Recent Updates
31
Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You: The Untold Story of How a San Diego VC Backed Broadway’s Jersey Boys
December 31st, 2008
By Bruce V. Bigelow
Xconomy San Diego [ View as PDF ]
Among San Diego’s venture capitalists, I’d say that Kevin Kinsella ranks among the foremost riskophiles. Since the formation of his first Avalon Ventures fund some 25 years ago, he has shown a willingness to take chances where even angels fear to tread—and an uncanny knack for making the right bet. Kinsella’s success in backing—and often founding—early stage ventures such as Sequana Therapeutics and Aurora Biosciences (which was acquired by Boston’s Vertex Pharmaceuticals) prompted The New York Times to crown him “the P.T. Barnum of biotech.” (more…)
18
Zacharon Pharmaceuticals Completes $3.5 Million Series A Financing, Receives More Than $2.2 Million in NIH Grants
November 18th, 2008
Source: PR Newswire Association
Company Positioned to Advance Glycan Inhibitors Identified with Proprietary High-Throughput Screening Platform Through Safety Studies, Into Early Clinical Trials (more…)
13
Zynga Launches “Live Poker” for the iPhone; First Live Game Turns iPhone into a Social Gaming Platform
November 13th, 2008
Source: Business Wire
SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Zynga, the largest social gaming network, announced today the launch of “Live Poker,” the first truly live game on the iPhone. This mobile version of Zynga’s popular Texas Hold’Em turns the iPhone into an always-on social gaming device. (more…)
31
Review – Kaltura Interactive Video Player for WordPress
October 31st, 2008
Source: Enterprise Mastermind
29
Coca-Cola Blastbeat (IRL) Teams with Kaltura to Empower its Teen Music & Multimedia Business Project with Collaborative Videos
October 29th, 2008
Kaltura’s advanced open source video platform including video display, uploading/importing and remixing, added to Blastbeat.tv and Blastbeat.org (more…)
Kaltura’s advanced open source video platform including video display, uploading/importing and remixing, added to Blastbeat.tv and Blastbeat.org (more…)
29
Kaltura’s Open Source Video Management Platform Emphasizes User Participation
October 29th, 2008
by Will Richmond
Source: VideoNuze
I’ve been hearing from a number of colleagues about Kaltura, an open source video management platform, and finally got a chance to learn more in a recent briefing with Lisa Bennett, the company’s director of marketing. (more…)
24
Gambling on Facebook Games, Zynga Cashes In
July 24th, 2008
By JESSICA E. VASCELLARO
Source: Wall Street Journal.
Zynga Game Network Inc., which makes free poker, puzzle and other games for social-networking Web sites, has attracted backing from heavyweight investor Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers — a sign of investors’ growing interest in services that plug into social networks. (more…)
09
Amira Pharmaceuticals Hires Industry Veteran for CFO Position
June 9th, 2008
Media Release
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Amira Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Marcy Zech at Amira Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Tel: +1 858 228 4689
marcy.zech@amirapharm.com
SAN DIEGO, June 9, 2008 — Amira Pharmaceuticals, a small molecule pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of compounds to treat inflammatory diseases, announced the hiring of Michael V. Swanson as the company’s Chief Financial Officer. (more…)
02
Amira Pharmaceuticals achieves milestones in FLAP inhibitor program with GlaxoSmithKline
June 2nd, 2008
GSK exercises option for AM803, a FLAP inhibitor which recently completed phase I studies
SAN DIEGO, June 2, 2008 — Amira Pharmaceuticals today announced that under the terms of a worldwide exclusive agreement entered into in Feb 2008, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) will exercise its right to a second FLAP compound, AM803. Under the original agreement, GSK has rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize FLAP (5-Lipoxygenase Activating Protein) inhibitors for the treatment of respiratory and cardiovascular disease. The decision to develop AM803 follows the successful completion of a phase I study by Amira, which demonstrated its potential as a once-daily FLAP inhibitor. (more…)
19
Connecting Game Players to Build a Sense of Loyalty
May 19th, 2008
By SETH SCHIESEL
MY Times
Back in the analog era, delivering mass entertainment meant helping people connect with a character, a brand or a franchise. Few companies were more successful with that approach than Disney, with its stable of pop culture stars. (more…)
15
Music without labels
April 15th, 2008
By Samantha Marshall
dkc NEWS
Who needs big record labels?
Not U2 and Jay-Z, who left their companies in the past two weeks to sign on with Live Nation. Madonna, Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails have also voted with their feet. Even emerging acts are joining upstart digital companies in defiance of the conventional wisdom that the majors are still necessary to sell lots of records. (more…)
02
VCs Warming Up to Area Biotechs
April 2nd, 2008
San Diego Competitive With New England and Silicon Valley in National Ranking
By Ned Randolph
San Diego Business Journal Staff
San Diego continues to stake a claim as a leading biotech center, finishing as No. 3 in venture capital investments in the nation in the fourth quarter of 2007 and No. 2 for the year, according to a recent report. (more…)
31
Dr. Dennis Fenton and Dr. Steve Kaldor Join Amira Board of Director
March 31st, 2008
PR Newswire — March 31, 2008
SAN DIEGO, March 31 /PRNewswire/ — Amira Pharmaceuticals, a small molecule pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of compounds to treat inflammatory disease, today announced the appointment of two additional members to its board of directors: Dennis M. Fenton, Ph.D. and Stephen W. Kaldor, Ph.D. (more…)
28
Acceleron Pharma Announces Global Collaboration with Celgene Corporation on ACE-011 Program for Cancer-Related Bone Loss
February 28th, 2008
View Lazard Capital Markets Company Note (PDF)
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. & SUMMIT, N.J.– Feb. 20, 2008- Acceleron Pharma, Inc. and Celgene Corporation today announced a worldwide strategic collaboration for the joint development and commercialization of ACE-011, a first-in-class, novel bone-forming compound. The collaboration combines both companies’ resources and commitment to developing products for the treatment of cancer and cancer-related bone loss. In pre-clinical and early clinical studies, this innovative compound has reported success in key biomarkers of bone formation. The companies also signed an option agreement for certain discovery stage programs. – Acceleron Pharma, Inc. and Celgene Corporation today announced a worldwide strategic collaboration for the joint development and commercialization of ACE-011, a first-in-class, novel bone-forming compound. The collaboration combines both companies’ resources and commitment to developing products for the treatment of cancer and cancer-related bone loss. In pre-clinical and early clinical studies, this innovative compound has reported success in key biomarkers of bone formation. The companies also signed an option agreement for certain discovery stage programs. (more…)
25
Chumby Industries Debuts Its Innovative chumby™ Internet Device and Chumby™ Network
February 25th, 2008
Company secures deals with leading content providers including: CBS, MTV Networks, MySpace, The Weather Channel Interactive, AOL’s SHOUTcast and Scripps Networks to offer always-on personalized Internet broadcasts (more…)
20
Avalon Ventures Closes $150 M Eighth Fund
February 20th, 2008
By Lorie Konish
Dow Jones Journal
Early-stage venture capital firm Avalon Ventures has closed its eighth venture fund, reaching its fund-raising goal of just over $150 million, Avalon Managing Director Kevin Kinsella said.
20
Avalon Ventures Closes on $150 Million Avalon VIII Fund
February 20th, 2008
Firm Adds Two Managing Directors to New Fund
La Jolla, Calif. — February 20, 2008 — Avalon Ventures, an investor in early stage companies in biotechnology, wireless communications and Web media applications, today announced it has closed on its eighth venture capital fund, with total proceeds raised exceeding the goal of $150 million. The partnership expects to make 20 to 24 new investments in Avalon VIII. The new fund is Avalon’s largest fund to date, and includes many of the key limited partners in the Avalon VII fund, such as Harvard Management Company, AlpInvest Partners N.V., Paul Capital and Grove Street Advisors. Kinsella said yesterday that the capital-raising effort reflects the overall strength of the venture-capital industry. Fundraising in 2007 by venture-capital firms nationwide reached its highest level in six years, according to a survey released last month by Thomson Financial and the National Venture Capital Association.
16
More Than Games, a Net to Snare Social Networkers
January 16th, 2008
By BRAD STONE
FRIENDSHIP means being able to sink each other’s battleships.
That is the thinking of Mark Pincus, a well-known Silicon Valley entrepreneur who has built several Internet start-ups, including Support.com and the early social network Tribe.net. On Tuesday, Mr. Pincus is pulling the wraps off the Zynga Game Network, a company devoted to developing online games that work on the pages of popular sites like Facebook and MySpace. (more…)