Category: New York

With Wires and Electrodes, Tara Bio Builds a Heart on a Chip

It’s been pretty clear for some time that there’s a big need to improve the efficiency of drug R&D. By industry’s count, drugs cost over $1 billion to develop, and most of them fail. A big reason why is the preclinical studies in petri dishes and animals don’t accurately predict how a drug will behave … Continue reading “With Wires and Electrodes, Tara Bio Builds a Heart on a Chip”

Estimize Secures $350,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=afe66ea3-f7a7-46c4-aaf7-cd221c6d7302 Date 11/12/2014 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 Secures $350,000 New Round”

Lowering the Cost of Failure in Biopharmaceuticals

In any business, projects fail, but in biopharmaceuticals, the consequences of failure are especially damaging. Projects in the industry tend to be long and expensive—from clinical trials to regulatory approvals to commercial application. At any point in the process, obstacles can derail a project. Failure is most certainly an option, and for companies with many … Continue reading “Lowering the Cost of Failure in Biopharmaceuticals”

Sales-Tax Software Seller Avalara Adds $100M from Warburg Pincus

Tax compliance doesn’t sound like the kind of sexy business that makes headlines and gets deep-pocketed investors excited. It’s a different story when you’re talking about software that can sift through thousands of overlapping government sales-tax districts around the world. When the idea of paying sales taxes on most online purchases in the U.S. seems like it could become a reality, that story … Continue reading “Sales-Tax Software Seller Avalara Adds $100M from Warburg Pincus”

From Bluetooth Gloves to Teaching Robots: Gadgets at Expand NY

For folks who want free hands while operating mobile devices, the team at Easier to Use hopes the GoGlove will be the right fit. I met Easier to Use co-founder Ben Harris over the weekend at Engadget Expand New York, a technology show held at the Javits Center. GoGlove is equipped to remotely control Bluetooth-enabled devices such … Continue reading “From Bluetooth Gloves to Teaching Robots: Gadgets at Expand NY”

Beg, Borrow, or Steal: Accessing Unaffordable Science Journals

If you work in academia or in Big Pharma, you likely have easy access to the world’s scientific literature. Outside of these places, however, obtaining affordable access to the latest scientific journals is much more problematic. This includes scientists at all but the largest biopharma companies, doctors and other health care professionals, and people wanting … Continue reading “Beg, Borrow, or Steal: Accessing Unaffordable Science Journals”

Zerve Obtains $20,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=901d5bc7-fe57-47ec-9c5d-659cc549852b Date 11/10/2014 Company Name Zerve Mailing Address 333 Hudson Street 6th Floor New York, NY 10013 USA Company Description Zerve is a service that connects buyers and sellers of the world’s best activities. Website http://www.zerve.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $20,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes The company is using … Continue reading “Zerve Obtains $20,000,000 New Funding Round”

What Early Looks From ASH Tell Us About Cancer Immunotherapy

[Note: Ben Fidler contributed to this report.] Immunotherapy is one of the most promising new ways to fight cancer, and we’ve followed it closely for some time. One of its main proving grounds is in blood-borne cancers, because some of the immunotherapy methods are, at least for now, easier to target in that direction. That’s … Continue reading “What Early Looks From ASH Tell Us About Cancer Immunotherapy”

How a Big Company Can Run Fast, Like a Startup

What does the word “startup” mean to you? Many words can come to mind: new, exciting, experimental, small, lean, agile, fast. To me, “startup” mostly makes me think of “agile” and “fast.” In an early stage startup, everybody is focused on the same thing. People are passionate, enthusiastic, hungry for an opportunity to change the … Continue reading “How a Big Company Can Run Fast, Like a Startup”

Aereo Cuts Back New York & Boston Staff, Says It’s Not Shutting Down

Still trying to tread water in a hostile sea, streaming television service Aereo is slashing away much of its staff, further casting its future as a company in doubt. In a brief statement sent to Xconomy, the New York-based startup, which halted its service in the summer, confirmed it is letting employees go, but has … Continue reading “Aereo Cuts Back New York & Boston Staff, Says It’s Not Shutting Down”

PopTech Rebels Rage Against the Tech Machine, From Within

The coastal town of Camden, Maine, is a beautiful setting in late October, even in a Nor’easter. The drive takes three and a half hours from Boston—a little longer in the pouring rain—but once you get there, it feels very far from the daily rat race. The Camden Opera House, built in 1894, is the … Continue reading “PopTech Rebels Rage Against the Tech Machine, From Within”

How States Can Build a Cleantech Funding Pipeline

Research universities across the country regularly turn out science and technology that could be kernels for jobs-creating businesses. But many of those ideas have trouble finding bankers or venture investors willing to finance the slow, expensive development of a new company based on science. Massachusetts has developed one response to the problem of funding hard … Continue reading “How States Can Build a Cleantech Funding Pipeline”

MediaRadar Lands $6,700,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7568b2f2-4e27-452e-bfa2-45dd812974cd Date 11/6/2014 Company Name MediaRadar Mailing Address 252 W 37th St. New York, NY 10018 USA Company Description MediaRadar delivers detailed analysis on over 2 million brands, with advertising, editorial, and social media insights from thousands of media properties. Website http://www.mediaradar.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $6,700,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed … Continue reading “MediaRadar Lands $6,700,000 New Financing Round”

MeowChat Obtains $8,000,000 Series B Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f27154b1-7811-4d54-a16a-60904a6b945a Date 11/6/2014 Company Name MeowChat Mailing Address 535 8th Ave. New York, NY 10018 USA Company Description Subtract the Distance! Minus is a revolutionary chat and photo experience that lets you travel the world and meet new friends. Life is full of surprises and you never know who you will meet … Continue reading “MeowChat Obtains $8,000,000 Series B Round”

ZergNet Secures $3,200,000 Series A Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a2f597b0-b593-4c31-be65-7764cadeea4e Date 11/6/2014 Company Name ZergNet Mailing Address 79 Madison Avenue 2nd Floor New York, NY 10016 USA Company Description Our technology surfaces engaging content that your readers will find interesting. With our emphasis on quality and our own editorial team to curate content, we make sure clicking our widget is an … Continue reading “ZergNet Secures $3,200,000 Series A Financing”

Eos Energy Storage Lands $3,940,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=dbcda111-34fc-4231-b572-e1ceb4901908 Date 11/6/2014 Company Name Eos Energy Storage Mailing Address 3 East 80th Street New York, NY 10075 USA Company Description Eos develops novel, low-cost energy storage solutions for the electric utility and transportation industries. Website http://www.eosenergystorage.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $3,940,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were … Continue reading “Eos Energy Storage Lands $3,940,000 New Funding Round”

Math Toy Tiggly Counts Emerges, Demos at New York Tech Meetup

A dose of physical play can help kids learn, Tiggly CEO Phyl Georgiou says. In our rush to digitize everything, from books to games, he believes connections to the real world remain important. “There’s a question about how kids use their time,” Georgiou says. “They’re busier and use digital devices more and more. Those two … Continue reading “Math Toy Tiggly Counts Emerges, Demos at New York Tech Meetup”

Inotek, Chasing Aerie in Glaucoma, Sets Sights on IPO

Aerie Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AERI]]) has parlayed the potential of a new type of glaucoma drug into a publicly-traded company currently worth more than half a billion dollars. Inotek Pharmaceuticals is eyeing the same market, and now wants Wall Street’s help to go head to head with its Bedminster, NJ-based rival. Inotek filed for an IPO … Continue reading “Inotek, Chasing Aerie in Glaucoma, Sets Sights on IPO”

NimbleTV Trying to Make Good on Potential for Streaming Television

The technology seems ready, so why aren’t we all streaming TV on portable devices? This idea has been long gestating, but thus far has only seen trickles of real-world use. “TV everywhere as a concept has never really happened,” says Anand Subramanian. He believes his company, NimbleTV in New York, can make streaming television on … Continue reading “NimbleTV Trying to Make Good on Potential for Streaming Television”

History, Yes, But Biologist’s Imagination Is No Flight Of Fancy

Any book about life science innovation that starts with quotes from Frank Zappa and Albert Einstein promises to be a good read. The Biologist’s Imagination holds to that promise, as authors William Hoffman and Leo Furcht, both of the University of Minnesota Medical School, take several forays back in history to explain the “crossroads”—perhaps an … Continue reading “History, Yes, But Biologist’s Imagination Is No Flight Of Fancy”

Namely Obtains $12,000,000 Series B Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=46230706-714a-44b2-a117-cadb5bda33d9 Date 11/4/2014 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 Obtains $12,000,000 Series B Financing”

LabCorp to Expand Drug Research Reach with $6.1B Deal for Covance

LabCorp (NYSE: [[ticker:LH]]), already one of the largest laboratory testing and diagnostics companies in the nation, plans to further expand its reach into clinical trials by buying contract research organization Covance (NYSE: [[ticker:CVD]]) in a deal valued at approximately $6.1 billion. The Burlington, NC, company will pay $105.12 per share in cash and stock to … Continue reading “LabCorp to Expand Drug Research Reach with $6.1B Deal for Covance”

Dublin’s Startup Commish Brings Lesson in Buzz From NYC

If you ask people to name the top startup clusters in Europe, most will say London and Berlin. But Dublin is growing—and starting to become better known. That may be obvious this week, as the city is hosting its annual Web Summit that draws thousands of attendees and tech celebrities, but it wasn’t always this … Continue reading “Dublin’s Startup Commish Brings Lesson in Buzz From NYC”

Butterfly Network Seeks to Slash Price of 3-D Medical Imaging

Entrepreneur Jonathan Rothberg, who led sequencing startups 545 Life Sciences and Ion Torrent before they were acquired, has a new venture that also applies the power of Moore’s Law to medicine. The Rothberg-founded Butterfly Network on Monday said it has raised $80 million from investors that include several family offices and Stanford University. It’s the … Continue reading “Butterfly Network Seeks to Slash Price of 3-D Medical Imaging”

The Future of Cleantech Is Here—It’s Just Not Evenly Distributed

[Updated on Nov. 4] Entrepreneurs and investors in the U.S. are facing dueling narratives about cleantech: either it’s a failed experiment, or it’s central to our future economy. Which one is closer to the truth really depends on where you operate. Venture capitalists—and their fund investors–have figured out that expensive, multi-year investments in solar, biofuels, and … Continue reading “The Future of Cleantech Is Here—It’s Just Not Evenly Distributed”

Innovation Hub: How Immigrants Fuel Innovation

Immigration policy reform is a hot-button issue right now, but it’s affecting the innovation economy in unexpected ways. U.S. companies are having a hard time recruiting enough skilled workers to fill all their high-level science, tech, and engineering positions. I discussed the issue with Stanford Law School professor Dan Siciliano and Silicon Valley Leadership Group … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: How Immigrants Fuel Innovation”

New Cubist CEO Joins Our Healthcare Summit Nov. 18—Get Your Invite

We’ve got two big announcements for our annual Xconomy Healthcare Summit, which is coming up on November 18 here in the Boston area. The first is that incoming Cubist Pharmaceuticals CEO Rob Perez has joined the lineup. I will be doing a keynote chat with him to discuss his views on Cubist, infectious diseases, and … Continue reading “New Cubist CEO Joins Our Healthcare Summit Nov. 18—Get Your Invite”

East Coast Biotech Roundup: Sarepta, Aegerion, Syros, Aileron & More

All types of scary news in the life sciences world in time for Halloween, from the highest levels of Big Pharma, where Sanofi’s board unceremoniously dumped CEO Chris Viehbacher, to biotech, where three local companies were put in the Wall Street penalty box. Details from the East Coast scene below: —Shares of Cambridge, MA-based Sarepta … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: Sarepta, Aegerion, Syros, Aileron & More”

BagIQ Tries Its Hand at Streamlining Food Tracking While Gathering Data

Keeping tabs on what we eat should be easier thanks to technology—but the many different apps catering to health-conscious consumers can make it confusing. It is a crowded space, with calorie and exercise trackers such as MyFitnessPal and LoseIt among the competing options. This month, BagIQ in New York launched its app that CEO and founder … Continue reading “BagIQ Tries Its Hand at Streamlining Food Tracking While Gathering Data”

New to Data Analytics? Here’s 3 Simple Steps For Getting Started

Since I got involved in the big data and analytics world a few years ago, I’ve become the person that friends come to (and refer their friends to) for answers to questions about data. Recently I’ve been asked a few times by entrepreneurs how they can make sure their company is prepared to do analytics, … Continue reading “New to Data Analytics? Here’s 3 Simple Steps For Getting Started”

University Beyond Garners $300,000 Seed Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=54a912b5-5798-42cf-9b92-d1d2e602988a Date 10/31/2014 Company Name University Beyond Mailing Address 570 Taxter Road Elmsford, NY 10523 USA Company Description University Beyond is an all-inclusive platform for the recruitment and management of college brand ambassadors. The on-site job board connects students with potential employers, while the admin dashboard makes task management, communication, and compensation … Continue reading “University Beyond Garners $300,000 Seed Round”

AppNexus Receives $85,000,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2f623410-2b7a-43c1-a5e5-1299af5a5a71 Date 10/31/2014 Company Name AppNexus Mailing Address 28 West 23rd Street 4th Floor New York, NY 10010 USA Company Description The AppNexus cloud was engineered to provide all the building blocks of a robust, cost-efficient, and instantly scalable enterprise infrastructure. Innovative yet dependable, the AppNexus infrastructure brings you cloud computing without … Continue reading “AppNexus Receives $85,000,000 New Financing Round”

The Future of Dublin Tech, Part 2: Startups Look West, Grow Diverse

Just up the stairs from Munchies, a sandwich shop owned by his mother, Ben Harris shows me his startup’s digs. It has the intense feel of people getting stuff done on deadline. Ten employees cram into one room, a mix of young programmers, designers, and business folks. Harris’s startup is called Drop, and it’s getting … Continue reading “The Future of Dublin Tech, Part 2: Startups Look West, Grow Diverse”

With DNA From DEC and HP, Galway Builds Startup Hub Outside Dublin

Irish entrepreneur Michael FitzGerald still gets calls from investors and potential partner companies in the U.S. who ask him “How’s Dublin?” when making small talk—even though his startup, OnePageCRM, is located a two-hour drive west in the coastal city of Galway. FitzGerald usually doesn’t bother to correct them. “They just presume we’re in Dublin,” he … Continue reading “With DNA From DEC and HP, Galway Builds Startup Hub Outside Dublin”

Trustev Offers Anti-Fraud Tech, From Cork to New York

Being able to trust online transactions is a major part of e-commerce. But given the data breaches du jour, the technology meant to prevent fraud may also stop legitimate business. What’s a website to do? Trustev, founded in Cork, Ireland, and with U.S. offices in New York and Dallas, is trying to solve this problem. … Continue reading “Trustev Offers Anti-Fraud Tech, From Cork to New York”

I Believe in Angels

My colleague and friend Jeb Spencer recently wrote a piece for Xconomy about angel investors looking for “Unicorns,” those rare early stage companies with valuations—justified or not—of $1 billion or more. He wondered if angels are flying too close to the sun by misunderstanding their chances of success and failing to do their homework on … Continue reading “I Believe in Angels”

Abacus Labs Secures $3,500,000 Seed Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6fe5b22b-be8b-4c5a-ba12-98aaa127cd06 Date 10/30/2014 Company Name Abacus Labs Mailing Address 220 E 23rd Street New York, NY 10010 USA Company Description Abacus is a simple, fast way for businesses to reimburse their employees for company expenses. They are re-imagining from the ground up how expense reporting would have worked if it had been … Continue reading “Abacus Labs Secures $3,500,000 Seed Financing”

Curioos Garners $1,900,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=727b1be3-8377-4c63-9b4e-aa0953832dfb Date 10/30/2014 Company Name Curioos Mailing Address 568 Broadway 11th Floor New York, NY 10012 USA Company Description Curioos is a curated marketplace for digital art – an online gallery to discover and buy artworks created by the best digital illustrators, photomanipulators and 3D designers from 90+ countries. Website http://www.curioos.com Transaction … Continue reading “Curioos Garners $1,900,000 New Round”

uBeam Receives $10,000,000 Series A Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a0ff983e-a44e-49a4-8449-0b5aa64d0944 Date 10/30/2014 Company Name uBeam Mailing Address 12 W. 57th St. New York, NY 10019 USA Company Description uBeam beams electricity through the air to charge all of your portable electronics remotely and wirelessly. It’s like Wi-Fi for energy. Website http://www.ubeam.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $10,000,000 Transaction Round Series … Continue reading “uBeam Receives $10,000,000 Series A Financing Round”

Innovation in Ireland: Overview to Xconomy’s Special Report

Until earlier this October, the only time I had visited Ireland was in April of 1989, on the World B. Tour. A group of American former collegiate basketball players came to the Emerald Isle on a hoops tour, taking part in an international tournament outside Dublin and playing exhibition games against Irish all-stars and holding … Continue reading “Innovation in Ireland: Overview to Xconomy’s Special Report”

Inside Dublin’s Tech Startup Incubators: Dogpatch, Wayra, NDRC

Visit any major city in the world that claims to have a healthy tech startup community, and chances are it’s got at least one accelerator program or incubator space. The accelerator model that Silicon Valley-based Y Combinator made famous—providing seed money and mentorship to a new group of early-stage companies every few months, in exchange … Continue reading “Inside Dublin’s Tech Startup Incubators: Dogpatch, Wayra, NDRC”

Seen.co Garners $1,250,000 Seed Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=30c420e0-aed0-42b3-90d7-4d53eeae57e2 Date 10/29/2014 Company Name Seen.co Mailing Address 96 Spring St. New York, NY 10012 USA Company Description Seen is a new way to organize the real-time web. Our SeenRank algorithm makes stories accessible by capturing the pulse of the crowd to reveal what’s important. Think PageRank but for Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, … Continue reading “Seen.co Garners $1,250,000 Seed Round”

Keen Home Lands $1,520,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6ec95d53-ae63-4bbb-824f-b3e88ef07de9 Date 10/29/2014 Company Name Keen Home Mailing Address 137 Varick St. 2nd Floor New York, NY 10013 USA Company Description Keen Home is a company focused on creating home automation products and services that combine refreshed design with an intuitive user interface. We set out to identify products where home automation … Continue reading “Keen Home Lands $1,520,000 New Financing Round”

Brickstream Acquires Nomi for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b6e60147-5c64-4e42-a00b-c0010245ee8f Date 10/29/2014 Company Name Nomi Mailing Address 1155 Manhattan Ave Brooklyn, NY 11222 USA Company Description Dedicated to helping retailers create a unified view of their customers across all channels, Nomi leverages current store infrastructure to integrate real world customer behavior into existing CRM, loyalty and e-commerce platforms. Website http://www.getnomi.com Transaction … Continue reading “Brickstream Acquires Nomi for Undisclosed Sum”

Justworks Looks to Scale Up Its HR Software Service with $6M Round

For startups that survive long enough to grow their ranks, learning to handle payroll and employee benefits can be an unwanted new headache. At least that’s what New York-based Justworks has been banking on, and its new backers seem to agree. The company has developed software to simplify various tasks associated with human resources; it also pools … Continue reading “Justworks Looks to Scale Up Its HR Software Service with $6M Round”

Bio Venture Specialists Advent Raise $235M For European, U.S. Deals

Another early-stage biotech investor has clocked in with a new fund. London-based Advent Life Sciences said Tuesday it has closed a $235 million vehicle, its second specialized fund since the tech and life science investors of Advent Venture Partners went separate ways last decade. The firm used to invest in tech and life sciences from … Continue reading “Bio Venture Specialists Advent Raise $235M For European, U.S. Deals”

LedgerX Garners New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=bb1705ff-8f4f-42be-9911-5d6f5dab3b5c Date 10/28/2014 Company Name LedgerX Mailing Address 135 W 20th St. 3rd Floor New York, NY 10011 USA Company Description LedgerX has applied for registration with the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission as a swap execution facility and a derivatives clearing organization. LedgerX intends to initially list physically-settled digital currency (e.g., … Continue reading “LedgerX Garners New Funding”

Socure Lands $2,500,000 Series A Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=43f59ce9-1c98-4b2a-bac2-df9f7ca57dfc Date 10/28/2014 Company Name Socure Mailing Address 110 Fifth Ave. 5th Floor New York, NY 10011 USA Company Description Socure combines a patent-pending artificial intelligence system, proprietary machine learning algorithms and social behavior pattern analysis to detect if an ID is authentic, a fraudster or a bot. Website http://www.socure.com Transaction Type … Continue reading “Socure Lands $2,500,000 Series A Round”