SGB Biofuels (San Diego, CA; no SBIR, founded 2007) is teaming up with Yulex (Phoenix, AZ; no SBIR, founded 2000) to more quickly develop guayule rubber [plant that] can replace traditional tropical or petroleum-based rubber .. collaborating to establish a genomics and molecular breeding platform focused on accelerating the crop improvement of guayule. .... In January, Yulex forged a partnership with Milan, Italy-based Versalis to launch an industrial production complex in Southern Europe to make guayule-based biorubber materials. It also has been working with the University of Arizona, and recently gave a $3 million grant to the Tucson university to apply classical breeding along with modern tools for improving the guayule crops. .... In 2012, Yulex received a $6.9 million USDA-DoE grant [Angela Gonzales, Phoenix Business Journal, Nov 12, 13]
Eli Lilly will acquire SGX Pharmaceuticals (San Diego, CA; no SBIR) in a $64 million cash deal that will pay shareholders a substantial premium [San Diego Union-Tribune, Jul 9, 08]
[Wisconsin]EDC certified four other companies to receive the tax credits They were: MPSP LLC, Milwaukee; HuTerra LLC, De Pere; and HealthMyne Inc., Madison. Pegasus Sustainability Solutions Inc., Fitchburg, was approved to receive the certification and a $125,000 loan. WEDC also said Tuesday that it has approved low-interest loans for two other emerging companies. Xolve Inc., Middleton, will receive a $330,000 loan; and Shamrock Energy ,Neenah, will get a $150,000 loan.[Kathleen Gallagher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Jul 2, 13] None had SBIR.
TetraLogic Pharmaceuticals (Malvern, PA; no SBIR, [IPO] Dec 13) is acquiring Shape Pharmaceuticals (Cambridge, MA; no SBIR) for $13 million. [John George, Philadelphia Business Journal, Apr 8, 14]
In the last year, former DOD and intelligence agency operatives have headed to Silicon Valley to create technology start-ups specializing in tools aimed at thwarting online threats. ... In 2012, more than $1 billion in venture financing poured into security start-ups, more than double the amount in 2010, according to the NVCA. ... One of the start-ups is Synack, which promises to vet an army of hackers to hunt for security vulnerabilities in the computer systems of government agencies and private companies. The company’s co-founders, Jay Kaplan and Mark Kuhr, met in Fort Meade, Md., in the counterterrorism division of NSA ... Morta Security, another of the start-ups, was founded by Raj Shah, a former F-16 fighter pilot for the Air Force in Iraq. He described himself as “a policy adviser†to the N.S.A. before moving to Silicon Valley .... Last year, Sumit Agarwal left his post as a deputy assistant secretary of defense to join Shape Security, a Mountain View company that offers what it calls “military grade†security solutions against botnets [Somini Sengupta, New York Times, Aug 22, 13] SBIR isn't a source since intelligence agencies don't do it, but any agency is free to invent its own version of SBIR.
Shapeways (NYC, NY; no SBIR). is aiming to transform manufacturing so anyone online can build a product from anywhere in the world. The company, which recently raised $30 million in funding, helps people design three-dimensional artworks or commercial products, and have them fabricated, shipped and sold online via its website. ... to set up new factory locations in the U.S. and Europe, its CEO said [Lora Kolodny, Venture Wire, Apr 29, 13]
Sharklet Technologies (Aurora, CO; one SBIR) lauded for the creation and commercialization of Sharklet®, the world’s first micro-texture that inhibits bacterial growth on surfaces, announced that it has completed a financing event led by Peaceful Union, [Chinese] medical device firm. ... The acquisition of the company will enable Sharklet Technologies to accelerate the development of Sharklet for medical devices where chemical-free bacterial inhibition is desired as well as high-touch surfaces prone to bacterial contamination. [company press release, May 15, 17]
Sharklet Technologies (Alachua, FL; one SBIR) has copied [shark skin structures that make them highly resistant to barnacles, algae and, surprisingly, most human bacteria] mathematical patterns to create germ-deflecting surfaces for everything from medical devices to computer keyboards. [Jennifer Alsever, May 31, 13]
Sharp Edge Labs has partnered with SpectraGenetics (Pittsburgh, PA; $2.3M SBIR) to make products that are used by researchers in the development of new drugs. ... Sharp Edge licensed the technology from Carnegie Mellon University, and the partnership will allow the South Side-based biotech companies to develop assays used to study some 600 cell receptors, which are of special interest to researchers. [Kris Mamula, Pittsburgh Business Journal, Oct 25, 13]
Shasqi (SanFrancisco, CA; $2.9M SBIR) announced a Series B funding round of $50 million to advance the Phase 1/2 clinical study of SQ3370 for the treatment of injectable, advanced solid tumors, and will enable Shasqi to expand its click chemistry platform to create therapeutics that do not require intratumoral injections. [company press release, Nov 11, 21]
Shattuck Labs (Research Triangle Park, NC, and Austin, TX; no SBIR), a clinical-stage biotechnology company advancing its proprietary Agonist Redirected Checkpoint (ARC™) platform to develop a novel class of biologic medicines for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune disease, announced the closing of a $118 million Series B equity financing. [company press release, Jun 24, 20] total funding $175M [crunchbase.com]
Shattuck Labs (Austin, TX; no SBIR, founded 2016), a biotech that licensed technology from cancer drug developer Heat Biologics, added $46.6M equity round, according to [SEC] securities filing. [David Holley, xconomy.com, May 30, 18] developing a breakthrough platform for immunotherapy [company website]
Shattuck Labs (Austin, TX; no SBIR) with $7M more in funding wants to beef up cancer-fighting drugs ... A significant part of its most recent funding round came from an international pharmaceutical company. Interest from major corporations is understandable — the Austin company's technology has the potential to significantly cut drug development costs [Will Anderson, Austin Business Journal, Apr 10, 17]
Sherlock Biosciences (Cambridge, MA; no SBIR, founded 2019) has been awarded a multi-year contract [amount unspecified] by the [DOD]'s Threat Reduction Agency to develop a diagnostic tool that leverages CRISPR to detect infectious diseases, bio-threats and other health risks. [company press release, Sep 26, 19] prior funding $48M [crunchbase.com]
Sherlock Biosciences (Cambridge, MA; no SBIR) dedicated to making diagnostic testing better, faster and more affordable, today announced its launch and initial financing of $35 million. ... using Engineering Biology tools, including CRISPR and Synthetic Biology, to create a new generation of molecular diagnostics that can rapidly deliver accurate and inexpensive results for a vast range of needs in virtually any setting. [company press release, Mar 21, 19]
Shapeways (NYC, NY; no SBIR). is aiming to transform manufacturing so anyone online can build a product from anywhere in the world. The company, which recently raised $30 million in funding, helps people design three-dimensional artworks or commercial products, and have them fabricated, shipped and sold online via its website. ... to set up new factory locations in the U.S. and Europe, its CEO said [Lora Kolodny, Venture Wire, Apr 29, 13]
Sharklet Technologies (Aurora, CO; one SBIR) lauded for the creation and commercialization of Sharklet®, the world’s first micro-texture that inhibits bacterial growth on surfaces, announced that it has completed a financing event led by Peaceful Union, [Chinese] medical device firm. ... The acquisition of the company will enable Sharklet Technologies to accelerate the development of Sharklet for medical devices where chemical-free bacterial inhibition is desired as well as high-touch surfaces prone to bacterial contamination. [company press release, May 15, 17]
Sharklet Technologies (Alachua, FL; one SBIR) has copied [shark skin structures that make them highly resistant to barnacles, algae and, surprisingly, most human bacteria] mathematical patterns to create germ-deflecting surfaces for everything from medical devices to computer keyboards. [Jennifer Alsever, May 31, 13]
Sharp Edge Labs has partnered with SpectraGenetics (Pittsburgh, PA; $2.3M SBIR) to make products that are used by researchers in the development of new drugs. ... Sharp Edge licensed the technology from Carnegie Mellon University, and the partnership will allow the South Side-based biotech companies to develop assays used to study some 600 cell receptors, which are of special interest to researchers. [Kris Mamula, Pittsburgh Business Journal, Oct 25, 13]
Shattuck Labs (Austin, TX; no SBIR, founded 2016), a biotech that licensed technology from cancer drug developer Heat Biologics, added $46.6M equity round, according to [SEC] securities filing. [David Holley, xconomy.com, May 30, 18] developing a breakthrough platform for immunotherapy [company website]
Shattuck Labs (Austin, TX; no SBIR) with $7M more in funding wants to beef up cancer-fighting drugs ... A significant part of its most recent funding round came from an international pharmaceutical company. Interest from major corporations is understandable — the Austin company's technology has the potential to significantly cut drug development costs [Will Anderson, Austin Business Journal, Apr 10, 17]
Sherlock Biosciences (Cambridge, MA; no SBIR, founded 2019) has been awarded a multi-year contract [amount unspecified] by the [DOD]'s Threat Reduction Agency to develop a diagnostic tool that leverages CRISPR to detect infectious diseases, bio-threats and other health risks. [company press release, Sep 26, 19] prior funding $48M [crunchbase.com]
Sherlock Biosciences (Cambridge, MA; no SBIR) dedicated to making diagnostic testing better, faster and more affordable, today announced its launch and initial financing of $35 million. ... using Engineering Biology tools, including CRISPR and Synthetic Biology, to create a new generation of molecular diagnostics that can rapidly deliver accurate and inexpensive results for a vast range of needs in virtually any setting. [company press release, Mar 21, 19]
Shift Labs (Seattle, WA; no SBIR, founded 2012), which develops simplified IV devices, raised $1.6 million and $300,000 from a federal USAID grant to accelerate Ebola treatment, GeekWire reported. ... company's main product, called DripAssist, measures the flow of fluid from an IV drip to a patient without the tubing sets that you might think of when you think of an IV. What's more, it runs on just one AA battery. [Annie Zak,Puget Sound Business Journal, Jul 20, 15]
Shift Pharmaceuticals LLC (Kansas City, MO), newly formed and developing a drug to treat all forms of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) by targeting an important “back-up” gene, SMN2 that is present in all SMA patients. ... awarded $3 Million from NIH SBIR and Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP). [company press release]
Shiloh Laboratories (Madison, WI; no SBIR) which is developing a better way to grow stem cells has received a $50,000 grant from the state, ... formed last year and began expanding its operations in the last few months following a scientific breakthrough, said Thomas Primiano, the company's founder. ... has a patent pending for a supplement that researchers could add to the media, or broth, in which they grow stem cells, he said. It is what is known as a growth factor supplement, which means it uses a naturally occurring protein to stimulate cell growth. The supplement would be less expensive than those in use now, and would allow scientists to feed their stem cells once every three days, rather than every day. "We've shown it works with embryonic stem cells, and we're extending our research into other types of cells," Primiano said. .. aiming to have its supplement on the market by the end of 2009, he said. ... has applied for a federal innovation grant and for funds from Madison Development Corp., a $12 million nonprofit economic development organization [Kathleen Gallagher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Dec 23, 08]
Shine Medical Technologies (Janesville, WI; one SBIR) raised $18 million in new funding, a combination of equity and stock options, according to [SEC] filing The round could reach $30 million, the document shows. ... is developing particle accelerator technology used to produce a crucial medical radioisotope. [Jeff Engel, xconomy.com, Jul 3, 19]
Shine Medical Technologies (Monona, WI; $1.4M SBIR, founded 2010) said it has received a construction permit from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to build a plant in Janesville that will make medical isotopes. Shine is the only medical isotope producer to reach this stage of the commission's permitting process since the 1960s, the company said. ... began receiving funding [in 2010] from the National Nuclear Security Administration to develop production of molybdenum-99. [Kathleen Gallagher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Feb 25, 16]
Shine Medical Technologies (Monon. WI; one SBIR) is seeking approval to build a plant in Janesville that would produce molybdenum-99, or moly-99, an isotope that is critical for certain medical imaging tests [Milwaukee JOurnal Sentinel, Jan 5, 15]
Shine Medical Technologies (Monon. WI; no previous SBIR) that is building a factory to produce radioactive isotopes used in medical imaging tests, said it has been awarded a $150,000 [NSF SBIR] ... will fast-track development of iodine-131, a medical isotope used widely for the treatment of Graves' disease and cancer, the company said ... is in the process of building a $100 million production facility in Janesville .... Production issues at nuclear power plants outside the United States and worries about nuclear proliferation have the U.S. government looking for ways to produce isotopes more safely domestically. The U.S. currently produces no iodine-131 domestically, and supplies of the isotope are expected to shrink significantly in coming years, Shine said [Kathleen Gallagher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Jun 30, 15] Sounds like NSF is merely supplying capital for domestic factory building of established technologies. Ah well, innovation in SBIR is whatever the federal agency says it is.
Phoenix Nuclear Labs (Monona, WI; $900K SBIR, founded 2005) maker of neutron generator technology, said it has raised $2 million from outside investors. ... In February, the company signed what it said was its first large-scale commercial contract, which has it supplying a thermal neutron generation system to Ultra Electronics Holdings, a British maker of control systems. Phoenix spun out Shine Medical Technologies (no SBIR) in 2010. [Kathleen Gallagher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Nov 24, 14]
Shine Medical Technologies (Monona, WI, formerly Phoenix Nuclear Labs ; $900K SBIR) that is building a factory to produce a radioactive isotope [molybdenum-99], which decays into a diagnostic imaging agent widely used in medical imaging testsused in medical imaging tests, said it has raised $2.4 million. ... The plant, to be located in Janesville, will cost about $100 million to build, [said CEO Greg Piefer]. ... this year signed a long-term agreement to supply its product to GE Healthcare [which abandoned a development effort] ... previously raised $11 million in a funding round in 2011 [Kathleen Gallagher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Sep 3, 14]
Shine Medical Technologies (Middleton, WI; $1M SBIR as Phoenix Nuclear ) said it has raised $11 million of venture capital funding. ... using its unique nuclear fusion technology to make molybdenum-99. The substance produces an isotope that's critical for certain medical imaging tests that diagnose, monitor and treat some cancers, as well as heart and brain diseases. [Kathleen Gallagher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Jun 7, 11]
ShiraTronics (Minneapolis, MN; no SBIR) medical device company, announced it has completed an additional Series A financing of $3 million bringing the Series A financing to a total of $36 million. ... was created to be the world's leading provider of innovative therapy for migraine headaches. [company press release, Mar 26, 20]
Fifteen university research teams from Maryland will receive a total of $4.1 million to work with local companies to turn their research into products that could one day be sold on the commercial market. .... MIPS will contribute $1.8 million and private companies will contribute $2.8 million. The companies: A&G Pharmaceutical (Columbia, MD; no SBIR), Rehabtics LLC (Baltimore, MD; no SBIR) High Impact Environmental (Church Hill, MD; no SBIR), Birich Technologies (Towson, MD; no SBIR), Earth Networks (Germantown, MD; no SBIR), Fiberight (Halethorpe, MD; no SBIR), CoolCAD Electronics (College Park,MD $1.6M SBIR), XChanger Companies (Annapolis, MD; no SBIR), Remedium Technologies (College Park, MD; no SBIR), Pothole Pros LLC (Waldorf, MD; no SBIR), Hoopers Island Oyster Aquaculture (Fishers Creek, MD; no SBIR), Metompkin Seafood (Crisfield, MD; no SBIR) GreatGrow Maryland LLC (Rock Hall, MD; no SBIR), vCalc (Hagerstown, MD; SBIR), Shore Thing Shellfish (Tall Timbers, MD; no SBIR). ($114,094) [Sarah Gantz, Baltimore Business Journal, Feb 26, 14]
Shuttle Pharmaceuticals down up 25% [Sep 21, 2022]
Shuttle Pharmaceuticals down 56% [Sep 15, 2022]
Shuttle Pharmaceuticals up 26% [Sep 9, 2022]
Shuttle Pharmaceuticals (Gaithersburg, MD; $5.2M SBIR) up 91% [Sep 6, 22] after IPO ... has been working on treatments to help boost the effectiveness of radiation therapies for cancer. [Seeking Alpha, Sep 6, 22]
Shuttle Pharmaceuticals up 28% [Sep 7, 2022]
Shuttle Pharmaceuticals (Rockville, MD; at least $1.6M SBIR, founded 2012) hopes to raise $36M in the next six months to fund its clinical trials for radiation therapy drugs. If it can't secure at least $10M in funding, the company plans to terminate its plans for an IPO. [Sam Sabin, DCInnoBeat, Jul 6, 17]
Siamab Therapeutics (Newton, MA; no SBIR, founded 2006) developing novel glycan-targeted cancer therapeutics, has entered into a strategic agreement valued at up to $202 million with an undisclosed, large commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company under which such company will develop and commercialize antibody-based products targeting a tumor-associated carbohydrate antigen (TACA) identified by Siamab’s proprietary TACA discovery platform. [company press release, Aug 19, 19] prior funding $6.6M [crunchbase.com]
Medical device company SI-BONE (Menlo Park, CA; no SBIR, founded 2008) raised $21 million in growth capital to treat lower-back pain. ... a minimally invasive surgical device indicated for fusion for certain disorders of the sacroiliac joint, located in the pelvis. [Gina Hall, Silicon Valley Business Journal, May 26, 15]
Si-Bone (San Jose, CA; no SBIR) raised $33 million in growth capital to help expand sales and fund studies of its minimally invasive surgical device used to treat lower back problems. ..... by pursuing regulatory approvals in more than a dozen countries in Asia, the Middle East and South America and initiating commercialization in Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong. It has three on-going studies, two in the U.S. and one in Europe. [Cromwell Schubarth, Silicon Valley Business Journal, Apr 28, 14]
i-Bone (San Jose, CA; no SBIR) which makes a medical device to treat the sacroiliac joint, raised $16 million. ... [for] its sales and marketing efforts, as well as on clinical studies of its technology and outreach to the spine surgeons and other medical people who use or recommend its products. [Stephen EI Brown, San Francisco Business Times, Sep 26, 11]
After months of resistance, medical device company <Sicel Technologies (Morrisville, NC; one SBIR) has agreed to reorganize its business in federal bankruptcy [David Ranii, Raleigh News & Observer, Dec 2, 10]
The former CEO of Sicel Technologies (Morrisville, NC; one SBIR) says the medical device company's failure to raise the venture capital it needed to continue operating wasn't his fault..... said his efforts to raise about $20 million were undermined by a member of the board of directors. ... "There were serious problems agreeing upon realistic valuations." [Raleigh News & Observer, Aug 18, 10]
Medical device company Sicel Technologies (Morrisville, NC; one SBIR) has laid off an undisclosed number of employees after unsuccessfully trying to raise at least $20 million in new funding for more than a year. ... technology originated at N.C. State University, has raised $30 million in venture capital since being founded in 1999. [David Ranii, Raleigh News & Observer, Aug 10, 10]
Sicel Technologies (Morrisville, NC; one SBIR) announced Monday that the FDA has given it the go-ahead to begin selling a second-generation model of its wireless sensor that monitors the radiation used to treat patients with breast and prostate cancer. [David Ranii, Raleigh News & Observer, Mar 11]
Three Triangle technology firms raised $10.5M last month to hire workers, invest in research and market new products Medical-implants maker Sicel Technologies raised $7M; Biotech startup Entegrion raised $2M (first VC); Centice Corp. raised $1.5M. [Raleigh News and Observer, Nov 10] Sicel and Centice have had SBIRs.
Sicel Technologies (Morrisville, NC) received regulatory approval to use its wireless, implantable sensor in prostate cancer treatment. [Raleigh News & Observer, Jun 30]Sicel had one HHS Phase 1 SBIR in 2002.
jbrodkin writes 'SiCortex (Maynard, MA; no SBIR) had an idea that it thought would take the supercomputing world by storm — build the most energy-efficient HPC clusters on the planet. But the recession, and the difficulties of penetrating a market dominated by Intel-based machines, proved to be too much for the company to handle. SiCortex ended up folding earlier this year, and its story may be a cautionary tale for startups trying to bring innovation to the supercomputing industry.' [slashdot.org, Nov 3, 09]
Sideris Pharmaceuticals (Boston, MA; no SBIR) biopharmaceutical company, said it has successfully completed a $32 million Series A equity financing and that it has also entered an agreement with Novartis Pharmaceuticals, a Swiss company that runs its global research operations from Cambridge. .... to develop therapeutics for the treatment of transfusion-related iron overload. [Chris Reidy, Boston Globe, Oct 22, 13]
SI Diamond Still Kicking in some form. SI Diamond Technology, a shadow of Howard Schmidt's diamond coated dream of the late 80s, is now a micro-conglomerate after its de-listing when diamond coating proved too expensive for all those CVD dreamers.Nonetheless, pressing on, the shell said that a subsidiary, Applied Nanotech, did a license agreement with one of the largest display manufacturing companies in Japan for all .the owned and assigned patents of SI Diamond and Applied Nanotech, Inc. in the field of carbon films/carbon nanotubes electron emission technologies for the manufacturing and sales of flat panel displays. Japan apparently still dreams of diamond. [story from MDA's Tech Applications group (which soldiers on to get good press for Star Wars despite a big depletion of the gold mine of entrepreneurial SBIR companies doing leading edge innovation)] [Dec 02]
A Whisper from the Past SI Diamond Technology, well de-listed from NASDAQ and no longer quoted by the Wall Street Journal, says it get good operation of a sealed triode-type color field emission display using diamond/carbon films. [Laser Focus World, Dec 98]
SI Diamond Gone (Feb 27) Trading stopped in SI Diamond Technology (Austin, TX). SIDT was created by Howard Schmidt in the MOCVD diamond craze of the late 80s. But like another SBIR-supported diamond firm, Crystallume, the product proved too expensive for real markets. For such firms SBIR is a good start that has to end when the product cannot penetrate the market. When that happens, more product oriented R&D like SBIR isn't the answer. The research thrust should shift back to basic research best done at non-profits like universities and the start-ups should wait until the next plateau of possible exploitable technology. Instead, too many SBIR programs won't let go and let the company fail. Companies are not knowledge; companies convert knowledge to market profits. One of the barriers to letting go is the government's use of technical experts to judge SBIRs on their "scientific and technical merit" (whatever that means). Those tech experts confuse the purpose of research with the purpose of SBIR.
SI Diamond Loses Again(Aug 19) SI Diamond Tech lost $1.7M on falling revenues of only $1M while shutting one of its four subsidiaries - Plasmatron. Diamond-coating scalpels and scissors must not have enough appeal for the price. Some optimists remain as the stock stays above a buck a share.
SI Diamond Gets Another $2M(Jun 27) SI Diamond Tech, sans Howard Schmidt, said it got a private placement commitment for $2M with chances for $3M. The stock remains under a buck.
Howard's End< (Jun 24) The founder left the board and SI Diamond Technology is no longer under the spell of Howard Schmidt. Two new board members replaced Howard, one an astronaut and one a technopreneur (with more success than Howard had). Howard founded Schmidt Instruments "with $275 and not enough sense to know better". He was an enthusiastic spokesman who knew you don't build a company sitting around guarding your in-box. (Only government can do that.) How long the company survives remains to be seen, not because Howard left but because the goal now seems to be always moving to beyond the available capital. Diamond, or even almost diamond, has turned out to be harder than we thought in the 80s.
SI Diamond Wins Texas Billboard(Jun 9) SI Diamond Technology won an exclusive $3.7M purchase from a Texas electronic billboard company. The stock price remains below a buck.
More Revenue and More Loss(Apr 7) SI Diamond Technology lost $13.7M for 1996 even though revenues grew 90% to $5.8M. SIDT now bills itself as a holding company, holding apparently a losing hand. The BMDO SBIR investment in CVD diamond didn't produce commercializable products, just like the other 20 or so companies who tried. Two went public where the trouble is more visible and spread to more people.
SI Diamond Raises $2M More(Mar 18) Preferred stock and convertible bonds raised another $2M for SI Diamond Technology (Austin, TX)
More Money on the Way>(Mar 6) SI Diamond Technology (Austin, TX) says more money is on the way to refinance the self-called holding company. Amount and source still a mystery. SI got a running start from SDIO with SBIRs to develop CVD diamond magic and a license from UT Dallas for a gamma-ray laser spinoff technology to make almost diamond. It's the almost diamond that formed the basis for the capital-eating display technology. Since the SBIR days of promise the founder Howard Schmidt has been pigeonholed and the company seems always to be getting more money with little sign of becoming a profitable company. The NASDAQ trading shows the pessimism.
SI Diamond Signs Asian Rep (Feb 7) SI Diamond Technology (Austin, TX) signed on Diamond Pro-Shop Nomura Company Ltd to represent it in Asia.
SI Diamond Splits Making and Selling (Jan 14) SI Diamond Technology (Austin, TX) formed two subsidiaries - one to sell to the billboard industry and one to develop the field emission technology. The press release sounds an awful lot like a government plan to reorganize when things aren't going so great. The market hasn't liked SI's results so far, slicing SI's market cap by 80% from its high. (SI had a slight language deviation in noting "it's Plasmatron subsidiary", a problem widely respected among modern scientific proposal writers. For some reason modern scientists don't know "its" from "it's" nor "principle" from "principal").
Third Generation LampSI Diamond Technology (Austin, TX) announced its third generation 12,000 fl lamp that "opens the door for a number of product applications". It can be seen at Display Works 97 in San Jose Jan 29-30. [Business Wire, Jan 6, 97] Let's see: have we heard such claims before, especially about diamond? Not just from SI Diamond. Crystallume was saying the same things as it slipped beneath the waves. Whether diamond-like technology makes it in the market still depends on getting the price down to earth, a silent aspect of SI's great-new-technology announcement. The material comes not from an SBIR but from a spinoff of Star-Wars gamma ray laser research at University of Texas. SI, though, did have a lot of SBIR to search for CVD diamond miracles.
A Capital Reshuffle. SI Diamond Technology(Austin, TX) announced a capital reshuffle in which preferred stockholders took common shares to liberate $1M cash - not a happy sign. Said the CEO, I am pleased the holders of our Series E Preferred Stock have demonstrated their support for our restructuring, [otherwise I'm toast]. Sep 96
Diamond Billboard PrototypeSixteen pixels, matrix-addressable, and quick enough for a billboard (but no tobacco advertising please) is the proof-of-concept prototype by SI Diamond Technology (Austin, TX). The final billboard would have 320 by 240 color pixels that would work at video rates. That's not TV quality but billboards speak in broad strokes anyway, ideally an incessant unforgettable message. Maybe now, the stock price can pick itself up from 1 1/2 , down from the 5 of the 1993 IPO. SI Diamond got its start as Schmidt Instruments with a license to exploit the gamma-ray laser research spinoff that produced the amorphic (not exactly) diamond that underpins for the display technology. SI also got a lot of SBIR for CVD diamond, for which it is still looking for the magic (as are all the other CVD diamond mongers).
Texas Red Ink The ink flowed red again in Texas as SI Diamond Technology reported another big quarterly loss of $4M on revenues of $2M. Traders in SI stock, who have beaten the stock down below$2, seem to be losing faith that such losses are merely a preparation for a profitable flat-panel display technology.
Howard Schmidt Steps Aside Howard Schmidt who founded Schmidt Instruments (Houston, TX) "with $275 and not enough sense to know better" yielded his position and Chairman and CEO of SI Diamond Technology Inc . Howard made a double company, one part doing research on CVD diamond on government funds (SBIR), and the other going for the gold with flat panel displays hinged on what Howard labeled Amorphic Diamond, a diamond-like carbon from a process spun off from the pie-in-the-future-sky Star Wars gamma-ray laser program. He attracted a lot of capital including $5M from the Russian gas company after going public in 1993 at $5 a share. The stock now trades under 3. SIDT is having the same trouble as the other CVD diamond makers - high unit cost for a world-beating product. None of the several BMDO SBIR-funded diamond entrepreneurs made it work commercially. The other 1993 IPO diamond company was Crystallume (Palo Alto, CA), now defunct. BMDO tried mightily in both its SBIR and Innovative Science programs to adapt the Russian CVD diamond for its wonderfully high conductivity and bandgap mostly with the oversight of Max Yoder of the Office of Naval Research. . Nice try; more research needed.
Sienna Biopharmaceuticals up 26% [Jan 4, 19] to Present at Dermatology Summit [company press release, Jan 4, 19]
Sienna Biopharmaceuticals’ (Westlake Village, CA; no SBIR, founded 2010) acne candidate SNA-001 has comprehensively failed two phase 3 trials. The addition of the silver particle treatment to laser light therapy failed to improve outcomes against three key endpoints, [Fierce Biotech, Jul 30, 18] total funding $86M [crunchbase.com]
Sienna Biopharmaceuticals (Westlake Village, CA, no SBIR) clinical stage medical dermatology and aesthetics company, today announced that it completed a $40 million Series B financing ... to advance its diversified topical biotech pipeline. [company press release, Apr 24, 17] announced that it completed a $34 million Series A financing [April 28, 16]
Sienna Biopharmaceuticals (Westlake Village, CA; no SBIR) startup focused on aesthetics and medical dermatology, has raised $34 million in financing to advance its product development. [LA Biz, Apr 29, 16]
Sierra Energy (Davis, CA; no SBIR, founded 2004) won a $100,00 federal grant from the Defense Logistics Agency to further test its technology to produce hydrogen out of municipal waste. ... the first step of a potential three-phase Small Business Investment Grant, which could be parlayed into $1 million ... has built a working prototype of the FastOx gasifier. It is now building its first commercial system at Fort Hunter Liggett [Mark Anderson, Sacramento Business Journal, Oct 8, 15] This efficient and scalable gasifier transforms nearly any form of waste into clean renewable energy. ... Gasifiers operate at 3,000-4,000°F, using a thermo-chemical conversion process that does not include enough oxygen for the materials to burn. Instead the materials are broken down at the molecular level and then reformed into reusable products. [company website] Thermodynamic mumbo-jumbo with no supporting economics? DLA is not an organization noted for its chemical engineering.
Downed Drone as Advertisment (Oct 12)When Iraq displayed the remains of a drone it had shot down (only unmanned USAF planes fly low and slow) the viewer could see two signs of the makers: USAF and Sierra Monolithics (Redondo Beach, CA). Charles Harper and Sierra got started with BMDO SBIR in 1988 and has had four BMDO Phase 2s in ten years plus three from other DOD agencies. This February it got its first round of VC money $14M for optical microchip development.
| Sierra Mono Gets $14M (Feb 19)Sierra Monolithics (Redondo Beach, CA) got a $14.2M IBM PARTNERSHIP after years of SBIR in ICs. When founded in 1986, Sierra under Charles Harper developed "monolithic" microwave ICs for defense with SBIR help from BMDO Since then, it's gone on to provide IC design services for communications chips, optimized for IBM's SiGe foundry techniques. That tack brought the firm a boatload of customers from Big Blue, and a profitable business. Sierra's run rate has been about $5 million for the past few years. .. In late 1999, [Steve Silverman, [email protected], Feb 16] |
Sierra got $3.8M from BMDO SBIR since 1988 and under $1M from other DOD, enough to keep the doors open despite a zero track record at attracting noticeable capital. It was not easy to find Sierra in 1988 in semi-seedy Gardena where it borrowed office space from another small firm (whose used computer had done the Disney high-tech fantasy "Tron") after Harper abandoned the academic world of research and big business for something tangible. |
Sierra Nevada (Sparks, NV; $1.3M SBIR) booked a five-year, $716.8 million contract to provide high-band aircraft sensor components to the U.S. Navy, international cooperative partners and foreign military sales clients. ... Boeing subsidiary Argon ST (Great Falls, VA; $100K SBIR) was awarded a $463 million contract in January to perform similar work. Argon ST produced the low-band MISD sensor suite while SNC developed the high-band version of the system. [Kacey Roberts, govconwire.com, February 3, 2023]
DARPA, Army Select Three Firms to Build Propulsion Tech for Weapons Launcher Platform: Aerojet Rocketdyne, Exquadrum (Adelanto, CA; 48 SBIRs) and Sierra Nevada (Sparks, NV; 8 SBIRs) [Peter Grahamon, GovConWire, November 12, 18]
Sierra Nevada (Sparks, NV; $1M SBIR in 1990s, 3000 employees) received a $41 million firm-fixed-price contract from the U.S. Air Force to design, engineer, integrate and test an aircraft for the Airborne Mission Networking System. [Scott Nicholas, GovCon, Jul 13, 17]Relentless focus, constant agility and inquisitive leadership [company website]
Sierra Nevada (Louisville, CO; $1M SBIR) Space Systems has cut 90 jobs (9 percent of its workforce in Colorado) after losing out on a NASA contract to fly astronauts to the international space station. [Denver Business Journal, Sep 25, 14]
Air Force (USAF) selected Sierra Nevada (Sparks, NV; $1M SBIR, founded 1963, 2500 employees) and its partner Embraer (Brazil) Defense and Security for its Light Air Support (LAS) program. ... deemed the A-29 Super Tucano aircraft, and the overall solution offered by SNC, to be the superior choice for this critical mission. The initial $427.5 million delivery order is to supply the USAF with 20 A-29 Super Tucano aircraft. ... for. light air support, reconnaissance and training capabilities to the Afghanistan military. As such, it is a vital element of the United States’ Afghan withdrawal strategy .. work will be in Jacksonville, FL [company press release Feb 27, 13] over the years it has gathered up companies: Space Dev (Poway, CA; $5M SBIR) ;MicroSat Systems (Littleton, CA; $11M SBIR) ; Straight Flight (Denver, CO; no SBIR) ; Waveband (Torrance, CA; $17M SBIR); Aviation Resources Delaware (no SBIR); Inter-4 (San Francisco, CA; no SBIR); Turtle Mountain Communications (no SBIR) ; Plano Microwave (Plano, TX; no SBIR) ; Spectral Systems (Beavercreek, OH; no SBIR) ;Advanced Countermeasure Systems (Sacramento, CA; no SBIR) .
SIGA Technologies (CORVALLIS, OR; $18M SBIR) up 20% [Aug 5, 22] U.S. Declares Monkeypox Emergency, Ramps Up Fight [Barron's Aug 5, 2022]
SIGA Technologies (CORVALLIS, OR; $18M SBIR) up 25% [Jul 28, 22]
SIGA Technologies (CORVALLIS, OR; $18M SBIR) down 23% [Jul 29, 22]
SIGA Technologies (CORVALLIS, OR; $18M SBIR) up 29% [Jul 25, 22]
SIGA Technologies down 20% [May 31, 22]
United at last. To put it bluntly, while the [USA] seems to be coming apart, the United States of Europe — the 27 members of the European Union — have stunned everyone, and most of all themselves, by coming together to make a fist, along with a number of other European nations and NATO, to stymie Putin’s invasion. [Tom Friedman, NYTimes, Jun 1, 2022]
SIGA Technologies {New York, NY; $18M SBIR) up 42% [May 27, 22]
SIGA Technologies {New York, NY; $18M SBIR) up 43% May 20, 22] announced that the FDA approved the intravenous (IV) formulation of TPOXX for the treatment of smallpox. The IV formulation is an important option for those who are unable to swallow the oral capsules of TPOXX. [company press release, May 19, 22] also announced that the U.S. DoD awarded a contract to SIGA for the procurement of up to approximately $7.5 million of oral TPOXX, of which approximately $3.6 million of oral TPOXX is targeted for delivery in 2022 [company press release, May 12, 22]
Siga Technologies (New York, NY, founded 1995 in Corvallis, OR; $18M SBIR incl two in $5M range, 36 employees) [R&D] operation for 15 years has been developing an antiviral drug that targets smallpox, nears FDA finish line. [Elizabeth Hayes, Portland Business Journal, Mar 1, 18] announced that [FDA] accepted the company’s New Drug Application (NDA) for its oral formulation of TPOXX® (tecovirimat). TPOXX is a novel small molecule antiviral therapy for smallpox infection [company press release, Feb 7, 18]
A Delaware judge ordered Siga Technologies Inc, a supplier of an antiviral smallpox drug to the U.S. strategic stockpile, to pay PharmAthene Inc $113.1 million in damages in a licensing dispute. [Tom Hals, Reuters, Dec 7, 14]
Siga Tech down 39% [Aug 11, 14] after a Delaware court ruled the company must pay a lump sum in damages to PharmAthene (PIP) for the value of its lost profits from SIGA's smallpox vaccine Tecovirimat. [Andrew Meola, thestreet.com]
Biodefense company PharmAthene (Annapolis, MD; no SBIR) could get $100 million in damages following a decision by the Delaware Supreme Court that Siga Technologies acted in bad faith by backing out of a proposed licensing agreement for its smallpox treatment medication to be used in response to a biochemical attack, the Daily Record reported. [Baltimore Business Journal, May 30, 13]
Siga Tech up 10% [Mar 8, 13]
Siga Tech up 10% [Feb 26, 13]
SIGA Tech up 14% [Feb 14, 13]
Siga Techup 10% [Feb 7, 13]
SIGA Tech down 10% [Nov 14, 11]
SIGA Tech up 18% [Oct 4, 11]
SIGA Tech down 11% [Oct 3, 11]
SIGA Tech down 43% [Sep 17, 11] as A Delaware judge ordered biotechnology company SIGA Technologies to share 50 percent of the profit from its smallpox drug with PharmAthene (PIP.A) for the next 10 years following a failed merger between the companies. [Anand Basu, Reuters, Sep 22, 11]
SIGA down 10% [Jun 14, 11]
SIGA Tech up 10% [May 4, 11]
SIGA Tech down 18% [Mar 19, 11]
No longer small. Siga Tech and Chimerix were picked for a small biz set aside award of a contract worth up to $2.8 billion for a new antiviral therapy for smallpox. Chimerix cried foul to the SBA which ruled that Siga was effectively controlled by a big Ronald Perelman holding company. [Wall Street Journal, Nov 8, 10]
Siga up 12% [Jun 25, 10]
Siga Tech down 28% [Dec 11, 09] afterit sold $20 million in common stock to investors, at a [15%] discount. [AP, Dec 10]
Siga Tech up 15% [Dec 14, 09]
Siga Tech down 10% [Dec 10, 09]
Siga Tech down 13% [Sep 1, 09]
SIGA Tech up 13% [Jun 26, 09]
SIGA up 11% [May 5, 09]
SIGA Tech up 12% [Apr 22, 09]
Siga Tech up 15% [Apr 8, 09]
Siga Tech up 10% [Feb 17, 09]
Siga Tech up 13% [Feb 11, 09]
Siga Tech up 10% [Feb 10, 09]
SIGA up 14% [Oct 16, 08]
Siga Tech up 19% [Sep 18, 08]
On Sept. 3, Siga Technologies was awarded a $55 million contract by the National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases to help develop an oral smallpox antiviral agent. The drug is one of several that Siga is developing to fight bio-warfare pathogens, says CEO Dr. Eric Rose. The contract follows a similar $16.5 million contract Siga won in 2006 to finance its filing of a new-drug application with the FDA for the smallpox antiviral. [Gene Marcial, Business Week, Sep 22, 08]
SIGA Tech up 35% [Aug 29, 08]
SIGA Tech up 11% [May 8, 08]
Siga Tech up 12% [Apr 17, 08]
SIGA Tech up 13% [Nov 28, 07]
SIGA Technologies down 10% [Aug 3, 07]
SIGA Technologies up 22% for getting included in market index. [Jul 25, 07]
SIGA Technologies down 11% after reporting financials. [May 8, 07]
SIGA Technologies up 14% on news of improvement in a toddler patient who got a disease after receiving the company's smallpox drug candidate. [Mar 19, 07]
SIGA Technologies up 10% [Jan 18, 07]
Siga up 27% [Nov 7, 06]
Siga Technologies soared 135% after the micro-cap biotech claimed its lead drug became "the first drug ever to demonstrate 100% protection against human smallpox virus in a primate trial conducted at the federal CDC". [thestreet.com, Oct 18] Among its nearly $30M in federal grants and contracts to develop the smallpox agent since 2001 [Joe Rojas-Burke, Oregonian, Oct 19 (the New York firm has its research labs in Corvallis)], including several SBIRs, Siga had two Phase 2s that totaled $11.4M from HHS. Which would have caused NHS to award a lot of small Phase 1s to keep the average award below the Congressional target of $750K. Yes, it's politics that mandates spreading the largess around and agencies' shoehorning projects that need outsize awards into SBIR just because the firm is small. But the mandate doesn't stop multiple-multiple awards to favored firms who don't mind many small awards as long as they sum to good money.
Really Big SBIR. Siga Technologies got a $4.8M SBIR to continue its smallpox work. NIH had given Siga a $1.7M Phase 1 in 2003 followed by a $5.8M Phase 2 in 2003 for smallpox work. After starting life in New York City with Phase 1 SBIRs, Siga moved to Oregon and now is in negotiation to be bought by a firm in Annapolis MD, says the The Oregonian (Aug 3). SIGA has been successful in leveraging these platforms through partnerships with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and TransTech Pharma. We have obtained in excess of $12 million of funding from NIH grants. We also have two contracts with the U.S. Army for $3.2 and a $1.6 million. Note that federal agencies can and will hand out big money awards when the work suits their purposes, and will shunt small firms into SBIR whenver possible. Whether that promotes the use of SBIR to foster economically useful innovation is a judgment call to be made by Congress when it can take time from "values" pandering. A large chunk of SBIR already goes to ordinary federal R&D without regard to economic consequences.
SiGe Semiconductor (Andover, MA; no SBIR)said in a regulatory filing yesterday that it looks to raise up to $144 million by [IPO]. On its website, Andover-based SiGe describes itself as a provider of radio frequency semiconductor front end solutions that are enabling wireless multimedia across a wide range of computing, home entertainment, networking, and mobile applications. ... has operations in Ottawa and Hong Kong besides Andover and a company-wide head count of 132 employees as of April 2. [Boston Globe, Jul 30, 10]
Sigilon Therapeutics (Cambridge, MA; no SBIR), a biotechnology company developing functional cures for patients with chronic diseases through its Shielded Living Therapeutics platform, today announced that it has completed a $80.3 million Series B financing [to] support the first-in-human clinical trial of Sigilon’s novel encapsulated cell therapy for hemophilia A, expected to begin in the first half of 2020, as well as continued advancement and expansion of Sigilon’s programs in rare blood disorders, lysosomal diseases and endocrine and immune disorders. [company press release, Mar 16, 20]
Eli Lilly and Sigilon Therapeutics (Cambridge, MA; no SBIR, founded 2016 with $23.5 million) announced a global collaboration to develop encapsulated cell therapies for the potential treatment of type 1 diabetes. Sigilon is focused on discovering and developing “living therapeutics” with its Afibromer™ technology product platform. ... Sigilon will receive an upfront payment of $63 million and Lilly will make an undisclosed equity investment in Sigilon. Sigilon is also eligible to receive up to $410 million in development and commercialization milestones [joint companies press release, Apr 5, 18]
Sigilon Therapeutics (Cambridge, MA; no SBIR, founded 2016) biotech, announced it has raised $23.5 million to take its technology to clinical trials. [David Holley, xconomy.com, Jun 21, 17]
Sigma Labs (Santa Fe, NM; at least $1M SBIR, founded 2005) Enters Into Long Term Commercial Agreement With Major European OEM for PrintRite3D®. Under the multi-year agreement – anticipated to be worth up to $6 million over its duration – this undisclosed OEM will embed and resell Sigma’s PrintRite3D® software within its AM equipment. [company press release, Jan 19, 17]
Sigma Labs(Santa Fe, NM; no SBIR) (not to be confused with same name company in Tucson) closed on a [$1.2 million] private placement offering of stock, raising capital to commercialize its 3-D printing technology. [Dan Mayfield, Albuquerque Business First, Jul 24, 13]
Sigma Technologies (Tucson, AZ; $6M SBIR) was awarded $2.4 million [by DOE] to create a capacitor, a device used to store an electric charge, that can operate at high temperatures. ..... plans to build a prototype by 2015, [CEO]said [Moriah Costa, Phoenix Business Journal, Sep 16, 13]
Advanced monitoring platform SignalFX (founded 2013 as SignalFuse, San Mateo, CA; no SBIR) emerged from stealth mode after raising $28.5 million from two rounds of funding. ... allows users to create custom analytics pipelines on metrics data collected from thousands or more sources. The company helps clients looks for trends and patterns of problems [Gina Hall, Silicon Valley Business Journal, Mar 12, 15]
Signal Genetics down 15% [Feb 13, 17]
Signal Genetics up 26% [Feb 7, 17]
Signal Genetics down 12% [Jan 18, 17]
Signal Genetics down 12% [Jan 12, 17]
Signal Genetics down 38% [Jan 11, 17]
Signal Genetics (Carlsbad, CA; no SBIR) up 265% [Jan 10, 17] announced it has set a date for a special meeting of its stockholders to vote on matters related to the proposed merger with Miragen Therapeutics (Boulder, CO; no SBIR), and the sale of Signal's MyPRS intellectual property assets. [company press release, Jan 10, 17]
Moleculin Biotech up 28% [Jan 10, 17]
Miragen (Boulder, CO; one SBIR), a developer of drugs that utilize microRNA—small molecular regulators of gene expression—has merged with a diagnostics company Signal Genetics (Carlsbad, CA; no SBIR) in a bid to go public. The combined company will be roughly 96 percent owned by Miragen stockholders. [Ben Fidler, xconomy.com, Nov 1, 16]
PerkinElmer said it has agreed to acquireSignature Genomic Laboratories (Spokane, WA; no SBIR, 120 employees), a diagnostic genetic testing company for $90 million. [Boston Globe, Apr 15, 10]
Department of Energy has selected 20 companies to receive Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds totaling $2.8 billion to grow the battery supply chain for the power grid, as well as electric vehicles and associated components. Three companies had SBIR: 6K (North Andover, MA; $3.5M SBIR); Lillac Solutions (Middletown, RI; one SBIR); Sila Nanotechnologies (Atlanta, GA; $3.6M SBIR) [govconwire, Oct 20, 2022]
Sila Nanotechnologies (Alameda, CA; $3.6M SBIR) is moving forward with plans to open a [600,000-square-foot] manufacturing facility in Moses Lake [WA] that will cost in the "low nine figures" to get ready for production, according to a company spokesperson. [Rick Morgan, Seattle Inno, Aug 1, 2022]
Sila Nanotechnologies (Alameda, CA; $3.7M SBIR, founded 2011) is one of the most promising of those [lithum battery] startups [as] it announced raising $70 million, which bring its valuation to $350 million, according to Pitchbook. ... claims its technology can boost the capacity of a lithium-ion battery up to 40%—in comparison to the annual 5% or so improvement that old lithium-ion technology has been able to eek out by optimizing already existing materials. [Akshat Rathi, Quartz, Aug 16, 18] total funding $70M [crunchbase.com]
Sila Nanotechnologies (Atlanta, GA; no SBIR) startup backed by two Silicon Valley venture capital firms aims to revolutionize batteries for electric vehicles and other uses. .... founded in 2011 in collaboration with Georgia Tech .... has in recent months filed for four patents for new battery technologies. ... The technology involves using advanced composite materials for battery electrodes formed from a porous, electrically-conductive "scaffolding" matrix. ... [USDOE] has provided $3 million in research grants [David Allison, Atlanta Business Chronicle, Feb 27, 14]
Avalon Ventures and UK-based drug giant GSK said they have formed another San Diego biotech startup. ... PDI Therapeutics (named for the enzyme protein disulfide isomerase, La Jolla, CA) , will develop immunotherapies for cancer. Like all other companies formed under the three-year-old partnership, PDI will be housed at Avalon's COI Pharmaceuticals, an incubator that provides shared facilities and management. Meanwhile, Avalon said the first two companies created under the collaboration, Sitari Pharmaceuticals and Silarus Therapetics, have identified a clear path to potential drugs, thus meeting their first milestones, said Jay Lichter, an Avalon managing director and also COI's president and CEO. Sitari and Silarus are respectively developing drugs for celiac disease and iron overload disorders. ... GSK and Avalon established their partnership in April 2013, with up to $465 million from GSK and up to $30 million from Avalon to form up to 10 companies in San Diego. Up to $10 million in Series A funding is to be invested in each company to get it off the ground. ... The five other companies founded by the Avalon/GSK collaboration are Thyritope Biosciences, Adrenergics, CadheRx Therapeutics, Calporta Therapeutics, and Iron Horse Therapeutics. [Bradley Fikes, San Diego Union Tribune, May 20, 16]
Crossing the halfway point in their alliance to form up to 10 biotech companies in San Diego, La Jolla's Avalon Ventures and UK-based GlaxoSmithKline they have added three new companies to their portfolio. Adrenergics (no SBIR), CadheRx Therapeutics (La Jolla, CA; no SBIR), and Calporta Therapeutics (no SBIR), will each receive up to $10 million, along with research and development support from the partners. Previously announced companies include Sitari Pharmaceuticals (San Diego, CA; no SBIR) , Silarus Therapeutics (La Jolla, CA; no SBIR) , and Thyritope Biosciences (San Diego, CA; no SBIR). [Bradley Fikes, utsandiego.com, Jun 15, 15]
Big pharma does startups. San Diego firm Avalon Ventures has rolled out two more biotech startups in its unique partnerhip with GlaxoSmithKline, according to a new statement. The new companies, Silarus Therapeutics (no SBIR) [therapy for anemia and iron overload disorders] and Thyritope Biosciences, [focus on Graves’ Orbitopathy, which causes thyroid-related bulging of the eyes] will each receive $10 million in Series A funding from this Avalon-GSK partnership. ... Announced more than a year ago, the venture firm and its big pharma partner will create and bankroll 10 new San Diego drug companies with $495 million in joint funding. It announced the first, Sitari Pharmaceuticals, with a $10 million Series A financing round last November to develop a treatment for celiac disease. [Meghana Keshavan , medcitynews.org, Sep 22, 14]
Silatronix (Madison, WI; $600K SBIR, 16 employees) developer of silicon-based materials that can be used as electrolytes in batteries and other energy storage devices, has raised $8 million from investors, the company said in a press release.The materials Silatronix makes, which are partially made of organosilicon (OS) compounds containing carbon-silicon bonds, can function as electrolytes in lithium-ion batteries. [Jeff Buchanan, xconomy.com, Jun 24, 16]
Silatronix (Madison, WI; $600K SBIR, founded 2007) start-up that is aiming to make lightweight lithium ion batteries much more efficient and safe, has raised $2.8 million, according to [SEC] filing [Kathleen Gallagher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Aug 18, 14] commercializing a new class of patented materials based on organosilicon (OS) compounds [company website]
start-up has pulled in $500,000 of funding to develop an electrolyte that a group of high-level scientists thinks will make batteries and other storage devices much more efficient and safer. Silatronix LLC (Madison, WI; no SBIR) raised the money from Venture Investors and will receive another $500,000 if it meets certain milestones, ... the first company created under a program Venture Investors started last year when it raised a $117 M fund. The fund will invest as much as 5% of its capital in the Venture Igniter program, which aims to pull untapped technologies out of the university and build companies around them, [Kathleen Gallagher, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, May 13, 08]
Silent Power(Baxter, MN; no SBIR) which manufactures energy-storage technology, has raised $8 million in capital in a financing round led by The Hanwha Group, a South Korean conglomerate. ... the second Minnesota company to attract investment from Hanwha, which also led a $15 million round of financing for solar panel manufacturer tenKsolar (Bloomington, MN; no SBIR) [Katherine Grayson, Minneapolis / St Paul Business Journal, Jul 13, 12]
Swift Biosciences (Ann Arbor, MI; no SBIR) has partnered with Silicon Biosystems Menarini (San Diego, CA; no SBIR) on a new product to help oncologists access genomic information locked within formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue samples. Tim Harkins, the CEO of Swift Biosciences, said in a press release that Silicon Biosystems Menarini has “revolutionized the analysis of FFPE samples by enabling researchers to perform [genetic testing] from samples that previously could not be sequenced.” [Sarah Schmid, xconomyDetroit.com, Feb 19, 16]
Lattice Semiconductor Corp. made a big move this morning by acquiring a Silicon Valley mobile chip startup called SiliconBlue (Santa Clara ,CA; no SBIR, founded 2006, 65 employees, raised about $60 million in investment backing) for $62 million in cash. ... makes a simpler, lower-cost technology that mobile customers use to quickly add features to their products. Lattice had begun developing its own products in that space, but the company said it concluded it would take up to two years and millions of dollars in investment to match what SiliconBlue has now. [Mike Rogoway, The Oregonian, Dec 9, 11]
Co-founders of Silicon Laboratories, one of Austin's most successful homegrown companies, will tell their story next week at an event sponsored by the Austin chapter of the Indus Entrepreneurs, known as TiE, a global network for entrepreneurs. [Austin American-Statesman, May 9]
Kraft-backed Silk (Medford, MA; no SBIR) raises $30M to combat toxic clothing ... formerly used its "Liquid Silk" as the basis for a high-end skin care line. Now it's trying to address an overlooked problem in the clothing industry. [Kelly O'Brien, Boston Businesss Journal, Oct 19, 18]
SilkTech Biopharmaceuticals (Minneapolis, MN and Los Angeles, CA; at least $2.5M SBIR, founded 2013), devoted to improving eye health through the development of silk-derived protein biotherapeutics for the targeted treatment of Dry Eye Disease (DED), announced the company has received clearance of its Investigational New Drug (IND) submission with [FDA] for its SDP-4 eye drop product. [company press release, Apr 17, 19] total funding $28M [crunchbase.com]
biotech startup Silk Technologies Ltd (Plymouth, MN; $1M SBIR, founded 2013) that aims to turn silkworm cocoons into a treatment for dry-eye disease has raised $11.2 million in financing. ... toward early testing of its product, an eye drop made from silk fibers, said founder and CEO Brian Lawrence. [company press release, Nov 1, 17]
SBIR Technology of the Year Award 1996 and 1995, claims SMD (Silicon Mountain Design), (Colorado Springs, CO). It's not a big SBIR user: $2M in 1995 but not enough earlier to make the top (ab)users lists. CCD cameras.
Semiconductor developer Silicon Space Technology (Austin, TX; $9M SBIR) reported completing a $3.3 million financing. .... founded in 2004, is developing semiconductors designed to withstand extreme environments. [Christopher Calnan, Austin Business Journal, Jan 23, 14]
a catalyst developed by the Silicon Valley startup Siluria (Menlo Park, CA; no SBIR), which has raised $63.5 million in venture capital. If the catalysts work as well in a large, commercial scale plant as they do in tests, Siluria says, the company could produce gasoline from natural gas at about half the cost of making it from crude oil—at least at today’s cheap natural-gas prices. .... oxygen and methane—the main ingredient of natural gas—flow in. Seconds later, water and ethylene, the world’s largest commodity chemical, flow out. Another simple step converts the ethylene into gasoline. [Kevin Bullis, technologyreview.com, Jan 15, 14] Catalysis is a fun sport for chemical engineers. But beware cost estimates from technologists.
Two companies founded by Ms [Angela] Belcher are already making things with viruses . Cambrios Technologies (Cambridge, MA; one SBIR) is producing transparent coatings for touch screens and Siluria Technologies (no SBIR) (Ms Belcher likes to name her companies after geological time spans) is using viruses to develop catalysts for turning natural gas into oil and plastics. There are also potential applications in solar cells, medical diagnostics and cancer treatment. And all that from an idea inspired by a sea shell. [The Economist, Apr 21, 12] The Economist ran a compelling piece on the third industrial revolution (the fruit of digitization) that has the potential to lure back manufacturing from distant cheap-labor Asia to smart-labor America where the customers shop with flexible ideas. Government funding sources serious about the economic future would do well to heed the implications of future manufacturing, although not because it would create that many unskilled jobs.
Fifty
Nifty Techno-Innovators as
judged by Technology
Review
magazine [Apr 12]. In the company of investment magnets like Facebook
and Google are a few companies and ideas that would be fit for a
realistic SBIR program intent on seeding technically uncertain
innovation with a future if it can be shown to
work.
Alta Devices (no SBIR) high-efficiency
gallium
arsenide–based
solar cells provide a way to lower the cost of solar power. span style="font-style:
italic;">
Can economically produce robust cells that use only small amounts of
the expensive semiconductor.
Integrated Diagnostics (Baltimore, MD; $1M
SBIR) By
reducing the cost of diagnostic tests,
it has allowed the monitoring of more disease markers.
Its synthetic antibodies replace more expensive antibodies widely used
in diagnostics.
Suntech (no
SBIR) Has developed a
low-cost way
of making better silicon solar cells.
Its new panels are more efficient because they reflect less light and
use thinner electrodes that block less
light.
Sakti3<
(no SBIR) Its
high-energy
batteries,
which will first appear in consumer devices, could make electric cars
cheaper and improve their range.
Making batteries without the flammable liquid found in conventional
electric-car batteries means they can store more energy.
LanzaTech (no SBIR) Makes
fuel and chemicals from
the carbon
monoxide produced by processes such as steelmaking.
Genetically engineered organisms turn the gas into ethanol and other
useful chemicals.
First Solar (Toledo,
OH; $750K SBIR) It is
reducing the cost of utility-scale
photovoltaic installations.
constrains costs with vertical integration of everything from plant
construction to the manufacture of high-efficiency cadmium telluride
cells.
Wildcat Discovery
(no SBIR) Has used
high-speed methods to
find
materials that improve the performance of batteries. Identified
a pair of materials that could increase energy density by 25 percent in
batteries for cars and portable electronics.
Siluria
(no SBIR) Its
catalytic process is able to
convert
cheap and abundant natural gas into ethylene, a commodity chemical used
to make plastic.
Developed a family of catalysts
that
selectively cause methane to react to form ethylene.
Organovo (San
Diego, CA; $260K SBIR) Its
three-dimensional artificial tissue
structures can be used for drug testing and are likely to find
therapeutic applications. A
printing process methodically
deposits
layers of cells and gel material to build up new tissues.
Cellular Dynamics
International
(Madison, WI; $500K SBIR) Using
human iPS cells in drug
screening
could accelerate the development of new therapies.
Its new product derived from iPS cells is meant for use in vascular
targeted drug discovery, tissue regeneration, and life science
research.
Foundation Medicine (no SBIR) Its new diagnostics exploit a
growing
understanding of the molecular basis of cancer.
It has developed a comprehensive cancer diagnostic test and is
partnering with pharmaceutical companies to use the test in drug
development.
New start at new
startup. Eric
Dobmeier, longtime COO at Seattle
Genetics,
is to become CEO at stealthy biotech
startup Silverback
Therapeutics
(Seattle, WA; no SBIR for stealth). ... raised $10 million from OrbiMed
in 2016,
listed in an SEC filing as part of a larger $60 million round.
[Clare McGrane, GeekWire, Dec 1, 17]
Peter Thompson, a biotechnology investor and a University of Washington affiliate professor, is launching a biotech startup Silverback (Bellevue, WA) while netting $10 M. [Seattle Times, Apr 12, 16] Thompson also co-founder of Corvus Pharma, Cleave Biosciences, and Trubion Pharma. [LinkedIn.com]
Silverbrook Research [Australia] has spent the last ten years developing Memjet, a printer that uses an array of ink jet nozzles that spans the width of the paper. Company executives have said they feel that they can ship an 8x10 color inkjet by the end of 2008 that will cost less than $200 and print 60 pages a minute. [Mark Hachman, PCMag, Mar 22]
Silvergate Pharmaceuticals (Greenwood Village, CO; no SBIR) exits stealth mode .... last month received[FDA] approval to sell its new drug, Epaned, which treats pediatric hypertension. [Greg Avery, Denver Business Journal, Sep 6, 13] Under-the-radar Silvergate Pharmaceuticals has raised $3 million to reformulate adult pharmaceuticals for the pediatric market. [Med City News, May 20, 2011]
IPO. Silver Spring Networks (Redwood City, CA; no SBIR), one of the leading companies in the highly competitive "smart grid" space, will celebrate its long-awaited IPO [to raise $80M] on the [NYSE]. [Dana Hull, San Jose Mercury News, Mar 12]
Private companies to watch on electricity as picked by MIT Tech Review (Sep/Oct09): Nanosolar ($1.7M SBIR) founded 2002, raised $400M; A123 Systems IPO Sep 24; Brightsource Energy; Tendril; 1366 Technologies; Deepwater Wind; Solyndra; Silver Spring Networks; AltaRock; Stirling Energy Systems.
Simbol Materials (Pleasanton, CA)
Finally, a panacea. Simbol Materials (Pleasanton, CA; no SBIR) is preparing to break ground on its own commercial plant in August, which would put it on track to start production around the same time [electric auto maker] Tesla’s plant is scheduled to open. The Simbol plant will be the first to use a unique process to extract lithium from a novel source: the waste from geothermal power plants. [Erica Gies, New York Times, Mar 16, 14] From Simbol's website: Producing lithium and other critical materials from geothermal brines is a panacea – leveraging geothermal power production, the best source of renewable energy, with Simbol's groundbreaking technology to co-produce critical materials needed for Electric Vehicles and other important industrial applications. At Simbol, Inc., we brought together the leading experts in geothermal and battery materials technology to create the world’s first-ever integrated process to produce critical materials by partnering with geothermal power producers in Southern California’s Imperial Valley. [company website]
Simcha Therapeutics (New Haven, CT; no SBIR) developing biologic drugs that modulate cytokine pathways, launched with $25m in Series A financing.... lead program involves a customized variant of interleukin-18 (IL-18), a cytokine with potent antitumor effects. [finsmes.com, Jun 25, 20]
Wisconsin Super Angel Fund and NEW Capital Fund II invested $1 million in Simply Incredible Foods (Port Edwards, WI; no SBIR) that has developed a patented process for removing the acid from cranberries, eliminating the bitterness and making them taste sweeter, said Tom Schuster, a general partner of the Super Angel fund. [Kathleen Gallagher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Nov 5, 13]
High Tech Rochester said that SiMPore (Henrietta, NY; no SBIR) has graduated from the incubation program. ... a nanotechnology company, was founded in 2007 and was admitted into the incubation program in April 2008. It won the 2008 Rochester Regional Business Plan Contest. Today the firm employs 10 and plans to recruit to support its growth, officials said. ... a nanotechnology company developing products based upon a unique nanoporous, ultrathin silicon membrane technology spun out of the University of Rochester. [Molly Cappotelli, Rochester Business Journal, Dec 16]
software developer Simulation Technology and Applied Research (Mequon, WI; $2.5M SBIR) has been acquired by AWR Corp. of El Segundo, Calif. .... founder John DeFord started his firm in 1997 [Rick Romell, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Jan 19, 09]
A medical training company Simulution (Prior Lake, MN; $1M SBIR) is using a software toolkit from SensAble Technologies (Woburn, MA; two SBIRs) in a new system that aims to educate doctors about spinal implant technology. [Chris Reidy, Boston Globe, Oct 16, 08]
Singlera Genomics (La Jolla, CA and China; no SBIR, founded 2014), a non-invasive genetic diagnostics company that focuses on early-stage cancer detection, announced that it has successfully secured a US$60 million Series A+ financing [to] help Singlera expand the development and commercialization of its non-invasive genetic tests for early-stage cancer detection and clinical validation studies. [company press release, Mar 27, 18] total funding $80M [crunchbase.com]
Venture Capital investments in San Diego 3Q2016. Ostendo Technologies (Carlsbad, CA; one SBIR) $42 million; Tealium ( San Diego; no SBIR) $35 million ; Singlera Genomics (San Diego, CA; no SBIR) $20 million; Avelas Biosciences (San Diego, CA; no SBIR) $20 million ; Fortis Therapeutics (San Diego, CA; no SBIR) $18 million ; Histogen (San Diego, CA; no SBIR) $16 million ; Medsphere Systems (Carlsbad, CA; no SBIR) $15 million; CellSavers (San Diego, CA; no SBIR) $15 million; Progenity (San Diego, CA; no SBIR) $12 million; AristaMD (San Diego, CA; no SBIR) $11 million. [Bruce Bigelow, xconomy.com, Oct 11, 16]
Spanish drug and diagnostics maker Grifols S.A. will spend $50 million for a 20 percent stake in diagnostics company Singulex (Alameda, CA; $900K SBIR) and an exclusive worldwide license for the company's technology for screening donor blood and plasma [Ron Leuty, San Francisco Business Times, May 31, 16]
Heart disease diagnostics company Singulex (Alameda, CA; $900K SBIR) could raise up to $40 million through a debt facility, it said Thursday, nine months after ditching plans for an IPO. [Ron Leuty, San Francisco Business Times, Sep 26, 13]
Singulex (Alameda, CA; $900K SBIR) heart disease diagnostics business. .... scored $15 million in a Series G round. .... is weighing collaborations with a fast-growing Chinese reference lab [Ron Leuty, San Francisco Business Times, Jun 28, 13]
Researchers at Washington University are using technology from a local biotech startup in the search for more effective diagnostic tests and treatments for cancer, diabetes and other ailments. Singulex (St Louis MO; no SBIR)which has its research base at the Center for Emerging Technologies business incubator in St. Louis, said that its Erenna system has been installed in the proteomics lab at Washington University's Siteman Cancer Center. The system allows scientists to detect in blood samples minute amounts of proteins, known as biomarkers, that indicate the presence of disease. [Rachel Melcer, St Louis Post-Dispatch, Nov 16]
NIST TIP winners $22 million in funding for nine research projects targeting innovative manufacturing technologies in fields ranging from biopharmaceuticals and electronics to renewable energy sources and energy storage Isogenis (Aurora, CO; $4.8M SBIR); ActaCell, (Austin, TX; no SBIR); Engineered BioPharmaceuticals (Manchester, CT; no SBIR); Arsenal Medical (Watertown, MA; no SBIR); Kent Displays (Kent, OH; $2.6M SBIR); Precision BioSciences (Research Triangle Park, NC; $340K SBIR); Ginkgo BioWorks (Boston, MA; one SBIR); Sinmat (Gainesville, FL; $4.4M SBIR); Polyera (Skokie, IL; no SBIR). http://www.nist.gov/tip/tip_121510.cfm
SinnovaTek (Raleigh, NC, $200K SBIR, founded 2015) developed a food processing approach that helps address vitamin deficiency among children living in Africa. The company is a Phase III success, having successfully developed and sold its processing systems. [SBA news letter Jan 20, 2022] company website promises good stuff but provides no financial info, one of the barriers for anyone trying to evaluate SBIR as an economic entity and not just a government handout program
SiNode Systems (Chicago, IL; no SBIR), a 2013 winner of the Rice Business Plan Competition, last week received a $4 million grant from Ford, General Motors and Fiat Chrysler, along with the U.S. Department of Energy, to develop cheaper electric car batteries for the automotive market. As a Northwestern University student startup, SiNode won nearly $1 million in the Rice University contest. [Angela Shah, xconomy.com, Jun 28, 16] utilizes a composite of silicon and graphene in a layered structure, which was developed, optimized, and patented by our team working in collaboration with researchers at Northwestern University and Argonne National Laboratory. [company website]
Health Wildcatters (Dallas healthcare startup accelerator) graduate Sintact Medical Systems (Bloomington, IN; no prior SBIR, founded 2013) has been awarded $200,000 [NSF SBIR] and an additional $50,000 from Elevate Ventures in partnership with the Indiana Economic Development Corp. ... to continue ongoing testing and development of a film designed to separate and protect internal organs from scars or scar-related defects after surgeries. [Danielle Abril, Dallas Business Journal, Aug 11, 15]
SiNtx Technologies (Salt Lake City, UT; $2.4M SBIR) down 19% [Feb 6, 2023]
SiNtx Technologies (Salt Lake City, UT; $2.2M SBIR) up 57% [Dec 21, 2022] announced that it has received a Phase I contract for $150K from the U.S. Missile Defense Agency to enhance the performance of electrochemical machining (ECM) of critical components for aerospace. ... The proposal was originally submitted by Technology Assessment and Transfer ($35M SBIR), which is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of SINTX. [company press release, Dec 21, 2022]
ARPA-E Awards. The administration announced $106M in ARPA-E stimulus awards. Small biz winners: Ginkgo BioWorks (Boston, MA; one SBIR) $6M primary; OPX Biotech (no SBIR) $6M primary; Logos Tech (Arlington, VA; $2M SBIR) secondary; Sion Power (Tucson, AZ; $250K SBIR) $5M primary; ReVolt Tech (no SBIR) $5M primary; PolyPlus Battery (Berkeley, CA; one SBIR) $5M; Pellion Tech (no SBIR) $3.2M primary; A123 Systems secondary, twice; Planar Energy Devices (no SBIR) $4M; Maxpower (Harleysville, PA; $9M SBIR) secondary; NanoLab (Newton, MA; $5M SBIR) secondary; Codexis (no SBIR) $4.6M; Nexant (no SBIR) secondary.
SiOnyx (Beverly, MA; three SBIRs) which makes a special semiconductor material called Black Silicon, has raised $6.9 million in equity financing, according to federal documents ... founded in 2006 by Professor Eric Mazur and James Carey of Harvard University, is commercializing a patented semiconductor process that enhances the infrared sensitivity of silicon-based photonics. [Don Seiffert, Mass High Tech, Apr 11, 12]
Sionyx (Beverly, Ma; $200k SBIR, founded 2006)maker of a special semiconductor material called Black Silicon, has won a $3 million Department of Defense deal to help develop next-generation laser targeting systems. [Rodney Brown, Mass High Tech, Nov 9, 11]
SiOnyx (Beverly, MA; $200K SBIR) released test results showing that its laser texturing technology known as Black Silicon has achieved efficiency gains in comparison with standard solar cells. The company said the tests showed an average efficiency of more than 17 percent — in terms of converting sunlight to energy. ... Founded in 2006, . A year ago, SiOnyx closed $12.5 million Series B funding round. [James Connolly, Mass High Tech, Oct 25, 11]
SiOnyx (Beverly, MA; one SBIR) photonics development firm has closed a $12.5 million Series B funding round ... developing new ways to make semiconductors based on a laser implant method first discovered at Harvard University that results in material commonly referred to as ‘black silicon.’ ... closed an $11 million Series A round of funding in October 2007 [Rodney Brown, Mass High Tech, Oct 20, 10]
at Harvard, James Carey made thin, super-sensitive light detectors out of "black silicon" [which gave silicon] the ability to absorb the longer wavelengths of visible and infrared light that thin layers of traditional silicon can't. What's more, it absorbed every wavelength more efficiently than conventional silicon does. .... Carey cofounded SiOnyx (Beverly, MA; no SBIR), to manufacture black-silicon chips for devices such as inexpensive night-vision equipment and infrared surveillance systems. Other potential applications include better cell-phone cameras and cheaper, more sensitive detectors that could lower the x-ray dose needed for advanced medical imaging. [Anne-Marie Corley, MIT Tech Review, Sep/Oct09]
Sioux Manufacturing (Fort Totten, ND; $1M SBIR) agreed to pay $2M to settle a suit saying it had repeatedly shortchanged the armor in up to 2.2 million helmets for the military, including those for the first troops sent to Iraq and Afghanistan. Twelve days before the settlement with the Justice Department was announced, the company was given a new contract of up to $74M to make more armor for helmets to replace the old ones, which were made from the late 1980s to last year. [New York Times, Feb 6, 08] The case involved whistle-blowing employees and below spec manufacturing of Kevlar that nevertheless passed the required bullet -stopping tests.
The gist of the [DOJ] investigation is whetherSioux Manufacturing (Fort Totten, ND; two Phase 2 SBIRs including its first from SDIO) wove the cloth -- the defense against bullets -- densely enough. The Justice Department suggested that the company may never have. A whistle-blower brought the allegations to the government's attention. The Marine Corps Times quoted a Justice report: "It appears until April 2006, SMC may not have ever complied with the 35 x 35 standard weave density in its construction of complete PASGT helmets or its manufacture of Kevlar helmet cloth," according to the Justice Department's Investigative Summary, which was sent to the Pentagon on April 9. "This practice potentially impacts an estimated 2,000,000 PASGT helmets." The military has been in the process of phasing out the helmets since 2003. News accounts said it remains unclear what kind of threat this posed to warfighters. The company said no helmet has failed ballistic tests. Whatever the case, the idea that so important a product could be potentially deficient for so long is unsettling. [Robert O'Harrow, Washington Post, Sep 10]
Two spinoff companies from N.C. State University and N.C. A&T State University are the first to receive loans and legal help from a new set of programs designed by the N.C. Biotechnology Center in Research Triangle Park. The programs offer companies $50,000 in startup loans as well as free legal help from area law firms. ... NCSU's companySirga Advanced Biopharma, uses the technology of biochemistry professor Paul F. Agris to identify therapies for drug-resistant diseases ... A&T's spinoff company, Provagen, was formed to commercialize protein technology developed by John Allen, a molecular biologist. [Raleigh News & Observer, Jun 22]
ReVision Therapeutics (San Diego, CA) biopharmaceutical startup, formed just five months ago to resume development of a compound for treating age-related macular degeneration, has reported encouraging results from a two-year, mid-stage clinical trial of the compound, known as fenretinide. ... The deal to acquire the compound and start ReVision means fenretinide has come full circle. It was initially under development as a potential treatment for macular degeneration by Sytera (San Diego, CA; no SBIR) founded in 2004. But development of the drug moved to Sirion Therapeutics (Tampa, FL; no SBIR), an ophthalmic-focused biopharmaceutical that acquired fenretinide through its 2006 merger with Sytera. Sirion conducted the mid-stage clinical trials at a number of sites throughout Florida, and Lichter says the last patient left the trial in April. [Bruce Bigelow, signonsandiego.com, Sep 18, 10]
Sirnaomics (Gaithersburg, MD; $1.2M SBIR) announced that it has sealed $105 million in a Series E financing. [company release, Jul 1, 21]
Sirnaomics (Gaithersburg, MD; $1.2M SBIR) announced that it has sealed its USD$105 million Series D financing [to] to fund continued development of its novel RNAi therapeutics for treatment of diverse human disorders, including cancers, fibrosis diseases, metabolic diseases and viral infections. [company press release, Oct 22, 20]
RNAimmune (Gaithersburg, MD; no SBIR) raised $2.35M in a seed round [to] advance the company’s Covid-19 vaccine program and cancer vaccine programs, RNAimmune spun out of local biopharmaceutical company Sirnaomics ($1.2M SBIR), which develops antifibrosis and anticancer RNAi therapeutics — a process that shuts down disease-causing genes using what’s called RNA interference technology. [DCInno, Aug 25, 20]
Sirnaomics ( Gaithersburg, MD; $1.2M SBIR) has yet another $11 million in a [$47M] Series C funding round... The biopharmaceutical company kicked off the round last year with $25 million in Series C1 financing (Washington Business Journal) [DCInno, Apr 27, 19]
biotech Sirnaomics (Gaithersburg, MD; SBIR) took in another $11 million in investments, following a $25 million raise in mid-2018 led by mainland China and Hong Kong investors. [to] support the company’s oncology and fibrosis clinical programs. [Kieran McQuilkin, DCInno, Feb 7, 19]
biotech Sirnaomics (Gaithersburg, MD, $1.2M SBIR, founded 2007) has taken in another $11M in investments, following a $25M raise in mid-2018 led by mainland China and Hong Kong investors. ... to support the company’s oncology and fibrosis clinical programs. Read more from Washington Business Journal. [DCInno, Jan 14, 19]
Gene-silencing specialist Sirnaomics (Gaithersburg, MD; $1.2M SBIR, founded 2007) has been cleared to start trials of its STP705 drug in bile duct cancer, its first oncology indication. The FDA has approved the biotech’s application to test the RNA interference (RNAi) candidate—which targets TGF-β1 and COX-2—in patients with bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma, or CCA), adding to an earlier green light for a trial of the drug as a scar-reducing treatment. [Phil Taylor, Fierce Biotech, Aug 17, 18] total funding $35M [crunchbase.com]
Sirnaomics (Gaithersburg,MD; $1.2M SBIR, founded 2007) announces today that it has closed Series C1 financing of US$25 Million (from China) to expand the clinical programs of the lead anti-fibrosis and anti-cancer RNAi therapeutics, strengthen the management team to support growth and bolster the Company pre-clinical development of new drug candidates. [company press release, Jun 6, 18] total funding $35M [crunchbase.com]
Great innovation, who will buy it? Big pharmaceutical companies increasingly demand evidence that a drug will have a paying market. But many of their erstwhile biotech partners aren’t getting the message, according to a new industry report [by Ernst & Young]. ...“When we ask [most biotechs], is demonstrating the value of your product important, of course everyone said, yes it is,” Giovannetti said. “Then we asked, are you putting expertise on your team, and we got a much lower response.” [Bradely Fikes, utsandiego.com, Apr 23] Big Pharma companies, for their part, often feel like they’ve been snookered a few too many times by overpaying for biotech companies that didn’t deliver on their promise. (Ask Merck about Sirna Therapeutics (San Francisco, CA; no SBIR), or Bristol-Myers Squibb about Inhibitex (Alpharetta, GA; one SBIR). [Luke Timmerman, xconomy,com, Apr 22] NIH is one federal agency whose SBIR forces the proposer to answer such questions as who will buy and who will invest. Whether the peer reviewers know enough to judge the proposer's predictions is another question. But the track record of economic activity from NIH SBIR is phenomenal, especially when measured against the big money SBIR programs at DOD and NASA.
Sirna Therapeutics to be sold to Merck for $1.1B cash. Its lead product candidate, Sirna-027, is for the treatment of the wet-form of age related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in the elderly. [MarketWatch, Oct 30]
A decade ago, a biotech start-up called Sirtris (Waltham, MA; one SBIR) sought to devise drugs that mimic the supposed health-giving properties of red wine. GlaxoSmithKline bought Sirtris for $790 million in today’s dollars, money the company may wish it had back: Sirtris experiments have yet to lead to any practical product. [Gregg Easterbrook, The Atlantic, Sep 17, 14]
GlaxoSmithKline is closing down Sirtris Pharmaceuticals (Cambridge, MA; one SBIR) , almost five years after it paid $720 million to acquire the hot biotech with a plan to fight diseases of aging.... The company sought to make drugs that act on sirtuins, a class of proteins that scientists believe play a role in aging, programmed cell death, and other key cell processes. [Luke Timmerman, xconomy.com, Mar 12, 13]
Sirtris announced last month that it had halted the last of its clinical trials of resveratrol, the minor ingredient of red wine that some researchers see as a drug that can extend life. ... hard to maintain a consistent level of resveratrol in the bloodstream and that it seems to have different effects at different doses. ... too complex for a pharmaceutical company, which must prove to the [FDA] that a new drug works by a defined mechanism on a specific target. [Nicholas Wade, New York Times, Jan 11, 11]
GlaxoSmithKline has decided to halt development of a much-hyped drug candidate that uses an ingredient of red wine, several news organizations are reporting. The drug target, which uses resveratrol from red wine, was developed by Cambridge-based Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, which was bought by GSK in 2008 for $720 million. Glaxo said the medication didn’t work well enough in cancer patients and could worsen kidney damage when it ended a Phase 2 trial in May. [Julie Donnelly, Mass High Tech, Dec 2, 10] Hopeful patients will have to use the natural product - red wine.
Sirtris Pharmaceuticals (one SBIR 2005) was, until recently, the golden child of anti-aging research. ... GlaxoSmithKline was so impressed that it spent $720 million to buy Sirtris in 2008. David Stipp's new book The Youth Pill traces this meteoritic rise and other events in the history of anti-aging research, detailing how the science and personalities came together at just the right moment to create the successful company. ... Thomas Perls, for one, thinks it's reckless to suggest that science is anywhere close to such a drug. [Karen Weintraub, MIT Tech Review, J/A10]
Sirtris up 82% [Apr 23, 08] on acquisition news.
Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, that has attracted national attention for trying to use drugs based on an extract in red wine to fight diabetes and other age-related diseases, is being sold to British pharmaceuticals giant GlaxoSmithKline PLC for $720 M cash [Boston Globe, Apr 23] A lot of dollars, half as many pounds sterling.
Sirtris Pharmaceuticals won a coveted orphan-drug designation from the [FDA] for resveratrol as a treatment for a rare disorder called MELAS syndrome. [Mass High Tech, Apr 2, 08]
Sirtris Pharmaceuticals said it will collaborate with the National Cancer Institute to test the anti-cancer impact of its enzyme activators in numerous models of cancer. [Chris Reidy, Boston Globe, Feb 22, 08]
Sirtris Pharmaceuticals that garnered national press attention for its efforts to use a red wine extract to treat aging-related diseases, hopes to bring its first drug to market in 2012 or 2013, said chief executive Christoph Westphal. [Boston Globe, Jan 10]
The quest for antiaging drugs took another step as [ Sirtris] described new chemicals that mimic some of the beneficial effects of a low-calorie diet in laboratory mice and rats. [Keith Winstein, Wall Street Journal, Nov 29]
Sirtris has many patents on the formulation of resveratrol. Its stock soared from 9 in June to 15 on Oct. 24. Michael King Jr. of Rodman & Renshaw (it owns shares), who rates Sitris outperform, says the stock will be driven by the flow of scientific data. [Gene Marcial, Business Week, Nov 5, 07]
Sirtris (Waltham, MA; one SBIR) has licensed the MIT intellectual property associated with SIRT1, a sirtuin, an enzyme Sirtris reports it uses as a drug target in treating metabolic, cardiovascular and neurological diseases. [Mass High Tech, Oct 12]
Sirtris (One SBIR) going public to raise $60M. It is developing small-molecule drugs that activate an enzyme known as SIRT1 to treat diseases related to aging. [Mass High Tech, May 23, 07]
Sirtris Pharmaceuticals (one SBIR) filed an IPO for $20M. [Mar 1, 07]
The [newly discovered] exact knowledge of resveratrol’s mode of action, if confirmed, is welcome news for Sirtris, the company Dr. Sinclair helped found to explore whether resveratrol-mimicking drugs could avert the diseases of aging. [Nicholas Wade, New York Times, Mar 11]
Sisu Global Health (Baltimore, MD; no SBIR) is developing a medical device that doctors could use to recycle a patient’s blood lost through traumatic internal bleeding. The company later this year will launch a clinical study of the device, called Hemafuse, in partnership with the University of Zimbabwe. Sisu has raised $400,000, including $250,000 from Saving Lives at Birth, a partnership between USAID, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and others, to back its clinical trial. [Sarah Gantz, Baltimore Business Journal, Aug 5, 15]
Avalon Ventures and UK-based drug giant GSK said they have formed another San Diego biotech startup. ... PDI Therapeutics (named for the enzyme protein disulfide isomerase, La Jolla, CA) , will develop immunotherapies for cancer. Like all other companies formed under the three-year-old partnership, PDI will be housed at Avalon's COI Pharmaceuticals, an incubator that provides shared facilities and management. Meanwhile, Avalon said the first two companies created under the collaboration, Sitari Pharmaceuticals and Silarus Therapetics, have identified a clear path to potential drugs, thus meeting their first milestones, said Jay Lichter, an Avalon managing director and also COI's president and CEO. Sitari and Silarus are respectively developing drugs for celiac disease and iron overload disorders. ... GSK and Avalon established their partnership in April 2013, with up to $465 million from GSK and up to $30 million from Avalon to form up to 10 companies in San Diego. Up to $10 million in Series A funding is to be invested in each company to get it off the ground. ... The five other companies founded by the Avalon/GSK collaboration are Thyritope Biosciences, Adrenergics, CadheRx Therapeutics, Calporta Therapeutics, and Iron Horse Therapeutics. [Bradley Fikes, San Diego Union Tribune, May 20, 16]
Crossing the halfway point in their alliance to form up to 10 biotech companies in San Diego, La Jolla's Avalon Ventures and UK-based GlaxoSmithKline they have added three new companies to their portfolio. Adrenergics (no SBIR), CadheRx Therapeutics (La Jolla, CA; no SBIR), and Calporta Therapeutics (no SBIR), will each receive up to $10 million, along with research and development support from the partners. Previously announced companies include Sitari Pharmaceuticals (San Diego, CA; no SBIR) , Silarus Therapeutics (La Jolla, CA; no SBIR) , and Thyritope Biosciences (San Diego, CA; no SBIR). [Bradley Fikes, utsandiego.com, Jun 15, 15]
Dr. Canfield leads Siwa Biotech (Oklahoma City, OK, one SBIR in 2008, founded 2005), which is advancing a technology to ensure that people having blood transfusions receive the correct blood type. OCAST has provided funding for Siwa just as it did for Canfield’s earlier research [OCAST $150K grant in 1991 fueled groundbreaking research into causes of often fatal enzyme deficiency conditions such as Pompe disease] that became Novazyme (no SBIR, acquired by Genzyme for $206M in 2001) [Oklahoma OCAST 2017 Impact Report, May 2017]
Skuld (London, OH; $300K SBIR) is embracing the [3D printing] technology and using it to bring a cost-saving, environmentally friendly alternative to the manufacturing industry. [Nicole Mistretta, Dayton Inno, March 20, 2023]
Small eyes in the sky. Planet Labs (San Francisco, CA; no SBIR, 40 employees) founded in 2010 by three scientists who worked at NASA. Mr. Boshuizen is Australian, while Mr. Marshall is British. The third, Robbie Schingler, is an American ... has already put dozens of small satellites in space. Once they are connected, they will be able to provide near-constant images of what is going on back on Earth. ..... Several young companies with roots in Silicon Valley are trying to elbow their way into a business long dominated by national governments and aeronautics giants like Boeing. .... The company has so far booked contracts worth more than the $65 million in private equity it has raised, according to Will Marshall, the company’s co-founder and chief executive. .... but potential customers who have seen the products think the satellites are approximately 95 percent cheaper than most satellites, a figure Mr. Marshall would neither confirm nor dispute. ... Another start-up, Masten Space Systems (Mojave, CA; one SBIR) is developing rockets designed for unmanned research flights. Skybox Imaging (Mountain View, CA; no SBIR) makes satellites similar to those of Planet Labs, though they are significantly larger. [QUENTIN HARDY and NICK BILTON, New York Times, Mar 16, 14]
Skyhawk Thera (Waltham, MA; no SBIR) is announcing that pharma giant Merck has stepped up with its own initiative on neurodegeneration while adding cancer to the RNA menu of collaborative specialties at the upstart drug discovery unit for the first time. [John Carroll, Endpoints News, Jul 12, 19]
Tech entrepreneur Bill Haney has seeded his second biotech startup, Skyhawk Therapeutics (Cambridge, MA), with the same private family offices (including the Disney family) he used to fund Dragonfly Therapeutics. [Alex Lash, xconomy.com, Jan 25, 18]
CytoBioScience (San Antonio, TX; no SBIR, founded in Germany and moved to San Antonio in 2015) announced it signed a letter of intent to merge with Skyline Medical (Eagan, MN; no SBIR) [David Holley, xconomy.com, Aug 1, 17]
LifeScience Alley, the regional trade association that represents life science and health technology companies, announced that 10 organizations will be exhibiting cutting-edge products as part of the association’s New Technology Showcase at the 2013 LifeScience Alley Conference, Nov. 20 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Featured will be: (Rochester, MN; no SBIR), developing a cancer-selective virus particularly suited to destroy relapsed or metastatic cancer cells; Omnis PharmaRebiotix (Roseville, MN; no SBIR), which will present something called Microbiota Restoration Therapy, which delivers live, human-derived microbes to patients’ intestinal tracts to restore balance and treat certain diseases; and (Naperville, IL; no SBIR) will demonstrate its remote patient monitoring and predictive analytics system, which converts patient vital signs into information to aid in care. VGBioCogCubed (Minneapolis, MN; no SBIR) will exhibit an approach to diagnosing and treating cognitive health by analyzing game play data; Datuit (Roseville, MN; no SBIR) will display a platform allowing patients, family and clinicians to confidentially share medical information; Imanis Life Sciences (Rochester, MN; no SBIR) will show a gene-based platform for promoting non-invasive, long-term imaging technologies in living beings; Mednology Solutions (Excelsior, MN; no SBIR) will exhibit a system designed to improve efficiency in the management of medical emergencies; NanoVault Medical (St. Paul, MN; no SBIR) will show a cellular and biotherapeutic delivery technology to treat autoimmune diseases. ReMind Technologies of Houston, Tex., will exhibit a smartphone-based medication dispensing device and Skyline Medical, of Eagan will show an automated surgical fluid disposal device with unlimited capacity and real-time fluid volume data. For more information. [James Walsh, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Sep 25]
Carbon capture specialist Skyonic (Austin, TX; no SBIR) completed a $12.5 million Series C round of funding. [Christopher Calnan, Austin Business Journal, May 27, 14]
Skyonic (Austin, TX; no SBIR), a developer of technology that captures and reuses industrial air emissions, says it has landed $455,000 [from Canadian nonprofit Climate Change and Emissions Management Corp] to create a test site for one of its processes at San Antonio’s Capitol Aggregates cement factory. ... to developing a small pilot for SkyCycle using some of the existing infrastructure we have at the site, including access to the flue gas and the land,” says Stacy MacDiarmid, Skyonic’s director of corporate communications. ... SkyMine plant is being funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy with a match from Capitol Aggregates’ parent, San Antonio-based Zachry Corp. [Sanford Nowlin, San Antonio Business Journal, Apr 16, 14]
Chemical engineering firm Skyonic (Austin, TX; no SBIR) said it has raised $128 million to push forward with technology that would turn carbon dioxide emissions into profitable products. .... to build a carbon capture facility at a cement plant in San Antonio. [Lori Hawkins, Austin American Statesman, Jun 25, 13]
Chemical engineering firm Skyonic (Austin, TX; no SBIR) received nearly $20 million of a planned $70.5 million financing..... from six investors, according to a [SEC] with the ... founded in 2005, has developed a process to convert carbon dioxide emissions into solid carbonate or bicarbonate materials while removing toxic materials. ... 12 workers. In 2010, the company received a $25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to test its mineralization technology. [Christopher CalnanAustin Business Journal, Jun 25, 12]
Skyonic (Austin, TX; no SBIR) carbon-capture firm, is expanding its local operations as it prepares to start construction of its first full-scale manufacturing facility ... the company's evolution — after years of testing and fundraising — into a true commercial operation, said CEO and founder Joe Jones.... Started as a one-man operation "at a favorite table at Starbucks," Jones said, Skyonic now has 14 full-time employees in Austin ... technology converts the carbon dioxide released by the flues of industrial facilities into baking soda, hydrochloric acid and other chemicals that can then be resold. The process also filters sulfur oxides, nitrogen dioxide, mercury and other heavy metals from the flue streams.[Barry Harrell, Austin American Statesman, Jul 7, 11]
Skyonic (Austin, TX; no SBIR) that plans to build an industrial carbon capture plant in San Antonio has won a $25 million [DOE stimulus] grant ....the second of its kind that Skyonic has received ... founded in 2005 and has been supported largely by California investor Carl Berg. Berg also is founder of and a major investor in Valence Technology Inc., an Austin-based maker of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. [Brian Gaar, Austin American Statesman, Jul 22, 10]
The inspiration for startup SLIPS Technologies (Cambridge, MA; no SBIR, founded 2014) came from carefully observing the wet surfaces on carnivorous plants. ... With $3 million in funding secured last year, the newly-incorporated SLIPS (Slippery Liquid-Infused Porous Surfaces) Technologies aims to focus this year on gaining traction among its commercial customers. The applications for its friction-free coating technologies vary widely, from industrial to medical. ... raised $3 million last October [Sara Castellanos, Boston Business Journal, Mar 12, 15]
Merck is expected to announce a deal to buy SmartCells (Beverly, MA; $8.3M SBIR) a closely held biotechnology company in the early stages of developing a new diabetes treatment, according to a person familiar with the matter. The deal for SmartCells would exceed $500 million if various milestones for development, regulatory approval and sales are met, the person said. It's the latest in a string of biotech purchases by major drug makers looking to replace aging blockbuster drugs....developing a form of insulin that aims to address a difficult aspect of treatment: the need to constantly monitor blood-sugar levels and adjust insulin levels accordingly [Wall Street Journal, Dec 2, 10]
SmartCells (Beverly, MA; $8.3M SBIR) diabetes drug developer, has taken in $1.8 million in new equity investment, part of a $4 million financing round, the company reports in [SEC filing] ... developing a once-daily insulin treatment it calls SmartInsulin, based on a patent filed in 2003 covering technology the founders developed at MIT. [Galen Moore, Mass High Tech, Mar 24, 10]
memory technology maker Smart Modular Technologies (no SBIR) tumbled 16%. The company said it expects a fiscal third-quarter net loss of two cents to four cents a share, in part because of a difficult pricing environment. [Wall Street Journal, May 21]
SmartSpark Energy Systems, (Champaign, IL; $800K SBIR), clean-energy company, is moving its headquarters to Austin and hiring workers as it prepares to launch its first product. [Austin American Statesman, Feb 9, 09]
Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania announced that nine early-stage companies have been approved to receive $1.55 million in funding. Gatherers include: Telefactor (W Conshocken, PA; $2.7M SBIR) $400K and previous $230K from Ben; AgileSwitch (Philadelphia, PA; no SBIR); Smart Structures (Southhampton, PA; no SBIR) [Peter Key, Philadelphia Business Journal, Jun 6, 13]
Smart Wires (Oakland, CA; no SBIR) startup with technology that could turn transmission lines into flexible power conduits for a growing solar- and wind-powered grid. The company raised another $30.8 million from a single investor in its latest round of funding, according to a [SEC] filings ... to bring its first product, the PowerLine Guardian device, to commercial-scale production this year, and to finish development of its second product, the PowerLine Router device, so it can be field tested early next year. [Joe Dwyer, St. Louis Business Journal, Jun 12, 15]
SmartZyme BioPharma (New York, NY; no SBIR, founded 2013), an OrbiMed Advisors portfolio company, and Hemoshear Therapeutics (Charlottesville, VA; $17M SBIR) announced a strategic agreement to develop novel protein-based therapeutics to treat rare metabolic diseases. SmartZyme will spin off its protein engineering platform into a new company, Carnot BioSciences, which will be led by a reunited team of former Synageva and Alexion scientists and executives. SmartZyme will focus on advancing its core asset, a next-generation glucose-sensing enzyme designed to make continuous glucose monitors significantly more affordable and easier to manufacture for use by people living with Type 1 and insulin-requiring Type 2 diabetes. [Hemoshear press release, Dec 4, 18]
Smisson-Cartledge Biomedical (Macon, GA; no SBIR) raised $2 million, according to [SEC] filing. ... developed a “rapid infusion system” that allows for the intravenous delivery of fluids, according to its web site.... has developed a heat transfer process that can heat or cool fluids at a wide range of flow rates through a portable pump and single-use disposable cassettes. SCB said it is commercializing its first medical device, the ThermaCor 1200 Infusion System. [Urvaksh Karkaria, Atlanta Business Chronicle, Aug 7, 12]
Smooth-Stone (Austin, TX; no SBIR), a start-up with an unusual plan to target the market for chips used in server systems said it had raised $48 million from a combination of larger chip companies and investors. The company plans to exploit chip designs from ARM Holdings PLC, which are best known for their use in cellphones. Such chips don't typically match the computing power of those used in most servers ... But ARM designs offer low power consumption, and controlling power has become a major issue for companies that operate computer rooms packed with servers. [Don Clark, Wall Street Journal, Aug 16]
Three decades after the widely used PSA prostate cancer test hit the market, the biotech veteran who led its commercialization is back with a new test to improve its accuracy. Blair Shamel, chief executive of startup SNP Bio (San Diego, CA; no SBIR), says the new test screens for mutations that place men at high risk for prostate cancer ... The new test, now called PGS-33, has been validated by scientific studies and will soon be ready to commercialize, Shamel said. SNP Bio looks to raise $12 mllion to $13 million to bring it to market. [Bradley Fikes, utsandiego.com, May 20, 15]
Socrates Health Solutions (Dallas, TX; no SBIR) has developed a medical device that monitors blood glucose with a clip on the ear rather than a prick in the finger. [Bill Hethcock, Dallas Business Journal, Nov 22, 13] will file for FDA clearance in 2014 [company website]
Sofregen (Medford, MA; no SBIR) raised $8.1M in equity, according to an SEC filing. [Srividya Kalyanaraman, BostonInno, Sep, 4. 19]
Chip startup Soft Machines (Santa Clara, CA; SBIR requires public exposure) was already ranked as the best-funded stealth company in the country before it took the wraps off of what it has been doing this week. But the Santa Clara company founded by Intel veterans Mahesh Lingareddy and Mohammad Abdallah has raised even more than was thought — $125 million instead of $96 million. ... say they have come up with technology for virtual central processing unit cores that reportedly trounces the performance of traditional processors. [Cromwell Schubarth, Silicon Valley Business Journal, Oct 24, 14]
Soft Robotics (Cambridge, MA; no SBIR, founded 2013) announced that it’s raised $20 million [following] a $5 million Series A in late-2015. .... the company’s soft, air-filled hands offer a novel approach to picking and placing [Brian Heater, techcrunch.com, May 2, 18] total funding $25M [crunchbase.com]
Soft Robotics (Cambridge, MA; no SBIR, founded 2013) said it has raised $20 million in a new funding round. has developed a soft gripper system that can pick and place items in food, packaging, and assembly tasks. [Gregory Huang, xconomy.com, May 2, 18]previous funding $5M [crunchbase.com]
Executives from 11 New England robotics firms will travel to several cities in China later this month on a trade mission aimed at sparking business deals and more technology collaboration between the U.S. and China. ... large, well-established firms, such as iRobot and Vecna Technologies (Greenbelt, MD; $11M SBIR). also small, young startups, including Soft Robotics (Cambridge, MA; no SBIR) and GreenSight Agronomics (Boston, MA; no SBIR, over a decade of experience fielding these systems for customers including the Department of Defense and NASA). [Jeff Engel, xconomy.com, Oct 14, 16]
Rockwell Automation said it had acquired a privately held industrial controls company[SoftSwitching Technologies (Middleton, WI; no SBIR)] started by a University of Wisconsin-Madison engineering professor. ....holds patents for voltage-control systems that protect an array of sophisticated smart machines and automated equipment in the factories where Rockwell installs its industrial automation systems and software. [John Schmid, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Mar 12, 12]
Soft Tissue Regeneration (New Haven, CT; no SBIR) raised $2.5 million, including $750,000 from Connecticut Innovations, to fund animal studies and clinical trials next year for a synthetic tissue that replaces a torn ACL in patients' knees. .... also working to develop products for other injured ligaments and tendons, including a recently developed biodegradable rotator cuff augmentation device. [Mara Lee, Hartford Courant, Sep 27, 11]
Connecticut Innovations reported today that it has invested $500,000 in Soft Tissue Regeneration (Stamford, CT; no SBIR) which is developing technology to treat knee injuries. [Mass High Tech, Apr 21, 10]
Connecticut Innovations, the quasi-public authority that makes tech investments in its namesake state, has invested $750,000 from its Eli Whitney Fund into Soft Tissue Regeneration (no SBIR), a developer of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) treatment. ... part of a $3.5 million Series A funding round [Mass High Tech, Jul 14, 09]
Smart-glass startup View (formerly Soladigm; no SBIR) raising up to $100 million in fresh capital. ... raised $100 million in early 2014 ... Prior to this latest funding, the company raised $339 million over several rounds ... The tint on glass made by View is controlled by electrical charges, which can be applied automatically when lighting changes or can be controlled on demand. According to the company, the windows can cut 20 percent on heating and cooling costs, 20 percent from lighting costs and can reduce electricity use by as much as 25 percent at peak-use times. [Gina Hall, Silicon Valley Business Journal, Mar 27, 15]
SolAero Technologies (Albuquerque, NM; no SBIR) that bought Emcore’s solar space division last year, has acquired Vanguard Space Technologies (San Diego, CA; no SBIR). [Joe Cardillo, Albuquerque Business First, May 11, 16] Solero earlier signed a definitive agreement to acquire Alliance Spacesystems, LLC, a leading provider of high-performance composite structures for spacecraft applications. [SolAero press release, Apr 15, 16]
Solaicx (Santa Clara, CA) will open a 136,000-square-foot factory in Portland OR to make silicon wafers for the photovoltaic industry. [Seattle Times, Jun 13, 07]
Only The Sunshine Is Cheap. On the photovoltaics front, upstart Solaicx in Los Gatos, Calif., predicts that residential and commercial solar panels made with its silicon material will soon compete with conventional fossil-fuel generators in markets where electricity costs at least 10 cents per kwh. But for that to happen, the capital cost of solar cell systems needs to reach the same magic number of $1 per watt of generating capacity. That up-front investment, along with operating efficiency and equipment depreciation, determines the price at which kilowatt-hours of output can be sold. Today, the installed cost of high-efficiency silicon solar panels starts at $3 per watt. [Otis Port, Business Week, Sep 6]
Connecticut's investment authority made a quick $600,000 on an short-term investment in Solais, (Stamford, CT; no SBIR) LED lighting fixture company that was acquired by a public company based in North Carolina. Connecticut Innovations put $1.1 million into Solais in two installments in 2011 and 2012. Solais has 10 full-time and two part-time employees, who will stay in Stamford. ... makes LED lamps and fixtures for retail, commercial, museum and hospitality environments, [Brian Dowling, Hartford Courant, Apr 17, 13] Connecticut Innovations has been in operation for a long time; I made SBIR deals with them as a co-investor two decades ago.
Solais Lighting (Stamford, CT; no SBIR, founded 2009). has raised $1.75 million of a planned $2.5 million new funding round, according to federal documents. ... also has research operations in Newburyport, MA ... produces a spotlight using LED technology that requires roughly one-fourth the energy typically needed. It is targeting commercial and industrial users initially, and lists customers like Timberland and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. [Rodney Brown, Mass High Tech, Nov 21, 11]
BioMedical Enterprises (San Antonio, TX; $600K SBIR) leader in orthopedic shape memory implants, announced that it filed a patent infringement lawsuit on January 30, 2014 in the United States District Court against Solana Surgical (Memphis, TN; no SBIR) BME’s orthopedic shape memory implants are fabricated from Nitinol, a nickel-titanium alloy, and change shape when exposed to predetermined temperatures to provide fixation of bone or soft tissue to bone. [company press release, Jan 30, 14]
Note: Solana Surgical is a global orthopedic company commercially launched in 2011 by former extremity company executives to create the preeminent company in extremity surgery.[company website]SolaranRx (Albuquerque, NM; no SBIR) raised $200,000 to continue working on its new metatastic melanoma treatment. Half of that amount — $100,000 — came from the Univesity of New Mexico's STC.UNM Co-Investment Fund. ... for a process that challenges the current procedure of using strong drugs to treat tumors. It instead uses a radio isotope that can help doctors target a radiation treatment at the cancer cells. [Dan Mayfield, Albuquerque Business First, May 1, 15]
Microinverter developer SolarBridge Technologies ($1.2M SBIR as Smart Spark, 70 employees) has been acquired by California-based energy services giant SunPower (San Jose, CA; $200K SBIR in the 1990s, market cap $3.8B) .... $113 million [investments] into SolarBridge [Christopher Calnan, Austin Business Journal, Nov 10, 14]
SolarBridge Technologies (Austin, TX; no SBIR) said it has raised $42 million to expand sales and marketing and continue its [R&D] .... a leading maker of microinverters, which are devices that convert the electrical energy from solar panels into alternating current that can be used in homes, businesses or the electrical grid. [Lori Hawkins, Austin American Statesman, Mar 6, 14]
SolarBridge Technologies (Austin, TX; no SBIR) has been awarded a $1.75 million [DOE] grant to research and develop a new electronic technique to improve the output of solar panels, the company said ... as part of the department's ARPA-E ... makes microinverters that manage the power from solar electric panels and convert it to electricity that is usable in homes and on the public electric grid. The company was also awarded a $2.3 million Department of Energy grant in September. [Austin America Statesman, Oct 7, 11]
SolarBridge Technologies(Austin, TX; no SBIR) and AstroWatt (Austin, TX; no SBIR) have received Department of Energy grants to boost solar power technology. SolarBridge was awarded $2.3 million to develop a more robust and efficient production of solar energy. SolarBridge makes microinverters that efficiently manage the power from solar electric panels and convert it to electricity that is usable in homes and on the public electric grid.... AstroWatt received $1.5 million for its research on low-cost, high-efficiency, think silicon-based solar cells. The grants were made under the Department of Energy's SunShot initiative. [Austin American Statesman, Sep 6, 11]
SolarBridge Technologies has raised an additional $19 million in a third investment round to support its push into solar power electronics. ... has raised $46 million to date, is a leading maker of advanced and efficient microinverters that improve the reliability of rooftop solar power systems ... expanding rapidly in Austin, expects to employ 75 people worldwide by the end of this year [Austin American Statesman, Jun 21, 11]
SolarBridge Technologies (Austin, TX; no SBIR) has begun work on raising a third investment round [about $10 million to $15 million] to support volume production and expanded sales and engineering development for its advanced power inverters, ... founded in 2004 in Champaign, Ill., has previously raised $27 million in two venture rounds ... also won a $1.5 million grant from the Texas Enterprise Fund. The company moved to Austin in early 2009 [Kirk Ladendorf, Austin American Statesman, Apr 29, 11]
Twenty-two months later, [CEO] Van Dell is expansive about what SolarBridge Technologies (Austin, TX; no SBIR) has accomplished. .... has working product prototypes and a few business allies and customers, and it is on schedule to start production this fall. ... will make microinverters, which convert the direct electrical current produced by solar power panels into the alternating current that power utilities can use. .... attracted $1.5 million in a grant from the Texas Emerging Technology Fund and a $15 million second round of venture investment. [Kirk Ladendorf, Austin American Statesman, Aug 17, 10]
SolarBridge Technologies (Austin, TX; no SBIR) has raised $15 million in venture capital to launch its first product for residential and small commercial solar installations. ... founded in 2004, is designing microinverters and monitoring systems to make photovoltaic solar installations cheaper, more efficient and more reliable. ... uses technology licensed from the University of Illinois, moved its headquarters to Austin from Champaign, Ill., last year. [Lori Hawkins, Austin American-Statesman, Apr 26]
SolarBridge Technologies (Austin, TX; no SBIR) received a $1.5 million grant from the Texas Emerging Technology Fund to develop technology for residential and small commercial solar installations. ... designs microinverters and monitoring systems to make photovoltaic solar installations cheaper, more efficient and more reliable. ... founded in 2004, uses technology licensed from the University of Illinois. ... previously raised about $9 million ... will try to raise about $15 million in venture capital during the second quarter [Lori Hawkins, Austin American-Statesman, Mar 22, 10]
Solar Connection, solar panel manufacturer, plans to open a facility in McDowell County [NC] and create 50 jobs over the next three years, ... will invest more than $500,000 in a manufacturing plant in Marion, about 40 miles east of Asheville. The plant will make photovoltaic solar cells and related products. The average annual wage for the new jobs will be $23,920, plus benefits. That’s well below the McDowell County average of $30,349. ..... eligible to receive a $156,000 grant from the One North Carolina fund. The grant requires a local match, and the company must meet investment and job-creation milestones. The company is a subsidiary of Boyle Enterprises. [David Bracken, Raleigh News & Observer, Dec 17, 13] What is a wage-slave in a tech industry? Will NC taxpayers be better for its investment?
Solarea Bio (Cambridge,MA; no SBIR) which is developing microbiome-based therapeutics, disclosed the investors in its $11.2M Series A round [BostInno, Oct 19, 20]
Solarea Bio (Cambridge, MA; no SBIR), developing microbiome-based therapeutics, raised $11.3M in equity in a $14.8M funding round, per an SEC filing [Rowan Walrath, BostInno, Sep 14, 20]
Genomics startups are increasing in number and quality, so much so that three-year-old Illumina Accelerator has expanded with its latest class to accommodate five of them. ... provides genomics-focused startups with capital, lab space at Illumina Accelerator’s offices in San Francisco, access to Illumina’s sequencing equipment and expertise, and advice on developing a business from legal experts, recruiting professionals, and Illumina executives and scientists, says Amanda Cashin, co-founder and head of the accelerator. ..... takes an 8 percent equity stake .. Checkerspot: designing advanced physical materials that can be used in industrial applications; Chimera Bioengineering: aims to improve the efficacy and reduce the side effects of engineered cell therapies for oncology; Encompass Bioscience: wants to integrate genetic information into the healthcare system; Mantra Bio: studies exosomes, small lipid vesicles that are excreted from cells and deliver information, aiming to discover new drug targets and therapies; Solarea Bio: The only company not from the Bay Area, Boston-based Solarea is developing probiotic treatments that are derived from natural sources .... Of the previous 13 startups that have completed the program since 2014, a few have already made some funding splashes. Xcell Biosciences (San Francisco, CA; no SBIR) develops a type of cell culture that can be used in certain types of cell propagation and gene editing, raised a $12 million Series A round of funding in February. EpiBiome (South San Francisco, Ca) raised a $6 million seed Series A round of funding for its process of engineering microbiomes that might be used against drug-resistant bacteria in early 2016. Trace Genomics (New York) raised a $4 million seed round in mid-2016 for its work sequencing and analyzing the genomes of soil. [David Holley, xconomy.com, Jul 26, 17]
Solaria (Fremont, CA; no SBIR) raising $30 million in equity from undisclosed investors ... makes solar panels that use specialized glass to concentrate the sun onto strips of silicon [Lindsay Riddell, San Francisco Business Times, Nov 28, 11]
Solaria, (Fremont, CA; no SBIR) is cutting by half the amount of costly silicon used in solar panels. ... It has recently started shipping its first panels to select customers. This spring the company will begin production of solar panels at a factory built to produce 25 megawatts of solar panels per year. [Kevin Bullis, MIT Tech Review, Mar 14] The gimmick is deploying half as much silicon, but in strips with focusing plastic covers that produce 90% of the conventional panels
Low efficiency, lower price. In early April, Mitsubishi Chemical reportedly set a new efficiency record, producing organic solar cells with a 9.2% conversion efficiency, according to The Nikkei, a Japanese business daily. Meanwhile, three other companies—Konarka Technologies in Lowell, Massachusetts; Solarmer Energy (El Monte, CA no SBIR) and Heliatek in Dresden (now beautifully restored), Germany—are now reporting cells with efficiencies greater than 8%. Many researchers in the field are confident that the figure could soon top 10% and possibly reach 15%. [Robert Service, Science, Apr 15]
Solar Power Technologies (Austin, TX; no SBIR) said that it has merged with solar monitoring company Draker Laboratories (Burlington, VT; no SBIR, founded 1999), and said the combined new company has raised $8 million in new funding .... Solar Power Technologies says its technology enables commercial solar arrays to increase power generation. Draker's technology is used to monitor the efficiency of solar arrays. [Barry Harrell, Austin American Statesman, Aug 22, 12]
Solar Power Technologies (Austin, TX; no SBIR) has raised $6.1 million through the sale of stock ... The 2-year-old company develops equipment that controls, monitors and optimizes the power output of large solar power farms. [Austin American Statesman, Jan 3, 11]
SolarWinds (Austin TX) a leading maker of Windows-based network management software, has raised $7.5 million in venture capital to expand operations and make acquisitions. ... SolarWinds says it has 40,000 customers including the military, government agencies, educational institutions and Fortune 500 companies. .. and plans an IPO for 2008. [Austin American-Statesman, Feb 5]
Solazyme (one SBIR) up 15% [Jul 29,15]
Solazyme down 11% [Apr 17,15]
Solazyme (one SBIR) up 23% [Apr 14,15]
Solazyme up 15% [Nov 7, 14]
Solazyme up 11% [Oct 31, 14]
Solazyme up 23% [Oct 15, 14]
Solazyme (Menlo Park, CA; one SBIR) down 15% [Oct 9, 14]
Solazyme down 12% [Mar 26, 14]
Solazyme (one SBIR) up 33% [Jan 31, 14]
In a sign of the growing mainstream acceptance of products derived from algae, Unilever, the consumer products giant, has agreed to buy large amounts of oil from Solazyme, a start-up that bioengineers algae to produce oils, proteins and complex sugars, executives said .... Unilever has said it will use only sustainable agricultural raw materials by 2020 [Diane Cardwell, New York Times, Sep 25, 13]
Solazyme (one SBIR) up 13% [Aug 8, 13]
Solazyme down 13% [Jun 24, 13]
Solazyme up 10% [May 9, 13]
Solazyme up 10% [Dec 11, 12]
Solazyme (Menlo Park, CA; one SBIR) up 10% [Nov 15, 12]
The U.S. Navy said that it will buy 450,000 gallons of advanced biofuels from two companies, including Solazyme (South San Francisco, CA; one SBIR). It's the government's largest biofuel purchase to date, and will allow the Navy to test how well bio-based versions of jet fuel and marine distillate fuel perform in a variety of ships and aircraft. .... Meanwhile, Amyris (Emeryville, CA; $700K SBIR) formed a joint venture with French oil giant Total to bring renewable diesel and jet fuel to the global market. [David Baker, San Francisco Chronicle, Dec 6, 11]
Solazyme (Menlo Park, CA; one SBIR) has raised $52 million in Series D financing [San Francisco Business Times, Aug 9, 10]
Solazyme (South San Francisco, CA; one SBIR) won an $8.5 million contract with the Navy to produce 20,000 gallons of algae fuel for testing and certification that could be used in Navy ships. [San Francisco Business Times, Sep 8, 09]
Solazyme (South San Francisco, CA; one SBIR) develops fuel from algae .... Q for CEO: This is a tough time for biofuel companies, especially startups like yours. With credit tight and oil prices low, will these companies fall into the "valley of death" that kills so many promising startups? The other side is hard to see right now. But the fundamentals remain. Eventually, the price of petroleum will go back up. It's a certainty. ... Who thought corn would go from $2.20 a bushel to $9? [San Francisco Chronicle, Mar 8, 09]
Solazyme (South San Francisco, CA; no SBIR) startup that makes diesel fuel from algae, said Tuesday that it will work with oil giant Chevron Corp. to perfect its technology. .. has already spent years working with different strains of algae to create fuel, using a fermentation process [David Baker, San Francisco Chronicle, Jan 23]
Soleno Therapeutics (Redwood City, CA; $2.2M SBIR in 2015) up 33% [Sep 28, 2023] announced the pricing of the underwritten public offering of 3,000,000 shares of its common stock at a public offering price of $20.00 per share. [company press release, Sep 28, 2023]
Soleno Therapeutics (Redwood City, CA; $2.2M SBIR in 2015) down 23% [Sep 27, 2023]
Soleno Therapeutics (Redwood City, CA; $2.2M SBIR in 2015) up 505% [Sep 26, 2023] announced positive top-line results from the randomized withdrawal period of Study C602, a long-term treatment study of DCCR (Diazoxide Choline) Extended-Release tablets for the treatment of Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). [company press release, Sep 26, 2023]
A [Oregon] state-financed deal to bring thin-film solar manufacturing to Gresham has fallen apart, city and state officials said Solexant (San Jose, CA; one SBIR) was in line for $25 million in loans from the State of Oregon and City of Gresham. But Solexant missed "technological milestones" and financial steps required to lock in the loans, said an official from the Oregon Department of Energy [Steve Beaven, The Oregonian, Jul 14, 11]
Solexant (San Jose, CA; one SBIR) developing thin-film solar panels, that just got $41.5 million in financing, is considering sites near Gresham, Fairview and Wilsonville for a new factory, but it will be months before the company decides on Oregon versus some other state. [Richard Read, The Oregonian, Jun 7, 10]
Solar cell and module developer Solexel (Milpitas, CA; no SBIR) disclosed that it has raised $15 more in funding. ... raised $113 million in its first two rounds. At the time, it said it hoped to bring 20-percent-efficient photovoltaic modules to market in 2014.[Cromwell Schubarth, Silicon Valley Business Journal, Jun 21, 13]
Often called "concentrated photovoltaics," the technology was the focus of a $103 million deal in November to install 10 megawatts of generating capacity in southern Spain, enough to power a city of 40,000. SolFocus , the Silicon Valley company that supplied technology in that transaction, on Monday is also announcing a deal to help build a 1.6-megawatt power plant in Greece that is based on the same approach. [Jim Carlton, Wall Street Journal, Dec 15]
Racing for the Sun. solar power accounts for less than 1% of world-wide electricity generation. It costs 35 to 45 cents to produce a kilowatt hour of electricity from solar panels, compared with about three to five cents burning coal, ...Nevertheless, SolFocus is one of nearly a dozen start-ups competing alongside established solar giants like Japan's Sharp Corp. to develop a solar panel that is both cheap and efficient. Well-known tech venture capitalists ... have poured cash into solar start-ups in recent years. Meanwhile, established leaders in conventional solar panels like Sharp, the U.K.'s BP PLC and Germany's Q-Cells AG have well-funded research labs working on their own technology. Whoever can come up with the answer will be able to claim a large chunk of the solar-power pie, an $11 billion market that is growing by more than 25% a year. "The race is on," says George Scott [Leila Abboud, Wall Street Journal, Jun 14]
SolFocus (Palo Alto, CA) which produces solar power with less silicon -- a major advantage given today's silicon shortage -- is about to finish raising $32 million. One allegedly big investor: New Enterprise Associates, which recently finished raising a huge venture fund. It has a serious vault of cash to put to work. [San Jose Mercury News, Jul 25] No sign of SBIR; who needs or wants it (and its baggage) when real money is on offer by the bucketful?
A new mechanism for focusing light on small areas of photovoltaic material could make solar power in residential and commercial applications cheaper than electricity from the grid in most markets in the next few years. Initial systems, which can be made at half the cost of conventional solar panels, are set to start shipping later this year, says Brad Hines, CTO and founder of Soliant Energy, a startup based in Pasadena, CA, that has developed the new modules. [Kevin Bullis, MIT Tech Review, May 11] No SBIR.
Solid Biosciences down 32% [Mar 16, 21] reported encouraging interim functional (NSAA, 6MWT and PFTs) and biomarker data, and patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) from six patients after treatment in the ongoing IGNITE DMD Phase I/II clinical trial of its lead gene therapy candidate, SGT-001. [company press release, Mar 15, 21]
Solid Biosciences up 26% [Mar 2, 21]
Solid Biosciences up 42% [Feb 23, 21]
Solid Biosciences down 21% [Jan 8, 2]
Solid Biosciences up 20% [Jan 7, 21]
Solid Biosciences up 24% [Dec 17, 20]
Solid Biosciences up 23% [Dec 15, 20]
Solid Biosciences up 52% [Dec 11, 20] announced that it has entered into a securities purchase agreement with a select group of institutional investors and accredited investors for a $90 million private placement [company press release, Dec 11, 20]
Solid Biosciences up 21% [Oct 2, 20]
Solid Biosciences (Cambridge, MA; no SBIR) up 70% [Oct 1, 20] announced that [FDA] has lifted the clinical hold placed on the Company's IGNITE DMD Phase I/II clinical trial. [company press release, Oct 1, 20]
One study looked at the 210 drugs approved by the [FDA[ from 2010 to 2016 and found that “NIH funding contributed to every one.” For too long, governments have socialized risks but privatized rewards. [Mariana Mazzucato, Foreign Affairs, Oct 2, 20]
Solid Biosciences announced changes to its organizational structure to create a leaner company focused on advancing SGT-001, a gene transfer candidate for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (Duchenne) ... will result in a reduction in corporate expenses and, based on the company’s current operating plans, are expected to extend the cash runway into 2021. [company press release, Jan 9, 20]
Solid Biosciences down 74% [Nov 12, 19] reported that [FDA] has notified the company that IGNITE DMD, its Phase I/II study of SGT-001, has been placed on clinical hold. [company press release, Nov 12, 19]
Solid Biosciences up 43% [Aug 16, 19] reported quarterly financial results
Solid Biosciences up 24% [Aug 14, 19]
Solid Biosciences up 34% [Jul 26,19] announced that it has entered into a securities purchase agreement with a select group of institutional investors and accredited investors for a $60 million private placement. [company press release, Jul 26, 19],
Solid Biosciences downup 29% [May 14, 19] reported financial results for the first quarter
Solid Biosciences down 68% [Feb 7, 19] the company has revealed that its SGT-001 candidate achieved low levels of expression of microdystrophin protein at the starting dose in a phase 1/2 trial. Solid Bio says it is working toward escalating the dose used in the trial as soon as it can [Phil Taylor, Fierce Biotech, Feb 7, 19]
Solid Biosciences up 11% [Sep 18, 18]
Solid Biosciences up 17% [Sep 12, 18]
Solid Biosciences down 11% [Jun 26, 18]
Solid Biosciences down 17% [Jun 20, 18]
Solid Biosciences up 46% [Jun 19, 18] announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has lifted the clinical hold on IGNITE DMD, the Company's Phase I/II clinical trial for its investigational microdystrophin gene transfer, SGT-001, for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) [company press release, Jun 18, 18].
Solid Biosciences up 11% [Jun 18, 18]
Solid Biosceinces up 11% [May 10, 18]
Solid Biosciences up 17% [May 9, 18]
Solid Biosciences up 17% [May 4, 18]
Solid Biosciences up 15% [Apr 20, 18]
Solid Biosciences up 11% [Apr 4, 18]
Solid Biosciences up 11% [Apr 3, 18]
Solid Biosciences (Cambridge, MA; no SBIR, founded 2013) down 65% [Mar 15, 18] recently completed a big IPO despite disclosing, last-minute, that the FDA had partially suspended a clinical test of its gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Less than two months later, the company has reported a new, and more ominous finding: the FDA has halted testing of the treatment, known as SGT-001, altogether. [Ben Fidler, xconomy.com, Mar 14, 18] total funding $92M [crunchbase.com]
Solid Biosciences (Cambridge, MA; no SBIR) up 75% [Jan 26,18] after $125M IPO. focused solely on finding meaningful therapies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). [company press release, Jan 25, 18]
Solid Biosciences (Cambridge, MA; no SBIR) raised a $50 million Series C round from a wide range of “crossover” investors who invest in both public and private companies, and existing backers including Boston area biotech giant Biogen [Ben Fidler, xconomy.com, Mar 30, 17]
Stratasys said that it had bought Solid Concepts (Valencia, CA; $250K SBIR, 450 employees) [for as much as $295M] and Harvest Technologies (Belton, TX; no SBIR, 80 employees) [price undisclosed], that it says will complement its rapidly growing 3-D printing business. [Mark Reilly, Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal, Apr 2, 14]
advanced battery maker SolidEnergy (Waltham, MA; no SBIR) raised $12 million in a Series B round led by an unnamed U.S. auto company. [Jeff Engel, xconomy.com, Feb 3, 16]
A new MIT spinoff company SolidEnergy (Waltham, MA; no SBIR, founded 2012) says it has a solution: materials that can increase the amount of energy that lithium-ion batteries store by 30 percent or more and lower costs enough to make electric vehicles affordable. ... replaces the graphite electrode used in conventional lithium-ion batteries with a high-energy lithium-metal .... recently raised $4.5 million in its first round of venture funding. It is working with A123 Venture Technologies, part of the battery maker A123 Systems, to scale up the technology and bring it to market. [Kevin Bullis, technologyreview.com, Nov 21, 13]
Solid Power (Longmont,CO; $4.6M SBIR) is latest electric-vehicle business to announce plans to go public via a special-purpose acquisition company. ... Decarbonization Plus Acquisition Corporation III DCRC said it would buy Solid Power for $1.2 billion. ... Solid-state batteries promise to replace the [flammable lithium] liquid with a solid. [Steven Wilmot, WSJ, Jun 16, 21]
Ford and BMW are investing $130 million in auto battery maker Solid Power (Louisville, CO; $4.6M SBIR) [Nick Greenhalgh, WiscInno, Jun 4, 21]
Solid State Scientific (Hollis, NH; $30M SBIR) secured a five-year, $186.9 million contract to help the [USAF] update cloud-based infrastructure for military weather forecasting. The company will develop a platform as a service to support the Weather Virtual Private Cloud under phase three of the branch’s [SBIR], the [DOD]said. [Kacey Roberts, govconwire.com, May 8, 2023] Note: Phase 3 SBIR is not SBIR money.
Richard Gross founded SyntheZyme (Brooklyn, NY; $150K SBIR, founded 2008) to commercialize biocatalysis (with natural molecules). This year partnered with DSM (Netherlands). From the same chemistry department , Prof Jonathan Dordick pursuing biocatalysis over 30 years, founded Solidus Biosciences (Troy, NY; $3.5M SBIR). Dordick also founded EnzyMed (Iowa City, IA; $200K SBIR) that was sold to Albany Molecular in 1999. [Rensselaer magazine, Fall 2014]
Solidus Biosciences (Troy, NY; $3.4M SBIR) collaborated with RPI, UCal Berkeley, and Samsung in developing a new biochip, Transfected Enzyme and Metabolism Chip, that emulates the human liver. It could possibly one day test the toxicity of new drugs with out liver cells from human cadavers as now used. [Rensselaer Alumni mag, Fall 2014]
Veterans from SolidWorks (no SBIR), a local firm specializing in 3-D modeling software, have raised $9 million for a start-up that looks to develop a fresh take on product design in the era of cloud computing. The place-holder name for the new venture is Belmont Technology [Scott Kirsner, Boston Globe, Dec 6, 12]
SolidWorks (Concord, MA) said that its 3-D computer-aided design software has been used to develop a handcycle that can morph into a high-rider position that offers some of the benefits of a wheelchair. ... SolidWorks is part of Dassault Systemes S.A, a French company that develops and markets software for design, analysis, and product data management. [Boston Globe, Nov 26]
After the FDA denied approval for Soligenix (Princeton, NJ; $7M SBIR)'s rare cancer treatment in February, the agency has now said a second clinical trial with positive results will be required to accept another request for approval. [Gabrielle Masson, Fierce Biotech, Apr 14, 2023]
Soligenix (Princeton, NJ; $6.3M SBIR) announced that the [FDA] provided the Company with a Refusal to File (RTF) letter for its HyBryte™ (synthetic hypericin) new drug application (NDA) in the treatment of early stage cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), a rare cancer and area of unmet medical need affecting over 25,000 patients in the U.S. [company press release, Feb 14, 2023]
Soliris, launched in 2007 to treat a rare cause of anemia. In 2012 that drug will do more than $1.1 billion in revenue, with Wall Street expecting that figure to double again over the next three years. Its current net margin: 22%. Alexion Pharma shares are up 600% since the drug’s approval .... little-known Alexion hit No. 2 in FORBES’ annual ranking of the most innovative companies. .... Soliris is a blockbuster–and Alexion a juggernaut–because of the drug’s astronomical price: $440,000 per patient per year (though it is sometimes given away for free, in hardship cases). Yet the drug is so effective that private insurers and national health agencies, even sticklers like the UK and Australia, are willing to pay. [Forbes, Sep 24, 12]
Soliton (Houston, TX; no SBIR, founded 2012) raised $10M with its IPO; makes a medical device that quickens the tattoo-removal process. [Chris Matthews, Houston Business Journal, Feb 15, 19] prior funding $25M [company website]
stealth-mode medical device startupSoliton (Houston, TX; no SBIR) with technology developed out of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center has raised $9 million, according to [SEC] filing ... is developing technology that will aid in methods for medical and cosmetic treatments using electro-hydraulic generated shockwaves. It could be used for reducing tattoos or to treat or reduce certain conditions [Joe Martin, Houston Business Journal, Nov 30, 15]
Solixia (Philadelphia, PA; no SBIR) got a $161K SBIR from NIH to develop a new approach to treat ovarian cancer ... [its] radioimmunotherapy, uses special molecules to deliver radioactivity specifically to ovarian cancer cells. ... Previous efforts to use radioimmunotherapy to treat cancer have generally failed to deliver enough radioactivity to solid tumors to produce a therapeutic response. Solixia believes its proprietary technology would circumvent that limitation. [John George, Philadelphia Business Journal, Aug 16, 10] [CSO] Bryan Smith and [CEO] Irene Susantio graduated from Wharton [in 2008] after winning their school’s business plan contest [company website]
Colorado State professor, Bryan Willson, who teaches mechanical engineering and is a co-founder of the three-year-old company Solix Biofuels (no SBIR), said working with the Southern Utes on their land afforded his company advantages that would have been impossible in mainstream corporate America. The tribe contributed almost one-third of the $20 million in capital raised by Solix, free use of land and more than $1 million in equipment. “If you’re going with strict venture capital, they’re looking for a blistering return on capital in three to five years,” Dr. Willson said. “The Utes have a very long economic view. .... But the tale of any start-up is written between the margins of inspiration and hard-edged reality. More than 200 other companies are also trying to find a cost-effective, scalable way to achieve the same end — turning algae into vegetable oil fuel, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory [Kirk Johnson, New York Times, Aug 16, 09]
Chelmsford-based Mercury Computer Systems Inc. has announced its sale of the assets and intellectual property of its biotech venture, SolMap Pharmaceuticals (one SBIR), to Cambridge startup Forma Therapeutics (no SBIR) ... SolMap is a spinout from the structural bioinformatics laboratory of Sandor Vajda, a professor at Boston University. It focuses on computational and experimental fragment-based drug design to develop small-molecule, therapeutic drugs. [Mass High Tech, Oct 2, 08]
Health-care technology firm SoloHealth (Johns Creek, GA; one SBIR) has raised $12 million in a round led by a major health insurer. The investment, led by WellPoint Inc., will help SoloHealth execute a national rollout that would put its health kiosks in more than 8,000 locations. key component of the rollout is a deal SoloHealth recently struck with the world’s largest retailer — Wal-Mart [Urvaksh Karkaria, Atlanta Business Chronicle, Aug 3, 12]
Solomon Technologies (Danbury, CT; one SBIR) got a $150K contract to develop and supply a prototype power supply for a new advanced vehicle launch ordinance system for the United States military. [press release, Feb 7, 08] The stock price, however, does not reveal much confidence as it trades below 10% of its high three years ago, having lost a total of $30M in the last three fiscal years.
Solomon Technologies (East Berlin, CT; one SBIR) landed a $250,000 contract to develop power supply systems for Siemens. [Mass High Tech, Jan 17] Since its 2004 IPO it has sunk to only 5% of its first trading range.
Like Solyndra, which failed despite a $535 million federal loan guarantee, SoloPower, (San Jose,CA; no SBIR) is a politically connected firm that produces thin film panels built with copper, indium, gallium and selenium (or CIGS) instead of silicon, the basis of most photovoltaic panels. Energy Department officials have cited a worldwide drop in silicon prices as a major factor in Solyndra’s demise. Some analysts are now looking at SoloPower and asking why the federal government — as it worked furiously to keep Solyndra from going bankrupt — made a major investment in a company that relied on a similar technology. ... In its six-year existence, SoloPower has experienced internal discord — it paid a $20 million buyout to its founders — and has yet to turn a profit [AAron Glantz, Bay Citizen, Oct 15, 11]
"All these thin-film technologies are dead on arrival," said industry analyst Gordon Johnson .... "They cannot compete because they're not efficient enough." .... Yet SoloPower (no SBIR) managers and investors, Salem and Portland officials -- and, by extension, state and federal taxpayers -- bet Johnson is dead wrong. The company, on track to open a $340 million plant in North Portland, has been approved for millions of dollars in federal and state subsidies. ... The only safe bet is that the chaotic solar market, with plunging raw-material prices for silicon cells, will look different by May, when the factory's first line is scheduled for production. ...To succeed, industry analysts say, SoloPower must sell its products for less than $1.05 per watt of generating capacity [ half of what Solyandra expected] [The Oregonian, Sep 29, 11] The government is in a bind. Republicans want to cut the deficit by cutting progams, Democrats love subsidies for companies that promise (but don't necessarily deliver) jobs, and the companies will fail if the products won't sell on the world market. But in an election cycle, only two years long, pork still attracts voters attention. Look for more subsidies and magical promises and more "I told you so.."
Here's a sweet deal. A company can put up a $55 million solar factory in Oregon for just $13 million. Except that you, the taxpayer, get to provide the $42 million difference in tax breaks and loans, while private investors pocket the returns. Critics say SoloPower (San Jose, CA; no SBIR) startup, is getting that deal in Wilsonville as state, county and city governments support a solar plant to the tune of more than $129,000 a job. Oregon outbid other states for the plant, which will employ 170 during its first phase making thin-film solar panels in a leased warehouse. [Richard Reid, The Oregonian, Jan 20, 11] Public investment for private returns as long as the federal solar subsidy continues. But at some point in the deficit-reduction future, the solar subsidy has to disappear. Who will then keep the factory going after the private investors bail? Who cares now? The politicians get their moment in the light and move on to other sound bites.
Solstice Biologics (San Diego, CA; no SBIR), a three-month-old startup, has raised $18 million in venture capital funding, the biotech company said ... said it had licensed technology from UC San Diego to enable RNA molecules to pass through membranes of multiple cell types. The technology is useful for developing drugs based on RNA interference technology, said Goodman, known for an illustrious career in science before entering the venture capital business. [Bradley Fikes, utsandiego.com, Jan 4, 13]
CytoBioscience (San Antonio, TX; no SBIR, founded in Germany) maker of technology that’s used to screen drug formulations, acquired Soluble Therapeutics (Birmingham, AL; no SBIR, founded 2008) which sells another screening technology. ... CytoBioscience says it was a “multi-million dollar” purchase price, according to a news release. CytoBioscience is changing the acquired company’s name to Soluble BioScience, and plans to move its operations—including its eight employees—to San Antonio within a year, according to the statement. ... CytoBioscience has raised $15.8 million from some 11 investors since 2015 [David Holley, xconomy.com, Dec 20, 16]
The U.S. Navy has awarded two-year contract modifications to five companies to provide command and control technology and experimentation support services. Three companies had previous SBIR: SEV1Tech (Metairie, LA; $400K SBIR); Solute (San Diego, CA; $12M SBIR); Forward Slope (San Diego, CA; one SBIR) [Jane Edwards, govconwire.com, May 5, 2023]
Solx (Waltham, MA; no SBIR), maker of devices for the treatment for glaucoma, has raised $3.25 million of a planned $9 million fundraise, federal documents show. ... spun out of Boston University’s photonics lab in 2005 and won FDA clearance in September 2008 for the medical device, which is designed to reduce intraocular pressure while preserving trabecular tissue. The company was acquired in 2006 by Canadian firm Occulogix, but founder Adams bought it back the following year. It now operates as a privately held, independent entity. [Rodney Brown, Mass High Tech, Jan 20, 12]
Solx (Sudbury, MA; no SBIR) maker of a laser treatment for glaucoma, has raised $3.7 million in a new round of equity financing ... spun out of Boston University’s photonics lab in 2000, won FDA approval in September 2008 for its medical device, which is designed to reduce intraocular pressure while preserving trabecular tissue. The company was acquired in 2006 by Canadian firm Occulogix, but founder Doug Adams bought it back the following year. It now operates as a privately held, independent entity with five full-time employees. [Galen Moore, Mass High Tech, Oct 28, 10]
Solyndra (Fremont, CA; no SBIR) solar-panel manufacturer once touted by President Barack Obama as a beneficiary of his administration's economic policies — as well as a half-billion-dollar federal loan — is laying off 1,100 workers and filing for bankruptcy. ... had become the poster child for government investment in green technology. ... the third solar company to seek bankruptcy protection this month. ... The price for solar panels has tanked in part because of heavy competition from Chinese companies, dropping by about 42 percent this year. [Kevin Freking and Jason Dearen, AP, Aug 31, 11] Sounded so good on the campaign. Meanwhile, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour has proposed incentive packages worth $175 million to attract two high-tech economic development projects, including a manufacturing plant for Sunnyvale cleantech company Calisolar. [E Pettis and J Elliott, AP, Aug 31]
Private companies to watch on electricity as picked by MIT Tech Review (Sep/Oct09): Nanosolar ($1.7M SBIR) founded 2002, raised $400M; A123 Systems IPO Sep 24; Brightsource Energy; Tendril; 1366 Technologies; Deepwater Wind; Solyndra; Silver Spring Networks; AltaRock; Stirling Energy Systems.
Satcon Technology and Solyndra (Fremont, CA; no SBIR) announced a strategic partnership for commercial rooftop solar power production. [San Francisco Business Journal, Apr 30, 09]
Solar panel maker Solyndra signed a deal worth up to $320 million with Carlisle Energy Services (Carlisle, PA). [San Francisco Business Times, Nov 17, 08]
The next wave of solar power technology may be a skinny glass tube that looks like a fluorescent light bulb painted black. The tube contains 150 solar cells, wrapped around the inside of the glass. Designed and built by startup Solyndra (Fremont, CA; no SBIR), the tube can absorb light from any direction and convert it to electricity. Placed in a rooftop rack, the tube can even collect light bouncing off the roof. Solyndra exits stealth mode Tuesday with $600 million in venture capital, $1.2 billion in customer contracts and a radically different approach to solar. [David Baker, SF Chronicle, Oct 7, 08]
with a cool new water filter.Soma (San Francisco, CA; no SBIR) just finalized a $3.7 million dollar round of fundraising, [Joseph Flaherty, Wired, Jul 25, 13]
SomaDetect (Buffalo, NY; no SBIR), a past 43North champion, has received a $500,000 investment from the Western New York Impact Investment Fund. [Matt Glynn, The Buffalo News, Jun 25, 19]
SomaLogic (Boulder, CO; $400K SBIR) global leader in proteomic discovery and applications transforming biomedical discovery and clinical diagnostics, announced it added $81M to its current funding round [company press release, Dec 22, 20]
SomaLogic (Boulder, CO; $400K SBIR, fouded 1999) announced that it has capped its $200 million funding round, anchored by iCarbonX (China) .... will accelerate SomaLogic’s goal of becoming the world’s leading provider of precision digital health insights. SomaLogic uniquely and precisely measures thousands of human proteins rather than genes, and turns those measurements into insights that empower people to purposefully and meaningfully manage their individual health and wellness. [company press release, Jan 3, 18] total funding to date $380M [crunchbase.com]
SomaLogic (Boulder, CO; $400K SBIR, founded 2000) and Visium Healthcare Partners, LP announced that SomaLogic will receive up to $60.5 million through a combination of debt and equity financing from Visium. The proceeds will be used to support SomaLogic’s continued growth, including its primary focus on the development of novel life science tools and clinical diagnostics based on the Company’s proprietary proteomics technology. [company press release, Mar 1, 16]
biotech research company SomaLogic (Boulder, CO; $400K SBIR) has raised $10 million in equity financing from unidentified investors. .... researching diagnostic technologies capable to determining a person’s genetic predisposition for diseases — or, possibly, active illness before symptoms show — by analyzing a drop of a patient’s blood. ..... raised $20 million in equity financing in 2010. [Greg Avery, Denver Business Journal, Aug 21, 13]
SomaLogic (Boulder, CO ; $400K SBIR) received a $10 million investment this week. The company won’t comment on who the investor is or what it will do with the money .... has raised about $200 million since it was founded in 2000 ... trying to make diagnostic tests and devices that will be part of the “personalized medicine” revolution. The idea is that SomaLogic tests will be able to discover the protein biomarkers diseases create before a patient starts showing symptoms. SomaLogic has spent years working on it [Michael Davidson, xconomy.com, Aug 23, 13]
“NASA iTech is an innovation incubator that brings together the right people to the right place and time, giving entrepreneurs an opportunity to present their technologies as a future commercial market product solution for both Earth and NASA,” said Kira Blackwell, program executive for the Space Technology Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. Blackwell, also said the top 18 companies that have previously participated in NASA iTech have reported raising more than $50 million in private investments over the last 12 months. The top ten competitors for the grand prize: BioVirtua (San Francisco, CA; no SBIR) Humanizing Telehealth in Four Dimensions; FGC Plasma Solutions (Argonne, IL; no SBIR) Novel Fuel Injectors to Enable Clean, Compact Propulsion ; Germfalcon (Los Angeles, CA; no SBIR) Germicidal UVC Emitting Robot for Commercial Aircraft; H2 Energy Now (Boalsburg,PA; no SBIR) New Technology for H2 Generation from Water in Space by Use of Electromagnetic Waves; Hyperloop Tansportation Technologies (Los Angeles, CA; no SBIR, 500-1000 employees) Augmented Voyage; iFirst Medical Technologies (Honolulu, HI; no SBIR, founded 2016) The iFirst Analyzer: Handheld Laboratory-grade Diagnostics Platform for Extreme Environments; Million Concepts (Lemont, PA; no SBIR) The Arisian Lens: A Novel Solution for Low-cost, Lightweight Microscopy; New Frontier Aerospace (Livermore, CA; no SBIR, founded 2015) Affordable, Powered Recovery for Small Launch Vehicles; Rice Technology (Milwaukee, WI; no SBIR) Smart Real-Time Multipurpose Sensor - Dissolved and Suspended Solids, Bacteria, Phosphorus and Viruses; Somatic Labs (Phoenix, AZ; no SBIR, founded 2015) Tactile Interfaces for Augmented Reality to Enhance Communication.
Somatus (McLean, VA; no SBIR, founded 2016), a market leader in value-based kidney care, announced it has completed a Series C funding round of $64 million ... brings the Company’s total capital raised to over $105 million [company press release, Jun 23, 20]
Somaxon Pharmaceuticals(San Diego, CA; no SBIR) said it has agreed to be sold to Pernix Therapeutics (The Woodlands, TX; no SBIR) for $25 million in stock. [Bradley Fikes, utsandiego.com, Dec 11, 12]
Somaxon (San Diego, CA; no SBIR) up 29% efforts to launch its new insomnia drug received a big boost Wednesday when consumer products giant Procter & Gamble said it would help the San Diego company sell Silenor to thousands of U.S. doctors and pharmacies. [Keith Darcé, San Diego Union Tribune, Aug 26]
Somaxon Pharmaceuticals (San Diego, CA; no SBIR) up 133% [Mar 18, 10] won [FDA] approval Thursday for its histamine-blocking drug Silenor as a sleep aid. [Mike Freeman, San Diego Union Tribune, Mar 18]
Somaxon Pharmaceuticals (San Diego, CA; no SBIR) jumped 30 percent after Chief Executive Rich Pascoe said the company is continuing to work toward approval of an insomnia drug [Silenor® (doxepin)]that regulators turned away last month. [Thomas Kupper, San Diego Union Tribune, Jan 8, 10]
Endo International plc (Irish) announced that its subsidiaries have terminated their respective agreements to acquire Somerset Therapeutics (Somerset, NJ, no SBIR, founded 2015) and the business of its India-based affiliate Wintac Limited, which operates as Somerset Therapeutics' contract developer and manufacturer. There are no penalties or other payments associated with terminating the agreements. [Endo press release, Feb 27, 19]
medical device company Somna Therapeutics (Germantown, WI; no SBIR) raised $1.7 million in a funding round that could reach $2 million, BizTimes Media reported. ... will support a push for direct-to-consumer sales of the company’s Reflux Band, a neck-worn device designed to stop acid reflux affecting the throat and lungs. [Jeff Engel, xconomy.com, Jan 4, 19]
Somna Therapeutics (Germantown, WI; no SBIR, founded 2012) has raised $700,000 from individual angel investors, an amount the company says will allow it to market its adjustable neck band that keeps stomach acid from rising into the throat. .... has raised more than $3 million from angel investors [Kathleen Gallagher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Feb 3, 14]
Six young Wisconsin bioscience companies have been chosen by the state's biotech trade organization as emerging companies with good growth potential. The companies have all transitioned successfully out of research and development and are developing commercial products, said Bryan Renk, executive director of BioForward. .... : Fused Innocation (Neenah; WI) VibeTech (Sheboygan, WI); Somna Therapeutics (Germantown, WI); PatientWise (Middleton, WI); NanoOncology, a subsidiary of Peptimed (Madison, WI); PharmaSeek Financial Services (Middleton, WI). [Kathleen Gallagher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Aug 30, 12] None had SBIR.
Future Army contracts. The Army revealed a new roster of industry partners under a potential $37.4B contract that covers knowledge-based professional engineering support services to command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance programs. SBIR companies: Artel (now big, $300K); Dynetics (now big, 31 awards); Macaulay-Brown (now big, 23 awards); NetCentric (now big, $900K); Scientific Research (Now big, $16M); Array Information Technology (one SBIR); Bennett Aerospace (21 SBIR awards); Envistacom (one SBIR); Fibertek (127 SBIRs); Future Technologies ($1M); Fulcrum ($1.2M); LinQuest ($1M); Manufacturing Techniques (One SBIR); Navmar Applied Sciences (68 awards); Peerless Technologies ($2.6M); Research Innovations (one SBIR); Sonalysts (128 awards); SURVICE Engineering (50 awards); Truestone (one SBIR).[GovConWire, Oct 19, 18]
Laura Dietz, vice president, Sonalysts ($1.6M SBIR) won an attagirl from Connecticut for small business innovation and leadership. Let's guess that CT loved the $16M flowing in. Dietz works with training technology used in Air Force, Navy and Army training programs. [Hartford Courant, Mar 31, 11] The states that cheer for SBIR's seemingly free money forget that overall, the state taxpayers contribute all the money and are merely getting back some share of it. The only obvious winners are the politicians and the beneficiary companies, especially those that make a living on SBIR.
Sonavex (Baltimore, MD; $1.2M SBIR) medical device company with products that deliver visual and quantitative blood flow data at the point of care, recently closed the first $3M tranche of its newest round of funding. [company press release, Nov 26, 19]
Soneter (Atlanta, GA; no SBIR, founded 2010) raised $6 million from the GRA Venture Fund and manufacturing partner Flextronics. .... a Georgia Tech spinoff developed a wireless device that provides non-invasive water and gas meter monitoring and data analysis in real time. ... wireless sensor clamps onto the outside of a pipe and uses ultrasound to monitor pressure and flow. ... has raised $8.7 million thus far [Urvaksh Karkaria, Atlanta Business Chronicle, Sep 10, 14]
If Hope Could Fly. An Oshkosh manufacturer of experimental kit aircraft unveiled a plane with an electric motor power plant, controller, lithium polymer battery pack and charging system. Though the innovative technology from Sonex Aircraft isn't ready for sale yet, judging by the reaction of the aviation enthusiasts who crowded around the proof-of-concept plane there's a demand for alternative fuel-powered planes. [Meg Jones, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Jul 25]
Sonitus Medical (San Mateo, CA: no SBIR) a business working on a hearing aid that uses the teeth, got an investment from In-Q-Tel, a firm started by the CIA. [San Francisco Business Times, May 26, 09]
Sonivate (Portland, OR; $1M SBIR) received a $2.5 million contract from the U.S. Army to develop a wireless ultrasound system for battlefield use, building on work the company's previous success with a finger-mounted probe. ... will continue [SBIR] work ... is developing not only the ultrasound probe, but the processing unit that transmits the image using an undetectable ultra-wide band to an Android tablet. ... previously received $5 million in [DOD] grants [Elizabeth Hayes. Portland Business Journal, Feb 7, 17]
Sonoma Biotherapeutics (South San Francisco and Seattle; no SBIR) with $40 million in its Series A financing ... brings together next-generation research, development and manufacturing capabilities in cell therapy and genetic engineering. [company press release, Feb 6, 20]
A hand-carried ultrasound device helps doctors in Haiti perform emergency surgery on earthquake survivors. A battery-powered chlorinator helps residents of a Kenyan slum make their water safe for drinking. ... SonoSite (Bothell, WA; no SBIR) which makes rugged, hand-carried ultrasound devices, applying its technology in countries without adequate health systems seemed a natural step. It already had a successful commercial product for the developed world, used by the military in the field. ... Another product, by Cascade Designs (Seattle, WA; $1M SBIR) and PATH, is designed as a simple solution to purify water. The "smart electrochlorinator" takes salt, water and a small amount of electricity generated by a battery to produce a chlorine solution that makes water safe for drinking. PATH has been testing the device, which costs about $100, in the Korogocho slum of Nairobi and will soon begin field tests at a half-dozen other locations in Kenya and Zimbabwe. [Kristi Heim, Seattle Times, Mar 21, 10]
Sonavex (Baltimore, MD; $1.1M SBIR, founded 2013) focused on improving surgical patient outcomes with point-of-care imaging technologies, announced that it received 510(k) [FDA]clearance to market its EchoMark and EchoMark LP soft tissue markers. [company press release, Jun 11, 18] total funding $6.6M [crunchbase.com]
Sonovex, (Baltimore, MD; at least $2M SBIR, seven employees), Johns Hopkins spinoff 2013, raised $3 million [VC] to push the firm through the regulatory approval process for its device to detect blood clots. ... uses ultrasound to detect blood clots as they form in blood vessels after surgery. [company press release, Apr 24, 17]
Echo Therapeutics (Franklin, MA; one SBIR as Sontra Medical) got its wish, landing a $2 million equity financing round ... In June, Echo licensed its needleless glucose-monitoring technology to South Korea-based Handok Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. for $600,000 and royalties and other payments. [Mass High Tech, Jul 29, 09]
Sontra Medical (Franklin MA; one SBIR) a developer of transdermal treatments and diagnostics, reports it has officially changed its name to Echo Therapeutics [Mass High Tech, Oct 8, 07]
Sontra Medical (Franklin MA; one SBIR) a developer of transdermal drug delivery technology, reports it has merged with a North Carolina company (Echo Therapeutics) to form a single firm set to be based in Philadelphia. [Mass High Tech, Sep 17]
Sonus Pharmaceuticals (Bothell, WA; 37 employees; no SBIR) plunged 84% as the drug developer said a cancer treatment failed to meet its main goal in an early-stage trial on breast-cancer patients. Consequently, large-cap Bayer Schering Pharma will likely terminate its partnership on the product. [Wall Street Journal, Sep 25, 07]
Sophiris Bio down 40% [Jun 25, 18] announced top-line interim safety and biopsy data following a single administration of topsalysin from its ongoing open-label, Phase 2b clinical trial. A single administration of topsalysin continues to demonstrate an ability to ablate targeted prostate cancer cells with 10 of 35 patients (29%) demonstrating a clinical response [company press releasem, Jun 25, 18]
Sophiris Bio up 14% [May 15, 18]
Sophiris Bio up 10%[Oct 17, 16]
Sophiris Bio down 13% [Aug24, 16]
Sophiris Bio down 33%[Aug23, 16] announced the pricing of an underwritten public offering of 6,500,000 of its common shares and related warrants to purchase 4,875,000 of its common shares with an exercise price of $4.00 per share [compay press release,Aug 23, 16]
Sophiris Bio up 28%[Aug18, 16]
Sophiris Bio down 13%[Aug 15, 16]
Sophiris Bio up 36% [Jul 25,16]
Sophiris (formerly Protox, La Jolla,CA; no SBIR) said topsalysin, itsbiologic drug fortreating an enlarged prostate, met the primary goal of a 52-week clinical trial by showing a significant improvement in patient symptoms that include frequent or difficult urination. [Bruce Bigelow, xconomy.com, Nov 13, 15]
Sophiris Bio down 13% [Sep 16,13]
Sophiris Bio up 12% [Sep 13, 13]
Sophiris Bio down 17% [Aug 16, 13] on first day of IPO trading. closed at $4.15. below IPO of $5, and way below first IPO hope of $15.
Sophiris Bio (San Diego, CA; no SBIR) cuts IPO price more than 60%, increases shares offered to compensate. [utsandiago.com, Apr 15, 13]
Sophiris Bio (San Diego, CA; no SBIR) is nearing its debut as a U.S. public company, after setting its terms last week at [to raise] $66 million to initiate two late-stage clinical trials of its drug PRX302 (Topsalysin) to treat non-cancerous prostate enlargement. [Bruce Bigelow, xconomy.com, Aug 8, 13]
Medtronic announced today that it has completed the acquisition of Sophono (Boulder, CO; no SBIR, founded 2009 by German inventor Ralf Siegert) a developer and manufacturer of innovative magnetic hearing implants ... enables Medtronic’s Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) division to continue its focus on novel therapies and innovative technology solutions. Terms of the deal are not being disclosed. ... Sophono’s magnetic bone conduction hearing implants are currently available in 42 countries and have been implanted in more than 4,000 patients. [Medtronic press release, Mar 27, 15]
As part of ARPA-E’s OPEN 2009 and SWITCHES programs, Soraa (Fremont, CA; $1.5M SBIR, founded 2008) has successfully engineered a 6-inch ammonothermal reactor that can cost-effectively produce high-quality gallium nitride (GaN) crystals, a crucial material used in ultra-efficient LED lighting and advanced power electronics. [ARPA-E newsletter, Sep 19, 17] founded by Dr. Shuji Nakamura, 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics. .... Nakamura’s invention, the blue light emitting diode (LED) [company website]
Soraa(Goleta, CA; $1.5M SBIR) plans to start volume sales [of LED lighting] to commercial customers in the second quarter for around $25 a lamp, in line with some other products on the market. But it expects to have a more long-term impact, using the same underlying technology in eventual replacements for incandescent bulbs and pushing down prices that have hindered LED adoption. Rivals question some of the claims. ... The problem with Soraa's approach, competitors say, is that gallium nitride wafers are much more expensive than existing materials. [Don Clark, Wall Street Journal, Feb 8, 12]
Soraa (Goleta, CA; $1.5M SBIR, founded 2008) a startup that uses semiconductors and laser technology to create energy efficient projectors, displays and other devices, has raised $88.6 million of a $90 million round, [Lindsay Riddell, San Francisco Business Times, Nov 28, 11]
Sorrento Thera (San Diego, CA; $4.8M SBIR) up 46% [Jan 27, 21] announced positive preliminary results from its Phase 1b study of human allogeneic adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (COVI-MSC(TM)) for patients suffering from COVID-19-induced acute respiratory distress (ARD) or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). [company press release, Jan 26, 21]
Sorrento Thera down 19% [Aug 24, 20]
Sorrento Therapeutics up 31% [Aug 10, 20]
Everspin Technologies down 16% [Aug 10, 20]
Sorrento Thera up 31% [Aug 4, 20]
Sorrento Therapeutics (San Diego, CA; $4.8M SBIR) and SmartPharm Therapeutics (Cambridge, MA; no SBIR)) announced today the signing of a letter of intent for Sorrento to acquire SmartPharm, a gene-encoded therapeutics company developing non-viral DNA and RNA gene delivery platforms for COVID-19 and rare diseases, with broad potential for application in enhancing antibody-centric therapeutics, including against COVID-19. [joint companies press release, Jul 24. 20]
Sorrento Thera down 17% [May 19, 20]
immuno-oncology startup Scorpion Therapeutics (Boston, MA; no SBIR) raised $24.7M in equity, according to an SEC filing. [Rowan Walrath, BostInno, May 19, 20]
Sorrento Therapeutics (San Diego, $4.8M SBIR thru 2014, 300 employees) up 158% [May 15, 20] announced that its anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody, STI-1499, demonstrated 100% inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 virus infection in an in vitro virus infection experiment at a very low antibody concentration. [company press release, May 15, 20] But was effective in a laboratory setting, which precedes any clinical trials. There is not yet any evidence that the treatment candidate is safe or effective in human beings. [Charley Grant, WSJ, May 15, 20]
Sorrento Thera up 12% [Jan 5, 17]
Sorrento Thera up 15% [Apr 6, 16]
Sorrento Therapeutics (San Diego, CA; no SBIR) purchased Concortis BioSystems (San Diego, CA; no SBIR) for about $12 million. Sorrento is developing antibody-based drugs. Concortis adds technology to develop antibody drugs that carry a payload of toxins and can be directly targeted to diseased cells, leaving healthy cells alone. Moreover, Concortis also brings rights to toxins that can be linked to antibodies. [Bradley Fikes, utsandiego.com, Nov 14, 13]
Sostena (Davis, CA; no SBIR) agriculture startup, has raised $8.1 million in venture capital. [Mark Anderson, Sacramento Business Journal, Jul 22, 16] provides hybrid fruit and vegetable seed to world class growers around the globe. Sostena recognizes that creating more value in the agricultural supply chain is vitally important due to limitations in arable acres and other natural resources [company minimal website]
Soteira (Natick, MA; no SBIR) has raised $6.6 million of a $12 million Series C equity financing round, according to documents filed with federal regulatory authorities. ... medical device firm, co-founded in 2004 by Trinity Partners LLC managing partner John Corcoran, maintains no website, and CEO Lawrence Jasinski was not available to comment. ... In 2005, Fairfield, Conn.-based Competitive Technologies Inc. (AMEX: CTT) granted Soteira exclusive license to CTT’s nanotechnology-based bone biomaterial for applications related to the spine. [Mass High Tech, May 8, 09]
Medical device firm Soteira (Dedham,MA; no SBIR) closed on a $12 million Series B round of financing ... Soteira has no official website and has not released any prior statements. [Mass High Tech, Sep 22, 08] developing a system for treatment of vertebral compression fractures in patients with osteoporosis, cancer or traumatic injuries. Soteira's design provides a superior biomechanical structure and better control of cement flow than other solutions. [Fletcher Spaght Ventures website]
Sotera Wireless (San Diego, CA; no SBIR), a maker of wireless medical monitors, said Wednesday it has raised $14.8 million from venture capital investors.The financing enables San Diego-based Sotera to ramp up commercialization of ViSi Mobile, its wireless patient monitoring system. [Bradley Fikes, utsandiego.com, Feb 6, 13]
Sound Pharmaceuticals (Seattle, WA; $160K SBIR, founded 2001), which develops drugs to treat inner ear disease, has raised $4.1 million in debt financing, according to [SEC] documents .... launched a clinical trial this year to test a treatment for Meniere’s Disease, which can cause hearing loss and vertigo, among other symptoms. Sound Pharmaceutical’s drug, called SPI-1005, gives patients a molecule that the company hopes will improve a patient’s hearing. ... also developing a drug to treat bipolar disorder. [Rachel Lerman, Seattle Times, Sep 19, 16]
Sotera Wireless (San Diego, CA; no SBIR), a maker of wireless medical monitors, said Wednesday it has raised $14.8 million from venture capital investors.The financing enables San Diego-based Sotera to ramp up commercialization of ViSi Mobile, its wireless patient monitoring system. [Bradley Fikes, utsandiego.com, Feb 6, 13]
Security software maker Sourcefire (Columbia MD, no SBIR) went public in an IPO. The market value reached $358M, far exceeding its price when national security concerns scuttled an Israeli firm's attempt to buy Sourcefire in 2005 [Alec Klein, Washington Post, Mar 10]
Sourcefire (Columbia, MD) a network security company - best known for its anti-hacker technology, Snort - that started in its founder's living room and has since grown to a 174-person business, said yesterday that it plans to go public.[Stacey Hirsch, Baltimore Sun, Oct 26] Nope, no SBIRs. Its attaboys come from other sources: the world leader in network intrusion prevention, today announced that it has been chosen by AlwaysOn as one of the Top 100 Private Company award winners for the third straight year. Sourcefire was handpicked by the AlwaysOn editorial panel based on a set of five criteria - technology innovation, market potential, customer adoption, media buzz and investor value creation [sourcefire website]
Source MDx (Boulder, CO; one SBIR), a biotechnology company specializing in molecular diagnostics, appears to have shuttered its operations. [Denver Post, Feb 2, 11]
Southwall Technologies (Palo Alto, CA; one SBIR long ago) said it was awarded a $1.43 million stimulus grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. ... to develop solar-reflective films and glass for super insulating windows. [Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal, Jun 23, 10]
Southwest Windpower (Flagstaff, AZ; no SBIR) is the world's leading manufacturer of small wind generators. ... In 2006, Southwest Windpower released the Skystream 3.7, which was designed in conjunction with the National Renewable Energy Labs. ... The American Wind Energy Association conducted a study at the beginning of this year that predicts exponential growth in the sale of small wind generators over the next 10 years." [Patricia Bathurst, Arizona Republican, Oct 19] For 20 years, bringing low-cost, reliable wind energy to the world [company website]
Air Force (USAF) selected Sierra Nevada (Sparks, NV; $1M SBIR, founded 1963, 2500 employees) and its partner Embraer (Brazil) Defense and Security for its Light Air Support (LAS) program. ... deemed the A-29 Super Tucano aircraft, and the overall solution offered by SNC, to be the superior choice for this critical mission. The initial $427.5 million delivery order is to supply the USAF with 20 A-29 Super Tucano aircraft. ... for. light air support, reconnaissance and training capabilities to the Afghanistan military. As such, it is a vital element of the United States’ Afghan withdrawal strategy .. work will be in Jacksonville, FL [company press release Feb 27, 13] over the years it has gathered up companies: Space Dev (Poway, CA; $5M SBIR) ;MicroSat Systems (Littleton, CA; $11M SBIR) ; Straight Flight (Denver, CO; no SBIR) ; Waveband (Torrance, CA; $17M SBIR); Aviation Resources Delaware (no SBIR); Inter-4 (San Francisco, CA; no SBIR); Turtle Mountain Communications (no SBIR) ; Plano Microwave (Plano, TX; no SBIR) ; Spectral Systems (Beavercreek, OH; no SBIR) ;Advanced Countermeasure Systems (Sacramento, CA; no SBIR) .
Seattle-based Spaltudaq started out as one man in a lab with an idea for fighting cancer. Now it's scored $29 million in its second round of venture-capital funding, a shot in the arm that should carry the biotech company into its first round of clinical trials. [Kirsten Orsini-Menihard, Seattle Times, Mar 17] No SBIR.
Two
technology companies are
promising millions in investment and hundreds of new jobs in Central
Texas, in exchange for state
tax
breaks. The Austin City Council is set to vote
on
designating Flextronics
America (no
SBIR)and Spansion (no
SBIR) as Enterprise Zone Projects
under the Texas Enterprise Zone Act. That designation would allow the
companies to get refunds on their state sales and use taxes.
[Austin American Statesman, May 15, 14]
More public lures. Spansion (Sunnyvale, CA; no SBIR) flash memory developer and manufacturer, is in talks with the city of Austin for a Texas Enterprise Zone designation. .... In 2007, the city worked with Spansion on a similar deal that led to a $3.75 million state tax break for a $280 million retooling .... Spansion filed for bankruptcy in 2009 and emerged in 2010. Recently, the company reported $56 million in profit in the period ending Sept. 29, 2013. [Robert Grattan, Austin Business Journal, Feb 6, 14]
Glowforge (Seattle, WA; no SBIR) startup announced a $9 million series A financing round from big name venture firms ... created a [3D] printer that is simpler to use ... The technology works by letting people upload sketches to the cloud and minutes later, the machine can create a 3D version of that sketch by carving it into a block of wood, leather or other materials. [Founder Dan] Shapiro has an impressive history in the business world — he was CEO of Google Comparison, and founded Ontela (Seattle, WA; no SBIR) and Sparkbuy (Seattle, WA; no SBIR). [Rachel Lerman, Puget Sound Business Journal, May 20, 15]
Dimien (Amherst, NY; $900K SBIR) clean tech manufacturer of ceramics and inorganics that are used as additives in laminates, inks, coatings, plastics, and other ceramics [company website] was a Finalist in the 43North startup competion for $1M. The winner was SparkCharge ; no SBIR) a Syracuse University spinoff that offers a portable electric-vehicle (EV) charging unit [Eric Reinhardt, Central NY Business Journal, Oct 5, 18].
Spark Thera up 120% [Feb 25, 19]
Roche (Swiss) agreed to acquire Spark Therapeutics (Philadelphia, PA, no SBIR) for about $4.8 billion. [Wall Street Journal, Feb 25, 19]
Spark Therapeutics (Philadelphia, PA; no SBIR), announced that the European Commission has granted marketing authorization for LUXTURNA® (voretigene neparvovec), a one-time gene therapy for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with vision loss due to inherited retinal dystrophy caused by confirmed biallelic RPE65 mutations and who have sufficient viable retinal cells. [company press release, Nov 23, 18] triggers $25M payment [Phialdelphia Business Journal]
Spark Therapeutics to add up to 500 jobs in West Philadelphia expansion ... getting $9.5 million in state grants to stay in the city [John George, Philadelphia Business Journal, Oct 11, 18]
Spark Therapeutics presented data on hemophilia B patients who received a version of its gene therapy manufactured using a modified process. Early data on the patients suggest the new batch of therapies is at least as effective as its predecessor, clearing away a potential pitfall on Spark’s path to market. [Nick Paul Taylor, Fierce Biotech, May 22, 18]
Spark Therapeutics sold its priority review voucher, which speeds up an FDA review for an experimental drug, to Jazz Pharmaceuticals for $110 million. Spark got the voucher when the FDA approved its gene therapy voretigene neparvovec (Luxturna). [Ben Fidler, xconomy.com, May 4, 18]
Spark Thera up 13% [Apr 9, 18]
molecular diagnostics company Exact Sciences acquired Armune BioScience (Kalamazoo and Ann Arbor, MI; no SBIR, founded 2008), a cancer diagnostic startup. Terms not disclosed. “Armune is scaling down,” says [CEO] David Esposito. “Exact Sciences acquired all of our intellectual property and assets underlying our technology. For all intents and purposes, we have ceased marketing our products.” [xconomy.com, Jan 26, 18]
Novartis likes Luxturna’s value. It paid Spark Thera $105 million upfront for rights outside of the U.S. Spark is still responsible for securing European approval.
Spark Thera up 12% [Jan 22, 18]
Eye treatment for billionaires. The first gene therapy approved in the United States will cost $850,000, its developer Spark Therapeutics announced. The one-time treatment, voretigene neparvovec (Luxturna), is meant for a tiny group of people with a genetic mutation, known as RPE65, which leads to vision loss, even blindness, and often starts in childhood. Between 1,000 and 2,000 people in the U.S. have RPE65 mutations, according to the FDA. [Alex Lash, xconomy.com, Jan 3, 18]
Spark Therapeutics (Philadelphia, PA; no SBIR) announced that [FDA] approved LUXTURNA™ (voretigene neparvovec-rzyl), a one-time gene therapy product indicated for the treatment of patients with confirmed biallelic RPE65 mutation-associated retinal dystrophy. [company press release, Dec 19, 17]
Spark Thera down 35% [Dec 11, 17] after the company reported data from trials of a hemophilia treatment that analysts said look less competitive than a rival product from BioMarin Pharmaceutical [MarketWatch, Dec 11, 17]
A panel of FDA advisors voted 16-0 to recommend that the agency approve a one-dose gene therapy for a rare form of blindness. If approved, voretigene neparvovec (Luxturna) would be the first therapy in the U.S. that replaces a faulty gene with a working one. The drug’s owner, Spark Therapeutics (Philadelphia, PA; no SBIR) is pitching it as a one-shot cure. “The data suggest that it could be very long-lasting, if not lifelong,” CEO Jeff Marrazzo told Xconomy. [Alex Lash, xconomy.com, Oct 12, 17]
Spark Therapeutics (Philadelphia, PA; no SBIR), a fully integrated gene therapy company dedicated to challenging the inevitability of genetic disease, announced it has entered into a licensing agreement with Genethon, a [French] non-profit research and development organization dedicated to the development of gene therapies for orphan genetic diseases from research to clinical validation, for the development and commercialization of an adeno-associated viral (AAV) gene therapy targeting the liver to address a rare genetic disease. [company press release, Sep 20, 17]
Spark Therapeutics (Philadelphia, PA; no SBIR) announced today the closing of the previously announced underwritten public offering of its common stock [to raise] approximately $380 million [company press release, Aug 9, 17]
Spark Thera up 20% [Aug 2, 17]
Spark Thera down 10% [Jan 11, 17]
Spark Thera up 14% [Dec 6, 16]
Spark Thera down 10% [Dec 1, 16]
Spark Thera down 14% [Nov 3, 16]
Spark Therapeutics (Philadelphia, PA; no SBIR), a fully integrated gene therapy company seeking to transform the lives of patients with debilitating genetic diseases by developing investigational, potentially one-time, life-altering treatments, announced today a multi-year research agreement with Guangping Gao, Ph.D., the Penelope Booth Rockwell Chair in Biomedical Research, director of the Horae Gene Therapy Center, and professor of microbiology and physiological systems at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Dr. Gao will collaborate broadly with Spark Therapeutics to identify adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors from a proprietary library of AAV capsids and evaluate their efficacy, with the goal of enhancing the efficiency of gene delivery to cells in the retina, liver and central nervous system. [company press release, Oct 20, 16]
Spark Therapeutics and Dutch firm UniQure both updated their hemophilia B gene therapy programs. Despite technical differences and the early nature of the data that made comparison difficult, Wall Street declared Spark this week’s winner. UniQure’s shares fell more than 16 percent. [Alex Lah, xconomy.com, Jun 17, 16]
Spark Thera up 14% [May 19, 16]
Spark Thera up 11% [May 18, 16]
Spark Thera up 10% [May 16, 16]
Spark Thera up 10% [May 9, 16]
Spark Thera up 11% [Apr 6, 16] /p>
Spark Thera down 11% [Mar 23,16]
Spark Therapeutics (Philadelphia, PA; no SBIR) has acquired Irish gene therapy company Genable Technologies in a deal valued at about $15 million. [John George, Philadelphia Business Journal, Mar 7, 16]
Spark Thera down 10% [Mar 3,16]
Spark Thera up 12% [Feb 17, 16]
Spark Thera up 19% [Feb 16, 16]
Spark Thera down 10% [Jan 27, 16]
Spark Therapeutics (Philadelphia, PA; no SBIR, founded 2013 as spin out of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia) expects to raise $141 million in a public stock offering ... for prelaunch activities related to SPK-RPE65, and for clinical testing and other {R&D] [John George, Philadelphia Business Journal, Dec 21, 15]
Spark Therapeuticsreceived a $15 million milestone payment this week from Pfizer as part of the companies’ collaboration deal covering the joint development of a potential gene therapy treatment for hemophilia B. [John George, Philadelphia Business Journal, Dec 11, 15]
Spark Therapeutics, (Philadelphia, PA; no SBIR, founded 2013) went public [for] $161 million... Last month, Spark signed a deal with Pfizer valued at up to $280 million to co-develop and market Spark's hemophilia B gene therapy candidate ... $9 million to fund external research-and-development expenses for SPK-RPE65, an experimental therapy in late-stage clinical testing as a potential treatment for rare inherited retinal dystrophies that causes blindness. [John George, Philadelphia Business Journal, Jan 30, 15]
Spark Therapeutics (Philadelphia, PA; no SBIR) has priced its proposed its [IPO] under which the gene therapy company is seeking to raise up to $107.5 million. ... Its most advanced compound, called SPK-RPE65, is in late-stage clinical testing as a potential treatment for a rare inherited retinal dystrophies that causes blindness. It's pipeline also includes new drug candidates being developed to treat hematologist disorders ad neurodegenerative diseases. [John George, Philadelphia Business Journal, Jan 23, 15]
Spark Therapeutics, (Philadelphia, PA; no SBIR, 15 employees), a late -stage company developing gene-based medicines for a wide range of rare, debilitating diseases, announced the successful completion of a $72.8 million Series B financing .... advance the company’s deep pipeline of gene therapy programs including development of its lead Phase 3 program to address RPE65-related retinal dystrophies, ... currently in Phase 3 clinical trials [company press release, May 27, 14]
Spark Therapeutics (Philadelphia, PA), a new ,fully integrated company developing gene -based medicines for a wide range of debilitating diseases, announced today it has launched with a $50 million capital commitment from The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) to advance and commercialize multiple ongoing programs with clinical proof of concept. ..... will assume control over two gene therapy clinical trials: a Phase 3 study for inherited blindness caused by mutations of the RPE65 gene and a Phase 1/2 study for hemophilia B. The company is also advancing toward the clinic with gene therapy programs to address neurodegenerative diseases and additional hematologic disorders and other forms of inherited blindness [company press release, Oct 22, 13]
Also Army Futures Command awards Spark Thermionics (Emeryville, CA; $3.3M SBIR] to develop innovative power solutions for the service. [breakingdefense.com, Jan 30, 22]
Sparo Labs (St. Louis, MO; no SBIR) medical device startup, was given [FDA] clearance for its Wing device, which measures lung function to help people manage asthma and other respiratory conditions. [Brian Feldt, St. Louis Business Journal, Jun 30,16]
medical device startup Sparo Labs (St. Louis, MO; SBIR) raised more than $450,000 from a group of investors, according to a [SEC]document ... has developed a pocket-sized spirometer called Wing to measure lung function. [Brian Feldt, St. Louis Business Journal, Jan 21, 16]
about 100 startups launched outof a washington class called hatchery have raised $33.8 million since 2008, according to s research. that figure is about doubl" what the university reported at this time two years ago. including Sparo Labs <(St. Louis, MO; no SBIR)and Nanopore Diagnostics (St Louis, MO; no SBIR). [Brian Feldt, St. Louis Business Journal, Oct 27, 15].... Sparo Labs startup developing technology for asthma patients, launched a $50,000 Indiegogo campaign for its Wing medical device that measures lung function [Brian Feldt, St. Louis Business Journal, Oct 23, 15] [Nanopore is] developing a rapid and portable bacterial diagnostic assay. [http://acceleratestlouis.org]
The 30 million asthma sufferers in the U.S. have been relying on medical technology last updated in the 1950s to measure lung function. ... Sparo Labs (St Louis, MO; no SBIR) have developed a pocket-sized spirometer called Wing, which measures lung function and allows patients to develop preventive techniques for treating asthma before the need of an inhaler or emergency room visit. ... developing the idea for Wing in 2012 while participating in Washington University’s chapter of Engineering Without Borders, which is a non-profit humanitarian organization that supports community-driven development programs worldwide. ... raised $1.3 million through a group of angel investors, [Katlyn Keller, St. Louis Business Journal, Apr 17, 15]
Spatial Photonics, a Sunnyvale CA start-up developing high-definition microdisplays that will compete with existing microdisplay technologies, has raised about $26 M in a second round [Matt Marshall, Venture Beat, Sep 5]
Spectra254 (Danbury, CT; no SBIR) start-up is accelerating production of a portable ultraviolet-light sanitizer that was designed to curb hospital-acquired infections — and was just recently enlisted in the fight against Ebola ... The Spectra 1000 is a 6-foot, 75-pound machine with eight high-powered UVC bulbs. The company said the $40,000 device uses standard electric current and kills viruses, spores and bacteria in a hospital room in 5 minutes. .... said the World Health Organization recently ordered two machines for use in Sierra Leone to help stem the spread of Ebola. [Anne Hamilton, Hartford Courant, Oct 30, 14]
Sharp Edge Labs has partnered with SpectraGenetics (>Pittsburgh, PA; $2.3M SBIR) to make products that are used by researchers in the development of new drugs. ... Sharp Edge licensed the technology from Carnegie Mellon University, and the partnership will allow the South Side-based biotech companies to develop assays used to study some 600 cell receptors, which are of special interest to researchers. [Kris Mamula, Pittsburgh Business Journal, Oct 25, 13]
Spectral Energies (Beavercreek, OH; $8M SBIR, 30 employees) is moving on plans for a new lab building [expected to cost close to $1.8 million. [Tristan Navera, Dayton Business Journal, Nov 24, 15]
Spectral Energies LLC (Dayton, OH; $8M SBIR, 25 employees) won the largest contract in its history, a $33 million deal to support the U.S. Air Force. ... The work — to further laser-based testing — will support the Aerospace Systems Directorate [Joe Cogliano, Dayton Business Journal, Jun 12, 15] no mention of any commercial economic impact for a firm that has done a lot of research contracts making the governent smarter. Company website boasts of a nearly 100% commercialization index whatever that means to an investor looking for ROI, and over 80 peer-reviewed journal articles since 2007. Since it is a private firm, it can stay below the radar on ROI while selling the AF its technical skills for research.
Dayton celebrates NASA Phase II SBIR awards: Spectral Energies (Dayton, OH; $8M SBIR) two awards; Cornerstone Research Group (Beavercreek OH; $35M SBIR) two awards; Nu Waves (Middletown, OH; no SBIR); Applied Optimization (Dayton, OH; $4M SBIR); Mound Laser & Photonics Center (Miamisburg, OH; $4.6M SBIR). [Joe Cogliano, Dayton Business Journal, Apr 20, 15] So NASA handed $5M to a group of firms that have already had $50M of the nursery money. Dayton and the Dayton CODEL love it, but the American economy will see no growth spurt.
Air Force (USAF) selected Sierra Nevada (Sparks, NV; $1M SBIR, founded 1963, 2500 employees) and its partner Embraer (Brazil) Defense and Security for its Light Air Support (LAS) program. ... deemed the A-29 Super Tucano aircraft, and the overall solution offered by SNC, to be the superior choice for this critical mission. The initial $427.5 million delivery order is to supply the USAF with 20 A-29 Super Tucano aircraft. ... for. light air support, reconnaissance and training capabilities to the Afghanistan military. As such, it is a vital element of the United States’ Afghan withdrawal strategy .. work will be in Jacksonville, FL [company press release Feb 27, 13] over the years it has gathered up companies: Space Dev (Poway, CA; $5M SBIR) ;MicroSat Systems (Littleton, CA; $11M SBIR) ; Straight Flight (Denver, CO; no SBIR) ; Waveband (Torrance, CA; $17M SBIR); Aviation Resources Delaware (no SBIR); Inter-4 (San Francisco, CA; no SBIR); Turtle Mountain Communications (no SBIR) ; Plano Microwave (Plano, TX; no SBIR) ; Spectral Systems (Beavercreek, OH; no SBIR) ;Advanced Countermeasure Systems (Sacramento, CA; no SBIR) .
Spectranetics (Colorado Springs, CO; $150K SBIR two decades ago) up 26% [Jun 28,17] Royal Philips NV (Netherlands) is buying Spectranetics for 1.9 billion euros ($2.15 billion), a deal expected to accelerate Philips's expansion in image-guided therapy devices. [Dow Jones Newswire]
Spectranetics up 11% [Feb 26, 16]
Spectranetics< down 10% [Jan 28, 16]
Spectranetics up 15% [Oct 23,15]
the Stellarex division [of Medtronic] got a new $2.1 million facility in Maple Grove [MN] and a commitment from the new owners — Spectranetics (Colorado Springs, CO; $150K SBIR twenty years ago) — to aggressively invest in the technology. ... Spectranetics is a fast-growing company that manufactures all its devices in the U.S. It is projecting at least $240 million in revenue this year, up from $118 million in 2010. As the maker of single-use medical products, Spectranetics has been working to build a complete line of devices for the cardiovascular subspecialty known as vascular intervention. ... Medtronic already had a drug-coated balloon in the works last year when it announced plans to acquire Covidien (Irish), which had acquired Stellarex from a California company called CV Ingenuity (Fremont, CA; no SBIR) in 2012. [Joe Carlson, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Sep 21, 15]
Spectranetics up 10% [Jul 29,15]
Spectranetics (Colorado Springs, CO; $150K SBIR two decades ago) down 34% [Jul 24,15] announced adjusting our 2015 outlook based on first-half results that fell short of plan and tempered expectations for the second half. [company press release] ... and two law firms announce investigation of securities claims.
Spectranetics up 13% [Oct 24, 14]
Spectranetics down 12% [Apr 8, 14]
Spectranetics (Colorado Springs, CO; three SBIRs ca 1990) up 15% [Feb 25, 14] Market cap $1B. said a trial evaluating laser atherectomy to treat patients with peripheral artery disease achieved statistical endpoints. [Wall Street Journal , Feb 25, 14]
Spectranetics down 10% [Apr 24, 13]
Spectranetics up 19% [Jul 26, 12]
Spectranetics up 11% [Oct 26, 11]
Spectranetics up 10% [Sep 7, 11]
Spectranetics up 12% [Apr 27, 11]
Import laws have teeth<. Three former executives of Spectranetics (Colorado Springs, CO; three Phase 1 SBIRs) medical-laser maker, are named in a 12-count criminal indictment that accuses them of illegally importing unapproved medical devices, the office of Colorado U.S. Attorney John Walsh announced. [Denver Business Journal, Aug 30, 10]
Spectranetics up 15% [Dec 29, 09]
Spectranetics (Colorado Springs, CO; $150K SBIR in the 1990s) said it will pay $5 million to end a government investigation into allegations it imported and marketed medical lasers that had not been cleared by regulators. [Marely Seaman, AP, Dec 29, 09]
Spectranetics (Colorado Springs, CO; a little SBIR) announced the first use in Japan of its Spectranetics Laser Sheath technology for removal of cardiac leads. The technology has been used in the United States and Europe for more than a decade. [Denver Post, Aug 28]
Spectranetics (Colorado Springs, CO; three SBIRs long ago) announced the availability of the new LLD EZ Lead Locking Device (LLD) for the removal of non-functional or infected pacing and defibrillation leads. The LLD EZ enables physicians to secure the entire lead creating traction to enable the removal process. [PR Newswire, May 15]
Intel, the world's largest computer chipmaker and Oregon's largest private employer, announced that it would lead a $50 M investment in SpectraWatt (Hillsboro, OR; no SBIR), a startup that will make photovoltaic cells for solar modules. [The Oregonian, Jun 17]
Mason Box (North Attleboro, MA) is among several local companies that have been selected to participate in the "Next Generation Manufacturing Initiative, or NGMI, an effort to foster best-in-class manufacturing processes. Other participants in the initiative include Hoppe Tool (Chicopee, MA), Matouk Textiles (Fall River, MA), Munksjo Paper (Fitchburg, MA), and Spectro Coating (Leominster, MA). The initiative is a partnership of the Associated Industries of Massachusetts, a nonprofit group representing Bay State employers; MassDevelopment, the commonwealth's finance and development authority; and the Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership, a group dedicated to helping local manufacturers remain competitive in a global marketplace. [Chris Reidy, Boston Globe, Jun 19] No SBIR.
A massive U.S. Air Force contract has been awarded to a group of five small businesses that will share in the $851 million worth of work, according to Washington Technology ... sharing the contract: Abacus Technology (Chevy Chase, MD); EIS (Vienna, VA); Odyssey Systems Consulting Group(Wakefield, MA); P3I (Hopkinton, MA); and SpectrumS4 (Burlington, MA). [Dayton Business Journal, Nov 1, 12] No SBIR to any.
Eight start-up companies have been certified as qualified new business ventures by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., the agency said. With the certification, the companies' financial backers will be eligible for a 25% tax credit on the amount they invest in the company. The start-ups include: InControl Medical LLC (Milwaukee, WI; no SBIR) has developed an FDA-cleared device designed to treat female urinary incontinence; NitricGen (Middleton, WI; no SBIR) has developed a medical device that uses plasma technology to electronically generate gaseous nitric oxide from the air and helps speed the healing process for individuals with chronic diabetic foot ulcers; SpeechTails (Elm Grove, WI; no SBIR) has an online speech therapy and learning system; Whole Trees (Stoddard, WI; no SBIR) has a technology for digitally engineering timber to make affordable commercial construction materials that can be substitutes for concrete, steel or milled lumber. [Kathleen Gallagher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Aug 1, 12]
Speech Tails (Elm Grove,WI; no SBIR) that offers online speech learning for children said Wednesday it has raised $300,000 of funding from angel investors. ... helps parents with early detection of speech issues through a free website assessment parents can take with their children. Then it helps parents, educators and professionals deliver a set of services to manage and correct issues. [Kathleen Gallagher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, May 2, 12]
Fourteen startups that received a total of more than $17 million from [Texas Emerging Technology Fund managed by Gov. Rick Perry’s office... which has backed 143 startups] have failed or gone bankrupt. .... [ MIT professor Bill Aulet, who is managing director of the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship] said the number of failed ETF companies would be higher if state officials took the chances they needed when investing in startups. "They really haven't taken any risk," he said. "Governments aren't good at being venture capitalists because governments aren't good at risk." .... a partial list of the ETF-backed startups in Texas that have since closed, followed by the grant amounts they received: • NanoTailor, $250,000; • Star Vision Technologies, $750,000; • Terrabon, $2.7 million; • Thrombo Vision, $1.5 million; Nanocoolers, $3 million; • Advanced Receiver Technologies, $250,000; • Bauhaus Software, $500,000; • Net Watch Solutions, $500,000; • Sunrise Ridge Algae, $250,000; • SeprOx, $750,000; • Speer Medical, $2.5 million < [Christopher Calnan, Austin Business Journal, Jan 9, 14] None of these had SBIR.
Spero Therapeutics (Cambridge, MA; $1M SBIR) up 46% [Sep 8, 20] announced positive topline results from ADAPT-PO, the pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating Spero's oral antibiotic candidate, tebipenem HBr, for the treatment of adults with complicated urinary tract infection (cUTI) and acute pyelonephritis (AP). Topline data from the trial demonstrate that oral tebipenem HBr was statistically non-inferior to intravenous (IV) ertapenem in the treatment of patients with cUTI and patients with AP. [company press release, Sep 8, 20]
Spero Therapeutics (Cambridge, MA; $1M SBIR) up 18% [Apr 27, 20]
Spero Thera (Cambridge, MA; $600K SBIR) up 12% [Jun 22, 18]
Spero Therapeutics (Cambridge, MA; no SBIR) announced the pricing of its [IPO] to raise $77M. [company press release, Nov 1, 17]
Despite the growing problem of drug-resistant bacteria, few new antibiotics have been developed in recent decades. Spero Therapeutics (Cambridge, MA, no SBIR) is trying to fill that gap by assembling a pipeline of antibiotic candidates, and it now has $51.7 million in new capital to finance clinical trials on some of them. GV, the venture arm of Google, led the Series C investment ... a little more than a year after Spero raised $30 million in a Series B [Frank Vinluan, xconomy.com, Mar 8, 17]
Seven months after raising a $30 million Series A round, Spero Therapeutics (Cambridge, MA; no SBIR) added a like-sized Series B to develop antibiotics for tough-to-kill gram-negative bacterial infections [Ben Fidler, xconomy.com, Feb 5, 16]
St. Jude Medical will buy Spinal Modulation (Menlo Park, CA; no SBIR) maker of a spinal cord stimulator for treating chronic pain. ... will pay $175 million for Spinal Modulation ... will make more payments when Spinal Modulation's device receives U.S. regulatory approval and if the business hits revenue goals. [Katharine Grayson, Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal, Apr 20, 15]
St. Jude Medical has invested $40 million in Spinal Modulation (Menlo Park, CA; no SBIR), developing a spinal-cord stimulator that treats chronic pain.The deal gives St. Jude an exclusive option to buy Spinal Modulation for a maximum of $300 million, plus milestone payments .... raised several rounds of venture capital, including a $30 million round in 2011. Medtronic also is an investor. [Katherine Grayson, Minneapolis / St Paul Business Journal, Jun 7, 13]
Spinal Restoration (Austin, TX; no SBIR, founded 2004) said it has raised $5 million to push forward with its first product. ... is developing a minimally invasive drug treatment for chronic lower-back pain. [Lori Hawkins, Austin American Statesman, Oct 23, 12]
Spinal Restoration (Austin, TX; no SBIR, founded 2004) completed a $20 million round of financing. ... develops therapies designed to address unmet needs in spine health management [Austin Business Journal, Mar 18, 10]
Spinal Restoration (Austin TX; no SBIR) raised $16M VC to finish a trial of its Biostat Disc Augmentation System, which is a new minimally invasive treatment for discogenic low back pain. [Austin American-Statesman, Oct 10]
Spinal Stabilization Technologies (San Antonio,TX; no SBIR) developing a medical device for degenerating spinal cord discs, has added almost $11.2 million in new financing, according to a securities filing. [David Holley, xconomy.com, Aug 29, 28]
Spinal Simplicity LLC (Overland Park, KS; no SBIR, founded 2008) announced the closing of a financing round with an investment following its commercialization in the U.S., according to a release. Spinal Simplicity's Minuteman implantable spinal device was approved by [FDA] [Dora Grote, Kansas City Business Journal, May 3, 16] Dr. Harold Hess performed the first US surgical implantation of the MinutemanG3, Lateral MIS Fusion Plate. [company press release, Apr 15, 16]
SpineEX (Fremont, CA; no SBIR) filed to sell $17.25 million IPO. ... preparing to sell a family of spinal implant and related surgical devices. ... hopes to gain approval for its lead device by the end of 2018. [Donovan Jones, seeking alpha.com, Sep 20, 18]
SpineGuard(San Francisco, CA; no SBIR) maker of hand-held devices designed to improve spine-fusion surgery outcomes, said it’s won $6.2 million in "extended" Series A funding from various investors. ... founded 2009, 23 employees, says its objective is to make the company’s FDA-approved PediGuard devices the leading platform for “pedicle screw placement in spine surgery.” [Chris Rauber, San Francisco Business Times, Sep 27, 11]
Medical device startup SpineGuard, (no SBIR) with offices in San Francisco and Paris, said late last week it’s raised $4 million from Irish VC firm Delta Partners, closing its $15 million first round of funding. [Chris Rauber, San Francisco Business Times, Jul 6, 09]
Spineology (Oakdale, MN; no SBIR, founded 1997) maker of spinal implant devices, secured more than $10 million in a recent funding round, according to SEC documents. [Sam Schaust, Twin Cities Business, Aug 21, 17]
spinal technology developer Spineology (Oakdale, MN; no SBIR) said that its unique implant device, the Rampart Duo, received [FDA] . The Rampart Duo, which is used to maintain sagittal alignment (or a front-to-back imbalance in the spine) during surgery, also received praise by medical professionals. [Sam Schaust, Twin Cities Business, Oct 26, 16]
Spineology (Oakdale, MN; no SBIR) a med-tech firm that’s developed devices used during back surgery, has closed on $7.5 million in capital. [Minneapolis/St Paul Business Journal, Jul 15, 08]
SpineThera (Plymouth, MN; one SBIR) announced DOD awarded the company a grant for $4.97 million that will support development of SX600 (a novel formulation of sustained-release dexamethasone for treatment of lumbar radiculopathy). [company press release, Apr 25, 2022]
Spine Wave (Shelton, CT; no SBIR) is partnering with a brand new product development company in Memphis, Tenn., called MB Innovations, a creation of MB Venture Partners, which will also be investing in Spine Wave. ... Among the devices Spine Wave makes is the StaXx XDL Expandable Device, a PEEK spacer, intended for spinal fusion through lateral surgery. The device won marketing clearance from the [FDA]. [Rodney Brown, Mass High Tech, Dec 21, 11]
Spine Wave (Shelton, CT; no SBIR) developer of spinal disorder devices, raised $17.5 million in a funding round ... to grow its commercial operations and help bring its NuCore Injectable Nucleus to clinical trials. The NuCore device is an injectable protein hydrogel designed to treat early signs of degenerative disc disease without surgery, according to the Spine Wave website. [Michelle Lang, Mass High Tech, Feb 3, 11]
Last year, Cornerstone Research Group (Beavercreek, OH; $32M SBIR, 80 employees) took first place in the Dayton Business Journal Innovation Index Awards in the commercialization category. [Joe Cogliano, Dayton Business Journal, Feb 23, 15] recognized for its innovative approach to commercialization in providing technology commercialization services and advisory support to spin-off subsidiaries, allowing them to focus on their core business needs and move more quickly into the market. ... Spintech LLC (no SBIR) , a CRG spin-off subsidiary, has made the most profitable exit from the Accelerant fund so far (July 2013). ... qFuzion LLC (spun off 2012), With funding support from the Dayton Development Coalition's Entrepreneurial Signature Program, now leverages CRG's expertise in nanotechnology to offer capital equipment that adds nanomaterials to polymers. [company website] Since firm and its spinoffs are private firms, only the SBIR managers know the degree of economic payoff from the government handouts. And it is unlikely that they care. The only way Congress would pay much attention is if the agency failed to hand out its required minimum money.
Cornerstone Research Group (Beavercreek, OH; $32M SBIR, 80 employees) is looking to start a $2 million manufacturing operation that could create up to 50 new jobs. .... to make Metagraphite, a composite material it developed, for sale to the residential and civil construction market. .... Cornerstone has started to see success with some of its subsidiary companies. That includes: NONA Composites LLC, a process engineering company for composite tooling and parts manufacturers. It provides a no-oven, no-autoclave composite fabrication solution to significantly reduce time and capital equipment investments; Advantic LLC, which provides an engineering service and product that acts as a lightweight alternative to pre-cast concrete, allowing customers to bid projects more competitively and eliminate heavy installation issues; and Spintech LLC, which markets a forming system that allows composite structures to be built with a quickly removable and reusable mold. [Joe Cogliano, Dayton Business Journal, Dec 3, 14]
Spintech (Xenia, OH; no SBIR) paid back the Dayton Region Signature Fund, managed by Accelerant. .... the most profitable exit from the fund so far,” said Joel Ivers, vice president of entrepreneurial development at Accelerant. The payment back to the fund included an annual return in excess of 30 percent over three years, ... a spin-off from Cornerstone Research Group (Beavercreek, OH) uses a forming system that allows composite structures to be built with a quickly removable and reusable mold. [Joe Cogliano, Dayton Business Journal, Oct 11, 13]
Spin Transfer Technology (Fremont, CA; no SBIR, founded 2007) said it has raised $70 million for a faster new form of chip memory. ... a subsidiary of Allied Minds (Boston, MA; no SBIR) that commercializes technologies developed at leading U.S. universities and federal research institutions. [Cromwell Schubarth, Silicon Valley Business Journal, Oct 9, 14]
Allied Minds has spun out a new startup, Spin Transfer Technologies (Boston, MA; no SBIR) , with $36 million in a Series A round and tech to make a new kind of computer and device memory. .... working on what it calls “orthogonal spin transfer magnetoresistive random access memory” which the company claims will be non-volatile like flash memory - the kind used in memory cards for cameras, for example - but have the read and write speeds of volatile DRAM and SRAM styles of memory - the kinds found in computers and laptops. [Rodney Brown, Mass High Tech, Feb 13, 12]
Spiral Genetics (Seattle, WA; no SBIR) maker of software that helps crunch big volumes of DNA data, has just raised its first sizable round of venture capital..... raised $3 million in its Series A financing [Luke Timmerman, xconomy.com, Mar 12, 13]
Spiral Therapeutics (San Francisco, CA; no SBIR, founded 2016, tied to Johns Hopkins), a company developing therapies to treat inner ear diseases and hearing loss, has raised $3.7 million. [Morgan Eichensehr, Baltimore Business Journal, Dec 27, 18] prior funding $4M [crunchbase.com]
Spiration (Redmond, WA; no SBIR, 50-employees) medical device company, has agreed to be acquired by one of its investors, Olympus Medical Systems of Japan. ... sells in Europe a minimally invasive device for patients whose lungs suffer from emphysema or air leaks resulting from surgery. The company's IBV Valve System is in clinical trials for emphysema in the U.S., and is approved for limited use to control prolonged air leaks following certain lung surgeries.... has raised more than $94 million from venture and strategic investors since its founding in 1999 [Seattle Times, Jun 25, 10] Before Congress writes the next long term SBIR law, it should ask what can be learned about what works for American innovation before blindly handing out federal money to a politically protected class of companies.
Spiration (Redmond, WA; no SBIR) raised $18.5 M from existing investors to fund the launch of its first commercial product in Europe and the completion of pending clinical trials in the U.S. The company, which specializes in developing technology to treat lung disease, has raised some $97 M since its inception in 1999. [Angel Gonzalez, Seattle Times, Mar 26]
Spire (Beford, MA; lots of SBIR), a developer of solar photovoltaic equipment and systems and biomedical processing services, has been delisted from the Nasdaq. [Patricia Resende, Boston Business Journal, Jul 11, 13]
Spire completed the sale of Hudson, N.H.-based Spire Semiconductor. .... sold its foundry services business to Masimo Semiconductor for $8.5 million, the company announced [Mass High Tech, Mar 12, 12].
Spiresaid it has been awarded a patent for a nanophotovoltaic device that has the potential to control the growth of cancer cells. ... the hope is that such a device could target specific cells and then generate an electrical charge that would kill or interfere with cell growth. [Chris Reidy, Boston Globe, Aug 18, 11]
Spire up 15% [Feb 11, 11]
Spire reported that a major contract to supply solar cells for use in a panel factory staffed by federal prisoners has been reduced by $17.8 million. [Mass High Tech, Oct 20, 10]
Work based on gallium arsenide leads to new breed of solar cell, reads the headline. Spire also hopes for record high efficiencies for photovoltaic cells approaching 45% with GaAs, a project that Spire has been working on since at least 1987 with at least $4M SBIR in standard size awards, according to Joan Zimmerman in MDA's quarterly Tech Update. Which makes SBIR a long term investor in a technology and a company slogging along for decades with incremental progress hoping that with enough kerosene it can light an innovation fire. Each proposal no doubt promised the breakthrough. What MDA's report omits, as is typical for government technology applications reports, is a discussion of the economics of GaAs solar power and the likelihood that it would find a use for anything except space power. But then economics involves money and market competition which means the company rightly shields such information from its competitors who aren't smart enough to figure it out for themselves. Overall Spire has had something in the range of $120M "investment" from SBIR and has a present market cap of about $50M. What does that say about government's attitude toward SBIR as an "investment" vehicle?
Spire up 10% [Oct 11, 10]
Spire Semiconductor has claimed achievement of the world efficiency record for a concentrator photovoltaic solar cell. ...said its cell was measured by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory to have a peak efficiency of 42.3 percent. [Kyle Alspach, Mass High Tech, Oct 8, 10]
Spire up 10% [Mar 31, 10]
Spire down 20% [Mar 29, 10]
Spire said that its wholly owned subsidiary, Spire Semiconductor LLC, has been awarded part of a federal contract from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory to help develop a solar concentrator chip. For part of the 18-month, $3.7 million cost share subcontract, Spire Semiconductor is developing technology to cost-effectively manufacture concentrator solar cells for concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) systems that would be 42 percent efficient.; [Mass High Tech, Jan 12, 10]
Spire down 13% [Dec 30, 09]
Spire up 42% [Dec 29, 09] no news of note from Spire [theStreet.com, Dec 29]
Spire down 11% [Dec 28, 09]
Spire up 11% [Dec 22, 09]
Spire up 10% [Dec 9,09]
Spire Solar received the green light from selectmen in Hudson, N.H., to build a $42 million solar cell manufacturing plant in the town that is expected to add 150 jobs, according to a report in the Lowell Sun. [Mass High Tech, Oct 29, 09] Love those subsidies.
Spire up 22% [Sep 28, 09]
Spire said that it has established a wholly-owned subsidiary called Spire Taiwan LLC.The Taiwan subsidiary will serve as the headquarters for equipment service operations and will support customers throughout China, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, and the Philippines [Boston Globe, Sep 26,09]
Spire up 13% [Sep 21, 09]
Spire said it has agreed to sell substantially all of the assets of its hemodialysis catheter business for $15 million so it can focus on in its core solar-energy business.< [Chris Reidy, Boston Globe, Sep 09, 09]
Spire up 10% [Jul 23, 09]
Spire has expanded its existing line of credit to $8 million with Silicon Valley Bank. The revolving credit facility adds $5 million of export-import credit facility to the company’s existing $3 million credit. Officials at the solar equipment manufacturer said the loan will be used to add liquidity and grow the company. [Mass High Tech, Jun 26]
Spire agreed with partner Gloria Solar Co. Ltd. of Taiwan to dissolve their joint venture, Gloria Spire Solar LLC, which performed photovoltaic systems integration in the U.S. .. Spire chairman and CEO Roger Little said in a statement that the new direction is expected to free the company to develop new opportunities in the U.S. systems market, which is being stimulated by federal funding. [Mass High Tech, Jun 12, 09]
Spire up 10% [Jun 1, 09]
Spire down 13% [May 18, 09] after reporting lower revenue and a loss.
Spire down 11% [May 13, 09]
Spire down 12% [May 12, 09]
Spire up 13% [May 4, 09]
Spire up 18% [Apr 23, 09]
Spire up 10% [Apr 16, 09]
Spire got a $3.7 million award from the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory to make 42 percent efficient concentrator solar cells. The award consists of just under $3 million in government funding and cost share of $745,509. ... will help the company develop custom gallium arsenide-based solar cells [Mass High Tech, Apr 6, 09] Spire had plenty of help on its III-V materials technology in the 1980s and 1990s among its at least 327 SBIR projects which should have handed it over $100M in free SBIR money.
Spire up 15% [Mar 26, 09]
Spire up 19% [Mar 23, 09]
Spire down 14% [Mar 19, 09]
Spire down 11% [Mar 18, 09]
Spire failed to raise its market capitalization to at least $50 million as of March 3, as required by a previous warning notice by Nasdaq. The company’s stock is now subject to delisting by the exchange. As of Monday, Spire’s market capitalization was about $36.6 million. Spire executives say the company will request a hearing before the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Review Panel, [Boston Business Journal, Mar 9, 09]
Spire down 30% [Feb 23, 09] with biggest percentage decline on NASDAQ.
Spire up 11% [Feb 18, 09]
Spire up 12% [Jan 21, 09]
Spire up 11% [Dec 30, 08]
Spire up 28% [Dec 29, 08]
Spire down 10% [Dec 24, 08]
Spire down 11% [Dec 19, 08]
Spire up 10% [Dec 11, 08]
Spire up 27% ...landed a $54 million contract from the Federal Prison Industries Inc. (known as UNICOR) to supply solar cells for the Spire-installed Turnkey Photovoltaic Module Factory located at the federal prison in Otisville, New York [Mass High Tech, Dec 8, 08]
Spire up 11% [Nov 28, 08] although down over 80% from a year as solar energy stocks crashed.
Spire down 18% [Nov 14, 08]
Spire down 28% [Nov 13, 08]
Spire has landed a new contract with Korean solar company Hanwha Chemical Corp. for the sale of a 30 megawatt per year manufacturing line. [Mass High Tech, Oct 28, 08]
Spire down 12% [Oct 9, 08]
Spire up 11% [Sep 29, 08]
Spire reports it has received a contract from solar-energy company GreenBrilliance for an assembly line to make photovoltaic cells. Under the deal, Spire will provide GreenBrilliance’s operation in India with a semi-automated crystalline silicon module manufacturing line capable of producing up to 12 megawatts of solar modules per year. [Mass High Tech, Sep 17, 08]
Spire up 11% [Sep 19, 08]
Spire won a contract for the factory expansion of a Chinese manufacturer. ... provide machines to aid ChengDu Tianwei New Energy PV Module Co. Ltd. in the production of solar cells. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. [Elizabeth Campbell, Boston Globe, Aug 6, 08]
Spire said it has landed a multi-year, multi-system contract with Trina Solar Ltd. of China. According to the deal, Spire (Nasdaq: SPIR) will provide several Spi-Sun Simulator 4600 Single Long Pulse systems to the Chinese company. [Mass High-Tech, Jul 30]
Spire up 19% [Jun 17, 08] on a new BUY rating.
Spire up 11%% [Jun 11, 08]
Spire said that it has received a contract to provide a photovoltaic assembly line for a solar energy facility in India. No financial details ...provide PLG Power Limited with a high performance, semi-automated crystalline cell module manufacturing line capable of producing up to 25 megawatts of solar modules per year. In a statement, Roger G. Little, Spire's chairman and chief executive, noted, "The photovoltaics market is expanding exponentially in India and is expected to grow by more than 500% in the next few years." [Chris Reidy, Boston Globe, Jun 4, 08]
Spire was selected to provide its photovoltaic module assembly line for a new factory in Russia ... the third such deal overseas in the past three months. In March, Spire closed a deal with the solar division of Spanish renewable energy company Fluitecnik SA, while in April it sold equipment to Alpex Exports Pvt. Ltd. of India. Spire reported a 2007 net loss of $1.7 million on revenue of $38.4M [Mass High Tech, May 23, 08]
Spire up 12% [May 14, 08]
Spire up 26% [Mar 27,08] in front of earnings report next week
Spire up 14% [Mar 24, 08]
Spire down 14% [Mar 20, 08]
Spire down 10% [Mar 17, 08]
Spire said it has received a contract to provide equipment for a factory designed to manufacture solar panels in Portugal. [Boston Globe, Mar 13]
Spire announced a US patent for quantum dots that have the potential to make more efficient solar cells. [Feb 13, 08]
Spire up 10% announced that its expanded manufacturing facility is on track to gross annual revenue of $200M. [Boston Globe, Jan 11, 08]
Gloria Spire Solar LLC, a joint venture formed by Spire and Taiwan-based Gloria Solar Co. Ltd., has won a contract to design and install a 308-kilowatt photovoltaic solar electric system at The Lee Co.'s manufacturing facility in Westbrook, CT [Mass High Tech, Jan 7, 08]
Spire up 17% [Dec 20, 07] without news of that magnitude
Spire expanded its solar-equipment manufacturing space by 53,000 SF at its headquarters to meet growing worldwide demand.
Spire down 10% [Nov 21, 07]
Spire down 10% [Nov 12, 07] as a solar vendor.
Spire up 13% got a new contract from Portugal's Martifer Solar SA for a fully automated 50 megawatt (MW) photovoltaic module manufacturing line. After two decades of SBIR, Spire reported $16 M in sales for its first six months of 2007, and a net loss of $3.6 M. The company employs approximately 113 workers. [Mass High Tech, Sep 24, 07]
Spire (lots of SBIR) finalized a joint venture with Gloria Solar of Taiwan aimed at providing equipment for the North American solar photovoltaic systems market. [Mass High Tech, Aug 7]
Spire up 12% [Feb 26, 07]
Spire rose 12% on reports of sales of more PV module production lines and an additional order for expansion of a previously delivered production line.
Spire contracted with Prosperity Solar Power of Taiwan to provide a 10-MW photovoltaic module manufacturing production line. Spire claims to employ more than 100 people, and has equipment installed in more than 142 factories around the world. Spire reported sales last year of $17.3 M. [Mass High Tech, Oct 16]
Spire reports it has completed the design and installation of a solar photovoltaic electricity-generating system at the office and distribution center for North Coast Seafoods in Boston. [Mass High Tech, Aug 24,06]/p>
Spire stock leaped 34% on news of big sales and profits. [Aug 16, 05]
Spire jumped up another 18% [Jul 26] after announcing a deal to provide a multi-megawatt turnkey photovoltaic module assembly line for Hyundai Heavy Industries. Someone smells future profit even though Spire has been steadily losing money or barely breaking even on operations for a long time, -$5M in the last three years on revenue of $50M. A good chunk of the revenue 1985-2000 came from SBIR contracts for technologies that are not the root of the current sales of solar equipment.
Spire jumped by half, topping all NASDAQ percentage gainers, after announcing another sale of four solar testing systems. Maybe Spire will even start making a regular profit as those optimistic stock traders hope.[7/05]
Meanwhile, usually volatile Spire shot up 20% without news. Spire's most recent news releases in January on business were for two more SBIR Phase 2 awards. [spring 05]
Spire jumped 15% when it announced a contract for nano-engineered AlGaAs lasers. Big whoop; it's another Phase 2 SBIR. This time from DARPA. But if SBIR Phase 2s made a real 25% value gain, Spire's stock would be in the heavens.
Spire shot up another 30% on Friday's news joined a consortium to make solar equipment in Taos NM. Spire claims to be the world's leading supplier of solar module manufacturing equipment, but cannot claim to be a steadily profitable company. And founder-CEO Roger Little has little to fear from unhappy outsiders since he owns or controls 65% of the shares after 20 years of many millions of SBIR dollars and barely breaking even.
Spire issues another press release of getting a Phase 2 SBIR - $400K from NI for coatings for implants. Which sounds like good news. But if a Phase 2 SBIR were a sign of future profits, Spire would be in the Dow-Jones Industrials by now. Still, the stock price has been bid up, pushing back up toward its five-year (bubble) high.
Spire gets $400K SBIR grant to improve orthopedic implant, says Mass High Tech in a dog-bites-man story. Spire was once in the top ten companies for total amount of SBIR money collected. Now it is hard to even discover such facts since concentration is politically unpalatable and so the SBA doesn't publish such data.
Spire may be delisted from the NASDAQ for inadequate accounting, and join AstroPower in the pink sheet doghouse. It's one thing to pass DCAA muster for SBIR, it is quite another level for public company accounting and telling.
Spire gained 10% (May 9, 03) on news of expansion of its ion implanting facility to accommodate higher customer demand and a $750K, two year grant from NIH for coatings for polyethylene prosthetics. Let's guess the grant is yet another Phase 2 SBIR that says nothing about market demand but does keep money flowing through Spire's R&D machine.
| Spire Gets $16M for Patent. (Oct 23) Spire sold its exclusive hemodialysis split-tip catheter patent license to C.R. Bard for a staged $16 million and a sublicense which it from its French inventor. Spire sells the only kink-resistant long-term hemodialysis catheter. With the money and the sub-license Spire says it can continue to sell and develop the catheter. | Spire has been a huge basket into which SBIR money was dumped over the 17 years life of SBIR - 350 awards for something like $75M. If the government used any kind of economic ROI measures to decide how to apportion its SBIR, it would have abandoned such a company long ago. But alas the only two guys in the government who thought that way are gone - one was bribed to retire and other was sacked for using investment economics in a DOD agency |
Spire lands contract to design new surgical laser. Spire Biomedical has been awarded a Phase I, $144,000 contract from the NIH to develop a fiber laser instrument for ear surgery for children. ... for increasing the performance of implantable medical devices. ... develop a fiber laser treatment for myringotomy tubes. A myringotomy is a procedure where a hole is made in the eardrum to relieve fluid buildup and to prevent infection. If Spire is successful, [it] may be eligible to receive a Phase II, $1M contract to build a prototype. [Patricia Resende, Mass High Tech, Aug 22] Yet another SBIR.
Some business lines did better; some did worse. The result was that Spire lost $600K again and the traders whacked the stock price for 10%.An interesting ntoe: after a decade of gorging on SBIR, Spire seems to have had none in 2000 or 2001.
The FDA blessed Spire Biomedical's first product - a hemodialysis catheter for the treatment of patients suffering from end-stage renal disease which Spire licensed from the Pourchez XpressO catheter by French inventor Dr. Thierry Pourchez. The catheter’s kink-resistant body provides higher flow at lower pressures and increases placement flexibility. Although Spire projected no sales figures for the new device, itestimates that the worldwide market for dialysis catheters is $250M [facts by Adria Cimino, Mass High Tech, May 9]
Spire Jumps on Catheter (Apr 17)Spire jumped 20% on news that FDA OK'd marketing of its patented Pourchez XpressO hemodialysis catheter with separated tips fopr which Spire imagines a worldwide market over $250M for a million dialysis patients. Maybe, just maybe, Spire can now report regular profits and justify the faith that the federal government had in spending tens of millions in SBIR for a variety of science projects.
A Loss Tradition(Apr 2)Spire posted another loss of nearly $0.6M, about the same as last year's quarter.despite a gain in revenue to $4M. It said strong gains in shipments of solar electric systems by Spire Solar Chicago, and higher processing volume at its Spire Biomedical, which provides proprietary surface treatments of orthopedic implants and other medical devices, helped revenue. But profitless revenue doesn't do much for shareholders as the stock price dove on the news. What did tens of millions of SBIR do?
Spire Loses Some More (Aug 17)Spire reported and a loss of $697,000 on slightly lower revenues. CEO Roger Little said, We are still in a transition as our solar business expands, while certain government R&D programs wind down and our biomedical business develops higher margined products. Meanwhile, we have taken significant expense reduction measures to lower our break-even point. Advocates of SBIR might ask what the government got for its huge SBIR "investment" in Spire over the whole life of SBIR. What did the government think it was doing with all that money? We can I supose it got its money's worth of R&D contract spending. But did it have any higher goal, amd was that goal met? If not, why not?
Spire Springs Up. Spire announced the shipment of two SPI-SUN SIMULATOR(TM) 350i's to BP Solar. That puts Spire equipment into 144 factories worldwide in 17 years. The stock price jumped 25% to over $50M, and amount less than the amount of SBIR that Spire has absorbed in those 17 years.
Spire reported quarterly revenues of $3.2M, up from $2.7M last year, and a loss of $266K. After tens of millions of SBIR for 15+ years, Spire is no better off than it was in 1985. Should the government give up on companies that show no decent ROI on SBIR funds?
Stock Moves. After ATMI reported nice earnings the stock price fell 30% in three days. After projecting a return to profitability, Ortel's stock rose to six times its 52-week low. Vixel remains volatile freshly after its IPO. Spire rose after announcing it would sell its opto-electronic business for as much as its entire market cap - $13M. Spire also proudly announced another opto-electronics SBIR award - its 42d gazillionth - wihtout mentioning SBIR. Kopin nears its all-time high market cap of $500M while still not making a profit since it went public in 1992. Cree Research remains above $1B market cap after a nice earnings report. SDL touched a $3B market cap as it picked up another brokerage house coverage.
Spire Corp (Bedford, MA) rose on a press release that it got a $750K contract from the Air Force to continue its development of advanced high-frequency transistors needed for future commercial and military communications systems. Said Spire, This two year contract will build upon Spire's experience in developing advanced transistor materials and devices for both the Air Force and the U.S. Navy. Spire will use its proprietary metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) process to produce next-generation, heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) structures that promise higher reliability, lower operating voltage, and easier integration compared to today's state-of-the-art devices. Spire's unique structure uses a gallium arsenide nitride (GaAsN) base region doped with carbon and grown on gallium arsenide (GaAs) wafers. Now, where have we heard such promises before? A gazillion SBIR contracts for electronics materials by Spire and half-a-gazillion others. MOCVD is about as common as soap powder; almost anyone with a microwave oven makes a claim of CVD. If Spire's market cap had risen a few percent for every Phase 2 SBIR, its present market cap would be in the Billion range like its competitor SDL Inc.
Spire Corp (Bedford, MA) reported a quarterly loss of $558K on reduced revenues of $2.7M. Said übermogul Roger Little, Our financial partnering and strategic business activities are ongoing. We are pursuing a number of attractive alternatives. After gazillions of millions of SBIR, Spire still depends heavily on the government for its R&D since it cannot seem to make a continuing profit that generates investment cash. When you are in the fix, you do the R&D that the customer wants instead of what serves your strategic interests.
Spire
Seeks a Savior
(Jun 21) What Capuano's folks do. Spire (Bedford,
MA) has hired
a strategic options advisor, OEM Capital, for possible JV, merger, or
sale of everything. After $45M of SBIR, the fifth largest in all SBIR,
Spire is worse off than when it got its first SBIR in the early 80s.
From 185 employees in 1985 it is now 109 and apparently still
shrinking. Its average of about $3M a year would have regularly paid
about 40 of those employees. In those 80s Spire was a shining example
of The Massachusetts Miracle that Michael Dukakis
ran on and
wrote about in his book with Rosabeth Kantor. Is Capuano the
Congressman child to Dukakis the governor? Three of the top five SBIR
burners are from Massachusetts and they have burned $225M of SBIR.
Wanna hear it again? Listen to John Kerry when the Senate considers
SBIR.
UninSPIREd. An August 20 opinion on Spire from the Yahoo message board: There remains the question, however, of whether or not this company is being managed properly as a public company. It's OK if you are private to let things languish ad infinitum, but there have been several missed opportunities that were presented to Spire management and which they have failed to act on. That's why there have been the organizational issues - insiders losing faith that the company is going anywhere and deciding they are better of somewhere else or starting their own, competing, operations. The CEO ought to just make a fair value offer for the 50% he doesn't own and run this (into the ground?) for his own amusement but leave the unsuspecting public out of it.
| Spire Good and Bad | ||
|---|---|---|
| Louis Holland, chief investment officer, Holland Capital Management, said AstroPower, Spire and Golden Genesis are three small companies in the solar power business that are likely to do well in the future. [Dow-Jones News reporting on "Wall Street Week" public TV show, Sep 14]Both will need more SBIR help on top of the tens of millions already "invested" by the government. Spire lost $1.7M in its latest quarter after "non-recurring expenses, including a contract settlement with the government." If such a settlement is for SBIR abuse and ends Spire's SBIR contracts, Spire would lose millions annually (1995-1997 SBIR revenues were $6.9M, $6.3M, and $4.9M which is about a third of total revenues and just about all the net profit at 6% of contract cost). | Spire's SEC filing said On March 2, 1998 the Company received a letter from the Office of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia stating that it was considering the commencement of a civil action concerning seven research initiatives undertaken by the Company in the period from 1990 to the present. The letter alleged that, in certain instances, the Company had failed to inform the government of pending or previously submitted proposals for work the government alleges was related to proposals which were funded. Rather than continuing to incur the legal costs and expend management resources in litigating this matter the Company settled with the government for $547,000. | The US Attorney doesn't get into such actions unless evidence of serious fraud comes from an investigator. The settlement probably also halts Spire's SBIR train. Maybe Holland didn't understand how much of Spire's revenue came from SBIR or didn't believe that SBIR was a serious investment program anyway. How could such abuse happen? The feds make it easy with autonomous agency programs and their emphasis on "scientific and technical merit" with a willingness to pound away at what they think is a good scientific idea. |
Spire wins $4m DOE (may22) (Bedford, ma) won $4-million, three-year contract from doe to develop an automated high-volume manufacturing process for photovoltaic modules. spire demonstrate series of automated, flexible systems i" a spi-sun simulator. someday, maybe, solar power will stand on its own without government subsidy. not yet, though.
two sinkers (may 19) double whamm of indonesia strife and barely any profit the second straight quarter hit spire for another 9% yesterday. irvin" sensors also sunk back to near where it was before its friday 62% spring.
Meanwhile, Spire (Bedford, reverted to form with another barely profitable quarter with an Indonesian scapegoat this time (how dreadfully convenient of those Asians). Guess the $30M SBIR still isn't enough; send more! The stock dropped back to single digit price.
The (May 15) technology company Spire (Bedford, MA)) being burned political upheaval jakarta.chairman roger little told dow jones japanese customers, hurt by indonesian problems, are reining their spending, delaying orders equipment. world leading equipment supplier makers photovoltaic panels, convert sunlight energy. [dow jones, may 14] spire stock which rose lofty marginal earnings has dropped back merely high multiples now cloudier prospects. meanwhile, astropower (newark, de) traders haven't yet responded an indian effect economic sanctions a big customer for solar cells. other hand, one international investor notes thatbest tim" to invest when blood is flowing in streets. here's his chance as indonesia seems on the brink repeating 1965 with messy transfer of power.
Spire sinking again. The brief glory of a zillion times earnings is slipping away as Spire fell below half its 1997 peak which had risen 544% to $24.75. Back in late January when Spire pulled its secondary because the stock fell back to $15, CEO Roger Little said "Our long-term prospects are good". Since then Spire reported sickly earnings typical of its marginal profitability for the last decade.
GaAs for Space Power. Spire Corp (Bedford, MA) announced that it shipped a solar text panel made of GaAs to a company in San Diego that makes space solar power arrays. Spire foresees a 500 satellite market for what a zillion companies have taken SBIR money for - solar cells and gallium arsenide for everything. GaAs has been the material of the future for years. The late Seymour Cray made the world's fastest computer from GaAs and went broke.
Smart Money on Spire. Business Week's analysis (Jan 19) of potentially profitable pollution fighters list Spire among four stocks expected to do well. Suddenly the worldwide growth of solar energy hardware is big news, sending Spire through the roof, from $2 to over $20 (and back down some). With enough hype, and the noticing that Spire's profits of $1.6M for nine months looks better than the years of making little but whoopee on SBIR contracts and no growth in 15 years, a Spire bubble could actually last for a while. Maybe Spire's attention-getting will help AstroPower into the public arena.
Spire Cashing In (Jan 20) Spire Corp (Bedford, MA), a huge user of SBIR, will offer a secondary of 1.5M shares this week. Probably around $15 a share. What should be the government response? Probably that any company able to float a substantial secondary should be required to provide substantial matching funds for any Phase 2 SBIRs? Who would join Spire in that category? ATMI and SDL for sure who would be glad to match since they will be investing large amounts in new technology anyway. Spire has a checkered record of bringing SBIR-funded technology to market. OK, listen up for Roger Little's screams.
Intel, Lloyd's Bank, and Spire. Spire? One Business Week (Dec 29) wag of 14 chose Spire (Bedford, MA) as the favorite international stock for 1998. The others chose names more recognizable by people with money. That wag also made the second most pessimistic predictions of worldwide market levels for 1998. Only Ed Yardeni, the glib Morgan Grenfell economist, saw lower markets.
Get It While You Can (Dec 9) Taking advantage of the astronomical rise in the stock price, Spire Corp (Bedford, MA) will offer a secondary issue of 1.5. M shares a third of which will go to selling shareholders. Up 700% in a year on two quarters of profits after years of breaking even makes a time to strike.
America's fifth highest-flying stock is Spire Corp (Bedford, MA), also one of the highest-flying SBIR users, up 728% says Dec 15 Forbes on momentum investing. (Momentum investors don't ask why.) Let's hear it from the SBIR advocates as proof that SBIR works. Add kerosene for 14 years and get an inferno in the fifteenth. They might have a case if only the rise were related to all the technologies the government funded at SPIRE instead of a new government subsidy program for Spire's solar energy products.
Spire Talks It Up Roger Little suggested that Spire's 10% jump yesterday came from his appearance and technical presentations from Monday until Thursday at its booth at an IEEE trade show in Anaheim. Spire will be the shining example for all the drummers who run from show to show with "the booth". After all these years and all these shows the market put somebody's stock up after hearing the booth's story. And good news for all those SBIR struggling companies with government hardware that the commercial market won't buy: Dow Jones Newswire said that one of the technical developments Spire shared with visitors at its booth was its work with the Air Force and NASA to make modules for wings of airplanes and Roger opined that this business has been going well and the company has received small orders for these modules. Any other theories?
Up 600% (Oct 2) Fourth highest NASDAQ gainer for the last nine months is Spire Corp (Bedford, MA) - up 600%. Which proves that with enough kerosene, a fire may start. Spire ranks in the top five for SBIR money in the past 15 years. Fifteen years to get somewhere after being a poster child in Dukakis-Kanter's The Massachusetts Miracle. Which asks whether government should be using kerosene or gasoline to start capitalistic fires. And even if the government chooses unlimited kerosene, how should it choose the beneficiaries? Randomly from the nearly infinite pool of qualified companies? The ones who schmooze politicians and bureaucrats? Or what?
Spire Still Rocketing (Oct 9) It must have been Roger Little's beaming face on the Boston Globe business that pushed Spire's stock up another 17% Wednesday. If the buyers are right, solar power is here to stay. Spire is ten times what it was a year ago after only one good quarter of earnings (of which Roger made much, but no more than CEOs normally making of a ray of sunshine). P/E ratio? Don't ask; 150.
Spire Jumps 24% (Aug27) Spire Corp (Bedford, MA) saw its stock jump again 24% after a decade of languishing in the low single digits. Spire got a recent boost from a new solar subsidy (an eternally subsidized industry?) and one profitable quarter, and is still waiting for someone to notice all the advances made in electronics materials with tons of SBIR money. But as two Forbes writers noted (Sep 8) about another industry (recycled paper) they were spending federal money, so who cared? Finally, Spire's market cap passed its total SBIR spending. And while that's above average for SBIR firms, it would be a dismal failure by free market standards. But then, .... so who cared?
Pleased and Puzzled (Aug 12) While Spire Corp's stock rises over $10, the company pleads it is pleased and puzzled how it got up from $2 last winter. At least on Jul 9 it said it had no news to account for the stock strength, but management is pleased with the second quarter. Spire had been managing to turn three tons ($35M or so) of SBIR in 13 years into consistently zero profits and zero growth (the signs of a government R&D contract house). One investment letter yaps Spire's benefiting from the photovoltaic market's bright new prospects from yet another subsidy.
Spire's Solar Dream Come True? (Jul 10) Why has Spire's stock sprung to $8? With enough SBIR, enough time, and enough luck ..... Spire Corp.'s 20-year-old wager to bet the farm on the promise of solar energy is finally paying off. Following a 10-year slump, demand for photovoltaic (PV) solar cells - which convert sunlight to energy - has been growing at better than 20 percent per year for the last five years and the tempo is expected to pick up, boosted by a recent federal mandate to install solar panels on the roofs of a million American homes by 2010. That is good news for Spire, a Bedford-based firm that is the number one maker of PV module assembly lines and manufacturing equipment. [Mass High Tech, Jul7-14] Spire Corp (Bedford, MA) is still hoping that federal pressure will create a market for its solar equipment. The combination of tens of millions in SBIR, essentially zero profit, and federal subsidy to the solar industry has kept Spire afloat. And once again the sunrise of hope for photovoltaic appears on the horizon in the form of another federal mandate. Chairman-founder Roger Little saw an earlier sunrise in 1974 with contracts for government space craft power.
Spire Makes a Profit (May 15) Spire Corp (Bedford, MA) $150K profit for the quarter (a lot better than $266K loss the year before) . That's 3% net on a business that's 2/3 contract research and service. What research? Check the SBIR awards list for the last 14 years, especially $16M in just 1993-95 and $28M through 1994 for a total of about $35M through 1995. Ask: If SBIR were an investment program and one of the top ten investees has no higher market cap after 14 years of a booming stock market up eightfold and $35M invested and is 2/3 contract research, who would have been toast long ago on Wall Street? (Wonder why SBA doesn't publish cumulative lists ranked by company?) This year even BMDO fell for a Spire story of great innovation to be followed by great Spire commercialization. The abstract's opening delivers the message: We have been involved in developing a library of low-loss Si-on-insulator optoelectronic devices If the fantasy holds, Spire could in 1998 win its first BMDO Phase 2 since 1993.
Spire Pulls Its Secondary(Jan 29). Citing "unfavorable market conditions" Spire (Bedford, MA) yanked its 1.5M share secondary. When a stock that languished for years in the low single digits suddenly spurted to the twenties after two quarters of profit and the promise of yet another government subsidy for Spire's cash cow - solar power, it was time to cash in. Until the stock retreated to the mid-teens.
A Silver Banana Peel(May 12) The bacteria that would cause endocarditis can't get a grip on the mechanical heart valve impregnated with silver by Spire Corp (Bedford, MA). St Jude Medical did the first implants with the Silzone coating after having done 20 without it, all outside the US where the FDA hasn't yet approved it. Spire's ion implanting technology has had a long skein of SBIR money dating back into the mid-80s. Catheters and knees and pacemaker battery contacts are three of the bio applications. Perhaps this development explain the recent rise in Spire stock.
Spire hits Japan(May 1) largest supplier photovoltiac module manufacturing testing says press release. oh yes, release said established an office japan granted marubeni license to= make certain equipment in Japan. Spire is also one world's leading consumer of funds and after something" like $30m SBIR has a lower market cap than when it started. tough business, that government r&d; hurrieder go, the behinder you get. just ask irvin" sensors.
Spire Has a Profit About $200 profit per employee for the quarter and a loss of about $1200 per employee for the half, reports Spire Corp (Bedford, MA). Still struggling after a decade of over $20M SBIR to reignite the spark of the Massachusetts Miracle. Spire was featured in the book by Dukakis and Kantar as a shining example of Massachusetts economic policy. Spire never recovered from the Dukakis campaign, hovering around the zero profit margin ever since and with fewer employees now. Massachusetts has recovered in the expected cyclical way.
Medical device maker Spirox (Menlo Park, CA; no SBIR) raised $45 million in Series C funding to develop its treatment for nasal obstruction. [Gina Hall, Silicion Valley Business Journal, Mar 15, 16]
Medical startup Spirox (formerly Nasoform, Menlo Park, CA; no SBIR) raised $18.5 million in Series B funding to cover development costs for its latest device. ... developing a minimally invasive system to treat patients with nasal obstruction. Ear, nose and throat physicians and plastic surgeons use the company’s device while performing operations, like when they treat a deviated septum. [Gina Hall, Silicon Valley Business Journal, Apr 21, 15]
Three [Triangle] companies raised $25 million or more [in the recent quarter]: drug-development companyAscletis (China); agricultural biotechnology company AgBiome (Durham, NC; no SBIR) and Spoonflower (Durham, NC; no SBIR, which produces on-demand fabrics. [David Ranii, Raleigh News & Observer, Oct 15, 15]
Finding the story in the data storm CIA's VC, In-Q-Tel, hints it will invest in Spotfire (Somerville MA) which sells analysis software to big pharma companies. [Wall Street Journal, Jun 3]
[DARPA] awarded a $1 million SBIR to Spot On Sciences (Austin, TX; no SBIR) to further develop its blood-sampling device. The company’s patented device HemaSpot uses dried blood spot testing, based on a type of absorbent filter paper. It improves sample quality, simplifies collection and allows sample storage at room temperature—enabling home sampling and shipment by mail, which is ideal for the elderly or those not close to laboratory facilities, company officials said. The device — which improves point-of-care diagnostic testing of military personnel — has wide-ranging applications for clinical and medical research. [James Jeffrey, Austin Business Journal, Jun 25, 12]
When startup FireFly LED Lighting (Austin, TX; no SBIR) was accepted into the Austin Technology Incubator two years ago, its LED bulbs were still prototypes. Since then, the company has launched its product line, signed customers including Kerbey Lane Cafe and the University of Texas and received $3.4 million from backers including the Central Texas Angel Network and the Texas Emerging Technology Fund..... Since its founding in 1989 by legendary business leader George Kozmetsky, ATI has worked with more than 200 startups, helping them raise nearly $1 billion in investment capital. [Lori Hawkins, Austin American Statesman, Jan 26, 12] Graduates: Agile Planet, Atomometrics, Axelo, Calxeda, Dorsan Biofuels, Famigo, GameSalad, Ideal Power Converters, Itzbig, Nitero, Notice Technologies, Open Algae, Qcue, RFMicron, RRE Solar, Savara Pharmaceuticals, Spredfast, Terapio ($500K SBIR), Unwired Nation, WiMax.com.
Spring Bank Pharmaceuticals (Milford, MA; $600K SBIR) landed a $3.9 million five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health to further develop a drug candidate to treat Hepatitis B infections. ... the fourth federal grant the company has taken in based on its platform technology, for a total of more than $12 million, officials said in a release. ... Founded in 2002 as Spring Bank Technologies Inc., the company changed to its current name in the middle of 2010. The company has been working on a treatment for Hepatitis B at least as far back as 2003, when it licensed a compound called MBI-1313 from Canadian biotech Micrologix Biotech Inc. for up to $3.5 million in payments. At the same time, Spring Bank landed $2.6 million from the NIH to advance that compound. [Rodney Brown, Mass High Tech, May 6, 11]
Just a few months after coming out of stealth, SpringLeaf Therapeutics (Boston, MA; no SBIR) has bumped up its initial $15 million Series B fundraise to $19 million, the company reported ... describes itself as a biotherapeutics company – a maker of combination drug delivery devices and therapeutic products. founded in 2007 and based out of the Photonics Center at Boston Universit. SpringLeaf was initially called Entra Pharmaceuticals, [Rodney Brown, Mass High Tevh, Jul 8,11]
SpringLeaf Therapeutics (Boston, MA; no SBIR) maker of combination drug delivery device/therapeutic products, came out of stealth mode today with a $15 million Series B financing that it will use to meet product development milestones, the company said. ... Founded in September 2007, SpringLeaf has been working out of the BU Photonics Center’s incubator since the beginning of 2009. Initially called Entra Pharmaceuticals, the company changed its name to SpringLeaf in late 2010 to have a stronger brand and to reflect its therapeutic focus. [Lon Valigra, Mass High Tech, May 13, 11]
SpringWorks (Baltimore, MD spinout from Pfizer, founded 2017) nets $125M to propel desmoid tumor, neurofibroma meds [Amirah Al Idrus, Fierce Biotech, Apr 1, 19]
Springworks Therapeutics (Stamford, CT; no SBIR) and Allogene Therapeutics (South San Francisco, CA; no SBIR) announced that they have entered into a clinical trial collaboration agreement. This agreement will evaluate ALLO-715, Allogene’s investigational anti-B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) AlloCAR T therapy in combination with SpringWorks’ investigational gamma secretase inhibitor (GSI), nirogacestat, in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.[joint companies press release, Jan 10, 20]
SpringWorks Therapeutics (New York, NY; no SBIR), a mission-driven medicines company dedicated to developing innovative potential new treatments for underserved patient communities, announced its launch today with a completed $103 million Series A financing. ... also has rights to four clinical-stage experimental therapies from Pfizer. [company press release, Sep 29, 17]
SPR Therapeutics (Cleveland, OH; $10M SBIR, founded 2010), a leader in neurostimulation technology for pain management, has been awarded two new grants and one new [$10M DOD SBIR] contract to further develop its percutaneous Peripheral Nerve Stimulation (PNS) therapy. The SPRINT® PNS System offers a non-opioid pain relief therapy that is FDA-cleared for the treatment of acute and chronic pain. [company press release, Oct 2, 18] total prior funding $44M [crunchbase.com]
Spyryx Biosciences (Durham, NC; no SBIR, founded 2013) raised $5.9 million from seven investors this month [Seth Gulledge, Triangle Business Journal, Oct 8, 18] pioneering the use of inhaled peptides to treat severe pulmonary diseases where mucus accumulation and obstructions are key to disease progression. [company website] total prior funding $18M [crunchbase.com]
VC awards in the [NC] Triangle: G1 Therapeutics (Research Triangle Park, NC; no SBIR) an oncology drug developer raised $47 million in Series C funding in May; Spyryx Biosciences, (Durham, NC; no SBIR) a lung disease therapy developer $4.5 million; T3D Therapeutics (Research Triangle Park, NC; $1.8M SBIR), an Alzheimer’s disease therapy developer $3 million; and Advanced Animal Diagnostics, (Morrisville, NC; one SBIR) livestock farming diagnostics company $1.8 million. [John Murawski, Raleigh News & Observer, Jul 15, 16]
Real seed investment. On average, every dollar N.C. Biotech loans to young life science companies is met with $118 in additional funding to those firms from disease philanthropy and government grants, angel and venture investment and other financial support, according to the center. Every grant dollar is met with an average $28 in additional funding. ... loans and grant made by the Biotech Center in the second fiscal quarter: $50,000 in a Company Inception Loan to Spyrix (Chapel Hill, NC; no SBIR), UNC-Chapel Hill spinout, developing a treatment for cystic fibrosis. The loan is intended to help position the company for outside investor and foundation funding and to help with preclinical development of its product. $75,000 to Eppin Pharma (Chapel Hill, NC; no SBIR), UNC-Chapel Hill spinout, to help in its development of a reversible, oral, non-hormonal male contraceptive pill. This money will help support toxicology and other testing of the company's lead drug candidate and help position Eppin to seek additional funding from investors, federal grants and foundations. $250,000 to Dignify Therapeutics (Research Triangle Park, NC; one SBIR, eight employees), developing a novel drug to help people with spinal injuries clear their bladders and bowels when they choose to do so. The loan will support studies of the drug's safety and help Dignify develop a final formulation of the remedy, for use in clinical trials. $458,000 to Bioptigen (Morrisville, NC; $2.9M SBIR), to support late-stage development and clinical testing needed for FDA approval of its intrasurgical optical coherence tomography device for real-time guidance of ophthalmic surgery. $500,000 to Baebies (Durham, NC; no SBIR), to help it develop its products to diagnose health risks in infants from a single dried blood spot, using a technology called digital microfluidics. This loan supports the company's newborn screening tests for three devastating disorders (Pompe, biotinidase deficiency and galactosemia). [Jason deBruyn,Triangle Business Journal, Feb 4, 15] SBIR has no chance of such rewarding results because about three-fourths of the money is spent by agencies that just want what they can use for their own purposes with no regard for whether there is any widespread economic payoff, nor any payoff to society. SBIR can hide these facts behind privacy of private business whihc is OK with Congress as long as the small biz get the prescribed handouts.
The squeeze on SQZ Biotechnologies (Watertown, MA; $7M SBIR) is getting tighter. After 12 months of value destruction, the biotech reported that Roche has dropped its option on a solid tumor program—and that SQZ is assessing strategic alternatives to partner “all its clinical and preclinical assets across all disease areas and indications.” Roche paid SQZ $45 million upfront for option rights in 2018. [Nick Paul Taylor, Fierce Biotech, Jul 25, 2023]
SQZ Biotechnologies ($5.3M SBIR) up 26% [ec 28, 20]
SQZ BioTech up 26% [Nov 16, 20]
SQZ Biotech (Watertown, MA; $1.7M SBIR) a clinical stage cell therapy company developing innovative treatments for multiple therapeutic areas, announced the completion of a $65 million Series D preferred stock financing. [company press release, May 18, 20] total funding $166M [crunchbase.com]
SQZ Biotechnologies (Watertown, MA; $3.8M SBIR, founded 2013), a cell therapy company developing novel treatments for multiple therapeutic areas, announced the expansion of its collaboration with Roche in cellular therapy. SQZ may receive up to $125 million in upfront payment and near-term milestones. SQZ could earn up to $250million in clinical, regulatory and sales milestones per product that emerges from the collaboration. In addition, SQZ may receive development milestone payments of over $1 billion. Within the collaboration, SQZ and Roche could share commercial rights for certain approved products. [SQZ press release, Oct 15, 18]
SQZ Biotechnologies (Watertown, MA; no SBIR) a cell therapy company developing novel treatments for multiple therapeutic areas , announced the completion of an oversubscribed $72 million Series C financing. [company press release, Aug 8, 18]
SQZ Biotech (Boston,MA; no SBIR) raised a $16 million Series B round to develop a broad range of cell therapies for cancer, and possibly infectious and autoimmune diseases as well. [xconomy.com, Sep 30, 16]
SQZ Biotech (Watertown, MA; $1.7M SBIR), raised $71 million in its NYSE [IPO] debut. [Amirah Al Idrus, Fierce Biotech, Oct 30, 20] We physically squeeze cells at high speeds through a microfluidic chip, temporarily opening the cell membrane and enabling biologic material of interest, or cargo, to diffuse into the cell before the membrane reseals. This technology allows us to create a broad pipeline of product candidates for different diseases. [company website]
Cymer Up 17%(Jun 21) Cymer jumped 17 % Monday after Morgan Stanley Dean Witter upped its opinion and set a target of $80 (which is all fluff that depends on growth in the PE ratio and fuul working of the bigger-fool theory). Said one Morgan mouth, We are pounding the table on the Cymer recommendation, One analyst, of First Union Securities,. said Cymer has 94% of the world market for excimer lasers, essential to deep ultraviolet lithography used to etch microchip circuit line-widths of 0.18, which is rapidly becoming standard. [facts from San Diego Union Tribune, Jun 21] Cymer is a derivative SBIR success story; its direct dribble of SBIR meant nothing, but licensing and using the technology from SRL (Somerville, MA), a much frequent SBIR winner, meant everything.
Staktek Holdings (Austin TX) had its second straight profitable quarter ... makes stacked modules of memory chips for use in servers and other electronics. [Austin American-Statesman, Nov 3] No SBIRs.
the Ohio Third Frontier Commission approved more than $84.9 million to support promising startups, new cutting-edge technologies and getting innovative ideas to the marketplace. Two Cincinnati companies are to receive $100,000 grants: <> Sense Diagnostics (Cincinnati, OH; no SBIR) will use the money to enable commercialization of a device named SENSE, a noninvasive radio frequency sensor that detects changes in the brain – including seizures, hemorrhage and increased swelling/edema. Standard Bariatrics (no SBIR) will use the money to further develop and commercialize a stapler guide. It will improve surgical procedures that reduce the volume of the stomach to help morbidly obese patients lose weight. [Barrett J. Brunsman, Cincinnati Business Courier, Jun 18, 14] Other Central Ohio entities receiving Third Frontier funds: EWI:$4.9 million as part of its matching funds toward a federal award creating a $148 million high-tech manufacturing research institute near Detroit in collaboration with Ohio State and the University of Michigan; Cardiox (Columbus, OH; no SBIR) :$1.7 million loan toward commercializing its device that detects abnormal blood flow from the ear; Inmobly (Columbus, OH; no SBIR):$1 million loan for scaling up the spread of its technology that helps stop broadband traffic logjams from video downloads. [Carrie Ghose, Columbus Business First, Jun 23, 14] Third Frontier seems a standard subsidy program with metrics that don't really measure the impact against the investment. But political programs usually work that way: fanfare for the handouts and no public ROI rerports and no control group for comparison.
An award for taking handouts. after several years of leveraging the [SBIR] to develop a new X-ray spectrometer, Cantor’s Santa Fe company has received a major award from the SBA. Star Cryoelectronics (Santa Fe, NM; $3.3M SBIR) was one of 25 high-tech small businesses to receive the Tibbetts award from the SBA for using the SBIR grants. Star Cryoelectronics has received nearly $2 million to develop its specialized sensors. .... Star was originally an outgrowth of Conductus that specialized in SQUIDs, or Superconducting QUantum Interference Devices. .... The new sensor has a much higher resolution than others on the market. “Unfortunately, it’s not cheaper,” Cantor said. “But, it combines high speed and resolution into one instrument. Over time, with economies of scale, we can make that a little bit more inexpensive. [Dan Mayfield, Albuquerque Business First, Jun 18, 14] Sweet technology of unknown economic value. But the NM Congressional delegation will applaud in a state where federal government spending are important drivers of New Mexico's economy [Wikipedia] as NM gets $2.19 federal spending for every $1 of federal taxes paid. Only three states (all politically red states) get more per federal tax dollar. Hypocracy in politics? What did you expect when there's money on the table?
Los Alamos National Laboratory has approved $250,000 in new funding for four companies from its Venture Acceleration Fund [which] provides investments of up to $100,000 to regional entrepreneurs, companies, investors or strategic partners who use LANL technology or expertise to create or grow regional businesses. Award recipients are chosen based on potential for regional impact, team composition, technical feasibility, market opportunity, and the availability of matching funds or in-kind contributions. Retriever Technology (Santa Fe, NM; no SBIR) will receive $25,000 to upgrade a low-light imaging camera for advanced digital imaging into a more user-friendly and functional form for customer demonstration and evaluation. Elemetric Instruments (Los Alamos, NM; no SBIR) will get $100,000 to further develop a prototype of an instrument that immediately detects elements in liquids and gases with continuous online, real-time processing. The device, called an element presence detector, is based on LANL technology with potential markets among food and pharmaceutical makers. STAR Cryoelectronics (Santa Fe, NM; $2M SBIR) will get $75,000 to accelerate development of a high-resolution alpha particle spectrometer to be used in nuclear forensics and nuclear nonproliferation work. Veezyon (somewhere, NM; no SBIR) will receive $50,000 to improve the technical capabilities of its Veezyon.com Web site — a knowledge-based online video site focusing on shared interest user collaboration. Since the venture fund was launched in fall 2006, LANL has awarded about $600,000 to six companies, not including the new grants, [New Mexico Business Weekly, Jan 7, 09]
Sparks continue to fly over tech company Starfire Systems (Malta, NY; $1.7M SBIR) with Starfire’s former CEO again denying he tainted the company’s efforts to exit bankruptcy. ... makes specialty polymers, used in the aerospace, energy and electronics industries (Notably, Starfire makes repair kits that NASA astronauts use to repair the space shuttle on missions). Starfire, with 15 employees, has continued to operate during bankruptcy [Adam Sichko, The Business Review (Albany), Aug 13, 10] Got SBIR, sold product to the government, and went bust anyway for reasons they are still arguing about.
Ready With the Goo. NASA's orbiting shuttle has the needed pre-ceramic polymer "space goo" by Starfire Systems (Malta,NY; $1.5M SBIR) to repair the re-entry heat tiles . Starfire's polymer hardens to a ceramic during the heat of re-entry into the atmosphere, protecting the shuttle from temperatures that can top 3,000 Fahrenheit. [Eric Anderson, Albany Times-Union, Aug 14. 07]
A heat-shield repair kit using Starfire Systems (Malta, NY) ingredients passed NASA tests and could be carried on future missions. [Kevin Harlin, Albany Times Union, Aug 26, 06] Starfire had a NASA Phase 2 SBIR in 2004 that seemingly led to this approval.
Startup Circle Pharma (San Francisco, CA; no SBIR), a UCSF and UC Santa Cruz spinout devising ways to disrupt a wide variety of diseases from inside cells, will work with Pfizer on two drug programs. ... money terms undisclosed ... work centers on macrocyclic peptides, or strings of amino acids formed into circles. Those molecules potentially could address many diseases that can’t be hit today with conventional small-molecule drugs or large-molecule biologics. [Ron Leuty, San Francisco Business Times, Sep 22, 14]
Fourteen startups that received a total of more than $17 million from [Texas Emerging Technology Fund managed by Gov. Rick Perry’s office... which has backed 143 startups] have failed or gone bankrupt. .... [ MIT professor Bill Aulet, who is managing director of the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship] said the number of failed ETF companies would be higher if state officials took the chances they needed when investing in startups. "They really haven't taken any risk," he said. "Governments aren't good at being venture capitalists because governments aren't good at risk." .... a partial list of the ETF-backed startups in Texas that have since closed, followed by the grant amounts they received: • NanoTailor, $250,000; • Star Vision Technologies, $750,000; • Terrabon, $2.7 million; • Thrombo Vision, $1.5 million; • Nanocoolers, $3 million; • Advanced Receiver Technologies, $250,000; • Bauhaus Software, $500,000; • Net Watch Solutions, $500,000; • Sunrise Ridge Algae, $250,000; • SeprOx, $750,000; • Speer Medical, $2.5 million [Christopher Calnan, Austin Business Journal, Jan 9, 14] None of these had SBIR.
The other two bankruptcies in the [Texas Emerging Technology Fund] portfolio happened in 2010. Thrombovision (no SBIR). was awarded $1.5 million, and StarVision Technologies StarVision Technologies; $3.6M SBIR) received $750,000. A state auditor's report in 2011 found that neither company had submitted required annual reports for three years and that the fund managers didn't even know Thrombovision had filed for bankruptcy until it was reported in the media. The auditor's report went on to fault the fund for having a decision-making process that is "not open to the public" and for not keeping up with how awardees are performing and spending their money. [Paul Weber, AP, Jun 14, 12]
Stasys Medical (Seattle, WA; no SBIR), which spun out of UW, makes a device that tests a patient's blood in minutes [to determine if a trauma patient has TIC (trauma-induced coagulopathy)] and alerts physicians if that patient is at risk of extreme blood loss. The company has raised a small series A round of $160,000 ... also has $1.5 million in grants from DARPA, Washington state's Life Sciences Discovery Fund, the National Science Foundation and others ... plans to launch its device in 2018. [Emily Parkhurst, Puget Sound Business Journal, Feb 13, 15]
Stealth Therapeutics (Madison, WI; no SBIR) company that makes Invisiport, a new type of port for intravenous treatment that is often used with patients who have cancer, infection and other diseases. The port has a patented "wing" that allows doctors to make a smaller incision and potentially take less time to implant it, the company says. Stealth has raised $452,000, according to an SEC filing. It is a portfolio company of Kegonsa Seed Fund, which is managed by Wisconsin venture capitalist Ken Johnson. [Kathleen Gallagher , Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Aug 28, 14]
Stealth Therapeutics (Madison, WI; no SBIR) said its new port for intravenous treatment has been implanted in a patient for the first time [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Sep 26, 12]
Stealth Therapeutics (Fitchburg, WI; no SBIR) said it has received clearance from the [FDA] to market a new type of port for intravenous treatment that is often used with patients who have cancer, infection and other diseases. ... has a patented "wing" that allows doctors to make a smaller incision and potentially take less time to implant it, the company said. ... formed in 2006 based on technology that Bradley Glenn, an interventional radiologist, developed in his clinical practice. It has been funded by Kegonsa Seed Fund, [Kathleem Gallagher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Oct 28, 11]
Startech Environmental won a Phase 2 SBIR from DOE for product optimization and scale-up to production, has already begun, according to the company. The scheme separates hydrogen from plasma converted gas. The company claims that since [early] 2004 to have deployed plasma converter systems in several countries and cities worldwide, including Japan, Australia, Poland and additional units in Rome. The announcement moved the stock little. Sounds like DOE is looking for a low hanging commercialization fruit by funding product optimization with early R&D money as a nursery for teenagers.
SteadyMed up 14% [Apr 20,15]
SteadyMed Therapeutics (San Ramon, CA; no SBIR) fell well short of its IPO target range but raised $40 million ... working on treatments of rare conditions with a proprietary drug delivery system .... started in Israel and still has offices there, raised about $15 million since it was founded in 2005 [Cromwell Schubarth, Silicon Valley Business Journal, Mar 19, 15]
Stealth BioTherapeutics (Newton, MA; no SBIR, founded 2006) plans [IPO] to raise $81 million, to help fund studies of its late-phase asset in multiple indications related to mitochondria dysfunction. [Conor Hale, Fierce Biotech, Feb 7, 19] total funding $100M [crunchbase.com]
Stealth Therapeutics (Madison, WI; no SBIR, founded 2006) will begin a trial at two Wisconsin health care organizations to determine the best potential market for the company's Invisiport, a vascular access port that is implanted under the skin in a patient's arm. ... Implanted under the skin in a patient’s arm, the Invisiport can deliver chemotherapy, antibiotics and nutrients less invasively than other methods commonly used today. ... has raised a total of $3.35 million ... received clearance in 2011 from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market the Ivisiport, and recently received another clearance for a second, related product line [Kathleen Gallagher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Jul 13, 15]
Eight Wisconsin biotech companies have been selected as winners of the BioForward 2013 Emerging Company Showcase: ABL Technologies LLC (Greenfield, WI; no SBIR); Co-D Therapeutics (Madison, WI; no SBIR); Imbed Biosciences (Madison, WI; no SBIR) medical device company developing novel and patent-pending technologies for imbedding bioactive molecules in wound dressings and surgical implants [company website]; Insert MRI (no SBIR) developing a platform technology for encapsulating workflow 'apps' to interactively guide magnetic resonance (MR) image-guided surgical procedures [company website]; Microscopy Innovations (Marshfield, WI; no SBIR) New Capsule-based System for preparing Microscopy Specimens [company website]; Regenerative Medical Solutions (Chicago/Madison; no SBIR) develop a protocol to grow healthy and resilient pancreatic stem cells [company website]; Stealth Therapeutics (Madison, WI; no SBIR) less invasive medical devices [company website]; and XenoGen Biosystems ( Madison, WI; no SBIR) Mathematical Modeling and Computing for the Life Sciences [company website]. ... represent "a cross section of emerging companies in our industry sector that we feel are going to make an impact down the road," said Bryan Renk, BioForward's executive director. [Kathleen Gallagher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Sep 4, 13]
Steel City
Optronics
(Pittsburgh, PA; no prior SBIR) dedicated
to increasing public safety through the development and
commercialization of security cameras and navigational electronics
using millimeter wave (mmw) technology, has been awarded a [NSF SBIR]
to conduct research and development work on a proprietary technology
for fast mmw imaging.
...
patent-pending technology
enables video-rate imaging of moving objects from less than 10 inches
to more than three miles away. The company uses a novel integration of
both new and mature technologies to sell its camera at a cost-effective
price point accessible to schools, libraries and public spaces, not
just airports and government facilities. [company press
release,
Sep 18, 17]
Cancer drug developer Stelexis Therapeutics (New York, NY; no SBIR, founded 2017) announced that it closed a $43 million Series A financing to expand its proprietary platform to discover and selectively target pre-cancerous stem cells. [company press release, Jan 7. 19]
Stellanova Therapeutics (Houston, TX, no SBIR) announced raising $15.5 million in Series A funding ... is developing an antibody that targets fiber blast cells, which protect cancer cells against treatment and promote cancer cell growth. [Chris Mathews, Houston Inno, Jun 6, 21]
Stellarray (Austin, TX; $2.3M SBIR) imaging startup, is working with NASA to create a light, portable imaging device that can provide two-dimensional X-rays as well as 3-D computer generated images for long-term space missions. The project is part of a $125K phase 1 SBIR grant. [Angela Shah, xconomy.com, Jul 14, 16] received an early investment from the Texas Emerging Technology Fund [company website]
The Texas Emerging Technology Fund is pumping more money into Central Texas technology startups. Six more Austin companies have won grants totaling $5.3 million. Among the six new grant winners is year-old NanoMedical Systems (no SBIR) which will use its $3.5 million to develop a tiny implantable capsule that delivers drugs a few molecules at a time, with the dosage controlled precisely for each patient. The company is completing a prototype using $4 million from a private investor, said co-founder and chief executive Randy Goodall. The grant will help fund it through the complex and time-consuming process of seeking Food and Drug Administration approval, Goodall said. ...... Farodox Energy Storage (no SBIR), which has developed a new fabrication process for high-performance electrical capacitors, $250,000; ... Ironbridge Technologies (no SBIR), which is developing self-heating food packaging technology, $250,000; ... Merkatum (no SBIR), which is developing fingerprint and facial recognition identity technologies, $250,000; ..... Stellarray (no SBIR), which is commercializing flat-panel radiation source technology, $750,000; ... Sunrise Ridge Algae (no SBIR), which is commercializing technology to turn algae into a renewable energy source. [Lori Hawkins, Austin American-Statesman, Nov 17, 08]
Stellar Biotech (Port Hueneme CA; no SBIR) up 19% [May 8, 18]
The Air Force has awarded a $7.4 million contract to Stellar Science (Albuquerque, NM; $2.5M SBIR) to support a research project involving directed energy at Kirtland Air Force Base. [Gary Gerew, Albuquerque Business First, Oct 29, 14] The SBIR advocates think such Phase III contracts prove that SBIR is worth the money. But most of the military contracts have no great economic impact because the military was going to award such support contracts to someone anyway. In most cases, when the contract is over, the work goes nowhere until the military buys more of it. But the politicians applaud anything going to small biz. Unfortunately for any hope of the public understanding what's happening, the DOD obscures as much as possible any clear examination of its SBIR program which could be a rich source of innovation if managed to be so.
The Air Force has awarded a $7.4 million contract to Stellar Science (Albuquerque, NM; $2.5M SBIR) to support a research project involving directed energy at Kirtland Air Force Base. [Gary Gerew, Albuquerque Business First, Oct 29, 14]
a troubling trend: The best new Minnesota tech companies keep leaving the state. ... SmartThings’ core is moving 2,000 miles away, to a new headquarters in Silicon Valley where the company is already advertising job openings. By selling to Samsung, SmartThings joins a roster of Minnesota start-ups including Retek, Compellent and Stellent that ultimately became part of distant tech empires. [Adam Belz, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Sep 6]
A team at the tiny biotechnology company Stemagen (LaJolla, CA; no SBIR) has become the first to document its successful cloning of human embryos by fusing donated egg cells with the DNA from skin cells of an adult man, according to an article that will be published online today by the journal Stem Cells. [Terri Somers, San Diego Union-Tribune, Jan 2017]
Gemini Bio-Products (West Sacramento, CA; no SBIR) and StemBioSys (San Antonio, TX; no SBIR, founded 2010, total funding $14M [crunchbase]) announce a strategic partnership that will bring StemBioSys’ [develops proprietary stem cell technologies for the regenerative medicine market] entire selection of matrices and cells into the Gemini portfolio. [joint companies press release, Feb 11, 19]
StemBioSys (San Antonio, TX; no SBIR) has closed a $4.3 million Series B round [to[ develop new products, and to identify and develop new applications of StemBioSys’ core technology [CEO] Hutchens says. [David Holley, xconomy.com, May 15, 18]
StemBioSys, (San Antonio, TX; no SBIR) a small life sciences firm that sells stem cell products, has raised $2.7 million in equity and debt, according to SEC filing. .... also issued warrants that can be exchanged for equity, valuing the total funding at $5.7 million .... has developed an extracellular matrix used to replicate stem cells. .... The company has signed licensing deals with companies in Sweden, South Korea, and Japan to distribute the product in those countries. .... raised an $8 million Series A round in 2015. [David Holley, xconomy.com, Dec 6, 16]
StemBioSys (San Antonio, TX; no SBIR) biotech that sells products for stem cell production, has signed a distribution deal with Cellaviva AB to distribute the products in Sweden and Denmark. The deal also gives the Swedish company non-exclusive rights to the rest of Europe, StemBioSys said in a statement. StemBioSys develops an extracellular matrix from bone marrow stem cells. [Angela Shah, xconomy,com, Aug 3, 16]
StemBioSys inked its second distribution deal in as many months, announcing plans today to bring its stem cell production products to South Korea in the coming weeks. Korean life science equipment distributor SeouLin Bioscience Co. will begin selling StemBioSys products in the country, with products going on the market in the next few weeks, says CEO Bob Hutchins. .... SeouLin Bioscience signed a similar distribution deal with Cellular Dynamics (Madison, WI; $500K SBIR) in August 2015. [David Holley, xconomy.com, Jul 12, 16]
StemBioSys (San Antonio, TX; no SBIR) reached another critical milestone, striking a deal with Funakoshi Co. Ltd. to market and distribute its products in Japan. [W. Scott Bailey, San Antonio Business Journal, Jun 1, 16] BM-HPME is an advanced stem cell culture system that replicates the 3-dimensional “home” in which stem cells naturally reside and proliferate. Our unique technology enables users to isolate and grow stem cells, and other difficult to culture cells, from a variety of sources including but not limited to adipose, bone marrow and umbilical cord blood/tissue. [company website]
Early stage San Antonio, TX, startups can again tap into funds provided by the Texas Research & Technology Foundation (TRTF). The McDermott Legacy Fund, which is managed by the foundation’s subsidiary, the Texas Technology Development Center, is reloading a seed fund it operates that invests in early stage bioscience and technology companies with $1 million. The fund made six investments since 2010 in early seed rounds for companies including Invictus Medicine (San Antonio, TX; no SBIR, founded 2012) and StemBioSys (San Antonio, TX; no SBIR, $8M Series A in 2015 ). [Angela Shah, xconomy.com, Feb 8, 16]
StemBioSys (San Antonio, TX; no SBIR, founded 2010) closed on $8 million in Series A preferred stock financing that the company will use to help launch its initial product — the HPME (High Performance Microenvironment) advanced stem cell culture system. ... will invest proceeds from the Series A funding in the development of a GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) manufacturing facility and on market preparations for its product launch later this year. [W. Scott Bailey, San Antonio Business Journal, Apr 14, 15]
StemBioSys (San Antonio, TX; no SBIR) bioscience startup, is looking to raise $8 million in new Series A investor funding. The company has already secured more than $3 million of that amount. .... has developed a technology platform which isolates and expands populations of high-quality stem cells. [W. Scott Bailey, San Antonio Business Journal, Dec 2, 13]
BioRestorative Therapies (formerly Stem Cell Assurance, Jupiter, FL, 3 employees, founded 1997) will move its headquarters to Melville, NY after the state offered a half-million dollars in tax incentives. [Celia Ampel,South Florida Business Journal, Sep 11, 14] develops medical procedures using cell and tissue protocols, primarily involving adult stem cells that are designed for patients to undergo minimally invasive cellular-based treatments. [Bloomberg Business Week]
StemCells (Palo Alto, CA; $1.1M SBIR) down 81% biotech company, is winding down operations after the failure of clinical trials for a stem-cell treatment for spinal cord injury. [San Jose Mercury News, May 31, 16]
California's stem cell research funding agency [California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, or CIRM] pulled a controversial $19.3 million loan from StemCells (Newark, CA; $1.1M SBIR), the company said. ... It also is the [maybe] final note on a CIRM award that has drawn controversy for more than two years ... [Its] approach didn't pass muster with CIRM's scientific review committee, yet CIRM's board in September 2012 voted to approve the $19 million award. ... StemCells is testing its neural stem cells approach against spinal cord injury, a blinding eye disease known as dry age-related macular degeneration and other diseases. [Ron Leuty, San Francisco Business Times, Dec 15, 14] With that much money at stake, whether the action is final remains TBD.
StemCells (Newark, CA; $1.1M SBIR) told scientists at a spinal injury conference in Texas that two more patients in a clinical trial improved after a stem cell transplant. [Steven E.F. Brown, San Francisco Business Times, May 19, 14]
Where Geron failed, StemCells (Newark, CA; :$600K SBIR) hopes to thrive. .... [FDA] signed off on an expansion of a Phase I/II clinical trial to the United States, allowing the company to enroll patients in a trial that injects its purified neural stem cells into patients with spinal cord injuries. [Ron Leuty, San Francisco Business Times, Oct 2, 13] Meanwhile, In a complex stock-swapping and intellectual property deal, including a new subsidiary called Asterias Biotherapeutics, Alameda's BioTime (NYSE: BTX) said that it closed a deal to buy Geron (Menlo Park, CA; $900K SBIR)'s human embryonic stem cell assets and the rights to use certain stem cell lines. [Ron Leuty, San Francisco Business Times, Oct 1, 13]
President Obama signed an executive order Monday lifting restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research. ....shares of StemCells rally 43% [Wall Street Journal, Mar 10, 09]
Stem Cells up 17% [Feb 17, 09]
StemCells up 13% [Jan 29, 09]
StemCells down 18% [Jan 27, 09]
StemCells up 18% [Jan 26, 09]
StemCells up 18% [Jan 23, 09]
StemCells (Palo Alto, CA; $800K SBIR) plans to raise $20 million with the sale of 13.8 million shares of common stock to selected institutional investors. [San Francisco Business Times, Nov 12, 08]
Aldagen (Durham, NC; one SBIR) appears to be pushing ahead with its IPO. ... developing drugs using stem cells, revived plans for an initial public offering of stock in late October. ... scrapped an IPO in the fall of 2008 when the stock market slumped. .. founded in 2000 as StemCo Biomedical, based on technology developed at Duke University. [Alan Wolf, Raleigh News & Observer, Dec 11, 09]
Pharma giant AbbVie reported that The latest quarter included a charge of $4.1 billion to reflect the diminished value of AbbVie’s 2016 acquisition of Stemcentrx (no SBIR), whose experimental cancer drug fared poorly in clinical testing. AbbVie previously had big sales expectations for the drug. [AbbVie press release, Jan 24, 19] In 2015 Stemcentryx had raised $500 million and is valued at $3 billion, people familiar with its finances say, a nearly unprecedented value for a company with no revenue, facing the usual R&D obstacles, and that almost no one has heard of. [previously reported, Antonio Regalado, technologyreview.com, September 8, 2015]
Stemcentrx (South San Francisco, CA; SBIR, founded 2008) is pursuing strategic alternatives including a sale, according to people familiar with the matter. ... Late last year, Stemcentrx completed a nearly $250 million financing that valued the South San Francisco company at $5 billion. The company is seeking a premium to that, some of the people said. one of a few companies looking to treat cancers by killing cancer stem cells, which are thought to initiate tumors. These cells are believed to resist standard cancer treatments and enable tumors to spread throughout the body. The company has five drugs in human clinical trials, according to its website. [Dana Mattioli, Wall Street Journal, Mar 11, 16]
Cure cancer by targeting stem cells?, ventured Dylla, who was starting a position at a lab at Stanford University to investigate the question. ... Thirteen years later Stemcentrx (South San Francisco, CA; no SBIR) has raised $500 million and is valued at $3 billion, people familiar with its finances say, a nearly unprecedented value for a company with no revenue, facing the usual R&D obstacles, and that almost no one has heard of. ... Peter Thiel, the Midas-touch investor who discovered Facebook, says his fund has invested $200 million. ... Other companies targeting cancer stem cells include OncoMed Pharmaceuticals (Redwood City, CA; no SBIR) and Verastem (Needham, MA; no SBIR), both already public [Antonio Regalado, technologyreview.com, September 8, 2015]
Stemgent (Cambridge, MA and San Diego, CA; no SBIR) a stem cell research and technology firm, has raised $5.6 million of a planned $10 million equity financing round, according to [SEC filing] ... in March 2009, Stemgent pulled in a $14 million Series A-1 round of funding. [Michelle Lang, Mass High Tech, May 18, 10]
Cancer patients were given an unapproved and potentially dangerous treatment from StemImmune (San Diego, CA; no SBIR) that contained smallpox vaccine, the [FDA] said.The FDA announced a broader nationwide crackdown on “unscrupulous clinics” using illicit treatments after federal agents took action against StemImmune. [Bradley Fikes, San Diego Union Tribune, Aug 28, 17]
NeuroPointDX aims to change with a test that could potentially diagnose [hard-to-diagnose autism] by analyzing the metabolism of a child from a small blood sample. NeuroPoint, a business division Stemina Biomarker Discovery (Madison, WI; $1.3M SBIR) focused on diagnostics for neurological disorders, is now turning to the autism community to support its efforts to validate its blood test. The company is seeking to raise $50,000 or more through a new crowdfunding campaign. .... Last March, researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute conducting research independent from NeuroPoint’s work, said they had developed an algorithm that can accurately predict whether a child has autism spectrum disorder (ASD), based on levels of metabolites in a blood sample. [Jeff Buchanan, xconomy.com, Jan 24, 18]
NeuroPointDX, a business division of Madison-based Stemina Biomarker Discovery focused on diagnostics for neurological disorders, announced a partnership with New York-based Ovid Therapeutics. The collaboration is aimed at identifying novel biomarkers of Angelman syndrome, a rare genetic disorder characterized by intellectual disability, seizures, and jerky physical movements. [Jeff Buchanan, xconomy.com, Feb 13, 17]
A blood test developed by Stemina Biomarker Discovery (Madison, WI; $1.3M SBIR) that would help determine whether children with autism disorder are able to process certain foods or vitamin supplements could become available in the next year, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.... plans to raise up to $25 million in outside investment to expand its 15-person team. [xconomy.com, Jan 23, 17]
Stemina Biomarker Discovery (Madison, WI; $1.3M SBIR) startup that’s developing a blood-based test for diagnostic autism spectrum disorder, raised another $2.4 million from investors [Jeff Buchanan, xconomy.com, Jun 8, 16]
Stemina Biomarker Discovery (Madison, WI; at least $3M SBIR) focused on diagnosis and individualized treatment of neurological disorders, said it has received a $2.7 million [NIH] grant that will help fund what the company says is the largest-ever clinical study of the metabolism of children with autism spectrum disorder. ... study is also supported by a $2.3 million [private] investment [Kathleen Gallagher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Sep 23, 15] in 2014 announced a $10M 5-year EPA contraact [to] screen drugs and chemicals, using its devTOX toxicology tests, for their potential to cause birth defects if a woman is exposed during pregnancy. [company website]
Stemina Biomarker Discovery (Madison, WI; $1.3M SBIR, founded 2007) announced it has been awarded a contract by the [EPA] .... will generate up to $10.6M in revenue for Stemina over the next 5 years ... will screen drugs and chemicals using its devTOX toxicology tests for the potential to cause birth defects if a woman is exposed during pregnancy. [company press release, Jan 9, 14]
Stemina Biomarker Discovery (Madison, WI; $300K SBIR) stem cell company has forged three partnerships that show the potential of the company's technology in areas as diverse as agriculture and drug development. ... said it has formed a partnership with Agilent Technologies that provides electronic measurement tools to life sciences and other industries. ... A partnership with Bristol-Myers Squibb will use Stemina's products to evaluate whether drugs the New York pharmaceutical company is developing might be toxic to the heart. ... Through another partnership with Pioneer Hi-Bred International, an Iowa hybrid seed producer, Stemina will use its technology to identify molecules associated with certain plant traits. [Kathleen Gallagher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, May 26, 10]
Stemina Biomarker Discovery (Madison, WI; no SBIR) said it has raised $1 million in angel investor funding and received a $150,000 grant from the NSF. ... screening tool has been nearly 90% accurate at predicting problems, compared with accuracy of about 60% for traditional testing with animals, [CEO] Donley said. The $1 million is part of a total $3 million the company is trying to raise [Kathleen Gallagher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Nov 11, 09]
Stemina Biomarker Discovery (Madison, WI; no previous SBIR) won a $150,000 Phase I SBIR grant, ...founded in late 2006, offers research services and is aiming to use human embryonic stem cells to help drug companies determine whether new drug candidates will cause birth defects in humans. ... raised $1.5 million from angel investors and received a $1 million start-up package from the state. Donley started Stemina with University of Wisconsin-Madison stem cell scientist Gabriela Cezar. Cezar and UW-Madison stem cell pioneer James Thomson are featured as part of a group of 12 "stem cell revolutionaries" in this week's issue of Forbes magazine [Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, May 30, 08]
DaneVest Tech Fund I, a new Madison investment fund, announced its first investment ... $212,500 investment in Stemina Biomarker Discovery (Madison, WI; no SBIR), along with a recent $125,000 investment by Phenomenelle Angels, closed a common stock financing round of $1.5 million .... Based on research done by stem cell scientist Gabriela Cezar, Stemina is developing technology to discover small molecules that could be used to develop drugs. DaneVest was founded by Terrence R. Wall and Joe Hildebrandt to invest in early-stage growth companies with special technology in the life science, information technology, and consumer goods and service industries in Wisconsin. [Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Dec 20]
Stemline Thera (NYC, NY; one SBIR, 29 employees) up 29% [Oct 31, 17] a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics for difficult to treat cancers, announced that the pivotal Phase 2 trial of SL-401 in blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) has met its primary endpoint. [company press release, Oct 31, 17]
Stemline Thera (New York, NY; one SBIR) up 14% [Mar 1,17]
Stemline Thera up 17% [Feb 3, 17]
Stemline Thera (one SBIR) down 43% [Feb 2, 17] announced that a death had occurred in the ongoing pivotal Phase 2 trial in blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN), using Stemline's experimental compound, SL-401. [company press release, Feb 2, 17]
Stemline Thera (New York, NY; one SBIR) up 14% [Jan 6,17]
Stemline Thera (New York, NY; one SBIR) down 10% [Oct 17, 16]
Stemline Thera (NYC, NY; one SBIR) up 20% [May 20, 16]
Stemline Thera (NYC, NY; $200K SBIR) down 11% [Sep 25, 15]
Stemonix (Maple Grove, MN; no SBIR, 30 employees) agreed to a merger with Cancer Genetics (Rutherford, NJ; no SBIR) a publicly traded pharmaceutical company based in ., the companies announced. ... Stemonix uses stem-cell technology to create "micro-organs," like heart cells or parts of the brain, for pharmaceutical companies to use in drug testing and development. ... Cancer Genetics sold its research and development arm last year, but still supports preclinical trials through its discovery services arm. [Carrigan Miller, MinneInno, Aug 24, 20]
StemoniX (Maple Grove, MN; no SBIR, founde 2014), a biotech startup using stem cells to create micro-organs for drug testing and development, has raised $14.4 million in a secured $14.4 million in Series B funding .... seeks to transform conventional drug development via ready-to-assay plates containing functioning microOrgans®, including active neural circuits (microBrain®) and beating heart cells (microHeart®) [company press release, Feb 28, 19] prior funding $12 [crunchbase.com]
Stemonix (Minneapolis, MN; no SBIR, founded 2014, 18 employees) , a stem cell research firm, wins Minnesota Cup competition. Ping Yeh, the leader of the disease-testing company, is a mechanical engineer who decided to shift to health products from electronics after a bout with cancer.The company is improving production, growth and manufacture of human heart and brain cells for drug toxicity and efficacy testing. It already is selling the results to several unspecified pharmaceutical companies, Yeh said. .... previously has raised about $5 million in equity, mostly from individual “angel” investors [Neal St Anthony, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Sep 23, 16]
StemPharm (Madison, WI; $1M SBIR) wins $100K award [from a combination of state and federal funds, to commercialize their [SBIR] innovations], leverages its expertise in biomaterials and cellular interactions to develop high-value applications of organoids (3D in vitro models) for drug discovery and cell-friendly coatings for the manufacture of cell-based therapies. [Brandon Anderegg, Milwaukee BizTimes, Sep 30, 2020]
Six Madison [WI]-area tech startups are receiving grants from the SBIR Advance program, a collaboration between the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. and the UW System Administration's Center for Technology Commercialization, to grow their businesses. Onexio Biosystems, Madison $75K, Equipment used to quickly screen potential drug compounds during the drug development process. Pyran, Madison $75K: Using wood and crop waste to make a key chemical used to manufacture paints and plastics; Stem Pharm, Fitchburg, $75K: Biomaterials for cell and tissue manufacturing; NCD Technologies, Madison $100K: Diamond and diamond-like coatings for medical devices and other industries. PhylloTech, Middleton $100K: A process to engineer plants to produce proteins that will help them resist agricultural diseases. [Judy Newman, Wisconsin State Journal, Mar 27, 19]
Stem Pharm (Madison, WI; $300K [NIH] SBIR, founded 2015, two employees) is one of the newest startups to join the field. ... builds on research conducted in the laboratory of UW-Madison biomedical engineering professor Bill Murphy, is developing biomaterials capable of supporting stem cells as they grow. ... already shipping products to customers, such as materials that promote the self-assembly of cells into human tissues, Murphy says. [Jeff Buchanan, xconomy.com, May 19, 17]
Stereotaxis down 19% [Mar 11, 20]
Stereotaxis up 16% [Mar 6, 20]
Stereotaxis (St Louis, MO; one SBIR in 1992) up 16% [Sep 16, 19]
Stereotaxis (St Louis, MO; one SBIR) secured $24 million [upfront] in equity financing and is retiring $13 million in debt. ... maker of medical devices for treating cardiac arrhythmias ... could receive up to an additional $25.8 million in the future upon the exercise of warrants. [Angela Mueller, St. Louis Business Journal, Sep 27, 16]
Stereotaxis (St Louis, MO; one SBIR) delisted by Nasdaq, will trade OTC. [Vince Brennan, St. Louis Business Journal, Aug 4, 16]
Medical device maker Stereotaxis said it received notice from the Nasdaq Stock Market that the company is out of compliance with the market's minimum bid price rule. ...designs, makes and markets robotic systems and instruments used to treat abnormal heart rhythms. [Diana Barr,St. Louis Business Journal, Jan 25, 16]
Stereotaxis (St. Louis, MO; one SBIR) medical device company, is offering its shareholders the option to purchase the company’s common stock at $1.10 a share. ... Earlier this week, the company announced it had received a U.S. patent that allows for future development of features within its Odyssey device. [Brian Feldt, St. Louis Business Journal, Sep 4, 15]
Stereotaxis (one SBIR two decades ago) said that it has received [FDA] approval for another of its Vdrive system products. Separately, Japanese regulators approved its Odyssey product line. ... develops robotic cardiology instrument navigation systems designed to enhance the treatment of arrhythmias and coronary disease [Jacob Kirn, St Louis Business Journal, Jan 5, 15]
Stereotaxis said it had received its first commercial order for its Niobe ES magnetic surgical navigation system in Japan. The developer of robotic cardiology instrument navigation systems also said it had hired a business director to open an office in Tokyo. [Kelly Moffitt, St. Louis Business Journal, Sep 24, 14]
Medical device maker Stereotaxis (one SBIR) said that it received 510(k) clearance from the Food and Drug Administration to market a second Vdrive robotic navigation system in the U.S. ... a premarketing submission made to the FDA to demonstrate a device is substantially equivalent to, or as safe and effective as, a device that is already legally marketed. [Diana Barr, St. Louis Business Journal, Sep 5, 14]
At the end of the first quarter, Stereotaxis (St Louis, MO; one SBIR) announced it had completed the clinical trial for one of its devices, the Vdrive with V-Loop Variable Loop Catheter Manipulator and submitted its notification to the Food and Drug Administration that the device is set to hit the market and will be used on humans. Pre-approval is not required from the FDA on this device, according to the agency. [Samantha Liss, St. Louis Business Journal, May 6, 14]
Stereotaxis (St Louis, MO; one SBIR in 1992), a medical device maker, has raised $10.2 million from a rights offering, the company said [St. Louis Business Journal, Nov 27, 13]
Stereotaxis up 15% [Aug 14, 13]
Stereotaxis down 10% [Aug 13,13]
Stereotaxis down 12% [Aug 9, 13]
Stereotaxis down 47% [Aug 8, 13] after the medical device maker posted a quarterly loss and said it was evaluating financial alternatives to address its long-term liquidity crunch. [AP]
Stereotaxis down 14% [Aug 7, 13]
Stereotaxis up 30% [Aug 5, 13] the much awaited FDA approval for commercialization of the company's Vdrive Robotic Navigation System with V-Sono Intracardiac Echocardiography catheter manipulator in the US has been granted. The Vdrive line of product has been in use in Europe since 2011. [Seking Alpha.com, Jul 29, 13]
Stereotaxis up 75% [Aug 2, 13]
Stereotaxis down 20% [Aug 1, 13]
Medical device maker Stereotaxis (St Louis, MO; one SBIR two decades ago). received a notification on March 20 from the Nasdaq Stock Market that the company was not in compliance with the market's rule that it must have $50 million in total assets and total revenues .... Separately, Stereotaxis announced today that it had received regulatory approval of its Niobe remote magnetic technology for cardiac ablations in Japan. [Matthew Hibbard, St Louis Business Journal, Mar 25, 13]
Stereotaxis (St Louis, MO; one SBIR twenty years ago in CA, founded 1990) did a 1:10 reverse stock split to regain NASDAQ compliance [St Louis Business Journal, Jul 26, 12]
Celcuity (Minneapolis, MN; no SBIR, founded 2012) files to raise $15M through IPO [Katharine Grayson,Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal, Aug 23, 17] developing novel diagnostic tests that functionally analyze diseased live cells. Our mission is to transform care for cancer patients by providing the most biologically complete diagnosis available. CEO Brian Sullivan has over 25 years of experience founding and building successful technology companies. He was chairman and CEO of Sterilmed (Plymouth, MN, no SBIR) a medical device company, from 2003 until its sale to Johnson & Johnson for $330 million in 2011. Previously he was cofounder and CEO of Recovery Engineering (Minneapolis, MN; no SBIR), a filtration company that he took public and subsequently sold to Proctor and Gamble for $265 million in 1999.[company website]
Silicon Carbide Alliance(Sep 15) ATMI (Danbury, CT) formed a "multi-year, multi-million dollar" silicon carbide wafer production alliance with Sterling Semiconductor, a subsidiary of Novecon Technologies (Reston, VA). ATMI licensed technology and transferred ISO9002-certified wafer manufacturing processes and equipment to Sterling. Sterling will be solely responsible for wafer sales and marketing. Both ATMI and Sterling are big beneficiaries of BMDO's SBIR for silicon carbide. Sterling started as a company in 1996 to manufacture silicon carbide and advanced electronic device components made from silicon carbide. Sterling's team of SiC crystal growth experts provides high-quality 6H-SiC and 4H-SiC to end-users. Sterling won two Fast Track awards following its first two Phase 1s in 1997. ATMI's silicon carbide awards go back several years to before ATMI went public in 1993.
A Sterling WebSite Visit Sterling Semiconductor (Reston, VA) and order now. The stated quality is fewer than 100 micropipes per square cm in 6H SiC. After the SBIR projects, however, who knows how low the micropipe count can go.
StimMed (Buffalo, NY; SBIR) closed on $1 million in financing from local investors ... already received FDA OK for cosk product [Dan Miner, Buffalo Business First, Dec 12, 16] .... manufacturer of an innovative, clinically proven patient specific, neuromuscular electrical stimulation devices [company website]
Stirling Energy Systems (Scottsdale, AZ; no SBIR) has filed for bankruptcy, adding to a wave of troubles in the solar industry amid soft demand, falling prices and difficulty raising money. ... developed equipment that converts heat from the sun into electricity. Neither of the plants were able to obtain government loan guarantees, although both were sited on public land in California and obtained fast-track construction permits from the Obama administration. [Cassandra Sweet, Wall Street Journal, Sep 30, 11] Nice technology that costs far more than market can bear and that only a government could love. But then, government systematically does things that sound good in speeches and fail in economics.
Private companies to watch on electricity as picked by MIT Tech Review (Sep/Oct09): Nanosolar ($1.7M SBIR) founded 2002, raised $400M; A123 Systems IPO Sep 24; Brightsource Energy; Tendril; 1366 Technologies; Deepwater Wind; Solyndra; Silver Spring Networks; AltaRock; Stirling Energy Systems.
Irish Wind. The wind energy company Wind Capital Group LLC is getting a $150 M investment from Ireland-based NTR PLC — a financial boost that [founder] Carnahan says will help transform NTR will provide cash and supply 150 megawatts of wind turbines for delivery in 2010. ... NTR has within the last year sold off its interest in Airtricity, a wind energy developer in the U.S. and Europe, and it has been reinvesting some of the proceeds in startup renewable energy firms. Last week, the company agreed to pay $100 M for a majority stake in Phoenix-based Stirling Energy Systems, which is developing solar power plants. [St Louis Post Dispatch, Apr 25]
Eternal Stirling. Stirling Energy (Phoenix, AZ)'s solar technology, however, is anything but New Age. It consists of small metal tubes filled with hydrogen, which are heated by a large dish of mirrors that concentrate the sun's rays on the tubes, causing the hydrogen to expand and contract as it passes through heat exchangers. This process pushes the pistons of an engine originally invented by Church of Scotland reverend Robert Stirling in 1816 that in turn drives a generator and thus creates electricity. Unlike the internal combustion engine, the Stirling engine never burns any fuel and is consequently a thoroughly clean technology. Today it's used in extremely high-tech environments, such as within nuclear-powered submarines, but has never been deployed on a broader commercial basis. Stirling Energy's solar technology, however, is about three times as efficient as silicon-based photovoltaic solar cells, Slawson says, which means it could be economically viable as an alternative energy source as traditional energy costs rise.The engine's one big drawback, however, is that it requires near constant amounts of sunlight when the sun happens to be shining, which restricts its use to places such as the deserts of the American southwest. Another problem: Tracts of isolated land are needed to set up the mirrors and tubes and noisy pistons to generate enough energy to make it worthwhile. [Claire Pool, New York Times, Aug 14]
Stoke Therapeutics (Boston, MA; no SBIR, founded 2014) is the latest biotech company to debut on Wall Street, raising $142 million to test an experimental therapy for a rare form of epilepsy. Stoke does not yet have any human data to show investors, but the Bedford, MA, company was still able to sell more shares than it planned—and at a higher price. [xconomy.com, Jun 19, 19] prior funding $130M [crunchbase.com]
RNA-altering startup Stoke Therapeutics (Bedford, MA; no SBIR) filed for an $86M IPO.... developing treatments for diseases in which a genetic mutation leads to a protein deficiency. says it is focusing on autosomal dominant diseases, which are disorders in which only one copy of the gene needs to be mutated for the disease to develop. [Frank Vinluan, xconomy.com, May 24, 19]
startup Stoke Therapeutics (Bedford, MA; SBIR) raised another $90 million ..has bankrolled $130 million this year alone. T... [to] advance a drug it is developing for a rare form of epilepsy called Dravet Syndrome. [Ben Fidler, xconomy.com, Oct 22, 18]
Risk-loving gene therapy startups are emerging with creative solutions to expand the reach of genetic medicine. Two of them debuting this morning, Generation Bio (Cambridge, MA) startup with a $25 million Series A round attempting an unusual gene therapy approach meant to make the technique available to more people, and possibly allow them to get a second dose if the first wears off. Stoke Therapeutics (Bedford, MA) startup run by former Sarepta Therapeutics CEO Ed Kaye, trying to address a current weakness of gene therapy—the inability of developers to control the level of the therapeutic effect. The hope is that Stoke’s treatments will treat diseases that current gene therapies can’t touch. It has raised $40 million. [Ben Fidler, xconomy, Jan 4, 18] Stoke working to increase gene expression to treat a wide array of diseases caused by genetic insufficiency, announced that it has completed a $40 million Series A financing to support the further advancement of multiple pre-clinical development programs. [company press release, Jan 4, 18]
Steve Ginsberg calls DOD a leading supplier of venture capital to technology startups, like Stottler Henke Assoc (San Mateo, CA). His evidence is Stottler's $600,000 in grants from the DOD since June with application for a dozen more and the company's doubling to 24 employees in a year with hopes of 10 more. Stottler's software is used by NASA to schedule shuttle launches, while Army and Navy use it to analyze defense weaknesses. Stottler Henke has been around nine years and has survived on $6 million worth of DOD's grants. That's an average of $700K per year which just about explains what all the employees do. The company has used SBIR because it allowed it to delve into areas such as artificial intelligence that typical venture capitalists wouldn't touch. (I wonder why?) About 75 percent of its revenues have come from the military, but Henke is eager to commercialize the work and perhaps take the company public. [San Francisco Business Times, Aug 4] Nice hometown boosterism story mixing DOD official theories of commercialization with the realty of SBIR money's favoring ordinary R&D. By contrast, after $6M Ann Winblad would expect her software investees to be far West of DOD SBIR. Ginsberg's definition of VC seems to enfold anyone who buys R&D from a small company. With a little more searching, Ginsberg could have found Bay Area firms who have used SBIR as intended: PolyStor, Deacon Research, SDL. Even Crystallume which went public and then bust makes a better case for SBIR.
E-stethoscope developer Strados Labs (Philadelphia, PA; one SBIR) raises $4.5M pre-Series A round ... RESP is the company's platform technology for wirelessly and remotely monitoring patient lung sounds and patterns anywhere and at any time. [John George, Philadelphia, Inno, Jan 5, 2022]
Forward Edge-AI (San Antonio, TX; $1.2M SBIR) received [unstated amount) funding from Microsoft Corp. for Blaise, the company's handheld device, which is designed to detect pathogens on hard surfaces, [said] CEO Eric Adolphe. Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) provided this funding through its Black Partner Growth Initiative [Jeannette E. Garcia, San Antonio Inno, Dec 10, 2021]
Air Force (USAF) selected Sierra Nevada (Sparks, NV; $1M SBIR, founded 1963, 2500 employees) and its partner Embraer (Brazil) Defense and Security for its Light Air Support (LAS) program. ... deemed the A-29 Super Tucano aircraft, and the overall solution offered by SNC, to be the superior choice for this critical mission. The initial $427.5 million delivery order is to supply the USAF with 20 A-29 Super Tucano aircraft. ... for. light air support, reconnaissance and training capabilities to the Afghanistan military. As such, it is a vital element of the United States’ Afghan withdrawal strategy .. work will be in Jacksonville, FL [company press release Feb 27, 13] over the years it has gathered up companies: Space Dev (Poway, CA; $5M SBIR) ;MicroSat Systems (Littleton, CA; $11M SBIR) ; Straight Flight (Denver, CO; no SBIR) ; Waveband (Torrance, CA; $17M SBIR); Aviation Resources Delaware (no SBIR); Inter-4 (San Francisco, CA; no SBIR); Turtle Mountain Communications (no SBIR) ; Plano Microwave (Plano, TX; no SBIR) ; Spectral Systems (Beavercreek, OH; no SBIR) ;Advanced Countermeasure Systems (Sacramento, CA; no SBIR) .
Stratagene (LaJolla,CA; $6M SBIR in the 1990s) will be bought by Agilent for $245M. Its share price has been typically volatile for life-sciences companies since its IPO in 2004 and the purchase price is near its optimistic IPO price.
Strata Oncology (Ann Arbor, MI; no SBIR, founded 2015) precision medicine startup this week closed a $26 million Series B [Sarah Schmid Stevenson, xconomy.com, May 24, 18]
precision medicine startup Strata Oncology (Ann Arbor, MI; no SBIR) announced last week that it has raised a $12 million Series A round, to make tumor sequencing for cancer patients more accessible. ... has entered into a collaborative partnership with Thermo Fisher Scientific. ... CEO Dan Rhodes, who led Compendia Bioscience (Ann Arbor, MI; $3.9M SBIR), a cancer genomics company that was acquired by Life Technologies in 2012, co-founded the 15-person Strata Oncology team in 2015 with Keith Flaherty, an oncologist from Harvard medical school and Massachusetts General Hospital, and pathologist Scott Tomlins from the University of Michigan medical school. [Sarah Schmid, xconomy.com, Jun 6, 16]
Stratasys (Eden Prairie, MN; no SBIR) added the maker of a new generation, high-speed aircraft to its roster of aerospace customers. Boom Supersonic (Denver, CO; no SBIR) aviation startup, is deploying Stratasys 3-D printing capabilities to build its new supersonic passenger airplane capable of flying nearly three times as fast as any commercial aircraft on the market, according to a news release from both companies. ... Stratasys generated $672 million in 2016 [Nick Williams, Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal, Jun 15, 17]
3-D printers can produce even junk food these days. Appropriate, as the firms making them have given investors a sharp case of indigestion. The share price of Stratasys (no SBIR) has collapsed 50% in the past 12 months, while close rival 3D Systems (no SBIR) is down more than 60% in that time. That has erased the huge gains those stocks enjoyed during a run-up in 2013. Smaller 3-D printer plays such as ExOne (no SBIR)and voxeljet (no SBIR) have charted a similar course. ExOne shares are actually 10% below their IPO price from February 2013. [Dan Gallagher, Wall Street Journal, Feb 22, 15]
3D Printing Money. Shares of Voxeljet AG (Germany) more than doubled after the 3-D printing company raised $84.5 million in its initial public offering. Voxeljet's 3-D printers can make anything from vehicle parts to chairs to artwork. [AP, Oct 18]..... Stocks of 3-D printing companies have soared over the last year as 3-D printing grows in popularity. Shares of The ExOne (North Huntingdon, PA; no SBIR) have tripled since the company went public in February. Stratasys Ltd.'s (Eden Prairie, MN; no SBIR) shares have jumped 73 percent over the last year. And 3D Systems (Rock Hill, SC, no SBIR) shares have more than doubled from a year ago. [Paul Ausick, 24/7 Wall Street, Oct 18]
On "Star Trek," teleported objects materialized from thin air in seconds. At Stratasys (Eden Prairie, MN; no SBIR) it takes longer -- two hours for a monkey wrench or 10 hours for a coffeepot. Stratasys does it ... with a machine that creates product prototypes out of nothing more than a fine plastic spray and the digital output from a computer-aided design workstation. .... many analysts -- and even one noteworthy institutional investor that recently purchased a large stake in the company -- are bullish on Stratasys' long-term prospects. The 19-year-old company is a leader in the growing $1.14 billion rapid prototyping industry. ... has 400 employees, has 10% of the world market based on revenue, but 44% of the installed systems, largely as a result of volume sales of its lower-end machines [Steve Alexander, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Jun 28, 08]
Mallinckrodt (UK) announced top-line results from a pivotal Phase 3 trial of StrataGraft, an investigational regenerative tissue developed by the company’s subsidiary Stratatech (Madison, WI; $24M SBIR). The life sciences firm said the 71-patient study met both of its primary endpoints in testing the efficacy and safety of a single application of StrataGraft in treating deep, partial-thickness thermal burns. [Jeff Engel, xconomy,com, Oct 9, 19]
Mallinckrodt (UK) announces that [subsidiary] Stratatech (Norwalk, CT; $26M SBIR), was awarded ~$26M in additional Project BioShield funding by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA)[ to] support for pediatric studies related to the company's StrataGraft viable, engineered skin tissue. [seekingalpha.com, Oct 15, 18]
The FDA has designated StrataGraft, a Stratatech (subsidiary of Mallinckrodt (UK), Madison, WI; $15M SBIR)- developed sheet of living tissue made from human cells that form into skin, as a Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT), the company said. Drugs that treat rare diseases or life-threatening conditions can be placed on a faster regulatory pathway. [Jeff Buchanan, xconomy.com, Jul 19, 17]
Stratatech (Madison, WI; $14M SBIR), which is developing stem cell-based human tissue for treating burn wounds, said the first patient has been enrolled in a Phase 2 clinical study of its core skin replacement product, StrataGraft. was acquired by U.K.-based Mallinckrodt (NYSE: MNK) last August for $76 million in cash, though the company could be on the hook for another $121 million in milestone payments. [Jeff Buchanan, xconomy.com, May 10, 17]
Stratatech (Madison, WI; $15M SBIR, founded 2001) maker of human skin substitute products, has agreed to be acquired by Mallinckrodt plc (St Louis, MO) [for undisclosed price]. .... Stratatech was founded by University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher Lynn Allen-Hoffmann. After watching a surgeon operate on a farmer who had suffered third-degree burns across 95% of his body, she transformed her research into a company that would focus on developing a skin replacement created with actual human cells. The company is now developing a full-thickness, human cell-based, living skin product called StrataGraft .... Mallinckrodt has been on an acquisition binge, according to SEC filings. [Kathleen Gallagher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Aug 11, 16] How does a small innovative company move into the big markets? Face capitalism's reality. Go find zillions in capital investment in a researcher's company with no market history, or take a discounted lifetime profit by selling to a big market entity.
Stratatech (Madison, WI; $15M SBIR, 50 employees) maker of human skin substitute products, said it has been awarded a $247 million, five-year federal contract to further develop its full-thickness, human cell-based skin product for treating patients with severe burns. ... The [BARDA] agency is aiming to be prepared for potential radiological and nuclear threats, such as the detonation of an improvised nuclear device. Three other companies, all with products for treating severe burns, also received five-year contracts from the agency: Argentum (Geneva, IL; no SBIR), as much as $20 million; MediWound of Israel, as much as $112.8 million; and Avita Medical Americas LLC (Northridge, CA; no SBIR), as much as $79.5 million. [Kathleen Gallagher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Oct 6, 15]
Stratatech (Madison, WI; $15M SBIR), a leading regenerative medicine company, announced that it has been awarded a contract valued at up to $247 million by the [US] Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) ... for the advanced development of StrataGraft® skin tissue, the Company’s flagship skin replacement product, as a medical countermeasure to treat patients with severe thermal burns. [company press release, Oct 5, 15]
Stratatech (Madison, WI; $16.6 M SBIR) said it has been awarded a $4.6 million grant by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to support the first human clinical trial of the firm's "ExpressGraft" antimicrobial skin substitute. The trial will test the safety and effectiveness of ExpressGraft in treating chronic diabetic foot ulcers. ... a regenerative medicine company focused on developing and commercializing skin substitute products for therapy and research. [Rick Romell, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Oct 31, 11]
Stratatech (Madison, WI; $12M SBIR) said it has received a $3.5 million [SBIR] to expand development of its anti-infective living human skin substitute. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Nov 16, 10] Millions of SBIR for one technology in one company goes beyond nursing infant technology, but then SBIR is just politics anyway with the federal agencies free to fund anyone they want for as long they want. The price of such concentration is that other innovative companies with new ideas get shut out as SBIR money is shuttled to agency favorites.
Stratatech (Madison, WI; $12M SBIR) has closed on a funding round for $3 million of convertible notes .... raised from current investors, and will use it to move during the second half of 2010 into a Phase IIb clinical trial of its StrataGraft living human skin substitute [Kathleen Gallagher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, May 4, 10]
Stratatech (Madison, WI; $12M SBIR) gets $1.7 million from National Cancer Institute to develop living skin treatment for skin cancer: [kathleengall blog, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Sep 30, 09] Kathleen Gallagher covers emerging companies, technologies, financing and investments, probably the most extensive such coverage outside Mass High Tech.
Stratatech (Madison, WI; $12M SBIR) that makes a human skin substitute said it will begin selling it in Europe to companies that can no longer do certain tests for their products on animals. [Kathleen Gallagher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Sep 8, 09]
Stratatech (Madison, WI; $6M SBIR) said it has genetically modified its skin substitute product so it can fight bacterial infections that routinely develop at the site of burns and other severe skin injuries like skin ulcers. [Kathleen Gallagher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Feb 3, 09]
In late June, officials from Strategic Response Initiatives (Watervliet, NY (inside the Army's Watervliet Arsenal); no SBIR) went to a conference on chemical warfare protection in Missouri [where] they saw a lot of interest in their product -- a French-made hazardous materials suit that is half the weight of conventional suits. A few days later, the company signed a tentative deal with a New Jersey distributor to start marketing the product. And on Wednesday, the owner of a Canadian distributor flew from Toronto to Albany in a private jet to discuss a similar agreement. Not bad, considering Strategic Response only started marketing last week. Chief executive Robert Domenici formed the company in 2005. The original idea was for him to train terrorism response and hazardous materials operations teams. But the company changed focus after a trip to Iraq in May 2007 to train an Iraqi team there. Word got out about Domenici, and a French company took notice. [Alan Wechsler, Albany Times-Union, Jul 3]
Stratos Genomics (Seattle, WA; $800K NIH grant) a 4th generation DNA sequencing technology company, today announced it has raised $20 million in venture capital from Fisk Ventures. The funds will be used for final system development leading to commercial introduction of the company’s proprietary sequencing platform. [company press release, Jan 8, 18]
Stratos Genomics (Seattle, WA; no SBIR, founded 2007, 42 employees), a spinout of Stratos Group, announced that it has received $15 million as a result of developing a better method to sequence DNA..... said that it successfully engineered components that make up the strands of DNA housed in biological cells. When inserted into a strand of DNA, these components allow the strand to be expanded, simplifying measurements and making them cheaper. [Jason Axelrod, Seattle Times, Jun 17, 15]
Swiss giant Roche has put cash into Stratos Genomics (Seattle, WA; no SBIR) to help develop Stratos’s nanopore sequencing technology, which aims for highly sensitive DNA analysis by screening single molecules. .... follows Roche’s $125 million upfront purchase of another nanopore sequencing technology firm, Genia Technologies (no SBIR), earlier this month [Alex Lash, xcononmy.com, Jun 26, 14]
The solution Stratos Genomics (Seattle, WA; no SBIR, founded 2007) came up with was to "copy" the molecules and expand the copies so they could be analyzed more easily. ... developed a way to replicate native DNA with a synthetic surrogate. To market: Stephan says the science is largely complete and now it's down to engineering. He expects the product to be available in two to three years. [Patrick Marshall, Seattle Times, Jan 23, 11]
Strella Biotechnology [from University of Pennsylvania] won first prize of $100K for winning the Arizona State University Innovation Open. [Hayley Ringle, Phoenix Business Journal, Feb 6, 19] ... developing a biosensor that can predict the maturity of virtually any fresh fruit. [company website]
Sarepta Therapeutics, the leader in precision genetic medicine for rare diseases, and StrideBio (Research Triangle Park, NC; no SBIR), a leading developer of novel adeno-associated viral (AAV) based gene therapies, announced the signing of a collaboration and license agreement to develop in vivo AAV-based therapies for up to eight central nervous system (CNS) and neuromuscular targets. Pursuant to the agreement, Sarepta is granted an exclusive license on selected targets to leverage StrideBio’s novel, structure-driven capsid technology, intended to enhance specific tropism to tissues of interest and evade neutralizing antibodies ... with an upfront payment of up to $42.5 million along with future downstream milestone payments, while StrideBio has an option to obtain co-development and co-commercial rights to one of the collaboration targets. In addition, Sarepta has made a commitment to invest in StrideBio’s next financing round. [joint companies press release, Nov 14, 19]
Biogen Idec scooped up drugmaker Stromedix (Cambridge, MA; no SBIR) for $75 million upfront and potentially $487.5 million more to come in milestone payments. Stromedix is developing drugs to treat fibrosis and was founded by former Biogen head of research Michael Gilman [Erin Kutx, xconomy.com, Feb 17, 12]
Stromedix (Cambridge, MA; no SBIR) has taken in $2 million of a planned $15.5 million new financing round, ... focuses on creating therapies for fibrosis and fibrotic organ failure, had previously raised just under $30 million [Rodney Brown, Mass High Tech, Jan 26, 11]
Strongbridge Biopharma (Ireland and Trevose, PA; no SBIR, founded 1996) a global commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of therapies for rare diseases with significant unmet needs, announced that the Company has acquired the U.S. and Canadian rights to MACRILEN™ (macimorelin) from Aeterna Zentaris (Canada and Charleston, SC; no SBIR, founded 1990) [for an upfront payment of $24 million]. On December 20, 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted marketing approval for MACRILEN, an oral growth hormone secretagogue (GHS) receptor agonist, to be used in the diagnosis of patients with adult growth hormone deficiency (AGHD), which affects approximately 60,000 adults in the U.S. and Canada. MACRILEN has been granted orphan drug designation in the U.S. and has patents with expiration dates through late 2027. [company press release, Dec 20, 17]
Strongbridge Biopharma, formerly Cortendo PLC (Dublin, Ireland and Trevose,PA) is planning a 1-for-11 reverse stock split to help facilitate the IPOis seeking to raise $86 million through its IPO ... focused on the development, in-licensing, acquisition and eventual commercialization of complementary product candidates that target rare diseases. Its lead product candidate, COR-003, is a cortisol inhibitor that is currently in late-stage testing as a potential treatment of endogenous Cushing’s syndrome. [John George, Philadelphia Business Journal, Sep 8, 15]
Four years into its existence, Cydan Development, New Enterprise Associates’ orphan drug startup accelerator, has notched its first big win. Vtesse (Gaithersburg, MD; no SBIR), the first company to emerge from Cydan, has been sold in a deal valued at $200 million. Sucampo Pharmaceuticals (Rockville, MD; no SBIR) maker of a drug to treat various bowel conditions, will acquire Vtesse for $170 million in cash and 2,782,678 shares of Sucampo, which closed at $11 [Ben Fidler, xconomy.com, Apr 3, 17]
Sucampo Pharmaceuticals (Rockville, MD; no SBIR) now has the option to an exclusive agreement to commercialize a colon cancer drug, which could net the company $190 million. The company inked the deal with Arizona-based Cancer Prevention Pharmaceuticals for $5 million. If the drug successfully completes Phase III trials in the first half of 2016, it could receive approval in 2019. [Tina Reed, Washington Business Journal, Jan 12, 16]
Laser vision technology startup Avedro (Waltham, MA; no SBIR) has added almost $1.7 million to a securities offering that brought the company $4.6 million in July ... has developed a microwave-based surgery procedure intended to treat myopia without using surgical laser vision correction. Muller is the founder and former chairman and CEO of Summit Technology (Watertown, MA; three SBIRs two decades ago), the original developer of Lasik technology. The company was founded in 2008 from technology created in 2002 by Dartmouth College associate engineering professor B. Stuart Trembly. [Michelle Lang, Mass High Tech, Jan 6, 11]
drug developer Sun BioPharma (Waconia, MN; $200K SBIR in Florida, founded 2011) is looking to raise $4 million to $5 million, according to CEO David Kaysen. The clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company is set to kick off a new study to test its flagship SBP-101 pancreatic cancer treatment drug, but it will need financing to cover the human trial. [Sam Schaust, Twin Cities Business, Mar 7, 18] reverse stock split Nov 2017.
biotech startup Sun BioPharma (Minneapolis, MN; no SBIR) announced sales of equity securities resulting in total proceeds of $2.0 million ... plans to use the proceeds to fund the continuing Phase 1 study of its initial product candidate, SBP-101, for pancreatic cancer as well as preclinical efforts to further study the impact of SBP -101 on pancreatitis. [company press release, Jun 28, 16]
[MIT spinoff] Startup Sun Catalytix (no SBIR) is designing a flow battery for grid energy storage that uses custom materials derived from inexpensive commodity chemicals. It joins dozens of other companies seeking to make a device that can cheaply and reliably provide multiple hours of power to back up intermittent wind and solar power. [technologyreview.com, Sep 30, 13]
Sun Catalytix (Cambridge, MA; no SBIR) announced the completion of a $9.5 million Series B funding round. ... uses catalysts that split water and generate hydrogen and oxygen from water, producing renewable electricity in “benign and simple operating conditions,” according to the company. ... spun out of MIT to commercialize water-splitting research from the labs of Daniel Nocera, an MIT chemistry professor. [Mass High Tech, Oct 8, 10]
Sun Catalytix (Cambridge, MA; no SBIR) received a third round of seed funding to continue development of water-splitting technology developed by MIT professor Daniel Nocera. ... The $1 million tranche, combined with an exclusive licensing agreement with MIT for Nocera’s patents.... a month after ARPA-E grant [Mass High Tech, Nov 23, 09]
several Massachusetts projects will receive a total of $33.2 million in federal funding for energy research. 1366 Technologies (Lexington) $4 million; , Agrivida (Medford; $300K SBIR) $4.6 million for efforts to cut the costs of cellulosic biofuels and chemicals; MIT $7 million on all-liquid metal grid-scale batteries; FastCAP Systems (Cambridge) $5.3 million to reduce the cost of hybrid and electric vehicles and of grid-scale storage; FloDesign Wind Turbine (Wilbraham) on new high efficiency shrouded wind turbines that could reduce noise and safety concerns $8.3 million ; Sun Catalytix (Cambridge) $4 million for a novel catalyst to enhance the efficiency of splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen. [Boston Globe, Oct 27, 09]
As part of a growing portfolio of local companies aimed at enabling what general partner Bob Metcalfe terms the “enernet,” Polaris Venture Partners has made an investment in a Cambridge-based startup focused on “solar fuels.” Sun Catalytix (no SBIR) has not confirmed the funding amount, but according to a report from PEHub, a VentureExpert database lists the investment at $700,000. The company’s technology, which uses solar energy to break water molecules and use the released hydrogen as a power source, is based on research by MIT chemistry professor Daniel Nocera, according to reports in a recent issue of the publication Chemistry and Industry, as well as the online blog Xconomy. [Mass High Tech, Apr 16,09]
Sunesis Pharma down 16% [Mar 14, 18]
Sunesis Pharma down 42% [Mar 9, 18] atop a reported loss "We are excited about the potential opportunity for our lead program, the non-covalent BTK inhibitor vecabrutinib (SNS-062), to help patients who have developed resistance to covalent BTK inhibitors such as ibrutinib, the current standard of care in treating CLL," said [CEO] Dayton Misfeldt]
Sunesis Pharma up 19% [Jan 31,18]
Sunesis Pharma (South San Francisco CA; $5M SBIR) up 39% [Dec 11, 17]
Sunesis Pharma (South San Francisco, CA; $5M SBIR) down 10% [Sep 13, 16] announced results from the Company's Phase 1A study in healthy volunteers evaluating oral non-covalent BTK inhibitor SNS-062. The study demonstrated a favorable safety, pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) profile for SNS-062 in healthy subjects. [company press release] after last week's 1:6 reverse stock split
Sunesis Pharma (S San Francisco, CA; $4M SBIR) down 72% [Jul 24,15] said [FDA] didn't support a filing for its vosaroxin treatment for acute myeloid leukemia, and said the agency encouraged the company to provide additional clinical evidence [Dow Jones Newswire] .. and three law firms announce investigation of securities claims.
Data from a Phase 3 trial of vosaroxin from Sunesis Pharmaceuticals (South San Francisco, CA; $5M SBIR) showed acute myeloid leukemia patients on the drug (combined with cytarabine) lived slightly longer than those only on cytarabine, but the result was not statistically significant, which was the main goal of the study. Sunesis officials said they would try for European approval based on the data, but investors bailed, sending the stock down 78 percent to $1.43 a share as of market close [Oct 8]. [Alex Lash, xconomy.com, Oct 9, 14]
Sunesis Pharmaceuticals(South SanFrancisco, CA; $5M SBIR)will sell 44.1 million units — one share of common stock and a warrant to buy a half-share — at 35 cents each.... focuses on treatments for blood cancers and solid tumors, said the $15.5 million offering would net about $14.3 million. [Ron Leuty, San Francisco Business Times, Oct 1, 10]
SunFire Biotechnologies (Birmingham, AL; one SBIR) startup has received roughly $1 million from the [DOD] for a key project .. to advance its development of Shigella vaccines. [Laurel Thrailkill, Alabama Inno, June 1, 2022]
A New Paper Trail. For 134 years Kimberly-Clark developed new products like Kleenex in-house. Now, outsiders are welcome in a dramatic overhaul of its research and development. SunHealth Solutions LLC (Naples FL, no SBIRs), helped Kimberly-Clark roll out SunSignals, self-adhesive, water-resistant sensors that change color when the wearer is in danger of sunburn. ... Last year, KC formed more than 30 partnerships with firms big and small. [Katherine Yung, Dallas Morning News, Aug 8]
Georgia Tech plans to develop an incubator aimed at nurturing the next generation of medical device companies. ... part of a broader expansion by the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), a 30-year-old business technology incubator that has produced several Atlanta tech companies including Suniva (no SBIR), CardioMEMS (no SBIR) and Vendormate (no SBIR). ... ATDC's plan includes opening multiple satellite offices in Midtown, where it will focus on building startups in niches, such as microelectronics fabrication, advanced manufacturing and clean tech. [Urvaksh Karkaria, Atlanta Business Chronicle, Feb 5, 15]
Solar cell-maker Suniva (Norcross, GA; no SBIR) will open a second manufacturing plant in the fourth quarter — four years after first announcing plans. .... will employ about 350 over three years at the $250 million Saginaw, Mich. plant, where it will make solar panels. .... a Georgia Tech spinoff, has developed a lower-cost way to make solar cells and sells about 600,000 solar panels annually [Urvaksh Karkaria, Atlanta Business Chronicle, Jul 22, 14]
Sunovion Pharmaceuticals (Marlborough, MA; no SBIR), privately held subsidiary of Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma (Japan) announced that it plans to buy Cynapsus Therapeutics (Canada) for a price that’s [a 121 percent premium of] its market value. [ Don Seiffert, Boston Business Journal, Aug 31, 16]
Sepracor perhaps best known for its Lunesta sleep aid, will be renamed Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. in the United States following its recent purchase by Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co. Ltd. of Japan. [Boston Globe, Jul 15, 10]
[NASA's] longstanding investment at its Glenn Research Center in heat pipes helped Thermacore (Lancaster, PA; something like $25M SBIR 1983-2010) adapt the technology to wick away dangerous heat during brain surgery. One story: When NASA needed a cryocooler to install on the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager, engineers at Goddard Space Flight Center turned to Sunpower (Athens, OH; $6M SBIR) for help. The company's cryocoolers feature just two moving parts and have a long lifespan. After 18 SBIR contracts, the company has a dozen models of cryocoolers that are aiding research in space and are employed in high-powered telescopes, multispectral and hyperspectral scanners, and superconductors on Earth. [NASA Spinoff 2017] Sounds like two cases of a federal mission agency using SBIR for straightforward engineering that uses proven technology for useful products. But then, SBIR allows both the agency and the company to proclaim innovation for whatever they're doing. No watchdogs are watching.
SunPower down 10% [Feb 3, 14]
SunPower (San Jose, CA; two SBIRs) up 10% [Jan 16, 14]
Sunpower down 10% [Aug 7, 13]
Sunpower down 14% [Aug 1, 13]
Sunpower> up 10% [Jul 5, 13]
Sunpower 10% [May 10, 13]
SunPower up 10% [Apr 24, 13]
Sun Power up 17% [Apr 9, 13]
Sun Power up 17% [feb 19, 13]
SunPower up 19% [Feb 11, 13].
SunPower down 10% [Aug 9, 12]
SunPower up 10% [May 17, 12]
SunPower down 10% [May 15, 12]
Sunpower up 13% [Feb 9, 12]
SunPower down 12% [Feb 7, 12]
Sun Power up 11% [Jan 11, 12]
SunPower agreed to buy European solar plant developer SunRay Renewable Energy for $277 million. [San Francisco Business Times, Feb 11, 10]
SunPower plunged nearly 20% today after the company said it may need to restate earnings for 2008 and 2009. [San Jose Mercury News, Nov 17, 09]
Solar Stocks. a few standouts may shine in the long run.... the Solar Power International 2008 convention drew attendees from 70 countries and generated lines stretching out the door for parking, food, and just about everything else. ... With subsidies, First Solar's products can compete in many parts of the world with a natural gas or coal-fired power plant. ... SunPower claims the most efficient. ... Suntech Power offers scale ... But for now, The shares of even the best solar companies have fallen on hard times. [Michael Copeland, Fortune, Nov 10]
SunPower down 12% [Sep 26, 08]
SunPower down 27% [Sep 29, 08]
SunPower down 13% [Sep 9, 08]
SunPower up 10% [Sep 19, 08]
SunPower down 12% [Sep 15, 08]
SunPower up 18% [Aug 14, 08]
Some of the most efficient [solar] panels in production, from Sunnyvale, Calif.-based SunPower Corp., can yield about 220 watts of power from one square meter when 1,000 watts of sunlight is shone on it, up from 140 watts to 150 watts for the average panel five years ago. [Yulia Chernova, Wall Street Journal, Jun 30, 08]
A Patch of Shade. After SunPower reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings on Thursday and raised its 2008 earnings forecast, citing robust demand for its solar cells and panels, [Reuters, Apr 18, 08] the stock dove 13%.
Some solar stocks, such as Suntech Power and SunPower, are down over 50%. Is now the time to buy? In general, solar stocks are still a little pricey, but they make a good long-term investment. Solar cells are expensive, but manufacturing costs are going to go down. With advances in the material sciences and nanotechnology, solar will get more efficient, and consumers will find solar products more affordable. Is there a "cleantech Google" that will make me a millionaire overnight? No. As promising as some of the smaller cleantech players are, they can't push out their technologies without a big company acquiring them because energy is a large-infrastructure play. It will have to be a combination of a few [smaller] breakthrough technology companies, plus a lot of the big guys. [Ben Levisohn, Business Week, Apr 14]
SunPower up 11% [Apr 4, 08] Options traders took bullish positions in several solar-energy companies Friday, after lawmakers revived efforts to extend tax credits for renewable energy. Traders picked up huge volumes of options in Energy Conversion Devices Inc., Evergreen Solar , First Solar, SunPower. and Suntech Power Holdings -- all of which supply solar equipment to businesses, homes or power plants. [Wall Street Journal, Apr 5]
SunPower up 11% [Mar 24, 08]
SunPower up 11% [Mar 18, 08]
Sunpower down 10% [Mar 17, 08]
SunPower up 12% [Feb 13, 08]
SunPower up 11% [Feb 11, 08]
SunPower down 10% [Feb 6, 08]
SunPower down 12% [Feb 5, 08]
SunPower down 12% [Jan 17, 08]
SunPower down 11% [Jan 15, 08]
SunPower down 15% [Nov 12, 07]
SunPower up 16% makes some of the most efficient solar panels in the business, with low installation costs, the analyst wrote. [AP,Nov 6, 07]
SunPower up 10% [Oct 26, 07]
SunPower up 13% [Aug 8, 07] on discussion of political prospects for green power.
[Wisconsin] awarded Sun Power Biodiesel [Cumberland, WI; no SBIR) an $800,000 state loan funded by the federal stimulus package for Sun Power's expansion. ... part of an assistance package that also includes a $349,825 Community Development Block Grant for the city of Cumberland to provide infrastructure for the project. ... a cold-flow biodiesel producer founded in 2005. The biodiesel is produced from canola seed oil. [Thomas Content, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Aug 25, 10]
Fourteen startups that received a total of more than $17 million from [Texas Emerging Technology Fund managed by Gov. Rick Perry’s office... which has backed 143 startups] have failed or gone bankrupt. .... [ MIT professor Bill Aulet, who is managing director of the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship] said the number of failed ETF companies would be higher if state officials took the chances they needed when investing in startups. "They really haven't taken any risk," he said. "Governments aren't good at being venture capitalists because governments aren't good at risk." .... a partial list of the ETF-backed startups in Texas that have since closed, followed by the grant amounts they received: • NanoTailor, $250,000; • Star Vision Technologies, $750,000; • Terrabon, $2.7 million; • Thrombo Vision, $1.5 million; • Nanocoolers, $3 million; • Advanced Receiver Technologies, $250,000; • Bauhaus Software, $500,000; • Net Watch Solutions, $500,000; • Sunrise Ridge Algae, $250,000; • SeprOx, $750,000; • Speer Medical, $2.5 million [Christopher Calnan, Austin Business Journal, Jan 9, 14] None of these had SBIR.
The Texas Emerging Technology Fund is pumping more money into Central Texas technology startups. Six more Austin companies have won grants totaling $5.3 million. Among the six new grant winners is year-old NanoMedical Systems (no SBIR) which will use its $3.5 million to develop a tiny implantable capsule that delivers drugs a few molecules at a time, with the dosage controlled precisely for each patient. The company is completing a prototype using $4 million from a private investor, said co-founder and chief executive Randy Goodall. The grant will help fund it through the complex and time-consuming process of seeking Food and Drug Administration approval, Goodall said. ...... Farodox Energy Storage (no SBIR), which has developed a new fabrication process for high-performance electrical capacitors, $250,000; ... Ironbridge Technologies (no SBIR), which is developing self-heating food packaging technology, $250,000; ... Merkatum (no SBIR), which is developing fingerprint and facial recognition identity technologies, $250,000; ..... Stellarray (no SBIR), which is commercializing flat-panel radiation source technology, $750,000; ... Sunrise Ridge Algae (no SBIR), which is commercializing technology to turn algae into a renewable energy source. [Lori Hawkins, Austin American-Statesman, Nov 17, 08]
Sunshine Heart (Eden Prairie, MN; no SBIR) is conducting its fourth private stock placement in less than a year as it seeks to meet shareholder equity requirements for continued listing on the NASDAQ stock exchange, regulatory filings indicate. ... instituted a “strategic realignment” in September, switching its focus from commercializing an implantable pulse generator for heart failure to the Aquadex FlexFlow System, which it had acquired in August. ... The Aquadex system is used to remove salt and water from heart failure patients who are suffering from fluid overload and for whom diuretic therapy has not worked. [Don Jacobson, Twin Cities Business, Mar 9, 17]
Fifty
Nifty Techno-Innovators as
judged by Technology
Review
magazine [Apr
12]. In the company of investment magnets like Facebook and Google are
a few companies and ideas that would be fit for a realistic SBIR
program intent on seeding technically uncertain innovation with a
future if it can be shown to work.
Alta Devices (no SBIR) high-efficiency
gallium
arsenide–based
solar cells provide a way to lower the cost of solar power.
Can economically produce robust cells that use only small amounts of
the expensive semiconductor.
Integrated Diagnostics (Baltimore, MD; $1M
SBIR) By
reducing the cost of diagnostic tests,
it has allowed the monitoring of more disease markers.
Its synthetic antibodies replace more expensive antibodies widely used
in diagnostics.
Suntech (no
SBIR) Has developed a
low-cost way
of making better silicon solar cells.
Its new panels are more efficient because they reflect less light and
use thinner electrodes that block less
light.
Sakti3 (no
SBIR) Its
high-energy
batteries,
which will first appear in consumer devices, could make electric cars
cheaper and improve their range.
Making batteries without the flammable liquid found in conventional
electric-car batteries means they can store more energy.
LanzaTech (no SBIR) Makes
fuel and chemicals from
the carbon
monoxide produced by processes such as steelmaking.
Genetically engineered organisms turn the gas into ethanol and other
useful chemicals.
First Solar (Toledo,
OH; $750K SBIR) It is
reducing the cost of utility-scale
photovoltaic installations.
constrains costs with vertical integration of everything from plant
construction to the manufacture of high-efficiency cadmium telluride
cells.
Wildcat Discovery
(no SBIR) Has used
high-speed methods to
find
materials that improve the performance of batteries. Identified
a pair of materials that could increase energy density by 25 percent in
batteries for cars and portable electronics.
Siluria
(no SBIR) Its
catalytic process is able to
convert
cheap and abundant natural gas into ethylene, a commodity chemical used
to make plastic.
Developed a family of catalysts
that
selectively cause methane to react to form ethylene.
Organovo (San
Diego, CA; $260K SBIR) Its
three-dimensional artificial tissue
structures can be used for drug testing and are likely to find
therapeutic applications. A
printing process methodically
deposits
layers of cells and gel material to build up new tissues.
Cellular Dynamics
International
(Madison, WI; $500K SBIR) Using
human iPS cells in drug
screening
could accelerate the development of new therapies.
Its new product derived from iPS cells is meant for use in vascular
targeted drug discovery, tissue regeneration, and life science
research.
Foundation Medicine (no SBIR) Its new diagnostics exploit a
growing
understanding of the molecular basis of cancer.
It has developed a comprehensive cancer diagnostic test and is
partnering with pharmaceutical companies to use the test in drug
development.
The Department of Energy will award $128M to support 75 research projects that seek to advance the development of solar technologies. Most money went to academic and large businessses. Several awards went to former SBIR winners: Energy Materials (Norcross GA one SBIR) won a $4M Solar project award to create new methods to deposit layers of material to make the cell, develop a high-speed process ; Leading Edge Crystal Technologies (Gloucester, MA; one SBIR) won $2.5M to develop a floating-silicon method for producing high-quality single crystalline wafers ; Sunvapor (Livermore, CA ; one SBIR) won $2.5M to show how using enormous tanks that normally store liquefied petroleum gas can be used to accumulate and store solar-generated steam ; Brayton Energy (Hampton,NH; $3M SBIR) won $700K to partner w Oak Ridge Lab to examine examine creep behavior—the tendency to deform under mechanical stress—in thin-sheet nickel alloys; Ceramic Tubular Products (Lynchburg, VA; $3.2M SBIR) won $1.9M to develop silicon carbide composite receiver tubes for molten chloride salt and liquid sodium receivers; Echogen Power Systems, (Akron, OH; $300K SBIR) won $4.4M to develop a large-scale, low-cost, single-shaft compressor for supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) power cycles; Osazda Energy (Albuquerque, NM; one SBIR) won $1M to develop a cost-effective metal paste that strengthens the metal connections in solar cells; Scion Plasma (East Lansing, MI; $200K SBIR) won $1M to develop a tool that rapidly deposits transparent conductive oxide onto heterojunction silicon with intrinsic thin layer (HIT) solar cells; Swift Coat (Peoria, AZ; one SBIR) won $1M to make and scale multilayer, anti-reflective and anti-soiling coatings for solar glass [Jane Edwards, govconwire, Nov 7, 19]
Suono Bio (Cambridge, MA; one SBIR) raised $12.2M as part of an equity offering worth approximately $15.2M. [BostInno, Aug 2, 221]
Surmodics (Eden Prairie, MN; $23M SBIR) medical device manufacturer, announced that it has acquired privately held Vetex Medical Limited. The Galway, Ireland based medical device developer and manufacturer has focused exclusively on venous clot removal solutions. The transaction expands Surmodics’ thrombectomy portfolio with a second (FDA) 510(k)-cleared device, the ReVene™ Thrombectomy Catheter. [company press release, Jul 6, 21]
The Engine, a new VC fund in Cambridge, MA aims to bridge that [long lead time] gap by investing in breakthrough technologies that require extensive time and funding. Its [announced] first round of investments consists of seven startups (Analytical Space (Boston, MA, laser satellite data links w former Gen Pete Worden as advisor), Baseload Renewables (co-founded by Professor Yet-Ming Chiang who co-founded A123 Systems), C2Sense (Cambridge, MA; patented chemiresistive sensing C2Sense is able to selectively target gases unable to be sensed through other methods ), iSee (next generation of humanistic artificial intelligence technology for human and robotic collaborations), Kytopen (better genetically engineer cellsby developing technology that modifies microorganisms 10,000 times faster than current state-of-the-art methods ), Suono Bio (Cambridge, MA, ultrasonic therapeutics), and Via Separations (industrial separation processes, sonme SBIR) in sectors including aerospace, advanced materials, genetic engineering, and renewable energy. .... a for-profit, public-benefit corporation and a fund that’s separate from MIT ... MIT also contributed $25 million to your first investment fund of $200 million. [Elizabeth Woyke, technologyreview.com, Sep 19, 17]
SCI Engineered Materials up 26% [Jul 31, 08]
SCI Engineered Materials down 17% [Jul 24, 08]
SCI Engineered Materials up 26% [Jul 16, 08]
SCI Engineered Materials down 21% [Jul 15, 08]
SCI Engineered Materials up 15% [Jul 3, 08]
SCI Engineered Materials up 10% [Jul 2, 08]
SCI Engineered Materials down 13% [Jun 26, 08]
SCI Engineered Materials up 19% [Jun 16, 08]
SCI Engineered Materials down 14% [Jun 12, 08]
SCI Engineered Materials up 13% [May 27, 08]
SCI Engineered Materials up 21% [May 6, 08]
SCI Engineered Materials up 20% [Mar 27, 08]
SCI Engineered Materials up 17% [Mar 24, 08]
SCI Engineered Materials, formerly Superconductive Components, up 10% [Mar 17, 08]
Superconductive Components down 39% [Mar 10, 08]
Superconductive Components up 15% [Dec 14, 07]
Superconductive Components down 13% [Dec 13, 07]
Superconductive Components up 15% [Dec 11, 07]
Superconductive Components up 11% [Sep 28, 07]
Superconductive Components still bobbing at 10+% a trip. Up 13% [Mar 5, 07]
Superconductive Components up 13% [Jan 25, 07]
Superconductive Components up 18% to end the trading year. [Dec 29, 06]
Superconductive Components shot back down 13% [Dec 26, 06]
Superconductive Components shot up 17%. [Dec 22, 06]
Superconductive Components up 18%. [Nov 17, 06]
Superconductive Components dropped 13% with no news. [Nov 16, 06]
Superconductive Components kept bouncing, up 15%. [Nov 3, 06] Two Phase 2 SBIRs.
Superconductive Components down another 12% [Nov 2, 06]
Superconductive Components record revenue, small profit, sinks stock 16%. [Oct 06]
Superconductive Components jumped 28% on almost no volume. [Oct 27, 06]
Superconductor Tech down 40% [Jul 26, 18]
Superconductor Tech down 29% [Jul 25, 18] Announces Pricing of $9 Million Public Offering [company press release, Jul 25, 18]
Superconductor Tech down 24% [Jul 24, 18] completed a one-for-ten (1:10) reverse split of its common stock [company press release, Jul 24, 18]
Supercondcutor Technology down 11% [Dec 2, 16]
Supercondcutor Technology up 29% [Nov 30, 16] DOE Awards $4.5 Million to Supercondcutor Technology and Partners to Improve HTS Wire for Next Generation Machines .... will focus on improving the manufacturing process of superconductive wires to improve performance and yield while reducing cost at high enough temperatures where nitrogen can be used as the cryogenic fluid. [company press release]
Superconductor Tech down 17% [Jul 27, 16]
Superconductor Tech up 10% [Jul 25, 16] after recent reverse split
Superconductor Tech up 13% [Jul 20, 16]
Chinese US citizen scientist found not guilty of trying to transfer designs for a proprietary technology to China—a device called a pocket heater, produced by Superconductor Technologies (Austin, TX; some SBIR) that makes thin films of the superconductor magnesium diboride—and faced 80 years in prison and a $1 million fine. .... Yet a growing number of scientists have been targeted improperly as Department of Justice (DOJ) attorneys have stepped up prosecutions, advocates say. In the past year alone, charges have been dropped against five Chinese-born scientists accused of crimes related to trade secrets theft or economic spying [Mara Hvistendahl, Science, Nov 13, 15]
Superconductor Technologies (founded in 1987 HTSC stampede) agreed to jointly contact customers and partners in building products using STI’s Conductus wire combined with technology developed the Robinson Research Institute at Victoria University, New Zealand. [Christopher Calnan, Austin Business Journal, Sep 17, 14]
Superconductor Technologies (founded 1987, 110 employees) raised $10.9 million with its previously announced public offering of common stock and warrants [Christopher Calnan, Austin Business Journal, Aug 13, 13]
Superconductor Technologies< spin off company Resonant completed a $7 million financing in a private placement. ... created last year to capitalize on a mobile product called “reconfigurable resonance technology” developed by STI for wireless applications. [Christopher Calnan, Austin Business Journal, Jun 18, 13]>
Superconductor Tech down 17% [Jun 3, 13]
Superconductor Technologies agreed with institutional investors to complete a private placement of $2.1 million of common stock [Christopher Calnan, Austin Business Journal, Apr 25, 13]
Superconductor Technologies disclosed to investors that it has substantial financing problems. .... an accumulated deficit of $262 million since it was founded in 1987. .... raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.” [Kirk Ladendorf, Austin American Satesman, Apr 4, 13]
Superconductor Tech did a 1:12 reverse split. [Mar 12, 13]
Superconductor Technologies disclosed that it intends to have a reverse stock split next month, ... The 25-year-old company moved its headquarters from Santa Barbara, Calif., to Austin last year. It develops superconducting wire for use in power transmission lines<> [Kirk Ladendorf, Austin American Statesman, Feb 4, 13] We (Star Wars in the late 1980s) put a lot of SBIR at startup firms into the newly discovered high temp superconductivity. It has yet to produce its promised economic magic.
Superconductor Technologies said it will raise $4.6 million in capital by placing common stock with certain institutional investors... moving its headquarters to Austin, where it will convert a former semiconductor-related clean room building into a factory that can make superconducting wire. [Austin American Statesman, Feb 17, 12]
Superconductor Technologiesbegins work early next year to convert a former chip industry site into a pioneering factory for next-generation superconducting wire.The plant will employ a few dozen people next year and expand to about 135 over the next few years.The company chose Austin because of its reservoir of experienced semiconductor manufacturing engineering talent and available clean-room-equipped buildings, such as the former Applied Materials building. .... an investment banker, said STI has a far better manufacturing process than rival companies. "They can produce the wire at one-tenth the cost" of other companies, Conley said. [Kirk Ladendorf, Austin American Statesman, Dec 19, 11]
Superconductor Technologiessaid it has leased a 94,000-square-foot building in Northeast Austin TX to house its headquarters along with its engineering and manufacturing operations. ... decided to move to Texas to push harder into the superconducting wire business [Kirk Ladendorf, Austin American Statesman, Dec 13, 11]
Superconductor Tech up 18% [Apr 7, 11] after Southwire tested the wire samples and confirmed that it met the company's initial requirements for HTS AC power cable applications. [company press release, Apr 6]>
Superconductor Tech down 12% [Mar 9, 11]
Superconductor Tech up 26% [Mar 3, 11]
A large holder of Superconductor Tech bought another $1.2M worth. [Wall Street Journal, Feb 19]
Superconductor Tech down 16% [Feb 4, 11]
Superconductor Tech up 16% [Mar 2, 10]
Superconductor Tech up 10% [Feb 10, 10]
Superconductor Tech down 11% [Jan 20, 10]
Superconductor Tech up 12% [Jan 8, 10]
Superconductor Tech up 18% [Jan 5, 10]
Superconductor Tech up 20% [Dec 23, 09]
Superconductor technologies up 19% [sep 2, 09]
Superconductor Tech down 17% [Jun 22, 09]
superconductor techup 27% [jun 9, 09]
Superconductor Technologies up 11% [May 18, 09]
Superconductor Tech up 16% [Apr 22, 09]
Superconductor Technologies up 91% [Apr 20, 09]
Superconductor Tech down 16% [May 28, 08]
Superconductor Technologies up 12% [May 27, 08]
Superconductor Technologies up 10% [Mar 28, 08] and up 163% over 52 weeks.
Superconductor Technologies down 10% [Mar 7, 08]
Superconductor Technologies down 19% [Jan 16, 08]
Superconductor Technologies up 36%. Motley Fool says more than doubled since August. [Jan 15, 08]
Superconductor Technologies down 16% [Dec 18, 07]
Superconductor Technologies down 11% [Dec 17, 07] after filing to sell new shares.
Superconductor Technologies up 15% [Nov 14, 07]
Superconductor Technologies down 18% [Nov 8, 07]
Superconductor Technologies up 14% [Oct 24, 07]
Superconductor Technologies down 18%. [Sep 27, 07]
Superconductor Technologies down 14% after being up 500% for 52 weeks. [Sep 26, 07]
Superconductor Technologies up 67%. [Sep 25, 07] said it is planning a joint venture with a Chinese company on manufacturing in that nation.
Superconductor Technologies up 10%. [Sep 14, 07]
Superconductor Technologies down 10% [Sep 12, 07]
Superconductor Technologies down 10% as news and rumors swirl around its Chinese deal. [Sep 6, 07]
Superconductor Technologies up 21% after saying that Hunchun BaoLi Communication Co. Ltd. (China; no SBIR) will invest $15M.
Superconductor Technologies up 78% on news that it is negotiating to form a joint venture with Chinese Hunchun Baoli Communication, which manufactures push-to-talk handsets and the associated battery technology for the Chinese market. [Mass High Tech, Aug 27]
Superconductor Technologies down 24% on reporting more losses. [Mar 16, 07]
Superconductor Technologies rose 17% [Feb 7, 07]
Superconductor Technologies up 21% [Jan 11, 07] to $2.1 which less than 1% of its bubble high. HTSC still has not found a way to deliver usefully decent currents.
Superconductor Technologies lost 13% on reporting more losses. [Nov 10, 06] HTSC was a hot idea worth infant technology support in 1988. We (SDIO SBIR) supported a raft of them. If such another hot idea came along, SBIR should again support a wide range of ideas until the idea or the company is either proven or disproven as a source of market-driven technology. It should not support life style companies of earnest scientists on an endless quest.
Superconductor Tech took a 45% dive when it forecast weak sales, down 50% for the first quarter. So stiff a loss that its auditor will again add a going-concern clause to the company's annual report. That means a doubt that the company qualifies for the most basic accounting assumption of an enterprise - that it will continue in business tomorrow.
Superconductor Technologies added to Russell 3000, Russell 2000 indexes; Jul 03
Superconductor Technologies has been added 3000 Russell 2000 indexes. STI claims to be the global leader in developing, manufacturing, and marketing superconducting products for wireless networks.
Huddling for Warmth while waiting for the future, Superconductor Technologies and Conductus will merge and get a $15M a private placement. STI CEO Peter Thomas's press statement said, STI and Conductus have made enormous progress in driving the acceptance of superconductive technology in the wireless telecommunications market.
Superconductor Technologies jumped 24% when it announced a deal to sell at least 1000 units over the next year of its SuperFilter System from a major North American wireless carrier. STI says that doubles its world-wide installations. Now if only the wireless companies don't sink from over-expansion as the dotcoms and fiber opticians did after the late 90s investment boom. Other HTSC companies rose in sympathy: Conductus up 27%, Illinois Super up 9% STI is one of the HTSC companies that grabbed SBIR money from 1988 on until the promise showed to be more promise than immediate revolution after they went public in the early 90s on a wave of hope. It has seven DOD Phase 2s in the early 90s including one $6M award from the AF which had enough nerve to invest a lot in one company at one time instead of bureaucratically safe dribbles.The first Phase 2 was from BMDO which has just withdrawn from the tech-investment arena to build a phantom national missile defense from present technology.
The Ups and Downs. Superconductor Technologies which led the NASDAQ percentage gainers Monday fell 16% Tuesday after gloomy talk about earnings prospects and a quarterly revenue under $2M. Last week SCON said it and Conductus were fighting Illinois Supeerconductor in court over patents. .None of the litigants is making serious money anyway as the wireless industry takes a dive. Spire which last week spiked up, spiked back downwards presumably on the realization that a solar power installation in Chicago (with fanfare) isn't that big a deal for Spire's future earnings which it has never had much of anyway. Likewise Kopin spiked up and down interrupting what had been a steady decline in market cap.
You're talking on your cell phone, and just as you come to the most important part of the conversation, you lose the signal. Sound familiar? Some not-so-new technology may be the key to solving this problem. It's been known that super-cooling circuitry enables much better electrical conductivity since 1911. For more than half the century, scientists didn't know what to do with this knowledge, because you had to get within three to four degrees of absolute zero to get what's called superconductivity. But Superconductor Technologies has developed a usable cryogenic technology that has come out of the lab and into commercial development. STI is deploying PC-size units in base stations at the foot of cell telephone towers to increase range and achieve clearer wireless communications. STI's CEO M. Peter Thomas says his company's technology enables the cell phone handset to hear the base station better by using a low-noise amplifier and a special filter together in the same refrigeration compartment. You've got to give them credit for their good timing: the idea of millions (or billions) of wireless devices connecting to the Internet at high speeds makes the product infinitely more interesting. Specifically, protocols such as third-generation wireless technology demand at least 384 Kbps of connectivity. For that you need substantially more power, which means very short battery life and perhaps a health hazard. STI's customers agree. Richard Goehring, VP of at United States Cellular , a company with $1.4B sales, says he's continuing to buy STI's product STI's other publicly acknowledged customer is ALLTEL , with $6.3B revenue. STI is working feverishly to bring on more high-quality wireless companies. .Mr. Estra rates the company a speculative buy with a target price of $100, which is more than 600% above a recent price of $13.75. He's forecasting losses of $0.77 per share this year and $0.24 per share next year, but predicts that the company will turn profitable in 2002 with $0.30 per share in earnings on $40M in revenue. [redherring.com, Jun 12]
Superconductor Rocket(Feb 29) The superconductor stocks took off like .. the fiber optics stocks. Superconductor Tech up 47%, Conductus up 22%, Illinois Super up 68%. ISCO announced Friday a new line of products. As if wireless had just been discovered and couldn't do without a gazillion superconducting filters. But these companies are still story stocks with no profits.
STI Up 35%(Sep 17) Superconductor Technologies (Santa Barbara, CA) got an order for 200 filters from a cellular phone company and the stock market loved it. Third highest percentage gainer on NASDAQ, 35%. STI has had over $10M of DOD SBIR 1989-1997 as it grew from 16 to 67 employees which explains what kept alive many of the employees for quite a while. STI went public in 1993 and is still at about half its IPO price.
Superconductor Technologies received an order for 16 SuperFilter Systems from an undisclosed cellular service provider. Financial terms weren't disclosed. {Dow Jones, Jun 29] Such news was enough for push the stock up above the half-1993IPO price. Meanwhile, another superconductor stock, Conductus led the NASDAQ percentage gainers one day earlier n June for no apparent reason. Conductus trades below half its 1993 IPO price.
STI Loses Again(May 4) Superconductor Technologies (Santa Barbara, CA) lost another $1.8M for the quarter. STI has had $11M of DOD SBIR 1989-1997 including one $6M 1992 Air Force award. Hoover's notes that It currently relies on government research contracts to fund its development of commercial products. Over the five years 1993-1997 it lost $15M on $33M revenues. Only government would pretend that such performance belongs in a commercialization-inspired R&D program. Ah well, as long as the standard is merely commercialization "potential", anyone can claim virtue and DOD can justify spending its SBIR own its own toys (oops, needs).
STI Up by Half (Apr 1) Superconductor Technologies stock shot up, leading the NASDAQ percentage gainers after STI reported a big order for filter systems. Neither Illinois Superconductor nor Conductus enjoyed a me-too rise.
STI Makes Deal with Dupont (Aug 7) Meanwhile, the other California superconducting company Superconductor Technologies (Santa Barbara, CA) reported a deal wherein Dupont will supply thallium films and will market some of the thallium products. STI's stock is even lower the Conductus, at $3.5 down from its IPO price of $10.
Superconductor Filter Demo (Feb 25) Less interference and more coverage from a 30% smaller base station, says Superconductor Technologies (Santa Barbara, CA) of its SuperFilter. See it at the Moscone Center in the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association Wireless 97 trade show, March 3-5. STI claims the whole filter, cryocooler (it's gotta be cooler than a South Dakota blizzrard) and all can be mounted on the antenna which up to now has been impractical for file cabinet size boxes. Now, if the profits can flow, STI can recover to its IPO price from 60% below.
Revenues Down, Losses Up (Feb 21) The superconductor industry continues to be a tough place to make money despite all the investment of 1988-1991. Superconductor Technologies Inc (Santa Barbara, CA) finds it tough also. For 1996 STI lost $3.5M on revenues of $7.4M. It still has cash after the steady losses since its 1993 IPO because it did a secondary offering in 1996. The press release did its best to bury the loss by waiting until paragraph 5 to mention the financials after the talk of leader in development of wireless communications filter products. BMDO's SBIR helped with some of the investment in the hot years of superconductor hope. Of the several companies that SDIO funded in those years, only Illinois Superconductor (Evanston, IL) seems destined for profits. STI stock trades at about 40% of its IPO price.
Superconductors Cool Off.. Being the 8th biggest loser in stock price percent for a day (Nov 22) marked Superconductor Technologies Inc (Santa Barbara, CA) as again a victim in the lack of market enthusiasm for superconductors. Government will still have to fund the R&D despite the IPOs of three BMDO supported companies in 1993 - Illinois Superconductor (above its IPO price) and Conductus (below its), and STI (at 40% percent of its).
superDimension (Minneapolis, MN; no SBIR) completed a $23.3 million round of financing, ... develops minimally invasive interventional pulmonology devices, said that it has treated more than 3,500 patients. [Minneapolis/St Paul Business Journal, Jun 30, 08]
SuperDimension (Plymouth, MN; no SBIR) is developing GPS-like technology designed to detect early stages of lung cancer. Dubbed electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy, SuperDimension's system allows doctors to probe the deepest regions of the lungs, guided by sensors and 3D mapping software. SuperDimension has raised $75M VC so far from major investors such as pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, CIBC World Markets, and OrbiMed Advisors, the world's largest health care investment firm with more than $6B in assets. [Thomas Lee, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Dec 27]
SuperFlex (Menlo Park, CA; no SBIR, founded 2016), SRI International spinoff raises $9.6M to pursue ‘powered clothing’ , or “intelligent wearable strength” as the company also calls it, would be custom garments with flexible electric motors built in that help the wearer with everyday tasks like simply standing up and walking around ... Lead investor Global Brain is based in Japan, where an aging population is creating friction between families, generations, and social institutions. [Devin Coldewey, techcrunch.com, Dec 20, 16]
Supernus Pharmaceuticals (Rockville, MD; no SBIR) focused on developing and commercializing products for the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) diseases, announced that it entered into a merger agreement to acquire Biscayne Neurotherapeutics (Miami, FL; no SBIR, founded 2017), developing a novel treatment for epilepsy. ... for an upfront $15M [and] $73 million contingent on achieving certain development milestones and up to $95 million contingent upon achieving certain sales milestones [Supernus press release, Sep 13, 18]
Supernus Pharmaceuticals (Rockville, MD; no SBIR) reached a deal to acquire Biscayne Neurotherapeutics (Miami, FL; no SBIR) in a deal worth up to $185 million. Supernus, which specializes in creating therapies for central nervous system diseases, will pay $15 million upfront, followed by an additional $73 million based on development milestones and up to $95 million for sales milestones, according to an announcement. The deal is expected to close in the next few weeks. (Washington Business Journal, Sep 17, 18])
A pair of biotech start-ups spun off from University of Minnesota research and the state’s first “public benefit corporation” each have landed key taxpayer-funded grants ... The awards to MNPHARM SBC (no SBIR), Miromatrix Medical (Eden Prairie, MN, $600K SBIR) and Superior Organoid Technologies LLC (St. Paul, MN; no SBIR) —each of roughly $100,000—came from Regenerative Medicine Minnesota (RMM), a publicly-funded initiative established in 2014 with a $43.6 million allocation over a 10-year span. [Don Jacobson, Twin Cities Business, Jul 12, 18] Miromatrix raised $6M in July.
Twice this summer, SuperPower (Schenectady, NY; no SBIR) has been able to break its own world record when it comes to the performance of long segments of its wire, which has enormous potential for use by electric utilities. [Larry Rulison, Albany Times-Union, Aug 23, 08]
Philips Medical Systems MR, formerly Intermagnetics ($5M SBIR in the 1990s), announced that the company planned to keep SuperPower under its wing for the "foreseeable" future. ... Philips has invested $10M in the plant since the acquisition in 2006. ... SuperPower was celebrating the re-energizing of its high-temperature superconducting wire project being operated between two National Grid substations in Albany and Menands. [Larry Rulison, Albany Times-Union, Feb 22] The government's $5M in a new technology attracted an international giant which is now owns the technology in which it is investing serious money. That's what SBIR was supposed to do. >
SuperPower told a DOE conference this week that it has made significant progress toward commercializing its second-generation high-temperature superconducting wire. [Albany Times-Union, Aug 10]
Army's
venture venture.
The Army's VC (OnPoint Tech) current investment portfolio : A123 Systems
(Boston, MA; $750K SBIR, IPO 2009) advanced Lithium-Ion based cells for
rechargeable battery packs; Atraverda
(UK) advanced bi-polar battery electrodes for rechargeable
batteries; Integrated Fuel Cell Technologies
(Burlington MA; no SBIR) next generation fuel cell systems
for
portable devices; Nanosolar
(Palo Alto, CA; $1.7M SBIR) thin-film solar technology for roll-to-roll
printing of solar cells on flexible substrates, PowerGenix
(San Diego,
CA; no SBIR) next-generation rechargeable batteries;
Power
Precise (Herndon, VA; no SBIR) a fabless semiconductor
company
specializing in battery management devices; Ultra Cell
(Livermore, CA;
no SBIR) integrated fuel cell systems; Zinc
Matrix Power (Santa Barbara, CA; no SBIR) high-performance
rechargeable alkaline battery technology for commercial and military
markets; Akermin
(St
Louis, MO; no SBIR) portable fuel cells based on its proprietary
“Stabilized Enzyme Biofuel Cell” SEBC™ technology; Superprotonic
(Pasadena CA;
$200K SBIR) solid acid fuel cell. [defense-ventures.com]
No surprise that a VC, even one doing it for the government, sees tech
opportunity much different than does Army SBIR. I note that the three
outside trustees (of five trustees) of OnPoint are a DOD political
appointee, and entrepreneur/attorney, and Paul Gompers from Harvard
Business School who with Josh Lerner publish a lot of venture research.
Lerner did a lot of SBIR study until, I presume, he gave up on SBIR's
ever being anything but a political handout.
Superprotonic (Pasadena, CA; no SBIR) a startup company, is developing a fuel cell that can handle dirty hydrogen at relatively low temperatures. It could thus use hydrogen produced from other fuels--such as natural gas or ethanol--by a simple device called a "reformer." ... rely on a material called a solid acid, first tested as an electrolyte in 2001 by Caltech materials-science and chemical-engineering professor Sossina Haile. [Katherine Bourzac, MIT Tech Review, Jan 6]
(Oregon) Gov. Kate Brown announced that five companies would receive a combined $300,000 to fund innovation from Business Oregon, the state's economic development arm, and act as follow-on funding for awards from [SBIR]: DesignMedix (Portland, OR; $1.4M prior SBIR): makers of a drug to improve malaria treatment, $75,000; Energy Storage Systems (Portland, OR; no SBIR): makers of a new kind of battery for utility-scale energy storage, $75,000; SupraSensor (Eugene, OR; no SBIR, founded 2012): makers of a testing device that helps farmers use fertilizer more efficiently, $61,875; NemaMetrix (Eugene OR; $200K SBIR, founded 2011): makers of an advanced drug screen for cheaper, faster testing, $49,100; HM3 Energy (Gresham, OR; one SBIR): developers of a technology that converts forest debris into briquettes that can replace coal in power plants, $40,171. [Mason Walker, Portland Business Journal, Apr 17, 15]
Surefire Medical (Westminster, CO; no SBIR, founded 2009, 40 employees) maker of drug delivery catheters, raised $15 million [VC] to fund international sales of new product meant to be a first-line treatment for liver cancer. .... makes specialized catheters that radiologists and oncologists use to deliver liquid beads of chemotherapy or radiation directly into the cancerous part of a patient’s liver. ... first won [FDA] approval in 2011 to sell its drug-delivery catheters for use in liver cancer treatments [Greg Avery, Denver Business Journal, Dec 2, 15]
Surefire Medical (Westminster, CO; no SBIR, founded 2009, 40 employees) a startup making cancer-drug delivery catheters, raised $16.4 million from 30 investors ... a specialized catheter that radiologists and oncologists use to deliver liquid beads of chemotherapy or radiation directly into the cancerous part of a patient’s liver. The catheter also is being explored for other uses, including fighting obesity. .... received regulatory approval to market its catheters in Europe. In June, it forged a partnership to start selling its catheters in Australia and the Asia Pacific region. [Greg Avery, Denver Business Journal, Sep 23, 13]
Surface Logix (Brighton, MA; no SBIR) has raised $4 million of a planned $4.6 million funding round, according to federal documents. ... focused on using its Pharmacomer platform — small chemical groups that can be incorporated into certain types of groups to improve their effectiveness and durability in the body. [Mass High Tech, Jul 16, 10]
Surface Logix (Boston, MA; no SBIR) that seeks to use biophysical chemistry to develop small molecule drugs to treat metabolic and cardiovascular diseases, said it has raised over $20 million. [Boston Globe, Mar 9, 09]
Surface Oncology (Cambridge, MA; no SBIR, founded 2014) down 11% [Apr 19, 8] raised $108 million from an [IPO] to finance clinical testing of its lead cancer immunotherapy. ... also raised another $11.5 million through the sale of shares to Novartis Institutes ... develops drugs to block a protein that is overabundant on the surface of tumors. [Frank Vinluan, xconomy.com, Apr 18, 18] total prior funding $32M [crunchbase.com]
Cancer continues to be a big area of investor interest and Surface Oncology (Cambridge, MA; no SBIR, founded 2014) now aims to tap into that with an initial public stock [preliminary $75 million] offering [to] finance tests of its lead immuno-oncology drug, according to [SEC]documents .... has been developing drugs that could be paired with so-called checkpoint inhibitors, a type of immunotherapy that removes the brakes on the body’s cancer-killing T cells. [Frank Vinluan, xconomy.com, Mar 27, 18] total funding $35M [crunchbase.com]
Surface Oncology (Cambridge, MA) emerged from stealth with $35 million in Series A financing, saying in a statement that it's working on several potential new drugs "designed to build on the success of first-generation immune therapies." [Don Seiffert, Boston Business Journal, Jan 8, 15]
Northwestern University spinout Surgical Innovation Associates (Chicago, IL; $2M SBIR) was acquired by Integra LifeSciences this week in a deal that could be valued up to $140M if certain milestones are met. The plastic surgery medical devices company raised $4 million in 2019 in a Series A [Alex Zorn, ChicagoInno, Dec 2, 2022]
Surgient (Austin, TX; no SBIR) was sold to Quest Software Inc., a maker of software for corporations. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. [Austin American Statesman, Jul 30, 10]
Endless Capital? Surgient [Austin, TX] raised $20M to accelerate its sales of software services in the US and Europe. ... to buy more servers. ... enable companies to use the Web to demonstrate products or provide customer training. .. Surgient started in 1999 as Surgient Networks Inc., which developed hardware to deliver and track online multimedia programs for many different users. The original company raised $77 M and spent all but $19 M of it before concluding that the business opportunity for such products was very limited. It was reorganized as a software-services company in 2003 It has 65 customers, [Austin Statesman-American, Jul 13] and no SBIRs.
SurgiQuest (Orange, CT; no SBIR) has raised $19 million in a new round of funding ... has now raised just under $30 million in institutional financing since it was founded in 2006 ... makes the AirSeal device, which uses aerodynamics to create an airtight area in which to perform surgeries in the abdominal cavity. [Rodney Brown, Mass High Tech, Jul 11, 11]
Medical device startup SurgiQuest (Orange, CT; no SBIR) has boosted its previously announced funding round from $3.3 million to $15 million in a combination of equity, options and warrants for securities, according to federal documents. ... makes a device that uses aerodynamics to create an airtight area in which to perform surgeries [Mass High Tech, Feb 16, 10]
A Connecticut medical devices startup has become the latest in a series of small developers of tools for minimally invasive surgeries to garner venture capital SurgiQuest (Orange, CT; no SBIR) raised $4.8 M in a Series B VC round to develop devices designed for urological and gastrointestinal surgeries [Mass High Tech, Jul 3, 08]
Surmet (Burlington, MA) got several $2M DOD development contracts for reconnaissance sensor windows and transparent armor from the anti-terror group (TSWG) and the Dual Use Science & Technology (DUST) program. Surmet’s High Performance ALON Optical Ceramic will be used for point-of-sale scanner windows, missile domes, infrared windows and transparent armor prototypes capable of protecting against lethal projectiles. [Mass High Tech, Apr 26] Surmet's dozen or so employees have had at least two recent Phase 2 SBIRs from Navy and AF and five from Energy. It has built three operations by acquiring the assets of what was once Advanced Refractory in Buffalo NY which got SBIRs years ago for boron carbide armor materials.
FDA OKs Surmodics’ (Eden Prairie, MN; $17M SBIR) drug-coated balloon, triggering Abbott payout. It’s taken two years, but Surmodics has finally secured the long-awaited premarket approval from the FDA for its SurVeil drug-coated balloon. [Andrea Park, Fierce Biotech, Jun 20, 2023]
Surmodics reported restructuring to reduce our workforce by approximately 13% and additional cost saving measures. [company press relese, Feb 6, 2023]
Surmodics (Eden Prairie, MN; $22M SBIR) down 29% [Jan 19, 2023] a letter from FDA regarding its SurVeil drug-coated balloon (DCB) submission [said] the company's premarket approval (PMA) application for the highly-anticipated device is not currently approvable. [Amanda Pedersen, MDDI.com, Jan 19, 2023]
Surmodics (EDEN PRAIRIE, MN; $26M SBIR) announced today that it has acquired privately held Vetex Medical Limited. The Galway, Ireland based medical device developer and manufacturer has focused exclusively on venous clot removal solutions. The transaction expands Surmodics’ thrombectomy portfolio with a second U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k)-cleared device, the ReVene™ Thrombectomy Catheter. [Surmodics press release, Jul 7, 21]
Surmodics up 10% [Aug 6, 18]
Abbott and Surmodics (Eden Prairie. MN; $3M SBIR ending 2003, market cap $400M) announced that the companies have entered into an agreement whereby Abbott will have exclusive worldwide commercialization rights for Surmodics' SurVeil® drug-coated balloon to treat the superficial femoral artery, which is currently being evaluated in a U.S. pivotal clinical trial. ... Surmodics is the global leader in surface modification technologies for intravascular medical devices and a leading provider of chemical components for in vitro diagnostic (IVD) immunoassay tests and microarrays. [joint companies press release, Feb 27, 18]
Surmodics up 10% [Feb 27, 18]
Surmodics up 16% [May 3, 16]
SurModics (Eden Parairie, MN), a leading provider of medical device and in vitro diagnostic technologies. announced it has acquired NorMedix (Plymouth, MN; no SBIR), design and development company focused on ultra thin-walled, minimally invasive catheter technologies [company press release, Jan 11, 16]
SurModics (Eden Prairie, MN; $3M SBIR, 120 employees) maker of slippery surface coatings that help deliver medical devices via blood vessels, has bought an Irish medical-balloon company Creagh Medical, in the hopes of selling “whole-product solutions” to other device companies. ... paid about $32 million, including $19 million up front and the remainder contingent on milestones for revenue and other goals. [Joe Carlson, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Nov 20, 15]
Surmodics down 10% [Nov 11, 15]
Surmodics up 15% [Aug 5,15]
Surmodics up 10% [Aug 1, 13]
SurModics up 14% [Aug 2, 12]
SurModics down 10% [Sep 12, 11]
SurModics which makes specialized surface coatings for medical devices, will cut its workforce by about 9 percent, the company said ...Over the past 15 months, SurModics has taken more than $35 million in "one-time" charges for goodwill impairment, loss on investments, restructuring and asset impairment. <[Minneapolis / St Paul Business Journal, Aug 24, 11]
SurModics down 10% [Aug 2, 11]
Surmodics up 22% [Apr 28, 11] first-quarter earnings that exceeded estimates
Surmodics up 18% [Dec 15, 10] the company said it is exploring strategic alternatives – including a possible sale – for its SurModics Pharmaceuticals business, which is located in Birmingham. ... acquired the operation in 2007 when it bought Birmingham's Brookwood Pharmaceuticals [Birmingham Business Journal, Dec 15]
Citing what it calls "long-term under performance" at SurModics, an activist hedge fund said Wednesday that it is nominating three directors to join the company's board with an eye toward fixing things. .... after a series of "failed growth investments, failed acquisitions and excessive spending." [says the fund]. ... In a conference call with analysts last week, [CEO]Ankeny said the company was "committed to doing better." [Janet Moore, Minneapolis Star Tribune Nov 17, 10] When public, keep your stock price up, or else.
Surmodics up 11% [Nov 17, 10]
Surmodics down 31% [Nov 11, 10], having lost $21.7M in the quarter.
Surmodics
Surmodics down 20% [Jan 29, 09]
Surmodics up 11% [Oct 28, 08]
Surmodics down 12% [Oct 15, 08]
Surmodics down 21% [Sep 18, 08]
Surmodics rose to fifth on the short-ratio list with 51 days of average volume to cover the shorts [Wall Street Journal, Jul 25, 08]
They're shorting Surmodics as it made the April 08 top ten list of short interest ratio..... NeuroMetrix and SurModics appeared on the NASDAQ top ten short interest ratios. [Jan 08]
Forbes's annual list of the best 200 small companies had several SBIR awardees: Ceradyne #12, Flir Systems 37, II-IV 58, ATMI 69, ViaSat 90, Surmodics 105, Micrel 149, OPNET Tech 167.
SurModics did a license agreement with Paragon Intellectual Properties to collaborate to develop a coronary artery stent system that mates SurModics' Finale Prohealing coating technology and Paragon's low-profile coronary stent system. SurModics invested $3.5M in Paragon and plus an additional $2.5M if it's working well. <[Minneapolis Star Tribune, Jul 10]SurModics up a further 11% . [Jun 28, 07]
SurModics up 19% after announcing a deal with Merck to jointly develop and license a device to treat macular degeneration. Merck's chemical compounds will be delivered by a Surmodics manufactured implantable device/span>. [Jun 27, 07]
SurModics signed an expanded corporate technology agreement with St. Jude Medical Inc., Little Canada, to license multiple technologies for use in products being developed in St. Jude Medical's cardiovascular and cardiac rhythm management divisions. [Minneapolis Star Tribune, Apr 12]
SurModics won a competition not of its own choosing. It led the monthly list of NASDAQ short interest ratios with 53 days worth of average trading volume. [Mar 07]
SurModics is selling its Bloomington MN contract manufacturing facility and taking a $2+M charge. [Sep 05]
SurModics is buying InnoRx, a drug-delivery company developing therapies for the ophthalmology market. for $21M plus possible bonus os another $17M. It's the first acquisition in SurModics' 25-year history. [story Minneapolis Star Tribune, Jan 20,05]
Another Manufacturing Closing. SurModics says it will take a $15+M hit to earnings as it closes its Bloomington MN manufacturing plant. But, not to worry says management, the charge will have no material impact on future revenue or operating activities. ... SurModics had announced that it will concentrate on value-added businesses, technology development and acquisitions, while de-emphasizing contract manufacturing. [Minneapolis Star Tribune, Jun 24]
Short sellers have hit SurModics as 32% of the shares are short, the highest of any Minnesota company. In response, the company will do what a government program would typically do - re-organize. [story from Janet Moore, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Apr 1,04]
Surmodics reported an 89% higher profit on 50% higher revenue. But since Wall Street expected even more, the stock went down 7%. If you are one of the tiny few SBIR beneficiaries who went public, you know what it is to held publicly accountable for every penny and decision.
SurModics Disappoints as its stock dives 17% Thursday atop a 7% dive Wednesday. The immediate problem is questions about its customer's (giant Johnson & Johnson) stent which SurModics coats with a heretofore profitable product. J&J's problem of FDA regulkation is compounded by the entry of a competitor in the market - Boston Scientific. SurModics stock is now half its springtime high price. Still, the company reported big profits, a 78% leap, [facts from Terry Fiedler, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Oct 31,03] No related news emerging from the other SBIR company in stent coating - Implant Sciences which is focusing its news on explosive sniffing.
Surmodics took a short dive when competitor Boston Scientific got good results from its stent coating that would compete with the already FDA approved Johnson & Johnson device that uses Surmodics coatings.
Surmodics justified its high PE ratio by reporting a 54% boost in profit to $2.2M. Justified if you believe in a PEG ratio test for Growth at a Reasonable Price; see Gerstein'PEG: fact or fairy tale? for a deeper look at PEG ratio.
Surmodics jumps(sep 6) surmodics jumped 16% news that Johnson antibiotic coated=hurdles major barrier use.surmodix looks get 1% royalty on jnj stent sales which could huge. cs boston investmentanalyst, today s stock movement represents what is truly great datafrom and game-changing device in field of interventional cardiology. another analyst said j&j will be able= charge $2,100 to $2,200 per device, compared with current $1,200 for abare metal stent. other analysts put the figure high as $3,000
SurModics jumped 12% on the announcement that it will be added to the S&P SmallCap 600. It does surface modification solutions to the medical device industry, and is almost back to its highs after a reccent dive.
Surmodics continues to rise steadily, as it has for a year, to over five times its year ago price. Last quarter's 11% higher than expected earnings kept fueling the fire. First Call predicts steeply rising earnings for the next twelve months. Make money and the market will love your stock.
SurModics Profit(Jan 17)SurModics jumped 13% to a PE of 130 on news of yet more profits from its business of providing surface modifications to medical device manufacturers. Revenue was up 16% and net income up 45% to $1.4M. The press release said, ``As anticipated, our first quarter growth was not as strong as what we have reported in recent quarters,'' said Dale Olseth, Chairman and CEO. ``We knew the quarterly operating comparisons would be tougher given the temporary decline in royalties from Abbott Laboratories this year and a one-time $225,000 royalty payment that was received from another client last year. In addition, PhotoLink royalty revenues were a little below expectations. Despite these factors, the overall financial results were better than expected. ``From a technical perspective, we were very busy this quarter as shown by the large increase in commercial development revenue,'' Olseth added. ``Our project with Johnson & Johnson's Cordis division to deliver therapeutic drugs from the surface of a cardiovascular stent continues to advance. Early data from human clinical trials in South America and Europe have shown extraordinary results. Our genomics project for Motorola was also very active. And, importantly, we generated record sales of reagent chemicals during the quarter, which should lead to a boost in royalties received from clients in the future.''
SurModics, a leading provider of surface modification solutions to medical device manufacturers, reported a 35% revenue gain for the year to $18M across all PhotoLink® revenue categories, as each established new annual records Net profit ws up 85% to $4.2M, an 85% increase. Not good enough as the stock tanked 13% Friday.
SurModics, a leading provider of surface modification coatings for medical devices, made the Forbes' ``200 Best Small Companies in America'' for 2000. Its stock price has been steadily rising, tripling since spring
You can please some of the people ... (Jul 7). A Minnesota paper (City Business,July 3) moans that the SBIR is not perfect. Nationally, a lot of the money available from the SBIR program ends up in California, Massachusetts, Texas, Maryland and New York. Those five states have received more than 85 percent of the SBIR money in recent years. Minnesota ranked 14th among states in terms of SBIR money received in 1996. A total of $18.96 million was funneled to 69 projects here. Must be the influence of the Farm-Labor Party in liberal Minnesota for this parochial and political view that suggests the editor may want to run for office with the complaint that something's wrong when capital concentrates in a few places. It is the usual moan from states that call themselves "flyover states" and resent the bi-coastal economic concentration. Where are WJ Bryan and the agri-populists? (They are destroying the Republican Party from within, says Michael Lind in Up From Conservatism.) The writer (Tim Huber) loved how one Minnesota company - SurModics (Eden Prairie, MN)- got $23M SBIR and went public. (No mention that such a sum itself may be an unhealthy concentration.) A second moan came from a company that got only $2M (so far) that the government reviewers are inconsistent and funded what he thought was not his prime opportunity. Maybe the CEO doesn't understand inconsistency and diverse government; or maybe he would like a monolith government that probably would never have invented SBIR in the first place.
Says Hoover's about SurModics (called BSI Corp until 1997) SurModics doesn't want to just scratch the surface of the medical devices market -- it also wants to coat it with its own special agent resistant to infection and compatible with patient's bodies. The company's PhotoLink product is a light-activated coating that makes a covalent bond between medical device surfaces and a variety of chemicals, improving infection resistance and drug delivery. PhotoLink is used on catheters, shunts, pacemakers, and urological and gynecological devices. SurModics has licensing agreements with companies including Abbott Laboratories, Cordis Corporation, and Medtronic. Sounds like it competes with Spire's ion implantation coatings for catheters. SurModics has 85 employees and annual revenue of $8M with a negligible (but positive) profit of $200K in 1997, and a $90M market cap. The company says Unusually successful participation in the federally sponsored SBIR program has allowed SurModics to develop and refine its technologies while incurring a relatively low operating deficit. In 1987, the company shifted its strategic objective from contract research to the commercialization of its unique PhotoLink surface modification and immobilization technologies, and in 1990, added the marketing of biomolecule stabilization products. The government is still waiting for the first dollar return in taxes for the $23M SBIR over more than a decade, a sum which puts SurModics in the top 2% of SBIR winners. And its stock price is up 50% to 183 times earnings since going public in early 1998. The SurModics case again raises the question of whether SBIR should be doing long-term life-support of commercial products. Apparently, NIH supports the concept for SurModics.
Suro Biopharma up 22% [Jan 4, 19]
Some 10 years ago Hologic (Bedford, MA; no SBIR) bought Suros Surgical Systems (no SBIR), a maker of minimally invasive breast biopsy tools. Since then, Suros’s former executives have taken on a new venture, an startup called Nico (Indianapolis, IN; no SBIR) with a much tougher task—to change how certain types of brain surgery are done. I spoke with Nico executives about their journey from Suros to Nico, and the crucial clinical trial they’re running to try to prove the worth of their brain surgery device, “Brain Path.” [Ben Fidler, xconomy.com, Apr 28, 16]
Regenerative medicine biotech Surrozen (San Francisco, CA; no SBIR) raised $50 million in Series B funding to continue developing treatments for liver diseases. Surrozen focuses on Wnt, a protein that plays a role in stem cell maintenance and tissue regeneration. [Frank Vinluan, xconomy.com, Mar 15, 19]
the triggers that activate [ the body’s innate healing abilities to grow and repair tissue] have been a mystery to scientists for years. New [stealthy] startup Surrozen (South San Francisco, CA; no SBIR) believes it has a solution and has raised $33 million in funding to test its approach. Surrozen plans to develop a pipeline of drugs intended to selectively activate and regulate tissue repair in the body. [Frank Vinluan, xconomy.com, Feb 15, 17]
Future Army contracts. The Army revealed a new roster of industry partners under a potential $37.4B contract that covers knowledge-based professional engineering support services to command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance programs. SBIR companies: Artel (now big, $300K); Dynetics (now big, 31 awards); Macaulay-Brown (now big, 23 awards); NetCentric (now big, $900K); Scientific Research (Now big, $16M); Array Information Technology (one SBIR); Bennett Aerospace (21 SBIR awards); Envistacom (one SBIR); Fibertek (127 SBIRs); Future Technologies ($1M); Fulcrum ($1.2M); LinQuest ($1M); Manufacturing Techniques (One SBIR); Navmar Applied Sciences (68 awards); Peerless Technologies ($2.6M); Research Innovations (one SBIR); Sonalysts (128 awards); SURVICE Engineering (50 awards); Truestone (one SBIR).[GovConWire, Oct 19, 18]
Sustainable Bioproducts (Chicago, IL; $3.6M SBIR) biotech startup making a fermentation process to produce lab-grown protein, announced it has raised $33 million in Series A funding [from] from top investors, including Bill Gates. [Jim Dallke, ChicagoInno, Feb 5, 19] NASA, the National Science Foundation, the National Park Service, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the State of Montana and Montana State University have provided financial and in-kind support to the company. ... technology emerged out of fundamental research into extremophile organisms that live in Yellowstone National Park’s volcanic springs. [company press release, Feb 4, 19]
with two= montana senators governor smiling, targeted (seattle wa; bioscience green earth fuels (houston, tx; no sbir), vertically integrated renewable energy company, announceformation joint called sustainable oils, inc. at a conference today. new venture produce and market up to 100 million gallons of camelina-based biodiesel by 2010 [targeted growth press release, nov 20] the seed will be grown mostly in montana.
SustainX (West Lebanon, NH; $600K SBIR) a startup developing energy storage technology based on compressed air, announced it has finalized a $5.4 million award by the U.S. Department of Energy.[Mass High Tech, Jun 23, 10] And what, pray tell, was so innovative about compressed air that made it high technical risk suitable for SBIR, and not just an ordinary business risk with calculable ROI that belongs in the competitive marketplace? Small is only a necessary condition for SBIR, not a sufficient condition.
SustainX (West Lebanon, NH; one SBIR so far) cleantech startup, has pulled in $4 million in equity financing, according to a regulatory filing [Mass High Tech, Aug 12, 09]
On the heels of an $85 million private round, Sutro Biopharma [South San Francisco, CA; no SBIR, founded 2003) filed to raise up to $75 million in its IPO.[Amirah Al Idrus, Fierce Biotech, Aug 30, 18] total funding $202M [crunchbase.com]
Sutro Biopharma (South San Francisco, CA; no SBIR) reeled in an $85.4 million series E that will advance some early-stage programs as well as its cancer pipeline, which includes a pair of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). [Amirah Al Idrus, Fierce Biotech, Jul 26, 18] Also, Merck paid Sutro Biopharma $60 million to co-develop a group of protein drugs for cancer and autoimmune diseases. [Ben Fidler, xconomy.com, Jul 27, 18]
Cells without walls. Synvitrobio (Berkeley, CA; no SBIR) accelerates bio-discovery through cell-free systems. Synvitrobio's Next Generation Expression platform allows for high-throughput data collection that is real and experimentally validated - not simulation. ... At present, Synvitrobio is using its system to test DNA sequences (or, rather, the resulting proteins) to see if they might be worth investigating as antibiotic drugs. ... Sutro Biopharma (South San Francisco, CA; no SBIR) uses a cell-free system to create antibodies for the treatment of cancer. ... Genomatica (San Diego, CA; $6M SBIR), an established biotechnology firm based, is experimenting with a cell-free system which produces 1,4-butanediol in this way from simple sugars. 1,4-butanediol is a small molecule that is used to make polymers such as Lycra. .... GreenLight Biosciences, (Medford, MA; no SBIR) proposes to use its own cell-free system, also based on E. coli, to produce industrial quantities of an undigestible analogue of ribose, a naturally occurring sugar, for use in zero-calorie beverages .... the idea of stripping molecular biology down to its bare essentials has an efficiency about it which suggests that, for some applications at least, the utility of the biological cell may have run its course. [The Economist. May 6, 17
Sutron (Sterling VA; $200K SBIR) up 61% [Jun 22, 15] topped all percentage gainers. Agreed to be acquired by an affiliate of Hach, but a lawsuit has already been filed against it.
Sutron (Sterling, VA; $200K SBIR) up 10% [May 6,15]
SutroVax (Foster City, CA; $200K SBIR), a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the delivery of superior and novel vaccines designed to prevent or treat some of the most common and deadly infectious diseases worldwide, today announced the closing of a $110 million Series D preferred stock financing [company press release, Mar 26, 20]
SutroVax (Foster City, CA; $200K SBIR, founded 2013) biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the delivery of best-in-class conjugate vaccines and novel complex antigen-based vaccines to prevent serious infectious diseases, announced the closing of an upsized $85 million Series C financing [company press release, Jun 7, 18] total funding $171M [crunchbase.com]
SutroVax (South San Francisco, CA; SBIR) focusing its vaccine-development work on flu and other potentially deadly infectious diseases lined up $22 million in an early funding round. ... a spinout of Sutro Biopharma (no SBIR) using that company's cell-free protein synthesis and site-specific conjugation technology to relatively quickly develop protein antigens used in so-called conjugate vaccines. [Ron Leuty, San Francisco Business Times, Jul 23, 15]
Grant Pickering called the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with a proposition: What if his spinout company,SutroVax (South San Francisco, CA; no SBIR), could quickly produce an immune system-stimulating antigen that would serve as the backbone for a malaria vaccine? "How much money do you want?" the foundation responded. None, SutroVax's CEO said — just the opportunity to prove how SutroVax's technology could tackle a problem that had befuddled the Gates Foundation for three years. ... In fact, it was Sutro Bio's deal with Sanofi, completed at the end of 2012, that unlocked the possibilities of its cell-free system in the vaccine space. [[Ron Leuty, San Francisco Business Times, Nov 12, 14]
Ceterix Orthopaedics (formerly known as SuturePro Technologies, Menlo Park, CA ; no SBIR) launched its first product, a device that helps doctors to place stitches in tight joint compartments, like those in the knees, hips and shoulders. [Ron Leuty, San Francisco Business Times, Jul 16, 13]
University of Colorado startup — SuviCA (Boulder, CO; no prior SBIR, founded 2010) — said it's received about $1.5 million [Phase II SBIR] to develop novel treatments for head and neck cancer. [Denver Business Journal, Oct 15, 15]
A team of Silicon Valley veterans is claiming they can reduce power consumption in computer chips by 50%, potentially extending the battery life of portable devices and helping chip manufacturers keep pace with giants like Intel Corp. Their start-up, SuVolta (who needs SBIR?), on Monday plans to announce that the semiconductor arm of Japan's Fujitsu Ltd. is licensing its technology to make chips starting next year. Assuming other companies follow suit— some analysts say the closely held company could have a broad impact on the industry. [Don Clark, Wall Street Journal, Jun 6]
Subsidy Not Enough. As the White House pushes renewable energy, weak demand forces Minnesota firm Suzlon Rotor (no SBIR) to cut 160 jobs (half the workforce). [Minneapolis Star Tribune, Jun 9] The SBIR mills are in even more precarious position if the SBIR subsidy were to disappear or be substantially revised. So, the mills are shouting their platitudes to avert any SBIR change.
Boeing Acquires SVS(Jun 30) Boeing said it is acquiring SVS (Albuquerque, NM) for its laser and optics. Said a Boeing VP Boeing has made a major investment in the directed-energy marketplace, with its lead role in Airborne Laser, Space Based Laser and the laser and beam control.SVS would bring critical and specialized capabilities to the company, not only in directed energy, but also in a wide range of electro-optical controls and image processing applications for both the defense and commercial markets.
Six start-ups have been chosen by the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce to compete for an all-expenses-paid trip to Silicon Valley to pitch their story to top investors. One has potential for substantial return: Swallow Solutions (Madison, WI; no SBIR) develops products for people with swallowing difficulties. The company raised $1 million of outside funding in 2013. [Kathleen Gallagher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Aug 5, 15] The rest all seem low risk, low capital barrier, jobs of decent engineering.
Swallow Solutions LLC (Madison, WI; no SBIR) that develops products for people with swallowing difficulties, said it has made further progress on a proposed $3.2 million funding round, which includes equity and warrants. Swallow has now raised $2 million of the funding from 22 investors [Kathleen Gallagher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Mar 18, 15]
Swallow Solutions (Madison, WI; no SBIR) that develops products for people with swallowing difficulties, has raised $1 million in a funding round has received permission from federal regulators to sell the device, which is primarily marketed to speech pathologists. [Kathleen Gallagher, Milwaukee Journnal Sentinel, Mar 4, 13]
The U.S. Air Force has tentatively selected over 500 companies for contracts worth $550M combined as part of an initiative launched with its AFWERX innovation arm and [SBIR]. The service said the AFVentures effort includes a strategic financing initiative where the firms will get a total of over $200M in government funding as well as $350M in private funds. [Brenda Marie Rivers, govconwire, Mar 16, 20] almost half going to the following 21 companies: Aerial Applications, Analytical Space ($3M prior SBIR), Anduril (one prior SBIR) , Applied Minds ($8M prior SBIR), Elroy Air, Sentient ($3.2M prior SBIR) , Icon, Enview ($700K prior SBIR), Edgybees ($700K prior SBIR) , Falkonry (one prior SBIR), Swarm Technologies ($1M prior SBIR) , Orbital Insight (one prior SBIR), Orbital Sidekick ($800K prior SBIR), Virtualitics (one prior SBIR) , Wickr (one prior SBIR), Tectus Corp (one prior SBIR), Valulytics, Shift.org, Pison ($1M prior SBIR), Revacomm. One other company hasn’t been named yet. These “big bet” companies are slated to receive four-year, fixed-price contracts worth a combined $550+ million through AFVentures’ Strategic Financing (STRATFI) program. This amount includes $100+ million in SBIR funds, $100+ million in Air Force funding and $350+ million in private investment. Roper said he believes future rounds of funding will be bigger. [AF Press release , Mar 13, 20]
DexCom which makes continuous glucose monitoring devices for patients with diabetes, acquired SweetSpot Diabetes Care (Portland,OR; SBIR) health IT company. DexCom said it will pay as much as $8.5 million in payments over time for SweetSpot, which developed a cloud-based service that helps process data from monitoring devices. [Bruce Bigelow, xconomy.com, Mar 2, 12]
Swift Biosciences (Ann Arbor, MI; no SBIR) has partnered with Silicon Biosystems Menarini (San Diego, CA; no SBIR) on a new product to help oncologists access genomic information locked within formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue samples. Tim Harkins, the CEO of Swift Biosciences, said in a press release that Silicon Biosystems Menarini has “revolutionized the analysis of FFPE samples by enabling researchers to perform [genetic testing] from samples that previously could not be sequenced.” [Sarah Schmid, xconomyDetroit.com, Feb 19, 16]
Swift Biosciences (Ann Arbor, MI; no SBIR) announced last week it will partner with SeraCare Life Sciences to accelerate development of novel circulating tumor DNA reference material to be used in liquid biopsies and next-generation.. [Sarah Schmid, xconomy.com, Feb 4, 16]
The Department of Energy will award $128M to support 75 research projects that seek to advance the development of solar technologies. Most money went to academic and large businessses. Several awards went to former SBIR winners: Energy Materials (Norcross GA one SBIR) won a $4M Solar project award to create new methods to deposit layers of material to make the cell, develop a high-speed process ; Leading Edge Crystal Technologies (Gloucester, MA; one SBIR) won $2.5M to develop a floating-silicon method for producing high-quality single crystalline wafers ; Sunvapor (Livermore, CA ; one SBIR) won $2.5M to show how using enormous tanks that normally store liquefied petroleum gas can be used to accumulate and store solar-generated steam ; Brayton Energy (Hampton,NH; $3M SBIR) won $700K to partner w Oak Ridge Lab to examine examine creep behavior—the tendency to deform under mechanical stress—in thin-sheet nickel alloys; Ceramic Tubular Products (Lynchburg, VA; $3.2M SBIR) won $1.9M to develop silicon carbide composite receiver tubes for molten chloride salt and liquid sodium receivers; Echogen Power Systems, (Akron, OH; $300K SBIR) won $4.4M to develop a large-scale, low-cost, single-shaft compressor for supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) power cycles; Osazda Energy (Albuquerque, NM; one SBIR) won $1M to develop a cost-effective metal paste that strengthens the metal connections in solar cells; Scion Plasma (East Lansing, MI; $200K SBIR) won $1M to develop a tool that rapidly deposits transparent conductive oxide onto heterojunction silicon with intrinsic thin layer (HIT) solar cells; Swift Coat (Peoria, AZ; one SBIR) won $1M to make and scale multilayer, anti-reflective and anti-soiling coatings for solar glass [Jane Edwards, govconwire, Nov 7, 19]
Morpho Detection, part of Morpho, Safran (no SBIR) group’s security business, announced in mid-April that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Syagen Technology, (Tustin, CA; $5.7M SBIR) Syagen is a leading mass spectrometry technology development company for security applications. The acquisition of Syagen strengthens Morpho Detection’s (MDI) position as the industry-leading provider of explosives and narcotics trace detection solutions for the homeland security market. [LARTA VOX, May 2011]
Symbiomix Therapeutics <(Newark, NJ; no SBIR, founded 2012) closed the third and final tranche of $41 million in [Series A] funding. ... going toward development of Symbiomix’s oral treatment for bacterial vaginosis, a common gynecological infection that elevates the risk of transmitting and contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Bacterial vaginosis disproportionately affects women in disadvantaged communities and minority women. [Sarah Gantz, Baltimore Business Journal, May 8, 15]
Martin Buehler, iRobot’s former director of research - “Robot Guy” - touted the disruption that robotics companies in New England have made, such as Rethink Robotics (no SBIR), iRobot ($8M SBIR), Harvest Automation (no SBIR), Kiva Systems (no SBIR; acquired by Amazon.com), Symbotic (no SBIR) and, of course, his company, Vecna Technologies (Greenbelt, MD; $8.5M SBIR). Buehler showed how iRobot’s devices are used in defenseapplications as well as cleaning floors, pools and gutters. He also showed how Harvest’s robots are used in labor-intensive agriculture applications. The audience was amazed by Kiva’s robots driving efficiency, and how the robots have replaced the “runners” who fill product orders. [Patircia Resende, Boston Business Journal, Mar 7, 13]
Thanks for the memories (Jul 24) It's taken a decade, but ferroelectric technology might finally be ready to make good on a promise to rewrite the rules of the memory industry. Symetrix (Colorado Springs, Colo) reported vthat volume production of the parts is expected from at least three suppliers before year's end. First out of the gate will be Matsushita Electronics Corp., now ramping one dedicated ferroelectric-RAM fab and building another. Siemens AG, Hyundai,Motorola and others are readying production of the memories. If all goes according to plan, they would replace DRAMs and SRAMs in a host of applications, effectively rewriting the rules of the memory business and accounting for one-third of all semiconductor units sold by the year 2010. [Craig Matsumoto and Yoshiko Hara, EE Times, Mar 9] Symetrix had $2M of SBIR 1988-1993 from DOD(Navy, SDIO, DARPA) with no mandatory co-investment. It was the rare SBIR research firm who meant the commercial impact promises.
Symic Bio (Emeryville, CA; at least $1.5M SBIR in 2015) a biopharmaceutical company developing novel matrix regulator therapeutics, announced the successful completion of a $30 million Series B financing and provided a program update regarding lead program SB-030. ... to support clinical programs including SB-030 in the prevention of peripheral vein graft failure and SB-061 for pain management and disease modification in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee [company press release, May 22, 17]
Biotherapeutics startup Symic Biomedical (San Francisco, CA; no SBIR) raised $25 million in Series A-2 funding Tuesday to further treatments for osteoarthritis and cardiovascular ailments. ... has raised $43 million to date. [Gina Hall, Silicon Valley Business Journal, Dec 1, 15]
Accelrys (San Diego,CA; no SBIR) life sciences software company, said that it has completed the purchase of Symyx Technologies in an all-stock deal valued at about $180 million. [signonsandiego.com, Jul 1, 10]
Symyx Technologies received a reduced offer from Certara and Vector Capital, this time proposing to buy the company for about $200 million, The offer for $5.75, a 3% premium to Symyx's Wednesday closing price, came one day after Symyx said it had ended merger talks with Certara, the parent of companies that specialize in pharmaceutical and biotechnology software. [Wall Street Journal, Jun 18, 10]
Symyx up 22 % [Apr 5, 10] after Scientific software maker Accelrys (no SBIR) announced plans Monday to merge with Symyx Technologies (Sunnyvale, CA; $800K SBIR in 1998) in a $173 million, all-stock deal. The deal adds Symyx products that include electronic laboratory notebooks, decision support software and chemical informatics to San Diego-based Accelrys’ computer-aided design modeling and simulation software. [Thomas Kupper, signonsandiego.com, Apr 5, 10]
Symyx down 14% [Dec 29, 09]
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Symyx down 25% [Dec 1, 08] On a stock bloodbath day
Symyx Tech up 14% [Nov 26, 08]
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In the last year, former DOD and intelligence agency operatives have headed to Silicon Valley to create technology start-ups specializing in tools aimed at thwarting online threats. ... In 2012, more than $1 billion in venture financing poured into security start-ups, more than double the amount in 2010, according to the NVCA. ... One of the start-ups is Synack, which promises to vet an army of hackers to hunt for security vulnerabilities in the computer systems of government agencies and private companies. The company’s co-founders, Jay Kaplan and Mark Kuhr, met in Fort Meade, Md., in the counterterrorism division of NSA ... Morta Security, another of the start-ups, was founded by Raj Shah, a former F-16 fighter pilot for the Air Force in Iraq. He described himself as “a policy adviser” to the N.S.A. before moving to Silicon Valley .... Last year, Sumit Agarwal left his post as a deputy assistant secretary of defense to join Shape Security, a Mountain View company that offers what it calls “military grade” security solutions against botnets [Somini Sengupta, New York Times, Aug 22, 13] SBIR isn't a source since intelligence agencies don't do it, but any agency is free to invent its own version of SBIR.
Alexion Pharma (Cheshire, CT; $1.8M SBIR 1995-2005), which has one drug and a market cap of $31 billion, is offering to pay a 124% premium [$8.4 billion] for Synageva BioPharma (Lexington, MA; $800K SBIR 2010), one of the biggest premiums paid for any company since 1995, according to Dealogic. Synageva doesn’t have a product on the market, but it is in late-stage development of a treatment for a genetic disease that afflicts about 3,000 people. [Peter Loftus, Jonathan D. Rockoff, and Maureen Farrell, Wall Street Journal, May 6, 15]
Synageva Bio ($800K SBIR; market cap $3B) up 10% [Jan 7, 15]
Synageva BioPharma up 22% [Dec 17, 14]
Synageva Biopharma(Lexington, MA; $800K SBIR) down 14% [Jul 1, 14]
Syngeva BioPharma down 10% [Oct 30, 13]
Synageva BioPharma (Lexington, MA; $800K SBIR) biopharmaceutical company developing therapies for rare diseases, said that the Food and Drug Administration has granted breakthrough therapy designation to its drug candidate for the treatment of the early onset form of LAL deficiency. Lysosomal acid lipase deficiency (or LAL deficiency) is a rare disorder caused by a marked decrease in LAL enzyme activity. [Boston Globe, May 20, 13]
Synageva BioPharma (Lexington, MA; $800K SBIR) up 10% [Jul 10, 12]
Synageva Biopharma (Lexington, MA; $800K SBIR) has teamed up with Japanese company Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corp. in a research and development deal that will bring a $3 million upfront payment, plus further research contributions. .... specializes in discovery, development and commercialization of therapeutics for rare diseases. Its lead program, SBC-102, won orphan drug designations in 2010 in both the United States and European Union for the treatment of Lysosomal Acid Lipase Deficiency [Michelle Lang, Mass High Tech, Sep 2, 11]
Synageva BioPharma (Lexington, MA; one SBIR) has landed a $25 million private equity funding to support development of the Lexington biotech’s enzyme replacement therapy, SBC-102. The $25 million brings the company’s funding up to $70 million in the last two and a half years. [Michelle Lang, Mass High Tech, Mar 21, 11]
Synageva Biopharma (Waltham, Ma; $2.8M SBIR)developer of next-generation follow-on protein treatments, has pulled in a $12 million investment to close on a total financing of $45 million. ... focused on new oncology and autoimmune treatments using monoclonal antibodies and cytokines-based drugs. ... moved to Waltham in 2008, following 10 years in Atlanta under a former name, AviGenics. [Mass High Tech, Oct 20, 09]
Synageva BioPharma (Waltham, MA; no SBIR) announced the first closing of a financing raising $30 million. .... developing and commercializing novel, next generation, and follow-on protein therapeutics that leverage the unique competitive advantages of its proprietary Synageva Expression Platform. [Boston Globe, Apr 16, 09]
Montgomery County [MD, a competitor for America's richest county] will dole out $500,000 to investors in 10 life sciences companies through its coveted biotech tax credit, a fifth of which will go to backers of diagnostics company DioGenix (Gaithersburg, MD; no SBIR) ... piggybacks on the $3.5 million in tax credits from the state to those same 46 investors. The incentives are tied to a total $7 million in private biotech investments in the county last year. Also receiving the credits are backers of 20/20 GeneSystems (Rockville, MD; $4.6M SBIR, incl one of $3.3M), Alper Biotech LLC, American Gene Technologies International Inc., BeneVir Biopharm Inc., ConverGene LLC, Creatv MicroTech (Potomac, MD; $11.6M SBIR)., Rafagen Inc., Sequella (Rockville, MD; $10.3M SBIR). and SynAm Vaccine. [Bill Flook,Washington Business Journal, Feb 28, 14]
SynapDx (Lexington, MA; no SBIR) currently developing diagnostics for the earlier detection of autism, said it has formed an alliance with Illumina that specializes in life sciences tools. A goal of the alliance is to combine SynapDx’s proprietary autism technologies with Illumina’s sequencing platform to develop early detection tools for autism spectrum disorders. [Chris Reidy, Boston Globe, Mar 8, 13]
SynapDx (Lexington, MA; no SBIR) developing diagnostics for the earlier detection of autism, said that it has gotten $2 million in funding from Laboratory Corporation of America ... that specializes in testing, genomics, and clinical and anatomic pathology. The average age of a child diagnosed with autism is 4.5 years. SynapDx hopes its test can detect autism spectrum disorder in a child who is 36 months old. .. recently leased 10,724 square feet of laboratory space in Lexington [Chris Reidy, Boston Globe, Feb 21, 13]
SynapDx (Southborough, MA; no SBIR) which is devloping an early detection blood-based test for autism spectrum disorder, said it has raised $6 million in funding ... will support further development in 2013 of the diagnostic test, which is designed to identify children with ASD by age 36 months. [Kyle Alspach, Boston Business Journal, Dec 11, 12]
SynapDx (Waltham, MA), a new company focused on developing and commercializing diagnostic testing for the early detection of autism, today announced the completion of a $9 million round of financing [Boston Globe, Jun 1, 10] <
Synaptics up 21% [Feb 7, 20]
Synaptics up 16% [Nov 7, 19]
Synaptics down 23% [Mar 18, 19]
Synaptics down 11% [Aug 10, 18]
Synaptics (San Jose, CA; $600K SBIR) up 12% [Jun 20, 18]which makes touchscreen sensor technology for iPhones and other consumer products, confirmed it is in talks to be acquired by Dialog Semiconductor plc (UK) [San Jose Mercury News, Jun 20, 18]
Synapticsup 11% [Jun 8, 18]
Synaptics up 13% [Jan 12, 18] on analyst upgrade as Facebook falls [Silicon Valley Business Journal, Jan 12, 18]
Synaptics down 10% [Aug 4, 17]
Synaptics down 22% [Oct 28, 16]
Synaptics up 10% [Aug 1, 16]
>Synaptics down 12% [Apr 29, 16]
Synaptics up 11% [Jan 29, 16]
Synaptics up 27% [Jan 20, 16] announced it is working with Intel and Lenovo on secure enterprise-level fingerprint authentication for the next generation Lenovo ThinkPad(R) notebooks. ... also announced sampling of S1423, its newest ClearPad(R) touch controller solution for wearables and small screen applications including smartwatches, fitness trackers, and touch enabled appliances such as printers [Wall Street Journal, Jan 20, 16]Synaptics the maker of touch-screen technology used in phones, tablets and computers, rejected an offer from a state-backed Chinese investment group that valued the company at almost $4 billion, people with knowledge of the matter said. [San Jose Mercury News, Sep 30, 15]
The fingerprint technology that opens up your Galaxy S6 Edge wasn't developed by Samsung Group but by San Jose-based Synaptics, ($350K SBIR) that's looking beyond smartphones for its next business avenues. ... Last week, the company announced it has reached a new milestone by shipping more than 200 million units of its Natural ID fingerprint authentication solutions. [Angela Swartz, Silicon Valley Business Journal, Jun 18, 15]
Synaptics up 12% [Jan 30, 15]
Synaptics down 15% [Oct 24, 14]
Synaptics up another 28% [Jun 11, 14]
Touchscreen chipmaker Synaptics (San Jose, CA; $400K Navy SBIR twenty years ago) roars to all-time highs after announcing the $475 million acquisition of a Japanese rival Renesas SP Drivers display firm .... strengthening Synaptics' position as the No. 1 touchscreen controller supplier to the mobile display market [Jeremy Owens, San JoseMercury News, Jun 10, 14]
Synaptics up 12% [May 28, 14]
Six months after moving into its new San Jose headquarters, Synapticsis expanding its space there. The user interface company, whose products include touch-sensing technologies, last week paid about $10 million .... “Synaptics continues to thrive as a business, and in 2013, we completed the acquisition of Validity Inc.,"Andy Rafeedie, director of IT and facilities at Synaptics, said [Nathan Donato-Weinstein, Silicon Valley Business Journal, Jan 28, 14]
Picked in Forbes's top 100 small companies: Synaptics $340K SBIR ; Myriad Genetics one SBIR; iRobot $7.5M SBIR; Landec $1.6M SBIR.
Synaptics has agreed to buy Validity Sensors (San Jose, CA; no SBIR), that sells fingerprint ID technology like that found in the new iPhone 5S, for up to $255 million. .... Synaptics CEO Rick Bergman said his customers, which include the biggest laptop makers in the world, have been pushing him to add fingerprint ID technology for a couple of years. [Cromwell Schubarth, Silicon Valley Business Journal, Oct 9, 13]
Synaptics down 16% [Oct 25, 13]
Synaptics up 12% [Jan 25, 13]
Synaptics up 10% [Aug 3, 12]
Synaptics up 19% [Oct21, 11]
Synaptics down 11% [Jan 21, 11]
Short Interest. Synaptics has shorts amounting to 43% of its float. Alnylam Pharma has short interest of 38 days of average volume. [Wall Street Journal, Mar 25]
Shorts. Synaptics was eighth in rank of short interest as a percentage of float. Alnylam Pharma and Cepheid were seventh and eight in days of average trading volume to cover the short interest. [Wall Street Journal, Mar 10, 10]
Synaptics down 12% [Jan 22, 10] Small-cap technology stocks plunged, as headline tech companies posted numbers that disappointed investors, even while beating analysts' estimates. [Wall Street Journal, Jan 23]
Forbes's 2009 list of best 200 small companies includes Aerovironment, American Science and Engineering (paying a dividend and with nearly $600M market cap), Argon ST, Hittite Microwave, II-IV, Meridian Bioscience, Neogen, NVE, and Synaptics.
Synaptics down 33% [Jul 31, 09] after disclosing that first-quarter and fiscal 2010 revenue would grow at a slower-than-expected pace.
Synaptics up 10% [May 18, 09]
Synaptics down 10% [Feb 23, 09]
Synaptics down 10% [Feb 17, 09]
Synaptics up 14% [Jan 6, 09]
Synaptics up 10% [nov 21, 08]
Synaptics down 10% [Nov 13, 08] after Intel's cut in outlook prompted a reevaluation of many smaller technology names. Analysts at Lazard Capital Markets reduced their investment rating on Synaptics to "sell" from "hold," saying "the significant worsening of the market" could put the revenue estimates of fourth quarter and first quarter at risk.
Synaptics down 12% [Nov 12, 08]
Synaptics up 10% [Oct 16, 08]
Synaptics up 12% [Oct 13, 08]
Forbes 200 Best Small Companies list for 2008 had several "SBIR involved" companies: Hittite Microwave 12, II-IV 23, Synaptics 33, NVE 39, ATMI 114, Cymer 166.
Synaptics up 10% [Oct 8, 08]
Synaptics down 18% [Oct 7, 08]
Synaptics down 12% [Oct 2, 08]
Synaptics down 23% [Jan 25, 08]
Synaptics<< up 10% [Jan 24, 08]
Synaptics dropped 15% after American Technology Research cut its rating on the Santa Clara, Calif., maker of touchpads for computers to neutral from buy, citing a loss in market share. [Wall Street Journal, Jan 11, 08]
Synaptics (one Phase 2 SBIR) up 19% after brisk first-quarter revenue growth for the maker of touchpads for computers. [Wall Street Journal, Nov 2, 07]
Synaptogenix (New York, NY; $2.7M in one SBIR) down 75% [Dec 16, 2022] announced topline data from its NIH SBIR clinical trial of Bryostatin-1 for the treatment of advanced Alzheimer's disease. The trial's primary endpoint of change from baseline in the Severe Impairment Battery (SIB) total score assessment obtained after completion of the second course of treatment (week 28) was not met with statistical significance. [company press release, Dec 16, 2022]
Synaptogenix (New York, NY; $2.7M SBIR in one award) up 20% [Jul 27, 22] announced changes to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) in preparation for Phase 2 data from its Phase 2b clinical trial of Bryostatin-1 for patients suffering from advanced and moderately severe Alzheimer's disease (AD). [company press release, Jul 27, 22]
Synaptogenix (Newark, NJ; $1M SBIR) up 29% [Feb 1, 22] develops a product platform based upon a drug candidate called bryostatin for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, which is in the clinical testing stage [company web site]
Synaptogenix (Newark, NJ; $1M SBIR) up 25% [Jun 17, 21]
[Arizona] Innovator of the year, small company: SynCardia Systems (Tucson, AZ; no SBIR) manufacturer of the world's only U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved artificial heart [Hayley Ringle, Phoenix Business Journal, Nov 13, 14]
SynCardia Systems (Tucson, AZ; no SBIR) raised $14 million to develop a smaller version of its Total Artificial Heart and market its Freedom portable driver, which is expected to get [FDA] clearance .... Clinical trials of the Freedom driver have been completed, and the company is waiting to hear from the FDA whether it will be approved to market in the U.S. It has been approved for use in the United Kingdom since 2011. [Angela Gonzales, Phoenix Business Journal, Dec 17, 13]
Synchroneuron (Waltham, ,MA; no SBIR), a biotech company that emerged from stealth mode Monday with a $6 million Series A financing, said it will use the funds to finish developing a new formulation for a chemical compound that is approved for other indications, company executives told Mass High Tech in an interview. ... aims to have its repurposed chemical compound, targeted at a movement disorder called tardive dyskinesia (TD), in Phase 1 trials by the end of this year and Phase 2 trials at the beginning of 2013, [Lori Valigra, Mass High Tech, Feb 8, 12]
biopharmaceutical Synchroneuron (Waltham, MA; no SBIR) raised $6 million in its Series A round of funding ... company did not state what it intended to do with the funds, but it did note that it expects to start Phase 1 clinical trials this year for a new drug therapy to treat Tardive dyskinesia, a “chronic, usually irreversible and often disfiguring movement disorder.” ... co-founded by inventor and neurologist Dr. Barry Fogel and the principals of Accellient Partners, the release noted. [Rodney Brown, Mass High Tech, Feb 7, 12]
After a few years fine-tuning its investment strategy, Accelerate Long Island has seeded its first group of startups. The nonprofit organization and the Long Island Emerging Technologies Fund announced plans to put $500,000 into five Long Island, NY-based biotech and cleantech startups: Ggoddard Labs green sulfcret polynova synchropet, and Traverse Biosciences. [Ben Fidler, xconomy.com, Jun 9, 14] None had SBIR.
Syndax Pharmaceuticals (Waltham, MA; no SBIR) that looks to market treatments for breast and lung cancers, said that it has secured a $26.6 million Series B financing. .... lead drug candidate is called entinostat, and the hope is that entinostat can be part of a drug combination that can be effective against breast and lung cancers that become resistant to traditional treatments. Entinostat is about to enter late-stage clinical testing. [Chris Reidy, Boston Globe. Aug 27, 13]
Syndax Pharmaceuticals (Waltham, MA; no SBIR) cancer therapeutics developer has raised $6 million of a planned $7 million securities offering, according to a regulatory filing [Mass High Tech, Aug 6, 10]
Synergy Biomedical Collegeville, PA; no SBIR, founded 2011) received [FDA] clearance for its first bone graft product: BioSphere Putty made from a specialized bioactive glass composition with a unique sphere shape, according to the company [John George, Philadelphia Business Journal, Jun 19, 13]
Synedgen (Claremont, CA; $200K SBIR) spun out its experimental cystic fibrosis treatments into a new biotech Synspira to be based in the Boston area, with an eye toward complementing existing drugs for the lung disease. ... with $8 million in financing from an anonymous investor [Max Stendahl, Boston Business Journal, Jun 30, 17]
Synergy Pharma [New York, NY; no SBIR, founded 2005) down 15% [Feb 1, 17] Another company of the same name in Somerset; NJ had $900K SBIR for research in the same family of compounds in years just before 2005. And the company website says that its CEO served as Chief Scientific Officer of Synergy from 1999 to 2003. Its website also says the company was formerly known as Pawfect Foods before 2008.
Synergy Pharma (Somerset, NJ; $900K SBIR) up 34% [Dec 23, 16] announced positive top-line results from the second of two pivotal phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the efficacy and safety of plecanatide, an investigational once-daily orally-administered compound, in 1,054 adult patients with irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C). [company press release, Dec 23, 16]
Synergy Pharma New York NY; $900K SBIR) up 68% [Jun 17, 15] announced positive top-line results from the first of two pivotal phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the efficacy and safety of two different plecanatide treatment doses (3.0 mg and 6.0 mg), taken as a tablet once-a-day, in 1,346 adult patients with chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC). [company press release, Jun 17, 15]
The Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center of Bucks County is getting some federal government money to expand yet again. ... serves as an incubator for early-stage life sciences companies. The grant will support the addition of 15 laboratories at the site, which is expected to result in the creation of 90 new jobs. ... Nearly 300 people currently work at biotech center. ... Five for-profit life sciences companies — Flow Metric, Novira Therapeutics, Fox Chase Chemical Diversity Center ($600K SBIR), Synergy Pharmaceuticals ($900K SBIR) , and Cross Current — have committed to leasing the new space being created at the center. [John George, Philadelphia Business Journal, Oct 10, 14]
Synergy Pharmaceuticals< (Somerset, NJ; $900K SBIR) up 12% [Jul 9, 13]
Synergy Pharma down 11% [Apr 11, 13]
Synergy Pharma (Somerset, NJ; $900K SBIR) down 17% [Apr 10, 13]
Synergy Pharma (Somerset, NJ; $900K SBIR) up 14% [Apr 9, 13]
Cesca Therapeutics (Rancho Cordova, CA; no SBIR), a market leader in automated cell processing and point-of-care, autologous cell-based therapies, announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, ThermoGenesis ($500K SBIR), has entered into an asset acquisition agreement with SynGen (Sacramento, CA; no SBIR) technology company active in the cellular processing field. [company press release, Jul 9, 17]
SynGen (Sacramento, CA; no SBIR) medical equipment developer recently raised $500,000 with debt and equity financing, according to [SEC] documents [Victor A. Patton, Sacramento Business Journal, Jan 24, 17]
SynGen (Sacramento, CA; no SBIR) medical startup Inc. raised an additional $1 million in venture capital funding. This is the second venture capital round so far this year for SynGen, which is working to develop equipment and processes for harvesting, separating and storing bone marrow, cord blood cells and other potentially therapeutic cells for use in treating diseases. .... The newest funding brings the company’s total capital raised to more than $18 million. [Mark Anderson, Sacramento Business Journal, Jul 29, 16]
biotech startup SynGen (Sacramento, CA; $200K SBIR) raised an additional $1.6 million in venture capital earlier this month, bringing its total capital raised to more than $11 million. [Mark Anderson, Sacramento Business Journal, May 19, 16]
biotech SynGen (Sacramento, CA; no SBIR, founded 2009) recently raised $2.3 million in a private offering, according to [SEC] filing. ... is developing equipment that separates and stores bone marrow, cord blood cells and other potentially therapeutic cells for use in treating diseases. One focus of the company is getting its equipment to medical labs, pharmaceutical companies and bio-tech companies, which are perfecting techniques to harvest white blood cells from a patient, which can then be augmented, grown and concentrated, and then administered back to the same patient for therapies, primarily aimed at cancer. ... has raised $10M [Mark Anderson, Sacramento Business Journal, Jul 7, 15]
medical device startup SynGen (Sacramento, CA; no SBIR) has gotten $2.5 million in financing from GE Capital's Healthcare Financial Services. .... developed stem cell harvesting systems and is now commercializing them. ... Last summer, SynGen also raised $2 million in a financing round [Mark Anderson, Sacramento Business Journal, Feb 28, 14]
SynGen (Sacramento, CA; no SBIR) medical device startup that develops stem cell harvesting systems, raised $2 million in a financing round [Mark Anderson, Sacramento Business Journal, Jul 10, 13]
Synlogic (Cambridge MA; no SBIR) down 28% [Aug 20, 19] Synthetic biology startup has stopped development of SYNB1020 after the drug failed to lower blood ammonia levels in a phase 1b/2a trial. The engineered stain of [E-coli] performed no better than placebo in the small trial [Fierce Biotch, Aug 20, 19]
Synlogic (Cambridge, MA; no SBIR) up 25% [Jun 12, 19] a clinical-stage company applying synthetic biology to beneficial microbes to develop novel, living medicines and Ginkgo Bioworks, the organism company, announced a platform collaboration to accelerate expansion and development of Synlogic's pipeline of Synthetic Biotic medicines using Ginkgo's cell programming platform. The agreement provides an $80.0 million equity investment at a premium in Synlogic by Ginkgo and entry into a long-term strategic platform collaboration. Synlogic will use Ginkgo's cell programming platform for building and testing thousands of microbial strains to accelerate progression of early preclinical leads to drug candidates optimized for further clinical development. [company press release, Jun 11, 19]
Synlogic (Cambridge, MA; no SBIR) is taking over the public listing [by reverse merger] from Mirna Therapeutics (Austin, TX; $700K SBIR) down 28% [May 16, 17] , a failed developer of cancer drugs in Austin, TX, that did not progress past Phase 1 trials. Synlogic shareholders will own 83 percent of the new company. About $40 million of the new cash comes from Mirna, and Synlogic is also raising $42 million in a Series C round of financing. The firm raised $70 million in its first two funding rounds, most recently in early 2016. [Alex Lash, xconomy.com, May 16, 17]
Synlogic (Cambridge, MA; no SBIR, founded 2013), developing novel medicines based on its proprietary synthetic biology and the microbiome platform, announced the signing of a multi-year global R&D collaboration with AbbVie. The collaboration is focused on developing novel medicines for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) using Synlogic’s proprietary approach for a new class of synthetic biotic medicines that power the microbiome. .... raised $29.4 million in a Series A financing in 2013 [company press release, Feb 10, 16]
Synopsys (Mountain View, CA; no SBIR) which makes design and testing software for engineers, will buy Coverity (San Francisco, CA; $200K SBIR) for $375 million.... Coverity makes software used in testing source code. Synopsys is paying for the deal through cash and some debt. [Steven E.F. Brown, San Francisco Business Times, Feb 19, 14]
SynSonix (Tempe, AZ; no SBIR, founded in 2009) medical devices startup looking to move to Cambridge, MA has developed ultrasound technology that can control brain function for therapeutic purposes, without having to cut through a person’s skull. ... looking for $2.5 million in funding for its first two years of operations here, and $4 million for the following two [Mass High Tech, Dec 31, 09]
Synta Pharmaceuticals (Lexington, MA; no SBIR) has taken in $1 million from a joint collaboration agreement with the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) for the development of a drug to treat multiple myeloma. [Mass High Tech, Jan 12, 11]
Syntax-Brillian rose 13%. Robert W. Baird said momentum was mounting for the Tempe, Ariz., company's Olevia liquid-crystal-display television brand. [Wall Street Journal, Feb 2, 07]
Re-Sourcing. Syntax-Brillian has made a splash with its Olevia brand of flat-panel TV sets, marketing them as high-quality, low-cost alternatives to Samsung and Panasonic. The company is hoping to gain additional advantage over rivals by opening earlier this week what is believed to be the first high-definition flat-panel TV assembly facility in the United States. ... Relocating to a plant in Southern California will allow it to react to changing demands more quickly, better control inventory and save the 5.3 percent duty it pays on each imported set. [Gary Gentile, AP, Oct 28]
Synthekine (Menlo Park, CA; no SBIR) an engineered cytokine therapeutics company, announced the closing of an $82 million Series A financing [to] to leverage discoveries showing that cytokines can be tuned to enhance their therapeutic effects. [company press release, Sep 17, 20]
Pathfinder (Cambridge, MA; no SBIR) cell-based therapeutics firm, and New Jersey biomaterials firm SyntheMed (no SBIR) have merged, the two companies announced [Mass High Tech, Dec 23, 10]
Synthetic Biologics (Rockville, MD; no SBIR), a diversified clinical-stage company leveraging the microbiome to develop therapeutics designed to prevent and treat gastrointestinal ("GI") diseases in areas of high unmet need, announced [that] it was concluded that although SYN-010 was well-tolerated, it is unlikely to meet its primary objective by the time enrollment is completed. As a result, CSMC has agreed to discontinue the trial and will conduct a comprehensive review of the final data set and publish its findings. [company press release, Oct 2, 20]
Synthetic Biologics (Rockville, MD; no SBIR), a late-stage clinical company developing therapeutics that preserve the microbiome to protect and restore the health of patients, today announced that the [FDA] has granted a Breakthrough Therapy Designation for SYN-004 (ribaxamase) for the prevention of Clostridium difficile infection. [company press release, May 11, 17]
San Diego County is noted as fertile ground for innovative start-ups[with] local biotech cluster that excels at bringing creative new ideas to market. It all began at UC San Diego and adjacent biomedical research institutions on the Torrey Pines Mesa. .... In the late 1970s, Hybritech (before SBIR) pioneered the use of monoclonal antibodies as diagnostics. Today, Illumina leads the world in developing advanced technology for sequencing DNA and Ionis Pharmaceuticals leads the pack in using a broad method called antisense to create drugs that alter the effects of targeted genes. ... And this summer, the for-profit Synthetic Genomics (La Jolla, CA; no SBIR) unveiled a potential replacement for the workhorse bacterium E. coli, an engineered bacterium that replicates far faster, speeding up experiments and production of biotech products such as drugs. [Bradley Fikes, San Diego Union Tribune, Sep 13, 16]
Synthetic Genomics (LaJolla, CA; no SBIR) announced the opening of a greenhouse next to its La Jolla headquarters where it will grow algae strains it hopes will lead to a revolution in motor fuels... The company is working with ExxonMobil on developing fuels that can be harvested from algae [Onell Soto, San Diego Union Tribune, Jul 16, 10]
A San Diego biotechnology company led by genomics pioneer J. Craig Venter has landed a deal with Exxon Mobil that could include more than $300 million in funding to develop biofuels from algae. Venter, best known for his role in sequencing the human genome, said yesterday that his company Synthetic Genomics is planning a local greenhouse and test facility to study thousands of strains of algae from around the globe. [Thomas Kupper, San Diego Union Tribune, Jul 15]
Richard Gross founded SyntheZyme (Brooklyn, NY; $150K SBIR, founded 2008) to commercialize biocatalysis (with natural molecules). This year partnered with DSM (Netherlands). From the same chemistry department , Prof Jonathan Dordick pursuing biocatalysis over 30 years, founded Solidus Biosciences (Troy, NY; $3.5M SBIR). Dordick also founded EnzyMed (Iowa City, IA; $200K SBIR) that was sold to Albany Molecular in 1999. [Rensselaer magazine, Fall 2014]
Synthorx down 17% [Mar 6, 19]
More proteins for DNA. Dr Romesberg and his colleagues have been encouraging their new, “semisynthetic” cells to use the expanded alphabet to make proteins that could not previously have existed, and which might have properties that are both novel and useful. Now they think they have found one. In collaboration with a spin-off firm Synthorx (LaJolla, CA; no SBIR, founded 2014), they hope to create a less toxic and more effective version of a cancer drug called interleukin-2. [The Economist, Jan 18,19] total funding $79M [crunchbase.com]
Synthorx (San Diego, CA; no SBIR, founded 2014) announced the completion of a $63 million Series C financing [to]to advance the company's pipeline of Synthorin™ cytokines, including an IL-2 tuned specifically for activity on certain immune cells. [company press release, Apr 27, 18] total funding $7M [crunchbase.com]
Synthorx (San Diego, CA; no SBIR) announced the completion of a $10 million Series B financing .... using synthetic biology to discover and develop novel protein therapeutics. ... has developed scalable platforms for producing proteins that cannot be made through traditional methods. The proceeds will finance the development and scale-up of novel protein therapeutics that incorporate at least one synthetic amino acid. [company press release, Jul 20, 16]
Synthorx (San Diego, CA; no SBIR, founded 2014) synthetic biology startup that expanded the number of DNA base pairs with two synthetic nucleotides, said it has raised $10 million in a Series B financing round. ... new funding represents a shift from proof-of-concept to demonstrating how a promising research breakthrough in synthetic biology can be used to produce new biologic drugs at commercial scale, [CEO Court]Turner said. [Bruce Bigelow, xconomy.com, Jul 20, 16]
Synthorx (San Diego, CA; far too dangerous for SBIR), created by [Floyd] Romesberg [of Scripps] and the venture fund Avalon Ventures, says it has exploited E. coli bacteria containing X and Y to help manufacture a protein, a step the company’s president and CEO Court Turner describes as “our baby unicorn.” The company didn’t identify the protein, except to say it is “well studied” and that they’d added a new function to it, a way for another drug to attach to the protein at a specific site. ... Nearly all such drugs, proteins like insulin or the blood cell-booster erythropoietin, are made inside a bacterium or other cell. But synthetic DNA could vastly expand what drugs are possible. .... A potential objection to the technology is already apparent: nobody knows quite what these novel forms of life would do if released into the wild. [Brian Alexander, technologyreview.com, August 19, 2015] Exploitable idea for sci-fi, but Michael Crichton is no longer available.
there’s only so many words you can spell with DNA’s four-letter alphabet. Adding two letters to that alphabet, as Floyd Romesberg and colleagues at The Scripps Research Institute announced, exponentially increases the possibilities.> Synthorx (La Jolla, CA; two employees) was founded on those possibilities, including more targeted medicines, vaccines and nanoscale electronics. For nanoelectronics, the DNA with the expanded alphabet can be used outside of cells to precisely position components, said Court Turner, president of Synthorx [Bradley Fikes, utsandiego.com, May 7, 14]
Alexion Pharmaceuticals and Syntimmune (Boston, MA; no SBIR, founded 2013, total funsing $78M [crunchbase.con]) announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement for Alexion to acquire Syntimmune, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing antibody therapeutics targeting the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn). SYNT001 – a humanized monoclonal antibody that inhibits the interaction of FcRn with Immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgG immune complexes – has the potential to improve treatment in a number of rare IgG-mediated diseases. SYNT001 is currently being evaluated in Phase 1b/2a studies in patients with warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia (WAIHA) and in patients with pemphigus vulgaris (PV) or pemphigus foliaceus (PF) and has demonstrated proof of mechanism showing rapid IgG reduction. .... for an upfront payment of $400 million, with the potential for additional milestone-dependent payments of up to $800 million, for a total value of up to $1.2 billion. [joint companies press release, Sep 26, 18]
Syntimmune (New York, NY; no SBIR, founded 2013)’s leaders believe their company has found a way to block the immune system’s attack on the body. And now the biotech has $50 million to advance its lead drug through clinical trials in two rare diseases. ... focusing its research on two autoimmune diseases. The first is pemphigus, a group of rare skin disorders that cause blisters and sores on the skin or mucus membranes. The second is warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia, a disorder in which healthy red blood cells are destroyed by the body’s own antibodies. [Frank Vinluan, xconomy.com, Jun 21, 17]
some investment firms are willing to fund and grow new biotechs in Manhattan—the latest being Syntimmune (New York, NY; no SBIR, founded 2013) . ... formed by brothers Laurence and Richard Blumberg, who almost two decades ago teamed up to found Syntonix Pharmaceuticals—a hemophilia drug developer that Biogen acquired in 2007 .... raised $23 million in a Series A financing in Dec 2014 [Ben Fidler, xconomy.com, Mar 22, 16]
Syntrix Biosystems (Auburn, WA; $12.6M SBIR) said its $115 million patent court fight victory against Illumina has been upheld by a federal court in Tacoma and the victory is the largest patent court victory in Washington state history. [Ben Miller, Puget Sound Business Journal, Nov 7, 13]
A federal jury in Tacoma found that Illumina, a maker of genetic-analysis equipment with $1.15 billion in sales last year, infringed Syntrix Biosystems’ (Auburn, WA; $12.7M SBIR) patent on synthetic matrix and array technology. ... the biggest patent-infringement verdict in state history, though the $95.8 million judgment likely will be appealed. [Drew Desilver, Seattle Times, Mar 15, 13]
General Atomics (San Diego, CA) announced that it has acquired Syntronics, LLC (Fredericksburg, VA; $2M SBIR, 11 employees), a leading developer and manufacturer of custom electro-mechanical technologies including projectile and missile guidance systems, in-flight and ground based shock resistant instrumentation and related software technologies [General Atomics press release, Oct 2, 17]
Cells without walls. Synvitrobio (Berkeley, CA; no SBIR) accelerates bio-discovery through cell-free systems. Synvitrobio's Next Generation Expression platform allows for high-throughput data collection that is real and experimentally validated - not simulation. ... At present, Synvitrobio is using its system to test DNA sequences (or, rather, the resulting proteins) to see if they might be worth investigating as antibiotic drugs. ... Sutro Biopharma (South San Francisco, CA; no SBIR) uses a cell-free system to create antibodies for the treatment of cancer. ... Genomatica (San Diego, CA; $6M SBIR), an established biotechnology firm based, is experimenting with a cell-free system which produces 1,4-butanediol in this way from simple sugars. 1,4-butanediol is a small molecule that is used to make polymers such as Lycra. .... GreenLight Biosciences, (Medford, MA; no SBIR) proposes to use its own cell-free system, also based on E. coli, to produce industrial quantities of an undigestible analogue of ribose, a naturally occurring sugar, for use in zero-calorie beverages .... the idea of stripping molecular biology down to its bare essentials has an efficiency about it which suggests that, for some applications at least, the utility of the biological cell may have run its course. [The Economist. May 6, 17
Syros Pharmaceuticals down 31% [Oct 17, 19]
Syros Pharma down 11% [Jul 24, 18]
Syros Pharma down 11% [Nov 2, 16]
Syros Pharna up 16% [Aug 30, 16]
Syros Pharma up 36% [Aug 16, 16] Successfully Completed [IPO] Raising $57.5 Million [company press release]
Syros Pharmaceuticals (Cambridge, MA; no SBIR), with two drugs in early clinical trials to treat leukemia, began trading [Jun 30] and closed up 45 percent after a $50 million initial public offering. [Alex Lash, xconomy.com, Jul 1, 16]
Syros Pharmaceuticals (Cambridge, MA; no SBIR, founded 2011) took its first official steps towards IPO to fund early clinical trials for drug candidates SY-1425 and SY-1365, the first two test cases for the discovery work Syros has been doing since its inception. .... cut a deal with Japan’s TMRC Co. in September for an experimental drug called tamibarotene that targets RARa. That drug is approved in Japan for a different form of leukemia—acute promyelocytic leukemia. [Ben Fidler, xconomy.com, Jun 6, 16]
Nearly four months after Syros Pharmaceuticals> (Cambridge, MA; no SBIR) licensed a drug from a company in Japan, it's secured $40 million to move the drug into mid-stage trials. The funding adds to $83 million raised in the last two years ... The drug, known in the U.S. as SY-1425, is currently marketed by Japanese oncology company TMRC Co. Ltd for acute promyelocytic leukemia, a cancer of white blood cells. [Jessica Bartlett, Boston Business Journal, Jan 13, 16]
Syros Pharmaceuticals (Watertown, MA; no SBIR) reeled in a $53 million Series B round, a huge sum for a company based on relatively new understanding of fundamental human biology: the way our genes are controlled by extremely complicated signals within our cells. .... should be enough to propel Syros’s lead drug candidate into human clinical trials, but Simonian declined to sketch out a timeline. [Alex Lash, xconomy.com, Oct 27, 14]
Syros Pharmaceuticals (Watertown, MA; no SBIR) a newly launched company that seeks to harness breakthroughs in gene control to treat cancer and other diseases, said Wednesday that it has completed a $30 million Series A financing [Boston Globe, Apr 11, 13]
cloud company Sysgain (Redmond, WA; no SBIR) was reportedly the subject of an immigration raid — something the official allegedly called a "routine inspection." The immigration official who was at the scene at the company's Redmond office allegedly made everyone put their cell phones away, told them they weren't allowed to record anything, demanded records and documentation, and questioned why some of the cubicles were empty, according to a Facebook post from someone familiar with the matter. [democraticunderground.com, Feb 22, 17]
Syslogic (Brookfield, WI; $1.5M SBIR) information systems consulting firm, said it has received clearance from federal regulators to market what it says is the first-ever blood products tracking system that uses radio frequency identification technology. [Kathleen Gallagher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, May 29, 13]
Acelity LP (San Antonio, TX; no SBIR) is again expanding its product portfolio. The advanced wound care and regenerative medicine company is rolling out its BIOSORB Gelling Fiber Dressing in the U.S. [W. Scott Bailey, San Antonio Business Journal, Jul 28, 16] a global advanced wound care and regenerative medicine company created by uniting the strengths of three companies, Kinetic Concepts, LifeCell. and Systagenix Wound Management, Limited. [company website]
Systima Technologies(Kirkland, WA; $8M SBIR) under contract to Lockheed Martin, designed, tested and built the Forward Bay Cover Thrusters, which successfully jettisoned the Forward Bay Cover on the recent NASA Orion EFT-1 flight test, December 5th 2014 ... awarded a contract in support of the Air Force Research Laboratory Hypersonic HiFire6 Program. Systima will design and develop the HiFire6 Payload Shroud Separation System for the vehicle. ... awarded a formal subcontract from The Boeing Company, Defense, Space and Security for the development of various products on the ALASA program. ALASA, short for Airborne Launch Assist Space Access is funded by [DARPA] [company website] Economic impact? multiply by the number of similar government spacecraft.
One Tibbetts Winner. Systems & Processes Engineering Corp (Austin, TX) got a $6.1M government contract to develop system-on-a-chip products for the U.S. military. ..based on the technology in which SPEC has invested 12 years .. SPEC will design and make a small number of Data Acquisition Chipsets for the military to use in weapon systems flight tests. ... a telemetry sensor .. SPEC, founded by President and CEO Randy Noster, was begun as a pure R&D organization, focusing mainly on SBIR. .. SBIR work now accounts for only 70-75% of SPEC's projects. That should drop to about 60% by mid-1999 as the company courts more commercial clients, which currently include Siemens and Lockheed Martin. [Austin Business Journal, Aug 31] Twelve years and still 75% SBIR - DOD will call this commercialization and the Small Business Technology Coalition will applaud as will the Congressional delegation from Austin and Texas.
ReVision Therapeutics (San Diego, CA) biopharmaceutical startup, formed just five months ago to resume development of a compound for treating age-related macular degeneration, has reported encouraging results from a two-year, mid-stage clinical trial of the compound, known as fenretinide. ... The deal to acquire the compound and start ReVision means fenretinide has come full circle. It was initially under development as a potential treatment for macular degeneration by Sytera (San Diego, CA; no SBIR) founded in 2004. But development of the drug moved to Sirion Therapeutics (Tampa, FL; no SBIR), an ophthalmic-focused biopharmaceutical that acquired fenretinide through its 2006 merger with Sytera. Sirion conducted the mid-stage clinical trials at a number of sites throughout Florida, and Lichter says the last patient left the trial in April. [Bruce Bigelow, signonsandiego.com, Sep 18, 10]