Category: San Diego

West Coast Biotech Roundup: Genentech, CareDx, and More

The week started amid anticipation of a new round of public debuts, with six of the 11 companies queued up coming from the life sciences, according to Renaissance Capital. Then on Tuesday, the Federal Reserve singled out two sectors as overvalued: social media and biotechnology. The biotech indices dropped nearly 4 percent the next two … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Genentech, CareDx, and More”

Expansion of Microsoft Research—Analysis and Download of 1997 Plan

“We are about to embark on a nearly unprecedented adventure—expanding Microsoft’s investment in research by at least a factor of three.“ So begins the May 1997 memo written by Nathan Myhrvold, architect of Microsoft Research (MSR), a little over five and a half years after the renowned research organization was created. The memo, labeled Microsoft … Continue reading “Expansion of Microsoft Research—Analysis and Download of 1997 Plan”

Edico Raises $10M to Accelerate Processing of Gene Sequencing Data

San Diego-based Edico Genome has raised $10 million in Series A financing to commercialize the specialized processor technology it has been developing to slash the time and cost of genome mapping. Qualcomm Ventures, the corporate venture arm of San Diego-based Qualcomm (NASDAQ: [[ticker:QCOM]]), led the round, which was joined by Axon Ventures and Greg Lucier, … Continue reading “Edico Raises $10M to Accelerate Processing of Gene Sequencing Data”

The Generation Gap in the Tablet Creation/Consumption Debate

The iPad launched in March of 2010 starting the modern tablet era and the debate about what tablets are best for: creation or consumption. While the iPad dominated tablet sales through 2012, in the last couple of years Android- and Windows-based tablets have eaten away at Apple’s dominance. As the tablet market grows, the creation … Continue reading “The Generation Gap in the Tablet Creation/Consumption Debate”

FullStory Obtains $1,200,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=70322a30-a46e-42ec-9bba-77380883fd59 Date 7/17/2014 Company Name FullStory Mailing Address 611 N. Brand Blvd. 5th Floor Glendale, CA 91203 USA Company Description FullStory lets product and support teams easily understand everything about the customer experience. With a simple script, FullStory captures every user event (yes, all of them). This radical approach unlocks session playback, … Continue reading “FullStory Obtains $1,200,000 New Funding”

BioBeats Secures $299,000 Seed Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6466293f-5f98-4425-bb1a-94defb34f3f2 Date 7/17/2014 Company Name BioBeats Mailing Address 450 North Roxbury Drive 8th Floor Beverly Hills, CA 90210 USA Company Description BioBeats is an adaptive media company. We build technologies that respond to physiologic data and learn from how you interact with them, to help people live more engaging, healthier lives. We … Continue reading “BioBeats Secures $299,000 Seed Financing Round”

Wemo Media Receives $750,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=fe100b8b-518b-4c40-b1c3-998e590b2bda Date 7/17/2014 Company Name Wemo Media Mailing Address 550 Rose Ave. Venice, CA 90291 USA Company Description Wemo Media is a small team of developers and artists pioneering a new form of art and entertainment on the Web called “Maker Media”. Website http://www.wemomedia.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $750,000 Transaction Round … Continue reading “Wemo Media Receives $750,000 New Funding Round”

How Seragon CEO Rich Heyman Made Lightning Strike Twice

The Fourth of July was no picnic for the legal team at San Diego’s Seragon Pharmaceuticals. While other San Diegans were relaxing during the long holiday weekend, they were working through mountains of paperwork and filing notifications related to the $1.7 billion buyout offer from Genentech that Seragon had accepted a few days earlier. For … Continue reading “How Seragon CEO Rich Heyman Made Lightning Strike Twice”

The Mid-Stage VC Funding Gap, By the Numbers

In recent years, we’ve heard a lot about the “Series A crunch” for tech startups—lots of companies get seed funding but can’t raise a first venture round. Now we’re hearing more about a mid-stage funding bottleneck, typically at the Series B and C venture stages. A recent tech funding deal in Boston highlighted the issue … Continue reading “The Mid-Stage VC Funding Gap, By the Numbers”

Who Needs Biotech VCs, Anyway?

Welcome to In Translation, and thanks for reading. As a companion to Xconomy’s regular life sciences coverage, this new column provides me with a chance to dive a little more deeply into strategic, cultural, and scientific topics around the biotech world, and bring more of my own point of view to bear. I welcome and … Continue reading “Who Needs Biotech VCs, Anyway?”

First Esri Climate Resilience App Challenge: Who’ll Start the Reign?

The 34th annual Esri users conference begins today at the San Diego Convention Center, drawing geography techies from more than 90 countries to share their ideas and insights in the use of Redlands, CA-based Esri’s mapping software. Last year, more than 13,500 people attended the five-day conference, which offers a wide range of sessions on … Continue reading “First Esri Climate Resilience App Challenge: Who’ll Start the Reign?”

Stealth Mode is the New Sweet Spot for Some Biotechs

This post was co-authored by Sultan Meghji. In biotech’s early days, telling a story to a wide audience used to be part of the path to success. Founders would share a compelling early narrative to potential investors, reporters, and just about anyone else who would listen. Nature papers were the coin of the realm. But … Continue reading “Stealth Mode is the New Sweet Spot for Some Biotechs”

Upside Obtains $1,100,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b54bcbd7-b0a2-4a41-95b1-96bf4a0cb461 Date 7/14/2014 Company Name Upside Mailing Address 9201 Oakdale Avenue Chatsworth, CA 91311 USA Company Description Upside is a media network committed to providing IT vendors cost effective lead generation solutions. Through the exclusive Upside Content Network, we offer our advertising partners access to over 1 million professionals that are interested … Continue reading “Upside Obtains $1,100,000 New Funding”

Accelerating Genomics: How New Startups Are Enabling Clinical Genomics

The San Diego region has long been a leading hub for genome sequencing and molecular diagnostics. Now these technologies are moving genomics beyond pure R&D applications. Initial commercial applications for clinical use include non-invasive prenatal testing and genome sequencing of tumors in cancer diagnostics. However, this evolution of genomic medicine has led to new bottlenecks … Continue reading “Accelerating Genomics: How New Startups Are Enabling Clinical Genomics”

San Diego’s Quest to Become a New Hub for Robotics Innovation

Albert P. Pisano, who became dean of the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering in September, will provide an overview of the school’s nascent robotics program and efforts to seed a robotics cluster in San Diego. Local experts from Brain Corp. and 3D Robotics will offer insights about their technologies and business strategies. More … Continue reading “San Diego’s Quest to Become a New Hub for Robotics Innovation”

Sip + Socialize: MIT Enterprise Forum Annual Wine Social

The San Diego MIT Enterprise Forum’s annual Wine Social, now in its 11th year, is widely recognized as the premier networking event for San Diego’s technology and life sciences community. Drawing more than 600 founders and executives of growth companies, business development personnel, investors and service providers, this industry networking social creates an opportunity to … Continue reading “Sip + Socialize: MIT Enterprise Forum Annual Wine Social”

San Diego Venture Group on Building Better Boards

The San Diego Venture Group has invited David Hale, San Diego’s veteran life sciences leader, and serial tech entrepreneur Jeff Lunsford of Tealium to talk about the factors needed to create a strong corporate board of directors. Wilson Sonsini partner Rob Kornegay will ask Hale and Lunsford to discuss: Who are the right people? How … Continue reading “San Diego Venture Group on Building Better Boards”

Hospitals and the Changing Healthcare Experience

The changing healthcare landscape is ripe for significant breakthroughs in care delivery. Biocom is bringing three leaders from Kaiser Permanente, one of the leading integrated delivery systems in the nation, to discuss the future of healthcare. Kaiser Permanente is using cutting edge technology and forward-thinking business models to become one of the elite healthcare systems … Continue reading “Hospitals and the Changing Healthcare Experience”

Boston Vs. San Francisco: Two Cultures of Innovation

Let’s say you’re an ambitious, creative professional or entrepreneur working in the United States. You’re interested in technology, you have the luxury of mobility, and you want to be close to the center of things. Which city should you choose as your home? If you’re attracted to a specific sub-field, the answer may be obvious. … Continue reading “Boston Vs. San Francisco: Two Cultures of Innovation”

Freedom Meditech Lands $1,190,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=67d72634-6cfe-47ca-b6f8-ba213c002f96 Date 7/11/2014 Company Name Freedom Meditech Mailing Address 5090 Shoreham Place San Diego, CA 92122 USA Company Description Freedom Meditech is focused on the development and commercialization of medical device technologies that provide users worldwide with a more “free and healthy” alternative to existing diagnostic tools on the market. Website http://www.freedom-meditech.com … Continue reading “Freedom Meditech Lands $1,190,000 New Financing”

Yahoo! Acquires RayV Technologies for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8b33cc9b-e4c3-41b0-bfc0-06ff350a51be Date 7/11/2014 Company Name RayV Technologies Mailing Address 8391 Beverly Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90048 USA Company Description The company provides live broadcasting for television and for online viewing. Website http://www.rayv.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Proceeds Purposes M&A Terms Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed … Continue reading “Yahoo! Acquires RayV Technologies for Undisclosed Sum”

As Biofuels Lose Luster, Sapphire Goes Long with Sinopec Deal

In a ceremony held Thursday in Beijing, San Diego’s Sapphire Energy and Sinopec, China’s state-owned oil and gas conglomerate, agreed to work together to develop and produce algae-based biofuels in China. “The goal is to build a large demonstration facility here with Sinopec,” Sapphire spokesman Tim Zenk said last night from Beijing in a phone … Continue reading “As Biofuels Lose Luster, Sapphire Goes Long with Sinopec Deal”

West Coast Biotech Roundup: Scripps, Trounson, Versant, Gilead, & More

The big news out west this week revolves around institutional drama. In San Diego, the faculty at The Scripps Research Institute has taken issue with merger talks that the president and board have had with the University of Southern California. The Union-Tribune advanced the story late last week, and Scripps acknowledged Wednesday that the talks … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Scripps, Trounson, Versant, Gilead, & More”

Big Late-Stage Deals and Unicorns Drive U.S. Venture Activity Higher

Two years ago, VC firms shrugged off sluggish economic conditions to invest $8.1 billion in 812 U.S. deals in the second quarter. It was the highest total in more than a decade—and represented a high water mark for venture dollars invested that stood until the first quarter of this year. Now a surge in venture … Continue reading “Big Late-Stage Deals and Unicorns Drive U.S. Venture Activity Higher”

Playdek Obtains $877,210 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4f348928-0d50-4e38-9d00-4cc3a35fe7da Date 7/10/2014 Company Name Playdek Mailing Address 2382 Faraday Avenue Carlsbad, CA 92008 USA Company Description Located in Carlsbad, CA, Playdek is comprised of veteran console video game developers, with a passion for tabletop gaming. Playdek is a premier developer, publisher and platform for the world’s best tabletop gaming. Website http://www.playdekgames.com … Continue reading “Playdek Obtains $877,210 New Financing Round”

Common Interest Communities Receives $10,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=fecbffba-b5a7-4c51-9a1a-72e2773f4616 Date 7/10/2014 Company Name Common Interest Communities Mailing Address 1901 Avenue of the Stars 2nd Floor Century City, CA 90067 USA Company Description CIC uses clean and practical housing design to bring together young people with the same careers or interests around the world. Each space is in a prime location … Continue reading “Common Interest Communities Receives $10,000,000 New Funding Round”

ProductBio Secures $25,000 Seed Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c2a10ae8-6daf-423a-b9e1-1d0c50aa7754 Date 7/10/2014 Company Name ProductBio Mailing Address Undisclosed San Diego, CA 92121 USA Company Description ProductBio is the largest database of product sustainability information in the world, using data science to figure out what sustainability means for different foods, goods, and services by product category. Website http://www.productbio.com Transaction Type Accelerator Transaction … Continue reading “ProductBio Secures $25,000 Seed Funding”

MabVax Therapeutics Lands $1,500,000 Series C Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6addabb6-14a4-4a1a-8f84-60e2bc428814 Date 7/9/2014 Company Name MabVax Therapeutics Mailing Address 11588 Sorrento Valley Road San Diego, CA 92121 USA Company Description MabVax Therapeutics, Inc. is a San Diego, California based immunotherapeutics discovery and development company focused on developing and commercializing novel vaccines and human antibodies for the treatment of cancer. Website http://www.mabvax.com Transaction … Continue reading “MabVax Therapeutics Lands $1,500,000 Series C Financing Round”

MabVax Therapeutics Garners $3,000,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c237cddd-b07a-4941-bd51-a22f4c26f584 Date 7/9/2014 Company Name MabVax Therapeutics Mailing Address 11588 Sorrento Valley Road San Diego, CA 92121 USA Company Description MabVax Therapeutics, Inc. is a San Diego, California based immunotherapeutics discovery and development company focused on developing and commercializing novel vaccines and human antibodies for the treatment of cancer. Website http://www.mabvax.com Transaction … Continue reading “MabVax Therapeutics Garners $3,000,000 New Financing Round”

Oh Canada! Versant’s Strategic Shifts Lead to $300M Fund

Versant Ventures, based in the San Francisco Bay Area but growing in Europe and especially Canada, is a few million dollars away from closing a new US$300 million fund, according to a regulatory filing. The fund, the fifth for the life science specialists, has been in the works for several years, with more than the … Continue reading “Oh Canada! Versant’s Strategic Shifts Lead to $300M Fund”

ReShape Medical Garners $4,000,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2a9d969e-6fb7-4155-ab1c-14503fb6b00a Date 7/8/2014 Company Name ReShape Medical Mailing Address 100 Calle Iglesia San Clemente, CA 92672 USA Company Description ReShape DuoTM is the first and only non-surgical, dual-intragastric balloon treatment designed for those who want a fast track to weight loss without the risks of surgery or side effects of drugs. The … Continue reading “ReShape Medical Garners $4,000,000 New Financing Round”

EvoNexus, San Diego’s Pro Bono Incubator, Expands to Orange County

CommNexus, the longtime industry group for San Diego technology companies, is expanding its “no strings attached” EvoNexus business incubator program into Orange County. CommNexus began the nonprofit incubator in mid-2009, as waves of layoffs decimated the economy and venture capital funding in San Diego was at low ebb. A few years later, commercial office space … Continue reading “EvoNexus, San Diego’s Pro Bono Incubator, Expands to Orange County”

UniEnergy Technologies Goes from Molecules to Megawatts

Vanadium, in the eyes of energy storage innovators, is a lovely, generous element, even though it’s often found in some dirty places. It is named for a Norse goddess of beauty. Its color, when dissolved in an electrolyte solution, changes from lilac to green to blue to yellow as it easily gives and takes electrons, … Continue reading “UniEnergy Technologies Goes from Molecules to Megawatts”

TeleSign Lands New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=73d286b1-36e6-4756-a34a-347cc3413074 Date 7/7/2014 Company Name TeleSign Mailing Address 4136 Del Rey Avenue Marina del Rey, CA 90292 USA Company Description TeleSign protects the world’s largest Internet and Cloud properties by establishing and verifying Mobile Identity. Digital businesses use TeleSign’s Mobile Identity platform to preserve their ecosystem by detecting a suspicious user before … Continue reading “TeleSign Lands New Round”

Doorbot Obtains $4,300,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=dc0e2dde-79d2-4104-966e-d248466e5290 Date 7/7/2014 Company Name Doorbot Mailing Address 1523 26th Street Santa Monica, CA 90404 USA Company Description We invented DoorBot out of necessity. We’re a group of inventors and when we first began, we worked out of my garage. The problem was that we’d never hear the doorbell. I specifically remember … Continue reading “Doorbot Obtains $4,300,000 New Financing”

Atmel Acquires Newport Media for $170,000,000

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=bbfa329b-4f0b-44fe-a6c4-8e4ce654ea84 Date 7/7/2014 Company Name Newport Media Mailing Address 1 Spectrum Pointe Dr. Lake Forest, CA 92630 USA Company Description Newport Media is a fabless semiconductor company that develops and sells highly integrated solutions for emerging digital audio and mobile TV broadcasts standards. Market research firm In-Stat forecasts that the market for … Continue reading “Atmel Acquires Newport Media for $170,000,000”

Adtile Secures $4,500,000 Series A Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e9f04913-b4f1-44ee-a5db-9bf6583e0ad9 Date 7/5/2014 Company Name Adtile Mailing Address 241 14th St. San Diego, CA 92101 USA Company Description Our mission is to make mobile advertising more elegant, user-friendly and meaningful. Adtile is on a quest to transform mobile advertising. Website http://www.adtile.me Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $4,500,000 Transaction Round Series A … Continue reading “Adtile Secures $4,500,000 Series A Funding”

Trust but Verify: When Customer Feedback is Not Enough

[Editor’s Note: If you’re following the methodology laid out by startup strategy guru and Xconomist Steve Blank, you have begun with a hypothesis about a customer need or problem. Then you develop a “mininum viable product” (MVP), a prototype with the smallest possible feature set that still shows potential customers how your idea can help … Continue reading “Trust but Verify: When Customer Feedback is Not Enough”

Innovation Hub: The American Economy Is in Better Shape Than Ever

Despite increasingly good job numbers, pessimism about the economy persists. According to Gallup, almost 60 percent of Americans think the economy is still getting worse. Last week, Clayton Christensen told Innovation Hub that America was on its way to becoming Japan—a country that has been wrestling with stagnation for a quarter century. But Joel Kurtzman, … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: The American Economy Is in Better Shape Than Ever”

West Coast Biotech Roundup: Seragon, Ambrx, Pregenen, and More

Our nominee for the just-created “Bio Man with the Midas Touch” award goes to Richard Heyman, who co-founded San Diego’s Seragon Pharmaceuticals 11 months ago. Roche’s Genentech unit agreed yesterday to pay over $1.7 billion for Seragon, which has an early-stage drug targeting metastatic breast cancer. Heyman was previously the CEO of San Diego’s Aragon … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Seragon, Ambrx, Pregenen, and More”

Second Sight Medical Products Receives $6,000,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=35a26c6a-ad24-4d77-bb97-264f12662fab Date 7/3/2014 Company Name Second Sight Medical Products Mailing Address 12744 San Fernando Road Building 3 Sylmar, CA 91342 USA Company Description Second Sight’s mission is to develop, manufacture and market implantable visual prosthetics to enable blind individuals to achieve greater independence. Website http://www.2-sight.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $6,000,000 … Continue reading “Second Sight Medical Products Receives $6,000,000 New Funding”

Fuisz Media Garners $2,100,000 Seed Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3c224935-70d6-4cd9-8d96-76e73f08d0d2 Date 7/3/2014 Company Name Fuisz Media Mailing Address Undisclosed Santa Monica, CA 90403 USA Company Description Fuisz Media makes video interactive anywhere at scale. With Fuisz, you can engage directly with the products, people, and scenes in a video to discover, share, or purchase. Website http://www.fuiszmedia.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction … Continue reading “Fuisz Media Garners $2,100,000 Seed Funding Round”

Soraya Darabi on Ethical E-Commerce, Storytelling, and Zady.Com

Soraya Darabi already has had an amazing career as a digital media entrepreneur, and she’s only 30 years old. Darabi and friend Maxine Bédat are the co-founders of New York-based Zady.com, a socially conscious e-commerce website for what they call “slow fashion.” They are building Zady.com as a brand that sells high-end apparel, accessories, and … Continue reading “Soraya Darabi on Ethical E-Commerce, Storytelling, and Zady.Com”

VenBio Scores Again as Genentech Pays $1.7B+ for Seragon Pharma

The big year for San Francisco, CA-based life sciences venture firm venBio just got bigger. Genentech, the big cancer drugmaker from the Bay Area, has agreed to buy a less than one-year-old San Diego, CA-based startup called Seragon Pharmaceuticals for a whopping $725 million up front. Seragon’s backers—the Column Group, OrbiMed Advisors, Aisling Capital, venBio, … Continue reading “VenBio Scores Again as Genentech Pays $1.7B+ for Seragon Pharma”

Synchroneuron Nets $20M to Combat Drug-Induced Movement Disorder

With a few tweaks, Synchroneuron believes it’s been able to turn an old, flawed drug for alcoholism into a new one for a completely different disorder. Now the Waltham, MA-based startup has just banked a big round of cash to go prove it in clinical trials. Synchroneuron is announcing today that it’s raised a $20 … Continue reading “Synchroneuron Nets $20M to Combat Drug-Induced Movement Disorder”

MakersKit Garners $1,500,000 Seed Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=054a00b7-19e7-4784-a61c-6522bd9aee09 Date 7/2/2014 Company Name MakersKit Mailing Address 672 S. La Fayette Park Place Los Angeles, CA 90057 USA Company Description MakersKit is a completely interactive media experience which allows everyone a shot at joining the Maker Movement. They’re doing this by pairing practical Do-It-Yourself kits with entertaining instructional videos. Website http://www.makerskit.com … Continue reading “MakersKit Garners $1,500,000 Seed Financing Round”

Genentech Acquires Seragon Pharmaceuticals for $1,725,000,000

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=29c67d46-a471-4d7b-9060-3a0f2795fbef Date 7/2/2014 Company Name Seragon Pharmaceuticals Mailing Address 12780 El Camino Real San Diego, CA 92130 USA Company Description Seragon Pharmaceuticals is developing small-molecule drugs for the treatment of estrogen receptor dependent breast cancer. Website http://www.seragonpharm.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount $1,725,000,000 Transaction Round Proceeds Purposes M&A Terms Under the terms … Continue reading “Genentech Acquires Seragon Pharmaceuticals for $1,725,000,000”