Science, medicine and information technology have become intimately entangled with business on all levels. Whether in academic settings or business settings, success in these areas increasingly requires involvement with basic business concepts and principles that aren’t taught in college. Undergraduates in science and engineering disciplines graduate from universities and enter positions in biotechnology and technology … Continue reading “Teach More Business in School”
Category: Raleigh-Durham
Dallas Entrepreneur Center Aims to Bridge Tech’s Diversity Divide
The issue of gender and diversity is not a new challenge but one that has recently come to the forefront in a lot of our communities. There seems to be an awareness of the issues and an inherent need to address, but many are still conflicted how to best move forward. I think the best … Continue reading “Dallas Entrepreneur Center Aims to Bridge Tech’s Diversity Divide”
Hepatitis C Commercial Game Theory
Anyone either celebrating or fearing the start of a Hepatitis C drug price war should take a break from the excitement to consider that a far more nuanced and profound game is at hand, one where the rules of tacit collusion (the legal kind) constrain price erosion—and each new entrant with a “good enough” drug … Continue reading “Hepatitis C Commercial Game Theory”
The Small Business Revolution Will Be Measured
In 2015 I predict we will see a rise in the number of small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) that collect and analyze data for improving operational efficiencies, reducing risk, and better meeting customer needs. People tend to think of big data and business intelligence as living mostly in the realm of the big enterprise. Large … Continue reading “The Small Business Revolution Will Be Measured”
What Was the Biggest Surprise of 2014?
As we close out the year, we at Xconomy have been asking our network of sources and informal advisors (the Xconomists) a series of questions. An obvious but telling one was to inquire about the biggest surprise of 2014, from their point of view. We’ve been posting their answers on a variety of topics as … Continue reading “What Was the Biggest Surprise of 2014?”
Improve Education with Great Expectations for All Students
If I could change one thing about our K-12 education system, it would be to end the curse of low expectations in Washington’s public schools. Numerous studies have shown that teacher and principal expectations have a profound effect on school culture and student performance. A student treated as if she or he can accomplish anything … Continue reading “Improve Education with Great Expectations for All Students”
Attracting, Retaining Talent Key to Driving Economy Forward
A major issue continues to be how to attract and train the necessary talent to drive forward both individual businesses and the economy as a whole. This issue is being addressed in pockets (such as some nascent, innovative programs in Michigan), but not nearly at the scope that is needed. Among other things, it involves … Continue reading “Attracting, Retaining Talent Key to Driving Economy Forward”
5 Tips for Students to Get Ahead in Technology and Business
What advice would you give students interested in your field? That’s a question we posed to our network of Xconomists around the country. They range from academic leaders to startup founders to venture capitalists. What we found was that their answers were generally bigger than their particular field of expertise. Taken together, the tips provide … Continue reading “5 Tips for Students to Get Ahead in Technology and Business”
14 for ’14: Xconomy’s Top Innovation Stories of the Year
It has been quite a year for one-word headlines: Ebola, Sony, Uber, WhatsApp, to name a few. Behind those headlines are complex issues in business and technology that came to the fore in 2014. Things like impediments to vaccine development; mounting threats in cybersecurity and privacy; the regulatory and cultural struggles of high-flying startups; and … Continue reading “14 for ’14: Xconomy’s Top Innovation Stories of the Year”
To Diversify the Innovation Community, Jump-Start Female Entrepreneurship
Just about a year ago at this time, I read a report that made me ask myself whether I was doing enough—and the right kind of “enough”—to encourage diversity in our technology startup community and innovation ecosystem here in Boston/Cambridge. Fortunately, when I looked at the startups in my portfolio of seed investments, I found … Continue reading “To Diversify the Innovation Community, Jump-Start Female Entrepreneurship”
Expand Our Notion of Success from Wealth Creation to Value Creation
We have too narrow a view of success in the tech community, fueled by investors wanting big returns, business schools reinforcing these values, and universities trying to maximize financial returns on their research. Young people see this. Many children of immigrants want to help their parents’ homelands. Many young people want to build a more … Continue reading “Expand Our Notion of Success from Wealth Creation to Value Creation”
10 Bits of Advice for Students Interested in Drug Development
Here are my 10 crucial pieces of advice for students who aspire to a career in pharmaceutical labs: 1. You need a solid foundation in science. Master the basics, and learn how to apply that knowledge. 2. But, try to also take classes and build skills in complementary areas like business, legal topics (especially intellectual … Continue reading “10 Bits of Advice for Students Interested in Drug Development”
Kicking the Cyber Attack Can Down the Road
By far the most important issue where the can got “kicked down the road” is any kind of concerted effort to deter or dissuade cross-border cyber-crime, cyber-attacks, cyber-vandalism and other various forms of hacking mischief. As more and more people become reliant of digital devices and networks for their livelihoods and leisure, their vulnerability to … Continue reading “Kicking the Cyber Attack Can Down the Road”
From STEM to C-Suite, Steps to Improve Technology’s Gender Balance
Gender and diversity problems certainly aren’t new for either the technology community or for business in general. Over the past several decades, women and minorities have worked to gain access to higher levels within organizations, and many white males already in senior roles have also worked to address these issues. However, progress has been slow, … Continue reading “From STEM to C-Suite, Steps to Improve Technology’s Gender Balance”
Biggest Surprises in 2014: Apple After Steve Jobs
What was the biggest surprise of the year? The continued success of Apple. It’s been a quiet period after Jobs’s disappearance and it is very difficult to step into those shoes, I had not counted on the success. The iPhone 6 is a marvel even if it’s not a groundbreaking innovation. But the Apple Watch … Continue reading “Biggest Surprises in 2014: Apple After Steve Jobs”
Simple Steps Toward More Inclusive Entrepreneurship
At conferences, meetups, and events, my colleagues and I often lament the lack of diversity in the audience, particularly the lack of women. Organizations like the Doyenne Group here in Madison, WI, are doing great things to cultivate entrepreneurship among women. Some recent changes in my life, however, have given me a new perspective on … Continue reading “Simple Steps Toward More Inclusive Entrepreneurship”
What’s Missing From Education? Critical Thinking
There is too little emphasis on teaching critical thinking skills in schools. Many adults have little understanding of important science and technology issues, which leaves them open to poor decision making on matters that will affect both their families as well as society in general. A good example would be a failure to understand and … Continue reading “What’s Missing From Education? Critical Thinking”
What’s the Most Important Issue That Didn’t Get Addressed in 2014?
Immigration. Very sad and shows how deeply dysfunctional our system is. This is really hurting innovation—and other countries, like Canada, U.K., Chile and Spain, have moved way ahead of us. Very frustrating. [Editor’s note: To tap the wisdom of our distinguished group of Xconomists, we asked a few of them to answer this question heading … Continue reading “What’s the Most Important Issue That Didn’t Get Addressed in 2014?”
The Sony Wake-Up Call
[Corrected, see below] The Sony saga continues. Last week, the FBI said there is enough information to conclude that the North Korean government is responsible for the Sony cyberattack. Now some are beginning to wonder how the U.S. should retaliate. Surely, new developments will continue to unfold, but our focus remains on what this breach … Continue reading “The Sony Wake-Up Call”
Raleigh-Durham Roundup: BioCryst, Scioderm, Red Hat & More
Here are the week’s headlines in North Carolina tech and biotech news: —BioCryst (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BCRX]]) received Food and Drug Administration approval on an intravenous antiviral treatment for influenza, marking the first U.S. drug approval for the Durham, NC-based company. Peramivir (Rapivab) was developed in partnership with the with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, … Continue reading “Raleigh-Durham Roundup: BioCryst, Scioderm, Red Hat & More”
Rethinking Venture Philanthropy After the Kalydeco Windfall
The Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Foundation’s big win in venture philanthropy can fuel constructive competition among companies developing innovative CF drugs, benefiting both patients and the healthcare system by increasing future treatment options and reducing their cost. CF is a fatal genetic disease affecting around 30,000 people in the U.S. that is caused by mutations in … Continue reading “Rethinking Venture Philanthropy After the Kalydeco Windfall”
Metamaterials Moguls: Gates, Allen Back New Radar Startup Echodyne
Microsoft’s co-founders are backing a Seattle-area startup that wants to apply proprietary metamaterials technology to radar. Bill Gates is co-leader with Madrona Venture Group of a $15 million Series A funding round for Echodyne, which will seek to commercialize the metamaterials technology portfolio of Intellectual Ventures “for a wide range of new radar applications,” Gates … Continue reading “Metamaterials Moguls: Gates, Allen Back New Radar Startup Echodyne”
Scioderm Obtains $20,000,000 Series B Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=41f59981-9b47-4be8-938f-dc3247e75391 Date 12/19/2014 Company Name Scioderm Mailing Address 1007 Slater Road Durham, NC 27703 USA Company Description The core business focus of Scioderm is the development of innovative dermatological drugs. Our strategy is to in-license or acquire early to mid-stage pharmaceutical products with the intent to develop the topical products. Website http://www.sderm.com … Continue reading “Scioderm Obtains $20,000,000 Series B Funding Round”
With Big Funding, Phononic CEO Targets New Cooling Applications
Semiconductor startup Phononic entered 2014 with a $21 million funding round to bring the company’s new cooling technology into refrigerator production lines. Phononic is still on track to break into home refrigeration. But the company is closing the year with an additional $44.5 million in funding as it stakes out opportunities to cool other devices … Continue reading “With Big Funding, Phononic CEO Targets New Cooling Applications”
Phononic Devices Secures $44,500,000 Series D Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=afa1a2cc-804f-470c-a274-6dfba64532cc Date 12/18/2014 Company Name Phononic Devices Mailing Address 800 Capitola Drive Durham, NC 27713 USA Company Description Phononic Devices is commercializing advanced thermoelectric materials and device concepts exclusively licensed from the University of Oklahoma designed to dramatically improve the efficiency of heat-to-electric energy conversion, and conversely, efficient use of electricity for … Continue reading “Phononic Devices Secures $44,500,000 Series D Funding Round”
Phononic Raises a Cool $44.5M for Refrigerator Technology
Phononic, a startup that’s trying to shake up the refrigerator industry with a semiconductor cooling technology, has raised $44.5 million to help the company expand into more cooling applications. Eastwood Capital Corp. and the Wellcome Trust led the Series D round for the Durham, NC-based company. Phononic’s technology replaces refrigerator compressors, the pumps that move … Continue reading “Phononic Raises a Cool $44.5M for Refrigerator Technology”
Coming Soon to a Theater Near You: Magnovision?
When the ads for Mars vacations came on the TV, Doug Quaid couldn’t turn away. He thought about Mars at work, dreamed about it at night, badgered his wife about going there. She reminded him that they couldn’t afford it—and anyway, Saturn is much nicer. But he could not get Mars out of his head. … Continue reading “Coming Soon to a Theater Near You: Magnovision?”
Intrigue and Outdated Rules Complicate Big Biotech Patent Fight
How’s this for strange? What’s likely the most important biotech patent battle of the decade is now being fought under outmoded rules that the U.S. Congress, in a rare spasm of common purpose three years ago, agreed roundly were due for a once-in-a-lifetime overhaul. The fight is over CRISPR/Cas9, a potential Nobel-winning biotech discovery, and … Continue reading “Intrigue and Outdated Rules Complicate Big Biotech Patent Fight”
Phytonix Turns Photosynthetic Bacteria Into Tiny Chemical Factories
Ambitions for biologically sourced fuels bump up against the reality that making chemicals and fuels from organic material is still generally more expensive. One company is hoping to overcome that obstacle by tapping into the built-in way that plants make their own energy. Plants use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into food with … Continue reading “Phytonix Turns Photosynthetic Bacteria Into Tiny Chemical Factories”
How Big Data Improves Sales Management and Predicts Performance
Enterprises worth their salt typically use a set of standard key performance indicators (KPIs) to evaluate progress, but there are limits to the effectiveness of these measures in improving or predicting future performance. According to Harvard Business Review, the top KPIs in sales include average annual quota and quota attainment average. The former describes the … Continue reading “How Big Data Improves Sales Management and Predicts Performance”
How Ebola Drug Trials Today Could Shape Future Drug Development
Ebola research has yet to yield a proven vaccine or antiviral drug but the work done so far could be paving the way for something else—faster and more efficient ways of testing drug candidates for other diseases. Jeffrey Spaeder, chief medical officer for Durham, NC, contract research organization Quintiles (NYSE: [[ticker:Q]]), says the current Ebola … Continue reading “How Ebola Drug Trials Today Could Shape Future Drug Development”
Triad Semiconductor Obtains $5,000,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=66ae42b2-ba91-4c85-bc17-718fd4f77e18 Date 12/9/2014 Company Name Triad Semiconductor Mailing Address 1760 Jonestown Road Winston-Salem, NC 27103 USA Company Description Triad Semiconductor was founded in August 2002. Our early years were focused on developing configurable analog and digital technology for the mixed signal ASIC market. This enormous undertaking has resulted in patent protected silicon … Continue reading “Triad Semiconductor Obtains $5,000,000 New Financing”
Advanced Animal Diagnostics Receives $15,000,000 Series C Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=22de4b0d-457a-4592-bc8e-fbfbbc8ed41f Date 12/9/2014 Company Name Advanced Animal Diagnostics Mailing Address 635 Davis Drive Morrisville, NC 27560 USA Company Description Advanced Animal Diagnostics (AAD) is an innovative company designed to enhance the profitability of livestock production and ensure a safe, abundant supply of animal protein by developing highly accurate, rapid diagnostics to detect … Continue reading “Advanced Animal Diagnostics Receives $15,000,000 Series C Financing Round”
The Risks and Opportunities in a Startup: Age 5 Years and Up
In my last two articles, I explored the top risks and opportunities that startups face during their first five years of existence. In this conclusion to the series, I’d like to discuss the final phase of startup growth—Year 5 and up. If your business has made it to the crucial 5-year mark, that’s a good … Continue reading “The Risks and Opportunities in a Startup: Age 5 Years and Up”
Raleigh-Durham Roundup: LabCorp, UNC, HQ Greensboro, & More
Here are the week’s headlines in North Carolina tech and biotech news: —Diagnostics and laboratory testing company LabCorp (NYSE: [[ticker:LH]]) is expanding its DNA testing capabilities by acquiring Bode Technology. Burlington, NC-based LabCorp disclosed no financial terms for its purchase of Bode Technology from SolutionPoint International. Bode Technology specializes in forensic DNA analysis, proprietary DNA … Continue reading “Raleigh-Durham Roundup: LabCorp, UNC, HQ Greensboro, & More”
Innovating with Bitcoin at MIT
In November, we began distributing $100 in Bitcoin to every undergraduate student at MIT. A large share of the 4,500 eligible students participated in the project. Bitcoin is an innovative payment network that allows for instant peer-to-peer transactions with zero or very low processing fees on a worldwide scale. The objective of the study is … Continue reading “Innovating with Bitcoin at MIT”
Innovation Hub: Are Entrepreneurs a Dying Breed?
It feels like every day, we hear another story of a 22-year-old who sold his app for millions. But the truth about entrepreneurs may be very different. In fact, if you look at the official data, entrepreneurship in the U.S. has been in decline for over thirty years. We talked to Ben Casselman, the chief … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: Are Entrepreneurs a Dying Breed?”
Formlabs to Pay 8 Percent of Net Sales in Patent Lawsuit Settlement
Formlabs, a 3D printer startup that makes high-end devices targeted at professional designers, has agreed to pay 8 percent of its net sales to much larger competitor 3D Systems in order to settle a patent lawsuit. Details of the two companies’ financial deal were not revealed in the court filings dismissing the patent lawsuit earlier this week. But a new 3D Systems filing … Continue reading “Formlabs to Pay 8 Percent of Net Sales in Patent Lawsuit Settlement”
GSK Restructuring Slashes R&D; RTP to Take Brunt of Cuts
The contingent of researchers in North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park is set to get smaller as Britain-based GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: [[ticker:GSK]]), one of the Park’s largest tenants, consolidates R&D operations. The move is part of a corporate restructuring that will eliminate some 900 research positions in the Park alone. GSK announced details of the restructuring and … Continue reading “GSK Restructuring Slashes R&D; RTP to Take Brunt of Cuts”
More Biotechs Belly-Up These Days but Dendreon Still “One of a Kind”
Biotech companies rarely go bankrupt. Sitting where I sit, that bit of conventional wisdom comes around every so often, although it doesn’t generate quite the same buzz as Halley’s Comet or a wardrobe malfunction. Bankruptcy just doesn’t get America jawing over the water cooler on Monday morning. (I can’t imagine why.) If your cooler is … Continue reading “More Biotechs Belly-Up These Days but Dendreon Still “One of a Kind””
Prescription Drug Pricing: The Fine Line Between Value and Greed
Value. It’s one of the most frequently used buzzwords on both Wall Street and in healthcare. Virtually every press release from a publicly traded company assures us that its latest acquisition/layoff/tax inversion/sale of assets was designed “to increase shareholder value.” But what exactly is “value” and how is it measured? Here are some definitions from … Continue reading “Prescription Drug Pricing: The Fine Line Between Value and Greed”
Pozen, Sanofi Terminate Drug Pact Ahead of FDA Approval Decision
Pozen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:POZN]]) is once again hunting for a drug commercialization partner just 15 months after Sanofi (NYSE: [[ticker:SNY]]) agreed to bring the company’s cardiovascular disease drug to market. Pozen’s announcement Monday that its partnership with Sanofi has been terminated comes less than a month before a scheduled Food and Drug Administration decision on whether … Continue reading “Pozen, Sanofi Terminate Drug Pact Ahead of FDA Approval Decision”
Startups and 13 States Jumpstart Equity Crowdfunding Without SEC
Ever wanted to own your own little piece of a startup, but found you don’t quite have the money to do it? Well, now you can buy a stake in a local brewery, restaurant, or software company—at least if you live in Wisconsin, Michigan, Washington, Colorado, or other states with new laws that let companies … Continue reading “Startups and 13 States Jumpstart Equity Crowdfunding Without SEC”
The Risks and Opportunities in a Startup: Age 2-5 Years
In my previous article, I discussed the key risks and opportunities that startups face when they’re just starting out. This time, I’d like to go one step further to the second phase of a startup’s growth: age 2-5 years. This is a critical period. The initial excitement of starting a business is over, and now … Continue reading “The Risks and Opportunities in a Startup: Age 2-5 Years”
Precision Agriculture Taking Root With Drones, AgBio Technology
To catch a glimpse of new technology that could help farmers get more from plants in the soil, look to the sky. Aerial drones might be more commonly associated with military applications today. But the precision an unmanned aerial vehicle shows in a military strike also has applications in farming. A drone can identify a … Continue reading “Precision Agriculture Taking Root With Drones, AgBio Technology”
Using Big Data, Smart Grid Startups Itemize Utility Bills
Many smart-grid entrepreneurs have recognized that utilities could make better use of the reams of smart-meter data they produce every day. At the same time, entrepreneurs have learned that selling to utilities can be slow and frustrating. But after a number of stalled efforts, it seems that a growing cadre of companies can claim success … Continue reading “Using Big Data, Smart Grid Startups Itemize Utility Bills”
With Gilead’s $125M Purchase, FDA Voucher Program Gains Momentum
[UPDATED 11/19/14, 6:44pm. See below.] The next time Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GILD]]) has a drug ready for an all-important Food and Drug Administration review, it can jump the line. That’s because Gilead, the Foster City, CA-based maker of blockbuster drugs to treat HIV and Hepatitis C, paid a little-known Canadian drug company $125 million for … Continue reading “With Gilead’s $125M Purchase, FDA Voucher Program Gains Momentum”
Cleantech Cleans Up Message, Stops Selling Green
The hungriest thing in some restaurants may be an old refrigerator that gobbles up kilowatts of electricity. Luke Fishback’s analytics software can show that usage, teasing out energy consumption data in a commercial kitchen down to each appliance. Beyond analytics, the software recommends ways to cut energy usage. Fishback pledges he can deliver energy savings … Continue reading “Cleantech Cleans Up Message, Stops Selling Green”
Breaking Bottlenecks, Opening the Floodgates to Genomic Data
There is a major transformational step underway for managing the growing amount of human genomic data. To date, the focus has been on amassing databanks of genomes and then developing new tools to analyze this information. In essence, the emphasis has been on breaking bottlenecks for analyzing the data. Now, there is an opportunity to … Continue reading “Breaking Bottlenecks, Opening the Floodgates to Genomic Data”
New Research Could (Finally) Remove RNAi’s Commercial Limitations
[Corrected 11/17/14, 12:30pm. See below.] If nothing else, the acronym RNAi, which stands for ribonucleic acid interference, should be familiar to biotech observers as something that won two researchers the Nobel Prize in 2006, and that a few companies have tried to turn into drugs. Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ALNY]]) is the most well-known. But in … Continue reading “New Research Could (Finally) Remove RNAi’s Commercial Limitations”