Category: San Diego

GeekChicDaily Garners $1,500,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0c2b34f9-523b-44fe-a61e-4d7aa54321df&Preview=1 Date 1/25/2011 Company Name GeekChicDaily Mailing Address Undisclosed Undisclosed, CA 90000 Company Description We’re the creators of GeekChicDaily, and we’re geeked about delivering insight, factoids and perspective about games, tech, toys, apps, comics, gear and more to make sure your inner geek is always fed. Website http://www.geekchicdaily.com Transaction Type Venture Equity … Continue reading “GeekChicDaily Garners $1,500,000 New Financing Round”

Introducing Tom Lee–He May Need a Nap, But He’s Never Too Tired To Talk About Innovation

Southeast Michigan, please be kind to Tom Lee. Thanks to some lame, opaque rues at an airline which shall remain nameless, the newest addition to the Xconomy team—who starts today as our Detroit editor and national med tech editor—endured a 10 hour drive this weekend instead of the two-hour flight he was expecting. But weary … Continue reading “Introducing Tom Lee–He May Need a Nap, But He’s Never Too Tired To Talk About Innovation”

Stepping Down in San Diego: Venture Funding and Our Top 10 List of Fourth Quarter VC Deals

Venture investing in San Diego declined substantially during the last three months of 2010, according to additional data coming in today from Dow Jones VentureSource, and from the MoneyTree Report. VentureSource found that venture firms invested $154.3 million in 21 San Diego startups during the fourth quarter of 2010. That was a 27 percent decline … Continue reading “Stepping Down in San Diego: Venture Funding and Our Top 10 List of Fourth Quarter VC Deals”

Genoptix Agrees to $470M Takeover by Novartis

Genoptix has found itself a buyer after spending more than a month on the auction block. The Carlsbad, CA-based company, which runs a centralized lab to test help doctors manage blood cancer patients, has agreed to be acquired by Switzerland-based pharmaceutical giant Novartis for $470 million. Carlsbad, CA-based Genoptix (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GXDX]]) said it has agreed … Continue reading “Genoptix Agrees to $470M Takeover by Novartis”

MoneyTree Reports Drop in San Diego Venture Funding, Verve Wireless Hires New CEO, Fallbrook Aligns Transmission Deal, & More San Diego BizTech News

It was a short week for news with the Martin Luther King holiday, and it showed. Here’s a short and (we hope) sweet wrapup of San Diego’s tech sector. —Venture capital investing in San Diego startups plunged during the fourth quarter that ended December 31st, with $193.1 million invested in 26 companies, according to the … Continue reading “MoneyTree Reports Drop in San Diego Venture Funding, Verve Wireless Hires New CEO, Fallbrook Aligns Transmission Deal, & More San Diego BizTech News”

Calibra, Inspired by Inventor With Diabetes, Homes in on Cheap, Easy Way to Deliver Insulin

Clif Alferness has made a long and decorated career out of inventing medical devices. But until about five years ago, he never thought seriously about a practical invention for his own illness—Type 1 diabetes. Now, after years in stealth mode, the latest startup he helped launch is on the verge of creating a new category … Continue reading “Calibra, Inspired by Inventor With Diabetes, Homes in on Cheap, Easy Way to Deliver Insulin”

Fourth Quarter Venture Results—Shrinkage Comes in All Forms

The Q4 2010 VC funding data were released late last week—and the headline was quite upbeat. VCs invested $5 billion in 765 deals in this past quarter, which while essentially flat quarter-over-quarter, brought the full year totals to $21.8 billion invested in 3,277 companies. In 2009, VCs put $18.3 billion into 2,927 companies. It’s easy … Continue reading “Fourth Quarter Venture Results—Shrinkage Comes in All Forms”

Between a Rock and a Hard Place—JP Morgan Afterthoughts

Yes, the mood has undoubtedly improved in comparison to last year’s gathering of the healthcare investment community around the “old clock” at Union Square in San Francisco. But given the overall depression of last year this was perhaps not all that difficult to achieve. I have mulled over all the conversations I had during the … Continue reading “Between a Rock and a Hard Place—JP Morgan Afterthoughts”

The Age of iPad Superbooks? Not Yet

Jadedness: it’s an occupational hazard in tech journalism. Other people look at new software or gadgets and say “Wow.” I look at them and say “Hmm, needs work.” Last weekend’s New York Times Magazine provided a case in point. Writer Virginia Heffernan reviewed 15-Minute Everyday Pilates, a video e-book from Alameda, CA-based Vook, a publishing … Continue reading “The Age of iPad Superbooks? Not Yet”

Amylin Keeps Its Chin Up After A Rough 2010 With New Diabetes Drug

Amylin Pharmaceuticals CEO Dan Bradbury was brimming with enthusiasm at the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference one year ago. San Diego-based Amylin (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMLN]]) was psyched about what many analysts thought was a slam-dunk FDA approval for the first diabetes drug that can be injected just once a week. Last week at the same conference, Bradbury … Continue reading “Amylin Keeps Its Chin Up After A Rough 2010 With New Diabetes Drug”

A Return to Normalcy: MoneyTree Tracks Venture Funding Gains in 2010

Another report on venture investing is being released today, this time showing a decline in fourth-quarter deal activity compared with the same quarter in 2009—albeit a slight uptick from the previous quarter—and a significant overall gain for the entire year. Venture funding during the fourth quarter of 2010 amounted to $5 billion in 765 deals … Continue reading “A Return to Normalcy: MoneyTree Tracks Venture Funding Gains in 2010”

J&J Subsidiary Backs Alzheimer Drug Discovery at Sanford-Burnham, Portable Genomics to Move to San Diego, Ardea Plans Secondary Stock Offering, & More San Diego Life Sciences News

It was relatively quiet for life science news in San Diego over the past week, but it was nevertheless encouraging, with a new research collaboration, new funding, and a new company planning to move here. Our roundup begins now. —San Diego’s Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institution announced a three-year pact with a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary … Continue reading “J&J Subsidiary Backs Alzheimer Drug Discovery at Sanford-Burnham, Portable Genomics to Move to San Diego, Ardea Plans Secondary Stock Offering, & More San Diego Life Sciences News”

Is the U.S. Losing its Medical Device Innovation Mojo? PwC Report Says Yes

The United States has been the undisputed leader in medical device innovation for the past 50 years. But there are some out there who insist that title is in jeopardy. It would certainly take a breathtaking free fall, if you look at the standings today. The U.S. is where most of the R&D gets done, … Continue reading “Is the U.S. Losing its Medical Device Innovation Mojo? PwC Report Says Yes”

Sanford-Burnham, Receptos Join “San Diego’s Fight Against Diabesity” on Jan. 27

There’s a biotech “Big Three” in San Diego fixated on developing new diabetes and obesity drugs (Amylin, Arena, Orexigen). But they aren’t the only ones in town dedicated to treating these closely related public health scourges. So I’ve been rounding up more and more creative businesspeople from all over the West Coast to add their … Continue reading “Sanford-Burnham, Receptos Join “San Diego’s Fight Against Diabesity” on Jan. 27″

No Time for Small Bets: The Decades-Long View of Sapphire Energy’s Jason Pyle

Since Sapphire Energy settled into its San Diego headquarters more than two years ago, local public appearances by CEO Jason Pyle have been about as rare as sightings of the endangered California clapper Rail. So I was eager to join the 250 or so people (and the only one with field glasses) who turned out … Continue reading “No Time for Small Bets: The Decades-Long View of Sapphire Energy’s Jason Pyle”

Top Trends to Watch in 2011 From Experts in Infotech, Biotech, Cleantech

Innovators have to be very optimistic to believe they can create new technologies that will shake up a market. So it shouldn’t be any surprise that the high tech business leaders Xconomy writes about are looking forward to big things to come in 2011. But these people—from diverse backgrounds in high tech, life sciences, and … Continue reading “Top Trends to Watch in 2011 From Experts in Infotech, Biotech, Cleantech”

Internet Deals Boost Venture Funding, ViaSat Delays Launch of Internet Satellite, Intuit Unveils Mobile Tax App, & More San Diego BizTech News

There was no break in San Diego’s tech news leading up to the Martin Luther King holiday. Even though Xconomy observed the holiday, we still managed to round up the news you’ll need to get your week started. —The early returns on venture capital investing during the fourth quarter of 2010 came in from New … Continue reading “Internet Deals Boost Venture Funding, ViaSat Delays Launch of Internet Satellite, Intuit Unveils Mobile Tax App, & More San Diego BizTech News”

What Does Biotech Really Suffer From? Information Overload, or Underload?

Cognitive dissonance is defined as “an uncomfortable feeling caused by holding conflicting ideas simultaneously.” I’m suffering from a serious case of discomfort as I try to figure out which is the bigger problem facing biotech scientists: too much information, or too little. Information overload is a serious issue in biomedical research, if not virtually all … Continue reading “What Does Biotech Really Suffer From? Information Overload, or Underload?”

Cheezburger, With Dreams of Domination in Internet Humor, Grabs $30M From Foundry Group, Madrona, Avalon, SoftBank

Cheezburger became a viral Internet success story on little more than the moxie of its founders and a shoestring budget. But now it has opted to take big-time venture capital to pursue its dream to become a much bigger, more lucrative empire for humor on the Internet. The Seattle-based company that runs a network of … Continue reading “Cheezburger, With Dreams of Domination in Internet Humor, Grabs $30M From Foundry Group, Madrona, Avalon, SoftBank”

Perfect Market Technologies Obtains $9,000,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=66c31832-bcb9-4bb4-a717-d462f31030e3&Preview=1 Date 1/18/2011 Company Name Perfect Market Technologies Mailing Address 2400 N. Lincoln Avenue Altadena, CA 91001 Company Description Perfect Market, Inc. is a marketing services company that helps online publishers monetize their large libraries of archived content with little or no risk to the publisher. The company applies proprietary processes to … Continue reading “Perfect Market Technologies Obtains $9,000,000 New Round”

TheWrap Acquires ItsOnTheGrid.com for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b2c076fe-1fac-4c5c-8f7f-b6f2efbde5aa&Preview=1 Date 1/18/2011 Company Name ItsOnTheGrid.com Mailing Address 8899 Beverly Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90048 Company Description www.itsonthegrid.com (IOTG) is a subscription-based, web-enabled database that provides up-to-date information on the feature film development business to entertainment industry professionals as well as aspiring filmmakers and screenwriters. Website http://www.itsonthegrid.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount … Continue reading “TheWrap Acquires ItsOnTheGrid.com for Undisclosed Sum”

Sanford-Burnham Strikes Deal With J&J, Second Big Pharma Alliance in a Month

The Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute has struck its second big deal with a Big Pharma company in the past month. The San Diego-based nonprofit is announcing today it has formed a new collaboration with Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a unit of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: [[ticker:JNJ]]), to discover new drugs for Alzheimer’s disease and major psychiatric disorders. … Continue reading “Sanford-Burnham Strikes Deal With J&J, Second Big Pharma Alliance in a Month”

Web Analytics Wednesday in San Diego

Boston, MA-based SiteSpect, a leading provider of non-intrusive multivariate testing and behavioral targeting technology, is sponsoring a networking event for web analytics and online marketing professionals. Eric J. Hansen, Founder and CEO of SiteSpect, will speak on the best practices in optimizing web performance via testing and targeting. The event is being hosted by Michele … Continue reading “Web Analytics Wednesday in San Diego”

Scenes from JP Morgan 2011: The Photo Gallery

The marathon biotech schmoozefest known as the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference is officially over, and I’ll say two things first off. Wow, it was fun. And wow, I’m glad to be home. Xconomy’s bookkeeper will surely get a chuckle out of what my Amex card says about my activity this week in San Francisco’s Union … Continue reading “Scenes from JP Morgan 2011: The Photo Gallery”

One Big Cancer Story from 2010, and Four Trends to Watch in 2011

Top innovative news from 2010: • Amgen’s 147 trial was the first study to ever show a delay in the onset of bone metastases in men with prostate cancer, for the denosumab (Xgeva) investigational clinical program. This result showed that you can prevent or delay skeletal metastases by making the bone microenvironment an inhospitable place … Continue reading “One Big Cancer Story from 2010, and Four Trends to Watch in 2011”

The Instapaper Effect-Or, The Dilemma of Long-Form Writing on the Web

goat-choker (n.) An article of inordinate and suffocating length, produced to gratify the vanity of the author and the aspirations of the publication. (John McIntyre) I regularly write articles that, by Web standards, are obscenely long. My November article on ShopWell was 6,500 words long, and my series last week on Google’s mobile ambitions ran … Continue reading “The Instapaper Effect-Or, The Dilemma of Long-Form Writing on the Web”

From Bordeaux to San Diego: Portable Genomics on the Move

Fresh on the heels of advances in genome sequencing announced by Illumina and Complete Genomics earlier this week (and by Life Technologies last month), a French scientist tells me he is moving his startup, Portable Genomics, to San Diego. Patrick Merel, a molecular biologist in Bordeaux, tells me by e-mail he has applied for an … Continue reading “From Bordeaux to San Diego: Portable Genomics on the Move”

Five Innovations to Look For in Algae Biofuels

Here are my top five innovations to look for in algae-based biofuels in the New Year: —The first synthetic algal genome. —The first significant scale-up of algae biofuel production. —The first clinical trial of an algae-based therapeutic. —The introduction of several new algae-based nutraceuticals. —Oil to top $120 a barrel, and with that a much … Continue reading “Five Innovations to Look For in Algae Biofuels”

ShareSquare Receives $150,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4c543ad0-d162-4aff-be6e-af43be5e5175&Preview=1 Date 1/14/2011 Company Name ShareSquare Mailing Address Undisclosed Los Angeles, CA 90049 Company Description The company operates a service that allows businesses to connect their real-world promotions, advertising and collateral to rich media content and calls to action on mobile. Website http://www.getsharesquare.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $150,000 Transaction Round … Continue reading “ShareSquare Receives $150,000 New Funding Round”

San Diego’s Quest to Fight the “Diabesity” Epidemic, Coming Jan. 27

California may have more than its share of fit and healthy people when you look at the public health stats, but it’s also ground zero for the fight against the closely related lifestyle epidemics that threaten to bankrupt our healthcare system—diabetes and obesity. Many of the most innovative ideas for fighting these conditions are emerging … Continue reading “San Diego’s Quest to Fight the “Diabesity” Epidemic, Coming Jan. 27″

Illumina Launches Desktop Gene Sequencer, Avalon Raises $200M for Ninth Fund, Quidel Offering Raises Capital for New Strategy, & More San Diego Life Sciences News

Many life sciences executives have been making announcements timed to the annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco this week, so we have plenty of biotech news to round up. —A race among genetic device companies is dramatically lowering costs and accelerating the speed of sequencing complete human genomes. San Diego-based Illumina (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ILMN]]) … Continue reading “Illumina Launches Desktop Gene Sequencer, Avalon Raises $200M for Ninth Fund, Quidel Offering Raises Capital for New Strategy, & More San Diego Life Sciences News”

December Surge of Internet Deals Carries Venture Capital to Two-Year High

A wave of Internet deals helped venture funding during the fourth quarter of 2010 reach a two-year high-water mark in both the number of deals and capital invested, according to CB Insights, a New York information and data services company tracking the innovation economy. Venture capital firms poured a total of more than $6.5 billion … Continue reading “December Surge of Internet Deals Carries Venture Capital to Two-Year High”

CitizenGlobal Receives $4,584,990 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4172d0a7-b025-4d02-b723-19b02167ef89&Preview=1 Date 1/13/2011 Company Name CitizenGlobal Mailing Address 608 Hampton Dr. Venice, CA 90291 Company Description The company outrage they website and service that allows users to upload their news oriented film clips. Website http://www.Citizenglobal.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $4,584,990 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. … Continue reading “CitizenGlobal Receives $4,584,990 New Funding”

Transaction Wireless Names New CEO

San Diego-based Transaction Wireless, which provides virtual and mobile gift cards, today named Doug Schneider as President and CEO. Schneider was previously the chief executive at Genea where he transformed a legacy building control system integration business into a leading, software-as-a-service (SaaS) smart building company, increasing sales by more than 42 percent. There was no … Continue reading “Transaction Wireless Names New CEO”

615 Human Genomes? Another Cheap, Fast Sequencing Machine? Complete Genomics, Illumina Steal Show at Healthcare Meeting

Most of the major life sciences reporters in the U.S. are gathered this week in San Francisco, so you know what that means—most of us missed the big story. While pretty much everyone here at the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference—me included—was listening and learning about the latest hot new drug or device, the real news … Continue reading “615 Human Genomes? Another Cheap, Fast Sequencing Machine? Complete Genomics, Illumina Steal Show at Healthcare Meeting”

Procopio’s Winning Strategies for Start-Up and Emerging Growth Companies

A full-day workshop developed by Procopio’s emerging growth and technology practice group for entrepreneurs. The session covers company formation, organizational, and founder issues; whether to hire employees or consultants; equity compensation choices; developing a board of directors and advisory board; understanding the VC perspective; executing a funding strategy; the perils of raising capital with non-licensed … Continue reading “Procopio’s Winning Strategies for Start-Up and Emerging Growth Companies”

Top Things to Look for in Wireless in 2011

1) 4G. 4G services will become available on a near nationwide basis in 2011. At its best (and what is called “4G” gets murkier every day), 4G offers a true mobile broadband experience. In order to be successful, 4G operators must have a comprehensive go-to-market strategy, with compelling devices, exciting and differentiated applications, and innovative … Continue reading “Top Things to Look for in Wireless in 2011”

Start Spreading the (Innovation) News With Xconomy in New York

I’ve got Frank Sinatra on endless mental replay today and I’ll tell you why: I’m looking for a stellar journalist to start spreading the news about innovation in New York, New York. (Look, nobody’s groaning louder than me about that one.  Let’s move on…) My Xconomy colleagues and I are fascinated by the stories emerging … Continue reading “Start Spreading the (Innovation) News With Xconomy in New York”

Service-Now CEO Fred Luddy Sees a Clear Path to $1 Billion in Annual Revenue

Fred Luddy has been in the technology industry since 1973, but as a longtime programmer for mainframe computers and enterprise systems, he says he was still surprised by the advent of Web-based computing. “I didn’t see this whole notion of software over the Internet, of on-demand, software-as-a-service in the cloud,” says Luddy, who now describes … Continue reading “Service-Now CEO Fred Luddy Sees a Clear Path to $1 Billion in Annual Revenue”

U.S. Wages Reset to Early 2008 Levels: Boston and Seattle Fit National Trend; Detroit, San Diego, San Francisco Fare Worse

The average salary for U.S. company workers rose throughout 2007 and 2008, fell during 2009, and held fairly steady in 2010. By the fourth quarter of last year, average earnings had leveled off to approximately what they were at the start of 2008. But there were some variations between different parts of the country. That’s … Continue reading “U.S. Wages Reset to Early 2008 Levels: Boston and Seattle Fit National Trend; Detroit, San Diego, San Francisco Fare Worse”

Trend Spotting: The Top 9 Rise & Falls We See in the Year Ahead

[Editor’s Note: This post was co-authored with Josh Wolfe of Lux Capital] 1. The Rise of Celebrity Science Nations, cultures, economies all get what they celebrate. Celebrate celebrities and we’ll have another generation of over-consumptive, over-indebted, overweight, underemployed citizenry. But celebrate scientists: thinkers, doers, achievers, explorers, inventors, creators and we stand a shot at restoring … Continue reading “Trend Spotting: The Top 9 Rise & Falls We See in the Year Ahead”

Qualcomm Acquires Atheros, Sony Introduces Its Google TV, Memjet Spins Out Partnerships, & More San Diego BizTech News

Last week’s Consumer Electronics Show dominated San Diego’s tech news last week. We have the highlights from the two dozen San Diego tech companies that attended the annual conference, along with the rest of the local biztech news. —In one more sign that Wi-Fi is becoming increasingly important to the future of wireless network infrastructure, … Continue reading “Qualcomm Acquires Atheros, Sony Introduces Its Google TV, Memjet Spins Out Partnerships, & More San Diego BizTech News”

Active Network Launches New ‘Schwaggle’ Program in Bay Area

San Diego’s Active Network, which provides Web-based registration services for marathons, recreation leagues, and other activities, says it is launching a “deal-of-the-day” program tomorrow in the San Francisco Bay Area, with other regions to follow later this year. Active.com says the first deals to be offered this week through its new “Schwaggle” service include a … Continue reading “Active Network Launches New ‘Schwaggle’ Program in Bay Area”

Acadia Raises $15M

Silicon Valley’s New Enterprise Associates and Venrock are among the institutional investors participating in a private placement with Acadia Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ACAD]]), a San Diego biotech focused on central nervous system disorders. Acadia says it is selling nearly 12.6 million shares for slightly more than $1.19 a share in a transaction that’s expected to generate … Continue reading “Acadia Raises $15M”

Electric Superbike Finishes Near Top

Riding an all-electric superbike against conventional twin-cylinder, gasoline-powered race bikes, Aliso Viejo, CA-based rider Chip Yates placed 2nd and 3rd in two races yesterday at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA. As I reported last month, it was the self-funded SWIGZ.com Pro Racing team’s first race with the electric superbike. A statement from the … Continue reading “Electric Superbike Finishes Near Top”

Surprises of 2010 and What to Look for in 2011

Biggest Surprises: How risk adverse most VC’s are. I was expecting “bigger thinking” and more insight into energy and energy efficiency issues. How little debate there is in the media regarding global warming and the cause/effects: many automatically believe that the earth is getting warmer and humans are the cause, even though measured data strongly … Continue reading “Surprises of 2010 and What to Look for in 2011”

Top 4 Cleantech Headlines to Watch for in 2011

1. Cap and Trade Discarded by Congress in National Energy Policy Cascadia believes that Congress will implement a national energy policy in the coming year that focuses primarily on incenting new production of natural gas, renewable energies and nuclear; however, it will not include economic penalties for not achieving a reduction in carbon emissions. 2. … Continue reading “Top 4 Cleantech Headlines to Watch for in 2011”