San Diego-based Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:LGND]]) said today that its partner, GlaxoSmithKline, has won clearance to start marketing a new drug for a platelet deficiency in Europe. The treatment, eltrombopag (Revolade), is for patients for idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura (ITP), a rare bleeding disorder in which the immune system attacks platelet cells that help people form … Continue reading “Ligand Drug OK’d in Europe”
Tom Daschle, Former Senate Majority Leader, Talks Healthcare Reform (but Not Health IT)
On Wednesday morning, I stopped by the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Seattle to hear Tom Daschle, the former U.S. Senate Majority Leader from South Dakota, give the keynote talk at the 10th annual “Breakfast with Champions” fundraiser, organized by the King County Bar Foundation. His main focus: healthcare reform. I don’t usually report on policy … Continue reading “Tom Daschle, Former Senate Majority Leader, Talks Healthcare Reform (but Not Health IT)”
Start Here Open House: RatePoint
You’re invited to this free startup open house at RatePoint. Learn how the company helps small and medium businesses use customer reviews and feedback to their sales and marketing advantage, at another event organized by the New England Venture Capital Association. Sign up for free online!
Babson Healthcare & Life Sciences Club 7th Annual Industry Forum
Check out the entrepreneurial opportunities in healthcare, at this Babson Healthcare & Life Sciences Club event. Panels will cover the influence of funding, IT, reform, and social media on the industry, and the CEOs of Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Athenahealth will serve as keynote speakers. Register online.
PAX East “Made in MA” Party
PAX, the three-day game festival, is on its way to Boston, so meet up the night before it starts for a party that celebrates that $2 billion gaming industry in Massachusetts! You can register here for this networking event, hosted by the Mass. Technology Leadership Council.
Genetix Pharma Raises $35M from Third Rock, Genzyme for Gene Therapy
Venture capitalists are giving the risky field of gene therapy a new dose of confidence—and cash. Genetix Pharmaceuticals, a 17-year-old developer of gene therapies, has replenished its coffers with a $35 million Series B round of venture capital. The Cambridge, MA-based company attracted the fresh capital after a study in France showed that one of … Continue reading “Genetix Pharma Raises $35M from Third Rock, Genzyme for Gene Therapy”
The Hybritech Alumni: Where Are They Now?
[Updated: 6:45 pm, 2/23/11] Plenty of ink has been devoted over the years to how San Diego’s biotech family tree can be traced back to Hybritech. The company was born in biotech’s halcyon days in the ’70s, and it quickly became the magnet for young scientific and business talent in San Diego. After Eli Lilly … Continue reading “The Hybritech Alumni: Where Are They Now?”
EcoDog Expands as Developer Puts Energy Watchdog in New “Eco-Savvy” Homes
When I had breakfast recently with Ron Pitt, he pointed out that there are only about 100 or so major, investor-owned utilities in the United States—but there are roughly 70 million owner-occupied single-family homes. So why, in the name of God’s greenhouse gases, are so many venture-backed startups focused on developing cleantech innovations and smart … Continue reading “EcoDog Expands as Developer Puts Energy Watchdog in New “Eco-Savvy” Homes”
The Apple iPad: Three Unanswered Questions
Today is the first day that consumers can put down money for an Apple iPad. If you pre-order a Wi-Fi model now, you can avoid waiting in the inevitable around-the-block lines when the gadget hits Apple Stores on Saturday, April 3. (If you want the Wi-Fi + 3G model, though, you’ll have to wait until … Continue reading “The Apple iPad: Three Unanswered Questions”
Forget Business Plans—Go for Market and Passion, Say Investors
MIT’s Kirsch Auditorium was filled to its last seat as over 300 people showed up at the MIT Enterprise Forum Wednesday evening. The topic: “Accelerating Startup Growth: Seed Funding, Incubation and Mentorship Models.” “You don’t know what you don’t know when you start a company for the first time,” said Laura Fitton, the founder of … Continue reading “Forget Business Plans—Go for Market and Passion, Say Investors”
WildTangent Teams Up with Playdom to Deliver Ads in Social Games
This week has been surprisingly quiet for Seattle-area gaming companies, even though the annual Game Developers Conference is going on in San Francisco. Well, OK, Kelly Ripa plugged PopCap’s flagship game, Bejeweled, on “Live with Regis and Kelly”—but does that really count? Here’s some more substantial news. Redmond, WA-based WildTangent, one of the elder statesmen … Continue reading “WildTangent Teams Up with Playdom to Deliver Ads in Social Games”
Vertex Pursues Drug-Cocktail Strategy, Phase Forward Out To Expand Health IT Empire, Alkermes Awaits FDA Ruling, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News
Another week, another cadre of CEOs with big plans for growing their New England life sciences companies even bigger. —Diagnostics For All CEO Una Ryan talked about her multi-pronged effort to raise money for testing and deployment of her Cambridge, MA-based firm’s affordable diagnostic technology. Developed in the legendary Harvard lab of chemist George Whitesides, … Continue reading “Vertex Pursues Drug-Cocktail Strategy, Phase Forward Out To Expand Health IT Empire, Alkermes Awaits FDA Ruling, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”
GENETIX Pharmaceuticals Garners $35,000,000 Series B Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c2a3c4b2-67ad-40c6-8f8f-58d20b4be0af&Preview=1 Date 3/12/2010 Company Name GENETIX Pharmaceuticals Mailing Address 840 Memorial Drive Cambridge, MA 02139 Company Description GENETIX’ LentiGlobin hemoglobin gene therapy utilizes a highly modified human lentivirus to deliver a corrective version of the native beta-globin gene to the chromosomes of blood stem cells, found in large numbers in bone marrow. … Continue reading “GENETIX Pharmaceuticals Garners $35,000,000 Series B Round”
Sonos Obtains $25,000,000 Series C Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=862d97dc-2b48-4893-af21-ce496eb1bd0c&Preview=1 Date 3/12/2010 Company Name Sonos Mailing Address 223 E. De La Guerra Santa Barbara, CA 93101 Company Description It’s no surprise that all of us at Sonos are die-hard music fans. We too love to listen to salsa in the kitchen, techno in the office and rock in the garden. Which … Continue reading “Sonos Obtains $25,000,000 Series C Financing”
Aveo Pharmaceuticals Goes Public at $9, Falls Short of Hoped-For Range
[Updated: 4:40 pm Eastern, 3/12/10] Aveo Pharmaceuticals is proving once again that IPO investors have a limited appetite for biotech companies. The Cambridge, MA-based developer of cancer drugs sold its initial public shares to investors last night at $9, a long shot from its hoped-for range of $13 to $15. The company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AVEO]]) started … Continue reading “Aveo Pharmaceuticals Goes Public at $9, Falls Short of Hoped-For Range”
How Seattle Companies and Innovators Can Change the World: Come Find Out on March 29
There’s no crying in baseball—or in innovation. Yet I’ve been hearing a fair bit of lamenting around town about how Seattle startups or venture capitalists are not making the top-whatever lists (Wall Street Journal, Technology Review, you name it) of most innovative companies or investors around the country. Who cares? The city that brought the … Continue reading “How Seattle Companies and Innovators Can Change the World: Come Find Out on March 29”
Adaptive Materials Gets $4.7M for Fuel Cells
Adaptive Materials, an Ann Arbor, MI-based developer of solid oxide fuel cells, announced today that it has been awarded $4.7 million to develop a 300-watt fuel cell system for the Department of Defense. This grant comes just three months after Adaptive Materials announced it had been awarded $3 million to develop 60-watt fuel cells for … Continue reading “Adaptive Materials Gets $4.7M for Fuel Cells”
MTLC Breakfast Seminar: Leveraging Marketing Resources for Maximum Revenue Growth
Calling all tech marketers: come learn about strategies for maximizing revenue, including the use of social media and diversifying across media platforms, at this breakfast seminar held by the Mass. Technology Leadership Council. Register here.
Hubspot Leaving Kendall Square; Next Stop: Lechmere
HubSpot, a fast-growing marketing technology startup born at the Cambridge Innovation Center, will leave its space at One Broadway this summer for new offices at 25 First Street, about 10 city blocks north, Xconomy has learned. While the move will take the startup out of the center of Kendall Square, vice president of marketing Mike … Continue reading “Hubspot Leaving Kendall Square; Next Stop: Lechmere”
PharmaVentures’ Thought Leadership Conference: Pharmaceutical Deal Making After the Economic Crisis
Take a look at the big deals in pharma over the past year, and learn what it all means in the context of the tumultuous economy, at this PharmaVentures conference. The event features a panel of executives from top-name drug companies and another with private equity investors in the biotech space. Email to RSVP.
China’s WuXi, a Partner of San Diego’s TargeGen, Offers New Model for Drug Development
A few years ago, news articles in Business Week, Nature, and elsewhere described a veritable stampede among big pharmaceutical companies like Roche, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, and GlaxoSmithKline to work with contract research organizations in China and India. As it turns out, some of San Diego’s smallest biotech startups have been doing the same thing. The … Continue reading “China’s WuXi, a Partner of San Diego’s TargeGen, Offers New Model for Drug Development”
Babson Energy & Environmental Conference 2010- Sustainability in Action
Come check out how your company can use sustainable strategies to strengthen business and drive profits all while helping the planet, at this energy and environment conference at Babson College. Seminars and panels (one of which will be facilitated by NPR’s Tom Ashbrook) will explore clean tech strategies and the companies implementing them. Register on … Continue reading “Babson Energy & Environmental Conference 2010- Sustainability in Action”
UW Business Plan Competition
The University of Washington’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, part of the Foster School of Business, is holding the investment round of its annual Business Plan Competition on April 28. This is the marquee event of the year for the center, and has awarded prizes of $812,000 over the past 12 years. The investment round … Continue reading “UW Business Plan Competition”
UW Environmental Innovation Challenge
The University of Washington’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, part of the Foster School of Business, is holding its annual Environmental Innovation Challenge on April 1. This event pulls together interdisciplinary teams of students to develop business plans for new cleantech companies, and to compete for a $10,000 prize. For more information, click here.
World TB Day
Become part of the solution to eliminate TB. Take the first step by joining an interactive discussion about TB led by scientists, persons affected by TB, community leaders and members of the Washington State TB Advisory Council. This free public event will be held from 6 to 8 pm on March 24 at Olympic Sculpture … Continue reading “World TB Day”
Lee Hood and Neurosurgeon Greg Foltz on Curing Cancer
Leroy Hood, the president of the Institute for Systems Biology, and Greg Foltz, a brain cancer specialist at the Swedish Neuroscience Institute, will speak about their new campaign to cure cancer. The event will run from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm on June 15 at the Washington Athletic Club. Tickets are $20. For more information, … Continue reading “Lee Hood and Neurosurgeon Greg Foltz on Curing Cancer”
Evri Acquires Radar Networks, Redesigns Semantic Search Website
Seattle-based Evri, a Web startup focused on semantic search and discovery, announced today it has acquired San Francisco-based Radar Networks, the maker of Twine.com. Financial terms weren’t given, but both companies are backed by Paul Allen’s Vulcan Capital. Radar Networks is also backed by Fuse Capital, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, and angel investors. This is big … Continue reading “Evri Acquires Radar Networks, Redesigns Semantic Search Website”
$2M for Rapid7
Boston-based Rapid7, a network security software provider, has sold $2 million of a planned $4 million equity offering, a regulatory filing shows. Members from Bain Capital Ventures, an existing Rapid7 investor, are listed as directors on the filing for the round, which included eight investors. Bain pumped $7 million into the company in 2008.
Fluidnet Grabs $9.1M
Fluidnet, a Portsmouth, NH, maker of electronic infusion pumps for administering IV fluids, raised $9.1 million of a planned $9.9 million equity offering, according to an SEC filing. Partners from existing Fluidnet investors, Cardinal Partners and Rockport Venture Partners, are listed as directors on the filing. The round included 12 investors, according to the filing, … Continue reading “Fluidnet Grabs $9.1M”
Public Markets Warming Up to Venture-Backed Companies? Boston-Area IPO List
It’s a far cry from a hot market for initial public offerings these days, but there are reasons to believe that the long-awaited “IPO Window” is slowly opening for venture-backed companies in the Boston area. Sensata Technologies, an Attleboro, MA-based maker of sensors and switches, jumped through the IPO window yesterday, pricing its initial public … Continue reading “Public Markets Warming Up to Venture-Backed Companies? Boston-Area IPO List”
Seattle Genetics Adds Patent to 2025
Seattle Genetics, the developer of antibody treatments for cancer, said today it has received a new patent which will extend its proprietary rights to its lead drug for Hodgkin’s disease until at least 2025. The U.S. patent covers technology for a linker that selectively unloads a potent toxin called auristatin on the target cell of … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics Adds Patent to 2025”
Bruce Montgomery Joins Zymo Board
Bruce Montgomery, the senior vice president of Gilead Sciences in Seattle, is joining the board of directors at Seattle-based ZymoGenetics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ZGEN]]). ZymoGenetics also said that Lars Rebien Sorensen, the CEO of Novo Nordisk, has resigned from the board. Montgomery recently led the team at Gilead that won FDA approval of a new inhalable antibiotic … Continue reading “Bruce Montgomery Joins Zymo Board”
Sensata Tech Completes $569M IPO
Attleboro, MA-based Sensata Technologies says it begins trading on the New York Stock Exchange today after completing its initial public offering yesterday at $18 per share. The IPO was priced at the low end of the proposed $18 to $20 range. Yet the 31.6 million shares sold in the maiden offering raised a total of … Continue reading “Sensata Tech Completes $569M IPO”
West Wireless Names CEO, Amylin Pharmaceuticals Awaits FDA Deadline, Life Technologies In Cancer Research Partnership, & More San Diego Life Sciences News
Things were hopping over the past week in San Diego. Get into the rhythm here. —San Diego’s West Wireless Health Institute named Donald Casey chief executive officer. Casey was formerly worldwide chairman of Johnson & Johnson’s comprehensive care group. The Institute was founded last year with a $45 million gift from telemarketing and communications entrepreneurs … Continue reading “West Wireless Names CEO, Amylin Pharmaceuticals Awaits FDA Deadline, Life Technologies In Cancer Research Partnership, & More San Diego Life Sciences News”
Android Developers Win Smackdown Vs. iPhone, BlackBerry, and Windows Mobile, Microsoft Asserts It Has Promising Smartphone Future, & More Mobile Madness Highlights
So the iPhone may be the prettiest, the Blackberry may boast the biggest smartphone market share, and the Windows Mobile platform is, um, around, but it’s Android that’s best for developing apps. Or at least it was the Android developers who best defended their platform at the smartphone smackdown during our Mobile Madness event on … Continue reading “Android Developers Win Smackdown Vs. iPhone, BlackBerry, and Windows Mobile, Microsoft Asserts It Has Promising Smartphone Future, & More Mobile Madness Highlights”
March Mobile Madness at Microsoft—The Day in Pictures
Though it was just one small part of Mass Mobile Month, a multi-week series of mobile technology events around Boston, Tuesday’s Mobile Madness forum at Microsoft was the highlight for us here at Xconomy. Today it’s time to share some of the images captured by our volunteer photographer Kevin Vogelsang. Kevin wasn’t able to arrive … Continue reading “March Mobile Madness at Microsoft—The Day in Pictures”
Mobile Madness—The Slide Show
NEXT IMAGE >> Rapt Audience — Xconomy’s Mobile Madness forum attracted a standing-room only crowd of 225 people to Microsoft’s New England Research and Development Center in Cambridge. photo by Kevin Vogelsang
Cell Therapeutics’ Friday Bonuses, Dendreon’s IT Partner, Lee Hood’s Eye on South Lake Union, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News
We had a little bit of everything on the Seattle biotech beat this week: muckraking, exclusive breaking news, in-depth analytical features, and a sharp guest editorial. —Seattle-based Cell Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CTIC]]) has been known to disclose less-than-flattering news in SEC filings late on Fridays, when most journalists are wiped out and heading home. Sure enough, … Continue reading “Cell Therapeutics’ Friday Bonuses, Dendreon’s IT Partner, Lee Hood’s Eye on South Lake Union, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”
Battery Ventures Closes $750M Fund
Battery Ventures, which has offices in Waltham, MA, Menlo Park, CA, and Herzeliya, Israel, said today that it has closed its latest fund at the targeted level of $750 million. The firm says it plans to invest the fund—its ninth—in Internet, digital media, financial and information services, cleantech, software, enterprise IT, semiconductors, and industrial technologies. … Continue reading “Battery Ventures Closes $750M Fund”
Really Smart (and Social) Energy: GroundedPower’s System Pinpoints User Motivations to Lower Home Energy Consumption
These days, it seems there’s nothing that can’t be accomplished by the use of online social communities. Even lowering energy consumption. That’s the approach taken by GroundedPower, a Gloucester, MA-based startup that produces a system that monitors consumers’ real-time energy consumption and spurs them with goal-setting and online community engagement to lower that consumption over … Continue reading “Really Smart (and Social) Energy: GroundedPower’s System Pinpoints User Motivations to Lower Home Energy Consumption”
Rapid7 Lands $2,000,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d8f6e1d6-f7bf-42b3-907d-31227f5b7387&Preview=1 Date 3/11/2010 Company Name Rapid7 Mailing Address 545 Boylston Street Boston, ME 02116 Company Description Rapid7 is the leading provider of NeXpose Unified Vulnerability Management (UVM) Solutions. Website http://www.rapid7.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $2,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms Venture Investor Bain … Continue reading “Rapid7 Lands $2,000,000 New Funding”
Fluidnet Receives $9,100,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3f07d607-f98c-42d2-8211-96fdbba66eed&Preview=1 Date 3/11/2010 Company Name Fluidnet Mailing Address 1 New Hampshire Avenue Portsmouth, NH 03801 Company Description The result of this customer input evolved into a simple, low cost infusion pump that contains the IV bag within it. Fluid gently, continuously and accurately “leaks” to the patient with precise monitoring of the … Continue reading “Fluidnet Receives $9,100,000 New Round”
UpWind Solutions Obtains $28,800,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=dd65a07a-acca-4d3b-807e-cec1461b568b&Preview=1 Date 3/11/2010 Company Name UpWind Solutions Mailing Address 3555 Lear Way Medford, OR 97504 Company Description We help wind project developers and owners maximize profits and ensure project success. UpWind Solutions is a full-service operations and maintenance service provider for utility-scale wind energy projects with a bold, innovative approach to business. … Continue reading “UpWind Solutions Obtains $28,800,000 New Funding”
Lucid Imagination Lands $10,000,000 Series B Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7fb86ef0-465e-4f74-876c-0cbf0a470e46&Preview=1 Date 3/11/2010 Company Name Lucid Imagination Mailing Address 1875 South Grant Street San Mateo, CA 94402 Company Description Lucid Imagination is the first commercial entity exclusively dedicated to Apache Lucene/Solr open source technology. Website http://www.lucidimagination.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $10,000,000 Transaction Round Series B Proceeds Purposes Funding will be … Continue reading “Lucid Imagination Lands $10,000,000 Series B Round”
MATRIXX Software Secures $9,000,000 Series B Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=98d42103-5a40-46c2-9c07-37d394be070e&Preview=1 Date 3/11/2010 Company Name MATRIXX Software Mailing Address 779 E. Evelyn Ave Mountain View, CA 94041 Company Description MATRIXX Software was formed to develop solutions that help Service Providers (SPs) address the growing volume and complexity of services that require online charging. Data and media services are exploding, yet revenue per … Continue reading “MATRIXX Software Secures $9,000,000 Series B Financing Round”
Chomp Obtains $2,000,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=189497b7-19d4-4de6-971a-ecb72eb47f5f&Preview=1 Date 3/11/2010 Company Name Chomp Mailing Address 1385 Mission St San Francisco, CA 94103 Company Description Chomp Connect is a simple class that lets app developers prompt their users to review their app on Chomp—all within one click without leaving their app. Developers get to: Website http://www.chomp.com Transaction Type Venture Equity … Continue reading “Chomp Obtains $2,000,000 New Funding Round”
Acquires Radar Networks for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9f1b066c-253a-46ae-a155-861d71dd9d17&Preview=1 Date 3/11/2010 Company Name Radar Networks Mailing Address 795 Folsom St. 1st Floor San Francisco, CA 94107 Company Description Radar Networks spent several years developing core technologies for the next-generation of the Web as well as working on related research with DARPA and SRI International. Website http://www.twine.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction … Continue reading “Acquires Radar Networks for Undisclosed Sum”
Betaworks Studio Receives $20,000,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e083688f-262f-48ab-a6c3-f3f1a8fd5e0a&Preview=1 Date 3/11/2010 Company Name Betaworks Studio Mailing Address 416 W 13th New York, NY 10014 Company Description The company builds light Web applications. Website http://betaworks.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $20,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Borthwick explains that the company will use the new funds to do two things: … Continue reading “Betaworks Studio Receives $20,000,000 New Financing Round”
Regence BlueShield Buys Kinetix
Seattle venture capital firm Maveron announced today that Kinetix Living Corp., one of its portfolio companies, has been acquired by Regence BlueShield of Washington state. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. Kinetix, which was founded in 2000 and based in Seattle, provides customized health and nutrition programs to corporate customers and individuals. Regence is the … Continue reading “Regence BlueShield Buys Kinetix”
Biotech Pioneer Lee Hood: Whole Families Will Get Whole Genomes Sequenced
[Updated: 9:20 pm Pacific, 3/10/10 with independent expert comment] Doctors and researchers in the future won’t just want to look at your genome to see how to treat or prevent illness. Instead, they will look at how all of an individual’s DNA compares with the closest members of their family, according to biotech pioneer Leroy … Continue reading “Biotech Pioneer Lee Hood: Whole Families Will Get Whole Genomes Sequenced”