How can we possibly meet our growing energy demands without destroying the environment? Experts on wind, nuclear, hydropower, and other energy sources debate the most promising paths forward at this evening event. Speakers include Stewart Brand of the Long Now Foundation, Joe Fargione of the Nature Conservancy, and Jesse Jenkins of Breakthrough Institute. Register here.
Category: New York
MCG Quarterly Green Business Networking Event
The Manhattan Chamber of Commerce Foundation presents this breakfast panel and networking event. Speakers include Timothy Lezgus of Con Edison Company of New York, Jesse Ash of Greener Media, and David Levine of the American Sustainable Business Council. Register here.
Join Us for a Tweetchat Monday on Biotech Startups
[Update: 10:50 am PT] Biotech VCs had their chance to vent on Twitter last week about the sad state of affairs in financing startups, and now it’s time for the entrepreneurs to take their turn. So we’re bringing together a couple of top biotech startup executives, Carol Gallagher and Jason Rhodes, to share their thoughts … Continue reading “Join Us for a Tweetchat Monday on Biotech Startups”
Xconomist of the Week: 5 Questions with Sapphire Energy CEO Jason Pyle
November was a big month for news in the algae-based biofuels sector. On November 7, roughly four months after renewable fuels were approved for use in commercial aviation, United Airlines flew passengers from Houston to Chicago aboard a Boeing 737-800 powered by a mixture of algae-based jet fuel and conventional, petroleum-based fuel. Two days later, … Continue reading “Xconomist of the Week: 5 Questions with Sapphire Energy CEO Jason Pyle”
Regeneron Debuts Eye Drug, as Rivals Race to Grab Share of Hot Market
The folks at Regeneron (NASDAQ: [[ticker:REGN]]) had plenty to be thankful for the Friday before Thanksgiving, when late in the day, the FDA approved aflibercept (Eylea), the Tarrytown, NY-based biotech company’s drug to treat age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in elderly people. It was a happy ending to a long and sometimes frustrating … Continue reading “Regeneron Debuts Eye Drug, as Rivals Race to Grab Share of Hot Market”
Kogeto Brings Panoramic Video to iPhones With Its Dot iCONIC Lenses
User-generated videos are getting a new perspective, thanks to Kogeto’s Dot, a lens attachment that lets the iPhone 4 family of smartphones shoot panoramic footage. Jeff Glasse, founder and CEO of New York-based Kogeto has been busy in his offices in the Soho neighborhood developing what he calls an “ecosystem” for users to share videos … Continue reading “Kogeto Brings Panoramic Video to iPhones With Its Dot iCONIC Lenses”
Sociocast Lands $1,500,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8da4d770-eae7-4fe0-82fe-d84bd92f16e2&Preview=1 Date 12/1/2011 Company Name Sociocast Mailing Address 49 West 27th St 6th Floor New York, NY 10001 Company Description Sociocast delivers the most predictive real-time audience data available on the market today. We help content companies better define and become more relevant to their audiences – and enable them to quickly … Continue reading “Sociocast Lands $1,500,000 New Round”
Investor Feedback Forum and Pitch Showdown
Ultra Light Startups presents and evening of pitches and networking. Featured companies include Taap.it, Resoomay, and Brainscape. Panelists include Greg Cangialosi, CEO at Nucleus Ventures, Owen Davis, managing director at NYC Seed, Nihal Mehta, general partner at ENIAC Ventures, and Marc Michel, managing partner at Metamophic Ventures. Register here.
You’ll Be Dead Soon-Carpe Diem
Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything—all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure—these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. —Steve Jobs Watching an … Continue reading “You’ll Be Dead Soon-Carpe Diem”
Startups and VCs to Gather for Xconomy’s New York Venture Emergence Forum
Silicon Valley may get the lion’s share of attention when it comes to tech and biotech startups, but as has been clear since well before we launched Xconomy New York in April, the Big Apple has plenty to brag about, too. Take, for example, Gilt Groupe, the fashion e-commerce site that has raised more than … Continue reading “Startups and VCs to Gather for Xconomy’s New York Venture Emergence Forum”
Roche Embraces Three-Way Rare-Disease Play With PTC and Patient Group
Yesterday, European drug giant Roche and South Plainfield, NJ-based PTC Therapeutics announced they had entered into a drug-development pact that could be worth as much as $490 million to PTC. Such alliances are nothing new, especially these days, when Big Pharma companies are increasingly looking towards their smaller rivals for innovations. But this deal is … Continue reading “Roche Embraces Three-Way Rare-Disease Play With PTC and Patient Group”
CircuLite Pulls in $30M for Heart Device
Saddle Brook, NJ-based CircuLite announced today that it has raised $30 million in an oversubscribed Series D financing round. The company said in a statement that it will use the proceeds to support the anticipated 2012 European launch of a device it dubs “the world’s smallest surgically implanted blood pump,” which is used to treat … Continue reading “CircuLite Pulls in $30M for Heart Device”
NewsCred Lands $4,000,000 Series A Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0e10629f-4f92-448b-8f8a-3ad9cee3dce4&Preview=1 Date 11/30/2011 Company Name NewsCred Mailing Address 27 W 24th Street New York, NY 10010 Company Description NewsCred is a New York based media company focused on creating a single platform for the world’s news. Website http://www.newscred.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $4,000,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes Proceeds … Continue reading “NewsCred Lands $4,000,000 Series A Funding”
BarkBox, Led by Uber and Meetup Veterans, Bites Into Curated Gifts for Dogs
BarkBox in New York launched its website today ready to ship monthly boxes of new toys and treats to dog lovers who want to pamper their four-legged companions. Co-founder Carly Strife says subscribers will receive, for a fee, well-designed, curated products chosen by BarkBox. Though not affiliated with cosmetics sample service Birchbox, also in New … Continue reading “BarkBox, Led by Uber and Meetup Veterans, Bites Into Curated Gifts for Dogs”
VMTurbo Revs Up With $10M More from Bain, Highland
Waltham, MA-based VMTurbo, a maker of virtualization management software, said today it has closed $10 million in Series B financing led by previous investors Bain Capital Ventures and Highland Capital Partners. The company says it will use the new money to expand its product development, customer support, sales, and marketing. It has raised $17.5 million … Continue reading “VMTurbo Revs Up With $10M More from Bain, Highland”
NYeC Digital Health Conference
The New York eHealth Collaborative presents two days of educational sessions, technology showcases, and networking for private companies, health plans, hospital administrators and other stakeholders in health IT. The event will feature keynote speakers Todd Park, CTO, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, and T.R. Reid, journalist and author from The Washington Post. Register … Continue reading “NYeC Digital Health Conference”
EZBZ in Talks for Seed Funding Less than One Month after Launch
Shana Schlossberg believes her startup, EZBZ in New York, can help small businesses reach customers at the moment they are needed most. With its Web portal that launched on Nov. 8, EZBZ lets consumers post requests for goods and professional services that rival businesses make competing bids on as potential providers. Thus far, EZBZ is … Continue reading “EZBZ in Talks for Seed Funding Less than One Month after Launch”
Alkermes Spinoff, Civitas, Gets Michael J. Fox Support for Inhalable Parkinson’s Drug
For decades, people with Parkinson’s disease have been taking L-dopa pills to keep symptoms of the neurodegenerative disease under control. But now the Michael J. Fox Foundation is betting that a new form of the drug can be inhaled into the lungs to provide fast relief when the old standby isn’t getting the job done. … Continue reading “Alkermes Spinoff, Civitas, Gets Michael J. Fox Support for Inhalable Parkinson’s Drug”
Plastyc Garners $1,262,500 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ce14ad9e-56b2-4206-bb7c-c6a3f50b828f&Preview=1 Date 11/29/2011 Company Name Plastyc Mailing Address 55 Broad Street 23rd Floor New York, NY 10004 Company Description Plastyc Inc. is a privately held US corporation with a principal office in New York. Our mission is to collaborate with parents and merchants in offering teenagers state-of-the-art payment and commerce-assistance services that … Continue reading “Plastyc Garners $1,262,500 New Funding Round”
Social Passport Goes After Retailers and Consumers with Its Own Take on Loyalty Cards and Deals
New York’s Social Passport wants to appeal to retailers and restaurateurs who are not quite sold on the other check-in deal programs on the market. CEO David Merel founded the startup last December and brought his company’s technology out of beta this October. Thus far Social Passport has raised some $350,000 from angel investors, and … Continue reading “Social Passport Goes After Retailers and Consumers with Its Own Take on Loyalty Cards and Deals”
Cracking the Entrepreneur Code
[Editor’s Note: This article is a lightly edited transcript of a talk delivered by Ryan Howard, founder and CEO of Practice Fusion, at Morgenthaler Ventures’ DC to VC Healthcare IT Showcase on September 22, 2011.] At Practice Fusion, it took us three years to get to our first million dollars in revenue. Electronic health records … Continue reading “Cracking the Entrepreneur Code”
Versant Ventures’ Partner Cuts Back on Biotech Work to Spend Time With Family. For Real
You learn early in journalism that when a business leader says he or she is resigning to “spend more time with family,” it’s usually baloney. Maybe they clashed with colleagues, got a better job somewhere else, or are bailing out from a sinking ship. The shades of gray are rarely discussed publicly. Yet Versant Ventures’ … Continue reading “Versant Ventures’ Partner Cuts Back on Biotech Work to Spend Time With Family. For Real”
AppBoy Secures $1,000,000 Seed Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a93e0d83-03a8-4840-b281-52e4accf890f&Preview=1 Date 11/28/2011 Company Name AppBoy Mailing Address One Little West 12th New York, NY 10014 Company Description Appboy is an SDK and web offering that enhances mobile apps to help developers expand, engage and understand their user base. Website http://www.appboy.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $1,000,000 Transaction Round Seed Proceeds … Continue reading “AppBoy Secures $1,000,000 Seed Funding”
StyleCaster Lands $1,000,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=75228b3f-e67c-458c-a64c-19c5cf2d186c&Preview=1 Date 11/28/2011 Company Name StyleCaster Mailing Address 49 West 27th Street Studio A New York, NY 10003 Company Description The StyleCaster experience is uniquely tailored to each individual’s style DNA. With every click, StyleCaster learns about the products, news, and events that its members like. Website http://www.stylecaster.com Transaction Type Venture Equity … Continue reading “StyleCaster Lands $1,000,000 New Funding”
Lascaux, Funded by Betaworks, Launches Social Art App Mixel for iPad
There are plenty of art and photo-sharing websites and apps on the market, but New York startup Lascaux Co. believes its free app Mixel offers a fresh angle by letting users share images to create collages. The company was co-founded by Khoi Vinh, former digital design director with The New York Times, and Scott Ostler, … Continue reading “Lascaux, Funded by Betaworks, Launches Social Art App Mixel for iPad”
What Happens When a Herd of VCs Runs Away From Biotech? Highlights From Yesterday’s Tweetchat
[Corrected: 8:41 am ET] Turns out you can say a whole lot about the biotech venture capital crisis in 140 characters or less. Yesterday, Xconomy hosted a lively back-and-forth on the state of life sciences investing and innovation with guest Daphne Zohar (@daphnezohar), the founder and managing partner of Boston-based PureTech Ventures. I tried to … Continue reading “What Happens When a Herd of VCs Runs Away From Biotech? Highlights From Yesterday’s Tweetchat”
PBS NewsHour Features Xconomy in Report on Startup Accelerators
In a segment featured Tuesday night on the PBS NewsHour, correspondent Hari Sreenivasan brings an outsider’s curiosity to the strange, wonderful world of startup accelerators. The eight-minute report features Sreenivasan’s interviews with entrepreneurs and mentors at TechStars, AngelPad, and Y Combinator—archetypes of the venture incubator wave (or is it a bubble?) that we’ve been chronicling … Continue reading “PBS NewsHour Features Xconomy in Report on Startup Accelerators”
News Flash: Grass is Green, Sky is Blue, VCs are White Men
“Yeah, I love being famous. It’s almost like being white, y’know?”-Chris Rock On Monday, November 21, the National Venture Capital Association and Dow Jones VentureSource released the results of the 2011 Venture Census, which reported statistics about ethnicity, gender and other characteristics of the venture capital industry garnered from a poll that included 600 VC … Continue reading “News Flash: Grass is Green, Sky is Blue, VCs are White Men”
Major League Gaming Receives $2,500,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=29a9da47-bd89-4a45-be02-5f9dfc098e44&Preview=1 Date 11/23/2011 Company Name Major League Gaming Mailing Address 420 Lexington Ave New York, NY 10170 Company Description Major League Gaming (MLG) is the largest organized league and international sanctioning body for the world’s fastest growing competitive sport: professional video gaming. Website http://www.mlgpro.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $2,500,000 Transaction Round … Continue reading “Major League Gaming Receives $2,500,000 New Funding”
Pfizer Acquires Excaliard, an Isis Spinout With Drug to Fight Excessive Scarring
Pfizer is making a new bet on a new drug to fight excessive scarring, by acquiring a former skunkworks project from Isis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ISIS]]). New York-based Pfizer (NYSE: [[ticker:PFE]]) said today it has reached an agreement to acquire Carlsbad, CA-based Excaliard Pharmaceuticals, a spinoff from Isis. Terms of the deal aren’t being disclosed, but … Continue reading “Pfizer Acquires Excaliard, an Isis Spinout With Drug to Fight Excessive Scarring”
7 Questions LPs Should Ask VCs (But Don’t)
It’s that time of year: annual investor meetings for limited partners (LPs). LPs are the people who fund venture firms and the general partners (GPs) are the people who lead them. At these meetings, LPs pour over general partners’ (GPs’) reports, calculate TVPI (total value: paid in)/ IRR (internal rate of return), digest confidential past … Continue reading “7 Questions LPs Should Ask VCs (But Don’t)”
Xconomist of the Week: Larry Smarr’s Quest for ‘Quantified Health’
A couple of months ago, the publisher and CEO of the weekly Strategic News Service Newsletter introduced an article by San Diego Xconomist Larry Smarr, saying, “This issue may be the most important Special Letter we have ever published.” Smarr’s 23-page article, which takes up the newsletter’s entire Sept. 26 issue, is part scientific paper … Continue reading “Xconomist of the Week: Larry Smarr’s Quest for ‘Quantified Health’”
Join Us at Noon ET/9 am PT for a Tweetchat on the Biotech VC Crisis With Daphne Zohar
Just a quick reminder here to join us for the Tweetchat today with Daphne Zohar of PureTech Ventures. This chat, on the crisis in biotech venture capital, will be on Twitter today at Noon Eastern/9 am Pacific. I will be asking questions from @ldtimmerman and @xconomy while Zohar will be answering from her account (@daphnezohar).You … Continue reading “Join Us at Noon ET/9 am PT for a Tweetchat on the Biotech VC Crisis With Daphne Zohar”
Waggit Takes Startup Weekend NYC
The New York startup scene is literally going to the dogs. Waggit, a platform for finding potential dog sitters among other local pet lovers, on Sunday won the grand prize at Startup Weekend New York City. Like many other Startup Weekend events, the hackathon started off with a massive collision of ideas—some more original than … Continue reading “Waggit Takes Startup Weekend NYC”
Eli Lilly CEO John Lechleiter on Tackling the Pharmaceutical R&D Crisis (Part 2)
Yesterday, we ran the first installment of an interview with Eli Lilly CEO John Lechleiter, in which he says the pharmaceutical industry is breaking out of its current rut, and is beginning to get more productive at pumping out more innovative new drugs. Today, we follow up with the second half of the interview, which … Continue reading “Eli Lilly CEO John Lechleiter on Tackling the Pharmaceutical R&D Crisis (Part 2)”
Remedy Pharmaceuticals Secures $500,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=5914b6db-fca1-476f-801b-6be6985a6206&Preview=1 Date 11/22/2011 Company Name Remedy Pharmaceuticals Mailing Address Undisclosed New York, NY 10001 Company Description Remedy Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a clinical stage company developing small molecule drugs targeting NCCa-ATP channels in acute central nervous system injury including traumatic brain injury, stroke, and spinal cord injury. Website http://www.remedypharmaceuticals.com Transaction Type Venture Equity … Continue reading “Remedy Pharmaceuticals Secures $500,000 New Financing”
Hunch, Backed by Bessemer Venture Partners, Acquired by EBay
New York’s Hunch, which uses its technology to provide data insights on what consumers want, said on its blog Monday that it was acquired by online auction heavyweight eBay (Nasdaq: [[ticker:EBAY]]) in San Jose, CA. Financial terms were not disclosed by the companies. However, reports valued the deal at $80 million. EBay says it plans to … Continue reading “Hunch, Backed by Bessemer Venture Partners, Acquired by EBay”
New York Startups Shapeways, Chloe + Isabel, and HowAboutWe.com Rake in Cash
An array of New York startups, including a 3D manufacturer and a dating website, has raised funding recently: Shapeways, a 3D printing company says in a blog post it raised $5.1 million in a funding round with prior investors Union Square Ventures and Index Ventures. The company’s 3D printing services let customers create products from … Continue reading “New York Startups Shapeways, Chloe + Isabel, and HowAboutWe.com Rake in Cash”
Brad Feld’s Startup Advice: Your Company Is Your Product; Get People to Do the Right Thing
“You will have meltdowns on a regular basis. You will have those moments. Make sure you have people you can talk to when you have those moments.” That was Brad Feld, the tech entrepreneur-turned-venture-capitalist, on Friday afternoon, speaking to a room of Boston and New York entrepreneurs and angel investors, at an event organized by … Continue reading “Brad Feld’s Startup Advice: Your Company Is Your Product; Get People to Do the Right Thing”
Eli Lilly CEO John Lechleiter on Tackling the Pharmaceutical R&D Crisis (Part 1)
John Lechleiter has spent his entire 32-year career at Eli Lilly, and now he’s the CEO just as the company faces one of the bigger challenges in its history. Over a three-year stretch, Lilly will lose patent protection on five blockbuster drugs that generated $12.7 billion in sales last year—more than half of its revenues. … Continue reading “Eli Lilly CEO John Lechleiter on Tackling the Pharmaceutical R&D Crisis (Part 1)”
eBay Acquires Hunch for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=285e0f58-b00a-4f55-ace2-b4c016f214dc&Preview=1 Date 11/21/2011 Company Name Hunch Mailing Address 54 W. 21st Street New York, NY 10010 Company Description Hunch personalizes the internet by helping you to share and discover great recommendations about all sorts of topics. Hunch’s ambitious mission is to build a ‘Taste Graph’ of the entire web, connecting every person … Continue reading “eBay Acquires Hunch for Undisclosed Sum”
Regeneron Wins FDA Approval of Drug for Leading Cause of Blindness in Elderly
The folks at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals are going to have a happy weekend right before they settle down for Thanksgiving. Tarrytown, NY-based Regeneron (NASDAQ: [[ticker:REGN]]) said today it has gotten clearance from the FDA to start selling afilbercept (Eylea) as a new treatment for the “wet” form of age-related macular degeneration. The drug, also known scientifically … Continue reading “Regeneron Wins FDA Approval of Drug for Leading Cause of Blindness in Elderly”
Medivo Raises $7M in Series A Funding Round Led by Safeguard Scientifics
Health care IT company Medivo in New York raised $7 million in a Series A funding round led by Safeguard Scientifics (NYSE: [[ticker:SFE]]) in Wayne, PA according to a press release issued Thursday. Medivo, founded in 2010, provides a platform for data analytics and connects lab testing services with physicians and patients. According to the press statement, … Continue reading “Medivo Raises $7M in Series A Funding Round Led by Safeguard Scientifics”
Why Mint.com for Health Is a Terrible Idea, and How Keas Pivoted
If you’re a hammer, you just want to smash nails; if you’re a programmer, you just want to build features. But features do not a successful product make. This is the central myopia that eventually blinds even the most brilliant engineer-entrepreneurs, unless they’re smart enough to surround themselves with people who can check their bias. … Continue reading “Why Mint.com for Health Is a Terrible Idea, and How Keas Pivoted”
HowAboutWe Garners $15,000,000 Series B Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=5387226a-0fed-4158-8330-3da2162b80ab&Preview=1 Date 11/18/2011 Company Name HowAboutWe Mailing Address 27 Ludlow St. Third Floor New York, NY 10002 Company Description The company operates an online dating service. Website http://www.howaboutwe.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $15,000,000 Transaction Round Series B Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms Venture Investor Khosla Ventures … Continue reading “HowAboutWe Garners $15,000,000 Series B Funding Round”
Shapeways Receives $5,100,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=50942aee-a37e-48bd-8745-7abab4ee2bb0&Preview=1 Date 11/18/2011 Company Name Shapeways Mailing Address 419 Park Ave South New York, NY 10016 Company Description Shapeways is the source for limitless personal production. With a growing online community and marketplace, we’re a NY start-up that harnesses 3D printing to help you make, buy and sell anything you want. Website … Continue reading “Shapeways Receives $5,100,000 New Round”
KOR-US M2M Device & Solutions Conference
The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency hosts this day-long conference, which is designed to unite the community of business and technical leaders building next generation M2M solutions. Participants will learn and share market opportunities, development and marketing processes, and M2M applications. One-on-one partnering meeting sessions will also be available and coordinated through KOTRA. Register here.
Agios Nabs $78M From Partner Celgene, Existing VCs, and Public Funds
Cambridge, MA-based Agios said today it has secured $78 million in an oversubscribed Series C financing. Included in this round are Agios’s drug-development partner Celgene (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CELG]]), along with existing investors Arch Venture Partners, Flagship Ventures, and Third Rock Ventures. The company also attracted several new investors that it did not name, except to say … Continue reading “Agios Nabs $78M From Partner Celgene, Existing VCs, and Public Funds”
BillGuard, Backed by Khosla Ventures, Wants to Stop Sneaky Credit Card Charges
Yaron Samid, CEO and co-founder of BillGuard in New York, likens his company to Robin Hood and his merry band on a mission to return pilfered money to the masses. With $10 million raised in October in a Series B funding round led by Khosla Ventures, BillGuard has set out to further develop its technology, … Continue reading “BillGuard, Backed by Khosla Ventures, Wants to Stop Sneaky Credit Card Charges”
Biopharmaceuticals: Nothing Compares to You
Are biotech and pharma companies doing well, or falling apart at the seams? People will have differences of opinion on this, but one thing is clear: it’s all relative. At a speech to a trade group in Philadelphia last month, James Greenwood, president of the biotechnology trade group BIO, asked the government to stop picking … Continue reading “Biopharmaceuticals: Nothing Compares to You”