Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7955e2b1-d0be-4310-915f-38a7fc411094 Date 8/18/2014 Company Name Cellectar Mailing Address 3301 Agriculture Drive Madison, WI 53716 USA Company Description Capitalizing on the unique characteristics of malignant cancer cells, Cellectar’s molecules are designed to find, treat and follow malignancies through the delivery of radiopharmaceuticals in a novel, highly selective way. Website http://www.cellectar.com Transaction Type Debt … Continue reading “Cellectar Secures $617,500 New Financing Round”
Category: Wisconsin
Innovation Hub: Your Brilliant Other Half
We spend a lot of time celebrating one-in-a-million entrepreneurs: the Mark Zuckerbergs, the Steve Jobs, the Elon Musks. But what if most entrepreneurs are more like two in a million? People who couldn’t realize their vision without a brilliant partner. Joshua Wolf Shenk writes about this phenomenon in Powers of Two: Finding the Essence of … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: Your Brilliant Other Half”
Cellectar Biosciences Makes Nasdaq Debut With $12.5M Stock Offering
Cellectar Biosciences, a Madison, WI-based startup developing cancer drugs and imaging tools, began trading on the Nasdaq stock exchange today and is holding a public stock offering expected to raise $12.5 million in cash. The announcement is a key step for the company, whose stock was traded over the counter. Xconomy recently explored Cellectar’s prospects … Continue reading “Cellectar Biosciences Makes Nasdaq Debut With $12.5M Stock Offering”
Carless in Cambridge: Bike & Car Sharing and the Future of Traffic
Nine weeks ago, I lost my fancy hybrid street/trail bike to one of San Francisco’s plentiful bicycle thieves. Seven weeks ago, in preparation for a big move east, I sold my car. Now I’m settling into a new apartment in Cambridge, MA, and for the first time in my adult life, I don’t own a … Continue reading “Carless in Cambridge: Bike & Car Sharing and the Future of Traffic”
For Exact Sciences, It’s Put Up or Shut Up Time For Colon Cancer Test
Exact Sciences CEO Kevin Conroy typically chooses his words carefully in interviews and public statements to investors, but he isn’t shy about making bold statements when it comes to the potential impact of his company’s newly-approved diagnostic test for colon cancer. “Cologuard may represent one of the most significant advancements in cancer screening in the … Continue reading “For Exact Sciences, It’s Put Up or Shut Up Time For Colon Cancer Test”
Non-Compete Agreements: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Twenty years ago, renowned researcher AnnaLee Saxenian wrote a book called Regional Advantage, which compared the development of two high-tech regions, Silicon Valley and Route 128. Everyone in the tech world knows how this story played out: In the face of global competition and technological trends, Silicon Valley reinvented itself and roared ahead, while Route … Continue reading “Non-Compete Agreements: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly”
Home Automation Startups Begin Microsoft, American Family Accelerator
Microsoft and American Family Insurance today named the 10 startups selected for their joint accelerator focused on home automation. The companies announced the accelerator partnership in June. The selected startups will work from Microsoft’s Redmond, WA headquarters campus through December and will have access to expertise and connections from Madison, WI-based American Family Insurance. American Family … Continue reading “Home Automation Startups Begin Microsoft, American Family Accelerator”
The Fallout From Aver Informatics’ Reported Move from WI to OH
[Updated 8/13/14, 12:35 p.m.] Aver Informatics’ reported move from Green Bay, WI, to Columbus, OH, could have financial and reputational ramifications for the healthtech startup. Columbus Business First quoted CEO Kurt Brenkus saying that Aver had set up shop in late July in the office of its new high-profile investor, Columbus-based Drive Capital; hired five … Continue reading “The Fallout From Aver Informatics’ Reported Move from WI to OH”
Bay Area, Midwest Edtech Startups Pitch WI Investors, Target K-12
It’s rare to hear of Silicon Valley startups pitching their companies to angel investors in Wisconsin. Usually it’s the inverse, with Badger State entrepreneurs trying to score funds from California investors’ deep pockets. But on Tuesday, three San Francisco Bay Area startups—along with companies from Milwaukee, Chicago, and Minneapolis—presented to a room of more than … Continue reading “Bay Area, Midwest Edtech Startups Pitch WI Investors, Target K-12”
Scanalytics Lands $25,000 Seed Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d9c2c651-245b-4ff0-9fe2-7ea48f500686 Date 8/13/2014 Company Name Scanalytics Mailing Address 260 E Highland Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53202 USA Company Description Scanalytics measures the movements of individuals in physical locations such as retail establishments, tradeshows, and promotional events. They enable businesses to maximize customer engagements, predict patterns, increase customer retention, and measure in-store conversions. Website … Continue reading “Scanalytics Lands $25,000 Seed Funding”
The Perfect Hacker Storm: CyberVor Was Lightning; Here Comes Thunder
A Russian “hacker gang” they’ve dubbed CyberVor accumulated more than 1.2 unique user credentials from more than 420,000 Web services, ranging from smaller sites to major household names. For scale – if the CyberVor hack were a box office return, it would be the total global gross of the final Harry Potter as compared to … Continue reading “The Perfect Hacker Storm: CyberVor Was Lightning; Here Comes Thunder”
While Protesters Rage Against Tech Giants, Biotech Drives Quietly By
Not long ago, biotech made a lot of people angry. Up until 2005 or so, the annual Biotechnology Industry Organization conference attracted large street protests, which in turn attracted cops in riot gear in some cases (see San Francisco, 2004) as well as the attention of the industry’s top brass. Here’s then-BIO president Carl Feldbaum … Continue reading “While Protesters Rage Against Tech Giants, Biotech Drives Quietly By”
Wisconsin Roundup: Midwest Angel Investors, Epic, Cellectar, & More
Midwest investors flex their muscles, while Epic Systems faces stiffer competition in the electronic health records software space. Read on for details about these and other stories from the Wisconsin innovation scene. —The Great Lakes region accounted for 17.1 percent of angel investments in the first quarter, according to the latest Halo Report from Silicon … Continue reading “Wisconsin Roundup: Midwest Angel Investors, Epic, Cellectar, & More”
Exact Sciences’ Cologuard Approved Simultaneously by FDA, CMS
[Updated, 8/12/14, 8:13 a.m ET] The FDA approved Exact Sciences’ Cologuard test today, signing off on the first non-invasive, stool-based DNA screening test for colorectal cancer. The announcement isn’t a surprise, given the unanimous endorsement of the test in March by an FDA advisory panel that reviewed data from the company’s 10,000-patient clinical study. But … Continue reading “Exact Sciences’ Cologuard Approved Simultaneously by FDA, CMS”
3 Startup Myths Debunked by Recent Eau Claire Tech News
Wisconsin economic development officials and startup advocates like to say that innovation happens in all parts of the state, not just in its two biggest cities, Milwaukee and Madison. That mantra isn’t always evident, given the lower level of startup activity outside the state’s two hubs. But there certainly are pockets of innovation statewide. I’ll … Continue reading “3 Startup Myths Debunked by Recent Eau Claire Tech News”
Moneyball Meets Sales and Marketing: Tips from Two Masters
Moneyball has come to sales and marketing. I’m trusting you know about the revolution that hit baseball due to the arrival of sophisticated data and analytics—and if you don’t, well, read Moneyball by Michael Lewis. It shouldn’t be a surprise, in any case, to hear that the same type of data-mining and number-crunching that turned … Continue reading “Moneyball Meets Sales and Marketing: Tips from Two Masters”
Silatronix Garners $2,146,685 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=42527503-cd11-4765-af8e-f818bf4871c1 Date 8/11/2014 Company Name Silatronix Mailing Address 3587 Anderson Street Madison, WI 53704 USA Company Description Silatronix is commercializing a new class of patented materials based on organosilicon (OS) compounds for use in energy storage devices, especially electrolytes for lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. Website http://www.silatronix.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $2,146,685 … Continue reading “Silatronix Garners $2,146,685 New Financing Round”
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”
Madison+ Ruby 2014
From the event organizer: “Madison+ Ruby conference is more than a typical one-track conference. We’re committed to bringing together two great communities by showcasing the assets of the local Ruby community and allowing Madison visitors a chance to experience one of the best, brainiest, and least expensive places in the United States to live and … Continue reading “Madison+ Ruby 2014”
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”
Invisible Connect Obtains $2,500,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d6c351cc-78f2-465f-b85c-bdb44e6793a8 Date 8/8/2014 Company Name Invisible Connect Mailing Address 7 South Dewey St. Eau Claire, WI 54701 USA Company Description Invisible Connect is a well-funded start-up technology company. We are focused on embracing new technology that will disrupt an established industry that has not had true innovation in over 60 years. Website … Continue reading “Invisible Connect Obtains $2,500,000 New Funding”
Stealthy Device Startup Invisible Connect Gets $2.5M From WI Investor
Invisible Connect, a stealthy hardware startup based in Eau Claire, WI, has raised $2.5 million in seed money from an unnamed Wisconsin investor, according to the founder and an SEC document. Founder and president Scott Strangstalien is mum on details about what Invisible Connect is working on, but he says it’s developing a dozen devices … Continue reading “Stealthy Device Startup Invisible Connect Gets $2.5M From WI Investor”
From DDR to VC, First 1 Million Cups Milwaukee Event Sparks Fun Talk
Milwaukee is considered a mid-tier city with a relatively tiny tech startup scene that has started to pick up some momentum over the last three or four years. But despite the small scale, the local startup community still seems isolated at times. That’s something Brian Taffora would like to help turn around with the creation … Continue reading “From DDR to VC, First 1 Million Cups Milwaukee Event Sparks Fun Talk”
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”
JAMF Software Exec Talks Apple’s Evolution, Investing With Bon Iver
Zach Halmstad can thank a shuttered sandwich shop for his tech career. While studying music at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire around the turn of the millennium, Halmstad was helping to pay the bills by working at the sandwich place. When the business closed down, he took a job at the university providing tech support … Continue reading “JAMF Software Exec Talks Apple’s Evolution, Investing With Bon Iver”
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”
Wisconsin Roundup: Uber, Lovell, BrightStar, Energy Incubator & More
Here are a few notable recent happenings in Wisconsin’s tech and innovation community: —Controversial startups Uber and Lyft have gone legit in Milwaukee, after Mayor Tom Barrett signed legislation last week that legalizes the on-demand transportation apps and lifts the cap on city taxi permits, the Milwaukee Business Journal reported. Uber and Lyft, which have … Continue reading “Wisconsin Roundup: Uber, Lovell, BrightStar, Energy Incubator & More”
comScore Acquires MdotLabs for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d54f2dd9-3861-4c10-bb90-f538f84d4a2a Date 8/5/2014 Company Name MdotLabs Mailing Address 122 W. Washington Ave Madison, WI 53703 USA Company Description The MdotLabs AdSecure Platform delivers end-to-end audience assurance for digital media. AdSecure protects online media companies against a growing number of sophisticated traffic generation techniques. Website http://www.mdotlabs.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction … Continue reading “comScore Acquires MdotLabs for Undisclosed Sum”
ComScore Buys Software Startup MdotLabs, Keeps Madison Office
MdotLabs has been acquired by ComScore for an undisclosed price, just 14 months after the Madison, WI, startup was formed. MdotLabs created software, AdSecure, to help digital publishers and online advertisers verify Web traffic by sifting out bogus visits by click farms and other fraudsters. The company raised $1.25 million in November from Chicago Ventures, … Continue reading “ComScore Buys Software Startup MdotLabs, Keeps Madison Office”
Startups Still Abandon Wisconsin, But Growing Cluster Keeping More Here
SurveyMonkey has come a long way since Ryan Finley started the company in his Madison, WI, apartment. The online polling service, which counts Facebook and Harvard among its customers, began in 1999 after Finley earned his computer science degree from the state’s flagship university. It survived the dot-com era’s collapse, reportedly bootstrapping its way to … Continue reading “Startups Still Abandon Wisconsin, But Growing Cluster Keeping More Here”
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”
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”
Wantable Receives $1,500,000 Series A Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d5013a87-ba28-4e6c-bed7-4b9d827ea898 Date 8/1/2014 Company Name Wantable Mailing Address 240 N Milwaukee St. Milwaukee, WI 53202 USA Company Description We create unique customer profiles by asking customers a series of product and personality questions. We then use this data to introduce customers to assortments of products perfectly suited to their personal taste. Website … Continue reading “Wantable Receives $1,500,000 Series A Funding Round”
Fashion Startup Wantable Raises $1.5M, Expands to Fitness Apparel
Wantable, the fast-growing Milwaukee e-commerce startup focused on young women’s fashion, said it has closed a $1.5 million Series A funding round that will help it grow the business and expand its product lines. The money comes from undisclosed Wisconsin and California investors. Wantable, founded in 2012 by Milwaukee serial entrepreneur Jalem Getz, previously raised … Continue reading “Fashion Startup Wantable Raises $1.5M, Expands to Fitness Apparel”
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?”
Wake Forest Institute Advancing Bioprinter Tech for Wound Care
In the not too distant future, one of the most important pieces of equipment for treating injured soldiers at a combat hospital could be a printer. Doctors may someday wheel a portable “bioprinter” over to a soldier’s bed, line it up, and print new layers of skin directly onto a severe wound or burn. That’s … Continue reading “Wake Forest Institute Advancing Bioprinter Tech for Wound Care”
Apartment Website Abodo Snags 4490 Ventures’ First Investment
Abodo, the Madison, WI-based apartment rental website, has closed a $1.25 million Series A investment that’s significant not only for the company, but also because of the investors involved. The round was led by Madison-based American Family Ventures, the $50 million VC arm of American Family Insurance. The fund was formed in 2010 but only … Continue reading “Apartment Website Abodo Snags 4490 Ventures’ First Investment”
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”
Abodo Lands $1,250,000 Series A Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=704bd3bb-f3fd-4a20-93f3-60847a7fb216 Date 7/30/2014 Company Name Abodo Mailing Address 551 W Main St. Madison, WI 53703 USA Company Description We founded Abodo in January 2011 for a simple reason: apartment hunting in Madison just plain sucked. As UW students and then recent graduates with more than 10 Madison apartment hunts between us, we … Continue reading “Abodo Lands $1,250,000 Series A Round”
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”
Wisconsin Roundup: Exact Sciences, Bioforward, MCW, & More
A former Wisconsin governor has joined the board of promising Madison biotech company Exact Sciences. Meanwhile, there’s turnover at the top of the state’s biotech trade group. Read on for details about these announcements (and others) in this week’s rundown of Wisconsin innovation and technology headlines. —Jim Doyle, the Democrat who served as Wisconsin’s governor … Continue reading “Wisconsin Roundup: Exact Sciences, Bioforward, MCW, & More”
Investors Talk Venture Capital and the Midwestern Talent Gap
Earlier this month, MoneyTree released its quarterly venture capital report, and the news was overwhelmingly positive. VCs invested almost $13 billion in 1,114 U.S. startups during the second quarter, which is the highest level of VC funding in 13 years. That included a strong showing by the Midwest, which isn’t known for its VC investing. … Continue reading “Investors Talk Venture Capital and the Midwestern Talent Gap”
Energy Startups Take Page From Tech Playbook, Build Data Platforms
A standard playbook in the tech industry is to try to build a “platform” on top of which a company can attract developers and partners—and build revenue. In the energy industry, though, the notion of technology platforms and partner ecosystems is more or less non-existent. That could change, though, as more technology entrepreneurs cross over … Continue reading “Energy Startups Take Page From Tech Playbook, Build Data Platforms”
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”
Ability Network Exit a Win For WI Investors Outside Metro Hubs
When Boston-based Summit Partners acquired a majority stake in Minneapolis-based healthtech firm Ability Network in April for $550 million, the deal got no press in nearby Wisconsin. That wasn’t a surprise: Ability Network has no major presence in the Badger State. But the deal, which was among the largest healthtech transactions nationwide in the first … Continue reading “Ability Network Exit a Win For WI Investors Outside Metro Hubs”
Reflections on RTP
Having moved to the Research Triangle Park region in 1987 when my husband was recruited to Glaxo, I now realize that we chose “the right place at the right time.” I started a post-doctorial fellowship at UNC-Chapel Hill and eventually became a clinical scientist at Burroughs Wellcome, and we enjoyed raising a family in Chapel … Continue reading “Reflections on RTP”
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”