Allozyne Licenses Scripps Chemistry

Allozyne, the Seattle-based developer of modified protein drugs, said today it has obtained a license to “click chemistry” technology from the lab of Nobel Laureate K. Barry Sharpless at The Scripps Research Institute in San Diego. Allozyne’s lead drug candidate uses the chemical binding technique to attach a polymer to a genetically engineered protein for … Continue reading “Allozyne Licenses Scripps Chemistry”

PhotoRocket Names Gary Roshak as CEO

Seattle-based PhotoRocket, which has been maintaining its stealthy startup exterior for months, has hired on interim president Gary Roshak as the company’s first CEO effective immediately, founder and chairman Scott Lipsky told Xconomy today in an e-mail. The 11-person company has raised over $1.1 million in financing to date, and is considering extending its current … Continue reading “PhotoRocket Names Gary Roshak as CEO”

ExxonMobil and Synthetic Genomics Open Greenhouse for Algae Biofuels Development

San Diego’s Synthetic Genomics and Texas-based ExxonMobil celebrated the first anniversary of their strategic alliance today with the official opening of a greenhouse for growing and testing algae that could someday replace crude oil in the production of diesel and other fuels. On this day last year, ExxonMobil announced plans to spend at least $600 … Continue reading “ExxonMobil and Synthetic Genomics Open Greenhouse for Algae Biofuels Development”

Gamify This: Seattle Web Experts Give Pointers on Using Game Mechanics for Good and Evil

They are the holy triumvirate of the “gamification” movement here in Seattle. OK, I just made that up. But if you want to learn how to use video-game mechanics to enhance your business’s website, drive traffic and customers, and maybe boost your revenues, you could do worse than to talk to Scott Dodson, Neil Patel, … Continue reading “Gamify This: Seattle Web Experts Give Pointers on Using Game Mechanics for Good and Evil”

Crocodoc Raises Cash, Upgrades Web-based Document Review Service

Today, many documents are not only born digital, they’re also born social. Companies like Adobe, Microsoft, and Google provide online tools where documents of many different types can be collaboratively generated and edited. The problem is that online editing is still a fragmented affair: If you want to mark up an Adobe PDF document with … Continue reading “Crocodoc Raises Cash, Upgrades Web-based Document Review Service”

PacBio Nabs $109M to Make Cheaper, Faster Gene Sequencing Tools

The idea of sequencing entire human genomes for $1,000 or less, in a matter of minutes, has never been hotter, if the flow of venture capital to Pacific Biosciences is any indication. The Menlo Park, CA-based developer of super-fast gene sequencing machines has raised another $109 million in a Series F round of financing. The … Continue reading “PacBio Nabs $109M to Make Cheaper, Faster Gene Sequencing Tools”

Bain Announces Virtual Innovation Center

Boston-based Bain Capital Ventures said today it has rolled out a new outreach and resource site for early-stage entrepreneurs. The Bain Capital Ventures Innovation Center is a virtual center geared toward helping startups do things like network, build their teams, get introductions to partners and service providers, find local events, and attend office hours with … Continue reading “Bain Announces Virtual Innovation Center”

Translational Science Grants Include Awards for San Diego, New England

A program to accelerate the transformation of biomedical discoveries into patient treatments has awarded $37.2 million to a consortium headed by UC San Diego Health Sciences and its Clinical and Translational Research Institute (CTRI). A $20 million grant also was awarded for a similar consortium in New England, headed by the University of Massachusetts Center … Continue reading “Translational Science Grants Include Awards for San Diego, New England”

Alberg Joins Obama’s Council

Tom Alberg, managing director of the Seattle-based Madrona Venture Group, will be joining President Obama’s new National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which will help develop policies to foster entrepreneurship, create jobs, and drive economic growth. U.S. Commerce Secretary and former Washington governor Gary Locke announced the members of the 26-person council at a … Continue reading “Alberg Joins Obama’s Council”

Livefyre Works to Bring Web Comment Sections Back to Life

[Corrected, see page 2] Publishing on the Web was always supposed to be a many-to-many affair, not a one-to-many lecture like so much of radio, TV, and newspaper content. But much of the burden of keeping the Web bidirectional falls on the familiar comment sections below most news articles and blog posts. And comments, in … Continue reading “Livefyre Works to Bring Web Comment Sections Back to Life”

The Name Game: Our Rebranding Poll Asks Readers to Weigh in On Recent Startup Name Changes

What’s in a name? Well, an awful lot, of course, and perhaps especially when it comes to companies and their brands. A good name evokes what the company does, and it is memorable—creating a virtuous cycle that reinforces the brand and leads to increased sales and other good things. I got thinking about this, specifically … Continue reading “The Name Game: Our Rebranding Poll Asks Readers to Weigh in On Recent Startup Name Changes”

As the World Converges on the Phone, Mobile Monday Michigan is Calling All Developers, Marketers

Linda Daichendt  was a marketer for Wireless Toyz from the beginning of 2007 until the end of 2008. That’s when some serious downsizing happened at the Southfield, MI-based mobile phone chain retailer. Daichendt lost her job, but she did not lose her instincts as a mobile marketer. “So, I became extremely interested in this whole … Continue reading “As the World Converges on the Phone, Mobile Monday Michigan is Calling All Developers, Marketers”

Vivus Faces Turning Point in Obesity Drug Battle Tomorrow With Arena, Orexigen

[Updated: 3:06 pm Pacific] Vivus will be the biotech company everybody’s watching tomorrow. That’s when the Mountain View, CA-based company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VVUS]]) will go before a panel of expert advisers to the FDA, who will recommend to regulators whether Vivus has created a new obesity drug that’s good enough to be sold on the U.S. … Continue reading “Vivus Faces Turning Point in Obesity Drug Battle Tomorrow With Arena, Orexigen”

Allozyne, After a Stealthy Year on a Slim Budget, Re-Emerges with MS Drug and Fat Pipeline

Seattle-based Allozyne has been operating in stealth mode for more than a year, prompting some biotechies to wonder if it had quietly run out of cash and closed its doors. Far from it. Allozyne, one of the startups that graduated from the Accelerator biotech startup incubator, has been making huge strides behind the scenes, based … Continue reading “Allozyne, After a Stealthy Year on a Slim Budget, Re-Emerges with MS Drug and Fat Pipeline”

XL Hybrids Ups Investment Round to $1.8M, Plans to Convert Commercial Vehicles to Hybrids

This is one of the stealthiest and most intriguing cleantech companies in New England. XL Hybrids, based in Somerville, MA, has just received $300,000 in investment from an undisclosed professional fund, which brings its total seed funding to just over $1.8 million. The company previously had raised a little more than $1.5 million in angel … Continue reading “XL Hybrids Ups Investment Round to $1.8M, Plans to Convert Commercial Vehicles to Hybrids”

Concert Pharma Riding Potential $1B Glaxo Deal, Looks Ahead to Human Data on HIV Drug

Concert Pharmaceuticals climbed the charts of the Boston area’s hottest biotechs last year when it revealed an incentive-laden deal with the drug giant GlaxoSmithKline potentially worth more than $1 billion. Roger Tung, the CEO of Concert, met with me last week at the biotech startup’s Lexington, MA, headquarters and talked about the work his firm … Continue reading “Concert Pharma Riding Potential $1B Glaxo Deal, Looks Ahead to Human Data on HIV Drug”

Peter Schultz Exits Top Job at Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation

Peter Schultz, the prominent chemist who founded one of San Diego’s top research centers more than a decade ago, is out as the director of the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation (GNF), Xconomy has learned from multiple sources. Schultz’s departure was confirmed on his faculty biography on The Scripps Research Institute’s website, which … Continue reading “Peter Schultz Exits Top Job at Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation”

San Diego’s MindTouch Launches Next-Generation Version of Content Development Platform

To MindTouch CEO Aaron Fulkerson, websites are becoming the primary storefronts for most businesses and their chief way of interacting with their customers. And in this age of metatags and search engine optimization, Fulkerson says each page of website content viewed by customers represents a business opportunity—a chance to generate new customer leads, increase sales, … Continue reading “San Diego’s MindTouch Launches Next-Generation Version of Content Development Platform”

ThredUP Funded by New Micro VC Firm, Visterra Grabs $6M, Vivox Gets $2M From Peacock Equity, & More Boston-Area Deals News

It was another busy week with news of funding rounds for young startups, especially in the e-commerce and drug spaces. —Woburn, MA-based Bio2 Technologies sold $1.1 million of an equity offering that could total $2 million. The company is developing tissue-engineering scaffolds for applications in orthopedics, and has licensed its technology from Geo2 Technologies, another … Continue reading “ThredUP Funded by New Micro VC Firm, Visterra Grabs $6M, Vivox Gets $2M From Peacock Equity, & More Boston-Area Deals News”

EnterpriseDB Corporation Secures $7,500,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=008a1b97-5a51-4ebb-93db-5233fa61351a&Preview=1 Date 7/14/2010 Company Name EnterpriseDB Corporation Mailing Address 235 Littleton Road Westford, MA 01886 Company Description EnterpriseDB provides and supports enterprise-class database products that are based on time-tested open source, that are broadly compatible with proprietary databases and that are robustly reliable and scalable. Website http://www.enterprisedb.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction … Continue reading “EnterpriseDB Corporation Secures $7,500,000 New Funding Round”

XL Hybrids Receives $300,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3250a8f0-f162-44e7-931b-fb8c30a68316&Preview=1 Date 7/14/2010 Company Name XL Hybrids Mailing Address 47 Webster Avenue Somerville, MA 02143 Company Description Headquartered in Massachusetts, XL Hybrids provides hybrid vehicle solutions for commercial fleet owners. XL Hybrids delivers value to our customers by improving fleet fuel economy, reducing maintenance costs and significantly lowering emissions. Website http://www.xlhybrids.com Transaction … Continue reading “XL Hybrids Receives $300,000 New Round”

Metamark Genetics Lands $22,000,000 Series B Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=5d00a945-fbbc-4a0b-9f27-fdeab64a4bef&Preview=1 Date 7/14/2010 Company Name Metamark Genetics Mailing Address Undisclosed Cambridge, MA 02138 Company Description Metamark is a privately held oncology company focused on the development of function-based prognostic assays for early staged cancers. The MetamarkDx Prognostic Assays under development are based on Metamark’s proprietary Prognosis Determinants, genes discovered through leading edge … Continue reading “Metamark Genetics Lands $22,000,000 Series B Financing”

Zogenix Secures $50,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f2c3f958-1b6f-49fd-a4c9-20c47f00811f&Preview=1 Date 7/14/2010 Company Name Zogenix Mailing Address 12671 High Bluff Drive San Diego, CA 92130 Company Description Zogenix is a specialty pharmaceutical company whose goal is to uniquely enhance and differentiate medicines by incorporating innovative technologies in an effort to relieve suffering in people with CNS and pain disorders. Founded in … Continue reading “Zogenix Secures $50,000,000 New Financing”

Morphlabs Receives $5,500,000 Series B Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f2cb1c85-1ee0-43ba-be44-ba36827ad2b6&Preview=1 Date 7/14/2010 Company Name Morphlabs Mailing Address 2321 Rosecrans Ave. El Segundo, CA 90245 Company Description Morphlabs solutions enable enterprises and service providers to easily deploy automated and elastic computing infrastructures to support flexible and high performance applications and processes. Website http://www.mor.ph Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $5,500,000 Transaction Round … Continue reading “Morphlabs Receives $5,500,000 Series B Funding”

Pacific BioSciences Receives $59,000,000 Series F Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8f140eb6-bd63-436b-a02a-20889a29b279&Preview=1 Date 7/14/2010 Company Name Pacific BioSciences Mailing Address 1505 Adams Drive Menlo Park, CA 94025 Company Description The company is focused on developing treatments for various diseases through gene sequencing therapies. Website http://www.pacificbiosciences.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $59,000,000 Transaction Round Series F Proceeds Purposes These funds will be used … Continue reading “Pacific BioSciences Receives $59,000,000 Series F Funding”

Tibion Bionic Technologies Obtains $3,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=fd345288-8577-41bb-8e9e-2ead269d05f4&Preview=1 Date 7/14/2010 Company Name Tibion Bionic Technologies Mailing Address NASA Research ParkMS 19-46NBldg. 19 Moffett Field, CA 94035 Company Description Tibion develops bionic devices for those with loss of muscle function due to disease, injury, aging, or surgery. Website http://www.tibion.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $3,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds … Continue reading “Tibion Bionic Technologies Obtains $3,000,000 New Financing”

BARRX Medical Secures $15,000,000 Series D Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=5129bf69-81ea-4c2c-8140-5679cb078426&Preview=1 Date 7/14/2010 Company Name BARRX Medical Mailing Address 540 Oakmead Parkway Sunnyvale, CA 94085 Company Description BÂRRX Medical, Inc. develops treatment solutions for Barrett’s esophagus, a precancerous condition of the lining of the esophagus (swallowing tube) caused by gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. Website http://www.barrx.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount … Continue reading “BARRX Medical Secures $15,000,000 Series D Financing”

Power Assure Secures $11,000,000 Series B Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=5bac39f4-c887-4037-bc76-df7917c0197b&Preview=1 Date 7/14/2010 Company Name Power Assure Mailing Address 2394 Walsh Avenue Santa Clara, CA 95051 Company Description Power Assure develops and delivers business automation software that reduces energy use and carbon emissions in commercial, corporate, and government data centers. The company’s software platform intelligently manages data center server capacity in real … Continue reading “Power Assure Secures $11,000,000 Series B Financing”

Squarespace Garners $35,000,000 Series A Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=83e080c1-abe6-420e-99df-227eceb95605&Preview=1 Date 7/14/2010 Company Name Squarespace Mailing Address 187 Lafayette St. New York, NY 10013 Company Description A fully hosted, completely managed environment for creating and maintaining a website, blog or portfolio. Website http://www.Squarespace.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $35,000,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes The size of the round … Continue reading “Squarespace Garners $35,000,000 Series A Financing”

ZocDoc Lands $15,000,000 Series B Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=affdcb1d-d67b-4853-99c4-b5ac905c91c5&Preview=1 Date 7/14/2010 Company Name ZocDoc Mailing Address 70 Lafayette Street 3rd floor New York, NY 10013 Company Description At ZocDoc our mission is to make healthcare simple. We begin at the beginning: ZocDoc brings the speed and convenience of the web to finding and booking a doctor or dentist. Website http://www.zocdoc.com … Continue reading “ZocDoc Lands $15,000,000 Series B Round”

RF Code Lands $1,000,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=cfd0c52a-d4bb-4cd4-b1f9-22c57667c2b9&Preview=1 Date 7/14/2010 Company Name RF Code Mailing Address 9229 Waterford Centre Blvd. Austin, TX 78758 Company Description RF Code is a premier developer of hybrid RFID data management software and enabling technologies. Our TAVIS software suite is a comprehensive management platform for Auto-ID data collection and distribution. Website http://www.rfcode.com Transaction Type … Continue reading “RF Code Lands $1,000,000 New Round”

EcoFab, Making Homes More Energy Efficient, Finds Its Place In McKinstry Cleantech Incubator

McKinstry, the Seattle-based construction, consulting, and energy-efficiency firm, has added a third company to its $5 million McKinstry Innovation Center, which opened at the company’s Georgetown headquarters back in May. The center, which many in the Seattle alternative energy scene hope will become a vibrant cleantech incubator in the Pacific Northwest, plans to serve as … Continue reading “EcoFab, Making Homes More Energy Efficient, Finds Its Place In McKinstry Cleantech Incubator”

San Diego Power Line Approval Opens Path to Renewable Energy Projects—But Opponents Vow to Keep Fighting

The U.S. Forest Service has approved San Diego Gas & Electric’s plan to build a high-voltage power line through a 19-mile stretch of the Cleveland National Forest, clearing the final hurdle the utility needed for construction to begin on a locally controversial project known as the Sunrise Powerlink. “The Forest Service’s decision to authorize the … Continue reading “San Diego Power Line Approval Opens Path to Renewable Energy Projects—But Opponents Vow to Keep Fighting”

Femta Pharmaceuticals Snags $2.2M for Potent Antibody Drugs

San Diego-based Femta Pharmaceuticals has pocketed some more venture capital to make targeted antibody drugs that pack more punch. The company has raised $2.2 million in equity and options financing out of a deal that could be worth $2.47 million, according to a regulatory filing. Latterell Venture Partners and Biotech Investment Group, a couple of … Continue reading “Femta Pharmaceuticals Snags $2.2M for Potent Antibody Drugs”

Metamark Genetics Raises $22M to Find Genetic Signs of Tumor Progression

Metamark Genetics has new funding to find which tumors are deadly and poised to spread out of control. The startup, which is commercializing technology discovered at Harvard Medical School, said today it has closed a $22 million Series B round of financing. Its lead investor in the round has agreed to chip in an additional … Continue reading “Metamark Genetics Raises $22M to Find Genetic Signs of Tumor Progression”

MSpot Challenges Netflix with New Movie-Streaming App for iPad

Up to now, there have been two main ways to watch full-length movies on your Apple iPad: buy or rent them from Apple itself through the iTunes store, or, if you have a subscription to Netflix’s DVD rental service, choose from the subset of movies available for instant viewing using the Netflix iPad app. Now … Continue reading “MSpot Challenges Netflix with New Movie-Streaming App for iPad”

General Electric, Venture Firms Unveil $200M Investment and Prize Program to Promote Smart Grid Technologies

At a glitz-filled press event in San Francisco’s financial district today, General Electric announced an “innovation challenge” designed to promote smarter, more efficient electric grid technologies. It pledged to invest $200 million in proposals from entrants in three areas—renewable energy, smart grid technologies, and “eco homes/eco buildings”—and said it would collaborate on the program with … Continue reading “General Electric, Venture Firms Unveil $200M Investment and Prize Program to Promote Smart Grid Technologies”

XDx Secures $6M Debt

XDx, the Brisbane, CA-based developer of molecular diagnostics, has secured $6 million through a debt and options financing that could ultimately be worth $10 million, according to a regulatory filing. The company, founded in 2000, raised $14 million in August 2009 from a long list of backers, including Bristol-Myers Squibb, Burrill Venture Capital, Intel Capital, … Continue reading “XDx Secures $6M Debt”

Voice Chat Firm Vivox Lands $2M from Peacock Equity

Vivox, the Natick, MA-based voice software startup, said today it has received a $2 million equity investment from Peacock Equity, a fund that is run jointly by GE Capital’s Media, Communications & Entertainment business and NBC Universal. The company says the money will be used to fuel its growth, expand into new markets, and enhance … Continue reading “Voice Chat Firm Vivox Lands $2M from Peacock Equity”

Zendesk Has a Twicket to Ride Twitter

Score another one for Twitter. Like Facebook and Google, the San Francisco-based microblogging service has ingrained itself into so many corners of the Internet that other companies are altering their strategies, and their vocabularies, to accommodate it. The latest example: Zendesk, the provider of Web-based customer support software, today introduced a new feature allowing companies … Continue reading “Zendesk Has a Twicket to Ride Twitter”

Michigan’s Ambiq Micro Gets Ready to Scatter Lots of Tiny, Low-Power Products…Everywhere

Scott Hanson is only 27 years old, but he has spent the past six of those years obsessively working on one project—developing low-power circuit technology that can stay on for years, even decades. That was his project when he started working on his Ph.D. at the University of Michigan in 2004. Today, all that work … Continue reading “Michigan’s Ambiq Micro Gets Ready to Scatter Lots of Tiny, Low-Power Products…Everywhere”

Microsoft Partners Up in Cloud-Computing Platform, Cobalt Gets Bought for $400M, Lockerz Reels in VC Funding, and Other Seattle-Area Deals News

There have been quite a few exciting deals for Seattle-area technology companies lately (maybe a sign that everybody in town is back from their summer vacations?). In the past week we’ve seen a digital marketing company for the auto industry get snatched up in a $400 million acquisition, several local startups bring in new funding, … Continue reading “Microsoft Partners Up in Cloud-Computing Platform, Cobalt Gets Bought for $400M, Lockerz Reels in VC Funding, and Other Seattle-Area Deals News”

Aprigo, Incubated by Cedar Fund, Leads Charge in Data Security and Storage for Google Docs

With more companies putting more of their data and services in the Internet cloud, someone has to help them manage all those bits in an efficient and controllable way. Now a Waltham, MA, startup called Aprigo is trying to position itself as the leader when it comes to important challenges in data security and storage. … Continue reading “Aprigo, Incubated by Cedar Fund, Leads Charge in Data Security and Storage for Google Docs”

How Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics Turned Around the Ship it Got From Chiron

Matthew Stober had a dramatic story to tell when he came through San Diego to speak to pharma manufacturing executives at last month’s annual Vaccine Production Summit. As the global head of technical operations for Cambridge, MA-based Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics, Stober was closely involved in the corporate turnaround that enabled Novartis to ship more … Continue reading “How Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics Turned Around the Ship it Got From Chiron”