Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b2c7937c-f279-450c-a43c-e375e50fc788&Preview=1 Date 12/22/2008 Company Name KaloBios Pharmaceuticals Mailing Address 260 East Grand Avenue South San Francisco, CA 94080 Company Description KaloBios is a vertically integrated therapeutic antibody company using its proprietary antibody engineering, humaneering and expression technologies for the development of a pipeline of antibody therapeutics. Website http://www.kalobios.com Transaction Type Venture Equity … Continue reading “KaloBios Pharmaceuticals Secures $12,000,000 Series D Financing”
Can Technology Save the U.S. Auto Industry?
Dan Preston, CEO of Medius Technologies, will discuss the role of technology in reviving the U.S. auto industry. His company played a key role in the creation of OnStar technology for General Motors. He will focus on using Bluetooth technology to create the next generation of connected cars, which are more fuel efficient, safer, and … Continue reading “Can Technology Save the U.S. Auto Industry?”
WTIA Industry Achievement Awards
The WTIA’s Industry Achievement Awards celebrates companies and agencies which best demonstrate innovation and excellence in technology. From business and consumer applications to contributions to public service, Industry Achievement Award finalists have made significant contributions to the way we work and live. Noted as the tech industry event of the year, WTIA’s IAA celebration attracts … Continue reading “WTIA Industry Achievement Awards”
Building the Company of Your Dreams: Stuart Jamieson
Getting started as an entrepreneur – You made a New Year’s resolution to finally start a business but are hitting roadblocks. How do you find the right service providers? How do you negotiate with them? When does it make sense to have them work for equity or deferred comp? Stuart Jamieson, a serial entrepreneur and … Continue reading “Building the Company of Your Dreams: Stuart Jamieson”
Google’s Brian Bershad on The Future of Search
Google’s Brian Bershad will speak on the future of Internet search on March 13 as part of the Technology Alliance’s Science & Technology Discovery Series. To register, click here.
Leroy Hood on Systems Biology: Science & Technology Discovery Series
Leroy Hood, the co-founder and president of the Institute for Systems Biology, will speak at the Technology Alliance’s Science and Technology Discovery Series on Feb. 13 about biological complexity and understanding how biological systems function. To learn more about how to register, click here.
Washington Innovation Summit
Washington’s Innovation Summit 2009 will bring together more than 400 innovators and thought leaders in sustainability and technology who are driving industry development in sustainable energy, innovative materials & manufacturing, urban sustainability, and healthy ecosystems. Organized by the Washington Technology Center. Keynote speakers include Gifford Pinchot, the co-founder of the Bainbridge Graduate Institute and Thomas … Continue reading “Washington Innovation Summit”
The Tyranny of Dead Ideas: Matt Miller
America is at a crossroads and our economy is about it face its most severe test in nearly a century. In The Tyranny of Dead Ideas, Matt Miller overturns orthodoxies of the right and the left-including free trade is always good, employers should be responsible for health coverage, taxes hurt the economy, schools are a … Continue reading “The Tyranny of Dead Ideas: Matt Miller”
A New View of Human Capacity: Ken Robinson
Ken Robinson is an internationally recognized leader in the development of creativity and innovation who works with Fortune 500 companies, governments, and educational systems on ways to create environments that enhance talent and learning. In “The Element: A New View of Human Capacity” Robinson identifies the point where the activities individuals enjoy and are naturally … Continue reading “A New View of Human Capacity: Ken Robinson”
Malcolm Gladwell on “Outliers”
Malcolm Gladwell, the New Yorker writer and author of “The Tipping Point,” will discuss his latest book, “Outliers,” in a talk at Town Hall Seattle on Saturday Jan. 17. Gladwell’s book looks at why some people are so accomplished, while so many more never reach their potential. He asserts that environmental factors such as the … Continue reading “Malcolm Gladwell on “Outliers””
Future of Health: William Hanson on The Edge of Medical Technology
What if cancer could be diagnosed by just smelling it? Dr. William Hanson, author of “The Edge of Medicine,” explains how an electronic nose can do just that. Hanson, Director of Surgical Intensive Care at University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, offers intimate true-life accounts illustrating the cutting edge of biotechnology-including computer health wizards which will … Continue reading “Future of Health: William Hanson on The Edge of Medical Technology”
Amgen Seeks FDA Nod For Bone Drug
Amgen, the world’s largest biotech company, said today it has applied for FDA clearance to sell denosumab for women with osteoporosis and to treat and prevent bone loss for certain patients with prostate or breast cancer. The drug showed in clinical trials it can lower the risk of spinal fractures, a finding that analysts say … Continue reading “Amgen Seeks FDA Nod For Bone Drug”
ArQule Snags $60M From Daiichi Sankyo
ArQule, a Woburn, MA-based cancer drug developer, said today it will receive a $60 million payment through a partnership with Tokyo-based Daiichi Sankyo. The companies will co-develop ARQ-197, a drug designed to block a target on cancer cells called c-Met. Separately, ArQule (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ARQL]]) said Swiss pharma giant Roche declined an option to develop another … Continue reading “ArQule Snags $60M From Daiichi Sankyo”
Putting XO Laptops Under Christmas Trees—and into Classrooms—via Amazon
As the holidays approach, the Cambridge, MA-based One Laptop Per Child Foundation (OLPC) has revived its Give One, Get One program, designed to encourage consumers in industrialized nations to buy the foundation’s XO laptops for schoolchildren in the developing world while also securing one for a child in their own family. The foundation, which is … Continue reading “Putting XO Laptops Under Christmas Trees—and into Classrooms—via Amazon”
Tysabri Patient Dies of Brain Infection, First Death Since Drug Re-Introduced
A patient taking Biogen Idec’s fastest-growing multiple sclerosis drug has died from a rare brain infection. The patient, a woman in the U.S., was diagnosed in October with the PML brain infection after taking natalizumab (Tysabri) for her neurodegenerative disease, said Naomi Aoki, a spokeswoman for the Cambridge, MA-based biotech company. The death represents the … Continue reading “Tysabri Patient Dies of Brain Infection, First Death Since Drug Re-Introduced”
Ardea Raises $30.6M in Stock Sale
San Diego-based Ardea Biosciences announced today it has entered into a securities purchase agreement with institutional investors to raise about $30.6 million from the private placement of newly issued shares of its common stock. Ardea (NASDAQ: [[ticker:RDEA]]) is focused on the discovery and development of small-molecule drugs to treat HIV, gout, cancer, and inflammatory diseases.
Ex-Jobster’s Firm Sold for $7.5M
Seattle-based Jobster’s co-founder and former CEO, Jason Goldberg, has sold his new startup, Socialmedian, to Hamburg, Germany-based Xing for about $7.5 million. Socialmedian is a New York-based news-filtering service that works well with social sites like Xing, which is focused on professional networking. Goldberg, who left Jobster a year ago, will be moving to Germany … Continue reading “Ex-Jobster’s Firm Sold for $7.5M”
Michael Robertson Is Calling, But Will Anybody Answer?
If nothing else, Michael Robertson gets credit for stickin’ it to the establishment. Maybe it’s because he was born in 1967, amid America’s flaring protests. Maybe it’s just a result of his penchant for libertarian views. When I saw an announcement earlier this week from Robertson about GizmoCall, his new browser-based calling service, my first … Continue reading “Michael Robertson Is Calling, But Will Anybody Answer?”
CRV Funds Scribd
Waltham, MA-based Charles River Ventures is the lead investor in a $9 million Series B financing round for Scribd, a San Francisco startup and Y Combinator graduate whose “iPaper” document reader allows users to upload documents such as Word, PDF, and PowerPoint files to the Internet and share them by embedding them in Web pages. … Continue reading “CRV Funds Scribd”
Huntington Capital Raises $78 Million For Second Fund
Huntington Capital partner Tim Bubnack says the San Diego firm, which operates as both a venture lender and private equity investor, has raised $78 million in capital commitments for its second fund. The firm hopes to raise a total of $100 million for “Fund II” by early next year. Bubnack told me in October that … Continue reading “Huntington Capital Raises $78 Million For Second Fund”
Helicos Raises $18M in Private Financing
Helicos Biosciences, the Cambridge, MA-based maker of genetic analysis tools, said today it has reached an agreement to raise $18 million in a private offering of common stock and warrants to buy shares. Helicos (NASDAQ: [[ticker:HLCS]]) didn’t say how much longer the cash infusion will allow it to operate. The company reported a net loss … Continue reading “Helicos Raises $18M in Private Financing”
Video: Local CTOs Mull the Future of Mobile Software in Boston
On December 1, I moderated the dinner conversation at a gathering of some 20 CTOs from Boston-area companies that create software and services for mobile devices. Organized by Mobile Monday Boston and sponsored by Flybridge Capital Partners, the dinner at the Lenox Hotel’s Azure restaurant was an opportunity for many of the local mobile community’s … Continue reading “Video: Local CTOs Mull the Future of Mobile Software in Boston”
Novocell Forms Deal with Pfizer to Research Stem Cells for Diabetes
The world’s largest drugmaker is turning to a San Diego-based biotech company to jumpstart its foray into the world of stem cell research. Pfizer (NYSE: [[ticker:PFE]]) has agreed to form a two-year collaboration with Novocell to advance the biotech’s work, which concentrates on turning human embryonic stem cells into pancreas cells that might one day … Continue reading “Novocell Forms Deal with Pfizer to Research Stem Cells for Diabetes”
A Totally Cool $45M for Konarka, a $24M Boost for Momenta, IPO Woes for TransMedics and BioTrove, & More Boston-Area Deals News
A couple more IPOs bit the dust this last week. But elsewhere in the Boston area, tech and life sciences firms were having reasonable luck raising money and cutting deals. —Konarka raised $45 million from Total and inked an R&D agreement with the Paris-based international oil and gas conglomerate. Based in Lowell, MA, Konarka is … Continue reading “A Totally Cool $45M for Konarka, a $24M Boost for Momenta, IPO Woes for TransMedics and BioTrove, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
Where Food Meets Tech: iPhone Apps, Bacon Salt, The Coffee Nazi, and Other Tasty Seattle Connections
In a great food town like Seattle, it’s no surprise there are so many food-related startups. But lately we’ve been hearing even more about tech companies and food than expected—big successes, wacky products, major projects—so we figured it was time to round up (and update) our recent coverage of said companies. Plus, what better time … Continue reading “Where Food Meets Tech: iPhone Apps, Bacon Salt, The Coffee Nazi, and Other Tasty Seattle Connections”
Top Web Apps for the Real World: Seattle and Boston Startups Make 2008 List
Seattle and Boston, two of Xconomy’s network cities, have something extra to be proud of today—at least when it comes to Internet startups. Each city contributed two companies to a popular list of the year’s best Web applications for improving customers’ real lives. That’s according to the tech-news blog ReadWriteWeb, which has published its list … Continue reading “Top Web Apps for the Real World: Seattle and Boston Startups Make 2008 List”
The 3-D Graphics Revolution of 1859—and How to See in Stereo on Your iPhone
Gadget lovers and other technology enthusiasts suffer from a curious myopia about the past. The general assumption—fostered by the admittedly blinding pace of progress in computing and software—is that everything really cool must have been invented in the last decade or two. Marvels like wearable virtual-reality displays with force feedback gloves are often described as … Continue reading “The 3-D Graphics Revolution of 1859—and How to See in Stereo on Your iPhone”
Scribd Secures $9,000,000 Series B Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=db5488f1-4ba1-46a7-bab1-a7620b9e8a0e&Preview=1 Date 12/19/2008 Company Name Scribd Mailing Address 211 Sutter Street Second Floor San Francisco, CA 94108 Company Description Scribd lets you publish and discover documents online. It is like a big online library where anyone can upload. We make use of a custom Flash document viewer that lets you display documents … Continue reading “Scribd Secures $9,000,000 Series B Financing Round”
Targanta Cuts 75 Percent of Staff
Cambridge, MA-based Targanta Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:TARG]]) received a harsh blow last week as the FDA declined to approve it sole drug candidate, an antibiotic called oritavancin intended to treat antibiotic-resistant infections like MRSA. Today Targanta announced staff cutbacks intended to help the company conserve capital while it seeks approval for oritavancin in Europe and tries … Continue reading “Targanta Cuts 75 Percent of Staff”
Oncothyreon Sells Off Stimuvax, Cuts Jobs, Facilities To Preserve Cash
Seattle-based Oncothyreon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ONTY]]) made a series of strategic moves today to preserve its remaining cash, and find a way to survive on its own as a developer of cancer drugs. Some investors liked the decision, as shares more than doubled from 73 cents to $1.70 in after-hours trading. First, the company said it agreed … Continue reading “Oncothyreon Sells Off Stimuvax, Cuts Jobs, Facilities To Preserve Cash”
BioFuels, BioMedicines & Farming from the Sea and Maritime Technologies Needed to Develop Them
The Center for Marine Systems & Security and The Security Network are sponsoring this joint event to foster collaboration between biotech and marine technology in San Diego.
Kashless Is Hiring, Expanding, and Pioneering “Recommerce,” Says Founder Martin Tobias
This morning, I had a good chat with Seattle entrepreneur and investor Martin Tobias, in advance of tomorrow’s holiday open house at his new startup, Kashless. Known to get around on his Segway, Tobias said he trudged down the hill on foot today to his new office, which is in Lower Queen Anne. All of … Continue reading “Kashless Is Hiring, Expanding, and Pioneering “Recommerce,” Says Founder Martin Tobias”
Insilicos Nabs $900K Grant From NIH
Insilicos, a Seattle-based company that makes software for drug researchers, said today it has won a $900,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health. The money will be used to study “ensemble learning,” which uses a blend of statistical models to make a more accurate prediction about a biological experiment than a single model. Insilicos … Continue reading “Insilicos Nabs $900K Grant From NIH”
3Tier Raises $10M in Venture Round to “Remap the World” for Alternative Energy
Seattle-based 3Tier Group has raised $10 million in venture financing to drive its quest to help developers and financiers spot the best places in the world to build renewable energy facilities. Good Energies led the venture round, which will be used to establish offices in Europe and Asia, as first reported this morning by John … Continue reading “3Tier Raises $10M in Venture Round to “Remap the World” for Alternative Energy”
Ligand Cuts Another Deal With GlaxoSmithKline
San Diego-based Ligand Pharmaceuticals has formed another sizable partnership with the world’s second-biggest drugmaker, GlaxoSmithKline. Today, Ligand (NASDAQ: [[ticker:LGND]]) said it granted an exclusive, worldwide license to Glaxo to develop a drug for thrombocytopenia, a disease in which people lack enough platelet cells in the blood to form clots. Under the deal, Glaxo will pay … Continue reading “Ligand Cuts Another Deal With GlaxoSmithKline”
BioTrove Shelves IPO Plans
Eight months after bucking the trend by filing to go public in a very unhospitable market, Woburn, MA-based BioTrove has evidently thought better of things. The MIT spinoff, which is developing tools for genomic analysis and drug discovery, today pulled the planned offering, which was to have been worth up to $75 million. BioTrove might … Continue reading “BioTrove Shelves IPO Plans”
CMC Icos Biologics Postpones Expansion
CMC Icos Biologics is putting the brakes on its big expansion plan. The Bothell, WA-based operation, which manufactures biotech drugs under contract to other companies, said today it is postponing its growth plan announced in September because of the deepening recession. “With the current challenges of the global economy, we must carefully manage our resources … Continue reading “CMC Icos Biologics Postpones Expansion”
Gates Foundation Gives $7M to IDRI
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded a three-year, $7 million grant to the Seattle-based Infectious Disease Research Institute to develop improved ways to diagnose and care for patients in Africa infected with visceral leishmaniasis. The infection, caused by a parasite, affects about 500,000 people each year and is deadly in about one in … Continue reading “Gates Foundation Gives $7M to IDRI”
ExaGrid Bytes into $12M Round
Westborough, MA-based disk-based backup solutions company ExaGrid Systems has garnered $12 million in Series D funding, PE Hub reports. Participants include previous investors Highland Capital Partners, Sigma Partners, and Lehman Brothers Venture Partners. The company has reportedly taken in some $87 million in venture funding since its 2002 founding.
Entra Pharma Raises $4.2M
Entra Pharmaceuticals, a Waltham, MA-based drug delivery startup, raised $4.2 million in the first tranche of a Series A venture financing, according to PE Hub, which cited a regulatory filing. The round could be expanded to $12.5 million by the end of November if Entra reaches certain milestones. Flybridge Capital Partners and North Bridge Venture … Continue reading “Entra Pharma Raises $4.2M”
Another Next-Generation RNAi Startup Emerges, Makes Big Claims About Its Ability to Silence Bad Genes
I was initially skeptical when I first heard about biotech startup AiRNA Pharmaceuticals and its new approach to RNA-interference (RNAi already gets lots of attention for its ability to silence genes for cancer and many other diseases). The Norwood, MA, firm claimed in a press release that its next-generation RNA-interference (RNAi) technology is “superior” to … Continue reading “Another Next-Generation RNAi Startup Emerges, Makes Big Claims About Its Ability to Silence Bad Genes”
Cadence Turns Attention to Marketplace, as IV Pain Reliever Reaches Goals in Clinical Trials
Cadence Pharmaceuticals can now start turning even more of its energy toward doing what it takes to become a commercial drug company. The San Diego-based biotech (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CADX]]) said yesterday it passed all three clinical trials it says it needs to satisfy FDA requirements so a new intravenous form of an old standby pain reliever … Continue reading “Cadence Turns Attention to Marketplace, as IV Pain Reliever Reaches Goals in Clinical Trials”
Maglev Industry Gains Momentum, But Is Big Cost A Turn-Off?
In meeting room G of San Diego’s Manchester Grand Hyatt, Neil Cummings was preaching yesterday to the choir—which in this case is the 20th International Conference on Magnetically Levitated Systems and Linear Drives. “I call it the new Iron Horse,” said Cummings, referring to the maglev industry’s vision for high-speed trains driven by magnetic levitation … Continue reading “Maglev Industry Gains Momentum, But Is Big Cost A Turn-Off?”
State Tobacco Moneyman, John DesRosier, Aims to Push Biotech Ideas Beyond “Valley of Death”
A new batch of research grants, worth $19 million, was announced earlier this week by the state Life Sciences Discovery Fund. It’s the quasi-public agency charged with running a 10-year, $350 million program to invest the state’s tobacco settlement money in biomedical research and development. This round, grants were given to develop new vaccines, improve … Continue reading “State Tobacco Moneyman, John DesRosier, Aims to Push Biotech Ideas Beyond “Valley of Death””
“Boston Bullet” Wins Local Motors Design Competition
Local Motors, a Wareham, MA, startup that has incorporated Web-based community collaboration into its unconventional new process for designing consumer automobiles, today announced the winner of its latest online auto design competition, which challenged community members to come up with a design fit for Boston’s narrow streets and urban lifestyles. Mihai Panaitescu, a Romanian who … Continue reading ““Boston Bullet” Wins Local Motors Design Competition”
Local Motors Tackles Carbon Crisis with Lightweight, Crowdsourced Cars
While capitalist systems are, in theory, open to any entrepreneur with an idea for a better mousetrap, most investors are pragmatists. They aren’t likely to pony up for a garage tinkerer with a way to build passenger jets better than Boeing’s or supercomputers better than Cray’s. The reality, in other words, is that certain high-tech … Continue reading “Local Motors Tackles Carbon Crisis with Lightweight, Crowdsourced Cars”
Ventures West “Sells High” After Positive Prostate Cancer News From OncoGenex
Wonder why OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals stock suddenly dropped after it was the best performer on the Nasdaq last week? Here’s a clue: One of its largest shareholders, Vancouver, BC-based Ventures West Capital, sold almost half of its stake in OncoGenex after the company said its experimental drug could prolong the lives of terminal ill patients with … Continue reading “Ventures West “Sells High” After Positive Prostate Cancer News From OncoGenex”
Amgen Tries to “Personalize” Drug, VLST Snags Deal, Tobacco Money Backs Research, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News
Many life sciences shut down operations between Christmas and New Year’s Day, so obviously they need to cram a lot of work into weeks like the last one. Here’s a rundown of the big news. —Amgen, the giant biotech with about 1,000 employees in Washington, went before an FDA advisory panel to make an unusual … Continue reading “Amgen Tries to “Personalize” Drug, VLST Snags Deal, Tobacco Money Backs Research, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”
Biotech Veteran Talks of Hedge Fund Investing, Boston Celtics, and Hot Companies
The first thing I noticed when I sat down in the office of biotech investor Rich Aldrich was a shelved paperback copy of Barbarians at the Gate, the book about the legendary leveraged buyout of R.J.R Nabisco. It reminded me that Aldrich is a main character in a somewhat similar book about the biotech industry, … Continue reading “Biotech Veteran Talks of Hedge Fund Investing, Boston Celtics, and Hot Companies”
Entra Pharmaceuticals Inc Obtains $4,230,000 Series A Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=98cb0fdd-0f3f-4eab-93d0-aad51e24d22b&Preview=1 Date 12/18/2008 Company Name Entra Pharmaceuticals Inc Mailing Address 950 Winter Street Waltham, MA 02451 Company Description The company is developing various drug delivery technologies. Website Undisclosed Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $4,230,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms Venture Investor Flybridge Capital … Continue reading “Entra Pharmaceuticals Inc Obtains $4,230,000 Series A Round”