CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Kibits Corp. today announced the release of its namesake micro-social networking app for iPhone and iPod touch, available now on the App Store. The first-of-its-kind Kibits App introduces a new, natural way for mobile-centric consumers and professionals to engage with friends, family, and co-workers from the convenience of their iPhone or iPod touch.
By leveraging unambiguous real-world relationships—such as existing contacts and Facebook friends, calendar appointments, and physical proximity—the Kibits App is the fastest way to create and connect with groups on-the-fly. Each Kibits group serves as a micro-social network, enabling focused conversations with real-time sharing of photos, videos, links, locations, notes, even documents from iCloud and Dropbox, along with built-in chat, comments, and ratings. All with a single app that automatically organizes the conversation.
]]>Shareaholic by Jay Meattle
I am extremely pleased to share that the work we’re doing at Shareaholic has won the prestigious MIT TR35 Award for 2012!
A 23-member jury of technologists, researchers, and technology promoters chose 20 winners. This recognition further exemplifies the importance of the ground breaking work we’re doing at Shareaholic, the tough tech and big data problems we’re solving for consumers, content producers, publishers, and marketers at scale — now reaching over 270 million users each month!
]]>BEDFORD, Mass. — Ever since Rosey the Robot took care of “The Jetsons” in the early 1960s, the promise of robots making everyday life easier has been a bit of a tease.
Rosey, a metallic maid with a frilly apron, “kind of set expectations that robots were the future,” said Colin M. Angle, the chief executive of the iRobot Corporation. “Then, 50 years passed.”
Now Mr. Angle’s company is trying to do Rosey one better — with Ava, a 5-foot-4 assistant with an iPad or an Android tablet for a brain and Xbox motion sensors to help her get around. But no apron, so far.
]]>On the Flying Bridge By Michael Greeley
Two days ago I was on Bloomberg TV’s “Street Smart” with Carol Massar to discuss “Getting Boston’s Edge Back” – which focused on how Boston was doing but quickly turned into a discussion on the race for the next Facebook. As I approached the set I felt confident that I could tell an enthusiastic story about Boston’s innovation economy until Carol asked me why Boston has lost so much market share to the Valley!
I think I did a reasonable job defending Boston. While Carol was great, my biggest issue with the show was how it showed up on YouTube – “Greeley Says Boston VC Not Focused on Social Media” – which is nothing I ever said, quite the opposite actually. I stressed repeatedly that entrepreneurs in Boston solve really hard problems – I even used the word “intractable.” I referenced cloud computing, storage, infrastructure, robotics, life sciences as sectors we excelled at – although I did acknowledge that we might be guilty of selling out too early.
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Scott Savitz, founder and CEO of Shoebuy.com Inc., has stepped down as CEO of the Boston-based shoe retail website effective today.
Savitz announced the resignation in an email blast, essentially saying he was going out at the top, by touting the company’s average of 50 percent growth rate since it was founded in 2000, and the double digit growth it has been experiencing in 2011. Savitz declined to say what he would be up to next, stating simply, “There may well be interesting speculation by some about the next chapter in my life; I will let you know in due course.” The email did not include informatino about Shoebuy's succession plan.
Shoebuy.com was acquired by IAC/InterActiveCorp of New York in January of 2006 for an undisclosed amount.
In April 2010, Savitz was one of the dozen founders of the “12x12” initiative, which matches 12 leading CEOs in Massachusetts with 12 leading venture capitalists in the state to create 12 new startups in a year. The initiative was co-founded by Michael Greeley, founder and general partner at Flybridge Capital Partners, and Andy Ory, founder and CEO of Acme Packet Inc., following discussions with digital technology leaders at the Tech Hub Collaborative.
Posted by Scott Kirsner May 31, 2011 11:00 AM / Innovation Economy
A small Boston University & MIT spin-out company, Novophage, wrapped up its first round of funding last week, raising $5.75 million from a trio of local investors and Chevron Technology Ventures, an arm of the energy conglomerate. The start-up is engineering customized viruses called phages whose job is to seek and destroy the bacteria that gum up all kinds of industrial processes, from paper-making to oil exploration to heating and cooling big buildings.
Anywhere there's water and humidity, explains Novophage CEO Micah Rosenbloom, you get colonies of bacteria that produce what are called "biofilms." "Right now, people use all kinds of chemicals and biocides to eliminate the bacteria, but that isn't very environmentally-friendly," Rosenbloom says. "What we did was to go in and analyze the microbial community — we sequenced its genome — and then we developed a targeted phage that can seek and destroy. It is a predator of bacteria." Biofilms, he notes, tend to make production processes less efficient and more energy-intensive. "They clog up the system," he says, "so it costs you more money to run it, and in the case of paper-making, you sometimes need to stop the production line to deal with the biofilms."
]]>Flybridge Capital Partners, Chevron Technology Ventures, Founder Collective, The Kraft Group and Boston University Invest
Novophage named part of prestigious “12x12” program
BOSTON, MA – June 1, 2011 – Novophage, an early-stage technology company that is developing a new class of industrial biologics, announced today that it has completed a $5.7 million Series A round of financing. Flybridge Capital Partners led the investment round, which also included participation from Founder Collective, Boston University (BU) and strategic investors, Chevron Technology Ventures and The Kraft Group. Concurrent with the funding, Jon Karlen, a General Partner at Flybridge Capital Partners, will join the company’s Board of Directors and Vinit Nijhawan, Managing Director of the Office of Technology Development at BU will join the Board as an Observer.
The company is bringing the industrial sector the same breakthroughs in genetic sequencing and engineering that have revolutionized biotech and biofuels. Novophage will develop and market synthetic biology-enabled products that tackle the problems of bacterial contamination in industries such as oil and gas, pulp and paper and HVAC systems. The company’s products will improve productivity, reduce infrastructure corrosion and improve the overall environmental impact of these water-intensive industries.
As part of the funding, Micah Rosenbloom has joined the company as CEO. Rosenbloom is the co-founder of Brontes Technologies, which was backed by Flybridge Capital Partners and co-founded by Founder Collective’s Eric Paley. Brontes Technologies was sold to 3M in 2006.
Read more...
]]>The Boston Globe by Steven Syre
The story about young tech talents leaving Massachusetts to make their fortunes in California is a grating old tale to people in these parts. Sadly, it comes in many chapters.
The latest — perhaps ultimate — stick in the eye: Mark Zuckerberg, the Harvard dropout who created the earliest versions of Facebook right here in Massachusetts, and then moved it all to California, is Time magazine’s 26-year-old Person of the Year.
...
Some version of that story has played out over and over. The broader east-to-west migration of young technology talent continues to some degree, though some investors and entrepreneurs are making a conscious effort to blunt that pattern.
“There was a lemming mentality through the last decade. If you were a young and ambitious guy, you had to leave and go to the West Coast,’’ said venture capitalist Michael Greeley, a general partner at Flybridge Capital Partners in Boston. “A lot of steps have been taken to arrest that movement.’’
Greeley is a distant relative of the newspaper editor Horace Greeley, long credited with the phrase “Go West, young man.’’ The irony isn’t lost on Greeley trying to keep young entrepreneurs and their companies in Massachusetts today.
He helped start 12 x 12, an group of venture investors and established entrepreneurs organized to help a dozen selected start-up businesses get off the ground within a year. The group held its quarterly dinner meeting Tuesday, joined by Governor Deval Patrick, among others. One was the head of a business known publicly only as Company No. 5.
Read the full article here.
]]>On the Flying Bridge by Michael Greeley
Last night marked the fourth dinner this year for the 12×12 group – which nearly numbered 50 people. We were pleased to be joined by Governor Patrick as we heard from Company #5 (two have been announced, three are still in stealth mode). Thanks to Tim Rowe who hosted us at the Cambridge Innovation Center. And special thanks to the team at Pricewaterhouse Coopers who, as the accounting/consulting partner, sponsored the event.
In a few short months this initiative has raised $11.5 million for five companies which now employ 37 people. It is still early days but the progress is very encouraging. The goal is 12 companies in 12 months which hopefully will go on to employ hundreds of people in the Commonwealth.
Read more here.
]]>Boston, Mass. (October 19, 2010) – Clovr Media, Inc., which earlier today announced its seed round financing, is the latest addition to the growing cluster of marketing technology companies in the tech hub. It is also the third “12x12” company.
“12x12” (www.twelvebytwelve.org) is an entrepreneurship initiative initiated last spring to help accelerate the formation and growth of the next generation of exciting, innovative companies here in the Massachusetts tech hub and to help these businesses succeed through hands-on mentoring from experienced CEOs and venture capitalists with track records of success.
Clovr Media delivers Loyalty 2.0 to the financial services and digital media ecosystems by bridging the gap between credit/debit card loyalty and interactive advertising in a way that is seamless and simple for consumers. Clovr Media has built the first platform converting banner, text, video, or mobile ads into Card Linked Offers (CLOs) – delivering pinpoint targeting and accountability for online and mobile advertising.
Clovr Media’s CEO is Tom Burgess, a renowned entrepreneur in online and wireless interactive marketing and technology. “Clovr Media is honored to be part of ‘12x12’. We look forward to collaborating with this distinguished group of CEOs, venture capitalists and corporate sponsors. This is a rare and innovative program that will have a significant impact on our ability to build a successful enterprise," he said.
Diane Hessan, president and CEO of Communispace and a “12x12” CEO, is sponsoring Clovr Media as part of the initiative together with “12x12” VC Eric Hjerpe, Partner at Kepha Partners, which is seeding Clovr Media.
“Clovr Media is a perfect addition to the ‘12x12’ portfolio: a truly exciting business idea combined with an impressive entrepreneur who has the potential to build another great company in Massachusetts. Our plan is for ‘12x12’ to be the wind at Tom’s back, and I’m excited to work with Eric Hjerpe and Kepha to sponsor him,” said Hessan.
Since the launch of “12x12” several firms have offered to donate in-kind services to “12x12” companies to accelerate their growth. Foley Hoag LLP was among the first to join in back in May, offering to provide 12 months of legal services typically associated with starting a technology company, such as corporate, financing and intellectual property advice.
“As a firm with deep roots in the local technology and venture capital communities, we are committed to seeing new ventures grow and prosper in Massachusetts. We were immediately enthusiastic when we learned about the ‘12x12’ initiative and saw its potential. It was an easy decision to participate,” said Foley Hoag Partner Jeff Quillen.
Other “12x12” supporters include BNY Mellon, Yankee Group, HubSpot and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Clover Media used the services of Foley Hoag in the seed financing process and is already starting work with PwC and Yankee Group.
”The outpouring of support for ‘12x12’ is an unexpected surprise and it has helped refine the value proposition of the initiative,” said Michael Greeley, founder and general partner at Flybridge Capital Partners and co-founder of the “12x12” initiative with Andy Ory, founder and CEO of Acme Packet. “On one level, ‘12x12’ increases the likelihood of success of new companies and entrepreneurs through the guidance of experienced entrepreneurs and VCs. On another, ‘12x12’ significantly reduces the transaction costs of starting and growing the companies endorsed by ‘12x12’ CEOs,” Greeley said. “It’s exciting."
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