Category: National

For San Diego’s Hometown VCs, It’s Déjà vu All Over Again

Robert Kibble’s arrival in San Diego in 1996 was celebrated as a kind of watershed in some quarters of the region’s emerging information technology community. While a couple of prominent biotech VCs already were established in San Diego by the early 1990s, some local software executives viewed the region as semi-arid when it came to … Continue reading “For San Diego’s Hometown VCs, It’s Déjà vu All Over Again”

Seventh Sense Biosystems Developing Tech Akin to Check-Engine Light for the Body

Imagine if we could monitor complex health conditions with a decal on our skin as easily as we look at our check-engine lights to learn of car trouble. Seventh Sense Biosystems, a secretive startup based in Cambridge, MA, tells Xconomy that its technology could transform this vision into reality. It was reported in December that … Continue reading “Seventh Sense Biosystems Developing Tech Akin to Check-Engine Light for the Body”

Cozi Founder Talks About Dell Deal, a Great Mentor, and Why He Had to Start a Company

I recently had a good chat with Robbie Cape, the founder and CEO of Seattle-based Cozi. We talked about some key issues in tech startups and entrepreneurship, as well as the deal his company just landed in April with computer giant Dell—one that is helping drive some much-needed business to his consumer-focused startup. The basic … Continue reading “Cozi Founder Talks About Dell Deal, a Great Mentor, and Why He Had to Start a Company”

E Ink Scooped up by Taiwanese Display Maker, EMC Battles NetApp For Data Domain, Polatis Picks Up $8M, & More Boston-Area Deals News

The B word (billion) cropped up in not one but two deals in this week’s New England tech and life sciences news. —Cambridge, MA-based E Ink agreed to be acquired for $215 million by Taiwan-based display manufacturer Prime View International. The Taiwanese firm was already a partner of E Ink’s on the manufacture of its … Continue reading “E Ink Scooped up by Taiwanese Display Maker, EMC Battles NetApp For Data Domain, Polatis Picks Up $8M, & More Boston-Area Deals News”

Optimer Rides Investment See-Saw With Promising Drug for “C.diff” Infections

Biotech investing can sometimes be a downright confusing game, even for people who are supposed to know what they are talking about. Ask the folks at San Diego-based Optimer Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OPTR]]). Optimer has been one of a few bright spots in biotech over the past year. Back in November, its lead drug candidate, an … Continue reading “Optimer Rides Investment See-Saw With Promising Drug for “C.diff” Infections”

Eric Rosenfeld of Capybara Ventures on the Portland Technology and Innovation Scene

Any venture firm named after a rodent, especially the world’s biggest rodent (100 pounds), is OK in my book. But I did have to ask co-founder Eric Rosenfeld where the name Capybara Ventures comes from. Rosenfeld explained that the capybara is a “majestic, noble, inspiring rodent.” It’s also a “category leader,” he added, and “spends … Continue reading “Eric Rosenfeld of Capybara Ventures on the Portland Technology and Innovation Scene”

Three Local Biotechs Raising Cash

Three San Diego-based biopharmaceutical startups have been raising capital, according to recent filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). —Valor Medical, which was founded in 2007, has raised $3.1 million of an $8 million offering, according to a recent SEC filing.  CEO H. Clark Adams says this is a partial close of a Series … Continue reading “Three Local Biotechs Raising Cash”

Exclusive: Icahn’s Picks For Biogen Idec Board on Why They Think They Won 2 Seats, Who’s Likely Out, and Plans for the Future

(Updated with Biogen Idec announcement of preliminary results, 3:18 pm, June 4—see below) When last we left the cliffhanger that was yesterday’s Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) annual meeting: the forces of billionaire investor Carl Icahn claimed they had won two of four director seats up for election. The New York Times was reporting Icahn had … Continue reading “Exclusive: Icahn’s Picks For Biogen Idec Board on Why They Think They Won 2 Seats, Who’s Likely Out, and Plans for the Future”

Anadys Pharma Cuts 40% of Workforce and Raises $17.5M to Stay Afloat

[[Correction appended]] San Diego-based Anadys Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:[[ticker:ANDS]]) is revealing moves this morning to improve its balance sheet. The firm will reduce its workforce by 40 percent and suspend development of its second drug candidate for cancer and hepatitis C, to instead focus its remaining resources on advancing its lead drug candidate for hepatitis C virus. … Continue reading “Anadys Pharma Cuts 40% of Workforce and Raises $17.5M to Stay Afloat”

Craig Venter Has Algae Biofuel in Synthetic Genomics’ Pipeline

When renowned genome scientist J. Craig Venter spoke at San Diego’s Connect’s Innovation Summit two months ago, he focused mostly on creating genetically engineered microbes that consume coal to produce natural gas. But a review of Venter’s recent presentations and other information suggests that Synthetic Genomics, the San Diego startup he co-founded, also has a major biofuels initiative underway, … Continue reading “Craig Venter Has Algae Biofuel in Synthetic Genomics’ Pipeline”

Amylin Dissidents Win Board Seats, Targeted Genetics’ Troubles Raise Gene Therapy Concerns, Celladon Eyes Partnership, & More San Diego Life Sciences News

The big news in the San Diego biotech community this week came from the boardroom instead of the laboratory. Dissident shareholder factions elected representatives to the boards of both San Diego-based Amylin Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMLN]])and Biogen Idec, the Cambridge, MA, biotech that has a significant local presence. —Amylin’s founding CEO Howard “Ted” Greene, who also is … Continue reading “Amylin Dissidents Win Board Seats, Targeted Genetics’ Troubles Raise Gene Therapy Concerns, Celladon Eyes Partnership, & More San Diego Life Sciences News”

No Cash or Credit? Try Dibits, an Alternative Currency

There’s a place on the Internet where you can arrange for an hour-long massage, a ride to the airport, and a tour of the haunted parts of Seattle, all without spending a dollar. Dibspace, a relatively new Seattle startup, makes this possible by creating its own currency, the “dibit,” by which people can barter goods … Continue reading “No Cash or Credit? Try Dibits, an Alternative Currency”

Life Image Captures $2.5M Series A, Working with EMC for Digital Medical Image Service

Life Image was launched in January 2008 with core software developed at Boston’s Massachusetts General Hospital. Now the Newton, MA-based startup is charging ahead with cash from a $2.5 million Series A round of equity financing closed quietly in April, aiming to close gaps in the way digital medical images are shared and stored, company … Continue reading “Life Image Captures $2.5M Series A, Working with EMC for Digital Medical Image Service”

Cell Therapeutics Shares Boom, Vulcan’s Breast Cancer Bombshell, Microsoft Buys Rosetta Assets, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News

Most of Seattle’s biotech news this week came out of Orlando, FL, where local companies vied for the attention of 30,000 cancer specialists at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting. The best clinical trial data I saw didn’t actually come from a Seattle-based company—but it had a strong local tie to Paul Allen’s … Continue reading “Cell Therapeutics Shares Boom, Vulcan’s Breast Cancer Bombshell, Microsoft Buys Rosetta Assets, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”

American Well’s UnitedHealth Coup: Perspective from CEO Roy Schoenberg

Boston-based American Well, in a one-two punch of advances announced this week, has added substance to its dream of giving consumers with health problems a way to consult with doctors over the Web and avoid more costly office visits. On Tuesday, the company said it was upgrading its Web-based “Online Care” platform to provide doctors … Continue reading “American Well’s UnitedHealth Coup: Perspective from CEO Roy Schoenberg”

Prepared Response Prepared to Grow With Latest $6.3M Financing

Prepared Response, a Seattle-based crisis management and emergency preparedness company, has raised $6.3 million out of an $8.7 million equity offering, according to a regulatory filing today. Most of the money came from angel investors with the rest by Benaroya Capital. The money will be used to develop the company’s software products, as well as … Continue reading “Prepared Response Prepared to Grow With Latest $6.3M Financing”

Terrafugia Completes First Stage of Flight Testing, Releases New “Flying Car” Footage

Terrafugia, the Woburn, MA, startup whose project to commercialize a “roadable aircraft” has attracted a worldwide following, said today that it’s completed flight testing of its initial proof-of-concept vehicle and is ready to build a second, “beta” aircraft. The company also released extensive new video footage from test flights of the proof-of-concept plane by its … Continue reading “Terrafugia Completes First Stage of Flight Testing, Releases New “Flying Car” Footage”

Future of Cloud Computing: Data Centers, Outsourcing, and the Power of Cultures

Over the last couple of years, we have been witnessing a resurgence of the “Internet as the new computing platform” idea. I say resurgence because that was the premise of the late 90’s “Internet Bubble.” Given that history, it would be a mistake to use the same term, of course. Instead, we’ve coined a new … Continue reading “Future of Cloud Computing: Data Centers, Outsourcing, and the Power of Cultures”

Icahn Nominees Claim Victory on Two of Four Open Seats to Biogen Idec Board, Vote Still Not Official

[Update, 3:05 pm Eastern] Billionaire investor Carl Icahn’s representatives say they have pulled out a victory in their proxy contest with Biogen Idec, winning two of the four seats that were up for grabs in a shareholder election. The official results weren’t yet announced, as the company adjourned the annual shareholder meeting without declaring who … Continue reading “Icahn Nominees Claim Victory on Two of Four Open Seats to Biogen Idec Board, Vote Still Not Official”

Inside the Biogen Idec Shareholder Meeting, Tensions Flare as Icahn Accuses Company of “Hijacking” Vote

[Updated with Bloomberg comment at 12:55 pm Eastern] Tensions at the Biogen Idec annual shareholders meeting are palpable. Representatives from billionaire investor Carl Icahn have twice called for the polls to be closed—once before CEO James Mullen gave a speech, and a second time before an unscheduled recess was called at approximately 11 am. The … Continue reading “Inside the Biogen Idec Shareholder Meeting, Tensions Flare as Icahn Accuses Company of “Hijacking” Vote”

Seattle Passes Boston in High-Tech Center Ranking; San Diego at #7

Seattle, the Washington D.C. area, and Orange County have moved up in Milken Institute’s ranking of top high-tech center areas in North America. From 2003 to 2007, Seattle passed Boston and became America’s second-ranking high-tech metro area. San Diego is at seventh place. (These are Xconomy’s network cities.) The number one spot belongs to Silicon … Continue reading “Seattle Passes Boston in High-Tech Center Ranking; San Diego at #7”

Contentious Biogen Idec Meeting Delayed; Icahn Nominee Objects, Saying “This is Not North Korea”

Shareholders of Cambridge, MA-based Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) will have to wait a while to hear the outcome of the hotly contested board election. The company’s board called a recess during the annual meeting before results were announced on whether billionaire investor Carl Icahn was able to gain any seats on the company’s 13-member board. … Continue reading “Contentious Biogen Idec Meeting Delayed; Icahn Nominee Objects, Saying “This is Not North Korea””

American Well Teams with Minnesota Firm to Offer Online Medical Consultations Directly to Consumers

It’s been almost a year since Boston-based American Well unveiled its online healthcare marketplace, a system designed to allow health plan members to connect with doctors or other medical providers live over the Web without having to visit an office or clinic. It’s an idea that could simplify healthcare access and reduce costs for both … Continue reading “American Well Teams with Minnesota Firm to Offer Online Medical Consultations Directly to Consumers”

Now, a Mac Version of Zinc Video Browser from ZeeVee

Boxee, the popular Internet video browser program for Macintosh computers, has some new competition. Today Littleton, MA-based ZeeVee is releasing the Mac version of its Zinc video browser, which gives owners of desktop or laptop computers an easy-to-use interface for locating and watching TV programming on the Internet. The free software, downloadable at www.zeevee.com/zinc, is … Continue reading “Now, a Mac Version of Zinc Video Browser from ZeeVee”

Experimental Gene Therapy for Blindness Will Proceed Even if Targeted Genetics Goes Dark

[Editors note: corrects times in previous version for third patient through maze ] Among the more impressive presentations at the annual meeting of the American Society for Gene Therapy in San Diego last week was this video provided by researchers at University College London. It shows a man with a form of hereditary blindness navigating a maze before and … Continue reading “Experimental Gene Therapy for Blindness Will Proceed Even if Targeted Genetics Goes Dark”

GSK Cuts Deal with Concert to the Tune of a Potential $1B, Celldex Inks $94.5M CuraGen Acquisition, Aveo Touts Kidney Cancer Drug Data, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News

Many of New England’s drug developers were down in Florida this week for the big annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Here’s what they had to report, as well as the news from the firms that didn’t make the trek south. —Ryan profiled the efforts of Alnara Pharmaceuticals to develop an enzyme-replacement … Continue reading “GSK Cuts Deal with Concert to the Tune of a Potential $1B, Celldex Inks $94.5M CuraGen Acquisition, Aveo Touts Kidney Cancer Drug Data, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”

Novocell Snaps Up Second Stem Cell Patent, New CEO Pursues “Next Big Field” of Biotech

San Diego-based Novocell has nailed down a second important patent on a valuable type of cell derived from human embryonic stem cells, which could end up forcing a lot of researchers to license technology from the company on Torrey Pines Mesa. The company is announcing today it has secured a U.S. patent that protects its … Continue reading “Novocell Snaps Up Second Stem Cell Patent, New CEO Pursues “Next Big Field” of Biotech”

Biogen Idec Showdown with Carl Icahn Culminates in Shareholder Vote Today

Shareholders of Cambridge, MA-based Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) will have their say today on whether or not they want billionaire investor Carl Icahn’s nominees to shake things up in the boardroom. The votes will be tallied at the company’s annual meeting being held at 9 am Eastern time today at the American Academy of Arts … Continue reading “Biogen Idec Showdown with Carl Icahn Culminates in Shareholder Vote Today”

Turning the iPhone Into a Universal Remote, ThinkFlood Shows Off New Gadget

The great thing about the Apple iPhone is that it’s a powerful miniature computer, with a screen that can be retasked to look like almost anything and do almost any job—it can switch in a moment from being a scientific calculator to simulating an airplane cockpit ti acting like the slide of a trombone. One … Continue reading “Turning the iPhone Into a Universal Remote, ThinkFlood Shows Off New Gadget”

Amylin Founder Ted Greene, In Exclusive Interview, Upbeat About Outcome of Proxy Battle

San Diego-based Amylin Pharmaceuticals has witnessed an extraordinary struggle for control of its board of directors in which a key turning point came when founding CEO Howard “Ted” Greene publicly switched sides and urged shareholders to vote for the dissidents’ nominees. So what does Greene have to say about the results of the shareholder vote … Continue reading “Amylin Founder Ted Greene, In Exclusive Interview, Upbeat About Outcome of Proxy Battle”

Greenfuel Selling Off Assets

Greenfuel Technologies, the Cambridge, MA, biofuels startup that closed its doors last month after running out of venture cash, is trying to scrape together some money for its creditors and investors through a sale of intellectual property and other assets. In a post on its website today, the company said it’s entertaining offers for its … Continue reading “Greenfuel Selling Off Assets”

Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot: A Portland Startup Preview

I spent yesterday pounding the pavement in Portland, OR, enjoying a burst of warm sunshine and a weird, creative vibe. It offered a great contrast from the last time I tried to travel there for work meetings, back in January when I-5 was underwater and Amtrak wasn’t running. This visit was enough to make me … Continue reading “Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot: A Portland Startup Preview”

Amylin Chairman, Lead Director Ousted as Dissidents Gain Two Board Seats

The shareholders of San Diego-based Amylin Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMLN]]) have spoken, and they’ve ousted the company’s chairman of the board and the lead independent director. Amylin chairman Joseph Cook and lead independent director James Wilson lost their bid for re-election, the company said today, after votes were tallied from the shareholder meeting of May 27. … Continue reading “Amylin Chairman, Lead Director Ousted as Dissidents Gain Two Board Seats”

The Health 2.0 Hub, Boston’s Secret Entertainment Cluster, A Path to Market for Energy Innovations, Dean Kamen, and more XSITEment

There are three weeks and one day to go before XSITE—the Xconomy Summit on Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship, which we are holding at Boston University on June 24—and we are pumped. We are finalizing the agenda, and have added a host of fantastic new speakers, including inventor extraordinaire Dean Kamen. We’re also putting the finishing … Continue reading “The Health 2.0 Hub, Boston’s Secret Entertainment Cluster, A Path to Market for Energy Innovations, Dean Kamen, and more XSITEment”

Facebook Funds Seattle Startups, 1000 Markets Gets Seed Financing, Modumetal Closes Equity Round, & More Seattle-Area Deals News

Heading into the summer months, deals in the Northwest show no signs of slowing down. Neither does Xconomy, which debuted the reporting of our Seattle intern, Eric Hal Schwartz, last Tuesday. In the past week, Eric, Luke, and I have had our hands full with deals in biotech, materials, software, and energy. —Microsoft (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MSFT]]) … Continue reading “Facebook Funds Seattle Startups, 1000 Markets Gets Seed Financing, Modumetal Closes Equity Round, & More Seattle-Area Deals News”

Concert Pharma Jamming with Glaxo in Deal with $1B-Plus Potential

Concert Pharmaceuticals has hooked a whale in the drug industry, London-based GlaxoSmithKline, for its first corporate partnership deal concerning the biotech startup’s deuterium-modified drugs. Lexington, MA-based Concert reports today it will receive $35 million from Glaxo (NYSE:[[ticker:GSK]]) in upfront payments and equity investments in the deal, which could be worth more than $1 billion to … Continue reading “Concert Pharma Jamming with Glaxo in Deal with $1B-Plus Potential”

Early Cancer Diagnosis Startup Wins Entrepreneur Challenge

A biotechnology company aiming to revolutionize early-stage cancer screening last night won the UC San Diego Entrepreneur Challenge. Biological Dynamics, led by bioengineering PhD student and CEO Raj Krishnan and his fellow graduate students David Charlot and Roy Lefkowitz, took home the $40,000 first prize. Biological Dynamics has developed a screening tool that identifies secondary … Continue reading “Early Cancer Diagnosis Startup Wins Entrepreneur Challenge”

Genomatica Clears Way for ‘Sustainable Chemical’ Demo Plant

San Diego’s Genomatica says it has checked off another technical accomplishment in its quest to take the “petroleum” out of the petrochemical industry. After showing last year that it had engineered bacteria to make butanediol, a key industrial chemical also known as BDO, Genomatica says it now can make BDO in commercial grade batches. In … Continue reading “Genomatica Clears Way for ‘Sustainable Chemical’ Demo Plant”

Of Venture Socialism and the Future of VCs—The Story of Jo Tango and Kepha Partners

This is a story of a different breed of venture capital firm—one so different it practices venture socialism. At least that’s how the founder of Waltham, MA-based Kepha Partners, Josaphat “Jo” Tango, describes it. (Before all you entrepreneurs beat a path to his door thinking he shares more of the wealth back with you, let’s … Continue reading “Of Venture Socialism and the Future of VCs—The Story of Jo Tango and Kepha Partners”

To Build or Buy? Microsoft Amps Up Life Sciences Strategy By Buying Rosetta Biosoftware

Microsoft has been angling toward the life sciences software market for years, and yesterday it made a significant play in the sector by scooping up an industry pioneer just a few miles away. The Redmond, WA-based software company said yesterday it is acquiring the assets of Rosetta Biosoftware, a Seattle-based division of Merck that has … Continue reading “To Build or Buy? Microsoft Amps Up Life Sciences Strategy By Buying Rosetta Biosoftware”

Backing Vision Tech Startup Avedro, VCs Take Long View on Eye Surgery Market

It’s not an ideal time to be in the business of providing vision-correction surgeries such as Lasik, as demand for these mostly elective procedures has fallen in sync with the overall economy. But the consensus at Waltham, MA-based Avedro appears to be that it’s a great time to be developing the next generation of vision-correction … Continue reading “Backing Vision Tech Startup Avedro, VCs Take Long View on Eye Surgery Market”

Hydrogen Cars: Saving the Environment’s a Gas

Cruising north on Interstate-5 in a Chevy Equinox hardly sounds like a reason to be excited, but I felt lighter than air yesterday. That may just be an effect of the hydrogen fueling the car, or perhaps just the giddy sensation that comes from driving the future of General Motors on the same day their … Continue reading “Hydrogen Cars: Saving the Environment’s a Gas”

The Next Chapter for E Ink: Talking with CEO Russ Wilcox About Yesterday’s Acquisition News

Eight venture rounds—it’s got to be some kind of record. Yet that’s how many times 12-year-old E Ink went back to investors, raising some $150 million, before it finally arranged an exit scenario for its backers. The Cambridge, MA, company, which makes the e-paper displays used in the red-hot Amazon Kindle e-book reader, announced yesterday … Continue reading “The Next Chapter for E Ink: Talking with CEO Russ Wilcox About Yesterday’s Acquisition News”

EMC Launches $1.8 Billion Takeover Bid to Wrestle Data Domain Away from Competitor

Hopkinton, MA-based data storage giant EMC (NYSE: [[ticker:EMC]]), attempted today to derail competitor NetApp‘s proposed acquisition of Data Domain, by launching its own higher-priced bid for the Santa Clara, CA-based data deduplication company. In an announcement after the close of the markets this afternoon, EMC said that it has offered to acquire all of Data … Continue reading “EMC Launches $1.8 Billion Takeover Bid to Wrestle Data Domain Away from Competitor”

Cell Therapeutics Lymphoma Drug Boosts Remissions, Shares Boom

[Updated with share price, 4:30 pm ET] Cell Therapeutics is betting the farm on an experimental drug for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and today it showed cancer doctors some evidence it hopes will convince them it’s a winner. The findings sent the company’s shares soaring by 47 percent in the last two hours of trading to close … Continue reading “Cell Therapeutics Lymphoma Drug Boosts Remissions, Shares Boom”

Microsoft, Dipping Toe Deeper into Life Sciences, Buys Rosetta Assets from Merck

Microsoft could be safely ignored on the biotech beat for years, but not anymore. The Redmond, WA-based software powerhouse, in another move to beef up its stake in the life sciences software business, said today it is acquiring the Seattle-based assets of Rosetta Biosoftware from Merck. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but … Continue reading “Microsoft, Dipping Toe Deeper into Life Sciences, Buys Rosetta Assets from Merck”