Category: San Diego

Looking for an Exit: Startup Founders, Investors, and Bankers Offer Some IPO Guidance

There have been 108 IPO filings nationwide so far this year, which is more than seven times the paltry 15 filings that were made by this time last year, according to IPO data from Renaissance Capital. The big local story so far has been Carlsbad, CA-based MaxLinear (NYSE: [[ticker:MSL]]), a wireless chip design company founded … Continue reading “Looking for an Exit: Startup Founders, Investors, and Bankers Offer Some IPO Guidance”

DexCom Pledges to Cooperate With FDA on Improved Warning Labels for Devices

San Diego’s DexCom (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DXCM]]) says it intends to cooperate with changes sought by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the way it labels certain biomedical devices for monitoring blood sugar levels. In a statement yesterday, DexCom says it received an FDA warning letter alleging that the company had failed to adequately disclose that … Continue reading “DexCom Pledges to Cooperate With FDA on Improved Warning Labels for Devices”

Altura Medical Obtains $20,000,000 Series A Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4f6ecdb7-fdf7-47ee-86ff-788549b2f54d&Preview=1 Date 6/2/2010 Company Name Altura Medical Mailing Address 1120 Calle Cordillera San Clemente, CA 92673 Company Description The company is developing medical devices and methods for treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). Website Undisclosed Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $20,000,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not … Continue reading “Altura Medical Obtains $20,000,000 Series A Round”

Mad Catz Buys Tritton

San Diego-based Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. (AMEX: [[ticker:MCZ]]), which makes GameShark videogame enhancements and a host of other interactive accessories, says today it has acquired privately held Tritton Technologies, an audio headset maker based in Vista, CA. Mad Catz agreed to pay $1 million in cash at closing, and as much as $9 million over … Continue reading “Mad Catz Buys Tritton”

Zipcar Files to Take $75M IPO Ride

Zipcar has set its sights on a new funding vehicle: An initial public offering. The Cambridge, MA-based car sharing service says it wants to raise $75 million in an IPO, according to an SEC filing. The company, founded in 2000, has changed the way many people think about renting cars. Its members can reserve cars … Continue reading “Zipcar Files to Take $75M IPO Ride”

Digital Video Experts React to Google’s WebM, Motorola Out Scouting for Spinoff Headquarters, BakBone Cuts ColdSpark, & More San Diego BizTech News

It might be hard to remember last week’s flood of local high-tech news after enjoying the three-day weekend that usually kicks off the summer vacation season. Lucky we’re here to remember it for you. —The digital video experts at Qualcomm, Sorenson Media, VMIX, and elsewhere provided their perspective on WebM, an Internet video technology standard … Continue reading “Digital Video Experts React to Google’s WebM, Motorola Out Scouting for Spinoff Headquarters, BakBone Cuts ColdSpark, & More San Diego BizTech News”

Ending the Suspense, Celladon’s Gene Therapy Helps Heart Failure Patients in Small Study

Gene therapy has never lived up to two decades of hype, but some intriguing new evidence for the technology emerged over the weekend at a medical meeting in Berlin. That was where San Diego-based Celladon unveiled results from a clinical trial—albeit a small one—that offers the first sign that gene therapy might help people suffering … Continue reading “Ending the Suspense, Celladon’s Gene Therapy Helps Heart Failure Patients in Small Study”

Giiv Secures $3,500,000 Series A Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f0c92920-9e7d-480d-9931-a7398656ecc8&Preview=1 Date 6/1/2010 Company Name Giiv Mailing Address 2020 N. Main St. Los Angeles, CA 90031 Company Description Giiv.com is based on a simple idea: that giving a gift should be fun, fast, and easy. Now you can show appreciation, say thank you, cheer someone up or just let someone know you … Continue reading “Giiv Secures $3,500,000 Series A Funding”

Awareness Technologies Lands $6,500,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3451fcfa-4ad6-4108-9674-f17261197336&Preview=1 Date 6/1/2010 Company Name Awareness Technologies Mailing Address 4640 Admiralty Way Los Angeles, CA 90292 Company Description With InterGuard, there’s finally a single solution for the entire range of internal threats. And since the damages from internal threats are enacted at the endpoint, InterGuard is at the endpoint – making it … Continue reading “Awareness Technologies Lands $6,500,000 New Funding Round”

Fisker Automotive Receives $35,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2b9a8fbd-9938-40da-8576-cb8b1febedfa&Preview=1 Date 5/30/2010 Company Name Fisker Automotive Mailing Address 19 Corporate Park Irvine, CA 92606 Company Description The concept was created between two independent companies who clearly wanted to make a difference in not only the automotive industry, but to the environment as well. Fisker Coachbuild, LLC and Quantum Technologies announced this … Continue reading “Fisker Automotive Receives $35,000,000 New Financing”

Life Tech Buys Majority of Geneart

Life Technologies,  the Carlsbad, CA-based company that makes instruments and lab supplies for biologists, said today it has acquired a 74 percent ownership stake in Germany-based Geneart through a tender offer to the smaller company’s shareholders. Geneart is one of five small companies around the world  that specialize in synthesizing custom-ordered genes for use in … Continue reading “Life Tech Buys Majority of Geneart”

Wave vs. Wave: Breaking News in San Diego’s War Between the Surf Machines

Stand on any beach on any ocean, and one of the things you will eventually notice about waves is that they keep coming—which might turn out to be the case with legal disputes over wave-making technology as well. It certainly seemed that way last year, when I wrote about a startup in Solana Beach, CA, … Continue reading “Wave vs. Wave: Breaking News in San Diego’s War Between the Surf Machines”

Goby and TripAdvisor: Two Great Mobile Apps for Your Upcoming Travels

It’s almost Memorial Day weekend, when thoughts turn to vacation and summer road trips, so I thought I’d write briefly today about two cool travel-related mobile apps, both hailing from the Boston area. But first, I want to take a moment to remind you that June is Innovation Month in New England. Similar to the … Continue reading “Goby and TripAdvisor: Two Great Mobile Apps for Your Upcoming Travels”

The Mobile Internet: What is Real and What is Fiction?

CommNexus has asked Andrew Seybold, the wireless industry analyst, consultant, commentator, and author, to talk about the mobile Internet, and whether it will be just like the wired Internet—with browsing, searching, and streaming video. Seybold will explain just how different the mobile Internet will be, and what is needed to optimize and manage the wireless … Continue reading “The Mobile Internet: What is Real and What is Fiction?”

A Cooler Case Study: Making CoolerEmail Hot Again

CoolerEmail was a trailblazer in the e-mail marketing space with a solution that was the most affordable, technologically advanced, and easiest to use. But as the market has matured, the gap between CoolerEmail and the competition has narrowed significantly. The company realizes the need to respond with a robust, next-generation solution. CoolerEmail is on the … Continue reading “A Cooler Case Study: Making CoolerEmail Hot Again”

Getting Ahead of the Curve: San Diego Bio-Pharma Conference 2010

The Sino-American Biomedical & Pharmaceutical Professionals Association and San Diego Chinese American Association have organized the 9th Annual Symposium on Biopharmaceuticals, also known as San Diego Bio-Pharma Conference 2010. While a major reorganization in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries has completely changed Pharma landscape, these also are the perfect times for forging ahead. Keeping the … Continue reading “Getting Ahead of the Curve: San Diego Bio-Pharma Conference 2010”

Vertex Gets Strong Results From Hepatitis C Trial, Anadys Explores Alternatives, Funding Helps to Revive La Jolla Pharmaceutical, & More San Diego Life Sciences News

We saw mostly funding news for San Diego’s life sciences community over the past week, and it was light fare. Get our latest roundup here, and enjoy your Memorial Day weekend. —Vertex Pharmaceuticals, which is based in Cambridge, MA, and operates a research facility in San Diego, said its experimental drug for hepatitis C cured … Continue reading “Vertex Gets Strong Results From Hepatitis C Trial, Anadys Explores Alternatives, Funding Helps to Revive La Jolla Pharmaceutical, & More San Diego Life Sciences News”

Craig Venter’s Enabler, Seattle’s Blue Heron, Grows With Synthetic Genes Made to Order

When genomics pioneer J. Craig Venter stepped before the cameras last week and claimed that he engineered the first bacterial cell with an entirely synthetic genome, he actually had a lot of help. One of the key players he relied on behind the scenes was a privately held company in Bothell, WA, called Blue Heron … Continue reading “Craig Venter’s Enabler, Seattle’s Blue Heron, Grows With Synthetic Genes Made to Order”

Zeebo Raises $8M

San Diego-based Zeebo, the game console maker backed by wireless giant Qualcomm and Brazilian video-game developer Tectoy S.A., has raised $8 million in a combination of equity, debt, and loans convertible to stock, according to a recent regulatory filing. The Zeebo consoles are available throughout Brazil and Mexico in a plan that Zeebo laid out … Continue reading “Zeebo Raises $8M”

La Jolla Pharmaceutical Revives With $6M Financing

Like a scene from a Monty Python skit, a San Diego biotech left for dead has announced plans for a new financing—and says it has revived interest in its experimental drug for treating Lupus of the kidneys. La Jolla Pharmaceutical halted work on the drug in early 2009.  In a statement yesterday, La Jolla Pharmaceutical … Continue reading “La Jolla Pharmaceutical Revives With $6M Financing”

What Google’s WebM Looks Like to Video Digerati in San Diego and Boston

It’s been a week since Google announced a new open-source video project called WebM at its I/O Developers Conference in San Francisco, with the online media giant arguing that streaming video—like nearly everything else on the Internet—just wants to be free. So it seemed like a good time to see how some digital video technology … Continue reading “What Google’s WebM Looks Like to Video Digerati in San Diego and Boston”

Mendlein Joins aTyr as Chairman

aTyr Pharma, the San Diego-based developer of a new class of protein drugs, said yesterday that John Mendlein has joined the company as executive chairman of the board. Mendlein is currently the chairman of Fate Therapeutics and Alevium Pharmaceuticals. He was previously the CEO of Adnexus Therapeutics before that company was sold to Bristol-Myers Squibb … Continue reading “Mendlein Joins aTyr as Chairman”

TCA Names Quick Pitch Winners

Lucine Biotechnology founder Chandler Marrs won the “Best Overall” and “People’s Choice” awards at last night’s Tech Coast Angels’ Quick Pitch event in Irvine, CA. Most of the 12 finalists making 90-second presentations were entrepreneurs from Orange County and nearby communities. Lucine is developing low-cost salivary tests for horomone-related Obstetrics-Gynecology conditions. FlexCell Systems, a startup … Continue reading “TCA Names Quick Pitch Winners”

Anadys Raises $12.5M, Hires Banker

Anadys Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ANDS]]), the San Diego-based developer of a treatment for hepatitis C, said today it has raised $12.5 million through a registered stock offering with certain institutional investors. The company has agreed to sell about 5.8 million shares at $2.15 apiece, about a 3.5 percent discount from yesterday’s closing stock price of $2.23. … Continue reading “Anadys Raises $12.5M, Hires Banker”

Is it Time for the FDA to Chime in on Drug Company Tweets?

These days, when I least expect it, an e-mail pops into my inbox that I can’t ignore. It announces that someone is following me on Twitter. I’m still figuring out how it works (I have a measly 4 tweets to my name), which explains why, upon reading one of those e-mails, I usually succumb to … Continue reading “Is it Time for the FDA to Chime in on Drug Company Tweets?”

The Clean Energy Choice—To Lead or Lag

This month a group of 50 clean energy CEOs, investors and executives from New England traveled to Washington D.C. to deliver a common message to our leaders in the nation’s capitol: comprehensive energy and climate legislation is critical for building the clean energy economy here in New England and across the United States. The Kerry-Lieberman … Continue reading “The Clean Energy Choice—To Lead or Lag”

ClariPhy Communications Receives $24,000,000 Series C Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d95a16e8-7a6b-44e1-ad70-002ebd3e86ac&Preview=1 Date 5/26/2010 Company Name ClariPhy Communications Mailing Address 7585 Irvine Center Drive Irvine, CA 92618 Company Description ClariPhy Communications, Inc. is a fabless semiconductor company that designs and markets complex physical-layer products (ICs) for high-speed communications. ClariPhy’s initial products, which target 10-Gbit/s optical networks in the enterprise market, significantly lower the … Continue reading “ClariPhy Communications Receives $24,000,000 Series C Funding”

After Decade of Development, Cymer Moves Into OLED Display Manufacturing

When San Diego-based Cymer (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CYMI]]) announced its first-quarter financial results last month, the company noted almost parenthetically that it’s just beginning to roll out technology to manufacture OLED display screens. In the 24 years since it was founded, Cymer’s business has been focused almost entirely on making advanced lasers that serve as the light … Continue reading “After Decade of Development, Cymer Moves Into OLED Display Manufacturing”

Vertex Hepatitis C Drug Passes Pivotal Test, Cures Three Out of Every Four Patients

Vertex Pharmaceuticals has finally got the definitive proof it needs to say it has made a breakthrough for hepatitis C patients. The Cambridge, MA-based biotech company said today that its experimental drug for the chronic liver damaging disease was able to cure three-fourths of patients in the last stage of clinical testing required for FDA … Continue reading “Vertex Hepatitis C Drug Passes Pivotal Test, Cures Three Out of Every Four Patients”

Google Touts Its Role, State by State, in U.S. Economic Growth

Google unveiled the results of its first state-by-state analysis of the company’s impact on regional economies at press events in 10 cities on Tuesday, including Cambridge, MA, Detroit, and Seattle. For the most part, Google measured the value it generates when local advertisers and Web publishers use its AdWords and AdSense platforms for Web advertising. … Continue reading “Google Touts Its Role, State by State, in U.S. Economic Growth”

Motorola Considers San Diego, Other Cities, for Mobile Spin Off Headquarters

Motorola (NYSE: [[ticker:MOT]]), the mobile communications technology giant based in Schaumburg, IL, is scouting sites in Chicago, Dallas, and California for the headquarters of its cell phone spinoff set for next year, according to Crain’s Chicago Business. San Diego is among the California cities under consideration, according to an interview with Motorola co-chief executive (and … Continue reading “Motorola Considers San Diego, Other Cities, for Mobile Spin Off Headquarters”

SoCal Angel Investing on Sluggish Pace as Investors Rethink Process

[Corrected 5/24/10, 4:05 pm. See below.] Angel investing in Southern California remained sluggish during the first quarter of 2010, although individual investors’ overall mood seems to be improving, according to Tech Coast Angels chairman Richard Sudek. “Last year was the worst year since our inception,” says Sudek, a Laguna Niguel, CA, resident who oversees the … Continue reading “SoCal Angel Investing on Sluggish Pace as Investors Rethink Process”

Biofuels Consortium Targets Technical Hurdles, Legend Films Morphs Into Legend 3D, Fallbrook Technologies Adds Details to IPO Filing, & More San Diego BizTech News

Cleantech was the watchword of the week, with much of the news concerning algae-based biofuels and energy efficiency. Read on to get that and the rest of last week’s biztech news. —The new executive director of the National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts (NAABB), José Olivares, outlined some of the technical challenges that must … Continue reading “Biofuels Consortium Targets Technical Hurdles, Legend Films Morphs Into Legend 3D, Fallbrook Technologies Adds Details to IPO Filing, & More San Diego BizTech News”

Gaikai Receives $10,000,000 Series B Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a44c0a8e-9a1f-4487-af9b-dba87fdd8eb1&Preview=1 Date 5/24/2010 Company Name Gaikai Mailing Address 65 Enterprise Aliso Viejo, CA 92656 Company Description Gaikai is a revolutionary new technology that lets you play any game online in your browser. In the age of the cloud, when all your documents, email, photos and videos are instantly reachable online, it seems … Continue reading “Gaikai Receives $10,000,000 Series B Financing Round”

Emotional Design and Enhancing the Customer Experience

What is emotional design and why is it important? What is customer experience? The San Diego Software Industry Council has organized this session to help local companies develop emotionally effective product designs in a way that enhances customer experiences and still helps companies reach their market share and revenue goals. Registration begins at 5:30 p.m., … Continue reading “Emotional Design and Enhancing the Customer Experience”

Live Apple iPad App Development Coding Session

Watch Norman McEntire of Servin develop an iPad from scratch, using Xcode and Objective-C, as he demonstrates new software features that are only available on iPad. This session is intended for software managers, software project leaders, and software developers. This live coding session is the absolutely fastest path to learning about iPad features, including larger … Continue reading “Live Apple iPad App Development Coding Session”

Uplinq Mobile Developers Conference

Uplinq is a new mobile developers conference hosted by Qualcomm. Brew developers and those considering Brew MP can find answers to questions and accelerate their business models globally as they target the enormous installed base of Brew devices and profit from major new opportunities. And for developers focused on Android, Windows Mobile, Symbian, and other … Continue reading “Uplinq Mobile Developers Conference”

Biotech’s $1 Billion Tax Credits Are Up for Grabs! OK, Now Everybody Relax

The rules regarding the Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Project Credit have now been released by the Treasury Department. You can read the fact sheet, and detailed description of the legislation yourself, but here are 10 key points I came away with after reading them. 1. The first thing that everyone can do is relax. In contrast … Continue reading “Biotech’s $1 Billion Tax Credits Are Up for Grabs! OK, Now Everybody Relax”

Classical Gas: Hazardous Material Handling and Storage

Join Airgas for a luncheon seminar on safe handling and storage of gases, chemicals, and how to comply with fire codes. Airgas speakers will talk about ways to achieve new efficiencies in refrigerant processing, and services that include container delivery and pick-up. More information and online registration is here.

Partner to Survive: The Campbell Alliance Dealmakers Survey

This presentation and panel discussion is focused on the factors that are driving industry partnerships forward. What therapeutic areas, mechanisms of action, and target market segments are of most interest to large pharma and biotech companies? How have deal-making priorities changed? What are the areas of interest at large pharma and biotech companies. What development … Continue reading “Partner to Survive: The Campbell Alliance Dealmakers Survey”

Successful App to Market Strategies

What are the ingredients of a successful wireless application? The Mobile Carrier and Location-Based Services special interest groups of CommNexus have joined forces to organize a roundtable discussion on Apps that work and Apps that don’t. Sprint’s Erich Hasselmann will moderate an expert panel discussion about which strategies, markets, and sales channels have been effective … Continue reading “Successful App to Market Strategies”

Biotech Entrepreneurs Offer Tips For Winning an SBIR—Including a Top 10 List of Dos and Don’ts

The latest organization to spring fully formed from the brow of San Diego’s Life Sciences community was not Athena, but the San Diego Entrepreneurs Exchange, which Denise profiled in March when the SDEE was preparing to hold its first meeting. I’d guess close to 140 people turned out earlier this week for the group’s second … Continue reading “Biotech Entrepreneurs Offer Tips For Winning an SBIR—Including a Top 10 List of Dos and Don’ts”

Putting My iPad’s Geocaching App to the Test, on a Vlog in the Woods

Today’s column is in video form, which is a first for me. I was out hiking with my dog Rhody in the Blue Hills Reservation south of Boston last weekend when a few realizations hit me at once. 1) I had my 3G iPad with me 2) I had my camera with me 3) I … Continue reading “Putting My iPad’s Geocaching App to the Test, on a Vlog in the Woods”

Cocodot Secures $2,000,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e0056b04-d0c5-42a9-a3b5-3c54eebc88ab&Preview=1 Date 5/21/2010 Company Name Cocodot Mailing Address P.O. Box 3904 Hollywood, CA 90078 Company Description The company operates an eco-friendly social website for event planning and invitations. Website http://www.cocodot.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $2,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes from the financing were not disclosed. M&A Terms … Continue reading “Cocodot Secures $2,000,000 New Round”

Cyntellect Receives $9,000,000 Series E Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=11aca172-f03e-4593-a115-92aa78c32ba8&Preview=1 Date 5/21/2010 Company Name Cyntellect Mailing Address 6620 Mesa Ridge Road San Diego, CA 92121 Company Description Cyntellect is a company dedicated to commercializing platform solutions and services, that will enable scientists to efficiently and accurately exploit living cells. The company has launched commercial products and services and has established business … Continue reading “Cyntellect Receives $9,000,000 Series E Financing”

Pathway Genomics’ Marketing Plan for Genetic Tests Draws More Heat

Pathway Genomics’ plan to take genetic testing to the people continues to go badly awry. A House panel disclosed yesterday that it is investigating personal genetic tests sold over the Internet by San Diego-based Pathway and two other companies. Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., sent the companies letters seeking information about the accuracy of the tests … Continue reading “Pathway Genomics’ Marketing Plan for Genetic Tests Draws More Heat”