Sermo Strikes Back: A Physicians’ Online Community Lashes Out Against Bloggers Who Publicize Security Gap

When I saw over the weekend that two different blogs had posted on the apparent ease of hacking into Sermo, the password-protected social network for physicians, my first thought was: “Those docs are going to be pissed.” Sermo, after all, promises physicians a secure, closed environment where they can consult with their peers, and if … Continue reading “Sermo Strikes Back: A Physicians’ Online Community Lashes Out Against Bloggers Who Publicize Security Gap”

Finding That Nuclear Needle in a Vast Cargo Haystack

The next time you are waiting for your luggage at the airport baggage carousel and marveling at the security challenge posed by those hundreds of bags, consider this: somewhere between 9 and 11 million cargo containers come into the United States through its 361 seaports annually, according to the Department of Homeland Security. That’s roughly … Continue reading “Finding That Nuclear Needle in a Vast Cargo Haystack”

From Patriots Football to Film Preferences: Kraft Group Spinout Matchmine Launches “Portable Personalization” Platform

Remember when computer scientists promised back in the 1990s that we’d all have artificially intelligent “personal agents” running cyberspace errands for us, booking travel, filtering the news, and finding things we like? A new widget for personal computers called a “MatchKey” doesn’t quite qualify as intelligent, but it does take a new approach to the … Continue reading “From Patriots Football to Film Preferences: Kraft Group Spinout Matchmine Launches “Portable Personalization” Platform”

Getting Found in All the Right Places—Search Engine Marketing Networking Event

We didn’t have to search for this event—we got a tip from an attendee of a previous event. The SEMNE (Search Engine Marketing New England) mission is to provide networking and educational opportunities for search marketers in New England, “while having a little fun along the way.” The speaker at this get-together is Greg Jarboe, … Continue reading “Getting Found in All the Right Places—Search Engine Marketing Networking Event”

Carbonite CEO Feeling Rosy about EMC Reportedly Buying Mozy

David Friend, CEO of Boston-based online backup company Carbonite, says the rumored acquisition of rival Mozy by Hopkinton storage giant EMC (NYSE: EMC) is great news for his company, too. Both companies launched in 2005 with bankrolls of around $2 million. Both provide software that automatically encrypts and copies the information on users’ hard drives … Continue reading “Carbonite CEO Feeling Rosy about EMC Reportedly Buying Mozy”

Robotic FX Founder Admits Destroying Data But Says Some Evidence Might Have Been Planted; Hearing Will Resume Monday

Citing fear and panic, Robotic FX founder Jameel Ahed yesterday acknowledged destroying CD-ROM disks and erasing the data from a laptop computer after iRobot filed lawsuits against him and his firm alleging theft of trade secrets. At the same time, he speculated that one item found by private detectives who were observing him “was possibly … Continue reading “Robotic FX Founder Admits Destroying Data But Says Some Evidence Might Have Been Planted; Hearing Will Resume Monday”

Never Mind That IPO–Adnexus Acquired by Bristol-Myers Squibb

Just a month after filing for an $86 million IPO, and less than two months after raising $15.5 million in a Series C financing round, Adnexus Therapeutics announced yesterday that it is being acquired by Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY). Under the terms of the deal Adnexus, which develops biologic therapeutics derived from the protein fibronectin, … Continue reading “Never Mind That IPO–Adnexus Acquired by Bristol-Myers Squibb”

Judge Asks For More Information on Venue Issue in IRobot–Robotic FX Case

In an electronic order posted today, U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Gertner said more information was needed to support an argument by Robotic FX and the U.S. Attorney’s office that iRobot’s lawsuit against Robotic FX should be heard in another venue. The order gives Robotic FX until Friday to make its case for the change. … Continue reading “Judge Asks For More Information on Venue Issue in IRobot–Robotic FX Case”

EMC Reportedly Acquiring Online Backup Startup Mozy for $76 Million

As broadband Internet connectivity spreads, the data pipes into homes and small businesses are becoming wide enough to regularly send large amounts of data to the cloud of servers on the Internet, making online data backup a real business. The niche has attracted a growing list of startups—with the usual selection of funny names, such … Continue reading “EMC Reportedly Acquiring Online Backup Startup Mozy for $76 Million”

Consumers Asked to Lend “$100 Laptop” Initiative A Hand

With early orders, principally from governments in developing nations, for its lime-green, crank-powered, and low-cost XO laptop computer running short of what’s needed to trigger mass production, the One Laptop Per Child project is today kicking off two initiatives that will allow paying consumers to purchase machines for the benefit of children in its target … Continue reading “Consumers Asked to Lend “$100 Laptop” Initiative A Hand”

The PRIZE is Right

Hello World, come on down… You’re the next contestant on the PRIZE is Right. That’s right, play the game, solve the challenge…and we ALL win. Competitions and prizes are nothing new, but the era of high-profile, world-changing contests is upon us. History has seen its share of successful prizes, such as the 20,000 pound, British … Continue reading “The PRIZE is Right”

Alnylam and Merck Go Their Separate Ways, TransMedics Files to Go Public, ZipCar Reservation System Ready to Go Anywhere, and More

Another week, another giant inbox full of news. Here are the highlights. —Not long after closing one of New England’s 10 biggest second-quarter venture deals, Andover-based TransMedics filed for an IPO. The firm, which is developing a device for keeping donated organs for transplantation warm and functioning outside of the body, proposed a maximum price … Continue reading “Alnylam and Merck Go Their Separate Ways, TransMedics Files to Go Public, ZipCar Reservation System Ready to Go Anywhere, and More”

Microsoft Hires Eons CTO to Start Lab Next Door to MIT

Microsoft has hired Eons chief technology officer and local software legend Reed Sturtevant to head a new development lab and innovation group that is expected to set up shop next door to the MIT campus. “That’s true,” said Sturtevant when I asked him about the lab in a telephone conversation this evening. “It’s starting Monday … Continue reading “Microsoft Hires Eons CTO to Start Lab Next Door to MIT”

Reed Sturtevant: New Force for Microsoft in Boston is Veteran of Many Startups

If anyone can bring a startup sensibility to a software giant like Microsoft, it’s Reed Sturtevant. The MIT dropout, who left his position as CTO at over-50 social networking site Eons on Friday to spearhead a new Cambridge-based development team for Microsoft, has been CEO or CTO of at least eleven technology startups. Some of … Continue reading “Reed Sturtevant: New Force for Microsoft in Boston is Veteran of Many Startups”

Local Boys Make Good: Two Xconomists Win the Day, One Literally

Tuesday was a great day for two of our favorite Xconomists (not that we don’t love all of them), and we’ve been remiss in not giving them a shout-out sooner. First off, Boston University bioengineer Jim Collins, already tapped as a genius by the MacArthur Foundation, among other honors, won an NIH Director’s Pioneer Award. … Continue reading “Local Boys Make Good: Two Xconomists Win the Day, One Literally”

Funders Commit $100 Million More for GreatPoint’s Coal-to-Gas Technology

Not so many decades ago, natural gas was considered a nuisance—a dangerous explosive to be vented from underground pockets and flared so that miners and drillers could get at the good stuff, oil and coal. But today natural gas is seen as coal’s cleaner cousin, and one Cambridge startup, GreatPoint Energy, has spent the last … Continue reading “Funders Commit $100 Million More for GreatPoint’s Coal-to-Gas Technology”

Hearing in IRobot v. Robotic FX Continued Until Monday; Robot-Delivery Deadline Looms

A U.S. District Court hearing scheduled for yesterday in iRobot’s lawsuit against Alsip, IL-based Robotic FX was continued until Monday, a court clerk said today. In the lawsuit, filed in Massachusetts, and in a separate one filed in Alabama, Burlington, MA-based iRobot (NASDAQ: IRBT) has accused the rival firm of infringing on patents for a … Continue reading “Hearing in IRobot v. Robotic FX Continued Until Monday; Robot-Delivery Deadline Looms”

LocaModa: Outfitter for “The Web Outside”

It takes cajones to say your company is going to be “the Google of” anything, whether it’s the “the Google of personal finance” or “the Google of lunch trucks.” But that’s the phrasing used by Stephen Randall, CEO of Somerville startup LocaModa, which he says is on its way to becoming “the Google of the … Continue reading “LocaModa: Outfitter for “The Web Outside””

Azuki Systems (FKA Peermeta) Lands $6,000,000 Series A Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=76f0f52a-45da-4fa1-9c67-3a226a0e4aa1&Preview=1 Date 9/21/2007 Company Name Azuki Systems (FKA Peermeta) Mailing Address 43 Nagog Park Acton, MA 01720 Company Description Leveraging the growing proliferation of digitized content, Web 2.0 enabled services and new wireless technologies, Azuki is leading the charge into a new era of mobile innovation and user experiences. We are changing … Continue reading “Azuki Systems (FKA Peermeta) Lands $6,000,000 Series A Financing”

MeeVee Secures $3,500,000 Series D Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f586e1b8-02d4-4a55-a4c3-e8a4890be2ec&Preview=1 Date 9/21/2007 Company Name MeeVee Mailing Address 500 Airport Blvd Burlingame, CA 94010 Company Description MeeVee is the premier developer of personalized video entertainment search and discovery experiences for consumers on the Internet. MeeVee offers television viewers and video content enthusiasts a unique online community that provides a smarter, easier way … Continue reading “MeeVee Secures $3,500,000 Series D Financing”

Athenahealth IPO Prices Above Expectations, Soars Out of the Gate

Shares of Watertown, MA-based Athenahealth, which provides online billing and other business services for medical practices, debuted at $30 today, well above the $18.00 per share price set for the firm’s IPO—which itself was well above the $14 to $16 per-share range that the firm projected a couple of weeks ago. (The firm’s co-founder, chairman, … Continue reading “Athenahealth IPO Prices Above Expectations, Soars Out of the Gate”

U.S. Government Weighs in Against iRobot Request for Injunction Against Rival Firm

Declaring that “the lives of soldiers presently at war in Iraq and Afghanistan” could be placed in peril, the federal government has injected itself into the legal battle between iRobot and Robotic FX—asking a U.S. District Court judge in Massachusetts on the brink of this morning’s hearing not to let iRobot’s efforts to win a … Continue reading “U.S. Government Weighs in Against iRobot Request for Injunction Against Rival Firm”

BioEngine: One Step Closer to Artificial Liver Device

For almost as long as surgeons have been transplanting organs such as hearts, livers, and lungs, they’ve been frustrated by the scarcity of available organs, and have imagined a future where artificial organs might ease the shortage. One local transplant surgeon, Massachusetts General Hospital’s Joseph Vacanti, has spent more than twenty years working toward that … Continue reading “BioEngine: One Step Closer to Artificial Liver Device”

Dumpster-Diving Detectives and Tales of Industrial Espionage: Court Filings Reveal Twists and Turns of iRobot-Robotic FX Case

The private detective took up position near the six-unit condominium building in Chicago shortly after noon. At 3:02 p.m. the white Saturn with Indiana plates he’d been waiting for appeared, stopping down the street near a rusty dumpster. The detective, Tomas Romano, snapped pictures as a man wearing a lime-green polo shirt got out of … Continue reading “Dumpster-Diving Detectives and Tales of Industrial Espionage: Court Filings Reveal Twists and Turns of iRobot-Robotic FX Case”

Boston Blogtoberfest 2007

Graphic artist / designer / marketer / blogger Jenny Frazier of Alleyesonjenny.com and JennyFrazierDesign.com is organizing this second annual beer bash for Boston bloggers. She’s calling it “a chance to put down the mouse, step away from the keyboard, and meet some of your favorite Boston bloggers face to face in a casual setting.” Register … Continue reading “Boston Blogtoberfest 2007”

VCs in DC: Local Energy Investors Take A DOE Field Trip

It wasn’t a secret meeting, but it wasn’t widely publicized either. A small group of Boston-area venture capitalists, along with a few representatives of local energy-related enterprises, journeyed to the nation’s capital in late August for a two-day session with the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. They were part of … Continue reading “VCs in DC: Local Energy Investors Take A DOE Field Trip”

Mobile Entrepreneurs: Social Networking Good, Carriers Bad

On Monday night Orange Labs Boston (which is actually in Cambridge) hosted the fall’s first Mobile Monday Boston event, the Beantown version of a tradition that began in Helsinki, Finland, in 2000 and has now spread to 50 cities around the world. A panel on social networking applications led by Orange Labs’ director of commercial … Continue reading “Mobile Entrepreneurs: Social Networking Good, Carriers Bad”

Market Likes Millennium’s Velcade News; Analysts Not So Sure

Shares of Millennium Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: MLNM) got an early morning boost on news that the Cambridge-based biotech has gotten good results in a Phase 3 trial of its cancer drug, Velcade, and plans to seek a new FDA approval for the drug. First approved to much fanfare in 2003 for treating multiple myeloma patients for … Continue reading “Market Likes Millennium’s Velcade News; Analysts Not So Sure”

Silicon Valley East? New England Web 2.0 Firms Attracted $102 Million in Venture Funding in Year’s First Half, Beating Their Bay-Area Counterparts

Web 2.0 firms based in New England received nearly $102 million in venture capital funding in the year’s first half, the highest total of any region, including perennial leader the Bay Area. Such was the heady news (for defenders of Boston Web entrepreneurship) contained in a report released yesterday by Dow Jones VentureOne and Ernst … Continue reading “Silicon Valley East? New England Web 2.0 Firms Attracted $102 Million in Venture Funding in Year’s First Half, Beating Their Bay-Area Counterparts”

My Speech in Second Life: Moshing with Metaverse-Molders

Note to self: Next time you give a keynote speech in Second Life, tickle your avatar every once in a while to keep it awake. I was slightly embarrassed yesterday at Life 2.0, a virtual conference organized inside the virtual world Second Life by multimedia publisher CMP, when I realized that I’d been lecturing for … Continue reading “My Speech in Second Life: Moshing with Metaverse-Molders”

New MIT Center Seeks to Spark Entrepreneurship in the Developing World

Would-be entrepreneurs interested in creating new technologies and businesses for the developing world got a piece of good news today: International investment group Legatum is donating $50 million to MIT to establish a new center to support just that sort of entrepreneurship. The new Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship will provide fellowships for graduate … Continue reading “New MIT Center Seeks to Spark Entrepreneurship in the Developing World”

IRobot Stock Plummets on Word That Former Employee’s Firm Won $280 Million Military Contract

Shares of iRobot (NASDAQ: IRBT) fell sharply today after word spread that Alsip, IL-based Robotic FX—a rival firm led by a former iRobot employee—had beat the company out for a $280 million contract to provide improvised explosive devise (IED)-detection robots for the U.S. Army. Last month, iRobot filed a pair of lawsuits against Robotic FX, … Continue reading “IRobot Stock Plummets on Word That Former Employee’s Firm Won $280 Million Military Contract”

Nokia Assimilates Boston Mobile-Marketing Firm

Enpocket, a privately held Boston multimedia advertising firm that has created mobile websites and text-messaging-based marketing campaigns for the likes of CNBC, Ford, and MTV, will be acquired by Finnish mobile technology giant Nokia (NYSE: NOK), the two companies announced today. Enpocket was formed in September 2001 as a spinoff of U.S.-based online media technology … Continue reading “Nokia Assimilates Boston Mobile-Marketing Firm”

Blogging from Walden Woods with Utterz

Would Henry David Thoreau have been a blogger? I think he might have been. And if he’d had a cell phone and a voice blogging service like Utterz—launched today by Maynard, MA, startup RPM Communications—he could have blogged all of Walden right from his little cabin in the woods. Thoreau is on my brain because … Continue reading “Blogging from Walden Woods with Utterz”

The Best of Bad Times

Could the recent meltdown of the subprime lending market be good for tech? Let me argue a domino effect: subprime markets crater, which precipitates a pull-back on banks financing mid-tier debt for private equity, which means lower returns. The allocation of money to private equity slows, but there is a wave of money that must … Continue reading “The Best of Bad Times”

Good News and Bad News for University Endowments, ImClone and Repligen Reach Settlement, Venture Deals, Mergers, Acquisitions, and More

Last week left us with lots to talk about, so let’s get right to it. —In venture news, RFID infrastructure firm Tagsys of Cambridge, MA, closed a $16 million second tranche of a Series C round totaling $35 million. Investors included J.P. Morgan, DFJ Esprit, Endeavour, Elliott Associates, Saffron Hill Ventures, and Add Partners. Shelton, … Continue reading “Good News and Bad News for University Endowments, ImClone and Repligen Reach Settlement, Venture Deals, Mergers, Acquisitions, and More”

Xconomy Correspondent to Keynote Life 2.0 Summit in Second Life

Xconomy chief correspondent Wade Roush will give the opening keynote talk for this week’s Life 2.0 Summit inside the virtual world Second Life. Produced by CMP Technology/Dr. Dobb’s Journal, Life 2.0 is a quarterly virtual conference on metaverse technology and best-practice for software developers and business stakeholders seeking to understand and use Second Life and … Continue reading “Xconomy Correspondent to Keynote Life 2.0 Summit in Second Life”

With PicoCricket, MIT Spinoff is Out to Prove Computer Toys Aren’t Just for Boys

As a boy growing up in the early 1970s, I owned my share of plastic space toys, robots, ray guns, and construction sets. But one of the toys I remember most fondly was my grandmother’s “Make-It Box,” a picnic basket full of household items such as empty oatmeal cartons, egg crates, paper-towel rolls, pipe cleaners, … Continue reading “With PicoCricket, MIT Spinoff is Out to Prove Computer Toys Aren’t Just for Boys”

Just Launched into the Boston VC Orbit: Third Rock Ventures

After months of sparking rumors and fending off the press (me, anyway), Boston’s newest venture capital firm lifted its veil today with the announcement that it is launching its first fund. One glitch: the partners—who include Mark Levin and other veterans of Millennium Pharmaceuticals, among others—evidently didn’t let their media team know before it issued … Continue reading “Just Launched into the Boston VC Orbit: Third Rock Ventures”

Extreme VC: The Tale of the Tacoda Tattoo

Some entrepreneurs complain that their venture-capital backers aren’t good for much beyond forking over the cash. But, of course, many VCs stand staunchly by their portfolio companies, joining them in the trenches when the going gets tough. And when Rich Levandov, a general partner of Cambridge-based Masthead Venture Partners, journeys to the Big Apple in … Continue reading “Extreme VC: The Tale of the Tacoda Tattoo”

Constant Contact Updates IPO Filings, Acknowledges Employees’ Bad Blog Behavior

Seeking to raise nearly $70 million, Waltham-based e-mail marketing firm Constant Contact yesterday outlined terms for its upcoming IPO. Today, in response to our queries, the company acknowledged a bit of bad blogging behavior on the part of some current and former employees during the run-up to the IPO. Constant Contact outlined its expected terms … Continue reading “Constant Contact Updates IPO Filings, Acknowledges Employees’ Bad Blog Behavior”

Fine Art on your Phone: Boston Museum Goes Mobile

You don’t have to go to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston to appreciate its amazing array of paintings, prints, sculptures, and artifacts: thanks to an aggressive digital-capture effort, the MFA has the largest image database of any art museum in the world, all freely browsable on the Web. And now, you can even … Continue reading “Fine Art on your Phone: Boston Museum Goes Mobile”

Transforming Celebrity Blog Gossip into the Stuff of Fantasy

First there was fantasy baseball: competitions where participants buy rosters of athletes at the beginning of the season and watch their imaginary teams rise and fall in the “standings” based on the real players’ statistics. Then came fantasy football, fantasy basketball, fantasy name-your-sport, fantasy investing (e.g. The UpDown) and even Fantasy Congress—in short, a fantasy … Continue reading “Transforming Celebrity Blog Gossip into the Stuff of Fantasy”

Saying Bioenvision is Poised for a “Home Run,” Investor Files New Challenge to Genzyme Takeover Bid

New York-based Bioenvision today reported a big jump in revenues, and the leading minority shareholder opposed to the company’s proposed merger with Genzyme pointed to this surge as an indication Genzyme’s offer price far undervalues the company—and filed a letter with the SEC that showcases his strategy to block the deal. Steven Rouhandeh, chairman of … Continue reading “Saying Bioenvision is Poised for a “Home Run,” Investor Files New Challenge to Genzyme Takeover Bid”

EMC Facing Lawsuits Charging Bias Against Women

Data storage leader EMC (NYSE: EMC) came under heavy fire today amidst news that it was facing at least six sexual discrimination lawsuits filed since 2003 by women who previously worked in the company’s sales offices. A front-page story by William M. Bulkeley of the Wall Street Journal, drawn from the lawsuits and interviews with … Continue reading “EMC Facing Lawsuits Charging Bias Against Women”

Eons Announces Big Layoffs as Company Refocuses on Social Networking: “It Was Kind of Like Survivor.”

It was a dramatic, sobering, but ultimately healthy and air-clearing scene on Monday when Eons founder Jeff Taylor called together his remaining staff and engaged in a moment of remembrance for the 24 colleagues he had just laid off. That was the word from one of those present, a person who still has his or … Continue reading “Eons Announces Big Layoffs as Company Refocuses on Social Networking: “It Was Kind of Like Survivor.””

Sermo: All Cashed Up and Ready to Grow

Turns out I was at least partly right back in July when I wrote that something was up at Sermo, the Kendall Square startup that launched its physicians-only online community a year ago this month. Sermo CEO Daniel Palestrant had to duck out of our interview for a suspiciously impromptu call with his board and … Continue reading “Sermo: All Cashed Up and Ready to Grow”