Promentis Pharmaceuticals has for years publicly discussed its goal of commercializing a drug that uses a particular brain chemistry-regulating mechanism to treat central nervous system disorders. But it wasn’t until last week that the Milwaukee-based biotech revealed that the first clinical trial of its lead drug compound is aimed at treating trichotillomania, a chronic condition … Continue reading “Eyeing Phase 2 Study of CNS Drug, Promentis CEO Plots Path Forward”
Category: Wisconsin
Keyo’s Identity Verification Tools Highlight Latest Gener8tor Class
Smartphone makers like Apple, Google, and Samsung have in recent years introduced services allowing users to pay for coffee, food, and other items using their mobile devices. But several upstart companies, including Chicago-based Keyo, are betting that consumers will ultimately gravitate toward technologies that allow them to make purchases without having to take their wallets … Continue reading “Keyo’s Identity Verification Tools Highlight Latest Gener8tor Class”
Promentis, Stem Cells, Foxconn, & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist
A recently launched clinical study, highway lanes for autonomous vehicles, and a ruling in an intellectual property-focused court case are among these recent headlines from Wisconsin’s innovation community: —Promentis Pharmaceuticals, a Milwaukee-based developer of drugs designed to modify brain chemistry to treat central nervous system disorders, said it has started a Phase 1 clinical study … Continue reading “Promentis, Stem Cells, Foxconn, & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist”
ImageMoverMD Installs New Leadership Team Aimed at Boosting Sales
ImageMoverMD, a Madison, WI-based startup whose products include software allowing healthcare providers and patients to securely transmit photos and videos taken with their smartphones, has recently made a series of leadership changes in a bid to ramp up the company’s revenues, executives say. K. Thomas Pickard, whom ImageMoverMD brought on as CEO in 2015, says he left … Continue reading “ImageMoverMD Installs New Leadership Team Aimed at Boosting Sales”
Stratim CEO Sees Future with Costly Driverless Cars, but Low Ride Fares
Like many tech entrepreneurs, Sean Behr had a young business that was popular with consumers, but was also losing money. So in February of 2016, he decided to refocus his San Francisco startup on the small, but unexpectedly profitable aspect of his service that could operate in the black. That pivot put Behr in a … Continue reading “Stratim CEO Sees Future with Costly Driverless Cars, but Low Ride Fares”
Bio Roundup: ICER Eyes Cost, Azar at HHS, Gates’s ALZ Cash & More
In our roundup this week, Alzheimer’s disease is in the news, thanks to billionaire Bill Gates and his personal pledge of $100 million toward R&D. That could equal the amount one startup hopes to raise in an IPO to develop drugs for Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases. If a treatment became available, could our health … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: ICER Eyes Cost, Azar at HHS, Gates’s ALZ Cash & More”
Propeller, Express Scripts Partner to Monitor Asthma, COPD Patients
Propeller Health, a startup developing Internet-connected inhalers and complementary software to help people with respiratory disease manage their conditions, announced a new partnership with Express Scripts Thursday aimed at monitoring sensor-captured data to ensure patients are taking their medications as prescribed. Madison, WI-based Propeller’s tools are designed for patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary … Continue reading “Propeller, Express Scripts Partner to Monitor Asthma, COPD Patients”
New Understory Tie-Up Aims to Help Insurers Reduce Claim Costs
A little over a year after Understory began working with Pacific Specialty Insurance Company, the two organizations are now announcing a collaboration aimed at lowering the amount of money insurers pay policyholders for weather-related property damage. Madison, WI-based Understory, a weather technology startup, says it worked with Palo Alto, CA-based Pacific Specialty to reduce the … Continue reading “New Understory Tie-Up Aims to Help Insurers Reduce Claim Costs”
Q&A: EatStreet’s Alex Wyler on 30 Under 30, Facebook, Kanye, & More
Alex Wyler and Matt Howard, two co-founders of the Madison, WI-based food ordering startup EatStreet, were named to Forbes’ annual “30 Under 30” list, in the consumer technology category. Launched in 2010, EatStreet has raised more than $40 million from investors and currently has about 1,000 employees. The software company serves about 1.7 million customers … Continue reading “Q&A: EatStreet’s Alex Wyler on 30 Under 30, Facebook, Kanye, & More”
Poshmark Picks Up $87.5M to Power the Social, Digital Wardrobe
Poshmark, a social media e-retail company, has raised $87.5 million in a Series D investment round led by Singapore sovereign wealth fund Temasek. That brings the total funding raised by the Redwood City, CA-based company to $160 million. Other investors in the firm include Mayfield, Menlo Ventures, GGV Capital, Inventus Capital, SoftTech VC, Union Grove … Continue reading “Poshmark Picks Up $87.5M to Power the Social, Digital Wardrobe”
DFJ Co-Founder Jurvetson Exits Firm Amid Harassment Charges
[Updated 11/15/17, 11:10 am. See below.] One of Silicon Valley’s most prominent venture capital firm founders has joined the list of VCs who departed from their positions this year in the wake of sexual harassment allegations. Steve Jurvetson, co-founder of Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ), confirmed via a Twitter post Monday that he has left the … Continue reading “DFJ Co-Founder Jurvetson Exits Firm Amid Harassment Charges”
Foxconn, Exact, Ludois, & More: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist
A major deal between Wisconsin legislators and a foreign electronics assembler, a biotech company’s expansion plans, and an award for electric motors research are among these recent headlines from the state’s innovation community: —The state of Wisconsin and Foxconn, an electronics assembler and technology development business based in Taiwan, signed off on a deal that … Continue reading “Foxconn, Exact, Ludois, & More: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist”
Milestones of Innovation 14: The Biggest Damn Firecracker I Ever Saw
At exactly 7 a.m. on Nov. 9, 1967, the roof of the press viewing stand at Cape Canaveral began shaking from what was happening more than three miles from us. The sky seemed to be cracking as a gleaming 363-foot tall rocket began pushing up from Launch Pad 39 and eastward over the Atlantic. As … Continue reading “Milestones of Innovation 14: The Biggest Damn Firecracker I Ever Saw”
Experts Examine Blockchain’s Present, Future at Marquette Conference
Many non-techies first heard about the digital currency Bitcoin as something people could use to anonymously buy illicit drugs and weapons, or even to hire an assassin, through websites such as Silk Road. But Bitcoin’s image has improved in recent years as more people hear about and begin using cryptocurrencies for more conventional purchases, said … Continue reading “Experts Examine Blockchain’s Present, Future at Marquette Conference”
Bio Roundup: Barron Joins GSK, Sage Bounces Back, Valeant Dumps Addyi
Call it a week of second chances. Multiple biotechs breathed new life into drugs sorely in need of it. Sage Therapeutics proved a drug that had failed a trial a rare form of epilepsy could be the first ever approved therapy for postpartum depression. Otonomy, reviving a hearing loss drug thought to be on the … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Barron Joins GSK, Sage Bounces Back, Valeant Dumps Addyi”
What Sean Parker Shares with Einstein and the Labradoodle’s Inventor
Sean Parker, Facebook’s first president, just joined a group that’s a favorite topic of history listicles: He’s an innovator who has become abashed by the breakthrough he helped to create. Parker, in an interview with Axios on Wednesday, said Facebook’s founders consciously exploited “a vulnerability in human psychology,” by luring users into an addictive engagement … Continue reading “What Sean Parker Shares with Einstein and the Labradoodle’s Inventor”
Microsoft Ups Its Wisconsin Investments, Backs New Gener8tor Program
Microsoft is deepening its efforts to help Wisconsin foster more high-growth startups. The Seattle-based tech giant’s latest move in the Badger State is a new partnership with Gener8tor, an organization based in the state that runs training programs for early-stage companies, and invests in them. Gener8tor said Wednesday that its collaboration with Microsoft is aimed … Continue reading “Microsoft Ups Its Wisconsin Investments, Backs New Gener8tor Program”
Microsoft’s Strategy for Finding What’s Next in Healthcare A.I.
[Updated 11/10/17, 10:25 a.m. See below.] Microsoft is applying the same model it used to launch its quantum computing and chatbot efforts to innovation in healthcare, signaling the company’s ambition and optimism about the transformative potential of artificial intelligence technologies in this enormous endeavor. Peter Lee is the Microsoft Research executive in charge of the … Continue reading “Microsoft’s Strategy for Finding What’s Next in Healthcare A.I.”
Is Your Company Independent or Co-Dependent?
Steve Jobs was once famously quoted stating, “the secret of my success is that we have gone to exceptional lengths to hire the best people in the world.” Employees are a critical part of any company’s backbone, no matter the size or industry of the business. They are the driving force that executes the company … Continue reading “Is Your Company Independent or Co-Dependent?”
With New Fund, Aurora Looks to Deepen Support for Health Startups
When Milwaukee-based Aurora Health Care announced plans invest $5 million in local startups over the next five years through its new InvestMKE fund, Aurora president and CEO Nick Turkal said the new fund will help the organization “deliver high-quality, cost-effective healthcare, ultimately helping people live well here at home.” What Turkal’s comments accompanying last week’s InvestMKE … Continue reading “With New Fund, Aurora Looks to Deepen Support for Health Startups”
Rockwell, Sift, Fund of Funds, & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist
Catch up on the latest news from Wisconsin’s innovation community with these recent headlines: —Milwaukee-based Rockwell Automation (NYSE: [[ticker:ROK]]) declined two takeover offers made by Emerson Electric (NYSE: [[ticker:EMR]]) in the past three months, including one in October that valued Rockwell at more than $27 billion, CNBC reported. Rockwell develops software and provides services for … Continue reading “Rockwell, Sift, Fund of Funds, & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist”
Biotech Roundup: Opioid News, ASH Preview, Boston Bio IPOs & More
The rising death toll from opioids has prompted policymakers to try various ways to take on the problem. President Trump’s opioid commission released its final report this week, calling for expansion of drug courts, better physician training, and penalties for insurers that don’t cover treatment. But the commission did not say how much its recommendations … Continue reading “Biotech Roundup: Opioid News, ASH Preview, Boston Bio IPOs & More”
Congress Urges Tech Firms to Control Content—But With Qualms
At Congressional hearings this week on Russia’s use of social media to interfere with the 2016 U.S. election, lawmakers pressed Facebook, Twitter, and Google to take exhaustive measures to stop the same thing from happening again. Lawmakers urged the companies to scour their networks to root out foreign advertisers, trolls, and bots; to eliminate messages … Continue reading “Congress Urges Tech Firms to Control Content—But With Qualms”
Few Opioid Alternatives In Sight as Crisis Gains Political Attention
As opioid-related deaths skyrocket across the U.S., momentum to combat the epidemic has been mounting in Washington. But the crisis has also highlighted a glaring problem that no amount of politics or policymaking will solve soon: The lack of non-addictive pain medicines. “What is disappointing over the last half-century is that we haven’t really created … Continue reading “Few Opioid Alternatives In Sight as Crisis Gains Political Attention”
Northwestern Mutual, Rockwell & Other Milwaukee Firms Fund gBETA
Advocates of entrepreneurship in the Milwaukee area have long argued that forging more connections between startups and old-line businesses headquartered there could lead to more people starting and building companies in the city. Lately, business leaders in greater Milwaukee have been taking steps to help the city realize that vision. The latest example is an … Continue reading “Northwestern Mutual, Rockwell & Other Milwaukee Firms Fund gBETA”
ASH Sneak Peeks: Novartis, Juno Update CAR-T Lymphoma Competition
[Corrected, 11/1/17, 5:20 p.m. ET. See below.] The annual American Society of Hematology meeting is next month. But previews of the big data presentations are out today, yielding more insight into what promises to be the first major competition in CAR-T cell therapy: Treatments for people with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) who have run out of … Continue reading “ASH Sneak Peeks: Novartis, Juno Update CAR-T Lymphoma Competition”
As Facebook Fights Fake News, LeCun Sees Bigger Role for A.I.
As top lawyers from Facebook, Google, and Twitter testify on Capitol Hill this week about Russians using their platforms to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, it’s becoming clearer that the fight against the spread of fake news won’t be won by humans alone. That’s according to Yann LeCun, a machine learning expert and … Continue reading “As Facebook Fights Fake News, LeCun Sees Bigger Role for A.I.”
WEDC, 3 Nonprofits to Invest $1M in Wisconsin-based Tech Startups
The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. (WEDC) says it’s teaming up with three nonprofits on an initiative that will invest $1 million in early-stage technology businesses in Wisconsin. The goal is to provide grant funding and loans to startups headquartered in Wisconsin, and to help them advance products and services they’re developing beyond the proof-of-concept stage, … Continue reading “WEDC, 3 Nonprofits to Invest $1M in Wisconsin-based Tech Startups”
New Survey Highlights “Lethargic Pace” of Healthcare Gender Equity
To close the healthcare and life sciences gender gap, there have been programs to move women into the boardroom. People are building mentoring networks. And there have been public pledges to do better. But women in the industry aren’t optimistic about big changes coming soon, according to a new report and survey from digital healthcare … Continue reading “New Survey Highlights “Lethargic Pace” of Healthcare Gender Equity”
Exact Sciences Plots Expansion Strategy as Cancer Test Sales Boom
Exact Sciences posted its fourth consecutive strong quarter—beating analysts’ and the company’s own projections of financial and business performance—and investors reacted favorably. Madison, WI-based Exact (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EXAS]]) develops diagnostic tests for several types of cancer. Its flagship product is Cologuard, a stool-based DNA test for colorectal cancer. Exact said it completed about 161,000 of the … Continue reading “Exact Sciences Plots Expansion Strategy as Cancer Test Sales Boom”
As Russians Hacked U.S. Election, Did Big Tech Firms Break Any Laws?
News is constantly streaming out these days about the role of Facebook, Twitter, and Google in the 2016 presidential election; most disturbing to the public is the apparent use of social media, search, and video channels by Russian operatives seeking to influence U.S. voters. Critical lawmakers have blasted the big tech companies for failing to … Continue reading “As Russians Hacked U.S. Election, Did Big Tech Firms Break Any Laws?”
Northwestern Mutual Launches $5M VC Fund to Support Local Startups
[Updated 10/31/17 11:01 a.m. See below.] Northwestern Mutual has in recent years begun supporting and working with more early-stage businesses, most notably through its 2015 acquisition of fintech startup LearnVest and creation of a $50 million venture capital fund. Now, the Milwaukee-based life insurance and financial services giant plans to inject $5 million into local startups … Continue reading “Northwestern Mutual Launches $5M VC Fund to Support Local Startups”
San Diego Positions Itself as Autonomous Technology Proving Ground
UC San Diego is becoming a test bed for self-driving vehicle technology. With a campus that encompasses more than 3.3 square miles and a daytime population of roughly 65,000, “It’s a small city,” said Henrik Christensen, who is leading the new project as director of the university’s Institute for Contextual Robotics. Christensen, who announced the … Continue reading “San Diego Positions Itself as Autonomous Technology Proving Ground”
Apple Asks Appeals Court to Reverse Judgment in WARF Patent Case
Apple has requested that an appeals court reverse or reduce a judgment ordering the company to pay $506 million for infringing on a patent held by the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s technology transfer office. In a brief made public this week, Apple (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AAPL]]) says it didn’t infringe on a patent owned by the Wisconsin Alumni … Continue reading “Apple Asks Appeals Court to Reverse Judgment in WARF Patent Case”
MSOE, Noncompetes, NASA, & More: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist
Keep up with the latest news from Wisconsin’s innovation community with these recent headlines: —The Milwaukee School of Engineering announced it’s building a $34 million facility devoted to artificial intelligence research and computational science education. The four-year college’s goal in constructing the 64,000-square-foot research center is to position MSOE “at the forefront in artificial intelligence, … Continue reading “MSOE, Noncompetes, NASA, & More: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist”
Bio Roundup: CBO’s Praise, Celgene’s Shock, Trump’s Opioid Plan & More
The White House and the FDA turned the spotlight on the nation’s opioid crisis. Blockbuster drugs from Alexion and Tesaro gained expanded approvals, but bad earnings news from Celgene and Biogen brought stocks down. Academics in the U.S. and China made progress with the gene editing technology CRISPR. And as the week’s biggest biotech deal … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: CBO’s Praise, Celgene’s Shock, Trump’s Opioid Plan & More”
Phoenix Pulls in $12M to Fuel Growth of Neutron Generators
Things are accelerating at Phoenix. The Monona, WI-based business, which manufactures particle accelerator-based neutron generators and other machines, has outgrown its current headquarters and plans to break ground on a new home next year, says vice president of business development Evan Sengbusch. Phoenix, which recently shortened its name from Phoenix Nuclear Labs, also plans to … Continue reading “Phoenix Pulls in $12M to Fuel Growth of Neutron Generators”
As Drugs Fail, Some Researchers Urge a Return to Alzheimer’s Roots
As the quest to find treatments for Alzheimer’s disease keeps crashing against rocks, a group of researchers in the field want their peers to pay more attention to the part of the brain where Alzheimer’s disease first wreaks havoc. A new paper from the researchers, published this month in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia, is … Continue reading “As Drugs Fail, Some Researchers Urge a Return to Alzheimer’s Roots”
Cord Cutting: How to Get High-Speed Internet Without Cable, 2017 Edition
Hey folks. If you’re thinking about breaking away from the cable monopolies and getting your data, music, and video in other ways, congratulations, I’m with you. I cut the cord back in 2009, and now millions of people are doing the same every year. With the growing interest in cord-cutting, you’d think it would be … Continue reading “Cord Cutting: How to Get High-Speed Internet Without Cable, 2017 Edition”
With New Funding, TAI Diagnostics Set to Launch Post-Transplant Test
TAI Diagnostics, a Milwaukee-area startup developing a non-invasive test to monitor patients’ health after they’ve received heart transplants, plans to begin selling its test early next year, says CEO Frank Langley. Launched in 2015, Wauwatosa, WI-based TAI—whose name stands for “Transplant and Immunology” and is pronounced “tie”—has raised about $13 million from investors so far, … Continue reading “With New Funding, TAI Diagnostics Set to Launch Post-Transplant Test”
Houston Exponential Aims to Bring Venture Investment, Boost Startups
Houston—Houston leaders will officially launch a venture capital fund of funds later this morning, aimed at jumpstarting the city’s innovation ecosystem and elevating Houston into the top tier of startup hubs. The HX Venture Fund, which will be in the $40 million to $50 million range, will be made up of corporate investments which, in … Continue reading “Houston Exponential Aims to Bring Venture Investment, Boost Startups”
Connecture Plans to Delist Stock From Nasdaq, List on OTCQX Exchange
Connecture, a company that sells Web-based software designed to aid consumers shopping for health plans, said Friday it plans to withdraw its shares from the Nasdaq stock exchange next month. Brookfield, WI-based Connecture (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CNXR]]) went public in 2014. Since then, the company’s shares have been listed on the Nasdaq Global Market (NGM), the middle … Continue reading “Connecture Plans to Delist Stock From Nasdaq, List on OTCQX Exchange”
TAI Diagnostics, RPRD, Wellbe, & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist
Stay current on the latest news from Wisconsin’s innovation community with these recent headlines: —TAI Diagnostics, a Wauwatosa-based startup seeking to commercialize a non-invasive test to monitor the health of heart transplant recipients, raised more than $1.7 million from 24 investors, according to an SEC filing that first became public on Thursday. The company’s test … Continue reading “TAI Diagnostics, RPRD, Wellbe, & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist”
Bio Roundup: Kite’s CAR-T Approved, Obamacare Fix & Lilly mRNA Deal
Kite Pharma wasn’t expecting a regulatory decision for its non-Hodgkin lymphoma treatment until November, but this week, the company got the FDA’s O.K. The approval of axicabtagene ciloleucel (Yescarta) marks the second time in the two months that the FDA has given the nod to a CAR-T therapy, a treatment made from a patient’s own … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Kite’s CAR-T Approved, Obamacare Fix & Lilly mRNA Deal”
Leerink’s Cozzens on New Health IT Fund, A.I.’s Future as a Platform
Despite uncertainty over the future of the Affordable Care Act, investors continue to see opportunities to build successful businesses in healthcare technology and related services. For several years, the common refrain among healthtech investors has been that the implementation of electronic medical records (EMRs) and the shift from a fee-for-service payments structure to so-called value-based … Continue reading “Leerink’s Cozzens on New Health IT Fund, A.I.’s Future as a Platform”
Microsoft, Packers to Spend $10M to Create Startup Hub in Green Bay
The NFL’s Green Bay Packers attract tens of thousands of fans from Wisconsin and other states whenever the team plays a home game at Lambeau Field. Now, through a new, $10 million partnership with Microsoft, the Packers are hoping to attract entrepreneurs and tech startups to Green Bay, and develop new products and services there. … Continue reading “Microsoft, Packers to Spend $10M to Create Startup Hub in Green Bay”
Level Playing Field? How Big Company Dominance May Hinder Innovation
The conventional wisdom about Silicon Valley is that it’s a playground for the underdogs, a fertile ground for young entrepreneurs building startups that are going to “change the world.” Instead, the Bay Area—while, yes, still home to thirsty young entrepreneurs—is increasingly the stomping grounds of a few major tech companies that have come to dominate … Continue reading “Level Playing Field? How Big Company Dominance May Hinder Innovation”
With Pitches for HQ2 Made, Cities Wait on Amazon’s 2018 Decision
From Portland to Pittsburgh, it’s likely that every city in the U.S. with more than 1 million people has made its case to Amazon to locate the company’s second headquarters there. At least, hopefully they have already, because today—if you haven’t heard—was the deadline to apply. Amazon sent North America into a frenzy after announcing … Continue reading “With Pitches for HQ2 Made, Cities Wait on Amazon’s 2018 Decision”
Lab Focused on Human-Centered Design Moves to Put San Diego on Map
For Michèle Morris, the big question hanging over organizers as they laid the groundwork last year for the first Design Forward Summit was whether the innovation community in San Diego understood the value of design. “We didn’t know who was going to show up—and 600 people showed up,” said Morris, who is associate director of … Continue reading “Lab Focused on Human-Centered Design Moves to Put San Diego on Map”
At Lambeau Field, Case & Vance Plot a Path for Emerging Startup Hubs
Green Bay, WI, is among the smallest of the 30-plus cities Steve Case and other leaders of his venture capital firm Revolution have visited since 2014 as part of its national “Rise of the Rest” tour, but Case nonetheless said he sees some of the seeds that could help sprout a cluster of high-tech businesses … Continue reading “At Lambeau Field, Case & Vance Plot a Path for Emerging Startup Hubs”