To close the healthcare and life sciences gender gap, there have been programs to move women into the boardroom. People are building mentoring networks. And there have been public pledges to do better. But women in the industry aren’t optimistic about big changes coming soon, according to a new report and survey from digital healthcare … Continue reading “New Survey Highlights “Lethargic Pace” of Healthcare Gender Equity”
Category: Seattle
Last Chance to Save on “Healthcare + A.I. Northwest”
We are just a week away from “Healthcare + A.I. Northwest” —and we’re offering you a chance to save $80. Join us for an afternoon of keynote talks, fireside chats, and panel discussions that will delve into how artificial intelligence may transform healthcare. It all takes place the afternoon of Thursday, Nov. 9, at Cambia … Continue reading “Last Chance to Save on “Healthcare + A.I. Northwest””
As Russians Hacked U.S. Election, Did Big Tech Firms Break Any Laws?
News is constantly streaming out these days about the role of Facebook, Twitter, and Google in the 2016 presidential election; most disturbing to the public is the apparent use of social media, search, and video channels by Russian operatives seeking to influence U.S. voters. Critical lawmakers have blasted the big tech companies for failing to … Continue reading “As Russians Hacked U.S. Election, Did Big Tech Firms Break Any Laws?”
Investors Navigate Promise, Hype, in Funding A.I. for Healthcare
From a venture investment perspective, digital health is having a record year—one that has come as something of a surprise against the backdrop of federal policy uncertainty. But is investor interest extending into artificial intelligence applications for healthcare? That’s a topic we’ll explore at Xconomy’s Healthcare + A.I. Northwest event in Seattle on Nov. 9 … Continue reading “Investors Navigate Promise, Hype, in Funding A.I. for Healthcare”
Bio Roundup: CBO’s Praise, Celgene’s Shock, Trump’s Opioid Plan & More
The White House and the FDA turned the spotlight on the nation’s opioid crisis. Blockbuster drugs from Alexion and Tesaro gained expanded approvals, but bad earnings news from Celgene and Biogen brought stocks down. Academics in the U.S. and China made progress with the gene editing technology CRISPR. And as the week’s biggest biotech deal … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: CBO’s Praise, Celgene’s Shock, Trump’s Opioid Plan & More”
Watch Out, VCs: A.I. Program Judges Startups at Boston Pitch Event
I rarely attend startup pitch competitions anymore. They’ve grown hackneyed over the past few years, thanks to a proliferation of such events and the popularity of the TV show “Shark Tank.” But a startup contest held Tuesday at a machine learning conference in Cambridge, MA, put a twist on the typical scenario: the startups were … Continue reading “Watch Out, VCs: A.I. Program Judges Startups at Boston Pitch Event”
After Delays, “Social Robot” Jibo Enters Home Assistant Fray
After three years of hype and shipping postponements, Jibo is finally delivering its eponymous “social robot” to customers. The Boston-based company announced Wednesday that its robot is now for sale to the general public, with shipping set to begin in November. The price tag? $899. Jibo (pronounced JEE-bo) launched a crowdfunding campaign for the product … Continue reading “After Delays, “Social Robot” Jibo Enters Home Assistant Fray”
As Drugs Fail, Some Researchers Urge a Return to Alzheimer’s Roots
As the quest to find treatments for Alzheimer’s disease keeps crashing against rocks, a group of researchers in the field want their peers to pay more attention to the part of the brain where Alzheimer’s disease first wreaks havoc. A new paper from the researchers, published this month in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia, is … Continue reading “As Drugs Fail, Some Researchers Urge a Return to Alzheimer’s Roots”
Cord Cutting: How to Get High-Speed Internet Without Cable, 2017 Edition
Hey folks. If you’re thinking about breaking away from the cable monopolies and getting your data, music, and video in other ways, congratulations, I’m with you. I cut the cord back in 2009, and now millions of people are doing the same every year. With the growing interest in cord-cutting, you’d think it would be … Continue reading “Cord Cutting: How to Get High-Speed Internet Without Cable, 2017 Edition”
Partnership on AI Taps Obama Administration Tech Adviser as Director
An effort launched a year ago by big tech companies to address ethical and societal issues presented by the advancement of artificial intelligence has named as its first executive director a former top technology policy adviser in the Obama administration. Terah Lyons (pictured above right), who led government initiatives to develop machine intelligence strategies, will … Continue reading “Partnership on AI Taps Obama Administration Tech Adviser as Director”
Arsanis Eyes IPO to Support Clinical Testing of Pneumonia Drug
Arsanis is joining the IPO queue, filing for a stock offering that would raise cash to support a drug that combines two monoclonal antibodies with the goal of preventing pneumonia infections. The filing comes seven months after the Waltham, MA, company raised $45.5 million in a Series D investment round to finance Phase 2 studies … Continue reading “Arsanis Eyes IPO to Support Clinical Testing of Pneumonia Drug”
WSU Researchers Team Sensors, Clinicians, Algorithms for Senior Care
An older woman, still living independently in a senior care community, contracts a urinary tract infection. She ignores it for a few days, because she’s had them before and maybe it will go away. She takes more trips to the bathroom. The infection worsens and creates side effects including dizziness. She falls, breaks her hip, … Continue reading “WSU Researchers Team Sensors, Clinicians, Algorithms for Senior Care”
Bio Roundup: Kite’s CAR-T Approved, Obamacare Fix & Lilly mRNA Deal
Kite Pharma wasn’t expecting a regulatory decision for its non-Hodgkin lymphoma treatment until November, but this week, the company got the FDA’s O.K. The approval of axicabtagene ciloleucel (Yescarta) marks the second time in the two months that the FDA has given the nod to a CAR-T therapy, a treatment made from a patient’s own … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Kite’s CAR-T Approved, Obamacare Fix & Lilly mRNA Deal”
Techstars Mobility Event: Detroit’s Momentum Clear as Startups Shine
Eleven startups that spent the summer working in the Techstars Mobility accelerator program took to the stage to pitch their technologies to a packed house of investors, entrepreneurs, media, and other stakeholders at the Detroit Film Theatre Wednesday. According to Techstars, this demo day event is the world’s largest of its kind. Each company was introduced by … Continue reading “Techstars Mobility Event: Detroit’s Momentum Clear as Startups Shine”
Microsoft, Packers to Spend $10M to Create Startup Hub in Green Bay
The NFL’s Green Bay Packers attract tens of thousands of fans from Wisconsin and other states whenever the team plays a home game at Lambeau Field. Now, through a new, $10 million partnership with Microsoft, the Packers are hoping to attract entrepreneurs and tech startups to Green Bay, and develop new products and services there. … Continue reading “Microsoft, Packers to Spend $10M to Create Startup Hub in Green Bay”
Level Playing Field? How Big Company Dominance May Hinder Innovation
The conventional wisdom about Silicon Valley is that it’s a playground for the underdogs, a fertile ground for young entrepreneurs building startups that are going to “change the world.” Instead, the Bay Area—while, yes, still home to thirsty young entrepreneurs—is increasingly the stomping grounds of a few major tech companies that have come to dominate … Continue reading “Level Playing Field? How Big Company Dominance May Hinder Innovation”
With Pitches for HQ2 Made, Cities Wait on Amazon’s 2018 Decision
From Portland to Pittsburgh, it’s likely that every city in the U.S. with more than 1 million people has made its case to Amazon to locate the company’s second headquarters there. At least, hopefully they have already, because today—if you haven’t heard—was the deadline to apply. Amazon sent North America into a frenzy after announcing … Continue reading “With Pitches for HQ2 Made, Cities Wait on Amazon’s 2018 Decision”
Lab Focused on Human-Centered Design Moves to Put San Diego on Map
For Michèle Morris, the big question hanging over organizers as they laid the groundwork last year for the first Design Forward Summit was whether the innovation community in San Diego understood the value of design. “We didn’t know who was going to show up—and 600 people showed up,” said Morris, who is associate director of … Continue reading “Lab Focused on Human-Centered Design Moves to Put San Diego on Map”
Kite Nabs First Adult CAR-T Approval With Notable Uptick Of Cures
For the second time in two months, remarkable recoveries from desperate cases of cancer have led to early approval of a cutting-edge therapy called CAR-T, which is made from a patient’s own genetically engineered cells. More than a month before the decision was due, the FDA has given the nod to axicabtagene ciloleucel, now branded … Continue reading “Kite Nabs First Adult CAR-T Approval With Notable Uptick Of Cures”
GE & Apple Unite to Bring Industrial Apps to iPhones & iPads
General Electric’s push to remake itself as a software-focused industrial manufacturer took another step forward today with the announcement of a partnership with Silicon Valley giant Apple. The companies are rolling out a software development kit that enables developers to create apps for Apple’s iPhone and iPad that use GE’s Predix, a cloud-based software platform … Continue reading “GE & Apple Unite to Bring Industrial Apps to iPhones & iPads”
Vir Biotech Vies for Global Approach to Tackling Infectious Disease
Vir Biotechnology CEO George Scangos aims to develop new infectious disease drugs that can treat people in the U.S. and other developed countries. But he also wants to make these therapies available to the developing world, where the need is great but the financial means to pay for medicine is scarce. To accomplish both goals, … Continue reading “Vir Biotech Vies for Global Approach to Tackling Infectious Disease”
Fast-Growing Vacasa Raises $103.5M for Vacation Rentals Marketplace
Vacation rental marketplace and management service Vacasa announced a $103.5 million Series B funding round, which the Portland, OR-based company says will help fund continued technology development and expansion to new markets. Vacasa, co-founded in 2009 by Eric Breon and Cliff Johnson, grew for six years without raising outside capital. Last spring it announced a … Continue reading “Fast-Growing Vacasa Raises $103.5M for Vacation Rentals Marketplace”
After Trump Sounds Off, Senate Has Adult Conversation on Drug Prices
In advance of an anticipated Senate hearing on drug prices, President Donald Trump once again denounced drug companies as “getting away with murder.” The first time he did so, using the same phrase just before his inauguration, the markets shuddered. He also said at the time that “we’re going to start bidding,” a reference to … Continue reading “After Trump Sounds Off, Senate Has Adult Conversation on Drug Prices”
LevelTen Raises $6.8M as Corporations Demand More Wind, Solar
LevelTen Energy, a Seattle startup making it easier for corporations to purchase renewable energy, has raised $6.8 million from investors. LevelTen aims to give more companies access to the power purchase agreements that sophisticated energy buyers such as Microsoft (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MSFT]]) negotiate directly with wind and solar energy developers, rather than buying power through an … Continue reading “LevelTen Raises $6.8M as Corporations Demand More Wind, Solar”
Wellpepper’s Voice-Enabled Scale Wins Alexa Diabetes Challenge
Seattle-based Wellpepper took the $125,000 grand prize in the Alexa Diabetes Challenge, a competition to develop voice technology specifically to help people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Wellpepper’s entry, called Sugarpod, is an interactive care and management plan, paired with a voice-enabled scale and foot scanner, that’s meant to help people with the disease … Continue reading “Wellpepper’s Voice-Enabled Scale Wins Alexa Diabetes Challenge”
Vinod Khosla on A.I., Health, and the Future of Working (or Not)
Entrepreneur-turned-venture capitalist Vinod Khosla made big headlines almost six years ago when he wrote a blog post called “Do We Need Doctors or Algorithms?” In it, he said medicine needed to be reinvented and he predicted a new era in which artificial intelligence might replace most of the functions that doctors do now—and do it … Continue reading “Vinod Khosla on A.I., Health, and the Future of Working (or Not)”
Healthcare + A.I. Northwest on Nov. 9: Agenda Highlights
Artificial intelligence—the catchall term for a broad swath of technologies imbuing computer systems with the capacity to perceive and act—is poised to upend industries across the economy. But nowhere is its promise more alluring than in healthcare, as the sweeping human endeavor of keeping ourselves well runs up against demographic and financial realities. Will A.I. … Continue reading “Healthcare + A.I. Northwest on Nov. 9: Agenda Highlights”
Bio Roundup: Light For Spark, California Drug Law, IPO Queue & More
In a year of tragedies across the U.S., natural or otherwise, it seemed this week was California’s turn. Fueled by high winds, low humidity, and ample dry vegetation, fires swept through several towns across the state and, as of this writing, have barely been contained. With our minds on friends and loved ones affected by … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Light For Spark, California Drug Law, IPO Queue & More”
Bill’s Friends Pledge $30M, Name New UW Computer Building for Gateses
As Amazon looks beyond Seattle for a large part of its future growth, Microsoft is stamping its legacy on the region’s foremost engine of the innovation economy, University of Washington. The computer science department at the state’s flagship public research institution played a formative role in the early lives of budding programmers Bill Gates and … Continue reading “Bill’s Friends Pledge $30M, Name New UW Computer Building for Gateses”
Seattle Biotech Blaze Bioscience Adds $16M for Clinical Trial Work
Blaze Bioscience, a Seattle-based biotech that’s developing “tumor paint” to help surgeons differentiate healthy tissue from tumors that should be removed, has raised a $16.1 million Series B-1 round of funding from existing investors, according a regulatory filing and the company’s CEO. The funds are being used to complete work on the company’s early-stage clinical … Continue reading “Seattle Biotech Blaze Bioscience Adds $16M for Clinical Trial Work”
Android Founder on VR, Voice & the Future of Human-Machine Collaboration
Within 20 years, computer keyboards will be relegated to the technology dustbin, says Android co-founder Rich Miner. Miner helped shape the smartphone era with Android, a mobile operating system startup that Google acquired in 2005. Android software now powers over 2 billion devices. On Tuesday, Miner spoke at a mobile software developer conference in Boston … Continue reading “Android Founder on VR, Voice & the Future of Human-Machine Collaboration”
Mapbox, Bill.com, Standard Cognition, Empowered by New Cash
—Mapbox announced Tuesday it had raised a hefty $164 million in a Series C financing round led by the SoftBank Vision Fund, which was joined by Foundry Group, DFJ Growth, DBL, and Thrive. The new capital will speed up Mapbox’s progress in vehicle navigation and autonomous driving, enlarge its virtual reality and augmented reality gaming capabilities, and fund its … Continue reading “Mapbox, Bill.com, Standard Cognition, Empowered by New Cash”
FDA To Advisors: What If One-Time Gene Therapy Needs Extra Doses?
In the run-up to a key vote on an experimental gene therapy, the FDA raised no major flags about the drug’s track record but said its long-term effect remains an open question. That question should receive a thorough airing Thursday, when a meeting of FDA outside advisors will weigh a recommendation of the one-shot gene … Continue reading “FDA To Advisors: What If One-Time Gene Therapy Needs Extra Doses?”
Black Fellowship Students Headed From HBCUs to VC Boardrooms
In mid-October, eleven college students will be flying to California for an opportunity that would be the envy of any Ivy League MBA candidate—they’ll meet the venture capital firm partners who will personally mentor them throughout the school year. The students—all but one are undergraduates—come from campuses in Prairie View, Texas; Tallahassee, Florida; and Nashville, … Continue reading “Black Fellowship Students Headed From HBCUs to VC Boardrooms”
Healthcare is Ready for Alexa, as Soon as HIPAA Issue Resolved
[Corrected 10/10/17, 12:51 p.m. See below.] A voice-enabled bathroom scale that can scan for diabetic foot ulcers uses Amazon’s voice service, Alexa, to instruct patients to step on when they’re ready to begin. In one test, a patient responded to Alexa’s prompt by declaring, “Ready when you are.” Anne Weiler, co-founder and CEO of Wellpepper, … Continue reading “Healthcare is Ready for Alexa, as Soon as HIPAA Issue Resolved”
VC Funding Surges in Fewer Deals in Third Quarter, and Top 10 Deals
[Updated 10/11/17, 12:25 am. See below.] “More dollars, fewer deals” has been a prevailing trend in venture funding over the past couple of years, and it was evident again in the three months that ended September 30, according to the latest Venture Monitor report. Venture firms invested $21.5 billion in 1,699 startups nationwide during the … Continue reading “VC Funding Surges in Fewer Deals in Third Quarter, and Top 10 Deals”
Blockchain, Banks & the New Web: Q&A With Ethereum Co-founder Lubin
Ethereum co-founder Joe Lubin is calm and soft-spoken when he shares his vision of how blockchain technology and digital currencies could transform the Internet, the global economy, and many aspects of our daily lives. But what he’s talking about could become a raging tempest, and it’s worth paying attention to—especially given the vast sums of … Continue reading “Blockchain, Banks & the New Web: Q&A With Ethereum Co-founder Lubin”
Steve Case’s Rise of the Rest Shines Spotlight on Emerging Tech Hubs
Steve Case, venture capitalist, author, and co-founder of AOL, is preparing to hit the road this week on his sixth Rise of the Rest tour, where he travels to emerging innovation hubs in search of investment-worthy tech startups and to highlight the growth happening outside of places like Silicon Valley and Boston. In the years … Continue reading “Steve Case’s Rise of the Rest Shines Spotlight on Emerging Tech Hubs”
At Japan-Seattle A.I. Meetup, Caution Leavens Tech Optimism
The hype around artificial intelligence continues to inflate, even as technologies lumped under that broad and ill-defined heading begin to deliver real results. Meanwhile, there is a growing chorus asking technologists to proceed with caution—not so much because of fears stoked by Hollywood depictions of a malevolent computer intelligence out to destroy humanity, but rather … Continue reading “At Japan-Seattle A.I. Meetup, Caution Leavens Tech Optimism”
Bio Roundup: Nobel Pursuit, Fundraising Fruit, A Rhythmic IPO & More
The 2017 Nobel Prizes with a biomedical bent were announced this week. Three researchers shared the physiology and medicine prize for their work shining light on the circadian rhythms that govern the wake-and-sleep cycles of all organisms. That basic research is working its way into applications such as drugs that help regulate our body clocks. … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Nobel Pursuit, Fundraising Fruit, A Rhythmic IPO & More”
Contemplating E-Sports, NFL, and Fandom with Taunt CEO Ben Gilbert
While I can understand professional video game playing, I was, until recently, baffled by the millions of avid fans of e-sports. I didn’t get why people—perhaps more than 300 million—would spend countless hours watching someone else manipulate the controls when they could be playing themselves, or doing any number of other things. A recent conversation … Continue reading “Contemplating E-Sports, NFL, and Fandom with Taunt CEO Ben Gilbert”
Impel NeuroPharma Names Jon Congleton President and CEO
Jon Congleton has been named president and CEO of Seattle-based Impel NeuroPharma. Congleton was most recently president and CEO of Nivalis Therapeutics in Boulder, CO. Impel is developing intranasal drug treatments for central nervous system disorders.
Paul English’s Lola Unveils Revamped App for Business “Road Warriors”
Some observers of mobile technologies wonder if they’re killing people’s “do-it-yourself” mentality, as a multitude of apps enable users to hire others to tackle tasks for them on demand, from grocery shopping and delivery to assembling their furniture. One area where smartphone owners apparently don’t want to completely hand off a task to someone else? … Continue reading “Paul English’s Lola Unveils Revamped App for Business “Road Warriors””
AltspaceVR Finds New Home in Microsoft’s Mixed Reality Ecosystem
AltspaceVR, one of the forerunners of shared social experiences in virtual reality spaces, has been saved from extinction by Microsoft, which announced Tuesday that it is acquiring the four-year-old company. The Redwood City, CA-based startup had sounded its own death knell on July 28, announcing that it planned to shut down Aug. 3 due to the … Continue reading “AltspaceVR Finds New Home in Microsoft’s Mixed Reality Ecosystem”
After Buyout, Grommet CEO Pieri Says: “Ace Wants Us to Be Ourselves”
For Jules Pieri, the purchase of a majority stake in her company, The Grommet, by Ace Hardware was perhaps preordained. “How fitting is it that our company is named after a humble piece of hardware?” she asks. “There is some destiny at work here.” Also at work was a year-long partnership with the national cooperative … Continue reading “After Buyout, Grommet CEO Pieri Says: “Ace Wants Us to Be Ourselves””
Celebrating Boston Life Sciences: Xconomy Awards Gala Slideshow
We at Xconomy were thrilled to see such a great turnout at our first-ever Awards Gala—350 people from the Boston life sciences community filled a Hynes Convention Center ballroom. As Bob Buderi, our founder and editor-in-chief, said in his opening remarks on September 26 before a sold-out crowd: We clearly struck a chord. Top scientists, … Continue reading “Celebrating Boston Life Sciences: Xconomy Awards Gala Slideshow”
Twitter Joins Facebook in Political Hot Seat Over Election Hacking
Ordinarily, Twitter’s announcement that some of its users can now send tweets twice as long as its signature 140-character limit, and that this freedom could be broadened to others, would have been the company’s top news of the week. But instead, Twitter, like Facebook before it, is under the national microscope as government investigations of … Continue reading “Twitter Joins Facebook in Political Hot Seat Over Election Hacking”
Bio Roundup: Graham-Cassidy, Axovant Fail, SpringWorks Launches & More
After drug pricing, count drug shortages among the hot button issues sparking patient ire. Last year, the FDA says, 23 drug shortages were reported, down from 26 the previous year (and 251 in 2011). But Hurricane Maria’s direct strike on Puerto Rico might put the progress made on reducing shortages to the test. The Pharmaceutical … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Graham-Cassidy, Axovant Fail, SpringWorks Launches & More”
Ori’s Robotic Furniture Hints at Future of Smart Homes, Urban Design
The “smart” device movement has brought us gadgets like Internet-connected thermostats, light bulbs, and speakers. Now, a startup out of MIT called Ori wants to add furniture and walls to the so-called Internet of Things. “When we think of the home of the future or office of the future, the IoT has been limited to … Continue reading “Ori’s Robotic Furniture Hints at Future of Smart Homes, Urban Design”
UW Remains Among Global Elite in Ranking of Innovative Universities
The University of Washington remains among the top 10 most innovative universities in the world and holds its position as the highest-ranked American public university, as measured by Reuters, but it fell a couple of spots from 2016 to seventh overall. The important takeaway, for those who follow these rankings, is that the UW can … Continue reading “UW Remains Among Global Elite in Ranking of Innovative Universities”