Houston—Houston has all the ingredients to be an economic powerhouse, but the city won’t be able to become one unless civic and business leaders support the city’s fledgling tech community. That finding, and other recommendations on how to support an “innovation strategy” for the city, were presented today to the Houston City Council task force members … Continue reading “Mission (To Be) Accomplished: Building Houston’s Innovation Ecosystem”
Category: Texas
New Blood: Zielke Transfers Reins of Tech Wildcatters Accelerator
[Corrected 6/30/17, 12:40 pm, and updated 7/3/17, 11:44 am. See below.] Dallas—After a year of presiding over management shuffles, Tech Wildcatters co-founder Gabriella Draney Zielke is announcing an executive change that hits close to home. Zielke is handing over day-to-day duties of the Dallas-based accelerator program to Ricky Tejapaibul, a relative newcomer to North Texas with a … Continue reading “New Blood: Zielke Transfers Reins of Tech Wildcatters Accelerator”
New Study: DNA Tests For Healthy People Have “Uncertain Value”
Genome sequencing is becoming more common for people diagnosed with cancer. Should it become part of a healthy person’s checkup, too? A new study published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine questions the practicality of making DNA tests standard for people who don’t have a cancer diagnosis or aren’t trying to identify a mysterious … Continue reading “New Study: DNA Tests For Healthy People Have “Uncertain Value””
U.S. IPOs Surge Amid Nettlesome Risks; Top 10 Deals So Far in 2017
[Updated 6/27/17 5:00 pm. See below.] Improving economic fundamentals are stoking the IPO pipeline in the United States and elsewhere, according to a report issued Tuesday by the global consultant and accounting firm EY. Eighty companies raised a total of $22 billion on U.S. exchanges during the first half of 2017, according to the report … Continue reading “U.S. IPOs Surge Amid Nettlesome Risks; Top 10 Deals So Far in 2017”
Globalscape Adds Software to Compete in Crowded SaaS Data Business
San Antonio—Transferring data among software programs is becoming increasingly important as more companies use products such as Salesforce (NYSE: [[ticker:CRM]]) and Hubspot (NYSE: [[ticker:HUBS]]), marketing and sales data collectors that don’t necessarily integrate information from different sources easily. Companies that help businesses transfer data between software programs, using application program interfaces and sometimes more advanced … Continue reading “Globalscape Adds Software to Compete in Crowded SaaS Data Business”
A Sign of Success? Startup Co-Working Space Start Houston Closes
Houston—Five years ago this month, Gaurav Khandelwal and Apurva Sanghavi opened the doors of Start Houston, a co-working space in the shadow of Houston’s downtown that hosted a monthly demo day for tech startups. “There was a tremendous need,” Khandelwal says. “The meetups we were attending were at restaurants, bars, or in people’s homes all … Continue reading “A Sign of Success? Startup Co-Working Space Start Houston Closes”
Fixing Uber: An Open Letter to the Next CEO
For starters, trust that my motives come from a good place. To date I have given such advice to only three CEOs—Ivan Seidenberg when he was CEO of Verizon, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and most recently, your predecessor. Not sure they ever read any of it but I do this when I get deeply inspired, … Continue reading “Fixing Uber: An Open Letter to the Next CEO”
Texas Roundup: Acessa Health, CareSet, TeVido, Larry Lawson, TAMU
Here’s what’s making news across the cities in Xconomy Texas. —Acessa Health in Austin announced the company has completed a $30 million Series A financing and acquired a non-invasive treatment for uterine fibroids from a California medical device company. Acessa says the new capital comes from institutional venture investment firms and will be used for … Continue reading “Texas Roundup: Acessa Health, CareSet, TeVido, Larry Lawson, TAMU”
Boston Is Arguably the Heart of Biotech. But Who Makes It So? Have Your Say.
By the end of this year, for the first time, patients with certain deadly types of blood cancer might have a new option, CAR-T cell therapy, to prolong their life. Immunotherapy could further entrench itself as a mainstay of cancer treatment. Newer drugmaking methods—RNA interference and gene therapy—could get their first ever FDA reviews. Multiple … Continue reading “Boston Is Arguably the Heart of Biotech. But Who Makes It So? Have Your Say.”
SparkCognition Boosts Series B to $32.5M, And Other Texas Fundings
Austin—[Updated 6/26/17, 9:55 a.m. See below.] SparkCognition, a company that uses machine learning software to monitor clients’ infrastructure and technology for malfunctions and other problems, has boosted its Series B round of funding to $32.5 million. The round was led by Verizon Ventures, the venture capital arm of telecom company Verizon. The company had previously … Continue reading “SparkCognition Boosts Series B to $32.5M, And Other Texas Fundings”
Chinese Pharma Licenses Two Drugs from UT Schools For $4.5M Upfront
San Antonio—A Chinese pharmaceutical company is licensing two experimental drugs from two University of Texas research institutions for an initial $4.5 million upfront payment. The Texas institutions could receive more money if the drugs meet clinical and regulatory goals. UT Health San Antonio and UT Health Houston announced today they are selling the global license for … Continue reading “Chinese Pharma Licenses Two Drugs from UT Schools For $4.5M Upfront”
Five Questions For … Houston Medical Device Investor Larry Lawson
Houston—Houston entrepreneur Larry Lawson started out his professional life immersed in the groovy melodies of the mid- to late 1960s. Lawson was part of an East Texas “sunshine pop” band that relocated to Houston as the Clique. One of the band’s bigger hits, 1969’s “Superman,” reached a new generation in the mid-1980s when R.E.M. recorded its … Continue reading “Five Questions For … Houston Medical Device Investor Larry Lawson”
Bio Roundup: Senate Trumpcare, FDA On Cancer, Alzheimer Review & More
All eyes are on the nation’s capital this week, where the Senate released its version of the American Health Care Act (now called the Better Care Reconciliation Act) and the White House worked on an executive order to address drug prices. No one knows how to pay for high-priced medicines that could bring long-term relief … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Senate Trumpcare, FDA On Cancer, Alzheimer Review & More”
Foxconn Founder Gives Details on Plan to Build Display Plant in U.S.
The founder and chairman of Foxconn, a Taiwanese multinational known as a key supplier for Apple (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AAPL]]) and other digital device makers, said Thursday that Foxconn plans to invest more than $10 billion in an electronics display-making plant in the U.S., according to a Reuters report. Terry Gou, who has led Foxconn since founding … Continue reading “Foxconn Founder Gives Details on Plan to Build Display Plant in U.S.”
RealCo Accelerator Startup Dauber Gets $1.1M for Trucking Tech
San Antonio—[Updated 6/23/17, 10:34 a.m. See Below.] Dauber, a trucking-focused app maker that’s working with the San Antonio-based RealCo startup program, has raised $1.1 million in seed funding from RealCo, angel investors, and people in the trucking industry. Dauber makes apps that lets construction trucking companies track shipments, track and analyze data such as load information, and … Continue reading “RealCo Accelerator Startup Dauber Gets $1.1M for Trucking Tech”
Mary Lou Jepsen: The Full Xconomy Voices Interview
For the inaugural episode of our new podcast, Xconomy Voices, we chose to speak with Bay Area entrepreneur and executive Mary Lou Jepsen. She leads a startup called Openwater, which is developing a new kind of wearable imaging device that might one day enable communication by thoughts alone. Of course, there are nearer-term goals as … Continue reading “Mary Lou Jepsen: The Full Xconomy Voices Interview”
Introducing Xconomy Voices (Podcast), Episode 1: Mary Lou Jepsen
It’s always been Xconomy’s mission to reach audiences—both here on our website, and at our many live events around the country—with deep insights into the innovation process, divined from experts embedded in the world’s most important hubs of high-tech entrepreneurship. And now we’re doing that in one more medium: podcasting. I’m thrilled to be collaborating … Continue reading “Introducing Xconomy Voices (Podcast), Episode 1: Mary Lou Jepsen”
Alzheimer’s Drug Pipeline Analysis: Have We Hit Peak Amyloid?
A 2014 report provided a stark frame of reference for the challenge of fighting Alzheimer’s disease, showing that 99.6 percent of all drugs in the field had failed in one way or another. Led by Jeffrey Cummings, director of the Cleveland Clinic’s Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, the same authors recently published a new … Continue reading “Alzheimer’s Drug Pipeline Analysis: Have We Hit Peak Amyloid?”
Neos Therapeutics’ Controlled-Release ADHD Drug Get FDA Approval
Dallas—The FDA late Monday approved Neos Therapeutics’ controlled-release version of an old ADHD therapy, methylphenidate. Neos (NASDAQ: [[ticker:NEOS]]) says its formulation of methylphenidate (Cotempla XR-ODT) is the first methylphenidate tablet designed to deliver the medication in a gradual manner over time—instead of all at once—and is able to orally disintegrate on the tongue to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity … Continue reading “Neos Therapeutics’ Controlled-Release ADHD Drug Get FDA Approval”
Expanding Teladoc Adds Network, Tech With $440M Best Doctors Deal
Dallas—In Teladoc’s acquisition of Boston-based Best Doctors—a $440 million cash-and-stock deal that the companies announced Monday—Teladoc (NYSE: [[ticker:TDOC]]) is gaining a business that lets it offer more specialization in its telemedicine services. Best Doctors connects individuals who have tough decisions to make about treatments—or who want a second opinion about a diagnosis—with top-rated doctors worldwide. … Continue reading “Expanding Teladoc Adds Network, Tech With $440M Best Doctors Deal”
Insurance Against Cyber Attacks Gains Steam Alongside Rising Risk
San Antonio—The news spotlight has shifted away from cybersecurity concerns in the weeks since the outbreak of the WannaCry cyber-hack. But Bill Kelly, senior vice president for underwriting at insurer Argo Pro in San Antonio, says the threat of cyber attacks is ever present. “There’s many you don’t hear about because companies don’t want to … Continue reading “Insurance Against Cyber Attacks Gains Steam Alongside Rising Risk”
Open Letter to Travis Kalanick
For starters, this is NOT a Travis-bashing letter or an Uber-bashing one either, which would be way too easy. Besides, I already did the latter in my Nothing Super About Uber piece over two-and-a-half years ago when I questioned Uber’s then over-hyped valuation. Given current events, I’m pretty sure the next funding round will be … Continue reading “Open Letter to Travis Kalanick”
Synthetic Genomics’ “Breakthrough” Algae Produces Twice as Much Oil
[Updated 6/19/17 1:17 pm. See below.] The San Diego biotech company Synthetic Genomics and supermajor ExxonMobil (NYSE: [[ticker:XOM]]) said today they have successfully inserted a gene in a particular strain of algae that more than doubled its oil content without slowing down the algae’s rate of growth. The two companies described the work in a … Continue reading “Synthetic Genomics’ “Breakthrough” Algae Produces Twice as Much Oil”
Seattle Week In Review: The Whole Everything Store, Yes, All of It
In 20 years, which of these two Jeff Bezos-related announcements this week will have had a bigger impact: The $13.7 billion deal for Amazon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMZN]]) to acquire high-end grocer Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ: [[ticker:WFM]]) or Bezos’ stepped-up philanthropic ambitions, indicated by a tweet Thursday requesting ideas for how to give away his money ($84.8 … Continue reading “Seattle Week In Review: The Whole Everything Store, Yes, All of It”
“Five Questions For …” Houston Technology Center’s Deborah Mansfield
Houston—Before Deborah Mansfield joined the Houston Technology Center, she was a bench scientist working in genetics and a grants manager at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Those positions, along with an MBA earned during weekend classes and a hands-on education of “the ABCs of business” at a Houston retailer, together give Mansfield … Continue reading ““Five Questions For …” Houston Technology Center’s Deborah Mansfield”
Bio Roundup: Trumpcare Is Mean, SCOTUS Says Go, Merck’s Myeloma No
What exactly does the American Health Care Act, the Republican proposal to replace Obamacare, currently look like? Few people know, because the Senate version is being negotiated behind closed doors in Washington D.C. without any public hearings. We do know President Trump now thinks the version of the AHCA that squeaked through the House is … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Trumpcare Is Mean, SCOTUS Says Go, Merck’s Myeloma No”
UT Health Cancer Center Hires Rare Blood Cancer Expert as Director
San Antonio — The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio has hired a new director for its UT Health Cancer Center: Ruben Mesa, a researcher who has lengthy experience testing treatments for rare blood cancers. Mesa is joining the UT Health Cancer Center from the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center in Arizona, where he … Continue reading “UT Health Cancer Center Hires Rare Blood Cancer Expert as Director”
Patient Network Group Says Majority of Members Want To Keep Obamacare
A U.S. patient networking group called PatientsLikeMe has dipped its toe in the waters of public opinion, asking its members what they think of the healthcare policy fight. There are many caveats, but the numbers trend in the same direction that other national polls have found—a shift towards more acceptance of the Affordable Care Act, … Continue reading “Patient Network Group Says Majority of Members Want To Keep Obamacare”
Data Collective, Other Top AI VCs, Pour $102M Into Element AI Series A
[Updated 6/14/17, 1:45 pm. See below.] Canada’s Element AI, publicly launched in October, announced today it has raised US$102 million in an outsized Series A financing round seen by experts as a sign that artificial intelligence is ready to solve real-world business problems. The young Montreal-based company, whose staff of AI engineers collaborates with academic … Continue reading “Data Collective, Other Top AI VCs, Pour $102M Into Element AI Series A”
San Antonio’s Xenex Debuts Hospital-Cleaning “Pod” After Adding $38M
San Antonio — Xenex Disinfection Services, a healthcare company that raised $38 million in February, is now selling a new device for its machine that rids hospital rooms of infection-causing bacteria and viruses: a portable “pod” in which equipment can be disinfected. Xenex’s primary product is a technology called the LightStrike Robot that uses pulses … Continue reading “San Antonio’s Xenex Debuts Hospital-Cleaning “Pod” After Adding $38M”
Texas Roundup: CancerGene, UT System, Blair Garrou, GE & Baker Hughes
Let’s get caught up with the latest innovation news from Xconomy Texas. —Austin AI company Cognitive Scale announced Tuesday it has raised $15 million, bringing the total raised for the three-year-old company to $50 million. Investors include Norwest Venture Partners, Intel Capital, Microsoft Ventures, The Westly Group, and USAA. Akshay Sabhikhi, Cognitive Scale’s CEO, says … Continue reading “Texas Roundup: CancerGene, UT System, Blair Garrou, GE & Baker Hughes”
Latest Class of Digital Health Startups Debuts at TMCx Accelerator
Houston—Around 600 entrepreneurs, investors, and others from Houston’s venture and healthcare communities turned out for the TMCx accelerator’s digital health demo day Thursday—many for the first time. Sunil Sharma, CEO of biomedical equipment seller Sunbelt Medical in Houston, was one of those. He said he’s been interested in making healthcare more efficient and cost-effective since … Continue reading “Latest Class of Digital Health Startups Debuts at TMCx Accelerator”
Five Questions For … Mercury Fund Co-Founder Blair Garrou
Houston—Blair Garrou is the kind of guy who prefers juggling a lot of balls at once. When oil prices cratered in the 1990s, business slowed down at his employer, a mergers and acquisitions firm. “I had some time on my hands and there was this new organization called the Houston Technology Center so I started … Continue reading “Five Questions For … Mercury Fund Co-Founder Blair Garrou”
San Antonio Aims to Tap Into Air Force’s Prominence in Cybersecurity
San Antonio—Anyone who has heard of Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, or Raytheon probably knows the federal government spends billions of dollars every year on defense. And while much of that funding goes toward buying missiles, planes, and ships, cybersecurity is gaining greater importance. President Trump’s budget proposal includes a $3 billion boost to cybersecurity funding … Continue reading “San Antonio Aims to Tap Into Air Force’s Prominence in Cybersecurity”
Getting Women On Boards: Three Ways to Increase the Numbers
The hot topic of getting more qualified women on corporate boards continues unabated. Recent statistics show how companies with women prominently serving in such capacities experience higher-than-average financial performance. A major investment group even declared earlier this year that it would push to get women on the boards of the companies in their portfolio. Yet … Continue reading “Getting Women On Boards: Three Ways to Increase the Numbers”
Bio Roundup: ASCO Digested, Juliet Unveiled, PTC Slated & More
The New York Times Magazine wrote a few weeks ago about the extraordinary metabolic changes in a python after it gulps down a 50,000 calorie meal. The biomedical world was like a postprandial python this week; after extending its maw around the supersized meal of news and data from the American Society for Clinical Oncology … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: ASCO Digested, Juliet Unveiled, PTC Slated & More”
Athenahealth Gets Personal Assistant, A.I. With $63M Praxify Buyout
Athenahealth is further building out its suite of applications and programs that help physicians and patients interact with electronic medical records with its largest acquisition since 2013, announcing today that it has bought Palo Alto, CA-based Praxify Technologies for $63 million. With Praxify, Watertown, MA-based Athenahealth (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ATHN]]) is getting a company that has built … Continue reading “Athenahealth Gets Personal Assistant, A.I. With $63M Praxify Buyout”
States Seek Slice of $7 Trillion Autonomous Vehicle Industry
As U.S. states and cites vie to capture some of the trillions of dollars of economic activity expected to flow from a shift to autonomous vehicles in the coming decades, Washington on Wednesday joined about two dozen states that have paved the way for testing driverless cars. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee directed relevant state agencies … Continue reading “States Seek Slice of $7 Trillion Autonomous Vehicle Industry”
San Antonio’s Geekdom Fund Adds to Investments With $20M Second Fund
San Antonio—The Texas IT-focused venture capital firm Geekdom Fund has closed a $20 million fund, which it started raising last year. The San Antonio venture firm was founded in 2014 by Michael Girdley, Don Douglas, Mike Troy, and Cole Wollak, and closed its first fund at $3.4 million in 2015. Geekdom Fund has always invested … Continue reading “San Antonio’s Geekdom Fund Adds to Investments With $20M Second Fund”
Coburn, Ex-cleantech Accelerator Founder, Joins Shell Tech Ventures
Houston—While leading the energy-focused Surge Accelerator, Kirk Coburn says he was never “behind the curtain” to truly understand how technology could help solve problems for major oil companies. “I was never inside to see how the soup’s being made,” he says. “I get that opportunity now. I’m part of the team.” The opportunity he’s alluding … Continue reading “Coburn, Ex-cleantech Accelerator Founder, Joins Shell Tech Ventures”
California’s Surf Air Acquires Dallas-Based Airline Company Rise
[Updated 6/7/17 12:21 pm. See below.] Dallas—Dallas-based aviation startup Rise has been acquired by Surf Air, a California airline membership company. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Rise founder Nick Kennedy will remain with the company as president of the Texas region. [Updated to include comments from the CEO.]“Members loved what we were doing and wanted … Continue reading “California’s Surf Air Acquires Dallas-Based Airline Company Rise”
Lung Therapeutics Breathes In $14M Investment for Respiratory Drugs
Austin—Lung Therapeutics has closed a $14.3 million round of investment that the Austin, TX-based company will use to continue a clinical trial testing its lead drug, a treatment for potentially lethal complications of pneumonia. Bios Partners, a Fort Worth, TX-based private equity firm, led the Series B round of investment. Earlier investor UT Horizon Fund … Continue reading “Lung Therapeutics Breathes In $14M Investment for Respiratory Drugs”
ASCO Roundup: Checkpoint Combos, Tumor Profiling, Financial Toxicity
[Note: Ben Fidler coauthored this report.] The American Society of Clinical Oncology conference is wrapping up, and the closely watched medical meeting-slash-hype machine produced its usual array of data. There were a few big business-focused “horse race” stories—one company’s stumble was another company’s gain—but much of the news consisted of mid-trial updates that companies produce … Continue reading “ASCO Roundup: Checkpoint Combos, Tumor Profiling, Financial Toxicity”
Austin’s Digital Pharmacist Receives $6.5M for Healthcare Software
[Updated 6/6/17 12:48 pm. See below.] Austin—Digital Pharmacist has raised $6.5 million in a Series B round of funding. [More details on the company and comment from the CEO added.]The financing was led by Activate Venture Partners in New York and Austin, TX-based LiveOak Venture Partners and brings the total funds raised by the company to … Continue reading “Austin’s Digital Pharmacist Receives $6.5M for Healthcare Software”
Citing Losses, Fare Quits Austin as Uber, Lyft Resume Service
Austin—The return of Uber and Lyft to Austin has claimed its first casualty. Fare began operating last summer, shortly after the ride-hailing giants quit the Texas capital following voters’ approval of stringent rules that the companies were against. Late on Monday, Fare announced in an e-mail to customers that “we are unable to endure the … Continue reading “Citing Losses, Fare Quits Austin as Uber, Lyft Resume Service”
Why Pay Retail? Griddy Says It Offers Wholesale Electricity Prices
Houston—Griddy wants to bring the Costco model to retail energy: Pay a membership fee; get wholesale prices for electricity. “Griddy, through the mobile app membership, connects the home right to the wholesale price,” says Gregory Craig, Griddy’s CEO. “There’s no margin, no surprises, no hidden markups.” Craig claims that Griddy can provide retail power at … Continue reading “Why Pay Retail? Griddy Says It Offers Wholesale Electricity Prices”
Of Catfish & Fickle Lovers: Aste CEO Talks Online Dating’s Downsides
There are millions of fish in the sea, and dating apps have made it easier to quickly find and connect with a lot more of those would-be catches. But the ease of creating an online dating profile—and the lack of oversight by the companies running such services—means that users can, and often do, misrepresent themselves. … Continue reading “Of Catfish & Fickle Lovers: Aste CEO Talks Online Dating’s Downsides”
Five Questions For … Dallas Entrepreneur Center CEO Trey Bowles
Dallas—Ask around Dallas who the city’s entrepreneurship ambassador is, and it’s likely that Trey Bowles’ name will quickly pop up. Bowles, who founded the Dallas Entrepreneur Center in 2013, is a high-profile supporter of the various accelerators, programs, and other efforts that have cropped up in North Texas to support innovation. In addition to running … Continue reading “Five Questions For … Dallas Entrepreneur Center CEO Trey Bowles”
Precision Steps: Can Loxo Drug Help Broaden Use of Cancer DNA Tests?
When the FDA last week approved Merck’s cancer drug pembrolizuamb (Keytruda) for tumors with a specific genetic signature, regardless of what body part they originated in, it was a watershed moment for oncology and a victory for the concept of precision medicine. But Merck isn’t alone; others are following suit with similar plans, and their … Continue reading “Precision Steps: Can Loxo Drug Help Broaden Use of Cancer DNA Tests?”
SIGINT Wins Midway: Milestones of Innovation 13
In these days of internet disruptions of complex systems like medical care and even elections, our obsession with data security is swelling. We’re all too aware of how signals from myriad sources can help us construct patterns of human behavior and make plans to take advantage of that behavior. Although it may be no comfort … Continue reading “SIGINT Wins Midway: Milestones of Innovation 13”