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.”
Category: Wisconsin
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”
Coinigy Adds Users, As Digital Currency Values Soar
Matt Cohler, a general partner with the Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm Benchmark, in 2014 described to Vanity Fair his view of the smartphone as a “remote control for real life.” Cohler’s analogy captures a key feature of so many digital innovations, from the earliest remote controls to today’s smartphones: being able to take lots … Continue reading “Coinigy Adds Users, As Digital Currency Values Soar”
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?”
Swallow Solutions Gulps Down $700K to Develop Thickened Beverages
Swallow Solutions, a Madison, WI-based startup that develops therapeutic devices and other products for people with swallowing disorders, has raised more than $726,000 in new equity financing. Seventeen investors participated in the funding round, according to an SEC filing. The company has raised nearly $4.9 million since launching in 2009, says Eric Horler, president and … Continue reading “Swallow Solutions Gulps Down $700K to Develop Thickened Beverages”
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”
Interoperability, Drones, Tech Hubs & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist
Stay current on news from Wisconsin’s innovation community with these recent headlines. —The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel published an in-depth report on electronic patient health records interoperability, or the ability of different hospitals and clinics to exchange patient data. Ninety-six percent of hospitals now use electronic health records, the newspaper reported, but the industry still has … Continue reading “Interoperability, Drones, Tech Hubs & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist”
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”
Fiserv Gains Payments Tech, Global Reach in $89M Deal for Monitise
In a potential sign that mobile payments technology may not be living up to its early promise, Brookfield, WI-based financial IT vendor Fiserv is acquiring a U.K. software maker that has struggled in recent years. Fiserv (NASDAQ: [[ticker:FISV]]) announced earlier this week it has agreed to pay about £70 million—or $89.4 million, at the current … Continue reading “Fiserv Gains Payments Tech, Global Reach in $89M Deal for Monitise”
Foxconn Mulls Building Plant in WI That Could Employ Thousands
Foxconn, the world’s biggest contract electronics manufacturer, is considering building a plant in Wisconsin, the Associated Press reported Wednesday. Taiwan-based Foxconn is perhaps best known for its factories in Shenzhen, China, where it assembles iPhones and other personal computing devices sold by Apple (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AAPL]]). Other customers of Foxconn include BlackBerry, Dell, Nintendo, and Sony … Continue reading “Foxconn Mulls Building Plant in WI That Could Employ Thousands”
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”
Xealth Raises $8.5M to Help Doctors Prescribe Digital Health Apps
With more digital health apps and devices popping up each week, the debate continues about their effectiveness at improving health. But there’s another big problem for doctors and hospitals that want their patients to use the apps that do work: prescribing them. Xealth, a cloud-based software startup, aims to make prescribing a diabetes management app as … Continue reading “Xealth Raises $8.5M to Help Doctors Prescribe Digital Health Apps”
Report: Wisconsin Startups Raised $276M in 2016, Up From 2015 Total
Venture capital funds and angel investors pumped more than $276 million into Wisconsin-based startups in 2016. That was a 6 percent increase over the previous year, when early stage companies in the state raised $209 million; however, the 2016 total was lower than the $346 million that Wisconsin startups raised in 2014. Those figures and … Continue reading “Report: Wisconsin Startups Raised $276M in 2016, Up From 2015 Total”
Washington State Program Could Be Model for Trump Apprenticeship Push
[Updated 6/13/17, 10:25 pm PT. See below.] President Trump, once the star of reality television show “The Apprentice,” is pushing for apprenticeships as a way to connect more people with some 6 million unfilled jobs in fields such as healthcare and information technology. A program from Washington state’s technology industry is doing just that, and planning to … Continue reading “Washington State Program Could Be Model for Trump Apprenticeship Push”
Exact, WARF, Murfie, Microbes, & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist
Keep up with the latest news from Wisconsin’s innovation community with these recent headlines. —Madison-based Exact Sciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EXAS]]), whose flagship product is a stool-based screening test for colorectal cancer, issued a recall of 15 pieces of equipment used to mix stool samples in preparation for testing at the company’s lab. According to the FDA, … Continue reading “Exact, WARF, Murfie, Microbes, & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist”
Stratatech Starts Latest Study of Skin-Like Tissue in Burn Patients
Stratatech said this week that the first patient has been enrolled in a Phase 3 clinical trial of the cell-based regenerative skin tissue the company is developing. The aim of the study is to assess the safety and efficacy of StrataGraft, the company’s flagship skin replacement product, at coaxing the bodies of patients with burn … Continue reading “Stratatech Starts Latest Study of Skin-Like Tissue in Burn Patients”
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”
Judge Upholds $234M Award to WARF in Apple Patent Case
A federal judge on Tuesday rejected Apple’s request to overturn a jury’s finding that the company must pay $234 million in damages to the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) for infringing on a patent held by the foundation, according to a statement from WARF and multiple news reports. WARF manages patents and licensing of intellectual … Continue reading “Judge Upholds $234M Award to WARF in Apple Patent Case”
Grubhub Gobbles Foodler as Online Food-Ordering Sector Consolidates
The shakeout of the crowded field of online food-ordering and delivery companies continues. Chicago-based Grubhub (NYSE: [[ticker:GRUB]]) has signed an agreement to acquire Boston-based rival Foodler. Terms of the all-cash transaction weren’t disclosed. The deal will add more than $80 million of annualized gross food sales to Grubhub’s business in 2017, according to a press … Continue reading “Grubhub Gobbles Foodler as Online Food-Ordering Sector Consolidates”
Northern Star Fire’s E-compass Wins Governor’s Business Plan Contest
According to the U.S. Fire Administration, 1,002 firefighters died while on duty between 2006 and 2015. Jeff Dykes, a fire captain and entrepreneur, believes some of those fatalities could have been avoided if the firefighters had been able to determine what direction they were facing while inside of burning buildings. Dykes is the founder of Eau Claire, … Continue reading “Northern Star Fire’s E-compass Wins Governor’s Business Plan Contest”
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”
Exact Sciences To Sell 7 to 8 Million Shares in Stock Offering
Exact Sciences today announced that it is selling 7 million shares of common stock at $35 per share, a 4.5 discount off of Tuesday’s closing price. The offering is underwritten by Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Jefferies, and Robert W. Baird & Co., which have the option to purchase up to 1.05 million additional shares. … Continue reading “Exact Sciences To Sell 7 to 8 Million Shares in Stock Offering”
Madison Startup Asto Tests Its CT Scanner on a Standing Horse
Asto CT, a Madison, WI-based startup developing a computed tomography (CT) device for performing scans of animals, has taken a major step forward this spring in its effort to commercialize its machine. The results could impact the field of CT technology for veterinarians and other specialists. In late April, one of the company’s scanners was … Continue reading “Madison Startup Asto Tests Its CT Scanner on a Standing Horse”
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”
Cardigan, Younkle’s Latest Startup, Seeks to Digitize Business Cards
First, Matt Younkle helped customers digitize their music collections. Now, the serial entrepreneur is working on technology to digitize the age-old ritual of swapping business cards with new acquaintances. Madison, WI-based Cardigan has developed software allowing people to exchange contact information using their smartphones. The company’s mobile app became available on the App Store and … Continue reading “Cardigan, Younkle’s Latest Startup, Seeks to Digitize Business Cards”
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”
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?”
Stem Cell Software Firm Cellara Eyes Mid-June for Commercial Launch
[Updated 6/9/17 12:39 p.m. See below.] A 2015 study in the journal PLOS Biology estimated that $28 billion is spent annually in the U.S. on preclinical research that is not reproducible. One reason for what some researchers have called a “crisis” in reproducibility is that in certain types of laboratories, some scientists still track their day-to-day … Continue reading “Stem Cell Software Firm Cellara Eyes Mid-June for Commercial Launch”
Winnebago Seed Fund, Part of Badger Fund of Funds, Raises $11M
A Wisconsin venture capital fund created under a state-supported program has raised $11 million. The Winnebago Seed Fund said the size of the funding round could top out at $12 million, according to a document filed with federal securities regulators. Thirty-one investors participated in the round, according to the filing. The fund is based in … Continue reading “Winnebago Seed Fund, Part of Badger Fund of Funds, Raises $11M”
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”
Bio Roundup: ASCO Combo Frenzy, Maine’s Free DNA Tests, Sema4 & More
Over the next four days, the Second City will be the center of the biomedical world. The American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual meeting in Chicago brings together thousands of researchers from across the globe to discuss the latest progress in the war against cancer. On tap this year: the crush of immunotherapy drug combinations, … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: ASCO Combo Frenzy, Maine’s Free DNA Tests, Sema4 & More”
Energy Leaders React to Trump’s Withdrawal From Paris Climate Accord
[Updated 6/2/17, 10:10 pm ET. See below.] President Donald Trump today announced the United States would withdraw from complying with what’s known as the Paris climate accord, a landmark international agreement to combat climate change. In December 2015, nearly all the countries in the world—195 of them—agreed to the pact, which aims to reduce emissions of … Continue reading “Energy Leaders React to Trump’s Withdrawal From Paris Climate Accord”
Countering Cybersecurity Turnover: 57 Companies That Do It Best
What does it take to keep highly skilled cybersecurity employees? Salary and benefits are table-stakes. Challenging work, ongoing training, an opportunity to advance without having to become a manager, and a talented peer group all help companies recruit and retain these sought-after “ninjas”—the individuals who can do what artificial intelligence security tools can’t. Research from … Continue reading “Countering Cybersecurity Turnover: 57 Companies That Do It Best”
Gig Economy Growing in Wisconsin, Despite Early Pushback
Independent contractors, temporary employees, and other so-called “contingent” workers make up a growing share of the American workforce. According to a 2015 report from the Government Accountability Office, contingent workers accounted for 40.4 percent of employed workers in 2010, up from 35.3 percent in 2006. In Wisconsin—and elsewhere—companies that make up the “sharing” or “gig” economy … Continue reading “Gig Economy Growing in Wisconsin, Despite Early Pushback”
In Maine, Making Cancer DNA Tests Free—And Asking Tough Questions
Has the era of genetic oncology arrived? Last week, the biomedical world took a notable step in that direction when the FDA said Merck’s drug pembrolizumab (Keytruda), already one of the world’s most successful cancer immunotherapies, could now treat any tumor with a particular genetic fingerprint. It was the first time a drug has been … Continue reading “In Maine, Making Cancer DNA Tests Free—And Asking Tough Questions”
Shares in Exact Sciences Rise on UnitedHealthcare Coverage Decision
Exact Sciences saw its stock price rise late Tuesday on news that the health insurer UnitedHealthcare will cover Cologuard, Exact’s stool-based DNA test for colorectal cancer, starting July 1. Shares in Madison, WI-based Exact (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EXAS]]) were trading at $35.30 apiece as of 7:47 p.m. in New York, up more than 8.1 percent from Tuesday’s … Continue reading “Shares in Exact Sciences Rise on UnitedHealthcare Coverage Decision”
Water Startups, Hyde, Lucigen, & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist
Just in time for the unofficial start of summer, we’re looking at news on startups in Wisconsin developing new water technologies, as well as one that has created a product for water sports enthusiasts. Plus, an award for growth in exports, an upcoming pitch event, commercial licensing agreements, and more happenings in the state’s innovation community. … Continue reading “Water Startups, Hyde, Lucigen, & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist”
Woodcock: New Approvals Show FDA Is Adapting to Precision Medicine
The randomized controlled trial has long been held up as the gold standard for testing new drugs. But the nation’s top drug evaluator, Janet Woodcock, believes they aren’t necessary for all new experimental treatments. Randomized trials are long, expensive to run, and ultimately produce limited answers, she said at a medical conference last week. The … Continue reading “Woodcock: New Approvals Show FDA Is Adapting to Precision Medicine”
On ASCO’s Eve, Experts Fret Over Backlash to Cancer Combo Frenzy
When thousands of cancer researchers from around the world gather in Chicago this weekend for the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual meeting, drugs that fight tumors by boosting a patient’s immune system will take center stage, as they have in previous years. But the stage is more crowded, as researchers have begun in earnest … Continue reading “On ASCO’s Eve, Experts Fret Over Backlash to Cancer Combo Frenzy”
Bio Roundup: Skinny Cuts, Genomic Approvals, Unfrozen FDA & More
Team Trump unveiled its 2018 federal spending proposal—the so-called “skinny budget”—with health and science in the crosshairs. The NIH is looking at a 22 percent cut and the FDA 31 percent, although the administration wants to backfill the FDA loss with a huge boost in user fees, which drug and device companies pay to have … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Skinny Cuts, Genomic Approvals, Unfrozen FDA & More”
Amid Budget Concerns, NIH Preps Beta Test for Precision Medicine Plan
An ambitious plan to recruit 1 million U.S. volunteers and amass a treasure trove of their health information will start next week with a “beta test” that health officials hope to eventually expand nationwide. National Institutes of Health director Francis Collins said Wednesday that the Precision Medicine Initiative will begin in Pittsburgh, where the agency … Continue reading “Amid Budget Concerns, NIH Preps Beta Test for Precision Medicine Plan”
Loan Provider BankMyBiz Aims to Continue Growth Through Partnerships
[Updated 5/25/17 4:47 p.m. See below.] People who have spent years working in a particular industry before deciding to hang out their own shingle need a few things to succeed: a business plan, plenty of gumption, and enough money to get a new venture off the ground. That last piece—the startup capital—can be hard to … Continue reading “Loan Provider BankMyBiz Aims to Continue Growth Through Partnerships”
Unconventional Partners, Like FDA, Can Drive Adoption of New Tech
We’ve heard it time and again. Drug development is too expensive, takes too long, and many drug candidates that show promise in preclinical trials end up failing because testing methods don’t predict how they will work in humans. Recently, new technologies have emerged that offer disruptive potential for steering the development of drugs in more … Continue reading “Unconventional Partners, Like FDA, Can Drive Adoption of New Tech”
Gottlieb Says FDA’s “Regulatory Tools” Can Help Fight Opioid Abuse
The FDA considers how safe and effective a new drug is before approving it. But for addictive opioid painkillers, which have triggered a massive public health crisis, should the agency also weigh the potential for the medication to be abused? That’s one of the questions that new FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb is posing as he … Continue reading “Gottlieb Says FDA’s “Regulatory Tools” Can Help Fight Opioid Abuse”
FDA Landmark Nod: Cancer Drug To Match Tumor Genes, Not Tissue Type
For many years, doctors and researchers have known that cancers in different parts of the body can share genetic abnormalities. For the first time, the FDA has approved a drug based on those abnormalities and not on the organ in which the cancer originated. It’s a moment that a lot of people in the cancer … Continue reading “FDA Landmark Nod: Cancer Drug To Match Tumor Genes, Not Tissue Type”
Startup Accelerator Gener8tor Explores Possible Expansion to Indiana
Gener8tor, a Wisconsin-based group that runs training programs for early-stage companies and invests in them, is considering bringing those programs to Indianapolis. The organization is still finalizing its decision about whether to expand into the Hoosier State. But if Gener8tor elects to do so, it will likely open an Indianapolis office by early 2018 and … Continue reading “Startup Accelerator Gener8tor Explores Possible Expansion to Indiana”
Trump’s Cybersecurity Czar Talks WannaCry, Industry Partnerships
The Trump administration’s plan for strengthening the nation’s cyber defenses is starting to come into focus. Rob Joyce, a special assistant to the president and the White House’s cybersecurity coordinator, spoke in Boston Monday at an event promoting the launch of CyberMA, a Massachusetts affiliate of the national CyberUSA initiative. CyberMA is a MassTLC-led group … Continue reading “Trump’s Cybersecurity Czar Talks WannaCry, Industry Partnerships”
Envision the Future: Request Your Invite to Our Napa Summit June 8-9
We are getting down to the wire—just two and a half weeks until Xconomy’s most unique, up close and personal event of the year: our sixth annual Napa Summit: The Xconomy Retreat on Technology, Jobs, and Growth. We have only about 20 spots left open, and a number of those will likely go fast. So … Continue reading “Envision the Future: Request Your Invite to Our Napa Summit June 8-9”