News and Articles
News, articles, upcoming and past events
Angelnomics: A Continuing Story
An economic log purposed for BHA. Read more
Lucky Litter Owners Sell Company to Radio Systems Corp.
Radio Systems Corp. of Knoxville, Tenn., reported today that it
acquired Lucky Litter LLC, the maker of ScoopFree litterboxes and
FroliCat pet toys.
Transaction details were not released.
Lucky Litter, a privately held company that operates under the
Brilliant Pet name, is headquartered in Chicago. Its ScoopFree
self-cleaning and easy-clean litterboxes feature removable litter
trays, while its FroliCat toys are designed to engage cats in
exercise and play.
Read more
Google acquires Cambridge startup Incentive Targeting for retail coupon tech
Boston Business Journal by Galen Moore, Web Editor
Date: Thursday, November 29, 2012, 6:18am EST - Last Modified:
Thursday, November 29, 2012, 9:21am EST
Incentive Targeting Inc. had raised $4.4 million and signed
customers including Supervalu, Big Y and Giant Eagle to its coupon
marketing service for supermarkets.
Now, Google Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOG) has acquired the five-year-old
company, according to an announcement on Incentive Targeting's
website.
"When we founded Incentive Targeting in 2007, we set out to do for
retail couponing what Google had done for online advertising: make
it simple, relevant, measurable, and effective. So, it is both
humbling and gratifying to be joining the ranks of the company that
inspired our initial vision," co-founders Ben Sprecher and Joshua
Herzig-Marx wrote in a post to the Incentive Targeting site.
"As part of Google, we will have the resources and expertise to
continue the transformation of couponing from a way to give
discounts to a way to build business. And, we can now work towards
that vision as part of a company that improves the lives of hundreds
of millions of people every day," the founders wrote.
They didn't disclose the acquisition price.
Backers of Incentive Targeting had included a syndicate of angel
groups — among them River Valley Investors, Walnut Ventures, Hub
Angels, North Country Angels, Boston Harbor Angels and Northeast
Angels.
Update:
The Major Labels Don't Want You Selling Used Mp3s, for Good Reason,
Atlantic Mobile, July 2, 2012
Update:
Digital used record store faces lawsuit, Boston Globe, July 2,
2012
Capitol Records (EMI) denied motion request for a preliminary
injunction in the U.S. District Court in New York today.
New York, NY–February 6, 2012– Today ReDigi (www.ReDigi.com), the
online marketplace for pre-owned digital music and revolutionary
cloud service technology that verifies the legitimacy of a digital
music file before it can be uploaded for storage, won a major
victory in a court hearing today when Capitol Records was denied a
request for a preliminary injunction in an attempt to shut down
ReDigi. This is an exciting step forward for ReDigi’s and the
purchasing public’s fight to keep consumers’ intrinsic and lawful
ownership rights to their digital property intact at a time when
Capitol Records is fighting desperately to confiscate these rights.
In Capitol’s filing, the label challenged the legal principles at
the foundation of the entire cloud computing industry, worth an
estimated 41 billion dollars per year, of which ReDigi is a pioneer
and emerging leader. Capitol’s disregard for the process of ReDigi’s
advanced technology, which clearly works within the parameters of
the law, has drawn the ire of both consumers and industry leaders
such as Google, which petitioned the courts for permission to file
its own brief in the case.
“This is a fascinating issue,” stated District Judge, Richard J.
Sullivan, who turned down Capitol’s request for a preliminary
injunction. “It raises a lot of technological and statutory issues.”
Read more
Autodesk Buys Horizontal Systems For Cloud Program
Design software maker Autodesk Inc. said it will buy software
company Horizontal Systems to boost its presence in cloud-based
computing and modeling software.
Autodesk Inc. said the deal should close by Jan. 31, 2012, but the
company did not disclose terms of the transaction.
New York-based Horizontal Systems makes cloud-based design programs
called Building Information Modeling. The products are sold to
architects, engineers and others in the construction industry.
Autodesk said it will fold Horizontal Systems' technology into its
Autodesk 360 program. Cloud-based computing is done on remote
servers rather than on desktop computers. Autodesk said its new
cloud-based design program will let customers more easily access and
coordinate projects.
Shares of Autodesk Inc. jumped $2.58, or 8.2 percent, to finish
trading at $34.07.
As an entrepreneur, David Friend has been around the block a few times. The 63-year-old has built and sold four companies and raised a ton of venture capital along the way. That still didn’t prepare him for the wild ride he experienced in taking his company public. After the dust cleared, Friend was the CEO of his first publicly traded company, but one with a significantly reduced share value and market cap, as Carbonite (CARB) became the lone U.S. tech firm to IPO last week. “Everybody was betting against us,” said Friend, whose Boston-based online backup company reduced its debut share price from $17 to $10 in order to get out, in one the worst trading periods in nearly three years. At the close of trading on Wednesday, Carbonite’s share price had jumped to more than $15. “We kind of proved everybody wrong, but it was definitely a high-wire act.” The same week saw nine other companies shelve their IPO plans. So why did Carbonite plow ahead? Read more
Quantum Dental Technologies' Lisa Crossley, is the recipient of the Luis
Villalobos Award, presented by the Tech Coast Angels' Dave Berkus, and
the Boston Harbor Angels' Boris Batchvarov.
Read more
Quantum Dental Technologies Receives ACA Silvertip Award for Innovation
We are proud to announce that one of our portfolio companies, Quantum Dental Technologies (QDT) received the most prestigious award, and was recognized as one of the most impressive companies at the 2011 National ACA Summit. “The Angel Capital Association (ACA), the trade association of leading angel investment groups in North America, announced that Quantum Dental Technologies of Toronto, Ontario, Canada is the winner of the Silvertip Luis Villalobos Award. The sponsoring angel group is Boston Harbor Angels of Boston”. Read more
Boston Harbor Angels Announces The Bulfinch Group As New Sponsor and Preferred Provider of Financial ServicesThe Bulfinch Group, a financial services and investment firm headquartered in Needham MA with offices throughout New England, has joined forces with Boston Harbor Angels (BHA), a group of proven business leaders interested in investing in high-growth, early-stage companies. The Bulfinch Group will be the preferred financial provider to BHA for insurance and group benefit services; BHA also partners with Nutter and the Babson Center for Entrepreneurship. Most recently BHA members were the initial investors in the A-1 round for SmartCells, a private company that was acquired for approximately $500MM by Merck. Read more
Merck ($MRK) to buy SmartCells in
$500M deal
With an eye on remaining one of the leaders in the diabetes field,
Merck ($MRK) has agreed to pay more than $500 million in upfront fees
and potential milestones to acquire SmartCells, a Beverly, MA-based
biotech with some intriguing new insulin technology that originated at
MIT. The Wall Street Journal broke the story ahead of the press release.
The biotech company has a preclinical stage program underway for "SmartInsulin,"
insulin that automatically adjusts to fluctuating levels of blood
glucose. Theoretically, a single daily injection would offer all the
protection needed by a patient, without the regular monitoring and
dosing that is required today.
Read more
Oculis Labs
wins American Security Challenge
“Moving Innovation to Market” was the appropriate theme for this year’s
American Security Challenge. Headlined by Governor Tom Ridge, first
Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, this year’s event was
excellent. General Keith Alexander, Director, National Security Agency
and Commander of the United States Cyber Command received the Patriot
Award, and other presenters from government and industry gave a good
overview of current plans and issues.
Read more
Vizibility Closes
$1 Million Seed Round
NOVEMBER 15, 2010 –
Vizibility Inc. announced the closing of its over-subscribed seed
round. The company, which launched its personal branding service just
ten months ago, will use the funds to quickly expand partner
integrations and accelerate development of its innovative search
platform. Participating in the round were angel investors from San
Francisco.
Read more
Angel investors are playing a bigger role in financing deals
Angel investors are playing a bigger role in financing deals as
beleaguered banks struggle to get back on their feet, according to the
president of the Boston Harbor Angels Group. Mic Williams says angels
have been investing through tough economic times but they're seeing
fewer companies they bet on actually exit - take off and get sold - a
trend that's making angels discouraged.
Read more
John May and
Mic Williams in San Juan
For each of us it's our 2nd visit to San Juan, Puerto Rico in a year;
this time for Demo Day where 6 companies have graduated from a 3 month
program and now they'll pitch to us.
John May, Past Chairman of the Angel Capital Association and Mic
Williams, founder of the Boston Harbor Angels join me as judges for the
pitches. To listen
click here
Mic Williams on the Frank Peters Show
Boston Harbor Angels founder Mic Williams shared stories, insights and a
refreshing attitude about investing on the Frank Peters Show. To listen
and download,
click here
Ask An Angel: What
is the Right Amount of Due Diligence?
Due diligence comes in many shapes, forms, and sizes. ACEF asked two
experienced angels, David Verrill of Hub Angels Investment Group, LLC in
Boston and Mic Williams of Boston Harbor Angels to share their
perspectives. Hub Angels invests through structured funds. Members of
Boston Harbor Angels make individual investment decisions.
Read more
Aras
Closes Latest Financing Round: Investment Round Further Fuels
Global Growth
ANDOVER, Mass. and Solothurn, Switzerland – July 8, 2010 – Aras®, the
leading enterprise open source Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)
software solution provider, today announced that Series B financing has
been closed with the help of DLA Piper LLP (US) attorney Michael K.
Barron, lead partner in the Boston practice for early and later stage
software, internet, biotechnology, medical device, healthcare, and
technology companies and investors in such companies. Aras has raised
over $22 million of investment to date.
Read more