San Diego-based Leap Wireless (NASDAQ: [[ticker:LEAP]]) today is launching its Cricket unlimited wireless service in the greater Philadelphia area. That’s the second major market the low-cost wireless provider has entered since January, when Cricket began service in Chicago. The company, which announced its move yesterday, is now forecasting 5.3 million subscribers this year. At the … Continue reading “Leap Wireless Adds Philadelphia Service”
How to Make a Better Lightbulb, Biofuel, or Energy Storage Technology: Xconomy Forum Adds Voices of Leading Entrepreneurs
Lots of creative entrepreneurs are popping up in the Northwest cleantech business, so we invited three of them to explain their ideas at our upcoming Xconomy Forum, The Rise of Cleantech in the Northwest, on March 26. These new special guests will offer up expertise in biofuels, energy storage, and conservation—some of the region’s key … Continue reading “How to Make a Better Lightbulb, Biofuel, or Energy Storage Technology: Xconomy Forum Adds Voices of Leading Entrepreneurs”
Nokia Mapping a Future for Location-Based Mobile Services and Applications
In Finland I am a reporter for Ilta-Sanomat, Helsinki’s second-largest newspaper. I write about Finland’s Nokia a lot, so I may have a different perspective on Qualcomm, the San Diego-based chipset maker. For us Finns, Nokia is a larger-than-life, close-to-home success story. We speak the same strange language and it’s our only global giant. In … Continue reading “Nokia Mapping a Future for Location-Based Mobile Services and Applications”
Jive Rolls Out New Product, Takes on Microsoft and IBM in Social Business Software
In the burgeoning software hub of Portland, OR, one company is breaking new ground today. Jive Software, a maker of “social business software” that helps employees communicate with each other and manage their work information, is releasing a new product called SBS 3.0. The software is targeted to businesses, and its goal is to let … Continue reading “Jive Rolls Out New Product, Takes on Microsoft and IBM in Social Business Software”
FAST Search Founders Hope to Repeat Success with Induct Software’s Innovation Management Portal
Henry Chesbrough, the UC Berkeley business professor who wrote the influential 2003 book Open Innovation, argued that companies need to do a better job of incubating, cataloguing, and licensing the knowledge and inventions they have in-house, and of bringing in intellectual property from outside, if that’s what’s needed to jump-start product development. But while many … Continue reading “FAST Search Founders Hope to Repeat Success with Induct Software’s Innovation Management Portal”
Seahorse Bioscience Lands $6,000,000 Series D Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=5206310c-1d51-429c-a54a-814d7ad59bdf&Preview=1 Date 3/10/2009 Company Name Seahorse Bioscience Mailing Address 16 Esquire Road North Billerica, MA 01862 Company Description We design and manufacture consumable sensors and custom injection molded Labware in our Seahorse Labware facility in Massachusetts. Website http://www.seahorsebioscience.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $6,000,000 Transaction Round Series D Proceeds Purposes Proceeds … Continue reading “Seahorse Bioscience Lands $6,000,000 Series D Funding”
Enclarity, Inc. Secures $5,500,000 Series C Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=721e98b3-3f7b-4a24-b9d4-a424e3e98148&Preview=1 Date 3/10/2009 Company Name Enclarity, Inc. Mailing Address 65 Enterprise Aliso Viejo, CA 92656 Company Description The company’s software uses advanced analytics and proprietary technology coupled with a massive referential database and telephone verification to clean provider files, assuring the data is accurate and current, increasing the productivity and profitability of … Continue reading “Enclarity, Inc. Secures $5,500,000 Series C Round”
D2S Obtains $7,190,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b8fbe956-c90c-4494-875f-023d962fce6d&Preview=1 Date 3/10/2009 Company Name D2S Mailing Address 4040 Moorpark Ave. San Jose, CA 95117 Company Description Direct2Silicon is a newly-formed, venture-backed company providing software and IP that enables direct write e-beam lithography for production of System-on-Chip integrated circuits (SoCs). Reductions both in design time and manufacturing turnaround time are achieved when … Continue reading “D2S Obtains $7,190,000 New Financing Round”
SmartZip Secures $2,050,000 Series A Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a223c63c-a860-422d-bbef-a1a92e2aadab&Preview=1 Date 3/10/2009 Company Name SmartZip Mailing Address 6210 Stoneridge Mall Road Pleasanton, CA 94588 Company Description SmartZip an operator of a real estate intelligence website. Website http://www.smartzip.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $2,050,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms Venture Investor Claremont Creek … Continue reading “SmartZip Secures $2,050,000 Series A Round”
Lexy Garners $1,250,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b206d092-e9c9-43c2-a6a4-b4c699869e59&Preview=1 Date 3/10/2009 Company Name Lexy Mailing Address 589 Howard Street San Francisco, CA 94105 Company Description Lexy gives you all the richness of today’s Internet communications on the voice channel of your mobile phone. Yep, the phone in your hand, right now. Without any funky application to install. With no special … Continue reading “Lexy Garners $1,250,000 New Funding Round”
Zillow, Pet Holdings Lead Startup List
Marcelo Calbucci’s Seattle 2.0 index of local startups’ websites is out for February, and shows little movement at the top. Zillow, Pet Holdings, iLike, BuddyTV, and Robot Co-op have the top five sites, based on traffic estimates. Calbucci points out a few sites in the top 20 that were not there a year ago: BigOven, … Continue reading “Zillow, Pet Holdings Lead Startup List”
The Business Impact of Massachusetts Data Security Regulations
Implementation of Massachusetts’ new data security regulations has twice been postponed. But come January 1, 2010, every business will have to reckon with the changes, which require encryption of all private customer records. Peritus Security Partners, Sophos, and its local subsidiary Utimaco are hosting a series of information sessions in Boston, Newton, and Springfield on … Continue reading “The Business Impact of Massachusetts Data Security Regulations”
Veracode Assembling $10M Third Round
Burlington, MA-based Veracode, which tests corporate software for back doors and other security holes by analyzing its raw binary code, has collected half of a $10 million third financing round, according to a regulatory filing cited by PE Hub. The investors for the round include Atlas Venture, .406 Ventures, Macrovision, Polaris Venture Partners, and Symantec. … Continue reading “Veracode Assembling $10M Third Round”
Stemgent Nails Down $14M to Make Supplies, Tools for Stem Cell Researchers
Stemgent, a startup in Cambridge, MA, and San Diego that makes consumable materials for stem cell research labs, has raised $14 million in venture capital, according to PE Hub. The company’s backers include HealthCare Ventures and Morgenthaler Ventures, according to PE Hub. CEO Ian Ratcliffe didn’t immediately return a phone call seeking comment about the … Continue reading “Stemgent Nails Down $14M to Make Supplies, Tools for Stem Cell Researchers”
Report: Haute Secure Raises $1.6M
Seattle-based Haute Secure, a maker of security software that protects computers against malware, has raised about $1.6 million in Series A funding, according to PE Hub, which cites a regulatory filing. Investors in the round include Silicon Valley VC firms Baseline Ventures and Sherpalo Ventures.
The Xconomy Guide to the Northwest’s Cleantech Clusters
Last week, we published a series of three stories documenting the companies and organizations in the Pacific Northwest that are focused on alternative energy and cleantech. We organized the lists by geography, breaking out separate lists for companies in Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia. Now we can take a step back, analyze the trends in … Continue reading “The Xconomy Guide to the Northwest’s Cleantech Clusters”
Pain Specialist Victory Pharma Raises $45M in Venture Round
San Diego’s Victory Pharma, a venture-backed pharmaceutical company that specializes in treatments for pain, said today it has raised $45 million in a secondary investment round. The investment was headed by Essex Woodlands Health Ventures of Palo Alto, CA, and included existing investor Ampersand Ventures of Wellesley, MA.Victory, which acquired its lead drug product in … Continue reading “Pain Specialist Victory Pharma Raises $45M in Venture Round”
Social Media Marketing with David Meerman Scott
MassNetComms hosts an evening keynote talk and panel discussion on harnessing social media marketing, featuring marketing strategist David Meerman Scott, author of The New Rules of Marketing and PR and World Wide Rave. MassNetComms members get in for $40, others $80; all attendees will receive a copy of World Wide Rave. Information and registration here.
Of FIRST Robotics “Lunacy” and A Shout Out to “Dancin'” Woz
“Robot coming through…Robot.” That was the cry, heard throughout the day Saturday at Boston University’s Agganis Arena, scene of the Boston regional finals of the annual FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics competition. The robots were constantly on the move as teams ushered them back and forth from the competition area—think … Continue reading “Of FIRST Robotics “Lunacy” and A Shout Out to “Dancin’” Woz”
Surface Logix, Developer of Obesity and Diabetes Drugs, Nabs $20M Financing
Surface Logix got a new CEO on board last fall, and five months later it has nailed down a load of new cash. The Brighton, MA-based biotech company, which uses an unusual chemical trick to treat obesity and diabetes, has secured $20 million to see if it can prove its experimental drugs work in human … Continue reading “Surface Logix, Developer of Obesity and Diabetes Drugs, Nabs $20M Financing”
Teams Collect Prizes Like Moon Rocks in Regional Robotics Contest
Most of the teams that gathered at the San Diego Sports Arena last week came from the American Southwest—from places like Flagstaff, AZ, and El Centro, CA. One team came all the way from Pennsylvania. Another came from Brazil. But these teams didn’t come to the arena to play hockey, football, or some other sport. … Continue reading “Teams Collect Prizes Like Moon Rocks in Regional Robotics Contest”
Athenahealth’s Bush, First Cousin of the 43rd Pres., on Obama’s $19B Plan to Pay for Electronic Health Records
Most doctors in the U.S. have never heard of Athenahealth, the Watertown, MA-based firm offering Web-based software for managing billing, electronic medical records (EMRs), and other functions in physician practices. But the federal government plans to invest $19 billion to make funds available for doctors to switch from the usual paper-based systems to electronic medical … Continue reading “Athenahealth’s Bush, First Cousin of the 43rd Pres., on Obama’s $19B Plan to Pay for Electronic Health Records”
Microsoft’s Vet of Online Banking, Travel Aims To Make You Switch to Digital Health Records
No way would American consumers ever switch to online banking. It’s too risky, people used to tell David Cerino in the 1990s. Travel? Same story. Consumers would never voluntarily put their credit card numbers into a website that could get hacked. Turned out the switch to online banking and travel took less than four years, … Continue reading “Microsoft’s Vet of Online Banking, Travel Aims To Make You Switch to Digital Health Records”
Biotechs Raise Capital, the Tale of Four Finns Who Helped Pioneer the Web Browser, Qualcomm Takes Another Step in Its Corporate Succession, & More SD BizTech News
It’s hard for any company to raise capital in this recession, but several San Diego life sciences startups disclosed last week they had done just that. A few bright spots also appeared during a local seminar on mergers and acquisitions—so let the news light your way. —A big deal on the other side of North America … Continue reading “Biotechs Raise Capital, the Tale of Four Finns Who Helped Pioneer the Web Browser, Qualcomm Takes Another Step in Its Corporate Succession, & More SD BizTech News”
Surface Logix, Inc. Receives $20,000,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7f443a11-7320-4df5-84d8-e8d0f73bce0c&Preview=1 Date 3/9/2009 Company Name Surface Logix, Inc. Mailing Address 50 Soldiers Field Place Brighton, MA 02135 Company Description Surface Logix is a drug development company which uses its expertise in biophysical chemistry to create new small molecule drugs with significantly improved pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) properties compared with class leaders. … Continue reading “Surface Logix, Inc. Receives $20,000,000 New Round”
Veracode, Inc. Secures $10,000,000 Series C Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=03c13549-ecf7-4d28-8081-286186768d12&Preview=1 Date 3/9/2009 Company Name Veracode, Inc. Mailing Address 4 Van de Graaff Drive Burlington, MA 01803 Company Description Veracode is the industry’s first provider of automated, on-demand application security solutions. Created by a world-class team of application security experts from @stake, Guardent, ISS, VeriSign and Symantec, the company delivers services to … Continue reading “Veracode, Inc. Secures $10,000,000 Series C Funding Round”
Haute Secure Inc Obtains $1,600,000 Series A Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a29ae419-2b62-409a-b1c1-33a667225278&Preview=1 Date 3/9/2009 Company Name Haute Secure Inc Mailing Address 2212 Queen Anne Ave Seattle, WA 98109 Company Description HauteSecure was founded in 2006 by a team of security, internet and web experts with a near-obsessive desire to make the web safer for everybody. After watching helplessly as several of our friends … Continue reading “Haute Secure Inc Obtains $1,600,000 Series A Funding Round”
Cornerstone OnDemand Lands $9,000,000 Series E Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=eef2aa79-86b8-4cee-a358-d29b1120eb32&Preview=1 Date 3/9/2009 Company Name Cornerstone OnDemand Mailing Address 1601 Cloverfield Blvd Santa Monica, CA 90404 Company Description Cornerstone has worked in conjunction with HR, talent and learning executives to build the leading talent management platform for learning and development, performance management, succession planning, compliance and compensation management, in addition to over … Continue reading “Cornerstone OnDemand Lands $9,000,000 Series E Funding”
Victory Pharma Inc Obtains $45,000,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6155ff30-5093-4e05-92d3-eeef1c741843&Preview=1 Date 3/9/2009 Company Name Victory Pharma Inc Mailing Address 11682 El Camino Real San Diego, CA 92130 Company Description Victory was founded in 2003 by an experienced management team that has previously built other successful specialty pharmaceutical companies. Beginning in 2006, after having established an initial base of business in respiratory … Continue reading “Victory Pharma Inc Obtains $45,000,000 New Financing Round”
SynapSense Corporation Lands $7,000,000 Series C Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=939452b2-7e11-4629-916a-22f0cd202bda&Preview=1 Date 3/9/2009 Company Name SynapSense Corporation Mailing Address 2365 Iron Point Rd Folsom, CA 95630 Company Description SynapSense Corporation is a developer of a configurable, scalable wireless sensor networking platform. Website http://www.synapsense.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $7,000,000 Transaction Round Series C Proceeds Purposes SynapSense will use the proceeds from … Continue reading “SynapSense Corporation Lands $7,000,000 Series C Funding”
Fibromyalgia Drug Delayed
San Diego’s Cypress Bioscience (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CYPB]]) and New York’s Forest Laboratories (NYSE: [[ticker:FRX]]) said Friday their launch of a new drug for treating fibromyalgia, which was expected to be available this month, has been delayed by several months. The companies now say they expect to ship the recently approved drug milnacipran HCL (Savella) to wholesalers and … Continue reading “Fibromyalgia Drug Delayed”
Cell Therapeutics Cuts 34 Jobs
Cell Therapeutics has eliminated 34 jobs in connection with the sale of its lone approved drug, Zevalin. The Seattle-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CTIC]]), which has run dangerously low on cash, made the disclosure Friday afternoon in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The cuts represent about 28 percent of the company’s workforce, and … Continue reading “Cell Therapeutics Cuts 34 Jobs”
Top 10 Startup Financing Takeaways from Investors Michelle Goldberg and Andy Sack
First of all, the terms “downturn” and “recession” don’t do justice to the current climate, says early-stage tech investor Andy Sack. As he puts it, “This is the seminal event of our lifetimes. This is our World War II. I guarantee I’ll be talking to my grandchildren about the Depression of 2009-10: ‘Make sure you … Continue reading “Top 10 Startup Financing Takeaways from Investors Michelle Goldberg and Andy Sack”
BuddyTV Upgrades, Adds Fantasy League
Seattle-based BuddyTV has rolled out a fantasy league where TV fans can bet on a roster of contestants from reality shows like American Idol, Survivor, and Dancing with the Stars. The move is an effort to make the site, which is attracting more than 6 million visitors a month, more sticky. BuddyTV was founded in … Continue reading “BuddyTV Upgrades, Adds Fantasy League”
Vitalize Vacuums Up R3
Reading, MA-based Vitalize Consulting Services, which manages IT implementation projects for big healthcare companies, announced today that it has acquired rival r3 Health Partners of Santa Ana, CA. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Vitalize is backed by SV Life Sciences, Ferrer Freeman and Company, and Bank of America.
A One-Night Case Study: Benchmark Revenue Management
Founded eight years ago, Benchmark Revenue Management has established its business and technology to help hospitals become more efficient and more effective. Now the San Diego startup is nearing a crossroads. The MIT Enterprise Forum has organized an expert panel to help Benchmark assess its options. Registration begins at 5 pm, or register online here.
Former MIT President’s Lecture on Research Universities
Charles Vest, who served 14 years as president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will speak on “The Public Value of a 21st Century Research University” as part of the Helen Edison Lecture Series. Admission is free, and open to the public. No reservations required.
Vertex Puts up $375M for ViroChem, Nuance Finally Nabs Zi, Proteon Procures $38M, & More Boston-Area Deals News
This week saw news of two interesting acquisitions and a couple of huge venture financings, among other deals cut by New England tech and life sciences firms. — Burlington, MA-based Nuance Communications (NASDAQ:[[ticker:NUAN]]), after a series of unsuccessful offers begun last summer, has finally convinced the board of the Canadian firm Zi (NASDAQ:[[ticker:ZICA]]) to accept … Continue reading “Vertex Puts up $375M for ViroChem, Nuance Finally Nabs Zi, Proteon Procures $38M, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
Otonomy Tunes in to Biotech’s Sound Opportunity: Diseases of the Ear
Driving down Prospect Street in La Jolla one day in January 2008, Jay Lichter got so dizzy he had to pull over. After a stop in the ER, he ended up in the office of Jeff Harris, the chief of ear, nose, and throat surgery at the UC San Diego. The diagnosis: Meniere’s (Men-yay’s) disease, … Continue reading “Otonomy Tunes in to Biotech’s Sound Opportunity: Diseases of the Ear”
GlassHouse Nixes IPO
File this under “no surprise there”: GlassHouse Technologies, the Framingham, MA, IT consulting company that filed for a $100 million initial public offering in October 2007, has now pulled the offering, according to an SEC filing cited by Reuters. The firm cited “market conditions” in its decision. GlassHouse has continued to raise money and add … Continue reading “GlassHouse Nixes IPO”
Three Startups and a Social Technologist: How Ex-Microsofties Are Driving Seattle Innovation
Does Microsoft innovate? What impact is it having on the startup community these days? Say what you want about the company, but its ex-employees are on a tear. In the past few months, we’ve seen a spike in the number of startups formed by ex-Microsofties who have recently left the company. With the specter of … Continue reading “Three Startups and a Social Technologist: How Ex-Microsofties Are Driving Seattle Innovation”
Souped-Up Herceptin Aims to Validate ImmunoGen’s Long-Sought Dream Cancer Drug
Nowhere but America makes it possible for a company to pursue its dreams for 28 years without making a profit. Even in the most optimistic times, it’s hard to explain. So how can it possibly be, in the depths of recession, that things are looking up at Waltham, MA-based ImmunoGen? This company has been around … Continue reading “Souped-Up Herceptin Aims to Validate ImmunoGen’s Long-Sought Dream Cancer Drug”
A Veteran Entrepreneur Looks to Rescue St. Bernard Software
Like any entrepreneur, Lou Ryan has a job that’s roughly akin to kindling a blaze from a faint spark. In Ryan’s case, though, it might be more like trying to rebuild a fire that was started in 1995. Ryan, 54, is the software industry veteran (and former venture partner at Menlo Park, CA-based Sand Hill Capital) … Continue reading “A Veteran Entrepreneur Looks to Rescue St. Bernard Software”
Three New Reasons To Put Off Buying a Kindle
I titled my January 23 column “E-Book Readers on the iPhone: They’re Not Quite Kindle Slayers Yet.” How quickly technology marches ahead. In the weeks since then, three very compelling new options have arrived for people like me who want to read e-books but balk at the price tag on Amazon’s Kindle 2, the best … Continue reading “Three New Reasons To Put Off Buying a Kindle”
JS-Kit Acquires SezWho for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a05ea24a-40da-47c1-86b7-2a60f8b75bf7&Preview=1 Date 3/6/2009 Company Name SezWho Mailing Address 1000 Fremont Avenue Los Altos, CA 94022 Company Description SezWho is a distributed context, rating and reputation system for social media sites like blogs, forums, wikis, video/picture sharing sites, discussion boards and anywhere else where people collaborate on the web. Website http://www.sezwho.com Transaction Type … Continue reading “JS-Kit Acquires SezWho for Undisclosed Sum”
Amazon Rolls Out Game Trade-In Service
Amazon announced today a new service whereby customers can trade in used video games for store credit on any eligible items—not just games. The move is seen as a challenge to retailers with existing trade-in programs like GameStop, Electronics Boutique, and Toys “R” Us. Last month, Amazon officially entered the downloadable casual games market, launching … Continue reading “Amazon Rolls Out Game Trade-In Service”
Vivek Kundra, the Nation’s New CIO, Is Supporter of Seattle Startup, Tableau Software
Today, President Obama appointed Vivek Kundra federal chief information officer, which is a new administrative position in the U.S. government. Kundra, currently the District of Columbia’s chief technology officer, will be in charge of policy and strategic planning of federal investments in information technology. Kundra, 34, has previous experience as an executive at the DC-area … Continue reading “Vivek Kundra, the Nation’s New CIO, Is Supporter of Seattle Startup, Tableau Software”
Funding for Your Start-up Life Sciences Company
Do you have a commercial idea, but you’re wondering how to get funding for your life sciences or medtech initiative? At this discussion sponsored by The Capital Network you can hear from panelists selected from a spectrum of entrepreneurs and investors with the experience to get it done. Speaker list and registration details on the … Continue reading “Funding for Your Start-up Life Sciences Company”
Paul Graham Angel Investing Conference—Live Streaming Now
I just learned that there is a very interesting angel investing conference, happening as I type this, in Silicon Valley. The confab, bringing together angels and entrepreneurs, was organized by Paul Graham, of Y Combinator. It is live streaming here on Justin.tv. A parade of speakers seems to be imparting some great advice on angel … Continue reading “Paul Graham Angel Investing Conference—Live Streaming Now”
The State of Energy Storage Innovations: Development and Investments in (trans) Portable Applications
New energy storage technologies, entrepreneurship and investing will be the focus of this MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge Innovation Series program. Includes networking reception. Speaker list, program, and registration details on the event web site.