TAI Diagnostics, RPRD, Wellbe, & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist

Stay current on the latest news from Wisconsin’s innovation community with these recent headlines: —TAI Diagnostics, a Wauwatosa-based startup seeking to commercialize a non-invasive test to monitor the health of heart transplant recipients, raised more than $1.7 million from 24 investors, according to an SEC filing that first became public on Thursday. The company’s test … Continue reading “TAI Diagnostics, RPRD, Wellbe, & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist”

Boston Biomedical Brings on Board Edgar Braendle as Head of R&D, CMO

Boston Biomedical has appointed Edgar Braendle to serve as executive vice president, head of research and development, and chief medical officer. Before joining the Boston-based cancer drug developer, Braendle was president and CEO of ARUP Laboratories in Salt Lake City. He also previously worked at Novartis (NYSE: [[ticker:NVS]]), where he was global head of the … Continue reading “Boston Biomedical Brings on Board Edgar Braendle as Head of R&D, CMO”

Merck’s Mark DiNubile Joins BioAegis as Chief Medical Officer

Mark DiNubile has joined BioAegis Therapeutics as chief medical officer. DiNubile previously spent 16 years at Merck (NYSE: [[ticker:MRK]]), where his work focused on infectious diseases and vaccines. North Brunswick, NJ-based BioAegis is a clinical stage company developing treatments for inflammation and infection. The company’s lead drug is in Phase 2 studies as a potential … Continue reading “Merck’s Mark DiNubile Joins BioAegis as Chief Medical Officer”

Athenahealth Cuts Jobs and Offices; Wall Street Cheers Profit Focus

Investors are rewarding Athenahealth’s cost-cutting plan to shore up its bottom line. The Watertown, MA-based healthcare IT company’s stock (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ATHN]]) shot up more than 10 percent during Friday trading. (As of this writing Friday afternoon, it’s trading around $125, up about 8 percent from the previous day’s closing price.) On Thursday, Athenahealth said it … Continue reading “Athenahealth Cuts Jobs and Offices; Wall Street Cheers Profit Focus”

Five Questions For … Chelsea Collier, Smart Cities Advocate in Austin

Austin—Call her the accidental innovator. Chelsea Collier didn’t set out to be part of Austin’s innovation ecosystem, she says, adding that “it just sort of evolved over time through a sense of curiosity.” After working in a variety of marketing roles, including a job with the Office of the Governor for the State of Texas, … Continue reading “Five Questions For … Chelsea Collier, Smart Cities Advocate in Austin”

Venture for America Demo Day

Network with participants and administrators of the VFA program at this demo day event. Companies who participated in the 2017 VFA Accelerator will also give five minute pitches explaining what they’re working on. For more information, click here.

Clinical Trial Lab Intrinsic Imaging Joins Rise of AI in Radiology

San Antonio — Algorithms are now a silent, ever-present part of life, turning the wheels that operate our favorite apps, games, television programs, and more. As the complexity of those equations expands, artificial intelligence and deep-learning algorithms are increasingly extending into fields such as healthcare, including diagnostics, which aim to catch health problems in patients. IBM’s … Continue reading “Clinical Trial Lab Intrinsic Imaging Joins Rise of AI in Radiology”

Bio Roundup: Kite’s CAR-T Approved, Obamacare Fix & Lilly mRNA Deal

Kite Pharma wasn’t expecting a regulatory decision for its non-Hodgkin lymphoma treatment until November, but this week, the company got the FDA’s O.K. The approval of axicabtagene ciloleucel (Yescarta) marks the second time in the two months that the FDA has given the nod to a CAR-T therapy, a treatment made from a patient’s own … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Kite’s CAR-T Approved, Obamacare Fix & Lilly mRNA Deal”

Techstars Mobility Event: Detroit’s Momentum Clear as Startups Shine

Eleven startups that spent the summer working in the Techstars Mobility accelerator program took to the stage to pitch their technologies to a packed house of investors, entrepreneurs, media, and other stakeholders at the Detroit Film Theatre Wednesday. According to Techstars, this demo day event is the world’s largest of its kind. Each company was introduced by … Continue reading “Techstars Mobility Event: Detroit’s Momentum Clear as Startups Shine”

Leerink’s Cozzens on New Health IT Fund, A.I.’s Future as a Platform

Despite uncertainty over the future of the Affordable Care Act, investors continue to see opportunities to build successful businesses in healthcare technology and related services. For several years, the common refrain among healthtech investors has been that the implementation of electronic medical records (EMRs) and the shift from a fee-for-service payments structure to so-called value-based … Continue reading “Leerink’s Cozzens on New Health IT Fund, A.I.’s Future as a Platform”

JPMorgan Chase to Buy WePay; Venmo Adds Merchant Payments

Banks and financial technology companies are scrambling for territory in the online payments arena, as they compete to offer the safest and most convenient digital transaction mechanisms for both consumers and merchants. This week, JPMorgan Chase announced an agreement to acquire WePay, a Redwood City, CA-based company that helps software makers build a payment function … Continue reading “JPMorgan Chase to Buy WePay; Venmo Adds Merchant Payments”

Microsoft, Packers to Spend $10M to Create Startup Hub in Green Bay

The NFL’s Green Bay Packers attract tens of thousands of fans from Wisconsin and other states whenever the team plays a home game at Lambeau Field. Now, through a new, $10 million partnership with Microsoft, the Packers are hoping to attract entrepreneurs and tech startups to Green Bay, and develop new products and services there. … Continue reading “Microsoft, Packers to Spend $10M to Create Startup Hub in Green Bay”

Level Playing Field? How Big Company Dominance May Hinder Innovation

The conventional wisdom about Silicon Valley is that it’s a playground for the underdogs, a fertile ground for young entrepreneurs building startups that are going to “change the world.” Instead, the Bay Area—while, yes, still home to thirsty young entrepreneurs—is increasingly the stomping grounds of a few major tech companies that have come to dominate … Continue reading “Level Playing Field? How Big Company Dominance May Hinder Innovation”

With Pitches for HQ2 Made, Cities Wait on Amazon’s 2018 Decision

From Portland to Pittsburgh, it’s likely that every city in the U.S. with more than 1 million people has made its case to Amazon to locate the company’s second headquarters there. At least, hopefully they have already, because today—if you haven’t heard—was the deadline to apply. Amazon sent North America into a frenzy after announcing … Continue reading “With Pitches for HQ2 Made, Cities Wait on Amazon’s 2018 Decision”

For Key Study, UniQure Allowed to Swap Hemophilia Gene Therapies

UniQure is trying to get to the finish line for a hemophilia B gene therapy by switching horses mid-race—and it says it has the blessing from regulators to make the unusual change. The company had been testing a gene therapy candidate called AMT-060 in early-stage clinical trials, with good data to show for it. But … Continue reading “For Key Study, UniQure Allowed to Swap Hemophilia Gene Therapies”

Xconomy EXOME Presents: San Diego Life Sciences 2022

In 2010, Xconomy San Diego assembled a panel of biotech visionaries to peer over the horizon and predict what the local life sciences landscape would look like in 2030. But consider how much has changed since 2010 just in the fields of immunotherapy, genomics, and precision medicine. Among San Diego’s big companies, Illumina has literally … Continue reading “Xconomy EXOME Presents: San Diego Life Sciences 2022”

Lab Focused on Human-Centered Design Moves to Put San Diego on Map

For Michèle Morris, the big question hanging over organizers as they laid the groundwork last year for the first Design Forward Summit was whether the innovation community in San Diego understood the value of design. “We didn’t know who was going to show up—and 600 people showed up,” said Morris, who is associate director of … Continue reading “Lab Focused on Human-Centered Design Moves to Put San Diego on Map”

At Lambeau Field, Case & Vance Plot a Path for Emerging Startup Hubs

Green Bay, WI, is among the smallest of the 30-plus cities Steve Case and other leaders of his venture capital firm Revolution have visited since 2014 as part of its national “Rise of the Rest” tour, but Case nonetheless said he sees some of the seeds that could help sprout a cluster of high-tech businesses … Continue reading “At Lambeau Field, Case & Vance Plot a Path for Emerging Startup Hubs”

Kite Nabs First Adult CAR-T Approval With Notable Uptick Of Cures

For the second time in two months, remarkable recoveries from desperate cases of cancer have led to early approval of a cutting-edge therapy called CAR-T, which is made from a patient’s own genetically engineered cells. More than a month before the decision was due, the FDA has given the nod to axicabtagene ciloleucel, now branded … Continue reading “Kite Nabs First Adult CAR-T Approval With Notable Uptick Of Cures”

VelocityTX Releases Early Design for Texas Startup “Innovation Center”

San Antonio—A new “superhub” for entrepreneurs and startups in San Antonio is taking shape—at least on paper. VelocityTX, an organization unveiled last month that plans to support and promote local startups, released early renderings of its plans for a three-building “innovation center,” which it says will include an event space, labs, offices, and other resources … Continue reading “VelocityTX Releases Early Design for Texas Startup “Innovation Center””

GE & Apple Unite to Bring Industrial Apps to iPhones & iPads

General Electric’s push to remake itself as a software-focused industrial manufacturer took another step forward today with the announcement of a partnership with Silicon Valley giant Apple. The companies are rolling out a software development kit that enables developers to create apps for Apple’s iPhone and iPad that use GE’s Predix, a cloud-based software platform … Continue reading “GE & Apple Unite to Bring Industrial Apps to iPhones & iPads”

Eli Lilly to Pursue mRNA Cancer Vaccines with CureVac Pact

[Updated, 10/19/17, 3:17 pm. See below.] Eli Lilly is getting a foothold in messenger RNA (mRNA) cancer vaccines through a deal with CureVac that could develop up to five new therapies. Indianapolis-based Lilly (NYSE: [[ticker:LLY]]) will pay CureVac, headquarted in Germany, $50 million up front, plus make an equity investment in the company valued at … Continue reading “Eli Lilly to Pursue mRNA Cancer Vaccines with CureVac Pact”

Ann Arbor Unicorn: After $70M Series D, Duo Security Valued at $1.1B

[Updated at 1:05 p.m. on 10/17/2017 to add comments from Duo CEO Dug Song; see below.] Ann Arbor, MI-based cybersecurity startup Duo Security today announced that it has closed on a Series D financing round valued at $70 million, bringing the company’s total valuation to $1.17 billion just seven years after its inception. According to … Continue reading “Ann Arbor Unicorn: After $70M Series D, Duo Security Valued at $1.1B”

Veo Grabs $12M, Led by GV & Lux, to Help Industrial Robots “See”

True artificial intelligence is likely decades away, if it ever comes. In the meantime, companies are making robots “smarter” in less dramatic ways that nevertheless could prove quite useful. Veo Robotics is one of the players trying to boost the intelligence of industrial robots by enhancing their perception and responsiveness to their surroundings—thereby making it … Continue reading “Veo Grabs $12M, Led by GV & Lux, to Help Industrial Robots “See””

Green Bay Startup Lanehub Wins $100K Steve Case Investment

When a company ships a truckload of goods across the country, it’s often the case that the truck will return to its city of origin carrying less than a full load. Trucking, which is estimated to be a $720 billion-plus industry, could be made more efficient by putting businesses that ship products by truck in … Continue reading “Green Bay Startup Lanehub Wins $100K Steve Case Investment”

Kayyem Joins Lineup for What’s Hot in Cybersecurity on Dec. 5

Join Xconomy for its second annual cybersecurity event on December 5 at WGBH. This year, we will discuss how Boston-area cybersecurity companies are working to advance the state of the art in security automation, behavioral analytics, anti-phishing systems, and other arenas, as venture investment picks up in hot sectors like cryptocurrencies, blockchain and identity management, … Continue reading “Kayyem Joins Lineup for What’s Hot in Cybersecurity on Dec. 5”

Two Accelerator Programs Open in Austin as Texas Bolsters Ecosystem

Austin—Two new startup programs have launched in Austin in the last week: One is a Boston-based program that doesn’t take an equity stake in the startups it helps accelerate, while the second is a new branch of Techstars that’s focused on social and environmental businesses. Austin is the newest city in a growing list in … Continue reading “Two Accelerator Programs Open in Austin as Texas Bolsters Ecosystem”

Vir Biotech Vies for Global Approach to Tackling Infectious Disease

Vir Biotechnology CEO George Scangos aims to develop new infectious disease drugs that can treat people in the U.S. and other developed countries. But he also wants to make these therapies available to the developing world, where the need is great but the financial means to pay for medicine is scarce. To accomplish both goals, … Continue reading “Vir Biotech Vies for Global Approach to Tackling Infectious Disease”

ACM Partners with Academic Consortium to Train Mobility Workforce

As autonomous vehicles get closer to reality, several pressing issues loom on the workforce front. The development of self-driving cars requires specialized skills that are currently in shortage across the country. It’s also expected that certain professions will be disrupted by autonomous vehicles, and, as a result, those workers will soon need a new career … Continue reading “ACM Partners with Academic Consortium to Train Mobility Workforce”

Xconomy Bookclub: Village Capital CEO Tackles Innovation’s “Blind Spot”

Silicon Valley has written the playbook for building innovative companies that have transformed the global economy. But it doesn’t hold the exclusive patent on the only path to innovation. That’s the view of Ross Baird, the co-founder and CEO of Village Capital, a Washington, DC-based social impact venture firm, and author of the new book … Continue reading “Xconomy Bookclub: Village Capital CEO Tackles Innovation’s “Blind Spot””

Fast-Growing Vacasa Raises $103.5M for Vacation Rentals Marketplace

Vacation rental marketplace and management service Vacasa announced a $103.5 million Series B funding round, which the Portland, OR-based company says will help fund continued technology development and expansion to new markets. Vacasa, co-founded in 2009 by Eric Breon and Cliff Johnson, grew for six years without raising outside capital. Last spring it announced a … Continue reading “Fast-Growing Vacasa Raises $103.5M for Vacation Rentals Marketplace”

After Trump Sounds Off, Senate Has Adult Conversation on Drug Prices

In advance of an anticipated Senate hearing on drug prices, President Donald Trump once again denounced drug companies as “getting away with murder.” The first time he did so, using the same phrase just before his inauguration, the markets shuddered. He also said at the time that “we’re going to start bidding,” a reference to … Continue reading “After Trump Sounds Off, Senate Has Adult Conversation on Drug Prices”

After FDA Nod, TransEnterix Preps to Bring Surgical Robot to Market

TransEnterix now has regulatory clearance to bring its surgical robot to the market, but don’t expect to see surgeries performed with the technology in U.S. hospitals for at least a year, perhaps longer. Hospitals need four to six quarters to work through purchasing decisions for new capital equipment, says CEO Todd Pope. In the meantime, … Continue reading “After FDA Nod, TransEnterix Preps to Bring Surgical Robot to Market”

After Shutdown, Bridj Restarts Engine in Australia Under New Owner

[Updated 10/18/17, 2:01 pm. See below.] Bridj, the Boston-based, app-enabled transit service that shut down in the spring, is apparently making a comeback—in Australia. In a Facebook post on Friday, Bridj said its business was acquired by Australian public transportation operator Transit Systems, which plans to implement Bridj’s service in Sydney, Australia, later this year. … Continue reading “After Shutdown, Bridj Restarts Engine in Australia Under New Owner”

Gemini Reels In $42M to Target Root Causes of Age-Related Blindness

One of the biggest risk factors for vision loss is age. As people grow old, the central part of the retina can become damaged, leading patients to lose the central part of their vision in a condition called age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In recent years, scientists have found genetic factors associated with the eye damage … Continue reading “Gemini Reels In $42M to Target Root Causes of Age-Related Blindness”

From UCSF, New Sequencer Reveals Cancer Blueprints, Cell By Cell

Cells within a single tumor can have a variety of genetic fingerprints. Understanding that variety is likely a key to fighting cancer in the near future. A new biotech firm has developed a device that analyzes tumors cell by cell. Single-cell analysis is nothing new. But Mission Bio, of South San Francisco, says it taken … Continue reading “From UCSF, New Sequencer Reveals Cancer Blueprints, Cell By Cell”

AirFox ICO, XFactor’s 1st Investments & Other Boston Funding News

[Updated 10/17/17, 9:54 am. See below.] It’s time to catch up on the latest venture capital investments and other funding news from the Boston tech scene: —XFactor Ventures announced its first eight investments. The $3 million fund—formed by Flybridge Capital Partners and a group of women entrepreneurs in Boston, New York, and the Bay Area—plans … Continue reading “AirFox ICO, XFactor’s 1st Investments & Other Boston Funding News”

UW-Madison Vice Chancellor Mailick to Take Leave

Marsha Mailick, vice chancellor for research and graduate education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, will take a temporary leave beginning Jan. 1, 2018, a spokesperson for the university said Monday. Mailick plans to step aside from her day-to-day duties at UW-Madison for much of the spring 2018 semester “due to family health considerations,” according to … Continue reading “UW-Madison Vice Chancellor Mailick to Take Leave”

Access HealthNet Raising $3M for Tools Aimed at Cutting Care Costs

When a patient with health insurance is in need of an expensive medical procedure, the actual cost of the procedure may not seem material to her once it’s clear that it will exceed the deductible—the amount the patient must pay out of pocket—set in her insurance plan. For instance, a patient whose health plan covers … Continue reading “Access HealthNet Raising $3M for Tools Aimed at Cutting Care Costs”

LevelTen Raises $6.8M as Corporations Demand More Wind, Solar

LevelTen Energy, a Seattle startup making it easier for corporations to purchase renewable energy, has raised $6.8 million from investors. LevelTen aims to give more companies access to the power purchase agreements that sophisticated energy buyers such as Microsoft (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MSFT]]) negotiate directly with wind and solar energy developers, rather than buying power through an … Continue reading “LevelTen Raises $6.8M as Corporations Demand More Wind, Solar”

250ok Raises $2.6M Series A, Plans to Expand E-mail Management Tech

E-mail is ubiquitous to modern corporate life, but despite its popularity, it’s not always an effective way to communicate. Between automated inbox filters that barely work, productivity-killing overload, and suspicious communications sent by malicious actors, e-mail can be a potential minefield without the proper visibility into how it’s functioning. That’s the premise behind Indianapolis-based 250ok, … Continue reading “250ok Raises $2.6M Series A, Plans to Expand E-mail Management Tech”

Boston Tech Watch: Akamai, DraftKings, Grapevine, M33, Zemcar & More

This week in Boston tech, we’re tracking another new growth equity fund focused on healthcare and software, acquisitions by Akamai Technologies and Grapevine, layoffs at video game maker Disruptor Beam, DraftKings’ expansion, and more. Read on for details. —There’s another new venture capital firm in town: M33 Growth announced it raised $180 million for its … Continue reading “Boston Tech Watch: Akamai, DraftKings, Grapevine, M33, Zemcar & More”

2017 Women Entrepreneurs Conference

In honor of Women’s Entrepreneurship Day, this event hosted by the Michigan Association for Female Entrepreneurs gives attendees the opportunity to connect, network, and celebrate the impact of female founders on Michigan’s economy. For more information, click here.

Wellpepper’s Voice-Enabled Scale Wins Alexa Diabetes Challenge

Seattle-based Wellpepper took the $125,000 grand prize in the Alexa Diabetes Challenge, a competition to develop voice technology specifically to help people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Wellpepper’s entry, called Sugarpod, is an interactive care and management plan, paired with a voice-enabled scale and foot scanner, that’s meant to help people with the disease … Continue reading “Wellpepper’s Voice-Enabled Scale Wins Alexa Diabetes Challenge”

Bridge Project Q&A: “Big Idea” Winners on Connecting Cancer Experts

In the Boston area, two major centers of academic cancer research are separated by the Charles River, which, as local residents know, acts as a barrier in many ways. On the Boston side, the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DFHCC) brings together researchers from seven Harvard-affiliated hospitals and schools, while in Cambridge, MIT’s Koch Institute for Integrative … Continue reading “Bridge Project Q&A: “Big Idea” Winners on Connecting Cancer Experts”

Vinod Khosla on A.I., Health, and the Future of Working (or Not)

Entrepreneur-turned-venture capitalist Vinod Khosla made big headlines almost six years ago when he wrote a blog post called “Do We Need Doctors or Algorithms?” In it, he said medicine needed to be reinvented and he predicted a new era in which artificial intelligence might replace most of the functions that doctors do now—and do it … Continue reading “Vinod Khosla on A.I., Health, and the Future of Working (or Not)”

Phrixus to Launch Clinical Trials for Duchenne Drug in Early 2018

After showing some early promise in treating European patients, Ann Arbor, MI-based Phrixus Pharmaceuticals, a startup developing drugs to treat cardiac and respiratory problems in young males with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, is preparing to launch U.S. clinical trials early next year. During the first quarter of 2018, Phrixus will dose the first patient with its … Continue reading “Phrixus to Launch Clinical Trials for Duchenne Drug in Early 2018”

Don’t Miss Your Chance to Save on Healthcare + A.I. on Nov. 2

In just a few weeks, Xconomy is going to host our newest event, Healthcare + A.I., at Pfizer’s offices in Cambridge, MA. The Nov. 2 event will bring together CEOs, doctors, academic researchers, and investors to discuss how artificial intelligence is being applied to the healthcare industry—and what’s coming next. We have a great lineup … Continue reading “Don’t Miss Your Chance to Save on Healthcare + A.I. on Nov. 2”

Healthcare + A.I. Northwest on Nov. 9: Agenda Highlights

Artificial intelligence—the catchall term for a broad swath of technologies imbuing computer systems with the capacity to perceive and act—is poised to upend industries across the economy. But nowhere is its promise more alluring than in healthcare, as the sweeping human endeavor of keeping ourselves well runs up against demographic and financial realities. Will A.I. … Continue reading “Healthcare + A.I. Northwest on Nov. 9: Agenda Highlights”