Kirkland, WA-based Market Leader (NASDAQ: [[ticker:LEDR]]) announced today that Mike Galgon has joined its board of directors. Galgon is the co-founder of online advertising technology firm aQuantive (along with Nick Hanauer and Scott Lipsky) and the former chief advertising strategist for Microsoft (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MSFT]]). Hanauer is also a board member and investor in Market Leader, … Continue reading “Galgon, Ex-aQuantive, Joins Market Leader”
Sage Bionetworks, UW, Fred Hutch Secure $15M Grants from State Life Sciences Fund
Sage Bionetworks, it can now be said unequivocally, is on fire. The Seattle-based nonprofit that aims to spark an open-source movement for biology, has secured one of three $5 million grants that were announced this afternoon by the state’s Life Sciences Discovery Fund. The state’s biotech fund, which suffered a deep round of budget cuts … Continue reading “Sage Bionetworks, UW, Fred Hutch Secure $15M Grants from State Life Sciences Fund”
Jobster Gets New Owner, MDRNA Merges with Cequent and Teams Up with Pfizer, & More Seattle-Area Deals News
Today has been a most interesting day in the Seattle tech and media community. There was some prominent TV and radio coverage of TechStars (see Andy Sack and Andy Liu interviewed on KING 5 here), the North American Eagle “jet car” (interview with team leader Ed Shadle on KUOW, following Thea’s story here), and the … Continue reading “Jobster Gets New Owner, MDRNA Merges with Cequent and Teams Up with Pfizer, & More Seattle-Area Deals News”
Tune In Now to Hear “Turbojet Car” Driver Ed Shadle on KUOW
For those of you interested in Thea’s story yesterday on the effort to bring the land speed record to Washington state, we have another treat for you. KUOW 94.9 FM is doing an interview with the North American Eagle “turbojet car” co-leader and driver, Ed Shadle, in just a few minutes, starting at 12:00 pm … Continue reading “Tune In Now to Hear “Turbojet Car” Driver Ed Shadle on KUOW”
Stratos Genomics Adds Roche Vet
Stratos Genomics, the Seattle-based developer of low-cost gene sequencing technology, said today it has has added Heiner Dreismann, the former CEO of Roche Molecular Diagnostics, to its board of directors. Dreismann, 57, is known for pushing for wide adoption of polymerase chain reaction technology as a basic research tool in the 1990s. Dreismann said in … Continue reading “Stratos Genomics Adds Roche Vet”
Sack, Entress, Liu, Patel, and Other Angel Investors Lure Twiistup to Seattle
Tired of Seattle-area tech startup events? Well, get ready for a whole new one. It’s coming April 26, and it has been a closely guarded secret until now. The event is called Twiistup, and it was started in Los Angeles by AOL executive Mike Macadaan in 2007. Think of it as a tech conference with … Continue reading “Sack, Entress, Liu, Patel, and Other Angel Investors Lure Twiistup to Seattle”
DeVos Startup Explores Waste-To-Energy
A new company launched in March in the Southwest Michigan community of Portage, MI, promises to take waste heat from factories and turn them into electricity. Pro Renewables was created by Windquest Group, a Grand Rapids, MI-based investment firm, and Pro Services, a Portage-based mechanical contractor. Windquest Group is owned by former Michigan gubernatorial candidate … Continue reading “DeVos Startup Explores Waste-To-Energy”
The Boston Angel Market
[Editor’s Note: Chris Sheehan is a managing director of CommonAngels, which is an investor in Xconomy. This post also appears on Sheehan’s blog.] I was recently asked by a couple of early stage entrepreneurs to talk about angel investing in Boston. The angel market around town has always been fairly active and cuts across many … Continue reading “The Boston Angel Market”
$12M Series D for Brightcove
Brightcove, the Cambridge, MA-based online video hosting company, has pulled in a $12 million Series D funding round, led by Accel Partners and General Catalyst Partners, the company confirmed in its corporate blog today. Existing Brightcove investors, including AOL, Hearst, AllianceBernstein, Maverick Capital, and Brookside Capital, participated in the financing round, which will go toward new … Continue reading “$12M Series D for Brightcove”
The Apple iPad: Lightning Strikes Cupertino Again
How do you sell 300,000 of anything on the first day it’s in stores? By convincing people that it’s going to be even cooler than the last incredible thing you built. Steve Jobs and his crew pulled that off with the iPad, which has been breaking the sales records set by the iPhone in 2007. … Continue reading “The Apple iPad: Lightning Strikes Cupertino Again”
Elemental Technologies Looks to Hit Home Run with Streaming Video for TV and Web Content
If you watched last night’s NCAA men’s basketball championship game on the Web, or followed any of Major League Baseball’s opening day action via video on your mobile phone, then you have an idea of the market that Elemental Technologies is trying to tap. Elemental, a Portland, OR-based video processing startup, is announcing today its … Continue reading “Elemental Technologies Looks to Hit Home Run with Streaming Video for TV and Web Content”
Illumina CEO Jay Flatley on How to Keep an Edge in the Fast-Paced World of Gene Sequencing
San Diego-based Illumina (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ILMN]]) is without a doubt one of the bigger success stories in biotech of the past decade. It makes biological research tools that significantly boost the efficiency of high-speed gene sequencing, instruments that spot subtle variations in long stretches of DNA, and products that analyze important ways in which genes can … Continue reading “Illumina CEO Jay Flatley on How to Keep an Edge in the Fast-Paced World of Gene Sequencing”
Medsphere Systems Markets Open Source Electronic Health Records System
Experts agree that electronic medical records can lower costs and improve care. Yet just 10 percent of U.S. hospitals keep any computerized records, according to a survey in the New England Journal of Medicine last year. The biggest reason is cost: depending on the size of the hospital, the price of a digitized record system … Continue reading “Medsphere Systems Markets Open Source Electronic Health Records System”
Vitality’s Internet-Connected GlowCap Targets Behavior Change to Remind You to Stay on Meds
Some people feel guilty when evading their doctor’s recommendations; others need a logical reason to follow an instruction. Cambridge, MA-based Vitality tries to factor in these differences in motivations and psychological makeup to spur patients toward a common goal: to make sure they take their medications as prescribed. On its most basic level, Vitality’s GlowCap … Continue reading “Vitality’s Internet-Connected GlowCap Targets Behavior Change to Remind You to Stay on Meds”
Allon Treads Into the Great Unknown, Alzheimer’s Disease, With New Kind of Drug
It must take real guts, or maybe hubris, to try to do what Allon Therapeutics is attempting. This Vancouver, BC-based biotech company has designed a drug that is made to work unlike anything else on the market against some of the world’s major neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer’s. Scientists don’t really know what causes Alzheimer’s, and … Continue reading “Allon Treads Into the Great Unknown, Alzheimer’s Disease, With New Kind of Drug”
Brighter Planet, Founded in Vermont, Sees Brighter Future in Bay Area
It’s another win for the Bay Area’s formidable social networking cluster. Brighter Planet, a provider of online and offline products that aim to help people and businesses reduce their carbon footprints, is downsizing its Vermont offices and expanding in San Francisco, company CEO Pattie Prairie says. The startup, which was formed by students and a … Continue reading “Brighter Planet, Founded in Vermont, Sees Brighter Future in Bay Area”
Yankee Group Obtains $10,000,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=072b66d3-6107-4395-a1d5-25de67fe7815&Preview=1 Date 4/6/2010 Company Name Yankee Group Mailing Address One Liberty Square 7th Floor Boston, MA 02109-4868 Company Description Yankee Group predicts demand for connectivity will create an Anywhere Economy of close to U.S.$1 trillion by 2013. These funds represent revenue associated with building and powering the Anywhere Network, and value created … Continue reading “Yankee Group Obtains $10,000,000 New Funding”
DIYSEO Lands $1,000,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=78c6264f-1342-4d93-aaeb-88afc7ec4def&Preview=1 Date 4/6/2010 Company Name DIYSEO Mailing Address 1333 N. Kingsbury St Chicago, IL 60642 Company Description We believe that every business can tell a great story, no matter how large or small the business size. DIYSEO was not thought of out of the blue. For many years, Patrick Gavin, a respected … Continue reading “DIYSEO Lands $1,000,000 New Funding Round”
Stitcher Lands $6,000,000 Series B Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f774c6df-11d0-4435-9605-1e95d2e5ab46&Preview=1 Date 4/6/2010 Company Name Stitcher Mailing Address Pier 9 Building 116 First Floor San Francisco, CA 94111 Company Description Our service enables you to hear the audio content you care about. We “stitch” it into personalized, always-current stations that you can easily listen to on your iPhone or computer. Website http://www.stitcher.com … Continue reading “Stitcher Lands $6,000,000 Series B Funding Round”
EcoFactor Obtains $3,500,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1d880b84-72df-4ffb-b09a-3a3b50fac044&Preview=1 Date 4/6/2010 Company Name EcoFactor Mailing Address 990 Industrial Rd San Carlos, CA 94070 Company Description EcoFactor’s solution operates with off-the-shelf hardware and is hosted on-demand so there is no software to install or maintain. Other solutions require expensive thermostats, costly hardware that needs to be updated regularly, and manual updates … Continue reading “EcoFactor Obtains $3,500,000 New Funding Round”
Recruiting.com Sells Jobster Business to Zapoint
[Updated 4/6/10, 7:05 pm. See below.] Seattle-based Recruiting.com has sold its Jobster business to Boston-area-based talent management firm Zapoint for an undisclosed sum. I confirmed the acquisition this afternoon with Kate Gerber, director of sales and marketing for Recruiting.com, formerly called Jobster, which makes online software for recruiters and search tools for job seekers. The … Continue reading “Recruiting.com Sells Jobster Business to Zapoint”
Another $8M for Dyax in Stock Deal
Dyax (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DYAX]]), a Cambridge, MA-based developer of a drug for an inflammatory disease, has raised $59.6 million in a stock deal. Last month the company raised $51.8 million through the sale of 17 million shares at $3.25 per share, and raised an additional $8 million when underwriter Jefferies & Company exercised its over-allotment option … Continue reading “Another $8M for Dyax in Stock Deal”
Report from DEMO: The DigitalScirocco Experience
The Internet is dying, and visitors are lost among its crumbling ruins. Sounds like hyperbole, but we are all trapped by an obsolete ideology binding most sites and keeping the Web from being all it could be. We go to the Internet seeking entertainment, information, communication, commerce, and comfort. We find ourselves lost in a … Continue reading “Report from DEMO: The DigitalScirocco Experience”
Kineta Nabs $600K NIH Grant
Kineta, the Seattle-based developer of treatments for autoimmune diseases, said it has received a two-year, $600,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to do work that could enable clinical trials of a new drug for Type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases. Kineta said it plans to start clinical trials on the … Continue reading “Kineta Nabs $600K NIH Grant”
Polaris Ventures Doubling Capacity at Dogpatch Labs in Cambridge
Polaris Venture Partners of Waltham, MA, opened its first Dogpatch Labs startup incubator space in San Francisco in late 2007. A Cambridge, MA, version opened last September, followed by a New York edition in December, and together the three locations are now home to about 100 entrepreneurs, according to Polaris general partner David Barrett. But … Continue reading “Polaris Ventures Doubling Capacity at Dogpatch Labs in Cambridge”
CareFusion Gets Medegen for $225M
CareFusion (NYSE: [[ticker:CFN]]), a San Diego-based medical device company, announced today that it will acquire Medegen, a maker of disposable systems for delivering medication intravenously, for $225 million in cash. The acquisition of Ontario, CA-based Medegen will be the first for CareFusion, which became a publicly traded company in September 2009 after spinning off from … Continue reading “CareFusion Gets Medegen for $225M”
$2M, New CEO for Crimson Hexagon
Cambridge, MA-based Crimson Hexagon, a 2007 Harvard spinoff specializing in brand reputation monitoring on the Web and social media, announced today that it has completed a $2 million Series A-2 funding round, and appointed a new CEO, Scott Centurino. The funding came from Golden Seeds, Beacon Angels, New York Angels, CT Angel Investor Forum and … Continue reading “$2M, New CEO for Crimson Hexagon”
Apperian Readying “Enterprise App Store” for iPhones and iPads
In the 15 months since its launch, Boston-based Apperian has won a reputation as a leading creator of sophisticated business-to-consumer iPhone apps such as Timberland Expedition, Intuit’s TurboTax TaxCaster, and American Greetings’ e-card app. But the startup didn’t set out to be just another mobile app studio: the real vision of founder and CEO Chuck … Continue reading “Apperian Readying “Enterprise App Store” for iPhones and iPads”
MDRNA Gets Research Deal With Pfizer
MDRNA (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MRNA]]), the Bothell, WA-based developer of RNA interference therapies, said today it has formed a research agreement with Pfizer. MDRNA will be responsible for taking oligonucleotides from Pfizer, and formulating them in amino acid packages that MDRNA has developed for RNA interference. The smaller company will also be asked to design and synthesize … Continue reading “MDRNA Gets Research Deal With Pfizer”
Selecta Biosciences, a Bob Langer Creation, Raises $15M For Nanoparticle Vaccines
Boston’s prolific bioengineering professor, Bob Langer, is at it again. Selecta Biosciences, the Watertown, MA-based vaccine developer with ties to the Langer lab at MIT, has raised another $15 million in venture capital to make nanoparticles that it says are the key ingredients in a new generation of more effective vaccines. Selecta collected the cash, … Continue reading “Selecta Biosciences, a Bob Langer Creation, Raises $15M For Nanoparticle Vaccines”
Toward a New Land Speed Record: A Day in the Life of the North American Eagle “Turbojet Car”
It was just after 10 a.m. on a hazy spring morning as Ed Shadle drove a trailer the size of a semi-truck to the far end of the Spanaway Airport, a quarter-mile active airstrip located 15 miles south of Tacoma, WA. A handful of his 44-person crew, which includes his son Cam and eight-year-old grandson … Continue reading “Toward a New Land Speed Record: A Day in the Life of the North American Eagle “Turbojet Car””
The Great iPad Debate Begins, Hookit Taps Growing Market, Four Under the Radar Deals, & More San Diego BizTech News
This week’s tech news was dominated by a certain new device from Apple, but we found quite a few other things to write about on the San Diego tech scene. —Our in-house gadgetphile, Wade Roush, previewed the market introduction of Apple’s iPad with a survey of Xconomy readers, and followed it up with a story … Continue reading “The Great iPad Debate Begins, Hookit Taps Growing Market, Four Under the Radar Deals, & More San Diego BizTech News”
Where Bytes, Bio, and Healthcare Converge: Introducing Xconomy’s Health IT News Channel
We’re not much in favor of rigidly categorizing news by industry here at Xconomy, in part because we follow exciting companies that often transcend conventional definitions of what is a software, energy, or biotechnology business. But we do try our best to deliver breaking news and in-depth coverage to communities of readers, and one such … Continue reading “Where Bytes, Bio, and Healthcare Converge: Introducing Xconomy’s Health IT News Channel”
Selecta Biosciences Secures $15,000,000 Series C Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4453f921-a4fb-4392-9cb3-060c55122763&Preview=1 Date 4/5/2010 Company Name Selecta Biosciences Mailing Address 480 Arsenal St. Building One Watertown, MA 02472 Company Description The company provides unspecified biotechnologies. Website http://www.selectabio.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $15,000,000 Transaction Round Series C Proceeds Purposes All this cash means that Selecta now has enough money to run through … Continue reading “Selecta Biosciences Secures $15,000,000 Series C Funding”
Crimson Hexagon Obtains $2,000,000 Series A Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=151bfd26-9421-4781-89d3-3407ad9e8d24&Preview=1 Date 4/5/2010 Company Name Crimson Hexagon Mailing Address 130 Bishop Allen Drive Cambridge, MA 02139 Company Description The company is developing semantic-search software. Website http://www.crimsonhexagon.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $2,000,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms Venture Investor Beacon Angels Venture Investor … Continue reading “Crimson Hexagon Obtains $2,000,000 Series A Round”
Zapoint Acquires Jobster for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9e43b3d5-1fee-443f-8284-3f77bdbe9b2d&Preview=1 Date 4/5/2010 Company Name Jobster Mailing Address 3131 Elliott Avenue Seattle, WA 98121 Company Description Jobster’s mission is to help people meet their potential by providing innovative online services that enable meaningful career matches. Website http://www.jobster.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Proceeds Purposes M&A Terms Financial terms of … Continue reading “Zapoint Acquires Jobster for Undisclosed Sum”
Brightcove Receives $12,000,000 Series D Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2137a547-287b-4af2-b892-8c2122155815&Preview=1 Date 4/5/2010 Company Name Brightcove Mailing Address One Cambridge Center Cambridge, MA 02142 Company Description Brightcove is an Internet TV service. We’re dedicated to harnessing the inherent power of the Internet to transform the distribution and consumption of media. Website http://www.brightcove.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $12,000,000 Transaction Round Series … Continue reading “Brightcove Receives $12,000,000 Series D Financing”
Shocking Technologies Garners $5,200,000 Series B Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=25b593c6-3480-4514-9ba3-4a6bb19e1ae7&Preview=1 Date 4/5/2010 Company Name Shocking Technologies Mailing Address 5870 Hellyer Avenue San Jose, CA 95138 Company Description Shocking Technologies develops applications for it’s patented voltage switchable dielectric materials. Applications include ESD protection for Printed Circuit Boards (PCB’s) and Semiconductor Packages. Website http://www.shockingtech.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $5,200,000 Transaction Round … Continue reading “Shocking Technologies Garners $5,200,000 Series B Financing”
Altheos Secures $20,000,000 Series A Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=caf5b918-43cf-4ea5-9aa2-8b2678485e56&Preview=1 Date 4/5/2010 Company Name Altheos Mailing Address 400 Oyster Point Boulevard South San Francisco, CA 94080 Company Description Altheos, Inc. was founded by two seasoned pharmaceutical executives, Dr. Henry H. Hsu and Dr. M. (Ken) Kengatharan who have extensive experience in rapid capital efficient drug development as well as financing and … Continue reading “Altheos Secures $20,000,000 Series A Funding”
Facebook Acquires Divvyshot for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e3bafd78-f881-49d3-90e2-5c6854f58554&Preview=1 Date 4/5/2010 Company Name Divvyshot Mailing Address 589 Howard St Flor 3 San Francisco, CA 94105 Company Description Divvyshot solves photo sharing, especially among groups of friends and family members. We’re doing this with effortlessly simple products that are a pleasure to use. Website http://www.divvyshot.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount Undisclosed … Continue reading “Facebook Acquires Divvyshot for Undisclosed Sum”
My Victorious Apple Store Experience, and a Glimpse at Boston’s First iPad MPG
I’ve returned home victorious after my morning adventure at the Apple Store in Boston’s Back Bay. As I write this, my new iPad is synching with iTunes–a process that takes some time, if you have a lot of apps, music, and photos that you want to transfer over to your iPad. So I haven’t yet … Continue reading “My Victorious Apple Store Experience, and a Glimpse at Boston’s First iPad MPG”
Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the Cloud: How Cloud Services Power New Company Innovation and Growth
Here’s the latest in a string of springtime cloud computing-focused events. This event showcases young companies that are built on cloud services, and highlights how other entrepreneurs can use the cloud to successfully deliver their technologies. You can register online for this one.
State of the Cloud Executive Conference
This conference aims to educate top-level executives on where and how cloud computing could play a part in their companies. Industry experts will explore the business potential in migrating to the cloud, the cost in converting, and how it all affects company workflow. Register here.
Our Top 20 Stories of the First Quarter: Amazon, Cell Therapeutics, Dendreon, Microsoft, and More
At the pace of today’s news, it can be hard to maintain perspective on what all the important stories are. Sure, the iPad is dominating headlines today, but remember when Google bought Picnik just a month ago? That deal is still resonating in the startup community. What’s more, headlines fly off the page so fast … Continue reading “Our Top 20 Stories of the First Quarter: Amazon, Cell Therapeutics, Dendreon, Microsoft, and More”
DOE Shines $141M on Suniva
Suniva, a Norcross, GA, manufacturer of silicon solar cells, announced on April 1 that it will build a new manufacturing plant in Michigan’s Saginaw County after being selected for a $141 million loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy. The announcement comes after Suniva was lured to Michigan in October 2009 through a $15 million tax … Continue reading “DOE Shines $141M on Suniva”
$2.9M for Brightleaf
Westwood, MA-based Brightleaf, a provider of software for assembling and managing legal documents, has pulled in $2.9 million of a planned $3 million round of equity funding, according to an SEC filing. Foundry Group, a returning investor, led the round, Brightleaf VP of strategy Luke O’Brien said. The company had already raised $3 million in … Continue reading “$2.9M for Brightleaf”
R&D IT Best Practices for Growing Small & Mid-Sized Biopharmas
Calling growing biotech companies: learn how to shift the information technology behind your operation’s research and development machine. Industry leaders will speak on the shift from ad-hoc, spreadsheet-focused systems to larger enterprise platforms. Members from Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Biorelix, and Archemix will present at this roundtable discussion, put on by the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council. Sign … Continue reading “R&D IT Best Practices for Growing Small & Mid-Sized Biopharmas”
RoboTuesday: Hiring Here
This networking event unites executives of fast-growing, local robotics companies with students looking to live and work in Massachusetts. Some of the featured companies include iRobot, QinetiQ North America, and North End Technologies. Sign up for the event here.
How Secure is the Cloud?
Executives from cloud computing-based companies such as CloudSwitch and OfficeDrop will explore the security in cloud computing at this event, hosted by SYSTEM@TIC & Hubtech21. Sign up for the free panel and networking event here.
New England Semiconductor Networking
This event brings together members of semiconductor companies in New England for networking and refreshments. Norm Armour, a VP at semiconductor company GLOBALFOUNDRIES, will be speaking. The event is free, but be sure to sign up on this Linkedin page.