Category: San Diego

Siddhartha Mukherjee on Overthrowing “The Emperor of All Maladies”

Siddhartha Mukherjee, the Pulitzer-Prize winning author of “The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer” is the featured speaker in a lecture on moving forward against cancer. Co-presented by UC San Diego Extension and the Center for Ethics in Science & Technology as part of the UC San Diego Helen Edison Lecture Series. Published … Continue reading “Siddhartha Mukherjee on Overthrowing “The Emperor of All Maladies””

How I Learned to Stay Organized with Evernote, Post-its & Foamcore

I like to think I’m a fairly organized person. I have to be. I’ve got stories to edit and events to plan. I write 5,000 to 10,000 words a week. Some 200 to 300 new e-mail messages hit my inbox every day, all requiring some kind of action. And I have a lot of cool … Continue reading “How I Learned to Stay Organized with Evernote, Post-its & Foamcore”

San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Receptos, Auspex, Avelas, and More

Amid the flurry of announcements leading up to next week’s JP Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, you might have missed some significant funding deals coming out of San Diego’s life sciences sector. Here are the highlights, along with my wrap-up of other news. —San Diego’s Auspex Pharmaceuticals said it has raised $35 million in … Continue reading “San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Receptos, Auspex, Avelas, and More”

Atara Biotherapeutics Lands $13,500,000 Series B Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ed490a4c-10be-443b-85d9-da14bd717265 Date 1/10/2014 Company Name Atara Biotherapeutics Mailing Address 2659 Townsgate Road Thousand Oaks, CA 91361 Company Description Our mission is to develop novel treatment options for patients with severe and life-threatening conditions that have been underserved by scientific innovation. We are investigating therapies targeting unique pathways to pause or reverse patients’ … Continue reading “Atara Biotherapeutics Lands $13,500,000 Series B Round”

Suneva Medical Obtains $35,000,000 Series B Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4df86530-3692-4f2d-b2bf-e7a0ed2542f6 Date 1/10/2014 Company Name Suneva Medical Mailing Address 5383 Hollister Avenue Santa Barbara, CA 93111 Company Description Suneva Medical partners with aesthetic providers to build practices by providing unique aesthetic products that deliver patient satisfaction and build customer loyalty. Website http://www.sunevamedical.com Transaction Type Debt, Venture Equity Transaction Amount $35,000,000 Transaction Round … Continue reading “Suneva Medical Obtains $35,000,000 Series B Financing Round”

Suneva Medical Receives $35,000,000 Series B Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4df86530-3692-4f2d-b2bf-e7a0ed2542f6 Date 1/10/2014 Company Name Suneva Medical Mailing Address 5383 Hollister Avenue Santa Barbara, CA 93111 Company Description Suneva Medical partners with aesthetic providers to build practices by providing unique aesthetic products that deliver patient satisfaction and build customer loyalty. Website http://www.sunevamedical.com Transaction Type Debt, Venture Equity Transaction Amount $35,000,000 Transaction Round … Continue reading “Suneva Medical Receives $35,000,000 Series B Round”

With New Funding, Avelas Moves Closer to Color-Coded Cancer Map

San Diego’s Avelas Biosciences says today it has closed on $6.85 million in Series B financing to advance the use of fluorescing peptides that can be used during breast cancer surgery to illuminate cancerous tissue. The new round brings the startup’s total funding to about $14 million since 2009, when Avelas was founded by Roger … Continue reading “With New Funding, Avelas Moves Closer to Color-Coded Cancer Map”

U.S. Biomedical Research at a Precipice

[Editor’s Note: this post was co-authored by Justin Chakma, Dr. Reshma Jagsi, and Stephen M. Sammut.] Since 1950, U.S. government funding has supported research underlying 84 percent of Nobel Prizes awarded in Medicine & Physiology. These scientific breakthroughs have resulted in new medicines and created significant economic value. For example, the discovery of gene silencing, … Continue reading “U.S. Biomedical Research at a Precipice”

Avelas Biosciences Garners $6,850,000 Series B Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=dba6729d-2f01-43e9-9c57-d8bfcc534694 Date 1/9/2014 Company Name Avelas Biosciences Mailing Address 11099 N. Torrey Pines Road La Jolla, CA 92037 Company Description At Avelas Biosciences, our mission is to advance a new standard-of-care in cancer surgery by providing a real time luminous map for oncologic surgeons, leading to improved surgical results and better outcome … Continue reading “Avelas Biosciences Garners $6,850,000 Series B Funding”

Janssen Tests Ideas, Apps, in Bid for Clinical Trials Innovation

As the cost and complexity of drug development has skyrocketed in recent decades, Big Pharma has focused increasingly on improving the way clinical trials are conducted. In 2007, the FDA and Duke University Medical Center established a public-private collaboration called the Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative (CTTI). The idea was to streamline the process so clinical … Continue reading “Janssen Tests Ideas, Apps, in Bid for Clinical Trials Innovation”

Auspex Pharmaceuticals Garners $15,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d64d725c-ec68-43d9-bc5e-0da13b52b5f3 Date 1/8/2014 Company Name Auspex Pharmaceuticals Mailing Address 3366 North Torrey Pines Court La Jolla, CA 92037 Company Description Auspex Pharmaceuticals is a developer of next-generation medicines with improved safety and performance and a pioneer in the targeted application of deuterium chemistry to clinically validated drugs. Website http://www.auspexpharma.com Transaction Type Debt … Continue reading “Auspex Pharmaceuticals Garners $15,000,000 New Financing”

ChowNow Obtains $708,414 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f3482b66-2163-42b5-9c1a-6746e5940fef Date 1/8/2014 Company Name ChowNow Mailing Address 2112 Narcissus Ct. Venice, CA 90291 Company Description ChowNow is a next-generation meal ordering platform that utilizes the latest web, mobile and social networking technologies to expand restaurant’s online ordering capabilities and customer reach. Website http://www.chownow.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $708,414 Transaction … Continue reading “ChowNow Obtains $708,414 New Financing Round”

Auspex Pharmaceuticals Lands $20,000,000 Series E Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=fbba1eae-bcfa-4098-89fa-ea98d4a92784 Date 1/8/2014 Company Name Auspex Pharmaceuticals Mailing Address 3366 North Torrey Pines Court La Jolla, CA 92037 Company Description Auspex Pharmaceuticals is a developer of next-generation medicines with improved safety and performance and a pioneer in the targeted application of deuterium chemistry to clinically validated drugs. Website http://www.auspexpharma.com Transaction Type Venture … Continue reading “Auspex Pharmaceuticals Lands $20,000,000 Series E Financing”

Wisconsin Lab is at Nexus of Innovation for U.S. Forest Service

It takes an unusual person to get excited about the latest advances in such common building materials as medium-density fiberboard. Yet Michael Rains’ runaway enthusiasm comes tumbling through—even on a long-distance phone call from his office, where Rains does double duty as director of the U.S. Forest Service Northern Research Station in Newton, PA (responsible … Continue reading “Wisconsin Lab is at Nexus of Innovation for U.S. Forest Service”

Bad Statistics, and Bad Training, Are Sabotaging Drug Discovery

One of the most widely read college textbooks in the 1960s and ‘70s was How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff. Despite the humorous title, the serious intent of the book (written by a journalist, not a statistician) was to illustrate how common errors in the use of statistics frequently lead to misleading conclusions. … Continue reading “Bad Statistics, and Bad Training, Are Sabotaging Drug Discovery”

Josh Boger Finds Beauty Off the Coast of Fiji, in Life After Vertex

What has Josh Boger been doing the past four years in his supposed “retirement” from Vertex Pharmaceuticals? Turns out, he’s found peace and beauty. He discovered it about as far away from the biotech grind as you can possibly get. Boger, as many readers know, is the founder and former president and CEO of Cambridge, … Continue reading “Josh Boger Finds Beauty Off the Coast of Fiji, in Life After Vertex”

BlueCava Secures $705,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d443dd96-365b-4fd7-bf34-0db5b7c0573f Date 1/6/2014 Company Name BlueCava Mailing Address 131 Innovation Drive Irvine, CA 92617 Company Description The company has created the BlueCava Device Identification Platform that helps identify any device that is connected to the Internet. Website http://www.bluecava.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $705,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were … Continue reading “BlueCava Secures $705,000 New Round”

Ignyta Secures $10,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=53208558-4b14-4bab-8304-b895bdf7d9b8 Date 1/6/2014 Company Name Ignyta Mailing Address 11095 Flintkote Avenue San Diego, CA 92121 Company Description Ignyta, Inc. is a scientifically driven biotechnology company catalyzing personalized medicine in autoimmune diseases. Website http://www.ignyta.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $10,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms Venture … Continue reading “Ignyta Secures $10,000,000 New Funding Round”

Franchise Fund Secures $40,000 Seed Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=cf7bbf63-d83d-4b11-b985-ba3390b208df Date 1/6/2014 Company Name Franchise Fund Mailing Address 340 S Lemon Ave Walnut, CA 91789 Company Description Everyday, the best new products, apps, games, software and companies Power their Launches with LaunchRock. Sign up to find out first. Website http://www.launchrock.co Transaction Type Accelerator Transaction Amount $40,000 Transaction Round Seed Proceeds Purposes … Continue reading “Franchise Fund Secures $40,000 Seed Funding Round”

Startups Poised to Make Their Mark Alongside the Big Guys at CES

Much of the technology world will descend this weekend on Las Vegas, bound for the annual spectacle of new gadgets known as the International CES. As soon as the Northeast digs its way out of the snow, I will be on my way for hands-on coverage of this carnival of consumer devices. Big companies such … Continue reading “Startups Poised to Make Their Mark Alongside the Big Guys at CES”

Scientific Reproducibility: Raising the Standards for Biomedicine

The vast majority of findings published in high-profile biomedical research publications can’t be reproduced by independent laboratories. Multiple groups have come to this same shocking conclusion in recent years, and it has deservedly generated considerable attention. It matters because the ability to reproduce a result is fundamental to establishing the legitimacy of a new research … Continue reading “Scientific Reproducibility: Raising the Standards for Biomedicine”

The Future of Education: 10 Trends To Watch

It is that time of the year when we tend to pause, reflect, and look forward. What have we achieved in the year just passed? What are the highlights of culture, business, technology, and trends that we have observed around us? For me, the most exciting and positive movement at present is in the domain … Continue reading “The Future of Education: 10 Trends To Watch”

New Online Services Put You Back in Command of Your 401(k)

If you’re still in search of a New Year’s resolution, here’s one you’re free to borrow from me: Become a more active and self-reliant manager of your retirement investment accounts, using some of the affordable new tools available online. This week I’ve been exploring two of the leading services, Jemstep and Personal Capital. After just … Continue reading “New Online Services Put You Back in Command of Your 401(k)”

Here’s What Mobile Industry Insiders See Ahead for 2014

By now, you should know the truly big stories in the mobile sector: Samsung’s rise to challenge Apple, Microsoft finally acquiring Nokia, Google leaping into wearables, more moves toward carrier consolidation. But if you want to get a jump start on some of the biggest trends shaping up in the mobile industry, you could do … Continue reading “Here’s What Mobile Industry Insiders See Ahead for 2014”

Tech Bubble Leaks Air, Healthcare Bests Biotech, & More for 2014

The coming year will see some good news and some bad news in tech. Here are five predictions. • IPOs: This past year witnessed an extraordinary resurgence in IPO activity for venture-backed companies. It felt much like 1999 right before the crest of the wave. With modest growth, unsustainably high valuation multiples, little excess left for … Continue reading “Tech Bubble Leaks Air, Healthcare Bests Biotech, & More for 2014”

The Year in Innovation: Xconomy’s Top 13 Stories of 2013

If you only have time to read a few of our articles from the past year, these are the ones. These are editor’s picks (mine). They are not based on Web traffic, but rather on a subjective weighting of their impact, significance, and representation of our mission and geographies. Xconomy is now in 9 regions … Continue reading “The Year in Innovation: Xconomy’s Top 13 Stories of 2013”

Remembering James L. Vincent, Longtime Biogen Leader

Are they making innovators quite like James L. Vincent any more? This question, spurred by Vincent’s death on Dec. 5, has more edge these days as we worry how Americans are going to keep inventing, making, and selling new things to earn a good living in a sharply competitive world. More bluntly, do the innovators … Continue reading “Remembering James L. Vincent, Longtime Biogen Leader”

Help Wanted: Houston vs. Austin and the Search for the Best IT Talent

Last May, we announced that we were moving Datafiniti to Austin. A big reason for our move was the lack of a suitable talent pool from which to hire. There was a lot of skepticism—perhaps surprisingly so—around our reasoning. At the time, we provided what I thought was a healthy dose of data to back … Continue reading “Help Wanted: Houston vs. Austin and the Search for the Best IT Talent”

Mavenlink Receives $7,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8d66eb35-8249-46a4-ac08-004569dd8dda Date 12/31/2013 Company Name Mavenlink Mailing Address 47 Discovery Irvine, CA 92618 Company Description A better way to manage your projects online with features designed to streamline workflow and increase your productivity. Website http://www.mavenlink.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $7,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. … Continue reading “Mavenlink Receives $7,000,000 New Funding Round”

Why Angels Should Keep Their Distance from Crowdfunding in 2014

There’s certainly been a lot of uncertainty in the angel and venture capital arenas over the past decade, and understandably so. Add to that, the lure of crowdfunding—a nearly $3 billion business in 2012—and it’s led some angel groups to consider if there is a role for individual investors in crowdfunding their deals. My advice … Continue reading “Why Angels Should Keep Their Distance from Crowdfunding in 2014”

Why Business and Personal Email Are Not the Same

We all carry certain expectations about email from our private lives into a corporate setting. Some of those expectations are met, but in other ways business email is very different from consumer email. These differences can be confusing at best and, at worst, lead to major problems for organizations. The Inside and the Outside To … Continue reading “Why Business and Personal Email Are Not the Same”

Manalto Obtains $1,000,000 Seed Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d3657de4-cfa9-4484-9409-9c442bb32362 Date 12/30/2013 Company Name Manalto Mailing Address 1507 7th Street Santa Monica, CA 90401 Company Description Manalto was fundamentally designed with business at the centre of our solution. Businesses are able to now centrally manage their social media presence and brand inside Facebook, with the security, consistency and efficiency expected of … Continue reading “Manalto Obtains $1,000,000 Seed Funding”

Good, Business, and Good Business

Here in the 20-teens, the roles of for-profit businesses, non-profit organizations, government, NGO’s, foundations, investors and philanthropists are beginning to blur together. We are quickly finding ourselves in a world where it is not only possible to do good while doing business, but expected. This is quite a change from the “Friedman Doctrine” that claimed … Continue reading “Good, Business, and Good Business”

4 Tech Trends That Will Impact Risk and Compliance Efforts in 2014

Once business organizations reach a certain size, their leaders have to start thinking systematically about how to structure reporting relationships to ensure vital information reaches the top; how to identify and account for the internal and external risks that could hobble the company; and how to ensure the organization is complying with a skein of … Continue reading “4 Tech Trends That Will Impact Risk and Compliance Efforts in 2014”

My Top Picks in Bio-Venture Innovations, and Predictions for 2014

I am a biotech VC, but not a techie. So I don’t follow stem cells, gene therapy, and other similar “blockbuster” technologies in the life sciences. Rather than looking at all the gosh-and-golly stuff going into the biotech pipeline, I wait to see what is coming out of the other end. So far, very little … Continue reading “My Top Picks in Bio-Venture Innovations, and Predictions for 2014”

We Ask the Xconomists: Some Quick Predictions for the New Year

As 2013 drew to a close, we asked some of our Xconomists to ponder innovation, past and future, and to give us their predictions for the breakout innovations they expect to see in their respective fields. Here’s what they had to say: Texas Xconomist Blair Garrou, managing director at Mercury Fund in Houston: I’m excited … Continue reading “We Ask the Xconomists: Some Quick Predictions for the New Year”

Observations From Korea’s Creative Economy 2013 Conference

Innovation is one of those goals that transcends borders. Spurring technology innovation, and through it the creation of new industries that accelerate job growth, is always high on the agenda of any advanced economy. But what if you had to change the culture of an entire nation at the same time? That’s a major part … Continue reading “Observations From Korea’s Creative Economy 2013 Conference”

A Need to Know: Adding DNA and Geomedicine Data to Patient Records

It takes a lot of patience to be a patient. There are about 1.2 billion physician office visits annually in the United States, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. The center, which has collected data on this subject for decades, also reports that patients wait an average of just “north” of 11 minutes … Continue reading “A Need to Know: Adding DNA and Geomedicine Data to Patient Records”

Diverse Software Developer Talent—A Gift That Keeps on Giving

Here’s a fresh take on the spirit of giving: Ten Washington technology companies have agreed to “pay it forward” by supporting Seattle’s first not-for-profit coding academy focused on preparing women who show technical aptitude, but have little or no technical experience, to become software developers. During the Technology Alliance’s early days in the mid-1990s, Washington … Continue reading “Diverse Software Developer Talent—A Gift That Keeps on Giving”

10 Tips for Maximizing the JP Morgan Healthcare Experience

San Francisco, we’re coming. Of course, you are ready for the biotech onslaught. The cab drivers, hotel people, cops, security dudes, restaurant and bar staff—you all know the drill come January. So what about all the healthcare industry capitalists? Are you ready to make the most of this week when all the decision makers and … Continue reading “10 Tips for Maximizing the JP Morgan Healthcare Experience”

TradeYa Receives $275,000 Seed Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=efa2709c-65f5-445d-ba5e-9c931fd84780 Date 12/23/2013 Company Name TradeYa Mailing Address 1027 1/2 Abbot Kinney Blvd. Venice, CA 90291 Company Description TradeYa helps people get whatever they need and want without having to buy it. Our web-based barter platform leverages the social graph and patent pending trade process to connect people who want to trade … Continue reading “TradeYa Receives $275,000 Seed Round”

TradeYa Secures $275,000 Seed Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=efa2709c-65f5-445d-ba5e-9c931fd84780 Date 12/23/2013 Company Name TradeYa Mailing Address 1027 1/2 Abbot Kinney Blvd. Venice, CA 90291 Company Description TradeYa helps people get whatever they need and want without having to buy it. Our web-based barter platform leverages the social graph and patent pending trade process to connect people who want to trade … Continue reading “TradeYa Secures $275,000 Seed Financing Round”

Fliptu Garners $510,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c3e173da-008c-490f-ac59-abfa39a2191e Date 12/23/2013 Company Name Fliptu Mailing Address Undisclosed Los Angeles, CA 91302 Company Description We power social media hubs for some of the world’s most notable brands & personalities including Darius Rucker, Jimmy Kimmel Live, KISS, Matchbox Twenty, JASH Network and over 5000 other celebrities & musicians, brands, & key influencers. … Continue reading “Fliptu Garners $510,000 New Financing Round”

HouseCall Secures $1,500,000 Seed Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=fdd13203-9aef-462b-a850-9fbeab1b3798 Date 12/21/2013 Company Name HouseCall Mailing Address 11772 Sorrento Valley Rd. San Diego, CA 92121 Company Description The HouseCall team came together after working for many years on contextual software for smartphones at world-leading wireless company Qualcomm. Website http://www.tryhousecall.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $1,500,000 Transaction Round Seed Proceeds Purposes … Continue reading “HouseCall Secures $1,500,000 Seed Funding Round”

News, Social Networking Meet in Prismatic’s “Interest Network”

Over the last 20 years, three new technologies have come together to reshape the way information enters our lives. First, of course, there was the Web, starting around 1993. Then came social networking, starting around 2003. And finally—hugely amplifying the effects of the first two—came broadband-capable smartphones and tablets, starting in 2007. Any one of … Continue reading “News, Social Networking Meet in Prismatic’s “Interest Network””

StockTwits Obtains $1,550,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7a07daca-08fb-4040-8a0c-4d467aa016c1 Date 12/20/2013 Company Name StockTwits Mailing Address 101 West Broadway San Diego, CA 92101 Company Description StockTwits is an open, community-powered idea and information service for investments. Users can eavesdrop on traders and investors, or contribute to the conversation and build their reputation as savvy market wizards. Website http://www.stocktwits.com Transaction Type … Continue reading “StockTwits Obtains $1,550,000 New Financing Round”

GluMetrics Lands $509,332 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9b5afc34-2e44-41e4-829d-850866f83aa4 Date 12/20/2013 Company Name GluMetrics Mailing Address 15375 Barranca Parkway Irvine, CA 92618 Company Description GluMetrics, Inc. is a medical device company focusing patented technology on a currently shifting paradigm in the care of critically ill patients. Website http://www.glumetrics.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $509,332 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds … Continue reading “GluMetrics Lands $509,332 New Financing”