Category: San Diego

To Attract Investors, Put Your Best Financial Foot Forward

As you have read this week about the financial details of Facebook’s IPO filing, you have no doubt stopped to think about—or daydream about—what your own company might be worth.  While going public might be a distant or inappropriate goal for your own venture, Facebook’s IPO serves as a timely reminder that you should be … Continue reading “To Attract Investors, Put Your Best Financial Foot Forward”

Xconomist of the Week: Tim Mayleben on Building University Startups

Last month, Aastrom Biosciences president and CEO Tim Mayleben and his wife, Dawn, announced they are funding a new “venture shaping” program at the University of Michigan. Venture shaping refers to the process of systematically vetting a nifty idea for a startup, with the idea that the failure of a less-than-viable business will occur at … Continue reading “Xconomist of the Week: Tim Mayleben on Building University Startups”

Persistence Pays Off for Synchroneuron Founder

When Barry Fogel first started developing a new treatment 15 years ago, his main goal was to help his own patients. Fogel, a physician trained in both psychiatry and neurology, saw many patients with a movement disorder called tardive dyskinesia (TD). The condition—which can be caused by drugs that block dopamine, such as antipsychotics—is characterized by … Continue reading “Persistence Pays Off for Synchroneuron Founder”

When Green is Not Enough: Lessons from a Cleantech CEO

Funding for clean technology startups has increased substantially in recent years, with 323 U.S. companies raising a total of $4.3 billion in 2011, according to the recently released MoneyTree Report. In the San Diego area, the same report shows that four cleantech startups raised $78 million last year, including $15 million that went to SG … Continue reading “When Green is Not Enough: Lessons from a Cleantech CEO”

DocRun Lands $1,100,000 Seed Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=33b44337-80a8-4818-b9be-ff591ede67dd&Preview=1 Date 2/9/2012 Company Name DocRun Mailing Address 1337 3rd Street Santa Monica, CA 90401 Company Description At public launch, DocRun will eventually provide hundreds of personalized documents, including everything from prenuptial agreements to operating agreements to employment agreements, all specially tailored to each individual user using an adaptive Q&A engine. Website … Continue reading “DocRun Lands $1,100,000 Seed Financing”

OncoSec Medical Advancing Inovio’s Technology Against Cancer

OncoSec Medical CEO Punit Dhillon tells me the startup he helped establish in San Diego last March is beginning mid-stage safety and efficacy trials of its proprietary technology for enhancing drug delivery in treatments of several types of skin cancer. The technology, which OncoSec acquired from Blue Bell, PA-based Inovio Pharmaceuticals (AMEX: [[ticker:INO]]) almost a … Continue reading “OncoSec Medical Advancing Inovio’s Technology Against Cancer”

Viddy Receives $6,000,000 Series A Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=69f98f22-c0e4-465b-9083-c99baa8d5de5&Preview=1 Date 2/8/2012 Company Name Viddy Mailing Address Undisclosed Venice, CA 90291 Company Description Viddy is a simple way for anyone to capture, produce, and share beautiful videos with the world. Record a moment of your life, give it that cinematic look with our production packs, and share it with those who … Continue reading “Viddy Receives $6,000,000 Series A Funding”

Identifying Opportunities in a Changing Healthcare Landscape

New health delivery structures and payment methodologies have been introduced as a result of the federal Affordable Care Act of 2010. Healthcare payers and providers are now looking for partners in their efforts to reduce costs. This half-day seminar offers an in-depth look at recent changes and an interactive workshop on how vendors of drugs, … Continue reading “Identifying Opportunities in a Changing Healthcare Landscape”

Life Sciences VC Investing Up in Dollar Value, Down in Deal Volume

At first glance, a report released last week by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association seems to portend rich times for life sciences startups. Biotech companies raised $4.7 billion in 2011—more than any other sector except for software and enough to help make last year one of the top three years for venture fundraising … Continue reading “Life Sciences VC Investing Up in Dollar Value, Down in Deal Volume”

Applied Proteomics, Co-Founded by Danny Hillis, Gets New CEO, $22.5M

Applied Proteomics hasn’t exactly been operating in stealth mode since it was founded five years ago. Co-founders David Agus, a cancer specialist at USC, and Danny Hillis, the MIT-trained computer scientist, gave TedMed talks about the startup’s technology, which provides a 40-gigabyte snapshot of all the proteins circulating in a drop of blood. By pure … Continue reading “Applied Proteomics, Co-Founded by Danny Hillis, Gets New CEO, $22.5M”

San Diego Tech Roundup: Web Startups Heat Up, New Incubator Opens

We’re starting to see fresh signs of life among the Internet software startups in San Diego. Check out this news. —During a visit last week, TechStars CEO David Cohen talked with the leaders of San Diego’s grassroots Web startup community about the factors that help to create and sustain entrepreneurial communities. One crucial issue confronting … Continue reading “San Diego Tech Roundup: Web Startups Heat Up, New Incubator Opens”

FDA vs. Drug Ads: Cut the Kids and Dogs, Spell Out Side Effects

If you’ve turned on your TV anytime in the last, oh, decade or so, you’ve no doubt been bombarded by ads imploring you to “ask your doctor” about Drug X. And you’re well familiar with the routine: You get treated to happy images of folks dancing, perhaps, or walking their dogs in pretty green meadows, … Continue reading “FDA vs. Drug Ads: Cut the Kids and Dogs, Spell Out Side Effects”

International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference

California State University Northridge is bringing the 27th Annual International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference to San Diego. This is the world’s largest technology event dedicated to people with disabilities. CSUN plans to hold two days of pre-conference events and 350 general sessions led by internationally-recognized experts, all focused on promoting accessibility through technology … Continue reading “International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference”

Tech Coast Angels: The Power of Angel Investing

The San Diego chapter of the Tech Coast Angels has organized this all-day seminar to provide an overview of the angel investing process, including finding, evaluating, and structuring deals. It will also go into depth on how to develop angel-entrepreneur relationships that lead to success. This highly interactive program has been revised and updated for … Continue reading “Tech Coast Angels: The Power of Angel Investing”

10 Apps & Sites That Bring Back the Joy of Reading

You wouldn’t throw a fancy dinner party in a 7-Eleven. You wouldn’t hold a symphony concert in a subway station, or teach a meditation class on a tilt-a-whirl ride. So why does anyone expect readers to read long articles on the Web? Call me a traitor to my kind, but I think the World Wide … Continue reading “10 Apps & Sites That Bring Back the Joy of Reading”

San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Amylin, Optimer, and the Economy

—San Diego’s Amylin Pharmaceuticals says Bydureon, its new once-a-week drug for treating Type 2 diabetes can hit the market as early as next month, after the FDA cleared Bydureon. The FDA rejected the Amylin’s drug twice before. An estimated 26 million people in the United States, or roughly 8 percent of the population, have type … Continue reading “San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Amylin, Optimer, and the Economy”

7 Lessons from TechStars’ David Cohen on Building a Startup Culture

When it comes to tech startups—especially in Internet software and app development—San Diego has been adrift in the horse latitudes. That’s the term Spanish mariners had for the waters where the trade winds died out for days and even weeks at a time. Becalmed sailors desperate to gain some headway would heave their horses overboard … Continue reading “7 Lessons from TechStars’ David Cohen on Building a Startup Culture”

Little Black Bag Garners $2,750,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1a46f71a-7abc-42c6-bd5e-c51a60c1dabc&Preview=1 Date 2/3/2012 Company Name Little Black Bag Mailing Address 2332 Cotner Los Angeles, CA 90064 Company Description Who knew shopping online could be so much fun! At Little Black Bag, we aim to please and hope you enjoy shopping, trading, and interacting with other fashionistas in a one-of-a-kind environment. Website http://www.littleblackbag.com … Continue reading “Little Black Bag Garners $2,750,000 New Funding”

Leads360 Secures $15,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c53ead26-be27-4746-8859-ecb2e9c5e50b&Preview=1 Date 2/3/2012 Company Name Leads360 Mailing Address 1265 S. Cochran Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90019 Company Description Leads360, LLC, founded in August 2004, provides lead management software to mortgage, insurance and secondary education companies. Leads360 is managed by a team of technology professionals with 50 years collective experience in software development, … Continue reading “Leads360 Secures $15,000,000 New Funding Round”

Xconomist of the Week: Gilt Founders Say Friends Can Work Together

At Xconomy’s event yesterday, New York’s Venture Emergence, members of Gilt Groupe’s founding team fascinated a standing-room-only audience with the tale of how, in just four years, they grew from a scrappy startup to one of the most successful e-commerce sites on the Web. Co-founders Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, who is one of our Xconomists, and … Continue reading “Xconomist of the Week: Gilt Founders Say Friends Can Work Together”

SOMARK Innovations Secures $300,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c1c62216-3571-4013-89b7-1993566b67bc&Preview=1 Date 2/2/2012 Company Name SOMARK Innovations Mailing Address 5893 Oberlin Dr. San Diego, CA 92121 Company Description Welcome, we’re SOMARK Innovations – the creators of the versatile RFID-like tattoo that’s effective in tracking and identification. Our product is biocompatible, permanently affixed (it’s a tattoo) and cost effective. Website http://www.somarkinnovations.com Transaction Type … Continue reading “SOMARK Innovations Secures $300,000 New Funding”

TigerText Receives $8,200,000 Series A Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f3335a9e-aaa7-4a95-8c21-42423230d7d2&Preview=1 Date 2/2/2012 Company Name TigerText Mailing Address 1310 Montana Ave, 2nd Floor Santa Monica, CA 90403 Company Description TigerText’s patent-pending technology allows users to send text messages that delete off of both the sender’s and receiver’s phone after a set period of time. Website http://www.Tigertext.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount … Continue reading “TigerText Receives $8,200,000 Series A Financing Round”

Numecent Receives $2,000,000 Series A Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ad469ee6-6307-45ff-9672-d15e7c24f469&Preview=1 Date 2/2/2012 Company Name Numecent Mailing Address Undisclosed Irvine, CA 92602 Company Description Numecent, refers to a specific (and patented) “push-pull” paging technology which allows software instructions and data to be demand-paged from the cloud in real-time. Website http://www.numecent.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $2,000,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds … Continue reading “Numecent Receives $2,000,000 Series A Financing Round”

San Diego Life Sciences Strengthened in Recession, Outpacing Nation

Employment in San Diego’s life sciences sector grew by 15 percent over the past two years, as biopharmas, medical device companies, and other employers added roughly 5,550 jobs here—raising employment in the sector to 41,937 in 2011, according to a report released today by Biocom. The report says overall employment in San Diego increased by … Continue reading “San Diego Life Sciences Strengthened in Recession, Outpacing Nation”

Vertex’s Big Day Felt Like Moon Landing, Seattle Researcher Says

Bonnie Ramsey said three years ago that a cystic fibrosis drug from Vertex Pharmaceuticals was a huge medical advance in the making, and would end up being an achievement on par with putting a man on the moon, at least for her patients. Yesterday, she says, was the day it truly felt like she was … Continue reading “Vertex’s Big Day Felt Like Moon Landing, Seattle Researcher Says”

MOGL Lands $10,000,000 Series B Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=109d9958-45a3-4a04-93f6-441c02e07617&Preview=1 Date 2/1/2012 Company Name MOGL Mailing Address Undisclosed San Diego, CA 92121 Company Description The Internet startup offers its customers multiple incentives for returning to member restaurants and bars, using a mixture of technology, games, and psychology. The incentives include a 10 percent cash back each time a customer returns to … Continue reading “MOGL Lands $10,000,000 Series B Financing Round”

InTouch Health Secures $6,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=76053613-fc37-45d3-b175-eedab951028d&Preview=1 Date 2/1/2012 Company Name InTouch Health Mailing Address 6330 Hollister Avenue Santa Barbara, CA 93117 Company Description InTouch Health is a leading provider of Remote Presence solutions that empower physicians to easily and more frequently visit with hospital-based patients. Website http://www.intouchhealth.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $6,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed … Continue reading “InTouch Health Secures $6,000,000 New Financing”

Vertex Gets FDA Go-Ahead To Sell New Cystic Fibrosis Drug

[Updated: 1:25 pm] Vertex Pharmaceuticals is now officially more than just a one-hit wonder. The Cambridge, MA-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VRTX]]), best known for its hepatitis C drug, has won clearance from the FDA to start selling a new twice-daily pill called ivacaftor (Kalydeco) for a rare form of cystic fibrosis. The FDA said today … Continue reading “Vertex Gets FDA Go-Ahead To Sell New Cystic Fibrosis Drug”

StockTwits Expands Services Through Alliance, Hints of More to Come

San Diego’s StockTwits is developing a bit of a Canadian accent, eh, through a partnership being announced today with Toronto-based Q4 Web Systems, which provides online investor relations services for publicly traded companies throughout North America. StockTwits is an online social media network that enables traders and shareholders to share their market insights, ideas, charts, … Continue reading “StockTwits Expands Services Through Alliance, Hints of More to Come”

Optimer, Following Pfizer’s Playbook, Has Big Plans for Antibiotic

Pfizer was where Pedro Lichtinger learned about pharmaceutical marketing from people who did some amazing things. For starters, New York-based Pfizer (NYSE: [[ticker:PFE]]) turned an old-school antifungal medicine into a $1.6 billion cash cow. Now as the CEO of San Diego-based Optimer Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OPTR]]) Lichtinger is borrowing some ideas from that experience, looking to make … Continue reading “Optimer, Following Pfizer’s Playbook, Has Big Plans for Antibiotic”

Sigma Partners Leads $10M Venture Round in San Diego’s MOGL

San Diego’s MOGL, a Web-based customer loyalty and rewards program for restaurants and bars, says it has raised $10 million in venture funding to fuel its expansion into San Francisco, New York, and other markets. The Menlo Park, CA, office of Sigma Partners led the Series B round, which was joined by San Diego’s Avalon … Continue reading “Sigma Partners Leads $10M Venture Round in San Diego’s MOGL”

Capricor Receives $4,500,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6d172c19-20d1-4b4e-aaff-bbc69b945274&Preview=1 Date 1/31/2012 Company Name Capricor Mailing Address 8700 Beverly Blvd. Davis Building Los Angeles, CA 90048 Company Description Capricor is a biotechnology company that aims to create powerful, yet easy to administer cardiac stem cell treatments to regenerate the heart improve its function. Website http://www.Capricor.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount … Continue reading “Capricor Receives $4,500,000 New Financing”

Four Themes to Watch in Personalized Medicine

Good morning from Mountain View, CA, and from the close of the 2012 Personalized Medicine World Conference, which brought together thought leaders of business, government, healthcare-delivery, research and technology. Four themes that emerged from this year’s program: • Greater optimism, triggered by the 2011 approvals of two major oncologic agents paired with companion diagnostics: vemurafenib … Continue reading “Four Themes to Watch in Personalized Medicine”

San Diego Tech Roundup: Qualcomm, TechStars, Apps Challenge & More

—Peter Clarke of EE Times reported that San Diego’s Qualcomm (NASDAQ: [[ticker:QCOM]]) has acquired Andover, MA-based Pixtronix, a startup founded in 2005 to develop Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) display technology. Qualcomm, which confirmed the deal with EE Times but provided no details or press release about the deal, reportedly spent between $175 million and $200 million … Continue reading “San Diego Tech Roundup: Qualcomm, TechStars, Apps Challenge & More”

Vision Without Execution is Hallucination

Last week Steve Case wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post called “Give Entrepreneurs Room and They Will Grow the Economy.” For those not familiar with him, Case was the founding CEO of AOL and has been an active healthcare investor, among other things, for the past seven years. My firm, Psilos Group, has co-invested … Continue reading “Vision Without Execution is Hallucination”

Never Back Smug: A Lesson for Life Sciences From Newt Gingrich

Newt Gingrich comes across on TV as someone who radiates smugness. It’s that sense that he’s not just confident in his own abilities, but extremely satisfied with his talents and his utter superiority over mere mortals like you and me. I’m no political pundit, nor a psychologist, so I’ll let others analyze whether Newt is … Continue reading “Never Back Smug: A Lesson for Life Sciences From Newt Gingrich”

BioBriefing: Drug Development Primer for the Non-Scientist

Biocom offers this one-day course to provide a concise overview of the key concepts of modern biology and an introduction to the technology and terminology used in the biotech and medical device industries. Classes are specifically geared toward the non-science professional who needs to better understand industry terminology, science, techniques and issues. More information and … Continue reading “BioBriefing: Drug Development Primer for the Non-Scientist”

BioBriefing: Biotech Primer for the Non-Scientist

Biocom offers this one-day course to provide a concise overview of the key concepts of modern biology and an introduction to the technology and terminology used in the biotech and medical device industries. Classes are specifically geared toward the non-science professional who needs to better understand industry terminology, science, techniques and issues. More information and … Continue reading “BioBriefing: Biotech Primer for the Non-Scientist”

Network Level Testing From Lab to Field

CommNexus is hosting Elektrobit research manager Jukka-Pekka Nuutinen to discuss how wireless designers and developers can approach wireless network performance limits by intelligently using radio propagation. While the biggest gains in terms of system performance can be achieved at the network level, this presentation includes methodologies for lab testing that simulates real world performance.

San Diego MIT Enterprise Forum: Malama Composites

Malama Composites is facing challenges that many companies in the cleantech sector face—how to compete against rival, low-cost commodity products. Is it enough if there’s an undercurrent of encouragement to “go green?” Malama’s rigid polyurethane foam is made from soy polyols and other renewable resources. It is sustainable, non-toxic and has almost limitless applications in … Continue reading “San Diego MIT Enterprise Forum: Malama Composites”

Health Care Disparities & The Palliative Power of Understanding Science

Patients have a hard time understanding the information given by their doctor. Misinformation and pseudoscience promulgated on the web can further aggregate this problem, and because many websites are easier to understand, they can have an outsized impact on healthcare decisions. How can scientists help a diverse public understand science well enough to make informed … Continue reading “Health Care Disparities & The Palliative Power of Understanding Science”

Conducting Science in the Cloud and Other Ethical Challenges

How can scientists avoid the risk of unintentionally misrepresenting scientific data in this era of web collaboration? How can scientists ensure that data are curated accurately, their integrity maintained, and that they are reliably linked to researchers, organizations and publications to safeguard both attribution and reproducibility? In this presentation, Katherine A. Kantardjieff, founding Dean of … Continue reading “Conducting Science in the Cloud and Other Ethical Challenges”

Seventh Annual Wireless Health Convergence Summit

This two-day conference is the flagship event for San Diego’s Wireless Life Sciences Alliance, with executive-led forums on healthcare, technology, and communications. The agenda includes presentations and panel discussions by innovators, health care strategists, thought leaders, policy experts and others. More information and online registration is here.

A Vision for San Diego’s Economic Future

The Association for Corporate Growth has invited California Republican Assemblyman—and San Diego mayoral candidate Nathan Fletcher and Active Network CEO Dave Alberga to talk about “Building the World’s Most Innovative City.” San Diego Business Journal Editor-in-Chief Reo Carr will serve as the moderator. More information and online registration is here.

The ‘Quantified Self’ and the Future of Personal Health

The rise of personal sensing and medical tracking technologies are triggering changes throughout the healthcare industry. Whole genome sequencing and personalized medicine are generating new approaches to both preventive medicine and treatment. Combine all these advances, and you have unprecedented capabilities for “quantified health.” Three leaders of this emerging field are holding forth at UC … Continue reading “The ‘Quantified Self’ and the Future of Personal Health”

Amylin, Alkermes Win FDA Approval of Once-Weekly Diabetes Drug

[Updated: 3:47 pm] Amylin Pharmaceuticals and Alkermes have gone to the FDA twice before to seek approval of their new diabetes drug, and been turned back, but now the persistence has paid off. The FDA has cleared their once-weekly injectable diabetes drug for sale in the U.S. San Diego-based Amylin (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMLN]]) and Dublin- and … Continue reading “Amylin, Alkermes Win FDA Approval of Once-Weekly Diabetes Drug”