Eleven Seattle-area tech companies are heading to Japan this week, carrying with them this region’s credentials in artificial intelligence in hopes of winning new business. The visit follows five meetups organized in Seattle over the last two years in which representatives of large Japanese corporations have heard pitches and discussed business deals with Northwest companies. … Continue reading “Seattle Tech Delegation Heads to Japan, Seeking A.I. Business”
Seattle Week in Review: VC Culture, Income Tax, Ayn Rand
The tech industry’s sexual harassment problem—and some potential avenues to address it—came home to Seattle this week. Meanwhile, pet services company Rover raised $65 million, A.I.’s impact on global GDP could be $15.7 trillion by 2030, and the city approved an income tax on high-earners, likely to be challenged. We’ve got more details on all … Continue reading “Seattle Week in Review: VC Culture, Income Tax, Ayn Rand”
Boston Tech Watch: Amazon, Kayak, Runkeeper, Kaspersky & More
This week in Boston tech, we’re tracking Amazon’s local expansion plans, a new venture fund that will invest in women-led companies, executive moves at Asics-owned Runkeeper and The Finally Light Bulb Company, and more. Read on for details. —At a press event, Amazon announced plans to hire 900 people that will work at an office … Continue reading “Boston Tech Watch: Amazon, Kayak, Runkeeper, Kaspersky & More”
Five Questions for … Austin Biotech Entrepreneur Laura Bosworth
Austin—A few minutes of conversation have made up many of the pivot points in Laura Bosworth’s professional life. Bosworth is the founder and CEO of TeVido BioDevices, an Austin regenerative medicine company aiming to use 3D printing technology to construct a more natural nipple in breast reconstruction. Her path to entrepreneurship came, she says, from … Continue reading “Five Questions for … Austin Biotech Entrepreneur Laura Bosworth”
Akcea Slashes IPO Price Ahead of Filing for Rare Disease Drug
Akcea Therapeutics is joining the parade of biotechs going public, but the company had to cut its stock price and sell more shares in order to pull it off. Cambridge, MA-based Akcea had planned on raising $125 million from the initial public offering, and it hit that target. But the biotech priced its offering of … Continue reading “Akcea Slashes IPO Price Ahead of Filing for Rare Disease Drug”
How NEA Envisions the Future of Trucking, Transportation, and A.I.
The big Silicon Valley venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates (NEA) is investing in the workaday business of freight load hauling, which could hardly seem more different from the future-bending tech projects that have attracted VC money for decades. But NEA’s leading role in the $42 million Series C financing round announced this week by … Continue reading “How NEA Envisions the Future of Trucking, Transportation, and A.I.”
Bio Roundup: PDUFA Progress, BCRA Redux, CAR-T Thumbs Up, & More
Government and industry are rife with awkward acronyms. Take PDUFA, for example. First passed in 1992, the Prescription Drug User Fee Act allows the FDA to collect fees from biopharmaceutical companies when they apply for drug approval; those funds are designated for the regulator’s drug evaluation work. Congress must reauthorize the law every five years … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: PDUFA Progress, BCRA Redux, CAR-T Thumbs Up, & More”
Mayo Clinic and Boston Software Maker Add Qrativ to Busy A.I. Sector
This story is part of an ongoing series on A.I. in healthcare. Artificial intelligence systems have become a trendy, but useful means of extracting meaning out of the troves of scientific research and clinical data that institutions produce every year. Startups from San Francisco to Boston have launched with the goal of helping pharmaceutical companies … Continue reading “Mayo Clinic and Boston Software Maker Add Qrativ to Busy A.I. Sector”
Teradata Acquires San Diego’s StackIQ to Strengthen Cloud Business
Dayton, OH-based Teradata (NYSE: [[ticker:TDC]]), which has roughly 1,000 employees at its Teradata Labs engineering unit in San Diego, says today it has acquired StackIQ, a six-year-old startup near San Diego that specializes in software used to automate datacenters in the cloud. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. But reading between the lines, … Continue reading “Teradata Acquires San Diego’s StackIQ to Strengthen Cloud Business”
DraftKings and FanDuel Abandon Merger After FTC Challenge
The DraftKings-FanDuel merger is dead. The two online fantasy sports companies said Thursday they have terminated their agreement to join forces. The decision comes a few weeks after the Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint in federal district court attempting to block the deal over concerns that it would create a near-monopoly in the U.S. … Continue reading “DraftKings and FanDuel Abandon Merger After FTC Challenge”
ReDev B0st0n, MassTLC’s Annual Software Development Conference
From the event organizer: “ReDev brings together the entire product chain workforce, from senior level strategists to secure implementation experts and product leaders to the development teams that create the impossible from keystrokes. This is the event where you learn tools and strategies you can start implementing the next day and build a network of … Continue reading “ReDev B0st0n, MassTLC’s Annual Software Development Conference”
Bevi Slurps $16.5M to Bring “Smart Water Cooler” to More Offices
Add high-tech, healthy beverage dispensers to the list of trendy office perks. About three years ago, Boston-based startup Bevi launched its tech-enabled take on the traditional water cooler by installing an initial batch of about a dozen of its machines at local offices. Since then, the company says around 1,000 of the Internet-connected beverage kiosks … Continue reading “Bevi Slurps $16.5M to Bring “Smart Water Cooler” to More Offices”
Cargo Helps Rideshare Drivers Run Turnkey Mobile Convenience Stores
Last month, when Intel released its report detailing the emerging “passenger economy,” it estimated that the value of the associated goods and services would be a stunning $7 trillion by 2050. Intel defines the passenger economy as what will happen when self-driving vehicles and ridesharing services turn drivers into idle passengers. A captive audience with … Continue reading “Cargo Helps Rideshare Drivers Run Turnkey Mobile Convenience Stores”
Silicon Valley Edtech Companies AcademixDirect and PathSource Merge
AcademixDirect, which helps state and community colleges enroll students, has merged with PathSource, which operates a career exploration app that helps adults and kids figure out what jobs they’d like to do. PathSource CEO Aaron Michel, who co-founded the Burlingame, CA, company in 2011, says the merger creates an end-to-end process from career search through … Continue reading “Silicon Valley Edtech Companies AcademixDirect and PathSource Merge”
Join Tesaro and Others at Boston’s Life Science Disruptors Sept. 28
For the fifth year in a row, Xconomy will hold our fall Boston life sciences event, “Boston’s Life Science Disruptors”, on Thursday September 28th at Pfizer in Kendall Square in Cambridge. Join us for this unique event featuring candid stories from some of New England’s most radical biotech company leaders, founders, and VC backers who … Continue reading “Join Tesaro and Others at Boston’s Life Science Disruptors Sept. 28”
Microsoft Paints Picture of Helpful A.I., Deployed to Benefit Humans
Microsoft laid out a higher purpose for its ongoing development of what could someday amount to a so-called general artificial intelligence: helping people and healing the planet. A flurry of announcements Wednesday touched on the business value of the suite of A.I. technologies the company is racing to develop alongside competitors including Google-parent Alphabet (NASDAQ: … Continue reading “Microsoft Paints Picture of Helpful A.I., Deployed to Benefit Humans”
NEA Leads $42M Round For AI-Enhanced Freight Booking Startup Transfix
Transfix, a New York tech startup with an online marketplace that organizes freight truck shipments, says it has scored $42 million in a Series C financing round led by New Enterprise Associates (NEA). Transfix, founded in 2013, relies on machine learning and other data analytics tools to distinguish itself in the crowded arena of freight … Continue reading “NEA Leads $42M Round For AI-Enhanced Freight Booking Startup Transfix”
Unanimous Advice To FDA: Approve Landmark CAR-T Cancer Therapy
The first ever approval of a new kind of cancer immunotherapy called CAR-T is one step closer. A 10-member panel of doctors and researchers who advise the Food and Drug Administration recommended with a rare unanimous vote that the agency approve a treatment for kids and young adults with a severe form of leukemia who … Continue reading “Unanimous Advice To FDA: Approve Landmark CAR-T Cancer Therapy”
Zimmer Biomet’s Dvorak Out As CEO, Successor Search Underway
Zimmer Biomet is searching for a new CEO following the departure of the executive who oversaw the merger that created the medical device giant. David Dvorak stepped down from the Warsaw, IN, company’s top post effective Tuesday, a surprise move that came as the company gave an early peek at earnings data on the low … Continue reading “Zimmer Biomet’s Dvorak Out As CEO, Successor Search Underway”
Exact, Microscopy, FairSquare, & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist
Keep up with the latest news from Wisconsin’s innovation community with these recent headlines: —Exact Sciences is evaluating two potential sites where it would house a second lab for processing results of its flagship product Cologuard, a stool-based DNA test for colorectal cancer, the Wisconsin State Journal reported. Madison-based Exact (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EXAS]]) said it completed … Continue reading “Exact, Microscopy, FairSquare, & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist”
Accenture Acquires Austin Data Analytics Company Clearhead
Austin—Clearhead, which helps companies “personalize” digital tools used by their customers, has been acquired by Accenture (NYSE: [[ticker:ACN]]). The Austin, TX-based company has developed data analytics software that helps its customers, who are companies such as USAA and CVS Pharmacy, improve and personalize their digital tools aimed at end users, such as online shoppers. Clearhead … Continue reading “Accenture Acquires Austin Data Analytics Company Clearhead”
BioPharm America
From the event organizer: “BioPharm America™ is a unique partnering event that forms the nexus of discovery and realization. Startup companies, established biotech and entrepreneurs from academia attend in search of finance, pharma and development partners. The event format highlights innovation and promotes new business relationships by bringing dealmakers from the life science ecosystem together … Continue reading “BioPharm America”
E-Scape Unveils $63M for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s Drug Research
Neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease have stymied the efforts of many pharmaceutical companies to develop treatments that stem the decline in brain function. E-Scape Bio is taking a different tack with drugs that it says could address the root cause of degenerative brain disorders. E-Scape’s approach has caught the eye of investors who have … Continue reading “E-Scape Unveils $63M for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s Drug Research”
AngelMD Aims to Harness Houston Physician Braintrust for Investments
Houston—In the last few years, Houston’s biotech community has made big strides in assembling the ingredients needed to build a robust innovation ecosystem. But one factor, capital, remains in short supply, says Dan Parsley of angelMD. That’s partly why the Seattle-based investment platform opened a Houston office last September. The idea is to help bridge … Continue reading “AngelMD Aims to Harness Houston Physician Braintrust for Investments”
Edgewise, With $7M in Tow, Aims to Simplify Network Security With AI
[Updated 7/12/17, 11:37 am. See below.] A new cybersecurity startup from the Boston area is continuing the trend of using machine learning technologies to both fortify and reduce complexity in businesses’ cyber defenses. Edgewise Networks was founded in the spring of 2016 by Peter Smith, an IT expert and veteran of Endeca and Harvard Business … Continue reading “Edgewise, With $7M in Tow, Aims to Simplify Network Security With AI”
All Things Marketplace Brings Detroit Hustle to Small Businesses
In 2012, when Jennyfer Crawford hosted her very first small-business showcase called All Things Detroit, it was held in a one-bedroom apartment and it highlighted a lone startup that belonged to a friend of hers. The Motor City’s entrepreneurial resurgence was still in the early stages five years ago, but since then, her event has taken … Continue reading “All Things Marketplace Brings Detroit Hustle to Small Businesses”
Artale Forced Out of VC Firm Ignition Partners After Misconduct Complaints
[Updated 7/13/17, 3:05 p.m. See below.] Ignition Partners, a venture capital firm based in Bellevue, WA, with offices in Los Altos, CA, announced the resignation of managing partner Frank Artale following complaints of inappropriate conduct. The firm issued a statement late Tuesday afternoon via Twitter (reproduced in full below) describing a misconduct complaint against Artale … Continue reading “Artale Forced Out of VC Firm Ignition Partners After Misconduct Complaints”
Toyota’s First Venture Arm Gets $100M for AI, Robotics, Mobility Startups
Toyota Research Institute, the Toyota R&D unit that has parked branches near Stanford and two other top U.S. research universities, is now spinning out a corporate venture capital arm that will finance and incubate startups in artificial intelligence, robotics, and autonomous mobility. The research institute, also known as TRI, is devoting at least $100 million … Continue reading “Toyota’s First Venture Arm Gets $100M for AI, Robotics, Mobility Startups”
San Antonio’s eHealthScreenings Sold to PE-Owned Premise Health
San Antonio—A Tennessee-based company that manages businesses’ onsite health clinics has acquired San Antonio-based eHealthScreenings, a company that offers biometric health screenings and that has developed software to collect and analyze data from those screenings. The acquirer, Premise Health, didn’t disclose terms of the deal in a press release issued Tuesday. EHealthScreenings was founded in … Continue reading “San Antonio’s eHealthScreenings Sold to PE-Owned Premise Health”
Allurion Technologies Adds $27M for Nonsurgical Weight Loss Balloon
About 10 years ago, I ate a 72-ounce steak in one hour for an eating competition. Could I still eat that much if I had Allurion Technologies’ gastric balloon for weight loss inside me? “If you tried to eat the whole thing, your body would definitely let you know that it isn’t the best idea,” … Continue reading “Allurion Technologies Adds $27M for Nonsurgical Weight Loss Balloon”
DataGravity Snapped Up by HyTrust After Struggles and Layoffs
DataGravity, one of New England’s bigger tech bets, has been acquired by California cybersecurity firm HyTrust. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but the financial outcome doesn’t seem to be a good one for DataGravity’s investors, who had pumped at least $92 million into the company. Mountain View, CA-based HyTrust also announced a $36 million … Continue reading “DataGravity Snapped Up by HyTrust After Struggles and Layoffs”
Idea Fund of La Crosse Raises $4.9M More, Eyes First Investments
While the Badger Fund of Funds is still working toward the program’s stated goal of investing in Wisconsin-based startups, the pool of money its leaders will draw from when they do so continues to expand. The Idea Fund of La Crosse, one of the “recipient” funds created under the public-private Badger Fund of Funds program, … Continue reading “Idea Fund of La Crosse Raises $4.9M More, Eyes First Investments”
Sanofi Shores Up Flu Vaccine Business With Protein Sciences Deal
With influenza season a few months away, Sanofi is giving its vaccine operations a shot in the arm by acquiring Protein Sciences, a company that has a commercial vaccine, Flublok, and manufactures it using genetic engineering and cell culture instead of the traditional method that relies on millions of chicken eggs. According to the companies, … Continue reading “Sanofi Shores Up Flu Vaccine Business With Protein Sciences Deal”
SocMetrics Scooped Up by Grapevine in Social Marketing Deal
[Corrected, 2:25pm. See below] ‘Tis the season for Boston tech startups founded in 2010—and their products—to get acquired. Kinvey and Intrepid were bought last month, and now it’s SocMetrics’ turn. The Cambridge, MA-based social marketing company’s original product—called SocMetrics Influencer Platform—has been snapped up by Grapevine, a Boston marketing tech firm. Terms of the deal … Continue reading “SocMetrics Scooped Up by Grapevine in Social Marketing Deal”
Evelo Bio Raises $50M Round to Bring Microbiome Drugs Into Trials
Bacteria have evolved with humans over many thousands of years, forming a delicate balance in the body that researchers are just now starting to understand. Evelo Biosciences believes it can tap into the workings of the human microbiome to treat immune disorders and cancer and it now has raised $50 million in financing to test … Continue reading “Evelo Bio Raises $50M Round to Bring Microbiome Drugs Into Trials”
Dell Wirelessly Charging PC Marks WiTricity’s First Consumer Device
A new Dell tablet/laptop hybrid computer that can be charged without a power cord hits shelves this week. The new device, called the Latitude 7285 (pictured above), signals the continued spread—albeit slowly—of consumer electronics that can be juiced up wirelessly. The wireless charging technology embedded in the “2-in-1 notebook computer” comes from Watertown, MA-based WiTricity, … Continue reading “Dell Wirelessly Charging PC Marks WiTricity’s First Consumer Device”
Austin’s Riskpulse Formed in the Vortex of Two Weather-Tech Startups
Austin—For businesses that ship anything from mayonnaise to car parts, a change in temperature or an unexpected storm can mean bigger problems than just rotten eggs or stalled repairs. In this age of “just in time manufacturing,” entire factories might need to halt production if the right parts aren’t delivered, potentially costing thousands of dollars … Continue reading “Austin’s Riskpulse Formed in the Vortex of Two Weather-Tech Startups”
Under Silicon Valley’s Rough Turf, Tunnels of Women’s Networks Spread
[Corrected 7/11/17, 11:02 am. See below.] Revelations about gender bias and crude sexual harassment at Uber have been followed by similar claims by women against Silicon Valley venture capital investors, leaving a weary impression that the deck is almost hopelessly stacked against women in tech. But women aren’t facing these challenges alone, female entrepreneurs say—not … Continue reading “Under Silicon Valley’s Rough Turf, Tunnels of Women’s Networks Spread”
VC Investment in Seattle Companies Up 27 Percent in First Half
[Updated 7/11/17, 2:47 p.m. See below.] Seattle companies raised $803 million in venture capital during the first half of 2017, a 27 percent increase over the first six months of 2016, according to data the Venture Monitor report from Seattle-based PitchBook and the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA). The deal count is also up 34 … Continue reading “VC Investment in Seattle Companies Up 27 Percent in First Half”
VCs Invest $406M in 61 SD Startups; TP Therapeutics Leads Q2 Deals
TP Therapeutics, which raised $45 million in May to advance its work on drug-resistant cancers, raised the most venture capital in San Diego County during the three months that ended June 30, according to regional data released today. Altogether, venture firms invested a total of $406.4 million in San Diego companies during the second quarter, … Continue reading “VCs Invest $406M in 61 SD Startups; TP Therapeutics Leads Q2 Deals”
VC “Self-Correction” Continues in Second Quarter, and Top 10 Deals
[Updated 7/12/17, 8:38 am, to add MoneyTree data. See below.] U.S. venture capital investments are showing more signs of returning to steady levels. Investors pumped $21.78 billion into 1,958 companies in the second quarter, according to data from the quarterly Venture Monitor report from Seattle-based PitchBook and the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA). The number … Continue reading “VC “Self-Correction” Continues in Second Quarter, and Top 10 Deals”
InVivo Therapeutics Names Richard Toselli Chief Medical Officer
InVivo Therapeutics has appointed Richard Toselli chief medical officer of the Cambridge, MA, biotech. Toselli, a spinal neurosurgeon, previously served as chief medical officer for Australia-based Cochlear Limited. His experience also includes posts at Sanofi (NYSE: [[ticker:SNY]]), Covidien, DePuy, and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: [[ticker:JNJ]]). InVivo is developing treatments for spinal cord injuries.
Shire’s David Thompson Joins Precision BioSciences C-Suite
Precision Biosciences has appointed David Thompson to the new position of chief development officer. Thompson comes to Durham, NC-based Precision from Shire (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SHPG]]), where he was senior vice president and global head of research and nonclinical development. In his new role, Thompson will oversee Precision’s preclinical strategy for gene therapies and cell therapies based … Continue reading “Shire’s David Thompson Joins Precision BioSciences C-Suite”
Eyeing Recent FDA Decision, Promega to Seek Approvals for MSI Assay
Laboratory supplies company Promega wants its tests to join the decision-making tools that clinicians use when treating patients and the Fitchburg, WI company now plans to seek the necessary approvals for use of one its tests in colorectal cancer. Promega aims to secure FDA approval for its microsatellite instability (MSI) assay. The company will also … Continue reading “Eyeing Recent FDA Decision, Promega to Seek Approvals for MSI Assay”
Before Key Meeting, FDA Stresses Risks of Novartis CAR-T Cancer Therapy
Two days before a panel of the FDA’s outside advisors grill Novartis about its groundbreaking cell therapy under review, agency staffers released their own assessment of the product, which now goes by the name tisagenlecleucel. If approved for kids and young adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or ALL, it would likely be the first so-called … Continue reading “Before Key Meeting, FDA Stresses Risks of Novartis CAR-T Cancer Therapy”
Indiana Roundup: PolicyStat, ClearScholar, IEDC Growth News & More
As we hunker down into the dog days of summer, let’s take a long overdue look at tech news from across Indiana: —Carmel-based healthcare policy management company PolicyStat has been acquired by New Jersey’s iContracts, a provider of cloud-based contract compliance and revenue management software. The financial value of the deal was not disclosed. A … Continue reading “Indiana Roundup: PolicyStat, ClearScholar, IEDC Growth News & More”
Roundup: LiveOak, Memorial Hermann, AT&T, March Capital, & DigniCap
Let’s catch up on the latest innovation news from Xconomy Texas. —LiveOak Venture Partners announced today it has led a $4.7 million funding round for Telestax, which makes a technology that combines traditional telecommunications with new business apps in order to provide real-time communications tools that can scale. Telestax supports 900 million calls and 200 … Continue reading “Roundup: LiveOak, Memorial Hermann, AT&T, March Capital, & DigniCap”
Inotek Considers “Strategic Options” After Glaucoma Trial Failure
An Inotek Pharmaceuticals drug developed to treat glaucoma failed to beat a current treatment for the eye condition in a clinical trial, a second setback this year that puts the future of both the drug and the company in question. Lexington, MA-based Inotek (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ITEK]]) released the early results from the Phase 2 clinical trial … Continue reading “Inotek Considers “Strategic Options” After Glaucoma Trial Failure”
Seattle Week in Review: MSFT Sales Reorg, UW, Phytelligence, & More
Lots to catch up on this holiday-shortened week in Seattle tech. We’re reviewing a Microsoft sales reorganization and staff reduction; a battery-free cellphone from the University of Washington, as well as a spate of new computer science faculty hires at the Allen School; funding for agtech company Phytelligence; bike sharing in Seattle; and more. Read … Continue reading “Seattle Week in Review: MSFT Sales Reorg, UW, Phytelligence, & More”
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