Our sixth installment of Boston’s Life Science Disruptors event is coming up on October 17 at the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research in Kendall Square. You don’t want to miss this unique blend of candid stories from some of New England’s most radical biotech company leaders, founders, and VC backers. You’ll get insights and … Continue reading “Agenda Posted for Boston’s Life Science Disruptors on Oct. 17”
The Personalization Summit 2018
From the event organizer’s website: “For the fifth year in a row, Evergage is hosting The Personalization Summit! Each year, The Summit offers world-class keynote speakers, engaging breakout sessions, and relationship building & networking opportunities. Attendees will learn personalization strategies and techniques, trends and best practices, and actionable ideas and real-world use cases to improve … Continue reading “The Personalization Summit 2018”
FDA, Following EMA, Nixes Amicus’ Plans for Speedy OK of Pompe Drug
The FDA has rejected plans from Amicus Therapeutics to seek speedy approval of an experimental drug for Pompe disease, calling instead for more data the Cranbury, NJ, company hopes to accrue over the next year. The FDA told Amicus (NASDAQ: [[ticker:FOLD]]) that its “current clinical package is not sufficient” to support what’s known as accelerated … Continue reading “FDA, Following EMA, Nixes Amicus’ Plans for Speedy OK of Pompe Drug”
Madison Human Resources Firm TASC Creates Venture Investing Arm
Total Administrative Services Corp. (TASC), a Madison, WI-based business that administers employee benefit plans for businesses across the country, has formed a venture capital arm that will invest in startups developing technologies for use in industries such as human resources, insurance, and financial services. TASC Ventures plans to make about eight to 12 investments by … Continue reading “Madison Human Resources Firm TASC Creates Venture Investing Arm”
Robotic Kitchen Startup Spyce Grabs $21M to Open More Restaurants
[Updated 9/10/18, 4:18 pm. See below.] Spyce plans to open more restaurants along the East Coast featuring its “robotic kitchen” system, thanks to a fresh infusion of $21 million in venture capital. The Somerville, MA-based startup’s Series A funding round was led by Collaborative Fund and Maveron, according to an announcement Friday. Other investors in … Continue reading “Robotic Kitchen Startup Spyce Grabs $21M to Open More Restaurants”
Bio Roundup: A Gene Editing 1st, China Rises, Schenkein Steps Away
If you’re still recovering from a Labor Day hangover or busy searching for the identity of the anonymous writer of the anti-Trump op-ed for the New York Times, you may have missed a few biomedical firsts. This week brought the first sliver of human data from an in-body gene editing procedure, and the results were … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: A Gene Editing 1st, China Rises, Schenkein Steps Away”
Boston Tech Watch: Nuance, Relayr, Markforged, Grapevine & More
Time to catch up on recent Boston-area tech headlines: —Relayr, a Boston-based company developing software and services for connected devices, is being acquired for $300 million by German insurance and reinsurance company Munich Re through its Hartford Steam Boiler subsidiary. Munich Re said Relayr will help it create new business models for the “industrial Internet … Continue reading “Boston Tech Watch: Nuance, Relayr, Markforged, Grapevine & More”
Akcea to Cut Staff 10% in Wake of FDA Rejection of Rare Disease Drug
Akcea Therapeutics is laying off 10 percent of its workforce, a move that follows the FDA’s rejection of the company’s rare disease drug last week. Cambridge, MA-based Akcea (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AKCA]]) said in a regulatory filing Thursday that the board of directors approved the reorganization plan on Sept. 2. Affected employees were notified Thursday. As of … Continue reading “Akcea to Cut Staff 10% in Wake of FDA Rejection of Rare Disease Drug”
Rheos Medicines Taps Roche’s Sanjay Keswani for CEO Post
Sanjay Keswani has been appointed CEO of Rheos Medicines. He succeeds Abbie Celniker, the Cambridge, MA, biotech’s interim CEO and a partner at Third Rock Ventures. Celniker will remain on the Rheos board of directors. Keswani comes to Rheos from Roche, where he was senior vice president and global head of neuroscience, ophthalmology, and rare … Continue reading “Rheos Medicines Taps Roche’s Sanjay Keswani for CEO Post”
SpringWorks Therapeutics Promotes Saqib Islam to CEO
Saqib Islam has been appointed CEO of SpringWorks Therapeutics. He will also join the New York company’s board of directors. Islam was previously chief financial and chief business officer of SpringWorks. Islam came to SpringWorks last year from Cambridge, MA-based Moderna Therapeutics, where he was chief business officer. Last year, SpringWorks spun out of Pfizer … Continue reading “SpringWorks Therapeutics Promotes Saqib Islam to CEO”
Arrowhead Shares Pop on Early Clinical Data for Hepatitis B Drug
Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals on Thursday made public select initial data from an early-stage clinical study of a hepatitis B drug it’s developing, sending the company’s stock price (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ARWR]]) to a four-year high. Arrowhead shared data from a study aimed at evaluating the safety and tolerability of a drug candidate it’s developing to treat chronic hepatitis … Continue reading “Arrowhead Shares Pop on Early Clinical Data for Hepatitis B Drug”
Harvard Spinout 28-7 Launches with $65M for MicroRNA Cancer Drugs
Tackling tumors head-on isn’t the only way to treat cancer. New cancer biotech 28-7 Therapeutics, a Harvard spinout, is researching an approach that targets cellular fragments that play key roles in cancer growth, and it now has $65 million in funding to advance its work. MPM Capital and Novartis Venture Fund co-led the investment in … Continue reading “Harvard Spinout 28-7 Launches with $65M for MicroRNA Cancer Drugs”
Forward Bio Initiative Launches with $750K Grant from WI Jobs Agency
The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. (WEDC) said Thursday that it has awarded $750,000 in grant funding to help launch a new biomanufacturing collaboration that aims to promote technological innovation and job creation in the Badger State. As Xconomy reported in August, the groups behind the collaboration—which they’re calling the Forward Bio Initiative—are seeking to assist … Continue reading “Forward Bio Initiative Launches with $750K Grant from WI Jobs Agency”
Tech Transfer Leader Barrow Leaving UMass, Launching Consulting Firm
Abigail Barrow, a long-time technology transfer leader at the University of Massachusetts system, is leaving UMass and starting a consulting firm called Cambridge Innovation Partners, she said in an e-mail to Xconomy. Barrow’s departure was first reported by the Boston Business Journal. Barrow told Xconomy her new firm will focus on “supporting the development of … Continue reading “Tech Transfer Leader Barrow Leaving UMass, Launching Consulting Firm”
With Cronos Deal, Ginkgo Brings Synthetic Bio Approach to Cannabis
In a partnership that gives new meaning to mixing pot and beer, Canadian cannabis company Cronos Group has teamed with synthetic biology firm Ginkgo Bioworks to try and develop better ways of producing the chemical compounds of cannabis in a lab. Employees of Boston-based Ginkgo use robotic systems and software to design and test custom-made … Continue reading “With Cronos Deal, Ginkgo Brings Synthetic Bio Approach to Cannabis”
The Winners of the 2018 Xconomy Awards Are…
This year’s nominees and finalists for the Xconomy Awards were even more impressive than last year’s (if that’s possible), making it that much tougher for our judges and the editors to pick the winners. There were multiple deserving winners in each category. But after much discussion and debate, we decided that these winners represent the … Continue reading “The Winners of the 2018 Xconomy Awards Are…”
Tempest Therapeutics Names Ginna Laport Chief Medical Officer
Tempest Therapeutics has appointed Ginna Laport chief medical officer of the San Francisco company. Laport comes to Tempest from Burlingame, CA-based Corvus Pharmaceuticals, where she was vice president of clinical development. Prior to Corvus, Laport taught at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Tempest, which raised $70 million in Series B financing in March, is … Continue reading “Tempest Therapeutics Names Ginna Laport Chief Medical Officer”
Sanofi’s Perfetti Joins Applied Therapeutics as Chief Medical Officer
Riccardo Perfetti has been appointed chief medical officer of Applied Therapeutics. Perfetti comes to New York-based Applied from Sanofi (NYSE: [[ticker:SNY]]), where he was senior medical officer and vice president, head of global medical affairs in the company’s diabetes and cardiovascular business. Applied develops drugs that target enzymes associated with metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. The … Continue reading “Sanofi’s Perfetti Joins Applied Therapeutics as Chief Medical Officer”
San Antonio Grocer HEB Announces New Digital Lab in Austin
Austin—HEB said Wednesday it is opening what the grocer calls an innovation center to house both HEB’s growing digital team and the staff of Favor, a delivery startup HEB purchased earlier this year. “This state-of-the-art space will be a hub for creativity and innovation as we continue to develop the ultimate digital experience for our … Continue reading “San Antonio Grocer HEB Announces New Digital Lab in Austin”
Sangamo 1st to Show Human Gene-Editing Results. Investors Say ‘Meh.’
The first results from a landmark study of gene editing in humans came out today, and investors panned the study’s sponsor, Sangamo Therapeutics. The very early returns—from only four patients still in the midst of the study—are from a gene-manipulation technology called zinc finger nucleases, which is wholly owned by Richmond, CA-based Sangamo (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SGMO]]). … Continue reading “Sangamo 1st to Show Human Gene-Editing Results. Investors Say ‘Meh.’”
Harley, Gener8tor, Allergy Amulet & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist
Keep up with news from Wisconsin’s innovation community with these recent headlines: —Harley-Davidson, the iconic Milwaukee-based motorcycle manufacturer, said Wednesday that it plans to open a new research and development center in Silicon Valley. Harley (NYSE: [[ticker:HOG]]) said the facility will house about two dozen of its workers—most of whom the company intends to hire … Continue reading “Harley, Gener8tor, Allergy Amulet & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist”
Real Estate Software Developer Avid Ratings Snags $6M to Fuel Growth
Avid Ratings, a Madison WI-based real estate software company that has been operating since 1992 but is now seeking to fuel its growth with cash from venture capital investors, says it has raised $6 million as part of a Series A funding round. Residential construction businesses are the primary users of Avid’s technology, which the company … Continue reading “Real Estate Software Developer Avid Ratings Snags $6M to Fuel Growth”
On Cusp of Gene Therapy Clinical Trial, 4D Molecular Reels In $90M
4D Molecular Therapeutics is already working with several large pharmaceutical companies to help them develop new gene therapies. Now, as its own gene therapy candidate approaches clinical trials, the company has raised $90 million in financing. Viking Global Investors led the investment, a Series B round of financing. Emeryville, CA-based 4D Molecular has developed technology … Continue reading “On Cusp of Gene Therapy Clinical Trial, 4D Molecular Reels In $90M”
Spredfast Merger, Opcity Acquired, Disco Relocates & More TX Tech
[Updated 9/5/18 12:54 pm. See below.] Let’s get caught up with the latest innovation news in Texas. —Spredfast, an Austin developer of social media management software, has merged with San Francisco-based Lithium Technologies, the companies announced Tuesday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Lithium, founded in 2001, makes software for digital customer engagement. Last year, Austin-based … Continue reading “Spredfast Merger, Opcity Acquired, Disco Relocates & More TX Tech”
Drift Snaps Up Siftrock to Power E-mail Marketing Tools
Software firm Drift has acquired a startup called Siftrock to help expand its marketing and sales automation offerings. The purchase price wasn’t disclosed in a Tuesday press release announcing the deal. Drift touted the acquisition of the Seattle-based startup during its annual “Hypergrowth” event in Boston, where Drift is headquartered. The company also announced partnerships … Continue reading “Drift Snaps Up Siftrock to Power E-mail Marketing Tools”
Working with Patients and a Fresh $80M, Fulcrum Eyes a 2019 IPO
Fulcrum Therapeutics, a Cambridge, MA, startup run by the former CEO of Epizyme, has closed an $80 million Series B round that lays the groundwork for a likely IPO next year, its CEO says. The new funding, led by Foresite Capital, comes from a wide array of crossover investors, such as Fidelity Management and Research, … Continue reading “Working with Patients and a Fresh $80M, Fulcrum Eyes a 2019 IPO”
Westlake Bio Unveils $320M Fund to Put Los Angeles on the Biotech Map
Los Angeles has long been in San Francisco’s shadow when it comes to life sciences investment. But a new venture capital firm led by industry veterans is trying to cast the City of Angels in a new light. Westlake Village BioPartners is launching today with $320 million in committed capital. The Los Angeles-based firm is … Continue reading “Westlake Bio Unveils $320M Fund to Put Los Angeles on the Biotech Map”
After a High-Speed Decade, Agios CEO David Schenkein to Step Aside
David Schenkein, the longtime CEO of Agios Pharmaceuticals, will step aside next year after transforming what was once a high-risk Cambridge, MA-based startup into a public biotech with over 500 employees and two drugs on the market. Schenkein’s replacement will be Jacqualyn Fouse, former president and chief operating officer of Celgene (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CELG]]) and a … Continue reading “After a High-Speed Decade, Agios CEO David Schenkein to Step Aside”
Principia Sets IPO Terms as It Eyes Late-Stage Studies for Lead Drug
Principia Biopharma plans to sell 4.6 million shares priced between $15 and $17 apiece when the rare disease drug developer makes its stock market debut. The South San Francisco, CA-based biotech set the IPO terms in a regulatory filing on Tuesday. At the midpoint of the proposed range, the Principia IPO would raise $74.8 million. … Continue reading “Principia Sets IPO Terms as It Eyes Late-Stage Studies for Lead Drug”
Health Wildcatters Splits Program in Two, Debuts Latest Startup Class
Dallas—Health Wildcatters has chosen its latest class of healthcare startups, and has also announced that the accelerator is splitting its cohort into two programs. One class will begin in the fall as usual, and the other will join a newly-originated spring session. “If we split it in half, it gives us a bigger chance to … Continue reading “Health Wildcatters Splits Program in Two, Debuts Latest Startup Class”
Redox Gets $3M for Tools That Help Hospitals, App Makers Share Data
Redox, a Madison, WI-based startup that develops digital tools enabling healthcare applications to exchange data with patient health records systems, has raised $3 million in debt funding, according to a document filed with federal securities regulators. Twelve investors participated in the financing round, according to the document. Redox has raised more than $15.8 million in … Continue reading “Redox Gets $3M for Tools That Help Hospitals, App Makers Share Data”
OpsGenie, Backed by Battery Ventures, Grants $295M Sale to Atlassian
Another Boston IT deal to report today: Atlassian says it has signed an agreement to acquire OpsGenie for an estimated $295 million, which includes $259 million in cash and the remainder in restricted shares of Atlassian (NASDAQ: [[ticker:TEAM]]). The planned acquisition seems to be a great return for Boston-based OpsGenie’s investors. The six-year-old startup appears … Continue reading “OpsGenie, Backed by Battery Ventures, Grants $295M Sale to Atlassian”
Behind the Deal: Under VMware, CloudHealth Aims to Be Household Name
The excitement and sense of triumph were palpable Thursday at CloudHealth Technologies, as the company held a party celebrating its recent move to a new headquarters on the 20th floor of a downtown Boston skyscraper. The source of the heightened atmosphere was no mystery—the enterprise software startup was also reveling in its planned sale to … Continue reading “Behind the Deal: Under VMware, CloudHealth Aims to Be Household Name”
Roundup, Part II: CityLab Detroit, U-M, Small Business Murals, More
We’re back after the long Labor Day weekend with part two of a roundup of recent Michigan innovation news. To see part one, click here. —CityLab, a global summit organized by The Atlantic magazine, the Aspen Institute, and Bloomberg Philanthropies to address urgent urban issues, has chosen Detroit as the location of its 2018 conference. … Continue reading “Roundup, Part II: CityLab Detroit, U-M, Small Business Murals, More”
Phoenix Plans to Build New HQ After Inking $15M in New Contracts
Phoenix, which develops and sells particle accelerator-based neutron generators and other machines, says it plans to begin constructing new manufacturing and office buildings in Fitchburg, WI, a few miles south of the startup’s current Madison, WI, headquarters. The announcement does not come as a surprise. Phoenix president Evan Sengbusch said last fall that his company … Continue reading “Phoenix Plans to Build New HQ After Inking $15M in New Contracts”
E-Scape Bio Names Julie Anne Smith President & CEO
Julie Anne Smith has joined E-Scape Bio as president and CEO of the San Francisco company. She has also joined the neurological drug developer’s board of directors. Before coming E-Scape, Smith was president and CEO of Menlo Park, CA-based Nuredis. Smith’s experience also includes executive posts at Raptor Pharmaceuticals and Enobia Pharmaceuticals. Last year, E-Scape … Continue reading “E-Scape Bio Names Julie Anne Smith President & CEO”
Achillion Pharma Appoints Steven Zelenkofske Chief Medical Officer
Steven Zelenkofske has joined Achillion Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ACHN]]) as executive vice president and chief medical officer of the New Haven, CT, drug developer. Zelenkofske most recently worked at uniQure (NASDAQ: [[ticker:QURE]]), where he was chief medical officer. He has also held leadership positions at Regado Biosciences, AstraZeneca (NYSE: [[ticker:AZN]]), Sanofi-Aventis, Boston Scientific (NYSE: [[ticker:BSX]]), and … Continue reading “Achillion Pharma Appoints Steven Zelenkofske Chief Medical Officer”
Assembla Buys Belgian Startup MyGet for Code Management and Security
San Antonio—Assembla, a company that San Antonio investment firm Scaleworks acquired in 2016, has bought Belgium-based startup MyGet for an undisclosed price. MyGet offers a service that helps automate a process in software development known as package management. The company sells its service to thousands of customers globally, including Johnson Controls, Microsoft, and BMW, according … Continue reading “Assembla Buys Belgian Startup MyGet for Code Management and Security”
Bio Roundup: Pfizer’s Rare Results, U.K.’s CAR-T No, IPO Go-Go & More
Before you head out for the final summer getaway, catch up on the week’s headlines. Pfizer upped the ante in the field of transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR) treatment, where competition to treat the rare disease has grown increasingly complex. We’ll start with what was—and wasn’t—in Pfizer’s data release Monday, top up with more ATTR news, then … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Pfizer’s Rare Results, U.K.’s CAR-T No, IPO Go-Go & More”
Wireless Internet Firms Take On Big Telecoms in Cities and Suburbs
If you’re a city dweller, and unhappy with the big company that provides your Internet connection, chances are good there’s a scrappy little outfit that thinks it can do better for you. Metropolitan areas have become target territories for the wireless Internet service providers, or WISPs, that for a long time have been the only … Continue reading “Wireless Internet Firms Take On Big Telecoms in Cities and Suburbs”
Boston Tech Watch: Humana, SmartBear, Nexamp, Veritas & More
This week in Boston tech, we’re tracking a massive healthcare analytics acquisition, a new technology incubator from health insurer Humana, a Mitsubishi subsidiary’s latest investments in the local energy sector, and more deals. Read on for details. —Verscend Technologies said it completed its $4.9 billion acquisition of Atlanta-based Cotiviti (NYSE: [[ticker:COTV]]), a union of companies … Continue reading “Boston Tech Watch: Humana, SmartBear, Nexamp, Veritas & More”
Epic Building Tools to Help Patients Guard Their Health Data
New, Internet-connected devices—everything from watches that measure our steps and sleep to sensor-equipped inhalers able to track medication use—are starting to deliver on their promise of giving healthcare providers a fuller picture of what, and how, their patients are doing when they’re not in for a check-up. But the more gadgets and software applications patients … Continue reading “Epic Building Tools to Help Patients Guard Their Health Data”
Sutro Biopharma, Arvinas Are Latest to Tee Up Biotech IPOs
The biotech IPO train is rolling on without slowing as we head into a holiday weekend. The latest to lay the groundwork to go public are Sutro Biopharma and Arvinas, which both want Wall Street’s help to back human trials of experimental cancer drugs. South San Francisco, CA-based Sutro set a preliminary $75 million target … Continue reading “Sutro Biopharma, Arvinas Are Latest to Tee Up Biotech IPOs”
Vecna Robotics Grabs $13.5M as Logistics Robots Stay Hot
Vecna Technologies’ logistics robotics business has raised $13.5 million in venture capital, according to a filing with the SEC. The funding for Vecna Robotics marks the first outside equity investment in any of 20-year-old Vecna’s businesses. Last year, Vecna completed a reorganization in which it split its various products and services into separate businesses operating … Continue reading “Vecna Robotics Grabs $13.5M as Logistics Robots Stay Hot”
Rivaling Google, Web-Mining Diffbot Opens Its Knowledge Graph to All
Diffbot, a tech startup that continuously scours the Web to assemble a “knowledge graph” of billions of facts in context, announced today that it’s opening up the searchable resource to the public—with starter rates as low as a cable TV bill. Mountain View, CA-based Diffbot gleans unstructured data scattered across websites, ads, blog posts, videos, … Continue reading “Rivaling Google, Web-Mining Diffbot Opens Its Knowledge Graph to All”
RootPath Raises $7M to Bring Cancer Cell Therapy to Solid Tumors
The concept of turning a patient’s own immune cells into a cancer therapy has made strides, with the past year seeing FDA approvals of two such treatments for blood cancers. But these cell therapies don’t work for everyone, and they can cause dangerous side effects. They also haven’t yet worked on solid tumors. RootPath wants … Continue reading “RootPath Raises $7M to Bring Cancer Cell Therapy to Solid Tumors”
RNAi Hits Europe as EMA Follows FDA, Approves Alnylam Drug
The first medicine that uses RNA interference, a method cells employ to mute a gene before it can make a harmful protein, has made its way to Europe. Three weeks after the FDA approved patisiran (Onpattro), from Alnylam Pharmaceuticeuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ALNY]]), for a rare and deadly disease called hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (hATTR), the European Medicines … Continue reading “RNAi Hits Europe as EMA Follows FDA, Approves Alnylam Drug”
Roundup, Part I: TechHire Bootcamp, Genomenon, Leading2Lean, Cengage
Time flies when you’re working hard. Although summer is nearly over, Michigan’s startup clusters keep humming along. In fact, so much is happening, we’ve divided this roundup into two parts. Part two will run Sept. 4. Read on for recent innovation news from around the state. —Detroiters age 18 and older have until Friday to … Continue reading “Roundup, Part I: TechHire Bootcamp, Genomenon, Leading2Lean, Cengage”
Austin’s Infinite.io, Maker of Data Storage Software, Raises $10M
Austin—Infinite.io announced Wednesday it has raised an additional $7.3 million in financing, bringing the data storage startup’s total financial haul to $10.3 million. The new funding comes on top of $3 million raised two weeks ago, says Mark Cree, Infinite.io’s president and CEO. The round was led by former Motorola CEO and Cleversafe chairman Chris … Continue reading “Austin’s Infinite.io, Maker of Data Storage Software, Raises $10M”
Epic, CEO Faulkner Confront Life as a Big Tech Company in 2018
Almost all of Epic Systems’ growth during the nearly four decades the healthcare software powerhouse has been in business has come from selling products and services developed internally, which founder and CEO Judy Faulkner has argued is preferable to expanding through mergers and acquisitions. “We’re a software factory. We build our own software. We do … Continue reading “Epic, CEO Faulkner Confront Life as a Big Tech Company in 2018”