Skyhook Signs Up Intel, Citysearch

Boston-based Skyhook, a wireless technology firm, said today that Intel (NASDAQ: [[ticker:INTC]]) has licensed its location-finding software and will make the technology available on Intel chip-based devices. Skyhook also announced that Citysearch, the online local guide, has integrated Skyhook’s technology into its mobile and deals apps for Android devices. Financial details of the two agreements … Continue reading “Skyhook Signs Up Intel, Citysearch”

ODesk Charts the Future of Distributed Work

Consider these five trends, and then ask yourself what kind of Internet business you would create to exploit them. 1. Persistent economic uncertainty, leaving employers unwilling to hire lots of new permanent employees—but needing to get work done nonetheless. 2. The emergence of outsourcing as a mainstream, accepted, even expected corporate practice. 3. A growing … Continue reading “ODesk Charts the Future of Distributed Work”

$89.6M More for Brightsource

Brightsource Energy, the Oakland, CA, company constructing a large solar thermal plant in Ivanpah in California’s Mojave Desert, has raised $89.55 million in new equity-based financing in a round that could reach $100 million, according to a regulatory filing. Brightsource did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the sources of the round. … Continue reading “$89.6M More for Brightsource”

Accel Leads $17.5M UberMedia Round

Palo Alto, CA-based Accel Partners is the lead investor in a $17.5 million Series B round (PDF) for UberMedia, the Pasadena, CA, company rapidly rolling up a series of other social media startups. Revolution Ventures and Index Ventures also participated in the round, and Accel partner Jim Breyer has joined UberMedia’s board. Founded by Bill … Continue reading “Accel Leads $17.5M UberMedia Round”

Catch.com Catches $7M

San Francisco-based Catch.com, maker of an online notekeeping application that competes with the likes of Evernote and Springpad, has raised $7 million in Series A financing, according to a report in Dow Jones VentureWire. Boston-based Excel Venture Management was the investor. Catch.com lets users capture and save notes and thoughts via browser extensions on PCs … Continue reading “Catch.com Catches $7M”

College and Business Will Never Be the Same: Philadelphia University Integrates Design, Engineering and Commerce

Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school. —Attributed to Albert Einstein, Mark Twain and B.F. Skinner There are 4633 accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities in the United States. This weekend I had dinner with one of them—a friend who’s now the president of Philadelphia University. He’s working hard to … Continue reading “College and Business Will Never Be the Same: Philadelphia University Integrates Design, Engineering and Commerce”

RIM Buys Gist, RealNetworks Cuts Jobs, Microsoft’s Nokia Deal, & More Seattle-Area Tech News

The biggest deal this week around the Xconomy office is that we have a new writer to cover the local tech beat. More on that and other Seattle area deals news below. —Seattle-based Gist, the maker of software for managing your contacts online, said this week it has agreed to be acquired by Research in … Continue reading “RIM Buys Gist, RealNetworks Cuts Jobs, Microsoft’s Nokia Deal, & More Seattle-Area Tech News”

SearchReviews’ New Web and Mobile Tool Aggregates Millions of Consumer Reviews

Every once in a while a startup pops up to lay claim to some area of search that Google, inexplicably, has not. (Yes, there are some.) This week it’s SearchReviews, a small Palo Alto, CA-based company that’s tapping the Web’s tens of millions of user-generated reviews of everything from electronic gadgets, to books to travel … Continue reading “SearchReviews’ New Web and Mobile Tool Aggregates Millions of Consumer Reviews”

Genomic Health, Taking a Hit on Bottom Line, Bets Next-Gen Sequencing Will Yield Next-Gen Diagnostics

Genomic Health built itself into a profitable business in molecular diagnostics by using genetics analysis instruments that were state-of-the-art in the middle part of the last decade. But as the Redwood City, CA-based diagnostics company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GHDX]]) looks further into the future, it has come to a clear conclusion. Out with the old, and in … Continue reading “Genomic Health, Taking a Hit on Bottom Line, Bets Next-Gen Sequencing Will Yield Next-Gen Diagnostics”

What Does “Out-Innovate the World” Mean Today?

Today, much manufacturing has gone to China, many services are going to India, and agriculture is threatening to go to South America. What will the U.S. excel in? Innovation is the frequent response. Indeed, President Obama has issued a clarion call to the nation: “We need to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the … Continue reading “What Does “Out-Innovate the World” Mean Today?”

Mok Oh, Founder of EveryScape, Joins Where in New Innovation Role

The one thing Mok Oh was afraid of getting last month was an offer he couldn’t refuse. As it turns out, that’s exactly what happened. Oh, the founder and former chief technology officer of Newton, MA-based EveryScape, had just left the company and was looking at his options for what to do next. He wanted … Continue reading “Mok Oh, Founder of EveryScape, Joins Where in New Innovation Role”

Catch.com Obtains $7,000,000 Series A Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2308da02-5dbb-43bb-aaa5-0e9efdb420a8&Preview=1 Date 2/15/2011 Company Name Catch.com Mailing Address 2995 Woodside Rd. Woodside, CA 94062 Company Description Catch helps you create one place to privately capture & find your notable thoughts, ideas, images, places, lists & anything else you’d rather not forget. Website http://www.catch.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $7,000,000 Transaction Round … Continue reading “Catch.com Obtains $7,000,000 Series A Financing Round”

GetJar Networks Secures $25,000,000 Series C Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=be553eae-cbdc-47c9-a122-1956f6bf043a&Preview=1 Date 2/15/2011 Company Name GetJar Networks Mailing Address 1500 Fashion Island Blvd. San Mateo, CA 94404 Company Description GetJar is the world’s largest cross platform app store with over a half billion downloads to date. The company provides more than 50,000 mobile applications across all major handsets and platforms to consumers … Continue reading “GetJar Networks Secures $25,000,000 Series C Financing Round”

Coupa Software Secures $12,000,000 Series D Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6bf8c5d2-92ec-4f27-8790-8c2ab69bc605&Preview=1 Date 2/15/2011 Company Name Coupa Software Mailing Address Two West 5th Avenue San Mateo, CA 94402 Company Description Coupa was founded in 2006 to fulfill the promise of effective procurement for companies of all sizes. Coupa simplifies purchasing for employees while providing much-needed control for the purchasing department. Website http://www.coupa.com Transaction … Continue reading “Coupa Software Secures $12,000,000 Series D Funding Round”

Soladigm Obtains $10,000,000 Series C Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b40c8b41-0088-4448-aa0a-9156b05c9b03&Preview=1 Date 2/15/2011 Company Name Soladigm Mailing Address 195 South Milpitas Boulevard Milpitas, CA 95035 Company Description The company provides switchable electronic glass technology. Website http://www.soladigm.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $10,000,000 Transaction Round Series C Proceeds Purposes The funding will allow Soladigm to build and launch high-volume commercial operations and … Continue reading “Soladigm Obtains $10,000,000 Series C Funding”

TangoMe Secures $8,650,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6cd779ac-bb06-488f-9f8d-c088fd2c4aaa&Preview=1 Date 2/15/2011 Company Name TangoMe Mailing Address 2452 Embarcadero Way Palo Alto, CA 94303 Company Description Tango enables anyone with an iPhone or Android phone to make free mobile video calls over 3G, 4G, or Wi-Fi to their friends and family around the world. Website http://www.tango.me Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount … Continue reading “TangoMe Secures $8,650,000 New Funding Round”

Ivivi Health Sciences Receives $9,500,000 Series A Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b7343d78-7fd4-460c-ac78-d397a93a5600&Preview=1 Date 2/15/2011 Company Name Ivivi Health Sciences Mailing Address 588 Sutter St. San Francisco, CA 94102 Company Description The company sells a medical device that is a portable electrical stimulation device for reducing postoperative pain and swelling. Website http://www.ivivihealthsciences.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $9,500,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds … Continue reading “Ivivi Health Sciences Receives $9,500,000 Series A Funding Round”

Calisolar Lands $8,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=13b9d5b5-9247-4e6f-8110-e9359cee52b5&Preview=1 Date 2/15/2011 Company Name Calisolar Mailing Address 985 Almanor Ave Sunnyvale, CA 94085 Company Description CaliSolar is a photovoltaic (PV) company that designs, patents, manufactures and markets solar cells in high volumes for the largest segments of the PV industry. Website http://www.calisolar.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $8,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed … Continue reading “Calisolar Lands $8,000,000 New Financing”

Sonoma Orthopedic Products Receives $22,000,000 Series D Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=bf845bdf-ef36-4097-a035-ff14df91aa27&Preview=1 Date 2/15/2011 Company Name Sonoma Orthopedic Products Mailing Address 3589 Westwind Boulevard Santa Rosa, CA 95403 Company Description The company develops orthopedic medical devices and products. Website http://www.sonomaorthopedics.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $22,000,000 Transaction Round Series D Proceeds Purposes The financing will support several new product launches, expansion of … Continue reading “Sonoma Orthopedic Products Receives $22,000,000 Series D Round”

CashStar Lands $5,000,000 Series B Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=95c8f7be-14f6-477f-a02a-68d457fd8cb3&Preview=1 Date 2/15/2011 Company Name CashStar Mailing Address 129 Middle Street 2nd Floor Portland, ME 04101 Company Description CashStar is leading the multi-channel payments evolution as the only digital gifting and incentives company for top brands. The company works with national retailers to offer highly-personalized eGift Cards delivered to consumers via email. … Continue reading “CashStar Lands $5,000,000 Series B Funding Round”

Tremor Media Acquires Transpera for $40,000,000

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=607de8b8-6b93-45fe-a4e8-bdf012412da5&Preview=1 Date 2/15/2011 Company Name Transpera Mailing Address 785 Market St. San Francisco, CA 94103 Company Description Truly personal mobile video is now a reality. With Transpera’s Bridge System, users program their own channels, enjoy deep integration with their favorite online video sites and share those experiences with friends and family. Website … Continue reading “Tremor Media Acquires Transpera for $40,000,000”

Solvate Lands $4,000,000 Series B Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=99535b2b-fd2b-46e2-b4eb-27b3d3d33567&Preview=1 Date 2/15/2011 Company Name Solvate Mailing Address 405 Greenwich St. New York, NY 10013 Company Description Founded in 2007 and based in New York City, Solvate exists to help people make the most of their precious time. For business owners and executives who need on-demand administrative support, Solvate is a micro-staffing … Continue reading “Solvate Lands $4,000,000 Series B Funding Round”

M2M Wireless Sensor Technology

The CommNexus Emerging Wireless SIG has organized this event to examine the strategies, technological requirements, and available solutions for machine-to-machine (M2M) wireless sensor technology. From battlefield surveillance to healthcare monitoring, smart grid, and equipment monitoring, M2M technology has evolved a long way and is still gaining momentum. It is expected that this sector will grow … Continue reading “M2M Wireless Sensor Technology”

Undead Sanderling Ventures Plans to Raise Seventh Fund

At the beginning of the year, Forbes included San Diego’s Sanderling Ventures on its latest list of venture capital’s walking dead “zombie funds,” saying the firm hasn’t been able to raise a new fund since it raised $421 million for its last fund in 2004. But wouldn’t you know, Sanderling has sprung back to life, … Continue reading “Undead Sanderling Ventures Plans to Raise Seventh Fund”

Tech Coast Angels Makes First Investment From New Fund

Southern California’s Tech Coast Angels said today its new Angel Capital Entrepreneurial (ACE) Fund 1, which was formed last year as an alternative investment vehicle for early stage startups, has made its first investment—in Vokle, an Internet startup in the Los Angeles area. The fund is not announcing how much capital it has raised so … Continue reading “Tech Coast Angels Makes First Investment From New Fund”

Book Talk: ‘Advantage’ Author Adam Segal on How American Innovation Can Overcome the Asian Challenge

UC San Diego’s School of International Relations and Pacific Studies has organized a presentation by Adam Segal, the Ira A. Lipman senior fellow for counterterrorism and national security studies at New York-based Council on Foreign Relations. Segal will talk about his book, ‘Advantage,’ and how the emergence of India and China as economic powers has … Continue reading “Book Talk: ‘Advantage’ Author Adam Segal on How American Innovation Can Overcome the Asian Challenge”

Tachi Yamada, Gates Foundation’s Global Health Leader, Stepping Down in June

The former Big Pharma executive who ran the global health program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is moving on. Tachi Yamada, 65, an accomplished physician/scientist and former chairman of R&D at London-based pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline, joined the Seattle-based Gates Foundation as the executive director of global health back in June 2006. He plans … Continue reading “Tachi Yamada, Gates Foundation’s Global Health Leader, Stepping Down in June”

RIM Buys Gist To Help Manage Contacts in BlackBerry Smartphones

The early scuttlebutt was right on the mark. Seattle-based Gist, which was reportedly in talks to be acquired by Research in Motion back in December, has closed the deal and agreed to be sold to the giant maker of BlackBerry smartphones. Gist, which makes software to help people keep track of their contacts online, said … Continue reading “RIM Buys Gist To Help Manage Contacts in BlackBerry Smartphones”

Invented Here!

This evening event aims to spotlight the region’s most innovative technologies, by recognizing three key innovators and the stories behind their products. You can purchase tickets for the event, which is being hosted by WBUR’s Robin Young, online here.

500 Startups Launches Accelerator, Animoto Goes HD, Inside Astia’s Success & More Bay Area Biztech News

In startup and technology news last week, it was nearly all incubators and accelerators, all the time. —Angel investing whirlwind Dave McClure, the founder of 500Startups, took the lid off his new startup accelerator program, based in downtown Mountain View, CA. Twelve companies have already joined the program, which provides startups with mentorship, product design … Continue reading “500 Startups Launches Accelerator, Animoto Goes HD, Inside Astia’s Success & More Bay Area Biztech News”

Vertica Acquisition by HP Signals a Business Intelligence Battle in the Bay State

Don’t look now, but there’s a “big data” war brewing in our backyard—one that involves several technology giants. Vertica, a database management and analytics software company based in Billerica, MA, confirmed today it is being acquired by Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: [[ticker:HPQ]]). Financial terms of the deal haven’t been released, but I’m hearing that the price could … Continue reading “Vertica Acquisition by HP Signals a Business Intelligence Battle in the Bay State”

Cooliris Dilates by $9.6M

Palo Alto, CA-based photo management startup Cooliris said today that it has raised $9.6 million in Series C venture financing from existing investors Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, the T-Venture group of Deutsche Telekom, DAG Ventures, and The Westly Group. The company, known mainly for its desktop browser-based “3D Wall” interface for browsing photos, also released … Continue reading “Cooliris Dilates by $9.6M”

Slacker Raises $3M

San Diego-based Slacker has raised an additional $3 million in debt, rights to acquire securities, and securities, according to a recent regulatory filing. Before this financing, the streaming radio service has raised at least $23.2 million since it was founded in 2006. The company offers a free, ad-supported radio service that features music and news.

Conatus Raises $20M for Hepatitis C Studies

San Diego’s Conatus Pharmaceuticals, which specializes in developing drugs for liver disease and cancers, said it closed on a $20 million block of equity funding, which was led by a new investor, AgeChem Venture Fund of Montreal. Existing investors Aberdare Ventures, Advent Venture Partners, Bay City Capital, Gilde Healthcare Partners, and the Roche Venture Fund … Continue reading “Conatus Raises $20M for Hepatitis C Studies”

Peregrine Semi and Fallbrook in IPO Lineup, Qualcomm Unveils FlashLinq in Barcelona, Algebraix Raises $7.5M, & More San Diego BizTech News

With the Mobile World Congress underway this week in Barcelona, you can expect a cacophony of wireless news this week. San Diego’s Qualcomm was among the companies that issued some news ahead of the conference, and we’ve got it wrapped up for you here. —Two San Diego technology companies, Peregrine Semiconductor and Fallbrook Technologies, were … Continue reading “Peregrine Semi and Fallbrook in IPO Lineup, Qualcomm Unveils FlashLinq in Barcelona, Algebraix Raises $7.5M, & More San Diego BizTech News”

Sepaton Replaces CEO

Marlborough, MA-based Sepaton, a provider of disk-based data protection services for enterprise customers, announced today that it has promoted Mike Thompson from the role of executive vice president of worldwide sales and marketing to the position of CEO. He replaces Mike Worhach, who will stay on as vice chairman of the Sepaton board of directors. … Continue reading “Sepaton Replaces CEO”

Biogen Board OK’s 20M Share Buyback

Biogen Idec (NASDAQ:[[ticker:BIIB]]) said on February 11 that its board of directors has given the Weston, MA-based company permission to repurchase 20 million shares of its common stock to offset stock issuances under its share-based compensation plans. The company, the world’s largest provider of multiple sclerosis drugs, said that there is no experation date on … Continue reading “Biogen Board OK’s 20M Share Buyback”

Hologic Gets FDA Nod for 3-D Mammography

Bedford, MA-based Hologic said on Friday it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its 3-D imaging system for doing breast cancer screening and diagnosis. The company’s X-ray mammography device, called the Selenia Dimensions System, is the first of its kind to provide 3-D images of the breast, according to the … Continue reading “Hologic Gets FDA Nod for 3-D Mammography”

Zendesk Gets an iPad App

At Xconomy we shy away from pure product-release stories, but there’s word today of a product from a San Francisco company I admire (Zendesk) on a platform I love (the Apple iPad). Starting today, employees at companies that use Zendesk’s online customer support management platform (which we profiled here last August) can download the new … Continue reading “Zendesk Gets an iPad App”

PariSoma “Innovation Loft” Is Movin’ On Up; A Taste of Parisian Startup Community in San Francisco

Let’s say you left the Bay Area in 2009 and spent all of 2010 assisting ornithologists in Antarctica, or writing cookbooks in Provence, or whatever it is that adventurous startup types do on their getaways. Arriving back in San Francisco today, one of the first things you’d notice is the explosion of incubators and coworking … Continue reading “PariSoma “Innovation Loft” Is Movin’ On Up; A Taste of Parisian Startup Community in San Francisco”

Meet Xconomy Seattle’s Newest Team Member: Ace Reporter Curt Woodward

Xconomy Seattle is adding a lot more journalistic horsepower to serve the Northwest innovation community, starting today. I’m searching for the right word here—ecstatic pretty much nails it—to say how I feel about Curt Woodward joining us as the new senior editor here in Seattle. Curt’s job will be to cover the people and companies … Continue reading “Meet Xconomy Seattle’s Newest Team Member: Ace Reporter Curt Woodward”

Eisai, with Oncology Group H3 Biomedicine, Doubles Down on Boston

H3 Biomedicine is one of the latest experiments that hopes to revamp the way biotech drugs get developed, to save both time and money. Japanese drugmaker Eisai, which is bankrolling Cambridge, MA-based H3, is betting that a combination of $200 million in cash, access to scientific luminaries, and the support of Eisai’s global research and … Continue reading “Eisai, with Oncology Group H3 Biomedicine, Doubles Down on Boston”

Mirador Adds VP of Sales

Seattle-based Mirador Biomedical has a veteran of Arrow International, a medical device company now part of Teleflex (NYSE: [[ticker:TFX]]) as its vice president of sales. Steve Gappa will take on that key role in commercializing Mirador’s Compass family of medical devices. Mirador won FDA approval last October for a digital device that can tell whether … Continue reading “Mirador Adds VP of Sales”

In Southeast Michigan, Keeping Young Talent in the State a Constant Challenge

If Ashley Hartmann had her way, the junior at the University of Michigan would leave the state after getting her degree. “The job opportunities are horrendous in comparison to the rest of the nation,” Hartmann, a chemistry major, said at the MPowered Entrepreneurship career fair in the school’s student union last week. Michigan has struggled … Continue reading “In Southeast Michigan, Keeping Young Talent in the State a Constant Challenge”

David Cancel: I Want Performable to Be the Salesforce.com of Online Marketing

Performable is one of those startups that sounds cool, but who really understands what it does? Until recently, not that many people outside the Cambridge, MA-based marketing technology company. To learn more, I met with David Cancel, Performable’s founder and CEO, at the startup’s cavernous new digs near Central Square. As he admits, marketing technology … Continue reading “David Cancel: I Want Performable to Be the Salesforce.com of Online Marketing”

TwinStrata Garners $750,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=572c7e78-a577-407e-a203-b5c9c95c072b&Preview=1 Date 2/14/2011 Company Name TwinStrata Mailing Address 24 Prime Pkwy. Natick, MA 01760 Company Description To help companies address the challenges related to protecting and managing the growth of business application data, TwinStrata is delivering on its vision for intelligent storage clouds (ISC) solutions. ISC focus on key business needs for … Continue reading “TwinStrata Garners $750,000 New Round”

HP Acquires Vertica Systems for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=188c3010-4adf-441b-af5b-807142243b41&Preview=1 Date 2/14/2011 Company Name Vertica Systems Mailing Address 8 Federal Street First Floor Billerica, MA 01821 Company Description Co-founded by database research and technology pioneer Dr. Michael Stonebraker and startup veteran Andy Palmer, Vertica has developed ultra-fast database technology for storing and querying very large databases using industry-standard hardware. With its … Continue reading “HP Acquires Vertica Systems for Undisclosed Sum”

Research In Motion Acquires Gist for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6e6f07c0-c288-47f9-82c4-f4f5b149eb83&Preview=1 Date 2/14/2011 Company Name Gist Mailing Address 419 Occidental Ave South Seattle, WA 98104 Company Description We are focused on delivering real user value and rapidly iterating based on customer input. If you are interested in the team, please visit our jobs page to see what we are looking for. Website … Continue reading “Research In Motion Acquires Gist for Undisclosed Sum”