Dave Paton and Dave Moody tell me they founded EESG, a San Diego cleantech startup also known as Energy Efficiency Systems Group, last year in anticipation that soaring energy prices would unleash strong demand for practical alternatives. But they didn’t focus on new technologies for alternative energy sources. They focused on energy efficiencies. They also … Continue reading “A Cleantech Startup Looks to Raise $1.2M for the Greening of Hospitality Industry”
Category: San Diego
Is it Real or Is It High Dynamic Range? How Software Is Changing the Way We Look at Photographs
You know how listening to music on a friend’s pricey Bose headphones makes it harder to tolerate your tinny little speakers at home, or watching your favorite show on a high-definition screen spoils you for regular TV? I’m at a moment like that in the way I look at photographs. For the last few weeks, … Continue reading “Is it Real or Is It High Dynamic Range? How Software Is Changing the Way We Look at Photographs”
GreatCall Paid With Stock for MobiWatch
A regulatory filing made last month by GreatCall, the San Diego-based parent of Jitterbug, offers some insight into the value of Jitterbug’s acquisition of Waltham, MA-based MobiWatch. Jitterbug announced the deal yesterday but declined to comment beyond its press release. The filing shows that GreatCall provided 630,000 shares of common stock to MobiWatch and its … Continue reading “GreatCall Paid With Stock for MobiWatch”
GadgetFest Crowd Names EcoDog Best in Show
The moderators of San Diego’s 9th Annual GadgetFest kept saying during Tuesday night’s showcase for new technology products that past winners have gone on to even greater glory and success. That may or may not be good news for the Motorola Droid that goes on sale tomorrow at Verizon stores nationwide. After making a cursory … Continue reading “GadgetFest Crowd Names EcoDog Best in Show”
Amylin Forms Global Alliance in Obesity Drug Development; TEDMED’s Show Will Go On, Sequenom Sued for Civil Fraud, & More San Diego Biotech News
TEDMED had Martha, Goldie, and other celebrity speakers, but San Diego-based Amylin Pharmaceuticals broke this week’s big news when it signed up a big Japanese partner to develop its line of obesity drugs. It’s all part of your regular dose of San Diego biotech news, and it’s ready now: —Amylin Pharmaceuticals, the San Diego-based diabetes … Continue reading “Amylin Forms Global Alliance in Obesity Drug Development; TEDMED’s Show Will Go On, Sequenom Sued for Civil Fraud, & More San Diego Biotech News”
Keeping Details to a Minimum, San Diego’s Jitterbug Announces Acquisition of MobiWatch of Waltham, MA
San Diego-based Jitterbug, the simple-to-use wireless phone and services provider, says today it has acquired MobiWatch, a startup in Waltham, MA, developing mobile personal emergency response services. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Jitterbug says the deal will provide its users with personal safety services that are intuitive, reliable and deliverable through its Samsung-made … Continue reading “Keeping Details to a Minimum, San Diego’s Jitterbug Announces Acquisition of MobiWatch of Waltham, MA”
An Entrepreneur’s Tale: Diego Borrego and the Twists and Turns Behind Networkfleet
To a large extent, the story of San Diego-based Networkfleet is also an intriguing tale about co-founder Diego Borrego. The privately held company, which currently has more than 100 employees, is one of the nation’s largest providers of technology and services for monitoring the location and status of company-owned vehicles. Borrego, a Mexican-American who says … Continue reading “An Entrepreneur’s Tale: Diego Borrego and the Twists and Turns Behind Networkfleet”
Student Dissertation Launches San Diego Life Sciences Tools Company, Sirigen
The work leading to Brent Gaylord’s dissertation on using light-emitting polymers to detect bits of DNA was more far more than an academic exercise. His initial paper, and the intellectual property that was subsequently generated, directly lead to the creation of San Diego’s Sirigen. Gaylord co-founded Sirigen six years ago to enter a business plan … Continue reading “Student Dissertation Launches San Diego Life Sciences Tools Company, Sirigen”
MicroMedia Filtration Garners $3,000,000 Series A Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ce575461-ce6d-46e6-b62b-b6ce5b6aefb7&Preview=1 Date 11/4/2009 Company Name MicroMedia Filtration Mailing Address 21076 Bake Pkwy Lake Forest, CA 92630 Company Description The MicroMedia Filtration Process is much more than just a filtration system. It is the future of wastewater management. Website http://www.mmfwater.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $3,000,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes … Continue reading “MicroMedia Filtration Garners $3,000,000 Series A Round”
Arkeia Acquires Kadena Systems
San Diego’s Arkeia Software, which specializes in affordable network backup software, says today it has acquired Kadena Systems, a Santa Clara, CA-based developer of data de-duplication technologies. Financial terms were not disclosed. Arkeia, which shipped the industry’s first network backup solution for Linux in 1999, says it plans to integrate Kadena’s technology in its system. … Continue reading “Arkeia Acquires Kadena Systems”
New San Diego Incubator Adds Three More Startups on Opening Day
EvoNexus, San Diego’s free high-tech incubator, announced that it has enrolled three more startup companies during ceremonies yesterday that officially marked the opening of its new facility. CommNexus, the San Diego wireless industry group, announced five months ago that it was leading the creation of the free and “no strings attached” startup incubator, to be … Continue reading “New San Diego Incubator Adds Three More Startups on Opening Day”
ProQuo, Which Raised $15M in Venture Capital, Quietly Shut Down—Founder Calls It “Truly A Painful Experience”
I met recently with Bob Nascenzi, the software industry executive who stepped in last May as the CEO of ProQuo, the San Diego startup that was created to help consumers control their personal information and reduce their junk mail. I didn’t realize, however, that ProQuo had shut down. The last I heard about the company’s … Continue reading “ProQuo, Which Raised $15M in Venture Capital, Quietly Shut Down—Founder Calls It “Truly A Painful Experience””
Combination Drugs Are The Future for Hepatitis C
Combination therapy has been a central component of treatment for certain viral diseases for more than 15 years. The benefits of combination therapy can arise from activation of multiple host pathways, suppression of mutational variants that can lead to viral escape, or perhaps both. In HIV, the benefit of combination therapy is due to suppression … Continue reading “Combination Drugs Are The Future for Hepatitis C”
EmSense Corporation Garners $9,000,000 Series C Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=78f2a922-545c-4847-8e19-7b3fcbd1f34a&Preview=1 Date 11/3/2009 Company Name EmSense Corporation Mailing Address 2600 Garden Rd. Monterey, CA 93940 Company Description The company provides scalable physiological and brainware measurement technology. Website http://www.emsense.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $9,000,000 Transaction Round Series C Proceeds Purposes This funding will allow EmSense to continue its global expansion in … Continue reading “EmSense Corporation Garners $9,000,000 Series C Funding”
Nascenzi Steps Into Extrabux
San Diego software industry executive Bob Nascenzi has joined Extrabux a just-launched San Diego retailing website that combines cash back and rebate offers with comparison shopping capabilities. Nascenzi tells me he’s joining Extrabux as both a board member and CEO. He previously was the interim CEO and a board member at San Diego-based ProQuo, former … Continue reading “Nascenzi Steps Into Extrabux”
Homeland Security Backs Cell Phone Sensors to “Crowdsource” Detection of Deadly Chemicals
[Updated at 4:45 pm 11/2/09 to clarify size of NASA Ames sensing device] The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has taken the wraps off a program to develop miniaturized sensor technologies for detecting deadly chemicals—sensors tiny enough to be installed inside ordinary cell phones. DHS officials meeting in San Diego last week say they have … Continue reading “Homeland Security Backs Cell Phone Sensors to “Crowdsource” Detection of Deadly Chemicals”
Qualcomm Creates Open-Source Subsidiary, SDG&E Gets $28M for Smart Grid & More San Diego BizTech News
San Diego’s tech sector got some money and glory during a week that was overshadowed by news from two life science conferences: TEDMED and the annual Biocom Investor Conference. Get your tech news now while it’s still hot. —To stay connected with open-source development for smart phones, San Diego’s Qualcomm created a subsidiary, the Qualcomm … Continue reading “Qualcomm Creates Open-Source Subsidiary, SDG&E Gets $28M for Smart Grid & More San Diego BizTech News”
Amylin Strikes $1 Billion Deal with Takeda to Co-Develop Weight Loss Drugs
San Diego-based Amylin Pharmaceuticals, the dark horse in the race to develop a new breed of weight-loss drugs, has struck a partnership with Japan-based Takeda Pharmaceuticals that could be worth more than $1 billion over time if the drug reaches certain goals in development and in the marketplace. The agreement calls for Amylin (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMLN]]) … Continue reading “Amylin Strikes $1 Billion Deal with Takeda to Co-Develop Weight Loss Drugs”
Entrepreneur’s Forum: The Great, Good, Bad, and the Ugly
The San Diego Software Industry has organized a panel discussion with Mission Ventures partner Ted Alexander and Covario CEO Russ Mann about the factors that are most important to startups in this region. Networking and early registration begins at 5:30 p.m. More information and online registration is here:
CalIT2 Presents: 8th International Conference on Creating, Connecting and Collaborating through Computing
To evolve into a true knowledge society, it is critical that we transform computer-based human activities to engage users in the active process of creating, connecting, and collaborating together. The C5 conference is for researchers, technology developers, educators, and technology users who are concerned about developing and enabling human-oriented creation, connection, and collaboration processes. More … Continue reading “CalIT2 Presents: 8th International Conference on Creating, Connecting and Collaborating through Computing”
Vertex Hepatitis C Drug Passes Key Test With More Convenient, Twice-Daily Dose
Vertex Pharmaceuticals wants to make sure doctors walk away from this weekend’s big liver disease research meeting with two main ideas stuck in their heads. No. 1—The company’s experimental drug is showing that it can cure even the toughest-to-treat patients with hepatitis C. No. 2—it may work just as well in a twice-daily dose as … Continue reading “Vertex Hepatitis C Drug Passes Key Test With More Convenient, Twice-Daily Dose”
Qualcomm Town Hall Meeting with CEO Paul Jacobs
Join Qualcomm Chairman and CEO Paul Jacobs for a discussion about 3G mobile technologies. Jacobs will be joined by Qualcomm COO Len Lauer and Steve Mollenkopf, the executive vice president who also serves as president of Qualcomm CDMA Technologies (QCT), the world’s largest provier of wireless chipsets and software solutions. The agenda includes 3G multimode … Continue reading “Qualcomm Town Hall Meeting with CEO Paul Jacobs”
CleanTECH San Diego Showcase: Smart Grid Technologies
Ellen Pao, a partner at the Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, is scheduled to speak on the significance of smart grid technology to the nation’s electric power infrastructure. Her talk is followed by a panel discussion featuring local cleantech entrepreneurs. Online information and registration is here.
Health Care Reform and Reimbursement
The health care reforms under consideration in Washington D.C. have the potential to reshape economic incentives and require medical device companies to rethink their strategies and operations. Biocom has asked a panel of experts to discuss the proposed changes and answer questions on healthcare reform and its potential impact on health insurance reimbursement for medical … Continue reading “Health Care Reform and Reimbursement”
Health IT Convergence and New Opportunities for Entrepreneurs: A Special Program
With the federal government providing at least $19 billion to spur the adoption of electronic health record (EHR) systems, the San Diego MIT Enterprise Forum has organized a special presentation on new opportunities for entrepreneurs. Few health care organizations are building systems to effectively use the billions of gigabytes to be collected. The main event: … Continue reading “Health IT Convergence and New Opportunities for Entrepreneurs: A Special Program”
Amylin, Lilly’s Byetta Wins FDA Approval as Standalone Therapy, Without Combo Drugs
San Diego-based Amylin Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMLN]]) and its partner Eli Lilly got some positive news late Friday from the FDA. The agency now says the companies have clearance to market exenatide (Byetta) as a standalone therapy for diabetes, which means doctors won’t need to combine it with other common drugs, or hold it in reserve … Continue reading “Amylin, Lilly’s Byetta Wins FDA Approval as Standalone Therapy, Without Combo Drugs”
Lilly, With New Focus on Innovation (But Not Necessarily Inclusiveness), Opens San Diego Center for Biotech R&D
“Ouch.” I’m sorry to say I didn’t write about the grand opening that drug giant Eli Lilly held in La Jolla yesterday for its new biotechnology center of excellence. I didn’t know about it. I wrote last December about the difficulty of getting information from Lilly about the status of its plans to combine Applied … Continue reading “Lilly, With New Focus on Innovation (But Not Necessarily Inclusiveness), Opens San Diego Center for Biotech R&D”
Verdezyne Raises $3M in Venture Funding to Advance Industrial Biotechnology
Carlsbad CA-based Verdezyne, which just disclosed a $1.7 million government grant, has raised nearly $3 million of a planned $15.2 million round of venture capital, according to a regulatory filing yesterday. The company, which was previously known as CODA Genomics, is developing genetic engineering techniques and processes for producing industrial chemicals and fuels from microbes. … Continue reading “Verdezyne Raises $3M in Venture Funding to Advance Industrial Biotechnology”
Sony, Google Point the Way Toward a More Open Future for E-Books
In a presentation at the Boston Book Festival last weekend, Jon Orwant, a Google engineer involved in the company’s Book Search project, made a memorable and, I thought, quite perceptive remark about the e-book business. “Think about the books you have at home and how you organize them,” Orwant said. “Some of you may not … Continue reading “Sony, Google Point the Way Toward a More Open Future for E-Books”
Verdezyne Receives $2,960,796 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=32c3a011-111e-46b0-9912-09690508d2ec&Preview=1 Date 10/30/2009 Company Name Verdezyne Mailing Address 2715 Loker Avenue Carlsbad, CA 92008 Company Description Verdezyne employs its biology expertise and proprietary advanced computational algonithms to design and synthesize novel, high-diversity gene libraries for engineering proteins, metabolic pathways, and microorganisms. The company creates and harnesses this unique biological diversity to optimize … Continue reading “Verdezyne Receives $2,960,796 New Funding Round”
Initiate Systems Acquires Accenx Technologies for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=26c9f104-4eb3-411c-8aff-a094ec82b929&Preview=1 Date 10/30/2009 Company Name Accenx Technologies Mailing Address 6 Jenner Irvine, CA 92618 Company Description Accenx was formed in 1997 and quickly established itself as an expert integration consulting firm focused on the healthcare industry. The company attracted a number of integration experts and software developers and transitioned towards software development … Continue reading “Initiate Systems Acquires Accenx Technologies for Undisclosed Sum”
Novocell Gets $20 Million Award
San Diego’s Novocell has received a disease team award totaling $20 million from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) to fund work on its cell therapy for type 2 diabetes. The team includes scientists at the University of California, San Francisco, which will receive $2.8 million. Novocell’s research involves transforming embryonic stem cells into … Continue reading “Novocell Gets $20 Million Award”
San Diego’s Eric Topol Outlines a Coming Wave of Innovation in Wireless Health
Here at Xconomy, our focus on technology innovation is usually riveted on the interface where startups get built around new inventions and discoveries. But in a presentation last night at TEDMED, Eric Topol highlighted an innovative new medical device from an industrial giant that was unveiled last week at the Web 2.0 Summit in San … Continue reading “San Diego’s Eric Topol Outlines a Coming Wave of Innovation in Wireless Health”
New York Biotech Sues Sequenom for Fraud
Xenomics, a New York-based developer of molecular diagnostic technologies, says it has filed a suit in New York state court alleging that San Diego’s Sequenom fraudulently misrepresented the status of its prenatal Down syndrome test. Xenomics alleges the fraud induced them to exclusively license valuable patent rights to Sequenom. According to a licensing agreement announced … Continue reading “New York Biotech Sues Sequenom for Fraud”
UK’s Enigma Looks to San Diego, Life Gets Sweeter for Senomyx, Arena Says Obesity Drug Is Not “Wimpy,” & More San Diego Life Sciences News
San Diego’s life sciences news picked up a bit last week amid fresh signs of the area’s growing prominence in the laboratory tools and diagnostics sectors. —Carlsbad, CA-based Helixis, a startup maker of genetic analysis technology from the Caltech labs of Nobel Laureate David Baltimore and Axel Scherer, raised $1.8 million from unidentified investors, according … Continue reading “UK’s Enigma Looks to San Diego, Life Gets Sweeter for Senomyx, Arena Says Obesity Drug Is Not “Wimpy,” & More San Diego Life Sciences News”
Excaliard, an Isis Spinoff With Anti-Scarring Drug, Marches Ahead in Clinical Trials
Isis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ISIS]]) likes to talk about how its gene-silencing technology known as antisense creates so many innovative ideas for new drugs that it can’t commercialize them all itself, so it spins a few off into what CEO Stanley Crooke calls “satellite companies.” One of the more interesting ideas orbiting around Isis in Carlsbad, … Continue reading “Excaliard, an Isis Spinoff With Anti-Scarring Drug, Marches Ahead in Clinical Trials”
Santaris Nabs Isis, Amgen Vets
Santaris Pharma, the Danish company that has pushed the first microRNA therapy into clinical trials, has recruited a pair of big name executives from Isis Pharmaceuticals and Amgen Ventures to help lead its new U.S. subsidiary in San Diego. Mark Wedel, the former chief medical officer at Carlsbad, CA-based Isis, will fill that same position … Continue reading “Santaris Nabs Isis, Amgen Vets”
TEDMED Sessions Seek the Patterns in Health Care and Life Sciences That Hold Ideas Together
It may be that TEDMED founder Richard Saul Wurman is the Brett Favre of emcees, or perhaps he’s like Al Pacino in Godfather III, who proclaims in exasperation, “Just when I thought I was out—they pull me back in!” But after a five-year hiatus, TEDMED has returned this week (opening last night at San Diego’s … Continue reading “TEDMED Sessions Seek the Patterns in Health Care and Life Sciences That Hold Ideas Together”
Vertex Hepatitis C Drug Wipes Out Virus For Toughest-to-Treat Patients
Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VRTX]]) is vying to set a new standard of care for hepatitis C in some of the toughest patients to treat, and today it is reporting some surprisingly strong evidence that suggests the drug is working like researchers hoped it would over the long haul. The Cambridge, MA-based biotech company offered an … Continue reading “Vertex Hepatitis C Drug Wipes Out Virus For Toughest-to-Treat Patients”
Sequel Pharmaceuticals’ CEO on How to Start a Biotech and Sell it For a Bundle, and Repeat
I’ve heard about serial entrepreneurs who start a company, build it up to a certain point, sell it to someone bigger, and then repeat the whole cycle again. But I had never heard of a true biotech sequel until I met Randall Woods a couple weeks ago. Woods is the CEO of San Diego-based Sequel … Continue reading “Sequel Pharmaceuticals’ CEO on How to Start a Biotech and Sell it For a Bundle, and Repeat”
Internet Brands Acquires Vasectomy.com for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=cea6ab44-5741-4e9e-bc69-5651c158821a&Preview=1 Date 10/28/2009 Company Name Vasectomy.com Mailing Address 27601 Forbes Road Laguna Niguel, CA 92677 Company Description Vasectomy.com is the leading site devoted to providing accurate vasectomy and vasectomy reversal information. Our panel of vasectomy doctors and research experts provide answers to couples questions about vasectomy and reversals techniques and results, possible … Continue reading “Internet Brands Acquires Vasectomy.com for Undisclosed Sum”
Internet Brands Acquires Healthnews.org for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ee4f4e37-0f9b-42ca-b446-5e8c0aaafeeb&Preview=1 Date 10/28/2009 Company Name Healthnews.org Mailing Address 96 Discovery Irvine, CA 92618 Company Description HealthNews.org is a free educational network providing the public with the latest healthcare related news, medically reviewed information, and resources to help better and enrich lives. Our online network helps patients research medical procedures and find local … Continue reading “Internet Brands Acquires Healthnews.org for Undisclosed Sum”
Helixis, Caltech Spinoff With Desktop Genetic Analysis Tool, Nabs $7.3M Venture Financing
Carlsbad, CA-based Helixis, the startup maker of genetic analysis tools founded from the Caltech lab of Nobel Laureate David Baltimore, has raised $7.3 million out of a venture capital round potentially worth $10 million, according to a regulatory filing today. Helixis reported back in July that it had raised $5.5 million, so today’s filing is … Continue reading “Helixis, Caltech Spinoff With Desktop Genetic Analysis Tool, Nabs $7.3M Venture Financing”
Sequenom Settles Ibis Dispute
Sequenom, the San Diego-based maker of laboratory tools and diagnostics, said today in a regulatory filing it has agreed to accept a $1 million payment from Ibis Biosciences, a unit of Abbott Laboratories, to settle a patent infringement lawsuit. As part of the deal, Sequenom (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SQNM]]) has granted Ibis a non-exclusive license to three … Continue reading “Sequenom Settles Ibis Dispute”
Diabetes drug from San Diego’s Amylin caught up in Aussie Brouhaha
From Australia comes word that San Diego-based Amylin Pharmaceuticals’ biggest drug, exenatide (Byetta), has been caught up in a controversy over a diabetes report co-sponsored by Amylin’s marketing partner, Eli Lilly & Co. The study, compiled by researchers at the University of Canberra’s National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling (NATSEM), warned that 1.6 million … Continue reading “Diabetes drug from San Diego’s Amylin caught up in Aussie Brouhaha”
UK’s Enigma Diagnostics to Establish U.S. Headquarters in San Diego
Enigma Diagnostics, a UK-based medical diagnostics startup, plans to close its current U.S. office in San Francisco and open a new office in San Diego as its U.S. headquarters, according to chairman and CEO John McKinley. McKinley outlined Enigma’s development of rapid molecular diagnostic technology in a presentation yesterday at the annual investor conference organized … Continue reading “UK’s Enigma Diagnostics to Establish U.S. Headquarters in San Diego”
SDG&E Gets $28.1M Federal Grant for Smart Grid Innovations
[Updated 10/27/09 12:55 pm. See below.] The Department of Energy has released a list of utilities that are getting federal grants to spur energy innovations under the $787 billion economic stimulus package, and San Diego Gas & Electric is getting $28.1 million to help build out its “smart grid” system. Additional details are expected to … Continue reading “SDG&E Gets $28.1M Federal Grant for Smart Grid Innovations”
Ligand Buys Metabasis For $3.2M
San Diego-based Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:LGND]]) said today it has agreed to pay $3.2 million to acquire Metabasis (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MBRX]]), the developer of treatments for diabetes and high cholesterol. Ligand has also committed $8 million to finance Metabasis’ drug development programs within the next 42 months. The sale comes after a rough year for Metabasis, … Continue reading “Ligand Buys Metabasis For $3.2M”
Two Things I Learned During My Tour of Sapphire Energy
Sapphire Energy has tried to maintain a relatively low profile since it established its headquarters in San Diego—especially since last fall when the media seized on reports that Bill Gates’ Cascade Investment had joined a $100 million secondary round of venture funding for the algae biofuels startup. So when Sapphire opened its San Diego headquarters … Continue reading “Two Things I Learned During My Tour of Sapphire Energy”
Arena Positions Weight Loss Drug as the One That Won’t Raise Your Blood Pressure
Life would be wonderful at Arena Pharmaceuticals if it truly were the biggest loser, to borrow a phrase from the NBC reality TV show on people who are trying to lose weight. But no matter how hard you look at it, the clinical trial data just doesn’t say Arena’s weight loss pill that helps people … Continue reading “Arena Positions Weight Loss Drug as the One That Won’t Raise Your Blood Pressure”