How do you break out of your old mindset, in a way that will fuel innovation? Try heading to 16th-century Florence, according to Frans Johansson, the best-selling author of The Medici Effect. Johansson notes that the wealthy Medici family corralled a truly diverse set of thinkers, put them in the same place, and watched creativity … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: Stop Listening to the Same People”
Category: New York
Pogoplug: One Service to Back Up All Your Devices
I’m a little obsessive when it comes to backups. In my Windows days, in the early 2000s, I used to make complete CD-ROM copies of my PC’s hard drive every couple of months. Until last year, I had two separate online backup services running on my Macbook Pro—Carbonite and Backblaze—along with an external hard drive … Continue reading “Pogoplug: One Service to Back Up All Your Devices”
East Coast Biotech Roundup: Bluebird, Moderna, Navitor, & More
New gene therapy data. New startups. More IPOs. Even more deals. Plenty of news to catch up on in this week’s roundup, all before your deputy biotech editor heads out of town for a vacation. Have a great week everyone, see you in July. But before that, here are your East Coast headlines: —Gene therapy … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: Bluebird, Moderna, Navitor, & More”
Collegefeed Goes After Students, Employers in Crowded Career Sector
After graduation, Collegefeed CEO and founder Sanjeev Agarwal was in an enviable position: He was a great student with a degree from MIT and membership in a bunch of honor societies. But even for him, the 1991 job scene was a tough one. “Back then there wasn’t much online activity,” he says. “But even now, … Continue reading “Collegefeed Goes After Students, Employers in Crowded Career Sector”
Poshly Turning Big Consumer Data into a Big Deal for Beauty Products
It may be nice to have lots of options when shopping—until it gets hard to make an actual choice. Poshly in New York believes it has an answer for such a dilemma in the beauty industry. The company gathers insights from consumers via online questionnaires on their needs in cosmetics, grooming, and other personal care … Continue reading “Poshly Turning Big Consumer Data into a Big Deal for Beauty Products”
Amazon’s Fire Phone: One Big Piece of a Real-World Shopping Push
Anyone who’s fallen into a wormhole of product recommendations can testify that buying things on Amazon.com is already pretty easy. With an Internet connection and a bank card, just about anything you can dream up is available around the clock, ready to be shipped to your door. But some things haven’t changed all that much … Continue reading “Amazon’s Fire Phone: One Big Piece of a Real-World Shopping Push”
Why Lean May Save Your Life: The I-Corps at NIH
Today the National Institutes of Health announced they are offering my Lean LaunchPad class (I-Corps @ NIH ) to commercialize Life Science. There may come a day that one of these teams makes a drug, diagnostic or medical device that saves your life. —- Over the last two and a half years the National Science … Continue reading “Why Lean May Save Your Life: The I-Corps at NIH”
BIO 2014: An Industry Surrounded by Insurmountable Opportunity
Biotech is riding the crest of a wave of public and private financial interest unparalleled in the 36-years since the founding of Genentech. Since 2012 public markets have committed $10.3 billion to more than 100 life-sciences IPOs, an industry record. Pharma has been buying/partnering with biotech on an unprecedented scale. Research breakthroughs from cancer immunotherapy … Continue reading “BIO 2014: An Industry Surrounded by Insurmountable Opportunity”
Boston VC Firms, Pharmas Team up on $23.5M Series A For Navitor
For close to a year, Navitor Pharmaceuticals has been quietly working behind the scenes with scientists at the Whitehead Institute on an approach to hit a well-known disease target in a novel way. Now the Cambridge, MA-based startup is stepping out of the shadows to unveil its plan with a big round of financing. Today, … Continue reading “Boston VC Firms, Pharmas Team up on $23.5M Series A For Navitor”
HelloFresh Lands $50,000,000 Series D Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=50ad2d4c-8720-473b-8bce-3c28f4cb9aa9 Date 6/19/2014 Company Name HelloFresh Mailing Address 64 West 3rd Street New York, NY 10012 USA Company Description HelloFresh is a new way to cook. Every week, you can pick the delicious recipes you want to try (except for under the veggie meal plan) and we’ll send you amazing recipes and … Continue reading “HelloFresh Lands $50,000,000 Series D Funding”
Shopography Secures $140,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=85d60d5e-0197-4fe2-a99d-5d35a4ac1501 Date 6/19/2014 Company Name Shopography Mailing Address 16 Park Avenue New York, NY 10016 USA Company Description Shopography addresses this vacuum with a powerful social shopping platform. A destination web site makes it easy for people to share what they shop, get socially-related product recommendations and earn both rewards and discounts … Continue reading “Shopography Secures $140,000 New Round”
Galvanize CEO Opens Up About $18M Round, Plan to Create Ed Startup
Ever since Jim Deters and his co-founders launched Galvanize in Denver in October 2012, they’ve emphasized what they call the three C’s: community, capital, and curriculum. But, given Galvanize’s impressive co-working spaces in Denver, San Francisco, and Boulder, CO—as well as the Galvanize Ventures seed fund expected to total $7 million that it has quietly … Continue reading “Galvanize CEO Opens Up About $18M Round, Plan to Create Ed Startup”
NY Angels Chair Brian Cohen: Angel Investing is Slowing Down
Startups better bring their “A game” if they want to land early backers now. On Tuesday, Brian Cohen, chairman of New York Angels, shared more of his tough love with entrepreneurs—and spoke about angel investing slowing down. He was speaking at this year’s New York Venture Summit, hosted by youngStartup Ventures in the financial district, … Continue reading “NY Angels Chair Brian Cohen: Angel Investing is Slowing Down”
“We Have to Find Our Way”: Eric Topol of Scripps on Connected Health
Eric Topol wears many hats. He is a practicing cardiologist, genomic researcher, chief academic officer of Scripps Health, and the head of the Scripps Translational Science Institute, one of more than 60 biomedical centers supported through an ambitious National Institutes of Health program created nearly 10 years ago to move basic medical research into the … Continue reading ““We Have to Find Our Way”: Eric Topol of Scripps on Connected Health”
Modern Meadow Grazes on $10M to Grow Leather Without Cows
Just because you like to eat meat or wear leather doesn’t mean you’re all that happy about the way these products are made. Few guests at Outback Steakhouse, for example, would really enjoy going out back to slaughter their own steer. And we can probably all agree—whether we’re carnivores or vegetarians—that the cattle industry is … Continue reading “Modern Meadow Grazes on $10M to Grow Leather Without Cows”
GenePeeks Takes on Preconception Testing With “Digital Babies”
Sperm banks only screen their donors for a handful of genetic diseases. Unfortunately, there are many more than that a donor could carry without having any telltale symptoms—and which could be passed on to a child. A startup called GenePeeks is looking to improve peoples’ odds of having a healthy baby—and beat a path towards … Continue reading “GenePeeks Takes on Preconception Testing With “Digital Babies””
Namely Garners $4,700,000 Series B Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=47df1673-b664-41e4-8e47-971c8d435401 Date 6/18/2014 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 Garners $4,700,000 Series B Round”
BrightLine Lands $6,000,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8bd571e0-3816-4f00-b708-b189b8743ab6 Date 6/18/2014 Company Name BrightLine Mailing Address 565 Fifth Avenue 18th Floor New York, NY 10017 USA Company Description BrightLine is the leading provider of rich media advertising on television. We enable advertisers and content distributors with the design, deployment and data aggregation they need to engage TV viewers in the … Continue reading “BrightLine Lands $6,000,000 New Financing Round”
Yammer CTO Pisoni Visits NY, Talks Innovation in the Future of Work
Yammer keeps sharpening its knife as more rivals tread in its territory. On Monday, Microsoft held a group discussion on the future of work at its Times Square technology center. It was a chance for the company to show off how its enterprise social network software, Yammer, gets used by its customers. Companies such as … Continue reading “Yammer CTO Pisoni Visits NY, Talks Innovation in the Future of Work”
Wal-Mart Stores Acquires Stylr for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b181bd86-82fa-4516-a272-db93eff0b346 Date 6/17/2014 Company Name Stylr Mailing Address 262 Broome Street New York, NY 10002 USA Company Description Stylr brings the benefits of online shopping to the physical world. We allow you to easily window shop all your favorite stores, including Bloomingdale’s, Urban Outfitters and Banana Republic, at the convenience of your … Continue reading “Wal-Mart Stores Acquires Stylr for Undisclosed Sum”
The Future of Work, Plus or Minus E-mail
I. Too Much of a Good Thing I’ll begin by admitting my biases. I don’t like electronic mail. In the pre-Internet days of the 1970s, when e-mail as we know it was invented, it may have been a decent solution to a certain problem—namely, the need for users logged into a single mainframe, server, or … Continue reading “The Future of Work, Plus or Minus E-mail”
Piiku Obtains $526,586 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=044176e5-0247-4488-9d5c-4623276554cb Date 6/16/2014 Company Name Piiku Mailing Address 214 West 29th Street 5th Floor New York, NY 10001 USA Company Description Piiku is based on the premise that advertising has always subsidized traditional content mediums (live TV, print, radio). Website http://www.piiku.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $526,586 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds … Continue reading “Piiku Obtains $526,586 New Funding Round”
Flashpoint Makes Return Visit to New York for a Demo Day
It can be worthwhile to look beyond one’s surrounding geography to discover new ideas. Eleven new graduates and two alumni of the Atlanta, GA-based Flashpoint accelerator hosted a demo day this week in New York. Flashpoint has come to town before, giving its teams a chance to connect with the local investor and innovation scene. But … Continue reading “Flashpoint Makes Return Visit to New York for a Demo Day”
Innovation Hub: Twitter’s Deb Roy Sees More Change Ahead for TV
It’s fair to say that Deb Roy is obsessed with Twitter. In 2008, he started Bluefin Labs to understand the power and influence of social media. He looked at how the public viewed political candidates, brands, and TV shows. And the data he gathered was so valuable that last year, Twitter gobbled up Bluefin, making … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: Twitter’s Deb Roy Sees More Change Ahead for TV”
How I Conquered My Reading List Using Pocket
If you’re a student, a researcher, a knowledge worker, or an entrepreneur, you probably swim in ideas all day long. Like it or not, replenishing those ideas through reading is a huge part of your job. After all, it’s hard to make new knowledge without old knowledge; it’s impossible to see new connections unless you … Continue reading “How I Conquered My Reading List Using Pocket”
EpiBone Receives $350,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=679635d9-6b1b-4514-bcc1-3a1d18065a5e Date 6/12/2014 Company Name EpiBone Mailing Address 1123 Broadway New York, NY 10010 USA Company Description EpiBone is a revolutionary company that will allow the 900K US patients undergoing bone-related surgeries each year to “grow their own bone”. Our pioneering technology utilizes scans of patients’ bone defects and their own stem … Continue reading “EpiBone Receives $350,000 New Financing”
SiSense Lands $30,000,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1c99571b-8c28-41c2-ac48-e1687b2cfbcc Date 6/12/2014 Company Name SiSense Mailing Address 14 Wall Street New York, NY 10005 USA Company Description We are an innovative business intelligence (BI) software company that is leading the way into a new era of business intelligence, reporting, dashboarding and business analytics. Website http://www.sisense.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount … Continue reading “SiSense Lands $30,000,000 New Financing Round”
Celebs Taking Charge of Their Social Media Personas through WhoSay
It is not a question of if, but how celebrities will be part of the social media landscape. Whether it is a sighting of a movie star on vacation or a singer dropping by a nightclub, photos and stories about celebs tend to flood social streams. While such content is often pushed by entertainment news, … Continue reading “Celebs Taking Charge of Their Social Media Personas through WhoSay”
Payoneer Obtains New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=024da337-c347-4e0d-a002-02a48a696b5b Date 6/11/2014 Company Name Payoneer Mailing Address 410 Park Avenue 15th Floor New York, NY 10022 USA Company Description At Payoneer, a privately-held company, a registered MSP with MasterCard, operated by a team of experienced financial and technology veterans, we understand the need to make payments quickly and easily in today’s … Continue reading “Payoneer Obtains New Funding”
SeedInvest Lands $2,500,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=68537358-3481-40fe-aad4-d7befcf86efb Date 6/11/2014 Company Name SeedInvest Mailing Address 447 W Broadway New York, NY 10013 USA Company Description SeedInvest is an equity-based, crowdfunding platform that connects accredited investors to high-quality start-ups and small businesses seeking funding. Website http://www.seedinvest.com Transaction Type Crowdfunder Transaction Amount $2,500,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were … Continue reading “SeedInvest Lands $2,500,000 New Round”
Ultra Light Startups Investor Pitch Event
Ultra Light Startups is hosting an investor pitch event. Investor Panelists Nikhil Kalghatgi – Partner at Vast Ventures William Reinisch – Venture Partner at Paladin Capital Group Matt Turck – Managing Director at FirstMark Capital Matthew Witheiler – General Partner at Flybridge Capital Partners Startup Pitches WiseBanyan – Herbert Moore The Loadown – David … Continue reading “Ultra Light Startups Investor Pitch Event”
HouseTab Stakes Out a Social Spot in Mobile Payments
Ever want to buy a drink for a pal at a bar? What if that friend is across town? HouseTab, based in New York, has developed a mobile app that makes that all possible at participating restaurants and other establishments. Released in late May for Apple’s iOS, HouseTab is not the first mobile payments app … Continue reading “HouseTab Stakes Out a Social Spot in Mobile Payments”
Paper Battery Lands $3,000,000 Series A Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=455ca85c-3f53-48a9-a1e2-1c395af9f92c Date 6/10/2014 Company Name Paper Battery Mailing Address 165 Jordan Road Troy, NY 12180 USA Company Description Founded in late 2008 by a team of visionary scientists and an entrepreneur-in-residence at the Severino Center for Technological Entrepreneurship, we have evolved our own commercial technology platform driven by a creative founding chief … Continue reading “Paper Battery Lands $3,000,000 Series A Financing Round”
Zula Receives $3,000,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8dee3777-bd49-4a73-8203-93d3e1a71db4 Date 6/10/2014 Company Name Zula Mailing Address 3 Columbus Circle 3rd Floor New York, NY 10019 USA Company Description Zula is a mobile-focused young startup that took a good look at the productivity landscape and decided it was time for a change. With a team comprised of pioneers in the communication … Continue reading “Zula Receives $3,000,000 New Financing”
Splitforce Garners $150,000 Seed Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6a185195-a5c3-4239-9e5d-faedde7e973f Date 6/10/2014 Company Name Splitforce Mailing Address Undisclosed New York, NY 10017 USA Company Description Splitforce provides easy A/B testing for iOS, Android and Unity apps. Website http://www.splitforce.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $150,000 Transaction Round Seed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms Venture Investor Venture Investor … Continue reading “Splitforce Garners $150,000 Seed Round”
Smart Host Receives $118,000 Seed Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=126b9b0d-2fd3-402e-89c3-4a9253faea7b Date 6/10/2014 Company Name Smart Host Mailing Address Undisclosed New York, NY 10017 USA Company Description Our mission is to make every host an instant expert in their local rental market. Get alerts when prices are changing around your listing to book more nights at the best price. Is a big … Continue reading “Smart Host Receives $118,000 Seed Funding”
NMRKT Obtains $118,000 Seed Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=32d790f2-d0c6-4331-9532-fd8ba69163d6 Date 6/10/2014 Company Name NMRKT Mailing Address Undisclosed New York, NY 11000 USA Company Description NMRKT is a software as a service platform that powers eCommerce for content providers. NMRKT’s white label, shoppable interfaces enable blogs, vlogs and online magazines to launch customized eShops – quickly and without costly infrastructure. Website … Continue reading “NMRKT Obtains $118,000 Seed Round”
East Coast Biotech Roundup: Accelerate LI, ASCO, Akebia, & More
Fresh off Memorial Day barbecues, the life sciences world descended on Chicago last week for the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual meeting. But it was quickly back to the grind afterward, with deals, IPO news, and much more filling up the headlines on the East Coast. —After a few years fine-tuning its investment strategy, … Continue reading “East Coast Biotech Roundup: Accelerate LI, ASCO, Akebia, & More”
Maker Movement and Laptops for Kids in Techstars NYC Latest Class
There is a bit of real world thinking happening at Techstars NYC. Last Thursday, the latest class of startups from the accelerator held a demo day. A nonprofit determined to get laptops to more kids and the influence of the so-called “Maker Movement” surfaced amid the software-focused startups. Techstars runs a separate program with R/GA … Continue reading “Maker Movement and Laptops for Kids in Techstars NYC Latest Class”
Merck Scoops Up Idenix in $3.85B Buyout
Idenix Pharmaceuticals nearly became a footnote in the hepatitis C drug race a few years ago when Bristol-Myers Squibb’s buyout of Inhibitex imploded, kickstarting a series of events that led the FDA to slap clinical holds on two of the Cambridge, MA-based company’s drug prospects. Those who stayed with Idenix through the tough times are … Continue reading “Merck Scoops Up Idenix in $3.85B Buyout”
A $15 Minimum Wage Doesn’t Have to Mean Price Increases
Last week, Seattle approved the nation’s highest minimum wage: $15 an hour, to be phased in over the next seven years. Other major cities, including San Francisco, Chicago, and New York City, are debating similar increases, and President Obama has called for an increase in the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour. … Continue reading “A $15 Minimum Wage Doesn’t Have to Mean Price Increases”
Vista Equity Partners Acquires Autotask for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a93b8e89-ec8c-44f9-9f2d-bd27b03ab88f Date 6/9/2014 Company Name Autotask Mailing Address 26 Tech Valley Drive East Greenbush, NY 12061 USA Company Description Autotask provides business management and project tracking solutions delivered as a web service on-demand. Autotask makes it easy to manage and track people, projects, time and costs by connecting project teams to business … Continue reading “Vista Equity Partners Acquires Autotask for Undisclosed Sum”
Post-IPO Biotechs Have News, But Big Pharma Drives the ASCO Boat
As often happens, industry news from the annual American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting, which ended Wednesday in Chicago, was dominated this year by Big Pharma. It’s not surprising—even with the advent of targeted cancer therapies that promise more precise treatment of smaller patient populations, clinical trials require big budgets. No drug giant had … Continue reading “Post-IPO Biotechs Have News, But Big Pharma Drives the ASCO Boat”
Innovation Hub: Businesses Know You’re Biased
Who’s better at math? Women or men? Studies show that both men and women believe men are better at math, even when data indicates otherwise. To understand why we have these biases—and why businesses think that getting rid of them will help the bottom line—I sat down with Harvard professor Mahzarin Banaji (pictured), the co-author … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: Businesses Know You’re Biased”
If Tesla Made Bike Lights, They’d Look Like This; The Story of Sparse
Hardware is Silicon Valley’s new religion. At maker spaces like TechShop, hardware startup accelerators like HAXLR8R and Lemnos Labs, and conferences like O’Reilly Media’s Solid, there’s one overriding article of faith: that bits and atoms aren’t so different after all. Just as the cost and complexity of starting a software company has drastically declined over … Continue reading “If Tesla Made Bike Lights, They’d Look Like This; The Story of Sparse”
Starting Unicorn Companies: Tableau Software
Last November, Ailene Lee wrote a post on TechCrunch entitled Welcome To The Unicorn Club: Learning From Billion-Dollar Startups. In it, she offered a list of companies that have had billion-dollar exits, and analyzed some of the common threads. I would like to look at some of the “unicorn” companies that she identified, as well … Continue reading “Starting Unicorn Companies: Tableau Software”
Poppin Garners $1,265,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=5e70e21d-76ad-4622-89ae-2335a45d177e Date 6/6/2014 Company Name Poppin Mailing Address 44 W 18th Street New York, NY 10011 USA Company Description Poppin’s goal is to make “buying, using, looking at, and thinking about office products an extraordinary experience.” That seems ridiculous, but the site is actually quite nice. Browse products by color, category, or … Continue reading “Poppin Garners $1,265,000 New Round”
Pontiflex Receives $1,250,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e3ff57fc-d0ff-4a35-9ced-374c6fa9a6e2 Date 6/6/2014 Company Name Pontiflex Mailing Address 45 Main St. Brooklyn, NY 11201 USA Company Description Pontiflex powers a new kind of mobile advertising platform: Signup Ads. Signup Ads are a simple and 100% opt-in way for people to hear more from brands they like. People can sign up without leaving … Continue reading “Pontiflex Receives $1,250,000 New Financing Round”
Buzzoola Receives $2,000,000 Seed Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=13403fa3-b6d8-4d5a-b3a5-d8d40a0df4a5 Date 6/6/2014 Company Name Buzzoola Mailing Address 110 Greene Street New York, NY 10012 USA Company Description Buzzoola is the private marketplace for social video ads, enabling anyone with just a YouTube link to use the power of native video advertising. Website http://www.buzzoola.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $2,000,000 Transaction … Continue reading “Buzzoola Receives $2,000,000 Seed Funding Round”
Mixify Lands $1,800,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=30af4dec-7349-4b78-8cbe-d91daa3620de Date 6/6/2014 Company Name Mixify Mailing Address 195 Plymouth Street Brooklyn, NY 11201 USA Company Description Mixify is a live streaming community that brings EDM fans and DJs together with live high-quality audio streaming, live webcam or artist visual streaming, and live chat. Website http://www.mixify.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount … Continue reading “Mixify Lands $1,800,000 New Financing”