In place of its usual monthly happy hour, the Renewable Energy Business Network-Boston will hold its next social gathering at the Wilmington, MA-based Warner Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry, which is dedicated to the development of non-toxic, environmentally benign and sustainable technological solutions for society. “The good folks at the Institute have kindly offered to … Continue reading “Renewable Energy Business Network Green Chemistry Tour”
Reva Systems Raises $5M, New CEO Named
Reva Systems, a Chelmsford, MA-based provider of RFID infrastructure software, says it has raised $5 million from previous investors and named Bruce Berger its new CEO. Berger is a former chief executive of North Grafton, MA, optical fiber provider Verrillon, and he takes over for acting Reva Systems CEO Ashley Stephenson. Stephenson will remain chairman … Continue reading “Reva Systems Raises $5M, New CEO Named”
Amid Worsening Economy, Software Startups Look to San Diego’s DaggerBoard Advisors for Different Kinds of Help
Dennis Clerke says the kernel of the idea behind DaggerBoard Advisors formed in his mind years ago, while he was still the CEO of Cardiff Software, a business in Vista, CA, he co-founded to automate business forms processing. “When I was CEO, I’d just get parts of my board members’ time and attention,” Clerke told … Continue reading “Amid Worsening Economy, Software Startups Look to San Diego’s DaggerBoard Advisors for Different Kinds of Help”
Ahmed Joins Charles River Ventures
Charles River Ventures, a venture firm with offices in Waltham, MA, and Menlo Park, CA, has named veteran technology executive Hassan Ahmed a senior advisor at the firm, according to a press release. Ahmed—who is the former CEO of Sonus Networks (NASDAQ:[[ticker:SONS]]), a Westford, MA-based provider of software for the telecommunications industry—will work at the … Continue reading “Ahmed Joins Charles River Ventures”
ExtraHop Hauls In $5.1M to Help Companies Manage Their Networks Efficiently
And the hits keep coming. In a busy week for financing deals, Seattle-based ExtraHop Networks is announcing today it has raised a $5.1 million Series A round, led by Madrona Venture Group. Prominent angel investors Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz also participated in the funding round, which closed at the end of February. ExtraHop, which … Continue reading “ExtraHop Hauls In $5.1M to Help Companies Manage Their Networks Efficiently”
EMC Updates Storage for the Cloud
Hopkinton, MA-based EMC (NYSE: [[ticker:EMC]]) announced today that its 19-year-old line of Symmetrix storage servers, the company’s flagship product, has been overhauled for the era of virtualization, in which users expect to be able to yoke hundreds or thousand of machines together and manage them as if they were a single resource. The new Symmetrix … Continue reading “EMC Updates Storage for the Cloud”
Calit2 to Collaborate With Darkstrand
Darkstrand, a Chicago firm that provides industry with access to an ultra high-speed fiber optic network, says it has reached a collaboration agreement with Calit2, the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology, based at UCSD and UC Irvine. Under the collaboration agreement, Calit2 will become a provider of specialized expertise to Darkstrand’s business customers … Continue reading “Calit2 to Collaborate With Darkstrand”
Cell Therapeutics Seeks Pixantrone Approval
Cell Therapeutics says that it has begun a rolling submission of an application to the FDA to garner approval of its drug pixantrone, a treatment for relapsed or refractory aggressive cases of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The Seattle-based drug developer (NASDAQ:[[ticker:CTIC]])—which revealed yesterday that it secured $15 million from institutional investor Cranshire Capital—plans to complete submission of … Continue reading “Cell Therapeutics Seeks Pixantrone Approval”
Dendreon Immune Booster for Prostate Cancer Helps Men Live Longer; Shares Boom
[[Updated]] Dendreon has been vindicated. The Seattle biotech company, after living through years of controversy about whether its experimental drug helps prostate cancer patients live longer, said today that a clinical trial of 512 men now shows that the treatment can help prolong life with minimal side effects. Shares skyrocketed by more than $12, rising … Continue reading “Dendreon Immune Booster for Prostate Cancer Helps Men Live Longer; Shares Boom”
New Wave-Making Technology Touches Off San Diego’s Wave War
Bruce McFarland has a long-standing relationship with waves. He learned to surf while he was growing up in Manhattan Beach, CA, a classic Los Angeles-area beach community and home of what is believed to be California’s first surfboard shop. He studied mechanical engineering and fluid mechanics at UC Santa Barbara, and after graduation worked for … Continue reading “New Wave-Making Technology Touches Off San Diego’s Wave War”
Dendreon’s Top Five Shareholders Hold Their Breath for Big Trial Result
One way or another, Dendreon is going to create some major winners and losers today, but who will they be? Investors will find out if the company has been able to show in a clinical trial whether its immune-boosting therapy for prostate cancer, Provenge, is able to prolong lives. A positive result could send the … Continue reading “Dendreon’s Top Five Shareholders Hold Their Breath for Big Trial Result”
Rematch Time: Carl Icahn and Biogen Idec Square Off Again
It’s rematch time in the battle for control of Biogen Idec. With the Cambridge, MA-based company’s annual shareholder meeting likely coming sometime in the next couple months, the incumbent board nominees are being challenged by four rivals put forth by billionaire activist investor Carl Icahn. A media leak has fueled speculation of a potential buyout … Continue reading “Rematch Time: Carl Icahn and Biogen Idec Square Off Again”
Risk and Reward: GoCrossCampus Morphs Into Casual Games Site for Teams
If you’re a startup that organizes giant games of Risk on college campuses, it doesn’t matter how many thousands of dorm residents you can recruit to participate—there’s still a fundamental flaw your business model. It’s that the game and the semester eventually end, and everyone goes home. The antidote? Keep people involved year-round by moving … Continue reading “Risk and Reward: GoCrossCampus Morphs Into Casual Games Site for Teams”
Reva Systems Corporation Secures $5,000,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=04e9a23e-ffc0-49d6-ad7b-ea086952ed17&Preview=1 Date 4/14/2009 Company Name Reva Systems Corporation Mailing Address 100 Apollo Drive Chelmsford, MA 01824 Company Description Reva Systems develops RFID Network Infrastructure products for the emerging radio-frequency identification (RFID) market. Website http://www.revasystems.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $5,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A … Continue reading “Reva Systems Corporation Secures $5,000,000 New Financing Round”
ExtraHop Networks, Inc. Secures $5,000,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a45b3228-e897-4e7a-b264-dfb772b321a9&Preview=1 Date 4/14/2009 Company Name ExtraHop Networks, Inc. Mailing Address 300 Elliott Ave Seattle, WA 98119 Company Description ExtraHop Networks is a venture-backed technology startup based in Seattle. We have a world-class team focused on solving problems in computer networks everywhere. We are building cutting-edge technology to deliver a disruptive level of … Continue reading “ExtraHop Networks, Inc. Secures $5,000,000 New Financing”
Ravenflow Obtains $6,000,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4ded889d-8562-4306-b1e4-c60f1dd2047f&Preview=1 Date 4/14/2009 Company Name Ravenflow Mailing Address 1900 Powell Street Emeryville, CA 94608 Company Description Ravenflow enables enterprises to deliver applications faster. The award-winning RAVEN software for requirements elicitation and definition quickly builds stakeholder consensus on requirements, reduces the time required for stakeholders to approve specifications, reduces developer rework due to … Continue reading “Ravenflow Obtains $6,000,000 New Financing”
iZumi Bio Garners $20,000,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9e41d9f2-098d-4a5c-afea-cf0f4054da9b&Preview=1 Date 4/14/2009 Company Name iZumi Bio Mailing Address 951 Gateway Blvd South San Francisco, CA 94080 Company Description iZumi Bio is a biotechnology company focused on broad, paradigm-changing applications of cellular reprogramming and directed differentiation of human cells made possible by the scientific breakthrough of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell technology. … Continue reading “iZumi Bio Garners $20,000,000 New Funding Round”
Pure Bioscience Raising $15M
Pure Bioscience (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PURE]]) of El Cajon, CA, which has developed a germ-killing silver-ion compound for use in a variety of products, disclosed plans to raise as much as $15 million, as needed, by occasionally selling shares of its stock and warrants through a shelf registration, according to a filing today with the Securities and … Continue reading “Pure Bioscience Raising $15M”
Buckle Up: Dendreon Trading Halted With Prostate Cancer Results Due Tomorrow Morning
Dendreon’s long-awaited big news is coming tomorrow morning. The Seattle biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DNDN]]) said it will hold a conference call before stock trading opens tomorrow morning to discuss the final results of a clinical trial that will show whether its immune-stimulating drug for prostate cancer, Provenge, can help men live longer. The company’s conference … Continue reading “Buckle Up: Dendreon Trading Halted With Prostate Cancer Results Due Tomorrow Morning”
Microsoft Live Labs Reorganization, Questioned by Many, Is Great for Innovation, Says Lazowska
Much has been made of the fact that Microsoft is moving about half of its Live Labs applied research staff to other divisions, such as product groups and Microsoft Research. The news, announced within Microsoft a week ago, has been met with criticism from outside observers, who lament the reduction of one of the company’s … Continue reading “Microsoft Live Labs Reorganization, Questioned by Many, Is Great for Innovation, Says Lazowska”
Cell Therapeutics Grabs $15M From Single Investor
[[Updated 1:30 pm with investor name]] Cell Therapeutics has been slashing costs to keep its doors open this year, and now it has found a source of new capital to keep going at least a little while longer. The Seattle biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CTIC]]) said today it has pulled in $15 million from a single … Continue reading “Cell Therapeutics Grabs $15M From Single Investor”
Independent Game Conference East
From the event website: “IGC East is for developers of console, Flash and casual games who want a leg up on the competition and for the publishers who want to see the hottest games in development by the rising stars of the industry…The IGC Game Demo Night is the place to show your game off … Continue reading “Independent Game Conference East”
Picnik, Wetpaint Team Up on Photos
Seattle-based Picnik, a maker of Web-based photo editing software, announced today it has teamed up with fellow Seattle startup Wetpaint, a social publishing site, to allow social network and fan site users to fine-tune their pictures. There is no financial or investment relationship between the companies, but now more than 8 million Wetpaint customers can … Continue reading “Picnik, Wetpaint Team Up on Photos”
MIT Sloan CIO Symposium
The MIT Sloan CIO Symposium is an annual one-day conference, held on the MIT campus, where CIOs and other senior business executives from around the world gather to explore how leading-edge academic research and innovative technologies can help address the practical challenges faced in today’s changing economy. Panel discussions will feature groups of CEOs, academic … Continue reading “MIT Sloan CIO Symposium”
Departed Amylin Co-Founder Greene Says Company in ‘Perfect Storm,’ But Confident in Management
Amylin Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMLN]]) co-founder Howard E. “Ted” Greene, long a leading figure in San Diego’s biotech community, said today that Amylin has encountered a “perfect storm” of events that have caused its share price to drop precipitously and unleashed a proxy battle—but that he’ll seek other ways to help the company since he has … Continue reading “Departed Amylin Co-Founder Greene Says Company in ‘Perfect Storm,’ But Confident in Management”
Prometheus Adds Cancer Diagnostics
San Diego’s Prometheus Laboratories says it has signed a licensing and collaboration deal with Rosetta Genomics, an Israeli company that does commercial molecular diagnostic tests at its lab in Philadelphia, PA. Under the agreement, Prometheus will make an $8 million equity investment in Rosetta and gets rights to three micro-RNA-based cancer diagnostic tests. In addition, … Continue reading “Prometheus Adds Cancer Diagnostics”
Mobile Monday Boston with Governor Patrick
Join Mobile Monday Boston for a special event sponsored by Wilmer Hale and Apperian with featured speaker Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. A diverse set of mobile companies, including Apperian, eInk, Geocade, Locale, Mobile Ed, Olin College, TripChill, Viximo, and mobiScaler, will deliver rapid-fire, 5 minute presentations on their business models, apps, and products. The event … Continue reading “Mobile Monday Boston with Governor Patrick”
ScanScout Banks $5.1M in Third Round
ScanScout, a Cambridge, MA-based provider of a network that puts ads into online video, has raised $5.1 million of an $8.1 million third round of financing, according to a PE Hub report, which cites a regulatory filing. Prior to the financing, the firm had raised $7 million from investors such as General Catalyst Partners, First … Continue reading “ScanScout Banks $5.1M in Third Round”
A123Systems Expanding Battery Tech Production and R&D with Fresh $69M Financing
A123Systems says it has reeled in $69 million from GE and other investors to ramp up production of its advanced lithium-ion batteries and enhance development of its smart grid energy storage technology. The $15 million that GE (NYSE:[[ticker:GE]]) contributed to the round—via its GE Energy Financial Services and GE Capital units—ups the company’s stake in … Continue reading “A123Systems Expanding Battery Tech Production and R&D with Fresh $69M Financing”
Marinus Pharma Finds $20M in 2nd Round
Marinus Pharmaceuticals, a Branford, CT-based developer of drugs for neurological and psychiatric disorders, says it has closed a $20 million Series B round of financing from existing investors including Canaan Partners, Domain Associates, Foundation Medical Partners, and Sofinnova Ventures. The funding is intended to further develop the firm’s lead drug candidate, ganaxolone, as an additional … Continue reading “Marinus Pharma Finds $20M in 2nd Round”
Amylin Braces to Battle Carl Icahn, Calit2’s Network for Institutional Innovation, Sangart Ponders Its Next Move, & More San Diego BizTech News
Perhaps the week before Easter was a good time for San Diego’s technology innovators to be taking stock. Amylin is busy weighing how best to fend off dissident investors Carl Icahn and Eastbourne Capital before next month’s annual shareholder meeting. Other San Diego startups, such as Trius Therapeutics and Sangart, are considering how best to … Continue reading “Amylin Braces to Battle Carl Icahn, Calit2’s Network for Institutional Innovation, Sangart Ponders Its Next Move, & More San Diego BizTech News”
Adapx Raises $9M to Bring Digital Pen Technology to Mobile Field Workers
A few local tech companies have still been able to raise significant new funding rounds in a very tough climate. The latest is Seattle-based Adapx, which is announcing today it has raised a $9 million Series B round, led by new investor UV Partners in Salt Lake City, UT. Existing investors OVP Venture Partners, based … Continue reading “Adapx Raises $9M to Bring Digital Pen Technology to Mobile Field Workers”
Going Green, Gradually: Catching Up with Local Motors and Its Crowd-Sourced Car
The Rally Fighter is half dune buggy, half muscle car. Designed for off-road racing in the deserts of the Southwest, it looks a lot like any ride you might see on the cover of Road & Track. But what’s different about the Rally Fighter is that it’s a product of the Web 2.0 revolution: it … Continue reading “Going Green, Gradually: Catching Up with Local Motors and Its Crowd-Sourced Car”
“Danger!” — The Need for Active Watch of Patent Reform
“Danger, Will Robinson!” These immortal words uttered by the Robot in the 1960s television series “Lost in Space” are now part of our pop culture lexicon when warning of an impending, and sometimes unseen, threat. It’s too bad the Robot is just a fictional character, because as we’ve seen with recent economic and legislative happenings, … Continue reading ““Danger!” — The Need for Active Watch of Patent Reform”
Five Hot Prospects on the UW Faculty, from Engineering Dean Matt O’Donnell
This is the time of year when I look for hot young prospects for my fantasy baseball team. Maybe that’s why it seemed natural to think of Matt O’Donnell, the dean of the University of Washington’s College of Engineering, as being like a baseball general manager. Part of his job is to recruit and develop … Continue reading “Five Hot Prospects on the UW Faculty, from Engineering Dean Matt O’Donnell”
From Movie Sets to Operating Rooms, Chamberlain Group Turns Special Effects Biz into Healthcare Winner
Before computer animation took hold of the movie industry, spaceships, exploding cities, dislodged body parts, and other scene-stealing special effects were crafted by highly skilled model makers. But after decades spent in entertainment, Lisa and Eric Chamberlain have taken their skills in the entertainment and special effects businesses and applied them to provide realistic anatomical … Continue reading “From Movie Sets to Operating Rooms, Chamberlain Group Turns Special Effects Biz into Healthcare Winner”
The Rubicon Project Secures $13,000,000 Series B Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=141f98e5-1a1d-419d-bc54-79d14c7a8089&Preview=1 Date 4/13/2009 Company Name The Rubicon Project Mailing Address 1925 S. Bundy Drive Los Angeles, CA 90025 Company Description Based in Los Angeles, the Rubicon Project launched in 2007 on a mission to automate the $65 billion global online advertising industry. Responding to one of the largest problems plaguing website publishers … Continue reading “The Rubicon Project Secures $13,000,000 Series B Round”
A123Systems Receives $69,000,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=cd04d8b1-210b-4588-a0b2-07456afc2717&Preview=1 Date 4/13/2009 Company Name A123Systems Mailing Address 321 Arsenal Street Watertown, MA 02472 Company Description A123Systems is the developer of a new generation of Lithium-ion batteries that deliver previously unattainable power levels, safety and life to a wide range of applications. Website http://www.a123systems.com/ Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $69,000,000 Transaction … Continue reading “A123Systems Receives $69,000,000 New Financing Round”
Cooliris Garners $15,500,000 Series B Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7d24d5d0-4e5c-4f65-80e8-0a0cb1c8b4fc&Preview=1 Date 4/13/2009 Company Name Cooliris Mailing Address 3000 El Camino Real Building 4 Palo Alto, CA 94306 Company Description Cooliris, Inc. was founded in January 2006 with a simple mantra: “Think outside the browser”. We are dedicated to building products that make accessing and discovering the Web more exciting, efficient, and … Continue reading “Cooliris Garners $15,500,000 Series B Financing Round”
Surfin’ Safari at the MIT Enterprise Forum
Bruce McFarland, an engineer and lifelong surfer, founded American Wave Machines to develop his concept for a new type of patented wave machine. But his startup company faces a variety of challenges as it tries to break into a market with already-established technologies. A panel of experts review the company as a business case study. … Continue reading “Surfin’ Safari at the MIT Enterprise Forum”
Adapx Inc. Secures $9,000,000 Series B Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=97c70bc6-5dcf-4316-8d3a-c22e3eb211a6&Preview=1 Date 4/12/2009 Company Name Adapx Inc. Mailing Address 821 Second Avenue Seattle, WA 98104 Company Description Adapx has developed field information capture technology that digitizes field personnel handwritten information. Website http://www.adapx.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $9,000,000 Transaction Round Series B Proceeds Purposes Adapx will use the additional capital to … Continue reading “Adapx Inc. Secures $9,000,000 Series B Financing”
The Coming Boom in Wireless-Health Care
San Diego’s Wireless Life Sciences Alliance has opened its registration to the public for the second day of an invitation-only conference on the convergence of healthcare and wireless technologies. The agenda includes presentations on managing the regulatory approval process for medical devices, understanding markets and insurors, and an insider’s look at what’s happening in Washington, D.C. Online information and registration is available here.
Nirvanix Raises $5 Million
San Diego-based online data cloud storage provider Nirvanix has secured $5 million in capital out of a $6 million secondary round of venture funding, according to a filing today with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company, which was previously known as Streamload, aims to compete with Amazon’s (Nasdaq: [[ticker:AMZN]]) S3 storage web service. Nirvanix … Continue reading “Nirvanix Raises $5 Million”
Geospiza Raises $750K
Geospiza, the maker of software for biomedical researchers, has raised $750,000 from new and existing angel investors, according to Laura Lucas, vice president of marketing. The company had gained some momentum in the past year, helping scientists cope with information overload of the genomic age. The company secured a $1.1 million grant last month from … Continue reading “Geospiza Raises $750K”
Seattle Layoff Update: Amgen, Isilon Cut Staff
The carnage continues at tech and life sciences companies in the Northwest. You can follow Xconomy Seattle’s updated layoff litany here—we’ve kept a running tally of job cuts since November. (If you’ve heard of other layoffs in the innovation community, please drop us a line at [email protected] or [email protected].) —Luke broke the news that Amgen … Continue reading “Seattle Layoff Update: Amgen, Isilon Cut Staff”
The Digital Combine: The Next Generation Employer and Talent Showcase
MITX sponsors a new kind of job fair. From the official event announcement: “We all have former colleagues, friends, and family members who are currently searching for work. It’s not easy. Finding a job in today’s economic times is like competing for a spot in the NFL draft. You go through a series of drills, … Continue reading “The Digital Combine: The Next Generation Employer and Talent Showcase”
TalentSpring Scores $1.6M
Seattle-based TalentSpring, a developer of semantic-search software that helps recruiters better match job candidates to open positions, announced today it has closed a $1.6 million round of funding from Second Avenue Partners and private investors. TalentSpring, led by founder and CEO Bryan Starbuck, plans to release its product to the public next month.
San Diego’s Sangart Readying for Clinical Trials of ‘Oxygen Therapeutic’
When I reported last month that San Diego-based Sangart had raised $50 million in additional venture funding, CEO Brian O’Callaghan was eager to discuss how the biopharmaceutical has progressed in a field where others ran aground. But O’Callaghan, who is every bit as Irish as his name sounds, was unavailable at the time. So I … Continue reading “San Diego’s Sangart Readying for Clinical Trials of ‘Oxygen Therapeutic’”
Boston Can Survive, Even Thrive, Without Today’s Globe
It’s difficult to see how the Boston Globe can last long in its current form. Even if its owner, the New York Times Co., extracts the entire $20 million in concessions that it demanded this week from the paper’s unions, the paper would still lose $65 million this year, according to the company’s own figures. … Continue reading “Boston Can Survive, Even Thrive, Without Today’s Globe”
CarDomain Scrapes for Survival in Struggling Auto Website Sector
Sitting in the cockpit of a brand new 2010 Chevy Camaro SS (red paint job with 6-speed manual transmission), Rob Einaudi probably has better things to do than talk to the media. But I reached Einaudi, the editor-in-chief of CarDomain.com, yesterday at the New York International Auto Show, where he was taking this particular sports … Continue reading “CarDomain Scrapes for Survival in Struggling Auto Website Sector”