Category: San Diego

Hard Work is Essential for Startups. But How Much is Too Much? (Part 2)

Yesterday, I talked a little about balancing short and long-term effort at a startup. Today, I want to discuss “cranking,” which I’ll define as a short-run effort to achieve an extremely important short-term goal. How hard can people possibly crank? For a sufficiently motivating goal, people can work well in excess of 70 hours per … Continue reading “Hard Work is Essential for Startups. But How Much is Too Much? (Part 2)”

Domain Raises a $500M VC Fund, Dissident Prods Amylin Again, Avanir Passes Pivotal Test, & More San Diego Life Sciences News

While San Diego has seen a big decline in VC investments this year, it’s nice to know that Domain Associates, one of the region’s most-active life sciences VCs, has raised a new fund. We’ve got the rundown on that and more news of interest to the life sciences community. —San Diego’s life sciences community got some … Continue reading “Domain Raises a $500M VC Fund, Dissident Prods Amylin Again, Avanir Passes Pivotal Test, & More San Diego Life Sciences News”

Hard Work Is Essential for Startups. But How Much is Too Much? (Part 1)

Xconomy has seen a vigorous discussion of work/life balance in Seattle. Is Seattle slack compared to the San Francisco Bay Area? If so, does the difference matter? Janis Machala of UW TechTransfer brought up this point during a recent panel discussion, and it has stirred debate. I personally don’t think work/life balance is the most … Continue reading “Hard Work Is Essential for Startups. But How Much is Too Much? (Part 1)”

VMIX Views its Online Video Service as Silver Lining for Newspaper Industry

These are dark times for the newspaper business, which has been suffering from revenue erosion as classified ads, corporate recruiting, and other forms of advertising—not to mention readers—have moved to the Internet. You’d think that means the outlook also would be gloomy at San Diego-based VMIX, a venture-backed startup that provides Web-based software used primarily … Continue reading “VMIX Views its Online Video Service as Silver Lining for Newspaper Industry”

Avanir’s Results for Neurological Drug Triggers Outburst in Trading

The price of shares in Avanir Pharmaceuticals climbed by almost 30 percent today after the onetime San Diego biotech said a late-stage clinical trial shows its drug for treating an unusual neurological disorder can substantially reduce involuntary emotional outbursts and is “generally safe and well tolerated.” Avanir (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AVNR]]), which is now based just across the Orange … Continue reading “Avanir’s Results for Neurological Drug Triggers Outburst in Trading”

Covario Adds Online Marketing Services

San Diego’s Covario, which specializes in high-end software analytics that helps customers optimize search engine results for their web sites and products, says it is expanding to offer Internet marketing services capabilities. The company says the move into agency services, which marks a turning point in its technology-focused strategy, came in response to growing advertiser market … Continue reading “Covario Adds Online Marketing Services”

Northrop Grumman Takes Center Stage at Unmanned Technologies Confab

The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International says its conference and exhibition in Washington D.C. this week is the largest event of its kind, featuring the world’s biggest collection of robotic vehicles for use in the air, land, and sea. Judging by the news conference agenda, however, the four-day convention could almost be called the … Continue reading “Northrop Grumman Takes Center Stage at Unmanned Technologies Confab”

Sequenom Maintains Tight Lid on “Mishandled Data” of Key Diagnostic Test

Three months ago, San Diego’s Sequenom disclosed that the launch of a new prenatal test for Down syndrome would be delayed because scientific data had been mishandled. So what have we learned since that bombshell announcement? Not much. The company’s recent quarterly filing with the SEC suggests Sequenom (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SQNM]]) must start the process of … Continue reading “Sequenom Maintains Tight Lid on “Mishandled Data” of Key Diagnostic Test”

Energy Secretary Steven Chu: Hire Brash Young Turks to Create the New Bell Labs

Steven Chu was once a young turk scientist in the late 1970s at Bell Labs, the hothouse that gave the world the transistor, satellites, and all sorts of other high tech inventions. Now that he’s the U.S. Secretary of Energy, overseeing 30,000 government scientists and engineers around the country, Chu is drawing on his own … Continue reading “Energy Secretary Steven Chu: Hire Brash Young Turks to Create the New Bell Labs”

DriveCam Receives $19,000,000 Series D Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0bb383fd-b76e-41b0-97ce-25dcb49fcdc4&Preview=1 Date 8/11/2009 Company Name DriveCam Mailing Address 8911 Balboa Ave. San Diego, CA 92123 Company Description DriveCam, Inc. is the leading provider of knowledge-based systems that identify and improve unsafe driving behavior for commercial fleets. Website http://www.drivecam.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $19,000,000 Transaction Round Series D Proceeds Purposes We … Continue reading “DriveCam Receives $19,000,000 Series D Funding Round”

Acadia Files Shelf Registration

San Diego’s Acadia Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ACAD]]) has filed a shelf registration to sell up to 7 million shares at a maximum share price of $4.17. The company, which is working on a drug to treat psychotic symptoms in Parkinson’s disease patients, anticipates that the proceeds will be used for working capital and general corporate purposes. … Continue reading “Acadia Files Shelf Registration”

Domain Raises $500M for VC Fund

San Diego’s hometown VC firms, which have been languishing in the doldrums for much of the year, got a breath of fresh air today. Domain Associates, the venture capital firm that helped fund San Diego’s Orexigen, NuVasive, and other life sciences startups, says it has successfully raised $500 million for its eighth VC fund, which … Continue reading “Domain Raises $500M for VC Fund”

Unmanned Vehicle Makers from Boston, Seattle, and San Diego (Xconomy’s Cities) Showcase Advances at DC Confab

The world’s largest collection of unmanned aircraft and other robotic systems is coming in for a landing this week in Washington, D.C., at a four-day conference that’s sponsored by AUVSI, the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International. Today’s the big day for video capture, with live demonstrations of UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) and UGVs (Unmanned … Continue reading “Unmanned Vehicle Makers from Boston, Seattle, and San Diego (Xconomy’s Cities) Showcase Advances at DC Confab”

San Diego’s Senomyx in New Lucrative Collaboration, Google Ventures is V-Vehicle Backer, KidZui Launches ZuiTube, & Other San Diego BizTech News

There were deals to report in San Diego last week. Not necessarily big deals, but even little deals are a big deal these days. Read all about it in this week’s BizTech roundup. —The V-Vehicle Co. operated in stealth mode in San Diego for three years before it surprised many in June, when the startup … Continue reading “San Diego’s Senomyx in New Lucrative Collaboration, Google Ventures is V-Vehicle Backer, KidZui Launches ZuiTube, & Other San Diego BizTech News”

Universal Healthcare Can Save Money, But Innovation Is Key: My Experiences in Japan and the U.S.

I was born and grew up in Japan and have first-hand experience as both a doctor and a patient in my native country—a nation that offers universal health care coverage to its citizens. I have also been a patient, an academic researcher and a biotech entrepreneur here in the United States, my home for the … Continue reading “Universal Healthcare Can Save Money, But Innovation Is Key: My Experiences in Japan and the U.S.”

Symwave Garners $4,000,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=97fbf3c7-aada-40e6-bffd-90719038c2dc&Preview=1 Date 8/9/2009 Company Name Symwave Mailing Address 10251 Vista Sorrento Parkway, 1st Floor San Diego, CA 92121 Company Description The company has developed a broad portfolio of analog/mixed-signal IC technology based on a high-speed, low-power, CMOS IC design that can be implemented across serial, physical and/or wireless interfaces. Website http://www.symwave.com Transaction … Continue reading “Symwave Garners $4,000,000 New Funding”

After The Crunch: The Return of Public Equity Markets

The credit crisis of 2008 and collapse of major investment banks shuttered the IPO window, and VC investments slowed to a trickle in the first half of 2009. Yet some observers are seeing strong signs of a rebound in the market and in liquidity opportunities for venture-backed startups. Connect has organized a panel of financial, … Continue reading “After The Crunch: The Return of Public Equity Markets”

Who’s Transforming the Biotech Business Model

Many companies based in San Diego are making breakthroughs and driving changes with their leading technologies. The San Diego Biotechnology Network has organized a panel and brainstorming session about who’s adapting to changing scientific and business models and how they’re doing it. Speakers include representatives from Molecular Alliance, ENRQI, Johnson & Johnson PRD, Verenium, and Anaphore. … Continue reading “Who’s Transforming the Biotech Business Model”

In Aftermath of Proxy Fight Amylin Pharmaceuticals Investor Expresses Concern Over Empty Board Chair Seat

After a bruising proxy battle ousted Amylin Pharmaceuticals’ chairman and lead outside director, the San Diego biotech issued a statement on June 2 that seemed to signal a cease-fire with dissident shareholders (including Carl Icahn). “We look forward to working with all our new directors to bring transformational medicines to patients and to drive sustainable … Continue reading “In Aftermath of Proxy Fight Amylin Pharmaceuticals Investor Expresses Concern Over Empty Board Chair Seat”

IPS Group, a Cellular Equipment Firm, Raising $1.5 Million in Shift to Parking Meter Business

The IPS Group, a specialized San Diego cellular technology company, is raising $1.5 million in funding from individual investors as part of a shift to the development of high-tech parking meters. The privately held company has raised more than $1.3 million so far, according to a recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The … Continue reading “IPS Group, a Cellular Equipment Firm, Raising $1.5 Million in Shift to Parking Meter Business”

Vertex Drug Could Be “Man on the Moon” for Cystic Fibrosis Therapy, Says Researcher Bonnie Ramsey

Bonnie Ramsey remembers the dark days of treatment for cystic fibrosis. About 30 years ago, when she devoted her career to the research and treatment of this genetic lung disease, children who were diagnosed had a life expectancy of about 17 years. The outlook is much brighter for patients now, as quality of life has … Continue reading “Vertex Drug Could Be “Man on the Moon” for Cystic Fibrosis Therapy, Says Researcher Bonnie Ramsey”

Atrinsic Acquires ShopIt for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b5f64259-cb71-4dc9-9416-712b6df294f6&Preview=1 Date 8/7/2009 Company Name ShopIt Mailing Address 11726 San Vicente Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90049 Company Description Shopit is a simple to use commerce platform that enables efficient sharing and publishing of products and information anywhere online. Products and Services can be directly linked, from Shopit to any site, including popular … Continue reading “Atrinsic Acquires ShopIt for Undisclosed Sum”

Elan Hits Biogen Idec with Lawsuit to Protect Tysabri Deal with J&J

Relations appear to be increasingly strained between Biogen Idec (NASDAQ:[[ticker:BIIB]]) and the Irish drug company Elan, its partner for the distribution and development of the multiple sclerosis drug natalizumab (Tysabri). Elan said today that it has filed suit against Biogen over the Cambridge, MA-based biotech firm’s objections to Elan’s deal announced last month with affiliates … Continue reading “Elan Hits Biogen Idec with Lawsuit to Protect Tysabri Deal with J&J”

Ichor Gets $3.3M Alzheimer’s Grant

Ichor Medical Systems, a privately held San Diego biotech, says it’s getting a $3.3 million grant award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to develop a vaccine for Alzheimer’s disease. Using an electroporation delivery system that creates temporary pores in cell membranes, Ichor has been developing DNA vaccines and drugs for treating … Continue reading “Ichor Gets $3.3M Alzheimer’s Grant”

Isis Prepares Novel Treatment for Lou Gehrig’s Disease, BrainCells Is Encouraged by New Drug for Depression, Inovio Raises $30M, & More San Diego Life Sciences News

It might be the dog days of summer, but San Diego’s life sciences companies kept up a busy flow of cool news over the past week. Get your update here. —Isis Pharmaceuticals, the Carlsbad, CA, biotech that specializes in so-called antisense technology, is getting ready to test a new treatment later this year for patients … Continue reading “Isis Prepares Novel Treatment for Lou Gehrig’s Disease, BrainCells Is Encouraged by New Drug for Depression, Inovio Raises $30M, & More San Diego Life Sciences News”

Protecting America’s Leadership in Biotech Discovery

Health care reform took a turn for the better when members of key committees in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives recently recommended an approval pathway for biosimilars—products that attempt to be similar to an innovator biologic drug—while also preserving the hope for future medical treatments. Specifically, the committees agreed that to preserve … Continue reading “Protecting America’s Leadership in Biotech Discovery”

VillageEDOCS Receives $435,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1ffcff47-6b93-4fda-9706-9e8b9430d0f1&Preview=1 Date 8/6/2009 Company Name VillageEDOCS Mailing Address 1401 N. Tustin Ave. Santa Ana, CA 92705 Company Description VillageEDOCS is a growth-oriented and market-driven company providing electronic delivery of strategic business information. Our solutions capture client data, shape it into useful information and deliver it through efficient and secure electronic channels. Our … Continue reading “VillageEDOCS Receives $435,000 New Financing”

Google Ventures Emerges as Investor in San Diego’s V-Vehicle Co.

Google Ventures has joined Silicon Valley’s Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers as an investor in V-Vehicle Co., the San Diego-based startup automaker developing a new line of fuel-efficient cars. The company plans to build its cars in northeastern Louisiana. Joe Fisher, a New York spokesman for the San Diego startup automaker, confirmed the corporate venture … Continue reading “Google Ventures Emerges as Investor in San Diego’s V-Vehicle Co.”

After Weathering First-Year Challenges, KidZui Launches a ‘YouTube for Kids’

KidZui, a San Diego Internet startup for children, says it is launching ZuiTube—a kind of YouTube with a user-interface designed for kids and a library of almost 60,000 videos pre-approved by an editorial team of parents and teachers. The online video destination is free, but the essential challenge for ZuiTube, like KidZui itself, is differentiating … Continue reading “After Weathering First-Year Challenges, KidZui Launches a ‘YouTube for Kids’”

Isis, Genzyme Use Antisense to Go Where Many Drugs Fail—The Brain

Doctors can’t do much for patients with a rare, aggressive form of Lou Gehrig’s disease, even though researchers are confident they have pinpointed its genetic cause. But now with help from a clever device that’s supposed to deliver RNA-silencing drugs where they couldn’t go before, Carlsbad, CA-based Isis Pharmaceuticals is hopeful it may have found … Continue reading “Isis, Genzyme Use Antisense to Go Where Many Drugs Fail—The Brain”

SpectraScience Seeking $5M

San Diego medical device maker SpectraScience, (OTCBB: [[ticker:SCIE]]) has raised $930,000 of a planned $5 million round, according to a recent SEC filing. The funding is being raised from individual investors, according to CEO Jim Hitchin, who founded SpectraScience on optical biopsy technology salvaged from the bankruptcy of GV Medical, a Minnesota medical technology company.  He says SpectraScience plans to use … Continue reading “SpectraScience Seeking $5M”

Wanted at TorreyPines Therapeutics: Shareholders Who Vote

TorreyPines Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:TPTX]]) has found a new solution to its cash woes: a merger with Novato, CA-based Raptor Pharmaceuticals. To pull off the deal, however, TorreyPines must overcome an old problem: getting its shareholders to vote. Few biotechs come to an end as embarrassingly as San Diego’s TorreyPines Therapeutics. When its board of directors … Continue reading “Wanted at TorreyPines Therapeutics: Shareholders Who Vote”

Sweet Deal With Firmenich Gives Senomyx Clear Path Forward

San Diego’s Senomyx (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SNMX]]) has a clearer road ahead in its development of flavor-enhancing ingredients, after the company said yesterday it will pocket a $10-million upfront payment as part of an expanded collaboration with Switzerland’s Firmenich. Senomyx, which is reporting its second-quarter earnings this morning, says its deal with the world’s largest private company … Continue reading “Sweet Deal With Firmenich Gives Senomyx Clear Path Forward”

San Diego News Network Lands $707,220 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a3475ebc-4cc7-42e8-9be0-585c27837478&Preview=1 Date 8/4/2009 Company Name San Diego News Network Mailing Address 8253 Ronson Road San Diego, CA 92111 Company Description San Diego News Network which operates a website that provides news and information about the San Diego community. Website http://www.sdnn.com/ Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $707,220 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes … Continue reading “San Diego News Network Lands $707,220 New Round”

Inovio raises $30 million

Inovio Biomedical (AMEX: [[ticker:INO]]), a San Diego company developing DNA-based vaccines against cervical cancer and other diseases, has raised $30 million from the direct sale of 11.1 million shares and 2.8 million warrants to institutional investors. Proceeds to the company will total $28.5 million after fees and other expenses.

La Jolla Pharmaceutical Plans Liquidation

San Diego’s La Jolla Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:[[ticker:LJPC]]) plans to ask shareholders to approve a liquidation plan at a not-yet-scheduled special shareholders meeting, according to a recent SEC filing. The company says it has discharged substantially all of its obligations to creditors and is working to satisfy those that remain. Separately last week, the company disclosed that … Continue reading “La Jolla Pharmaceutical Plans Liquidation”

BrainCells Inc., Defying Convention, Suggests Novel Drug Combination Can Treat Depression

Drugs for treating depression have been around for years now, mostly working in similar ways by blocking certain receptors in the brain. So when San Diego-based BrainCells Inc. proposed a clinical trial with a new way of combining a generic anti-anxiety drug with a common dietary supplement that affects people’s sleeping rhythms, this didn’t exactly … Continue reading “BrainCells Inc., Defying Convention, Suggests Novel Drug Combination Can Treat Depression”

The Inside Story of SAIC and Network Solutions (a Tale in Two Parts), Rayspan Raises Capital, & Other San Diego BizTech News

It was a light week for technology stories in San Diego last week, as I took time away from Xconomy for a family road trip through the Pacific Northwest. The traffic along Interstate 5 was mild, however, in comparison to the record Internet traffic on Xconomy’s San Diego website for our two-part story about SAIC, Network … Continue reading “The Inside Story of SAIC and Network Solutions (a Tale in Two Parts), Rayspan Raises Capital, & Other San Diego BizTech News”

Shareaholic Becomes the Link-Sharing Tool of Choice—And Builds a Vast Database on Social Media Behavior

Blogging is about active sharing. I’ve known this on an intellectual level for years, but working for Xconomy has made the idea very real to me. My stories reach far more readers if I take a few extra minutes every day to share the items with my e-mail contacts and Twitter followers, and to submit … Continue reading “Shareaholic Becomes the Link-Sharing Tool of Choice—And Builds a Vast Database on Social Media Behavior”

Ligand Pharma and Organon to End Collaboration

San Diego-based Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:[[ticker:LGND]]) said today that the firm and Dutch drug company NV Organon have opted to end their collaboration and license agreement related to drug research in multiple fields. Organon is ending research funding for the collaboration on Dec. 31, 2009. The agreement was originally struck in early 2007 between Organon—which later … Continue reading “Ligand Pharma and Organon to End Collaboration”

Anadys Cleared to Start HepC Trial

San Diego-based Anadys Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ANDS]]) said today it has gotten the green light from the FDA to start a mid-stage clinical trial of its experimental hepatitis C drug, ANA598, in combination with the standard treatments, pegylated inferferon alpha and ribavirin. About 90 patients are expected to enroll, with the first joining the study within … Continue reading “Anadys Cleared to Start HepC Trial”

Entrepreneurs: “Follow the Yellow Brick Road”

StartupCircle presents a pair of talks by entrepreneurs Karim Pirani and Moshe Barken. From the event listing: “Growth entrepreneur Karim Pirani is founder and President of SafeList Ventures, Inc. Safelist is built upon the belief that we are continuing to evolve the worldwide web and as the Net proliferates, the concern for personal and physical … Continue reading “Entrepreneurs: “Follow the Yellow Brick Road””

The Untold Story of SAIC, Network Solutions, and the Rise of the Web—Part 2

The beginning of the Internet gold rush is often dated with some precision—the date of Netscape Communications’ IPO, on Aug. 9, 1995—even though a broad array of Internet-related technologies had been under development for years before that. A case in point is Network Solutions Inc., a small Herndon, VA, computer networking company that was acquired … Continue reading “The Untold Story of SAIC, Network Solutions, and the Rise of the Web—Part 2”

$50M for Helicon, Cytori Bulks Up, Avanir Awaits Trial Results, & More San Diego Life Sciences News

Several of San Diego’s biotech and life sciences companies raised money this past week, while others await the result of studies to see if the money they’ve already invested will pay off. —Cytori Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CYTX]]), which is developing a device that can isolate and process regenerative cells from a patient’s fat tissue, has been … Continue reading “$50M for Helicon, Cytori Bulks Up, Avanir Awaits Trial Results, & More San Diego Life Sciences News”

The Untold Story of SAIC, Network Solutions, and the Rise of the Web—Part 1

Even when the Internet boom was happening—even during the incandescent gold rush years of the late 1990s—Network Solutions was not exactly a household corporate name. Not compared to the first wave of companies like America Online or Netscape Communications, whose Aug. 9, 1995, IPO seems to be the demarcation line between everything that existed before … Continue reading “The Untold Story of SAIC, Network Solutions, and the Rise of the Web—Part 1”

San Diego’s Cytori Gains Cash; Loses a Patent

Cytori Therapeutics, (NASDAQ:[[ticker:CYTX]]) a San Diego company developing therapies from fat, is bulking up its cash position. Since March, the regenerative medicine has company raised more than $15 million through private equity sales. The latest deal—inked with Seaside 88 of Florida in June—gives Cytori an infusion of many thousands of dollars every two weeks for … Continue reading “San Diego’s Cytori Gains Cash; Loses a Patent”

Qualcomm and Verizon Wireless Form Joint Venture

Verizon Wireless and chipmaker Qualcomm announced today that they are teaming up to offer machine-to-machine (M2M) wireless services to companies in industries ranging from healthcare to utilities to manufacturing. Their still-unnamed joint venture is designed to encourage corporations to use Verizon’s cellular network for more than phone services. For example, a utility could monitor and … Continue reading “Qualcomm and Verizon Wireless Form Joint Venture”

aTyr Pharma Raises $12 Million in Venture Funding

aTyr Pharma, a San Diego-based developer of protein drugs, said today it has raised $12 million in additional venture capital to develop treatments for autoimmune diseases, metabolic disorders, and blood conditions. The company raised the cash from Alta Partners, Cardinal Partners, and Polaris Venture Partners. It’s the second big round of financing for aTyr, which … Continue reading “aTyr Pharma Raises $12 Million in Venture Funding”