Creating a new diet soda, deodorant, or dish soap is a notoriously chancy business: consumers are unpredictable, and experience and intuition can only get a product designer so far. But what if you could apply the power of evolution to product development—subjecting various ideas to generation after generation of Darwinian competition, with consumers themselves as … Continue reading “Affinnova, Evolver of Consumer Products, Evolves Itself”
Category: National
ConforMIS Introduces Third Implant for Arthritic Knees
ConforMIS, an orthopedic device maker in Burlington, MA, said today it is introducing the third product in its line of implants designed to make knee surgery less invasive. Made to order for each patient based on data from CT or MRI scans; these implants replace only the areas of the knee showing signs of osteoarthritis. … Continue reading “ConforMIS Introduces Third Implant for Arthritic Knees”
Liposonix, Maker of Ultrasound Fat-Buster, Will Still Grow Up in Bothell After Takeover
Everybody involved in a corporate takeover always says all the right things, but you never really know how the deal will shake out until some time passes. So I paid a visit last week to Jens Quistgaard to see for myself. His company, Bothell, WA-based Liposonix, agreed to be sold about six weeks ago to … Continue reading “Liposonix, Maker of Ultrasound Fat-Buster, Will Still Grow Up in Bothell After Takeover”
TeachStreet Expands to Portland Metro Area, Looking to Double Its Traffic and Much More
When I first met Dave Schappell a few weeks ago, we talked mostly about entrepreneurship and his experience running his startup— TeachStreet, an online community site for connecting local teachers and students. Today TeachStreet has some big news: it has expanded to Portland, OR, in its first move outside of Seattle. The idea is, if … Continue reading “TeachStreet Expands to Portland Metro Area, Looking to Double Its Traffic and Much More”
The Solar Hype Cycle: Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me
The other day the Boston Globe had a piece on solar technology coming of age in which Caltech chemistry professor Nathan Lewis stated: “We’re not in a hype cycle…If you go to Silicon Valley and around Route 128, everyone and their brother who used to make computer chips are now trying to make thin-film solar … Continue reading “The Solar Hype Cycle: Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me”
Two Cleantech Firms Plan IPOs, In-Q-Tel Backs Software Security Firm, Forrester Lands JupiterResearch, & More Deals News
A pair of New England tech firms sparked up an otherwise slow summer week by announcing their intentions to go public in a market that’s scared off virtually everybody else. —Not one but two New England cleantech firms filed for IPOs. Wind-farm developer First Wind of Newton, MA, registered for an offering worth up to … Continue reading “Two Cleantech Firms Plan IPOs, In-Q-Tel Backs Software Security Firm, Forrester Lands JupiterResearch, & More Deals News”
Daily TIPs: Texans Go Tiny, Borings Go to Court, Trolls Hit the Times, & More
Electric Cars Making Inroads In a sign that the era of gas guzzlers may be ending, the Wall Street Journal observes that even in Texas, people are leaving their SUVs in the garage in favor of smaller electric cars. As the paper puts it, “You Know Gas Prices Are High When Texans Start Driving Golf … Continue reading “Daily TIPs: Texans Go Tiny, Borings Go to Court, Trolls Hit the Times, & More”
Two Alternative Energy Companies Brave Anti-IPO Winds
August doldrums don’t appear to be affecting the New England clean energy industry. Two area companies—one in wind, one in solar—filed for initial public offerings with the Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday. Together the companies hope to raise three-quarters of a billion dollars—and to restore some movement to the technology IPO market, which has been … Continue reading “Two Alternative Energy Companies Brave Anti-IPO Winds”
Biogen Idec, Elan Shares Plummet on News of Two PML Cases With Tysabri
Shareholders in Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) and its partner Elan are getting pounded today. The Cambridge, MA-based biotech’s shares fell 25 percent, to $52.05 at 10:11 a.m. today after it reported two new cases of a rare, often fatal brain infection called PML, among patients taking its multiple-sclerosis drug Tysabri. Shares of Ireland-based Elan (NYSE: … Continue reading “Biogen Idec, Elan Shares Plummet on News of Two PML Cases With Tysabri”
Vertex Marching Ahead With Cystic Fibrosis Program
All eyes aimed at Vertex Pharmaceuticals tend to focus, understandably, on its experimental drug for hepatitis C. The Cambridge, MA-based company showed in mid-stage clinical trials that the drug, called telaprevir, could eliminate the liver-damaging virus from the blood for about twice as many patients as do standard treatments; the firm is now on a … Continue reading “Vertex Marching Ahead With Cystic Fibrosis Program”
Michael Butler of Cascadia Capital Looks for a Few Good Bankers, Sees Growth in New Media, Cleantech, and Healthcare
How do you run a national investment bank here in the Northwest, far away from the bustling financial centers of New York and San Francisco? I put the question to Michael Butler, chairman and CEO of Seattle-based Cascadia Capital, one of the area’s leaders in providing banking services in corporate finance and strategy. His answers … Continue reading “Michael Butler of Cascadia Capital Looks for a Few Good Bankers, Sees Growth in New Media, Cleantech, and Healthcare”
Turn your iPhone or iPod into a Portable University
You can’t earn a college degree just by watching iPod videos (at least, not yet). But if it’s pure knowledge you’re after, there’s a veritable bounty of it available at the “iTunes University” section of Apple’s iTunes store, tuition-free. iTunes U isn’t new—Apple launched it on May 30, 2007, the same day it introduced iTunes … Continue reading “Turn your iPhone or iPod into a Portable University”
Back from Vacation, Technology Alliance’s Susannah Malarkey Delivers the Goods On Startups
Susannah Malarkey had a relaxing vacation. How I can tell? The executive director of the Technology Alliance had such a restorative eight-day experience with family in central Oregon that when we sat down for coffee yesterday, and I asked for names of the most intriguing startups she’s seen lately, she drew a blank. I was … Continue reading “Back from Vacation, Technology Alliance’s Susannah Malarkey Delivers the Goods On Startups”
Biogen Idec, Elan Report Two New Cases of Rare Brain Infection in Tysabri Patients
Cambridge, MA-based Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) and Ireland’s Elan reported some serious bad news this afternoon on their multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri. Two new patients taking the drug in Europe have developed the rare and often fatal brain infection progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, or PML, according to a regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. … Continue reading “Biogen Idec, Elan Report Two New Cases of Rare Brain Infection in Tysabri Patients”
Amazon’s Mechanical Turk Opens Up to the Masses
Yesterday Amazon announced it has created a Web interface that makes its “Mechanical Turk” service easier for businesses to use. Until now, companies needed software coding expertise to set up and manage the service, whereby anonymous Web users can sign up to perform small tasks for small payments. In Boston, Wade recently wrote about one … Continue reading “Amazon’s Mechanical Turk Opens Up to the Masses”
Daily TIPs: GENI Grant, Facebook for Nerds, Hacker Trial, & More
NSF Grant Supports Study of Next Generation Internet A project to re-think the Internet from the ground up has received $12 million in funding from the National Science Foundation. The Associated Press reports that the money will go toward developing prototypes for the Global Environment for Network Innovations, a testbed to try out new networking … Continue reading “Daily TIPs: GENI Grant, Facebook for Nerds, Hacker Trial, & More”
Modumetal Grows Nanotech Metals for Military, Aiming To Make Parts For Your Car
How would you like to grow your own bulletproof vest? If you’re interested, Christina Lomasney can hook you up. OK, the technology might be a bit pricey for civilian use, but talk to soldiers and military leaders and it’s a different story. Lomasney’s company, Seattle-based Modumetal, is developing a new kind of “nanotech metal” that’s … Continue reading “Modumetal Grows Nanotech Metals for Military, Aiming To Make Parts For Your Car”
Dendreon Holds Its Breath, Big Provenge Clinical Trial Result Coming In October
Dendreon’s David Urdal never fails to give off the impression that he’s a ballast for the company, at least in the dozens of times I’ve interviewed him in the past seven years. The even-keeled chief scientific officer has lived through all the ups and downs since he joined the Seattle biotech company back in its … Continue reading “Dendreon Holds Its Breath, Big Provenge Clinical Trial Result Coming In October”
In-Q-Tel Backs Veracode’s Binary Code Review Technology
Veracode, a Burlington, MA, startup that looks for security flaws in software by analyzing its raw binary code, announced this week that In-Q-Tel, a venture investing group spawned by the CIA, has made a strategic investment in the company. The amount of the investment was not disclosed. But as we explained in a story last … Continue reading “In-Q-Tel Backs Veracode’s Binary Code Review Technology”
Q Robotics Emerges from Stealth Mode, Tries To Go One Step Beyond Roomba
The future of robotics lies in… arranging potted plants? Surprising, but it just might be true. Tonight at the MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge, a small company called Q Robotics, based in Groton, MA, gave its first public presentation on the technology it has been developing for the past year and a half. Founded by … Continue reading “Q Robotics Emerges from Stealth Mode, Tries To Go One Step Beyond Roomba”
Y Combinator Alum Omnisio Joins Google’s YouTube
The latest win for Y Combinator, Paul Graham’s Mountain View, CA- and Cambridge, MA-based startup incubator, is Omnisio, a California Internet video startup that announced today that it’s been acquired by Google, which plans to fold it into YouTube. The companies didn’t report the purchase price, but TechCrunch is saying that it was in the … Continue reading “Y Combinator Alum Omnisio Joins Google’s YouTube”
Daily TIPs: Will Wi-Fi Rule?, Blogging from the Top, Nanotech Safety, & More
AT&T to Shut Off Wireless Peer-to-Peer Users While the Federal Communications Commission is deciding whether to reprimand Comcast for slowing down the broadband service of customers sharing files over peer-to-peer networks, AT&T says it will completely shut off any of its wireless customers it catches sharing. IP Democracy says the company filed a letter with … Continue reading “Daily TIPs: Will Wi-Fi Rule?, Blogging from the Top, Nanotech Safety, & More”
Heading Home, Leaving Lobsters for Crayfish—But First a Nod to Shaker Innovation and Some Thoughts on Boston vs. Silicon Valley
Realizing that my visit to the USA is coming to an end in a few days, I spent the weekend hectically sightseeing around western Massachusetts and upstate New York. Even taking into account my big win—a net gain of $1.20 after expenses—at the Saratoga raceway, the most fascinating experience was my visit to Hancock Shaker … Continue reading “Heading Home, Leaving Lobsters for Crayfish—But First a Nod to Shaker Innovation and Some Thoughts on Boston vs. Silicon Valley”
Xconomy Goes to Sweden (Anybody Got Sox Tickets for Erik?)
Xconomy is on its way to Sweden. In our hearts, at least. Today marks the last day at Xconomy Boston for our Innovation Fellow, noted Swedish technology and business journalist Erik Mellgren, who will be returning home tomorrow night to Stockholm. We figure he’s doing some advance scouting for a future expansion to the Swedish … Continue reading “Xconomy Goes to Sweden (Anybody Got Sox Tickets for Erik?)”
Cold Space with Power: [2N+1] Opens Boutique Data Center in Somerville
When I pulled up to 35 McGrath Highway in Somerville, just a couple of doors down from Sav-Mor Liquors, all I found was a squat, brown, windowless concrete building and an unpaved parking lot. It was a hot day in mid-July, and I was searching for a new data center company with the geeky name … Continue reading “Cold Space with Power: [2N+1] Opens Boutique Data Center in Somerville”
The Future of Biotech Is in Rabbits, Says Entrepreneur Johnny Stine
About 40 miles north of Seattle, on a rabbit farm, Johnny Stine thinks he has found a disruptive force for biotechnology. He’s building a startup, called North Coast Biologics, around the idea—without a penny from venture capitalists or more than a handful of employees. Ridiculous, right? “I wouldn’t bet against him,” says Carl Weissman, the … Continue reading “The Future of Biotech Is in Rabbits, Says Entrepreneur Johnny Stine”
Microsoft’s Annual Cruise: Faculty Murmurs, Shooing Seagulls, and What Bill Gates Will Watch at the Olympics
On Monday evening, I had the pleasure of sailing the Seattle waterways with Microsoft and several hundred of its university-faculty friends. We were all aboard an Argosy cruise ship for a three-hour tour that took us from the city dock in Kirkland, WA, across Lake Washington; past the University of Washington; through the Ballard Locks; … Continue reading “Microsoft’s Annual Cruise: Faculty Murmurs, Shooing Seagulls, and What Bill Gates Will Watch at the Olympics”
Icahn’s Nominee to Yahoo’s Board Winds up on Biogen Idec’s, Epix CEO Steps Down, Caliper Comes to Drugs’ Rescue, & More Life Sciences News
The theme of the week in New England life sciences news was tools and diagnostics. —Fresh off a proxy-battle win against activist investor Carl Icahn, Cambridge, MA-based Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) named former hedge fund manager Brian Posner to its board of directors. Posner was one of 10 people Icahn nominated to the board of … Continue reading “Icahn’s Nominee to Yahoo’s Board Winds up on Biogen Idec’s, Epix CEO Steps Down, Caliper Comes to Drugs’ Rescue, & More Life Sciences News”
Daily TIPs: Carbon Bootprints, Wireless Smut, Cheaper Batteries, & More
Smaller Carbon Bootprint Could Save Soldiers’ Lives, Says Army The Army is looking for ways to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions, with a goal of reducing them by 30 percent by 2015. Reuters reports that steps to reduce the so-called “carbon bootprint” would not only reduce the Army’s contribution to global warming, it might also … Continue reading “Daily TIPs: Carbon Bootprints, Wireless Smut, Cheaper Batteries, & More”
Guidester Takes New Name, $7.5 Million in New Funding
When we last wrote about Guidester, back in January, the merchandise search company had just hired a new CEO, John Federman, and was in the process of moving from New York to the Boston area. Now it’s going through another big transformation—changing its name (for the second time in three years), raising a $7.5 million … Continue reading “Guidester Takes New Name, $7.5 Million in New Funding”
BG Medicine, Targeting Clues in Blood, Aims to Predict Whether a Drug Will Help
Most biotech companies want doctors to write lots of prescriptions for their drugs. BG Medicine, a privately held diagnostics maker in Waltham, MA, sees opportunity in saying when that’s a waste of time and money. Take, for example, Genentech’s Avastin. The drug, the first of its kind to choke off blood supply to lung, colon, … Continue reading “BG Medicine, Targeting Clues in Blood, Aims to Predict Whether a Drug Will Help”
Microsoft Research Lab Opens Quietly Next to MIT, Director Says Area’s Intellectual Climate Like “Dry Timber” Ready to Ignite
A Microsoft research lab announced in February quietly opened its doors in Kendall Square earlier this month, although the company doesn’t plan an official coming out party until late September. It’s Microsoft’s first research outpost in the United States outside the West Coast and its sixth worldwide—and the lab’s leaders have wasted no time changing … Continue reading “Microsoft Research Lab Opens Quietly Next to MIT, Director Says Area’s Intellectual Climate Like “Dry Timber” Ready to Ignite”
Camping at Google: ISB Scientist Nitin Baliga Joins Elite Science Confab
You know you’ve arrived when Google invites you to headquarters in Mountain View, CA for a camp with 200 leading scientists, techies, and writers. Nitin Baliga, a rising star at the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, got the coveted invite to something called Science Foo along with better-known names like inventor Dean Kamen, technology … Continue reading “Camping at Google: ISB Scientist Nitin Baliga Joins Elite Science Confab”
ThingMagic’s New RFID Reader–A Step Toward the Internet of Things
ThingMagic may sound like an oddly whimsical name for a company that makes some of the key hardware and software behind radio frequency identification (RFID) systems—machines that have serious real-world jobs like tracking the hundreds of thousands of products that pass through the dock doors of Wal-Mart warehouses and other distribution centers every day. But … Continue reading “ThingMagic’s New RFID Reader–A Step Toward the Internet of Things”
Daily TIPs: Activist Librarians, Hospitals Get Health Conscious, Frankie Valli versus McCain, & More
No Business Too Small for Hackers, Report Warns Small and medium-sized businesses don’t believe they’re much of a target for cybercriminals, according to a report from security software maker McAfee. The study found that 46 percent of those surveyed didn’t think they had enough assets to make their businesses interesting to criminals. McAfee disagrees, says … Continue reading “Daily TIPs: Activist Librarians, Hospitals Get Health Conscious, Frankie Valli versus McCain, & More”
Epix CEO Resigns After Bumpy Road with Products for Depression, Alzheimer’s
Here’s a CEO resignation that caught me by surprise this morning. Epix Pharmaceuticals CEO Michael Kauffman stepped down as CEO and as a member of the company’s board of directors, as of last Friday, according to a statement from the Lexington, MA-based company. He left for the proverbial chance to “pursue other opportunities.” Kauffman, 44, … Continue reading “Epix CEO Resigns After Bumpy Road with Products for Depression, Alzheimer’s”
Venture Returns Shrinking in 2008
Venture capital funds are still more profitable for their investors than the stock markets, according to new statistics released today bythe National Venture capital Association and Thomson Reuters. But their profitability decreased during the first quarter of 2008. One reason is the increased difficulty of making an exit in the current economic conditions. “The IPO … Continue reading “Venture Returns Shrinking in 2008”
Caliper Bets Future on Tools That Light Up Genes Before Researchers’ Eyes
One of the hottest cancer treatments on the market today would have died in the lab if not for a drug discovery tool made by Hopkinton, MA-based Caliper Life Sciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CALP]]). The story, as told by Caliper CEO Kevin Hrusovsky, goes something like this: Sugen, a small Redwood City, CA-based biotech company later acquired … Continue reading “Caliper Bets Future on Tools That Light Up Genes Before Researchers’ Eyes”
Don’t Sell It, Gazelle It: Electronics Recycling Firm Second Rotation Recycles Itself
So, you bought a first-generation iPhone last summer, but now you absolutely must have the iPhone 3G. (Hey, I’m with you, man. I already got mine.) But what to do with your old, perfectly functional iPhone? You can sell it on eBay, if you want to go through the hassle. Or, starting today, you can … Continue reading “Don’t Sell It, Gazelle It: Electronics Recycling Firm Second Rotation Recycles Itself”
Winshuttle Is Doubling Revenues Every Year, Looking to Win the Data “Shuttling” Battle
It might be the most successful software startup you’ve never heard of. Last year, Bothell, WA-based Winshuttle was ranked 124th on the “Inc. 5000” list of fastest-growing private U.S. companies—and sixth in Washington state. It has been doubling its sales every year for the past four years, and now has some 400 corporate customers including … Continue reading “Winshuttle Is Doubling Revenues Every Year, Looking to Win the Data “Shuttling” Battle”
NeuroVista, Emerging from Stealth Mode, Unveils Technology to Predict Epileptic Seizures
[Updated and corrected: 1 pm Pacific 9/9/10] NeuroVista has said next to nothing in public about how its technology works, until today. After sitting down for an exclusive interview with CEO John Harris at his office in Seattle’s Fisher Plaza, all I can say is that if its technology is half as good as he … Continue reading “NeuroVista, Emerging from Stealth Mode, Unveils Technology to Predict Epileptic Seizures”
Daily TIPs: Heat Power, Browsing for Dollars, Wading Off Shore, & More
New Material Could Turn Waste Heat to Power Researchers at Ohio State University have created a new alloy with double the ability of previous materials to turn waste heat from power plants or car engines into electricity. Technology Review reports that the researchers added trace amounts of thallium to lead telluride, changing the material’s electrical … Continue reading “Daily TIPs: Heat Power, Browsing for Dollars, Wading Off Shore, & More”
Are You Ready to Give Up Cable TV for Internet Video?
That’s the question I’ve been asking myself lately. Partly, it’s because my 12-month introductory rate from Comcast just expired, putting my yearly cable bill into the $1,000 range. That’s a lot to stomach, especially considering that about a third of the content coming down the co-ax is commercials. A friend says that I just need … Continue reading “Are You Ready to Give Up Cable TV for Internet Video?”
From Tech to Biotech: Former Corbis CEO Steve Davis Tackles Global Health With IDRI
Steve Davis got some funny looks in May after word spread of his latest career move. The former CEO of Corbis, the digital image company backed by Bill Gates, has a reputation as a strategic thinker in Seattle’s business and community circles. He serves on the boards of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, PATH, … Continue reading “From Tech to Biotech: Former Corbis CEO Steve Davis Tackles Global Health With IDRI”
Biogen Idec Adds New Board Member: Another Line of Defense From Icahn?
Biogen Idec just added a member to its board of directors. Boring, you say. So what? Ok, given that the Cambridge, MA-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) just emerged triumphant last month from a blistering fight with billionaire investor Carl Icahn, who wanted to take over three of the company’s 12 board seats, we couldn’t help … Continue reading “Biogen Idec Adds New Board Member: Another Line of Defense From Icahn?”
Led by Neil Roseman, Evri Wants to Understand Content of Every Web Page (and Connections Between Them)
First of all, please don’t call it a search company. Not even a “semantic” search company (one that uses natural-language processing of text), which is what its technology is based on. Evri, a Seattle startup backed by Paul Allen’s Vulcan Capital, is about more than search—it’s about browsing, understanding content, and “connecting the rest of … Continue reading “Led by Neil Roseman, Evri Wants to Understand Content of Every Web Page (and Connections Between Them)”
Cloud Computing: The Coming IT Cambrian Explosion
Cloud computing continues to be a very hot subject. I recently participated in Xconomy’s conference on “The Promise and Reality of Cloud Computing,” and it was clear from the discussion that something big and profound seems to be going on, although we are not totally sure what it is yet. Some of us feel that … Continue reading “Cloud Computing: The Coming IT Cambrian Explosion”
Visual I|O Brings Your Data to Life Through Visual Experimentation
In February 2006, Swedish physician, statistician, and global health expert Hans Rosling brought down the house at TED (the Technology, Entertainment, and Design conference in Monterey, CA) with a presentation on health and economic trends in developing nations. But it wasn’t the content of the presentation so much as the software he was using that … Continue reading “Visual I|O Brings Your Data to Life Through Visual Experimentation”
Daily TIPs: Cow Patties and Corncobs, Insecure Banking, Google Drives Green, & More
Companies Developing Wireless HD Standard As wireless high-definition video emerges, various groups within the industry are competing to create a standard on which wireless HD devices will operate. Ars Technica says that Hitachi, Motorola, Samsung, Sharp, and Sony have come together to support a standard being developed by Israeli startup Amimon. The company says its … Continue reading “Daily TIPs: Cow Patties and Corncobs, Insecure Banking, Google Drives Green, & More”
GT Solar Sees Partly Sunny Stock-Market Debut
Shares of GT Solar headed south after their debut this morning on the NASDAQ exchange ([[ticker:SOLR]]). Of course, making it to the public market at all is an accomplishment in this economic climate; the Merrimack, NH-based manufacturer of equipment for producing photovoltaic panels is the first venture- or PE-backed firm in the whole country to … Continue reading “GT Solar Sees Partly Sunny Stock-Market Debut”