Heat Biologics is pressing forward with a stock offering expected to raise about $6.8 million—a little more than half of the target the cancer immunotherapy developer set in January but enough to advance its clinical programs to a point where they can report data. Durham, NC-based Heat (NASDAQ: [[ticker:HTBX]]) priced the offering of 9.1 million … Continue reading “Heat Biologics Prices $6.8M Stock Sale to Continue Cancer Trials”
Category: Raleigh-Durham
Envisia Therapeutics Garners $10,117,521 Series A Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=898cc41c-fa1f-4fe6-b784-4a83811dd261 Date 3/18/2016 Company Name Envisia Therapeutics Mailing Address P.O. Box 110065 Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 USA Company Description Envisia encourages applications from highly motivated individuals who excel in their field of expertise and enjoy a fast-paced, challenging work environment. Website http://www.envisiatherapeutics.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $10,117,521 Transaction Round … Continue reading “Envisia Therapeutics Garners $10,117,521 Series A Funding”
Can You Land an IT Job If You’re Self-Taught?
The path to a successful career used to be so straightforward. You’d graduate high school, go to college, earn your undergraduate and maybe even your graduate degree, then hit the job market for a full-time job. Employers knew exactly what they were looking for: candidates with degrees from reputable colleges who could demonstrate a significant … Continue reading “Can You Land an IT Job If You’re Self-Taught?”
Payoneer Acquires Armor Payments in Fintech Tie-Up
New York-based business-to-business online payments service Payoneer on Tuesday announced it acquired Armor Payments, a Silicon Valley-based, escrow-as-a-service payment company. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. Armor’s software will be integrated into Payoneer’s platform to offer a service that lets business-to-business buyers and suppliers conduct escrow payments to accounts around the world. Under the combined service, … Continue reading “Payoneer Acquires Armor Payments in Fintech Tie-Up”
Racing Zika: For Every Short Cut, There’s An Open Question
[Updated 3/15/16, 7:16pm; corrected 3/16/16, 7:00pm. See below.] In the Luganda language, zika means “overgrown.” It’s also the name of the Ugandan forest where, in the mid-20th century, researchers discovered the now-notorious virus. Dense forest is an appropriate and vivid image for the latest global health threat. So much about the virus and its effects … Continue reading “Racing Zika: For Every Short Cut, There’s An Open Question”
What Connect NC Means for AgBio Research, & More Innovation News
[Corrected, 1:15pm. See below] North Carolina will hold its primary election on Tuesday, and while most political observers are watching to see which candidates voters pick for the presidential election, voters will also have an opportunity to weigh in on a financing issue that’s key to a major agricultural biotechnology research initiative in the state. … Continue reading “What Connect NC Means for AgBio Research, & More Innovation News”
Transition in Tech Transfer: Will MIT Ever Start a Venture Fund?
By the end of June, Lita Nelsen will retire from MIT’s Technology Licensing Office, where she has worked for 30 years. She has been director of the office since 1993 and has seen a lot of things. Nelsen recently sat down with Xconomy to talk about trends in tech transfer and entrepreneurship. One timely issue: … Continue reading “Transition in Tech Transfer: Will MIT Ever Start a Venture Fund?”
fullcube Obtains $1,150,000 Seed Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c13e40e8-a490-41f3-8fe2-5ccf6ef7a2e3 Date 3/10/2016 Company Name fullcube Mailing Address Undisclosed Charlotte, NC 28210 USA Company Description The Fullcube platform can connect with any existing API-based system to deliver a single workflow for each and every marketing campaign and operational processes creating triggered and automated workflows saving significant time and money. Website http://www.fullcu.be Transaction … Continue reading “fullcube Obtains $1,150,000 Seed Financing”
Valencell Secures $11,000,000 Series D Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a9dc164c-2435-4a21-a5a8-11ab97fb6095 Date 3/9/2016 Company Name Valencell Mailing Address 4601 Six Forks Road Raleigh, NC 27609 USA Company Description Valencell’s proprietary Healthsnet techology turns mobile devices into health and fitness devices, addressing the growing demand for seamless monitoring of physical performance, fitness, and health status. Website http://www.valencell.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount … Continue reading “Valencell Secures $11,000,000 Series D Funding”
Valencell Raises $11M to Support Wearable Tech R&D
Biometric sensor company Valencell has closed on $11 million in new funding to support the company’s global expansion into more wearable technology products. The Raleigh, NC-based company’s Series D round was led by GII Tech, a new venture fund launched by the United Arab Emirates-based Gulf Islamic Investments. Previous investors TDF Ventures and WSJ Joshua Fund … Continue reading “Valencell Raises $11M to Support Wearable Tech R&D”
Zaloni Garners $7,500,000 Series A Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0452058f-6dd7-4f4d-80aa-c957628a42f4 Date 3/8/2016 Company Name Zaloni Mailing Address 633 Davis Drive Durham, NC 27713 USA Company Description Zaloni, the data lake company, is an award-winning provider of enterprise data lake management solutions. Our software, Bedrock and Mica, enable customers to gain competitive advantage through organized, actionable big data lakes. Serving the Fortune … Continue reading “Zaloni Garners $7,500,000 Series A Funding”
Argos Nabs Up to $60M to Continue Kidney Cancer Treatment Work
Argos Therapeutics reached an investment deal that provides up to $60 million in financing as the drug developer plows ahead on late-stage clinical trial work for its experimental immune-based kidney cancer treatment. Durham, NC-based Argos (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ARGS]]) said Monday that the private placement financing should provide the company enough cash to last until it reaches … Continue reading “Argos Nabs Up to $60M to Continue Kidney Cancer Treatment Work”
Biotech Dealmaking Is Tough, But AgBio Deals Prove Even Tougher
It’s a familiar story: a biotechnology company develops a promising product but falls short of sales projections. The company then cuts staff, realigns resources, and turns to startups to fill its depleted pipeline. While this scenario does play out in pharmaceuticals, it also describes what is happening in agriculture. Big ag companies face pressures to … Continue reading “Biotech Dealmaking Is Tough, But AgBio Deals Prove Even Tougher”
FAST Act Offers More Goodies to Emerging Growth Companies
Once again proving that you can’t judge a gift by its box, emerging growth companies (EGCs) received a pleasant, but oddly wrapped, surprise in December with the enactment of a new law authorizing spending on highway and transit projects. Although adopted with less fanfare than the JOBS Act, the new FAST Act (that’s short for … Continue reading “FAST Act Offers More Goodies to Emerging Growth Companies”
Unequal Pay: The Worst and Best Cities for Women in Tech
It’s no secret that a wage gap exists between men and women, and that there are groups working to narrow the divide. But did you know that the disparity of pay between male and female workers, in the tech field at least, is larger in some areas of the country than others? While that much … Continue reading “Unequal Pay: The Worst and Best Cities for Women in Tech”
Precision BioSciences, Chimerix, Spreedly, & More NC Innovation News
Here are the highlights from a busy week in North Carolina biotech, tech, and cleantech news. —Precision BioSciences inked a deal with Baxalta (NYSE: [[ticker:BXLT]]) that pays the Durham biotech company $105 million up front and up to $1.6 billion, plus royalties, if the partnership successfully develops new cancer immunotherapies. Key to the deal is … Continue reading “Precision BioSciences, Chimerix, Spreedly, & More NC Innovation News”
The Road to Safe, Secure Driverless Cars
The development of autonomous vehicles promises a future of safe and efficient roads, unimpeded by distracted, impaired, aggressive, or deliberately speeding drivers. But to achieve this, the companies involved in developing driverless cars will have to navigate significant obstacles. The transition from personally controlled to automated vehicles can be likened to the shift that occurred … Continue reading “The Road to Safe, Secure Driverless Cars”
NephroGenex Pauses Kidney Drug Trial to Restructure, Seek Merger
Cash-starved NephroGenex is pausing studies on its diabetic nephropathy treatment as the company repositions itself as a possible target for companies that want a public stock listing and a drug in late-stage clinical trials. Raleigh, NC-based NephroGenex (NASDAQ: [[ticker:NRX]]) said Wednesday that its board of directors has decided to pursue a corporate restructuring that could … Continue reading “NephroGenex Pauses Kidney Drug Trial to Restructure, Seek Merger”
Dyson, Maeda, Jepsen, & More at Our Napa Summit–Request Your Invite
Forget for a moment our truly mind-blowing presidential possibilities. Consider instead the wellspring of innovators and innovation out there, and you’ll feel better about the future, no matter where your political anxieties lie. And then imagine coming to Napa in mid-May to join Xconomy at our most special event—where you will enjoy first-hand interaction with … Continue reading “Dyson, Maeda, Jepsen, & More at Our Napa Summit–Request Your Invite”
Realizing the Return on Digital Health Technologies
A “Wired for Health” study recently reported by The Scripps Translational Science Institute in San Diego poses a significant challenge for those working to realize the potential of digital health technologies. The Scripps team has been investigating the relationship between wireless health-monitoring technologies, healthcare costs, and outcomes in patients with chronic disease. After equipping one cohort of patients … Continue reading “Realizing the Return on Digital Health Technologies”
After Failed Trial, Chimerix Shuts Down Two More Phase 3 Tests
[Updated 2/22/16, 11:43 am. See below. ] Chimerix is shutting down two late-stage trials for a drug meant to prevent infections in kidney transplant patients, a decision that follows the drug’s recent Phase 3 failure in people who have received stem cell transplants. Durham, NC-based Chimerix (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CMRX]]) announced over the weekend that it would … Continue reading “After Failed Trial, Chimerix Shuts Down Two More Phase 3 Tests”
Investor Survey, Part 2: A Pair of Seattle VCs on 2016 Themes
Will a new crop of Seattle startups rise to world domination? Will virtual or augmented reality applications create the next powerhouse tech company? Those are two of the overriding hopes and ambitions emerging from the Seattle segment of my informal cross-country survey of leading investors as I seek to unearth core investment themes and premises … Continue reading “Investor Survey, Part 2: A Pair of Seattle VCs on 2016 Themes”
Finding Innovation in the Modern Data Center
The modern data center is going through a period of transition. Traditional data center infrastructures are increasingly giving way to disruptive and innovative technologies such as cloud computing and hyperconvergence. Business demands and IT challenges are forcing executives to take a longer look at investments that will accelerate innovation, provide a competitive advantage, and achieve … Continue reading “Finding Innovation in the Modern Data Center”
North Carolina Equity Investments Double, Topping $1B in 2015
Some North Carolina entrepreneurs lament a shortage of available capital that can help their companies grow. A new report suggests that companies in the state are raising more money than ever before, and they’re attracting those investments from more places—in some cases, overseas. Companies in technology, life sciences, cleantech, and advanced manufacturing raised $1.2 billion … Continue reading “North Carolina Equity Investments Double, Topping $1B in 2015”
A North Carolina High School that Spins Out Entrepreneurs
Over the years, many successful ventures have emerged from North Carolina’s rich concentration of university researchers. Some of the state’s innovators get an even earlier start: high school. North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM) began in 1980 as an innovation itself, founded as a public residential high school for academically talented high school … Continue reading “A North Carolina High School that Spins Out Entrepreneurs”
Mobile Health Firm Medfusion Names Kimberly Labow CEO
Medfusion has named Kimberly Labow CEO of the health IT company, taking the place of former chief executive Vern Davenport. The company gave no reason for the leadership change, saying only that Davenport “recently announced his departure from the company.” Labow rises to the top post after serving as the Cary, NC-based company’s vice president … Continue reading “Mobile Health Firm Medfusion Names Kimberly Labow CEO”
“Innovation” in a Competitive Startup Economy
Seventy-three percent of U.S. adults agree that we’re living in an age of significant innovation. Indeed, the pace at which new products and services are being developed is truly incredible. In 2014 alone, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) granted a record 300,678 utility patents – the most issued in a single year, ever. … Continue reading ““Innovation” in a Competitive Startup Economy”
Startup RewardStock Points the Way to Credit Card Rewards & Travel
If someone offered you a way to take a free tropical vacation, you might think it was too good to be true. But Jon Hayes traveled to a tropical island for free. His global jaunts also include trips throughout South America and Europe, all taken for free or relatively little cash cost. Hayes left a … Continue reading “Startup RewardStock Points the Way to Credit Card Rewards & Travel”
Biotech’s Recent Headlines, Reimagined In Verse and On Stage
Dear Theranos, I noticed recently that you’re looking for a writer to work in your Palo Alto office. Please don’t tell my bosses at Xconomy, but I’m throwing my hat in the ring. In your job posting, the final requirement in particular made me think I’d be a good fit: Bold experimentation in different … Continue reading “Biotech’s Recent Headlines, Reimagined In Verse and On Stage”
With Free Headsets, Nearpod Enticing Schools to Try Virtual Reality
Education is often mentioned as one of the many future uses of virtual reality technology, though most observers predict that gamers will dominate VR’s early years. But edtech startup Nearpod saw VR’s potential for instruction, and decided, why wait? The company, whose core business is a course-creation platform for teachers, developed an inexpensive way to … Continue reading “With Free Headsets, Nearpod Enticing Schools to Try Virtual Reality”
Can Innovation Improve Lives of Vulnerable Children and Families?
Technological innovation is rare in the human services field because most service providers operate with limited resources and they are forced to choose between serving more families or investing in technology. In addition, most funding in human services comes from government sources, which rely on paper processes for accountability. More specifically, social service providers lack … Continue reading “Can Innovation Improve Lives of Vulnerable Children and Families?”
Spreedly Secures $500,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3f8d7006-9246-4eeb-b9a3-36e851c7bc5d Date 2/11/2016 Company Name Spreedly Mailing Address 116 West Main Street Durham, NC 27701 USA Company Description Formed in 2008 Spreedly was a simple, elegant subscription management service. Built by developers for developers, we placed an emphasis on solving difficult business challenges around online recurring payments. Over time we realized the … Continue reading “Spreedly Secures $500,000 New Financing Round”
BioCryst Stock Tanks After Rare Disease Drug’s Phase 2 Failure
BioCryst Pharmaceuticals’ strategy to recast itself as a rare disease drug developer hit a stumbling block Monday when the company released results showing that its experimental treatment for a rare genetic disorder failed to work better than a placebo in a mid-stage clinical trial. The BioCryst (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BCRX]]) drug, called avoralstat, was developed to treat … Continue reading “BioCryst Stock Tanks After Rare Disease Drug’s Phase 2 Failure”
Syngenta, NC Biotech, PSEG Solar, & More NC Innovation News
Panthers country is licking its wounds from Sunday night’s big game, but there’s plenty going on in the business community to take minds off of the stinging Super Bowl defeat. Here’s a recap of some of the top headlines in North Carolina biotech, tech, and cleantech news. —Switzerland-based agribusiness giant Syngenta (NYSE: [[ticker:SYT]]), which maintains … Continue reading “Syngenta, NC Biotech, PSEG Solar, & More NC Innovation News”
4 Worst-Case Scenarios That Make the Case For Disaster Recovery
It’s a topic frequently heard in board meetings and splashed across the news: storm-related data loss and downtime trigger threats to our IT environments. For instance, last winter in New England caused a scare among executives and IT professionals alike. Record-breaking snowfall and increased risks to regional business data created a huge buzz about the … Continue reading “4 Worst-Case Scenarios That Make the Case For Disaster Recovery”
One Writer’s Strategy for Avoiding Information Overload
This week one of my favorite podcasts, WNYC’s Note to Self, is featuring a project called Infomagical. Every day the show is sharing new challenges designed to help listeners cope with information overload. We all know that feeling of being so far behind on the e-mails, texts, articles, and all the other stuff our digital … Continue reading “One Writer’s Strategy for Avoiding Information Overload”
Improving Odds for Women in Tech? Take Notes from Biotech
At our entrepreneurial support organization, the Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED), we often joke about adhering to the proper dress and catering code for our networking events: jeans and beer for tech; suits, wine and cocktails for life sciences. But there is more to these superficial differences between the two networks serving 1,200 entrepreneurial companies … Continue reading “Improving Odds for Women in Tech? Take Notes from Biotech”
Blood Simple? Grail’s Cancer Screening Quest Faces Tough Questions
[Corrected, 2/4/16, 2:05pm. See below.] Three weeks ago the world’s biggest genomic sequencing company, Illumina (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ILMN]]), unveiled a spinout called Grail to make blood tests that could spot all kinds of cancer in seemingly healthy people, perhaps as soon as 2019. If you know anything about the history of screening healthy people for cancer, … Continue reading “Blood Simple? Grail’s Cancer Screening Quest Faces Tough Questions”
FDA Puts Heat Biologics Bladder Cancer Trial on Partial Hold
The FDA has stopped Heat Biologics from enrolling patients in a clinical trial evaluating a treatment for bladder cancer while the company works through an issue regarding the cells used as the source for its cancer immunotherapy. Chapel Hill, NC-based Heat (NASDAQ: [[ticker:HTBX]]) said Wednesday that it does not believe that there are any safety … Continue reading “FDA Puts Heat Biologics Bladder Cancer Trial on Partial Hold”
How Scientific Social Work Helps People Flourish
Here’s a question for everyone who wants to change the world: Which of these innovations will have more impact on society—a first-of-its-kind experimental vaccine to prevent HIV/AIDS that’s been developed by a venture-capital-backed biotechnology company, or a big-data research study from a social work scholar that identifies the role that alcohol consumption plays in the … Continue reading “How Scientific Social Work Helps People Flourish”
Time to Ease On Down the Road
It’s been a real pleasure writing my guest op-ed pieces for Xconomy for the past six years. I’ve enjoyed sharing my thoughts about a wide spectrum of biopharma topics, and appreciated the feedback I received whether you agreed with my views or not. However, it’s time for me to move on. I’ve already started posting … Continue reading “Time to Ease On Down the Road”
One of the Country’s Largest Coding Schools Opens Detroit Campus
The Iron Yard, one of the biggest coding schools in the nation, today announced that it’s opening a Detroit campus, probably in the vicinity of downtown. Starting next month, the Iron Yard will offer two 12-week programs—one devoted to teaching front-end coding skills, and one that covers back-end coding. Each course costs $12,000 per student, … Continue reading “One of the Country’s Largest Coding Schools Opens Detroit Campus”
AgBio Edges Pharma and Other Takeaways on the RTP Biotech Scene
When North Carolina State University crop science professor Wesley Everman was in graduate school more than a decade ago, aerial images of crops were available intermittently. Planes didn’t fly often and when they did, the images they provided were just a snapshot in time. These days, Everman gets crop image data as needed and in … Continue reading “AgBio Edges Pharma and Other Takeaways on the RTP Biotech Scene”
CRISPR: The Path to Clinical Trials
If you have read a newspaper lately, there is a good chance you have heard about CRISPR-Cas9, the versatile gene editing technology. Over the past several months, legal battles over intellectual property, ethical concerns over editing of the human germline, jaw-dropping partnerships with pharma, and talk of IPOs have crescendoed to a steady roar, reaching … Continue reading “CRISPR: The Path to Clinical Trials”
Three Things To Know About Doing Business in California
Since the 1849 gold rush, California has had a reputation as a great place to seek—and find—your fortune. The Golden State is home to the Golden Gate Bridge, the Golden State Warriors and, in Silicon Valley, golden opportunities. But, as you might suspect, California sometimes operates like its own country, with laws that aren’t like … Continue reading “Three Things To Know About Doing Business in California”
The Right Resources Are Key to Growing Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
One of the more pressing issues for communities that have built emerging entrepreneurial ecosystems is how they can better support growth stage companies. There are many cities and regional hubs around the U.S. that are producing some great companies, with smart founders and talented employees, but without the right resources (outside capital, peer-to-peer mentoring, a … Continue reading “The Right Resources Are Key to Growing Entrepreneurial Ecosystems”
ProctorFree Garners New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f8d46db6-1021-4f3e-9d67-beb2bc140441 Date 1/27/2016 Company Name ProctorFree Mailing Address 9121 Sam Furr Rd. Huntersville, NC 28078 USA Company Description ProctorFree is an on-demand, automated online proctoring service that deters cheating in an online testing environment. Using biometric and machine learning technologies, ProctorFree has eliminated the need for a human proctor during testing. Website … Continue reading “ProctorFree Garners New Round”
Top Trends in Online Lending for 2016
Though online lending has been around for over a decade, the past year was a big one for the sector. There was at least one notable IPO in late 2014, a groundbreaking partnership with one of the largest banks in the U.S., and several young online lenders crossed the billion-dollar mark in valuations. Momentum is … Continue reading “Top Trends in Online Lending for 2016”
Unitive Lands $750,000 Series A Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=92589521-5ab5-4d73-a030-e0d1d109d1d0 Date 1/26/2016 Company Name Unitive Mailing Address 4512 South Miami Blvd. Durham, NC 27709 USA Company Description Unitive tracks all decisions made and records data on all applicants and candidates that come through the system. Get reports to track improvement of diversity objectives across departments, divisions and your entire organization. Website … Continue reading “Unitive Lands $750,000 Series A Funding”
From Airbnb to Uber: An MIT Sloan Tour of Bay Area Tech
I’ve always been curious about the West Coast, especially San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Growing up in India and then working in the oil & gas industry in Latin America and Texas, I didn’t have much opportunity (or reason) to visit the Bay Area. Now that I’m an MBA student at MIT Sloan, I want … Continue reading “From Airbnb to Uber: An MIT Sloan Tour of Bay Area Tech”