Drug development programs got extended at two San Diego life sciences companies, while others had some good news on the fund-raising front. We wrap it all up for you here. —Fate Therapeutics, a startup working to supply “industrialized” stem cells for the pharmaceutical industry without using embryos, said it raised $30 million in venture capital. … Continue reading “Isis Extends Timeline on Cholesterol-Lowering Drug, FDA Delays Review of Cadence Pain Reliever, Fate Therapeutics Raises $30 Million, & More San Diego Life Sciences News”
Category: San Diego
Sony Ericsson Closing SD Operation
Sony Ericsson says it plans to close its operations in San Diego as part of a global consolidation that the cell phone handset maker announced today. The London-based joint venture between Sweden’s LM Ericsson and Japan’s Sony Corp plans to move its North American headquarters from Research Triangle, NC, to Atlanta, and consolidate its product … Continue reading “Sony Ericsson Closing SD Operation”
San Diego’s Cottage Industry of Marine Technology Innovation
Long before San Diego was known as a hub of telecommunications innovation or for its proliferation of biotech companies, it was a leading center for the development of deep underwater technologies. During the 1960s and ’70s, scientists from the U.S. Navy laboratories on Point Loma and UCSD’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography founded numerous startups with … Continue reading “San Diego’s Cottage Industry of Marine Technology Innovation”
Biotech Meets Cleantech: GenVault Aims to Deep Six the Laboratory Deep Freeze
GenVault wants to bring biological samples in from the cold. For decades, the biological samples used to diagnose or study disease have been stored in freezers, which use a lot of electricity. GenVault markets dry-storage technologies that allow scientists to store samples—such as DNA from a blood test—at room temperature. GenVault CEO David Wellis argues … Continue reading “Biotech Meets Cleantech: GenVault Aims to Deep Six the Laboratory Deep Freeze”
ShoeDazzle.com Garners $7,000,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=14290e7e-7c73-4601-8ff6-cf7081fc2a00&Preview=1 Date 11/18/2009 Company Name ShoeDazzle.com Mailing Address 3530 Wilshire Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90010 Company Description ShoeDazzle’s fashion experts choose the hottest shoes for you every month based on YOUR individual personality and tastes. The shoes we pick for you will express your individuality and sense of style. Distinctive, yet trend-right. … Continue reading “ShoeDazzle.com Garners $7,000,000 New Funding”
PPD Acquires BioDuro for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=48b5dae7-ee6e-4fcb-a712-4a1a9815f9a9&Preview=1 Date 11/18/2009 Company Name BioDuro Mailing Address 9710 Scranton Road San Diego, CA 92121 Company Description BioDuro is a US-based, fully-integrated, end-to-end global life science outsourcing services company with a team of over 630 in Beijing, China. Our priority is providing the highest quality, FDA-compliant services at an affordable cost. Our … Continue reading “PPD Acquires BioDuro for Undisclosed Sum”
NextImage Medical Raises $5M
San Diego’s NextImage Medical, Inc., which has developed a Web-based system for scheduling and managing diagnostic imaging services, says it has raised $5 million in Series A funding in a round led by Chrysalis Ventures of Louisville, KY. Liz Griggs founded NextImage Medical last year as a way to provide high-quality, low-cost radiology services, either … Continue reading “NextImage Medical Raises $5M”
Isis, Genzyme Cholesterol Drug Passes Test, But Investors Get Nervous About Liver Safety
The big new cholesterol-lowering drug from Genzyme and Isis Pharmaceuticals, which both companies are counting on as a future profit driver, passed its first major clinical trial, but investors didn’t like what they saw when full details were released this morning at a major medical meeting. Carlsbad, CA-based Isis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ISIS]]) fell 16 percent … Continue reading “Isis, Genzyme Cholesterol Drug Passes Test, But Investors Get Nervous About Liver Safety”
Kleiner Perkins’ Ellen Pao on Opportunities in Greentech Investing
I had an opportunity to sit down recently (along with several other journalists) for an informal chat with Ellen Pao, a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and a member of the famed Menlo Park, CA, venture firm’s GreenTech investment team. Pao was in town to be the keynote speaker at the inaugural Cleantech … Continue reading “Kleiner Perkins’ Ellen Pao on Opportunities in Greentech Investing”
Kindle and Sharing and Mobile, Oh My! 5 More Ways to Use Xconomy
Here at Xconomy we may not be on the absolute bleeding edge of media technology—usually we’re too busy writing about the latest stuff to adopt it right away ourselves—but when there’s a cool new way to get our content out, we try to take advantage of it as soon as we can. In that spirit, … Continue reading “Kindle and Sharing and Mobile, Oh My! 5 More Ways to Use Xconomy”
Active Storage Receives Series A Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=dc539571-72c3-402d-8d0d-63980bfc52da&Preview=1 Date 11/17/2009 Company Name Active Storage Mailing Address 2295 Jefferson St Torrance, CA 90501 Company Description We formed Active Storage because we saw an unfilled need for easy-to-use high performance storage for Apple users. As a team of storage veterans with many award-winning and innovative products behind us, we believe that … Continue reading “Active Storage Receives Series A Round”
NextImage Medical Garners $5,000,000 Series A Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3f7f0e35-36fe-4605-a49b-7667a050d227&Preview=1 Date 11/17/2009 Company Name NextImage Medical Mailing Address 3398 Carmel Mountain Road San Diego, CA 92121 Company Description NextImage Medical and our radiology partners are committed to lowering the cost of radiology care through the entire continuum of care. We feel that our cooperative model is the answer to the healthcare … Continue reading “NextImage Medical Garners $5,000,000 Series A Funding”
Rift Reported Between Founders and Board at Futuristic Carmaker Aptera
Paul Wilbur, a Detroit auto industry veteran who was named CEO of Carlsbad, CA-based Aptera 14 months ago, gave no indication of internal turmoil at the futuristic car’s headquarters when he appeared last week at an event sponsored by Cleantech San Diego. But as Darryl Siry reports today on Wired’s Autotopia blog, a prolonged power … Continue reading “Rift Reported Between Founders and Board at Futuristic Carmaker Aptera”
Global Analytics Raises $10M Amid Possible Deal
San Diego’s Global Analytics Holdings says it has raised $10 million of a targeted $14 million round that consists of equity investments, options, and rights to securities, according to a recent regulatory filing. The company provides consulting services for business customers and specializes in developing software for statistical analysis, predictive modeling, and neural networks. The … Continue reading “Global Analytics Raises $10M Amid Possible Deal”
Qualcomm Takes on Network Bottlenecks, Google Buys Gizmo5, a Cluster of Analytics Startups Emerges, & More San Diego BizTech News
San Diego serial entrepreneur Michael Robertson is going to have to find something else to do now that Gizmo5, the VoIP (voice-over-Internet-protocol) company he founded in 2003, has become part of a certain search giant to the north. We have that news and more. —Google confirmed that it’s buying San Diego-based Gizmo5, a six-year-old company … Continue reading “Qualcomm Takes on Network Bottlenecks, Google Buys Gizmo5, a Cluster of Analytics Startups Emerges, & More San Diego BizTech News”
Fate Therapeutics Bags $30M Venture Deal, Led by OVP, to Develop “Industrialized” Stem Cells
Fate Therapeutics, the San Diego-based company on a quest to develop techniques that make stem cell research practical for the pharmaceutical industry, has raised $30 million in a Series B round of venture financing. Kirkland, WA-based OVP Venture Partners led the deal, which included the three venture firms that co-founded the company two years ago—Arch … Continue reading “Fate Therapeutics Bags $30M Venture Deal, Led by OVP, to Develop “Industrialized” Stem Cells”
Global Analytics Lands $10,000,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=214f95a3-759f-4039-aca9-6436e93e0ff3&Preview=1 Date 11/16/2009 Company Name Global Analytics Mailing Address 5230 Carroll Canyon Road San Diego, CA 92121 Company Description Analytic solutions are now part of mainstream business processes. In many industries, the use of analytics has matured to a point where it is impossible to compete without them. Analytics is now at … Continue reading “Global Analytics Lands $10,000,000 New Round”
Fate Therapeutics Lands $30,000,000 Series B Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=82ae2aa0-df0c-451e-9d26-d03f926c685e&Preview=1 Date 11/16/2009 Company Name Fate Therapeutics Mailing Address 10931 North Torrey Pines Road La Jolla, CA 92037 Company Description The company’s revolutionary platform focuses on both regenerative and reprogramming medicine. Fate’s regenerative medicine platform involves developing drugs that awaken adult stem cells in the body to repair damaged cells and tissues. … Continue reading “Fate Therapeutics Lands $30,000,000 Series B Funding Round”
Biocom Legislative Roundtable with Assemblyman Jose Solorio
Jose Solorio, a Democrat representing Orange County’s 69th Assembly District, was recently appointed to chair the Select Committee on Regional Approaches to Addressing the State’s Water Crisis. Solorio, who represents Anaheim, Garden Grove, and Santa Ana, also serves on the Assembly’s appropriations, education, and transportation committees, and is chairman of the Assembly’s Committee on Insurance. … Continue reading “Biocom Legislative Roundtable with Assemblyman Jose Solorio”
Trademarks: A Practical Primer for High Tech Executives
Business, academic and legal leaders discuss issues surrounding trademark use that are important for high tech business executives to know. Presentations cover practical tips on when to register a trademark, how to get the most value from your trademarks, and whether to rely on state, federal or common law protections. More information and online registration … Continue reading “Trademarks: A Practical Primer for High Tech Executives”
Intellectual Property Do’s and Don’ts for Startups
Procopio law firm partner Richard E. Campbell explains what software and Internet founders need to know about creating intellectual property: what it is, how to protect it, use it, and avoid losing it. Campbell is the leader of Procopio’s patent prosecution and counseling group. He concentrates primarily on intellectual property in electronics, communications, and software. … Continue reading “Intellectual Property Do’s and Don’ts for Startups”
San Diego Venture Group Dinner and PitchFest
The San Diego Venture Group Hosts its 10th Annual “PitchFest” Business Plan Competition Dinner. Hear three finalists present their business plans and visions. Based on your ballot vote, the venture group will present the winner with a $20,000 check. The three finalists will be selected from 10 semi-finanlists: Automedics Medical Systems; EcoATM; ElliptiGO; Extrabux; Hadronex; … Continue reading “San Diego Venture Group Dinner and PitchFest”
Using Employee Ownership to Build the Company You Want
Sharing equity ownership with a startup company’s early employees provides critical advantages that help the company grow on your own terms. Speakers include Martin Staubus, director of consulting for the Beyster Institute at UCSD’s Rady School of Business; Jeff Young, chairman and general manager of San Diego-based ATA Engineering; and Robert Scherer, president and founder … Continue reading “Using Employee Ownership to Build the Company You Want”
Advancing a Stem Cell Treatment for Diabetes
Recent breakthroughs have enabled E. Edward Baetge’s team at San Diego-based Novocell to develop and patent an innovative stem cell therapy that yields functional pancreatic, insulin-producing cells using human embryonic stem cells. Baetge outlines development of a potential therapy that injects such stem cells into the bodies of diabetics to replace cells that no longer … Continue reading “Advancing a Stem Cell Treatment for Diabetes”
Cadence Hit By FDA Delay
San Diego-based Cadence Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CADX]]) said today that the FDA has pushed back its deadline for reviewing the company’s intravenous pain reliever by three months. The FDA’s new deadline for completing its review of IV acetaminophen is now Feb. 12. The company said it remains confident it will win FDA approval, although shares fell … Continue reading “Cadence Hit By FDA Delay”
San Diego Serves as a Hotbed for Analytics Tech Cluster—at Least Up to a Point
When Tom Clancy introduced a panel discussion yesterday at a forum on analytics software, the founder of San Diego’s Tao Venture Partners said the forum was “founded four years ago by people who had an interest in seeing San Diego get established as a leading cluster in the analytics space.” The forum, which is sponsored … Continue reading “San Diego Serves as a Hotbed for Analytics Tech Cluster—at Least Up to a Point”
Cyntellect Raises $15.5M as it Expands Biotech Instrument Business
San Diego-based Cyntellect , which makes work stations used by biotechs for cell analysis, purification, and processing, has raised $15.5 million so far in a secondary round that aims to raise a total of $18.6 million, according to a recent regulatory filing. Cyntellect says its instruments are used in life sciences research, biopharmaceutical production, stem … Continue reading “Cyntellect Raises $15.5M as it Expands Biotech Instrument Business”
Negotiating a Better Series A Deal
[Updated 11/18/09, see below] This post is about how to get a better deal from VCs investing in your first round of financing. It is also about how to make the deal into a win-win. The idea for the post came from an exchange with @bakespace about some of the resources for entrepreneurs on FastIgnite. … Continue reading “Negotiating a Better Series A Deal”
Cautious Perspectives on Recovery in the IPO, M&A, and Credit Markets
The second half of 2009 provided a good measure of optimism, easing some of the pain investors felt toward the end of 2008 and in early 2009. The stock market has been volatile but up significantly overall. There are signs of increased lending activity. Mergers and acquisitions have picked up. And there’s a pulse in … Continue reading “Cautious Perspectives on Recovery in the IPO, M&A, and Credit Markets”
Trius Therapeutics Reveals Plans for IPO, SpectraScience Raises $4.3M, Sequenom Tightens its Belt, & More San Diego Life Sciences News
Some San Diego life sciences companies reported a burst of new financing, while embattled Sequenom told investors it’s trying to conserve its available cash. Here’s our rundown of the latest highlights: —San Diego’s Trius Therapeutics, a venture-backed biotech developing a new antibiotic for treating acute and life-threatening bacterial infections, disclosed plans to raise as much … Continue reading “Trius Therapeutics Reveals Plans for IPO, SpectraScience Raises $4.3M, Sequenom Tightens its Belt, & More San Diego Life Sciences News”
Isis Spinoff Altair Therapeutics Closes $17M Venture Round For Asthma Drug
[Corrected: 7:26 am Pacific, 11/12/09] San Diego-based Altair Therapeutics, a company developing inhalable drugs to block inflammatory proteins involved in asthma and other respiratory diseases, has closed on the second part of a Series A venture financing, meaning it has raised a total of $17 million this year. [An earlier version said the company has … Continue reading “Isis Spinoff Altair Therapeutics Closes $17M Venture Round For Asthma Drug”
Israeli Startup Wins Inaugural QPrize
San Diego-based Qualcomm (NASDAQ: [[ticker:QCOM]]) says Panoramic Power, a wireless sensor startup based in Kidron, Israel, is the winner of the first QPrize, the incentive prize competition launched earlier this year by Qualcomm Ventures. Panoramic Power has developed energy monitoring wireless technology that enables a company or institution to deploy Smart Grid technologies within their … Continue reading “Israeli Startup Wins Inaugural QPrize”
SD Firm Gets $19.4M for Washington Wind Farm
The San Diego-based Cannon Power Group says it has received $19.4 million in federal renewable energy grants to help fund construction of a 400-megawatt wind farm in Klickitat County, WA, about 110 miles East of Portland, OR. Total investment in the project will be more than $1 billion. When completed, the Windy Point/Windy Flats project … Continue reading “SD Firm Gets $19.4M for Washington Wind Farm”
Cyntellect Obtains $15,500,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=80760f75-5841-4001-9e7f-4581f2a5c5ef&Preview=1 Date 11/12/2009 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 Obtains $15,500,000 New Financing”
Six Degrees Games Receives $7,000,000 Series B Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e2045341-8666-4f75-abcc-67cfe295f7cd&Preview=1 Date 11/12/2009 Company Name Six Degrees Games Mailing Address 4223 Glencoe Boulevard Marina Del Rey, CA 90292 Company Description Six Degrees Games, Inc. is a video game and virtual world publisher for major video game systems and personal computers. Website http://www.sixdegreesgames.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $7,000,000 Transaction Round Series … Continue reading “Six Degrees Games Receives $7,000,000 Series B Funding Round”
Altair Therapeutics Receives $17,000,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1a36ca1d-10d3-48f5-9dda-6c9dd154ade4&Preview=1 Date 11/12/2009 Company Name Altair Therapeutics Mailing Address 12555 High Bluff Drive San Diego, CA 92130 Company Description Altair is building a dedicated team, combining antisense drug discovery expertise with respiratory drug development expertise, to focus solely on the development and commercialization of antisense drugs for the treatment of asthma and … Continue reading “Altair Therapeutics Receives $17,000,000 New Financing Round”
Yidio Obtains $500,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a16ea8f1-3c9c-4746-bf03-faaf25706fbb&Preview=1 Date 11/12/2009 Company Name Yidio Mailing Address 7770 Regents Rd San Diego, CA 92122 Company Description Through the website Yidio.com, users have the ability to search for any video based on topic, category, or source. Videos offered on Yidio.com range from full TV shows to full movies, celebrity gossip, sports, and … Continue reading “Yidio Obtains $500,000 New Financing”
Qualcomm’s Lauer Outlines Efforts to Ease Network Bottlenecks at Wireless Conference
[Corrected 11/11/09, 3:15 pm. See below] Qualcomm chief operating officer, Len Lauer, says the San Diego wireless chipmaking giant is working across a broad front of technology development to accommodate a surge in wireless data traffic. “The mobile Internet has arrived,” Lauer says in the opening keynote talk yesterday at the 2009 3G CDMA Americas … Continue reading “Qualcomm’s Lauer Outlines Efforts to Ease Network Bottlenecks at Wireless Conference”
Sequenom Looks to Prolong Operations as Available Cash Runs Low
San Diego’s embattled Sequenom, which halted the debut of a new diagnostic product over mishandled data, is now considering steps to conserve cash. In an SEC document filed Monday, the life sciences tools company says it expects to end the year with $39 million in cash — too little to fund operations and capital expenditures … Continue reading “Sequenom Looks to Prolong Operations as Available Cash Runs Low”
Life Technologies Acquiring BioTrove
Life Technologies (NASDAQ: [[ticker:LIFE]]), the Carlsbad, CA-based provider of biotech instruments and lab supplies, says it has agreed to acquire Woburn, MA-based BioTrove, which has developed a high throughput gene expression and genotyping analysis system. BioTrove, which withdrew plans to raise $75 million in an IPO last year, says the flexible array format of its … Continue reading “Life Technologies Acquiring BioTrove”
Xconomy Forum: Tomorrow’s Biotech–Innovators and Innovations
San Diego is home to a dazzling array of today’s most successful biotech inventors, companies, and technologies. But who are the innovators and what are the innovations that will carry this region’s leadership in life sciences forward in the years to come? Which new advances will help transform the way we treat and prevent disease? … Continue reading “Xconomy Forum: Tomorrow’s Biotech–Innovators and Innovations”
San Diego’s Platformic Expands Its Web Development Platform for Broadcasters
Mark Underhill says he was doing Web design and applications development for Clear Channel Communications when the San Antonio, TX-based media company announced plans to sell 448 of its 1,150 radio stations, along with its 42-station TV group. That was in November 2006. Underhill, who had initially been hired in San Diego six or seven … Continue reading “San Diego’s Platformic Expands Its Web Development Platform for Broadcasters”
Who Will Create the Future of San Diego Biotech? Xconomy Event Will Gather Star Innovators From Inside and Outside the Region
Who are the innovators who will help keep the San Diego region’s life sciences sector vibrant in the years to come? Which of the emerging ideas here will help transform the way we treat and prevent disease around the world? And how is the San Diego region poised to work with leaders from other hubs … Continue reading “Who Will Create the Future of San Diego Biotech? Xconomy Event Will Gather Star Innovators From Inside and Outside the Region”
San Diego’s Gizmo5 Reportedly Acquired by Google
San Diego’s Gizmo5, which was rumored to be a Skype acquisition target for $50 million about three weeks ago, is now reported to have been sold—except the buyer is identified as Google, and the price is put at $30 million. Both the Skype and Google reports were exclusives from TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington, who initially explained … Continue reading “San Diego’s Gizmo5 Reportedly Acquired by Google”
Good Things in Threes: Trius Therapeutics Files for IPO to Fund Phase 3 Clinical Trials, Marks San Diego’s Third IPO Filing
San Diego’s Trius Therapeutics, a venture-backed biotech developing a new antibiotic for treating acute and life-threatening bacterial infections, submitted a regulatory filing Friday to raise as much as $86 million in an initial public stock offering. It marks the third IPO filing by a company in the San Diego area so far this year. The … Continue reading “Good Things in Threes: Trius Therapeutics Files for IPO to Fund Phase 3 Clinical Trials, Marks San Diego’s Third IPO Filing”
San Diego’s PaxVax Developing Oral Tablet Vaccine, Looks to Raise More Cash With Support of Seattle’s Ignition Capital
PaxVax, a San Diego startup backed by Seattle’s Ignition Capital, has raised $2 million of a planned $6 million investment round, according to a document filed Friday with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The biotech was founded in early 2007 to develop new oral vaccine technology based on a common cold virus called the adenovirus. … Continue reading “San Diego’s PaxVax Developing Oral Tablet Vaccine, Looks to Raise More Cash With Support of Seattle’s Ignition Capital”
DHS Funds Chemical Sensors for Cell Phones, MaxLinear Files for IPO, EcoDog Wins GadgetFest, & More San Diego BizTech News
It was a busy week for local technology news. —Two teams from San Diego and a third from Northern California demonstrated their development of advanced chemical sensor prototypes that are tiny enough to be found inside ordinary cell phones. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is funding the Cell-All program, with a goal of basically … Continue reading “DHS Funds Chemical Sensors for Cell Phones, MaxLinear Files for IPO, EcoDog Wins GadgetFest, & More San Diego BizTech News”
Startup Failure: Seattle’s Stigma, Boston’s Chip on Its Shoulder, and Silicon Valley’s Badge of Honor
“People say if you fail in Seattle, you’re screwed,” said Marcelo Calbucci. “If you fail in the Bay Area, you just have a badge of honor.” We were at the TechStars reunion event in Seattle last week, listening to early-stage investors Brad Feld, Andy Sack, Steve Hall, Greg Gottesman, Shawn Broderick, and Chris Sheehan speak … Continue reading “Startup Failure: Seattle’s Stigma, Boston’s Chip on Its Shoulder, and Silicon Valley’s Badge of Honor”
Wireless Chip Designer MaxLinear Files for IPO
MaxLinear, a fabless RF chipmaker based in Carlsbad, CA, filed a registration statement today for an initial public stock offering, marking only the second IPO in the San Diego area since Bridgepoint Education made its debut on the New York Stock Exchange in April. About 45 IPOs have taken place nationwide so far this year. … Continue reading “Wireless Chip Designer MaxLinear Files for IPO”
SpectraScience Raises $4.3M
SpectraScience, the San Diego medical device maker, has raised more than $4.3 million through a private placement that combines preferred shares and warrants, according to a regulatory filing today. As I reported previously, SpectraScience (OTCBB:SCIE) acquired its optical biopsy technology when CEO Jim Hitchin acquired certain assets from the bankruptcy of Minnesota’s GV Medical. In … Continue reading “SpectraScience Raises $4.3M”