Austin—[Updated 4:34 p.m. See below.] For Convey, a startup with technology aimed at improving the process of shipping and delivery, winning an award from the Austin Chamber of Commerce last night was the cap to a busy week. The chamber gave Convey its Innovation Award during its annual business award ceremony Wednesday. Three other companies, … Continue reading “Software Maker Convey Wins Innovation Award, Snags $8M for Growth”
Category: Texas
‘We Can’t Lose Them’: Supporting Houston’s Tech Ecosystem Post-Harvey
Houston—Like many living in the Houston area, Blair Garrou and his fellow partners at venture firm Mercury Fund were receiving a deluge of calls and texts asking how they could help people coping with the aftermath of Tropical Storm Harvey. The result is an effort announced late Wednesday called “Entrepreneurs for Houston,” a group put … Continue reading “‘We Can’t Lose Them’: Supporting Houston’s Tech Ecosystem Post-Harvey”
Novartis: CAR-T Results In One Month, Or No Charge. Why One Month?
Novartis said Wednesday that it would not charge for its newly approved cellular immunotherapy, tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah)—the first so-called CAR-T product to ever come to market—if it fails to help patients within a month. If the cell therapy, approved for kids with leukemia who have run out of other options, starts to work within a month, … Continue reading “Novartis: CAR-T Results In One Month, Or No Charge. Why One Month?”
Embracing the Inevitable Changes of Self-Driving Vehicles
Read today’s news and you’d think fully autonomous vehicles—commercial vehicles, in particular—will be everywhere in the very near future. With headlines like these, it’s no wonder: Self-Driving Trucks Could be on Highways in 3 to 4 Years U.S. and Europe Race to be First to Self-Driving Trucks Ford Plans Self-Driving Car for Ride Share Fleets … Continue reading “Embracing the Inevitable Changes of Self-Driving Vehicles”
Apps, Textbots, & Web Maps: Tech Ecosystem Aids Harvey Relief Effort
[Updated 9/1/17 3:10 pm] Houston—A Slack channel called #harvey has become a virtual command center for the city’s tech community during one of the most destructive natural disasters to hit Texas. A group of software programmers, website developers, and others meet around-the-clock on the online messaging system, exchanging code and advice to build a nearly … Continue reading “Apps, Textbots, & Web Maps: Tech Ecosystem Aids Harvey Relief Effort”
Novartis Wins Historic FDA Nod, Prices CAR-T For Leukemia at $475,000
Ahead of schedule, Novartis has received the first-ever approval of a genetically modified living cell therapy called CAR-T, which uses a cancer patient’s own immune cells as the medicine. Within days, children and young adults with a severe form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia could receive the treatment at a handful of centers across the U.S. … Continue reading “Novartis Wins Historic FDA Nod, Prices CAR-T For Leukemia at $475,000”
Taking Tech Ideas Global: Connecting an Innovation Ecosystem
The word ecosystem conjures up a rain forest in Ecuador, where sunlight, soil, water, and a multitude of species exist together in a self-sustaining environment that is constantly evolving. This image from biology translates perfectly into what many people like to call an innovation ecosystem. Think of a group of people developing a new idea, … Continue reading “Taking Tech Ideas Global: Connecting an Innovation Ecosystem”
Who is Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber’s Pick to be CEO?
The news broke Sunday night that Uber has offered the job of CEO to Dara Khosrowshahi, the outspoken steady hand guiding Bellevue, WA-based online travel giant Expedia (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EXPE]]) for the last dozen years. Khosrowshahi and Uber have not officially confirmed the news as of Monday evening. An internal e-mail from Barry Diller, Expedia chairman, … Continue reading “Who is Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber’s Pick to be CEO?”
Social Media, Interactive Maps Tapped to Aid Harvey Rescue Efforts
Houston—Houston tech entrepreneur Shailendra Sinhasane spent the weekend reading desperate social media posts from people asking to be rescued from the rising floodwaters caused by Hurricane Harvey. “There were people on Facebook saying they are ready with their trucks to help, saying we have boats, but with social media posts, we had no idea who … Continue reading “Social Media, Interactive Maps Tapped to Aid Harvey Rescue Efforts”
Power to the Patient: Meet Xconomy’s Patient Partnership Award Finalists
It’s clear at this point that patients are no longer just subjects in clinical trials. Thanks to the growing power of patient advocacy groups—and an FDA eager to hear their perspective—patients and drug developers are increasingly finding creating ways to work together, as we’ve seen with the four finalists in the Patient Partnership category of … Continue reading “Power to the Patient: Meet Xconomy’s Patient Partnership Award Finalists”
Five Questions For … Dallas Entrepreneur & Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban
Dallas—Among the outsized personalities of Texas innovators, Mark Cuban stands out. The billionaire entrepreneur and investor owns the Dallas Mavericks professional basketball team, appears on the “Shark Tank” TV show, and now, perhaps, is mulling adding the Oval Office to his resume? Cuban, who made his fortune in 1999 when he sold his company Broadcast.com … Continue reading “Five Questions For … Dallas Entrepreneur & Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban”
UT Nominates MD Anderson Alum Peter Pisters to Replace DePinho
Austin—The University of Texas System Board of Regents Friday afternoon announced that Peter W.T. Pisters from the University Health Network in Toronto as the sole finalist to lead UT’s MD Anderson Cancer Center. The regents approved his nomination unanimously in a specially called board meeting in which board chairman Paul Foster said several candidates were … Continue reading “UT Nominates MD Anderson Alum Peter Pisters to Replace DePinho”
Bio Roundup: Drug Price Debates, NY Bio Blooms & CEOs Take Social Stand
In these politically divided times, Americans this week found near universal agreement on one thing: A celestial event that plunges a summer day into temporary darkness is a captivating experience. The totality of the solar eclipse lasted less than 3 minutes. If you missed it, you’ll have to wait until 2024 for the next one. … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Drug Price Debates, NY Bio Blooms & CEOs Take Social Stand”
Regional Innovators Start Work to Promote Texas Ecosystem as a Whole
In building thriving startup ecosystems, experts say density is key. The idea is to have a critical mass of founders, investors, mentors, and executives mixing and mingling together. That sort of serendipity allows ideas to fully blossom. Think of Kendall Square or Sand Hill Road. But, for communities not on the East or West Coasts, … Continue reading “Regional Innovators Start Work to Promote Texas Ecosystem as a Whole”
Stand Up to “Bully” Trump: Bio CEOs Levin, Holtzman Call to Their Peers
Biotech CEOs Jeremy Levin and Steve Holtzman have watched the violence in Charlottesville, VA, and its continuing aftermath with disgust. But they aren’t just upset about the rally, the violence and death, and President Trump’s equivocating blame of “many sides.” Levin, of Ovid Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OVID]]), and Holtzman, of Decibel Therapeutics, have been disappointed with … Continue reading “Stand Up to “Bully” Trump: Bio CEOs Levin, Holtzman Call to Their Peers”
Filestack, Maker of File Uploading API, Hires New CEO Sameer Kamat
San Antonio—Filestack, a startup offering software that aims to make uploading photos and other content to applications easier and more reliable, has hired a new CEO: Sameer Kamat, an executive and engineer who spent the last 15 years at data and application backup company Unitrends. Kamat started at Unitrends as a software engineer and worked … Continue reading “Filestack, Maker of File Uploading API, Hires New CEO Sameer Kamat”
The Downside of Immersive Tech: An Increasingly Isolated World
As an entrepreneur who has been involved in tech and media for over two decades, I have seen my share of disruptions (I so hate that word!) and even participated in a few. Back in the 1990s, while we were developing some broadband technologies at Sourcecom, my first startup, we also had to develop the … Continue reading “The Downside of Immersive Tech: An Increasingly Isolated World”
Liftoff: Kickstarter-Backed Overhaul of NASA Mission Control Is A Go
Houston—NASA’s Mission Control is on its way to getting a major facelift, thanks to the help of a few thousand friends. A 30-day Kickstarter campaign that ended on Saturday raised $506,905 from 4,251 backers—an amount that is more than double the campaign’s goal of $250,000. The project is aimed at helping to pay for a … Continue reading “Liftoff: Kickstarter-Backed Overhaul of NASA Mission Control Is A Go”
Austin’s Apollo Endosurgery Responds to FDA Note After Patient Deaths
Austin—Two years after gaining FDA approval to market a minimally invasive gastrointestinal balloon to combat obesity, Apollo Endosurgery (NASDAQ: [[ticker:APEN]]) is now dealing with fallout from patient deaths following implantations of the device. In a letter to healthcare providers dated Aug. 10, the FDA stated that seven deaths occurred in patients with liquid-filled intragastric balloon … Continue reading “Austin’s Apollo Endosurgery Responds to FDA Note After Patient Deaths”
On Drug Pricing: FDA Backs Up Its Calls for Increased Competition
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has been very public in expressing his desire to provide increased competition and greater choice to American consumers in a bid to drive down prices of prescription medicines. Recently, the agency he oversees took some unusual steps to back up those statements with action. Last week, the FDA approved the use … Continue reading “On Drug Pricing: FDA Backs Up Its Calls for Increased Competition”
Five Questions For … Geekdom Fund Co-Founder Michael Girdley
San Antonio—Michael Girdley grew up as a self-described “techie kid,” who whiled away the hours trying to take apart his Apple II computer. “I was always attracted to tech,” he says. That interest led him to pursue a computer science degree at Lafayette College and, eventually, land in ground zero of the Internet age in … Continue reading “Five Questions For … Geekdom Fund Co-Founder Michael Girdley”
Bio Roundup: Frazier v. Trump, Data Dumps, New York Steps & More
The CEO of a major U.S. pharmaceutical company was in the news this week, but for a change not because of the cost of drugs. Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier (pictured) was the first of what quickly became a line of CEOs to exit President Trump’s manufacturing council, leading to its dissolution altogether. Frazier was widely … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Frazier v. Trump, Data Dumps, New York Steps & More”
Alzeca Receives $11M for Early Alzheimer’s Detection Technology
Houston—Alzeca, which is developing an imaging agent to help doctors detect Alzheimer’s disease at its earliest stages, announced Thursday it has raised $11 million in a Series A round of funding. The Houston-based company has developed an imaging agent that it says can, when used with an MRI, detect the presence of abnormal brain proteins … Continue reading “Alzeca Receives $11M for Early Alzheimer’s Detection Technology”
Expanding Tissue and Squeezing Cells: Meet Xconomy’s Young Innovator Award Finalists
The finalists in the Young Innovator category of the 2017 Xconomy Awards show that it’s never too early in life to start a company or invent a new technology. These four individuals (30 years of age or under) share a strong drive, even a restlessness, to build new things that make a difference. Three knew … Continue reading “Expanding Tissue and Squeezing Cells: Meet Xconomy’s Young Innovator Award Finalists”
Private Equity Investors Have $740 Billion to Spend, Driving Valuations
Private equity investors have more capital at their disposal than at any time in more than a decade, which could boost prices for companies seeking acquisitions. As of Aug. 1, private equity firms in North America and Europe had secured $212.6 billion in new commitments this year, on pace to eclipse the “already stellar” fundraising … Continue reading “Private Equity Investors Have $740 Billion to Spend, Driving Valuations”
Techstars Cloud Graduate Ilos Videos Snags $1.5M Led By Austin VC
San Antonio—Ilos Videos, a St. Paul, MN-based startup that went through the final Techstars Cloud program in San Antonio in February 2016, has raised a $1.5 million seed round of funding led by Active Capital, an Austin-based firm operated by three former Rackspace employees. Founded in 2015, ilos develops software that helps people make videos … Continue reading “Techstars Cloud Graduate Ilos Videos Snags $1.5M Led By Austin VC”
Coming of Age: San Antonio Startups Experience Busy Summer of M&A
San Antonio—Business leaders have been working for years to recast the Alamo City’s image, in an attempt to brand it as a hub of tech and healthcare startups as much as it is a place for tourists to visit the home of Davey Crockett’s last stand, take a glitzy River Walk, and enjoy a stellar … Continue reading “Coming of Age: San Antonio Startups Experience Busy Summer of M&A”
WatchHerWork Uses Crowdsourced Videos to Empower Professional Women
Houston—Denise Hamilton, founder and CEO of WatchHerWork, says that when it comes to achieving a better gender balance in the workplace, “If you can’t see it, you can’t be it.” That mantra has provided the motivation for her startup—a website that features women offering testimonials of their experiences navigating a variety of workplace issues. “I … Continue reading “WatchHerWork Uses Crowdsourced Videos to Empower Professional Women”
Dragonfly, eGenesis, Spero & More: Xconomy’s Startup Award Finalists
Startups play a critical role in the innovation economy that we chronicle at Xconomy—transforming new ideas that begin in a lab into the products and companies of tomorrow. No surprise, then, that the startup category in our first-ever Awards program was a particularly competitive one, loaded with private companies (no more than 5 years old) … Continue reading “Dragonfly, eGenesis, Spero & More: Xconomy’s Startup Award Finalists”
Five Questions For … Rice Entrepreneurship Professor Yael Hochberg
Houston—Most tech entrepreneurs are intently focused on their startups, their innovation and potential customers. Yael Hochberg focuses on how and why those founders succeed—and, more importantly, how and why they might fail. As the head of Rice University’s Entrepreneurship Initiative, Hochberg is currently working with a $1.5 million grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation … Continue reading “Five Questions For … Rice Entrepreneurship Professor Yael Hochberg”
Kauffman Fellows Take On VC Sexual Harassment, Bench Mentor McClure
If you’re looking for a counterpoint to the recent flurry of news stories about sexual harassment and gender bias in the tech sector, the Kauffman Fellows program isn’t a bad place to start. The Palo Alto, CA-based program, a spinoff of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, has been a gateway into the venture capital industry … Continue reading “Kauffman Fellows Take On VC Sexual Harassment, Bench Mentor McClure”
Bio Roundup: $1B Deals, Data Bumps, Acorda’s Lumps, Generic OKs & More
With President Trump holed up in New Jersey, rattling his saber at Kim Jong-un and Mitch McConnell and ignoring his own commission’s advice on the opioid crisis, there was still life sciences news from the nation’s capital. The FDA reported that generic drug approvals are set to hit a record; the agency under Commissioner Scott … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: $1B Deals, Data Bumps, Acorda’s Lumps, Generic OKs & More”
Tech Hiring Trends: Buzzwords, Trump Effect, and Gender-Pay Gap
As the tech economy continues its historic boom, here’s three views of labor market trends released this week, including the rise and fall of buzzwords in engineering job postings; the Trump Administration’s impact on U.S. companies’ interest in foreign workers; and another disappointing look at the gender-pay gap. —In the last two years, big data … Continue reading “Tech Hiring Trends: Buzzwords, Trump Effect, and Gender-Pay Gap”
Why We All Should Care About the Recent Brouhaha at Google
The issues raised by the 10-page memo on the suitability of women for certain engineering and leadership positions at Google (culminating in the firing of its author) have implications for all of us. They are as much about the requirements for success in today’s workplace—and how to identify and nurture those qualities in all employees—as they … Continue reading “Why We All Should Care About the Recent Brouhaha at Google”
Startup Builders, IPO Closers & More: Meet Xconomy’s CEO Award Finalists
There are many ways to stand out as a biotech CEO, from getting a company started in the first place to pushing its first drug over the finish line. Those differences are what we noticed when going through the nominations from you, the readers, for the top Boston biotech CEO, as part of the first-ever … Continue reading “Startup Builders, IPO Closers & More: Meet Xconomy’s CEO Award Finalists”
San Antonio’s CellRight Sells to U.K. Medical Company Tissue Regenix
San Antonio — CellRight Technologies, a maker of bone and tissue grafts derived from cadavers, has been purchased by a British company that also uses a process of removing DNA and cells from human and animal tissue so the products can be used in healthcare. CellRight was sold for as much as to U.K.-based regenerative medicine … Continue reading “San Antonio’s CellRight Sells to U.K. Medical Company Tissue Regenix”
Xconomy Awards: The Finalists Are….
The nominees for our first ever Xconomy Awards were an impressive bunch, and represent a wide range of the technologies, approaches, and yes, personalities, that are all driving Boston biotech today. There’s a lot of talent in this town, so narrowing the list of more than 250 nominations down to a handful of finalists in … Continue reading “Xconomy Awards: The Finalists Are….”
Experimental Drug With San Antonio Roots Changes Home After Merger
San Antonio — Galena Biopharma, a Bay Area biotech that has been developing a cancer vaccine created by a San Antonio researcher, is merging with another immunotherapy company: Sellas Life Sciences Group, which will also be the name of the combined business. Sellas Life Sciences is developing multiple experimental cancer immunotherapies, including a treatment for … Continue reading “Experimental Drug With San Antonio Roots Changes Home After Merger”
Your Call Is Important: AI-Based Analytics Come to the Call Center
Houston and Dallas—Call centers proliferated as the Internet age took hold of the global economy. But, despite that connection, in many ways, call centers themselves haven’t kept up with innovations to make their operations as efficient as possible. That’s the view, at least, of two bootstrapped Texas software companies—AmplifAI and EthosIQ—that aim to bring new … Continue reading “Your Call Is Important: AI-Based Analytics Come to the Call Center”
An Insider’s Guide to Bridging the Biotech Gender Gap
As an executive recruiter focused solely on life sciences, I’m among the first to acknowledge the industry’s gender gap. Of the 20 largest pharmaceutical companies around the world, only one has a woman at the helm—and GSK named Emma Natasha Walmsley as CEO less than five months ago. Among biotech executive leadership teams, women make … Continue reading “An Insider’s Guide to Bridging the Biotech Gender Gap”
Opportunity Abounds as Washington Builds the Modern Electricity Grid
[Updated 8/9/17, 9:48 a.m. See below.] In a dry grassland set amid some of the region’s preeminent energy research, production, and training facilities, you can see the future of the electricity grid, and Washington state companies and workers are playing a major role in shaping it. The Horn Rapids Solar, Storage, and Training Project—which would … Continue reading “Opportunity Abounds as Washington Builds the Modern Electricity Grid”
Houston Biotech Oncolix Announces Reverse Merger, Goes Public
[Updated 8/7/17, 10:25 am. See below.] Houston—Oncolix, which is developing a treatment for ovarian cancer, announced Monday it has completed a reverse merger with Advanced Environmental Petroleum Producers ([[ticker:AEPP]]), making it a public company. The Houston-based Oncolix currently has ongoing a Phase I clinical trial in ovarian cancer patients for its prospective therapy, G129R (Prolanta). … Continue reading “Houston Biotech Oncolix Announces Reverse Merger, Goes Public”
New Rapamycin CEO Hired to Handle Funding, FDA Inflection Points
San Antonio — Rapamycin Holdings has a new CEO, is raising a $3.5 million Series B round of funding, and plans to submit an investigational new drug filing to the FDA this year. If all goes well, the small biotech may start its first in-human clinical trials as early as later this year. “The company is … Continue reading “New Rapamycin CEO Hired to Handle Funding, FDA Inflection Points”
Bio Roundup: CRISPR Advances, Obamacare Lives, FDA Nods & More
Gene editing took an important step this week when a group of U.S. researchers used CRISPR-Cas9 technology to correct a genetic error in dozens of human embryos without complications. It’s a significant achievement, but amidst the hype, it’s worth cautioning just how much work has to be done before the technology leads to a safe … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: CRISPR Advances, Obamacare Lives, FDA Nods & More”
After VR’s Shortcomings, Walmart’s Interest in Cube May Be a Boost
San Antonio—Virtual reality has certainly been a hyped industry during the last few years, though it recently gathered a little backlash because of unfulfilled expectations and the recent failure of a Silicon Valley startup. But a deal announced earlier this week indicates that the world’s largest company by revenue still believes in it. San Antonio-based … Continue reading “After VR’s Shortcomings, Walmart’s Interest in Cube May Be a Boost”
Dramatic Capital Inflows Continue in 2Q17… Trouble Ahead?
In an environment of microscopic interest rates, it is particularly interesting to read the Preqin 2Q17 Quarterly Update, which exhaustively tracks all things private equity and venture capital. At the end of June 2017 there were 1,998 funds in market raising a total of $676 billion – a staggering sum – indicative of global investors … Continue reading “Dramatic Capital Inflows Continue in 2Q17… Trouble Ahead?”
San Antonio Biomedical Group Awards Miami Healthcare Researcher
San Antonio — The San Antonio bioscience advocacy group BioMed SA is giving its annual innovation award to Leonard Pinchuk, a scientific researcher in Miami who has co-founded or incubated 10 companies. BioMed SA says it picked Pinchuk because of his work innovating cardiology and ophthalmology products. Pinchuk runs an incubator in Miami called Innovia, which … Continue reading “San Antonio Biomedical Group Awards Miami Healthcare Researcher”
Rice, UH Startups Pitch: Bedsores, Erectile Dysfunction & More
Houston—Not all of the startups that participate in a pitch day are actually viable companies. But, usually, each startup founder will take a place on stage extolling the virtues of their technologies, the unaddressed markets, and ask for mentors, industry connections, and money. Samantha Lewis, co-founder of SpecMobile, took a different tack. The Rice University … Continue reading “Rice, UH Startups Pitch: Bedsores, Erectile Dysfunction & More”
CytoBioScience Plans Merger With Publicly Traded Skyline Medical
San Antonio — CytoBioScience, a startup that sells a device used to screen drug formulations, has plans to merge with a Minnesota-based medical device maker that’s traded on the Nasdaq market for companies with smaller market capitalizations. CytoBioScience announced today it signed a letter of intent to merge with Eagan, MN-based Skyline Medical (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SKLN]]), … Continue reading “CytoBioScience Plans Merger With Publicly Traded Skyline Medical”
Trump Campaign Digital Director Parscale Sells Firm to CloudCommerce
San Antonio—Giles-Parscale, the digital marketing company that rose to fame during President Trump’s campaign by handling the online work during the candidate’s surprise victory, has sold to a California business for $9 million in stock, according to news reports. The San Antonio marketing firm is selling to CloudCommerce, which helps businesses integrate with enterprise e-commerce … Continue reading “Trump Campaign Digital Director Parscale Sells Firm to CloudCommerce”