ULocate Releases Traffic App

Boston-based uLocate, maker of the “Where” platform for location-based applications on mobile devices, today announced the launch of a new iPhone application called Traffic.com. Using maps and data from Navteq’s website of the same name, the application detects the user’s location and shows which local roads and highways are congested. The app, which appeared in … Continue reading “ULocate Releases Traffic App”

AirHop Raises $1M, Adds Execs

AirHop Communications, a San Diego startup that develops systems software for high-performance 4G wireless networks, says it has raised $1 million in funding from wireless industry veterans. AirHop, which was founded in 2007 by Yan Hui, also named Garrett Choi as chief operating officer, Jerry Hall as vice president of marketing and Anand Parikh as … Continue reading “AirHop Raises $1M, Adds Execs”

GreenBytes Closes Round, Rolls Out Storage Appliance

Battery Ventures of Waltham, MA, said today that it has completed an $8 million Series A funding round for GreenBytes, an Ashaway, RI, startup specializing in energy-efficient storage devices that reduce storage requirements through data deduplication. Xconomy reported the funding in May, based on a regulatory filing. In a second announcement today, GreenBytes unveiled a … Continue reading “GreenBytes Closes Round, Rolls Out Storage Appliance”

Highland Leads $9M InXpo Deal

Highland Capital Partners of Boston led a $9 million first round of financing for InXpo, the Chicago-based startup announced. Founded in 2004, InXpo creates virtual events and virtual business environments for corporate clients including  AAA, Cisco, Procter & Gamble, and SAP as well as publishers such as Forbes Media, PennWell, TechTarget, and Ziff Davis. “In … Continue reading “Highland Leads $9M InXpo Deal”

Soane Energy Raises Funds

Soane Energy, a Cambridge, MA, startup that says it’s applying polymer chemistry and surface science to the development of cleaner and more efficient techniques for extracting oil and gas, announced today that it has obtained Series A venture backing from Intervale Capital and CTTV Investments, the venture arm of Chevron Technology Ventures. The amount of … Continue reading “Soane Energy Raises Funds”

Innovative Spinal Technologies’ Assets Sold

The story of ill-fated spinal implant startup Innovative Spinal Technologies of Mansfield, MA, appears to be drawing to a close. Integra Life Sciences Holdings (NASDAQ: [[ticker:IART]]) of Plainsboro, NJ, said today that its subsidiary Integra Spine has acquired “substantially all of the assets” of IST in a bankruptcy auction for $9.25 million in cash. As … Continue reading “Innovative Spinal Technologies’ Assets Sold”

CombiMatrix Gets $1.5M Contract

CombiMatrix, the Mukilteo, WA-based maker of genetic analysis tools, said today it has received a $1.5 million contract from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory. The company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CBMX]]) is being asked to develop semiconductor automated tools that detect biological, chemical, and environmental hazards that may affect the health of soldiers. CombiMatrix has developed other … Continue reading “CombiMatrix Gets $1.5M Contract”

How My Career in Technology Influenced My Fly Fishing Business

I spent nine years working for a Customer Relationship Management software provider called Onyx Software. Our CRM systems were (at the time) largely implemented and run on-site at our customers’ locations. I ran the Professional Services team for the Americas—we were responsible for aligning business strategy with our software implementations, conducting business modeling, installing and … Continue reading “How My Career in Technology Influenced My Fly Fishing Business”

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Chip Keeps Smartbooks “Always On,” Sapphire Energy Developing Bio-Refinery, EvoNexus Picks First Startups, & More San Diego BizTech News

Qualcomm technology that’s being incorporated in a new line of small and lightweight netbook computers—which Qualcomm calls smartbooks—could make the wireless devices one of the hot gift items for consumers this Christmas. Read on as we unwrap that news and more. —Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs says a lineup of “smartbook” computers that are set for … Continue reading “Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Chip Keeps Smartbooks “Always On,” Sapphire Energy Developing Bio-Refinery, EvoNexus Picks First Startups, & More San Diego BizTech News”

Funding for Massachusetts Startups Slower, but Still Strong, in August; Early-Stage Deals Predominate

The pace of everything in Massachusetts seems to slow in August, and startup financings were not an exception this year. But despite the tail off from July’s big deal-making surge, investments in Bay State startups looked pretty good last month. All told, VCs pumped $179.2 million into 21 deals, according to data provided to Xconomy … Continue reading “Funding for Massachusetts Startups Slower, but Still Strong, in August; Early-Stage Deals Predominate”

Amylin, Dark Horse of the Obesity Drug Battle, Follows Fast Behind Arena, Orexigen

The competition to create new obesity drugs is usually portrayed as a three-way battle royal among San Diego’s Arena Pharmaceuticals, crosstown rival Orexigen Therapeutics, and Mountain View, CA-based Vivus. Yet there’s one more San Diego biotech company with a drug in an earlier phase of development, Amylin Pharmaceuticals, which may just have the most effective … Continue reading “Amylin, Dark Horse of the Obesity Drug Battle, Follows Fast Behind Arena, Orexigen”

Why Aren’t There Good Drugs for Autism? Ex-MDRNA Exec Takes a Shot at Pharma’s Neglected Disease

[Corrected: 09/14/09, 12:40 pm. See below.] Autism has stumped drug developers for a long time. Scientists say they don’t really know what causes it. There’s a long list of symptoms, from social isolation, to obsessive behaviors like staring at ceiling fans, to difficulty with language. So it’s hard for drug developers to form a strategy … Continue reading “Why Aren’t There Good Drugs for Autism? Ex-MDRNA Exec Takes a Shot at Pharma’s Neglected Disease”

MIT Spinoff, 1366 Technologies, Reaches Efficiency Goal, Shines More Light on its Solar Cell Design

Back in February, Lexington, MA-based solar energy startup 1366 Technologies won an award from the U.S. Department of Energy worth as much as $3 million. The catch: it had to show that its techniques for making more efficient photovoltaic cells, born in the laboratory of MIT mechanical engineer Emanuel “Ely” Sachs, would actually work on … Continue reading “MIT Spinoff, 1366 Technologies, Reaches Efficiency Goal, Shines More Light on its Solar Cell Design”

Marathon Hopes to Go the Distance with New CEO

In 2004, Marathon Technologies abandoned its old hardware business to focus on “fault tolerance” software for Windows servers—programs that switch computing work from one server to another almost instaneously in the case of a hardware failure. Last year, in a move to adapt to the virtualization movement sweeping through the corporate IT world, Marathon brought … Continue reading “Marathon Hopes to Go the Distance with New CEO”

GreenBytes Secures $8,000,000 Series A Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0136a31c-90e9-40f0-9368-74d4e316b073&Preview=1 Date 9/14/2009 Company Name GreenBytes Mailing Address 15 Gray Lane Ashway, RI 02804 Company Description GreenBytes is the most efficient data storage system on the market today. An ultra high-efficiency NAS. Website http://www.green-bytes.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $8,000,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. … Continue reading “GreenBytes Secures $8,000,000 Series A Financing”

Soane Energy Obtains Series A Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=78c84633-2125-44e3-9b39-83d200e2f70f&Preview=1 Date 9/14/2009 Company Name Soane Energy Mailing Address 35 Spinelli Place Cambridge, MA 02138 Company Description The company operates an oil extracting plant. Website http://www.soaneenergy.com/ Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms Venture Investor Undisclosed

Zoove Corporation Receives $5,200,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=5dfb851f-51a6-4867-84dc-687fde198318&Preview=1 Date 9/14/2009 Company Name Zoove Corporation Mailing Address 2200 Geng Road Palo Alto, CA 94303 Company Description Zoove is a technology company that gives brands and media properties the power to deliver information to consumers using a variety of mobile data technologies, such as e-mail, SMS, WAP and MMS without the … Continue reading “Zoove Corporation Receives $5,200,000 New Round”

Ozmo Devices Secures $7,500,000 Series C Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3578f012-104a-4942-9663-9119dca4057a&Preview=1 Date 9/14/2009 Company Name Ozmo Devices Mailing Address 2595 East Bayshore Road Palo Alto, CA 94303 Company Description Ozmo Devices develops innovative Wi-Fi compatible communication technologies that deliver cost-effective wireless personal area network (WPAN) connectivity for battery-operated devices. The Ozmo solution is ultra-low power and highly integrated, making it ideal for … Continue reading “Ozmo Devices Secures $7,500,000 Series C Financing Round”

Cloudkick Secures $7,500,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a1ae9710-32c5-4ccb-ab35-a58c377aa866&Preview=1 Date 9/14/2009 Company Name Cloudkick Mailing Address 1499 Potrero Ave Unit 2 San Francisco, CA 94110 Company Description We are a small startup located in San Jose, CA. Our goal is to make the cloud easy to use and accessible to anyone. We’re proudly funded by Y Combinator. Website http://www.cloudkick.com Transaction … Continue reading “Cloudkick Secures $7,500,000 New Financing Round”

Gear6 Receives $4,000,000 Series A Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a3b49991-2a87-474b-ac31-e7222fe0cf68&Preview=1 Date 9/14/2009 Company Name Gear6 Mailing Address 440 Bernardo Avenue Mountain View, CA 94043 Company Description Founded in 2002 as Engineered Intelligence, the company developed high-performance computing solutions using distributed, clustered architectures, which were deployed in conjunction with top-tier OEM partners. Website http://www.gear6.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $4,000,000 Transaction … Continue reading “Gear6 Receives $4,000,000 Series A Round”

Intuit Acquires Mint Software for $170,000,000

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=dced6003-5c97-4966-b1c5-7e5297c036c1&Preview=1 Date 9/14/2009 Company Name Mint Software Mailing Address 280 Hope Street Mountain View, CA 94041 Company Description Mint is the freshest, most intelligent way for you to manage your money online. Not only is Mint free, it saves you money. While existing personal finance software “solutions” require hours to set up, … Continue reading “Intuit Acquires Mint Software for $170,000,000”

Bootstrapping Our Way Back From the Collapse

Since the collapse of Lehman Brothers last year (along with broader financial markets) the question at the top of my mind has been, “What next?” or maybe, “Where to from here?” From my perspective it is clear that small business must be a top priority in the coming months and years. There are approximately five … Continue reading “Bootstrapping Our Way Back From the Collapse”

Nokia Buys Vulcan-Backed Plum

Finnish mobile giant Nokia (NYSE: [[ticker:NOK]]) said today it has acquired certain assets of Plum, a social media sharing and messaging service based in Boston and San Francisco. Financial terms were not given. Plum, which has about 10 employees, is backed by Vulcan Capital in Seattle and Levensohn Venture Partners in San Francisco.

Uptake Medical Nabs $3.4M

Uptake Medical, the Seattle-based developer of a minimally invasive device to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, has raised $3.4 million out of a total equity offering worth $13.3 million, according to a regulatory filing. Uptake is developing a device that’s supposed to seal off access to diseased parts of the lung where air gets trapped, … Continue reading “Uptake Medical Nabs $3.4M”

Apperian Builds iPhone App to Lead You to New England Hikes—and Timberland Retailers

Chuck Goldman, CEO of Boston-based mobile app development house Apperian, called me this week to let me know about the launch of Timberland Expedition. The new iPhone application, which went live in Apple’s iTunes App Store today, was designed by Apperian to appeal to the outdoor-enthusiast types whom Stratham, NH-based Timberland (NYSE: [[ticker:TBL]]) considers the … Continue reading “Apperian Builds iPhone App to Lead You to New England Hikes—and Timberland Retailers”

Portland Tech Startups Power Through a Summer of Highs and Lows—A Guest Roundup

Like many metropolitan areas, the Portland, OR, startup scene has had its share of ups and downs this summer. Some folks started new ventures, some won new customers and garnered funding, and some closed up shop. All in all, it was fairly balanced—especially given the economy. But win or lose, there are still lessons to … Continue reading “Portland Tech Startups Power Through a Summer of Highs and Lows—A Guest Roundup”

TechStars’ First Class of Boston Startups Launched at Microsoft-Hosted Gala

One of the big tickets in town last night for the tech startup community was the TechStars Investor Evening at Microsoft’s New England Research and Development Center in Cambridge. (The other was a big Polaris-hosted party at Fenway Park for Woburn, MA-based LogMeIn, celebrating its July IPO.) The TechStars event, where the Boulder, CO-based venture … Continue reading “TechStars’ First Class of Boston Startups Launched at Microsoft-Hosted Gala”

AstraZeneca Plans Local Job Cuts, Report Says

London-based drug giant AstraZeneca (LON:[[ticker:AZN]]) plans to eliminate 113 jobs at its Westborough, MA, plant next month due to generic drug competition for its asthma drug budesonide (Plumicourt), the Boston Globe reports. Our Boston Tech Layoff Tracker has been updated accordingly. AstraZeneca also has a large R&D operation in Waltham, MA, where the company recently … Continue reading “AstraZeneca Plans Local Job Cuts, Report Says”

Reality is Virtual at San Diego’s Tioga Pharmaceuticals

The chief medical officer of  Tioga Pharmaceuticals, a start-up working on a drug for irritable bowel syndrome, is in North Carolina. The company’s regulatory team is in San Francisco. Its chief operating officer works from an office at San Diego’s Forward Ventures, the venture capital firm that formed Tioga. He also happens to be the … Continue reading “Reality is Virtual at San Diego’s Tioga Pharmaceuticals”

UW’s Tadayoshi Kohno on Computer Security and How to Think Like the Bad Guy

Tadayoshi Kohno spends his career looking at life through the eyes of a criminal, and he’s teaching University of Washington students to do the same. The UW computer science and engineering assistant professor studies computer security and privacy, which to Kohno means anticipating the bad guy’s moves before he does. I chatted with him recently … Continue reading “UW’s Tadayoshi Kohno on Computer Security and How to Think Like the Bad Guy”

Acceleron, Bucking Conventional Wisdom, Pushes Ahead Drug For Bone Loss, Anemia

A basic search of scientific literature says that Cambridge, MA-based Acceleron Pharma is trying to do something that won’t work. Past experiments suggest that a drug like its lead candidate is more likely to cause people to get anemia, not help treat it. But Acceleron has witnessed the unexpected in small human studies, and it’s … Continue reading “Acceleron, Bucking Conventional Wisdom, Pushes Ahead Drug For Bone Loss, Anemia”

Seven Projects to Stretch Your Digital Wings: Part Two

Whether the fall is back-to-school season for you or not, there’s always more to learn. In last week’s column I outlined three fun weekend projects involving new technologies for digital self-expression. My suggestions covered art (digital “finger painting” with an iPhone app called Brushes), writing (“lifestreaming” with Posterous and Friendfeed), and photography (building three-dimensional photographic … Continue reading “Seven Projects to Stretch Your Digital Wings: Part Two”

Canadian Consulate Helps San Diego’s Technology Companies Look Across the (Northern) Border—and Vice Versa

San Diego is a major border city, tourism destination, and convention hotspot, so it should come as no surprise that the U.S. State Department recognizes 25 consular representatives of foreign governments in this area. But with a handful of exceptions, nearly all of them are honorary positions with no regular office hours. Among the exceptions … Continue reading “Canadian Consulate Helps San Diego’s Technology Companies Look Across the (Northern) Border—and Vice Versa”

Federal Judge Rules in Biogen Idec’s Favor, Sepracor Agrees to $2.8B Buyout, FDA Panel Endorses Gloucester Pharma Drug, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News

The buyout of Sepracor was probably the biggest piece of New England life sciences news this past week, but it certainly wasn’t the only one. —Cambridge, MA-based Quanterix named David Okrongly its new CEO. Founding CEO Nicholas Naclerio will continue to server as chairman of the company, which is developing single-molecule analysis tools for diagnosing … Continue reading “Federal Judge Rules in Biogen Idec’s Favor, Sepracor Agrees to $2.8B Buyout, FDA Panel Endorses Gloucester Pharma Drug, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”

Akorri Networks Lands $5,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7ab7d580-a2a9-4b5b-a102-ecc8c0e56aaa&Preview=1 Date 9/11/2009 Company Name Akorri Networks Mailing Address 305 Foster Street Littleton, MA 01460 Company Description Akorri is the first to enable IT organizations to intelligently balance application performance and infrastructure utilization. Akorri delivers sophisticated analytics software unifying the management of siloed infrastructure components. Website http://www.akorri.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction … Continue reading “Akorri Networks Lands $5,000,000 New Financing”

Factery.net Obtains $1,200,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=096d80c7-b507-44f6-bb1d-895492826851&Preview=1 Date 9/11/2009 Company Name Factery.net Mailing Address 2735 Sand Hill Rd. Menlo Park, CA 94025 Company Description The company is developing a real-time search engine. Website http://www.factery.net Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $1,200,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms Venture Investor Undisclosed

Spatial Photonics Obtains $15,200,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=fd84f655-c8cb-40cf-ad51-dd41676fdfde&Preview=1 Date 9/11/2009 Company Name Spatial Photonics Mailing Address 930 Hamlin Court Sunnyvale, CA 94089 Company Description Spatial Photonics, Inc. (SP) develops and manufactures innovative microdisplays for high definition, high brightness and high contrast projection displays. Website http://www.sp-incorp.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $15,200,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes … Continue reading “Spatial Photonics Obtains $15,200,000 New Funding”

Nokia Acquires Plum Ventures for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9fc94826-7d10-4823-81f2-5f42665e4550&Preview=1 Date 9/11/2009 Company Name Plum Ventures Mailing Address 1142 Filbert St San Francisco, CA 94109 Company Description Plum operates a social network website that is designed for people who want to keep in touch with a small network of people. Website Undisclosed Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Proceeds … Continue reading “Nokia Acquires Plum Ventures for Undisclosed Sum”

Abbott Laboratories Acquires Evalve for $410,000,000

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b114fb31-c177-4446-8e9d-b740bbf192fd&Preview=1 Date 9/11/2009 Company Name Evalve Mailing Address 4045 Campbell Ave Menlo Park, CA 94025 Company Description Evalve, Inc. is a leader in innovative devices for the endovascular repair of cardiac valves. The company’s initial products are intended to reduce the risks, trauma and costs associated with current open, arrested heart surgical … Continue reading “Abbott Laboratories Acquires Evalve for $410,000,000”

Some Thoughts on Rhapsody, iTunes, and the Future of Digital Music

It can’t hurt for Rhapsody to offer an iPhone app. However, they are going to have to compete with rampant iTunes, Pandora, and rampant piracy. While Pandora has a paid option, their free option satisfies many of the needs mobile users have for music. If RealNetworks offers a similar “free” option, it could provide a … Continue reading “Some Thoughts on Rhapsody, iTunes, and the Future of Digital Music”

Quidel, Pulling Off a Turnaround, Predicts Record Profit on Demand for Flu Tests

Quidel’s woes from earlier this year look like ancient history now, thanks to surging worldwide demand for its quick diagnostic flu tests. The San Diego-based company said today that it expects to eclipse its quarterly sales and profit records as health officials stock up in anticipation of a worsening global flu pandemic. Quidel (NASDAQ: [[ticker:QDEL]]) … Continue reading “Quidel, Pulling Off a Turnaround, Predicts Record Profit on Demand for Flu Tests”

Zymo Drug Fails Arthritis Trials

ZymoGenetics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ZGEN]]), the Seattle-based biotech company, said today in a regulatory filing that the atacicept drug it developed and licensed to Merck KGaA has failed to reach its goal of controlling rheumatoid arthritis in a pair of mid-stage clinical trials. The study confirmed the biological effect of atacicept, and researchers saw no unexpected side … Continue reading “Zymo Drug Fails Arthritis Trials”

Dog Patch Labs Is Just the Latest in a Rash of New Initiatives to Help Boston Entrepreneurs—And It All Seemed to Start When Y Combinator Left Town

[Updated October 5, 2009—see below] Today was a good day for Boston area entrepreneurs, as Polaris Venture Partners announced the opening of a new startup incubation and geek hangout space, Dog Patch Labs Cambridge, which will open next week on Third Street not far from Kendall Square. Dog Patch Cambridge, which I wrote about earlier … Continue reading “Dog Patch Labs Is Just the Latest in a Rash of New Initiatives to Help Boston Entrepreneurs—And It All Seemed to Start When Y Combinator Left Town”

Polaris to Open Dog Patch Labs Incubator in Cambridge

Boston entrepreneurs, start your yipping. Polaris Venture Partners is announcing today that it is opening a counterpart to its fast-growing San Francisco-based Dog Patch Labs startup incubator near Kendall Square here in Cambridge, MA. Dog Patch Labs Cambridge, as it’s aptly called, will officially open for business next week and will be housed in the … Continue reading “Polaris to Open Dog Patch Labs Incubator in Cambridge”

Xconomy Forum: Seattle Life Sciences 2029***SOLD OUT***

Seattle biotech has taken its share of lumps lately, but beyond the next quarter or next year, what kind of life sciences potential really exists here in the Northwest? What will the Seattle life sciences landscape look like 20 years from now? Will the region have grown as a world leader in university and corporate … Continue reading “Xconomy Forum: Seattle Life Sciences 2029***SOLD OUT***”