A growing number of companies are using CRISPR technology to try and develop more precise treatments for a wide range of diseases, and Locus Biosciences is joining the mix, embracing the platform to tackle drug-resistant bacteria. Now the startup has $19 million to test its “precision antimicrobial” tech in humans. ARTIS Ventures, a San Francisco-based … Continue reading “Locus Bio Raises $19M for CRISPR-Cas3 Antimicrobial “Smart Bombs””
Poshmark Picks Up $87.5M to Power the Social, Digital Wardrobe
Poshmark, a social media e-retail company, has raised $87.5 million in a Series D investment round led by Singapore sovereign wealth fund Temasek. That brings the total funding raised by the Redwood City, CA-based company to $160 million. Other investors in the firm include Mayfield, Menlo Ventures, GGV Capital, Inventus Capital, SoftTech VC, Union Grove … Continue reading “Poshmark Picks Up $87.5M to Power the Social, Digital Wardrobe”
ImmusanT Gets $40M From Arch, Vatera to Continue Celiac Vaccine Quest
ImmusanT has spent years developing an immunotherapy meant to help people with celiac disease tolerate gluten. Today, on the verge of its most substantial clinical test to date, the company has also come up with its biggest round of funding from some well-known backers. Arch Venture Partners has joined previous ImmusanT backer Vatera Healthcare Partners … Continue reading “ImmusanT Gets $40M From Arch, Vatera to Continue Celiac Vaccine Quest”
In a Precision Step, Bayer Writes Loxo $400M Check for Two Cancer Drugs
The latest evidence of the progress of targeted cancer drugs came this morning in the form of a $400 million check. That’s what Bayer will pay, up front, to Loxo Oncology, a company that has the chance to be the second, following Merck, to win approval of a drug for tumors with a specific genetic … Continue reading “In a Precision Step, Bayer Writes Loxo $400M Check for Two Cancer Drugs”
Register Today & Save on What’s Hot in Cybersecurity on Dec. 5
Winter is coming—and so is our second annual cybersecurity conference based in Boston. On December 5, we’ll be gathering leading security tech experts to discuss “What’s Hot in Cybersecurity” at WGBH’s offices in Brighton. At the event we’ll cover topics such as protecting your business from cyber attacks, national security and policy issues, and the … Continue reading “Register Today & Save on What’s Hot in Cybersecurity on Dec. 5”
With $25M, Torque Aims for a More Targeted Cell Therapy for Cancer
Genetic engineering a patient’s own immune cells to make them better cancer fighters is the latest tool in oncology, following FDA approvals of two such therapies this year. But executives at Torque Therapeutics say cell therapy can be further improved by enlisting T cells to carry a drug payload that prompts a more targeted and … Continue reading “With $25M, Torque Aims for a More Targeted Cell Therapy for Cancer”
At New Penn Foster Gig, Stefanski Tackles the “No Good Jobs” Myth
While it may seem like those without a college degree have few good options in an increasingly tech- and services-oriented economy, a new report finds more than 30 million “good jobs” in the U.S. that pay at least $35,000 per year and can be had without a college diploma—and the right set of skills. But many people … Continue reading “At New Penn Foster Gig, Stefanski Tackles the “No Good Jobs” Myth”
Campaign Against Killer Robots Depicts Bleak Future as Nations Meet
This video is the stuff of nightmares. It depicts A.I.-directed drones loaded with small amounts of explosive, seeking out and killing targets autonomously. A slick tech executive makes his (for now) fictional pitch of this “improvement” on the large, Predator-style military drones that are familiar today. He shows a bomber flying over a city, dropping … Continue reading “Campaign Against Killer Robots Depicts Bleak Future as Nations Meet”
DFJ Co-Founder Jurvetson Exits Firm Amid Harassment Charges
[Updated 11/15/17, 11:10 am. See below.] One of Silicon Valley’s most prominent venture capital firm founders has joined the list of VCs who departed from their positions this year in the wake of sexual harassment allegations. Steve Jurvetson, co-founder of Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ), confirmed via a Twitter post Monday that he has left the … Continue reading “DFJ Co-Founder Jurvetson Exits Firm Amid Harassment Charges”
IPO to Fuel Denali’s Drugs for Alzheimer’s, Other Brain Diseases
One of biotech’s richest private companies, Denali Therapeutics, has set its sights on an IPO to push ahead with treatments for Alzheimer’s and other confounding brain diseases. The filing marks $100 million as its IPO target, but market conditions often shift a company’s sights in the run-up to a debut. Denali’s disclosure comes on the … Continue reading “IPO to Fuel Denali’s Drugs for Alzheimer’s, Other Brain Diseases”
Foxconn, Exact, Ludois, & More: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist
A major deal between Wisconsin legislators and a foreign electronics assembler, a biotech company’s expansion plans, and an award for electric motors research are among these recent headlines from the state’s innovation community: —The state of Wisconsin and Foxconn, an electronics assembler and technology development business based in Taiwan, signed off on a deal that … Continue reading “Foxconn, Exact, Ludois, & More: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist”
GE Stock Sinks Further After Revealing Job & Dividend Cuts
[Corrected 11/13/17, 5:57 pm. See below.] General Electric is making cuts as its new CEO tries to simplify the industrial behemoth and turn around its languishing stock price. On Monday, CEO John Flannery (pictured right) outlined a plan to focus on its healthcare, aviation, and power businesses, while shedding at least $20 billion worth of assets, … Continue reading “GE Stock Sinks Further After Revealing Job & Dividend Cuts”
Acquia Taps Former Autonomy and HP Exec Sullivan to Be Next CEO
[Updated 11/13/17, 3:37 pm, with comments from executives.] There’s about to be a new leader at Acquia, one of the Boston area’s more closely watched enterprise tech companies. On Monday, the Web content management software company named Michael Sullivan as its CEO, effective next month. The 52-year-old, pictured at right, has spent more than 25 … Continue reading “Acquia Taps Former Autonomy and HP Exec Sullivan to Be Next CEO”
First Star Ventures Pushes Deeper Into Genomic Data & Blockchain
First Star Ventures might be Boston’s most interesting early-stage startup investor you’ve never heard of. The venture firm has flown somewhat under the radar since it launched three years ago as Procyon Ventures. But it’s starting to make more noise. First Star announced its new moniker last month. “We got tired of people mispronouncing Procyon,” … Continue reading “First Star Ventures Pushes Deeper Into Genomic Data & Blockchain”
Milestones of Innovation 14: The Biggest Damn Firecracker I Ever Saw
At exactly 7 a.m. on Nov. 9, 1967, the roof of the press viewing stand at Cape Canaveral began shaking from what was happening more than three miles from us. The sky seemed to be cracking as a gleaming 363-foot tall rocket began pushing up from Launch Pad 39 and eastward over the Atlantic. As … Continue reading “Milestones of Innovation 14: The Biggest Damn Firecracker I Ever Saw”
Experts Examine Blockchain’s Present, Future at Marquette Conference
Many non-techies first heard about the digital currency Bitcoin as something people could use to anonymously buy illicit drugs and weapons, or even to hire an assassin, through websites such as Silk Road. But Bitcoin’s image has improved in recent years as more people hear about and begin using cryptocurrencies for more conventional purchases, said … Continue reading “Experts Examine Blockchain’s Present, Future at Marquette Conference”
Juno Dissects ROCKET Deaths, Will Aim Better CAR-T at Leukemia
When five patients with a difficult type of leukemia died last year in a clinical trial run by Juno Therapeutics, it was a big setback for the Seattle biotech and its plans for cutting-edge CAR-T cancer therapy. A year later, Juno is finally explaining what happened and promising to return with a new product. The … Continue reading “Juno Dissects ROCKET Deaths, Will Aim Better CAR-T at Leukemia”
Bio Roundup: Barron Joins GSK, Sage Bounces Back, Valeant Dumps Addyi
Call it a week of second chances. Multiple biotechs breathed new life into drugs sorely in need of it. Sage Therapeutics proved a drug that had failed a trial a rare form of epilepsy could be the first ever approved therapy for postpartum depression. Otonomy, reviving a hearing loss drug thought to be on the … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Barron Joins GSK, Sage Bounces Back, Valeant Dumps Addyi”
What Sean Parker Shares with Einstein and the Labradoodle’s Inventor
Sean Parker, Facebook’s first president, just joined a group that’s a favorite topic of history listicles: He’s an innovator who has become abashed by the breakthrough he helped to create. Parker, in an interview with Axios on Wednesday, said Facebook’s founders consciously exploited “a vulnerability in human psychology,” by luring users into an addictive engagement … Continue reading “What Sean Parker Shares with Einstein and the Labradoodle’s Inventor”
Aquam Raises $26M to Expand Tech, Services for Aging Infrastructure
Aquam, a San Diego company with technology for cleaning out and re-lining aging utility pipelines, has raised $26 million in a growth capital round led by NewWorld Capital Group, a New York private equity firm that makes investments in sustainable energy and natural-resources related deals. As municipalities and utilities confront intractable infrastructure problems that range … Continue reading “Aquam Raises $26M to Expand Tech, Services for Aging Infrastructure”
Pfizer’s Karen Reeves Joins AZTherapies as Chief Medical Officer
AZTherapies has appointed Karen Reeves chief medical officer. Reeves joins the Boston company from Pfizer (NYSE: [[ticker:PFE]]), where she held multiple senior leadership positions in research and development, and regulatory and safety. Before Pfizer, Reeves was head of global medical science at Astellas Pharma Global Development. AZTherapies develops treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, ischemic stroke, and … Continue reading “Pfizer’s Karen Reeves Joins AZTherapies as Chief Medical Officer”
ImmunoMet Therapeutics Promotes Benjamin Cowen to CEO
Benjamin Cowen, chief operating officer of ImmunoMet Therapeutics, is taking on a new role as CEO of the Houston-based drug developer. Founder and former CEO Sung-Wuk Kim will continue to serve as chairman of the company’s board of directors. Before joining ImmunoMet, Cowen was vice president of corporate development at Milestone Pharmaceuticals. ImmunoMet’s lead drug … Continue reading “ImmunoMet Therapeutics Promotes Benjamin Cowen to CEO”
What’s Hot in Cybersecurity: Here’s the Agenda for Dec. 5 at WGBH
It feels like December already in Boston. So, here’s an update on our annual cybersecurity conference at WGBH, which is happening on December 5. If you want to hear the latest information about threats and defenses for your company, network, or personal information, you won’t want to miss it. We still have a few pieces … Continue reading “What’s Hot in Cybersecurity: Here’s the Agenda for Dec. 5 at WGBH”
JNJ’s First-Ever Center for Device Innovation Opens at Houston’s TMC
Houston—Christmas has come early for Billy Cohn this year. Cohn, the renowned Houston heart surgeon and inventor, doesn’t bother to contain his excitement as he shows me around the Center for Device Innovation. The center opens today at the Texas Medical Center’s innovation campus, located in an old Nabisco cookie factory. The center is a … Continue reading “JNJ’s First-Ever Center for Device Innovation Opens at Houston’s TMC”
Sage Bounces Back, Eyes FDA Filing for Postpartum Drug
There may be a new treatment on the horizon for postpartum depression, an often severe form of depression that affects women after childbirth. Sage Therapeutics reported this morning that an experimental neurological drug known as brexanolone succeeded in two Phase 3 trials, setting the stage for an FDA approval filing next year. Cambridge, MA-based Sage … Continue reading “Sage Bounces Back, Eyes FDA Filing for Postpartum Drug”
ScaleFactor Nabs $2.5M as A.I. Marches into Business Services
Austin—ScaleFactor, a company that sells small businesses a machine learning-based program that automates accounting work like bookkeeping, has raised $2.5 million in seed funding from a group of investors that include Next Coast Ventures and Techstars Ventures. ScaleFactor plans to use the funding on product development. The company participated in the Austin Techstars accelerator earlier … Continue reading “ScaleFactor Nabs $2.5M as A.I. Marches into Business Services”
Enview Raises $6M Series A to Monitor Safety of Energy Infrastructure
Silicon Valley residents are unlikely to forget the deadly 2010 explosion and fireball in San Bruno, CA, which was caused by the breakdown of a gas pipeline that Pacific Gas & Electric Co. was later convicted of failing to identify as high-risk. Now, San Francisco startup Enview is using artificial intelligence and 3D computer vision … Continue reading “Enview Raises $6M Series A to Monitor Safety of Energy Infrastructure”
Bose Develops Prototype “Sleepbuds” After Buying San Diego Startup
Bose, the privately held maker of headphones, loudspeakers, and other electronics for audiophiles, has acquired Hush, a San Diego startup founded by three undergraduate engineering students to develop “smart” noise-masking earbuds designed to help users sleep. The Framingham, MA, audio giant has incorporated the Hush technology in a prototype product that Bose is testing in … Continue reading “Bose Develops Prototype “Sleepbuds” After Buying San Diego Startup”
Texas Medical Center Steps Into the Venture Arena with $25M Fund
Houston—The Texas Medical Center announced Wednesday it has created the TMC Venture Fund, a $25 million fund to support early stage biotech and life sciences companies. The companies don’t need to have been part of the medical device or health IT cohorts in TMCx, the medical center’s accelerator, but do need to have some sort … Continue reading “Texas Medical Center Steps Into the Venture Arena with $25M Fund”
Microsoft Ups Its Wisconsin Investments, Backs New Gener8tor Program
Microsoft is deepening its efforts to help Wisconsin foster more high-growth startups. The Seattle-based tech giant’s latest move in the Badger State is a new partnership with Gener8tor, an organization based in the state that runs training programs for early-stage companies, and invests in them. Gener8tor said Wednesday that its collaboration with Microsoft is aimed … Continue reading “Microsoft Ups Its Wisconsin Investments, Backs New Gener8tor Program”
Cheddar Is on a Mission to Help Software Developers Monetize Faster
It’s a tale as old as tech startups: A software developer creates a new app that she’s convinced will take the world by storm. The only problem? She has no idea how to monetize her brilliant creation. A startup based in Bloomington, IN, called Cheddar aims to solve that problem by changing the way developers … Continue reading “Cheddar Is on a Mission to Help Software Developers Monetize Faster”
OncoSec Medical Names Former Advaxis Exec O’Conner as CEO
OncoSec Medical (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ONCS]]) has named former Advaxis (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ADXS]]) CEO Daniel J. O’Conner to take over as chief executive at the San Diego-based company, which has been developing technology to enhance the delivery and uptake of its anti-tumor drug therapies. O’Conner resigned in July from Advaxis, a cancer immunotherapy biotech in Princeton, NJ, and … Continue reading “OncoSec Medical Names Former Advaxis Exec O’Conner as CEO”
Microsoft’s Strategy for Finding What’s Next in Healthcare A.I.
[Updated 11/10/17, 10:25 a.m. See below.] Microsoft is applying the same model it used to launch its quantum computing and chatbot efforts to innovation in healthcare, signaling the company’s ambition and optimism about the transformative potential of artificial intelligence technologies in this enormous endeavor. Peter Lee is the Microsoft Research executive in charge of the … Continue reading “Microsoft’s Strategy for Finding What’s Next in Healthcare A.I.”
OncoResponse Buys Paganini Biopharma to Add Cancer Drug to Pipeline
Houston—OncoResponse has acquired biotech startup Paganini Biopharma in a move that brings a clinical trial-ready compound to the Houston cancer drug developer. No financial terms were disclosed for the deal, which was announced Tuesday. But the acquisition complements the pipeline of OncoResponse, whose research focuses on antibody cancer drugs. Los Angeles-based Paganini’s lead drug, ONCR-201, … Continue reading “OncoResponse Buys Paganini Biopharma to Add Cancer Drug to Pipeline”
With $40M for Exonics, Duchenne’s Gene Therapy, CRISPR Race Heats Up
Exonics Therapeutics, one of the players in an emerging race to use gene therapy or gene editing techniques to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy, has just landed a big round of funding to take its first treatment into clinical testing. The Cambridge, MA, company, seeded last year by a subsidiary of the nonprofit group CureDuchenne, will … Continue reading “With $40M for Exonics, Duchenne’s Gene Therapy, CRISPR Race Heats Up”
JumpFiber Gives San Antonio Cord Cutters New Internet Option
San Antonio—Starting a new Internet service business is no easy task, from building the technological infrastructure to wooing customers away from ubiquitous cable companies. But JumpFiber, a new wireless Internet service provider in San Antonio, isn’t shying away from the challenge, and it will now attempt to follow in the footsteps of similar companies like … Continue reading “JumpFiber Gives San Antonio Cord Cutters New Internet Option”
Super Saver Rate Ending for San Diego Life Sciences 2022 on December 11
When Xconomy gathered a handful of life sciences visionaries in 2010 to predict what the local life sciences landscape would look like in 2030, biotech CEO John Mendlein talked about the intertwining ingredients of people, money, and ideas—how they work together to strengthen a life sciences ecosystem. “We get to peer into the future,” Mendlein … Continue reading “Super Saver Rate Ending for San Diego Life Sciences 2022 on December 11”
WSU’s New Innovation Hub Aims to Boost Entrepreneurship, Engagement
David Tarver is many things: a former telecom engineer with Bell Labs who left to start his own born-in-the-basement company that later sold for $30 million, author of the book “Proving Ground,” founder of the Urban Entrepreneurship Initiative, a University of Michigan professor, and all-around booster and mentor for Southeast Michigan’s startup ecosystem. In July, he took … Continue reading “WSU’s New Innovation Hub Aims to Boost Entrepreneurship, Engagement”
Boston Tech Watch: TripAdvisor, MassChallenge, Twine Health & More
This week in Boston tech, we’re tracking trouble at TripAdvisor, the closure of a co-working space in Harvard Square, the winners of the latest MassChallenge Boston accelerator program, a pair of acquisitions, and venture investments that span cleantech, edtech, cannabis tech, and more. Read on for details. —It’s been a challenging past few days for … Continue reading “Boston Tech Watch: TripAdvisor, MassChallenge, Twine Health & More”
Waymo, Global Firms Start Their Engines For Self-Driving Future
In a pile-up of news about self-driving vehicles early this week, Alphabet unit Waymo led the pack by announcing that its autonomous fleet, operating in an area of Phoenix, is now without humans in the driver’s seat. Soon, Waymo will be testing a business model for its driverless cars, while it continues to test its … Continue reading “Waymo, Global Firms Start Their Engines For Self-Driving Future”
Progenity Raises $125M to Expand Diagnostics for Women’s Health
Progenity, a San Diego molecular diagnostics company focused on women’s health, reproductive medicine, and oncology, has raised $125 million in a Series B financing led by New York’s Athyrium Capital Management, an earlier investor. The financing marks one of the biggest life sciences deal involving a San Diego company this year. Proceeds from the financing, … Continue reading “Progenity Raises $125M to Expand Diagnostics for Women’s Health”
Five Prime Shares Dive on Latest Hiccup For Cancer Immunotherapy Combos
Another prospective combination of cancer immunotherapy drugs has shown its warts in clinical testing. The latest example: an experimental treatment from Five Prime Therapeutics fell short of expectations when combined with one of the leading immunotherapy drugs, nivolumab (Opdivo), from Bristol-Myers Squibb, in a small study. In a Phase 1 clinical trial of pancreatic cancer … Continue reading “Five Prime Shares Dive on Latest Hiccup For Cancer Immunotherapy Combos”
Panorama Education Gets $16M for “Social-Emotional Learning” Tools
Panorama Education announced Tuesday that it raised $16 million from several high-profile tech investors to accelerate the adoption of its software tools aimed at boosting K-12 students’ social and emotional skills and college readiness. The Series B funding round was led by Emerson Collective, whose founder and president is Laurene Powell Jobs, the billionaire entrepreneur … Continue reading “Panorama Education Gets $16M for “Social-Emotional Learning” Tools”
At First Summit, 7CTOs Takes Baby Step to San Diego Tech Buildup
A lot of ink has been spilled on the subject of building tech startups and creating entrepreneurial communities for tech innovation. But to Etienne de Bruin, a disproportionate amount of attention has focused on the tech founder as CEO, and what it takes for a CEO to build a tech business. Search for “CEO books” … Continue reading “At First Summit, 7CTOs Takes Baby Step to San Diego Tech Buildup”
Wayne State University Innovation Hub Launch Celebration
Join Wayne State University students, faculty, and staff as they invite the community to celebrate the school’s new innovation hub, which is designed to coordinate and enhance its programs for entrepreneurship education, technology commercialization, community partnerships, and overall culture of innovation. The event is free and open to the public. For details and registration, click … Continue reading “Wayne State University Innovation Hub Launch Celebration”
ThirdChannel Collects $7M to Boost Analytics for Physical Stores
Despite talk that e-commerce is killing brick-and-mortar retail, the vast majority of shopping still takes place in physical stores. But it’s often easier to monitor inventory, analyze consumer spending habits, and make on-the-fly adjustments for digital storefronts than it is for their real-world counterparts. A Boston-area startup called ThirdChannel wants to help change that, aiming … Continue reading “ThirdChannel Collects $7M to Boost Analytics for Physical Stores”
Rightpoint Buys Mobile Firm Raizlabs to Form “Agency of the Future”
Raizlabs, one of the Boston area’s best-known mobile app development shops, has been acquired by Rightpoint, a Chicago-based consulting firm. The purchase price wasn’t disclosed. With the addition of Raizlabs, the combined companies employ 400 people across nine U.S. offices. The two firms’ Boston offices will consolidate, while Raizlabs’ Oakland, CA, office adds a new … Continue reading “Rightpoint Buys Mobile Firm Raizlabs to Form “Agency of the Future””
Spawned by Harvey, Entrepreneurs For Houston Hires Inaugural Leader
Houston—Born out of the destruction and dislocation caused by Hurricane Harvey, the Entrepreneurs for Houston group has taken a step to codify itself as it plans its mission for the long term. Elena White, a former management consultant and native Houstonian, has been appointed executive director of E4H, as the philanthropic group calls itself. “The … Continue reading “Spawned by Harvey, Entrepreneurs For Houston Hires Inaugural Leader”
FDA Lifts Hold on Cellectis’s “Off the Shelf” CAR-T, With Caveats
The FDA has cleared Cellectis to resume testing an experimental “off the shelf” type of cell therapy, so long as it follows a new set of measures meant to quell the safety concerns that caused the company to halt a pair of clinical trials. Cellectis (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CLLS]]) said late Monday night that the agency will … Continue reading “FDA Lifts Hold on Cellectis’s “Off the Shelf” CAR-T, With Caveats”
Lunar Aims to Offer Budget Phone Service, Premium User Experience
Most of us can’t imagine going back to a time without smartphones. Having an Internet-enabled phone on one’s person makes life easier, and many of us would feel a bit naked without one. Paying for them, however, is another matter. The prices keep going up as the phones get more sophisticated, and with myriad fees … Continue reading “Lunar Aims to Offer Budget Phone Service, Premium User Experience”