Latest Posts

• Mitek Systems Building New Business in Verifying Online Identities

  A few years before the presidential election of 2016, with all its Wikileaks, Russian disinformation campaigns, and phony Facebook links, San Diego’s Mitek Systems (NASDAQ: MITK made a strategic decision to expand into identity verification technology.

  Funny how things work out.... Read more »

  Bruce V. Bigelow5/25/18

• Q&A: Don Layden Talks VC Trends, Exits, Foxconn’s ‘Long Tail’ & More

  Don Layden has lived and worked in greater Milwaukee long enough to feel like he’s got a pretty good grasp of the area’s strengths, weaknesses, and defining qualities.

  Layden graduated from Marquette University Law School in 1982, then worked his way... Read more »

  Jeff Buchanan5/25/18

• Bio Roundup: Brii Does China, Hemophilia Updates, Right to Try & More

  Sometimes disruption comes in waves. Since the 1990s, hemophilia patients have had to inject themselves with drugs a few times a week to prevent dangerous internal bleeding. That could soon change. One drug already approved, from Roche, may only need to... Read more »

  Ben Fidler5/25/18

• Pfizer, Merck Lead Strata Oncology’s $26M Series B Round

  In what company leaders describe as a “huge step,” Ann Arbor, MI-based precision medicine startup Strata Oncology this week closed a $26 million Series B investment round led by Pfizer Ventures and the Merck Global Health Innovation Fund.

  Other contributors... Read more »

  Sarah Schmid Stevenson5/25/18

• Boston Tech Watch: OM1, Tidelift, Notarize, Iboss, Elucidata & More

  Before everyone checks out for the long weekend, let’s catch up on some recent Boston-area tech news:

  —Healthcare technology startup OM1 announced it closed a $21 million Series B funding round led by Polaris Partners, which invested alongside earlier OM1 backers,... Read more »

  Jeff Engel5/25/18

• Immunotherapy Biotech Kiromic Considers San Antonio Move for Cash

  San Antonio — Kiromic, a Houston-based biotech company with artificial intelligence software that it’s using to develop two experimental cancer immunotherapies, may move to San Antonio—if it gets $200,000 from a city-operated economic development group.

  The money isn’t free. In exchange,... Read more »

  David Holley5/24/18

• Request Your Invite for Our Napa Summit, June 14-15

  In two and a half weeks, Xconomy will host our seventh annual Napa Summit: The Xconomy Retreat on Technology, Jobs, and Growth. In the heart of California’s wine country, it is our most exclusive, intimate, and unique conference. There are... Read more »

  Ashley Gentile5/24/18

• Paddy Power to Buy FanDuel After Supreme Court Paves Way for Betting

  [Updated 5/24/18, 3:16 pm. See below.] The dominoes are starting to fall in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court decision this month that opened the door for states to legalize sports gambling.

  FanDuel has agreed to be acquired... Read more »

  Jeff Engel5/24/18

• Fishidy, Developer of Tech That Aids Anglers, Sold to Flir Systems

  Fishidy, a startup that has developed map-based tools to help fishing enthusiasts document and share information, was acquired in April by Flir Systems, a developer of thermal imaging cameras and sensors. That’s according to Don Layden, an operating partner... Read more »

  Jeff Buchanan5/24/18

• Bloom Science Plans to Advance Microbial Treatment for Epilepsy

  Bloom Science, a biotech founded to advance a new class of microbe-based therapeutics for neurological disorders, is making its debut today with the publication of research that suggests certain bacteria in the gut could be used to manage epileptic seizures.... Read more »

  Bruce V. Bigelow5/24/18

• Renaissance VC Adds $81M to Draw More Outside Capital to Michigan

  Renaissance Venture Capital Fund, an Ann Arbor, MI-based fund-of-funds, has racked up another $81 million after closing its third capital round last week.

  The firm has raised a total of $205 million since it was established in 2008, says CEO and... Read more »

  Sarah Schmid Stevenson5/24/18

• Biotech IPOs Roll On as Kiniksa, Scholar Rock Get $227M Combined

  The IPO window remains wide open for biotechs. Two more, Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals and Scholar Rock, make their Wall Street debuts this morning having raised $227 million combined in their IPOs last night.

  Kiniksa exceeded its funding goals. The Lexington, MA, company... Read more »

  Ben Fidler5/24/18

• Brii Biosciences Debuts with a China Pharma Strategy Backed by $260M

  Growing up in China, Zhi Hong saw the healthcare challenges of his homeland firsthand. Despite the country’s economic strides, life science innovation there lags advances made in the West, he says. The GlaxoSmithKline veteran now wants to use his experience to... Read more »

  Frank Vinluan5/24/18

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• A.I. for Healthcare Gets Even More Crowded as GV Invests in Owkin

  More money continues to flow into startups seeking to harness the massive amount of data available in healthcare using artificial intelligence and machine learning. This time, GV, the venture capital arm of Google parent Alphabet, is adding about $7 million to... Read more »

  David Holley5/23/18

• Superpedestrian Scoops Up $16.5M, Enters Bike-Sharing Frenzy

  Bike sharing is the new ride hailing.

  Similar to what has played out with Uber, Lyft, Didi Chuxing, and other private car-hailing app companies, investors are pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into bike-sharing startups around the world racing to be... Read more »

  Jeff Engel5/23/18

• Amid Housing Boom, Hometap Raises $12M to Buy a Piece of Your Home

  [Updated 5/23/18, 9:40 am. See below.] Jeff Glass is back in the CEO chair at a startup, and this time he’s venturing into one of the oldest and, at the moment, hottest industries: real estate.

  Glass is an entrepreneur... Read more »

  Jeff Engel5/23/18

• Ahead of ASCO, Merck Touts Another Win for Lung Cancer Drug Combo

  The rapidly changing treatment landscape for lung cancer could soon change again.

  This morning, Merck (NYSE: MRK) announced that a Phase 3 study called Keynote-407 has succeeded. The trial tested a combination of its immunotherapy pembrolizumab (Keytruda) and chemotherapy... Read more »

  Ben Fidler5/23/18

• Check Out the Agenda for New York Biotech: Bringing Back the Expats

  We’ve just posted the agenda for New York Biotech: Bringing Back the Expats, which is set for June 21 at Riverpark at the Alexandria Center in New York.

  We are bringing together a few biopharma leaders who are ex-New Yorkers... Read more »

  Jacquie Ogonowsky5/23/18

• CAR-T’s Launch, Payers vs. Gene Therapy & Photos From “What’s Hot”

  CAR-T. Gene therapy. RNA interference. These aren’t just science experiments. They’re real, cutting-edge medicines either just on the market or soon to be. And the implications of their arrival was the focus of a few spirited discussions at Xconomy’s “What’s Hot... Read more »

  Ben Fidler5/23/18

• Madrona Raises $300M Fund to Back Tech Startups in Seattle and Beyond

  Madrona Venture Group, one of the most active venture capital firms based in the Seattle area, said Tuesday that it has raised a new, $300 million fund to support early stage technology businesses in the region and beyond.

  Madrona had previously... Read more »

  Jeff Buchanan5/22/18

• Amazon, Bedrock Announce Projects Tied to MI Strategic Fund Awards

  Amazon will invest $150 million in a new package fulfillment center on the west side of Michigan, the tech giant announced today.

  Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) said it will lease a 100-acre site in Gaines Township from Steelcase, a Grand Rapids,... Read more »

  Sarah Schmid Stevenson5/22/18

• Seeking Firmer Grip on E-Commerce Market, Adobe Buys Magento

  Adobe has made a big bet emphasizing the “shop” part of its best-known product.

  The maker of the Photoshop suite of software announced late Monday it is buying fellow Bay Area firm Magento Commerce for $1.68 billion to gain a larger... Read more »

  Angela Shah5/22/18

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• San Antonio Program for “Pre-Incubator” Startups Reveals First Class

  San Antonio — Two Texas startup programs are teaming up to run a “pre-incubator” for startups that are still developing their business ideas.

  Called the Velocity360 program, the incubator is run over eight weeks by VelocityTX and its partner, EPIcenter. Entrepreneurs... Read more »

  David Holley5/22/18

• Bloxvox’s Voice-Dampening Device Gives Users Privacy During Calls

  Many people who spend a significant amount of time on the phone at work use headphones or a headset so they can go hands-free during calls and type as they talk.

  While they have yet to enter the mainstream, there are... Read more »

  Jeff Buchanan5/22/18

• New Silverton Fund, Brunner to Phunware, HEB Adds CDO & More TX Tech

  Let’s get caught up with the latest innovation news from Xconomy Texas.

  —Austin, TX-based venture firm Silverton Partners announced it has closed on a $108 million fund, which it will use to invest in startups in the enterprise and consumer... Read more »

  Angela Shah5/22/18

• With $300M in New Round, Total Venture Funding at Grail Tops $1.5B

  Grail, the Illumina (NASDAQ: ILMN) spinout that merged last year with China’s Cirina, has raised an additional $300 million to advance its ambitious quest to develop a blood test sensitive enough to detect cancer.

  The Hong Kong-based Ally Bridge... Read more »

  Bruce V. Bigelow5/22/18

• Arcturus Board Schedules New Proxy Showdown with Ousted CEO

  After postponing a May 7 shareholder vote in a power struggle for control of San Diego’s Arcturus Therapeutics (NASDAQ: ARCT), the company’s board of directors has set a new date for its showdown with ousted CEO Joseph Payne.

  In a... Read more »

  Bruce V. Bigelow5/22/18

• IU Spinout Vascugen Turns to Stem Cells for Blood Vessel Repair

  Vascular-degenerative diseases such as critical limb ischemia are on the rise in the United States, but the millions of people affected by these disorders worldwide have limited treatment options and no cures. An regenerative medicine startup spun out of Indiana University... Read more »

  Sarah Schmid Stevenson5/21/18

• Iora Health Goes Big With $100M to Advance Collaborative Care Model

  Iora Health has become of the bigger players in digital healthcare and non-traditional health systems. The Boston company just announced a $100 million Series E funding round from investors including .406 Ventures, Devonshire Investors, F-Prime Capital, Flare Capital Partners, and GE... Read more »

  Gregory T. Huang5/21/18

• Mobileye Sets Safety-Based Rules of the Road for Self-Driving Tech

  It’s been a busy year for Jerusalem-based Mobileye since Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) completed its $15.3-billion acquisition of the Israeli specialist in autonomous navigation technology.

  In a recent update, Mobileye co-founder and CTO Amnon Shashua said the company has almost doubled... Read more »

  Bruce V. Bigelow5/21/18

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