Category: Wisconsin

Bio Roundup: IDO Fallout, Express Scripts Dumps Amgen, Isaly Out & More

Here’s a case study of how fast things can change in biopharma. For a few years, a type of cancer drug called an IDO inhibitor was all the rage, a promising path to expanding the reach of immunotherapy. Major drug makers were dealing, too. Through acquisitions and alliances, they rolled out a spate of large-scale … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: IDO Fallout, Express Scripts Dumps Amgen, Isaly Out & More”

Invenra Partners with Exelixis to Develop New Antibody Cancer Drugs

Invenra, a biotech startup that develops therapeutic antibodies for pharma companies, is joining forces with a Bay Area company to discover and develop new treatments for cancer. Madison, WI-based Invenra’s announcement late Wednesday that it will partner with South San Francisco, CA-based Exelixis (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EXEL]]) said that the companies will develop as many as seven … Continue reading “Invenra Partners with Exelixis to Develop New Antibody Cancer Drugs”

Cord-Cutting for Kids: Video App Kanopy Adds Free Children’s Shows

If you’ve already liberated yourself from a cable subscription in favor of streaming video services over the Internet, you’re parcelling out your dollars to get the content you want most from services such as Netflix, Hulu, and N.B.A. League Pass. A lesser-known option, Kanopy, offers an unusual streaming subscription deal: Pay nothing, because your university … Continue reading “Cord-Cutting for Kids: Video App Kanopy Adds Free Children’s Shows”

California’s Top Court Sets Tougher New Rules on Hiring “Gig Workers”

California employers who classify their workers as independent contractors will be consulting their lawyers today, says A. Mark Pope, an attorney who helped persuade the state’s highest court to establish sweeping new restrictions on hiring so-called “gig workers.” The California Supreme Court on Monday set new standards that will make it harder for companies in … Continue reading “California’s Top Court Sets Tougher New Rules on Hiring “Gig Workers””

Three Lessons Punk Rock Teaches Us About Being a Business Leader

Inspiration comes in many forms, and as an entrepreneur, I found mine early on in an unusual place: punk rock. There are strong parallels between the business of punk rock and startups. When you’re starting a new business venture, you wear many hats—leader, innovator, developer, marketer, HR rep—with very little budget or certainty. You might … Continue reading “Three Lessons Punk Rock Teaches Us About Being a Business Leader”

Why “Micro-Learning” is the New Diploma For Today’s Jobseekers

You’d be hard-pressed to find a workplace today where using technology isn’t an integral part of the job, whether it’s an AI-powered recruiting tool, special coding software for app development, or even just Google Sheets that help workers keep track of budgets. Whether you’re applying for a position in marketing or in the field of … Continue reading “Why “Micro-Learning” is the New Diploma For Today’s Jobseekers”

City Staffers Share Innovation Insights at Smart Cities Accelerator

In cities across the United States, the benefits of bike-sharing and electric scooters that can be easily rented with a smartphone app have often been overshadowed by controversy. In Dallas, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC, for example, complaints flooded into city offices earlier this year about the proliferation of “dockless” bikes cluttering sidewalks, handicap parking, … Continue reading “City Staffers Share Innovation Insights at Smart Cities Accelerator”

StartingBlock Madison Names New Tenants Ahead of June Opening

Startup companies developing products that range from a saliva-based fertility test to a smartphone app that lets you securely send photos to your doctor are getting set to bid farewell to their current office buildings and move into a new hub for entrepreneurs in Madison, WI. On Monday, StartingBlock Madison, a 50,000-square-foot center for startups, … Continue reading “StartingBlock Madison Names New Tenants Ahead of June Opening”

COO Maneesh Arora Leaving Exact Sciences; More Earnings Call Tidbits

Exact Sciences has made several additions to its leadership team in the past 18 months, but on Thursday the Madison, WI-based cancer test developer announced a key upcoming departure. Maneesh Arora, who has been Exact’s (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EXAS]]) chief operating officer since 2012, will leave the company at the end of the year, CEO and president … Continue reading “COO Maneesh Arora Leaving Exact Sciences; More Earnings Call Tidbits”

Bill Gates on Saving Babies, Educating Kids, and Picking a Major

On a sunny spring afternoon, William Henry Gates III strolled into the Harvard University science center. Several hundred students and invited guests were waiting for him in the auditorium. Security was tight, but not overly so (he’s used to it). Gates was there Thursday for a conversation with Frank Doyle, Harvard’s dean of engineering and … Continue reading “Bill Gates on Saving Babies, Educating Kids, and Picking a Major”

Bio Roundup: CRISPR Tests, Parkinson’s Questions, Opioid Bills & More

Politics is more partisan than ever these days, but the opioid crisis might be one of the few issues where elected officials find common ground. This week, members of Congress exercised a bipartisan effort in both chambers to advance dozens of measures proposing various approaches to fighting the opioid epidemic. A Senate committee voted unanimously … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: CRISPR Tests, Parkinson’s Questions, Opioid Bills & More”

Exact Sciences Beats Quarterly Forecasts, Sending Its Stock Price Up

When leaders at Exact Sciences discussed dealing with the adversity of cold weather and a “historically severe” flu season in early 2018, some industry observers predicted a potential break in the long growth streak of the Madison, WI-based company’s flagship product, a stool-based DNA test for colorectal cancer known as Cologuard. But on Thursday, Exact … Continue reading “Exact Sciences Beats Quarterly Forecasts, Sending Its Stock Price Up”

What President Trump Gets Wrong About Amazon’s Effect on the Economy

For the past week or so, President Trump has been deriding Amazon as a destroyer of jobs and the main reason many retail companies are failing. Unfortunately, this is a very one-sided and uninformed view of how Amazon is changing our economy. I run a retail operation that sells almost exclusively on Amazon. Since its … Continue reading “What President Trump Gets Wrong About Amazon’s Effect on the Economy”

Aspect Venture’s Jennifer Fonstad on Hot Areas of Tech, Diversity, & More

Jennifer Fonstad and Theresia Gouw launched Aspect Ventures with their own money in February 2014—and have hardly looked back. “We closed our first investment that first week,” Fonstad says. The pair went on to make a number of investments that first year before deciding to raise funds more formally from outsiders, like a conventional venture … Continue reading “Aspect Venture’s Jennifer Fonstad on Hot Areas of Tech, Diversity, & More”

After Mishap in Fall, Madison Driverless Shuttle Demos Get Another Go

Five months after a mishap involving a delivery truck thousands of miles away prompted the cancellation of a scheduled driverless shuttle demonstration in Madison, WI, people living in and around the city have another chance to experience the potential future of transportation firsthand. On Tuesday and Wednesday, members of the public can ride in an … Continue reading “After Mishap in Fall, Madison Driverless Shuttle Demos Get Another Go”

Techstars Alexa Firms Address Settings Where Voice Is ‘Most Natural’

Smart speakers are becoming increasingly common in our homes. Users can instruct these devices to order takeout, give the weather forecast, or turn on or off various Internet-connected devices. The Consumer Technology Association estimates that nearly 44 million voice-enabled assistants will be sold this year in the United States. Unit sales rose 279 percent from … Continue reading “Techstars Alexa Firms Address Settings Where Voice Is ‘Most Natural’”

Using Analytics, Fitcode Aims to Connect Shoppers to Jeans That Fit

There are few things more universal in wardrobes the world over than blue jeans. But they are also the number one item that is returned by online shoppers, says Rian Buckley, founder and CEO of Fitcode. “Fit is the number one purchase driver and reason to return,” she says. For many of us, the idea … Continue reading “Using Analytics, Fitcode Aims to Connect Shoppers to Jeans That Fit”

Here Are the Companies in Gener8tor’s Madison 2018 Accelerator Class

Two companies headquartered in Florida and two others based in Gener8tor’s home state of Wisconsin are among the six startups participating in the organization’s latest for-equity accelerator program. Gener8tor, which invests in startups and coaches the entrepreneurs who run them, has graduated a dozen classes of early-stage companies from its core program since 2012. The … Continue reading “Here Are the Companies in Gener8tor’s Madison 2018 Accelerator Class”

Bio Roundup: Hope for Lungs, Bradner’s Complaint, FDA Nods & More

The biggest news this week was in oncology, hands down. Merck showed that its immunotherapy pembrolizumab (Keytruda) might become a common option for many patients newly diagnosed with advanced lung cancer, but the bigger picture is that the field is moving fast. While pembrolizumab notched the headline-grabbing data, others are also working to develop options … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Hope for Lungs, Bradner’s Complaint, FDA Nods & More”

Want to Find Stellar Software Engineers in the Midwest? Here’s How

It may seem obvious that companies in the Midwest face challenges attracting and retaining talent, given our weather and location far from the coasts. One need only to look at college football recruiting, after all, to see how the average annual snowfall on campus matters almost as much as last season’s win/loss record. To some … Continue reading “Want to Find Stellar Software Engineers in the Midwest? Here’s How”

Baird: Exact Sciences Should Rebound After First-Quarter ‘Headwinds’

Cancer screening test company Exact Sciences may not be anticipating the release of its first-quarter earnings report next week as eagerly as it has past quarters’ earnings announcements. The Madison, WI-based company in February signaled to investors that sales of its flagship product Cologuard, a stool-based DNA test for colorectal cancer screening, hit a bit … Continue reading “Baird: Exact Sciences Should Rebound After First-Quarter ‘Headwinds’”

NorthStar, Fiserv, CUNA & More: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist

Stay current on news from Wisconsin’s innovation community with these recent headlines: —NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes, which is seeking to become the first U.S. company in decades to domestically produce a widely used medical radioisotope, broke ground on a new 20,000-square-foot production facility at its Beloit headquarters, the Janesville Gazette reported. NorthStar plans to produce and … Continue reading “NorthStar, Fiserv, CUNA & More: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist”

Facebook: Lip Service to Privacy Is Over

As publicity-shy Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified before both houses of Congress last week amid an avalanche of criticism about the dearth of user privacy on the world’s biggest social media network, it became crystal clear that the entire social media industry has entered a new and perilous phase. Trust in all social media … Continue reading “Facebook: Lip Service to Privacy Is Over”

Cancer Wrap: Blueprint, Checkmate, More AACR News & Phase 3 Blues

The big headlines from the American Association for Cancer Research meeting in Chicago were all about the battle over the latest lung cancer data, and for good reason. Lung cancer remains the deadliest cancer, but the Phase 3 data suggest that treatment options for some of the direst cases could soon rapidly expand. There were … Continue reading “Cancer Wrap: Blueprint, Checkmate, More AACR News & Phase 3 Blues”

Healthfinch Seeks to Take Automation in Healthcare Up a Level

The late 19th century saw a number of advances in elevator equipment. For example, the first electric elevator was built in 1880, and manufacturers introduced safety bumpers and automatic stopping technology in subsequent decades. By 1900, many models of elevator had gone “driverless” and could be controlled by someone inside without any specialized knowledge. As … Continue reading “Healthfinch Seeks to Take Automation in Healthcare Up a Level”

U.S. Funding for Biomedical Research Takes Upturn

At the end of March, Congress passed a $1.3 trillion spending bill to fund federal agencies for the rest of the fiscal year and avert another government shutdown. The 2,232-page legislation included a $3 billion funding increase for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the second largest in the health agency’s history. Other research and … Continue reading “U.S. Funding for Biomedical Research Takes Upturn”

For More Lung Cancer Patients, the Promise of No Chemo Looms Larger

[Editor’s note: Ben Fidler co-authored this report.] A decade from now, it’s possible that immunotherapy will have made a big dent in lung cancer, which is by far the deadliest type of the disease. Drugs from several companies have worked their way forward, initially for patients who have failed chemotherapy, and now, in some cases, … Continue reading “For More Lung Cancer Patients, the Promise of No Chemo Looms Larger”

Livongo, Led By Ex-Allscripts CEO, Gets $105M for Health Tech Tools

Livongo Health, a startup that develops connected devices and software for patients with diabetes and other chronic conditions, said earlier this week it had raised $105 million from investors to support further development of its technology. Livongo’s latest financing round was led by Kinnevik and General Catalyst Partners, which reportedly helped incubate the startup and … Continue reading “Livongo, Led By Ex-Allscripts CEO, Gets $105M for Health Tech Tools”

Bio Roundup: Lung Cancer Showdown, Gene Therapy Deals, IPO Busts

This weekend, cancer immunotherapy will once again take biopharma’s center stage. At one of the year’s big cancer meetings, investors, researchers, and many others will have a close eye on a group of presentations touting new lung cancer regimens that combine immunotherapies with other treatments. The presentations could shift the dynamics of the fast-moving landscape, … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Lung Cancer Showdown, Gene Therapy Deals, IPO Busts”

Research Shows How Inhaler Data Help Patients Breathe, Cities Plan

In 2014, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation committed to fund a first-of-its-kind study of asthma and air quality in Louisville, KY, in part because the organization wanted to see whether patient-generated data could influence public policy. The study, which was also funded by the American Lung Association and several local foundations, involved providing hundreds of … Continue reading “Research Shows How Inhaler Data Help Patients Breathe, Cities Plan”

GrocerKey Strengthens Ties to Woodman’s with New $2.5M Funding Round

GrocerKey, a startup that has developed white-label software to help grocery stores create an online presence, said it has raised $2.5 million in a funding round led by Woodman’s Market, an early GrocerKey customer. Other participants in the investment include Dunnhumby Ventures, the venture capital arm of Dunnhumby, a subsidiary of U.K. retail giant Tesco … Continue reading “GrocerKey Strengthens Ties to Woodman’s with New $2.5M Funding Round”

No “Pink Tax”: Billie, a Shave Club for Women, Raises $6M

[Corrected, 4/11/18, 4:48 p.m. ET. See below.] Billie, a direct-to-consumer seller of monthly shaving and body care products subscriptions, has raised $6 million in new funding. The New York-based startup, which launched in November, previously raised $2.5 million. This latest round of funding was led by Silverton Partners in Austin and included existing investors Female … Continue reading “No “Pink Tax”: Billie, a Shave Club for Women, Raises $6M”

With New Data, Drug Combos, Lung Cancer Experts Scramble to Keep Pace

When oncologist Renato Martins finished his medical training, advanced lung cancer was almost certainly a quick death sentence. “I knew, by name, every patient who had survived two years,” he says. Thanks in large part to the arrival of cancer immunotherapy, things are much different today. While lung cancer remains by far the leading cause … Continue reading “With New Data, Drug Combos, Lung Cancer Experts Scramble to Keep Pace”

Healthfinch Raises $6M to Automate Routine Patient Care Tasks

[Updated 4/11/18 8:57 a.m. See below.] Healthfinch, a startup whose software automates routine tasks performed by physicians and others who care for patients in clinics, has raised $6 million from investors, says co-founder and CEO Jonathan Baran. Madison, WI-based Healthfinch has developed applications for tasks like fulfilling medication requests and planning visits to the doctor’s office. … Continue reading “Healthfinch Raises $6M to Automate Routine Patient Care Tasks”

Expectations Rise on Q1 Surge in Venture Funding; and Top 10 Deals

[Updated 4/11/18 10:13 am. See below.] Venture capital investors poured more than $28.2 billion into U.S. companies during the first three months of 2018—marking the strongest single quarter in at least a dozen years, according to the Venture Monitor Report released today by Seattle-based PitchBook and the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA). The $28.2 billion that … Continue reading “Expectations Rise on Q1 Surge in Venture Funding; and Top 10 Deals”

E-Commerce Startups Open Door to Endless Virtual Closet

The sharing economy is moving into our bedroom closets. We already apply this idea to transportation (Uber vs. taxi) and vacation accommodations (Airbnb vs. hotel). Now, thanks to a growing number of e-commerce companies, the ability to share goods and services is being applied to our wardrobes through programs that offer clothing rentals for a … Continue reading “E-Commerce Startups Open Door to Endless Virtual Closet”

Xconomy Roadmap 2018: Top 15 Innovation Areas to Watch

With the first quarter in the books, it’s time to step back and lay out Xconomy’s editorial map for the rest of the year. As readers know, we strive to cover a wide range of innovation sectors, from tech and life sciences to healthcare and education—all with a mix of on-the-ground reporting, daily news stories, … Continue reading “Xconomy Roadmap 2018: Top 15 Innovation Areas to Watch”

Tax Credits, IVMD, BrightStar, & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist

Whoever came up with the rhyme “April showers bring May flowers” probably wasn’t talking about snow showers. As people in Wisconsin hope for this week’s flurries to give way to a long-awaited thaw, consider taking a few minutes to catch up on recent fundings and other news from the state’s innovation community: —Integrated Vital Medical … Continue reading “Tax Credits, IVMD, BrightStar, & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist”

Bio Roundup: Ex-Kiters Say Allo, NASH Cash & Data, Alkermes No & More

Happy Friday, everyone. We’ll start this week with biotech deals, one featuring a couple of CAR-T heavyweights who have re-emerged after selling Kite Pharma for $12 billion. They will try to shepherd to market a different type of the promising cancer immunotherapy: allogeneic T cells that come from donors, not from a patient’s own blood. … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Ex-Kiters Say Allo, NASH Cash & Data, Alkermes No & More”

Nutrition-Focused GenoPalate Joins Crowd of DNA Test Kit Companies

Genetic testing services from companies such as Ancestry and 23andMe have risen in popularity in the past decade, attracting consumers who are eager to learn more about their lineage or risk of contracting certain types of disease. But there are plenty of smaller players trying to carve out a following in this industry. Milwaukee-based GenoPalate … Continue reading “Nutrition-Focused GenoPalate Joins Crowd of DNA Test Kit Companies”

Cleaner Vehicles Help Make Smarter Cities

Two of the most popular terms in urban planning today are smart cities and clean energy. These concepts naturally go hand-in-hand. As cities get smarter, they use energy more efficiently and in a more controllable fashion, and they are better able to incorporate intermittent clean energy sources. Cities, and the power grids that support them, … Continue reading “Cleaner Vehicles Help Make Smarter Cities”

Lumanu Raises $1M for Tools That Amplify Social Influencers’ Posts

As social networks like Facebook (NASDAQ: [[ticker:FB]]) and Instagram continue to add millions of new users each year, businesses are fighting to capture their attention by advertising across an array of digital platforms. One marketing technique that has become increasingly popular in the past decade involves paying social media “influencers”—users with lots of followers—to promote … Continue reading “Lumanu Raises $1M for Tools That Amplify Social Influencers’ Posts”

How Next-Gen Chipmakers Are Raising Money, Taking On Tech Giants

The advent of big fundraising rounds for startup chip innovators—a class shunned by most venture capital firms only a few years ago—seems to mark a turnaround in recent VC attitudes about semiconductor investments. But it turns out VCs weren’t the only driving force behind the change in fundraising prospects for the young companies now inventing … Continue reading “How Next-Gen Chipmakers Are Raising Money, Taking On Tech Giants”

UT, Aurora Health Join Strata Oncology’s Free Genomic Testing Network

Ann Arbor, MI’s Strata Oncology launched in 2015 with a mission to help bring free tumor sequencing to as many patients as possible. To help accomplish that mission, the genomics startup has established the Strata Precision Oncology Network, a group of cancer centers collaborating to help boost access to precision medicine. Last month, Strata announced … Continue reading “UT, Aurora Health Join Strata Oncology’s Free Genomic Testing Network”

UW-Madison Taps Andy Richards to Lead Discovery to Product Program

After serving for seven months as interim director of Discovery to Product—a program that helps students, faculty, and staff at the University of Wisconsin-Madison turn ideas into companies—Andy Richards has dropped “interim” from his title. On Tuesday, UW-Madison said it had selected Richards to lead the program, which is abbreviated as D2P. He officially started … Continue reading “UW-Madison Taps Andy Richards to Lead Discovery to Product Program”

PerBlue Says It Plans to Launch ‘Disney Heroes’ Game By End of Year

Disney and PerBlue, a Madison, WI-based mobile games studio, said they plan to launch a new role-playing game later this year that features characters from numerous hit Disney films. According to a news release, the game, “Disney Heroes: Battle Mode,” became available for pre-registration on the Google Play store on Monday. There will be a version … Continue reading “PerBlue Says It Plans to Launch ‘Disney Heroes’ Game By End of Year”

GE Sheds Health IT Assets for $1B, Doubles Down on A.I. and Devices

General Electric is selling a chunk of its healthcare IT business to New York private equity firm Veritas Capital for $1.05 billion in cash, as GE (NYSE: [[ticker:GE]]) chief executive John Flannery aims to streamline the Boston-based industrial behemoth and reverse a steep decline in its stock price. Veritas has agreed to acquire GE Healthcare’s … Continue reading “GE Sheds Health IT Assets for $1B, Doubles Down on A.I. and Devices”

Getting Personal: Retailers Use New Tech to Court Individual Shoppers

“Personalized shopping” has long been the guiding light for retailers. But in the age of Amazon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMZN]]), traditional stores have been searching for the best way to digitize what was once a person-to-person process. “Internet shopping is now across mobile and Web, and now, the [question] is, ‘How do we create great experiences for … Continue reading “Getting Personal: Retailers Use New Tech to Court Individual Shoppers”