At Northrop Grumman’s unmanned systems development center in suburban San Diego, some folks are describing a $33 million contract that was announced today as “DARPA hard.” DARPA is an acronym for the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and the two-year contract awarded to Northrop Grumman calls for demonstrating the feasibility of using one high-altitude … Continue reading “Northrop Grumman Planning First UAV-to-UAV Aerial Refueling”
ITA Software Bought by Google for $700M, Shifting Balance of Power in Travel Search
Score a big one for travel search. This deal was a long time in coming, but Cambridge, MA-based ITA Software is being acquired by Google for about $700 million in cash. There were rumors earlier, and the companies have now confirmed they have signed a definitive agreement. ITA makes the behind-the-scenes software that organizes data … Continue reading “ITA Software Bought by Google for $700M, Shifting Balance of Power in Travel Search”
See You at the Xconomy Seattle Open House, to Welcome Thea and Say Goodbye to Greg
It’s almost time to finish up tomorrow’s stories and make the beer run here at Xconomy Seattle. In case you missed our note on Monday, we’re having a little open house for our friends and readers from 4 pm to 7 pm today at 1102 Columbia Street on First Hill. This will be a chance … Continue reading “See You at the Xconomy Seattle Open House, to Welcome Thea and Say Goodbye to Greg”
Starbucks Offers Free Wi-Fi
Starbucks (NASDAQ: [[ticker: SBUX]]) began offering unlimited free Wi-Fi in all of its corporate-owner stores across the United States and in Canada today. The company said it would be rolling out the new program July 1 “as a part of its ongoing commitment to enhancing the customer experience.” Prior to this, free Wi-Fi has been … Continue reading “Starbucks Offers Free Wi-Fi”
Microsoft Drops Kin Phone
Microsoft (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MSFT]]) has decided to stop producing the Kin phone just six weeks after its release, according to a report by Gizmodo Wednesday citing testimony from “sources close to Microsoft.” In Microsoft’s official statement the company said it will instead be focusing exclusively on the Windows Phone 7, and “will not be shipping KIN … Continue reading “Microsoft Drops Kin Phone”
Amazon Upgrades Kindle DX E-Reader with New E Ink Display
Can this device take on the iPad? Last night, Seattle-based Amazon.com announced its new version of the Kindle DX (its larger e-reader device), which it touts as having “50 percent better contrast for the clearest text and sharpest images,” as well as a slew of other features including long battery life, 3G wireless connectivity, and … Continue reading “Amazon Upgrades Kindle DX E-Reader with New E Ink Display”
OnStar-Google eNav Goes Live
Drivers of GM vehicles can now click on an eNav button on Google Maps results that will allow users to send turn-by-turn directions to the OnStar units in their cars. Xconomy reported the OnStar Google partnership a few weeks ago and now the system is live. In case you don’t get it, GM has a … Continue reading “OnStar-Google eNav Goes Live”
World Wide Wade Goes West—Episode IV: Torch Lake, MI
Sharon Branson, a retired nurse, and her husband Dean Branson, a retired industrial chemist and toxicologist, are busy enough for any three non-retired couples. I met this fascinating couple through my parents, who serve with Dean in the Three Lakes Association, a conservation group working to preserve the natural environment around Michigan’s Torch Lake and … Continue reading “World Wide Wade Goes West—Episode IV: Torch Lake, MI”
Qualcomm Offers Cash Incentives, Broader Support, in Bid to Energize App Developers (and Partners Like Twitter)
After taking a hiatus in its annual Brew developers conference last year, Qualcomm raised the curtain yesterday on its new and improved Brew MP (mobile platform) at Uplinq—a reincarnated developers conference that recasts the two-year-old Brew MP as a “fully realized” mobile operating system that is broader, deeper, and more developer friendly. Following a multimedia … Continue reading “Qualcomm Offers Cash Incentives, Broader Support, in Bid to Energize App Developers (and Partners Like Twitter)”
New CEO George Scangos Says Biogen Idec’s R&D Has to Improve
George Scangos, the newly appointed chief executive of Biogen Idec (NASDAQ:[[ticker:BIIB]]), is calling for the biotech powerhouse to improve its research and development productivity. Which could mean that some projects get cut, Scangos said in a call with analysts yesterday. The news broke on Wednesday that Biogen selected Scangos for the big job. Scangos, 62, … Continue reading “New CEO George Scangos Says Biogen Idec’s R&D Has to Improve”
Rising from the Ashes of Pfizer: The Michigan Contract Research Organization Cluster
[Updated and corrected: 11:30 am, 7/7/10] Michigan suffered one heck of a body blow in January 2007. That’s when Pfizer, the world’s largest drugmaker, said it was shutting down its Ann Arbor, MI, research and development center, and eliminating 2,400 jobs. That’s usually the end of the story, as hardly anybody keep tracks of what … Continue reading “Rising from the Ashes of Pfizer: The Michigan Contract Research Organization Cluster”
Medify, Incubated at Voyager Capital, Raises $1.3M to Reshape Health IT for Consumers
It’s not quite two guys in a garage getting their big break, but it’s close. Medify, a healthcare IT startup incubated at Seattle-based Voyager Capital, said today it has raised $1.3 million in first-round venture funding. Voyager put in $1 million, and the rest was from angel investors and the founders. The stealth company is … Continue reading “Medify, Incubated at Voyager Capital, Raises $1.3M to Reshape Health IT for Consumers”
Airport Wind Turbine, Educational Software, Customized News Get Michigan Microloan Funds
Three Michigan companies have received a combined $104,000 through the Michigan Microloan Fund Program, managed by the Ann Arbor SPARK business incubator. This latest round means the program has invested a total of more than $1.3 million in 36 companies since it was started last July. Microloans range from $10,000 to $50,000 and are reserved … Continue reading “Airport Wind Turbine, Educational Software, Customized News Get Michigan Microloan Funds”
New CFO Pearl Chan on What Drew Her to the Cheezburger Network and Why Humor is for Everyone
If you like to spend your spare time crawling the Internet for pictures of cute animals with silly captions or stories of others’ “fails” (i.e. moments of sheer misfortune caught on camera), odds are you’ve stumbled upon I Can Has Cheezburger. It’s grown into a network of 51 sites that have become the viral ‘it … Continue reading “New CFO Pearl Chan on What Drew Her to the Cheezburger Network and Why Humor is for Everyone”
Sanofi Buys TargeGen, Biogen Idec Hires CEO, Orexigen Obesity Drug Shows Promise Against Diabetes, & More San Diego Life Sciences News
It’s been barbell time for life sciences news in San Diego, with much of the developments happening yesterday and at the end of last week. Still, it shouldn’t require too much heavy lifting; your workout starts now. —Sanofi-Aventis, the French pharma giant, is acquiring San Diego-based TargeGen in a structured deal that could be worth … Continue reading “Sanofi Buys TargeGen, Biogen Idec Hires CEO, Orexigen Obesity Drug Shows Promise Against Diabetes, & More San Diego Life Sciences News”
The Wireless Vineyard: A Former Intel Researcher Reinvents Irrigation in the Mountains Above Napa
The vines are standing in straight rows along the irrigation pipes at Camalie Vineyards, high on the side of Mt. Veeder, in Napa Valley. For each vine a smaller pipe, thinner than a soda straw, runs from the pipe into the earth and down to the roots. Here and there you can spot some yellow … Continue reading “The Wireless Vineyard: A Former Intel Researcher Reinvents Irrigation in the Mountains Above Napa”
Calistoga Pockets $40M, NanoString Hires CEO, Spiration Sells to Olympus, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News
This week was so busy with companies breaking news before the holiday weekend that I didn’t have time to immediately jump on the latest tempest affecting Dendreon. Alas, tomorrow is another day. —Seattle-based Calistoga Pharmaceuticals generated the big news of the week, by raising $40 million in the biggest venture deal of the year so … Continue reading “Calistoga Pockets $40M, NanoString Hires CEO, Spiration Sells to Olympus, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”
Arena Strikes Deal with Eisai to Market Obesity Drug in U.S., Pocketing $50M Upfront
Arena Pharmaceuticals has raised $1 billion to get an obesity drug candidate on the doorstep of FDA approval, and now it has found someone else to commercialize it. The San Diego-based company has struck a deal with Japan-based Eisai Pharmaceuticals to sell lorcaserin in the U.S. This isn’t the usual transaction you see between a … Continue reading “Arena Strikes Deal with Eisai to Market Obesity Drug in U.S., Pocketing $50M Upfront”
Santarus Cuts 120 Jobs
San Diego-based Santarus (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SNTS]]) said today it is cutting 120 jobs, or 37 percent of its workforce, because a competitor is starting to sell cheaper generic copies of omeprazole sodium bicarbonate (Zegerid). Santarus is ending its promotion of brand-name Zegerid, although it will retain 110 sales reps to promote metformin hydrochloride (Glumetza) for Type … Continue reading “Santarus Cuts 120 Jobs”
Should It Be Called “Startbucks?”
Today Starbucks begins providing free Internet in their stores. To me, this means that Howard Schultz has just provided 11,000 free offices for startups. To an entrepreneur, having tables, chairs, free Internet, and access to food and coffee is a golden opportunity. To a professional who provides support services to startups (e.g. marketing, design, business … Continue reading “Should It Be Called “Startbucks?””
Second Wind, Looking to Boost Wind Farm Productivity, Logs Millionth Hour of Data Captured on Which Way the Wind Blows
Somerville, MA-based Second Wind started with the intention of measuring which way the wind blows. And in the last few years, it has learned that there’s more than one reason to do that. The company formed in 1980 with the aim of collecting wind data to determine which sites were ideal for developing wind farms. … Continue reading “Second Wind, Looking to Boost Wind Farm Productivity, Logs Millionth Hour of Data Captured on Which Way the Wind Blows”
Marginize Lands $550,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c642e543-cad6-4492-8e69-bd26817547af&Preview=1 Date 7/1/2010 Company Name Marginize Mailing Address 100 Benefitfocus Way Boston, MA 02115 Company Description Marginize enables real conversations in the margin of any website! Website http://www.marginize.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $550,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms Venture Investor Undisclosed
Medify Lands $500,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=bca08d3b-c980-4b43-8f4d-597018adfcb9&Preview=1 Date 7/1/2010 Company Name Medify Mailing Address 1603 Bigelow Ave. N. Seattle, WA 98109 Company Description The company is developing data-driven care management for consumers. Website http://www.mymedify.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $500,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms Venture Investor Undisclosed
Eucalyptus Systems Obtains $20,000,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7f56cdf6-e810-4f7e-b81a-e16344b02b5f&Preview=1 Date 7/1/2010 Company Name Eucalyptus Systems Mailing Address 130 Castilian Drive Goleta, CA 93117 Company Description We started Eucalyptus as a research project in the Computer Science Department at the University of California, Santa Barbara. In the Fall of 2007, Rich Wolski (whose research group eventually designed and built Eucalyptus) was … Continue reading “Eucalyptus Systems Obtains $20,000,000 New Funding”
Enable Networks (Capeco) Garners $3,200,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=30c4862a-6d55-4f6c-8a6c-291ea97a7f5b&Preview=1 Date 7/1/2010 Company Name Enable Networks (Capeco) Mailing Address 3333 Coyote Hill Rd. Palo Alto, CA 94304 Company Description The company is a telecommunications spin out from the Xerox PARC research center. Website http://demo.capeco.biz/manage/login Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $3,200,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. … Continue reading “Enable Networks (Capeco) Garners $3,200,000 New Funding”
Ingenuity Systems Lands $15,399,233 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f4ab61c7-98e7-4196-a378-64c44c2ba3ea&Preview=1 Date 7/1/2010 Company Name Ingenuity Systems Mailing Address 1700 Seaport Blvd. Redwood City, CA 94063 Company Description All of Ingenuity’s products and services have one common goal — to help life science researchers generate maximum value from all types of biological and chemical knowledge. Ingenuity offers a broad and flexible range … Continue reading “Ingenuity Systems Lands $15,399,233 New Funding Round”
ApaceWave Lands $7,800,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6f1746e6-2005-4e13-ba61-839b4d646e34&Preview=1 Date 7/1/2010 Company Name ApaceWave Mailing Address 48389 Fremont Blvd. Fremont, CA 94538 Company Description ApaceWave is developing next generation mobile broadband solution based on IEEE 802.16e/Mobile WiMAX, to enable broadband wireless connection anywhere. Website http://www.apacewave.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $7,800,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were … Continue reading “ApaceWave Lands $7,800,000 New Round”
Google Acquires ITA Software for $700,000,000
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=50d298dc-dcef-4249-9430-800145a8e996&Preview=1 Date 7/1/2010 Company Name ITA Software Mailing Address 141 Portland Street Cambridge, MA 02139 Company Description ITA Software is the leading provider of innovative airline IT and services. The company provides airlines and travel distribution companies with comprehensive, reliable and cost-effective technology. Website http://www.itasoftware.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount $700,000,000 Transaction … Continue reading “Google Acquires ITA Software for $700,000,000”
Walt Disney Co. Acquires Tapulous for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=20e9a5eb-396a-48eb-97f3-54312af5d5c6&Preview=1 Date 7/1/2010 Company Name Tapulous Mailing Address 240 Hamilton Ave. Palo Alto, CA 94301 Company Description Tapulous is profitable and angel-funded by Andreas Bechtolsheim, Khosla Ventures, Marc Benioff, Rob DeSantis, Katrina Garnett, Jeff Clavier, Rob Theis, Ben Smith, David Lee, Scott Kurnit, Roy Sardina, Aydin Senkut, and others. Special appreciation and … Continue reading “Walt Disney Co. Acquires Tapulous for Undisclosed Sum”
IBM Acquires BigFix for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=898fad01-4e74-4794-9919-cabc2b82c9f5&Preview=1 Date 7/1/2010 Company Name BigFix Mailing Address 1480 64th Street Emeryville, CA 94608 Company Description BigFix enables organizations to better manage their global IT infrastructures with solutions to discover, analyze, change and maintain security and software configurations faster and more accurately, resulting in improved processes, greater visibility, better security and more … Continue reading “IBM Acquires BigFix for Undisclosed Sum”
Dell Acquires Scalent Systems for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f81f986e-c09a-4e7e-8016-cc9afc91ebc5&Preview=1 Date 7/1/2010 Company Name Scalent Systems Mailing Address 1076b East Meadow Circle Palo Alto, CA 94303 Company Description Scalent is a software-based solution which interacts with your existing servers, network, and storage to provide increased agility, flexibility, and reliability to your data center and business. Website http://www.scalent.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction … Continue reading “Dell Acquires Scalent Systems for Undisclosed Sum”
Amazon Acquires Woot
Carrollton, TX-based deal-a-day online marketplace Woot said today it has signed an acquisition agreement with Seattle-based e-commerce giant Amazon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMZN]]). Under the agreement, Woot said it would become an independent subsidiary of Amazon, maintaining the same level of autonomy as other subsidiary companies, such as Audible and Zappos. Financial terms weren’t disclosed, and Amazon … Continue reading “Amazon Acquires Woot”
Exelixis Promotes Morrissey to CEO, Replacing Scangos as He Heads to Biogen Idec
Exelixis didn’t have to spend a lot of time searching for a CEO to replace George Scangos. The South San Francisco-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EXEL]]) said today that its president of R&D, Michael Morrissey, is being promoted to the company’s top job as Scangos is leaving to become CEO of Cambridge, MA-based Biogen Idec. Morrissey, … Continue reading “Exelixis Promotes Morrissey to CEO, Replacing Scangos as He Heads to Biogen Idec”
Monitoring Climate Change: Operational Plan Needed Now
All of the research in the world will be unable to mitigate the potentially devastating impact of climate change without a plan that brings measurements into a coordinated operational system. That system must enable accurate change forecasts, must monitor compliance with emission restrictions, and must verify that emission restrictions fulfill their purpose. While the Unites … Continue reading “Monitoring Climate Change: Operational Plan Needed Now”
Obtaining Maximum Value for Your Company in Today’s M&A Market
At the end of 2009, we were optimistic that the M&A markets would pick up and become the key near-term source of liquidity for investors before any real momentum in the IPO and capital markets kicked in. We also believed the technology sector, led by reemerging growth and profitability, would be at the forefront of … Continue reading “Obtaining Maximum Value for Your Company in Today’s M&A Market”
Cheezburger CEO Ben Huh on Surrounding Himself with More Talent, and the Future of the Global Humor Blog Network
Ben Huh is a very busy man. He’s only 32, yet he’s already spent much of the last few years soaking up the media spotlight due to the almost instant success of his network of humor blogs famous for its eccentric and misspelled name, I Can Has Cheezburger. In the three years since Huh purchased … Continue reading “Cheezburger CEO Ben Huh on Surrounding Himself with More Talent, and the Future of the Global Humor Blog Network”
Reports: Biogen Picks Exelixis Chief George Scangos as New CEO
Biogen Idec won’t be the biggest biotech without a CEO for long. Bloomberg News reported late this morning that the Cambridge, MA-based company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) is expected to announce its appointment of George Scangos as its new chief executive as soon as today. Scangos, a microbiologist by training, has been CEO of the South San … Continue reading “Reports: Biogen Picks Exelixis Chief George Scangos as New CEO”
TargeGen Sells to Sanofi For As Much As $560M, Offering Returns to Forward Ventures, Enterprise Partners
Ivor Royston is catching the opera tonight in Paris, and he has some reason to relax. The managing partner of San Diego’s Forward Ventures was in France as the press release hit the wire announcing his portfolio company, TargeGen, has been acquired by Paris-based drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis for as much as $560 million. This deal, like … Continue reading “TargeGen Sells to Sanofi For As Much As $560M, Offering Returns to Forward Ventures, Enterprise Partners”
Zementis Partners With Datameer
Datameer, a San Mateo, CA-based provider of data analytics, and Zementis, a San Diego-based analytics startup, have announced a strategic partnership to help customers integrate scalable standards-based predictive analytics. The partnership combines a proprietary decision engine developed by Zementis for real-time execution of predictive models with the power and scale of Datameer Analytics Solution (DAS), … Continue reading “Zementis Partners With Datameer”
Longworth and OVP Put $4M Into Symform, Raise Stakes in Cloud Data Storage
Some interesting bicoastal news in cloud computing today. Seattle startup Symform, a maker of cloud storage and data protection technology, has raised $4 million in its second round of funding, led by Boston-area VC firm Longworth Venture Partners. Original investor OVP Venture Partners, based in Kirkland, WA, also participated in the round. As part of … Continue reading “Longworth and OVP Put $4M Into Symform, Raise Stakes in Cloud Data Storage”
Zeebo Expands Funding to $13.5M
Zeebo, the San Diego game console maker that raised $8 million last month, has now raised $13.5 million in equity and debt, according to an updated regulatory filing. Zeebo is backed by San Diego-based Qualcomm (NASDAQ: [[ticker:QCOM]]) and Brazilian video-game developer Tectoy S.A., and has focused so far on developing products for the Latin American … Continue reading “Zeebo Expands Funding to $13.5M”
To Check-In or Not To Check-In? The Opportunities of Location Based Social Networking
Many of you have probably seen updates on your friends’ Facebook accounts of which local hotspot they just checked in to, but the technology that drives those announcements could also have other implications. Come find out how location-based social networking goes beyond fun and games, and could serve as marketing and business intelligence tools. Register … Continue reading “To Check-In or Not To Check-In? The Opportunities of Location Based Social Networking”
MITX Digital Strategy Event: Top 5 Mobile Application Strategies
It’s no question that there’s an app for, well, everything. But this event, put on by the Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange, seeks to educate marketing professionals on which mobile applications can best engage them with customers. Sign up online.
Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development: Leadership for Drug Development Teams
Here’s a two-day course for those in leadership roles at drug development companies. It aims to build up cross-functional research & development efforts, and boasts of being the only leadership course targeted specifically at those in pharmaceutical firms. Register here.
World Wide Wade Goes West—Episode III, Who’s Wade?
Mile 971—northern Michigan. We definitely aren’t taking the direct route from Boston to San Francisco. We’ve veered north in order to take in Torch Lake—where we’ve spent the last two nights with my parents—and Minneapolis, our next destination. We were at Torch Lake long enough to record two videos. The second, coming tomorrow, is a … Continue reading “World Wide Wade Goes West—Episode III, Who’s Wade?”
What Drives Brook Byers Crazy & More Lessons On Innovation from the QB3/BayBio Event
Brook Byers got a little animated last night. Speaking in a packed auditorium that bears his name on UCSF’s Mission Bay campus, the famed venture capitalist rhapsodized about the scientific wonders around him, and how the university has created an entrepreneurial culture to translate discoveries into real-world products and businesses. It was all upbeat until … Continue reading “What Drives Brook Byers Crazy & More Lessons On Innovation from the QB3/BayBio Event”
Biotech Investors Should Quit the Marketing Games, and Build Real Innovative Companies
I’d like to see people get back to the concept of building companies. The venture capital community over the last seven to eight years has really gone toward binary outcome type of plays. As a result, they run into a boom and bust cycle of their own creation. This is opposed to conceptually building sustainable … Continue reading “Biotech Investors Should Quit the Marketing Games, and Build Real Innovative Companies”
$5M Debt Deal for Dicerna Pharma
Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, a Watertown, MA-based developer of RNA-interference drugs, has raised $5 million in a debt and options financing, according to an SEC filing. Doug Fambrough, who resigned from being a general partner at Boston’s Oxford Bioscience Partners last month to become CEO of Dicerna, told Xconomy at the time that he planned to raise … Continue reading “$5M Debt Deal for Dicerna Pharma”
Calistoga Pharmaceuticals Nabs $40M in Washington’s Biggest Venture Deal of 2010
Seattle-based Calistoga Pharmaceuticals has nailed down $40 million in new venture capital, making it the biggest VC deal of the year so far in Washington state (if you don’t count broader private equity deals). The financing was led by a new investor, New York-based Quogue Capital. The rest of the money came from Calistoga’s existing … Continue reading “Calistoga Pharmaceuticals Nabs $40M in Washington’s Biggest Venture Deal of 2010”
Keas, Founded by Former Google and Bit9 Execs, Tries to Make Online Care Plans Pay
Keas has an online platform that gives patients interactive software for improving their health. But the San Francisco-based startup has had to change its strategy to find customers to pay for its technology. In October 2009, Keas made its first big public debut, with articles in the New York Times and on a Wall Street … Continue reading “Keas, Founded by Former Google and Bit9 Execs, Tries to Make Online Care Plans Pay”