Shares of San Diego-based Zogenix (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ZGNX]]) slid to $3.98 a share in the first day of trading today, after the drug-and-device startup substantially revised the terms of its initial public offering, raising less than anticipated. The specialty pharmaceutical company, which launched its Sumavel DosePro, a needle-free injectable migraine treatment in January, raised a total … Continue reading “Zogenix IPO, Deeply Discounted, Raises $56M”
Category: San Diego
Access Scientific Raises Another $2M
San Diego’s Access Scientific, which raised more than $2.6 million five months ago, has raised an additional $2 million, according to a regulatory filing yesterday. The company has begun the launch of its first new product, the “PICC Wand,” an all-in-one device intended to simplify the process of deploying a peripherally inserted central catheter line, … Continue reading “Access Scientific Raises Another $2M”
Amira Cuts Half of Staff, Scientific Founders Exit as Company Seeks to Conserve Cash
San Diego-based Amira Pharmaceuticals has cut half of its workforce and its trio of scientific founders have left the company as it seeks to conserve cash over the next two years, Xconomy has learned. The company is shrinking down to 25 employees, and the cuts are being concentrated primarily in discovery research and administration, as … Continue reading “Amira Cuts Half of Staff, Scientific Founders Exit as Company Seeks to Conserve Cash”
Xconomy Adds Marginize Widget for Social Conversations; Check In for a Chance to Win a Free Event Ticket
There’s a new way to share and discuss your favorite Xconomy articles with your friends on a variety of social-media channels: Marginize. If you’re reading this article on the Xconomy website, you’ll see the new Marginize tab on the far right edge of your browser window. Click on this tab and the Marginize bar will … Continue reading “Xconomy Adds Marginize Widget for Social Conversations; Check In for a Chance to Win a Free Event Ticket”
Vertex Seeks FDA Green Light for Hepatitis C Drug; Chomps at the Bit For Fast Review
Vertex Pharmaceuticals has spent 15 years working to reinvent the way hepatitis C infection is treated, and now the fruits of that labor are in the hands of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Cambridge, MA-based Vertex (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VRTX]]), which has West Coast operations in San Diego, is announcing today that it has filed its … Continue reading “Vertex Seeks FDA Green Light for Hepatitis C Drug; Chomps at the Bit For Fast Review”
Forward Into the Breach: Private Practice and Data Security
“The fantastic advances in the field of electronic communication constitute a greater danger to the privacy of the individual.” 1963 quote from Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren. I moderated a panel last week for Xconomy that was focused on consumer-oriented healthcare information technology. The panel included 2 hospital chief information officers (one current, one … Continue reading “Forward Into the Breach: Private Practice and Data Security”
CalIT2: 10th Anniversary Open House and Digital Showcase
The California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (CalIT2) will host its 10th anniversary Research Open House, and dozens of faculty, staff, and students will be giving TED-style talks in three locations. Visitors can tour the Nano3 cleanroom wing of Atkinson Hall, visit tech demonstrations in more than a dozen laboratories, research centers, and many … Continue reading “CalIT2: 10th Anniversary Open House and Digital Showcase”
Peregrine Semiconductor Files for IPO
Peregrine Semiconductor, the San Diego wireless chip designer that has worked for years to build a business around its sapphire semiconductor technology, has filed for an initial public offering, according to registration filing submitted late Friday. The company hopes to raise as much as $100 million. The fabless chip designer, founded in 1990 by Mark … Continue reading “Peregrine Semiconductor Files for IPO”
Ortiva Raises $8M, VMIX Establishes European Beachead, Three Finalists Selected for Venture Group’s $20K Pitchfest, & More San Diego BizTech News
We had a lot of health IT news over the past week in San Diego. Get your latest update now. —The Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship heard testimony last week on the heavier regulatory burden that small businesses bear. In a statement, Tim Tardibono, Connect’s director of public policy in Washington, DC, called … Continue reading “Ortiva Raises $8M, VMIX Establishes European Beachead, Three Finalists Selected for Venture Group’s $20K Pitchfest, & More San Diego BizTech News”
The Fight Against Diabesity: How Will San Diego Adapt in the Era of Tough FDA Scrutiny?
Two out of three Americans are now said to be overweight or obese, and about 25 million people have chronic Type 2 diabetes that’s often caused by unhealthy diets and a lack of exercise. Taken together, these two related conditions are sometimes called “diabesity,” a rising public health scourge. Anyone who develops drugs to safely … Continue reading “The Fight Against Diabesity: How Will San Diego Adapt in the Era of Tough FDA Scrutiny?”
Connect 2010 Most Innovative New Product Awards
The Most Innovative New Product Awards, organized by Connect, are to San Diego’s technology industry what the Oscars are to the movie business. The annual event attracts over 800 San Diego business leaders, researchers and capital providers. Out of more than 100 companies that begin the rigorous judging process, only 25 become finalists, and just … Continue reading “Connect 2010 Most Innovative New Product Awards”
Access Scientific Garners $2,000,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=08e59dc7-eb19-4b72-8647-920becb1f6d6&Preview=1 Date 11/22/2010 Company Name Access Scientific Mailing Address 12526 High Bluff Drive San Diego, CA 92130 Company Description Access Scientific is a company developing a vascular access device. Website http://www.accessscientific.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $2,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC regulatory filing. M&A … Continue reading “Access Scientific Garners $2,000,000 New Funding Round”
CleanTECH San Diego Hosts International Summit
Cleantech San Diego is hosting the area’s first International CleanTech Showcase, and has invited executives from Australia, Canada, Germany and Switzerland to talk about their innovations in renewable energy, cleantech, and other technologies. Evan Lovell, partner in the Virgin Green Fund, is the scheduled keynote speaker. The Virgin Green Fund has led more than $350 … Continue reading “CleanTECH San Diego Hosts International Summit”
Calling All Entrepreneurs: Participate in a UN Survey on Entrepreneurship and Innovation
How do men and women small business owners approach innovation differently? That’s one of the questions the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development is seeking to answer through a six-country study that’s going on as we speak—as one of the organizers of the study, I’m looking for entrepreneurs in the U.S., both male and … Continue reading “Calling All Entrepreneurs: Participate in a UN Survey on Entrepreneurship and Innovation”
$1M for ImThera Medical
ImThera Medical, a San Diego-based developer of a neuro-stimulation device for treating sleep apnea, has raised $1 million of a planned $2.2 million round of equity financing, according to an SEC filing. Marcelo Lima, the firm’s president and CEO, told Xconomy for this March 5 article that he had previously raised $5.1 million for the … Continue reading “$1M for ImThera Medical”
Apple TV vs. Roku: Battle of the Set-Top Boxes
Hi, my name is Wade, and it’s been 20 months since I paid for premium cable TV. As longtime Xconomy readers know, I canceled all but my basic cable channels in March 2009. Back then, it was a fairly radical thing to do, but nowadays I run into people all the time who’ve realized that … Continue reading “Apple TV vs. Roku: Battle of the Set-Top Boxes”
Plastic Jungle Receives $10,000,000 Series C Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=014f80e9-6542-45a2-8737-545d9951f9fe&Preview=1 Date 11/19/2010 Company Name Plastic Jungle Mailing Address 2491 Alluvial Ave Clovis, CA 93611 Company Description Plastic Jungle is the leading Web site for gift card exchanges — whether you want to buy gift cards at substantial savings, sell them for cash, or trade pre-owned gift cards with others, www.plasticjungle.com offers … Continue reading “Plastic Jungle Receives $10,000,000 Series C Financing Round”
Genzyme to Let Diagnostics Unit Loose for $265M
Genzyme’s sales of non-core businesses continues. The Cambridge, MA-based biotech company (NASDAQ:[[ticker:GENZ]]) said this morning that it has agreed to sell its diagnostic products business to Japan’s Sekisui Chemical for $265 million in cash. The deal takes Genzyme, the world’s largest provider of drugs for rare genetic diseases, a step further in sharpening its focus … Continue reading “Genzyme to Let Diagnostics Unit Loose for $265M”
ImThera Medical Obtains $1,029,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=96864d05-1754-40df-924d-8088688585f3&Preview=1 Date 11/18/2010 Company Name ImThera Medical Mailing Address 11232 El Camino Real San Diego, CA 92130 Company Description ImThera Medical is a privately funded, early-stage company developing a novel, patent-pending, neurostimulation medical device for the treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). Website http://www.imtheramedical.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $1,029,000 Transaction … Continue reading “ImThera Medical Obtains $1,029,000 New Financing Round”
Roche Cuts to Hit Hundreds of Genentech Workers; Scientific Staff is Spared
Roche made big news in the pharmaceutical business today when it said it is cutting 4,800 jobs as part of a major restructuring plan. And, no surprise, hundreds of those job cuts are coming from its biggest U.S. asset, South San Francisco-based Genentech. About 350 to 450 people in Genentech’s manufacturing group in South San … Continue reading “Roche Cuts to Hit Hundreds of Genentech Workers; Scientific Staff is Spared”
Sangart Looks to Fund More Human Trials of its Oxygen-Carrying Blood Adjunct
San Diego’s Sangart, whose $50 million fundraising round in 2009 ranked among the top 10 venture deals of the year in San Diego raised an additional $15 million last month in anticipation of additional clinical trials of its MP4OX, a blood adjunct and oxygen-carrying compound. When I got a chance to get an update from … Continue reading “Sangart Looks to Fund More Human Trials of its Oxygen-Carrying Blood Adjunct”
Managing a Crisis in the Age of Social Media
The way people find out about breaking news has changed significantly in the past few years. From real-time Twitter updates to eyewitness news to iReports, how media outlets source and broadcast stories has changed as well. First-hand accounts from everyday people involved in an incident are not just relayed through the media, they are posted … Continue reading “Managing a Crisis in the Age of Social Media”
Biocom’s 1st Annual Global Life Science Partnering Conference
BIOCOM’s Global Life Science Partnering Conference is an exclusive global partnering and networking forum that brings together senior executives and business development professionals from leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies. The conference includes case study presentations, individual company presentations, one-on-one meetings, and numerous networking opportunities. More information and registration is available online here.
Biocom Holiday Breakfast and Annual Meeting
Biocom has organized this year’s holiday breakfast meeting as an entertaining and interactive session entitled, “Dangerous Documents: Helping Your Company Avoid Land Mines in FDA Records and Emails.” Speakers Nancy Singer and Joleen Schultz will take a look at how high-profile individuals have fallen prey to misconstrued communications and demonstrate how to avoid a similar … Continue reading “Biocom Holiday Breakfast and Annual Meeting”
Stem Cell Meeting on the Mesa
The 5th Annual Stem Cell Meeting on the Mesa will gather local and national experts from academia, government, and industry to examine recent advances in stem cell research and therapies. This exclusive, one-day event will include sessions moderated by top researchers from the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, which includes UC San Diego, Salk Institute … Continue reading “Stem Cell Meeting on the Mesa”
CoolPlanetBioFuels Receives $8,000,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1c73fe94-4ee2-42a8-abc0-8dd7f8746a00&Preview=1 Date 11/17/2010 Company Name CoolPlanetBioFuels Mailing Address 543 Calle San Pablo Camarillo, CA 93012 Company Description CoolPlanetBioFuels, based in Camarillo, California, is developing a revolutionary thermal/mechanical processor that directly inputs raw biomass such as woodchips, crop residues and non-food fuel crops, and produces distinct gas streams for catalytic upgrading to conventional … Continue reading “CoolPlanetBioFuels Receives $8,000,000 New Financing”
Effective Use of CROs in Preclinical Research
More biotechs are looking to outsource their early stage R&D to survive this demanding environment. Biocom has organized this panel workshop to discuss the effective use of local and out-of-town preclinical service providers. Due to the much more dynamic nature of preclinical research, outsourcing at this stage requires somewhat different management approaches than outsourcing clinical … Continue reading “Effective Use of CROs in Preclinical Research”
Intel Capital Leads Venture Funding in Ortiva Wireless, 17 Others
San Diego’s Ortiva Wireless said today it has raised $8 million in a Series C round led by Intel Capital, which was joined by existing investors Comcast Interactive Capital, Artiman Ventures, and Mission Ventures of San Diego. Ortiva, which has developed technology to optimize video on wireless networks, says it plans to use the funds … Continue reading “Intel Capital Leads Venture Funding in Ortiva Wireless, 17 Others”
A Netflix for Doctors: Myca Health’s CEO Findlay Offers Health IT in the Cloud
Nat Findlay is a former Cardinal Health executive and serial entrepreneur who tells me he founded Myca Health in 2002 around technology that enabled people to use their cell phone to take a photo of their meals. The company’s MyFoodPhone application enabled customers to send the picture to an online platform that provided a nutrition … Continue reading “A Netflix for Doctors: Myca Health’s CEO Findlay Offers Health IT in the Cloud”
BeneChill Raises $600K
San Diego-based BeneChill, founded in 2004 to develop a portable, battery-powered device for lowering the temperature of heart attack victims, has raised about $600,000 of a planned $1.2 million in debt, according to a regulatory filing. The device is designed for use by emergency medical technicians so hypothermic therapy can begin even before a patient … Continue reading “BeneChill Raises $600K”
Health IT in San Diego: The Xconomy List
It might not be completely definitive, but it’s pretty close. Let’s just say we’ve got the most-definitive list of health IT companies based in the San Diego area, compiled form a variety of trade groups and other sources. Not all of the businesses on this list are well known, which is one reason why I … Continue reading “Health IT in San Diego: The Xconomy List”
BeneChill Secures $600,001 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=cc7a11ce-a8c8-4f6b-8e63-2171321e8ebe&Preview=1 Date 11/16/2010 Company Name BeneChill Mailing Address 10060 Carroll Canyon Rd San Diego, CA 92131 Company Description Benechill Corp. has been working towards reducing tissue damage in patients with cerebral ischemia by rapidly and non-invasively cooling targeted areas of the body. Website http://www.benechill.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $600,001 Transaction Round … Continue reading “BeneChill Secures $600,001 New Round”
Ortiva Wireless Garners New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8fe3ac53-5942-4a22-b3d8-3aae74a32391&Preview=1 Date 11/16/2010 Company Name Ortiva Wireless Mailing Address 4225 Executive Square La Jolla, CA 92037 Company Description OrtivaTM Wireless delivers the smoothest video, clearest audio, and richest multimedia experience to mobile users under highly variable wireless network conditions. Our mobile network operator solutions extend the coverage and expand the availability of … Continue reading “Ortiva Wireless Garners New Financing Round”
VMIX Expands into UK
After hiring a new CEO in May and securing an additional $2.5 million in financing in September, San Diego’s VMIX appears to be taking the first steps in a new strategy. VMIX, which provides Web-based software used by customers to manage their online video clips, said it’s opening VMIX offices in London and Glasgow, Scotland. … Continue reading “VMIX Expands into UK”
Brody Gives $1M to Sanford-Burnham
San Diego businessman Art Brody has pledged $1 million to the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute to help the academic center turn some of its basic science discoveries into new healthcare products. The gift is being used to create the Art Brody Innovation Fund, which will support promising research that otherwise might not advance with the … Continue reading “Brody Gives $1M to Sanford-Burnham”
Quest Buys San Diego’s BakBone, Novatel Acquires Enfora, West Wireless Health Institute Develops its First Prototype, & More San Diego BizTech News
It was a week of deals for San Diego’s technology companies, with some tales of new product developments thrown in for extra measure. Our briefing begins here. —Novatel Wireless (NASDAQ: [[ticker:NVTL]]), the San Diego provider of wireless mobile devices, said it is buying machine-to-machine specialist Enfora of suburban Dallas. Avondale Partners analyst John F. Bright … Continue reading “Quest Buys San Diego’s BakBone, Novatel Acquires Enfora, West Wireless Health Institute Develops its First Prototype, & More San Diego BizTech News”
Overland’s Ordeal: Turnaround Continues as New Management Team Sets New Course, Readies New Products
Not too long ago, I got a chance to talk with Jillian Mansolf, who joined San Diego’s Overland Storage (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OVRL]]) as vice president of global sales and marketing about 18 months ago. A few days earlier, Overland had disclosed its acquisition of Sunnyvale, CA-based MaxiScale, a three-year-old data storage startup, a deal that prompted … Continue reading “Overland’s Ordeal: Turnaround Continues as New Management Team Sets New Course, Readies New Products”
GREENtrepreneurs: The Challenge & The Opportunity (Part 2)
[Editor’s Note: the first part of this guest post ran on Friday.] Governments, Law and Regulations, Oh My! One of the hallmarks of the growth of the Internet was a lack of government regulation or involvement. While not the case for all green businesses, many of the larger opportunities and business sectors look to government … Continue reading “GREENtrepreneurs: The Challenge & The Opportunity (Part 2)”
Coraid Obtains $25,000,000 Series B Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b2f15b8d-7fac-4411-81cf-e48fd1dfed02&Preview=1 Date 11/15/2010 Company Name Coraid Mailing Address 101 S El Camino Real San Clemente, CA 92672 Company Description Coraid redefines storage economics with its breakthrough line of EtherDrive storage solutions. EtherDrive delivers scale-out performance, Ethernet simplicity, and 5-8x price performance advantage over legacy storage. Designed from the ground up for virtualization … Continue reading “Coraid Obtains $25,000,000 Series B Financing”
RockMelt: A Great Social Browser for the Desktop, But Isn’t This the Mobile Era?
While nearly everything about the Web has changed since its emergence circa 1993—who’s using it, what types of content are available, how Web pages are constructed, how it’s all paid for—the desktop browser hasn’t. It’s still basically a big blank square that lets you navigate between Web pages, with a set of buttons and controls … Continue reading “RockMelt: A Great Social Browser for the Desktop, But Isn’t This the Mobile Era?”
Ambit Files for IPO, Arena Pharmaceuticals Says Weight-Loss Drug on Track, ESRI Launches Medical Place History Map App, & More San Diego Life Sciences News
New money and new product innovations seemed to be the intertwining themes of San Diego’s life sciences news over the past week. See if you agree. —San Diego’s Ambit Biosciences intends to raise as much as $86.3 million in an IPO, according to a regulatory filing last week. Ambit, which has been developing a drug … Continue reading “Ambit Files for IPO, Arena Pharmaceuticals Says Weight-Loss Drug on Track, ESRI Launches Medical Place History Map App, & More San Diego Life Sciences News”
GREENtrepreneurs: The Challenge & the Opportunity
“So what is so special about green entrepreneurs?” This is an excellent question and was a central theme in my recently published book, Green Entrepreneur Handbook. Why is a green entrepreneur any different than any other sort of entrepreneur? Does it take a special entrepreneur with different skills to build a green business? Throughout the … Continue reading “GREENtrepreneurs: The Challenge & the Opportunity”
Aires Pharmaceuticals Secures $20,000,000 Series B Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d182a135-8936-4799-ba02-4104c204a4c9&Preview=1 Date 11/12/2010 Company Name Aires Pharmaceuticals Mailing Address 4690 Executive Drive San Diego, CA 92121 Company Description As a first product opportunity, the Company is developing an inhaled drug that has been demonstrated in animal models to treat both adult and pediatric pulmonary hypertension. As a second product opportunity, Aires is … Continue reading “Aires Pharmaceuticals Secures $20,000,000 Series B Round”
Forget About a Second Genomics Bubble: Complete Genomics Tumbles on IPO First Day
Super-fast, super-cheap DNA sequencing technologies have made big news in biotech the last couple years. But the early returns have made it clear that investors haven’t gone ga-ga for genomics like they did a decade ago. The latest data point arrived today in the form of Complete Genomics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GNOM]]). This Mountain View, CA-based company, … Continue reading “Forget About a Second Genomics Bubble: Complete Genomics Tumbles on IPO First Day”
Cadence Tacks on $86.2M
Cadence Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CADX]]), the San Diego-based maker of an intravenous pain reliever, said it has raised $86.2 million through an underwritten stock offering. The company sold 11.5 million shares at $8 apiece, and it may raise more if its underwriters exercise options to buy another 1,725,000 shares over the next 30 days, the company … Continue reading “Cadence Tacks on $86.2M”
Ceregene Adds $11.5M
Ceregene, the San Diego-based gene therapy company, said today it has raised $11.5 million in a Series D venture round. Hamilton BioVentures and Alta Partners led the deal, which included MPM Capital and Investor Growth Capital. Ceregene said plans to use the money to complete a Phase 2b clinical trial of its experimental treatment CERE-120 … Continue reading “Ceregene Adds $11.5M”
“No, I Will Not Fund Your Company”
If you are an entrepreneur and you haven’t heard the phrase above, then you probably got one of the following: “why don’t you come back when you have more traction;” “this just isn’t for us;” or (my least favorite), “this looks like a solid double…we only take home runs.” I do some work for LaunchCapital, … Continue reading ““No, I Will Not Fund Your Company””
DataPop Receives $1,700,000 Series A Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=66604fbc-5464-405a-bd6c-d95c600b6684&Preview=1 Date 11/11/2010 Company Name DataPop Mailing Address 6464 Sunset Blvd. Hollywood, CA 90028 Company Description DataPop makes every ad relevant by enabling marketers to turn their offers into targeted, unique messages on a massive scale. Website http://www.DataPop.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $1,700,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes Proceeds … Continue reading “DataPop Receives $1,700,000 Series A Round”
Ceregene Lands $11,500,000 Series D Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d3ee755b-9133-4ccd-a241-92b9765588a6&Preview=1 Date 11/11/2010 Company Name Ceregene Mailing Address 9381 Judicial Drive San Diego, CA 92121 Company Description Using gene therapy delivery systems, Ceregene’s primary focus is the discovery and development of novel genetic therapeutics for the treatment of neurological disorders. Ceregene aims to be the leader in the field of Central Nervous … Continue reading “Ceregene Lands $11,500,000 Series D Round”
Complete Genomics Gets Ho-Hum Reception, Cuts IPO Price More than 30%, to $9
Complete Genomics has an audacious goal to make DNA sequencing super-fast and super-cheap, but this bold vision hasn’t ginned up the enthusiasm on Wall Street that the company was hoping for. The Mountain View, CA-based company said in a regulatory filing on Monday that it was planning to sell 6 million shares in its initial … Continue reading “Complete Genomics Gets Ho-Hum Reception, Cuts IPO Price More than 30%, to $9”