LevelTen Energy, a Seattle startup making it easier for corporations to purchase renewable energy, has raised $6.8 million from investors. LevelTen aims to give more companies access to the power purchase agreements that sophisticated energy buyers such as Microsoft (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MSFT]]) negotiate directly with wind and solar energy developers, rather than buying power through an … Continue reading “LevelTen Raises $6.8M as Corporations Demand More Wind, Solar”
Category: National
250ok Raises $2.6M Series A, Plans to Expand E-mail Management Tech
E-mail is ubiquitous to modern corporate life, but despite its popularity, it’s not always an effective way to communicate. Between automated inbox filters that barely work, productivity-killing overload, and suspicious communications sent by malicious actors, e-mail can be a potential minefield without the proper visibility into how it’s functioning. That’s the premise behind Indianapolis-based 250ok, … Continue reading “250ok Raises $2.6M Series A, Plans to Expand E-mail Management Tech”
Boston Tech Watch: Akamai, DraftKings, Grapevine, M33, Zemcar & More
This week in Boston tech, we’re tracking another new growth equity fund focused on healthcare and software, acquisitions by Akamai Technologies and Grapevine, layoffs at video game maker Disruptor Beam, DraftKings’ expansion, and more. Read on for details. —There’s another new venture capital firm in town: M33 Growth announced it raised $180 million for its … Continue reading “Boston Tech Watch: Akamai, DraftKings, Grapevine, M33, Zemcar & More”
Wellpepper’s Voice-Enabled Scale Wins Alexa Diabetes Challenge
Seattle-based Wellpepper took the $125,000 grand prize in the Alexa Diabetes Challenge, a competition to develop voice technology specifically to help people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Wellpepper’s entry, called Sugarpod, is an interactive care and management plan, paired with a voice-enabled scale and foot scanner, that’s meant to help people with the disease … Continue reading “Wellpepper’s Voice-Enabled Scale Wins Alexa Diabetes Challenge”
Bridge Project Q&A: “Big Idea” Winners on Connecting Cancer Experts
In the Boston area, two major centers of academic cancer research are separated by the Charles River, which, as local residents know, acts as a barrier in many ways. On the Boston side, the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DFHCC) brings together researchers from seven Harvard-affiliated hospitals and schools, while in Cambridge, MIT’s Koch Institute for Integrative … Continue reading “Bridge Project Q&A: “Big Idea” Winners on Connecting Cancer Experts”
Vinod Khosla on A.I., Health, and the Future of Working (or Not)
Entrepreneur-turned-venture capitalist Vinod Khosla made big headlines almost six years ago when he wrote a blog post called “Do We Need Doctors or Algorithms?” In it, he said medicine needed to be reinvented and he predicted a new era in which artificial intelligence might replace most of the functions that doctors do now—and do it … Continue reading “Vinod Khosla on A.I., Health, and the Future of Working (or Not)”
Phrixus to Launch Clinical Trials for Duchenne Drug in Early 2018
After showing some early promise in treating European patients, Ann Arbor, MI-based Phrixus Pharmaceuticals, a startup developing drugs to treat cardiac and respiratory problems in young males with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, is preparing to launch U.S. clinical trials early next year. During the first quarter of 2018, Phrixus will dose the first patient with its … Continue reading “Phrixus to Launch Clinical Trials for Duchenne Drug in Early 2018”
Don’t Miss Your Chance to Save on Healthcare + A.I. on Nov. 2
In just a few weeks, Xconomy is going to host our newest event, Healthcare + A.I., at Pfizer’s offices in Cambridge, MA. The Nov. 2 event will bring together CEOs, doctors, academic researchers, and investors to discuss how artificial intelligence is being applied to the healthcare industry—and what’s coming next. We have a great lineup … Continue reading “Don’t Miss Your Chance to Save on Healthcare + A.I. on Nov. 2”
Healthcare + A.I. Northwest on Nov. 9: Agenda Highlights
Artificial intelligence—the catchall term for a broad swath of technologies imbuing computer systems with the capacity to perceive and act—is poised to upend industries across the economy. But nowhere is its promise more alluring than in healthcare, as the sweeping human endeavor of keeping ourselves well runs up against demographic and financial realities. Will A.I. … Continue reading “Healthcare + A.I. Northwest on Nov. 9: Agenda Highlights”
Montage, EatStreet, Solomo, & More: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist
Catch up on the latest news from Wisconsin’s innovation community with these recent headlines: —Delafield-based Montage Talent announced a partnership with Randstad Holding NV, a large human resources company based in the Netherlands that employs thousands of recruiters. Many Randstad employees already use Montage’s software for conducting video and phone interviews with job candidates, the … Continue reading “Montage, EatStreet, Solomo, & More: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist”
JLABS Takes Stock of Its Experiment in Life Sciences Innovation
What began as a kind of business experiment in innovation has acquired a life of its own. The idea in 2011 was to create a space at what was then Johnson & Johnson’s pharmaceutical research and development facility in San Diego for an “innovation center,” a place where 18 to 20 life sciences startups could … Continue reading “JLABS Takes Stock of Its Experiment in Life Sciences Innovation”
Join Xconomy in December for What’s Hot in Bay Area Biotech
The earlier a disease is spotted, the sooner it can be treated. New diagnostic approaches are promising ways for physicians to detect cancer earlier from a small blood sample. Advances are also reaching consumers, who now have new ways to learn what their genes or microbiomes can say about their health. Xconomy is bringing together … Continue reading “Join Xconomy in December for What’s Hot in Bay Area Biotech”
Five Questions For … Michael Webber, UT Professor and Energy Expert
Austin—As a freshman member of the University of Texas Longhorn Band, Michael Webber tried out for drum major. “They were all, ‘Who the hell is this guy?’” Webber recalls. “I didn’t get it but I was sending a signal: I’m on my way.” Webber tried out for the position each year and by his senior … Continue reading “Five Questions For … Michael Webber, UT Professor and Energy Expert”
Healthcare + A.I. at Pfizer on Nov. 2: Here’s the Agenda
Whether it’s drug companies trying to harness machine learning or doctors using software to make diagnoses, artificial intelligence is moving into healthcare—and moving fast. On November 2, Xconomy is gathering an elite group of technology and medical leaders to map out the future of healthcare and A.I.—for patients and doctors, startups and big organizations, and … Continue reading “Healthcare + A.I. at Pfizer on Nov. 2: Here’s the Agenda”
MIT Inclusive Innovation Awards Stress Optimism as Tech Reshapes Work
Digital technologies have helped create immense wealth and societal progress, but not everyone has shared in that prosperity. The MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy created the MIT Inclusive Innovation Challenge to highlight and support businesses and nonprofits that use technology to improve economic opportunities for people with low- and mid-level incomes. The winners of … Continue reading “MIT Inclusive Innovation Awards Stress Optimism as Tech Reshapes Work”
Bio Roundup: Light For Spark, California Drug Law, IPO Queue & More
In a year of tragedies across the U.S., natural or otherwise, it seemed this week was California’s turn. Fueled by high winds, low humidity, and ample dry vegetation, fires swept through several towns across the state and, as of this writing, have barely been contained. With our minds on friends and loved ones affected by … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Light For Spark, California Drug Law, IPO Queue & More”
Spark’s Gene Therapy to Restore Vision Wins Unanimous FDA Panel Vote
An experimental Spark Therapeutics gene therapy intended to treat rare eye diseases that lead to blindness has won the unanimous backing of an advisory panel to the FDA. Following a daylong hearing that included presentations from Philadelphia-based Spark (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ONCE]]), FDA staff, ophthalmologists, and patients, the panel of independent eye experts voted 16-0 on the … Continue reading “Spark’s Gene Therapy to Restore Vision Wins Unanimous FDA Panel Vote”
Jamf To Be Sold to Austin, TX-based Private Equity Firm
Jamf, a Minneapolis-based company that helps businesses set up and manage Apple computers and mobile devices that employees use for work, says it has agreed to sell a majority stake in the company to Austin, TX-based Vista Equity Partners. While Jamf is headquartered in the Twin Cities, it was originally based in Eau Claire, WI, … Continue reading “Jamf To Be Sold to Austin, TX-based Private Equity Firm”
Ikea Backs XL Hybrids in $22M Round as Commercial Fleets Electrify
[Updated 10/12/17, 4:53 pm, with CEO comments.] XL Hybrids, a maker of hybrid electric powertrains for commercial and municipal vehicles, is stepping on the gas pedal after pulling in $22 million in fresh venture capital. Furniture retailer Ikea Group and Constellation Technology Ventures—the venture capital arm of energy company Exelon—were among the investors in XL’s … Continue reading “Ikea Backs XL Hybrids in $22M Round as Commercial Fleets Electrify”
Bill’s Friends Pledge $30M, Name New UW Computer Building for Gateses
As Amazon looks beyond Seattle for a large part of its future growth, Microsoft is stamping its legacy on the region’s foremost engine of the innovation economy, University of Washington. The computer science department at the state’s flagship public research institution played a formative role in the early lives of budding programmers Bill Gates and … Continue reading “Bill’s Friends Pledge $30M, Name New UW Computer Building for Gateses”
Fueling Startups: New Firms Emerge on Texas Venture Capital Landscape
A perceived weakness in Texas’s startup communities is a lack of early stage investment capital available for budding tech entrepreneurs. Texas tech entrepreneurs share anecdotes about the difficulty they can have in securing funding. And data compiled by industry organizations show that venture capital activity in the state is a fraction of what is seen … Continue reading “Fueling Startups: New Firms Emerge on Texas Venture Capital Landscape”
Case’s Advice to Entrepreneurs? Persevere, Support Local Networks
Michigan’s tech startup ecosystem has come a very long way in the past decade—a recent report in Engadget took a fair, comprehensive look—but still lacks a few key ingredients, like a culture that embraces failure and entrepreneurial leaders who aggressively work to create a welcoming, collaborative community. Those were some of the takeaways from yesterday’s … Continue reading “Case’s Advice to Entrepreneurs? Persevere, Support Local Networks”
CarGurus Drives Off With $150M in Boston’s First Tech IPO of 2017
[Updated 10/12/17, 4:58 pm. See below.] Amid another sluggish year for tech IPOs, advocates of Boston’s tech scene can breathe a sigh of relief—the area won’t be shut out this year. CarGurus and its stockholders raised about $150.4 million in the company’s initial public offering, marking the Boston area’s first tech IPO of 2017. The Cambridge, … Continue reading “CarGurus Drives Off With $150M in Boston’s First Tech IPO of 2017”
OrthoPediatrics IPO Raises $52M for Medical Implants and Instruments
OrthoPediatrics is making its stock market debut today in a $52 million IPO that will support the company’s lineup of medical devices developed specifically for children. Warsaw, IN-based OrthoPediatrics priced its offering of 4 million shares at $13 each, the midpoint of its projected $12 to $14 range. Underwriters of the offering have the option … Continue reading “OrthoPediatrics IPO Raises $52M for Medical Implants and Instruments”
Seattle Biotech Blaze Bioscience Adds $16M for Clinical Trial Work
Blaze Bioscience, a Seattle-based biotech that’s developing “tumor paint” to help surgeons differentiate healthy tissue from tumors that should be removed, has raised a $16.1 million Series B-1 round of funding from existing investors, according a regulatory filing and the company’s CEO. The funds are being used to complete work on the company’s early-stage clinical … Continue reading “Seattle Biotech Blaze Bioscience Adds $16M for Clinical Trial Work”
Xconomy Q&A: Security Sleuth Stefan Savage Wins MacArthur Grant
After winning a MacArthur “genius” grant late Tuesday, the San Diego cybersecurity sleuth Stefan Savage acknowledged the honor “definitely triggers my imposter syndrome.” Savage, a computer scientist at UC San Diego (and a San Diego Xconomist), added in an e-mail Wednesday, “It’s very nice to see all the work that I and my collaborators and … Continue reading “Xconomy Q&A: Security Sleuth Stefan Savage Wins MacArthur Grant”
Merck Abandons Plans to Seek FDA Approval of Cholesterol Drug
Merck is pulling the plug on a cholesterol-lowering drug that met its main goal in a clinical trial but still raised questions about whether it would benefit patients. Kenilworth, NJ-based Merck (NYSE: [[ticker:MRK]]) said Wednesday that it won’t seek regulatory approval for anacetrapib, a drug that inhibits a protein called cholesterolylester transfer protein (CETP). By … Continue reading “Merck Abandons Plans to Seek FDA Approval of Cholesterol Drug”
VelocityTX Becomes Manager of Alliance of Texas Angel Networks
San Antonio—VelocityTX, the recently announced hub for entrepreneurs and startups in San Antonio, is taking over the operation and management duties of the Alliance of Texas Angel Networks, a group that coordinates 14 accredited angel investor networks across the state. VelocityTX will handle public-facing events and manage other activities for the angel network group, known … Continue reading “VelocityTX Becomes Manager of Alliance of Texas Angel Networks”
Promega, CEO Linton Return Fire in Legal Battle with Shareholders
[Corrected 10/12/17 4:21 p.m. See below.] A little over a year after a group of shareholders of the life sciences supplies business Promega sued the company, alleging malfeasance by founder and CEO Bill Linton, Promega has begun sharing its side of the story. In multiple counterclaims filed recently in Dane County Circuit Court, lawyers representing … Continue reading “Promega, CEO Linton Return Fire in Legal Battle with Shareholders”
Detroit Workspace Aims to Connect Mobility Startups, Auto Industry
Many tech companies are feverishly working to develop self-driving cars and other mobility-related innovations, but that’s only the first step. Once startups have a prototype or working concept, the next step is introducing it to the region’s automotive ecosystem—a complicated web of proprietary projects, collaborations, and legacy relationships that can seem impenetrable to outsiders. A … Continue reading “Detroit Workspace Aims to Connect Mobility Startups, Auto Industry”
AlertMedia Takes in $8M for Smartphone-Focused Notification Software
Austin—Emergency messaging provider AlertMedia announced this morning it is taking in $8 million in a Series B round of funding that was led by early stage investor Next Coast Ventures. The Austin-based startup was founded in 2013 and plans to put the new money toward sales growth and further developing its product, which is software … Continue reading “AlertMedia Takes in $8M for Smartphone-Focused Notification Software”
Android Founder on VR, Voice & the Future of Human-Machine Collaboration
Within 20 years, computer keyboards will be relegated to the technology dustbin, says Android co-founder Rich Miner. Miner helped shape the smartphone era with Android, a mobile operating system startup that Google acquired in 2005. Android software now powers over 2 billion devices. On Tuesday, Miner spoke at a mobile software developer conference in Boston … Continue reading “Android Founder on VR, Voice & the Future of Human-Machine Collaboration”
San Diego VC Funding at $426.5M in Third Quarter; Plus Top 10 Deals
The San Diego artificial intelligence company Brain Corp. topped the chart for raising the most venture capital in San Diego during the third quarter that ended September 30, according to Venture Monitor data released Tuesday. As Xconomy reported in July, Brain Corp. raised $114 million in a Series C funding round led by Softbank’s new … Continue reading “San Diego VC Funding at $426.5M in Third Quarter; Plus Top 10 Deals”
Mapbox, Bill.com, Standard Cognition, Empowered by New Cash
—Mapbox announced Tuesday it had raised a hefty $164 million in a Series C financing round led by the SoftBank Vision Fund, which was joined by Foundry Group, DFJ Growth, DBL, and Thrive. The new capital will speed up Mapbox’s progress in vehicle navigation and autonomous driving, enlarge its virtual reality and augmented reality gaming capabilities, and fund its … Continue reading “Mapbox, Bill.com, Standard Cognition, Empowered by New Cash”
FDA To Advisors: What If One-Time Gene Therapy Needs Extra Doses?
In the run-up to a key vote on an experimental gene therapy, the FDA raised no major flags about the drug’s track record but said its long-term effect remains an open question. That question should receive a thorough airing Thursday, when a meeting of FDA outside advisors will weigh a recommendation of the one-shot gene … Continue reading “FDA To Advisors: What If One-Time Gene Therapy Needs Extra Doses?”
KalVista, Merck Partnership on Blindness Drug Sends Shares Skyward
KalVista Pharmaceuticals has inked a partnership with pharmaceutical giant Merck for its lead drug, an experimental treatment for a complication of diabetes that can lead to blindness. According to the deal announced Tuesday, Merck (NYSE: [[ticker:MRK]]) will pay Cambridge, MA-based KalVista (NASDAQ: [[ticker:KALV]]) $37 million up front. Merck gains the option to acquire the diabetic … Continue reading “KalVista, Merck Partnership on Blindness Drug Sends Shares Skyward”
Voices of Harvey: “Can We Develop a Disaster Platform For The World?”
Houston—During Hurricane Harvey, ChaiOne founder and CEO Gaurav Khandelwal and his wife, Seema, hosted volunteer nurses who had come in from out of town to help provide medical care to storm victims. “For over three nights they keep going to NRG Park,” the Houston Texans stadium that served as a shelter after Harvey hit, he … Continue reading “Voices of Harvey: “Can We Develop a Disaster Platform For The World?””
Eli Lilly Drug Fails in Lung Cancer, Stalling Oncology Strategy
A cancer drug that Eli Lilly was positioning as a challenger to similar drugs from rivals Pfizer and Novartis has failed a late-stage clinical trial in lung cancer. Indianapolis-based Lilly (NYSE: [[ticker:LLY]]) said Tuesday that its drug, abemaciclib (Verzenio), did not meet the Phase 3 study’s main goal of improving overall survival in patients who … Continue reading “Eli Lilly Drug Fails in Lung Cancer, Stalling Oncology Strategy”
Q&A: Xconomy Award Winner Rob Perez On How Boston Biotech Can Get Involved With The Community
In 2015, as Rob Perez (pictured) was leaving Cubist Pharmaceuticals, he knew that he wanted to do more to make a difference in the Boston community. As Cubist’s chief operating officer and president (and CEO, briefly, before Cubist was acquired by Merck), Perez had a lot to do with getting Cubist employees involved outside of … Continue reading “Q&A: Xconomy Award Winner Rob Perez On How Boston Biotech Can Get Involved With The Community”
Black Fellowship Students Headed From HBCUs to VC Boardrooms
In mid-October, eleven college students will be flying to California for an opportunity that would be the envy of any Ivy League MBA candidate—they’ll meet the venture capital firm partners who will personally mentor them throughout the school year. The students—all but one are undergraduates—come from campuses in Prairie View, Texas; Tallahassee, Florida; and Nashville, … Continue reading “Black Fellowship Students Headed From HBCUs to VC Boardrooms”
Healthcare is Ready for Alexa, as Soon as HIPAA Issue Resolved
[Corrected 10/10/17, 12:51 p.m. See below.] A voice-enabled bathroom scale that can scan for diabetic foot ulcers uses Amazon’s voice service, Alexa, to instruct patients to step on when they’re ready to begin. In one test, a patient responded to Alexa’s prompt by declaring, “Ready when you are.” Anne Weiler, co-founder and CEO of Wellpepper, … Continue reading “Healthcare is Ready for Alexa, as Soon as HIPAA Issue Resolved”
VC Funding Surges in Fewer Deals in Third Quarter, and Top 10 Deals
[Updated 10/11/17, 12:25 am. See below.] “More dollars, fewer deals” has been a prevailing trend in venture funding over the past couple of years, and it was evident again in the three months that ended September 30, according to the latest Venture Monitor report. Venture firms invested $21.5 billion in 1,699 startups nationwide during the … Continue reading “VC Funding Surges in Fewer Deals in Third Quarter, and Top 10 Deals”
Blockchain, Banks & the New Web: Q&A With Ethereum Co-founder Lubin
Ethereum co-founder Joe Lubin is calm and soft-spoken when he shares his vision of how blockchain technology and digital currencies could transform the Internet, the global economy, and many aspects of our daily lives. But what he’s talking about could become a raging tempest, and it’s worth paying attention to—especially given the vast sums of … Continue reading “Blockchain, Banks & the New Web: Q&A With Ethereum Co-founder Lubin”
Steve Case’s Rise of the Rest Shines Spotlight on Emerging Tech Hubs
Steve Case, venture capitalist, author, and co-founder of AOL, is preparing to hit the road this week on his sixth Rise of the Rest tour, where he travels to emerging innovation hubs in search of investment-worthy tech startups and to highlight the growth happening outside of places like Silicon Valley and Boston. In the years … Continue reading “Steve Case’s Rise of the Rest Shines Spotlight on Emerging Tech Hubs”
San Diego Startup Uses Algae Feedstock to Make Renewable Flip-Flops
Every year, petroleum-based feedstocks are used worldwide to make roughly 3 billion flip-flops, the rubbery, flat-sole sandals held on the foot by a Y-shaped strap that fits between the first and second toes. It might seem like a throwaway product—and it is, according to Stephen Mayfield, a UC San Diego professor of biology and director … Continue reading “San Diego Startup Uses Algae Feedstock to Make Renewable Flip-Flops”
At Japan-Seattle A.I. Meetup, Caution Leavens Tech Optimism
The hype around artificial intelligence continues to inflate, even as technologies lumped under that broad and ill-defined heading begin to deliver real results. Meanwhile, there is a growing chorus asking technologists to proceed with caution—not so much because of fears stoked by Hollywood depictions of a malevolent computer intelligence out to destroy humanity, but rather … Continue reading “At Japan-Seattle A.I. Meetup, Caution Leavens Tech Optimism”
Awards, Water Council, TechSpark, & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist
Keep up with the latest news from Wisconsin’s innovation community with these recent headlines: —The fourth annual Wisconsin Innovation Awards, a program that seeks to recognize bright ideas from companies based in the Badger State, were held earlier this week. According to a press release, the ten category winners were chosen from more than 230 … Continue reading “Awards, Water Council, TechSpark, & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist”
Ag Secretary Perdue Hears Startups Call for More Research Support
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue’s visit to North Carolina this week put him on stage among entrepreneurs and academics that his office chose for the occasion, and they used the opportunity to bend his ear. Joy Parr Drach, a farmer who is also CEO of Advanced Animal Diagnostics, told him about the challenges facing … Continue reading “Ag Secretary Perdue Hears Startups Call for More Research Support”
Bio Roundup: Nobel Pursuit, Fundraising Fruit, A Rhythmic IPO & More
The 2017 Nobel Prizes with a biomedical bent were announced this week. Three researchers shared the physiology and medicine prize for their work shining light on the circadian rhythms that govern the wake-and-sleep cycles of all organisms. That basic research is working its way into applications such as drugs that help regulate our body clocks. … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Nobel Pursuit, Fundraising Fruit, A Rhythmic IPO & More”
Boston Tech Watch: Puerto Rico Aid, Doc Video Games, Applause Sale
[Updated 10/10/17, 12:09 pm. See below.] This week in Boston tech, we’re tracking a bunch of acquisition news, including a hint at Applause’s possible sale price; the arrival of a video game maker for doctors; a local tech company’s efforts to bring Puerto Rico back online after Hurricane Maria; and more. Read on for details. … Continue reading “Boston Tech Watch: Puerto Rico Aid, Doc Video Games, Applause Sale”