Category: Raleigh-Durham

Neuro Startup Challenge Winners Try To Commercialize NIH Inventions

The winning teams were announced today in the Neuro Startup Challenge, a two-year-old virtual accelerator that helps academic researchers and entrepreneurs build companies around promising technologies developed by NIH researchers. The 13 winners include a team from the Medical College of Wisconsin, which is launching a startup called Angio360 Diagnostics to commercialize a blood-based test … Continue reading “Neuro Startup Challenge Winners Try To Commercialize NIH Inventions”

SynShark’s Biochemical Technology Tops AgBio Showcase

The path of a tiny Texas startup to the multi-billion dollar chemicals market crosses through the tobacco fields of North Carolina. If it’s successful, the company’s technology could also save the lives of millions of sharks. That’s the circuitous course charted by College Station, TX-based SynShark, a spinout from Texas A&M University. SynShark has developed … Continue reading “SynShark’s Biochemical Technology Tops AgBio Showcase”

Building an Agnostic Cloud Infrastructure

Over the last two years I have often been asked: What is the best way to move out of Amazon Web Services (AWS) or other public cloud services? There are many reasons for making such a move, but cost, stability, and planned growth are the primary factors. Many companies that surpass $50,000 a month in … Continue reading “Building an Agnostic Cloud Infrastructure”

SAManage Obtains $16,000,000 Series B Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e9e653c8-bb45-426a-8d40-54632cfaad82 Date 5/20/2015 Company Name SAManage Mailing Address 117 Edinburgh South Cary, NC 27511 USA Company Description SAManage is a leading provider of Next Generation, on demand, IT Asset Management services. Our IT audit and tracking services can benefit organizations of all sizes.We use state-of-the-art SaaS services to enable any SMB or … Continue reading “SAManage Obtains $16,000,000 Series B Financing Round”

Four Tough Questions Startup CEOs Need to Ask to Scale

Mark Organ thinks very differently about how to evolve as a founder-CEO now that he’s on his second company. A decade ago, Mark co-founded customer relations management software company Eloqua. “I held on too long to all the details of the business,” he says. Even though the company had reached several million dollars in revenue, … Continue reading “Four Tough Questions Startup CEOs Need to Ask to Scale”

Battle to Regulate Uber, Lyft Moves From City Halls to State Capitols

[Updated 5/19/15, 10:40 a.m. See below.] The push to regulate increasingly popular ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft has shifted from city halls to state capitol buildings—with implications for the companies’ reputations and expansion plans, as well as the future of transportation systems worldwide. Last year saw passage of the first rules for ridesharing companies—or … Continue reading “Battle to Regulate Uber, Lyft Moves From City Halls to State Capitols”

Cree Sheds Light on IPO Plans for Power & RF Business

Cree, the LED lighting and semiconductor technologies company, is laying the groundwork to spin off one of its business units as a separate company, supported by an initial public stock offering. Durham, NC-based Cree (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CREE]]) disclosed Monday that it has confidentially filed documents with securities regulators for an IPO for the company’s Power & … Continue reading “Cree Sheds Light on IPO Plans for Power & RF Business”

Still Room For Great Guests at Napa Summit 2015—Request An Invite

“It’s like a mini-Davos.” That’s the way one leading venture capitalist describes Xconomy’s Napa Summit. And while he is perhaps a bit effusive, we do believe our annual retreat in wine country is something special. Maybe you can judge for yourself. We are just two weeks away from Napa Summit 2015, which will take place … Continue reading “Still Room For Great Guests at Napa Summit 2015—Request An Invite”

Angel Investors Still Awaiting the Impact from Equity Crowdfunding

After reading that angels would be the No. 1 losers due to the explosive growth of crowdfunding, angels like me have been keeping a wary eye on equity crowdfunding. Some reports in the press have suggested that crowdfunding could actually replace angels as a capital source. So far, the warnings have turned into a big … Continue reading “Angel Investors Still Awaiting the Impact from Equity Crowdfunding”

1776’s Top Edtech Startups: Handsfree Learning, LearnLux, Cognotion

With the explosion of online education, plenty of technology professionals are using skills they learned on their laptops rather than in university lecture halls. But how would you feel about a doctor who picked up surgical techniques the same way? Year-old startup Handsfree Learning is starting to make that kind of online physician training possible—and … Continue reading “1776’s Top Edtech Startups: Handsfree Learning, LearnLux, Cognotion”

An Open Standard for APIs Could Lead us to Better Health

[Updated, 12:05 pm ET] There’s a parable about the elephant and the rider that’s been used by Chip and Dan Heath, and that originated with Jonathan Haidt, to describe how humans make decisions. A person’s mind can be thought of as consisting of a rider, representing the rational part of human thinking, and the elephant … Continue reading “An Open Standard for APIs Could Lead us to Better Health”

Why Do Corporations Pay Billions Annually for Inefficient Hiring?

The hourly job market is the bedrock of the American workforce, 76 million members strong. While the growth in retail and hospitality positions, representing one third of these jobs, is pacing our economic recovery, the sector still spends an astonishing $1 billion annually on hiring. A thought provoking question: Can the industry create more than … Continue reading “Why Do Corporations Pay Billions Annually for Inefficient Hiring?”

Talking Cure? For Cancer Immunotherapy, Still Many Rivers to Cross

Cancer is a humbling thing: Our own cells gone bad, killing us from the inside, and so often able to rebound from attack or avoid it entirely. There has been progress fighting some types of cancers, but in no way equal to the resources (or rhetoric) the human race has aimed at the problem. On … Continue reading “Talking Cure? For Cancer Immunotherapy, Still Many Rivers to Cross”

The Future of Marketing Technology

The digital age has revolutionized marketing, increasing its complexity as well as creating the opportunity to dramatically improve customer experiences. As consumers, we live in an always-on and always-available world and we have come to expect our favorite brands to be one click or swipe away. As a consequence, the rapid advancements in technology that … Continue reading “The Future of Marketing Technology”

Precision BioScience Secures $25,600,000 Series A Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c0dc8b7b-49e5-4853-84b2-e08d3b2e7ff4 Date 5/12/2015 Company Name Precision BioScience Mailing Address 302 East Pettigrew St. Durham, NC 27701 USA Company Description Precision BioSciences’ mission is to translate the world’s most powerful genome editing technology into greatly needed products throughout the life sciences. Precision’s proprietary ARCUS genome editing technology enables the production of highly specific … Continue reading “Precision BioScience Secures $25,600,000 Series A Financing”

Precision BioSciences Lands $26M for Gene-Editing Technology

The idea of modifying genes is heralded by some as holding the potential for new therapies addressing rare, genetic diseases, or producing agricultural products with certain desirable characteristics. Precision BioSciences believes that its technology can beat out other emerging gene-editing technologies and it has closed on $25.6 million to prove it. The Durham, NC, company’s … Continue reading “Precision BioSciences Lands $26M for Gene-Editing Technology”

Agenda Posted For Xconomy Napa Summit on June 2—Request Your Invite

We are just three weeks away from the Napa Summit 2015: The Xconomy Retreat on the Economy, Jobs, and Growth. Quite simply, it is my favorite event of the year. Beyond the incredible setting, this exclusive, invitation-only conference features some of the world’s leading innovators and investors in a uniquely intimate format—offering an unprecedented view … Continue reading “Agenda Posted For Xconomy Napa Summit on June 2—Request Your Invite”

Spyryx Biosciences Garners $18,000,000 Series A Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c0762a11-943f-4d16-b924-43f2361f1fad Date 5/8/2015 Company Name Spyryx Biosciences Mailing Address 15 TW Alexander Drive Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 USA Company Description Spyryx Biosciences is developing next generation therapeutics for obstructive lung diseases with a particular focus on Cystic Fibrosis and COPD. We are dedicated to making a difference in the lives of … Continue reading “Spyryx Biosciences Garners $18,000,000 Series A Financing”

Koolbridge Solar Garners $500,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=23886d66-e67c-4ce9-bc41-eb2c74b0bd76 Date 5/7/2015 Company Name Koolbridge Solar Mailing Address PO Box 1529 Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480 USA Company Description Solar energy is radiant light and heat from the sun harnessed using a range of ever-evolving technologies such as solar heating, solar photovoltaics, solar thermal electricity, solar architecture and artificial photosynthesis. Website http://www.koolbridgesolar.com … Continue reading “Koolbridge Solar Garners $500,000 New Financing”

DroneExtra: DJI Raises $75 M; New FAA Initiatives

Big Silicon Valley venture firm Accel Partners has placed a hefty bet on the potential of commercial drones, and it’s one of the VC’s largest funding commitments to date. Accel announced a $75 million investment today in Shenzhen, China-based drone manufacturer DJI, a major player in the fast-developing industry. The big DJI funding news came … Continue reading “DroneExtra: DJI Raises $75 M; New FAA Initiatives”

Milestones Of Innovation 6: The Driving Force Of Moore’s ‘Law’

Few phrases have rung louder in the history of innovation than “Moore’s Law,” the amazingly potent guess, published 50 years ago on April 19, that the capacity of electronic circuits would double every couple of years. Since the 1968 founding of Intel, the world’s leading semiconductor-maker, that prediction has formed the basic doctrine of the … Continue reading “Milestones Of Innovation 6: The Driving Force Of Moore’s ‘Law’”

Fuel3D Lands New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=de963540-58ab-47c6-ace3-9256d193929e Date 5/6/2015 Company Name Fuel3D Mailing Address 1800 North Greene Street Greenville, NC 27834 USA Company Description FUEL3D is an affordable handheld 3D scanning system that delivers extremely high quality 3D shape and color capture for a range of creative applications. The Fuel3D handheld scanner is a point-and-shoot 3D scanning system … Continue reading “Fuel3D Lands New Financing Round”

Readying the Distributed Grid for the Big Energy Challenges of 2035

Predicting the future in the energy business is difficult for five years, let alone 20 years. That said, we feel the “better bet” is a future energy system that will be a lot more distributed as compared to the largely centralized grid of today. There will be much more generation and storage at the individual … Continue reading “Readying the Distributed Grid for the Big Energy Challenges of 2035”

NetSuite’s Bronto Buy Signals Coming Changes to Online Commerce

Bronto Software’s bread-and-butter business is helping companies understand what their customers browse and buy online—information that can then be used to nudge consumers to buy even more. This type of “marketing automation”—the ability to analyze consumer behavior in order to form targeted and personalized e-mail messages—primarily serves retailers. But the Durham, NC-based company has its … Continue reading “NetSuite’s Bronto Buy Signals Coming Changes to Online Commerce”

The Innovation Challenge: Assessing BioPharma Startups

Developing new medicines is really difficult and very expensive. A recent report, “Decline In Economic Returns From New Drugs Raises Questions About Sustaining Innovations,” suggests that the newest medicines are generating a negative rate of return across the industry. A viewpoint commonly found on the Web opines that Big Pharma has lost the ability to … Continue reading “The Innovation Challenge: Assessing BioPharma Startups”

NephroGenex Preps $30M Stock Offering to Expand Kidney Drug Trial

Kidney disease drug developer NephroGenex (NASDAQ: [[ticker:NRX]]) is raising $30 million in a secondary stock offering to expand the late-stage clinical trial of its lead drug. In paperwork filed with securities regulators, the Raleigh, NC-based company says it expects to price the offering on May 7, after the markets close. NephroGenex’s lead drug, a pill … Continue reading “NephroGenex Preps $30M Stock Offering to Expand Kidney Drug Trial”

Believe It or Not, the Government Is Driving Healthcare Innovation

Editor’s note: Jay Sultan, principal strategy advisor at Edifecs, a global health information technology solutions company, has another take on what’s driving innovation in healthcare, following our earlier Xconomist Forum post by former Providence Health and Services CEO John Koster arguing that healthcare is transforming regardless of the Affordable Care Act.  Largely missing from the … Continue reading “Believe It or Not, the Government Is Driving Healthcare Innovation”

Payzer Secures $4,200,000 Series A Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=be3c8405-77b9-4db0-9bf4-81f584387652 Date 5/1/2015 Company Name Payzer Mailing Address 8000 Corporate Center Drive Charlotte, NC 28226 USA Company Description Payzer is an exciting, financial services technology company, located in the heart of South Charlotte, North Carolina. We’re a fun loving, hard working, family-oriented team with an aim to be Charlotte’s next big success … Continue reading “Payzer Secures $4,200,000 Series A Round”

Triangle Tech Companies Tap Into Patient-Driven Healthcare Trends

As healthcare costs rise and doctor shortages loom, local technology companies are ramping up development of software to make physicians and treatment more accessible to patients nationwide. TouchCare, a Durham, NC-based startup, launched an Android-compatible version of its telemedicine mobile app earlier this month. And Polyglot, a Morrisville, NC-based software company that simplifies prescription instructions and tracks … Continue reading “Triangle Tech Companies Tap Into Patient-Driven Healthcare Trends”

Reflections on the “Build to Buy,” Part 2: The Applicability Problem

In a prior Xconomy post, I explored the unwritten and often hidden challenges of successfully navigating and completing a ‘build to buy’ acquisition. The fundamental issue that underlies those challenges is that the acquirers in these deals are not in the business of developing a single asset in a disciplined, focused manner. These buyers are … Continue reading “Reflections on the “Build to Buy,” Part 2: The Applicability Problem”

In Venture Reinvention, Versant Sees Gains Amid Biotech Boom Times

There’s not much ice in San Francisco, where I grew up, so hockey metaphors often go right over my head. But I can’t resist noting that Versant Ventures, led by a former hockey player, has made big line changes this decade to be able to skate another day, while many of its biotech venture peers … Continue reading “In Venture Reinvention, Versant Sees Gains Amid Biotech Boom Times”

Kaiser Permanente Ventures Leads $12.5M Investment in Validic

The healthcare market continues to see a torrent of new apps, wearables, and medical devices, and digital health startup Validic is boosting its financial position to help healthcare providers connect with all this new technology. The Durham, NC, company says it has raised $12.5 million in a Series B round led by Kaiser Permanente Ventures, … Continue reading “Kaiser Permanente Ventures Leads $12.5M Investment in Validic”

Validic Receives $12,500,000 Series B Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8f4bac70-1e16-4b1b-b197-5985f52f063b Date 4/28/2015 Company Name Validic Mailing Address 400 W Main St. Durham, NC 27701 USA Company Description Validic is a motley crew of developers and healthcare professionals drawn together by our ardent belief that technology can solve the world’s health problems. The Validic Enterprise mHealth API is setting the standard for … Continue reading “Validic Receives $12,500,000 Series B Funding Round”

NetSuite Boosts Commerce, Marketing Offerings With $200M Bronto Deal

Seeking to bring together commerce tools and marketing capabilities in a single cloud-based software offering, NetSuite is acquiring marketing software company Bronto Software in a $200 million cash and stock deal. The software platform of Bronto, a privately held Durham, NC, company, automates marketing campaigns and provides tools and analytics intended to help its customers … Continue reading “NetSuite Boosts Commerce, Marketing Offerings With $200M Bronto Deal”

Aerie Craters As Glaucoma Drug Comes up Short in Phase 3

Aerie Pharmaceuticals revealed this afternoon the first results from a group of late-stage trials for its glaucoma drug, and unfortunately for the Bedminster, NJ-based company, they don’t look pretty. The drug, known as Rhopressa, failed the primary goal of Aerie’s (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AERI]]) study. It didn’t do a better job of lowering intra-ocular pressure than timolol, … Continue reading “Aerie Craters As Glaucoma Drug Comes up Short in Phase 3”

Renewable Energy Efforts Take Root in North Carolina

With the growing season well underway, Sam Brake’s attention is focused mainly on the fields where he sees North Carolina’s biofuel future. The Department of Agriculture and North Carolina State University jointly run 18 agricultural research stations statewide that test various crops in different soil and climate conditions. Brake, an agricultural program specialist with the … Continue reading “Renewable Energy Efforts Take Root in North Carolina”

Napa Summit 2015: Request Your Invite to Xconomy’s Most Elite Event

What are the forces shaping our innovation future—and who are the leaders who will build it? We can’t promise all the answers, but we can promise an unusually intimate and inspiring discussion of such questions at Xconomy’s most unique and exclusive event. It’s called the Napa Summit: The Xconomy Retreat on Technology, Jobs, and Growth—and … Continue reading “Napa Summit 2015: Request Your Invite to Xconomy’s Most Elite Event”

Raleigh-Durham Roundup: Scynexis, Contego Medical, Argos, & More

Here are the week’s headlines in North Carolina biotech news: —Scynexis (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SCYX]]) is raising $30 million through a secondary stock offering largely to finance clinical trials for its lead drug, an antifungal. The offering boosts the Durham, NC, company’s cash reserves. In a securities filing, the company said its cash and cash equivalents totaled … Continue reading “Raleigh-Durham Roundup: Scynexis, Contego Medical, Argos, & More”

Contego Medical Secures $5,600,000 Series B Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e4ab05e9-579f-46f3-9f18-fca172cd5075 Date 4/21/2015 Company Name Contego Medical Mailing Address 9 Glenwood Avenue Raleigh, NC 27603 USA Company Description Contego Medical, founded in 2005, has developed a family of novel emboli protection devices. The main feature of each device is that the treatment portion (i.e., balloon or stent) is on the same catheter … Continue reading “Contego Medical Secures $5,600,000 Series B Round”

Milestones of Innovation 5: Stephanie Kwolek and Kevlar

Let’s hear it for Stephanie Kwolek, a determined, observant, and playful chemist who died last year at the age of 90. She is the inventor-heroine of an artificial fiber stronger than steel called kevlar, which has saved thousands of soldiers and policemen from fatal bullet wounds and is used in everything from cellphones to skis. … Continue reading “Milestones of Innovation 5: Stephanie Kwolek and Kevlar”

Innovation Hub: Which Companies Care About the Environment?

Transforming big businesses into green businesses might seem like a thorny process. But older, established companies like Ford have the potential to ignite a new generation of environmentally friendly products, according to Andrew Winston, author of The Big Pivot. By shifting their manufacturing process—like substituting aluminum for steel, as Ford has done—such companies are able … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: Which Companies Care About the Environment?”

Dip, But No Slowdown in First-Quarter VC Funding, & Top 10 Deals

A new MoneyTree Report being released today shows that U.S. venture capital activity eased off during the first three months of 2015. Yet it still marked the fifth consecutive quarter in which U.S. venture funding remained above $10 billion. VCs invested $13.4 billion in 1,020 deals throughout the U.S. during the first quarter of 2015, … Continue reading “Dip, But No Slowdown in First-Quarter VC Funding, & Top 10 Deals”

3 Things Startups Need to Know to Move to the Cloud

Despite concerns around data security, businesses are optimistic about the cloud. In fact, software-as-a-service adoption has more than quintupled from 13 percent in 2011 to 72 percent in 2014, according to a cloud computing survey conducted by North Bridge Venture Partners and Gigaom Research. For startups, the cloud has always been a great equalizer, enabling … Continue reading “3 Things Startups Need to Know to Move to the Cloud”

Innocrin Receives $28,000,000 Series D Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=69d2d758-d4ad-4b63-96b4-0f9a577e7853 Date 4/16/2015 Company Name Innocrin Mailing Address 4505 Emperor Boulevard Durham, NC 27703 USA Company Description Innocrin discovers and develops novel, best-in-class oral inhibitors of CYP17 lyase, a validated enzyme target for the treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Website http://www.innocrinpharma.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $28,000,000 Transaction Round Series … Continue reading “Innocrin Receives $28,000,000 Series D Funding Round”

Innocrin Pharmaceuticals Lands $28M for Prostate, Breast Cancer Trials

[Updated 4/16/15, 10:56 am. See below.]  Innocrin Pharmaceuticals is moving forward with a prostate cancer drug that it believes could better target the cancer while also causing fewer side effects compared to existing treatments. Now the company has some additional cash to try and make its case. The Durham, NC, company has raised $28 million … Continue reading “Innocrin Pharmaceuticals Lands $28M for Prostate, Breast Cancer Trials”

Healthcare Is Transforming Regardless of What Happens to the ACA

Powerful arguments and emotions continue to challenge the future of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The Supreme Court, partisan ideology, presidential elections, and deeply held convictions about the role of government will all make their mark. Most healthcare leaders, however, share a fundamental belief that healthcare transformation is happening now—driven by some of the same … Continue reading “Healthcare Is Transforming Regardless of What Happens to the ACA”

HAP Innovations Tackles Missed Meds with Automated Dispenser

Most people who take prescription medication relate to the experience of occasionally missing a pill. For those who juggle multiple prescriptions, forgotten doses can become a regular occurrence. Durham, NC, company HAP Innovations believes it can resolve those problems with a device that tracks all of a patient’s pills and dispenses them precisely when they … Continue reading “HAP Innovations Tackles Missed Meds with Automated Dispenser”

Pop That Bubble: 5 Reasons Biotech Needs A Different Metaphor

Back in April 2011, at a biotech conference in San Francisco, a panel convened to discuss how hard it was to build biotech companies that could push through long, costly clinical trials before a drug comes to market. One panelist hedged to say, well, at least the financial reticence had a silver lining: there was … Continue reading “Pop That Bubble: 5 Reasons Biotech Needs A Different Metaphor”