The 2009 Technology Awards recognize innovative technologies developed in New England. Winners will be announced in 10 categories, including Cloud Computing, Enterprise Technologies, Mobile, and Social Media. Registration and event details can be found on the event web site.
Seattle Startup, Survey Analytics, Powers Obama’s Open Government Dialogue Site
It’s a good day for Vivek Bhaskaran. The co-founder of Seattle-based Survey Analytics, a marketing and customer relations startup that has been bootstrapped since 2004, has just scored a big win with the White House. The company’s software platform for hosting and managing feedback communities (engaging customers and gathering unsolicited feedback), called IdeaScale, is being … Continue reading “Seattle Startup, Survey Analytics, Powers Obama’s Open Government Dialogue Site”
Inside the UW Business Plan Competition—How One Team Got to Today’s Sweet 16
Today is the Sweet 16 and final round of the University of Washington’s annual business plan competition. Yesterday, I was asked to write an article about my experiences thus far. The fact that I’m writing this article during time that I should be practicing my pitch or, if I were really smart, trying to sleep, … Continue reading “Inside the UW Business Plan Competition—How One Team Got to Today’s Sweet 16”
Visible Technologies Raises $6M
Bellevue, WA-based Visible Technologies, a software startup that focuses on online brand reputation management and customer service, has raised $6 million in debt financing, according to a regulatory filing. Visible, which was founded in 2003, is backed by Bellevue-based Ignition Partners and New York-based WPP.
Will 2009 Be The Year of Crowdsourcing?
Ultra Light Startups is a new meetup group in Boston that holds panel events to discuss concepts, ideas, and models that help startups launch more quickly and cheaply. I organized the first event earlier this May to discuss crowdsourcing and how companies can leverage the model. The following are ideas that emerged from the pitches … Continue reading “Will 2009 Be The Year of Crowdsourcing?”
Xconomy Battle of the Tech Bands Finds Judges Who Rock
With summer on its way in, we’re starting to gear up for Xconomy’s Battle of the Tech Bands, which is happening on July 30 at the WTIA Summer Celebration at the Pyramid Alehouse in Seattle. If you or someone you know plays in a band that has at least one member who hails from a … Continue reading “Xconomy Battle of the Tech Bands Finds Judges Who Rock”
Games for Health Conference
A two-day conference (preceded by a day of workshops) on the role of video games in health and medicine. Topics include exergaming, physical therapy, disease management, health behavior change, bio-feedback, epidemiology, training, cognitive exercise, nutrition and health education. Information and registration at the conference website.
Fallbrook Spinout Viryd Technologies Raises $2.2 Million for Wind Turbine Technologies
San Diego’s Fallbrook Technologies spent a decade developing its innovative transmission technology before it finally raised $25.4 million in its first round of venture funding four months ago. Before that, the company had raised $25 million from more than 80 private investors. Now it’s happening again at Viryd Technologies, a Fallbrook spinout that is adapting … Continue reading “Fallbrook Spinout Viryd Technologies Raises $2.2 Million for Wind Turbine Technologies”
MDRNA Shrinks Board of Directors
MDRNA (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MRNA]]), the Bothell, WA-based developer of RNA interference drugs, said today it has reduced its board from eight members to five as part of its cash conservation efforts. Former CEO Steven Quay, Alex Cross, and Jack Pollack are off the new board, while Bruce Thaw, Dan Peters, James Rothman, Greg Sessler, and CEO … Continue reading “MDRNA Shrinks Board of Directors”
BigBelly Digests $3.2 Million
Needham, MA-based BigBelly Solar, a maker of solar-powered, trash-compacting public waste bins that we profiled in December, has raised $3.2 million in additional funding from undisclosed investors, according to documents filed this week with the Securities and Exchange Commission. BigBelly, formerly known as Seahorse Power, had previously raised at least $1.1 million, according to a … Continue reading “BigBelly Digests $3.2 Million”
Axcelis Cuts 20% of Workforce
Beverly, MA-based Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ACLS]]), which makes ion implantation equipment for semiconductor manufacturers, said yesterday that it will lay off 235 workers, or about 20 percent of its global workforce. The company said the decision, which comes after a series of other cost-cutting moves, will save it $25 million in the coming year. “This … Continue reading “Axcelis Cuts 20% of Workforce”
The $1,000 Genome is Coming: How Will It Change the World?
The big headline from the OVP Tech Summit last week came when UW computer science professor Ed Lazowska called on everyone to quit being so smug, and get serious about turning Seattle into a major league innovation cluster. But later that day, I was lucky to be the only journalist in the room, along with … Continue reading “The $1,000 Genome is Coming: How Will It Change the World?”
Dartmouth Biz Plan Competition Elevates Novoculi, Developer of Non-Invasive Diabetes Test
There was plenty of chatter around the MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition in Boston earlier this month. The Cambridge, MA-based institute is one of the world’s leading hotbeds for entrepreneurship, but it shouldn’t completely drown out the buzz we’re hearing from Hanover, NH. That’s where Dartmouth College’s Dartmouth Entrepreneurial Network (DEN) named the winner of a … Continue reading “Dartmouth Biz Plan Competition Elevates Novoculi, Developer of Non-Invasive Diabetes Test”
Dendreon’s Manufacturing Challenge, Archus Cuts Deep, Accelerator Company Launches & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News
Seattle’s biotech companies must be trying to get a lot done before Memorial Day weekend, because we had reports on deals, layoffs, and big strategic moves. —Dendreon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DNDN]]) has spent years trying to prove that its immune-boosting therapy for prostate cancer really works, and now it has to show it can make enough of … Continue reading “Dendreon’s Manufacturing Challenge, Archus Cuts Deep, Accelerator Company Launches & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”
Amylin Nears Endgame With Icahn, Sciele Pharma Declares Victory in Buyout, Nanogen Files Bankruptcy, & More San Diego Life Sciences News
With the proxy battle for control of San Diego’s Amylin Pharmaceuticals coming to a crucial shareholder vote next Wednesday (and with a similar fight at Biogen Idec coming to a head on June 3), we decided it was an opportune time to launch a life sciences news roundup at Xconomy San Diego. We’ve also wrapped … Continue reading “Amylin Nears Endgame With Icahn, Sciele Pharma Declares Victory in Buyout, Nanogen Files Bankruptcy, & More San Diego Life Sciences News”
Aragon Pharma Raises $8M
San Diego-based Aragon Pharmaceuticals says it has raised $8 million in a Series A financing led by The Column Group, a San Francisco, CA, biotech venture capital firm and OrbiMed Advisors, a $5 billion healthcare investment firm based in New York. The company said the funding will be used to develop new small molecule drugs … Continue reading “Aragon Pharma Raises $8M”
MIT, E8 Pharmaceuticals Sue Second California Firm over Genotyping Patent
The stellar plaintiffs in a patent lawsuit over genotyping technology developed at MIT are raising the stakes by dragging a second California company into the dispute. In 2008, MIT and E8 Pharmaceuticals, a Cambridge, MA-based startup created by MIT biologist David Housman and Harvard biologist Richard Mulligan, sued Santa Clara, CA-based Affymetrix for allegedly including … Continue reading “MIT, E8 Pharmaceuticals Sue Second California Firm over Genotyping Patent”
Visible Technologies Obtains $6,000,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e3ab3623-ed37-4daf-ab31-afd2ff4d5a42&Preview=1 Date 5/21/2009 Company Name Visible Technologies Mailing Address 401 2nd Ave S Seattle, WA 98104 Company Description Visible Technologies empowers companies to track, analyze and participate in consumer-generated media to drive their business forward. Their innovative TruCast™ platform is the industry’s first complete solution for social media analysis and participation. Visible … Continue reading “Visible Technologies Obtains $6,000,000 New Financing Round”
Aragon Pharmaceuticals Inc Garners $8,000,000 Series A Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0e5c8e7c-c266-4e40-89e1-de03041bb307&Preview=1 Date 5/21/2009 Company Name Aragon Pharmaceuticals Inc Mailing Address 6755 Mira Mesa Blvd San Diego, CA 92121 Company Description Aragon Pharmaceuticals is a San Diego based biopharmaceutical company focused on developing a pipeline of new anti-endocrine therapies targeting the biology of hormone resistant cancers. Website http://www.aragonpharmaceuticals.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction … Continue reading “Aragon Pharmaceuticals Inc Garners $8,000,000 Series A Financing”
CiDRA Corporation Garners $8,000,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=aa06700c-4ff1-43a4-aebd-37e93a79e3b7&Preview=1 Date 5/21/2009 Company Name CiDRA Corporation Mailing Address 50 Barnes Park North Wallingford, CT 06492 Company Description Founded in 1996, CiDRA is the first company to combine industrial and optical skills to deliver real time process monitoring to multiple industries. Website http://www.cidra.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $8,000,000 Transaction Round … Continue reading “CiDRA Corporation Garners $8,000,000 New Financing Round”
Uptake Medical Secures $3M
Uptake Medical, the Seattle-based company developing minimally invasive technology to treat emphysema, has raised $3.1 million in a debt financing, 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, without leaving any implantable device behind. It is competing … Continue reading “Uptake Medical Secures $3M”
Stylefeeder Raises $500K
Cambridge, MA-based Stylefeeder, which runs an online personalized shopping recommendation service, has raised $500,000 in additional venture capital, founder Philip Jacob confirmed today after word of the funding surfaced in regulatory documents published May 12. Stylefeeder’s existing investors, Highland Capital Partners and Schooner Capital, provided the funding, which brings the company’s total venture pot to … Continue reading “Stylefeeder Raises $500K”
Elemental Rolls Out Video Servers
Portland, OR-based Elemental Technologies, a video processing startup, announced today the beta release of its server product, which uses off-the-shelf graphics processing units and advanced software. Elemental Server is meant to help studios, online video platforms, and large Internet video publishers deliver huge volumes of video to consumers smoothly, efficiently, and cheaply. Beta customers include … Continue reading “Elemental Rolls Out Video Servers”
Modumetal, UW Get Grant from WTC
Seattle-based Modumetal, a nanomaterials startup, and the University of Washington have received a $5,000 grant from Washington Technology Center to develop an anti-corrosion polymer coating for sulfuric acid pipelines. Leslie Warren, project manager at Modumetal, and Rajendra Bordia, UW professor of materials science and engineering, are leading the effort. Modumetal was founded in 2006 and … Continue reading “Modumetal, UW Get Grant from WTC”
SDG&E Links Smart Meters to Google Gadget
San Diego Gas & Electric says it is one of eight utilities in the United States, India, and Canada that will enable customers to access their daily energy use online by using Google’s PowerMeter gadget. When connected to a utility-installed smart meter, the PowerMeter displays personal electricity consumption data on home computers. SDG&E began installing smart … Continue reading “SDG&E Links Smart Meters to Google Gadget”
Loop’d Network Gets $800K
San Diego’s Loop’d Network, an online media network for action sports, has raised $800,000 in funding from its existing private investors and Southern California’s Tech Coast Angels, a new investor. The startup founded in late 2007 says it plans to use the funding to accelerate development of its innovative business strategy, which combines e-commerce, social … Continue reading “Loop’d Network Gets $800K”
Texting on Road Still Epidemic in MA
A year ago this week, Cambridge, MA-based speech software company Vlingo released its first study of the texting-while-driving phenomenon, finding that 28 percent of all survey respondents admitted to sending text messages while behind the wheels of their cars. It’s a hazardous habits that, with the recent Green Line trolley accident in Boston (linked to … Continue reading “Texting on Road Still Epidemic in MA”
Sciele Pharma Expands Into Pain Market With Victory Pharma Buyout
Sciele Pharma, an Atlanta, GA, pharmaceutical company owned by Japan’s Shionogi & Co., says it is acquiring San Diego-based Victory Pharma for $150 million. Sciele specializes in the sales, marketing and development of branded drugs for cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, women’s health, and pediatrics. The acquisition adds Victory’s lead product, a once-daily sustained release formulation of … Continue reading “Sciele Pharma Expands Into Pain Market With Victory Pharma Buyout”
San Diego’s Homegrown VCs Waning, But Out-of-Town VCs Make Up the Difference
Here’s a question that CEOs might be able to relate to: What should you do when the purring financial machinery under your control just doesn’t feel right (and the anecdotal evidence suggests something has gone haywire) but your outside auditor is saying, “Nope. Everything is looking pretty normal to me.” In this particular case, the … Continue reading “San Diego’s Homegrown VCs Waning, But Out-of-Town VCs Make Up the Difference”
Evergreen Solar Commences $60M Public Offering
Evergreen Solar (NASDAQ:[[ticker:ESLR]]), a manufacturer of low-cost silicon-based solar power products, will offer $60 million in common stock, the Marlboro, MA-based company announced today. Proceeds from the offering are intended for the construction of a new factory in Wuhan, China, and the expansion of a facility in Midland, Michigan. Last year Evergreen closed its Marlboro, … Continue reading “Evergreen Solar Commences $60M Public Offering”
HealthUnity Raises $2M
HealthUnity, the Bellevue, WA-based maker of software for connecting healthcare IT systems, has raised $2 million out of a $4 million equity financing, according to a regulatory filing. The company, founded in 2004, is led by CEO Prem Urali, a former group manager in the BizTalk Server division at Microsoft.
MortgageReport.com Launches
A new startup in Newton, MA, MortgageReport.com, unveiled a Web-based service today designed to help homeowners with mortgages better understand their financial situation. The site provides users with data such as the current estimated value of their homes, advises them on whether to refinance, and directs them to available loan options. MortgageReport.com is a sister … Continue reading “MortgageReport.com Launches”
Genzyme, Isis Cholesterol Drug Reaches Goal in Pivotal Study, Paving the Way to FDA
[[Update below]] Genzyme and Isis Pharmaceuticals have bet big on a new kind of cholesterol-lowering drug, and today the companies said it worked in a pivotal clinical trial. Mipomersen, a drug designed to block production of a protein that carries LDL cholesterol in the blood, reached its goal in a study of 51 patients with … Continue reading “Genzyme, Isis Cholesterol Drug Reaches Goal in Pivotal Study, Paving the Way to FDA”
Oncothyreon Raises $11M
Oncothyreon, the Seattle-based developer of cancer drugs, said today it has received commitments from several investors to buy new shares and warrants for $11.1 million. The deal, underwritten by Boenning & Scattergood, is expected to close May 26. Oncothyreon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ONTY]]) has been diversifying its pipeline toward an emphasis on cancer drugs, and has seen … Continue reading “Oncothyreon Raises $11M”
Alex Castro of Delve Networks on the Future of Internet Video
“There are a quarter of a billion websites on Planet Earth, and most of them will want video.” Now there‘s a market to put hair on your chest—the stat comes courtesy of Alex Castro, the chief executive of Seattle startup Delve Networks. I called up Castro last week, in part to ask him about his … Continue reading “Alex Castro of Delve Networks on the Future of Internet Video”
MocoSpace’s Winning Formula for Feature-Phone Social Networking
MocoSpace is one of Boston’s hidden technology success stories. The four-year-old startup, located on the second floor of a classic old office building near Boston’s South Station, has built what is probably the world’s largest standalone social network for mobile phone owners (that is, one that isn’t merely the mobile counterpart of a primarily Web-based … Continue reading “MocoSpace’s Winning Formula for Feature-Phone Social Networking”
PATH Sparks Market for “Ultra Rice” in India, Through Lunches For 60,000 Schoolchildren
[[Corrected version May 22]] One of the big ideas for tackling global malnutrition that’s been percolating for years at Seattle-based PATH is showing signs of its first real momentum in the marketplace. More than 60,000 children in India are now getting a daily serving of “Ultra Rice” fortified with iron as part of their school … Continue reading “PATH Sparks Market for “Ultra Rice” in India, Through Lunches For 60,000 Schoolchildren”
Cardiologist Eric Topol Outlines Goals for San Diego’s West Wireless Healthcare Institute
As a scientific advisor to CardioNet (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BEAT]]) (before the San Diego startup went public last year and moved to Pennsylvania), Eric Topol was in a position to see the coming wave of next-generation wireless technologies in healthcare. Among other things, Topol is the chief academic officer at Scripps Health in San Diego and director … Continue reading “Cardiologist Eric Topol Outlines Goals for San Diego’s West Wireless Healthcare Institute”
Dendreon Drug Works, But Can It Manufacture Enough to Meet Demand?
The most successful homegrown biotech company from Seattle, Immunex, ultimately stumbled when it couldn’t keep up with feverish demand for its big rheumatoid arthritis drug. Now investors want to make sure another Seattle-based biotech, Dendreon, doesn’t drop the ball on manufacturing. Dendreon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DNDN]]) has been riding a wave of enthusiasm since last month, when … Continue reading “Dendreon Drug Works, But Can It Manufacture Enough to Meet Demand?”
Biogen Idec Rebuts Icahn Attack, GlaxoSmithKline Quietly Spins Off Tempero Pharmaceuticals, Knome Launches Cheaper Sequencing Service, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News
New CEOs, new financings, new approvals, and new data—it was an interesting week for New England’s life sciences companies. —Cambridge, MA-based Molecular Insight Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:[[ticker:MIPI]]) named a new president and CEO, Daniel Peters, just months after giving that post to co-founder John Babich. Babich will stay on as chief scientific officer of Molecular, which is … Continue reading “Biogen Idec Rebuts Icahn Attack, GlaxoSmithKline Quietly Spins Off Tempero Pharmaceuticals, Knome Launches Cheaper Sequencing Service, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”
Pathway Medical Technologies Secures $42,500,000 Series D Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=fc2ff691-cf22-44cf-b55b-9c48af376f7f&Preview=1 Date 5/20/2009 Company Name Pathway Medical Technologies Mailing Address 10801 120th Ave NE Kirkland, WA 98033 Company Description Pathway Medical Technologies, Inc. (Pathway), located in Redmond, Washington was founded in 1998 to design, develop and manufacture innovative medical devices intended for the treatment of arterial disease. The company’s initial focus is … Continue reading “Pathway Medical Technologies Secures $42,500,000 Series D Financing Round”
StyleFeeder Receives $500,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3b6c3d06-490a-4f6c-8b95-74c6aeae77b5&Preview=1 Date 5/20/2009 Company Name StyleFeeder Mailing Address 678 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02139 Company Description StyleFeeder combines the best of Web 2.0’s social and personalization aspects in the Web’s only intelligent personal shopping recommendation engine. By learning about each person’s unique sense of style, StyleFeeder helps shoppers discover new products they’ll … Continue reading “StyleFeeder Receives $500,000 New Funding”
Uptake Medical Corp Secures $3,100,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c241c7ae-9751-467b-8ec4-ea3072d3335a&Preview=1 Date 5/20/2009 Company Name Uptake Medical Corp Mailing Address 1924 1st Avenue, 3rd Floor Seattle, WA 98101 Company Description Uptake Medical Corporation is a Seattle-based medical device company dedicated to improving the lives of patients suffering from emphysema and other types of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD). Website http://www.uptakemedical.com/ Transaction Type … Continue reading “Uptake Medical Corp Secures $3,100,000 New Financing Round”
Axcient Garners $6,000,000 Series A Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=15f99e5d-98e9-4c00-90ae-a9d9b7e79b2a&Preview=1 Date 5/20/2009 Company Name Axcient Mailing Address 2761 Marine Way Mountain View, CA 94043 Company Description Axcient offers the first plug-and-play data protection service to make business continuity and online backup simple for small and medium sized businesses (SMB). Axcient incorporates an onsite data backup and replication management appliance with offsite … Continue reading “Axcient Garners $6,000,000 Series A Financing Round”
Getting Prepared for an IPOpening
A half-day workshop on the steps a company must take now to prepare for an initial public stock offering. Presentations include the managerial, legal, and accounting issues that need to be addressed before an IPO, and include a case study on San Diego-based Bridgepoint Education’s April IPO. Bridgepoint (NYSE: [[ticker:BPI]]) was San Diego’s first IPO in about 15 months. Registration begins … Continue reading “Getting Prepared for an IPOpening”
By Invitation Only: The La Jolla Conference on Innovation Support for National Security
A one-day conference that focuses on national security innovation, with an emphasis on San Diego’s regional expertise in autonomous robotics technologies and computer network security. Connect has organized this invitation-only event with support from SAIC and Lockheed Martin. Contact Taylor Peterson at [email protected] to learn how you can get invited.
Startup Targets Business Users With iPhone Graphics App
By some estimates, some 40,000 software applications have been developed for the Apple iPhone. But with a few notable exceptions, such as Apperian, the Boston startup that Wade profiled earlier this year, not many companies are working on business apps for the versatile mobile phone. So today’s introduction of a new iPhone app by MeLLmo, … Continue reading “Startup Targets Business Users With iPhone Graphics App”
The Innovators Summit
The Innovators Summit brings together venture capitalists, angel investors, bankers, and industry executives to explore the technology investment marketplace. The program includes panels on investment trends and opportunities, a fast pitch competition, and networking opportunities. Agenda and registration information on the event web site.
Elixir Raises $12 Million, Says Drug Trial Could Lead to Novartis Purchase
Two major pieces of news from Elixir Pharmaceuticals today: first, the Cambridge, MA-based drug maker has just completed a $12 million round of equity financing led by MPM Capital, which joins current investors ARCH Venture Partners, Oxford Bioscience Partners, the Omega Fund and Physic Ventures. Kenneth Greenberg from MPM Capital will join Elixir’s Board of … Continue reading “Elixir Raises $12 Million, Says Drug Trial Could Lead to Novartis Purchase”
CoAptus Medical, With $3M in Hand, Seeks to Seal Up Heart Defects that Lead to Stroke
New England Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi suffered a stroke back in 2005, because he had a hole in his heart that allowed a blood clot to pass to his brain. State-of-the-art treatment at the time was for doctors to do surgery, patching it up with an implantable metal-and-fabric device. If Redmond, WA-based CoAptus Medical is … Continue reading “CoAptus Medical, With $3M in Hand, Seeks to Seal Up Heart Defects that Lead to Stroke”