Category: New York

Hudson’s Bay Company Acquires Gilt Groupe for $250,000,000

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=bf87d13d-0581-4356-83eb-b86b11d4942d Date 1/7/2016 Company Name Gilt Groupe Mailing Address 2 Park Ave. 4th Floor New York, NY 10016 USA Company Description Gilt Groupe provides invitation-only access to highly coveted products and experiences at insider prices. Each day, Gilt offers its members a curated selection of merchandise, including apparel, accessories and lifestyle items … Continue reading “Hudson’s Bay Company Acquires Gilt Groupe for $250,000,000”

Ever Fond of Options, Atlas Finds Potential Buyers For Rodin, Quartet

Biotech venture firms take a number of different approaches to lowering the risk of an inherently risky business. One of them is known as the option-to-buy deal, when one company agrees to buy another on prearranged terms, after certain milestones are met. And they’re clearly a preferred tool of Cambridge, MA-based Atlas Venture, which just … Continue reading “Ever Fond of Options, Atlas Finds Potential Buyers For Rodin, Quartet”

From Ambitions To Markets: Richard Kitney And More Synthetic Bio Views

Last week, Xconomy ran the first part of my conversation with Richard Kitney, a bioengineering professor at Imperial College London and a pioneer in the field of synthetic biology. We met in his campus office in November. Kitney has coauthored hundreds of papers and helped galvanize U.K. government support for synthetic biology. He is also … Continue reading “From Ambitions To Markets: Richard Kitney And More Synthetic Bio Views”

3 Boston VCs Share Investment Themes for 2016

The early results are in: 2016 will be a year of conversational interfaces (think actually having a back and forth with Siri), on-demand services, new tools for sticking to your healthcare goals (and meds)—and of bringing innovation to the underserved. And yes, there will still be a place for the “weird and wonderful.” Those, anyway, … Continue reading “3 Boston VCs Share Investment Themes for 2016”

Our Relationship With the Internet: Trust Is the Big Concern in 2016

There is no denying we all have a relationship with the Internet. It used to be just a data source, now it is a companion as we go to sleep at night. It informs, entertains, and excites us. And it engages, disappoints, and saddens us. Internet experts and visionaries say 2016 will get even more … Continue reading “Our Relationship With the Internet: Trust Is the Big Concern in 2016”

Artificial Intelligence Growing Slowly in Healthcare, And That’s OK

One of the most significant advances in 2015 was the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) in a variety of fields, including healthcare. While work on AI has been going on for years and still has a long way to go, 2015 saw progress made on self-driving cars, a growing ecosystem of AI startups, and open-sourcing … Continue reading “Artificial Intelligence Growing Slowly in Healthcare, And That’s OK”

With $48M For Petra Pharma, Accelerator Places First NYC Bet

Seattle’s Accelerator Corp. has been largely silent since it opened up an office in New York a year and a half ago with a $50 million-plus bankroll and a plan to start up some new biotechs in Manhattan. But that’s changing today, because the first of those companies, Petra Pharma, is making its debut with … Continue reading “With $48M For Petra Pharma, Accelerator Places First NYC Bet”

Flatiron Health Lands $175,000,000 Series C Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=65fd2911-fd7c-45db-afde-d46965c51bd8 Date 1/6/2016 Company Name Flatiron Health Mailing Address 291 Broadway New York, NY 10007 USA Company Description Flatiron is a business and clinical intelligence platform for cancer care providers. Our web-based platform seamlessly integrates and structures disparate information systems to produce a truly longitudinal and comprehensive view of the patient population. … Continue reading “Flatiron Health Lands $175,000,000 Series C Financing”

Zeel Networks Secures $7,173,828 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=badd379f-9840-462b-8570-a01146a633da Date 1/6/2016 Company Name Zeel Networks Mailing Address 33 West 17th Street 2nd Floor New York, NY 10011 USA Company Description We created this site for health-conscious individuals looking for trusted information on health, wellness and beauty and an easy way to find and book the best practitioners in the business. … Continue reading “Zeel Networks Secures $7,173,828 New Financing Round”

VR, Bio Sensors, & Gesture-Controlled Droids Roll Out at CES Preview

Before this week’s big reveals of new technology at CES, a few teaser events are offering glimpses of things to come. CES Unveiled Las Vegas, one such event held Monday evening, had a smattering of gadgets eager for their share of the spotlight (see slideshow). A number of the devices I spied, such as Somabar, … Continue reading “VR, Bio Sensors, & Gesture-Controlled Droids Roll Out at CES Preview”

Making Time to Think in an Always-On World

I schedule thinking time as needed, like it’s a customer meeting or other commitment. Although I produce my work digitally, I think in analog. I’m most effective at brainstorming on paper or whiteboards where I can think in free-form. These mediums are inherently free of digital distractions like e-mail alerts and text messages, and they … Continue reading “Making Time to Think in an Always-On World”

With $2.25M More, Tara Bio Grows And Hunts For NYC Lab Space

Slowly, the ranks of New York biotechs are increasing, thanks in part to a growing group of early-stage venture capitalists dipping their toes in the local startup scene. Tara Biosystems is one of those startups, and today it’s brought a few new investors in as part of a plan to take root and grow in … Continue reading “With $2.25M More, Tara Bio Grows And Hunts For NYC Lab Space”

Oncology’s Future: Liquid Biopsies and the Heterogeneity of Cancer

We have known for some time that cancer is not a static, monolithic disease. Instead, we now think of cancer as heterogeneous. Each patient’s cancer may arise from widely dissimilar origins, even in patients with the same type of tumor. Several studies in the last year have spelled out the extent of this diversity, which … Continue reading “Oncology’s Future: Liquid Biopsies and the Heterogeneity of Cancer”

Lab Space on a Navy Ship, And Other Creative Solutions for NY Biotech

I was a management consultant in a former life, and was trained in that role to always have three arguments to support any conclusion. But having spent the last six months living and breathing biotech in New York City, I am convinced there are only two strategic challenges holding this city back from becoming a … Continue reading “Lab Space on a Navy Ship, And Other Creative Solutions for NY Biotech”

Clerio Vision Secures $3,187,492 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4c206564-0712-47f7-996e-4b769906f337 Date 1/5/2016 Company Name Clerio Vision Mailing Address 312 Susquehanna Road Rochester, NY 14618 USA Company Description Clerio Vision Inc. is a biotechnology company. The company was founded in 2014 by a world-class team focused on non-invasive refractive vision correction. Website http://www.cleriovision.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $3,187,492 Transaction Round … Continue reading “Clerio Vision Secures $3,187,492 New Funding Round”

LittleThings Receives New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9d85cb9c-6ca3-4a89-92b6-8f774186447b Date 1/5/2016 Company Name LittleThings Mailing Address 989 6th Avenue 16th Floor New York, NY 10018 USA Company Description Headquartered in New York City, LittleThings is the leading lifestyle destination for inspiring, uplifting, and engaging stories. Launched in September 2014, LittleThings has experienced explosive growth, becoming the 3rd largest Facebook publisher, … Continue reading “LittleThings Receives New Round”

Kinvolved Secures $472,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=52ef863d-8b98-40b6-9c4d-e044a6839855 Date 1/5/2016 Company Name Kinvolved Mailing Address 25 Broadway 12th Floor New York, NY 10004 USA Company Description A social venture based in Brooklyn, NY, Kinvolved is closing the communication gap to improve graduation rates, boost the economy, and help the U.S. achieve top ranking among its peer nations. Website http://www.kinvolved.com … Continue reading “Kinvolved Secures $472,000 New Round”

JW Player Secures $20,000,000 Series D Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c166ed6e-f1cb-4ad5-bf92-efe0dbcd380c Date 1/5/2016 Company Name JW Player Mailing Address 8 West 38th Street 6th Floor New York, NY 10018 USA Company Description We’re the New York-based startup that pioneered video on the web. Now, we’re busy innovating for the future. Our flagship product, JW Player, is live on more than 2 million … Continue reading “JW Player Secures $20,000,000 Series D Funding Round”

Kolibree Garners $4,000,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=401fc0d2-c573-466e-897e-feba0ea2ef57 Date 1/5/2016 Company Name Kolibree Mailing Address 295 Madison Ave. New York, NY 10017 USA Company Description At Kolibree we believe that smart connected objects truly have their place in our daily lives. More than just gadgets, they serve a vital role in raising awareness of the impact that our daily … Continue reading “Kolibree Garners $4,000,000 New Funding”

TARA Biosystems Obtains $2,250,000 Seed Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=5adc6b69-8935-4d5a-ad38-48edef9a00cb Date 1/5/2016 Company Name TARA Biosystems Mailing Address 1450 Broadway 24th Floor New York, NY 10018 USA Company Description TARA Biosystems, Inc. provides predictive, in vitro human cardiac tissue models for use in drug discovery and safety assessment. TARA’s cardiac tissues are produced from human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes, matured … Continue reading “TARA Biosystems Obtains $2,250,000 Seed Financing Round”

Scholar Rock Rolls Up $36M To Move Muscle Drug To Clinical Trials

In recent years, a number of drug companies have zeroed in on a protein called myostatin, which can limit muscle growth and even cause them to waste away in certain diseases. A startup called Scholar Rock is now part of that group, and the Cambridge, MA-based company said today it has raised the cash needed … Continue reading “Scholar Rock Rolls Up $36M To Move Muscle Drug To Clinical Trials”

A Potential Downturn Is On My Mind

Downturns are an exciting time for entrepreneurs and investors alike. Quality entrepreneurs who focus on the fundamentals of real growth will have less competition from startups fueled by venture capital dollars, me-too products and ego. Likewise, many of the “tourist” investors retreat, providing increased opportunities for longstanding investors, many of whom have been priced out … Continue reading “A Potential Downturn Is On My Mind”

Hometeam Receives $27,500,000 Series B Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3f75facd-c7cf-4c35-87f7-33166e034364 Date 1/4/2016 Company Name Hometeam Mailing Address Undisclosed New York, NY 10001 USA Company Description Powered by compassion and strengthened by technology, Hometeam is moving home care forward, improving the lives of families and Caregivers. Website http://www.hometeamcare.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $27,500,000 Transaction Round Series B Proceeds Purposes Proceeds … Continue reading “Hometeam Receives $27,500,000 Series B Round”

If There Is One Major Issue the Innovation Scene Must Address…

It’s diversity. The world is being written and consumed in code now. But the teams writing the code aren’t reflective of their global customers. We often hear that major companies can’t find enough talent from different backgrounds because of a pipeline problem that starts in schools. At PowerToFly we disagree. We don’t want people to … Continue reading “If There Is One Major Issue the Innovation Scene Must Address…”

Xconomy’s Top 10 Innovation Stories of 2015

It was the year of drug pricing, fantasy-sports and Uber regulations, and countless cyber and terror attacks. It was a year when initial public offerings were few and far between for technology companies, and the biotech window may have closed as well. Yet there were plenty of commercial advances in fields like gene editing, immunotherapy, … Continue reading “Xconomy’s Top 10 Innovation Stories of 2015”

Synthetic Biology Primer: In Conversation With Richard Kitney, Part 1

“Synthetic biology” has always been a puzzling term to me. Prosthetic limbs are synthetic. Knee replacements are synthetic. Splicing the gene from one organism into another, a practice that began in the 1970s and gave rise to the biotechnology industry, is also a synthetic act. But those things are not “synthetic biology” in the way … Continue reading “Synthetic Biology Primer: In Conversation With Richard Kitney, Part 1”

Surprises in Tech from 2015, and What to Do If A Downturn Hits

Two tech trends gained surprising momentum this year, which positions them to be key drivers in 2016. Both take aim at the heart of the economy. Recently the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) gave crowd finance a shot in the arm. First it passed Regulation A which provides an exemption to the registration requirements mandated … Continue reading “Surprises in Tech from 2015, and What to Do If A Downturn Hits”

SimpleReach Receives $4,404,136 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b1e74b7d-0981-43fa-b5a3-d39ef42c6f0d Date 12/31/2015 Company Name SimpleReach Mailing Address 158 W. 27th St. 6th Floor New York, NY 10001 USA Company Description We are a NYC based company building awesome products at the intersection of social, content, and advertising. Website http://www.simplereach.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $4,404,136 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes … Continue reading “SimpleReach Receives $4,404,136 New Funding Round”

In 2016, Will We Finally Enter the Age of Imagination?

The biggest advance or most surprising development of 2015 was the private sector’s rapidly advancing and serious pursuit of commercial spacecraft development. This, coupled with the success of various missions like the Pluto fly-by; the dream of landing a craft on Jupiter’s moon Europa; the discussion of an outpost on the moon; the colonization of … Continue reading “In 2016, Will We Finally Enter the Age of Imagination?”

Thong Le: Biotech Thoughts On Pitches, Prices, Diversity, And Stress

Thong Le is the CEO of Accelerator, a Seattle biotech venture fund and incubator more than a decade old. Le took over in early 2014 and is overseeing a cross-country expansion. A second Accelerator facility opened with fanfare in New York City a year and a half ago. Le said at the time that Accelerator … Continue reading “Thong Le: Biotech Thoughts On Pitches, Prices, Diversity, And Stress”

Virtual Reality’s Turning Points In 2015

Among the most significant developments in VR this year have been the rate of change and improvement in mobile VR. Until recently, compelling VR experiences required a high-powered PC, considerable technical know-how, and were enjoyed only by enthusiasts and early adopters. Now there are mobile solutions that deliver a comparable level of quality, but are … Continue reading “Virtual Reality’s Turning Points In 2015”

Augmate Obtains $3,050,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=742eb779-b798-47ad-8c09-76f5eaa473d9 Date 12/30/2015 Company Name Augmate Mailing Address 335 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10017 USA Company Description Augmate is the first wearable platform that accelerates the development of cloud-based digital eyewear applications. Our development environment allows us to build applications that integrate with enterprise backend services and a variety of API … Continue reading “Augmate Obtains $3,050,000 New Financing Round”

Time to Bring Our Education System in Line with the 21st Century

The most pressing issue facing the innovation community is the lack of a robust tech talent pipeline to support emerging new enterprises and to help legacy industries adapt. While other countries are developing workers with skills to compete in the 21th century, our country’s education system remains stuck in the 20th. Not only do public education programs lack … Continue reading “Time to Bring Our Education System in Line with the 21st Century”

In the Face of Genomic Data Challenges, the Cloud Keeps Us Afloat

The data intensity of genomics is so intense that it’s difficult for most people to comprehend. According to estimates published in the journal PLOS Biology in July, as many as 2 billion human genomes could be sequenced by 2025, which would far exceed the data output expected of other “big data domains,” such as astronomy, … Continue reading “In the Face of Genomic Data Challenges, the Cloud Keeps Us Afloat”

Infrastructure Investments Are Key to U.S. Future

The issue that makes me most angry is the lack of investment in the infrastructure of the United States. From roads to mass transit to science to education, we are falling behind (or further behind) other regions. It’s a false economy, as lack of investment now means less capability to generate returns in the future. … Continue reading “Infrastructure Investments Are Key to U.S. Future”

Innovation vs. Healthcare Spending: Biotech’s Biggest Looming Challenge

Let’s start with the good news. We are at the beginning of a transformation in human health, treating diseases in ways that we could only speculate about in the recent past. While biology isn’t quite engineering (yet), biotech has become a technology-based, high-growth, high-wage space, all while working to cure cancer. Doing well by doing … Continue reading “Innovation vs. Healthcare Spending: Biotech’s Biggest Looming Challenge”

In Brooklyn, An Incubator Perseveres As Biotech Perks Up in the City

Ask a New Yorker where to find an affordable apartment, and one of the most popular answers these days is Brooklyn. A SUNY Downstate Medical Center professor named Eva Cramer has been trying to prove for years that the old borough is the answer for the city’s lab space problem too. It hasn’t been an … Continue reading “In Brooklyn, An Incubator Perseveres As Biotech Perks Up in the City”

Five Cybersecurity Trends to Watch in 2016

To no one’s surprise, cybersecurity continued to be a key area of concern and struggle among organizations of all sizes in 2015. However, buried amongst the constant news cycle of new attacks and sophisticated breaches is the fact that more business leaders are understanding the importance of cybersecurity and its potential impact on the organization. … Continue reading “Five Cybersecurity Trends to Watch in 2016”

Austin’s Trunkist Uses the Web to Offer Prêt-à-Porter On Demand

Dustin Hindman wants to bring the made-to-order manufacturing system Dell Computer pioneered in technology to fashion. “I learned firsthand the build-to-order model,” says Hindman, who worked at the Austin, TX-area computer company for eight years. “You produce exactly what the consumer wanted. There’s no waste. I thought, why doesn’t fashion do that?” To answer that … Continue reading “Austin’s Trunkist Uses the Web to Offer Prêt-à-Porter On Demand”

Pharmabros, Designer Babies, And Other Final Words For 2015

Every three months, Oxford Dictionaries releases its new entries, and modern language mavens everywhere have a field day. A few of my favorites from the summer update: weak sauce, microaggression, cupcakery, and at the risk of perpetuating wholly unfair stereotypes about journalists, beer o’clock. With that, I kick off my final column of 2015, a … Continue reading “Pharmabros, Designer Babies, And Other Final Words For 2015”

The Scientist and the Student: Thoughts on Lessons Learned From a Mentor

What is a key relationship or turning point that helped you get to where you are today? This is a great question. I suspect because it comes up so often in interviews, we tend to underplay the importance of the topic. We get familiar with the answer and over time, lose the tacit feel for … Continue reading “The Scientist and the Student: Thoughts on Lessons Learned From a Mentor”

Innovid Receives $27,500,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b12de149-cdd5-443b-987d-ea27b24e6f45 Date 12/24/2015 Company Name Innovid Mailing Address 30 Irving Place 12th Floor New York, NY 10003 USA Company Description Our focus is creating a video ad experience that integrates well with the content, both contextually and visually. Website http://www.innovid.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $27,500,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Innovid … Continue reading “Innovid Receives $27,500,000 New Financing Round”

Peloton Streams Its Exercise Cycling Classes to Smartphones

A few weeks ago, CEO John Foley told me Peloton would become more than “a stationary bike company” for video exercise classes. Now it is a bit clearer what the next leg of development will look like. New York-based Peloton recently released an app—Peloton Anywhere—that brings its video streams of indoor cycling classes to Apple iPhones. The … Continue reading “Peloton Streams Its Exercise Cycling Classes to Smartphones”

Denver-based Faction Doubles Down on Expansion After $6M Round

For Faction, a Denver-based company that offers private, public, and hybrid cloud computing services, running over budget has been a good thing, according to CEO and founder Luke Norris. Faction exceeded its revenue and growth targets for the year—and likely will again next year—partly because the company has added more customers than it expected, Norris … Continue reading “Denver-based Faction Doubles Down on Expansion After $6M Round”

Amid Neuroscience Renaissance, BlackThorn Quietly Builds a Business

The past year has seen several new biotech companies announce ambitious goals of tackling neurological disease, a vast, complex, and frustrating region of biomedicine. The academic side of the field has had a shot in the arm, too, from National Institutes of Health funding, to scientific advances at the Allen Institute for Brain Research (now … Continue reading “Amid Neuroscience Renaissance, BlackThorn Quietly Builds a Business”

Location Everywhere: What We’ll See in 2016

2016 is going to be a pivotal year for location- and proximity-based technology solutions. Companies across industries are testing the deployment of location aware infrastructures, opening up a world of possibilities. Location technology adoption will likely mirror that of social networks over the past 10 years. On balance, and with good direction, location-enabled experiences are … Continue reading “Location Everywhere: What We’ll See in 2016”

Cohero Health Receives $2,000,000 Seed Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=cef43258-fb43-4b0b-a00b-1f2d0c8d69e8 Date 12/23/2015 Company Name Cohero Health Mailing Address 335 Madison Avenue 3rd Floor New York, NY 10017 USA Company Description CoheroHealth empowers respiratory patients to actively engage in their own care. Our sensor-based technology and engaging platform improve medication adherence and care coordination between patients and their care providers. Website http://www.coherohealth.com … Continue reading “Cohero Health Receives $2,000,000 Seed Funding”

GoldBean Garners New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e95a572f-0ba5-4aba-a759-a8387a1f652f Date 12/23/2015 Company Name GoldBean Mailing Address 43 West 23rd Street 6th Floor New York, NY 10010 USA Company Description The GoldBean Index lets you know when to sell, when to hold and when to buy stocks. Over time, we will help you build a balanced investment portfolio. Learn the language … Continue reading “GoldBean Garners New Round”