Austin—Seven years ago, Scott Hanson was a student at University of Michigan who was hoping to raise a few hundred thousand dollars for Ambiq Micro, his fledgling startup that aimed to make low-powered microcontrollers. Today, Ambiq is headquartered in Austin, TX, has raised tens of millions in venture capital, and sells its energy-efficient chips to … Continue reading “Ambiq Micro Plans to Expand IoT Uses of Energy-Saving Microprocessor”
After Humanitarian Honor, Flagship’s Afeyan States Case for Immigration
They embrace the unfamiliar, overcome adversity, and through it all, make the most of limited resources. These characteristics describe many entrepreneurs. But they also describe immigrants, says Noubar Afeyan, CEO of Cambridge, MA, venture capital firm Flagship Pioneering. It’s no coincidence that many successful company founders in the U.S. originally came from other countries, Afeyan … Continue reading “After Humanitarian Honor, Flagship’s Afeyan States Case for Immigration”
Gilman’s Next CEO Trick: Taming CAR-T Cells With Obsidian
Genetically modified medicine is here. Two CAR-T therapies, made from a patient’s living T cells, are on the market in the U.S., and many more are in various stages of clinical testing. As remarkable as they might seem, however, these medicines are still fairly crude, with no way to control them once inside a patient’s … Continue reading “Gilman’s Next CEO Trick: Taming CAR-T Cells With Obsidian”
American Family to Launch Moonrise, a Platform for Moonlighting
[Updated 12/6/17 11:43 a.m. See below.] Retailers across the U.S. often hire additional workers this time of year to help get them through the busy holiday shopping season. Allowing employers to bring in extra help during busy times is likewise the idea behind Moonrise, a Chicago-based startup that recently exited stealth mode. According to its … Continue reading “American Family to Launch Moonrise, a Platform for Moonlighting”
Case’s $150M Rise of the Rest Fund Aims to Boost Flyover Startups
Author, investor, and AOL co-founder Steve Case today announced a new $150 million venture fund aimed at pumping investment capital into tech companies in so-called flyover states. Contributing to the fund is an impressive group of some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the country. Called the Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, it will … Continue reading “Case’s $150M Rise of the Rest Fund Aims to Boost Flyover Startups”
Jungle Disk Buys Canadian Data Backup Service for QuickBooks Online
San Antonio—Data backup company Jungle Disk has acquired an online data backup service for users of QuickBooks Online—a move toward offering backup support for more software-as-a-service (Saas) products. Jungle Disk already sells small businesses an encrypted file backup service for laptops, desktops, servers—any type of device where Jungle Disk’s product can mount and access a … Continue reading “Jungle Disk Buys Canadian Data Backup Service for QuickBooks Online”
Dynavax Co-founder Takes Long View on Vaccine Development
The reaction on Wall Street was a little anticlimactic after the FDA approved a new hepatitis B vaccine last month for Berkeley, CA-based Dynavax Technologies (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DVAX]]). Many investors sold stock on the news. In the days following the company’s Nov. 9 announcement, the price of Dynavax shares slipped about 8 percent, from $20.05 a … Continue reading “Dynavax Co-founder Takes Long View on Vaccine Development”
NVBots Sold to Ohio Manufacturer as 3D Printing Interest Grows
[Updated 12/8/17, 3:00 pm, with co-founder’s comments.] Boston-area 3D printing startups have raised significant amounts of venture capital in the past couple of years. Now, they are starting to see some exits. New Valence Robotics, a three-year-old MIT spinout that goes by NVBots, announced Thursday it was acquired by Harrison, OH-based Cincinnati Inc., a manufacturer … Continue reading “NVBots Sold to Ohio Manufacturer as 3D Printing Interest Grows”
Black Venture Capitalists Are Transforming Tech
Would it surprise you to know that there are more than 100 black venture capitalists or that this nationwide ecosystem is growing? Most of the VCs in this expanding ecosystem made pivots from highly successful careers in other fields. They have very impressive academic credentials, business backgrounds comparable to their Silicon Valley peers, and a … Continue reading “Black Venture Capitalists Are Transforming Tech”
First Video Game Therapy Heads to FDA as Akili Touts ADHD Study Win
[Updated 12/4/17, 4:48 pm, with CEO comments.] For the first time ever, a mobile video game used to assess and treat a disease is headed for an FDA review. Akili Interactive Labs, a Boston and San Francisco Bay Area company created by PureTech Health, said Monday that AKL-T01, an experimental video game it has been … Continue reading “First Video Game Therapy Heads to FDA as Akili Touts ADHD Study Win”
ReWalk, Ekso Race to Sell Exoskeletons in Tough Rehab Market
Every day, Ashley Barnes straps a battery-powered device onto her waist, legs, and feet, which allows the paraplegic to stand up from her wheelchair and go for walks with the help of crutches. The wearable brace has motors located at Barnes’s hip and knee joints that move the “exoskeleton,” along with her legs and feet, … Continue reading “ReWalk, Ekso Race to Sell Exoskeletons in Tough Rehab Market”
Last Chance for Tickets to “What’s Hot in Cybersecurity” Tomorrow
Registration is closing soon for Xconomy’s “What’s Hot in Cybersecurity” conference. It’s all happening tomorrow, December 5, at the WGBH offices in Brighton, MA. We have lined up some of the most forward-thinking entrepreneurs, executives, investors, and innovators in cybersecurity. Join us for an afternoon of spotlight talks, chats, and panel discussions on topics such … Continue reading “Last Chance for Tickets to “What’s Hot in Cybersecurity” Tomorrow”
15 For ’18: Key Clinical Data to Watch For Next Year (Part 1)
Many of biotech’s biggest stories in 2017 followed the highly anticipated data from clinical studies. There were monumental successes, like the first-ever approval of a genetically modified living cell therapy, the first FDA application for a gene therapy or a medicine using RNA interference. There were also stinging failures, such as the latest in a long … Continue reading “15 For ’18: Key Clinical Data to Watch For Next Year (Part 1)”
Optum Unveils $250M Venture Fund as Healthcare A.I. Narrows Focus
Investors have pumped a record amount of money into digital health companies this year, according to recent data from StartUp Health. But even with rising interest in the sector, new venture funds continue to join the fray. Take Boston, where several first-time funds focused, at least in part, on healthcare technology have been announced in … Continue reading “Optum Unveils $250M Venture Fund as Healthcare A.I. Narrows Focus”
Stonehouse, AkitaBox, Iverson, & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist
Stay current on the latest news from Wisconsin’s innovation community with these recent headlines: —Stonehouse Water Technologies, a Milwaukee-based startup developing energy-efficient water purification systems, said it raised more than $1.5 million from investors. Launched in 2012, Stonehouse is developing a water purifier about the size of a dehumidifier that’s designed for use in residential, … Continue reading “Stonehouse, AkitaBox, Iverson, & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist”
Milestones of Innovation 15: Entering the New Atomic World
A momentous step into the atomic age happened around 3:20 p.m. Central War Time on Dec. 2, 1942, seventy-five years ago, in a vast, unheated space (a former squash doubles court) under the abandoned University of Chicago football stands at Stagg Field. A cadmium control rod was pulled out from a huge, painstakingly assembled cube … Continue reading “Milestones of Innovation 15: Entering the New Atomic World”
Rising Social Entrepreneur Helps Two San Antonio Startups Take Root
San Antonio—Stumping for a political candidate can be a mixed bag. For every friendly conversation, you’ll get at least one that’s filled with complaints—about the government, about potholes, about neighbors, about anything. That’s something Alberto Altamirano discovered when he was organizing for a county government candidate in Austin, TX, during a 2014 election. It’s not … Continue reading “Rising Social Entrepreneur Helps Two San Antonio Startups Take Root”
Bio Roundup: Migraine Data, Cancer Drug Combos, Azar Hearing & More
A pair of migraine drugs made a splash in biotech news this week with published data suggesting that they can reduce the frequency of headaches. These drugs still await an FDA decision, and their impact on patients over the long term are being watched closely. As many as 38 million Americans suffer from migraines, according … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Migraine Data, Cancer Drug Combos, Azar Hearing & More”
Will Foundation’s FDA, CMS Nod Help Cancer DNA Tests Break Through?
In what could be an important step forward for the mainstream acceptance of broad cancer genetic tests, a product from Foundation Medicine has simultaneously won FDA approval and gotten a coverage determination from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Now the question is whether the ruling—the first decision of its kind—will help lead to … Continue reading “Will Foundation’s FDA, CMS Nod Help Cancer DNA Tests Break Through?”
Connect Marks 30th Year of Most Innovative New Product Awards
In its yearly celebration of entrepreneurship and invention, San Diego’s Connect gave its Most Innovative New Product Award to 10 local companies at a dinner gala Thursday evening. Speaking in an interview before the late-night ceremony, Connect CEO Greg McKee said the awards highlighted the diversity of innovation in San Diego—from an oxygen mask that … Continue reading “Connect Marks 30th Year of Most Innovative New Product Awards”
Alexa Roundup: Amazon Improves Its Wish Fulfillment Device
From its earliest days, Amazon has built its business on removing the barriers between people and the things they want to buy. New voice computing technologies and business models unveiled at the company’s annual developer conference in Las Vegas this week represent the continuation of that vision. Alexa and the ecosystem of services and skills … Continue reading “Alexa Roundup: Amazon Improves Its Wish Fulfillment Device”
Former GE CEO Immelt Talks Uber, A.I., and a Rejected Bid for Epic
Artificial intelligence holds promise for healthcare in areas like radiology, but it could be tough sledding for businesses selling narrowly focused products to one customer at a time. The winners in this emerging sector will figure out how to integrate A.I. tools into a broader platform that offers clear value for doctors, hospitals, insurers, and … Continue reading “Former GE CEO Immelt Talks Uber, A.I., and a Rejected Bid for Epic”
As GM Gets Self-Driving Buzz, Autonomous Vehicles Navigate Niches
We still live in the early days of autonomous vehicles. We’re toddlers, technologically speaking, and our algorithms are still learning to walk, er, drive. That’s the impression you get from reading the various recaps of an autonomous car test run that General Motors hosted for journalists this week in San Francisco. Wired’s Aarian Marshall noted … Continue reading “As GM Gets Self-Driving Buzz, Autonomous Vehicles Navigate Niches”
Business Leaders: Foxconn Plant Could Benefit WI Startups, Lure VC
Local startup companies could be among the beneficiaries of a 25 million-square-foot manufacturing facility that Foxconn, a Taiwanese electronics assembly giant, intends to build in southeastern Wisconsin, according to state economic development officials. Foxconn, which is perhaps best known as a key supplier for Apple (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AAPL]]) and other device makers, in July announced plans … Continue reading “Business Leaders: Foxconn Plant Could Benefit WI Startups, Lure VC”
Security Firm ReversingLabs Nabs $25M from JPMorgan Chase, Trident
Online threats are mounting, and so are the investments in Boston-area cybersecurity companies. ReversingLabs is one of the latest to raise money—a $25 million Series A round announced Wednesday, led by Trident Capital Cybersecurity and JPMorgan Chase. Cambridge, MA-based ReversingLabs’ software aims to help businesses and government entities detect advanced security threats and respond to … Continue reading “Security Firm ReversingLabs Nabs $25M from JPMorgan Chase, Trident”
Grab Your Ticket for What’s Hot in Bay Area Biotech on Dec. 6
Time is almost up to grab a seat for What’s Hot in Bay Area Biotech, Xconomy’s newest event that will feature some of the Bay Area’s top life-science leaders. Register today and save $120 with our Procrastinator’s Special while it lasts. This is an event you don’t want to miss this season, and it’s all … Continue reading “Grab Your Ticket for What’s Hot in Bay Area Biotech on Dec. 6”
Genesis Innovation Group’s New $10M Fund Focuses on Later-Stage Deals
Genesis Innovation Group, a Holland, MI-based collective of venture investors focused on early-stage medical device startups, is raising a new $10 million fund called Cultivate(MD) Capital Fund I. Genesis is not the typical venture capital firm. In an interview earlier this year, CEO Rob Ball said it’s a consulting group consisting of accredited private investors … Continue reading “Genesis Innovation Group’s New $10M Fund Focuses on Later-Stage Deals”
“Responsive” Machine Learning Could Lessen Cybersecurity Tradeoffs
In the wake of the Equifax breach and the global WannaCry ransomware outbreak earlier this year, tensions around cybersecurity are running high. According to a recent study conducted by the Ponemon Institute and sponsored by Barkly, seven out of 10 organizations are reporting their security risk has significantly increased during the past 12 months. Only … Continue reading ““Responsive” Machine Learning Could Lessen Cybersecurity Tradeoffs”
With $114M Injection, Semma Continues Quest for Diabetes Cell Therapy
For all the excitement surrounding stem-cell based therapies in the early 2000s, the field still has little to show for it in terms of approved therapies. The many technical challenges of working with stem cells have not, however, deterred Semma Therapeutics, which today announced a whopping $114 million Series B round from a sizable list … Continue reading “With $114M Injection, Semma Continues Quest for Diabetes Cell Therapy”
Drug Prices, Industry Ties Take Spotlight at HHS Nominee Azar Hearing
If Wednesday’s hearing for Health and Human Services Secretary Nominee Alex Azar is any indication, reining in drug prices and insurance premiums are the policy priorities that will guide Congress’s interaction with the department under a new leader. For the better part of the three-hour hearing by the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee, … Continue reading “Drug Prices, Industry Ties Take Spotlight at HHS Nominee Azar Hearing”
With Good Data From Rival Migraine Drugs, Doctors Foresee Price Headaches
Amgen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMGN]]) and Teva Pharmaceutical (NYSE: [[ticker:TEVA]]) this afternoon are providing the most detailed look yet at two drugs in an emerging class of medicines meant to prevent migraine headaches, rather than just quell their symptoms. While the data for the two drugs, called erenumab (Aimovig, from Amgen and partner Novartis) and fremanezumab (from … Continue reading “With Good Data From Rival Migraine Drugs, Doctors Foresee Price Headaches”
CFO: Exact in ‘Investment Mode,’ Seeks to Advance New Cancer Tests
Shares in Exact Sciences have more than quadrupled in 2017, and the stock’s impressive run has led some analysts to question whether it’s a smart buy at the current price. But Jeff Elliott, Exact’s chief financial officer, says he believes his company is poised for continued growth as it adds laboratory space and works to … Continue reading “CFO: Exact in ‘Investment Mode,’ Seeks to Advance New Cancer Tests”
Pwnie Express Wrangles $8M, Names Board Member DeSisto CEO
[Updated 11/29/17, 4:56 pm. See below.] Pwnie Express, a Boston cybersecurity company that helps businesses detect rogue devices on their networks, has pulled in more venture capital and appointed a new CEO. Pwnie (pronounced “pony”) announced Wednesday it received an $8 million investment and named board member Todd DeSisto as its chief executive. DeSisto takes … Continue reading “Pwnie Express Wrangles $8M, Names Board Member DeSisto CEO”
Microsoft Stays Home, Plans Remodel to Urbanize Headquarters Campus
The Seattle area’s twin technology behemoths—Microsoft and Amazon—have pursued markedly different real estate strategies over the years, driven in part by the changing character of the region as they’ve grown. That divergence was underscored Tuesday by Microsoft’s announcement of a major redevelopment and expansion of its headquarters campus in Redmond, about 16 miles east of … Continue reading “Microsoft Stays Home, Plans Remodel to Urbanize Headquarters Campus”
Medicines Co. Sells Infectious Disease Drugs, Focusing on PCSK9
The Medicines Co. has sold a group of three infectious disease drugs to Melinta Therapeutics for $215 million in cash and $55 million in stock, as well as future royalty payments on the three drugs, which are already on the market. The deal is an effort by Parsippany, NJ-based Medicines Co. (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MDCO]]) to get … Continue reading “Medicines Co. Sells Infectious Disease Drugs, Focusing on PCSK9”
Hoppy Holidays: HopDrop to Begin Delivering Craft Beer to Doorsteps
Houston—Joining the swelling ranks of booze delivery companies nationwide is HopDrop, which begins a beta launch Friday. The Houston-based startup’s focus is connecting customers with local craft breweries, delivering suds to certain Houston zip codes upon request, within an hour. “Our niche is that the beer we have, you can’t get in a supermarket,” says … Continue reading “Hoppy Holidays: HopDrop to Begin Delivering Craft Beer to Doorsteps”
Saver Rate Ending—Grab Your Ticket to What’s Hot in Cybersecurity
Next week Xconomy will host our second cybersecurity conference, “What’s Hot in Cybersecurity”—and we’re offering you a chance to save $145 if you register now. The afternoon conference features spotlight talks, fireside chats, and panel discussions that will address how top names in cybersecurity are working to advance the field. It all takes place on … Continue reading “Saver Rate Ending—Grab Your Ticket to What’s Hot in Cybersecurity”
Healthcare + A.I. Northwest: The Photos
Xconomy convened an outstanding group of innovators in healthcare and artificial intelligence for a half-day conference in Seattle earlier this month. As testament to the excitement around this topic, our event was sold-out with a lengthy waiting list. Those who made it in the door of Cambia Grove, our event host, were rewarded with a wide-angle … Continue reading “Healthcare + A.I. Northwest: The Photos”
VCs Put More Dollars Into Exosomes as Codiak Bio Lands $76M
Codiak BioSciences, the startup run by former Biogen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) research chief Doug Williams, has rung up its third big round of cash in two years. The Cambridge, MA, company has closed a $76.5 million Series C round from a large group of investors, among them founding backers Flagship Pioneering and Arch Venture Partners, and … Continue reading “VCs Put More Dollars Into Exosomes as Codiak Bio Lands $76M”
R.I.P. TechShop: Makerspace Closes All U.S. Locations Due to Bankruptcy
On Oct. 30, I received the usual weekly email from TechShop, the makerspace just outside of Detroit in Allen Park, MI, informing me of upcoming events and membership deals. Just two weeks later, an email from TechShop CEO Dan Woods hit my inbox announcing that all 10 wholly owned locations in the U.S. would shut … Continue reading “R.I.P. TechShop: Makerspace Closes All U.S. Locations Due to Bankruptcy”
Joining Trend, WI Creates New Business Entity: Benefit Corporations
On Monday, Wisconsin enacted legislation allowing companies to incorporate as benefit corporations. Although this may sound like routine, small-time legislative business, it is just as significant as major policy initiatives being debated in the halls of Congress. On issues from net neutrality to workers’ rights, corporations are perceived to—and often do—engage in practices that maximize … Continue reading “Joining Trend, WI Creates New Business Entity: Benefit Corporations”
Boston Tech Watch: Casa IPO Plan, Rapid7 HQ, Optimus Deal & More
[Updated 11/29/17, 1:33 pm. See below.] Now that everyone has sufficiently recovered from their turkey comas, it’s time to catch up on some recent headlines from the Boston-area tech scene: —Casa Systems could be the area’s second tech IPO of 2017, if it follows through on plans disclosed in a recent SEC filing. The Andover, … Continue reading “Boston Tech Watch: Casa IPO Plan, Rapid7 HQ, Optimus Deal & More”
Prognos Adds $20.5M for A.I. That Aims to Diagnose Diseases Earlier
This year, money has been funneling into companies that apply artificial intelligence to healthcare, from diagnostics to speech recognition software. The latest recipient is New York-based Prognos, which says it just closed a $20.5 million Series C round from a group of prominent insurers, drug makers, and venture capital investors. Prognos’s A.I.-related software aims to … Continue reading “Prognos Adds $20.5M for A.I. That Aims to Diagnose Diseases Earlier”
Chemo Tops Pfizer, Merck KGaA Drug in Big Stomach Cancer Test
Pfizer and Merck KGaA’s bid to have a stomach cancer treatment that could leapfrog rival immunotherapies has fallen short. The companies announced Tuesday that a Phase 3 study testing avelumab (Bavencio) didn’t do better than chemotherapy at extending the lives of patients with gastric cancer. The drug was given to patients whose cancer could not … Continue reading “Chemo Tops Pfizer, Merck KGaA Drug in Big Stomach Cancer Test”
As Automation Disrupts Everything, Michigan Must Seize Opportunity
Detroit is buzzing again. Optimism about the city’s future is high. Unemployment in the state of Michigan is under 4 percent, approaching 20-year lows, and is lower than the national average. There’s lots to be excited about, and I share that excitement 100 percent. In fact, it’s part of the reason why I recently moved … Continue reading “As Automation Disrupts Everything, Michigan Must Seize Opportunity”
Selocial Allows Fans and Bands to Discover, Publicize Indie Music
David “Stock” Baird is a songwriter, producer, and entrepreneur who spends a lot of time thinking of new and better ways for independent musicians to get paid for their work. He found a way to connect his passions by creating Selocial, a social network and music discovery tool that went live earlier this month. It … Continue reading “Selocial Allows Fans and Bands to Discover, Publicize Indie Music”
BetterLesson Collects $10M to Push Teacher Development Software
As more K-12 schools adopt technologies meant to help deliver an education customized to each student, the methods for coaching teachers are becoming more digital and personalized, too. The latest sign comes from BetterLesson, a Cambridge, MA-based edtech company that today announced it raised a $10 million Series B funding round to expand the use … Continue reading “BetterLesson Collects $10M to Push Teacher Development Software”
Eyeing Phase 2 Study of CNS Drug, Promentis CEO Plots Path Forward
Promentis Pharmaceuticals has for years publicly discussed its goal of commercializing a drug that uses a particular brain chemistry-regulating mechanism to treat central nervous system disorders. But it wasn’t until last week that the Milwaukee-based biotech revealed that the first clinical trial of its lead drug compound is aimed at treating trichotillomania, a chronic condition … Continue reading “Eyeing Phase 2 Study of CNS Drug, Promentis CEO Plots Path Forward”
Marlin Equity Partners to Acquire Austin-based Bazaarvoice for $521M
Austin—Software maker Bazaarvoice (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BV]]) is being sold to Marlin Equity Partners, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm, in a deal valued at more than $500 million. As part of the acquisition, Austin, TX-based Bazaarvoice, which makes software for online and social media marketing, will go back to being a private company. The transaction is … Continue reading “Marlin Equity Partners to Acquire Austin-based Bazaarvoice for $521M”
Agenda Posted for Xconomy’s What’s Hot in Bay Area Biotech on Dec. 6
Next month, Xconomy will convene an elite group of biotech executives, researchers, and investors from the San Francisco Bay Area to discuss how they are building new organizations and bringing new projects and products forward to address major healthcare challenges. We have a full roster of speakers for the Dec. 6 event. The full agenda … Continue reading “Agenda Posted for Xconomy’s What’s Hot in Bay Area Biotech on Dec. 6”