The MIT Enterprise Forum of the Northwest is hosting a dinner program on Sept. 24 on how entrepreneurs can have an impact on society. Kent Norton, the CEO of The Starfish Television Network, will moderate a panel discussion that includes Ann Kelly, a partner at Global Philanthropy Group, Monty Montoya, president and CEO of Sightlife, … Continue reading “Social Entrepreneurship, Growing Your Business By Giving Back”
Leaders to Legends Breakfast Lecture: Scott Lipsky
Scott Lipsky, an early employee at Amazon.com and the co-founder of Avenue A (now part of Microsoft), will speak at the University of Washington Oct. 8 as part of the Leaders to Legends Breakfast Lecture Series. All breakfasts are held on Wednesday mornings in the Walker-Ames Room, 2nd floor of Kane Hall on the UW … Continue reading “Leaders to Legends Breakfast Lecture: Scott Lipsky”
Predictions for 2009, With WTIA’s Futurist Panel
Making predictions is risky—especially in the technology industry—but each year the Washington Technology Industry Association invites experts to share their views on what’s coming in the year ahead. Technology journalist John Cook will moderate the panel, which includes Bill Bryant of Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Matt McIlwain of Madrona Venture Group and Kelly Smith of Curious … Continue reading “Predictions for 2009, With WTIA’s Futurist Panel”
Will Your Vote Count? An Update on E-Voting With Jim Adler
Jim Adler, the founder and president of Identity.net, will provide an update on e-voting technologies at the Washington Technology Industry Association’s October Urban Leadership Series. Adler was formerly the CEO of VoteHere, a company that pioneered secure electronic voting technologies. Registration costs $25 for WTIA members who register in advance, and $45 for non-members. Onsite … Continue reading “Will Your Vote Count? An Update on E-Voting With Jim Adler”
Oregon Entrepreneurs Network Names Award Winners
Last night, the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network announced the winners of the 2008 Tom Holce Awards for entrepreneurship at its 15th annual awards ceremony. The award for individual achievement went to Doug Fieldhouse of Portland, OR-based Vesta, an electronic payment firm. The development-stage company of the year was Hillsboro, OR-based ClearEdge Power. The working-capital stage winner … Continue reading “Oregon Entrepreneurs Network Names Award Winners”
Understanding the Nature of Reality–Nobel Winner Frank Wilczek
Physicists’ understanding of the essential nature of reality as changed radically over the past quarter century. Frank Wilczek, a 2004 Nobel Prize-winner in Physics, has played a lead role in establishing the new paradigms. His new book for the general public, The Lightness of Being, explores the concepts of space as a dynamic material and … Continue reading “Understanding the Nature of Reality–Nobel Winner Frank Wilczek”
Cocrystal Discovery Raises $10 Million To Make Pills Against Viral Infections
Cocrystal Discovery thinks it has found a way, built on Nobel Prize-winning science, that will lead to effective new pills that stop viruses from replicating. The Seattle-based company said today it has gotten some serious backing for the idea, raising a $10 million round led by The Frost Group, a Miami-based investment group led by … Continue reading “Cocrystal Discovery Raises $10 Million To Make Pills Against Viral Infections”
Daily TIPs: Intelligent Clouds, Ultracapacitors, Adopter Shortage, & More
Chicago Plans to Cut Greenhouse Gases The City of Chicago wants to cut its emission of greenhouse gases to three-quarters of 1990 levels by 2020, and one-fifth of 1990 levels by 2050. The Associated Press reports that the plan includes updating the city’s building code to improve insulation and heating and cooling systems in all … Continue reading “Daily TIPs: Intelligent Clouds, Ultracapacitors, Adopter Shortage, & More”
Soteira Collects $12 Million
PE Week Wire reports today, based on a regulatory filing, that stealth-mode medical device startup Soteira has closed a Series B financing round amounting to $12 million. Investors include Delphi Ventures, Federated Kaufman Fund, HLM Venture Partners, Partech International, and Prism VentureWorks, according to the report. Soteira, which is listed as having offices in either … Continue reading “Soteira Collects $12 Million”
Nexus Leads Aethon Investment
Nexus Medical Partners of Quincy, MA, is the lead investor in a $14 million financing round for Pittsburgh-based Aethon, a maker of RFID systems for tracking hospital equipment, the startup said yesterday. New York, NY-based Radius Ventures co-led the round, which was also joined by existing investors Trident Capital, Pacific Venture Group, Salix Ventures, Draper … Continue reading “Nexus Leads Aethon Investment”
Global Insight Gobbled Up by IHS
Lexington, MA-based economic forecasting firm Global Insight said yesterday that it will be acquired by IHS (NYSE: [[ticker:IHS]]) of Englewood, CO. Global Insight’s 700 employees, including 325 analysts, provide business analyses and risk assessments for regions around the world to industrial, financial, and government clients, while IHS specializes in analysis energy, security, environemental, and product … Continue reading “Global Insight Gobbled Up by IHS”
GI Dynamics Looks to Tackle Two Global Epidemics with Single Device, Reveals Seedling Roots
GI Dynamics has ambitious plans to gain regulatory approvals to treat two global epidemics—obesity and type 2 diabetes—with its experimental intestinal liner. The reversible, minimally invasive procedure to place the device in patients could appeal to an even wider market than permanent surgeries such as gastric bypass that are currently popular options. The Lexington, MA, … Continue reading “GI Dynamics Looks to Tackle Two Global Epidemics with Single Device, Reveals Seedling Roots”
Wishpot Wants Your Wish List to Go Everywhere With You on the Web
Max Ciccotosto has entrepreneurship in his blood. A native of Italy, his parents ran a business in the old country. While in college at the University of Bologna, Ciccotosto ran a “junior enterprise” company (the system no longer exists in Italy) that handled networking and IT for small companies. He came to Seattle in 1999 … Continue reading “Wishpot Wants Your Wish List to Go Everywhere With You on the Web”
Alnylam, RXi On Collision Course Over Intellectual Property From Massachusetts Life Sciences Initiative
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals may have to be careful what it wishes for. The Cambridge, MA-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ALNY]]) supported Gov. Deval Patrick’s 10-year, $1 billion initiative to boost the life sciences industry in the state, and now that it’s become law, the company says the initiative might give one of its competitors an unfair advantage. … Continue reading “Alnylam, RXi On Collision Course Over Intellectual Property From Massachusetts Life Sciences Initiative”
Washington’s Tobacco Cash Must Be “Catalyst” For Health Innovation, Says Lee Huntsman
Washington state’s effort to spark the biotech industry tends to get overshadowed when stacked up against bigger initiatives from other states. California has thumbed its nose at President Bush, pouring a whopping $3 billion into stem cell research. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick pushed hard for a 10-year, $1 billion initiative to promote life sciences in … Continue reading “Washington’s Tobacco Cash Must Be “Catalyst” For Health Innovation, Says Lee Huntsman”
GPS Treasure Hunting with Your iPhone 3G
If you had to name the companies that stand to lose the most from Apple’s latest smartphone, released July 11, you might say Microsoft, Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, or Verizon. But I have a different list: Garmin, Magellan, and TomTom. That’s because new third-party apps available for the iPhone 3G make it into a wholly credible … Continue reading “GPS Treasure Hunting with Your iPhone 3G”
PicApp Receives $3,200,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=562fca1d-fc00-4481-a6b8-f05742e9117e&Preview=1 Date 9/19/2008 Company Name PicApp Mailing Address Undisclosed San Francisco, CA 94000 Company Description Great stock photos cost thousands, right? Wrong. With PicApp, you can enhance your blog with the same photos used by the pros, without paying a cent. Adding PicApp photos to your blog is as easy as 1-2-3: … Continue reading “PicApp Receives $3,200,000 New Financing Round”
Pacific Northwest Researchers Win Funding from U.S. Department of Energy for Three Water-Power Projects
In the Northwest, it’s all about the hydro. Today, the U.S. Department of Energy announced grants to 14 research teams around the country, with the goal of developing cleaner, cheaper, and more reliable alternative energy sources based on water power. Three of the contracts will be based in Washington and Oregon, which have traditionally been … Continue reading “Pacific Northwest Researchers Win Funding from U.S. Department of Energy for Three Water-Power Projects”
Daily TIPs: Spin Detector, Science Advice, Designer Pigs, & More
National Academy Advises Candidates on Science The National Academy of Sciences has issued a report advising the presidential candidates on how to deal with science-related issues. According to Ars Technica, the NAS says that most major issues for government, including climate, healthcare, and intelligence gathering, have some science and technology components. The group is calling … Continue reading “Daily TIPs: Spin Detector, Science Advice, Designer Pigs, & More”
Vertex Raises $191 Million in Stock Offering
Vertex Pharmaceuticals, the Cambridge, MA-based developer of telaprevir for hepatitis C, raised $191.3 million from the sale of 7.5 million shares at $25.50 apiece, the company said. Goldman Sachs & Co. is serving as the sole book runner for the offering, and it has an option to buy another 1.1 million shares at the same … Continue reading “Vertex Raises $191 Million in Stock Offering”
Sirtris’ Westphal Enjoying Life Under GSK Ownership; Hints at Positive Human Data on Next-Gen Drugs to Extend Healthy Life (and Still Partying on Fridays)
Sirtris is now part of pharmaceutical behemoth GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:[[ticker:GSK]]), but the British giant has allowed its acquisition a unique dose of autonomy since it bought the small, Cambridge, MA-based biotech in June for $720 million. For those who still haven’t heard, Sirtris is known around the world for the dazzling potential of its drugs to … Continue reading “Sirtris’ Westphal Enjoying Life Under GSK Ownership; Hints at Positive Human Data on Next-Gen Drugs to Extend Healthy Life (and Still Partying on Fridays)”
Seattle Tech Investors Urge Caution in the Face of Market Meltdown, “Unprecedented Times”
It’s what everyone’s talking about. Whether you’re an investor, a private equity firm, or a startup trying to find your way, the financial crisis on Wall Street is hitting home. But beyond the large-scale layoffs and reorganizations, what will be the true impact in innovation circles? I spoke this week with a few investors in … Continue reading “Seattle Tech Investors Urge Caution in the Face of Market Meltdown, “Unprecedented Times””
Back into the Cauldron: Patent Suit Renews Bitter Dispute Between Gasification Rivals Quantum Catalytics and Ze-gen
Boston clean-energy startup Ze-gen is building a pilot plant where waste materials are vaporized in a giant vat of molten iron, producing “syngas” that can then be burned to make electricity. When a federal judge in Texas dismissed a patent-infringement lawsuit against the company last month, Ze-gen had cause to hope that its recent legal … Continue reading “Back into the Cauldron: Patent Suit Renews Bitter Dispute Between Gasification Rivals Quantum Catalytics and Ze-gen”
Alder Sets Stage for Showdown With Roche, With “Fast Follower” Antibody Drug Strategy
Alder Biopharmaceuticals will find out next year whether it has what it takes to beat Roche, one of the world’s pharmaceutical giants. Alder, the Bothell, WA biotech company, is beginning a well-controlled clinical trial this month that will give it a clear sense of whether it has a drug for rheumatoid arthritis that is better … Continue reading “Alder Sets Stage for Showdown With Roche, With “Fast Follower” Antibody Drug Strategy”
Pulmatrix, Emerging From Stealth Mode, Makes Aerosols to Kill Flu and Bacterial Bugs in the Lungs
If a global flu pandemic strikes, public health officials might someday turn to a company emerging from stealth mode called Pulmatrix. The Lexington, MA-based biotech firm is gearing up for its next steps, hoping to show in clinical trials that its inhalable aerosols can prevent any number of viral and bacterial invaders from making people … Continue reading “Pulmatrix, Emerging From Stealth Mode, Makes Aerosols to Kill Flu and Bacterial Bugs in the Lungs”
Hollywood Interactive Group Inc. Lands $5,000,000 Series A Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=73a2ccf0-27c7-4c24-81c9-2c93f8c63fca&Preview=1 Date 9/18/2008 Company Name Hollywood Interactive Group Inc. Mailing Address Undisclosed Hollywood, CA 90020 Company Description MyHollywood.com is a women’s web destination for celebrity and entertainment news, casual games, fashion and community. Website http://www.MyHollywood.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $5,000,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes This funding will be … Continue reading “Hollywood Interactive Group Inc. Lands $5,000,000 Series A Funding Round”
Soteira, Inc. Secures $12,000,000 Series B Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9442772b-9bc7-4cea-a372-54f52c7c46dd&Preview=1 Date 9/18/2008 Company Name Soteira, Inc. Mailing Address 14 Tech Circle Natick, MA 01760 Company Description Soteira, Inc. is developing a system for treatment of vertebral compression fractures in patients with osteoporosis, cancer or traumatic injuries. Soteira’s design provides a superior biomechanical structure and better control of cement flow than other … Continue reading “Soteira, Inc. Secures $12,000,000 Series B Financing”
NanoH20 Garners $15,050,000 Series B Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=fdf1ff83-7ac5-4bd2-9b61-3d0615a65e44&Preview=1 Date 9/18/2008 Company Name NanoH20 Mailing Address Undisclosed Santa Monica, CA 90044 Company Description PharmaTropic is dedicated in the pursuit of your health and quality of life. All of our products have been researched, designed and tested using the highest quality materials as well as the latest technologies available today in … Continue reading “NanoH20 Garners $15,050,000 Series B Funding”
Hollywood Interactive Group Inc. Receives $5,000,000 Series A Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=73a2ccf0-27c7-4c24-81c9-2c93f8c63fca&Preview=1 Date 9/18/2008 Company Name Hollywood Interactive Group Inc. Mailing Address Undisclosed Hollywood, CA 90020 Company Description MyHollywood.com is a women’s web destination for celebrity and entertainment news, casual games, fashion and community. Website http://www.MyHollywood.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $5,000,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes This funding will be … Continue reading “Hollywood Interactive Group Inc. Receives $5,000,000 Series A Round”
NanoH20 Secures $15,050,000 Series B Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=fdf1ff83-7ac5-4bd2-9b61-3d0615a65e44&Preview=1 Date 9/18/2008 Company Name NanoH20 Mailing Address Undisclosed Santa Monica, CA 90044 Company Description PharmaTropic is dedicated in the pursuit of your health and quality of life. All of our products have been researched, designed and tested using the highest quality materials as well as the latest technologies available today in … Continue reading “NanoH20 Secures $15,050,000 Series B Round”
Vertex To Sell 7 Million Shares of Stock
Vertex Pharmaceuticals, the developer of telaprevir for hepatitis C, said today it is planning to sell 7 million new shares of stock. Goldman, Sachs & Co. is serving as the sole book-runner for the offering. Cambridge, MA-based Vertex (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VRTX]]) closed at $26.57 yesterday, down 5.6 percent on the day. The company had $832 million … Continue reading “Vertex To Sell 7 Million Shares of Stock”
Boston VCs: Counting the Billions of Dollars Raised
This is a revised version of an essay that Microsoft’s Don Dodge published today in his personal blog and contributed simultaneously to Xconomy. Commonwealth Capital Ventures held their annual open house this week at their Winter Street offices on “VC Hill” in Waltham. VC Hill is to Boston/Waltham what Sand Hill Road is to Silicon … Continue reading “Boston VCs: Counting the Billions of Dollars Raised”
Bill Gates, Arch Venture Back Biofuel Maker Sapphire Energy
Algae-based biofuel is getting pretty big—at least as an investment. Today, the Wall Street Journal reports that San Diego-based Sapphire Energy has closed a round of venture financing from Bill Gates’s investment arm, Kirkland, WA-based Cascade Investment. Sapphire Energy, which is working on oil-producing algae, has now raised a total of $100 million, and is … Continue reading “Bill Gates, Arch Venture Back Biofuel Maker Sapphire Energy”
Health 2.0 Northeast: What’s Next?
Entrepreneurs, investors, technologists, health care professionals, insurers and otherswill gather at Health 2.0 Northeast to discuss the current state and future of the industry. Registration is $25 now, $35 at the event. More information at the event web site.
4th Conference on Clean Energy (CCE)
At the Conference on Clean Energy — theme: “The Pathway to Greenovation” — more than 20 innovative clean energy companies will get to strut their stuff for potential investors. Add in panels of successful CEOs, Seed, VC and Project Finance panels, and an Exhibit Hall featuring clean energy businesses, and you’ve got one energetic energy … Continue reading “4th Conference on Clean Energy (CCE)”
Daily TIPs: Porn Decline, Powdered Gas, Open Arms, & More
The Internet is For…Facebook? More people are using the Internet for social networking than are surfing for porn, says the author of a new book that analyzes the type of Web searches users are doing. Porn, which accounted for 20 percent of searches a decade ago, has dropped to 10 percent, says Bill Trancer, author … Continue reading “Daily TIPs: Porn Decline, Powdered Gas, Open Arms, & More”
iLike Launches Music Platform for Developers
Seattle-based iLike has announced it has launched a platform to allow website and application developers to add playlists and other interactive music services. Best known for its music application on Facebook and other social sites, iLike has signed up some big partners like Google and Evite for the new launch.
GenBand Buys NextPoint
Billerica, MA-based NextPoint Networks, the telecommunications equipment maker just formed last December from the merger of Billerica’s Reef Point Systems and Gaithersburg, MD-based NexTone Communications, has been acquired by Plano, TX-based GenBand, the company announced yesterday. GenBand, which is paying an undisclosed sum for NextPoint, makes devices called session border controllers (SBCs) that are used … Continue reading “GenBand Buys NextPoint”
Kiva Robots Deliver Diapers
It may still be a while before robots can actually change diapers, but at least they can help move them around inside warehouses. That’s the word today from Kiva Systems, the Woburn, MA-based maker of “automated fulfillment systems”—i.e. fleets of squat orange robots designed to move shelves to human order pickers, rather than forcing workers … Continue reading “Kiva Robots Deliver Diapers”
Bain Pours $7M Into Rapid7’s Security Software
Watching the financial markets during a week like this one might make putting your money into “vulnerability management” technology sound pretty attractive. At least that seems to be the thinking at a few local investment firms. Yesterday, we reported that Greylock Partners and Commonweath Capital Ventures have provided $7.5 million in expansion capital for Waltham, … Continue reading “Bain Pours $7M Into Rapid7’s Security Software”
Bessemer Leads $30M Recharge for PowerGenix
Bessemer Venture Partners, which has offices in Wellesley Hills, MA, is the leader in a $30 million Series D financing round announced today for PowerGenix. The San Diego company makes rechargeable nickel-zinc batteries, which are lighter, smaller, and less toxic than batteries using competing chemistries, such as lithium ion and nickel-metal-hydride. Existing investors Advent International, … Continue reading “Bessemer Leads $30M Recharge for PowerGenix”
Todd Dagres on the Media Trends Taking Spark Capital Way Beyond Boston
Boston venture firm Spark Capital launched three years ago with a relatively small $260 million fund mainly targeting early-stage investments at the “conflux of the media, entertainment, and technology industries.” Small funds typically focus on a given geographical region, in addition to their specialty areas. But on Monday, when Spark announced the hiring of former … Continue reading “Todd Dagres on the Media Trends Taking Spark Capital Way Beyond Boston”
Bay Area Is Like Hollywood for Startups, Says Seattle Entrepreneur Who Moved to San Francisco
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been exploring the relationship between tech startups in Seattle and investors in the San Francisco Bay Area. We ran a story about what Seattle entrepreneurs can do to attract more attention from Bay Area VCs, and then a follow-up about whether there might be a brain drain of … Continue reading “Bay Area Is Like Hollywood for Startups, Says Seattle Entrepreneur Who Moved to San Francisco”
Millennium Enjoying New Era, Novartis Boosting Vaccine Effort, Living Proof Offering Frizz Fighters Online, & More Life Sciences News
This week it was insanely humid in the Boston area, so we were relieved to learn that Living Proof had begun selling its frizz-fighting hair products online. That, and the rest of the week’s (perhaps more weighty) life sciences news, below. —Luke caught up with Millennium Pharmaceuticals CEO Deborah Dunsire four months after her Cambridge, … Continue reading “Millennium Enjoying New Era, Novartis Boosting Vaccine Effort, Living Proof Offering Frizz Fighters Online, & More Life Sciences News”
Taking Charge of Tech Transfer at the “Hutch”: Q&A With Ulrich Mueller
Linden Rhoads of the University of Washington isn’t the only person in town trying to push a powerhouse research institution to become a hotbed for startups. Ulrich Mueller joined the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle almost a year ago to be its vice president for industry relations and technology transfer. His mission: Forge … Continue reading “Taking Charge of Tech Transfer at the “Hutch”: Q&A With Ulrich Mueller”
IBM Opens Social Software Research Center in Cambridge
The personal and professional connections that people make over computer networks can be at least as important to business as the actual work they do using those networks. To capitalize on that fact, IBM is setting up a new Center for Social Software in Cambridge, MA, where researchers and product developers from inside and outside … Continue reading “IBM Opens Social Software Research Center in Cambridge”
Rapid7 Secures $7,000,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b3e26e28-bc12-43a4-a810-5152d655df39&Preview=1 Date 9/17/2008 Company Name Rapid7 Mailing Address 545 Boylston Street Boston, ME 02116 Company Description Rapid7 is the leading provider of NeXpose Unified Vulnerability Management (UVM) Solutions. Website http://www.rapid7.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $7,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Rapid7 will use the funds to broaden global sales channels, … Continue reading “Rapid7 Secures $7,000,000 New Financing”
PowerGenix Corporation Obtains $30,000,000 Series D Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=98e17e55-4435-445d-9dcd-f368c60a505b&Preview=1 Date 9/17/2008 Company Name PowerGenix Corporation Mailing Address 10109 Carroll Canyon Road San Diego, CA 92131-1109 Company Description PowerGenix has developed and patented a high-energy density, high-cycle life and low-cost nickel-zinc (NiZn) battery that is specifically designed to utilize existing nickel-cadmium (NiCd) manufacturing processes, techniques and equipment, thereby significantly reducing time-to-market, … Continue reading “PowerGenix Corporation Obtains $30,000,000 Series D Funding Round”
UpTake Receives $10,000,000 Series B Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2ed9f594-f8f6-4ad8-89fe-44035c00541b&Preview=1 Date 9/17/2008 Company Name UpTake Mailing Address 654 High Street Palo Alto, CA 94301 Company Description Our mission is to help you make the best possible travel decisions based on your unique preferences. We are your first step when you are searching for where to go on your family vacation, a … Continue reading “UpTake Receives $10,000,000 Series B Funding Round”
RPX Corporation Receives New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=887f6d75-6e30-48b0-a6c9-70bacfe17167&Preview=1 Date 9/17/2008 Company Name RPX Corporation Mailing Address 3 Embarcadero Center San Francisco, CA 94111 Company Description RPX Corporation is a patent acquisition services company for technology and e-commerce company’s Intellectual Property and Litigation Counsels and CFOs who want to reduce their patent assertion and litigation costs and risks. Website http://www.rpxcorp.com … Continue reading “RPX Corporation Receives New Financing Round”