Additech Obtains $4,600,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=435e8d3b-dee4-4516-8ab4-89a084a7f0fe&Preview=1 Date 8/14/2010 Company Name Additech Mailing Address 10925 Kinghurst Houston, TX 77099 Company Description Additech, Inc. builds and operates a unique at-the-pump automotive care system that enables consumers to conveniently perform routine auto maintenance while they refuel. Website http://www.additech.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $4,600,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes … Continue reading “Additech Obtains $4,600,000 New Financing”

Are Casual Games Dead? Viximo and Z2Live Founders Weigh In Coast-to-Coast on Social Gaming Movement

There’s a little East Coast-West Coast brouhaha going on in the world of video games. I just spent a couple years in one of the casual gaming (and core gaming) epicenters of the world—Seattle. Little did I know the city might be becoming a graveyard of companies stuck in the past. At least, that could … Continue reading “Are Casual Games Dead? Viximo and Z2Live Founders Weigh In Coast-to-Coast on Social Gaming Movement”

Latterell Thinking: Ken Widder, Latterell Venture Partners’ Man in San Diego, on Early Stage Life Sciences Investing

Before he joined San Francisco-based Latterell Venture Partners almost four years ago, Ken Widder says the VC venture firm was trying to recruit a partner willing to work full time in Latterell’s Embarcadero Center headquarters. “I’ve known Pat for 24 years,” Widder says, referring to Pat Latterell, the namesake founder who started the life sciences … Continue reading “Latterell Thinking: Ken Widder, Latterell Venture Partners’ Man in San Diego, on Early Stage Life Sciences Investing”

Oracle Sues Google over Java Patents

Oracle (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ORCL]]), the Redwood City, CA-based database giant, filed a patent infringement complaint yesterday against Mountain View, CA-based Google (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GOOG]]) in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. The suit alleges that the Android mobile device operating system developed by Google includes Java code that infringes on patents Oracle … Continue reading “Oracle Sues Google over Java Patents”

GreenVolts in $7.5M Debt Round

GreenVolts, a Fremont, CA, startup developing high-end photovoltaic panels for utilities that include sunlight-concentrating optics, has raised $7.5 million in debt financing, and could eventually borrow as much as $11.25 million, according to a regulatory filing this week. Oak Investment Partners in Westport, CT, put $30 million into GreenVolts in a 2008 Series B round.

MLC Dx Raises $6M

MLC Dx, a San Francisco-based maker of molecular diagnostics, has secured $5.9 million in a Series B financing, according to a report in VentureWire. Mohr Davidow Ventures participated in the round, VentureWire said. MLC Dx  is led by CEO Thomas Willis, who previously ran another Mohr Davidow portfolio company, ParAllelle Bioscience, before it was sold … Continue reading “MLC Dx Raises $6M”

IBM Buys Unica for $480M, Moves Deeper Into Marketing and E-Commerce

It’s one of New England’s biggest tech acquisitions of the year. Waltham, MA-based Unica Corporation (NASDAQ: [[ticker:UNCA]]) announced today it is being bought by IBM (NYSE: [[ticker:IBM]]) for about $480 million in cash. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2010. Unica makes marketing and Web analytics software for big companies … Continue reading “IBM Buys Unica for $480M, Moves Deeper Into Marketing and E-Commerce”

Seattle Techies Take to the Streets for a 10-Day Geek Week

We have a lot of events here in Seattle that are so quintessentially representative of Northwest culture—Bumbershoot, Folklife, Bite of Seattle, SeaFair. And then there are all of the gaming conferences—like Casual Connect, and the Penny Arcade Expo—and way too many tech-themed meetups to count. Each and every event, no matter how different, is blogged, … Continue reading “Seattle Techies Take to the Streets for a 10-Day Geek Week”

Lighting Up the World’s Text: A Talk with Vook Founder Brad Inman

The San Francisco Bay Area is one of those places where the new is always coming up against the old, with strange and often delightful results. You’d think, for example, that anyone who has an iPad would want to show it off. But in the Potrero Hill neighborhood, not far from my office, there’s a … Continue reading “Lighting Up the World’s Text: A Talk with Vook Founder Brad Inman”

Calico Energy Emerges in Energy Management World, Partners with EPA

Calico Energy Services has been flying under the cleantech radar for some time. The Woodinville, WA-based company, founded just over a year ago, is in the business of energy management which is quite a bit different from most cleantech companies that get a lot of press. Unlike many companies out there that provide services to … Continue reading “Calico Energy Emerges in Energy Management World, Partners with EPA”

Genomics in San Diego: From the Human Genome to a New Biotechnology Focus

San Diego’s biotechnology industry has played an integral part in advances in genomics. Our reach extends from the research and tools created by startups during the genomics boom that began in the late 1990s, to cost-saving improvements made in DNA sequencing and the new field of synthetic genomics, which may provide important advances from biofuels … Continue reading “Genomics in San Diego: From the Human Genome to a New Biotechnology Focus”

Affymax Isn’t Dead Yet, ZeaChem Pursues Wood Chip Ethanol, Third Rock Heads West, & More Bay Area Life Sciences News

This was a light week on the biotech beat, because yours truly was out climbing mountains for a couple days in the Northwest. But I’m here in SF for the Xconomy open house from 5 pm to 9 pm today. Come have a glass of wine and say hi if you can. —Affymax (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AFFY]]), … Continue reading “Affymax Isn’t Dead Yet, ZeaChem Pursues Wood Chip Ethanol, Third Rock Heads West, & More Bay Area Life Sciences News”

Calypso Axes 15 Percent of Staff, Pares Down U.S. Sales Force for Prostate Cancer Technology

Calypso Medical Technologies, the Seattle-based maker of a device that pinpoints radiation treatments for prostate cancer patients to help reduce nasty side effects, has cut 15 percent of its workforce and reorganized its U.S. sales force, Xconomy has learned. The cutbacks, announced internally last week, were concentrated among U.S. sales reps spread around the country, … Continue reading “Calypso Axes 15 Percent of Staff, Pares Down U.S. Sales Force for Prostate Cancer Technology”

How to Avoid Common Pitfalls in Your Mobile Strategy

Mobile presents an enormous opportunity. Pick your supporting statistic—from 2013 as the tipping point for mobile to eclipse the desktop (comScore) to Gartner’s prediction that 2010 will see the mobile advertising market grow to $1.6 billion. However you want to look at it, mobile is an opportunity that can’t be missed. Unfortunately, mobile is also … Continue reading “How to Avoid Common Pitfalls in Your Mobile Strategy”

Report: Former Sirtris Execs Ordered to Stop Selling Resveratrol Dietary Supplement Online

[Updated: 12:03 pm Eastern] The former executives of Sirtris Pharmaceuticals have apparently gone off the resveratrol reservation. GlaxoSmithKline, the U.K.-based pharmaceutical giant, has ordered Christoph Westphal and Michelle Dipp to stop online sales of their dietary supplement version of resveratrol through their nonprofit venture, according to a report in TheStreet.com. Glaxo called for an end … Continue reading “Report: Former Sirtris Execs Ordered to Stop Selling Resveratrol Dietary Supplement Online”

Former Sirtris Execs Sell Resveratrol Via New Nonprofit, Dicerna Closes $25M Deal, ViThera Combats Gut Disease With Engineered Bacteria, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News

[Updated 8/13/2010 9:30 EST. See below.] New England’s biotech and healthcare sector yielded a number of interesting stories this week. —Joanna Horobin, CEO of Syndax Pharmaceuticals, confirmed that the Waltham, MA-based cancer-drug developer has raised $6 million in a convertible debt financing round planned to total $7 million. The new funds will support a clinical … Continue reading “Former Sirtris Execs Sell Resveratrol Via New Nonprofit, Dicerna Closes $25M Deal, ViThera Combats Gut Disease With Engineered Bacteria, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”

Emergent BioSolutions Acquires Trubion Pharmaceuticals for $96,800,000

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2121c571-0ac8-4915-a4d5-2a6ab701caf3&Preview=1 Date 8/13/2010 Company Name Trubion Pharmaceuticals Mailing Address 2401 4th Ave Seattle, WA 98121 Company Description Trubion Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel medicines to treat inflammatory disease and cancer. Website http://www.trubion.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount $96,800,000 Transaction Round Proceeds Purposes M&A … Continue reading “Emergent BioSolutions Acquires Trubion Pharmaceuticals for $96,800,000”

OriGene Acquires Blue Heron Biotechnology for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=536447d4-01f0-4ca7-9f91-aaf421a2e91e&Preview=1 Date 8/13/2010 Company Name Blue Heron Biotechnology Mailing Address 22310 28th Ave. SE Bothell, WA 98021 Company Description Blue Heron has been a gene synthesis pioneer and leader since its founding in 1999. We provide the broadest range of synthetic DNA sequences and related services to thousands of researchers across multiple … Continue reading “OriGene Acquires Blue Heron Biotechnology for Undisclosed Sum”

BringMeTheNews Lands $1,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=744b38b2-ce9d-4c07-b833-12b0edb9391a&Preview=1 Date 8/13/2010 Company Name BringMeTheNews Mailing Address Undisclosed Minneapolis, MN 55402 Company Description Developed by award-winning Twin Cities investigative journalist and TV news anchor, Rick Kupchella, BringMeTheNews delivers the most relevant stories around the state. We filter through hundreds of news stories every day and link to some of the best … Continue reading “BringMeTheNews Lands $1,000,000 New Financing”

MLC Dx Lands $5,900,000 Series B Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b7dea71b-4ab9-4aa6-bc42-17505f438876&Preview=1 Date 8/13/2010 Company Name MLC Dx Mailing Address Undisclosed San Francisco, CA 94134 Company Description The company is developing molecular diagnostic technologies. Website Undisclosed Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $5,900,000 Transaction Round Series B Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms Venture Investor Mohr Davidow Ventures Venture Investor … Continue reading “MLC Dx Lands $5,900,000 Series B Financing”

Google Acquires Jambool for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c27f8b64-3f89-4c78-be83-121acb497903&Preview=1 Date 8/13/2010 Company Name Jambool Mailing Address Pier 38 The Embarcadero San Francisco, CA 94107 Company Description Social Gold is a full feature virtual economy platform that developers can use to create their currency systems, monetize it using in-game payments by Social Gold, and manage and grow their economy using Social … Continue reading “Google Acquires Jambool for Undisclosed Sum”

US WorldMeds Acquires Solstice Neurosciences for $35,700,000

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=04f8d810-27b9-4247-9c64-798b800550d8&Preview=1 Date 8/13/2010 Company Name Solstice Neurosciences Mailing Address 701 Gateway Boulevard South San Francisco, CA 94080 Company Description Solstice Neurosciences, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development, manufacturing, sales and marketing of specialty products. Website http://www.solsticeneuro.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount $35,700,000 Transaction Round Proceeds Purposes M&A Terms Additional … Continue reading “US WorldMeds Acquires Solstice Neurosciences for $35,700,000”

Highland Capital Leads $7.5 Million Series B Round for Group Payments Startup WePay

Lexington, MA-based Highland Capital Partners is the lead investor in a $7.5 million series B round for WePay, the group payments startup that emerged from the Mountain View, CA-based Y Combinator startup incubator last year. WePay co-founders Rich Aberman and Bill Clerico confirmed news of the funding round, which was first reported tonight by the … Continue reading “Highland Capital Leads $7.5 Million Series B Round for Group Payments Startup WePay”

Institute Offers $10K for Mobile Health App

In a bid to advance mobile health technology through a standardized social network platform, San Diego’s West Wireless Health Institute has announced a $10,000 incentive prize open to software developers around the world. In guidelines announced yesterday, the institute is challenging developers to design a secure “mechanism” that can be standardized and will integrate personalized … Continue reading “Institute Offers $10K for Mobile Health App”

Prometheus Labs Updates its IPO Filing

San Diego-based Prometheus Laboratories, a specialty pharma and diagnostics company, has filed an amendment to its plans for an initial public offering, which has been in registration for nearly three years. The regulatory filing offers a wealth of new insights into the company. Prometheus says it generated first-half profits of $28.9 million and $259.6 million … Continue reading “Prometheus Labs Updates its IPO Filing”

Put Xconomy San Francisco’s Open House on Your TGIF To-Do List

Being new to the neighborhood here in the Bay Area, we thought it was time to have a little housewarming. So as we noted a few days ago, we’re inviting all fans and friends of Xconomy San Francisco to an open house tomorrow night (that’s Friday, August 13). The festivities start at 5:00 p.m. We’re … Continue reading “Put Xconomy San Francisco’s Open House on Your TGIF To-Do List”

Search Engine Strategies

The Search Engine Strategies (SES) conference from Incisive Interactive Marketing comes to San Francisco. Delegates will learn about “search engine marketing (SEM), including optimization (SEO) and advertising strategies, tactics and best practices,” according to the event website. “SES Search Marketing Events provide instruction from the industry’s top Search experts, including representatives from the Search Engines … Continue reading “Search Engine Strategies”

Trubion Pharmaceuticals Gets Acquired by Emergent BioSolutions for $97M Upfront

[Updated: 2:25 pm Pacific] Trubion Pharmaceuticals, a one-time highflier in Seattle’s biotech community, said today it is getting acquired for less than $100 million upfront. The buyer is Rockville, MD-based Emergent BioSolutions (NYSE: [[ticker:EBS]]). Shareholders in Trubion (NASDAQ: [[ticker:TRBN]]) will get a total of $96.8 million in an upfront payment from Emergent, plus as much … Continue reading “Trubion Pharmaceuticals Gets Acquired by Emergent BioSolutions for $97M Upfront”

Third Rock Ventures, Firm With Hunger for Audacious Biotech Ideas, Sets up SF Shop

Boston’s Third Rock Ventures, the relatively young firm with an appetite for investing in some of the most disruptive ideas in biotech, is opening up a new office in San Francisco’s Mission Bay district. Third Rock principal Jake Bauer is moving to San Francisco, and will be joined by another partner at the firm. The … Continue reading “Third Rock Ventures, Firm With Hunger for Audacious Biotech Ideas, Sets up SF Shop”

SonoSite’s Chairman, Kirby Cramer, Retires to ‘Refresh’ Board With New Blood

Kirby Cramer, one of the most successful all-around life sciences executives in the Northwest, said today he’s retiring after 12 years as the chairman of the board of SonoSite (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SONO]]), the maker of portable ultrasound machines. Cramer, 74, has been SonoSite’s chairman since the Bothell, WA-based company was originally spun off from ATL Ultrasound … Continue reading “SonoSite’s Chairman, Kirby Cramer, Retires to ‘Refresh’ Board With New Blood”

Mobile Monday: An Evening with Google and Android

Info and registration here. Join us for Mobile Monday at the Google offices in Cambridge. We’ll have short presentations by Rich Miner, Steve Vinter, and Adam Compain from the Google team, followed by demos by local app developers. Please note: Because of the limited space at this venue, we are restricting the number of tickets. … Continue reading “Mobile Monday: An Evening with Google and Android”

Nuon Adds $10M Debt, Options

Nuon Therapeutics, the San Mateo, CA-based developer of treatments for autoimmune diseases, has raised $10 million in a financing composed of debt and option securities, according to a regulatory filing. The document doesn’t say who invested, although its board of directors includes representatives from Domain Associates, Frazier Healthcare Ventures, and GBS Venture Partners. Affymax CEO … Continue reading “Nuon Adds $10M Debt, Options”

Plastic Logic Closes Book on Que Reader

Mountain View, CA-based Plastic Logic announced this week that it will not proceed with production of its Que ProReader e-reader device, a prototype of which was demonstrated at the International Consumer Electronics Show in January. The large-format, $650 device was to have been similar to the Amazon Kindle, except with a thinner, color, plastic display … Continue reading “Plastic Logic Closes Book on Que Reader”

Mass Innovation Nights: Build and Perfect Your Pitch

Information and registration here. Communications! Everyone calls it a, many call it the, key to business success. Yet how well prepared are you to make your business case to your key audiences? • If you call your slides “The Presentation”, • If you think the presentation is about you or your company, If you sometimes … Continue reading “Mass Innovation Nights: Build and Perfect Your Pitch”

American Tower to Raise $700M for Acquisitions

Boston-based American Tower, an owner and operator of wireless towers and other communications sites, said today it plans to raise $700 million in a registered public offering of senior unsecured notes due September 2020. The company says the net proceeds of the sale, expected to be about $693.8 million, will be used to finance the … Continue reading “American Tower to Raise $700M for Acquisitions”

$2.5M for TransEngen

TransEngen, a Norwalk, CT-based provider of healthcare payment software, has raised $2.5 million in a round of equity financing, according to an SEC filing. Carlson Capital of Dallas, TX, is represented on the company’s board, according to its website. Company spokeswoman Alexa Krasnickas declined to comment on the funding round beyond saying that it included … Continue reading “$2.5M for TransEngen”

If You’re Just Joining Us: Eight 1/2 Weeks of Bay Area Innovation Stories, Xconomy Style

We’re still pretty new to the Bay Area, having turned on our San Francisco site just eight weeks ago Monday, on June 14. Our web stats tell us that quite a few of the people who visit every day are arriving at the site for the first time. So as a quick introduction, I thought … Continue reading “If You’re Just Joining Us: Eight 1/2 Weeks of Bay Area Innovation Stories, Xconomy Style”

Allozyne Inks Sigma-Aldrich Deal

Allozyne, the Seattle-based developer of protein drugs, is announcing today it has obtained a license from Sigma-Aldrich (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SIAL]]) to chemical technology for linking certain compounds to protein drugs. Terms of the license to Sigma’s cycloaddition technology weren’t disclosed, although it covers drug and diagnostic uses that Allozyne may pursue in the future. Allozyne didn’t … Continue reading “Allozyne Inks Sigma-Aldrich Deal”

Swift Biosciences Sweeps Up $3M

Swift Biosciences, an Ann Arbor, MI, company that makes reagents for genetic tests, has announced that it received $3 million in Series A financing in June led by VC firm DFJ Mercury and joined by several Michigan-based investors. Swift was founded in January by former Accuri Cytometers Chief Scientific Officer David Olson. “Swift Biosciences plans … Continue reading “Swift Biosciences Sweeps Up $3M”

ZeaChem, Pursuing the Dream of Ethanol from Wood Chips, Faces First Large Scale Test

The political classes chattered about cellulosic ethanol after President Bush’s 2006 State of the Union address. Bush used that speech to raise the profile of fuels made from ordinary biomass like wood chips, cornstalks, or sugarcane, making it sound like a potential key to the U.S. strategy to break the addiction to foreign oil. Four … Continue reading “ZeaChem, Pursuing the Dream of Ethanol from Wood Chips, Faces First Large Scale Test”

Former Sirtris Execs’ Nonprofit Starts Selling Resveratrol with Potential Anti-Aging Effects Online

[Updated and clarified. 8/12/10, 7:25 pm Eastern time. See below.] Cambridge, MA-based Sirtris Pharmaceuticals made international headlines over the past few years for developing drugs based on the anti-aging effects of the red wine chemical resveratrol. Now that the company has been part of London-based drug giant GlaxoSmithKline for more than two years, former Sirtris … Continue reading “Former Sirtris Execs’ Nonprofit Starts Selling Resveratrol with Potential Anti-Aging Effects Online”

CareFusion Trims Workforce, Undeterred Ramius Still Wants to Buy Cypress Bio, Biotech Entrepreneurs Want “Virtual Incubator,” & More San Diego Life Sciences News

There wasn’t a lot of life science news over the past week, but what we had was pretty interesting. Judge for yourself. —There’s a cat-and-mouse game underway between New York’s Ramius Value and Opportunity Advisors and San Diego’s Cypress Bioscience (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CYPB]]). Ramius, which offered $160 million to acquire Cypress last month, renewed its call … Continue reading “CareFusion Trims Workforce, Undeterred Ramius Still Wants to Buy Cypress Bio, Biotech Entrepreneurs Want “Virtual Incubator,” & More San Diego Life Sciences News”

TradeStone’s Software Helps Retailers Pump Out Product Lines More Rapidly, Looks to Help Add Consumers to the Design Process

Boston is well known for its cluster of companies developing software for computer-aided design (CAD), and managing the lifecycle of a particular product (PLM). But Sue Welch says there’s a need for companies managing the development of not just individual products, but entire lines of merchandise. That’s the hole she’s looked to fill with her … Continue reading “TradeStone’s Software Helps Retailers Pump Out Product Lines More Rapidly, Looks to Help Add Consumers to the Design Process”

Montgomery Says Goodbye Gilead, Kaleetan’s Plan to Be the Next Dendreon, Calypso’s CEO Exit, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News

This week’s roundup is short and sweet, because, as you Tweeps out there know from following me on Twitter, I took a few days off to summit Mt. Baker and Mt. Hood with an old college buddy. —Before I headed to the wilderness with no BlackBerry access, I broke the story on Bruce Montgomery‘s decision … Continue reading “Montgomery Says Goodbye Gilead, Kaleetan’s Plan to Be the Next Dendreon, Calypso’s CEO Exit, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”

Inside the Babson College Summer Venture Program—A Student’s Perspective

For 10 weeks this summer, I was a student participant in the Summer Venture Program (SVP) at Babson College. When I brought my company, Insite Motion Media, into the program, I was convinced I had a well-established, linear path to travel to continue building it successfully. What I found instead were many elements of my … Continue reading “Inside the Babson College Summer Venture Program—A Student’s Perspective”

Arbor Networks Acquisition Is a Tale of Two Cities—and a Strategic Move Into Wider World of Wireless

If Arbor Networks were a tree, its roots would be in Michigan. Its branches and leaves (and some of its caretakers) would be in Massachusetts. And its proud new owners would be in Texas and Washington, DC—with a lot to live up to. Earlier this week, Chelmsford, MA-based Arbor Networks, a maker of software for … Continue reading “Arbor Networks Acquisition Is a Tale of Two Cities—and a Strategic Move Into Wider World of Wireless”

TransEngin Obtains $2,500,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=38445122-0e4f-4472-9804-c08a8dc50e92&Preview=1 Date 8/12/2010 Company Name TransEngin Mailing Address 15 Oakwood Avenue 2nd Floor Norwalk, CT 06850 Company Description The TransEngen is a ground breaking, intelligent transaction-based platform. The unique capabilities of the TransEngen enable us to design, develop and execute innovative and compelling solutions that are responsive to the shifting needs of … Continue reading “TransEngin Obtains $2,500,000 New Financing Round”

Swift Biosciences Obtains $3,000,000 Series A Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=58e8c934-b39a-4a42-97a5-18bb2f3fe47d&Preview=1 Date 8/12/2010 Company Name Swift Biosciences Mailing Address Undisclosed Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Company Description Swift Biosciences is developing molecular biology reagents for research and diagnostic applications. Our products help users to detect genes and gene products that other products can’t. We also help users to analyze their samples faster, at … Continue reading “Swift Biosciences Obtains $3,000,000 Series A Round”