It was a fairly quiet week for deals in the Northwest, with some activity in biotech, software, materials, and devices. —Seattle-based Arzeda, a developer of artificial enzymes, formed a partnership with DuPont to create new crop seeds that incorporate Arzeda’s technology, which should increase the productivity of the plants for food, as Eric reported. Financial … Continue reading “Data Domain Founder Talks EMC Deal, Arzeda Teams Up With Dupont, EndoGastric Takes In $7.5M, & More Seattle-Area Deals News”
Category: National
The Big Idea at Springpad
Quite a few tasks in life require investigation and planning. Cooking dinner tonight? First you need to find a recipe, then you need to make a shopping list. Going on vacation? Before you can even begin to finalize your itinerary, you’ll probably collect reams of information on plane fares, local attractions, and places to stay. … Continue reading “The Big Idea at Springpad”
Clean Water, Little Fuss: PATH and Cascade Designs Bring Purifiers to Africa
Taking a sip from a kitchen faucet rarely causes someone’s heart to pound or adrenaline to flow, but for millions around the world, drinking the local water is just another version of Russian roulette. With every mouthful of water, people in developing countries imbibe bacteria and viruses that can and often do cause lethal diseases, … Continue reading “Clean Water, Little Fuss: PATH and Cascade Designs Bring Purifiers to Africa”
ExxonMobil Makes $600 Million Bet on Biofuels—And Synthetic Genomics
J. Craig Venter, the maverick co-founder of San Diego’s Synthetic Genomics, has been hinting that the company had a huge funding announcement in the works—and tonight The New York Times has the story on its website. The newspaper says ExxonMobil has laid plans to invest $600 million or more in the development of renewable, algae-derived … Continue reading “ExxonMobil Makes $600 Million Bet on Biofuels—And Synthetic Genomics”
Are You Who You Say You Are? Delfigo Security Can Tell From Your Typing
The idea that a computer authentication system might be watching not just for the content of your username and password, but to the way you type them—that is, the exact amount of time your fingers linger on each key, measured to the millisecond—may sound a little spooky. But that’s the premise of Delfigo Security‘s new … Continue reading “Are You Who You Say You Are? Delfigo Security Can Tell From Your Typing”
Craig Mundie of Microsoft on the Future of Software: Digital Assistants, Natural User Interfaces, and Room Computing
When you’ve been at Microsoft for 17 years, you’ve seen a few things. This morning, Craig Mundie, Microsoft’s chief research and strategy officer, shared some of his hard-earned wisdom in a keynote talk at company headquarters in Redmond, WA—helping to kick off Microsoft Research’s 10th annual faculty summit. Mundie outlined his broad thoughts on the … Continue reading “Craig Mundie of Microsoft on the Future of Software: Digital Assistants, Natural User Interfaces, and Room Computing”
Microsoft Rolls Out Tools to Help Scientists (and Eventually Companies) Manage Data Deluge
From the seas to the stars, Microsoft Research is trying to increase its impact. The Redmond, WA-based computer science research organization is releasing new software tools aimed at helping scientists manage and visualize huge amounts of information, and make discoveries in fields as diverse as astronomy and oceanography. The announcement of the free tools, called … Continue reading “Microsoft Rolls Out Tools to Help Scientists (and Eventually Companies) Manage Data Deluge”
VC Fundraising Engine Stalled, Q2 Venture Fund Closings Hit 13-year Low
Could it be the nadir of this recession for the venture capital industry? U.S. venture firms closed the fewest number of funds since the mid-1990s in the second quarter of 2009, according to a study released today. The 63.1-percent decline in quarterly VC fundraising indicated in the study is further evidence that the venture industry … Continue reading “VC Fundraising Engine Stalled, Q2 Venture Fund Closings Hit 13-year Low”
EcoDog’s Home Energy Monitoring Product Sniffs Out Energy Savings
Fido just might be a homeowner’s new best friend. The watchdog in question isn’t a vigilant Doberman or German Shepard, but rather the flagship product of EcoDog, a home energy-monitoring start-up based in Vista, CA. The device connects to a home circuit breaker and delivers real-time information on the home’s energy usage. One nifty aspect … Continue reading “EcoDog’s Home Energy Monitoring Product Sniffs Out Energy Savings”
Integra5 Wants to be MediaFriends With You
Woburn, MA-based Integra5 announced today that it has changed its name to MediaFriends, a move intended to underscore the startup’s focus on technology that lets people communicate across multiple devices, including phones, PCs, and televisions. Under the Integra5 brand, the 10-year-old company was known mainly as a supplier of “converged services” software to cable, phone, … Continue reading “Integra5 Wants to be MediaFriends With You”
ConforMIS Shapes Corporate Expansion with $50M D Round
Burlington, MA-based ConforMIS has tapped government and private funds around the globe to raise $50 million, providing a huge financial boost to expand its business of providing patients with customized knee implants based on CT or MRI scans of their damaged knees. ConforMIS chairman and CEO Philipp Lang tells me the company drew investments for … Continue reading “ConforMIS Shapes Corporate Expansion with $50M D Round”
Japan’s DoCoMo Acquires Stake in PacketVideo, Helix Wind Advances Business, General Atomics to Build Hybrid-Electric Prototype, & More San Diego BizTech News
Amid fresh signs of concern for venture capital in San Diego, we saw some local technology startups take big risks to push their business forward. Our wrap-up of the week’s innovation news begins now. —The largest wireless communications provider in Japan, NTT DoCoMo, invested $45.5 million to acquire a 35 percent stake in PacketVideo, the … Continue reading “Japan’s DoCoMo Acquires Stake in PacketVideo, Helix Wind Advances Business, General Atomics to Build Hybrid-Electric Prototype, & More San Diego BizTech News”
Off the Beaten Trail, WBBA Corrals Investors to Sniff Around Seattle Biotech
Venture capitalists from high-profile shops like SR One, the venture arm of drug giant GlaxoSmithKline, aren’t known for scouting companies in the Pacific Northwest. If the Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association gets its way, a few more of those well-connected firms will start looking, and then maybe investing, in Northwest startups. SR One recently sent … Continue reading “Off the Beaten Trail, WBBA Corrals Investors to Sniff Around Seattle Biotech”
MC10 Tapping Founding VC North Bridge Venture Partners to Advance Stretchable Silicon Business
North Bridge Venture Partners has committed to participating in a planned $5 million Series A round of financing for stealthy startup MC10, which the Waltham, MA-based VC firm formed last year to commercialize stretchable silicon material, according to MC10 CEO Dave Icke. The stretchable silicon is both flexible in a literal sense and in terms … Continue reading “MC10 Tapping Founding VC North Bridge Venture Partners to Advance Stretchable Silicon Business”
Some Pixily User E-mails Released
The private e-mail addresses of several hundred customers of Waltham, MA-based Pixily were accidentally shared with other customers Saturday in the aftermath of an Internet routing snafu that left many users unable to reach the document-scanning service for several hours. The breach, in which names intended for the “bcc” line of a customer service e-mail … Continue reading “Some Pixily User E-mails Released”
The Browser Geolocation Wars: Skyhook’s CEO on Why Google Maps is Misreading Your Location
[Updated 9:20 p.m. EDT 7/10/09 with responses from Google; see the sections marked “Update” below] Yesterday Google announced that the “My Location” feature familiar to anyone who’s used Google Maps on a mobile device—the little blue button that shows you your position on a map—is now available to people accessing Google Maps from their laptop … Continue reading “The Browser Geolocation Wars: Skyhook’s CEO on Why Google Maps is Misreading Your Location”
Thoughts on the Naked Truth, from Picnik’s Jonathan Sposato
Yes, I’m taking the day off and letting other people (the actual participants) tell you what they took away from the inspiring tech events in Seattle last night. I asked panelist Jonathan Sposato, the CEO of Seattle-based Picnik, for his thoughts on the Naked Truth spectacle at Olympic Sculpture Park, which was organized by Glenn … Continue reading “Thoughts on the Naked Truth, from Picnik’s Jonathan Sposato”
A Yotta Insights on Making Money in Mobile, from Dan Shapiro of Ontela
While a lot of people were out enjoying the sunset and discussion at Seattle’s Olympic Sculpture Park last night—see TechFlash and TechCrunch for a nice recap of the Naked Truth startup gathering (and thanks to Seattle 2.0 TV for broadcasting it)—there was another compelling event happening on the Eastside. This one, hosted in Bellevue by … Continue reading “A Yotta Insights on Making Money in Mobile, from Dan Shapiro of Ontela”
Personal Podcasting with AudioBoo, UK’s “Twitter for Voice”
The human voice is making a comeback. For a while, it looked like e-mail, instant messaging, blogs, RSS, and all of the Internet’s other texty goodness might permanently eclipse the old-fashioned phone call and other voice-driven forms of communication. Even the spread of cell phones hasn’t halted the tide of text—more than a third of … Continue reading “Personal Podcasting with AudioBoo, UK’s “Twitter for Voice””
General Atomics to Build a Prototype for Hybrid-Electric Prius of the Seas
Saving money on fuel by developing new types of hybrid engines is not just the pursuit of automakers any more. Under a government contract awarded earlier this week, San Diego’s General Atomics is developing a new hybrid electric drive system for a U.S. Navy warship. “I think it has huge potential,” says Carl Fisher, who … Continue reading “General Atomics to Build a Prototype for Hybrid-Electric Prius of the Seas”
EMC Prevails in Data Domain Bidding War, New Funds for Excel and 5AM, Sonian Sees $4.1M, & More Boston-Area Deals News
There’s not one but two venture-fund closings to report this week. More below on those, and the rest of the week’s deals news from New England’s life science and tech firms. —Hopkinton, MA-based EMC (NYSE: [[ticker:EMC]]) won a protracted bidding war with rival NetApp over software maker Data Domain. After EMC increased its offer for … Continue reading “EMC Prevails in Data Domain Bidding War, New Funds for Excel and 5AM, Sonian Sees $4.1M, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
How Healthcare Legislation Can Ensure Patient Safety and Spur Innovation
Next week, the U.S. Senate is expected to take up debate on health care reform. Regardless of what happens in Washington DC, the impact will be felt on virtually every business and individual in Washington State. Without question, a simple solution to our health care crisis is elusive, and in the coming days and weeks … Continue reading “How Healthcare Legislation Can Ensure Patient Safety and Spur Innovation”
Brad Feld’s Colorado VC Firm Joins Massachusetts Crusade Against Non-Compete Agreements
The directors of Foundry Group, a Boulder, CO-based venture firm, have signed on as supporters of the Alliance for Open Competition, a group lobbying to outlaw the use of non-compete clauses in employment agreements in Massachusetts and other states. The alliance, founded last year by partners at Boston’s Spark Capital, argues that the non-compete clauses … Continue reading “Brad Feld’s Colorado VC Firm Joins Massachusetts Crusade Against Non-Compete Agreements”
Delve Dives into Do-it-Yourself Online Video Management
Every new technology brings new options and opportunities for people to learn, explore, and of course, sell to each other. Internet video has proven no exception. Companies today can whip up professional ads, demos, and explanatory videos and expose them to the whole world for just a few hundred dollars, compared to the thousands and … Continue reading “Delve Dives into Do-it-Yourself Online Video Management”
Intellikine Raises $28.5M, Cadence Awaits FDA Action, Somaxon Seeks FDA Approval Again for Insomnia Drug, & More San Diego Life Sciences News
We had some good news, mixed news, and odd news about San Diego’s life sciences companies over the past week. Read on for our full spectrum of coverage. —San Diego’s Intellikine said in a recent regulatory filing that it had raised $16 million in venture capital, and plans to raise an additional $22.5 million. But … Continue reading “Intellikine Raises $28.5M, Cadence Awaits FDA Action, Somaxon Seeks FDA Approval Again for Insomnia Drug, & More San Diego Life Sciences News”
Intellikine Attracts Novartis, Biogen, and Others for $51M Second Round
Drug development startup Intellikine is disclosing the names of the new investors in its latest round of venture financing, which could total up to $51 million, according to a press release the La Jolla-based firm issued yesterday. The new investors behind the firm’s second-round financing are Novartis Bioventures, Cambridge, MA-based biotech powerhouse Biogen Idec (NASDAQ:[[ticker:BIIB]]), … Continue reading “Intellikine Attracts Novartis, Biogen, and Others for $51M Second Round”
Data Domain Founder, Kai Li, on EMC Acquisition and the Future of Data Storage
Now I know why venture capitalists walk the halls at the University of Washington—you never know who you might run into. My timing was impeccable yesterday as I sat down with Kai Li, the co-founder and chief scientist of Data Domain (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DDUP]]), the Santa Clara, CA-based data storage company that just got bought by … Continue reading “Data Domain Founder, Kai Li, on EMC Acquisition and the Future of Data Storage”
MicroGreen Polymers Grabs $1.6M to Put Green Plastics Into Your Morning Coffee Cup
Xconomy has learned that MicroGreen Polymers, an Arlington, WA-based developer of technology to recycle plastics into cheaper, environmentally friendly coffee cups among other things, has raised $1.6 million for expansion from WRF Capital and local angel investors (Northwest Energy Angels, Alliance of Angels, and Atlas Accelerator), out of an ongoing round the company expects will … Continue reading “MicroGreen Polymers Grabs $1.6M to Put Green Plastics Into Your Morning Coffee Cup”
Massachusetts Startup Fundraising Tallied $145M in June—Early Stage Venture Holds Its Own
Led by the Bay State’s strong healthcare sector, Massachusetts startups attracted just over $145 million in investment in June. That’s the tally from our new partner, ChubbyBrain, a New York-based information services company developing tools for investors, startups, and aspiring entrepreneurs. Health care companies—spanning drug development, medical devices, and consumer health and wellness—were the focus … Continue reading “Massachusetts Startup Fundraising Tallied $145M in June—Early Stage Venture Holds Its Own”
Targeted Genetics Dumps Lease, Amgen’s Dmab Works in Cancer Trial, Theraclone Nabs Cash, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News
Seattle biotech is quieting down these days, so it’s a good time for your local life sciences correspondent to step away on vacation. See you back here on July 20. —EndoGastric Solutions, the medical device firm based in Redmond, WA, and Redwood City, CA, raised $7.5 million from investors. The company makes devices to combat … Continue reading “Targeted Genetics Dumps Lease, Amgen’s Dmab Works in Cancer Trial, Theraclone Nabs Cash, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”
Big (and Smart) Government
In the past few months I have had the opportunity to interact with a number of state and federal officials as the financial crisis has unfolded. And for the most part my faith in the system has been renewed. In my capacity as chair of the New England Venture Capital Association, I have met a … Continue reading “Big (and Smart) Government”
Genzyme Rival, Actelion, Seeks to Fill Void Created by Cerezyme Shortage
Genzyme dominates the market for treating Gaucher’s disease, each year selling more than $1.2 billion worth of its drug imiglucerase (Cerezyme) to patients with the rare genetic disease, who need to take the treatment throughout their lives. But competitors are flocking in to grab some of the market now that the Cambridge, MA-based biotech is … Continue reading “Genzyme Rival, Actelion, Seeks to Fill Void Created by Cerezyme Shortage”
Venture Capital Fundraising Down by 63 Percent So Far This Year
In news that’s not exactly unexpected, a mid-year survey shows that fundraising among U.S. venture capital firms is near low ebb, with the total raised so far at the lowest point since 2003, when 34 VC funds raised $2.2 billion in the first half of the year. The survey released today by Dow Jones Private … Continue reading “Venture Capital Fundraising Down by 63 Percent So Far This Year”
NetApp Bows Out, Clearing Way for EMC-Data Domain Nuptials
Sunnyvale, CA-based NetApp (NASDAQ: [[ticker:NTAP]]) said today it would not try to top EMC’s $33.50 per share offer for Data Domain (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DDUP]]), clearing the way for the Hopkinton, MA-based storage and information management giant to acquire the much-sought-after provider of data deduplication software. NetApp kicked off the competition for Data Domain on May 20 … Continue reading “NetApp Bows Out, Clearing Way for EMC-Data Domain Nuptials”
Two Issaquah Companies to Help DOE Manage Nuclear Waste
Nuclear waste dumps require careful handling. To avoid incidences of nuclear material leaking into the surrounding soil and water, the Department of Energy must monitor the 80 sites in the U.S. regularly and do its best to adjust conditions if warranted. Issaquah, WA-based consulting firm Predicus has used mathematical modeling software developed by fellow Issaquah company GoldSim … Continue reading “Two Issaquah Companies to Help DOE Manage Nuclear Waste”
For Microsoft and Google, Battleground Shifts to Web-Based Operating Systems
The fight between Microsoft and Google for the future of computing just got more intense. Last night, Google officially announced a new project, a Web browser-based operating system called Google Chrome OS, which will initially target netbooks. Google said it would make the code available on an open-source basis later this year, and plans to … Continue reading “For Microsoft and Google, Battleground Shifts to Web-Based Operating Systems”
Microsoft Unveils Logo for “NERD”
Microsoft’s New England Research & Development Center at One Memorial Drive here in Cambridge, MA—NERD, as it is so affectionately called inside and outside the company—has quickly become one of the central gathering spots for the Boston tech community. In late March, the company opened a big conference area on its second floor, and almost … Continue reading “Microsoft Unveils Logo for “NERD””
A Deep Dive with Black Coral Capital
On Monday we learned that Rob Day, a former principal at @Ventures in Wilmington, MA, and one of the dynamic young leaders of the energy investing scene in New England, has taken on a new assignment. He’s become a partner at Black Coral Capital, a Boston-based private equity fund formed in 2008 to build a … Continue reading “A Deep Dive with Black Coral Capital”
Rapid Micro Biosystems Raises $18.6M for Faster Detection of Microbial Contamination
Rapid Micro Biosystems, a Bedford, MA-based developer of technology that quickly spots microbes that can cause disaster in the biotech drugmaking process, has nailed down a whopping $18.6 million in a Series A round of venture financing. The company, led by CEO Steve Delity, secured the cash from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, TVM Capital, … Continue reading “Rapid Micro Biosystems Raises $18.6M for Faster Detection of Microbial Contamination”
Kineta Acquires Multiple Sclerosis, Diabetes Drug Candidates to Test Unusual Biotech Strategy
Seattle-based Kineta doesn’t want to grow up to be the next Amgen. It has seen plenty of biotech companies go up in flames when they try to do everything from drug discovery to development, and manufacturing to marketing. Instead, the company sees opportunity in carving out one piece of that product development continuum, doing it … Continue reading “Kineta Acquires Multiple Sclerosis, Diabetes Drug Candidates to Test Unusual Biotech Strategy”
Biogen Idec Buys MS Drug Rights, Immuneering Models Cancer Drug Responses, Hologic Wins Contraceptive Device Approval, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News
Perhaps New England’s life sciences companies were busy building arks this past week, because the news flow was a heck of a lot lighter than the rainfall. There are still a few interesting developments to report, though. —Cambridge, MA-based Biogen Idec (NASDAQ:[[ticker:BIIB]]) agreed to pay $110 million up front, plus up to $400 million in … Continue reading “Biogen Idec Buys MS Drug Rights, Immuneering Models Cancer Drug Responses, Hologic Wins Contraceptive Device Approval, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”
Lpath Replaces Its Outside Auditor
Five days after its June 24 annual meeting, San Diego’s Lpath (OTC:[[ticker:LPTN]]) dismissed the accounting firm LevitZacks for undisclosed reasons, according to a recent SEC filing. The biotech had recommended retaining the accounting firm to shareholders. In its SEC filing, Lpath noted that LevitZacks had expressed uncertainty about Lpath’s ability to continue as a going … Continue reading “Lpath Replaces Its Outside Auditor”
Northwest VCs React to Prometheus Energy’s Funding and Partnership with Shell
Last week, we reported that Prometheus Energy, the Redmond, WA-based liquid natural gas producer, closed a $10 million investment from Shell Technology Ventures in a deal that is still resonating in the local alternative energy community. Prometheus, led by co-founder and chief executive Kirt Montague, has gone through many ups and downs since its formation … Continue reading “Northwest VCs React to Prometheus Energy’s Funding and Partnership with Shell”
Somaxon Renews its Insomnia Drug Application, Raises $6M
San Diego’s Somaxon Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: [[ticker:SOMX]]) says it has submitted a revised new drug application for its insomnia drug doxepin (Silenor), and the biotech raised about $6 million in a private stock placement to see it through the NDA process. As I noted in February, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration turned down Somaxon’s initial … Continue reading “Somaxon Renews its Insomnia Drug Application, Raises $6M”
Let’s Rock: Five Finalists Selected for Xconomy’s Battle of the Tech Bands
And then there were five. Here at Xconomy, we have made our selections for the five finalists who will compete at our inaugural Battle of the Tech Bands in Seattle, to be held on the evening of Thursday, July 30 at the WTIA Summer Celebration at the Pyramid Alehouse. We are looking forward to putting … Continue reading “Let’s Rock: Five Finalists Selected for Xconomy’s Battle of the Tech Bands”
The Angel View on San Diego’s VC Landscape: Q&A With Tech Coast Angels’ Mayer and Elconin
Ralph Mayer got involved in Southern California’s Tech Coast Angels almost as soon as he moved to San Diego a decade ago, after working on computer-assisted design technologies at Chelmsford, MA-based Adra Systems and its sister company, MatrixOne. Now Mayer is chairman of the board of governors at the Tech Coast Angels, which bills itself … Continue reading “The Angel View on San Diego’s VC Landscape: Q&A With Tech Coast Angels’ Mayer and Elconin”
Immuneering, Led by Young CEO and Mentor, Aims to Pick Which Cancer Drugs Should Work
Cancer drugs are notorious for offering slim odds of helping patients live longer, while guaranteeing they’ll suffer some unhappy side effects. Lots of scientists are searching for clues in the genome for how to select people most likely to benefit from a drug, while sparing everyone else. Boston-based Immuneering thinks there’s a better place to … Continue reading “Immuneering, Led by Young CEO and Mentor, Aims to Pick Which Cancer Drugs Should Work”
Prometheus Partners with Big Oil, Qliance Raises $4M, Microsoft May Sell Razorfish, & More Seattle-Area Deals News
The activity in the Northwest picked up a little bit around the holiday weekend. In the past week, we’ve seen some interesting deals in alternative energy, healthcare, and software. —Seattle-based Qliance Medical Management raised $4 million in venture capital led by Second Avenue Partners, with participation from New Atlantic Ventures and Clear Fir Partners, as … Continue reading “Prometheus Partners with Big Oil, Qliance Raises $4M, Microsoft May Sell Razorfish, & More Seattle-Area Deals News”
The “Least Worst,” General Catalyst’s Two-for-One Sale, Turning Your Umbrella Upside Down, and Other Gems From Xconomy’s Star-Studded Venture Panel
“The rest of the economy is now dealing with the uncertainty that we deal with every day in a good economy. We do that by choice, they’re doing it now out of necessity.” The scene was XSITE, the Xconomy Summit on Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship, held on June 24 at Boston University. The speaker was … Continue reading “The “Least Worst,” General Catalyst’s Two-for-One Sale, Turning Your Umbrella Upside Down, and Other Gems From Xconomy’s Star-Studded Venture Panel”
Cadence, Aiming to Reduce Narcotics Use in Hospitals, Gears Up to Market IV Pain Reliever
One of the most common drugs in the world, acetaminophen pain reliever that’s found in Tylenol and Excedrin, got some bad press last week. An FDA advisory panel recommended new restrictions be placed on the drug because it can cause liver failure at high doses. So if you’re San Diego-based Cadence Pharmaceuticals, and the future … Continue reading “Cadence, Aiming to Reduce Narcotics Use in Hospitals, Gears Up to Market IV Pain Reliever”