Category: San Diego

Sempra Energy/SDG&E’s 5th Annual Energy Showcase

San Diego Gas & Electric is hosting its fifth energy showcase, featuring 75 technology vendors focused on the future of energy efficiency and seven seminars designed to help local businesses take steps to become more energy efficient. The event is open to the public, and online registration is available here.

Finding and Negotiating Office Space for Tech Companies

Connect, Allen Matkins, and Cushman & Wakefield present an overview on the state of commercial real estate market in San Diego County, with particular emphasis on those issues affecting current lease transactions. The session is intended to provide the keys to understanding—and succeeding—at closing deals that include provisions to protect your company. Registration begins at … Continue reading “Finding and Negotiating Office Space for Tech Companies”

Getting What You Need from Advisors and a Board of Directors

Connect and the law firm of Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves, & Savitch have organized a workshop on what entrepreneurs, directors, and advisors need to know about recruiting, managing, incentivizing, and showcasing a board of directors. The session is intended to explain good governance practices, including key differences between advisors and directors, their duties, and obligations. Registration … Continue reading “Getting What You Need from Advisors and a Board of Directors”

Getting Money for Cleantech & Renewable Energy Startups

Connect and K&L Gates have assembled a panel of experts who will discuss federal and state tax credits, financial incentives, and other programs for renewable energy and cleantech startups. The session also covers private sector funding and financing, and other options across the spectrum of cleantech companies. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., or register online … Continue reading “Getting Money for Cleantech & Renewable Energy Startups”

IPOs, Exits, and Other Opportunities

IPOs are re-emerging as a viable path for investors and CEOs. The San Diego Venture Group has organized a panel to examine what IPOs mean in 2010 and beyond, and to discuss other strategic exits and financing opportunities for venture-backed startups. Registration begins at 7 a.m., or register online here.

Intuit’s Strategy: Using Mobile and Social to Drive Growth in TurboTax and Mint.com

Dan Maurer, senior vice president and general manager of Intuit’s consumer group, which includes development of TurboTax, Quicken, and Mint.com, discusses how the group has evolved from a traditional software company to a Web-based business. Intuit uses social media to engage customers and Web testing to drive tangible business results. Registration begins at 5:30 p.m., … Continue reading “Intuit’s Strategy: Using Mobile and Social to Drive Growth in TurboTax and Mint.com”

TheWrap Secures $2,000,000 Series B Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=aa72f8ca-a0ef-4470-9c07-7354363ba307&Preview=1 Date 4/26/2010 Company Name TheWrap Mailing Address Undisclosed Hollywood, CA 90027 Company Description TheWrap.Com, a unique primary news source focused on the business of entertainment and media, reached the two month mark this week with rapid growth in readership and widespread adoption in the entertainment industry. Founded by award-winning journalist Sharon … Continue reading “TheWrap Secures $2,000,000 Series B Funding”

InTouch Health Secures $10,000,000 Series D Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ecf4dc3a-39c0-4a86-a976-b4ef7ff8333d&Preview=1 Date 4/26/2010 Company Name InTouch Health Mailing Address 90 Castilian Drive 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 $10,000,000 Transaction Round Series … Continue reading “InTouch Health Secures $10,000,000 Series D Financing Round”

Xconomy Forum: The Rise of Smart Energy

Leading energy visionaries, industry veterans, technologists, and entrepreneurs are gathering for this unique and interactive afternoon event about the coming wave of energy innovation—from new types of renewable energy to new and more efficient engines. Presentations include a discussion on how the future power grid will require new capabilities in sensors, wireless networks, IT infrastructure, … Continue reading “Xconomy Forum: The Rise of Smart Energy”

Connect Inducts Software Pioneer Peter Preuss to Entrepreneurial Hall of Fame

Connect, San Diego’s non-profit group for technology innovation, officially inducted software industry pioneer Peter Preuss into its Entrepreneurial Hall of Fame during a luncheon yesterday that recounted his life story—from a nerd growing up in postwar Berlin to a successful technology entrepreneur and prominent patron of both education and cancer research. Preuss is the eighth … Continue reading “Connect Inducts Software Pioneer Peter Preuss to Entrepreneurial Hall of Fame”

Dodd Bill Update: Listening to the Market

Like an entrepreneur listening to market feedback while designing a product, Senator Christopher Dodd (D-Conn) has made some improvements to features of his pending legislation that we described last month. Originally designed to fight the “too big to fail” problem in the financial markets, many constituents—including the Angel Capital Association and the National Venture Capital … Continue reading “Dodd Bill Update: Listening to the Market”

San Diego’s Cibus Inks Deal with Flax Growers Eager to Avoid GMO Flak

San Diego’s Cibus Global is uniting with Canada’s flax growers to develop a crop strain resistant to glyphosate, the active ingredient in the widely used weed killer Roundup. Flax, also known as linseed, is a major crop grown for both its seeds and fibers, with various parts of the plant used to make linen and … Continue reading “San Diego’s Cibus Inks Deal with Flax Growers Eager to Avoid GMO Flak”

Detroit: America’s Laboratory for Innovation

What the heck is Xconomy doing opening a bureau in Detroit? The same thing we’ve been doing all along: seeking out technology innovators in key cities and chronicling the work they’re doing to turn their ideas into businesses that will drive the economy forward, both regionally and nationally. There’s no question that Detroit falls short … Continue reading “Detroit: America’s Laboratory for Innovation”

Aragon Pharmaceuticals Receives $22,000,000 Series B Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f63a0b96-de96-4815-837a-947ab4dea4a7&Preview=1 Date 4/23/2010 Company Name Aragon Pharmaceuticals Mailing Address 4215 Sorrento Valley Blvd. San Diego, CA 92121 Company Description Aragon Pharmaceuticals is a San Diego based biopharmaceutical company focused on developing a pipeline of new anti-endocrine therapies targeting the biology of hormone resistant cancers. Website http://www.aragonpharmaceuticals.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount … Continue reading “Aragon Pharmaceuticals Receives $22,000,000 Series B Financing”

OpenCandy Lands $5,000,000 Series B Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8fc2bfd2-27e8-47b0-b608-e0897ea5c429&Preview=1 Date 4/23/2010 Company Name OpenCandy Mailing Address 656 5th Avenue San Diego, CA 92120 Company Description OpenCandy was started by founding and early members of DivX, at which we were responsible for distributing hundreds of millions of DivX software downloads, and now we want to use what we’ve learned to help … Continue reading “OpenCandy Lands $5,000,000 Series B Funding”

San Diego’s Place in the Sun: Getting Smarter About Energy, Starting June 8

Today is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day in the United States, an occasion that is now observed by just about every country on the planet. Within the past four decades, we have witnessed the price of crude oil careen from about $3 a barrel in the early 1970s to almost $148 a barrel in … Continue reading “San Diego’s Place in the Sun: Getting Smarter About Energy, Starting June 8”

The XSITEment Returns on June 17 at Babson College—X Prize Founder Diamandis to Keynote Xconomy Summit

Most Xconomy events last only an afternoon or an evening. Barely enough time, in other words, to scratch the surface of all the amazing work technology entrepreneurs are doing around New England, in areas as varied as cloud computing, health IT, mobile commerce, smart grid technology, and the future of drug development. But our flagship … Continue reading “The XSITEment Returns on June 17 at Babson College—X Prize Founder Diamandis to Keynote Xconomy Summit”

Aragon Pharmaceuticals Moves to First Clinical Trial with $22M

Venture capitalists are placing a big bet on a San Diego startup’s new approach to treating cancers by targeting certain hormones. Aragon Pharmaceuticals reports this morning that it plans to use $22 million raised in its Series B round of funding to advance its lead drug for prostate cancer into an initial clinical trial. Aragon, … Continue reading “Aragon Pharmaceuticals Moves to First Clinical Trial with $22M”

Anadys Reports Interim Hep C Drug Data, Ligand Collects Milestone Payment, Phenomix’s Diabetes Drug Shows Promise, & More San Diego Life Sciences News

Progress on the drug development front dominated the headlines in the past week, although one company, Phenomix, also had some bad news. Get those details and more here. —Phenomix announced that diabetic patients who took its experimental drug dutogliptin in a clinical trial saw statistically significant drops in their blood sugar. But the company is … Continue reading “Anadys Reports Interim Hep C Drug Data, Ligand Collects Milestone Payment, Phenomix’s Diabetes Drug Shows Promise, & More San Diego Life Sciences News”

Imagine Communications Obtains $10,000,000 Series C Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8586b33c-086f-4d56-b5fb-70918a3ad0c1&Preview=1 Date 4/22/2010 Company Name Imagine Communications Mailing Address 12235 El Camino Real San Diego, CA 92130 Company Description Imagine Communications has launched the industry’s most powerful and scalable PersonalizedTV™ platform for broadband operators. Imagine’s breakthrough next-generation statistical multiplexing technology and software-based infrastructure solutions enable tremendous bandwidth improvements, enhanced video quality, and … Continue reading “Imagine Communications Obtains $10,000,000 Series C Round”

Amonix Obtains $129,400,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b180803d-aa17-45d2-81ee-9e47f4631340&Preview=1 Date 4/22/2010 Company Name Amonix Mailing Address 1709 Apollo Court Seal Beach, CA 90740 Company Description Amonix is the world leading designer and proprietary manufacturer of patented high-performance high concentration photovoltaic (HCPV) power generation systems for utility scale applications. Website http://www.amonix.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $129,400,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed … Continue reading “Amonix Obtains $129,400,000 New Financing”

OpenCandy Gets $5M in Round Led by Google Ventures

OpenCandy co-founder Darrius Thompson confirms in an e-mail that the San Diego-based startup, which operates a kind of online marketplace for open-source software, just raised $5 million in a series B round of venture funding, which was reported today by TechCrunch. The new $5 million round was led by Google Ventures, and in a winking … Continue reading “OpenCandy Gets $5M in Round Led by Google Ventures”

VCs Add $10M to Imagine Communications

Digital video developer Imagine Communications, a five-year-old startup based in San Diego with R&D operations in Israel, says it has raised $10 million in a Series C round of venture funding from Columbia Capital, Carmel Ventures, and Court Square Ventures—all existing investors. The company, which has now raised more than $34 million, says the new … Continue reading “VCs Add $10M to Imagine Communications”

The Xconomists Reach Out to Detroit

One of Xconomy’s unique strengths is our network of Xconomists, leaders in the worlds of innovation and entrepreneurship who have accepted our invitation to act as occasional guest bloggers, story sources, and informal editorial advisers. We’re proud to count 61 Xconomists in Boston (our original home base), 50 in Seattle, 42 in San Diego, and … Continue reading “The Xconomists Reach Out to Detroit”

Sylvia Pagán Westphal Takes the Pulse of Life Sciences for Xconomy

One of the things I’ve always enjoyed about technology journalism is how cozy a niche it is. There just aren’t than many folks who can geek out with the lab dwellers, put the hard questions to the executives, and get it all down on the page, on a deadline–so it often feels like if you … Continue reading “Sylvia Pagán Westphal Takes the Pulse of Life Sciences for Xconomy”

Confident Technologies Makes Its Debut in Restart of Vidoop’s Security Software

Curtis Staker tells me that Portland, OR-based Vidoop had a Web security idea that was just too good to let die. So Staker, a veteran software security executive, helped to acquire Vidoop’s assets in January, moved the software development operation to Solana Beach, CA, near San Diego, and today is launching the reincarnated business as … Continue reading “Confident Technologies Makes Its Debut in Restart of Vidoop’s Security Software”

Media Temple Obtains $15,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=46f726fe-f80a-4c09-9c69-aae0a10122bd&Preview=1 Date 4/21/2010 Company Name Media Temple Mailing Address 8520 National Blvd Bldg A Culver City, CA 90232 Company Description Media Temple, Inc. is an industry-leading, privately held, profitable web hosting and software application services company based in California. Since 1998, our company has provided businesses worldwide with reliable, professional-class network environments … Continue reading “Media Temple Obtains $15,000,000 New Funding Round”

Phenomix Diabetes Drug Dumped by Forest Labs, After Hitting Clinical Trial Goals

[Correction: 4:40 pm Pacific 4/21/10] The folks at San Diego-based Phenomix are wrestling with some serious cognitive dissonance today, which is a fancy way of saying they got some serious bad news mixed in with some good news. First, the bad news. Phenomix’s U.S. partner, New York-based Forest Laboratories (NYSE: [[ticker:FRX]]), said today in its … Continue reading “Phenomix Diabetes Drug Dumped by Forest Labs, After Hitting Clinical Trial Goals”

For San Diego Biomedical Firms with Stakes in Swine Flu, It’s Time for a Check-Up

As swine flu raced through colleges and communities last summer and fall, at least five San Diego companies with flu-related products or research programs saw their share prices surge. Investors were betting that swine flu, the predominant circulating flu virus in the U.S., presented a real opportunity for these companies. Now comes the reckoning. The … Continue reading “For San Diego Biomedical Firms with Stakes in Swine Flu, It’s Time for a Check-Up”

Ligand Pockets $6.5M From Roche

San Diego-based Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:LGND]]) said today it has earned a $6.5 million milestone payment from Switzerland-based Roche in connection with the advancement of a hepatitis C drug candidate into clinical trials. The product, RG7348, was the subject of a collaboration in 2008 between Roche and Metabasis Therapeutics, which Ligand acquired in January. Ligand … Continue reading “Ligand Pockets $6.5M From Roche”

Xconomy Opens in Detroit to Tell a Vital Story of Innovation and Economic Transformation

Even as the Detroit Red Wings seek to battle back in their NHL playoff series against the Phoenix Coyotes, entrepreneurs and innovators in Michigan are working overtime to help the state meet an economic challenge far more imposing than the Coyotes are on ice. That’s how we see it here at Xconomy, and that’s why … Continue reading “Xconomy Opens in Detroit to Tell a Vital Story of Innovation and Economic Transformation”

Amplyx Pharmaceuticals, Led By Women, Builds Platform for Improving Drugs for HIV, Cancer

Sometimes a company only raises a small sum of money, but it attracts our attention because it involves interesting people and a potentially big idea. That was true last week when I profiled Avelas Biosciences, the latest startup from UCSD Nobel laureate Roger Tsien, and it’s true this week of another small company in San … Continue reading “Amplyx Pharmaceuticals, Led By Women, Builds Platform for Improving Drugs for HIV, Cancer”

Sotera Wireless Secures $10,750,000 Series C Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9010a5ad-dd71-4b5b-bd57-8373e412fcc0&Preview=1 Date 4/20/2010 Company Name Sotera Wireless Mailing Address 9444 Waples Street San Diego, CA 92121 Company Description Our vision is to revolutionize patient safety by enabling the early detection of deterioration in patients who are mobile and free to move about in the hospital or the home. With adequate warning of … Continue reading “Sotera Wireless Secures $10,750,000 Series C Round”

San Diego’s Top 10 Venture Deals: Most of the Money Goes to Life Sciences

[Corrected 4/19/10, 1:00 pm. VentiRx Pharmaceuticals CEO Michael Kamdar says the company raised $25 million, not $12.5 million. See below.] The folks who count every leaf that falls off the money tree for venture-backed startups have graciously provided a breakout of the 10 biggest VC deals in San Diego so far this year. This list … Continue reading “San Diego’s Top 10 Venture Deals: Most of the Money Goes to Life Sciences”

Startup Automaker Aptera Gets Back in Gear, Streaming Video Companies Vie for Attention, MeLLmo Gets Better at Mobile Graphics, & More San Diego BizTech News

The noble cause of technology innovation is a great race. Just look at Aptera Motors, which appeared to be running out of cash last fall as it laid off much of its workforce. Now—after refueling with $10 million in VC funding—the Vista, CA, carmaker revealed plans to hire 500 people for its new assembly plant … Continue reading “Startup Automaker Aptera Gets Back in Gear, Streaming Video Companies Vie for Attention, MeLLmo Gets Better at Mobile Graphics, & More San Diego BizTech News”

Surveys Agree on Rising Tide of VC Activity, But Differ on the Ebb and Flow

After running the early returns on first-quarter venture activity, we got some additional perspective from other sources over the weekend that show an ebb of VC investments in life sciences startups and a surge in energy deals. All three VC surveys—from Dow Jones, MoneyTree, and CB Insights—showed an overall rising tide compared with the first … Continue reading “Surveys Agree on Rising Tide of VC Activity, But Differ on the Ebb and Flow”

Avelas Biosciences, Startup from UCSD Nobel Laureate, Seeks to Spot and Bomb Tumors

Roger Tsien, the UC San Diego professor who won the 2008 Nobel Prize for chemistry, has spent his career creating ways to help scientists look inside living cells, using fluorescent molecular tags that only bind to certain structures. Now his vision is to apply some of what he’s learned to help surgeons remove tumors by … Continue reading “Avelas Biosciences, Startup from UCSD Nobel Laureate, Seeks to Spot and Bomb Tumors”

For General Corporate Purposes: A Roundup of San Diego Startups Raising Capital

Startup companies have been busy raising capital over the past few weeks, which include some time when I was out of the country. In a bid to catch up, I’ve collected these recent deals to help you catch up as well. —Ambit Biosciences disclosed in a regulatory filing that it has raised $12 million out … Continue reading “For General Corporate Purposes: A Roundup of San Diego Startups Raising Capital”

Online Notebook Smackdown: Evernote Vs. Springpad

I’m a digital pack rat, which means I tend to get unreasonably excited about online notekeeping systems. I’m driven by the conviction that there’s got to be one best way to use the Internet to save and retrieve every bit of information I might want to look at later, whether that means Web clippings, important … Continue reading “Online Notebook Smackdown: Evernote Vs. Springpad”

New President at Sanford-Burnham

The Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute said today it has promoted Kristina Vuori to president, from her previous position as executive vice president of scientific affairs. The San Diego-based research center said Vuori will continue to manage her cancer research laboratory and remain director of Sanford-Burnham’s National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center. John Reed will continue as … Continue reading “New President at Sanford-Burnham”

Anadys Shares Climb on Updated Look at Hepatitis C Drug Trial

Anadys Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ANDS]]) is on the roller coaster again. The San Diego-based biotech company’s shares are up 17 percent this morning after it reported on another interim analysis of its hepatitis C clinical trial at a medical meeting in Europe. Researchers found that 72 percent of patients who got Anadys’ experimental drug (ANA598) and … Continue reading “Anadys Shares Climb on Updated Look at Hepatitis C Drug Trial”

Histogen Sees Hair-Raising Results, Avalon Ventures Mulls Raising a New Fund, AtheaDX Closes Funding Round, & More San Diego Life Sciences News

We heard in the past week from key experts who shared their views on the funding climate and the potential of emerging computational technologies. Our recap follows. —Histogen said its Hair Stimulating Complex produced “statistically significant” new hair growth after one year among the 24 balding patients who participated in a clinical trial conducted in … Continue reading “Histogen Sees Hair-Raising Results, Avalon Ventures Mulls Raising a New Fund, AtheaDX Closes Funding Round, & More San Diego Life Sciences News”

Genzyme Adds Whitworth to Board, Agrees to Add One More Director to Activist’s Liking

Genzyme (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GENZ]]]), the Cambridge, MA-based biotech giant, said today it has added Ralph Whitworth of Relational Investors in San Diego to its board, confirming a report from last night by the Wall Street Journal. Whitworth, who oversees a $6 billion fund that is one of Genzyme’s largest shareholders, will now have inside access to … Continue reading “Genzyme Adds Whitworth to Board, Agrees to Add One More Director to Activist’s Liking”

Aptera Rolls Out Newest Model, Says It’s On the Road to Financial Stability

After lying low for much of the past year, startup automaker Aptera Motors of Vista, CA, said it has secured at least $10 million in VC funding and unveiled the latest version of its three-wheel vehicle—powered entirely by a battery from A123 Systems of Watertown, MA. At a media briefing staged yesterday in the hangar … Continue reading “Aptera Rolls Out Newest Model, Says It’s On the Road to Financial Stability”

Genzyme Adds Whitworth to Board, WSJ Says

Genzyme (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GENZ]]), the Cambridge, MA-based biotech giant, has agreed to add Ralph Whitworth, the prominent San Diego activist investor, to its board of directors immediately, according to a report this evening on the Wall Street Journal’s website, which cited a person familiar with the matter. Adding Whitworth could make things more difficult for another … Continue reading “Genzyme Adds Whitworth to Board, WSJ Says”

Histogen Reports Lasting Effects In Small Study of Baldness Treatment

Few life sciences companies have gotten as much mileage from a pilot trial that enrolled two dozen patients as San Diego’s Histogen, a startup developing a variety of therapies derived from human cells that are grown in the laboratory. On the other hand, we have discovered at Xconomy that the appetite for news about potential … Continue reading “Histogen Reports Lasting Effects In Small Study of Baldness Treatment”