Another quarter is in the books for Biogen’s nusinersen (Spinraza), the first ever approved drug for spinal muscular atrophy. And despite the drug’s high price and the logistical bottlenecks involved in rolling it out in treatment centers across the country, the Cambridge, MA, company is starting to gain traction. Biogen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) reported $203 million … Continue reading “Biogen, Opening Bottlenecks, Sees Spine Drug Sales, Shares Rise”
Investors Pump $10.5M Into Circulation for Medical Transport Software
Technology companies are developing a wide array of healthcare products and services that get deployed in hospitals and homes. Few are focused on what happens in between—the ride to and from medical appointments. Circulation is one of the tech businesses trying to make non-emergency medical transportation more effective and efficient. The company’s software coordinates rides … Continue reading “Investors Pump $10.5M Into Circulation for Medical Transport Software”
U-M’s Desai Accelerator Picks Four Ann Arbor Startups for New Cohort
The University of Michigan’s Desai Accelerator, a collaboration between the school’s College of Engineering and the Ross School of Business, has chosen four startups for its summer 2017 cohort, the program’s second class this year. The accelerator, which is open to all applicants regardless of university affiliation, is hosting two cohorts during the same calendar year … Continue reading “U-M’s Desai Accelerator Picks Four Ann Arbor Startups for New Cohort”
Effector Raises $38.6M to Advance New Class of Anti-Cancer Drugs
San Diego’s Effector Therapeutics, a five-year-old cancer drug developer, has raised $38.6 million in new venture capital funding. The Series C financing, led by Pfizer Venture Investments, brings total funding for Effector to about $150 million, CEO Steve Worland said late Monday. The company said it plans to use the new funding to advance testing … Continue reading “Effector Raises $38.6M to Advance New Class of Anti-Cancer Drugs”
Boston Tech Watch: Vets First Choice, nToggle, VoltDB, Embark & More
[Updated 7/25/17, 9:21 am. See below.] Here are some of the recent deals in New England’s tech sector: —Vets First Choice, a Portland, ME-based maker of software for veterinary clinics, announced it raised $223 million from a group of investment firms, including Clayton, Dubilier & Rice and Hillhouse Capital Group. —Boston advertising technology startup nToggle … Continue reading “Boston Tech Watch: Vets First Choice, nToggle, VoltDB, Embark & More”
Merck Drug Shows No Life-Extending Benefit in Head-and-Neck Cancer
The first immunotherapy approved in the U.S. to treat head and neck cancer has failed a big test, but it’s unclear if the FDA will exercise its right to pull it from the market. Merck (NYSE: [[ticker:MRK]]) announced late Monday that its blockbuster cancer drug pembrolizumab (Keytruda) did not meet its main goal of helping … Continue reading “Merck Drug Shows No Life-Extending Benefit in Head-and-Neck Cancer”
Eli Lilly Pays Nektar $150M Up Front For Autoimmune Drug Rights
Nektar Therapeutics has been buoyed of late by the progress of a potential pain drug, but another, much earlier program has caught the eye of Eli Lilly, which has agreed to write the San Francisco company a $150 million check to help bring the therapy through clinical testing. Depending on the progress of the drug … Continue reading “Eli Lilly Pays Nektar $150M Up Front For Autoimmune Drug Rights”
With Helix’s Help, Lose It Adds Genetic Insights to Weight Loss App
Does your genetic code contain information that can help you lose weight? It’s a serious question in science, and in business. Now, the makers of Lose It aim to find out. The nine-year-old mobile app—from Boston-based parent company FitNow—was early in the field of using smartphones to log workouts and meals, and track progress toward … Continue reading “With Helix’s Help, Lose It Adds Genetic Insights to Weight Loss App”
Five Questions for … Factom Co-Founder and CEO Peter Kirby
Austin—Peter Kirby describes his foray into entrepreneurship as “following threads of curiosity.” “That’s always led me to interesting places,” he says. “In this case, my curiosity was around Bitcoin.” That led him to Factom, a blockchain startup in Austin for which he is co-founder and CEO. Factom is a 3-year-old blockchain company that counts healthcare … Continue reading “Five Questions for … Factom Co-Founder and CEO Peter Kirby”
Water Council, UW-Madison, Epic, & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist
Stay current on news from Wisconsin’s innovation community with these recent headlines: —The Water Council, based in Milwaukee, unveiled the five startups in the latest class of its water tech accelerator, dubbed “Business. Research. Entrepreneurship. In Wisconsin.”—the BREW for short. Three of the companies are based in Wisconsin, one is from Canada, and one is … Continue reading “Water Council, UW-Madison, Epic, & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist”
Judge Blocks Law That Imposed Restrictions on AR Game Makers
While the Pokémon Go craze has faded from many peoples’ memories, a ruling on a lawsuit brought by a company that makes similar games against a Wisconsin county could have significant implications for augmented reality application developers. On Thursday, U.S. District judge J.P Stadtmueller issued a preliminary injunction that prevents Milwaukee County from enforcing an … Continue reading “Judge Blocks Law That Imposed Restrictions on AR Game Makers”
Aeglea CEO David Lowe Resigns, Anthony Quinn to be Interim Chief
Aeglea BioTherapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AGLE]]), an Austin biotech company, announced late Thursday that David Lowe has resigned as the company’s president, CEO and director, effective immediately, according to a press release. Anthony Quinn has been appointed to serve as interim chief executive officer while the company conducts a comprehensive search for a permanent chief executive officer. … Continue reading “Aeglea CEO David Lowe Resigns, Anthony Quinn to be Interim Chief”
After Mobile App Success, Rock My World Introduces Fitness Chatbot
Adam Riggs-Zeigen has come a long way since 2013, when he co-founded San Diego’s Rock My World and introduced the mobile app RockMyRun to provide upbeat music playlists to motivate smartphone-equipped runners. “We found that it expanded into other avenues, like fitness studios,” Riggs-Zeigen recalled in a recent interview. The following year, the startup created … Continue reading “After Mobile App Success, Rock My World Introduces Fitness Chatbot”
Self Lender Raises More Cash to Help Consumers Build Credit
Austin—Self Lender, a credit-building loan app, reports that it has raised $5 million in funding. Investors include Deep Space Ventures in Dallas, Silverton Partners in Austin, Acumen Venture Partners, and Accion Venture Lab, says James Garvey, Self Lender’s founder and CEO. The company previously raised $2 million in 2015, SEC filings show. The two-year-old startup, … Continue reading “Self Lender Raises More Cash to Help Consumers Build Credit”
$200M Invested For a Global Network of Indoor Farms? That’s Plenty
Agtech startup Plenty has reeled in $200 million in financing as the company presses forward on its plans to build a global network of indoor vertical farms. Softbank Vision Fund of Japan led the Series B funding round for South San Francisco, CA-based Plenty. The round included investments from affiliates of Louis Bacon, the founder … Continue reading “$200M Invested For a Global Network of Indoor Farms? That’s Plenty”
Bio Roundup: Obamacare Persists, FDA Approves, Vertex Wows & More
The attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act took a major hit this week from Senate GOP holdouts who said the Better Care Reconciliation Act either tore down Medicaid too much or left too much of the ACA in place. A straight-up repeal, floated by Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, was also shot … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Obamacare Persists, FDA Approves, Vertex Wows & More”
Kiio, Defense Department Team Up to Advance Tendon Disease Tech
[Updated 7/21/17 5:40 p.m. See below.] Kiio, a developer of software and hardware to help patients understand and adhere to rehabilitative exercise programs, says it has teamed up with the U.S. Department of Defense to study and attempt to improve tendon disease treatments. Madison, WI-based Kiio says it’s working with the DoD and multiple healthcare providers … Continue reading “Kiio, Defense Department Team Up to Advance Tendon Disease Tech”
Iron Yard, Coding School With Three Texas Campuses, Shuts Down
The Iron Yard coding school, which has campuses in Dallas, Houston, and Austin, TX, announced Thursday that it is shutting down operations. In a blog post on the school’s website, communications director Lelia King wrote that “the Iron Yard has made the difficult decision to cease operations at all campuses after teaching out remaining summer … Continue reading “Iron Yard, Coding School With Three Texas Campuses, Shuts Down”
Arzeda Raises $12M for Computational Protein Design
Nine years passed between Arzeda’s emergence from the Baker lab at University of Washington and the $12 million Series A funding round the Seattle computational protein design company announced Thursday. But Arzeda has grown the old-fashioned way: by bringing in revenue from customers, and plowing profits back into the company. The company has developed custom … Continue reading “Arzeda Raises $12M for Computational Protein Design”
New Frontier: Space Center Crowdfunds for Mission Control Facelift
[Updated 7/25/17 5:18 pm. See below.] Houston—Houston, Mission Control has a problem. The storied control room at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston—recognizable to many of us from 1960s news clips of the dawn of the Space Age––is in need of a face-lift. And so, Space Center Houston, the visitor’s center for the JSC, has turned … Continue reading “New Frontier: Space Center Crowdfunds for Mission Control Facelift”
Christopher Ahlberg: The Full Xconomy Voices Interview
The second episode of Xconomy’s new podcast, Xconomy Voices, features Recorded Future co-founder and CEO Christopher Ahlberg. His Somerville, MA-based cybersecurity company monitors both the public, visible Web and the Internet’s darker corners for “threat intelligence” that can help its clients prepare for, and fend off, cyber attacks. Ahlberg’s background in data analytics and his … Continue reading “Christopher Ahlberg: The Full Xconomy Voices Interview”
Will Federal Regulations Nullify State Autonomous Driving Laws?
Although the development of self-driving vehicles is well under way, there are still a lot of questions about potential safety regulations and which segment of government will oversee them. Because the federal government has so far not drafted any rules governing the testing and operation of autonomous cars, it has been left up to state … Continue reading “Will Federal Regulations Nullify State Autonomous Driving Laws?”
BioAffinity Raises $4M to Continue Tests on Lung Cancer Diagnostic
San Antonio—BioAffinity Technologies, the maker of a diagnostic test that is currently focused on lung cancer, announced it has raised $4 million in a Series A funding. Investors in the round include family offices and high net worth individuals on the East and West coasts, says Maria Zannes, bioAffinity’s CEO. With the new investment, the … Continue reading “BioAffinity Raises $4M to Continue Tests on Lung Cancer Diagnostic”
NeuroVia Raises $14M to Test Drug for Rare, Fatal Metabolic Disease
Patients who have the rare genetic disorder cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy have few options to stave off the progressive decline of brain and muscle function. Within three to five years of diagnosis, the disease typically becomes fatal. A startup called NeuroVia has developed a drug that it says treats the metabolic defects that lead to the disease’s … Continue reading “NeuroVia Raises $14M to Test Drug for Rare, Fatal Metabolic Disease”
A.I. Prizes, Coming to Healthcare, Hit $1M Mark in Cancer Contests
This story is part of an Xconomy series on artificial intelligence in healthcare. Some of the other stories cover a genomics hackathon, A.I. and radiology, and the impact on doctors and patients. In the classic 1967 film “The Graduate,” Dustin Hoffman’s just-out-of-college character gets one word of career advice from a family friend: plastics. In … Continue reading “A.I. Prizes, Coming to Healthcare, Hit $1M Mark in Cancer Contests”
Laing Tapped to Lead New Capital City Innovation District in Austin
Austin—The Texas capital is already known as a hub for young innovative tech companies. Now, Austin is working on expanding its entrepreneurial portfolio with a new innovation zone targeting biotech. Austin leaders recently announced that Christopher Laing will be the first executive director of the Capital City Innovation District, a 14-acre zone in downtown Austin … Continue reading “Laing Tapped to Lead New Capital City Innovation District in Austin”
Nextech Gets Kids Interested in IT Careers Via Teacher Training
The challenge of finding skilled IT workers is a global one, but it’s arguably more acute in places like Indiana, where manufacturing brawn has historically trumped brainier sectors such as software development or biotech. As Rust Belt states strive to diversify their economies in the wake of the country’s declining industrial sector, there is simply … Continue reading “Nextech Gets Kids Interested in IT Careers Via Teacher Training”
SoftBank-Led $114M Round Puts Qualcomm’s Brain Corp. on New Path
San Diego’s Brain Corp., founded in 2009 as a Qualcomm-incubated startup to develop software and computer systems that emulate the human brain, seems to have found a new path forward. SoftBank’s new Vision Fund has led a $114 million investment to advance the company’s artificial intelligence technology. Qualcomm Ventures, which previously invested about $11 million … Continue reading “SoftBank-Led $114M Round Puts Qualcomm’s Brain Corp. on New Path”
Biotech Week Boston 2017
Biotech Week Boston is dedicated to accelerating the business of biotechnology through new ideas, science, technology and partnerships to make a positive impact on patient health. It is a festival of leading events spanning the drug development value chain, giving you access to the most inventive scientific minds and business leaders in Boston and around … Continue reading “Biotech Week Boston 2017”
Civic Data Startup LiveStories, Estate App Tomorrow Ideas Raise Cash
[Corrected 7/20/17, 1:31 p.m. See below.] Here’s a look at funding news for two interesting Seattle-area technology startups this week: LiveStories raised $10 million to grow its civic data analysis and visualization business and Tomorrow Ideas raised $2.6 million to support a new estate planning app. —LiveStories, an online service for creating visualizations and analysis … Continue reading “Civic Data Startup LiveStories, Estate App Tomorrow Ideas Raise Cash”
Adrian Senderowicz Joins Constellation Pharma as Chief Medical Officer
Constellation Pharmaceuticals has appointed Adrian Senderowicz senior vice president and chief medical officer. Before joining Constellation, a Cambridge, MA-based cancer immunotherapy developer, Senderowicz was chief medical officer at Waltham, MA-based Cerulean Pharma (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CERU]]). His experience includes positions at Ignyta (NASDAQ: [[ticker:RXDX]]), Sanofi Oncology (NYSE: [[ticker:SNY]]), Tokai Pharmaceuticals, and AstraZeneca (NYSE: [[ticker:AZN]]). Senderowicz also worked … Continue reading “Adrian Senderowicz Joins Constellation Pharma as Chief Medical Officer”
Xconomy Voices, Episode 2: Christopher Ahlberg of Recorded Future
On our new Xconomy Voices podcast, we find the smartest, most successful entrepreneurs and innovators in Xconomy’s network of cities and regions, and we ask them to open up about what they’re working on, what they’re excited about, and why they think their company, product, or idea is going to take the world by storm. … Continue reading “Xconomy Voices, Episode 2: Christopher Ahlberg of Recorded Future”
Write About Offers K-12 Students a Safe Place to Share Writing
The fourth graders in Brad Wilson’s writing classes lit up after he added technology and multi-media content to his lesson plans. The former Stevensville, MI, teacher realized, too, how important it is for students who have caught the writing bug to have a safe place online to share their creative ideas, where trolls and creepy … Continue reading “Write About Offers K-12 Students a Safe Place to Share Writing”
StrataGraft Skin Treatment Gets New FDA Regenerative Med Status
A regenerative medicine treatment for skin burns developed by Stratatech could make it to the market more quickly following a regulatory decision announced Tuesday. The FDA has designated StrataGraft, a Stratatech-developed sheet of living tissue made from human cells that form into skin, as a Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT), the company said. Drugs that … Continue reading “StrataGraft Skin Treatment Gets New FDA Regenerative Med Status”
Vertex Touts Positive Triple-Drug Data For Cystic Fibrosis Patients
Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VRTX]]) continued its march away from being the biggest loser in the hepatitis C wars and toward increasing dominance in cystic fibrosis. The Boston firm announced Tuesday that studies of three experimental drug combinations all reported notable improvement in patients who have a different underlying genetic pattern than patients already eligible for … Continue reading “Vertex Touts Positive Triple-Drug Data For Cystic Fibrosis Patients”
Google Glass Upgrades to Business Class, With Enterprise Edition
When Ian Shakil co-founded a company in 2012 to deploy Google Glass in doctor’s offices, his team had never possessed a set of the computer-enhanced eyewear that Google debuted that year. Google wasn’t yet selling the augmented reality glasses, which were being touted as the next big thing in consumer electronics, not as business tools. … Continue reading “Google Glass Upgrades to Business Class, With Enterprise Edition”
Tech Leaders Decry “Bathroom Bills” Aimed at Transgender People
Austin—The Texas Legislature convened today in a special session and among the issues lawmakers will debate include controversial “bathroom bills,” legislation that would require transgender people to use restrooms that match the sex of their birth. Prominent tech leaders—from IBM, Google, Facebook, Dell, and other companies—have come out against these types of bills. These leaders … Continue reading “Tech Leaders Decry “Bathroom Bills” Aimed at Transgender People”
Rapid7 Buys Jen Andre’s Startup, Komand, to Automate Security Tasks
[Updated 9/21/18, 11:13 am. See below.] Rapid7 says it has acquired Komand, a small deal between two Boston companies that nevertheless fits into bigger trends in cybersecurity. The acquisition price wasn’t disclosed in the initial deal announcement. Rapid7 (NASDAQ: [[ticker:RPD]]) later revealed it paid $14.8 million in cash, plus it offered potential payments of up … Continue reading “Rapid7 Buys Jen Andre’s Startup, Komand, to Automate Security Tasks”
What Internet Pioneer Vint Cerf Sees in San Diego (and Other Hubs)
The Internet pioneer Vinton Cerf came to San Diego recently on an unusual quest—to meet with dozens of local technology leaders and assess what the region has to offer in terms of innovation. It was Veni, Vidi, Vinti. He came. He saw. He Cerfed. The visit was unusual in part because of Cerf himself. As … Continue reading “What Internet Pioneer Vint Cerf Sees in San Diego (and Other Hubs)”
First Slice of Long-Term “100K” Study: Useful Data, No Health Outcomes
It’s easy to find hope that new biomedical technologies, from genetic sequencing to wearable fitness trackers, will lead to a healthier populace. It’s harder to find evidence. There has even been caution about the idea of analyzing the DNA of seemingly healthy people. But a small study in Seattle called the Pioneer 100 Wellness Project, … Continue reading “First Slice of Long-Term “100K” Study: Useful Data, No Health Outcomes”
Roundup: Nomad Health & Blinker Arrive in Texas, SourceDay, & More
Let’s get caught up on the latest news from Xconomy Texas. In the last week, two startups announced they’re now offering their services in the Lone Star State. —Nomad Health, an online market for healthcare jobs, has started offering placements for short-term nurse vacancies in Texas, and plans to roll that service out nationwide, according … Continue reading “Roundup: Nomad Health & Blinker Arrive in Texas, SourceDay, & More”
NewStore Rings Up $50M to Help Retailers Win “Mobile Influence”
Online shopping is going to become a “mobile-only world,” says Stephan Schambach. The entrepreneur has been building e-commerce companies since the early days of the Web in the early 1990s. But with the exploding popularity of smartphones, the day is coming when “we are going to look at desktop commerce with a sense of nostalgia,” … Continue reading “NewStore Rings Up $50M to Help Retailers Win “Mobile Influence””
Y Combinator Mulls New Startup App—Rating VCs on Sexual Harassment
Y Combinator, a Silicon Valley hub that incubates and funds scores of tech startups every year, is entering the fray over sexual harassment in the venture capital industry. YC has opened an online reporting mechanism that women can use to identify venture capital firm partners or executives who have pressured them for sex or groped … Continue reading “Y Combinator Mulls New Startup App—Rating VCs on Sexual Harassment”
Redfin Sets IPO Price Range, Would Raise Up to $148.6 Million
Redfin would raise up to $148.6 million in its planned initial public offering, according to an updated securities filing Monday. The Seattle-based online real estate brokerage lifted the veil on its IPO plans June 30, initially filing to raise up to $100 million. With Monday’s amended filing, the company set its proposed IPO price at … Continue reading “Redfin Sets IPO Price Range, Would Raise Up to $148.6 Million”
Amazon Alexa Accelerator Begins in Seattle With Nine Startups
Amazon and Techstars announced the nine companies selected for the Amazon Alexa Accelerator, which began its initial 13-week program in Seattle Monday. Why it matters: Seattle is already a hub of artificial intelligence research and commercialization activity at technology giants including Microsoft and Amazon, and research institutions such as the University of Washington and the … Continue reading “Amazon Alexa Accelerator Begins in Seattle With Nine Startups”
Wisconsin Sizes Up Recent, Potential Future Changes in Manufacturing
When Greg Piefer founded Phoenix Nuclear Labs, in 2005, he was not expecting that it would one day lead to the construction of a large medical isotope manufacturing facility. In the dozen years it’s been operating, Monona, WI-based Phoenix has developed particle accelerator technology with applications in areas such as weapons inspection, solar cell production, … Continue reading “Wisconsin Sizes Up Recent, Potential Future Changes in Manufacturing”
Startup WiseWear Connects With Ingenu on Wearable Security Device
San Antonio—WiseWear, a San Antonio-based wearable technology maker, has created a new product that uses a low-power wireless network to help users stay connected to an emergency alert services around the globe. The company and its partner on the device, San Diego-based Ingenu, plan to sell it as a small, circular piece of Internet-connected technology … Continue reading “Startup WiseWear Connects With Ingenu on Wearable Security Device”
Desktop Metal Grabs $115M, Preps September Launch of First Product
Desktop Metal has added $115 million in venture capital to its coffers. The Series D funding round announced Monday ups the already-high expectations for the Burlington, MA-based metal 3D printing company, one of New England’s biggest technology bets. Two-year-old Desktop Metal has hauled in a total of $212 million from investors—all before shipping its first … Continue reading “Desktop Metal Grabs $115M, Preps September Launch of First Product”
Radius Health Ramps Up for Market as FDA Rejects Rival Amgen Drug
Radius Health has tapped Novo Nordisk veteran Jesper Hoiland to become its new CEO as the company prepares to bring its new osteoporosis drug to the market. The appointment follows rival Amgen’s (NYSE: [[ticker:AMGN]]) Sunday night announcement that its own osteoporosis drug fell short of FDA approval. That rejection keeps the narrow field of approved … Continue reading “Radius Health Ramps Up for Market as FDA Rejects Rival Amgen Drug”
Techstars Mobility Announces 2017 Class, New Industry Partners
The Detroit-based Techstars Mobility program announces its third cohort today, and managing director Ted Serbinski says it’s the most international class yet with startups from five countries. There are also new corporate partners coming on board and additions to the accelerator’s in-house support staff, including two people who have relocated to the Motor City from … Continue reading “Techstars Mobility Announces 2017 Class, New Industry Partners”