San Diego’s Somaxon Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SOMX]]) took one on the chin this morning. The company said the FDA, for the second time this year, has rejected its application to market a new insomnia medicine. Shares of the company lost about two-thirds of their value on the news. The second letter from the FDA says that … Continue reading “Somaxon Shares Tumble as Insomnia Drug Rejected by FDA”
Infinity Names New CEO
Cambridge, MA-based Infinity Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:INFI]]) said today that Adelene Perkins has been named its new chief executive officer, starting January 1. Perkins joined Infinity in 2002, and currently serves as its president and chief business officer. She will replace Steve Holtzman, who has been Infinity’s CEO since the company was founded in 2001. Holtzman … Continue reading “Infinity Names New CEO”
Celgene Agrees to Acquire Gloucester Pharma for $340M Cash Upfront, $300M Later
Investors in Gloucester Pharmaceuticals have just made a bundle. The privately held biotech company in Cambridge, MA has agreed to be acquired by Summit, NJ-based Celgene (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CELG]]) for $340 million in cash, plus $300 million in future milestone payments. Celgene expects the deal to be completed before the end of March, and to see … Continue reading “Celgene Agrees to Acquire Gloucester Pharma for $340M Cash Upfront, $300M Later”
Sapphire Energy Gets $104.5M to Build Biofuels Refinery, Larry Smarr Says Sensors Vital to Energy Conservation, MP3.com’s Founder Says Online Strategy Has Changed, & More San Diego BizTech News
Cyber Monday’s online shopping trends provided much of the electronic grist for our Xconomy news mill last week. Get your news here while it’s hot. —The Department of Energy awarded San Diego’s Sapphire Energy a $50 million grant and the Department of Agriculture provided the company with $54.5 million in federal loan guarantees for construction … Continue reading “Sapphire Energy Gets $104.5M to Build Biofuels Refinery, Larry Smarr Says Sensors Vital to Energy Conservation, MP3.com’s Founder Says Online Strategy Has Changed, & More San Diego BizTech News”
JanRain Lands $3.25M, Looks to Expand Web Identity Offerings, Push Social Publishing
It has been a busy fall for JanRain. The Portland, OR-based software startup is announcing today it has closed a $3.25 million Series A financing round led by West Coast firm DFJ Frontier. RPM Ventures and Anthem Venture Partners also participated in the round, which had its first close in late summer. The company also … Continue reading “JanRain Lands $3.25M, Looks to Expand Web Identity Offerings, Push Social Publishing”
Hollywood Sees Corruption in Pharma, and Suddenly Scientists are the Bad Guys
A recent article in the journal Science described a significant gene-therapy based advance in the treatment of two boys with adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), a rare and lethal genetic disease. This was wonderful news for those who have affected family members. This devastating affliction was the focal point of the beautifully crafted movie “Lorenzo’s Oil.” The film … Continue reading “Hollywood Sees Corruption in Pharma, and Suddenly Scientists are the Bad Guys”
Appature Raises $3.5M, Led by Ignition and Madrona, to Expand Healthcare Customer Base
Well, it’s about time we confirmed this deal. Seattle-based Appature is announcing today a Series A equity financing round, worth $3.5 million, co-led by Ignition Partners and Madrona Venture Group. It’s an all-Seattle investor group, as seed-stage fund Founder’s Co-op also participated in the financing. Appature, which has generated some buzz in recent months, makes … Continue reading “Appature Raises $3.5M, Led by Ignition and Madrona, to Expand Healthcare Customer Base”
Hutch Snaps Up $8.9M in Donations
[Updated: 2:15 pm Pacific, 12/8/09 with larger fundraising numbers from this year’s gala.] The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, the Seattle-based nonprofit, said it raised $8.85 million at its annual Hutch Holiday Gala on Saturday night. Most of the money, $7.95 million, was directed toward research to boost people’s immune systems to fight cancer cells. … Continue reading “Hutch Snaps Up $8.9M in Donations”
Supercharged Herceptin Nears Pivot Point, as ImmunoGen, Roche Await Data on Breast Cancer “Smart Bomb”
ImmunoGen has been in business for 28 years without developing a single FDA approved drug. This week, after all those lean years, the Waltham, MA-based biotech (NASDAQ: [[ticker:IMGN]]) and its partner, Roche, are getting ready to show the world they have something big for patients with breast cancer. The company is striving to develop the … Continue reading “Supercharged Herceptin Nears Pivot Point, as ImmunoGen, Roche Await Data on Breast Cancer “Smart Bomb””
Boston-Power CEO Sees “Immense” Pressure to Curb Carbon Emissions at Copenhagen Summit
Quite a few clean energy companies around Boston have a stake in the outcome of the international climate change talks that start this week in Copenhagen, Denmark. If nations set more aggressive goals for greenhouse-gas emissions cuts, after all, they’ll have a greater need for technologies to reduce their carbon emissions. But only one local … Continue reading “Boston-Power CEO Sees “Immense” Pressure to Curb Carbon Emissions at Copenhagen Summit”
Advanced Cell Technology Lands $2,770,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b7dd82fe-a0fa-4955-a9ee-73898df048af&Preview=1 Date 12/7/2009 Company Name Advanced Cell Technology Mailing Address 381 Plantation Street Biotech V Worcester, MA 01605 Company Description Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. (OTCBB:ACTC) is applying stem cell technology in the field of regenerative medicine to bring effective, patient-specific therapies to the bedside. The company’s Myoblast program is an autologous adult … Continue reading “Advanced Cell Technology Lands $2,770,000 New Funding Round”
Celgene Corporation Acquires Gloucester Pharmaceuticals for $640,000,000
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a3c26643-c070-4405-9aa1-685c168be8fa&Preview=1 Date 12/7/2009 Company Name Gloucester Pharmaceuticals Mailing Address One Broadway 14th Floor Cambridge, MA 02142 Company Description Gloucester Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a privately held, venture-backed company that develops and commercializes innovative products for the treatment of cancer. Website http://www.gloucesterpharma.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount $640,000,000 Transaction Round Proceeds Purposes M&A Terms … Continue reading “Celgene Corporation Acquires Gloucester Pharmaceuticals for $640,000,000”
JanRain Garners $3,250,000 Series A Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e71c538a-1433-46d1-92f9-27aa97a1558a&Preview=1 Date 12/7/2009 Company Name JanRain Mailing Address 5331 SW Macadam Ave Portland, OR 97239 Company Description JanRain has been a recognized leader and catalyst driving the OpenID market forward since 2005. While providing OpenID solutions for both consumers and businesses, our company has helped create the OpenID Foundation and the majority … Continue reading “JanRain Garners $3,250,000 Series A Funding Round”
Nexus Biosystems Acquires Aurora Biotechnologies for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=5ca49869-f2cf-4f03-b53c-c50d9475b8d0&Preview=1 Date 12/7/2009 Company Name Aurora Biotechnologies Mailing Address 7668 El Camino Real Carlsbad, CA 92009 Company Description Aurora Biotechnologies High-Performance Microplate Products improve Assay and Imaging fidelity in demanding applications in all aspects of Life Science Research. Website http://www.aurorabiotechnologies.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Proceeds Purposes M&A Terms … Continue reading “Nexus Biosystems Acquires Aurora Biotechnologies for Undisclosed Sum”
Zogenix Garners $20,000,000 Series B Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a5a16857-28de-4d7b-871c-cee62df9b3f5&Preview=1 Date 12/7/2009 Company Name Zogenix Mailing Address 12671 High Bluff Drive San Diego, CA 92130 Company Description Zogenix is a specialty pharmaceutical company whose goal is to uniquely enhance and differentiate medicines by incorporating innovative technologies in an effort to relieve suffering in people with CNS and pain disorders. Founded in … Continue reading “Zogenix Garners $20,000,000 Series B Financing”
Electron Database Lands $250,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=af31ece9-c688-45bc-86ce-945f2c581e95&Preview=1 Date 12/7/2009 Company Name Electron Database Mailing Address Undisclosed Richfield, OH 43611 Company Description The company is building advanced software technology designed to dramatically improve the performance of enterprise applications, data warehouses and cloud computing infrastructures. Website Undisclosed Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $250,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes “Electron … Continue reading “Electron Database Lands $250,000 New Financing Round”
Fastech Integrated Solutions Acquires Transcend Communications for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=91db0236-89b4-4445-ad08-0a90a9633073&Preview=1 Date 12/7/2009 Company Name Transcend Communications Mailing Address 2101 Kennedy Street NE Minneapolis, MN 55413 Company Description Transcend Communications has been delivering strategic business communication systems for over 25 years and has customers in 35 states, 2 provinces and 5 countries. With a rich history in data communications we have mastered … Continue reading “Fastech Integrated Solutions Acquires Transcend Communications for Undisclosed Sum”
Trazzler Lands $750,599 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=496795b0-c738-41f8-be40-7a2b1ca0a4e8&Preview=1 Date 12/7/2009 Company Name Trazzler Mailing Address 616 Arkansas Stree San Francisco, CA 94107 Company Description Trazzler places you emotionally into specific moments and locales all over the planet and helps you explore the limitless travel opportunities our world has to offer. Trazzler developer Adam Weller builds the technology that makes … Continue reading “Trazzler Lands $750,599 New Financing”
Kaazing Secures $730,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e3b9d734-8ade-4850-9f00-b18e3404a447&Preview=1 Date 12/7/2009 Company Name Kaazing Mailing Address 888 Villa Street Mountain View, CA 94041 Company Description Kaazing Corporation, headquartered in Silicon Valley, California, is founded for the purpose of delivering the best possible real-time experience for the Internet. We provide real-time software solutions to customers who really care about their end-user … Continue reading “Kaazing Secures $730,000 New Funding”
Arteris Secures $9,700,000 Series D Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=08f6e803-7da1-455c-ba4d-f578a980abd2&Preview=1 Date 12/7/2009 Company Name Arteris Mailing Address 1741 Technology Drive San Jose, CA 95110 Company Description Arteris has distilled the most applicable concepts and applied them in a way that suits the constraints of semiconductor design. After investing more than 15 years in on-chip communication design, Arteris introduced in 2005 the … Continue reading “Arteris Secures $9,700,000 Series D Funding”
First Dogpatch Labs Exit: Google Buys Former Y Combinator Company AppJet
Back in May, when I profiled the original Dogpatch Labs, launched by Polaris Venture Partners in San Francisco, I snapped the accompanying picture of a mannequin wearing an AppJet t-shirt. AppJet was a Y Combinator company a few summers back that had moved into the Dogpatch space on Pier 38. Now, it turns out, the … Continue reading “First Dogpatch Labs Exit: Google Buys Former Y Combinator Company AppJet”
BroadSoft Acquires Packet Island for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=33520dec-9ff7-4755-a0dc-b7cd81523a65&Preview=1 Date 12/5/2009 Company Name Packet Island Mailing Address 2332-B Walsh Ave Santa Clara, CA 95051 Company Description PacketSmart allows Service Providers to monitor their geographically dispersed customers’ services from a central location enabling them to address their customers’ VoIP quality issues proactively. Website http://www.packetisland.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction … Continue reading “BroadSoft Acquires Packet Island for Undisclosed Sum”
Reports: Apple to Buy Lala, Backed by Ignition, Bain
Apple (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AAPL]]) is in talks to acquire Lala, a Palo Alto, CA-based online music service backed by Bellevue, WA-based Ignition Partners and Boston-based Bain Capital Ventures, according to Bloomberg and CNET, which each cite anonymous sources. No financial terms were reported, and Ignition has declined to comment. Lala’s service is different from Apple’s iTunes … Continue reading “Reports: Apple to Buy Lala, Backed by Ignition, Bain”
Federal Biofuel Awards Made for Green Refinery Projects in 15 States, Including Pilot Plants for Sapphire Energy, BioEnergy Intl.
Sapphire Energy, the San Diego-based algae biofuels startup that got much of its venture funding out of Seattle, and BioEnergy International of Quincy, MA, are among 19 biofuel refinery projects that were designated today to get as much as $564 million in federal funding. Sapphire spokesman Tim Zenk says the company got a $50 million … Continue reading “Federal Biofuel Awards Made for Green Refinery Projects in 15 States, Including Pilot Plants for Sapphire Energy, BioEnergy Intl.”
Vertex Snags Extra $58M
Cambridge, MA-based Vertex Pharmaceuticals said today that the underwriters of this week’s $442.8 million stock offering have agreed to buy an extra 1.5 million shares of stock at $38.50. That means the company has pulled in another $57.8 million, bringing the grand total of this week’s financing to $500.5 million before commissions and expenses. Vertex … Continue reading “Vertex Snags Extra $58M”
38th Annual Economic Forecast Conference
enterpriseSeattle is organizing the 38th annual Economic Forecast Conference on January 14. This event will look at the economic trends that will shape the Northwest in 2010, and delve into which sectors will help lead the recovery. For more information on how to register, click here.
Hutch Wins $55M Federal Contract, Plans to Hire 60 People
The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center just brought home some big federal bucks. The Seattle-based nonprofit research center said today it has been awarded a multi-year, $55.4 million contract from the National Cancer Institute to be the only site of its kind that operates a cancer information service for the public. This contract will nearly … Continue reading “Hutch Wins $55M Federal Contract, Plans to Hire 60 People”
Next Week’s Cloud Computing “Unpanel” Gives the Pulpit to the People
For Xconomy’s Cloud3 Forum on the nuts and bolts of cloud computing on December 10, we’re pulling in experts from major, global cloud players like Akamai, EMC, Iron Mountain, and Microsoft, as well as up-and-coming local companies like Allurent, Cloudswitch, Litl, Sonian, and Pixily. But no matter how great the speakers, we know that listening … Continue reading “Next Week’s Cloud Computing “Unpanel” Gives the Pulpit to the People”
Restructuring at Avid Technology
Avid Technology (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AVID]]), the Tewksbury, MA-based maker of media editing software, disclosed in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission this week that it will pay out $7 million to $9 million in termination benefits as part of a workforce restructuring plan to be completed by the end of the first quarter of … Continue reading “Restructuring at Avid Technology”
Progress Software Cuts Staff
In an announcement this week, Bedford, MA-based Progress Software (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PRGS]]) said it plans to reduce its global workforce by 12 to 14 percent as part of a restructuring of its sales, development, and marketing divisions. Some 220 to 260 workers will be affected, a spokesperson told the Boston Globe. Progress offers a large variety … Continue reading “Progress Software Cuts Staff”
NormOxys Emerges from Stealth with New Class of Oxygen Drugs for Cancer, Heart Failure
Everyone needs oxygen, and major health problems can pop up when certain tissues get too little or too much. Now a small biotech company based in Wellesley, MA, co-founded by a Nobel Laureate, says it has discovered a new class of drugs that delivers targeted oxygen to tissues that are starving for it, without going … Continue reading “NormOxys Emerges from Stealth with New Class of Oxygen Drugs for Cancer, Heart Failure”
Cleantech Sense and Sensibility: UCSD and Internet Guru Larry Smarr Push for Wide Adoption of Sensors to Save Energy, Cut Greenhouse Gases
If Jane Austen had been an avant-garde technology writer instead of a 19th Century English novelist, she might have imagined a character like Larry Smarr: a brainy and bespectacled man of 61 years who tends the roses and fuchias of his La Jolla garden on weekends while designing the infrastructure of the Internet the rest … Continue reading “Cleantech Sense and Sensibility: UCSD and Internet Guru Larry Smarr Push for Wide Adoption of Sensors to Save Energy, Cut Greenhouse Gases”
Seattle Layoff Update: Adobe, Microsoft, Real, ZymoGenetics, and Others Cut Staff
‘Tis the season for layoffs, we’re sorry to say. In the past month, we’ve seen some major staff cuts from the big tech and life sciences companies, as well as startups, around Seattle (see our updated Northwest layoff tracker here). The carnage has really picked up in the past week. Here’s a rundown of notable … Continue reading “Seattle Layoff Update: Adobe, Microsoft, Real, ZymoGenetics, and Others Cut Staff”
Stylefeeder Dissects Shopping Trends By Zip Code; Victoria’s Secret is Hot in Seattle, Hurley Beachwear is Tumbling in San Diego, Marc Jacobs is de Rigueur in Boston
Cambridge, MA-based Stylefeeder is bending more brainpower toward the study of online shopping behavior than virtually any other startup I know. The personalized product recommendation company has seven full-time employees, and five of them actually write code. Recently, they’ve been coding up some cool algorithms that show site visitors a customized set of products depending … Continue reading “Stylefeeder Dissects Shopping Trends By Zip Code; Victoria’s Secret is Hot in Seattle, Hurley Beachwear is Tumbling in San Diego, Marc Jacobs is de Rigueur in Boston”
$443 million for Vertex, $25.5M for Forma, $8M for Contour Semiconductor, & More Boston-Area Deals News
The dollar amounts ranged from the modest (FitnessKeeper) to the mammoth (Vertex) for New England tech and life sciences deals this week. —Boston’s FitnessKeeper, maker of the RunKeeper iPhone application, raised $400,000 from Cambridge, MA-based LaunchCapital and a group of individual investors. Wade chatted with FitnessKeeper founder and CEO Jason Jacobs about his plans for … Continue reading “$443 million for Vertex, $25.5M for Forma, $8M for Contour Semiconductor, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
VisibleGains Receives $2,000,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7178891e-86dd-432a-b02f-96d844a2dd42&Preview=1 Date 12/4/2009 Company Name VisibleGains Mailing Address 1601 Trapelo Road Waltham, MA 02451 Company Description VisibleGains is the newest service from the originators of PermissionTV, pioneers in intelligent online video. Companies including the Boston Pops, Metropolitan Opera, Harvard Business School, Toyota Scion and Stride Rite have used PermissionTV’s innovative approach to … Continue reading “VisibleGains Receives $2,000,000 New Financing”
XATA Corporation Secures $30,000,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d5465094-63f0-4899-9a22-46c33f8d23c8&Preview=1 Date 12/4/2009 Company Name XATA Corporation Mailing Address 965 Prairie Center Drive Eden Prairie, MN 55344 Company Description XATA (Nasdaq: XATA) began celebrating 20 years of partnership with the nation’s largest private fleets and leasing companies, including BP Amoco, Coca Cola, and Penske. Together, we set out to find and develop … Continue reading “XATA Corporation Secures $30,000,000 New Funding Round”
Delivery Agent Receives $25,000,000 Series D Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8f776fb0-7c87-491e-87c6-c74308b5498d&Preview=1 Date 12/4/2009 Company Name Delivery Agent Mailing Address 300 California St. 3rd Floor San Francisco, CA 94104 Company Description Delivery Agent, Inc., is the leader in shopping-enabled entertainment for television shows, movies, magazines, sports, and music videos. Website http://www.deliveryagent.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $25,000,000 Transaction Round Series D Proceeds Purposes … Continue reading “Delivery Agent Receives $25,000,000 Series D Funding Round”
Google Acquires AppJet for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=413d7b29-8cdd-4320-a823-00e2e9efa572&Preview=1 Date 12/4/2009 Company Name AppJet Mailing Address Pier 38 Second Floor The Embarcadero San Francisco, CA 94107 Company Description EtherPad is a product of AppJet Inc., a software company with offices on Pier 38 in San Francisco, California. Website http://www.etherpad.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Proceeds Purposes M&A … Continue reading “Google Acquires AppJet for Undisclosed Sum”
Imperium Shuts Biodiesel Plant After Explosion
Seattle-based Imperium Renewables said it has shut down operations at its Grays Harbor biodiesel plant in Hoquiam, WA, following an explosion of a 10,000-gallon glycerin processing tank yesterday afternoon. No injuries were reported, and there was no fire. The cause of the blast is still under investigation, but the company says the rupture was caused … Continue reading “Imperium Shuts Biodiesel Plant After Explosion”
Report: Wetpaint Lays Off 9, Shifts Focus
Seattle-based Wetpaint, a social publishing startup, has laid off nine employees today, as part of an unspecified refocusing of company resources, according to TechFlash. The company laid off 15 staffers in July, and is now down to about 30 people, according to the report, which says co-founders Kevin Flaherty and Alex Berg are among the … Continue reading “Report: Wetpaint Lays Off 9, Shifts Focus”
Biogen Fattens Offer to Buy Facet Biotech
Cambridge, MA-based Biogen Idec reports today that it’s upping its bid to buy Facet Biotech by 21 percent, after the smaller firm’s board rejected Biogen’s earlier buyout offer in October. Biogen (NASDAQ:[[ticker:BIIB]]) said it would pay $17.50 per share in cash for Redwood City, CA-based Facet, valuing the company at about $438.7 million, and increasing … Continue reading “Biogen Fattens Offer to Buy Facet Biotech”
ZymoGenetics Axes 52 Jobs, Quits Discovery of Immunology Drugs, to Conserve Cash
Bad news today for employees of ZymoGenetics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ZGEN]]). The Seattle-based biotech company said today in a regulatory filing it is cutting 52 jobs, or about 15 percent of its workforce, and scrapping its group that seeks to discover immunology drugs, so that it can put its resources into its marketed drug for surgical bleeding … Continue reading “ZymoGenetics Axes 52 Jobs, Quits Discovery of Immunology Drugs, to Conserve Cash”
Five Parting Thoughts on Google, Bing, and the Future of Search
Remember when Google was the good guy, with the motto “Don’t be evil”? When did it officially become Public Enemy No. 1? OK, I’m exaggerating a little, but at Monday night’s Xconomy Forum on the Future of Search and Information Discovery at the UW, it sure seemed like people were piling on. It was Brian … Continue reading “Five Parting Thoughts on Google, Bing, and the Future of Search”
Quitting Smoking is Good Business, Good Health, as Free & Clear Wins VC Deal of the Year
There haven’t been many home run venture investments in the Northwest this year, but one of the year’s biggest hits flew below most people’s radar—including mine. It basically made a lot of money by helping people quit smoking. Seattle-based Free & Clear, the developer of a proprietary smoking cessation program, was picked last night as … Continue reading “Quitting Smoking is Good Business, Good Health, as Free & Clear Wins VC Deal of the Year”
Semiconductor Industry Update
Jodi Shelton, executive director of the Global Semiconductor Alliance, gives a status report on the global industry. Under her leadership, GSA has grown its membership to include companies throughout the supply chain representing 25 countries across the globe. More information and online registration is available here.
Alkermes Bets $10M on Long-Lasting Drug Technology from Startup Neighbor, Acceleron
Cambridge, MA-based Alkermes said today it is betting $10 million on a crosstown startup that it hopes has found a way to make the world’s best-selling rheumatoid arthritis drug more convenient for patients. Alkermes (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ALKS]]) has agreed to pay $2 million upfront for a license from Cambridge, MA-based Acceleron Pharma, make an $8 million … Continue reading “Alkermes Bets $10M on Long-Lasting Drug Technology from Startup Neighbor, Acceleron”
Aura, MicroCHIPS, Boston-Power, & Other Hot Local Startups Join the World Economic Forum’s Technology Pioneers
A handful of startups from the Boston area are joining an exclusive club today. The World Economic Forum—the Swiss nonprofit that has previously honored such companies as Cambridge, MA-based biotech Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:[[ticker:ALNY]]), PayPal, and Google (NASDAQ:[[ticker:GOOG]])—has named six local companies to its prestigious annual list of Technology Pioneers, the organization announced this morning. The … Continue reading “Aura, MicroCHIPS, Boston-Power, & Other Hot Local Startups Join the World Economic Forum’s Technology Pioneers”
Six Capital Market Changes to Watch in 2010
Where are we? And where are we going? Those are the questions we need to address and, if possible, answer as 2009 recedes and 2010 approaches—hopefully, bringing better markets and a better economy with it. As you know, we’ve been trying to assess and analyze the ebb and flow of things for more than a … Continue reading “Six Capital Market Changes to Watch in 2010”
Scripps’ Young Tech Transfer Boss Seeks to Cut Deals With Industry, Not Just Push Paper
There’s an ambitious young director of technology transfer on the job at The Scripps Research Institute, and if he gets his way, people will soon think differently about how the San Diego research center relates with the business world. “Historically, people have perceived that Scripps is more or less a subsidiary of a Big Pharma … Continue reading “Scripps’ Young Tech Transfer Boss Seeks to Cut Deals With Industry, Not Just Push Paper”