Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e9789120-c79c-456a-b4fb-a6ce99b61b6b&Preview=1 Date 10/27/2009 Company Name Helixis Mailing Address 5421 Avenida Encinas Carlsbad, CA 92008 Company Description Diagnostics tools for molecular analysis are critical to modern life science and medicine, but are still primitive in form and function. Helixis is developing an entirely new class of advanced molecular diagnostic products that will bring … Continue reading “Helixis Receives $7,333,335 New Round”
Category: San Diego
Qualcomm Forms New Subsidiary to Keep Pace With Open Software Development
San Diego-based Qualcomm (NASDAQ: [[ticker:QCOM]]) says it has established a separate wholly-owned subsidiary, Qualcomm Innovation Center, (QuIC), to ensure that certain open source software operates seamlessly with Qualcomm technology. The company says it has transferred experienced software engineers to the innovation center, where they will focus on open source initiatives such as Linux and Webkit, … Continue reading “Qualcomm Forms New Subsidiary to Keep Pace With Open Software Development”
VC Task Force Looks to Expand Early-Stage Capital, MojoPages Gets Strategy Advice, Founder Institute Enrolls First Area Class, & More San Diego BizTech News
Much of last week’s San Diego business news involved venture capital—how much VC cash was recently invested in this area, and how the local tech community is working to get more. Read on, gentle reader, for all the VC wranglings and the rest of the biz tech happenings: —The decline in San Diego-based venture capital … Continue reading “VC Task Force Looks to Expand Early-Stage Capital, MojoPages Gets Strategy Advice, Founder Institute Enrolls First Area Class, & More San Diego BizTech News”
Burnham Recruits Michael Jackson (No Relation) To Create New Drugs
The Burnham Institute for Medical Research just recruited a big name guy from the pharmaceutical industry. His job is to move basic discoveries along the treacherous next few steps to make them into a pill in a bottle that helps patients. It’s important work, but if you don’t know him, don’t even bother trying to … Continue reading “Burnham Recruits Michael Jackson (No Relation) To Create New Drugs”
Senomyx Ready to Commercialize Sweetness Enhancer
Senomyx (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SNMX]]), the San Diego company using biotechnology to develop proprietary flavor enhancers and blockers, says that S6973, a compound it has been developing to enhance the intensity of sucrose, can now be commercialized. In a statement today, Senomyx says it has learned that an expert panel that operates under the auspices of the Flavor … Continue reading “Senomyx Ready to Commercialize Sweetness Enhancer”
SDG&E Installing Pyron Solar System
San Diego Gas & Electric, a public utility operated by San Diego-based Sempra Energy (NYSE: [[ticker:SRE]]), says it is planning an 18-month field demonstration of a solar power system that floats in a shallow pool of water. When operational later this year, the 20-kilowatt system developed by San Diego’s Pyron Solar is expected to generate … Continue reading “SDG&E Installing Pyron Solar System”
Classes Set as Founder Institute’s “Training Camp for Startup CEOs” Launches in San Diego
The Founder Institute’s program for startup CEOs is forging ahead in San Diego, according to Jeanine Jacobson, who is heading the new business mentoring program with fellow startup enthusiast Cliff Currie. Jacobson tells me they have received about 30 applications for their training camp in entrepreneurship, and 15 have met the selection criteria so far. Jacobson … Continue reading “Classes Set as Founder Institute’s “Training Camp for Startup CEOs” Launches in San Diego”
Biogen Shares Drop as Tysabri PML Cases Climb to 23, Europe May Seek Drug ‘Holiday’
[Update: 10/23/09, 1:10 pm Eastern] Shares of Biogen Idec and its Irish partner Elan dropped this morning after European regulators said they are taking a new look at the risk and benefit of natalizumab (Tysabri) for multiple sclerosis, now that 23 patients on the drug have been diagnosed with a rare, potentially fatal brain infection … Continue reading “Biogen Shares Drop as Tysabri PML Cases Climb to 23, Europe May Seek Drug ‘Holiday’”
Spread the Mojo: San Diego Web Startup MojoPages Gets Real World Advice on Building Communities to Review Local Businesses
One advantage of attending a presentation at the San Diego MIT Enterprise Forum is that the people who ask questions are a lot smarter than I am. And so it was Wednesday night, when MojoPages founding CEO Jon Carder laid out the strategy of his three-year-old San Diego Internet startup. MojoPages, which got $5 million … Continue reading “Spread the Mojo: San Diego Web Startup MojoPages Gets Real World Advice on Building Communities to Review Local Businesses”
San Diego Connect’s 22nd Annual Most Innovative Products Awards
Winners of the 2009 Most Innovative Products, San Diego’s “Oscars” for local technology innovation, will be announced before 800 of the area’s top executives, entrepreneurs, service providers and academics. Finalists have been selected in eight categories from entries submitted by more than 100 companies of all sizes. The finalists’ exhibits open at 10 a.m. More … Continue reading “San Diego Connect’s 22nd Annual Most Innovative Products Awards”
Quips and Tips: Panel Searches for Signs of Recovery
A breakfast discussion on “Getting Ready for the Rebound” held yesterday by the San Diego Venture Group might have been more aptly billed as “Waiting for the Rebound: A Tragicomedy in Two Acts.” But then again, with San Diego News Network CEO Neil Senturia serving as moderator, there really can only be one act. The … Continue reading “Quips and Tips: Panel Searches for Signs of Recovery”
Verdezyne and Cardium Therapeutics Get Funding, Illumina Fires New Volley in Patent War, a New Stem Cell Technology Surfaces, and Other San Diego Life Sciences News
Word that several San Diego companies successfully raised funds punctuated an otherwise light week for life sciences news here. A rundown of the highlights: —Synthetic biology company Verdezyne received a $1.7 million Small Business Technology Transfer grant to develop mutant gene libraries for its computational and bioinformatics programs. The Carlsbad, CA startup, previously named CODA … Continue reading “Verdezyne and Cardium Therapeutics Get Funding, Illumina Fires New Volley in Patent War, a New Stem Cell Technology Surfaces, and Other San Diego Life Sciences News”
Burnham Hires Paul Laikind
The La Jolla, CA-based Burnham Institute for Medical Research said it has hired Paul Laikind, the co-founder of Gensia Pharmaceuticals, Viagene, and Metabasis, to be the institute’s senior vice president of business development and chief business officer. The hiring is a sign of the Burnham’s increasing emphasis on spinning out technologies, and forming deals with … Continue reading “Burnham Hires Paul Laikind”
Solving San Diego’s Venture Capital Crisis is Mission for New Task Force of Tech Leaders
The evaporation of much of San Diego’s hometown venture capital base has prompted the city’s technology community to organize a business task force to find new ways of getting startup capital to early stage companies. Creating the task force is part of a broad initiative that Connect, a local non-profit organization for technology and entrepreneurship, … Continue reading “Solving San Diego’s Venture Capital Crisis is Mission for New Task Force of Tech Leaders”
Isis CEO Vows that Cholesterol Drug, Partnered With Genzyme, Will be “Remarkable” Advance
Isis Pharmaceuticals CEO Stanley Crooke is a man who knows how to make a grand gesture. The market may have been underwhelmed by what Isis and its partner, Genzyme, had to say about their first-of-a-kind cholesterol-lowering drug back in May, but to him that just means they’re missing the point. When I stopped by to … Continue reading “Isis CEO Vows that Cholesterol Drug, Partnered With Genzyme, Will be “Remarkable” Advance”
Recent Launch of Onemarketplace.com Enables Multiple and Simultaneous Sales Listings
Brendan Boyd, a San Diego Internet entrepreneur, gave me an update today on the venture we discussed last April, when Boyd and his partners were developing ideas for a website that enables users to sell merchandise through multiple online venders. The website that Boyd had created with partners Jan Anton and Eric Jacobson was in … Continue reading “Recent Launch of Onemarketplace.com Enables Multiple and Simultaneous Sales Listings”
Reaction Design Gets $817K Grant
The Department of Energy is awarding an $817,384 grant to San Diego-based Reaction Design, which uses advanced computer-based modeling technology to simulate the fiery combustion reactions in turbines and other engines. The grant from the DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory is one of seven awards totaling $7 million that are intended to advance highly efficient … Continue reading “Reaction Design Gets $817K Grant”
San Diego’s Top 10 Third-Quarter Deals Reveal Slow Comeback in Venture Investing
[Corrected 10/20/09, 7:30 am. See below.]Venture Capital investing in the San Diego area has been slowly increasing since the fourth quarter of 2008, when venture investing in the area fell to an adjusted low point of $172.8 million and just 14 deals, according to Dow Jones VentureSource. [Corrects amount invested and number of startups.]The latest … Continue reading “San Diego’s Top 10 Third-Quarter Deals Reveal Slow Comeback in Venture Investing”
MoneyTree Survey of VC Activity Sees Pace of Investments Strengthening
Let optimism reign. A third survey of recent VC activity shows that venture investments increased 17 percent during the third quarter, compared with the previous quarter. While the actual numbers vary, the findings of the MoneyTree Report from PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association, based on data from Thomson Reuters, reinforces the more optimistic … Continue reading “MoneyTree Survey of VC Activity Sees Pace of Investments Strengthening”
Pathology Secures New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7f93e5b7-d92f-4ee4-9b38-56e04d521b68&Preview=1 Date 10/20/2009 Company Name Pathology Mailing Address 19951 Mariner Avenue Torrance, CA 90503 Company Description Pathology Inc. is a 30 man pathology group headquartered in suburban Los Angeles, California offering multi-specialty pathology services for primary care and specialty physicians. The group also practices at 12 area hospitals. This arrangement allows for … Continue reading “Pathology Secures New Funding Round”
San Diego’s Ardea Biosciences Sees Potential for Gout Drug in Combination Treatment
San Diego’s Ardea Biosciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:RDEA]]) appears to have stubbed a toe in its development of RDEA 594 as a first-line treatment for gout. Data presented at a medical meeting in Philadelphia today showed the Ardea drug was no better at controlling gout than existing medications, including allopurinol, a cheap generic. During a conference call … Continue reading “San Diego’s Ardea Biosciences Sees Potential for Gout Drug in Combination Treatment”
Verdezyne Gets $1.7M Grant
[Corrrected 10/22/09, 11:30 a.m. to show Coda Genomics instead of Coda Genetics] Carlsbad CA-based Verdezyne, a synthetic biology company previously known as CODA Genomics, says it has received a $1.7 million Small Business Technology Transfer grant to develop mutant gene libraries for its computational and bioinformatics programs. The venture-backed startup says identifying such genes will … Continue reading “Verdezyne Gets $1.7M Grant”
VC is Up or Down Depending on Who You Read, Congress Looks to Revive SBIC Program, & More San Diego BizTech News
Dueling reports on venture capital activity came to contradictory conclusions last week when the numbers came in for the three-month period that ended Sept. 30. Catch up on that and the rest of San Diego’s technology innovation news: —New York-based ChubbyBrain says $6 billion in venture capital was invested nationwide in 680 deals during the … Continue reading “VC is Up or Down Depending on Who You Read, Congress Looks to Revive SBIC Program, & More San Diego BizTech News”
BIL and TED’s Excellent (But Little Known) Healthcare Adventure in San Diego
Did you know that Goldie Hawn, David Blaine, and Martha Stewart are coming to San Diego at the end of October to discuss…healthcare? Probably not, maybe because the exclusive TEDMED2009 conference is $4,000 to attend, and already sold out. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, and its conferences aim to bring together people from … Continue reading “BIL and TED’s Excellent (But Little Known) Healthcare Adventure in San Diego”
Bootstrapping Biotech
The San Diego Biotechnology Network has organized a panel discussion on starting and growing a life sciences company. The consultant-friendly environment today means startup biotech company’s now have more tools at their disposal to help their company grow. Understanding how traditional marketing and social media tools can work together also is a key for successful … Continue reading “Bootstrapping Biotech”
Faster, Cheaper Stem Cells: Fate Therapeutics Co-Founder, With Scripps Team, Finds Key
One of the scientific co-founders of San Diego-based Fate Therapeutics, along with his team at The Scripps Research Institute, is reporting a major advance that will make it faster, cheaper, and potentially practical on an industrial scale to turn adult cells into stem cells that can morph into any type of cell in the human … Continue reading “Faster, Cheaper Stem Cells: Fate Therapeutics Co-Founder, With Scripps Team, Finds Key”
Sometrics Receives Series B Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6549b90d-5146-46ed-a5a8-ecf51d02a63b&Preview=1 Date 10/18/2009 Company Name Sometrics Mailing Address 448 S. Hill Street Los Angeles, CA 90013 Company Description Sometrics is the first analytics company to focus on social networking platforms. The company’s analytics platform provides detailed insights to help developers better understand and monetize their social media. The Sometrics solution works on … Continue reading “Sometrics Receives Series B Funding”
Is Venture Up or Down? Dow Jones Survey Shows Retreat in Q3 VC Activity, Flatly Contradicting Rival Report
After reporting earlier this week that third-quarter venture capital investments were up 14 percent nationwide over the second quarter—based on data from New York-based ChubbyBrain—we now have data from Dow Jones VentureSource for the same period that shows almost the opposite: a 5.5 percent decline in venture capital deployed during the quarter. Instead of the … Continue reading “Is Venture Up or Down? Dow Jones Survey Shows Retreat in Q3 VC Activity, Flatly Contradicting Rival Report”
Overtone Raises Almost $2.5M to Expand Online Monitoring Business
Overtone, a company that provides Web-based analytics that enables companies to monitor online sentiment about their brand and products, has raised nearly $2.5 million in a venture round that could be worth as much as $5.3 million, according to a recent regulatory filing. The company, though, defies any simple definition—at least based on a conversation … Continue reading “Overtone Raises Almost $2.5M to Expand Online Monitoring Business”
Fill’er up: San Diego’s Algae-Based Energy Sector Grows
In wake of last week’s Algae Biomass Summit, we thought now might be a good time to take stock of San Diego’s biofuels/biomass energy sector. After identifying a mini-cluster of eight algae technology companies last December, Bruce was surprised to discover that the nonprofit group Cleantech San Diego now counts 31 biomass and biofuel companies … Continue reading “Fill’er up: San Diego’s Algae-Based Energy Sector Grows”
The Kauffman Foundation: Bringing Entrepreneurship Up to Date in Kansas City
Before I came to Xconomy, I didn’t know much about the Kansas City-based Kauffman Foundation beyond what I heard on the radio. If you’re an NPR listener like me, you’ve probably heard their underwriting plug that says it’s the “Foundation of Entrepreneurship.” But then I started covering stories like the foundation’s annual New Economy Index, … Continue reading “The Kauffman Foundation: Bringing Entrepreneurship Up to Date in Kansas City”
San Diego-based SmartDrive Systems Raises $12M in Venture Funding
SmartDrive Systems, a San Diego company that uses video recording technology and web-based services to reduce the costs of operating motor vehicle fleets, has raised $12 million in venture capital in a deal that could be worth as much as $25 million, according to a regulatory filing. The company was founded in 2004 by James … Continue reading “San Diego-based SmartDrive Systems Raises $12M in Venture Funding”
La Jolla Pharmaceutical Sets Vote to Shut Down
La Jolla Pharmaceutical (NASDAQ: [[ticker:LJPC]]) has scheduled a special shareholder meeting for Oct. 30 to vote on a plan of liquidation and dissolution. If approved, the biotech expects to satisfy remaining debts and distribute remaining cash to shareholders. With estimated cash of $4.4 million at the end of August, the company estimates the distribution to … Continue reading “La Jolla Pharmaceutical Sets Vote to Shut Down”
Plan to Provide Federal Funding for Early-Stage Investments Perfect for San Diego’s Innovation Economy, Says Connect’s Roth
Back in August, Connect CEO Duane Roth outlined an initiative to address a dearth of venture capital investment by seeking to develop alternative funding sources for San Diego’s early-stage technology companies. A key part of the non-profit group’s initiative is to pursue additional federal support—and now that effort is facing its first major test as … Continue reading “Plan to Provide Federal Funding for Early-Stage Investments Perfect for San Diego’s Innovation Economy, Says Connect’s Roth”
Eastbourne Dumps Amylin Shares, Illumina Inks Licensing Deal, Avanir Releases Pseudobulbar Affect Data, & More San Diego Life Sciences News
A quiet epilogue to last spring’s heated Amylin proxy battle was the lead story in an otherwise slow week for San Diego life sciences news. —Eastbourne Capital, which won a partial victory in a proxy fight against Amylin Pharmaceuticals earlier this year, sold its entire stake in the San Diego diabetes company. The San Rafael, … Continue reading “Eastbourne Dumps Amylin Shares, Illumina Inks Licensing Deal, Avanir Releases Pseudobulbar Affect Data, & More San Diego Life Sciences News”
Illumina Countersues Life Technologies
San Diego-based Illumina (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ILMN]]) and its Solexa subsidiary are countersuing Carlbad, CA-based Life Technologies (NASDAQ: [[ticker:LIFE]]) and Applied Biosystems in a patent dispute over gene sequencing technologies. In a statement today, Illumina and Solexa denied allegations that Life and Applied Biosystems raise in their Sept. 21 lawsuit, assert that Applied Biosystems’ patents are invalid, … Continue reading “Illumina Countersues Life Technologies”
New Life Sciences Startup Shows UCSD Technology Can Boost Immune Response to Cancer in Mice
Research published today has revealed the existence of a new San Diego life sciences company that is working to commercialize anti-cancer technologies intended to boost the immune system to resist tumor growth. A paper in the journal PloS ONE shows that a gene for a specially engineered form of a protein called CD40 ligand (CD40L), … Continue reading “New Life Sciences Startup Shows UCSD Technology Can Boost Immune Response to Cancer in Mice”
Semtek Raises $6.7M in Series B Round
San Diego’s Semtek Innovative Solutions has raised more than $6.7 million in a planned Series B round of $8 million, according to a recent regulatory filing. Semtek, which is commercializing technologies for preventing the theft of credit card data and identifying counterfeit credit cards, said earlier this month that VeriFone Holdings now owns a 19.9 … Continue reading “Semtek Raises $6.7M in Series B Round”
Skype Reported to be in Talks to Buy San Diego’s Gizmo5
When I wrote about MP3.com founder Michael Robertson in December, the San Diego serial entrepreneur had just launched Gizmo5, an updated version of his free VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) software and peer-to-peer network for making Internet-based phone calls. In my headline, I asked, “Michael Robertson is Calling, But Will Anybody Answer?” Ten months later, … Continue reading “Skype Reported to be in Talks to Buy San Diego’s Gizmo5”
Algae Biofuels Skeptics Emphasize Need for Realistic Outlook and Business Discipline
When the organizers of the annual Algae Biomass Summit convene to begin planning for next year’s event, they might consider renaming it the Algae Biomass Smackdown. It might be more accurate, considering the air of skepticism that seemed to pervade some of the sessions I attended during the three-day conference that was held last week … Continue reading “Algae Biofuels Skeptics Emphasize Need for Realistic Outlook and Business Discipline”
Semtek Innovative Solutions Lands $6,700,000 Series B Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3ecf4fcc-bbfc-40cf-b806-b1ca2cf155f8&Preview=1 Date 10/14/2009 Company Name Semtek Innovative Solutions Mailing Address 12777 High Bluff Drive San Diego, CA 92130 Company Description Semtek Innovative Technologies Corporation has been a leader in card data capture and magnetics technology since 1999, serving public and private sector customers who require highly secure OEM components for their fixed-base … Continue reading “Semtek Innovative Solutions Lands $6,700,000 Series B Financing”
Illumina licenses Orchid Cellmark DNA technology
San Diego’s Illumina (NASDAQ: [[ticker: ILMN]]) has licensed worldwide rights to commercially develop Orchid Cellmark’s proprietary single base nucleotide extension technology for forensics and diagnostics. Princeton, N.J.-based Orchid (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ORCH]]) is one of the largest providers of forensic DNA testing services used by the criminal justice system. Orchid says Illumina agreed to pay $850,000 upfront … Continue reading “Illumina licenses Orchid Cellmark DNA technology”
Q3 Venture Deals Regain Some Lost Altitude, With $6B Invested Nationwide
The storm may not have entirely passed, but the venture capital industry unbattened the hatches during the three months that ended in September. At least that’s the sense I get from a 69-page report on U.S. venture investing, which we get from New York-based ChubbyBrain, an information services firm developing tools for investors, startups, and … Continue reading “Q3 Venture Deals Regain Some Lost Altitude, With $6B Invested Nationwide”
Medical Device Startups Getting Squeezed by Recession, Lawmakers, Says E&Y Report
People who make a living creating innovative medical devices—whether it’s an ultrasound diagnostic tool, a stent to prop open clogged arteries, or an MRI machine—are an unhappy bunch these days. Let us count the ways, as described in the second annual medical device industry analysis being released today by Ernst & Young. Because unemployment is … Continue reading “Medical Device Startups Getting Squeezed by Recession, Lawmakers, Says E&Y Report”
Wireless Industry Foresees Capacity Constraints, Algae-Based Biofuels Still a Decade Away, Xconomy San Diego Marks its First Anniversary, & More San Diego BizTech News
The big story out of the International CTIA Wireless IT & Entertainment expo in San Diego last week could perhaps be summed up in one word: “spectrum.” We also have reports from the Algae Biofuels Summit and other big news, so read on. —Qualcomm co-founder Irwin Jacobs and his son Paul, who is now chairman … Continue reading “Wireless Industry Foresees Capacity Constraints, Algae-Based Biofuels Still a Decade Away, Xconomy San Diego Marks its First Anniversary, & More San Diego BizTech News”
Life Sciences CROs: Seeking R&D Partners Across Traditional Boundaries
At a time when capital is in short supply, many San Diego life sciences companies are turning to contract research organizations, or CROs, so they can focus their energies and resources on core competencies. Successfully following this strategy means knowing when to rely on internal capabilities and when to take advantage of external expertise. Registration … Continue reading “Life Sciences CROs: Seeking R&D Partners Across Traditional Boundaries”
Eli Lilly’s Chairman & CEO on Health and the Public Interest
The chairman and CEO of Eli Lilly & Co., John C. Lechleiter, discusses healthcare and U.S. policy in this luncheon presentation organized by The City Club of San Diego, Connect, Biocom, and LEAD San Diego. Register online here.
Getting Ready for the Economic Rebound
Economists debate the timing of a recovery, but there’s no question that business owners can benefit from preparing for a recovery, and reacting quickly to it when it occurs. The San Diego Venture Group has recruited a panel of experts to discuss how others thrived in previous rebounds and what companies should do—and not do—once … Continue reading “Getting Ready for the Economic Rebound”
Using Canadian Incentive Programs to Stretch the R&D Budget
This program about Canada’s tax credit program and incentives for technology R&D is intended for C-level executives. San Diego’s Connect and the Canadian Consulate have organized the event with help from the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce and the World Trade Center. Presentations include a case study of a San Diego company that took … Continue reading “Using Canadian Incentive Programs to Stretch the R&D Budget”
Technology Transfer and Working With SPAWAR
The military special interest group at CommNexus, San Diego’s wireless industry group, has organized a presentation by Stephen Lieberman, director of technology transfer at the Navy’s Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center in San Diego. Lieberman and others will explain the processes that are available for commercial partners to access government inventors and facilities and … Continue reading “Technology Transfer and Working With SPAWAR”