Microsoft is acquiring cybersecurity startup Hexadite for $100 million, according to a report by Israeli publication Calcalist. Xconomy has not yet confirmed the report. A Microsoft spokesperson said the company has “nothing to share at this time.” Hexadite CEO and co-founder Eran Barak and the company’s public relations representative have not yet responded to requests for … Continue reading “Report: Microsoft Buying Cybersecurity Firm Hexadite for $100M”
Category: National
New Rackspace CEO Joe Eazor Previously Held Roles at EarthLink, EMC
San Antonio—Cloud computing company Rackspace has a new CEO: Joe Eazor, who was most recently the CEO of EarthLink, the company best known for providing dial-up Internet since the 1990s. Eazor is replacing Taylor Rhodes, who left Rackspace this month to take the top job at Chicago-based software company SMS Assist. Rackspace President Jeff Cotten, … Continue reading “New Rackspace CEO Joe Eazor Previously Held Roles at EarthLink, EMC”
Around Texas: Joseph Kopser, Mark Cuban, REVtech, Founder Institute
—Mark Cuban has led a $1.5 million seed funding round in an Austin IT startup, along with investors such as data.world founder Brett Hurt and Barracuda Networks. Meta SaaS provides reports and alerts on abandoned, underutilized, or redundant software licenses before they are auto-renewed, the company says. “SaaS has solved numerous business problems, but it … Continue reading “Around Texas: Joseph Kopser, Mark Cuban, REVtech, Founder Institute”
Analysis: Are Today’s Automobile Companies More Like Nokia or Apple?
As the CEO shake-up at Ford was unfolding this week—Mark Fields was ousted from the top spot in favor of Jim Hackett, who had been leading the automaker’s self-driving car and mobility efforts—Silicon Valley investor Marc Andreessen issued a sick burn: “Today’s car makers are like Nokia—right before it was crushed by Apple.” Ouch. Andreessen … Continue reading “Analysis: Are Today’s Automobile Companies More Like Nokia or Apple?”
Silicon Valley’s LifeSite Snaps Up Personal-Data App Mustbin
A new acquisition in the Boston tech scene today: Mustbin, a mobile app for organizing and securing personal data such as photos and documents, is getting bought by LifeSite, a “digital vault” startup based in Mountain View, CA. Terms of the deal aren’t being disclosed. The deal is an “asset-only” acquisition, according to a spokeswoman, … Continue reading “Silicon Valley’s LifeSite Snaps Up Personal-Data App Mustbin”
Zesty Reinvents Itself With New Cash for Automated Web Tech
Zesty.io, a San Diego Web development firm, has raised $1.3 million in seed funding to spin out its consulting business, and focus instead on providing its core Web content management technology as a subscription-based software-as-a-service. CEO Randy Apuzzo said Zesty changed from a Web development firm to to SaaS in 2015, with the guidance of … Continue reading “Zesty Reinvents Itself With New Cash for Automated Web Tech”
Unconventional Partners, Like FDA, Can Drive Adoption of New Tech
We’ve heard it time and again. Drug development is too expensive, takes too long, and many drug candidates that show promise in preclinical trials end up failing because testing methods don’t predict how they will work in humans. Recently, new technologies have emerged that offer disruptive potential for steering the development of drugs in more … Continue reading “Unconventional Partners, Like FDA, Can Drive Adoption of New Tech”
Gottlieb Says FDA’s “Regulatory Tools” Can Help Fight Opioid Abuse
The FDA considers how safe and effective a new drug is before approving it. But for addictive opioid painkillers, which have triggered a massive public health crisis, should the agency also weigh the potential for the medication to be abused? That’s one of the questions that new FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb is posing as he … Continue reading “Gottlieb Says FDA’s “Regulatory Tools” Can Help Fight Opioid Abuse”
FDA Landmark Nod: Cancer Drug To Match Tumor Genes, Not Tissue Type
For many years, doctors and researchers have known that cancers in different parts of the body can share genetic abnormalities. For the first time, the FDA has approved a drug based on those abnormalities and not on the organ in which the cancer originated. It’s a moment that a lot of people in the cancer … Continue reading “FDA Landmark Nod: Cancer Drug To Match Tumor Genes, Not Tissue Type”
Interactions Buys Digital Roots to Bolster Social Media Offerings
Interactions, a Franklin, MA-based company using artificial intelligence technologies to power virtual assistants for enterprise customers, today announced it has acquired Digital Roots, a metro Detroit startup focused on AI-based customer engagement on social media. The specific terms of the deal were not disclosed. Digital Roots is headquartered in Northville, MI, in a building that … Continue reading “Interactions Buys Digital Roots to Bolster Social Media Offerings”
American Robotics Scouts Out $1.1M to Bring A.I. to Farm Drones
Drones are opening up the skies to farmers who want better ways to monitor their crops. But even though flying a drone over a field is less labor-intensive than walking through one, Reese Mozer says that current drones still take too much time and effort for farmers to use. Mozer, founder and CEO of American … Continue reading “American Robotics Scouts Out $1.1M to Bring A.I. to Farm Drones”
Not Resting on Hemophilia Biz, Bioverativ Pays $400M For True North
Less than four months into its existence, Biogen spinoff Bioverativ has made its first big splash. The company has acquired True North Therapeutics, a privately held South San Francisco, CA, biotech, as part of a plan to forge an identity around rare blood diseases, not the core hemophilia business it was built on. Waltham, MA-based … Continue reading “Not Resting on Hemophilia Biz, Bioverativ Pays $400M For True North”
ViaCyte Raises $10M, Moves to Human Trial with New Diabetes Product
San Diego-based ViaCyte said it is ready to move into human testing with a new product intended for patients with Type 1 diabetes who are at high risk for acute, life-threatening complications from severe episodes of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). ViaCyte said Monday that healthcare regulators in both the United States and Canada have permitted … Continue reading “ViaCyte Raises $10M, Moves to Human Trial with New Diabetes Product”
Startup Accelerator Gener8tor Explores Possible Expansion to Indiana
Gener8tor, a Wisconsin-based group that runs training programs for early-stage companies and invests in them, is considering bringing those programs to Indianapolis. The organization is still finalizing its decision about whether to expand into the Hoosier State. But if Gener8tor elects to do so, it will likely open an Indianapolis office by early 2018 and … Continue reading “Startup Accelerator Gener8tor Explores Possible Expansion to Indiana”
Rackspace’s Former CEO Rhodes Takes Top Job at Chicago’s SMS Assist
San Antonio—Taylor Rhodes, the former Rackspace CEO who resigned at the beginning of this month, is taking the helm of a Chicago-based company, SMS Assist, which has software that aims to help large business chains manage maintenance and property management services for their buildings. Rhodes had served as the CEO of San Antonio-based Rackspace since … Continue reading “Rackspace’s Former CEO Rhodes Takes Top Job at Chicago’s SMS Assist”
Trump’s Cybersecurity Czar Talks WannaCry, Industry Partnerships
The Trump administration’s plan for strengthening the nation’s cyber defenses is starting to come into focus. Rob Joyce, a special assistant to the president and the White House’s cybersecurity coordinator, spoke in Boston Monday at an event promoting the launch of CyberMA, a Massachusetts affiliate of the national CyberUSA initiative. CyberMA is a MassTLC-led group … Continue reading “Trump’s Cybersecurity Czar Talks WannaCry, Industry Partnerships”
Celgene’s Data Could Lead To New Option For Multiple Sclerosis Patients
Celgene reported Monday that an experimental pill for the main type of multiple sclerosis met its main goals in a two-year study. By the end of the year, the Summit, NJ, drugmaker will ask the FDA to consider the drug, ozanimod, for approval. The Celgene (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CELG]]) drug is being tested in patients with relapsing … Continue reading “Celgene’s Data Could Lead To New Option For Multiple Sclerosis Patients”
With $29M in New Cash, Echodyne Advances “Radar Vision” for Machines
[Updated, 5/23/17, 5:50am. See below] One of the Northwest’s most intriguing startups has a new wad of cash. Bellevue, WA-based Echodyne said it has raised $29 million in Series B funding led by New Enterprise Associates. The company’s previous investors also participated in the round; they include Bill Gates, Paul Allen’s Vulcan Capital, Madrona Venture … Continue reading “With $29M in New Cash, Echodyne Advances “Radar Vision” for Machines”
Envision the Future: Request Your Invite to Our Napa Summit June 8-9
We are getting down to the wire—just two and a half weeks until Xconomy’s most unique, up close and personal event of the year: our sixth annual Napa Summit: The Xconomy Retreat on Technology, Jobs, and Growth. We have only about 20 spots left open, and a number of those will likely go fast. So … Continue reading “Envision the Future: Request Your Invite to Our Napa Summit June 8-9”
What’s Next for American Workers as Trade, Automation Roil Manufacturing?
When Donald Trump heralded Ford’s announcement earlier this year that it would invest $1.2 billion in its Michigan plants, it was seen by some as the fulfillment of campaign promises to “bring jobs back” and put America first. Last week, the other shoe dropped with reports that Ford will cut 10 percent of its global … Continue reading “What’s Next for American Workers as Trade, Automation Roil Manufacturing?”
Radius Shares Jump as Amgen’s Bone Drug Suffers a Setback in Phase 3
Amgen revealed late Sunday that safety problems have emerged in clinical testing of its closely watched osteoporosis drug, romosozumab (Evenity)—a development that will at minimum delay the drug’s path to approval, if not keep it off the market altogether. The Thousand Oaks, CA, company said while romosozumab met its main goal and some key secondary … Continue reading “Radius Shares Jump as Amgen’s Bone Drug Suffers a Setback in Phase 3”
Five Questions For … Austin Serial Entrepreneur Higinio “HO” Maycotte
Austin—Family lore holds that HO Maycotte’s great-grandfather shot off the leg of Pancho Villa, a Mexican revolutionary. Maycotte, a serial entrepreneur based in Austin, grew up in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, in a military-turned-entrepreneurial family. His family established the first hotel there as well as arts schools and a golf course. “It was an … Continue reading “Five Questions For … Austin Serial Entrepreneur Higinio “HO” Maycotte”
Cook Medical Gets FDA OK for Device to Treat Rare Birth Defect
In rare instances, a baby’s esophagus develops improperly during pregnancy, leaving a gap in this tube connecting the throat to the stomach. Babies born with this condition can’t eat by mouth, and they require surgery to repair the defect. Bloomington, IN-based Cook Medical recently received FDA approval for a new medical device that offers a … Continue reading “Cook Medical Gets FDA OK for Device to Treat Rare Birth Defect”
Gener8tor, StartingBlock, Wicab, & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist
Catch up on news from Wisconsin’s innovation community with these recent headlines: —Gener8tor, which has run training programs for entrepreneurs in Wisconsin and Minnesota, graduated five startups from its core accelerator program. Descriptions of the companies, which had been working from Gener8tor’s office in Madison since February, are available here. See articles in the Wisconsin … Continue reading “Gener8tor, StartingBlock, Wicab, & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist”
Where Do WI And Milwaukee, Last In Startup Activity, Go From Here?
Call it a “three-peat,” a losing streak, or what you will. Just don’t call it a surprise. On Thursday, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation released its latest ranking of startup activity by state. For the third consecutive year, Wisconsin finished in last place. Many of the reactions from members of the state’s early-stage business and … Continue reading “Where Do WI And Milwaukee, Last In Startup Activity, Go From Here?”
Week in Review: Remembering the Seattle of Chris Cornell and Grunge
Seattle mourns the death of Chris Cornell, the Soundgarden front man and Seattle native synonymous with the city’s grunge sound. Some thoughts on that below, but first tech news including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s visit to the Microsoft CEO Summit; results from the Seattle Angel Conference; new leadership at the University of Washington’s entrepreneurship … Continue reading “Week in Review: Remembering the Seattle of Chris Cornell and Grunge”
Bio Roundup: Termeer Tribute, ASCO Peeks, Califf’s New Gigs & More
Exhausted by the nonstop drama in Washington, DC? Immerse yourself instead in this week’s biotech headlines. Let’s start with a tribute to a life sciences icon, then we’ll head around the Xconomy network with early news from the nation’s big yearly cancer meeting. There was also momentum onthe IPO front and new gigs for high-profile … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Termeer Tribute, ASCO Peeks, Califf’s New Gigs & More”
The Reconfigurable Future of Healthcare
Data plays a more central role in healthcare than ever before. It won’t be long before every person’s genome is sequenced at birth, with follow-up sequencing done at regular intervals throughout life. Each genomic check-up would produce roughly 180 gigabytes of data that will need to be processed, analyzed, and stored. The promise of using … Continue reading “The Reconfigurable Future of Healthcare”
Boston Tech Watch: GE, HubSpot, Fuze, MIT, Vesper, Quickhelp & More
It was a busy week in Boston tech. Here’s a recap of some of the latest headlines: —GE Healthcare and Partners HealthCare announced a 10-year partnership to develop artificial intelligence tools to improve healthcare. The collaboration will initially focus on applying deep learning technology to diagnostic imaging, but could later expand to areas such as … Continue reading “Boston Tech Watch: GE, HubSpot, Fuze, MIT, Vesper, Quickhelp & More”
Aira Raises $12M to Expand Services for Blind and Visually Impaired
After beta testing technology that provides remote assistant services for the blind, San Diego-based Aira has raised $12 million in a Series B round that it says will enable the company to expand its service to thousands of visually impaired users this year. Aira takes advantage of the gig economy by connecting online independent contractors … Continue reading “Aira Raises $12M to Expand Services for Blind and Visually Impaired”
Could Seattle’s Life Science Expertise Support Clean Meat Industry?
The Pacific Northwest has the ingredients and the recipes for innovation in animal-free meats and proteins—but entrepreneurs and investors here have yet to don the chef’s toque. An event at the University of Washington’s CoMotion innovation transfer arm on Monday seeks to gauge interest among would-be innovators in the clean meat and plant-based protein. Advocates have … Continue reading “Could Seattle’s Life Science Expertise Support Clean Meat Industry?”
Menlo Ventures Says Small Is Beautiful For New $450M Fund
Menlo Ventures, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm investing in tech startups since 1976, announced today that it closed a $450 million fund that brings its capital under management to more than $5 billion. The new fund, Menlo Ventures XIV, will be devoted primarily to early-stage investments in both enterprise and consumer technologies. The firm’s … Continue reading “Menlo Ventures Says Small Is Beautiful For New $450M Fund”
Stem Pharm Aims to Add to Madison’s Stem Cell Past with Biomaterials
In the years since researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison derived the first human embryonic stem cell line, in 1998, numerous stem cell-focused businesses have popped up in the area. Each one has its own unique concentration, but the overarching goal of these companies is to develop and sell lines of stem cells, as well … Continue reading “Stem Pharm Aims to Add to Madison’s Stem Cell Past with Biomaterials”
Elliott Buys Into Health IT Firm Athenahealth, Sends Stock Soaring
Finding a healthcare company with the right technological know-how can be an attractive investment opportunity. That’s the thinking behind a move announced this morning by activist investor Elliott Associates, which bought a 9.2 percent stake in Boston-area health IT company Athenahealth (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ATHN]]). The news sent Watertown, MA-based Athenahealth’s stock up more than 22 percent … Continue reading “Elliott Buys Into Health IT Firm Athenahealth, Sends Stock Soaring”
Tackling Opioid Crisis, Biobot Wins Top Prize at MIT DesignX Event
Biobot Labs, a startup that aims to help governments address the opioid crisis by analyzing sewage samples to understand drug consumption trends, won first place Wednesday night at a demo event for the inaugural session of MIT’s DesignX startup accelerator. DesignX was launched last year by MIT’s School of Architecture and Planning to nurture ventures … Continue reading “Tackling Opioid Crisis, Biobot Wins Top Prize at MIT DesignX Event”
Study Stakes San Diego’s Claim in Genomics: $292M in 2016 VC Deals
Preliminary findings from an economic impact study show that genomics is emerging as a distinct innovation cluster in San Diego. The San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp. began collecting data for the report earlier this year in a bid to assess how genomics fits into San Diego’s innovation economy. Final results of the EDC study … Continue reading “Study Stakes San Diego’s Claim in Genomics: $292M in 2016 VC Deals”
Ex-Sarepta CEO Garabedian Returns to Run Bio Accelerator Xontogeny
Chris Garabedian, a veteran biotech executive who helped turn Sarepeta Therapeutics around before his controversial exit in 2015, has returned to the life sciences scene—this time with a new venture to form some biotech startups and help others find their footing. Garabedian is the chairman and CEO of a new Boston-based life sciences accelerator called … Continue reading “Ex-Sarepta CEO Garabedian Returns to Run Bio Accelerator Xontogeny”
After Saving GE Millions, Tamr Gets GE Ventures Investment
General Electric’s venture capital arm has invested an undisclosed amount in Tamr, the “data unification” software firm based in Cambridge, MA. Boston-based GE (NYSE: [[ticker:GE]]) tapped Tamr in 2014 to help it unify and clean up data from more than 270 separate systems across multiple GE businesses, with the goal of creating an accurate, comprehensive … Continue reading “After Saving GE Millions, Tamr Gets GE Ventures Investment”
Distil’s Are You a Human Acquisition Is Big Win for Tech Community
Detroit’s nascent tech community got a significant validation today as Silicon Valley cybersecurity company Distil Networks announced it has acquired homegrown, Dan Gilbert-backed startup Are You a Human. The specific terms and the monetary value of the deal were not disclosed, but Distil says it plans to open a new office in Detroit as a … Continue reading “Distil’s Are You a Human Acquisition Is Big Win for Tech Community”
Boundless Co-Founders Unveil New Startup, Blissfully, in New York
The Boundless boys are at it again. Ariel Diaz and Aaron White, who previously co-founded Boston education startup Boundless, have moved to New York City to pursue a new tech venture. The new company is called Blissfully, and it recently raised a $1.5 million seed funding round led by Eric Paley at Founder Collective. Blissfully … Continue reading “Boundless Co-Founders Unveil New Startup, Blissfully, in New York”
Check Out The Agenda for What’s Hot in Cancer Immunotherapy 2017
We have posted the agenda for What’s Hot in Cancer Immunotherapy 2017, which is taking place on June 14 at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Xconomy is gathering some of the field’s experts to assess the past and future opportunities and challenges when using the immune system to fight cancer—folks like Hans … Continue reading “Check Out The Agenda for What’s Hot in Cancer Immunotherapy 2017”
With Ransomware Concerns Fresh, Cybersecurity Firms Tap VC Funding
While a wave of cyber attacks like the coordinated “WannaCry” virus may be bad for business, it’s no secret that it means good business promotion for the cybersecurity industry. As cybersecurity stocks rose across the board Monday after a weekend full of hacks, a variety of startups rode the wave of interest in Web security … Continue reading “With Ransomware Concerns Fresh, Cybersecurity Firms Tap VC Funding”
Figuring It Out: Addressing Practices That Impact Women in Technology
The Women’s March, New Tech Northwest’s annual “Women in Tech” event, and International Women’s Day are just a few of the recent events prompting important conversations around inequality in the tech industry. These discussions, while breakthroughs in many regards, are still just the beginning of real change. I’ve gathered a number of ideas for what … Continue reading “Figuring It Out: Addressing Practices That Impact Women in Technology”
B of A Tracks Customs of P2P Users As Banks Ready To Take On Venmo
More than 70 percent of people surveyed recently think that children now under age 10 won’t be writing any checks to pay their debts when they grow up—even when the folks they owe are close friends or family members. It’s not that the majority in that poll believe we’re raising a generation of deadbeats or … Continue reading “B of A Tracks Customs of P2P Users As Banks Ready To Take On Venmo”
Cybersecurity Firm Iboss Expands in Boston, Not Abandoning San Diego
[Updated 5/17/17, 4:53 pm. See below.] Iboss, a San Diego-based cybersecurity firm that opened a small satellite office in Boston last year, has expanded its presence in Massachusetts and decided to designate the local outpost as its corporate headquarters. Iboss held an event Wednesday to announce that it’s moving into a new 20,000-square-foot space in … Continue reading “Cybersecurity Firm Iboss Expands in Boston, Not Abandoning San Diego”
Xconomy Bookclub: “Startup” Offers a Pointed Look at Techie Culture
Doree Shafrir’s novel Startup is set in New York City’s tech scene, but given its theme, there is, of course, a detour to Austin to attend South By Southwest. She describes it as “the tech industry’s five-day Super Bowl, prom, Oscars, and Coachella all wrapped into one, with breakfast tacos.” At this annual techie pilgrimage, … Continue reading “Xconomy Bookclub: “Startup” Offers a Pointed Look at Techie Culture”
Back To The Baseline? Ex-FDA Commish Califf Joins Verily As Advisor
In addition to a return to his old stomping grounds at Duke University, former FDA commissioner Robert Califf is going to work for Verily Life Sciences, the Silicon Valley R&D health group formerly known as Google Life Sciences. Verily published a blog post Wednesday in Califf’s name describing the vaguest outlines of his new gig. … Continue reading “Back To The Baseline? Ex-FDA Commish Califf Joins Verily As Advisor”
Stifling Immigration Is “Retrograde”: Highlights From “What’s Hot”
Drug pricing. The opioid epidemic. Boardroom diversity. Immigration crackdowns. The state of cancer care now, and in the future. These things aren’t just topics of conversation in Boston biotech circles, but nationwide. Connecting those two with some lively, candid discussions was the idea behind Xconomy’s “What’s Hot in Boston Biotech” event last week. Today we’re … Continue reading “Stifling Immigration Is “Retrograde”: Highlights From “What’s Hot””
Hurry & Save 20 Percent on New York Biotech Seizes the Momentum
We’re only two weeks away from New York Biotech Seizes the Momentum, which will take place Wednesday, May 31, at Alexandria Center for Life Science. If you’re already planning on attending, there’s no need to wait any longer—our Super Saver special ends soon and seats are filling up fast, so act now and save 20 … Continue reading “Hurry & Save 20 Percent on New York Biotech Seizes the Momentum”
Riding Recent Biotech IPO Wave, G1 Snags $105M to Fund Cancer Work
Cancer drugmaker G1 Therapeutics raised $105 million in an IPO last night, the latest development in a recent uptick of biotech offerings. G1, of Research Triangle Park, NC, sold 7 million shares at $15 apiece. G1 had to sell more shares than it had intended (6.25 million) to hit its goal, but still priced within … Continue reading “Riding Recent Biotech IPO Wave, G1 Snags $105M to Fund Cancer Work”