U.S. Headquarters in San Diego”
Founder Institute, Early-Stage Startup Program, Comes to Seattle Thanks to a Gaming Connection
There’s a new tech startup incubator in town. The Founder Institute is accepting applications for its four-month training program, which begins in Seattle on December 7. The program is designed to mentor very early-stage entrepreneurs, with the goal of creating new companies across a wide variety of tech sectors including software, social media, consumer electronics, … Continue reading “Founder Institute, Early-Stage Startup Program, Comes to Seattle Thanks to a Gaming Connection”
SDG&E Gets $28.1M Federal Grant for Smart Grid Innovations
[Updated 10/27/09 12:55 pm. See below.] The Department of Energy has released a list of utilities that are getting federal grants to spur energy innovations under the $787 billion economic stimulus package, and San Diego Gas & Electric is getting $28.1 million to help build out its “smart grid” system. Additional details are expected to … Continue reading “SDG&E Gets $28.1M Federal Grant for Smart Grid Innovations”
A Physics Rebel Shakes Up the Video Game World, Literally
What’s the connection between hardcore, chest-pounding video game action and Niels Bohr’s interpretation of wave-particle duality? It’s an Iranian-American physicist-turned-entrepreneur named Shahriar Afshar. Five years after Afshar announced the results of one of the most controversial experiments in the recent history of physics—one suggesting that it is possible, contrary to Bohr’s long-accepted theory, to observe … Continue reading “A Physics Rebel Shakes Up the Video Game World, Literally”
Two Things I Learned During My Tour of Sapphire Energy
Sapphire Energy has tried to maintain a relatively low profile since it established its headquarters in San Diego—especially since last fall when the media seized on reports that Bill Gates’ Cascade Investment had joined a $100 million secondary round of venture funding for the algae biofuels startup. So when Sapphire opened its San Diego headquarters … Continue reading “Two Things I Learned During My Tour of Sapphire Energy”
Amazon Teams Up With Microsoft for E-Books, Bing Goes Real-Time, Revolution Computing Reels In $9M, & More Seattle-Area Deals News
It was a big week for big companies. Amazon’s stock soared, and the e-commerce giant made a deal with Microsoft that should make Kindle e-books even more popular. There was also interesting deals news from Bing and a few Northwest venture firms and startups. —Kennewick, WA-based Infinia has raised $3.25 million in debt and options … Continue reading “Amazon Teams Up With Microsoft for E-Books, Bing Goes Real-Time, Revolution Computing Reels In $9M, & More Seattle-Area Deals News”
Why is Pharma Betting So Big on Innovation in Boston?
What type of drugs have the greatest potential to fill the void in Big Pharma company pipelines, as the industry barrels toward the well-documented patent expiration crisis of coming years? What are the best techniques pharma companies can use to stimulate innovation at smaller biotech companies? How can drugmakers raise the odds of success in … Continue reading “Why is Pharma Betting So Big on Innovation in Boston?”
Omeros, Worst Performing IPO of 2009, Casts Shadow Over Other Aspiring Biotechs
Seattle-based Omeros is the worst performing initial public offering so far in 2009, and its 36 percent decline in the first two weeks as a public company has cast a shadow over other life sciences companies that may be itching to take the leap. Omeros (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OMER]]) closed at $6.45 a share yesterday, a steep … Continue reading “Omeros, Worst Performing IPO of 2009, Casts Shadow Over Other Aspiring Biotechs”
Arena Positions Weight Loss Drug as the One That Won’t Raise Your Blood Pressure
Life would be wonderful at Arena Pharmaceuticals if it truly were the biggest loser, to borrow a phrase from the NBC reality TV show on people who are trying to lose weight. But no matter how hard you look at it, the clinical trial data just doesn’t say Arena’s weight loss pill that helps people … Continue reading “Arena Positions Weight Loss Drug as the One That Won’t Raise Your Blood Pressure”
Boston-Bred Geothermal Innovator, Foro Energy, Wins Biggest ARPA-E Energy Grant
The list of 37 companies named by the Department of Energy today as grant recipients in the federal government’s first-ever ARPA-E competition contained many local companies, but was topped by a name that virtually no one has heard: Foro Energy. The Littleton, CO, startup is developing a “hybrid thermal/mechanical drilling technology” that could make it … Continue reading “Boston-Bred Geothermal Innovator, Foro Energy, Wins Biggest ARPA-E Energy Grant”
Infinia, Backed by Paul Allen and Vinod Khosla, Raises $3M For Engines of the Sun
Infinia, the Kennewick, WA-based company developing solar-powered engines that generate electricity, has raised $3.25 million in new debt financing as it pushes through the final year before it starts selling its product on the market. The company raised $3.25 million in debt and options out of a total financing round worth as much as $10.5 … Continue reading “Infinia, Backed by Paul Allen and Vinod Khosla, Raises $3M For Engines of the Sun”
Layoffs at GamerDNA
GamerDNA, the Cambridge, MA-based startup building an online community where avid gamers can find recommendations for new games, has cut its staff nearly in half, shrinking from 13 employees to seven, according to a story today in Mass High Tech. Jon Radoff, the company’s founder and CEO, confirmed the layoffs in an e-mail to Xconomy, … Continue reading “Layoffs at GamerDNA”
Five Things Nathan Myhrvold Taught Us About Cooking
He is one of those people who defies description in a few pages, let alone paragraphs. Sure, Nathan Myhrvold is the founder of Microsoft Research and CEO of the Bellevue, WA-based “invention firm” Intellectual Ventures. But besides information technology and business innovation, he’s a renowned expert in such ridiculously diverse fields as astrophysics, mathematics, paleontology, … Continue reading “Five Things Nathan Myhrvold Taught Us About Cooking”
Qualcomm Forms New Subsidiary to Keep Pace With Open Software Development
San Diego-based Qualcomm (NASDAQ: [[ticker:QCOM]]) says it has established a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, Qualcomm Innovation Center, (QuIC), to ensure that certain open source software operates seamlessly with Qualcomm technology. The company says it has transferred experienced software engineers to the innovation center, where they will focus on open source initiatives such as Linux and Webkit, … Continue reading “Qualcomm Forms New Subsidiary to Keep Pace With Open Software Development”
FloDesign, Five Other Local Organizations Win Multimillion-Dollar ARPA-E Awards
The Department of Energy this morning announced that FloDesign Wind Turbine of Wilbraham, MA, and five other Massachusetts startups and laboratories are among the 37 companies and organizations awarded research and development grants under the department’s new Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) program. FloDesign has tentatively been awarded $8,325,400 to advance its research on radical … Continue reading “FloDesign, Five Other Local Organizations Win Multimillion-Dollar ARPA-E Awards”
VC Task Force Looks to Expand Early-Stage Capital, MojoPages Gets Strategy Advice, Founder Institute Enrolls First Area Class, & More San Diego BizTech News
Much of last week’s San Diego business news involved venture capital—how much VC cash was recently invested in this area, and how the local tech community is working to get more. Read on, gentle reader, for all the VC wranglings and the rest of the biz tech happenings: —The decline in San Diego-based venture capital … Continue reading “VC Task Force Looks to Expand Early-Stage Capital, MojoPages Gets Strategy Advice, Founder Institute Enrolls First Area Class, & More San Diego BizTech News”
Kendall Square Adopts a Motto: “The Future Lives Here”
There is arguably no other place on Earth with the concentrated innovation power of Kendall Square. Within a few-block radius of the Kendall Square T station on Main Street on the edge of the MIT campus, you can find an unprecedented collection of startups, large company labs and offices, and non-profit organizations, from the One … Continue reading “Kendall Square Adopts a Motto: “The Future Lives Here””
ZymoGenetics’ Former Medical Boss Leads Rival Startup, ProFibrix, With Drug For Bleeding
One of the key people who transformed ZymoGenetics from a basic research institute into a more balanced biotech company with both R and D, has set up shop in a rival startup just a few blocks away on Seattle’s Eastlake Avenue. If he plays his cards right, this little company will surpass his former employer, … Continue reading “ZymoGenetics’ Former Medical Boss Leads Rival Startup, ProFibrix, With Drug For Bleeding”
Microsoft and Its Competitors Still In Search of Mainstream User Base for Personal Health Records
Microsoft hasn’t yet attracted the millions of patients it would like to its personal health data service, HealthVault, says Peter Neupert, corporate vice president of the company’s Health Solutions Group. Though HealthVault and other products like Google Health that enable patients to store their health information online are free and available to anyone with Internet … Continue reading “Microsoft and Its Competitors Still In Search of Mainstream User Base for Personal Health Records”
Burnham Recruits Michael Jackson (No Relation) To Create New Drugs
The Burnham Institute for Medical Research just recruited a big name guy from the pharmaceutical industry. His job is to move basic discoveries along the treacherous next few steps to make them into a pill in a bottle that helps patients. It’s important work, but if you don’t know him, don’t even bother trying to … Continue reading “Burnham Recruits Michael Jackson (No Relation) To Create New Drugs”
Internet Archive Opens 1.6 Million E-Books to Kids with OLPC Laptops
[Updated 10/24/09 5:30 p.m. with additional interview material] All 1.6 million books digitized so far by the Internet Archive, the San Francisco-based non-profit dedicated to the universal sharing of knowledge, will be available free to children around the world who have laptops built by the Cambridge, MA-based One Laptop Per Child Foundation (OLPC), Internet Archive … Continue reading “Internet Archive Opens 1.6 Million E-Books to Kids with OLPC Laptops”
Senomyx Ready to Commercialize Sweetness Enhancer
Senomyx (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SNMX]]), the San Diego company using biotechnology to develop proprietary flavor enhancers and blockers, says that S6973, a compound it has been developing to enhance the intensity of sucrose, can now be commercialized. In a statement today, Senomyx says it has learned that an expert panel that operates under the auspices of the Flavor … Continue reading “Senomyx Ready to Commercialize Sweetness Enhancer”
Three Recently Acquired Seattle Startups, and How Their Founders Are Faring
Working for the man. It’s what most entrepreneurs want to avoid at all costs. But if their startup gets bought by a big company, that’s often just what happens—at least for a while. Although the acquisitions market for tech startups has been relatively soft during the recession, there have been a few recent local examples … Continue reading “Three Recently Acquired Seattle Startups, and How Their Founders Are Faring”
Reactions to President Obama’s Energy Speech from Boston Technology Leaders
Xconomy didn’t score a ticket to President Obama’s speech on clean energy at MIT today, so we can’t bring you a first-hand report. But we’ve got something that’s arguably even better: perspectives from a range of local community members who were inside MIT’s Kresge Auditorium for the speech, which took place at about 12:45 p.m. … Continue reading “Reactions to President Obama’s Energy Speech from Boston Technology Leaders”
Classes Set as Founder Institute’s “Training Camp for Startup CEOs” Launches in San Diego
The Founder Institute’s program for startup CEOs is forging ahead in San Diego, according to Jeanine Jacobson, who is heading the new business mentoring program with fellow startup enthusiast Cliff Currie. Jacobson tells me they have received about 30 applications for their training camp in entrepreneurship, and 15 have met the selection criteria so far. Jacobson … Continue reading “Classes Set as Founder Institute’s “Training Camp for Startup CEOs” Launches in San Diego”
TechStars Event in Seattle to Draw Top VCs and Angel Investors
TechStars, the startup incubation and seed investment fund based in Boulder, CO, and Boston (as of this year), is holding its annual reunion event in Seattle on November 4. (See a couple of local VC blogs here and here.) As part of the event, a number of TechStars companies that are raising money will make … Continue reading “TechStars Event in Seattle to Draw Top VCs and Angel Investors”
Biogen Shares Drop as Tysabri PML Cases Climb to 23, Europe May Seek Drug ‘Holiday’
[Update: 10/23/09, 1:10 pm Eastern] Shares of Biogen Idec and its Irish partner Elan dropped this morning after European regulators said they are taking a new look at the risk and benefit of natalizumab (Tysabri) for multiple sclerosis, now that 23 patients on the drug have been diagnosed with a rare, potentially fatal brain infection … Continue reading “Biogen Shares Drop as Tysabri PML Cases Climb to 23, Europe May Seek Drug ‘Holiday’”
Spread the Mojo: San Diego Web Startup MojoPages Gets Real World Advice on Building Communities to Review Local Businesses
One advantage of attending a presentation at the San Diego MIT Enterprise Forum is that the people who ask questions are a lot smarter than I am. And so it was Wednesday night, when MojoPages founding CEO Jon Carder laid out the strategy of his three-year-old San Diego Internet startup. MojoPages, which got $5 million … Continue reading “Spread the Mojo: San Diego Web Startup MojoPages Gets Real World Advice on Building Communities to Review Local Businesses”
A Report from Boston’s First “Big Data Summit”
The first meeting of the Boston Big Data Summit was held yesterday. Since the announcement on October 2, the event has had a great reception. Just over a hundred people attended, with an almost even split between “end users” and “vendors.” By a significant margin, the vendors were entrepreneurs or self described “startup types.” Many … Continue reading “A Report from Boston’s First “Big Data Summit””
Tim Berners-Lee Joins Twitter
The inventor of the World Wide Web has arrived, somewhat belatedly, in the Twitterverse. Tim Berners-Lee, head of the Cambridge, MA-based World Wide Web Consortium, set up a Twitter account shortly before making an appearance at O’Reilly Media’s Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco yesterday. Normally it wouldn’t be news when Twitter gains a new … Continue reading “Tim Berners-Lee Joins Twitter”
President Obama Speaks on Clean Energy Today at MIT; Here’s How to Watch
[Update, 12:05 p.m., 10/23/09: The time for President Obama’s speech has been pushed back to 12:25 p.m., according to the White House. It appears that MIT’s video servers are being overwhelmed by traffic; if you want to watch the speech online, we recommend trying the White House’s own live video stream.] When Air Force One … Continue reading “President Obama Speaks on Clean Energy Today at MIT; Here’s How to Watch”
Big Connected Health Symposium: What Video Games, Social Networking, and Other Tech Innovations Are Doing for Healthcare
Partners HealthCare’s Center for Connected Health is holding its sixth big Connected Health Symposium in Boston this week, and there’s definitely more optimism here that information technology is becoming more mainstream in healthcare than in years past. The big focus of the conference is on technology that is used to extend healthcare outside of traditional … Continue reading “Big Connected Health Symposium: What Video Games, Social Networking, and Other Tech Innovations Are Doing for Healthcare”
HubSpot Spots $16M, Synageva BioPharma Secures $12M, Currensee Sews Up $6M, & More Boston-Area Deals News
Lots of venture news this week, with more than the usual number of software and Web companies making appearances. —Flexion Therapeutics raised $33 million in a Series A round led by Versant Ventures and joined by 5AM Ventures and Sofinnova Partners. The Woburn, MA-based startup believes it can cut the shepherd drugs from early development … Continue reading “HubSpot Spots $16M, Synageva BioPharma Secures $12M, Currensee Sews Up $6M, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
Google, Bing, VCs, and Startups on One Stage: Xconomy Forum to Tackle the Future of Search
Search is hot again. Just when you thought Google had it all figured out, the Internet landscape has changed. Microsoft’s Bing has debuted to a generally positive reception, and signaled that the search war is far from over. The rise of Twitter and social media has spawned intense competition in the emerging field of “real-time … Continue reading “Google, Bing, VCs, and Startups on One Stage: Xconomy Forum to Tackle the Future of Search”
Isilon, Forged in Fire of Last Recession, Looks to Expand Its Data Storage Business in This One
Some tech companies seem to be at their best when things are at their worst. Those are the ones you really need to keep an eye on, especially in a recession. Isilon Systems is one of those companies. The Seattle-based data storage firm (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ISLN]]) is announcing its third-quarter earnings this afternoon, and it will … Continue reading “Isilon, Forged in Fire of Last Recession, Looks to Expand Its Data Storage Business in This One”