Recently, the Houston Technology Center asked me to join a panel discussion on “The Future of Telemedicine” at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. I was a bit surprised as I’ve never thought of myself as being part of the telemedicine industry. My business partner, Bryan Haardt, and I last year co-founded Decisio Health to sell software … Continue reading “They Still Call it Telemedicine? Tracking the Evolution of HealthIT.”
Category: New York
Agios Taps Wall Street Off Early Data, Aims For $75M
Agios Pharmaceuticals gave investors its first glimpse of encouraging, but early human clinical data a few days ago, and saw its shares soar as a result. Now, it’s looking to cash in. Cambridge, MA-based Agios (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AGIO]]) wants to raise up to $75 million through a public stock offering, according to a regulatory filing. Agios … Continue reading “Agios Taps Wall Street Off Early Data, Aims For $75M”
Venture-Backed IPOs & Late-Stage Investments Surged in Q1
Venture capitalists saw the public markets awaken in the first quarter, and they’re betting the trend will continue. A new report from New York-based venture capital research firm CB Insights counts 35 venture-backed IPOs through the end of March, more than any single quarter since the fall of 2000. Mergers and acquisitions were also strong, … Continue reading “Venture-Backed IPOs & Late-Stage Investments Surged in Q1”
NASA On a Mission to Seek New Ideas at Hackathon for Space Tech
Space can be a frontier—in a non-Star Trek way. Like gold miners of old, some technologists see opportunities for disruption and commercialization beyond our atmosphere. NASA’s annual International Space Apps Challenge, coming up this weekend, will be a chance for innovators around the world to spawn ideas that might boldly go amongst the stars. The … Continue reading “NASA On a Mission to Seek New Ideas at Hackathon for Space Tech”
State-Level Equity Crowdfunding: The Next Big Thing
Just a few weeks ago, Facebook’s surprise $2 billion purchase of virtual reality headset developer Oculus riled up some of the startup’s earliest financial backers, who said they got a raw deal while the founders got rich. We’re talking about pre-order backers on Kickstarter here, not investors. But if new equity crowdfunding rules had been … Continue reading “State-Level Equity Crowdfunding: The Next Big Thing”
The Rise of the “People’s Web”
Silicon Valley is one of the most dynamic engines of capitalism the world has ever seen. For decades, technology providers focused on creating cutting-edge hardware and software designed to optimize efficiency, productivity, and data-based knowledge for large corporations. But today, many technology innovators are also working hard to level the playing field by providing individual … Continue reading “The Rise of the “People’s Web””
Kauffman Study: Weaker Entrepreneurship Spells Stronger Job Market
The U.S. saw slightly fewer businesses created last year, but there’s a silver lining: the poorer numbers nationwide likely indicate that a stronger job market relieved some of the pressure on people to start companies out of necessity. That’s among the takeaways from the latest Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity, an annual study from the … Continue reading “Kauffman Study: Weaker Entrepreneurship Spells Stronger Job Market”
New York Wears Digital Heart on Its Sleeve, Talks Up Tech Job Growth
This spring, New York seems to want to prove it is a not-so-secret garden for technology. A study released last week paints a picture of a city with a chance to grow more rapidly—if it works harder at embracing technology. Several organizations—Google, the New York Tech Meetup, the Association for a Better New York, Citi, and … Continue reading “New York Wears Digital Heart on Its Sleeve, Talks Up Tech Job Growth”
Announcing Napa Summit 2014: Get An Invite to Xconomy’s Elite Confab
For the past two years, Xconomy has held an invitation-only event in the heart of California wine country with a general focus on the economy, emerging technology, competitiveness, and jobs—and spanning the range of topics we cover, from information technology to life sciences, healthcare, energy, cybersecurity, food, and much more (read on). We convene some … Continue reading “Announcing Napa Summit 2014: Get An Invite to Xconomy’s Elite Confab”
Updater Lands $3,000,000 Series A Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6ac43242-fc65-4792-b10e-662fd95cb427 Date 4/8/2014 Company Name Updater Mailing Address 1140 Broadway New York, NY 10001 USA Company Description Updater’s mission is to simplify the way we move. In addition to being America’s favorite change of address website, we continue to offer new and innovative features that fundamentally change the relocation process — making … Continue reading “Updater Lands $3,000,000 Series A Funding”
Crowdfunding Startups: Opportunities and Bottlenecks
There has been a bit of action for a while now in the crowdfunding world, and certain startups have been able to get themselves off the ground using Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and similar sites. By and large, these types of financings have gone to companies that are building physical products, digital games, and the like. Fundings … Continue reading “Crowdfunding Startups: Opportunities and Bottlenecks”
Little Pim Receives $800,026 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d89df9a8-372b-465f-982f-d5efd3de621f Date 4/7/2014 Company Name Little Pim Mailing Address 41 Union Square West New York, NY 10003 USA Company Description Little Pim Corporation is a language education and entertainment company that has developed a proprietary system of teaching second languages to children ages 0 to 6, the age that studies have shown … Continue reading “Little Pim Receives $800,026 New Financing”
Agios’s Blood Cancer Drug Shines in First Clinical Test
When David Schenkein left Genentech to lead Agios Pharmaceuticals in 2009, part of the draw was the fact that the Cambridge, MA-based startup was positioning itself as a trailblazer in a raw field of oncology—cancer metabolism. The idea, essentially, was to starve tumors by blocking the enzymes that help them gobble up nutrients. Five years … Continue reading “Agios’s Blood Cancer Drug Shines in First Clinical Test”
A Letter to the Year 2061 (If We Make It That Far)
Dear Citizens of 2061, If you’re reading this, congratulations. You’ve survived the first half of the 21st century, and you’ve evidently still got computers, libraries, virtual-reality visors, or some kind of communications system that enabled you to dig up these old scribbles. I have some questions for you. I know you can’t really write back, … Continue reading “A Letter to the Year 2061 (If We Make It That Far)”
East Coast Biotech Roundup: Berg, Forma/Celgene, Intarcia, & More
Big ambitions, and creative, risk-sharing deals—two concepts that often go hand in hand with biotech. They’re also the themes of two of the big stories on the East Coast this week. Those and plenty more below. —Drug discovery is expensive, time-consuming business. Framingham, MA-based Berg Pharma thinks it’s found a way to make it quicker … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: Berg, Forma/Celgene, Intarcia, & More”
Patients Are Customers. Who Knew?
I was finally getting to my giant pile of reading this week when I saw an article in Health Care Information Week that included the following sentence: As consumer satisfaction begins to have a bigger impact on the bottom line, more hospitals are hiring a chief patient experience officer (CXO) to treat patients like valued … Continue reading “Patients Are Customers. Who Knew?”
Ceros Lands $6,400,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=156082dc-4564-4dd4-b8f7-135ce6aed8ce Date 4/4/2014 Company Name Ceros Mailing Address 48 West 21st Street 6th Floor New York, NY 10010 USA Company Description Ceros is a SaaS technology company, solving big problems in the content and e-commerce marketing space. We obsess about how companies can better reach, engage, and convert ever demanding, always connected … Continue reading “Ceros Lands $6,400,000 New Funding”
Tablesets Receives New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=cfe69921-47fb-48ac-b52b-42b3faabb2d8 Date 4/4/2014 Company Name Tablesets Mailing Address 249 Main Street Huntington New York, NY 11743 USA Company Description Tablesets is an online retail platform for all things tabletop that allows tablesetters and customers to exchange tabletop setting and décor ideas to create unforgettable dining and entertaining experiences. Website http://www.tablesets.com Transaction Type … Continue reading “Tablesets Receives New Funding”
Blueprint’s Newest Grads Take Healthtech to Hospitals, ERs
Last month, a startup called WellTrackOne—one of the most recent grads to come out of Blueprint Health, the New York healthtech accelerator—bagged a $1.5 million Series A round led by Easton Capital. That nascent company is now on track to generate about $2.5 million in revenue this year. No surprise, then, that its CEO, Peter … Continue reading “Blueprint’s Newest Grads Take Healthtech to Hospitals, ERs”
Bloglovin Garners $7,000,000 Series A Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=32575f9d-c3c2-43c2-ae73-149016d591f6 Date 4/3/2014 Company Name Bloglovin Mailing Address Undisclosed New York, NY 10022 USA Company Description Bloglovin’ helps people discover and follow their favorite blogs. Today bloglovin’ has over 1,5 million members, 70% of them follow fashion blogs and over 90% of the members are female. Website http://www.bloglovin.com Transaction Type Venture Equity … Continue reading “Bloglovin Garners $7,000,000 Series A Financing”
OpenFin Obtains $4,000,000 Series A Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=eabe7d61-5c26-46eb-990b-7e38daa708ec Date 4/3/2014 Company Name OpenFin Mailing Address 25 Broadway 9th Floor New York, NY 10004 USA Company Description OpenFin provides runtime technology for financial desktops. The company’s patent-pending software enables financial desktop applications to be instantly deployable, interoperable and cross-platform while meeting the strict security and compliance requirements of financial institutions. … Continue reading “OpenFin Obtains $4,000,000 Series A Funding”
IgnitionOne Obtains $14,082,872 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8a7b430f-47f0-4d33-b232-a3ac73014658 Date 4/3/2014 Company Name IgnitionOne Mailing Address 32 Avenue of the Americas 25th Floor New York, NY 10013 USA Company Description IgnitionOne is a global leader in cloud-based digital marketing solutions providing world-class proprietary technology and expert services to improve digital marketing performance. Website http://www.ignitionone.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $14,082,872 … Continue reading “IgnitionOne Obtains $14,082,872 New Financing Round”
GameChanger Receives $6,800,000 Series B Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=86148bca-2881-40e0-8c32-ab4137be9cd1 Date 4/3/2014 Company Name GameChanger Mailing Address 86 Chambers St. 2nd Floor New York, NY 10007 USA Company Description Our mobile app and website provide scorekeeping, stats and team management for the coaching staff – plus live game updates, stats and recap stories for families and fans. Website http://www.gamechanger.io Transaction Type … Continue reading “GameChanger Receives $6,800,000 Series B Round”
Art.sy Secures $18,480,053 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=abaa3568-ba01-40c8-8bd0-bb86cae7f6bc Date 4/3/2014 Company Name Art.sy Mailing Address 902 Broadway 4th Floor New York, NY 10010 USA Company Description Art.sy is a new way to discover art you’ll love, featuring work from leading galleries, museums and private collections around the world. Website http://www.art.sy Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $18,480,053 Transaction Round … Continue reading “Art.sy Secures $18,480,053 New Funding Round”
Estimize Receives $1,064,977 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=51fa39e9-f40d-4622-89ab-f2342bc076c8 Date 4/3/2014 Company Name Estimize Mailing Address 175 Varick Street 4th Floor New York, NY 10013 USA Company Description Estimize is the first open source financial estimates platform. A diverse community of members from the top hedge funds and asset management firms, to independent analysts and investors, corporate finance professionals and … Continue reading “Estimize Receives $1,064,977 New Funding Round”
Ioxus Obtains $21,000,000 Series C Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=42889d40-ddc3-479f-8cf1-ca6b516ddb9a Date 4/3/2014 Company Name Ioxus Mailing Address 18 Stadium Circle Oneonta, NY 13820 USA Company Description Ioxus ultracapacitor devices are optimized for higher voltage levels that combine improved materials and provide simple solutions, with significantly enhanced performance. The IP-protected technology improvements offer markets a much higher performing product that is easier … Continue reading “Ioxus Obtains $21,000,000 Series C Round”
Note to Government: Mandate Cybersecurity, Then Get Out of the Way
The digital economy stands on uncertain ground. From Target to Adobe, cybercriminals have infiltrated the networks of some of the largest businesses in the United States, turning 2013 into a record-setting year for data breaches. Companies lost more than 800 million records in nearly 2,200 incidents, doubling the loss of the previous highest year, 2011, … Continue reading “Note to Government: Mandate Cybersecurity, Then Get Out of the Way”
Ultra Light Startups Future Energy Pitch Event
Future Energy Investor Feedback Forum sponsored by Shell International’s GameChanger Program in New York City is on April 9. Future Energy, is a series of pitch events that connects energy related startups with venture capital and corporate investors in the energy and clean-tech industries. Panelists include investors from Shell, GE, Khosla Ventures, Kleiner Perkins Caufield … Continue reading “Ultra Light Startups Future Energy Pitch Event”
Backed By a Billionaire, Berg Pharma Aims to Speed Drugmaking
Even in the brazen world of biotech, Berg Pharma stands out for its grand ambitions. Co-founder Carl Berg, the Silicon Valley real estate billionaire, says his namesake Framingham, MA-based startup is capable of “revolutionizing” healthcare. President and chief technology officer Niven Narain says that Berg can cut the time, and expense, of drug development “in … Continue reading “Backed By a Billionaire, Berg Pharma Aims to Speed Drugmaking”
Big Data Analytics and Cloud Computing Brought FinTech Jobs to NY
On Tuesday, the Partnership for New York City said technology has played a significant role in job growth in the city. According to a blog post from the partnership’s NYC Jobs Blueprint initiative, the city’s technology sector saw employment grow by 21 percent from 2006 to 2012. That outpaced the national rate of 12 percent in … Continue reading “Big Data Analytics and Cloud Computing Brought FinTech Jobs to NY”
Playing the CEO Card
When I was starting my second company, Sparkbuy, I was fortunate to meet a host of terrific technologists while shopping for a CTO. One of them was a brilliant guy named Adam Doppelt, one of the three co-founders of Urbanspoon. Adam told me that Urbanspoon never had a traditional CEO. They hadn’t raised money and … Continue reading “Playing the CEO Card”
NY Genomics, Health Tech, Get $160M in State Support
Who said there’s no cash lying around for New York biotech? Over the past few days, the New York Legislature has thrown $160 million in support behind life sciences growth in the Big Apple with two budget measures that’ll help advance genomic medicine and the establishment of the nation’s first statewide, centralized system of electronic … Continue reading “NY Genomics, Health Tech, Get $160M in State Support”
Foresite Capital Reloads With New $300M Late-Stage Biotech Fund
Just a year after plunging $100 million into a plan to back established biotechs and other healthcare companies, rather than bet on risker, nascent ones, Foresite Capital Management is back for seconds, announcing today that it’s closed a new $300 million fund to continue the same investment plan. The San Francisco, CA and New York-based … Continue reading “Foresite Capital Reloads With New $300M Late-Stage Biotech Fund”
Forma Gets $225M More, And a Potential Buyout, From Celgene
When Forma Therapeutics cozied up to Celgene last year, it looked like the Watertown, MA-based company had added another name to its list of partners and set itself up to potentially sell its own drugs someday, rather than just discover them for others. As it turns out, though, Forma got one more thing out of … Continue reading “Forma Gets $225M More, And a Potential Buyout, From Celgene”
ClassPass Lands $2,000,000 Seed Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0d3c7690-984f-49e4-8864-6e544d8bf8d6 Date 4/1/2014 Company Name ClassPass Mailing Address 121 West 27th Street New York, NY 10001 USA Company Description ClassPass is a membership program for fitness classes across multiple gyms and studios, making working out more accessible. Since launching in early 2013, ClassPass has facilitated over 60,000 reservations at 1,000+ different classes … Continue reading “ClassPass Lands $2,000,000 Seed Funding Round”
Tech Startups Bringing Information, Action to Disaster Recovery
When calamity strikes, emergency responders offer the most vital form of relief to those affected—but technology can also lend a helping hand. New tools are being created to find out what happened in a disaster and then take action, thanks to innovations startups have developed. That can mean anything from getting quick access to live … Continue reading “Tech Startups Bringing Information, Action to Disaster Recovery”
Appearing Briefly at Your Next Conference: “Whac-A-Mole” Speakers
Whac-A-Mole, for those of you who are not familiar with it, is a fast-paced arcade game in which mechanical moles pop quickly in and out of holes on a large board. You earn points by whacking them with a giant hammer whenever they pop out of their holes. You need really good reflexes to do … Continue reading “Appearing Briefly at Your Next Conference: “Whac-A-Mole” Speakers”
4 IT Mistakes All Startups Should Avoid
Information Technology (IT) can be a startup’s biggest asset. Take, for instance, the cloud, mobile devices, and social media—they have all opened up exciting new business opportunities for startups, while also offering them the tools to grow their business powerfully. Yet, we have seen multiple startups make critical IT mistakes. Consequently, their business operations become … Continue reading “4 IT Mistakes All Startups Should Avoid”
Grapeshot Obtains $3,300,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b044a985-de29-4074-9ec3-11c6dc2040ee Date 3/31/2014 Company Name Grapeshot Mailing Address 30 Wall Street 5th Floor New York, NY 10005 USA Company Description The Grapeshot founders first worked together in 1992, developing the commercial use of the Muscat software, first developed and installed on the University of Cambridge’s mainframe systems in the 1980s. Website http://www.grapeshot.co.uk … Continue reading “Grapeshot Obtains $3,300,000 New Funding Round”
Handshake Secures $8,000,000 Series A Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=54f3e6c9-6a0b-498e-bcd5-217545fef367 Date 3/31/2014 Company Name Handshake Mailing Address 627 Broadway 9th Floor New York, NY 10012 USA Company Description Handshake is a sales order management platform that lets your team write and receive orders on the iPad, iPhone and Web. Handshake is used globally by sales reps and teams selling B2B, to … Continue reading “Handshake Secures $8,000,000 Series A Round”
Kitchensurfing Lands $15,000,000 Series B Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=eef936f6-394a-4be1-a380-38f4c50c5f18 Date 3/31/2014 Company Name Kitchensurfing Mailing Address Undisclosed New York, NY 10001 USA Company Description Kitchensurfing is a global marketplace for people that love connecting over delicious food. Our goal is to unify the intimacy of a dinner party with the ease of walking into restaurant: Whether it’s a worry-free meal … Continue reading “Kitchensurfing Lands $15,000,000 Series B Financing Round”
CPXi Raises $30M, in Its First Funding Round, for Digital Ad Tech
Digital media holding company CPXi has raised $30 Million, its first outside funding. The sole investor in the round was the Business Development Corporation of America. On top of its funding news, New York-based CPXi also promoted chief marketing officer Jeff Hirsch to be its president. He will retain responsibility for overseeing marketing at the … Continue reading “CPXi Raises $30M, in Its First Funding Round, for Digital Ad Tech”
Think Like a Founder Before Becoming One
February 2014 will go down in history as a month with two huge startup exits: Nest (acquired by Google for a whopping $3.2 billion) and WhatsApp (acquired by Facebook for an even more whopping $19 billion). If you haven’t caught the startup bug, there’s a good chance you will have caught it after this. What’s … Continue reading “Think Like a Founder Before Becoming One”
East Coast Biotech Roundup: Neurophage, Boston Biotech, Insmed, & More
After two years of good vibes, rising valuations, and booming IPOs, biotech stocks finally began feeling the heat this week. Since last Friday, when politicians hammered Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GILD]]) for the price of its new hepatitis C drug, sofosbuvir, the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index has plummeted 10 percent. Is the worst over, or is a … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: Neurophage, Boston Biotech, Insmed, & More”
Sugary Foods Are Killing Us. The Internet, Not So Much.
When I’m jittery from too much caffeine, I don’t blame it on Starbucks. It’s not entirely Hershey’s fault that I have an unhealthy love of chocolate. And if, in a moment of idleness, I click on a headline like 35 Foods From Your Childhood That Are Extinct Now, I don’t blame BuzzFeed for wasting three … Continue reading “Sugary Foods Are Killing Us. The Internet, Not So Much.”
Split Secures $1,000,000 Seed Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=bf9a8ecb-6edf-4cb0-bb49-281e849bb49f Date 3/28/2014 Company Name Split Mailing Address Undisclosed New York, NY 10017 USA Company Description Split will let you know each time someone you’re avoiding is around and suggest an escape route. Split will display ‘hot zone’ map pointers on any location that the people you avoid tend to frequent. Website … Continue reading “Split Secures $1,000,000 Seed Funding Round”
CPXi Lands $30,000,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=fc94ccdc-2c34-4d55-a51e-818cb71eda1e Date 3/28/2014 Company Name CPXi Mailing Address 1441 Broadway 18th Floor New York, NY 10018 USA Company Description CPXi is a global digital media holding company with over a decade of experience connecting consumers with brands. Website http://www.cpxi.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $30,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes The … Continue reading “CPXi Lands $30,000,000 New Funding”
Lotame Garners $1,989,765 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=08cb2cc5-d821-45fa-814d-dfc6022a51e8 Date 3/28/2014 Company Name Lotame Mailing Address 440 9th Ave. 18th Floor New York, NY 10001 USA Company Description Lotame was constructed to deliver advanced revenue solutions in the social media space. Realizing that social media is continuously growing and evolving, Lotame has developed technologies that can adapt and learn from … Continue reading “Lotame Garners $1,989,765 New Funding”
Coinsetter Obtains $265,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8452c090-b968-4519-af0e-fd02fb7f4f18 Date 3/28/2014 Company Name Coinsetter Mailing Address 568 Broadway New York, NY 10012 USA Company Description Coinsetter is a funded NYC-based levered forex trading platform for bitcoin. We allow you to leverage your trades and short the market with our professional, transparent and secure platform. Website http://www.coinsetter.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction … Continue reading “Coinsetter Obtains $265,000 New Funding Round”
What’s Hot in Boston Biotech: Here’s the Agenda for April 16
There are plenty of reasons Wall Street is jittery that a biotech bubble is about to pop. But this bull market formed for a reason: innovative new science is sprouting up all over the biotech world, and some of it is on the verge of potentially delivering some real new treatment options for patients. With … Continue reading “What’s Hot in Boston Biotech: Here’s the Agenda for April 16”