San Mateo, CA-based Oodle, which aggregates online classified ads in categories such as cars, homes, apartments, and pets, has raised $1.5 million in an equity financing round that could total as much as $3 million, according to a regulatory filing. A group of nine unnamed investors contributed to the round.
$46M for Kno’s Digital Textbooks
Santa Clara, CA-based Kno, which is developing a two-panel tablet computer specialized for education, said today that it has raised $46 million in debt and equity financing from Andreesen Horowitz, Silicon Valley Bank, and TriplePoint Capital. “Kno is gearing up to launch the first digital device that we believe will fundamentally improve the way students … Continue reading “$46M for Kno’s Digital Textbooks”
VoltDB Grabs $5M
VoltDB, a Billerica, MA-based maker of database software for rapid transaction-based processes, has wrapped up a $5 million equity-based round of funding, according to an SEC filing. The document notes that the money comes from four investors, and lists members of Sigma Partners and Kepha Partners as VoltDB directors. The company, which targets its products … Continue reading “VoltDB Grabs $5M”
Rhythm Boosts Series A Round to $40M, Adds Third Rock Ventures to List of Backers
There’s new scientific and financial power behind the Boston biotech startup Rhythm Pharmaceuticals. Third Rock Ventures has joined as the company’s latest investor to help close its $40 million Series A funding round, and Third Rock partner Lou Tartaglia has joined the startup as a director and its chief scientist. Rhythm, a developer of peptide … Continue reading “Rhythm Boosts Series A Round to $40M, Adds Third Rock Ventures to List of Backers”
Betahouse Is Closed—For Now
Betahouse, the Cambridge, MA-based co-working community and events space for tech startups in Central Square, has closed its doors as of August 31, says founder Jon Pierce. The group’s planned expansion to a new space in Cambridge fell through last month, a few weeks before its current lease ended. Pierce told Mass High Tech that … Continue reading “Betahouse Is Closed—For Now”
$2.5M for VMIX
VMIX Media, a San Diego-based provider of software for managing online video and other media content, has raised $2.5 million in an equity, options, and rights financing, according to an SEC filing. The filing does not disclose who invested in the funding round, and company executives could not immediately be reached at the firm’s office … Continue reading “$2.5M for VMIX”
iPierian Nabs $28M, With New Backing From Glaxo and Biogen Idec, To Use Stem Cells for Drug Discovery
One of the Bay Area’s promising stem cell startups just got a big shot of cash from a couple of major pharmaceutical players in Boston. South San Francisco-based iPierian is announcing today it has secured a full $28 million in its Series B venture round, which includes GlaxoSmithKline’s SR One venture arm, along with Biogen … Continue reading “iPierian Nabs $28M, With New Backing From Glaxo and Biogen Idec, To Use Stem Cells for Drug Discovery”
Shiftboard Emerges From Eight-Year Stealth, Sees ‘Triple Digit’ Growth in Online Scheduling
Shiftboard has managed to stay under the radar for quite some time, despite a slew of big name clients, but that is starting to change. The Seattle-based scheduling and dynamic workforce management software developer, founded in 2002, has started to come out of stealth mode, so I figured it was time to sit down with … Continue reading “Shiftboard Emerges From Eight-Year Stealth, Sees ‘Triple Digit’ Growth in Online Scheduling”
Reality Show Project Seeks to Capture MassChallenge Competitors in Their Entrepreneurial Element
Pick an activity, an industry, or a social phenomenon and there’s probably a reality show about it, from fashion design to wilderness survival to the nightlife of 20-somethings in shore towns. But Warren Anderson, a local entrepreneur and Harvard Extension School master’s student, can name one area that he says hasn’t been depicted by the … Continue reading “Reality Show Project Seeks to Capture MassChallenge Competitors in Their Entrepreneurial Element”
Onyx Pockets $59M Upfront From Japanese Partner, to Market Myeloma Drugs
Onyx Pharmaceuticals has found a new partner to help sell its lead drug candidate for multiple myeloma in Japan, less than two months after it unveiled some promising clinical trial results. The Emeryville, CA-based developer of cancer drugs (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ONXX]]) is announcing today that it has struck a new partnership with Japan-based Ono Pharmaceutical, in … Continue reading “Onyx Pockets $59M Upfront From Japanese Partner, to Market Myeloma Drugs”
Jennerex Snags $116M Deal With Transgene
Jennerex, a San Francisco-based developer of cancer treatments, is announcing today it has struck a deal with France-based Transgene. Under the deal, Transgene has made an undisclosed equity investment, agreed to pay milestone payments worth as much as $116 million, and provide Jennerex with a double digit percentage royalty on sales of JX-594. In return, … Continue reading “Jennerex Snags $116M Deal With Transgene”
Take Home an Open Source Robot from Willow Garage for $400,000
Menlo Park, CA-based Willow Garage is one of a growing number of companies producing robots meant to navigate everyday human environments rather than factory floors or the surfaces of distant planets. As the New York Times described in an article last week, for example, early testers at the Mozilla Corporation are using the company’s Texai robot, which … Continue reading “Take Home an Open Source Robot from Willow Garage for $400,000”
VMware Makes Two Acquisitions, Mascoma Picks Up SunOpta Unit, Vela Gets $6M, & More Boston-Area Deals News
The holiday weekend hasn’t seemed to slow down deal-making in New England. We’ve seen acquisitions, funding rounds, and even an IPO registration for companies in the life sciences, software, and energy spaces. —Drugmaker giant Pfizer said it had agreed to purchase FoldRx Pharmaceuticals, a Cambridge, MA-based developer of drugs for rare diseases like the neurodegenerative … Continue reading “VMware Makes Two Acquisitions, Mascoma Picks Up SunOpta Unit, Vela Gets $6M, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
Rhythm Pharmaceuticals Garners $19,000,000 Series A Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a7d2052a-adbe-45af-b661-f1977e02e9c6&Preview=1 Date 9/8/2010 Company Name Rhythm Pharmaceuticals Mailing Address Undisclosed Boston, MA 02101 Company Description Rhythm is a biotechnology company developing peptide therapeutics that address unmet needs in metabolic diseases. Website http://www.rhythmtx.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $19,000,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes The funds will be used to develop … Continue reading “Rhythm Pharmaceuticals Garners $19,000,000 Series A Financing”
Webalo Lands $3,000,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=00252c9b-54df-4454-a074-e83fa6932b81&Preview=1 Date 9/8/2010 Company Name Webalo Mailing Address 11835 W. Olympic Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90064 Company Description Webalo changes the economics of enterprise mobility. It provides the enterprise-to-mobile infrastruc-ture that puts enterprise data and functions on smartphones 100 times faster than traditional ap-proaches to mobile application development, and it provides personalized … Continue reading “Webalo Lands $3,000,000 New Financing Round”
iPierian Receives $6,000,000 Series B Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=29e760b4-2b9c-4026-a70c-591f08825c44&Preview=1 Date 9/8/2010 Company Name iPierian Mailing Address 951 Gateway Blvd South San Francisco, CA 94080 Company Description iPierian is a pioneering biopharmaceutical company that is taking the cutting-edge technologies of cellular reprogramming and directed differentiation to an entirely new level to harness the power of induced pluripotent stem cells to advance … Continue reading “iPierian Receives $6,000,000 Series B Financing Round”
Kno Obtains $46,000,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0f311d3f-bc56-4eb5-8981-651a1640217d&Preview=1 Date 9/8/2010 Company Name Kno Mailing Address 5155 Old Ironsides Dr. Santa Clara, CA 95054 Company Description Kno is a transformative two-panel tablet that artfully blends the intuitive experience of the conventional textbook with a rich digital world of video, note-taking, sharing and more. Its open platform encourages publishers and developers … Continue reading “Kno Obtains $46,000,000 New Financing”
Coulomb Technologies Garners $15,000,000 Series C Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0fcee881-1db2-4913-b5e7-699abffa1f1a&Preview=1 Date 9/8/2010 Company Name Coulomb Technologies Mailing Address 1692 Dell Ave Campbell, CA 95008-6901 Company Description Coulomb delivers networked charging stations and provides a service that meets the needs of drivers, municipalities, electric utilities and government entities by providing: * A secure, safe, reliable way for consumers to charge their electric … Continue reading “Coulomb Technologies Garners $15,000,000 Series C Funding”
ByAllAccounts Secures $5,000,000 Series B Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=bc7b34ee-cfe9-4d8a-a154-49bdb766bb09&Preview=1 Date 9/8/2010 Company Name ByAllAccounts Mailing Address 10 State Street Woburn, MA 01801-6820 Company Description ByAllAccounts delivers reconciliation-ready data to investment management and advisory firms. Using innovative expert system technology, the company provides an unparalleled access to financial account data from thousands of custodians and enables efficient and timely account reconciliation, … Continue reading “ByAllAccounts Secures $5,000,000 Series B Financing”
Prelert Receives $3,750,000 Series A Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0c323efc-344d-4b48-b168-914fc798f3e9&Preview=1 Date 9/8/2010 Company Name Prelert Mailing Address 946 Great Plain Ave. Needham, MA 02492 Company Description Our Incident Cause Analysis software employs advanced pattern detection algorithms, used in DNA sequencing the human genome, to quickly and accurately analyze terabytes of IT incident data. Our product self-learns how IT resources interact and … Continue reading “Prelert Receives $3,750,000 Series A Financing Round”
Transaction Network Services Acquires Cequint for $112,500,000
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=62f5eaa4-25e1-4b14-b580-35ef678aca43&Preview=1 Date 9/8/2010 Company Name Cequint Mailing Address 1525 4th Avenue Seattle, WA 98101 Company Description Cequint develops and markets software applications that enhance wireless mobile devices. Cequint’s products improve carrier network services while making mobile devices easier to use and more productive. The company’s partnerships with carriers and device manufacturers ensure … Continue reading “Transaction Network Services Acquires Cequint for $112,500,000”
Cryoport Garners $3,289,701 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=456dc90c-86b6-4cc2-a0d8-2fee552fb384&Preview=1 Date 9/8/2010 Company Name Cryoport Mailing Address 402 W. Broadway 400 , CA 92101 Company Description CryoPort Inc. was founded in 1999 to advance the next generation of cost-efficient, frozen shipping, servicing the growing global biopharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. CryoPort’s innovative bio-shippers are essential to preserving the current and future infrastructure … Continue reading “Cryoport Garners $3,289,701 New Funding Round”
Tracon Pharmaceuticals Lands $1,400,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1d31331d-eac1-4f2c-abcc-5c74ca214a09&Preview=1 Date 9/8/2010 Company Name Tracon Pharmaceuticals Mailing Address 4510 Executive Drive San Diego, CA 92121 Company Description TRACON Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a fast growing biotechnology company developing next-generation targeted therapies for cancer and related diseases. We are addressing unmet needs in this arena with product candidates that focus on cellular targets … Continue reading “Tracon Pharmaceuticals Lands $1,400,000 New Financing Round”
Windensity Lands $1,253,634 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=587fa7c7-e4c0-4854-8237-0c88b1240d0c&Preview=1 Date 9/8/2010 Company Name Windensity Mailing Address 1880 Flightline Dr. Lincoln, CA 95648 Company Description WINDensity is a alternative energy technology company that has developed an distributed wind solution using roof-top mounted turbines to produce clean energy for commercial businesses worldwide. Website http://www.windensity.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $1,253,634 Transaction … Continue reading “Windensity Lands $1,253,634 New Financing”
Expensify Lands $5,700,000 Series A Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9ec50127-00f7-4597-b8e9-dd910c09cc08&Preview=1 Date 9/8/2010 Company Name Expensify Mailing Address 548 Market St San Francisco, CA 94104 Company Description Expensify is all about getting your expenses reimbursed quickly and easily, and the first step in that is telling us what you bought. Website http://www.expensify.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $5,700,000 Transaction Round Series … Continue reading “Expensify Lands $5,700,000 Series A Round”
Amazon.com Acquires Amie Street for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=649d686a-d80b-423f-8331-f0185289a1f2&Preview=1 Date 9/8/2010 Company Name Amie Street Mailing Address 526 46th Avenue 2nd Floor Long Island City, NY 11101 Company Description Amie Street is the most fun way to discover and buy music online because we have a social network that facilitates music discovery and because we price music right – all … Continue reading “Amazon.com Acquires Amie Street for Undisclosed Sum”
CrowdConf
CrowdFlower is spearheading the creation of CrowdConf, the first conference centered around the emerging field of crowdsourcing and the future of distributed work. Researchers, technologists, outsourcing experts, legal scholars and artists will gather in San Francisco on October 4 to discuss how crowdsourcing is transforming human computation and the future of work. From the event website: “The … Continue reading “CrowdConf”
ZymoGenetics Reaches End of Road in Seattle, Faces Uncertain Future, Potential Job Cuts
[Updated: 5:12 pm Pacific, 9/7/10] ZymoGenetics, the company that once aspired to replace Immunex as the anchor company of Seattle’s biotech cluster, has reached the end of its road as an independent company. Many of its 320 employees could potentially lose their jobs as part of a takeover agreement reached with Bristol-Myers Squibb. The companies … Continue reading “ZymoGenetics Reaches End of Road in Seattle, Faces Uncertain Future, Potential Job Cuts”
HP Sues Hurd
In documents filed Tuesday in the Superior Court of California in Santa Clara County, Palo Alto, CA-based Hewlett-Packard says former HP (NYSE: [[ticker:HPQ]]) CEO Mark Hurd’s decision to take a job with rival Oracle (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ORCL]]) places HP’s trade secrets “in peril” and asks the court to enjoin Hurd from working there. Non-compete agreements are … Continue reading “HP Sues Hurd”
ZymoGenetics, Seattle Biotech Pioneer, Acquired by Bristol-Myers for $885M
Big breaking news just hit the Seattle biotech community. Seattle-based ZymoGenetics, a pioneer in the Northwest life sciences cluster that was founded back in 1981, has agreed to be acquired by pharmaceutical giant Bristol-Myers Squibb for $885 million. The deal, approved by the boards of both companies, values ZymoGenetics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ZGEN]]) at $9.75 per share—a … Continue reading “ZymoGenetics, Seattle Biotech Pioneer, Acquired by Bristol-Myers for $885M”
Amazon Technology Open House: Featuring Werner Vogels
Amazon is opening up its new South Lake Union headquarters to the local technology community for its first Amazon Technology Open House. Amazon CTO Werner Vogels will be there to give a keynote talk, and the company encourages members of the tech community to “grab a beverage and network with fellow technology leaders.” The event … Continue reading “Amazon Technology Open House: Featuring Werner Vogels”
Xconomy Meetup: Featuring Carl Weissman
Please join Xconomy’s national biotech editor, Luke Timmerman, for the first installment of a new event series we are calling “Xconomy Meetup.” This will be a free and open conversation at a local bar or coffee shop, in which Xconomy editors will be available to have an informal chat with readers about what’s new and … Continue reading “Xconomy Meetup: Featuring Carl Weissman”
Vertex Nails Third Big Trial With Hepatitis C Drug, In Toughest Patients to Treat
Vertex Pharmaceuticals stepped up to the plate this year with three big swings for the fence, and it can now say it has gone 3-for-3. The Cambridge, MA-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VRTX]]), which has significant operations in San Diego, is announcing today that a combination of standard treatment and its novel drug for hepatitis C … Continue reading “Vertex Nails Third Big Trial With Hepatitis C Drug, In Toughest Patients to Treat”
BAE Buys Oasys
Oasys Technology, a Manchester, NH-based company specializing in electronics and optical systems, is being acquired by BAE Systems, the U.K.-based defense and aerospace company. Financial terms weren’t given in the press release, but outlets including Automated Trader and Mass High Tech have reported the deal is worth $25 million upon closing plus an earnout of … Continue reading “BAE Buys Oasys”
Onvia Appoints Henry Riner as CEO
Seattle-based information services company Onvia (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ONVI]]) has appointed Henry (Hank) Riner as president and chief executive, effective October 4, according to a regulatory filing. Riner, 59, is currently the CEO of New Jersey-based online invoice and statement printing services company OSG Billing Services. He has previously served as chief executive at trade promotions management … Continue reading “Onvia Appoints Henry Riner as CEO”
Stratos Genomics Raises $4M, Pushes Ahead in Competitive Field of Low-Cost DNA Sequencing
Stratos Genomics, a Seattle-based developer of low-cost gene sequencing technology, said today it has raised $4 million in a Series A round of venture financing. The deal was led by Fisk Ventures, and included Stratos Group LLC. While the amount of investment isn’t huge, the fact that Stratos raised the cash is interesting on its … Continue reading “Stratos Genomics Raises $4M, Pushes Ahead in Competitive Field of Low-Cost DNA Sequencing”
Idenix Shares Tank on FDA Clinical Hold
Idenix Pharmaceuticals, a developer of antiviral drugs based in Cambridge, MA, has seen the value of its stock plunge after it announced today that the FDA put two of its drugs for the liver disease hepatitis C on clinical hold. In testing a combination treatment of the two drugs IDX184 and IDX320 in healthy volunteers, … Continue reading “Idenix Shares Tank on FDA Clinical Hold”
Bruker Supercon Unit Files for IPO
Bruker Energy & Supercon Technologies, a unit of Billerica, MA-based Bruker, registered for an initial public offering on Friday, worth an estimated $100 million, according to regulatory documents. Two years ago Bruker EST was set up as a subsidiary of scientific instrument company Bruker (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BRKR]]), which will also offer some of its shares as … Continue reading “Bruker Supercon Unit Files for IPO”
Insilicos Gets $1.2M NIH Grant
Insilicos, a Seattle-based developer of biomedical software and diagnostics, has secured a $1.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, through the Small Business Innovation Research program, to study a potential new test for people with chest pain. The test will be given to 400 patients at the University of Washington with cardiovascular disease, … Continue reading “Insilicos Gets $1.2M NIH Grant”
Plexxikon Shows How New Drug Hits Molecular Target for Deadly Skin Cancer
Plexxikon has just landed a one-two punch in a couple of the world’s top medical and scientific journals. Just a couple weeks after the Berkeley, CA-based biotech company delivered some eye-opening results in the New England Journal of Medicine on its drug candidate for a deadly type of skin cancer, it is following that up … Continue reading “Plexxikon Shows How New Drug Hits Molecular Target for Deadly Skin Cancer”
San Diego’s Zogenix Files for $90M IPO to Expand Development of Needle-Free Injector and Pain Drugs
San Diego-based Zogenix, which markets a needle-free injector for treating migraines, intends to raise $90 million through an initial public stock offering, according to a recent regulatory filing. The biotech startup, which I profiled last month, has also been developing compounds for treating pain and central nervous system disorders, and plans to pair each new … Continue reading “San Diego’s Zogenix Files for $90M IPO to Expand Development of Needle-Free Injector and Pain Drugs”
Healthcare Industry Concepts Rise from the Grave
There was a great article authored by Gregory Huang and posted on Xconomy last week called Party Like It’s 1999: 10 Old Tech Ideas That Are New Again. The article was basically about the top 10 things that are hot right now but are, essentially, “back to the future” developments in technology that had a … Continue reading “Healthcare Industry Concepts Rise from the Grave”
Back from Labor Day: Three Posts You Should Read
Was there a summer slowdown this year in the tech-business world? I’m not so sure (and neither are some other observers). In any case, let’s get ready for the craziness that is fall news and events in our industries. Here are three blog posts from around the Web—and around the country—that you might have missed … Continue reading “Back from Labor Day: Three Posts You Should Read”
Hurd Joins Oracle
Mark Hurd, who presided over five years of remarkable growth at Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: [[ticker:HPQ]]) before stepping down amidst an investigation into expense reports that were allegedly altered to cover up a personal relationship with a contractor, is the newest president and board member at Oracle (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ORCL]]) in Redwood Shores, CA, reporting directly to CEO … Continue reading “Hurd Joins Oracle”
Cerus, With Technology to Knock Out Viruses in Blood, Finds New Potential in Chronic Fatigue
Cerus has struggled for years to convince regulators that its technology for ridding the nation’s blood supply of pathogens deserves a chance on the U.S. market. Now the Concord, CA-based biotech company is pinning some renewed hope for its business on a study that says it can wipe out a newly discovered virus that some … Continue reading “Cerus, With Technology to Knock Out Viruses in Blood, Finds New Potential in Chronic Fatigue”
Backupify Adds $4.5M
Cambridge, MA-based Backupify, an online data management startup, said today it has raised $4.5 million in Series A financing led by Avalon Ventures and General Catalyst. Lowercase Capital and First Round Capital also participated in the round. Backupify helps consumers and companies securely back up their data online, and is increasingly focused on providing software … Continue reading “Backupify Adds $4.5M”
Eset Expands Smartphone Security, Qualcomm’s Firethorn Offers Swagg, Proximetry Focuses on Private Wireless Networks, & More San Diego BizTech News
Is Swagg something you’d want—or not want—on your smartphone? If you don’t know, you better catch up on what Qualcomm’s Firethorn has planned for the upcoming holidays, along with the rest of last week’s tech news. —Privately held Eset, which develops computer security and anti-virus software, released a new security product for mobile devices using … Continue reading “Eset Expands Smartphone Security, Qualcomm’s Firethorn Offers Swagg, Proximetry Focuses on Private Wireless Networks, & More San Diego BizTech News”
Bioinformatics Education Should Start in High School
The Puget Sound region is home to more than 175 biotechnology institutions. These facilities have many of the brightest minds focused on improving health here and around the world. As a high school science teacher, one of my aims is to excite students about rapidly growing and rewarding career pathways. Those who excel in the … Continue reading “Bioinformatics Education Should Start in High School”
Worry About Customers, Not Financing or Exits, Says Angel Investor Joe Caruso
It’s been three months since Angel Boot Camp in Cambridge, MA—a seminal event in the local ecosystem of angel investors and entrepreneurs. I’m curious to follow up on what progress has been made since that meeting, so I’ve been getting to know some of the local angel investors in technology who were there, and/or who … Continue reading “Worry About Customers, Not Financing or Exits, Says Angel Investor Joe Caruso”
DigitalScirocco Inks Deal with US Presswire, Plans Expansion into Tech Content Space
Bruce D’Ambrosio wants to make online content sharing easy. Eager to bridge the gap between content owners, and publishers, the 63-year-old serial entrepreneur and computer science professor at Oregon State University founded DigitalScirocco in 2009, and rolled the startup out of stealth mode in March. Since then D’Ambrosio, who serves as the company’s CEO, says … Continue reading “DigitalScirocco Inks Deal with US Presswire, Plans Expansion into Tech Content Space”