Skyhook’s MyLoki Bypasses GPS, Makes Location Part of Your Online Persona

For a long time, it looked like the real flowering of location-based services and geo-aware computing would have to wait until more people owned phones with Global Positioning System (GPS) chips inside. And frustratingly for fans of location technology, U.S. manufacturers and cellular carriers have been very slow to a) bring out such phones in … Continue reading “Skyhook’s MyLoki Bypasses GPS, Makes Location Part of Your Online Persona”

EyeGate Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Garners $15,000,000 Series C Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1aa82887-8d38-4777-8df7-63de12c45cb2&Preview=1 Date 3/12/2008 Company Name EyeGate Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Mailing Address 100 Beaver Street Waltham, MA 02453 Company Description EyeGate Pharma is focused on replacing ocular injections and other invasive methods of ocular disease treatment. Our goal is to build a pipeline of safer, more effective and patient friendly ocular treatments based on … Continue reading “EyeGate Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Garners $15,000,000 Series C Funding”

2K Boston Loses Bioshock Franchise

New York-based Take-Two Interactive (NASDAQ: [[ticker:TTWO]]), in an analyst call following the release of its first-quarter results Monday, said that Bioshock 2, the sequel to its blockbuster 2007 video game Bioshock, will not be developed at Take-Two’s Boston outpost, 2K Boston, as the original was. That job will instead go to newly-created 2K Marin in … Continue reading “2K Boston Loses Bioshock Franchise”

BBN Wins $13 Million More for Translation Research

Back in December, Cambridge, MA-based BBN picked up $5.67 million from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to develop mobile-device software that will translate printed foreign-language documents into English. Now the company’s general R&D efforts on automated language translation are getting another boost from DARPA. BBN has won a $13 million grant through DARPA’s … Continue reading “BBN Wins $13 Million More for Translation Research”

Invoke Raises $7 Million to Expand Web-based Market Research Platform

When was the last time you had a spare 45 minutes to sit through a telephone survey or to take part in a focus group? Finding willing participants for traditional market research studies is getting increasingly difficult, but Invoke Solutions of Waltham, MA, gets around the problem by shifting market research to the platforms where … Continue reading “Invoke Raises $7 Million to Expand Web-based Market Research Platform”

A Guide to New England Angel Groups—The List

Angel capital groups have become a vital part of the New England innovation ecosystem, investing millions each year in promising startups in fields from energy to Web 2.0 to life sciences to non-technology related areas. For an overview of what makes local groups different from their national counterparts—what they invest in, how much they invest, … Continue reading “A Guide to New England Angel Groups—The List”

A Guide to New England Angel Groups

Angel investment, as we angel-backed folks at Xconomy know firsthand, is the lifeblood of many a startup company. Angels often finance promising companies and ideas that are too small or too early in their development to attract the interest of venture firms. These seed and early-stage investments—typically of under $1 million each—help fill a vital … Continue reading “A Guide to New England Angel Groups”

Early-Stage Life Sciences Technology Conference

This conference, produced by the Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center in association with the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, provides a forum and showcase for life sciences technologies developed at the state’s universities, hospitals, and other research institutions—as well as for recently formed Massachusetts companies.

Sumitomo Ups Axcelis Offer

After rejecting an unsolicited $5.20 per share takeover offer from Sumitomo Heavy Industries (and getting sued by shareholders for failing to negotiate with the Japanese firm), semiconductor manufacturer Axcelis (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ACLS]]) of Beverly, MA, has a new offer to consider. Sumitomo announced yesterday that it has upped its bid to $6.00 per share, valuing Axcelis … Continue reading “Sumitomo Ups Axcelis Offer”

Conceived as a Telecom Company, OmniGuide is Now Bringing Laser Scalpels into Endoscopic Surgery

Yoel Fink started off our phone call by apologizing for being late. He’d been tied up, he said, talking to potential investors as he worked on a Series E round of funding for OmniGuide, a medical device company in Cambridge that grew out of his materials science lab at MIT. The company’s raised close to … Continue reading “Conceived as a Telecom Company, OmniGuide is Now Bringing Laser Scalpels into Endoscopic Surgery”

Invoke Solutions, Inc. Garners $7,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d9ff24ac-1c30-4fc9-95bd-5e90e49eb1ad&Preview=1 Date 3/11/2008 Company Name Invoke Solutions, Inc. Mailing Address 375 Totten Pond Road Waltham, MA 02451 Company Description Invoke Solutions has developed a revolutionary mass interaction technology that radically improves the way organizations understand and respond to their key constituencies. The Invoke software platform is driving transformation from traditional researching methods … Continue reading “Invoke Solutions, Inc. Garners $7,000,000 New Financing”

GridNetworks Secures Series A Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d368c2e1-7f9e-4a51-9bde-7a45ea4791e1&Preview=1 Date 3/11/2008 Company Name GridNetworks Mailing Address 71 Columbia Street Seattle, WA 98104 Company Description GridNetworks, a Seattle company, is run by a seasoned team of Internet veterans. We offer GridCasting service – which can stream full screen, HD-Quality Internet Television to the desktop or living room, while providing economics that … Continue reading “GridNetworks Secures Series A Financing Round”

Pulse Health, LLC Lands $2,150,000 Series A Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f73d1751-d205-404c-8529-b57f63063ef4&Preview=1 Date 3/11/2008 Company Name Pulse Health, LLC Mailing Address 411 NW Flanders St Portland, OR 97209 Company Description Pulse Health is the leader in helping consumers measure their health status through Exhaled Breath Condensate (EBC) technology. Pulse’s initial product is the first consumer-based testing device and lifestyle program that instantly provides … Continue reading “Pulse Health, LLC Lands $2,150,000 Series A Funding”

Thermo Fisher Simplifies RNAi Delivery

Research into the use of RNA interference (RNAi) to “silence” gene activity is picking up steam (see our story two weeks ago about Alnylam’s RNAi-based treatment for RSV), but it’s still very difficult just to get RNAi agents inside cells, where they can actually do their jobs. Today Waltham, MA-based Thermo Fisher Scientific unveiled a … Continue reading “Thermo Fisher Simplifies RNAi Delivery”

Curis, Alkermes Down on News of Failed Pharma Partnerships

Shares of two Boston-area biotechs are down today after separately losing large agreements with pharmaceutical partners. Curis (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CRIS]]) is looking for a new partner, the Cambridge, MA-based drug developer announced today, after the pharmaceutical giant Wyeth put an end to a four-year-old collaboration between the companies focused on treatments for stroke and cardiovascular disease. … Continue reading “Curis, Alkermes Down on News of Failed Pharma Partnerships”

Mobile Monday Boston—The iPhone SDK Party

Mobile Monday Boston is planning a bash at the Apple Store at the Cambridgeside Galleria celebrating the just-released software development kit for the iPhone. Jonathan Zdziarski, leading iPhone app developer and author of the in-progress O’Reilly Media volume iPhone Open Application Development, will give a keynote presentation, which will be followed by demos of iPhone … Continue reading “Mobile Monday Boston—The iPhone SDK Party”

Lightower Fiber Buying Up East Coast Fiber Networks

Just last week we told you that Lightower (the former National Grid Wireless) is splitting into two businesses, Lightower Wireless and Lightower Fiber. Turns out the fiber half of the company has been even busier than we thought. In an announcement late last week, Lightower Fiber said it’s acquiring Newburgh, NY-based DataNet Communications, which owns … Continue reading “Lightower Fiber Buying Up East Coast Fiber Networks”

EMC Spurned in Bid for Disk Drive Maker Iomega

San Diego-based Iomega (NYSE:[[ticker:IOM]]), a maker of storage drives and disks for consumers and small and medium-sized businesses, has rejected an unsolicited offer from EMC to buy the firm for roughly $180 million, the California company announced this morning. Iomega’s board of directors met Sunday to consider the offer and determined it undervalued the firm, … Continue reading “EMC Spurned in Bid for Disk Drive Maker Iomega”

Baseball, Steroids, and Patent Reform

If you have been following the news in the last month or so, you’ve probably watched in amazement as Congress tackles one of our country’s most pressing issues. I’m not talking about the war in Iraq or the failing economy or even high energy costs. I’m talking about steroids in baseball—a blight on our national … Continue reading “Baseball, Steroids, and Patent Reform”

A123Systems, GE, and Norwegian Carmaker Join Forces, TNS Commits to Compete, Bottomline Buys Optio, & More

Last week was a little on the quiet side, deals-wise. Here’s what we’ve got: —Online community management firm Mzinga of Burlington, MA, raised $32.5 million in new venture financing and acquired Littleton, MA-based Prospero. —Boston-based Compete, a web-traffic analysis firm, was snatched up by the U.K.’s Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) for $75 million in cash … Continue reading “A123Systems, GE, and Norwegian Carmaker Join Forces, TNS Commits to Compete, Bottomline Buys Optio, & More”

PeopleCube Says Office Scheduling Software Can Slow Global Warming

Here’s a new excuse for staying at home on a workday: You may be helping to reduce your company’s carbon footprint. Framingham, MA-based PeopleCube makes scheduling software that’s used for everything from deploying tugboats in Seattle Harbor to sending Metropolitan Life insurance agents out to meet prospects. About five years ago, according to CEO John … Continue reading “PeopleCube Says Office Scheduling Software Can Slow Global Warming”

TeachStreet, Inc. Lands $2,250,000 Series A Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=77b85c65-3c02-41e7-aee4-9f2073ff642a&Preview=1 Date 3/10/2008 Company Name TeachStreet, Inc. Mailing Address 2101 9th Avenue Seattle, WA 98121 Company Description Our goal is to encourage life-long learning by connecting inquiring minds with inspiring instructors via an insanely easy-to-use website. We’re creating an effortless way for curious folks to find great local instructors (whether they want … Continue reading “TeachStreet, Inc. Lands $2,250,000 Series A Funding”

Challenge to Boston Mobile Developers: Show Us Your iPhone Apps

The iPhone is about to morph into something much more important than a phone or an iPod. And because the next chapter in the device’s history will be all about new software applications created by developers outside Apple, there’s no reason why Boston-area programmers and entrepreneurs shouldn’t be leading characters in the story. We at … Continue reading “Challenge to Boston Mobile Developers: Show Us Your iPhone Apps”

Allegro Diagnostics Raises $4 Million in Series A; Funding Will Support Trials of Lung Cancer Test

A company developing a method for detecting lung cancer earlier, when it’s more treatable, has closed a Series A financing round of $4 million. Allegro Diagnostics, of Boston, raised the money from Kodiak Venture Partners, Catalyst Health Ventures, and Boston University, where the technology was developed. The money will go toward a second clinical study … Continue reading “Allegro Diagnostics Raises $4 Million in Series A; Funding Will Support Trials of Lung Cancer Test”

I-Therapeutix Sees $6 Million Series B Round

I-Therapeutix is a Waltham, MA-based startup commercializing a hydrogel, or water-based polymer, as a temporary sealant for eye wounds left by cataract surgery. CEO Amir Sawhney told Mass High Tech in January that the company expected to close a $6 million Series B funding round soon, led by Versant Ventures of California and SV Life … Continue reading “I-Therapeutix Sees $6 Million Series B Round”

NoblePeak Collects $12 Million for Night Vision System That Exploits “Nightglow”

A Wakefield, MA, company that’s developed a new type of night-vision chip hopes to break into the security and surveillance market with a higher resolution camera that can see further into the infrared spectrum than current systems—and do it for only a fraction of the price. NoblePeak Vision makes a camera sensor than can see … Continue reading “NoblePeak Collects $12 Million for Night Vision System That Exploits “Nightglow””

Delays In Software Patch Pushed Security Firm to Disclose VMware Flaw

VMware’s five-month delay in issuing a fix for a security hole that could leave three of its workstation virtualization programs vulnerable to takeover by hackers—and its elusiveness about announcing a patch date—prompted a Boston-based security firm to break with its usual practice last week and publicly disclose the problem. Iván Arce, CTO of Core Security, … Continue reading “Delays In Software Patch Pushed Security Firm to Disclose VMware Flaw”

I-Therapeutix, Inc. Receives $6,000,000 Series B Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=89ce10be-d0df-483d-8955-785aa1cb5312&Preview=1 Date 3/7/2008 Company Name I-Therapeutix, Inc. Mailing Address 204 Second Avenue Waltham, MA 02451 Company Description I-Therapeutix™, Inc. is a privately held medical device company that is currently engaged in development of in situ formed hydrogel therapeutic products specifically for ophthalmology. I-Therapeutix, Inc.’s first product, I-Zip™ is expected to be the … Continue reading “I-Therapeutix, Inc. Receives $6,000,000 Series B Financing Round”

Allegro Diagnostics, Inc. Obtains $4,000,000 Series A Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0a34e6e2-0f6d-4ad1-bbe8-7b7bc3291387&Preview=1 Date 3/7/2008 Company Name Allegro Diagnostics, Inc. Mailing Address 650 Albany Street Boston, MA 02118 Company Description Allegro Diagnostics is a leader in the field of gene expression molecular diagnostic testing for lung cancer and other diseases. Website http://www.allegrodx.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $4,000,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds … Continue reading “Allegro Diagnostics, Inc. Obtains $4,000,000 Series A Financing”

Business Development Boston Conference—SOLD OUT

The Business Development Boston Conference, a forum and networking opportunity for pharmaceutical and biotech business development leaders, is returning for its second year. The powerhouse list of hosts includes top executives of RA Capital, Genzyme, Endo Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer, Hoffmann-La Roche, GlaxoSmithKline, Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Vertex, Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, and Biogen Idec. Individual panels are dedicated to Pharma, … Continue reading “Business Development Boston Conference—SOLD OUT”

A123 Thinks Big about Electric Cars from Norway

Local battery powerhouse A123Systems is delving further into the automotive market, thanks to a three-way deal involving itself, Norwegian electric car company Think, and General Electric. A123 has signed a deal to put its lithium-ion rechargeable batteries into Think’s vehicles. Think is making an electric car, the City, that has a top speed of 60 … Continue reading “A123 Thinks Big about Electric Cars from Norway”

Exact’s Colon Cancer Test Included in Medical Organization Recommendations

Exact Sciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EXAS]]) got some long-awaited good news yesterday afternoon when the American Cancer Society unveiled new colorectal cancer screening guidelines that recommend, among other things, the use of the Marlborough, MA firm’s noninvasive DNA-based test for the disease. Developed by the ACS in conjunction with the American College of Radiology and the U.S. … Continue reading “Exact’s Colon Cancer Test Included in Medical Organization Recommendations”

Curt Schilling on 38 Studios, Massive Multi-Player Games, and McCain for President

Curt Schilling’s known for a few things around these parts—and the country: bloody socks, great pitching, conservative politics, and a love of video gaming, as evidenced by his founding of Maynard, MA-based 38 Studios (named after his uniform number). Wade wrote a nice profile of 38 Studios and its new game-creation contest a couple months … Continue reading “Curt Schilling on 38 Studios, Massive Multi-Player Games, and McCain for President”

The Greater Boston Internet Video Cluster

Boston may take a back seat to Los Angeles and New York as a locus for TV, film, and video production, but it’s front and center when it comes to the array of technologies that go into publishing and monetizing video content on the Internet. Not so long ago, video lovers were pretty much limited … Continue reading “The Greater Boston Internet Video Cluster”

Coveo Solutions Inc. Lands $2,500,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=85089d4b-ff0e-475c-b28f-c515e7edc3f2&Preview=1 Date 3/6/2008 Company Name Coveo Solutions Inc. Mailing Address 120 Hawthorne Avenue Palo Alto, MA 94301 Company Description Coveo develops award winning enterprise secure search engine applications that deliver secure, accurate access to structured and unstructured information across the enterprise. Website http://www.coveo.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $2,500,000 Transaction Round … Continue reading “Coveo Solutions Inc. Lands $2,500,000 New Funding Round”

TriHealix, Inc. Receives $7,000,000 Series C Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=edd1363c-ddb0-4a95-bb11-dbf058583cbe&Preview=1 Date 3/6/2008 Company Name TriHealix, Inc. Mailing Address 15 Oakwood Avenue, 2nd Floor Norwalk, CT 06850 Company Description TriHealix provides an integrated healthcare and financial transaction platform designed to administer complex health insurance products and streamline the settlement process between payors and providers, including dental, medical, pharmacy, and vision practitioners. The … Continue reading “TriHealix, Inc. Receives $7,000,000 Series C Funding”

OurStage: A New Opening Act for AOL Music

At Boston-based music website OurStage, independent bands can upload music and videos and compete for a monthly grand prize of $5,000, with site members voting for the winners. But perhaps just as valuable as the monthly prize is the pure exposure bands can get through the judging process, as well as the site’s non-monetary prizes, … Continue reading “OurStage: A New Opening Act for AOL Music”

Luminus Strikes Another Distribution Deal

Luminus Devices of Billerica, MA, has struck another deal for the distribution of its “PhlatLight” super-bright LED technology, the company announced today. Under the agreement, Toyota Tsusho America, will distribute and support television and projector PhlatLight products in China, Taiwan, Korea, and Mexico. A separate agreement inked last week will facilitate the distribution of PhlatLight … Continue reading “Luminus Strikes Another Distribution Deal”

.406 Ventures Caps First Fund at $167 Million; Focused on Massachusetts IT Firms

Dan Primack of Private Equity Hub is reporting today that .406 Ventures, the Boston-based early stage venture capital firm founded in 2005 by local entrepreneurs Maria Cirino, Larry Begley, and Liam Donohue, has finished raising its first investment fund. The firm gathered $167 million altogether, mostly from institutional investors such as Parish Capital. Primack (one … Continue reading “.406 Ventures Caps First Fund at $167 Million; Focused on Massachusetts IT Firms”

Biogen’s Busy Week, Alnylam’s Big Announcement, Targanta’s and Momenta’s Growing Executive Ranks, & More Life Sciences News

Regular readers of Xconomy will have noticed that for a while now we’ve been doing (almost) regular roundups of the previous week’s news, focusing on financings, M&A, and other deals. But Boston being such a key hub for life sciences, we thought a separate, bio-centric roundup was in order. So welcome to Life Sciences Wednesday. … Continue reading “Biogen’s Busy Week, Alnylam’s Big Announcement, Targanta’s and Momenta’s Growing Executive Ranks, & More Life Sciences News”

Invention Machine and the Case of the Boxed-Up Box Spring

If you’ve ever tried to wrestle a box spring up a stairway or down a narrow hall into your bedroom, then you can imagine how comically awkward and expensive it would be to ship one via UPS or FedEx. Which explains why box springs (otherwise known as mattress foundations) aren’t exactly big sellers on e-commerce … Continue reading “Invention Machine and the Case of the Boxed-Up Box Spring”

New $7 Million Funding Round Will Help EveryScape Add Scope to Its Scape

The number-one customer complaint coming into Waltham, MA-based EveryScape, says CEO Jim Schoonmaker, is “Give us more.” So far, EveryScape’s Web-based collection of pannable street-level photographs is limited to Boston and environs, New York, Miami, Laguna Beach, and four Colorado ski resorts—Aspen, Breckenridge, Snowmass Village, and Steamboat Springs. (Oh, there’s also Beijing, China—which is a … Continue reading “New $7 Million Funding Round Will Help EveryScape Add Scope to Its Scape”

NoblePeak Vision Corporation Obtains $12,000,000 Series B Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=83f9ba43-6901-4bd4-a70f-1843f934f065&Preview=1 Date 3/5/2008 Company Name NoblePeak Vision Corporation Mailing Address 500 Edgewater Drive Wakefield, MA 01880 Company Description NoblePeak Vision provides imaging products that are sensitive over the visible to short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectrum and which enable breakthrough night vision performance with applications in the commercial security, transportation, and defense markets. At … Continue reading “NoblePeak Vision Corporation Obtains $12,000,000 Series B Financing Round”

A123Systems Receives $20,000,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3cef2f11-4258-4829-88f6-26c083dae52c&Preview=1 Date 3/5/2008 Company Name A123Systems Mailing Address 321 Arsenal Street Watertown, MA 02472 Company Description A123Systems is the developer of a new generation of Lithium-ion batteries that deliver previously unattainable power levels, safety and life to a wide range of applications. Website http://www.a123systems.com/ Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $20,000,000 Transaction … Continue reading “A123Systems Receives $20,000,000 New Financing Round”

Eastman Kodak Company Acquires Design2Launch, Inc. for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=83d53b0a-db4d-4c57-b5d1-ba1703ad8169&Preview=1 Date 3/5/2008 Company Name Design2Launch, Inc. Mailing Address One Dock Street Stamford, CT 06902 Company Description Design2Launch (“D2L”) is a pioneer in Graphics Lifecycle Management providing an end-to-end digital workflow solution to marketing and creative teams in the Pharmaceutical, Food & Beverage, Automotive and Consumer Package marketplaces. Website http://www.design2launch.com Transaction Type … Continue reading “Eastman Kodak Company Acquires Design2Launch, Inc. for Undisclosed Sum”

An Insider’s View of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Industry

The Cambridge Chamber of Commerce High Tech and Science Committee has organized an interactive discussion with Jon Mahoney, the industry director for life sciences, for the state Office of Business Development. Join Mahoney as he chats with Xconomy founder Bob Buderi about Governor Deval Patrick’s $1 billion life sciences initiative and the general state of … Continue reading “An Insider’s View of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Industry”

Much to Chat About—From the $1B Life Sciences Bill to Homeland Security

Tomorrow is turning out to be an unofficial get-to-know-your government day here in Cambridge. Two top officials (one state, one federal) will be in town for a pair of events addressing two core issues affecting the innovation community and beyond: Governor Deval Patrick’s $1 billion life sciences initiative, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s … Continue reading “Much to Chat About—From the $1B Life Sciences Bill to Homeland Security”

Lightower Splits Fiber from Wireless

Last year Boxborough, MA-based National Grid Wireless changed its name to Lightower, reflecting the company’s purchase by M/C Venture Partners and Wachovia Capital Partners. Now it’s going through another transition, splitting its wireless-infrastructure and digital-fiber-optics businesses into two separate entities, Lightower Wireless and Lightower Fiber. Lightower said in an announcement today that demand for its … Continue reading “Lightower Splits Fiber from Wireless”