Houston—More than 12 million people in the United States and European Union have congestive heart failure, but there are only about 4,500 hearts available each year for transplant. LVADs—left ventricular assist devices—have been used to help some of these patients, but installing them means cracking open patients’ chests in expensive open-heart surgery and a month-long … Continue reading “Corinnova Nets $6.1M from Wellcome for Heart Failure Medical Device”
Category: Texas
San Diego Positions Itself as Autonomous Technology Proving Ground
UC San Diego is becoming a test bed for self-driving vehicle technology. With a campus that encompasses more than 3.3 square miles and a daytime population of roughly 65,000, “It’s a small city,” said Henrik Christensen, who is leading the new project as director of the university’s Institute for Contextual Robotics. Christensen, who announced the … Continue reading “San Diego Positions Itself as Autonomous Technology Proving Ground”
Five Questions For … Jeff Reichman, Of Civic Tech Skunkworks Sketch City
Houston—For Sketch City founder Jeff Reichman, a guiding philosophy is love to learn. “If you follow that, you’re going to learn all sorts of cool stuff,” he says. “You can get a unique mix of skills and position yourself for really interesting stuff in your career.” The Philadelphia native came to Houston in 2009 to … Continue reading “Five Questions For … Jeff Reichman, Of Civic Tech Skunkworks Sketch City”
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”
Cloud-Focused Cybersecurity Center at UTSA Aims $5M at Unfilled Jobs
San Antonio—Encryption, access control, intrusion and fraud detection—the fundamentals of cybersecurity remain largely the same regardless of the type of computing infrastructure an organization uses. But the way IT professionals might apply those security methods to an analog computer versus computing on the cloud vary, for a pretty simple reason: people use different systems different … Continue reading “Cloud-Focused Cybersecurity Center at UTSA Aims $5M at Unfilled Jobs”
After Harvey’s Chaos, Tech Tools Provide Key Connection to Schools
Houston—Hurricane Harvey has faded from front-page newspaper headlines and the top of cable news, but for thousands of families, the chaos and dislocation are still very much top of mind. Luckily, some of them have been able to use technology to fill some basic needs in education and communication. Uma Dama, whose Sugarland, TX, home … Continue reading “After Harvey’s Chaos, Tech Tools Provide Key Connection to Schools”
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”
VelocityTX and OBr Plan to Bring Brazilian Startups to San Antonio
San Antonio — Another week, another announcement from VelocityTX, the rapidly expanding startup program launched last month to promote and aid young tech and bioscience businesses in South Central Texas. VelocityTX is now working to bring Brazilian startups from Rio de Janeiro to San Antonio as a part of a program it is starting with Outsource … Continue reading “VelocityTX and OBr Plan to Bring Brazilian Startups to San Antonio”
Houston Exponential Aims to Bring Venture Investment, Boost Startups
Houston—Houston leaders will officially launch a venture capital fund of funds later this morning, aimed at jumpstarting the city’s innovation ecosystem and elevating Houston into the top tier of startup hubs. The HX Venture Fund, which will be in the $40 million to $50 million range, will be made up of corporate investments which, in … Continue reading “Houston Exponential Aims to Bring Venture Investment, Boost Startups”
Following Wave of Interest in Cybersecurity, SailPoint Files for IPO
Austin—SailPoint Technologies, a cybersecurity company that was acquired by private equity firm Thoma Bravo in 2014, wants to become a public company. SailPoint filed paperwork for an initial public offering on Oct. 20, and plans to list on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SAIL. SailPoint is approaching the markets during a high … Continue reading “Following Wave of Interest in Cybersecurity, SailPoint Files for IPO”
Five Questions For … Chelsea Collier, Smart Cities Advocate in Austin
Austin—Call her the accidental innovator. Chelsea Collier didn’t set out to be part of Austin’s innovation ecosystem, she says, adding that “it just sort of evolved over time through a sense of curiosity.” After working in a variety of marketing roles, including a job with the Office of the Governor for the State of Texas, … Continue reading “Five Questions For … Chelsea Collier, Smart Cities Advocate in Austin”
Clinical Trial Lab Intrinsic Imaging Joins Rise of AI in Radiology
San Antonio — Algorithms are now a silent, ever-present part of life, turning the wheels that operate our favorite apps, games, television programs, and more. As the complexity of those equations expands, artificial intelligence and deep-learning algorithms are increasingly extending into fields such as healthcare, including diagnostics, which aim to catch health problems in patients. IBM’s … Continue reading “Clinical Trial Lab Intrinsic Imaging Joins Rise of AI in Radiology”
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”
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”
VelocityTX Releases Early Design for Texas Startup “Innovation Center”
San Antonio—A new “superhub” for entrepreneurs and startups in San Antonio is taking shape—at least on paper. VelocityTX, an organization unveiled last month that plans to support and promote local startups, released early renderings of its plans for a three-building “innovation center,” which it says will include an event space, labs, offices, and other resources … Continue reading “VelocityTX Releases Early Design for Texas Startup “Innovation Center””
Two Accelerator Programs Open in Austin as Texas Bolsters Ecosystem
Austin—Two new startup programs have launched in Austin in the last week: One is a Boston-based program that doesn’t take an equity stake in the startups it helps accelerate, while the second is a new branch of Techstars that’s focused on social and environmental businesses. Austin is the newest city in a growing list in … Continue reading “Two Accelerator Programs Open in Austin as Texas Bolsters Ecosystem”
Xconomy Bookclub: Village Capital CEO Tackles Innovation’s “Blind Spot”
Silicon Valley has written the playbook for building innovative companies that have transformed the global economy. But it doesn’t hold the exclusive patent on the only path to innovation. That’s the view of Ross Baird, the co-founder and CEO of Village Capital, a Washington, DC-based social impact venture firm, and author of the new book … Continue reading “Xconomy Bookclub: Village Capital CEO Tackles Innovation’s “Blind Spot””
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”
After Shutdown, Bridj Restarts Engine in Australia Under New Owner
[Updated 10/18/17, 2:01 pm. See below.] Bridj, the Boston-based, app-enabled transit service that shut down in the spring, is apparently making a comeback—in Australia. In a Facebook post on Friday, Bridj said its business was acquired by Australian public transportation operator Transit Systems, which plans to implement Bridj’s service in Sydney, Australia, later this year. … Continue reading “After Shutdown, Bridj Restarts Engine in Australia Under New Owner”
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)”
JLABS Takes Stock of Its Experiment in Life Sciences Innovation
What began as a kind of business experiment in innovation has acquired a life of its own. The idea in 2011 was to create a space at what was then Johnson & Johnson’s pharmaceutical research and development facility in San Diego for an “innovation center,” a place where 18 to 20 life sciences startups could … Continue reading “JLABS Takes Stock of Its Experiment in Life Sciences Innovation”
Five Questions For … Michael Webber, UT Professor and Energy Expert
Austin—As a freshman member of the University of Texas Longhorn Band, Michael Webber tried out for drum major. “They were all, ‘Who the hell is this guy?’” Webber recalls. “I didn’t get it but I was sending a signal: I’m on my way.” Webber tried out for the position each year and by his senior … Continue reading “Five Questions For … Michael Webber, UT Professor and Energy Expert”
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”
Jamf To Be Sold to Austin, TX-based Private Equity Firm
Jamf, a Minneapolis-based company that helps businesses set up and manage Apple computers and mobile devices that employees use for work, says it has agreed to sell a majority stake in the company to Austin, TX-based Vista Equity Partners. While Jamf is headquartered in the Twin Cities, it was originally based in Eau Claire, WI, … Continue reading “Jamf To Be Sold to Austin, TX-based Private Equity Firm”
Fueling Startups: New Firms Emerge on Texas Venture Capital Landscape
A perceived weakness in Texas’s startup communities is a lack of early stage investment capital available for budding tech entrepreneurs. Texas tech entrepreneurs share anecdotes about the difficulty they can have in securing funding. And data compiled by industry organizations show that venture capital activity in the state is a fraction of what is seen … Continue reading “Fueling Startups: New Firms Emerge on Texas Venture Capital Landscape”
VelocityTX Becomes Manager of Alliance of Texas Angel Networks
San Antonio—VelocityTX, the recently announced hub for entrepreneurs and startups in San Antonio, is taking over the operation and management duties of the Alliance of Texas Angel Networks, a group that coordinates 14 accredited angel investor networks across the state. VelocityTX will handle public-facing events and manage other activities for the angel network group, known … Continue reading “VelocityTX Becomes Manager of Alliance of Texas Angel Networks”
AlertMedia Takes in $8M for Smartphone-Focused Notification Software
Austin—Emergency messaging provider AlertMedia announced this morning it is taking in $8 million in a Series B round of funding that was led by early stage investor Next Coast Ventures. The Austin-based startup was founded in 2013 and plans to put the new money toward sales growth and further developing its product, which is software … Continue reading “AlertMedia Takes in $8M for Smartphone-Focused Notification Software”
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”
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?”
Voices of Harvey: “Can We Develop a Disaster Platform For The World?”
Houston—During Hurricane Harvey, ChaiOne founder and CEO Gaurav Khandelwal and his wife, Seema, hosted volunteer nurses who had come in from out of town to help provide medical care to storm victims. “For over three nights they keep going to NRG Park,” the Houston Texans stadium that served as a shelter after Harvey hit, he … Continue reading “Voices of Harvey: “Can We Develop a Disaster Platform For The World?””
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”
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”
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”
Texas Bio and Tech Hub Looks to Help Global Startups Gain Velocity
San Antonio — VelocityTX, the recently established resource center for entrepreneurs and startups in San Antonio, may have its eyes on bringing businesses from around the world to the U.S., and possibly to the Alamo City. The organization, which launched in September, announced it is starting a “Global Reach” program to identify companies in emerging markets … Continue reading “Texas Bio and Tech Hub Looks to Help Global Startups Gain Velocity”
As Relief Moves to Recovery, Questions About FEMA’s Tech Corps
[Updated 10/6/17, 8:09 am. See below.] Houston—As Hurricane Harvey whirled toward the Texas Gulf Coast, a volunteer group of techies in Texas and other parts of the country gathered in a Slack channel to develop tools that could help with rescue, recovery, and relief efforts. Nearly six weeks later, that group of volunteers—with some coming … Continue reading “As Relief Moves to Recovery, Questions About FEMA’s Tech Corps”
Fresenius Medical’s Angelo Moesslang Joins InGeneron as CEO
Regenerative medicine company InGeneron has appointed Angelo Moesslang CEO. Before joining Houston-based InGeneron, Moesslang was CFO of Fresenius Medical Care North America, part of German company Fresenius Medical Care. Earlier this year, InGeneron raised $20 million to support clinical testing of a stem cell-based system meant to aid recovery from wounds and orthopedic injuries.
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”
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”
Software Startup MedSpoke Adds Physician Users, Mulls New Funding
San Antonio—MedSpoke, a startup with software that aims to make the process of verifying a physician’s credentials easier, is picking up momentum and might seek a new round of funding as soon as the first quarter of 2018, according to CEO Jonathan Larson. The San Antonio company has already had some conversations with healthcare-focused venture … Continue reading “Software Startup MedSpoke Adds Physician Users, Mulls New Funding”
Visualize Harvey, Startup Funding, TMC Medtech Firm Updates, & More
—Hurricane Harvey’s landfall on the Texas Gulf Coast was catastrophic, causing damage to communities from Corpus Christi, TX, to Beaumont on the border of Texas and Louisiana. The storm also disabled Houston, the nation’s fourth largest city. Rice University’s Kinder Institute created a “story map” with storm-related data to illustrate the economic cost of the … Continue reading “Visualize Harvey, Startup Funding, TMC Medtech Firm Updates, & More”
Five Questions For … Austin Biotech Entrepreneur Paul Lammers
Austin—Two years ago, Paul Lammers was riding the cancer immunotherapy wave in biotech. His firm, Mirna Therapeutics, hit the Nasdaq after raising $80.5 million in an IPO. Two years and one unsuccessful early stage clinical trial later, Mirna is history. In May, the company was absorbed in a reverse merger with Cambridge, MA-based Synologic, whose shareholders … Continue reading “Five Questions For … Austin Biotech Entrepreneur Paul Lammers”
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”
In TaskRabbit’s Sale to Ikea, Lessons for Retail Tech’s Future
“Gig economy” startup TaskRabbit has sold to Ikea, the furniture maker whose customers often turned to TaskRabbit’s online marketplace for help. It will be important to watch how other traditional retailers like Walmart and online sellers like Wayfair respond in the broader competition for tech talent and platforms. This is now a world where retail … Continue reading “In TaskRabbit’s Sale to Ikea, Lessons for Retail Tech’s Future”