Category: New York

Admetsys Wins Top Prize at SXSW Hatch Pitch, Astroprint and Plum Follow

Part of the value pitching in a competition at South by Southwest is getting to speak to a room packed with potential investors and users. But winning, and the prizes that come with it, never hurts. At the Hatch pitch competition Monday, five companies came away victorious, including a few big winners. Here they are, as … Continue reading “Admetsys Wins Top Prize at SXSW Hatch Pitch, Astroprint and Plum Follow”

Cuff Flashes Smart Jewelry, BMW Gets Electric in a Night of Luxury Tech

A plug-in hybrid BMW sports coupe, gold-plated encrypted iPhones, and another player in smart jewelry vied for the attention of the well-to-do last week at The Luxury Technology Show, hosted by New York-based events company Rand Luxury. These gatherings bring out typically pricier examples of consumer technology, aimed at folks who might be interested in … Continue reading “Cuff Flashes Smart Jewelry, BMW Gets Electric in a Night of Luxury Tech”

Six Takeaways From “New York’s Life Science Disruptors”

What’s it take to build a successful biotech in New York? Teamwork, perseverance—and perhaps getting Roy Vagelos, the longtime Merck CEO, to head your board of directors. That was just one of the many takeaways from our latest biotech event, “New York’s Life Science Disruptors.” The packed house at the Alexandria Center for Life Science … Continue reading “Six Takeaways From “New York’s Life Science Disruptors””

Innovation Hub: Wadhwa’s Dystopian Future

Vivek Wadhwa is a big-picture guy. A guy whose vision of the future includes printing meat, banning humans from the road, and sidelining Wall Street. Wadhwa currently juggles appointments at Stanford, Duke, and Singularity Universities, and he says that massive technological advances will reroute our lives, a shift that may lead to massive dislocation, perhaps … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: Wadhwa’s Dystopian Future”

East Coast Biotech Roundup: Sync Project, Epizyme, Bristol & More

If you missed our latest biotech event, “New York’s Life Science Disruptors” this past Thursday, don’t worry—we’ve got you covered. This week we’ll post an overview of the festivities, complete with a slideshow look at the action. In the meantime, though, grab your Monday morning coffee and have a look at this past week’s East … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: Sync Project, Epizyme, Bristol & More”

EVEN Financial Obtains $2,800,000 Seed Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f710dd80-615c-41c9-bc42-f4215b3d35d0 Date 3/16/2015 Company Name EVEN Financial Mailing Address Undisclosed New York, NY 10017 USA Company Description EVEN Financial is a supply side platform for the fast growing Marketplace Lending (P2P) market, with an initial mission of bringing more and better quality borrowers into the Marketplace Lending ecosystem. Website http://www.evenfinancial.com Transaction Type … Continue reading “EVEN Financial Obtains $2,800,000 Seed Funding”

Performance Horizon Group Lands $2,000,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=046ad5d3-f954-4850-b268-7e6706b1cf72 Date 3/16/2015 Company Name Performance Horizon Group Mailing Address 261 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10016 USA Company Description Providing powerful insight into online performance marketing is at the heart of Performance Horizon Group (PHG). The founding team at PHG have over 50 years’ experience within the online performance marketing space, … Continue reading “Performance Horizon Group Lands $2,000,000 New Round”

Robo Madness Boston: The Photos and Takeaways

Our first-ever dedicated robotics event in Boston was a smash hit. Here’s hoping the local community can keep the momentum going and solidify its standing as a worldwide leader in the field. Huge thanks to our event sponsors who made the conference possible: Argosight, BDO, Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, IDA Ireland, and iRobot. And … Continue reading “Robo Madness Boston: The Photos and Takeaways”

Alibaba, Rakuten Push Into U.S. Startups With Snapchat and Lyft

Major competitors from Asia are vying for a large stake in online car-booking and other tech markets. Japanese e-commerce company Rakuten announced today it is piling $300 million into San Francisco-based Lyft, the mobile-app car service that competes with Uber. Chinese retail giant Alibaba Group has had a stake in Lyft since April of last year, … Continue reading “Alibaba, Rakuten Push Into U.S. Startups With Snapchat and Lyft”

EVEN Financial Comes Out of Stealth with $2.8M from Canaan, Others

Stepping from the shadows, EVEN Financial—based in New York—is putting money it raised towards becoming a fixture in the fast growing peer-to-peer lending market. The startup came out of stealth today with $2.8 million in a round led by Canaan Partners, with Brooklyn Bridge Ventures, Conversion Capital, Social Leverage, 555 Capital, and Lerer Hippeau Ventures … Continue reading “EVEN Financial Comes Out of Stealth with $2.8M from Canaan, Others”

After Raising $60M, Kura Oncology Renews Work on Shelved Cancer Drug

[Updated 3/12/15 9:55 am.] Even after the FDA refused to approve the anti-cancer drug tipifarnib in 2005, some experts could see a tantalizing glimmer of potential for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and other forms of cancer. [Updated to add Kura’s presence in Cambridge, MA] Now the oral drug is getting a second chance … Continue reading “After Raising $60M, Kura Oncology Renews Work on Shelved Cancer Drug”

HealthLoop Obtains $3,150,574 New Round Pager Secures $10,400,000 Seed Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=845dd130-8f1d-4e7c-a343-6ce1261dc98b http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=86d47df1-39e4-49c1-a17a-1c9fc084708e Date 3/12/2015 3/12/2015 Company Name HealthLoop Pager Mailing Address 605 Ellis Street Mountain View, CA 94043 USA Undisclosed New York, NY 10012 USA Company Description Pager was started in 2013 in New York City by seasoned entrepreneurs Philip Eytan, Gaspard de Dreuzy and Oscar Salazar. Prior to Pager, Gaspard started … Continue reading “HealthLoop Obtains $3,150,574 New Round Pager Secures $10,400,000 Seed Funding”

Splash Obtains $6,000,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d67e7caa-d27f-4560-a1c3-39e17432258e Date 3/12/2015 Company Name Splash Mailing Address 122 W 26th St. 4th Floor New York, NY 10001 USA Company Description Splash is the comprehensive events management platform that maximizes event impact – before, during, and after. Share the action as it happens, with real-time social integration and curation. Website http://www.splashthat.com Transaction … Continue reading “Splash Obtains $6,000,000 New Funding”

VaporChat Secures $1,500,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=03ca3a44-3d9c-4cdf-bdd7-9d56419f5fe5 Date 3/12/2015 Company Name VaporChat Mailing Address 261 Madison Ave. 9th Floor New York, NY 10016 USA Company Description VaporChat was built with the vision to completely transform the way you chat. After spending considerable time thinking about many of the mainstream chatting platforms, we realized there was a much better … Continue reading “VaporChat Secures $1,500,000 New Funding”

SpareFoot Packs in a $33M Series D to Improve Storage Booking Service

SpareFoot, the Austin, TX-based online marketplace for booking self-storage units, is receiving $33 million of Series D funding to help improve its product for consumers and storage facilities, both in terms of engineering and marketing, according to CEO Chuck Gordon. The company is going to refine tools that already exist, such as making sure it’s … Continue reading “SpareFoot Packs in a $33M Series D to Improve Storage Booking Service”

innRoad Garners $1,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e0391a4b-496d-4492-ad98-c80f5ea13683 Date 3/11/2015 Company Name innRoad Mailing Address 261 West 35th Street 12th Floor New York, NY 10001 USA Company Description innRoad is the only Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) hotel software solution that seamlessly integrates property management, global distribution, bookings and marketing–all on a single, easy-to-use platform designed exclusively for independent hoteliers, small hotel … Continue reading “innRoad Garners $1,000,000 New Funding Round”

In Move That Spells Relief, Zogenix Sells Painkiller to Pernix

Zohydro was supposed to be a new kind of painkiller, but it gave Zogenix CEO Roger Hawley a headache that lasted more than a year. Now perhaps he can rest a little easier. After introducing Zohydro in the United States almost exactly a year ago, San Diego-based Zogenix (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ZGNX]]) said today it has agreed … Continue reading “In Move That Spells Relief, Zogenix Sells Painkiller to Pernix”

White House’s $100M TechHire Initiative Echoes with General Assembly

One of the criticisms often leveled at New York’s innovation scene, particularly from out-of-towners, is a need for more local people with skills in technology to help fill positions from entry-level jobs to rock-star developer opportunities. A new federal program could help change that for people in different parts of the job market. On Monday, … Continue reading “White House’s $100M TechHire Initiative Echoes with General Assembly”

In Oncology Shuffle, Amgen To Shutter Onyx, Lay Off About 300

[Updated 3/10/15 4:48 pm. See below.] Amgen subsidiary Onyx Pharmaceuticals delivered good news last week. But it has received bad news in return. Thousand Oaks, CA-based Amgen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMGN]]), which bought Onyx in August 2013 for $10.4 billion, is shutting down Onyx’s South San Francisco, CA, facility and plans to lay off about 300 people, … Continue reading “In Oncology Shuffle, Amgen To Shutter Onyx, Lay Off About 300”

Hope to See You Thursday at “New York’s Life Science Disruptors”

The weather is warming up just in time for a little disruption in New York biotech. Come join us and celebrate the respite from the deep freeze: our latest event, “New York’s Life Science Disruptors,” will kick off Thursday afternoon at 5 pm at the Alexandria Center for Life Science in East Manhattan. We’ve brought … Continue reading “Hope to See You Thursday at “New York’s Life Science Disruptors””

A Chat with Solazyme’s Jonathan Wolfson at NYU Entrepreneurs Festival

It is not easy making a physical product—particularly when using biotechnology—and the results may be surprising. That was the key message this past weekend from Jonathan Wolfson, co-founder and CEO of San Francisco-based Solazyme (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SZYM]]) at the NYU Entrepreneurs Festival. At the event, Wolfson, an alumnus of the university, sat with me for a … Continue reading “A Chat with Solazyme’s Jonathan Wolfson at NYU Entrepreneurs Festival”

Integral Ad Science Secures $4,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=79fb06fc-0c7d-4fb8-a3fd-778bfef507b4 Date 3/9/2015 Company Name Integral Ad Science Mailing Address 37 E. 18th St. 7th Floor New York, NY 10003 USA Company Description Since launching the industry’s first preventative brand safety solution in 2009, powered by our constant growth and innovation, we have built a global media valuation platform that is integral … Continue reading “Integral Ad Science Secures $4,000,000 New Financing”

Study: Best Places For Women in Tech are Outside Silicon Valley

A new report suggests that the best opportunities for women in technology may be located outside of the industry’s hotbed in Silicon Valley. The analysis last week by SmartAsset, a New York-based financial technology and data analytics company, indicates that the best cities for women in computer-related jobs are found primarily on the East Coast … Continue reading “Study: Best Places For Women in Tech are Outside Silicon Valley”

Shark Tank’s Daymond John Talks Digital Gap in Workers’ Skills

The continued growth of innovation does not just rest on the shoulders of engineers and developers from the country’s top tech schools. With more industries increasingly relying on new software and systems, the breadth of the workforce likewise needs to be savvy in coding and other skills. That was the message at an event held … Continue reading “Shark Tank’s Daymond John Talks Digital Gap in Workers’ Skills”

My Best Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs and Tech Startups

What an incredible time to be a tech startup! The opportunities out there are just tremendous. Digital payments, wearable technology, mobile healthcare, virtual reality and gamification, predictive analytics, and green tech—these are just a few of the startup areas that are expected to be big this year, according to venture capitalists and industry experts. “Full … Continue reading “My Best Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs and Tech Startups”

NIH Director Hails “Stunning Case” as Example of Genomic Revolution

A pregnant mom who got a non-invasive prenatal test because she knew at age 40 that her baby was a higher risk for Down syndrome has become a case study in the potential power of precision medicine. The certified blood test, developed by San Diego-based Sequenom (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SQNM]]), is sensitive enough to identify bits of … Continue reading “NIH Director Hails “Stunning Case” as Example of Genomic Revolution”

East Coast Biotech Roundup: Varmus, Bristol, Aerie, Aura & More

Big news in the oncology world this week, with much of the action on the East Coast. The National Cancer Institute’s director is stepping down—and heading back to New York. The first so-called “checkpoint” inhibitor was approved for lung cancer. And one of the biggest biotech deals ever was made around a single cancer drug. … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: Varmus, Bristol, Aerie, Aura & More”

Custora Secures $7,547,159 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=5ded6b72-0cab-45c8-a5ec-13751c873c29 Date 3/6/2015 Company Name Custora Mailing Address 41 W 25th St 11th Floor New York, NY 10010 USA Company Description Our platform is powered by customer-focused analytics. We employ the latest, most accurate Customer Lifetime Value and behavioral segmentation methodologies around. Website http://www.custora.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $7,547,159 Transaction … Continue reading “Custora Secures $7,547,159 New Round”

MaxPoint Interactive Lands $74,750,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=443a0728-df1b-4c9c-8367-34d8b0bc5b0b Date 3/6/2015 Company Name MaxPoint Interactive Mailing Address 505 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018 USA Company Description MaxPoint (NYSE: MXPT) was founded to completely upend the world of online advertising by offering advertisers a more effective and efficient way to reach customers who are actually relevant and interested in their … Continue reading “MaxPoint Interactive Lands $74,750,000 New Financing Round”

Dataminr Receives $87,130,100 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=691f86df-4575-4b8e-a3cc-abaeeced101d Date 3/6/2015 Company Name Dataminr Mailing Address 99 Madison Avenue 3rd Floor New York, NY 10016 USA Company Description Dataminr’s analytics engine transforms social media streams into actionable signals, providing clients in the financial and government sectors with one of the earliest warning systems for market-relevant information, noteworthy events, and emerging … Continue reading “Dataminr Receives $87,130,100 New Funding”

OneDrop Receives $1,000,000 Seed Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1e6469e3-65f2-426e-a0f3-4655166d37d3 Date 3/6/2015 Company Name OneDrop Mailing Address 85 Delancey Street New York, NY 10002 USA Company Description Our solutions are delightful, beautiful, empowering, and keep people mindful of how their choices impact their health. Website http://www.onedrop.today Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $1,000,000 Transaction Round Seed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were … Continue reading “OneDrop Receives $1,000,000 Seed Financing Round”

Spheryx Obtains Seed Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2fc1b9a0-f665-4cfc-b75b-f471142383b8 Date 3/6/2015 Company Name Spheryx Mailing Address 330 East 38th Street New York, NY 10016 USA Company Description Spheryx delivers solutions for suspensions with a revolutionary technique that provides a new window into suspensions at the sub-microscopic level. Suspensions are a part of our lives from cleaners, creams, and food, to … Continue reading “Spheryx Obtains Seed Round”

Early VC Arch Exits Ikaria with $2.3B Sale to Mallinckrodt

Ikaria, the private healthcare startup that failed a stab at the public markets in 2010, is being sold by its private equity owner for $2.3 billion to global biopharmaceutical company Mallinckrodt. The sale provides a pretty exit for more than just Madison Dearborn, the Chicago firm that bought a majority stake in late 2013 (a … Continue reading “Early VC Arch Exits Ikaria with $2.3B Sale to Mallinckrodt”

G20 Ventures Closes $63M Fund for East Coast Enterprise Tech

Smaller, faster, cheaper: it’s a trend in early-stage tech venture capital that mirrors the rise of the computing industry. The latest exhibit is G20 Ventures, a Boston-based investment firm that has closed its first fund at $63.45 million. G20 was founded by Bob Hower and Bill Wiberg, both general partners at Advanced Technology Ventures (ATV). … Continue reading “G20 Ventures Closes $63M Fund for East Coast Enterprise Tech”

AbbVie Snaps up Pharmacyclics, Pays Whopping $21B For Cancer Drug

Pop quiz: How much would a company whose best selling drug is about to lose patent protection pay for a portion of the rights to a successful blood cancer drug? The answer came late last night: $21 billion. That’s what AbbVie (NYSE: [[ticker:ABBV]]) has agreed to pay for the rights to Sunnyvale, CA-based Pharmacyclics (NASDAQ: … Continue reading “AbbVie Snaps up Pharmacyclics, Pays Whopping $21B For Cancer Drug”

Pulmokine Receives $1,000,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e5fa8fa6-23b7-478f-89a5-24fc190e4bd8 Date 3/5/2015 Company Name Pulmokine Mailing Address 7 University Place Rensselaer, NY 12144 USA Company Description Pulmokine is a privately held biopharmaceutical company. Our focus is on pulmonary disease and kinase inhibitor technology, hence our name Pulmokine. Website http://www.pulmokine.net Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $1,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes … Continue reading “Pulmokine Receives $1,000,000 New Financing Round”

Namely Receives $11,000,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e4fa7ad3-a3ba-4343-b2f2-cebeb65a8ba4 Date 3/5/2015 Company Name Namely Mailing Address 45 West 34th Street New York, NY 10001 USA Company Description Namely is the first talent management platform built for the professional services industry—specifically advertising. Namely enables agencies to manage their teams, retain key employees and grow revenues. Website http://www.namely.com Transaction Type Venture Equity … Continue reading “Namely Receives $11,000,000 New Funding”

Nielsen Acquires eXelate for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ef1b6f7b-7b95-4eaf-a095-57ec44cd5b14 Date 3/5/2015 Company Name eXelate Mailing Address 7 W. 22nd St. 9th Floor New York, NY 10010 USA Company Description eXelate was created to address the deficiency in targeted data, which we believe delays the progress of web-based advertising as a whole. Unlike the other major targeting-related players, eXelate believes in … Continue reading “Nielsen Acquires eXelate for Undisclosed Sum”

IBM Acquires AI Startup AlchemyAPI to Strengthen Watson

IBM’s Watson, already one of the world’s smartest supercomputers, might be getting smarter following IBM’s purchase of AlchemyAPI, a Denver-based artificial intelligence startup that specializes in deep learning, an area of machine learning focused on making sense of data. AlchemyAPI and IBM announced the deal Wednesday. They did not disclose the purchase price. The acquisition … Continue reading “IBM Acquires AI Startup AlchemyAPI to Strengthen Watson”

Spinning Wheels and Breaking Leases at the New York Tech Meetup

What started out as a plan to build a software-based company became an exercise in creating hardware and software from the ground up. That was the tale of Peloton, one of the demos at Tuesday night’s New York Tech Meetup (see slideshow), a monthly gathering of innovators from the city and beyond. Last night’s batch … Continue reading “Spinning Wheels and Breaking Leases at the New York Tech Meetup”

Just Eight Days Left—Get Your Seat for “New York’s Life Science Disruptors”

We’re just over a week away from bringing the Big Apple biotech community together for a taste of what it takes to make it here—and what big stories are changing the face of biomedical research in and around Manhattan. Tickets are going fast, but there are still seats available for our March 12 bash at … Continue reading “Just Eight Days Left—Get Your Seat for “New York’s Life Science Disruptors””

Top 3 Personal Health Tips From the Founders of Elysium

First of all, it’s not really an anti-aging startup. That’s one takeaway after sitting down with the founders of Elysium Health last week. The newly launched company is headquartered in New York City, with a network of advisors worldwide. It’s out to sell nutritional supplements to consumers online to improve their personal health, not necessarily … Continue reading “Top 3 Personal Health Tips From the Founders of Elysium”

Booker to Expand with $35M Series C Round from Medina, First Data

Scheduling and management service Booker landed a $35 million Series C funding round led by Medina Capital, along with an investment from international payment processor First Data. Booker, based in New York, plans to use the money to expand the number of products it offers and the number of businesses it serves. The company sells … Continue reading “Booker to Expand with $35M Series C Round from Medina, First Data”

Vascular Pharmaceuticals Lands $9M For Diabetes Drug Trials

Patients whose diabetes has progressed to a type of kidney damage called diabetic nephropathy have few treatment options available to them. Some doctors treat the condition with blood pressure medication. But there are no FDA-approved drugs to specifically treat diabetic nephropathy, which can lead to end-stage renal failure. At that stage, patients will likely need … Continue reading “Vascular Pharmaceuticals Lands $9M For Diabetes Drug Trials”

Blueprint Cuts $265M Alexion Deal With IPO in Sight

It’s been a year of transition for Blueprint Medicines. Since early 2014, the Cambridge, MA-based company moved on from its founding CEO, named two lead programs, added a whole bunch of new investors, and raised a total of $75 million. Now it’s getting its first stamp of approval from a large drugmaker—Alexion Pharmaceuticals. Blueprint and … Continue reading “Blueprint Cuts $265M Alexion Deal With IPO in Sight”

Focused on Glaucoma, Aerie Looks Toward Unblinding Critical Data

Glaucoma is a ripe opportunity for drug developers. Generics litter the field, yet it’s a roughly $5 billion market that will only grow with an aging population. What’s more, nothing out there cures the disease. Patients typically take eye drops, chronically, for the rest of their lives. In other words, there’s room for innovation. That’s … Continue reading “Focused on Glaucoma, Aerie Looks Toward Unblinding Critical Data”

Tiger Teams, Dropping Subs, and Biotech’s Elusive Second Strikes

Onesie-twosie? Double dipping? The old razzle dazzle? Whatever you call it, it’s a rare feat to sell a biotech company, hold something back to start a new company, then ride that second horse to success. The team behind Flexus Biosciences is halfway there, as I wrote about last week. They sold a preclinical cancer immunotherapy … Continue reading “Tiger Teams, Dropping Subs, and Biotech’s Elusive Second Strikes”