At a Confab in Phoenix, Lamenting (and Inventing) the Future of News

What do we mean by “the news”? As recently as 20 years ago, the answer was pretty clear—it was whatever the media establishment was telling us. There were well-worn models for packaging news (in printed newspapers or half-hour broadcasts) and paying for it (through advertising and, to a lesser extent, subscriptions). There were sharply defined … Continue reading “At a Confab in Phoenix, Lamenting (and Inventing) the Future of News”

Aastrom Announces $22.5M Public Offering to Help Fund Stem Cell Trials

Aastrom Biosciences, an Ann Arbor, MI-based biotech company developing experimental adult stem cell therapy, announced this morning a $22.5 million public offering at a purchase price of $2.25 per unit. Aastrom (NASDAQ: ASTM) plans to use the proceeds for research and development expenses, according to a news release. As Luke Timmerman, Xconomy’s national biotech editor, … Continue reading “Aastrom Announces $22.5M Public Offering to Help Fund Stem Cell Trials”

Syndax Pharma Study Offers Clues that Lung Cancer Treatment Could Benefit Subset of Patients

Waltham, MA-based Syndax Pharmaceuticals is reporting data from a mid-stage clinical trial that indicate its lead compound might improve the effectiveness of an existing lung cancer drug, at least for a subpopulation of patients. The company, co-founded by members of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, CA, in 2005, conducted a double-blind, … Continue reading “Syndax Pharma Study Offers Clues that Lung Cancer Treatment Could Benefit Subset of Patients”

Genentech’s Old Antibody Shows New Life, as Part of Combo Therapy Vs. Breast Cancer

Drugs fail all the time in clinical trials, and usually are never heard from again. But Genentech is bringing back an old antibody drug that flunked its first clinical test years ago, having now found a new setting where it might be useful against breast cancer. The antibody drug, pertuzumab, was added to a standard … Continue reading “Genentech’s Old Antibody Shows New Life, as Part of Combo Therapy Vs. Breast Cancer”

Onyx Takes a Swing at Myeloma, PacBio Hits Haitian Cholera Genome, Sequenta Nabs $13M, & More Bay Area Life Sciences News

Super-fast, super-cheap gene sequencing is changing the way biomedical research gets done, and we saw some very interesting manifestations of that trend on the Bay Area biotech beat this week. —Pacific Biosciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PACB]]), the Menlo Park, CA-based developer of high-speed, low-cost DNA sequencing technology, said it teamed up with scientists at Harvard Medical School … Continue reading “Onyx Takes a Swing at Myeloma, PacBio Hits Haitian Cholera Genome, Sequenta Nabs $13M, & More Bay Area Life Sciences News”

Peering Over the Valley of Death at the MIT Sloan Energy Finance Forum

The second annual MIT Sloan Energy Finance Forum, which focused on the lifecycle of energy finance, was held last Friday at the Sloan School of Management at MIT. I am not someone interested in working in finance, but I decided to walk across campus to get a sense of the state of the sector in … Continue reading “Peering Over the Valley of Death at the MIT Sloan Energy Finance Forum”

Alnylam CEO Looks to the Future, Dicerna Plumps Up Kyowa Hakko Pact, Momenta Sells $57.4M Stock Offering, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News

Health IT and RNA interference were big themes we saw in this week’s coverage of New England area life sciences companies. —Ryan took a look at SmartCells, shortly after the Beverly, MA-based biotech revealed it was being acquired by drug giant Merck (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MRK]]) a in a deal potentially worth more than $500 million. The … Continue reading “Alnylam CEO Looks to the Future, Dicerna Plumps Up Kyowa Hakko Pact, Momenta Sells $57.4M Stock Offering, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”

8D World Receives $5,250,000 Series B Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=147d28e0-c61b-45a8-abe9-18c7ada55ce0&Preview=1 Date 12/10/2010 Company Name 8D World Mailing Address 500 W. Cummings Park Woburn, MA 01801 Company Description 8D World is the creator of Wiz World Online, the world’s first virtual world dedicated for global English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) learners to improve their spoken English in a highly motivating environment. Website http://www.8dworld.com Transaction Type … Continue reading “8D World Receives $5,250,000 Series B Round”

Krush Lands Series A Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c37f29b9-d5ec-4006-8254-6d09e1974b50&Preview=1 Date 12/10/2010 Company Name Krush Mailing Address Undisclosed Boston, MA 02109 Company Description The company aims to provide a digital experience geared to shoppers who have grown up using the Internet. Website http://www.Krush.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes The company intends to use … Continue reading “Krush Lands Series A Round”

Apperian Obtains $500,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8c89f29a-acee-451f-b16a-bd69eacfba07&Preview=1 Date 12/10/2010 Company Name Apperian Mailing Address 27-43 Wormwood St. Boston, MA 02210 Company Description Apperian currently makes enterprise-class iPhone applications for large companies seeking to engage consumers in new, innovative ways and enhance productivity among their employees and partners. Website http://www.apperian.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $500,000 Transaction Round … Continue reading “Apperian Obtains $500,000 New Financing Round”

JanRain Receives $1,003,793 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ee4a77e1-ad44-4328-a6f5-ec3b6f927813&Preview=1 Date 12/10/2010 Company Name JanRain Mailing Address 519 SW 3rd Ave Portland, OR 97204 Company Description JanRain has been a recognized leader and catalyst driving the OpenID market forward since 2005. While providing OpenID solutions for both consumers and businesses, our company has helped create the OpenID Foundation and the majority … Continue reading “JanRain Receives $1,003,793 New Round”

PacBio, Harvard Use Fast Gene Sequencer to Crack DNA Code of Haitian Cholera Strain

Epidemics can travel around the world in a matter of hours on airplanes, killing people before anyone really knows what hit them. But now that DNA sequencing has gotten so cheap and so fast, researchers are finding ways to precisely identify the bugs in real-time to find out where they came from, and how to … Continue reading “PacBio, Harvard Use Fast Gene Sequencer to Crack DNA Code of Haitian Cholera Strain”

TakeLessons Takes Top Prize

The San Diego Venture Group says it awarded top honors in its 11th Annual PitchFest business plan competition—and a check for $20,000—to TakeLessons, a San Diego startup that operates nationwide as a full-service music and voice lessons provider. A venture group committee composed of representatives from Anthem Ventures, Avalon Ventures, Tech Coast Angels, and Windward … Continue reading “TakeLessons Takes Top Prize”

Computing in the Age of the $1,000 Genome: Xconomy to Convene Leaders of New Era in Personalized Medicine

An incredible innovation story has been unfolding the past few years in DNA sequencing, giving rise to one of today’s grand challenges of computing. New DNA sequencing tools in development are said to have enough horsepower to decipher the complete 3-billion-letter signature of an individual’s DNA for under $1,000, and possibly with as little as … Continue reading “Computing in the Age of the $1,000 Genome: Xconomy to Convene Leaders of New Era in Personalized Medicine”

Bob Metcalfe Isn’t Leaving, Bill Warner Turns the Tables, Kiva Is Profitable, and Other Takeaways From 5×5

We had such a great time at our “5×5” Xconomy Forum yesterday, I just wanted to share a few thoughts from the talks and discussions. I think it was very useful and entertaining stuff, especially for entrepreneurs and investors. First, a note of thanks to all our participants, several of whom flew into frigid Boston … Continue reading “Bob Metcalfe Isn’t Leaving, Bill Warner Turns the Tables, Kiva Is Profitable, and Other Takeaways From 5×5”

Heroic Heroku: Snapped Up By Salesforce.com for $212 Million

In the biggest exit by far for a company emerging from Mountain View’s Y Combinator venture incubator program, application platform provider Heroku is being acquired by San Francisco-based cloud giant Salesforce.com (NYSE: [[ticker:CRM]]) for a whopping $212 million in cash. The acqusition was announced yesterday during Salesforce.com’s annual Dreamforce conference, and it means Heroku customers like Best … Continue reading “Heroic Heroku: Snapped Up By Salesforce.com for $212 Million”

Accountant Bound for Trial in Angel Murder

Kent Thomas Keigwin, a former certified public accountant, has been ordered to stand trial on charges that include murder for financial gain in connection with the death of John G. Watson, a retired biotech executive and San Diego angel investor whose body was found June 8. Prosecutors presented evidence at a three-day preliminary hearing that … Continue reading “Accountant Bound for Trial in Angel Murder”

SnapLogic Raises $10M

San Francisco-based SnapLogic, which makes software “connectors” that help developers integrate cloud-based applications and services, said yesterday that it has raised $10 million in Series B financing in a round led by previous investor Andreessen Horowitz. General partner Ben Horowitz has joined SnapLogic’s board. The startup said in a statement that the funds would help … Continue reading “SnapLogic Raises $10M”

Electric Superbike to Challenge Gasoline-Powered Motorcycles

A former Boeing engineer who turned pro superbike rider has developed an electric motorcycle and plans to compete head to head on January 9 against conventional twin-cylinder, gasoline-powered race bikes at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA. “We expect to work hard to show the world that electric technology can achieve laptime parity with … Continue reading “Electric Superbike to Challenge Gasoline-Powered Motorcycles”

High-Tech Jobs Evaporate By the Thousands in Detroit and San Francisco Bay Area; Boston, San Diego, Seattle Hold Their Own

In 2009, employment at high-tech companies either declined or stayed essentially flat in all of the cities Xconomy calls home, according to a study of the nation’s top 60 “cybercities” released this week by TechAmerica, a Washington, D.C.-based trade association for the information technology industry. Though the underwhelming job data certainly accords with most people’s … Continue reading “High-Tech Jobs Evaporate By the Thousands in Detroit and San Francisco Bay Area; Boston, San Diego, Seattle Hold Their Own”

Sonian Pulls In $4M

Needham, MA-based Sonian, a provider of cloud-powered technology for e-mail hosting, has raised $4 million of an equity offering that could total $9 million, according to an SEC filing. The firm previously raised a $5.6 million Series A round of funding, with investments from Prism VentureWorks and Summerhill Venture Partners.

MedNetworks Taps UCSD’s James Fowler and Other Experts for New Scientific Board

MedNetworks has significantly enhanced its brain trust as it sets out to conquer the emerging field of social networks analytics in healthcare. The Newton, MA-based startup has announced the creation of a scientific advisory board, which is headlined by the authors of the highly acclaimed book on social networks, “Connected,” Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler. … Continue reading “MedNetworks Taps UCSD’s James Fowler and Other Experts for New Scientific Board”

FDA Panel Recommends Orexigen’s Obesity Drug, Sequenom Raises Capital, CommNexus Reorganizes Its Free Incubator, & More San Diego Life Sciences News

San Diego’s life sciences community gained a new company when HemaQuest Pharmaceuticals decided to move its headquarters here, and a couple of Bay Area executives will also be working at San Diego’s Otonomy and Receptos. Get all your life sciences coming and goings here. —A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted 13-7 to recommend … Continue reading “FDA Panel Recommends Orexigen’s Obesity Drug, Sequenom Raises Capital, CommNexus Reorganizes Its Free Incubator, & More San Diego Life Sciences News”

Seattle Genetics’ Home Run, NanoString’s Diagnostics Foray, PATH’s 50-Cent Vaccine, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News

Seattle biotech was popping up on this site all over the weekend—when we don’t usually publish—so here’s the place to catch up on some significant news you may have missed. —Seattle Genetics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SGEN]]) was one of the belles of the ball at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting in Orlando, FL over the … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics’ Home Run, NanoString’s Diagnostics Foray, PATH’s 50-Cent Vaccine, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”

Ann Arbor Hosts “World’s Largest” Biz Plan Contest This Week, $1M-Plus for Winners

Big dreams and lots of cash are happily colliding this week in Ann Arbor. Today begins the final three-day event for the inaugural Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition, which organizers are calling “the world’s largest business plan competition.” The event at the University of Michigan’s North Campus Research Complex is expected to feature 50 companies from … Continue reading “Ann Arbor Hosts “World’s Largest” Biz Plan Contest This Week, $1M-Plus for Winners”

SmartCells Finds Potential $500M+ Exit, EnerNOC Acquires Global Energy Partners, Azuki Adds $4M, & More Boston-Area Deals News

New England’s tech and life sciences companies were busy this week. Here are some of the deals they inked. —Waltham, MA-based research tools and services provider Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE:[[ticker:TMO]]) announced plans to buy Lomb Scientific—an Australian maker of lab chemicals, consumables, and instruments—for an undisclosed sum. —LineSider Technologies, a Danvers, MA-based maker of network management … Continue reading “SmartCells Finds Potential $500M+ Exit, EnerNOC Acquires Global Energy Partners, Azuki Adds $4M, & More Boston-Area Deals News”

Complete Genomics Zeroes in on Tricks of Cancer Genome With Sequencing Service

Cancer cells pull many dirty tricks to resist therapy and stump researchers. One is a madcap reshuffling of the 3 billion letters of DNA that make up the genome found in healthy human cells. But now that genome sequencing has become so cheap and fast, Mountain View, CA-based Complete Genomics is trying to enter a … Continue reading “Complete Genomics Zeroes in on Tricks of Cancer Genome With Sequencing Service”

Tripleseat Software Garners $500,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=02d9ad42-fab7-4268-bebe-607040312f83&Preview=1 Date 12/9/2010 Company Name Tripleseat Software Mailing Address 42 Davis Rd. Acton, MA 01720 Company Description The company has developed software that enables sales managers, owners and event planners to capture leads via telephone and existing websites to streamlined booking and planning process. Website http://www.tripleseat.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount … Continue reading “Tripleseat Software Garners $500,000 New Financing Round”

Factual Garners $25,000,000 Series A Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0dab7888-c7f8-4ac8-a909-8c540a3498e3&Preview=1 Date 12/9/2010 Company Name Factual Mailing Address 11111 Santa Monica Blvd Santa Monica, CA 90025 Company Description Factual is a platform where anyone can share and mash open data on any subject. For example, you might find a directory of California restaurants, a database of endocrinologists, or a list of American … Continue reading “Factual Garners $25,000,000 Series A Funding Round”

Sofie BioSciences Receives $2,000,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=002620a9-9e1b-40cc-8e11-e67467618727&Preview=1 Date 12/9/2010 Company Name Sofie BioSciences Mailing Address 6162 Bristol Pkwy. Culver City, CA 90230 Company Description By empowering a wide array of researchers with valuable, translational imaging tools, we are removing the dependency, cost, and complexity from PET. Website http://www.sofiebio.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $2,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed … Continue reading “Sofie BioSciences Receives $2,000,000 New Funding”

Trusight Garners $285,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=06d445cc-074d-4499-9260-4a522efad94b&Preview=1 Date 12/9/2010 Company Name Trusight Mailing Address 10240 Nile Dr. Cupertino, CA 95014 Company Description Trusight’s DRC (Digital Retinal Code) restores color, detail and true dynamic range, transforming images and videos, instantly! Website http://www.trusight.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $285,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC … Continue reading “Trusight Garners $285,000 New Financing Round”

EmSense Garners $4,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c084f598-23b4-4c4b-84c0-a494f82a2615&Preview=1 Date 12/9/2010 Company Name EmSense Mailing Address 2600 Garden Rd. Monterey, CA 93940 Company Description The company provides scalable physiological and brainware measurement technology. Website http://www.emsense.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $4,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC regulatory filing. M&A Terms Venture Investor Undisclosed

San Diego’s General Atomics Reveals Railgun Technology, Developed Through Internal R&D

San Diego’s General Atomics, one of the region’s leading defense contractors, said today that it has been participating in efforts to develop an electromagnetic railgun, which uses high-powered electromagnets instead of gunpowder to launch artillery-like projectiles. The private government contractor says it successfully test-fired aerodynamic rounds from a prototype electromagnetic railgun three months ago at … Continue reading “San Diego’s General Atomics Reveals Railgun Technology, Developed Through Internal R&D”

Evernote Adds Group Accounts

In a post on the company blog today, Mountain View, CA-based cloud notekeeping startup Evernote introduced a new feature aimed at businesses, school groups, and other organizations. The new “Sponsored Accounts” feature allows organizations to buy Evernote subscriptions for every team member, at $5 per account per month. Users can share content across these accounts … Continue reading “Evernote Adds Group Accounts”

$15M Falls on Flurry

Flurry, a San Francisco startup whose software helps mobile developers track app usage, said yesterday that it has collected $15 million in Series C financing. Menlo Ventures led the round, with existing investors Draper Fisher Jurvetson, InterWest, First Round Capital, and Union Square Ventures joining in. Sonja Hoel Perkins, a managing director at Menlo Ventures, will join … Continue reading “$15M Falls on Flurry”

NetProspex Wraps Up $5.5M

NetProspex, a Waltham, MA-based maker of business-to-business software for lead generation, said yesterday that it closed a $5.5 million Series B financing, led by Edison Venture Fund. Some angel investors from the company’s $2 million Series A round participated in the newest funding round, which brings NetProspex’s total amount raised to $7.5 million.

Otonomy Names Bay Area’s David A. Weber as CEO

San Diego’s Otonomy, a two-year-old startup developing novel drug therapies for Meniere’s disease and other disorders of the inner ear, today named David A. Weber as president, CEO, and board member. Avalon Ventures managing director Jay Lichter, who co-founded Otonomy and served as CEO until now, is returning to his role as investor and director. … Continue reading “Otonomy Names Bay Area’s David A. Weber as CEO”

Launchpad Venture Group and Race Point Merge to Form New Angel Investor Group

There’s a new organization of angel investors in town. Well, sort of. The new entity is being announced today as the merger of two existing Boston-area angel groups—Launchpad Venture Group and Race Point Capital Group, which are headed up by tech investors Hambleton Lord and Christopher Mirabile, respectively. Lord and Mirabile will co-lead the combined … Continue reading “Launchpad Venture Group and Race Point Merge to Form New Angel Investor Group”

Peter Thiel Challenges Silicon Valley’s Wealthy to Back “Breakthrough” Philanthropic Causes

Last night Silicon Valley icon Peter Thiel, of PayPal fame, gathered eight of his favorite future-oriented organizations and a couple hundred of his wealthiest friends in an auditorium at San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts and made a magnanimous offer. For every dollar attendees contribute to the organizations before New Year’s Day, Thiel’s foundation announced, … Continue reading “Peter Thiel Challenges Silicon Valley’s Wealthy to Back “Breakthrough” Philanthropic Causes”

Intellectual Ventures Files First Patent Lawsuits Against Nine Firms Including McAfee, Symantec

Bellevue, WA-based Intellectual Ventures said today it has filed three patent infringement lawsuits against a total of nine companies in three different technology sectors—software security, memory, and integrated circuits. The suits were filed in federal court in Delaware, where Intellectual Ventures is a registered entity. The amount of monetary damages the company is seeking was … Continue reading “Intellectual Ventures Files First Patent Lawsuits Against Nine Firms Including McAfee, Symantec”

At American Eagle, Prysm’s Laser Displays Banish the Bezel; Startup to Present at Tonight’s 5×5 Event

Prysm is trying to reinvent large video displays. American Eagle Outfitters is trying to reinvent the shopping experience in its retail stores. So it makes sense that first place you can see Prysm’s laser phosphor displays (LPDs) in public is the new American Eagle flagship store at Broadway and Houston in New York City’s Soho … Continue reading “At American Eagle, Prysm’s Laser Displays Banish the Bezel; Startup to Present at Tonight’s 5×5 Event”

DocuSign Raises $27M, Hires New Execs To Ramp Up E-Signature Business

Scribbling your John Hancock on a piece of paper is so 20th century, now that companies are coming along like Seattle-based DocuSign. DocuSign is making a significant strategic move ahead in the electronic signature business. The company said today it has raised $27 million in a Series C venture round led by Scale Venture Partners … Continue reading “DocuSign Raises $27M, Hires New Execs To Ramp Up E-Signature Business”

Momenta Nabs $57.4M in Stock Offering

Cambridge, MA-based Momenta Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MNTA]]) said today it has raised $57.4 million through a stock offering. The company sold 4 million new shares of common stock at $14.35 apiece, about a 5.5 percent discount to yesterday’s closing stock price of $15.18. UBS was the lead underwriter of the deal, while Cowen & Company and … Continue reading “Momenta Nabs $57.4M in Stock Offering”

LS9 Names Ed Dineen New CEO

LS9, the South San Francisco-based developer of renewable fuels, said today that it has hired Ed Dineen as its new CEO. Dineen was previously the chief operating officer of LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE: [[ticker:LYB]]), a petrochemical, fuels and polymer company with annual revenues of over $30 billion. Dineen replaces Bill Haywood, who had been CEO of … Continue reading “LS9 Names Ed Dineen New CEO”

Sequenta Pockets $13M To Diagnose, Monitor Immune Systems Going Awry

The age of the $1,000 genome is said to be fast approaching, and the growing availability of fast, cheap DNA sequencing is already paving the way not just for new avenues of academic research, but also for intriguing new diagnostic startups like San Francisco-based Sequenta. This company, formerly known as MLC Dx, is announcing today … Continue reading “Sequenta Pockets $13M To Diagnose, Monitor Immune Systems Going Awry”

Peering Over the Horizon, WildBlue Co-Founder Tom Moore Sees Opportunities Beyond Launch of ViaSat-1 Satellite

The countdown hasn’t started just yet, but in five months, Carlsbad, CA-based ViaSat (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VSAT]]) will be launching its first satellite, ViaSat-1, aboard a Proton rocket from the Baikonour Cosmodrome, the Russian space launch facility in Kazakhstan. “We’re done with the really tough testing, where you put the satellite in a thermal vacuum chamber and … Continue reading “Peering Over the Horizon, WildBlue Co-Founder Tom Moore Sees Opportunities Beyond Launch of ViaSat-1 Satellite”