Awarepoint Tracks Down $13.3M to Fuel Hospital RFID Business

Awarepoint says it has raised $13.3 million in a Series D round of financing from a trio of private equity investors—who are betting hospitals will continue to invest in RFID systems to track assets and limit spending on medical equipment. San Diego-based Awarepoint provides software and hardware for real-time location systems (RTLS) in hospitals, factories, … Continue reading “Awarepoint Tracks Down $13.3M to Fuel Hospital RFID Business”

Battery, Charles River Fund Flat-Rate Wireless Network for Northeast

Battery Ventures of Menlo Park, CA, and Waltham, MA, said today that it is the lead investor in a $100 million venture round for Pocket Communications Northeast, a new cellular network that will offer flat-rate, unlimited-use calling plans to wireless subscribers in parts of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York. Charles River Ventures, which also has … Continue reading “Battery, Charles River Fund Flat-Rate Wireless Network for Northeast”

Light Sciences Oncology Finishes Enrollment in Pivotal Clinical Trial

Light Sciences Oncology, a Bellevue, WA-based developer of cancer drugs, said it has completed enrollment of 200 patients with liver tumors in a clinical trial. The goal of the study is to see whether patients live longer after they get LitX. The company’s treatment is designed to use a light-emitting diode, threaded inside a tumor, … Continue reading “Light Sciences Oncology Finishes Enrollment in Pivotal Clinical Trial”

Mobui Behind TiVo Mobile Application

Mobui, a Redmond, WA-based mobile applications firm, and TiVo (NASDAQ:[[ticker:TIVO]]), headquartered in Alvisto, CA, have announced that the two firms developed a new Web site that enables TiVo subscribers to use their mobile phones to schedule recordings on their TiVo boxes. This follows news last week about Mobui’s partnership with VH1 to develop an application … Continue reading “Mobui Behind TiVo Mobile Application”

Datacastle Gets $5.3M, Geospiza Goes Gene-Sifting, Bsquare Buys TechQuest, & More Seattle-Area Deals News

Heading into the holiday season, it was a fairly slow week in the Northwest for deals. But there was still some substantial activity in software and biotech—and some activity about the activity (see immediately below). —Bellevue, WA-based software and services firm Bsquare (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BSQR]]) acquired TechQuest, a test-automation software maker in Minneapolis, MN, for $2.2 … Continue reading “Datacastle Gets $5.3M, Geospiza Goes Gene-Sifting, Bsquare Buys TechQuest, & More Seattle-Area Deals News”

Sky Cowboys: Cambridge’s Aurora Studies Ways to Lasso Robot Planes In Flight

Here’s an idea worthy of Tom Swift: Send a big, long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) such as Northrup Grumman’s Global Hawk into a battle area with a flock of smaller, bird-sized robot planes in its belly. Jettison the baby planes for short-range, low-altitude, low-speed reconnaissance missions, then lower a cable to recapture them, one by … Continue reading “Sky Cowboys: Cambridge’s Aurora Studies Ways to Lasso Robot Planes In Flight”

Xconomy Closes Second Financing Round

Xconomy has closed the first tranche of its second financing round, we are extremely pleased to announce. Return investor CommonAngels, the premier angel group in New England, led the round. New investor LaunchCapital—a small (and very astute) early-stage venture fund with offices in Cambridge, MA; New Haven, CT; and Palo Alto—also participated. And they were … Continue reading “Xconomy Closes Second Financing Round”

Human Tissue Startup ‘Putting the Band Together Again’

San Diego’s Advanced Tissue Sciences tried for 14 years to develop living-tissue patches for healing burns, wounds and chronic sores. But the business went into bankruptcy liquidation in late 2002, a victim of regulatory delays and more than $300 million in debt. Since then, former CEO Gail Naughton says she’s been invited to speak many times … Continue reading “Human Tissue Startup ‘Putting the Band Together Again’”

Hold on Tight: Biotech Execs Predict Hard Times for Industry as Cash Dwindles

Most biotech companies live and die based on how much cash they have in the bank to fuel drug development. So we’ve combed through the cash statements of more than 70 publicly traded life sciences companies in Xconomy’s home cities of Boston, San Diego, and Seattle, to see just how well-positioned the local clusters are … Continue reading “Hold on Tight: Biotech Execs Predict Hard Times for Industry as Cash Dwindles”

Biotech Survival Index: Boston Life Sciences Companies Brace for Long, Hard Winter

Boston is the biggest center of life sciences in the Xconomy network, and by our analysis, the Bay State’s biotech sector is also the best equipped to survive the economic crisis. I reached this conclusion by combing through public company filings of more than 70 life sciences companies in Boston, Seattle, and San Diego. For … Continue reading “Biotech Survival Index: Boston Life Sciences Companies Brace for Long, Hard Winter”

Xconomy Garners Series B Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3233d7cf-5c5a-43c4-b6eb-c8d7a23bffca&Preview=1 Date 11/25/2008 Company Name Xconomy Mailing Address 10 Rogers St. Cambridge, MA 02142 Company Description Xconomy is dedicated to providing business and technology leaders with timely, insightful, close-to-the-scene information about the local personalities, companies, and technological trends that best exemplify today’s high-tech economy. Our goal is to become the authoritative voice … Continue reading “Xconomy Garners Series B Round”

AwarePoint Corporation Obtains $13,300,000 Series D Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d8909e0e-c631-4d16-a080-7200c4054ba3&Preview=1 Date 11/25/2008 Company Name AwarePoint Corporation Mailing Address 225 Broadway San Diego, CA 92101 Company Description In 2002, the founders of Awarepoint™ recognized that despite the tremendous potential of active RFID technologies to improve operational efficiency in medium and large businesses, there were no solutions on the market that offered good … Continue reading “AwarePoint Corporation Obtains $13,300,000 Series D Funding Round”

PlaySpan Garners $16,800,000 Series B Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=55f3f752-1517-40db-9fb4-ac1be3e3d727&Preview=1 Date 11/25/2008 Company Name PlaySpan Mailing Address 2953 Bunker Hill Lane Santa Clara, CA 95054 Company Description PlaySpanTM (formerly Tradeits Inc.) is the game industry’s first publisher-sponsoredTM in-game commerceTM network. PlaySpan’s patent-pending in-game search, commerce and micropayment technologies enables game publishers and developers to generate new revenues, acquire new users and … Continue reading “PlaySpan Garners $16,800,000 Series B Round”

Sezmi Secures $33,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8ebf9fdf-5724-420f-8c59-e642bc9d0696&Preview=1 Date 11/25/2008 Company Name Sezmi Mailing Address 1301 Shoreway Road Belmont, CA 94002 Company Description The evolution of digital media has introduced tremendous innovations in video entertainment that collectively represent the most significant disruption in the TV industry since the introduction of cable TV. Website http://www.sezmi.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction … Continue reading “Sezmi Secures $33,000,000 New Funding Round”

Layoffs and New Lives: Hubspan, CarDomain, and Jobster Join the Seattle Layoff Litany

Two weeks ago, Xconomy published our first iteration of what we call the Seattle Layoff Litany. It’s a document that tracks tech and life sciences job cuts in the Northwest. Here is a quick update about three local companies that have gone through layoffs since then (one is unconfirmed). I thought it was especially interesting … Continue reading “Layoffs and New Lives: Hubspan, CarDomain, and Jobster Join the Seattle Layoff Litany”

Kratos Adds Another Defense Company in Growth-by-Acquistion Strategy

Eric DeMarco, the CEO of San Diego’s Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, (NASDAQ:[[ticker:KTOS]]) is showing he learned the lessons of rapid growth during his years at former San Diego defense contractor Titan Corp. Today Kratos announced it’s merging its Kratos Government Solutions division with Digital Fusion, a small defense contractor in Huntsville, AL, that trades over … Continue reading “Kratos Adds Another Defense Company in Growth-by-Acquistion Strategy”

Sequenom May Spot Single-Gene Birth Defects, like Cystic Fibrosis, in a Sample of Mother’s Blood

Sequenom has its sights on developing more than just the first non-invasive prenatal test for Down syndrome. Today, scientists affiliated with the San Diego-based biotech company are reporting how their methods of analyzing genes in a sample of blood from the mother can be used to detect whether a developing fetus has a single-gene defect, … Continue reading “Sequenom May Spot Single-Gene Birth Defects, like Cystic Fibrosis, in a Sample of Mother’s Blood”

WBBA Fireside Chat: Bruce Carter, Bruce Montgomery, Stewart Parker

The WBBA is hosting a fireside chat December 15 with three leading entrepreneurs in Seattle biotech. Bruce Montgomery, Stewart Parker and Bruce Carter will tell stories of many goodly states and kingdoms, from Immunex to ZymoGenetics, from Corus to Targeted Genetics, from Novo Nordisk to Gilead. A reception with food and wine will follow. Registration … Continue reading “WBBA Fireside Chat: Bruce Carter, Bruce Montgomery, Stewart Parker”

Genzyme Asks FDA To Approve Drug for Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Genzyme said today it has applied for FDA approval of clofarabine (Clolar) for patients over age 60 with acute myeloid leukemia, in addition to its existing use for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The Cambridge,MA-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GENZ]]) has asked for an expedited six-month review of the new use, which means the treatment could be approved … Continue reading “Genzyme Asks FDA To Approve Drug for Acute Myeloid Leukemia”

Ambient Raises $8M from Vicis

Ambient (OTC:[[ticker:ABTG]]), a Newton, MA-based provider of software and services to help electrical utilities use existing power lines to deliver IP-based services, reports it has raised $8 million from Vicis Capital Master Fund. The capital, which brings Vicis’ total investment in Ambient to $23.5 million, is intended to fund operations and future growth.

To Save Cash, Vical Cuts 29 Jobs and Closes Facility

San Diego vaccine developer Vical (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VICL]] has joined the roster of small biotechs that have been forced to cut costs to conserve cash. The microcap biotech says it’s laying off 29 employees, or about 20 percent of its workforce, and closing an unidentified research facility sooner than planned. The company says it expects to … Continue reading “To Save Cash, Vical Cuts 29 Jobs and Closes Facility”

Panacos to Repay $20M Loan

Panacos Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:[[ticker:PANC]]), a Watertown, MA-based developer of antiviral drugs for HIV, says that it has agreed to repay $17.9 million in outstanding principal, interest, and fees on a $20 million loan granted to the firm in June 2007. The repayment, which Panacos expected to execute today, follows lender Hercules Technology Growth Capital’s (NASDAQ:[[ticker:HTGC]]) claim … Continue reading “Panacos to Repay $20M Loan”

The Bourne Innovation: UC Researchers Launch a YouTube for Scientists

As an editor at a growing online resource called the Public Library of Science, UC San Diego Professor Philip Bourne is in an ideal position to see the disruptive changes that are remaking the $11 billion scientific publishing industry. As it has with other types of traditional publishing, the Internet is turning the staid-but-highly lucrative … Continue reading “The Bourne Innovation: UC Researchers Launch a YouTube for Scientists”

Casual Games May Be Recession-Proof; Companies Report Record Revenues, and Some Surprising Trends

“Countercyclical” is a word you’re probably going to hear a lot in the coming months—from entrepreneurs professing that their businesses are not only recession-proof, but will actually fare better during lean times. It’s a word that the leaders of the casual games industry, which has a strong presence in both Seattle and Boston, have been … Continue reading “Casual Games May Be Recession-Proof; Companies Report Record Revenues, and Some Surprising Trends”

Agios Pharmaceuticals Forges Ahead With Lab to Starve Cancer Cells

Agios Pharmaceuticals is moving full steam ahead. The company has moved into a new 21,000-square-foot space in Cambridge, MA, that it says is the world’s largest lab devoted to studying how to throw a wrench into the overactive metabolism of cancer cells that normally allows them to grow and thrive. It has also recruited five … Continue reading “Agios Pharmaceuticals Forges Ahead With Lab to Starve Cancer Cells”

Antigenics Cancer Vaccine, In Small Study, Helps Brain Tumor Patients Live Longer

(Update: Antigenics stock surged 13 percent today after this news appeared.) Antigenics is offering a glimmer of hope for patients with terminal brain tumors. The Lexington, MA-based biotech company said its experimental treatment, designed to stimulate the immune system to fight cancer, helped a small group of patients live about four months longer than their … Continue reading “Antigenics Cancer Vaccine, In Small Study, Helps Brain Tumor Patients Live Longer”

Surviving the Downturn: Advice from Seattle-Area Firms Atlas Accelerator, Geospiza, and Mercent

Updated Nov. 24 with corrections from Mike Crill: Last Thursday, the Seattle-based Alliance of Angels hosted a panel discussion on “managing through an economic downturn,” otherwise known as “Downturnapalooza.” The panelists were Eric Best of Seattle-based e-commerce firm Mercent, Mike Crill of Bellevue, WA-based consulting company Atlas Accelerator, and Rob Arnold of Seattle-based bio-software firm … Continue reading “Surviving the Downturn: Advice from Seattle-Area Firms Atlas Accelerator, Geospiza, and Mercent”

San Diego Snags Annual Conference on All Things Medical and Healthcare-Related

San Diego, which ranks among the premier regions in the country for innovations in the life sciences, has landed a conference to match. After a five-year hiatus, TEDMED is making a comeback, and the exclusive three-day conference on big ideas in healthcare and medicine, may be settling here permanently. The revived TEDMED conference will be held at The … Continue reading “San Diego Snags Annual Conference on All Things Medical and Healthcare-Related”

In Praise of Senator Ted Kennedy For His Contributions to Biomedical Science

Earlier this month, I had the tremendous honor of being asked to discuss Senator Ted Kennedy’s remarkable contributions to biomedical science at an event celebrating The Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate that was organized by The Massachusetts healthcare and life sciences communities. Following are my comments: As I studied the record … Continue reading “In Praise of Senator Ted Kennedy For His Contributions to Biomedical Science”

SunEthanol Picks Up $25M, New Name; Infinity Pharma Pairs with Purdue Pharma; In-Q-Tel Taps Two Local Firms, & More Boston-Area Deals News

Half a dozen Boston-area tech and life sciences startups have something to be thankful for heading into this week’s holiday, all of them having managed to close venture deals in a very tricky environment. A few public companies cut some interesting deals as well. —ReGen Power Systems, a Salem, MA-based firm developing a power-producing external … Continue reading “SunEthanol Picks Up $25M, New Name; Infinity Pharma Pairs with Purdue Pharma; In-Q-Tel Taps Two Local Firms, & More Boston-Area Deals News”

GangaGen Garners $5,400,000 Series E Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d7ec3ca4-8c3d-4b1e-bf1f-5404c9e49b3c&Preview=1 Date 11/24/2008 Company Name GangaGen Mailing Address 6167Jarvis Ave. No.324 Newark Palo Alto, CA 94560 Company Description GangaGen, Inc. is a biotechnology company focused on the development of proprietary, bacteriophage-based products for the prevention and treatment of bacterial infections, particularly infections that are resistant to antibiotics, through the application of contemporary … Continue reading “GangaGen Garners $5,400,000 Series E Funding”

Zuberance Lands $4,000,000 Series A Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=247345ad-a230-467d-a6d1-75e2e12dbbd3&Preview=1 Date 11/24/2008 Company Name Zuberance Mailing Address 628 El Camino Real San Carlos, CA 94070 Company Description Zuberance is an enterprise social commerce software company with a ground-breaking, on-demand “Customer Salesforce Solution” that turns loyal customers into a Volunteer Salesforce. Zuberance enables companies to identify their highly-satisfied customers and mobilize them … Continue reading “Zuberance Lands $4,000,000 Series A Funding”

FanSnap Garners $5,500,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d7fbc0d5-c0b0-4e6c-b7e0-debb53c8b8ba&Preview=1 Date 11/24/2008 Company Name FanSnap Mailing Address 120 Hawthorne Ave Palo Alto, CA 94301 Company Description FanSnap is the live event ticket search engine for fans. Our mission is to provide the most comprehensive, accurate, fast and easy-to-use resource for fans to find the tickets they desire to sports, concerts, and … Continue reading “FanSnap Garners $5,500,000 New Financing”

Yieldex Wins $100K Amazon Startup Challenge

Last night, Amazon Web Services announced the winner of its second annual AWS Startup Challenge: Yieldex, based in Colorado, California, and New York, helps advertisers and publishers manage their inventory by predicting how ads will perform on different websites. The company receives $100,000 in cash and Web services credits, plus a potential investment offer. Yieldex … Continue reading “Yieldex Wins $100K Amazon Startup Challenge”

Reported Job Cuts at NameMedia, WSI Add to Week’s Total

Our apologies to all Xconomy readers for ending the week on a downer, but it’s time for a roundup of the week’s tech layoff news around Boston. On Wednesday, Cambridge, MA-based Akamai said it would cut 110 jobs, or about 7 percent of its workforce. On Thursday Luke reported news of 30 more layoffs at … Continue reading “Reported Job Cuts at NameMedia, WSI Add to Week’s Total”

Off-Deck Mobile Content

Get the latest information on how carriers, content providers, brands, advertisers and software providers can monetize the mobile Internet at this two-day conference focusing on the “off-deck” model—i.e. mobile applications not controlled by the mobile carriers. Topics to be covered include: * Opportunities for content providers and brands as operators move towards an open market … Continue reading “Off-Deck Mobile Content”

What Would the British Tabloids Say? Qualcomm Unveils Deal With Victoria’s Secret

Did San Diego’s Qualcomm score a huge coup for its MediaFlo mobile television service yesterday by arranging broadcast rights to the 2008 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show on Dec. 3? That was the take at GigaOm, which reported all MediaFlo subscribers will be able to watch the broadcast on their portable wireless devices when it is … Continue reading “What Would the British Tabloids Say? Qualcomm Unveils Deal With Victoria’s Secret”

Arkeia Software Names Bill Evans CEO

San Diego’s Arkeia Software, a data protection software developer, has named two executives, including former Gateway executive Bill Evans as CEO. Evans was previously CEO of Parascale, a cloud storage startup and senior vice president of Gateway’s international business unit. The company also named Frederic Renard as vice president of marketing.

Where Innovators Meet Up: The Greater Seattle Coffee Cluster, Part Two

A week ago, Xconomy Seattle published a list and an interactive map of the coffee hotspots around town where entrepreneurs, investors, and innovators like to gather. It generated a fair bit of attention and a really great response from our readers. So I thought we should post an updated list here with a bunch of … Continue reading “Where Innovators Meet Up: The Greater Seattle Coffee Cluster, Part Two”

ZymoGenetics CEO Bruce Carter Retires, Promotes Doug Williams, Says Sad Goodbyes to Biotech “Family”

It’s a sad day for Seattle biotech. One of the charismatic pioneers of the local life sciences cluster, Bruce Carter, is retiring from his job as CEO of ZymoGenetics. “I’m quite sad,” Carter says. “I’ve been here a long time, and it’s sort of like my family.” The news is really no surprise. Carter, 65, … Continue reading “ZymoGenetics CEO Bruce Carter Retires, Promotes Doug Williams, Says Sad Goodbyes to Biotech “Family””

Ironwood, Flush With Cash, Anticipates Big Year with Constipation Drug

Ask Ironwood Pharmaceuticals CEO Peter Hecht what he’s trying to accomplish in the next six to 12 months, and he doesn’t tiptoe around. “We’re trying to build the next great pharmaceutical company,” Hecht says. “I know that sounds ludicrous, but I thought I’d just start out with our ambition first.” It’s an open question whether … Continue reading “Ironwood, Flush With Cash, Anticipates Big Year with Constipation Drug”

Accelerator Startup, GPC-Rx, Uses Computers to Make Drugs Without Side Effects

Accelerator’s newest startup could, if it wanted to, make a version of marijuana that wouldn’t give people the munchies. Seattle-based GPC-Rx isn’t going to do that, but it is using sophisticated 3-D computer modeling to help researchers design other drugs to specifically do their main job, without the usual side effects. This company has its … Continue reading “Accelerator Startup, GPC-Rx, Uses Computers to Make Drugs Without Side Effects”

Springpad Wants to Be Your Online Home for the Holidays, And After

If you’re like me, you go through life with the vague hope that someday, technology will help you become a more efficient person. How often I’ve driven to the grocery store or the library to pick up one thing, knowing full well that there’s some other item I needed, but that I’ll never be able … Continue reading “Springpad Wants to Be Your Online Home for the Holidays, And After”

WebVisible, Inc. Acquires Adapt Technologies, Inc. for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=31aba102-78fc-48c9-b311-b82f89941c9a&Preview=1 Date 11/21/2008 Company Name Adapt Technologies, Inc. Mailing Address 117 E. Colorado Blvd Pasadena, CA 91105 Company Description Adapt Technologies, Inc. is a technology company that creates practical, self-service campaign management solutions for marketers to more effectively manage their online marketing campaigns and improve results. Website http://www.adapt.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction … Continue reading “WebVisible, Inc. Acquires Adapt Technologies, Inc. for Undisclosed Sum”

Bsquare CEO Brian Crowley: TestQuest Acquisition “Really Important”

Today’s news that Bellevue, WA-based software firm Bsquare (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BSQR]]) is buying Minneapolis, MN-based TestQuest for $2.2 million has sparked some lively discussion. Bsquare founder and former CEO Bill Baxter, who left the company in 2004, wrote in to say “the investment is not a huge thing for the company” and that “they might benefit … Continue reading “Bsquare CEO Brian Crowley: TestQuest Acquisition “Really Important””

Infinity Snags $75 Million Through Alliance with Purdue Pharma and Mundipharma

Infinity Pharmaceuticals, a Cambridge, MA-based developer of cancer drugs, got a significant boost today. It signed a partnership worth $75 million upfront from Stamford, CT-based Purdue Pharma, the maker of the pain reliever oxycodone (OxyContin), and Mundipharma, an affiliated company with operations outside the U.S. Under the deal, Purdue Pharma has agreed to pay $45 … Continue reading “Infinity Snags $75 Million Through Alliance with Purdue Pharma and Mundipharma”

CombinatoRx Cuts 30 More Jobs, Wiping out Two-Thirds of Staff in Last Month

CombinatoRx, the Cambridge, MA-based biotech company, said this afternoon it is cutting 30 more jobs, which means it has now eliminated two-thirds of its staff since its lead drug candidate for arthritis failed in a clinical trial in early October. The company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CRXX]]), which will be left with 55 employees, should have enough cash … Continue reading “CombinatoRx Cuts 30 More Jobs, Wiping out Two-Thirds of Staff in Last Month”