Tag: TechStars

Startups in the ‘Burbs: TechSandBox Plans Accelerator Outside 128

Despite all the startup accelerators and education programs out there, it’s hard to name any in the suburbs that target an older, more experienced demographic. That could be about to change. TechSandBox, a year-old co-working space in Hopkinton, MA, is making plans to start an accelerator program that would admit about eight companies and provide … Continue reading “Startups in the ‘Burbs: TechSandBox Plans Accelerator Outside 128”

Seattle Roundup: AWS to Clean Cloud, Pitch Winners, Techstars, & More

Amazon isn’t providing a lot of details—surprise, surprise—on its commitment to power its data centers with 100 percent renewable energy. Meanwhile, Northwest startups working on energy storage and water management won the Seattle Angel Conference and the Washington Technology Industry Association’s (WTIA) First Look Forum, respectively. Also, DocuSign named new investors; Placed released the top … Continue reading “Seattle Roundup: AWS to Clean Cloud, Pitch Winners, Techstars, & More”

New Event Shines Light on Variety of Boulder’s Innovative Firms

It will still be chilly next week in Colorado, but a few dozen leading startups and tech companies in Boulder plan to give more than 700 people a warm welcome. On Tuesday, 42 companies including Google, Zayo Group, and Rally Software will host open houses as part of NewCo Boulder. Joining them will be startups … Continue reading “New Event Shines Light on Variety of Boulder’s Innovative Firms”

Bikes, Bitcoin, and the Next Billion: Techstars Boston Diversifies

Techstars has become something of a startup institution, now operating in 15 cities. The tech accelerator can still hold a surprise or two, though. At the program’s eighth demo day in Boston—has it really been that many?—an increasingly international flavor was on display. Founders hailed from Croatia, France, Russia, Hong Kong, the U.K., and Australia, … Continue reading “Bikes, Bitcoin, and the Next Billion: Techstars Boston Diversifies”

Techstars Seattle Demo Day: New Companies, Pitching Models, Leader

Techstars, the international network of startup accelerators, marks its fifth year in Seattle with some significant changes coming in how it presents its companies to investors, and in its local leadership. Another 10 promising startups completed the three-month, intensive business development and mentorship program Thursday, giving short, polished pitches to an audience of hundreds of … Continue reading “Techstars Seattle Demo Day: New Companies, Pitching Models, Leader”

Seattle Techstars Grad Shippable Gets $8M for Better Software Tests

A year ago, Avi Cavale, co-founder of Shippable, was on stage at Techstars Seattle Demo Day, pitching his company’s solution for software development and testing headaches. Thursday, as another crop of Techstars Seattle company founders prepare to go before investors, Shippable is announcing an $8 million Series A funding round, along with a fast-growing user … Continue reading “Seattle Techstars Grad Shippable Gets $8M for Better Software Tests”

Who Knew? Fun Facts About Boston Innovators—the Slide Show

They fly. They sing. They build. They race. They played professional basketball, were nationally ranked fencers and rock climbers. They perform on stage with Yo-Yo Ma, and collect America’s Cup yachts. It’s no surprise that the entrepreneurs, CEOs, angels, VCs, inventors, and other members of the Boston innovation community Xconomy covers every day are pretty … Continue reading “Who Knew? Fun Facts About Boston Innovators—the Slide Show”

Nest Buys “Smart Home” Startup Revolv, Discontinues Automation Hub

Revolv’s idea for a smart hub that could control lights, speakers, locks, and more won’t come to fruition. Nest, a division of Google that makes smart thermostats and home automation technology, has acquired Revolv, a startup based in Boulder, CO. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Nest was after the Revolv team, which will … Continue reading “Nest Buys “Smart Home” Startup Revolv, Discontinues Automation Hub”

Kindara Hopes Smart Thermometer for Women is Birth of Something Big

For women trying to conceive, getting pregnant might not get easier in the next few months—but tracking their fertility to find the likeliest time to conceive might. Kindara, a startup in Boulder, CO, recently announced the debut of Wink, a wireless smart thermometer the company has spent the past few years developing. Wink uses Bluetooth … Continue reading “Kindara Hopes Smart Thermometer for Women is Birth of Something Big”

Qualcomm and Techstars Establish Accelerator for Robotics Startups

As the global market tops out for advanced smartphone processors, radios, and other wireless chips, Qualcomm (NASDAQ: [[ticker:QCOM]] is staking a claim in robotics. Under a partnership with Boulder, CO-based Techstars announced today, the wireless technology giant plans to host a four-month robotics accelerator for 10 startups at its San Diego headquarters next year. The … Continue reading “Qualcomm and Techstars Establish Accelerator for Robotics Startups”

R/GA Accelerator Grad Footmarks Lands Investor and New Team Member

Footmarks on Tuesday announced it closed a $1.85 million seed round that also brought an experienced entrepreneur to the team. Shawn Englund, founder of LearnLive Technologies, led the round and joined Footmarks as head of sales and operations. The company graduated in March in the inaugural class of the R/GA Techstars Accelerator in New York, … Continue reading “R/GA Accelerator Grad Footmarks Lands Investor and New Team Member”

App That Helps Find Lost Children Highlights Techstars Demo Day

Techstars startups have been making their pitches to investors in Boulder for eight years now. It’s unlikely one has ever been introduced by a police officer. Then again, there hasn’t been a graduate like the Lassy Project, a startup inspired by a real-life child abduction and murder case that shocked Colorado almost exactly two years … Continue reading “App That Helps Find Lost Children Highlights Techstars Demo Day”

Online Pharmacy Startup PillPack Lands $8.75M, Led By Accel

A lot of technology startups get rightly criticized for not bothering to tackle a problem that will make anyone’s life better. PillPack is not one of those startups. The Manchester, NH-based company offers a new twist on the concept of a mail-order pharmacy. Instead of sending long-term supplies of drugs in conventional pill bottles, PillPack … Continue reading “Online Pharmacy Startup PillPack Lands $8.75M, Led By Accel”

Azuqua Raises $5M for Business Process Creation in the Cloud

With cloud services proliferating, Seattle startup Azuqua has raised $5 million from Ignition Partners to help businesses create processes that integrate multiple software-as-a-service applications. The company says its Web-based software allows integration among more than 40 cloud services, helping business users do things like track negative comments on Twitter and automatically send an alert to … Continue reading “Azuqua Raises $5M for Business Process Creation in the Cloud”

Franklin Out, VMLogix and Citrix Exec In as SendGrid Replaces CEO

SendGrid, the Colorado-based e-mail delivery company, has a new CEO. Sameer Dholakia will take the reins of the company, SendGrid announced Tuesday. Dholakia formerly was a vice president with Citrix (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CTXS]]) and CEO of VMLogix. Dholakia replaces Jim Franklin, who led the company since 2011. During his tenure, SendGrid has grown into one of … Continue reading “Franklin Out, VMLogix and Citrix Exec In as SendGrid Replaces CEO”

Rise of the Rest Announces Finalists for Madison Pitch Competition

Steve Case’s Rise of the Rest tour, meant to highlight growing startup ecosystems in five Midwestern cities, will embark on its second leg next week. Today, the tour announced the finalists for pitch competitions at each of the five stops. At stake is a $100,000 personal investment from Case and a trip to next year’s … Continue reading “Rise of the Rest Announces Finalists for Madison Pitch Competition”

Veterans Head Back to Boot Camp, Business Plans in Hand

Veterans and military spouses from across the country came to Madison, WI, last weekend to take part in Techstars‘ Patriot Boot Camp. “We’ve been working with a group of approximately thirty military veterans and their spouses to focus on how they can become successful entrepreneurs,” said Taylor McLemore, founder of the Patriot Boot Camp. According … Continue reading “Veterans Head Back to Boot Camp, Business Plans in Hand”

In-App Tools Maker Apptentive Raises $5.3M from SurveyMonkey, Others

Apptentive, which makes tools to help companies communicate with customers within mobile apps, has raised $5.3 million in a Series A funding round led by online surveys company SurveyMonkey and Origin Ventures. It marks another substantial investment attracted by a Techstars Seattle 2012 company, following the $8 million Series B round raised this summer by … Continue reading “In-App Tools Maker Apptentive Raises $5.3M from SurveyMonkey, Others”

Boston Tech Roundup: Wayfair, Flashnotes, Ubersense, & More

A little more detail about a big IPO and news of some smaller private deals, from seed funding up to an acquisition, to get you caught up this week: —Wayfair, the Boston-based e-commerce company that focuses on home goods, has set a price range for its upcoming IPO. In an SEC filing, the company says it may price its shares at $25-$28 … Continue reading “Boston Tech Roundup: Wayfair, Flashnotes, Ubersense, & More”

Colorado Tech Roundup: Dream Chaser, Mars Mission, Web Security

There was some big news—and bad news—for Colorado’s startups and tech companies this week. The biggest was NASA’s decision to cut off funding for the Sierra Nevada Corp.’s Dream Chaser spacecraft, putting the future of the program in doubt. Meanwhile, a Colorado-built satellite is about to enter orbit around Mars, security experts gather in Denver, … Continue reading “Colorado Tech Roundup: Dream Chaser, Mars Mission, Web Security”

Design Software Startup GrabCAD Bought by Stratasys for About $100M

[Updated 9/16/14 10 am] 3D printing isn’t exactly a new idea, but the costs and availability of the tools have greatly improved in the past several years. That means a lot more people doing things with the technology. And it also means established companies are feeling some pressure to keep up. Today we’re seeing the result: Cambridge, MA-based … Continue reading “Design Software Startup GrabCAD Bought by Stratasys for About $100M”

Texas Startup Communities Expanding, Accelerating Into a Whole

The state of Startup Texas is in a fever of activity. In the last week and through mid-September, half a dozen accelerators have either announced new classes of entrepreneurs or are hosting their pitch days as the newly fledged startups seek funding and customers. Half of the programs did not exist just a year ago. … Continue reading “Texas Startup Communities Expanding, Accelerating Into a Whole”

Techstars to Offer “Equity Back Guarantee” to Skeptical Startups

Techstars is making a new pitch to entrepreneurs—satisfaction guaranteed, or your equity back. The startup accelerator, based in Boulder, CO, invests $18,000 in its startups in exchange for 6 percent of their equity. Techstars also offers each startup a $100,000 convertible note, which can increase its share of the company to 10 percent. But beginning … Continue reading “Techstars to Offer “Equity Back Guarantee” to Skeptical Startups”

Seattle Roundup: Bizible, Fledge, CleanTech Alliance, & More

On this end-of-summer week, we’re following fresh funding for Techstars Seattle company Bizible, seven startups selected for accelerator Fledge, a name change for the WCTA, a standout series on Amazon in Europe, and more: —Bizible, a Seattle startup helping companies better understand their marketing spending and its impact on sales, has raised an $8 million … Continue reading “Seattle Roundup: Bizible, Fledge, CleanTech Alliance, & More”

“Plan” Versus “Vision” Entrepreneurs and How a VC Evaluates Startups

Since I first joined Mercury Fund in 2008, I’ve seen the ups (now) and downs (2009) of venture capital in just six years. Despite the wildly different environments, I’ve noticed that the types of pitches we get, and our responses to them, haven’t changed much. Although we have seen small changes to some of the … Continue reading ““Plan” Versus “Vision” Entrepreneurs and How a VC Evaluates Startups”

VictorySpark, Revolution Labs in Holding Pattern, Seek Funding

As the leaders of Milwaukee’s Global Entrepreneurship Collective get ready to wrap up their summer accelerator for military veteran entrepreneurs this week, the program is entering a bit of a holding pattern. The Global Entrepreneurship Collective (GEC), run by entrepreneurs Greg Meier and Nick Wichert, operates two accelerators for early-stage startups: VictorySpark (formerly known as … Continue reading “VictorySpark, Revolution Labs in Holding Pattern, Seek Funding”

Wisconsin Roundup: Techstars, Silatronix, Virent, MyHealthDirect, & More

Two Wisconsin startups are in the midst of trying to raise more than $4 million each from investors, while two energy-related startups are making progress toward selling their products. Read on for details about these recent announcements, and more, from Wisconsin’s innovation community. —Silatronix has raised $2.8 million of a possible $4.2 million equity funding … Continue reading “Wisconsin Roundup: Techstars, Silatronix, Virent, MyHealthDirect, & More”

New Deals Spur SMTP to Compete With HubSpot, Marketo, Act-On

There’s a battle brewing between tech companies in New England, the Bay Area, and the Pacific Northwest. What’s at stake? The future of technology for marketing. The latest entrant is SMTP, a small Boston-area company that began trading on the Nasdaq in January. SMTP (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SMTP]]), formerly called EMUmail, has a long and complicated history. … Continue reading “New Deals Spur SMTP to Compete With HubSpot, Marketo, Act-On”

Boston Tech Roundup: Nasuni, Acquia, Happier, Betaspring, Techstars

[Updated, 5 pm] Here’s a collection of deals and announcements worth noting from around the past week in the the Boston-area technology sector, including investments both secretive and straightforward, and startup accelerators either stalling or forging ahead: —Nasuni, a Natick, MA-based data storage software company, has collected another $10 million investment from previous backers. The … Continue reading “Boston Tech Roundup: Nasuni, Acquia, Happier, Betaspring, Techstars”

NBD Nano Aims its Bug-Inspired Tech at Big Industrial Markets

Technology inspired by the exoskeleton of a hardy desert bug is being aimed at big industrial problems, and investors are betting several million dollars that it could make a difference. NBD Nanotechnologies, a Boston-based advanced materials startup, has landed a $5.2 million investment led by Phoenix Venture Partners. Supply Chain Ventures and existing angel investors … Continue reading “NBD Nano Aims its Bug-Inspired Tech at Big Industrial Markets”

Texas Roundup: Funding, Relocations, & Techstars Cloud Returns

[Updated 8/5/14 8:47 am. See below.] It’s been a busy couple of weeks in the Texas innovation community. Here are some of the highlights: —Bluegrass Vascular Technologies might have to change its name. The three-year-old Kentucky medtech firm announced last week that it had closed on $4.5 million in funding from Targeted Technology, a San Antonio, TX-based … Continue reading “Texas Roundup: Funding, Relocations, & Techstars Cloud Returns”

Jenny Fielding Talks Plans for Next R/GA Techstars Accelerator Class

A few things have changed at the R/GA Accelerator in New York. When it was created last summer through a partnership between Techstars and New York-based digital marketing agency R/GA, the focus was on new ideas in connected devices. But for the forthcoming class, the scope has broadened a bit to include the Internet of … Continue reading “Jenny Fielding Talks Plans for Next R/GA Techstars Accelerator Class”

Startups Still Abandon Wisconsin, But Growing Cluster Keeping More Here

SurveyMonkey has come a long way since Ryan Finley started the company in his Madison, WI, apartment. The online polling service, which counts Facebook and Harvard among its customers, began in 1999 after Finley earned his computer science degree from the state’s flagship university. It survived the dot-com era’s collapse, reportedly bootstrapping its way to … Continue reading “Startups Still Abandon Wisconsin, But Growing Cluster Keeping More Here”

Boston Tech Deals: Erecruit, Procyon, Robin, Canary

We’ve got tech companies raising money, a small startup’s team joining a big tech name, and a new mini-VC fund in this week’s collection of Boston-area news briefs: —Erecruit, a Boston-based developer of software for professional staffing companies, has raised $25 million in its first institutional investment round. North Bridge Growth Equity led the investment. … Continue reading “Boston Tech Deals: Erecruit, Procyon, Robin, Canary”

Neelan Choksi on Tasktop’s VC Round and Austin “Growing Like a Weed”

Tasktop Technologies wants to help improve the operations of the brains behind technology companies: the staff that makes the software. What Tasktop does is develop tools for customers that allow their developers to make software more efficiently. With the dozens of tools now in use for each part of the software development process, organizations are … Continue reading “Neelan Choksi on Tasktop’s VC Round and Austin “Growing Like a Weed””

10 Thoughts on the Future of Innovation From Boston 2034

Twenty years is a long time. Yet, to many of us, 1994 doesn’t feel all that long ago. So it seems like about the right amount to look forward as we think about the future of technology, society, and innovation. And look forward we did. At our Boston 2034 conference on Tuesday, we brought together … Continue reading “10 Thoughts on the Future of Innovation From Boston 2034”

Techstars Austin Debuts Second Class of Startups for 3-Month Program

A beer robot, an online portal to manage lawn care, and an app to deploy Ruby apps on any cloud. Yep, with startups like that, it has to be Austin. Those companies, along with eight others, comprise the latest class of Techstars Austin. The startups aim to use software and mobile apps to innovate in … Continue reading “Techstars Austin Debuts Second Class of Startups for 3-Month Program”

Maker Movement and Laptops for Kids in Techstars NYC Latest Class

There is a bit of real world thinking happening at Techstars NYC. Last Thursday, the latest class of startups from the accelerator held a demo day. A nonprofit determined to get laptops to more kids and the influence of the so-called “Maker Movement” surfaced amid the software-focused startups. Techstars runs a separate program with R/GA … Continue reading “Maker Movement and Laptops for Kids in Techstars NYC Latest Class”

Dean Kamen: Coptering In to Inspire Crowd at Boston 2034 on June 10

Xconomy’s big Boston 2034 conference is barely a week away. A continent of amazing speakers will be on hand, but one of those you will find most inspirational is Dean Kamen. Among the legendary inventor’s key messages, which I think will ring particularly true to those in Boston’s innovation community: those who are the most … Continue reading “Dean Kamen: Coptering In to Inspire Crowd at Boston 2034 on June 10”

Boston 2034: The Big Agenda for Our June 10 Innovation Conference

We’re just three weeks away from Xconomy’s biggest conference yet: Boston 2034, an all-day look at what it will take to keep New England on the front lines of innovation 20 years from now. In a time of intense change, it’s a topic that will inspire some equally intense ideas and opinions. And we’re planning … Continue reading “Boston 2034: The Big Agenda for Our June 10 Innovation Conference”

Incubation Station Turns Eye to Austin’s Consumer Products Startups

Austin is rightly known for its tech hardware and software startups, but Shari Wynne felt there was a need to support other entrepreneurs, namely, those making consumer products. So, she took a page out of the book of tech accelerators like Techstars and Capital Factory and founded Incubation Station in 2012, a 14-week program to … Continue reading “Incubation Station Turns Eye to Austin’s Consumer Products Startups”

Uvize Determined to Help Veterans Make Transition to College Life

Stepping off the military base—or battlefield—and on to a college campus can be a surprisingly difficult transition, but Uvize, a Boulder, CO-based startup, is looking to change that. Uvize is a software startup that develops what co-founder and CEO Dave Cass calls virtual veterans centers. Veterans can use its online community features to connect with … Continue reading “Uvize Determined to Help Veterans Make Transition to College Life”

Boston Tech Roundup: BookBub, Kronos, Techstars, & More

It’s been a pretty busy week for startups and larger companies alike around the Boston-area innovation sector, with financing news, revenue growth, an acquisition, an accelerator demo day, and a college pitch competition: —BookBub, a Cambridge, MA-based startup that markets discounts on books to an e-mail list of nearly 3 million, has attracted a $3.8 … Continue reading “Boston Tech Roundup: BookBub, Kronos, Techstars, & More”

Boston Tech Roundup: docTrackr, WiTricity, Dogpatch Labs

Here’s a splash of news about acquisitions, executive hires, and incubator shutdowns from around the Boston innovation scene to wind up your week: —DocTrackr, a developer of document-management software, has been acquired for $10 million cash. The buyer is New York-based Intralinks, a publicly traded enterprise software company. Intralinks CEO Ron Hovsepian tells GigaOm that … Continue reading “Boston Tech Roundup: docTrackr, WiTricity, Dogpatch Labs”

New Ignition Partners Happy Betting on Business Computing Renaissance

A little more than a year after raising its fifth fund and tightening its investing focus to enterprise and business-to-business startups, Ignition Partners sees the past as precedent for its bets on a broad reinvention happening in business computing. The venture capital firm, based in Bellevue, WA, and with a new office in Palo Alto, … Continue reading “New Ignition Partners Happy Betting on Business Computing Renaissance”

Techstars’ Cohen Opens Up About Attracting Investors, Raising Money

What can a cute puppy in a pet shop window, couples therapy, and dating teach entrepreneurs trying to raise money from investors for the first time? Plenty, according to Techstars founder and CEO David Cohen. Cohen—who also is an investor with more than 400 deals to his credit—gave a talk Monday night about finding funding … Continue reading “Techstars’ Cohen Opens Up About Attracting Investors, Raising Money”

Gener8tor Demos Latest Startups, Growth of Local Scene

Thursday night’s closing event for gener8tor’s winter startup accelerator program in Madison, WI, was an indication of the progress made since January by its five new graduates. It was also a microcosm of how Wisconsin’s overall startup community has grown in the past two years. More than 400 people packed Madison’s Barrymore Theatre to listen … Continue reading “Gener8tor Demos Latest Startups, Growth of Local Scene”