Robert Alexander has been named CEO of San Carlos, CA, drug developer Allakos. Alexander most recently served as CEO of Coppell, TX-based ZS Pharma, a subsidiary of AstraZeneca (NYSE: [[ticker:AZN]]). Before joining ZS Pharma, Alexander was a director at Alta Partners, a venture capital firm. Allakos is developing therapeutic antibody drugs to treat allergic and … Continue reading “Two ZS Pharma Execs Picked for Allakos Management Team”
Five Questions For … Geekdom Fund Co-Founder Michael Girdley
San Antonio—Michael Girdley grew up as a self-described “techie kid,” who whiled away the hours trying to take apart his Apple II computer. “I was always attracted to tech,” he says. That interest led him to pursue a computer science degree at Lafayette College and, eventually, land in ground zero of the Internet age in … Continue reading “Five Questions For … Geekdom Fund Co-Founder Michael Girdley”
Gravy Offers Creators, Brands New Ways to Cash in on Live Web Videos
Live online broadcasting has in recent years become an increasingly crowded segment of the media. Services such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter—which acquired Periscope in 2015—compete with YouNow and other standalone offerings to get users to watch and interact with live content. Gravy Live, a Madison, WI-based startup that was formed last year but just … Continue reading “Gravy Offers Creators, Brands New Ways to Cash in on Live Web Videos”
Bio Roundup: Frazier v. Trump, Data Dumps, New York Steps & More
The CEO of a major U.S. pharmaceutical company was in the news this week, but for a change not because of the cost of drugs. Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier (pictured) was the first of what quickly became a line of CEOs to exit President Trump’s manufacturing council, leading to its dissolution altogether. Frazier was widely … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Frazier v. Trump, Data Dumps, New York Steps & More”
Boston Tech Watch: ZoomInfo, CloudHealth, Endurance, Smilo & More
[Updated 8/21/17, 11:34 am. See below.] This week in Boston tech, we’re tracking endings and new beginnings. It’s the end of an era at both 17-year-old ZoomInfo, which just got acquired, and 20-year-old Endurance International Group, which named the successor to its founding CEO. CloudHealth Technologies will move into new digs next year. GoPapaya is … Continue reading “Boston Tech Watch: ZoomInfo, CloudHealth, Endurance, Smilo & More”
Forward Fest, Markable, Kiio & More: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist
The launch of a weeklong entrepreneurship-focused conference and several new funding rounds are among these recent headlines from Wisconsin’s innovation community: —Startup founders, software geeks, investors, and others are gathering in Madison for the eighth annual Forward Fest, which kicked off Thursday and runs through Aug. 24. Click here to check out the full list … Continue reading “Forward Fest, Markable, Kiio & More: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist”
Alzeca Receives $11M for Early Alzheimer’s Detection Technology
Houston—Alzeca, which is developing an imaging agent to help doctors detect Alzheimer’s disease at its earliest stages, announced Thursday it has raised $11 million in a Series A round of funding. The Houston-based company has developed an imaging agent that it says can, when used with an MRI, detect the presence of abnormal brain proteins … Continue reading “Alzeca Receives $11M for Early Alzheimer’s Detection Technology”
Novo Nordisk Diabetes Drug Beats Lilly’s Trulicity in Head-to-Head Test
A Novo Nordisk drug candidate for type 2 diabetes beat Eli Lilly’s dulaglutide (Trulicity) in reducing blood sugar and body weight in patients studied in a late-stage clinical trial, the Denmark-based company says. The results could bring strong competition to one of Indianapolis-based Lilly’s top-selling products if Novo Nordisk’s experimental drug is approved by the … Continue reading “Novo Nordisk Diabetes Drug Beats Lilly’s Trulicity in Head-to-Head Test”
Expanding Tissue and Squeezing Cells: Meet Xconomy’s Young Innovator Award Finalists
The finalists in the Young Innovator category of the 2017 Xconomy Awards show that it’s never too early in life to start a company or invent a new technology. These four individuals (30 years of age or under) share a strong drive, even a restlessness, to build new things that make a difference. Three knew … Continue reading “Expanding Tissue and Squeezing Cells: Meet Xconomy’s Young Innovator Award Finalists”
Ripcord Raises Another $40M To Digitize Mounds of Paper Records
Ripcord, which raised $9.5 million in March, says it has landed another $40 million to expand the ranks of its robotic “workcells” that convert piles of paper documents into searchable digital records. The Hayward, CA-based startup uses automation, high-resolution cameras, and optical character recognition software to try to speed up the digitization process and reduce … Continue reading “Ripcord Raises Another $40M To Digitize Mounds of Paper Records”
On the Hudson, Two Developers Open NYC’s Latest Bio Startup Space
Two real estate developers, Taconic Investment Partners and Silverstein Properties, have unveiled plans to bring about 150,000 square feet of new wet lab space online on the West Side of Manhattan, the latest effort in an ongoing quest in New York City to provide startup biotech companies a local home to form and grow. Taconic … Continue reading “On the Hudson, Two Developers Open NYC’s Latest Bio Startup Space”
Join GE, IBM Watson & Others at Healthcare + A.I. on Nov. 2
On November 2, Xconomy will explore the intersection of healthcare and artificial intelligence at our newest event in the Boston area, Healthcare + A.I. We’re gathering top leaders from New England and beyond to discuss strategies that companies are using to bring A.I. to healthcare, the business challenges around those efforts, and how all of … Continue reading “Join GE, IBM Watson & Others at Healthcare + A.I. on Nov. 2”
U-M Impact Challenge Students Collaborate with Detroit Entrepreneurs
The University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business is a proponent of action-based learning, and of business being a force for positive change in the world. Those two philosophies combine this week for U-M’s annual Impact Challenge, where all 422 incoming graduate students spend four days in Detroit collaborating with local entrepreneurs. Organized by U-M’s … Continue reading “U-M Impact Challenge Students Collaborate with Detroit Entrepreneurs”
After Cybersecurity Shift, Black Duck Is Growing Fast & Eyeing Deals
Transforming a well-established company is a tricky feat. It looks like Black Duck Software has figured out how to pull it off. Xconomy recently checked in with the Burlington, MA-based company, which has been around since 2003. Under founding CEO Doug Levin, Black Duck made a name for itself by providing tools to help software … Continue reading “After Cybersecurity Shift, Black Duck Is Growing Fast & Eyeing Deals”
Private Equity Investors Have $740 Billion to Spend, Driving Valuations
Private equity investors have more capital at their disposal than at any time in more than a decade, which could boost prices for companies seeking acquisitions. As of Aug. 1, private equity firms in North America and Europe had secured $212.6 billion in new commitments this year, on pace to eclipse the “already stellar” fundraising … Continue reading “Private Equity Investors Have $740 Billion to Spend, Driving Valuations”
A Buck for a Workout? Kilter’s App Rewards Users for Hitting the Gym
It’s easy to see why customer loyalty programs have long been popular—think frequent flyer miles, cash back on credit card purchases, or working toward a free Frappuccino. Many of the best-known rewards programs are aimed at incentivizing consumers to spend more money, because that way they’ll earn more back. Madison, WI-based startup Kilter Rewards is … Continue reading “A Buck for a Workout? Kilter’s App Rewards Users for Hitting the Gym”
Techstars Cloud Graduate Ilos Videos Snags $1.5M Led By Austin VC
San Antonio—Ilos Videos, a St. Paul, MN-based startup that went through the final Techstars Cloud program in San Antonio in February 2016, has raised a $1.5 million seed round of funding led by Active Capital, an Austin-based firm operated by three former Rackspace employees. Founded in 2015, ilos develops software that helps people make videos … Continue reading “Techstars Cloud Graduate Ilos Videos Snags $1.5M Led By Austin VC”
Latest Immunotherapy Setback: Bristol Drugs Stumble in Kidney Cancer
The recent stumbles for cancer immunotherapy—specifically, combinations of treatments meant to help boost its effectiveness—continued late Tuesday with some disappointing news from one of the leaders in the field, Bristol-Myers Squibb. Bristol (NYSE: [[ticker:BMY]]) said that a Phase 3 trial testing two of its immunotherapies together in newly diagnosed kidney cancer patients, a study called … Continue reading “Latest Immunotherapy Setback: Bristol Drugs Stumble in Kidney Cancer”
Coming of Age: San Antonio Startups Experience Busy Summer of M&A
San Antonio—Business leaders have been working for years to recast the Alamo City’s image, in an attempt to brand it as a hub of tech and healthcare startups as much as it is a place for tourists to visit the home of Davey Crockett’s last stand, take a glitzy River Walk, and enjoy a stellar … Continue reading “Coming of Age: San Antonio Startups Experience Busy Summer of M&A”
120WaterAudit Brings Data Visualization to Contaminant Testing
In most of America, people expect clean, drinkable water to pour from the tap. However, there are deep cracks emerging in the nation’s aging water infrastructure, and the Trump administration’s Environment Protection Agency has been quietly working to “roll back” clean water protections in favor of industry priorities. Municipalities with tight budgets risk making disastrous … Continue reading “120WaterAudit Brings Data Visualization to Contaminant Testing”
PARC Spinout Metawave Adds A.I. to Metamaterials for Autonomous Cars
A serial entrepreneur in the field of metamaterials is building a new company to develop the technology for use in autonomous vehicles and wireless communications. Maha Achour co-founded Metawave early this year, spinning the company out of the storied PARC laboratories, a unit of Xerox, in Palo Alto, CA, with an exclusive license to commercialize … Continue reading “PARC Spinout Metawave Adds A.I. to Metamaterials for Autonomous Cars”
SnapApp Snaps Up $10.2M as Boston Marketing Tech Sector Surges
Marketing technology is continuing its run as one of the hottest industries of the summer in the Boston-area tech scene. The latest to cash in on the deal making is SnapApp, which on Tuesday announced it received a $10.2 million investment from earlier backer Providence Strategic Growth. Providence Strategic Growth, the growth equity affiliate of … Continue reading “SnapApp Snaps Up $10.2M as Boston Marketing Tech Sector Surges”
Jounce Taps Ex-Ariad Dealmaker, Cole, as CBO
Cambridge, MA-based cancer drug developer Jounce Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:JNCE]]) has named Hugh Cole its new chief business officer and head of corporate development. Cole was previously a top dealmaker at Ariad Pharmaceuticals and was a Shire executive for seven years before that. Takeda acquired Ariad for $5.2 billion in January.
Letter To Uber Staff: Benchmark Says It Should Have Sued Ex-CEO Sooner
Silicon Valley venture capital firm Benchmark, one of the Uber investors that pressured Uber CEO Travis Kalanick to step down as CEO in June due to company leadership failures, issued an open letter to the company’s employees today explaining why it sued Kalanick last week. Benchmark says Kalanick failed to honor his written promise, made … Continue reading “Letter To Uber Staff: Benchmark Says It Should Have Sued Ex-CEO Sooner”
New gBETA Madison Class Includes Solar Electricity Startup NovoMoto
[Updated 8/14/17 11:39 p.m. See below.] Despite having a population of 77 million-plus, the Democratic Republic of the Congo only has access to only 1.3 gigawatts of electricity, says Aaron Olson, a graduate research fellow at the University of Wisconsin Fusion Technology Institute. To understand how miniscule that figure is, Olson says, consider that Madison, … Continue reading “New gBETA Madison Class Includes Solar Electricity Startup NovoMoto”
WatchHerWork Uses Crowdsourced Videos to Empower Professional Women
Houston—Denise Hamilton, founder and CEO of WatchHerWork, says that when it comes to achieving a better gender balance in the workplace, “If you can’t see it, you can’t be it.” That mantra has provided the motivation for her startup—a website that features women offering testimonials of their experiences navigating a variety of workplace issues. “I … Continue reading “WatchHerWork Uses Crowdsourced Videos to Empower Professional Women”
Allergan Veteran Kevin O’Brien Moves to Merz to Lead Neurosciences
Kevin O’Brien, a 16-year veteran of Allergan (NYSE: [[ticker:AGN]]), is joining Merz North America as vice president and U.S. head of neurosciences. O’Brien had held various roles in Allergan’s dermatology and aesthetics business. Merz North America is a subsidiary of Germany-based Merz Pharma. O’Brien will be based in Merz North America’s headquarters in Raleigh, NC.
Immune Pharma Taps Triumvira’s Tony Fiorino for CMO, COO Roles
Tony Fiorino has been named to the joint positions of chief medical officer and chief operating officer of New York-based Immune Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:IMNP]]). Fiorino will oversee research and development, clinical development, and manufacturing of Immune’s drug candidates. The company’s lead drug, bertilimumab is in mid-stage clinical testing for bullous pemphigoid, a rare autoimmune skin … Continue reading “Immune Pharma Taps Triumvira’s Tony Fiorino for CMO, COO Roles”
SoftBank-Backed Altaeros Wants Blimps to Deliver “SaaS in the Sky”
More than 4 billion people around the world lack Internet access, and some tech giants and small startups are betting the solution will come from floating or flying broadband-beaming equipment in the sky. It’s still unclear whether that strategy will, uh, take off. But the investment in this emerging sector is certainly growing. The latest … Continue reading “SoftBank-Backed Altaeros Wants Blimps to Deliver “SaaS in the Sky””
Dragonfly, eGenesis, Spero & More: Xconomy’s Startup Award Finalists
Startups play a critical role in the innovation economy that we chronicle at Xconomy—transforming new ideas that begin in a lab into the products and companies of tomorrow. No surprise, then, that the startup category in our first-ever Awards program was a particularly competitive one, loaded with private companies (no more than 5 years old) … Continue reading “Dragonfly, eGenesis, Spero & More: Xconomy’s Startup Award Finalists”
Ophthotech’s Final Try at Combo Eye Drug Comes up Short
It wasn’t too long ago that Ophthotech was running a group of clinical trials being perhaps as closely watched as any in the ophthalmology field, studies that had a chance to change the way a common form of vision loss, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), is treated. But those days are a distant memory now. All … Continue reading “Ophthotech’s Final Try at Combo Eye Drug Comes up Short”
Genesis Innovation Raises $1.1M to Invest in Medical Device Startups
Holland, MI-based Genesis Innovation Group announced early this month that it has raised $1.1 million in capital to invest in new medical device technologies. Since its 2013 inception, Genesis has raised a total of $2.3 million. Genesis is not a traditional venture capital firm, says co-founder and CEO Rob Ball. Instead, it’s a consulting group … Continue reading “Genesis Innovation Raises $1.1M to Invest in Medical Device Startups”
Seattle Week in Review: Pol Visits, Cash for Donuts, Local M&A
With a shift in the wind, the smoke over Seattle is clearing, only to be replaced by the fear of nuclear war. Tough to stay focused on the tech news, but we’re trying. Here’s a review of visits to the Northwest by two Trump cabinet secretaries; more Amazon real estate news; financing for Donuts and … Continue reading “Seattle Week in Review: Pol Visits, Cash for Donuts, Local M&A”
Angel Investor Workshop
Startup Angels and Techstars Mobility will host an investor workshop ahead of the Techstars Mobility program’s annual demo day event on Oct. 18. The purpose of the workshop is to share best practices and the latest methodologies with aspiring local angel investors and refine their knowledge, skills, and resources. For registration, click here.
Boston Tech Watch: Ticketmaster, Accomplice, Jebbit & More
Time to catch up on more New England tech news. This week, we’re tracking acquisitions by a division of Ticketmaster, new funding for a trio of local companies, and the latest on the makeover of Accomplice’s venture investing team. Read on for details. Changing hands —Ticketmaster-owned TicketWeb is buying Strobe Labs, a startup that provides … Continue reading “Boston Tech Watch: Ticketmaster, Accomplice, Jebbit & More”
Five Questions For … Rice Entrepreneurship Professor Yael Hochberg
Houston—Most tech entrepreneurs are intently focused on their startups, their innovation and potential customers. Yael Hochberg focuses on how and why those founders succeed—and, more importantly, how and why they might fail. As the head of Rice University’s Entrepreneurship Initiative, Hochberg is currently working with a $1.5 million grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation … Continue reading “Five Questions For … Rice Entrepreneurship Professor Yael Hochberg”
Kauffman Fellows Take On VC Sexual Harassment, Bench Mentor McClure
If you’re looking for a counterpoint to the recent flurry of news stories about sexual harassment and gender bias in the tech sector, the Kauffman Fellows program isn’t a bad place to start. The Palo Alto, CA-based program, a spinoff of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, has been a gateway into the venture capital industry … Continue reading “Kauffman Fellows Take On VC Sexual Harassment, Bench Mentor McClure”
GSK Hands Nerve Drug Back to Ionis as RNA Battle Heats Up
A race is on to bring two new RNA-based drugs for a rare, debilitating nerve disease called familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP). And GlaxoSmithKline has just dropped out of it. This morning, Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:IONS]]) said that it has regained full rights, from GSK, to a drug called inotersen, which the Carlsbad, CA, company expects … Continue reading “GSK Hands Nerve Drug Back to Ionis as RNA Battle Heats Up”
Bio Roundup: $1B Deals, Data Bumps, Acorda’s Lumps, Generic OKs & More
With President Trump holed up in New Jersey, rattling his saber at Kim Jong-un and Mitch McConnell and ignoring his own commission’s advice on the opioid crisis, there was still life sciences news from the nation’s capital. The FDA reported that generic drug approvals are set to hit a record; the agency under Commissioner Scott … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: $1B Deals, Data Bumps, Acorda’s Lumps, Generic OKs & More”
Tech Hiring Trends: Buzzwords, Trump Effect, and Gender-Pay Gap
As the tech economy continues its historic boom, here’s three views of labor market trends released this week, including the rise and fall of buzzwords in engineering job postings; the Trump Administration’s impact on U.S. companies’ interest in foreign workers; and another disappointing look at the gender-pay gap. —In the last two years, big data … Continue reading “Tech Hiring Trends: Buzzwords, Trump Effect, and Gender-Pay Gap”
GIFs Not Enough? Snippet’s Mobile App Lets Friends Share Song Clips
When emojis and animated GIFs don’t adequately capture your mood, maybe sharing that catchy chorus from “Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran will do the trick. That’s part of the idea behind Snippet, a new startup in Wisconsin that has created software allowing people with iPhones and other iOS devices to send each other clips … Continue reading “GIFs Not Enough? Snippet’s Mobile App Lets Friends Share Song Clips”
Pacira Pharmaceutical’s Scibetta Joins Maverick Therapeutics as CEO
James Scibetta has joined Maverick Therapeutics as CEO and member of the Brisbane, CA, biotech’s board of directors. Scibetta comes to Maverick from Parsippany, NJ-based Pacira Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PCRX]]), where he was president. Earlier this year, Takeda Pharmaceutical signed Maverick on to a five-year, $125 million partnership pursuing new cancer immunotherapies.
Tyme Technologies Taps Eckard for Chief Scientific Affairs Post
Tyme Technologies (NASDAQ: [[ticker:TYME]]) has appointed Jonathan Eckard chief scientific affairs officer. Eckard most recently worked as chief business and strategy officer for cancer drug developer Sellas Life Sciences. New York-based Tyme’s lead drug candidate, SM-88, is in early-stage testing as a potential prostate cancer treatment.
Care Convene Aims to Make Telemedicine as User-Friendly as Facebook
Jefferey VanWingen is a family doctor who has been practicing medicine for 17 years. Although he’s based in Grand Rapids, MI, he’s also been taking medical missions to India for the past decade. It’s always been his goal to use technology to bridge his physical distance from the Wi-Fi-enabled community he works with in India. … Continue reading “Care Convene Aims to Make Telemedicine as User-Friendly as Facebook”
Why We All Should Care About the Recent Brouhaha at Google
The issues raised by the 10-page memo on the suitability of women for certain engineering and leadership positions at Google (culminating in the firing of its author) have implications for all of us. They are as much about the requirements for success in today’s workplace—and how to identify and nurture those qualities in all employees—as they … Continue reading “Why We All Should Care About the Recent Brouhaha at Google”
Celgene Narrows Its Relationship With Sutro, No Acquisition Coming
Celgene (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CELG]]) is revamping its relationship with Sutro Biopharma, walking away from an option to acquire the privately held antibody drug developer but keeping potential rights to four of Sutro’s programs—none of which have yet reached clinical studies. Their first deal was in 2012, and they expanded it two years later with Celgene taking … Continue reading “Celgene Narrows Its Relationship With Sutro, No Acquisition Coming”
Startup Builders, IPO Closers & More: Meet Xconomy’s CEO Award Finalists
There are many ways to stand out as a biotech CEO, from getting a company started in the first place to pushing its first drug over the finish line. Those differences are what we noticed when going through the nominations from you, the readers, for the top Boston biotech CEO, as part of the first-ever … Continue reading “Startup Builders, IPO Closers & More: Meet Xconomy’s CEO Award Finalists”
Athena Survey Probes Gender Issues in San Diego Innovation Ecosystem
A San Diego survey on professional women working in tech and life sciences offers some insights on the recurring debate over gender diversity in venture-backed startups and big companies, as well as a related incident that boiled over this week at Google. When asked, “What do you aspire to be, professionally?” nearly 29 percent of … Continue reading “Athena Survey Probes Gender Issues in San Diego Innovation Ecosystem”
San Antonio’s CellRight Sells to U.K. Medical Company Tissue Regenix
San Antonio — CellRight Technologies, a maker of bone and tissue grafts derived from cadavers, has been purchased by a British company that also uses a process of removing DNA and cells from human and animal tissue so the products can be used in healthcare. CellRight was sold for as much as to U.K.-based regenerative medicine … Continue reading “San Antonio’s CellRight Sells to U.K. Medical Company Tissue Regenix”
Evergage, Altaeros, Tinkergarten Among Flurry of Boston Tech Deals
August is here, but there’s been no summer slowdown in the Boston-area tech scene. Here are four deals announced in the past day or so, which cut across marketing, education, telecommunications, and database software: —Evergage, the Somerville, MA-based marketing technology firm, snapped up $10 million in a Series C funding round led by Arrowroot Capital, … Continue reading “Evergage, Altaeros, Tinkergarten Among Flurry of Boston Tech Deals”