Category: Texas

Innovation Hub: Forget Big Bets—Success Means Thinking Small

If you want to reap big rewards, you’ve got to take big risks. Right? Not according to Peter Sims, author of Little Bets: How Breakthrough Ideas Emerge from Small Discoveries, who argues that companies from Google to Hewlett-Packard have cashed in by thinking small, floating trial balloons, and understanding that micro failures are inevitable. I … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: Forget Big Bets—Success Means Thinking Small”

Linda Stone’s Antidote to Quantified Self: The Essential Self

The Quantified Self movement emerged in the late 2000s in response to an absence: the lack of useful data about our bodies as we move through the day. Before the QS era, an EKG could show you your heart rhythms; a lab analysis could show you your cholesterol levels; a treadmill stress test could measure … Continue reading “Linda Stone’s Antidote to Quantified Self: The Essential Self”

Omni Water Solutions Garners $1,846,900 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=341a45ed-d851-4464-a32f-80085beb7076 Date 8/8/2014 Company Name Omni Water Solutions Mailing Address 4007 Commercial Center Drive Austin, TX 78744 USA Company Description Omni Water Solutions is an emerging technology company, which specializes in developing and deploying mobile water treatment platforms for water re-use. Through its patent-pending Octozone automation technology, Omni’s platforms are able to … Continue reading “Omni Water Solutions Garners $1,846,900 New Financing Round”

Pivot3 Secures $12,000,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=35bbb75f-883c-4e8e-a997-4901901432c7 Date 8/7/2014 Company Name Pivot3 Mailing Address 816 Congress Avenue Austin, TX 78701 USA Company Description Pivot3 Transforms How Customers Invest in Storage. The founding team, developers and marketers of early custom RAID controllers with credit for over 50 storage patents, shared a vision for a storage virtualization architecture that required … Continue reading “Pivot3 Secures $12,000,000 New Funding”

Startups from China, Argentina, & Mexico Come to Dallas’s VentureSpur

Dallas accelerator VentureSpur announced Wednesday that it has selected seven startups as part of its second class beginning Aug. 18. The startups, which feature mobile and e-commerce companies, hail from home in Texas to China, Mexico, and Argentina. The accelerator started three years ago in Oklahoma City and last year ran a program there as … Continue reading “Startups from China, Argentina, & Mexico Come to Dallas’s VentureSpur”

Novozymes’ BioAg R&D Turns to Microbials to Boost Crop Yields

Before Colin Bletsky’s work took him around the world to talk about agricultural microbials, he was using them himself in the fertile region often called Canada’s breadbasket. Bletsky, now global bioag strategic alliance director for Novozymes, still farms at his Saskatchewan home. It’s too far north for corn or soy, but he uses microbials—beneficial microorganisms … Continue reading “Novozymes’ BioAg R&D Turns to Microbials to Boost Crop Yields”

Funding Options Shrink for Early-Stage Cleantech Ventures

The term “cleantech” has gone through a rebranding. However it’s defined, though, investment in energy and natural resource-related startups continues. Just don’t expect venture capitalists to be writing all the checks. As a reporter, I chronicled the rush of venture capital in cleantech in the mid-to-late 2000s and the subsequent financial bust and politicization of … Continue reading “Funding Options Shrink for Early-Stage Cleantech Ventures”

Texas Roundup: Funding, Relocations, & Techstars Cloud Returns

[Updated 8/5/14 8:47 am. See below.] It’s been a busy couple of weeks in the Texas innovation community. Here are some of the highlights: —Bluegrass Vascular Technologies might have to change its name. The three-year-old Kentucky medtech firm announced last week that it had closed on $4.5 million in funding from Targeted Technology, a San Antonio, TX-based … Continue reading “Texas Roundup: Funding, Relocations, & Techstars Cloud Returns”

Military Strategies Being Used in the War on Cancer

Nearly everyone has heard of the War on Cancer, which was launched during the Nixon administration with the passage of the National Cancer Act of 1971. The goal of this legislation was to eradicate (or at least significantly decrease) the number of U.S. cancer deaths. Progress in meeting this goal has been slow over the … Continue reading “Military Strategies Being Used in the War on Cancer”

How Cotton Bureau Became the Internet’s Coolest T-Shirt Store

You may not have realized that it was possible to become addicted to buying T-shirts. But that probably means you just haven’t stumbled upon Cotton Bureau, a year-old website that has quickly become the world’s coolest T-shirt shop. The four-person crew behind Cotton Bureau has managed to pull this off by stitching together an impressive number … Continue reading “How Cotton Bureau Became the Internet’s Coolest T-Shirt Store”

UnLtd USA Launches in Austin, Targets Social Venture Startups

A new accelerator called UnLtd USA has come to Austin, focused on on entrepreneurs focused on social and environmental problems. The accelerator is the latest, and the first American perch, of a program originally started in the United Kingdom. Accelerators have also been launched in three other countries, including India. UnLtd starts its program tomorrow … Continue reading “UnLtd USA Launches in Austin, Targets Social Venture Startups”

Innovation Hub: Legendary Investor Roger McNamee on “Day of Reckoning”

There’s always plenty of coverage of the newest phones—are they a millimeter thinner? Is the camera slightly better? But when you back up and look at the broad sweep of how technology has changed our lives over the last generation, it’s profound. Celebrated Silicon Valley investor Roger McNamee has been part of this transformation—having spent … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: Legendary Investor Roger McNamee on “Day of Reckoning””

Global Warming and the Power of Fear to Drive Innovation

[Corrected, see below] As graduation approached at my rural Michigan high school in 1985, our principal had a problem. The commencement ceremony usually featured two speeches: one from the valedictorian and one from the salutatorian. But in my graduating class eight people, including me, had a 4.0 grade point average. Who would give the valedictorian … Continue reading “Global Warming and the Power of Fear to Drive Innovation”

DiBS’s BioWheel Aims to Paint a Dynamic Picture of Life Sciences Data

[Updated 8/01/14 1:59 pm. See below.] Big Data is everywhere, and one Houston health IT startup says its software can help clinicians and researchers better interpret all the numbers—in color. Data is Beautiful Solutions, or DiBS, is a Rice University startup focused on making more useful versions of the “heat maps” used by healthcare researchers to … Continue reading “DiBS’s BioWheel Aims to Paint a Dynamic Picture of Life Sciences Data”

Is Radio Silence Endangering Your Business?

Let’s see if this scenario sounds all-too-familiar. A divisional company director is facing a distressed situation. Her CEO suggests bringing in an outside consultant to help. They meet, and the director decides to hire the consultant and immediately confirms a follow-up meeting on both of their calendars. Except that this second meeting never takes place. … Continue reading “Is Radio Silence Endangering Your Business?”

Eagle Eye Networks Secures Series B Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4185f807-6a96-46c6-9003-66c2216355fb Date 7/31/2014 Company Name Eagle Eye Networks Mailing Address 411 Brazos St. Austin, TX 78701 USA Company Description Eagle Eye Networks was created by a group of people with extensive experience in working with resellers and video recording over the internet. We have a simple mission to change the world of … Continue reading “Eagle Eye Networks Secures Series B Financing”

Bluegrass Vascular Technologies Obtains $4,500,000 Series A Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f9fd2857-1d51-400a-bdc8-e899c6fcd076 Date 7/31/2014 Company Name Bluegrass Vascular Technologies Mailing Address 18618 Tuscany Stone San Antonio, TX 78258 USA Company Description Bluegrass Vascular Technologies Inc., (BVT) was founded in 2010 by Therix Medical Inc. to innovate lifesaving devices and methods that address shortcomings in vascular access procedures. Website http://www.bluegrassvascular.com Transaction Type Venture Equity … Continue reading “Bluegrass Vascular Technologies Obtains $4,500,000 Series A Round”

Driving Corporate Innovation: Design Thinking vs. Customer Development

Startups are not smaller versions of large companies, but interestingly we also see that companies are not larger versions of startups. I’ve been spending some time with large companies that are interested in using “Lean Startup” methods. One of the conundrums is why does innovation take so long to happen in corporations? Previously Hank Chesbrough … Continue reading “Driving Corporate Innovation: Design Thinking vs. Customer Development”

Be Gone, Junk: Austin Startup Touts “Reverse Amazon” Service

Amazon makes it easy to buy a lot of stuff. Gone wants to bring that ease to getting rid of it all. Today, the Austin, TX-based startup has unveiled its app designed to help consumers sell unwanted items around the house. The service is available in Austin and San Francisco, with plans to expand to … Continue reading “Be Gone, Junk: Austin Startup Touts “Reverse Amazon” Service”

To Solve Alzheimer’s Mystery, Better Biological Clues Sorely Needed

The other day, I found a video on the website of the Alzheimer’s Association, a nonprofit foundation. It was part of an HBO documentary series produced a few years ago by Maria Shriver to educate the public about Alzheimer’s disease. The first couple minutes showed people going into scanners, doctors gently examining patients, color-contrasted brain … Continue reading “To Solve Alzheimer’s Mystery, Better Biological Clues Sorely Needed”

San Diego’s Sapphire Energy Names New CEO Amid Signs of Change

It’s been clear for awhile that changes were underway at San Diego-based Sapphire Energy, an industrial biotech founded in 2007 to develop a revolutionary process for turning algae into gasoline and other fuels. Today the San Diego startup says former Verenium CEO James Levine has taken over as Sapphire’s CEO from Cynthia “C.J.” Warner, an … Continue reading “San Diego’s Sapphire Energy Names New CEO Amid Signs of Change”

Medtronic Acquires Visualase for $105,000,000

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=5bfb472d-a6fa-4eb0-aa58-a71ddd0e44d0 Date 7/28/2014 Company Name Visualase Mailing Address 8058 El Rio Houston, TX 77054 USA Company Description Visualase, Inc. is focused in product development, clinical evaluations, manufacturing, and marketing of advanced laser and image-guided technologies for thermal ablation markets. Website http://www.visualaseinc.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount $105,000,000 Transaction Round Proceeds Purposes M&A … Continue reading “Medtronic Acquires Visualase for $105,000,000”

Innovation Hub: How Lego Built a Blockbuster Global Brand

What products count as innovative? Often, the things we take most for granted. Like Legos. A toy that was started by a failing carpenter in the 1940s, suffered a near-death experience several years ago, and is now experiencing blockbuster growth. So, how did the company manage to stay afloat through a half-century of changing tastes … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: How Lego Built a Blockbuster Global Brand”

Dave Eggers’s “The Circle” Fails as Satire, Succeeds as Prophecy

When the anti-utopian book The Circle, the latest novel from McSweeney’s founder Dave Eggers, came out last October, reviewers hailed it as a “provocative” and “foreboding” warning about the spiritual costs of excessive sharing and transparency on the Internet. The Guardian even called it “a deft modern synthesis of Swiftian wit with Orwellian prognostication.” But … Continue reading “Dave Eggers’s “The Circle” Fails as Satire, Succeeds as Prophecy”

Wide Open Spaces Creates Online Community for Anglers & Hunters

Denis O’Dwyer wants to bring the power of the Internet to the Great Outdoors. His startup, Wide Open Spaces, is designed as an online community targeting hunters and fishing enthusiasts, a one-stop shop to buy gear, research new techniques, and discover a new place to while away an afternoon. “This is participatory,” he says. “You’re … Continue reading “Wide Open Spaces Creates Online Community for Anglers & Hunters”

Xconomy Launches in Raleigh-Durham—10th Cluster in Our Network

Innovation, North Carolina style—at last. Ever since writing the original Xconomy business plan, I’ve been looking forward to the day when we began covering innovation in the Tar Heel state. Now, I am extremely happy to announce, that day has come. Xconomy Raleigh-Durham is officially off the ground, and with its launch we have grown … Continue reading “Xconomy Launches in Raleigh-Durham—10th Cluster in Our Network”

Venture Capital Had a Great 2013—But Public Markets Were Still Better

In an industry obsessed with creating the next big thing, it can be easy to forget that a lot of big ideas simply crash and burn. So here’s a little reminder: Last year, American venture capitalists put together their best annual performance since 1999. But it still wasn’t good enough to beat the public stock … Continue reading “Venture Capital Had a Great 2013—But Public Markets Were Still Better”

Key Risk Conversations to Have With Your Board and Investors

Building a startup is a risky business. The only way to stay ahead of the risks is to be aware and informed about them. The board of directors, in particular, needs to know enough about the risks in the business to make well-rounded strategic decisions. As for investors, most of them do their own risk … Continue reading “Key Risk Conversations to Have With Your Board and Investors”

Caringo Receives $5,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b59a5fee-4234-4dfd-ae29-1a11d2cb6414 Date 7/23/2014 Company Name Caringo Mailing Address 6801 North Capital of Texas Highway Bldg 2 Austin, TX 78731 USA Company Description Caringo Inc. is a leading provider of content storage software and has re-imagined content addressed storage from the ground up with its flagship CAStor product. CAStor is third-generation technology that … Continue reading “Caringo Receives $5,000,000 New Financing”

“Donut Settle” Recruiting Blitz Ruffles Feathers in Laid-back Austin

The tech world is known for its rather unorthodox ways of doing things. But a recent gambit by Austin, TX-based Bigcommerce caused offense to some in the city’s famously laid-back tech community. Bigcommerce, a maker of e-retail software for small businesses, is on a growth streak, and to get the attention of hard-to-recruit engineers and … Continue reading ““Donut Settle” Recruiting Blitz Ruffles Feathers in Laid-back Austin”

Sexism and Misogyny in Tech: How Investors Can Help Drive Change

The image of some technology startups has been tarnished of late by bad behavior. It might be up to investors who are board members to ensure changes get made. Accusations of sexism and misogyny have circled Tinder, the dating-app startup owned by IAC. If the charges prove to be true, it is just one recent … Continue reading “Sexism and Misogyny in Tech: How Investors Can Help Drive Change”

TX Roundup: Student startups, Shell GameChanger, MTPV, & Fallbrook

Here is the latest innovation news from the Texas community: —We take another look at Startup Summer School, this time visiting student entrepreneurs at the University of Houston’s RedLabs accelerator. Last week, we profiled ProsthetiTech, a Rice University startup building a robotic arm for wheelchair users. —Energy entrepreneurs got a chance to get in the … Continue reading “TX Roundup: Student startups, Shell GameChanger, MTPV, & Fallbrook”

There Was Life Before Smartphones, But Who Can Remember It?

I’m lakeside this week in northern Michigan, hanging out with my extended family. It’s been interesting to observe my six-year-old nephew, who won’t go anywhere without a Power Rangers Megaforce robot in one hand and a Ty Monstaz plush toy in the other. They’re right beside him at the breakfast table, on the dock, at … Continue reading “There Was Life Before Smartphones, But Who Can Remember It?”

Mega Deals (Like Uber) Boost Venture Funding to $13B

Venture capital investors pumped almost $13 billion into 1,114 U.S. startups in the second quarter—marking the highest level of VC funding in 13 years, according to the MoneyTree Report being released today. While the number of deals is comparable with recent quarters, the $12.97 billion VCs deployed this spring was a third more than the … Continue reading “Mega Deals (Like Uber) Boost Venture Funding to $13B”

Startup Summer School: Houston’s Zodist, Luminostics, & RaptorBird

This edition of Startup Summer School brings us to RedLabs, the University of Houston’s student accelerator. I dropped into RedLabs Tuesday to speak to a few of the student entrepreneurs about their innovations in robotics, rapid medical diagnostic testing, and e-cigarettes. These entrepreneurs will join those from 13 other startups at both Houston and Rice … Continue reading “Startup Summer School: Houston’s Zodist, Luminostics, & RaptorBird”

Expansion of Microsoft Research—Analysis and Download of 1997 Plan

“We are about to embark on a nearly unprecedented adventure—expanding Microsoft’s investment in research by at least a factor of three.“ So begins the May 1997 memo written by Nathan Myhrvold, architect of Microsoft Research (MSR), a little over five and a half years after the renowned research organization was created. The memo, labeled Microsoft … Continue reading “Expansion of Microsoft Research—Analysis and Download of 1997 Plan”

The Generation Gap in the Tablet Creation/Consumption Debate

The iPad launched in March of 2010 starting the modern tablet era and the debate about what tablets are best for: creation or consumption. While the iPad dominated tablet sales through 2012, in the last couple of years Android- and Windows-based tablets have eaten away at Apple’s dominance. As the tablet market grows, the creation … Continue reading “The Generation Gap in the Tablet Creation/Consumption Debate”

NarrativeDx Garners $50,000 Seed Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=119ec976-c200-4436-ba67-0fa8f1f832d5 Date 7/17/2014 Company Name NarrativeDx Mailing Address Undisclosed Austin, TX 73301 USA Company Description Big data analysis of patient feedback to improve the hospital customer experience and maximize Medicare reimbursement. Website Undisclosed Transaction Type Accelerator Transaction Amount $50,000 Transaction Round Seed Proceeds Purposes The company will use the proceeds to accelerate … Continue reading “NarrativeDx Garners $50,000 Seed Financing Round”

Houston Energy Startups Take A Shot at Shell GameChanger Funding

Henk Mooiweer and his colleagues at Shell GameChanger usually gather behind closed doors when evaluating new investments in energy startups. But recently they opted to participate in a sort of public casting call for energy entrepreneurs that, if the pitches looked interesting, Shell would immediately pledge $25,000 of in-kind advice and assistance to help bring … Continue reading “Houston Energy Startups Take A Shot at Shell GameChanger Funding”

The Mid-Stage VC Funding Gap, By the Numbers

In recent years, we’ve heard a lot about the “Series A crunch” for tech startups—lots of companies get seed funding but can’t raise a first venture round. Now we’re hearing more about a mid-stage funding bottleneck, typically at the Series B and C venture stages. A recent tech funding deal in Boston highlighted the issue … Continue reading “The Mid-Stage VC Funding Gap, By the Numbers”

Who Needs Biotech VCs, Anyway?

Welcome to In Translation, and thanks for reading. As a companion to Xconomy’s regular life sciences coverage, this new column provides me with a chance to dive a little more deeply into strategic, cultural, and scientific topics around the biotech world, and bring more of my own point of view to bear. I welcome and … Continue reading “Who Needs Biotech VCs, Anyway?”

MTPV Receives $11,200,000 Series B Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f9d06a20-5cec-4bf5-9ab1-162751dd0700 Date 7/15/2014 Company Name MTPV Mailing Address 13091 Pond Springs Road Austin, TX 78729 USA Company Description MTPV is a clean energy semiconductor chip company using its breakthrough technology to harness the world’s waste heat and convert it to electricity. Website http://www.mtpv.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $11,200,000 Transaction Round … Continue reading “MTPV Receives $11,200,000 Series B Financing”

Octane Lending Garners $594,999 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=780f642e-7cf2-4edb-8a5e-4eb4af20ea9a Date 7/15/2014 Company Name Octane Lending Mailing Address 815-A Brazos Street Austin, TX 78701 USA Company Description Octane Lending was founded in 2013 to solve many of the pain points associated with the indirect consumer powersports F&I process. Our platform solves three major pains points we found from interviewing dealers: rekeying … Continue reading “Octane Lending Garners $594,999 New Funding Round”

Fallbrook Technologies Obtains $8,309,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2f4bb1df-8648-4095-9f70-67ab2cce7dde Date 7/15/2014 Company Name Fallbrook Technologies Mailing Address 2620 Brushy Creek Loop Cedar Park, TX 78613 USA Company Description Fallbrook Technologies is a research and development company manufacturing advanced transmission systems. Website http://www.fallbrooktech.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $8,309,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC regulatory … Continue reading “Fallbrook Technologies Obtains $8,309,000 New Funding Round”

CPRIT Executives Outline Cancer-Fighting Priorities in Houston Visit

Executives from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas were in Houston recently, updating the technology and life sciences community on the agency’s progress and future goals midway through its first year as a reformed institute. “Will we cure cancer? I think we will,” said Wayne Roberts, CPRIT’s executive director. “I think we will … Continue reading “CPRIT Executives Outline Cancer-Fighting Priorities in Houston Visit”