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  • Cydan Launches with $16M in Backing

    Cydan, an orphan drug accelerator that aims to identify and “de-risk” programs with therapeutic and commercial potential, said that it has launched with $16 million in venture backing. New Enterprise Associates and Pfizer Venture Investments led the financing, with participation from Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc. Cydan is based in Cambridge, Mass.

    PRESS RELEASE

    Cydan, LLC, an orphan drug accelerator that identifies and de-risks programs with therapeutic and commercial potential, today announced its launch with $16 million in financing led by New Enterprise Associates (NEA) and Pfizer Venture Investments, with participation from Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. The accelerator will focus on identifying promising assets with well-understood biology and proof-of-concept data in in vivo models from academia, industry and other sources. Data generated during a rigorous de-risking process will enable Cydan to form stand-alone companies and strategic partnerships. The accelerator was founded by a management team with extensive drug development and commercialization experience across the biopharmaceutical industry, venture capital, consulting, non-profit organizations and research foundations.

    “Cydan is taking a new approach to drug development – one that takes advantage of recent scientific breakthroughs in rare diseases and is externally focused, highly collaborative and capital efficient,” said Cristina Csimma, Pharm.D., Chief Executive Officer of Cydan. “We are partnering with leading academic centers, patient foundations and biopharmaceutical companies to identify the most promising rare disease programs and conduct de-risking studies to accelerate development decisions. The most viable programs will be spun out of the Cydan accelerator as new startup companies focused on making an impact on the lives of patients with rare diseases.”

    Cydan will assess opportunities across all therapeutic areas in rare diseases, with a focus on diseases and disorders with a characterized genetic etiology. The accelerator will conduct outsourced pharmacology, toxicology and other studies aimed at de-risking these programs and providing data to inform definitive “go” or “no go” development decisions. Additionally, Cydan will evaluate a wide range of drug platforms and technologies.

    “The founding team at Cydan is exceptionally well positioned to build this new business model for orphan drug development, bringing a depth of expertise, a vast network of key relationships, and a true passion for developing treatments for rare diseases,” said David Mott, a General Partner at NEA. “We look forward to partnering with Cristina and her leadership team as they leverage a capital-efficient approach to identifying and de-risking multiple assets. We ultimately expect the accelerator to spin out several exciting rare disease companies, and, most importantly, to lead to therapeutics that make a difference in the lives of patients.”

    “The Cydan accelerator model is a collaborative new way to explore therapeutic opportunities in the large and diverse rare disease space,” said Barbara J. Dalton, Ph.D., Vice President of Venture Capital at Pfizer Venture Investments. “This venture investment is aligned with and builds on our broad corporate strategic interest in the rare and orphan disease space. Pfizer Ventures is excited to facilitate this new business model in the important field of rare diseases.”

    Cydan’s experienced and globally networked team brings deep expertise in drug development and a track record of product commercialization, as well as strong relationships with academia and patient advocacy groups. Dr. Csimma has held development leadership positions at Virdante Pharmaceuticals, Wyeth Research and Genetics Institute, was a Principal at Clarus Ventures and has worked with rare disease non-profit organizations. Joining her on Cydan’s founding management team are Chris Adams, Ph.D., Chief Business Officer, and former Chief Business Officer of FoldRx (acquired by Pfizer in 2010) and a former senior business development executive at ViaCell and TKT; James McArthur, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, and a former senior R&D executive at Synovex, Phylogix and Cell Genesys; and Deborah Geraghty, Ph.D., Vice President, Project and Portfolio Development, and a former senior portfolio management executive at Aileron Therapeutics and Infinity Pharmaceuticals as well as a founder of consulting firm Back Bay Strategies (Back Bay Life Science Advisors).

    About Orphan and Rare Diseases

    A rare and orphan disease is one that affects fewer than 200,000 patients – or about 1 in 1,500 – in the U.S. Other countries have defined rare diseases as those affecting similar portions of their populations. Today, there are nearly 7,000 recognized rare diseases affecting nearly 30 million Americans and an estimated 350 million people worldwide. Most of these rare diseases are genetic and many appear early in life – 75 percent of rare diseases affect children and 30 percent of rare disease patients will not live to the age of five. The vast majority of rare and orphan diseases have no approved treatment options and there is a critical need for new potential therapies. However, recent advances in the molecular understanding of rare diseases have created an opportunity to dramatically advance breakthrough research and develop new treatments. (Sources: U.S. Food & Drug Administration, NORD, EURORDIS and SIOP Europe)

    About NEA

    New Enterprise Associates, Inc. (NEA) is a leading venture capital firm focused on helping entrepreneurs build transformational businesses across multiple stages, sectors and geographies. With more than $13 billion in committed capital, NEA invests in information technology, healthcare and energy technology companies at all stages in a company’s lifecycle, from seed stage through IPO. The firm’s long track record includes more than 175 portfolio company IPOs and more than 290 acquisitions. In the U.S., NEA has offices in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area; Menlo Park, California; and New York City. In addition, New Enterprise Associates (India) Pvt. Ltd. has offices in Bangalore and Mumbai, India and New Enterprise Associates (Beijing), Ltd. has offices in Beijing and Shanghai, China. For additional information, visit www.nea.com.

    About Pfizer Venture Investments

    Pfizer Venture Investments (PVI), the venture capital arm of Pfizer, Inc., was founded in 2004 and invests for return in areas of current or future strategic interest to Pfizer. As part of Worldwide Business Development, PVI seeks to remain at the forefront of life science advances, looking to identify and invest in emerging companies that are developing compounds and technologies that have the potential to enhance Pfizer’s pipeline and shape the future of our industry.

    About Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.
    Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE: ARE), is the largest and leading investment-grade real estate investment trust (REIT) focused principally on owning, operating, and developing high-quality, sustainable real estate for the broad and diverse life science industry. Founded in 1994, Alexandria was the first REIT to identify and pursue the laboratory niche and has since had the first-mover advantage in best-in-class life science cluster locations. In 1996, Alexandria founded Alexandria Venture Investments, its strategic venture capital arm that actively invests at the cutting edge of novel, breakthrough discoveries in biopharmaceuticals, technology platforms, clinical candidates, diagnostics, research tools, and medical devices. Alexandria is uniquely positioned to fund life science and advanced technology companies based on its experience and in-depth understanding of the life science industry, its long-term relationships with leading investors, and its world-class international scientific advisory network. For more information, please visit www.are.com.

    About Cydan, LLC
    Cydan is an orphan drug accelerator that identifies and de-risks assets with therapeutic and commercial potential. The accelerator’s model evaluates programs for treating rare diseases with high unmet medical need and is aimed at creating new companies to develop those therapies. Cydan was launched in 2013 by a management team with extensive drug development and commercialization experience and with financing from leading investors NEA, Pfizer Venture Investments and Alexandria Real Estate Equities. The accelerator is based in Cambridge, Mass.

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  • Reuters – PE Firms Bid $11.1B for Life Tech

    A private equity consortium bid $65 per share, or $11.1 billion, for Life Technologies Corp., but fell short of a rival offer from Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Reuters reported Wednesday. Thermo Fisher’s bid for the genetic testing equipment maker came in at the high-end of the $65-$70 per share range that it had been considering, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The exact amount Thermo bid could not be obtained. Blackstone Group LP, Carlyle Group LP and KKR & Co LP, which are part of the buyout consortium, declined to comment. Singapore’s state investor, Temasek Holdings, which is also part of the consortium, could not be reached for comment.

    (Reuters) – A private equity consortium bid $65 per share, or $11.1 billion, for Life Technologies Corp , but fell short of a rival offer from Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc, two people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

    Thermo Fisher’s bid for the genetic testing equipment maker came in at the high-end of the $65-$70 per share range that it had been considering, two other people familiar with the matter said. The exact amount Thermo bid could not be obtained.

    Blackstone Group LP, Carlyle Group LP and KKR & Co LP, which are part of the buyout consortium, declined to comment. Singapore’s state investor, Temasek Holdings, which is also part of the consortium, could not be reached for comment.

    Life Tech declined to comment. Thermo Fisher did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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  • Samsung Launches New Phablet Brand – Galaxy Mega – Confirms Two Devices: 6.3″ HD, 1.7GHz Dual-Core & 5.8″ QHD, 1.4GHz Dual-Core

    GALAXY Mega 6.3 Product Image (4)

    Samsung has confirmed the arrival of a new sub-brand within its Galaxy range of mobile devices: the Galaxy Mega expands its mini-tablet-sized-phone (aka phablet) portfolio by firing two new devices into the category, building on the momentum generated by its extant Galaxy Note line.

    Samsung said the Mega will be available globally — “beginning May from Europe and Russia”, adding that product availability will vary  by market and roll outs will be gradual. There’s no official word on Mega pricing yet but since both devices pack dual-core chips (vs the Galaxy Note II’s quad-core chipset) it’s possible they will be a slightly more affordable than Samsung’s other phablets.

    Here’s how Samsung describes Mega:

    The newest addition to the GALAXY family balances an optimal viewing experience on a 6.3-inch HD screen, yet is ultra-thin and portable enough to put into a pocket or hold in one hand. The GALAXY Mega offers a mix of popular smartphone and tablet features such as an effortless user experience, a split screen, multitasking between video and other apps and more.

    JK Shin, CEO of Samsung’s mobile business, added in a statement that Mega is about bringing more choice to buyers who want a portable device with a big screen. “We are aware of a great potential in the bigger screen for extensive viewing multimedia, web browsing, and more. We are excited to provide another choice to meet our consumers’ varying lifestyles, all while maintaining the high-quality features of the award-winning GALAXY series,” he said.

    Samsung has climbed to a position of dominance in the smartphone market by offering a hugely diverse portfolio of devices, hitting price points from low end budget to high end flagship and everything in between — so little surprise that it’s beefing up its phablet line with Mega.

    The company has also fuelled an industry wide trend for smartphone screen size inflation, following the introduction of the original Galaxy Note in 2011. That device had a 5.3 inch screen — which seemed massive at the time. But Samsung’s latest pair of phablets push out even more, adding a full extra inch in the case of the full HD device.

    Design wise, Mega does not push the boat out — sharing the same look as fellow Galaxy devices, such as Samsung’s new flagship Galaxy S4 (which packs in a 5 inch pane).

    Here’s the 6.3 inch Galaxy Mega:

    And here’s the 5.8 inch Galaxy Mega:

    On the specs side, the 6.3 inch Mega is the clear flagship of the pair — packing in a full HD screen, 4G/LTE connectivity and a 1.7GHz dual-core chip while the 5.8 inch Mega has a QHD display, HSPA+ and a 1.4GHz dual-core chip. There’s also a 1mm difference in thickness, with the flagship being 8mm thick vs 9mm for the Mega 5.8.

    Full dimensions for the two devices are 167.6 x 88 x 8.0 mm and 162.6 x 82.4 x 9.0 mm. Weight is 199g and 182g respectively. Both devices have 1.5GB RAM. Memory is 8GB/16GB options for the flagship Mega, and 8GB on board the other. Both support microSD card memory expansion up to 64GB. Battery capacity is 3,200 mAh and 2,600 mAh respectively.

    Each device has an 8 megapixel rear camera and a 1.9 megapixel front-facing lens. They also both run Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, skinned with Samsung’s TouchWiz UI.

    Also on board is a full contingent of Samsung software services — including the likes of Sound & Shot and Drama Shot, introduced at the launch of the Galaxy S4 — plus even more new features, including:

    • ‘S Travel: Provides trip information, local guides and resources and more
    • ‘Story Album: Allows customers to create albums of daily events, keep special moments in one place using a timeline, geo-tag information and publish digital albums in hard copy
    •  ‘Group Play’: Enables easy content sharing for up to 8 devices on the same Wi-Fi network.
    • Samsung WatchON: Transforms into an IR remote controller for a richer TV experience. Connect the device to your home entertainment system, and it will provide program recommendations, schedules, and even remotely control your TV.
    •  Samsung Link: Easily streams photos, videos, notes, or music to your television, tablet or computer.
    •  S Translator: Say or text what you need translated into the GALAXY Mega, and it will provide instant translation, using text or voice translation on applications including email, and ChatON.
    • ChatON: Share what’s on your screen with friends to stay more connected.

    Samsung was criticised for larding the S4 with too many software add ons, but it’s clearly not rowing back from this strategy of differentiating its Android devices with scores of its own software extras.

    As with the Galaxy Note II, the new Mega devices support split screen viewing for applications including email, messages, ‘MyFiles,’ ‘S Memo’ and ‘S Planner’ — which, beyond their larger screen size, is one way Samsung differentiates its phablets from its flagship smartphones.

    Back in January, analyst house IHS iSuppli predicted  smartphones with 5 inch+ screens would more than double in number this year — rising from 25.6 million in 2012, to 60.4 million in 2013, up “a notable” 136 per cent year on year.

    Last fall, Samsung said channel shipments of its Galaxy Note II had pushed past five million two months after the device launched. Samsung does not break out actual sales of the Note.

  • How to set up two-factor authentication for your Google account on Windows Phone

    Enabling two-factor authentication for a Google account is an effective security measure against unauthorized access. It adds an extra layer of protection by requiring users to enter an application-specific password or security code in order to gain access to various Google services. For this second part the company says users will need an Android, BlackBerry or iOS handset. But what about generating security codes on Windows Phone? Surely, there has to be a way.

    And there is. Microsoft has released an app called Authenticator which allows Windows Phone users to generate security codes for two-factor authentication. And, because it “implements industry-standard security code generation”, the app supports Microsoft as well as Google accounts. The only question is: How to set it up for the latter?

    First of all you need Authenticator installed on your Windows Phone handset. To do so, head over to the app store (known as Store in the app list) or follow the link provided above to find and install the app.

    If you have two-factor authentication already enabled you can skip the next part and head straight to “Configure Authenticator”.

    Set Up Two-Factor Authentication

    If you have not enabled two-factor authentication just yet, you can do so by heading to the Security panel in your Google account options. There you have to click on Settings for “2-step verification”, enter your password and follow the next steps:

    1. Click on “Start setup”,
    2. Enter your phone number,
    3. Click on “Send code”,
    4. Enter the security code received via text messaging on your handset,
    5. Click on “Next” to verify and proceed to the next page,
    6. Choose whether to trust the device you are using (default) or not, then click on “Next”,
    7. Finally, click on “Confirm” to complete the process.

    You will receive a prompt asking you whether to create an application-specific password now or later. You should choose the latter at this point, as you can always create one whenever you need it. Finally, press “Ok” to dismiss the last prompt.

    If you have followed every step correctly, you will see a “Setup complete. 2-step verification has been turned on for this account.” message highlighted in yellow, on the upper half of the web page.

    Configure Authenticator

    Now that two-factor authentication is enabled, let’s proceed to setting up Authenticator to generate security codes for your Google account. You have to head over to the Security panel in the Google account options and click on Settings for “2-step verification”. Then follow the next steps:

    1. To the right of “Mobile application”, click on Android, iPhone or BlackBerry. I recommend either of the first two, as both allow you to scan a QR code, which eases the process, whereas the third option does not,
    2. Open Authenticator on your Windows Phone handset,
    3. Tap on the “+” icon then tap on the camera pictogram (both are found on the bottom menu bar),
    4. Hold your device as to recognize the QR code displayed in the browser,
    5. Head to the browser and enter the security code, that is provided by Authenticator, in the “Code” box,
    6. Click on “Verify and save” then press “Ok” to finish.

    You can now use Authenticator to generate security codes for two-step authentication on Windows Phone.

    Photo Credit: Jirsak/Shutterstock

  • Microsoft Reportedly Working On 7″ Surface Tablet As PC Market Slumps To Four-Year Low

    Surface_031_typecover

    According to a report in the WSJ, Microsoft is working on a new line-up of its Windows 8-powered Surface tablets that includes a seven inch version of the slate. This small form factor size would enable Microsoft to compete with the likes of the Android-powered Google Nexus 7, Amazon Kindle Fire and Samsung Galaxy Tab 2, as well as Apple’s iOS-based iPad Mini.

    The paper quotes a person familiar with the situation saying that while 7-inch tablets were not part of Microsoft’s product plans last year  company executives have realised they need to respond to the growth and popularity of small slates. Which boils down to Redmond is having to play catch up yet again.

    Microsoft has previously been tipped to release three new and distinct generations of Surface this year — albeit, none of those prior rumours had pointed to a seven inch device. And perhaps with good reason, as Gartner analyst Michael Gartenberg noted via Twitter today the small tablet form factor poses some usability challenges for Microsoft’s full-fat Windows OS. Rival small slates are powered by lighter weight mobile OSes, and while Microsoft has now unified its smartphone (Windows Phone) and desktop OSes on a shared kernel it’s still using ‘desktop’ Windows for tablets.

    But it’s not just that computing devices are getting smaller. Shrinkage appears inextricably linked with the market in another way. Gartner put out its figures for worldwide PC shipments for Q1 late yesterday — which show shipments declining to their lowest level since Q2 2009. The analyst says alternative smart connected devices — aka those small smartphones and tablets running lighter weight smartphone OSes — are eroding the traditional PC market.

    Global PC shipments totalled 79.2 million units in Q1 2013, which Gartner said was an 11.2% year-on-year decline. All global regions showed a decrease in shipments, with the EMEA region experiencing the steepest decline.

    “Consumers are migrating content consumption from PCs to other connected devices, such as tablets and smartphones. Even emerging markets, where PC penetration is low, are not expected to be a strong growth area for PC vendors,” said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner in a statement.

    Microsoft’s Surface tablet straddles the gap between a tablet and a laptop, having a touchscreen and a keyboard cover add-on. But Gartner said touchscreen-based Windows 8 PCs took only a small percentage share of consumer PC shipments in Q1 — owing to their relatively high price.

    “Touchscreen-based Ultramobiles [such as Surface Pro] offer PC manufacturers an opportunity to recover market share from media tablets, but Windows 8 PCs with touchscreens accounted for only a small percentage of consumer PC shipments in the first quarter of 2013,” noted Isabelle Durand, principal research analyst at Gartner in a statement. “The majority of consumers remain unwilling to pay the price premium for touchscreen capabilities on PCs at this stage.”

    Android tablet sellers including Google and Amazon have been driving down the cost of seven inch slates — with the Nexus 7 and the Kindle Fire currently costing from as little $199 and $159 respectively — and that price erosion is likely helping to accelerate the consumer migration away from the traditional PC category. Microsoft’s Surface RT tablet was priced from $499 at launch, while Surface Pro was from $899.

    How Microsoft chooses to price any ‘Surface Mini’ will be key to driving sales — and with the iPad mini starting at $329, there is not much scope for Redmond to be able to undercut the small slate competition. Yet it can’t afford for Surface to fail.

    As Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi told TechCrunch last week, discussing its smart devices forecast: “You need to own consumers in terms of mobile and tablet in order to remain relevant in this market… Consumers have options and consumers are choosing and Microsoft can not take that for granted that they’ll be the one to be chosen.”

  • Finding The Possibilities Of The Empower Network

    You might not know in which to flip if economic constraints, waiting around lists, and time constraints make discovering the proper counsellor for your family members a prohibitive alternative if buddies and family members aren’t in a position to be supportive or if you discover no time or funds to take pleasure in creative imagination, or physical physical exercise. But don’t unfastened heart: there are many “organic” and “holistic” treatments and solutions that can assist your family members as well. Seeking at these as a complement to (instead than a substitute for) conventional techniques is a more quickly route to self healing.

    Equally, we owe our good results to our toiling masses, to our farmers and employees. I salute them. But it is not sufficient to salute them. We need to function for an India in which a son does not continue to be tied to his father’s previous, in which a daughter has the opportunity to do something her mother could only dream of Education is the crucial to achieving this.

    Black Hat Sect Feng Shui, an art of placement, assigns a purpose to distinct locations of a area in relation to the entrance. Pictures on the eyesight board, conveniently situated in which you work, write, and so forth. can be multiplied with other comparable pictures placed in corresponding energy locations about your house. You can possibly location the bagua over a ground strategy of the house or use it to each residing area within it.

    Have you ever contemplated becoming your very own boss? If you have, you probably felt a lttle little bit intimidated about exactly where to start. It is frequently really tough to believe of an thought and change it into a company strategy and get every little thing in spot, which contains a good solution or services that you can offer to individuals.

    Individuals can achieve creditable good results inside shortest feasible time and minimum achievable enter investment since empower network Community is special online marketing and advertising method. As it is the house to diverse internet entrepreneurs like you, it helps make a neighborhood made up of like-minded on-line entrepreneurs who determine to manifest their vision and have to look for large positive consumers. The ideology mentioned by the current online marketers is completely target-oriented and result-targeted.

    You see as I mentioned I can do complex items and I can train it to my crew (We have my very own training internet webpage), but it is not amazingly enjoyable for individuals to learn and think about a excellent deal of their time. In the meantime there’re not making money. I also recognize that lots of people, and maybe you as nicely, will not comprehend how (or want) to display technical stuff to their crew and also you mustn’t should to!

    Sir, as I vacation around the nation, I have appear to realise that training is not about colleges, faculties or universities. It is about desires and aspirations. A productive training method should do two items. It need to allow all young Indians to aspiration, and it should teach them the skills to turn those dreams into fact.

  • Gleacher & Company Exits Fixed Income Business

    Gleacher & Company is to exit its MBS & Rates and Credit Products businesses effective immediately. The plan does not include the company’s other business operations, principally investment banking.

    PRESS RELEASE

    Gleacher & Company, Inc. (Nasdaq: GLCH) today announced that it will exit its MBS & Rates and Credit Products businesses effective immediately. Exiting these businesses, together with associated rightsizing of administrative and other support personnel, could impact up to approximately 160 employees. The plan does not include the Company’s other business operations, principally investment banking.

    The Company also announced that it is engaged in preliminary discussions with a third party regarding a potential business combination. There can be no assurance that these discussions will result in a transaction.

    Finally, after having reopened the period during which stockholders of the Company could submit proposals for nominations to the Company’s Board of Directors, the Company has received a submission from Clinton Relational Opportunity Master Fund, L.P., a stockholder of the Company, of a slate of individuals, including Thomas Hughes, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and a current director, that it intends to nominate for election to the Company’s Board of Directors at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders scheduled for May 23, 2013. If elected, these nominees would together constitute the entire Board of Directors.

    About Gleacher & Company

    Gleacher & Company, Inc. (Nasdaq: GLCH) is an independent investment bank that provides corporate and institutional clients with strategic and financial advisory services, including merger and acquisition, restructuring, recapitalization, and strategic alternative analysis, as well as capital raising.

    Forward Looking Statements

    This press release contains “forward-looking statements.” These statements are not historical facts but instead represent the Company’s belief regarding future events, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of the Company’s control. The Company’s forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including the conditions of the securities markets, generally, and demand for the Company’s services within those markets and other risks and factors identified from time to time in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. It is possible that the Company’s actual results and financial condition may differ, possibly materially, from the anticipated results and financial condition indicated in its forward-looking statements. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any of its forward-looking statements.

    Contacts
    Investors:
    Gleacher & Company, Inc.
    Thomas J. Hughes, 212-273-7100
    Chief Executive Officer
    or
    Media:
    Rubenstein Associates
    Marcia Horowitz, 212-843-8014

    Recent Stories

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  • Panviva Secures Series B by SBI Jefferies Asia Fund

    Panviva Pty, a developer of business process guidance software solutions, has raised A$4 million in Series B equity financing from SBI Jefferies Asia Fund L.P. SBI Jefferies is a joint venture fund between SBI Group, a Tokyo, Osaka and Hong Kong listed financial services conglomerate and Jefferies Group, a NYSE-listed global investment bank and private equity firm.

    PRESS RELEASE

    Panviva Pty Ltd, a leading developer of
    Business Process Guidance software solutions, announced today that it has raised A$4M in Series
    B equity financing from SBI Jefferies Asia Fund L.P. SBI Jefferies is a joint venture fund between
    SBI Group, a Tokyo, Osaka and Hong Kong listed financial services conglomerate and Jefferies
    Group, a NYSE-listed global investment bank and private equity firm. The funding and support from
    these powerhouse participants will be used to further enhance Panviva’s investments in cloud-based
    product development, accelerate global growth in the telecommunications and banking sectors, and
    expand the company’s lead in the US health insurance market.
    Panviva’s flagship product, SupportPoint, is a Business Process Guidance solution that is highlyvalued
    in organizations with complex online processes and systems—where speed, accuracy,
    compliance and customer satisfaction are all critical. SupportPoint provides online employees in
    those environments with step-by-step instructions and information within their workflow. It increases
    the capacity and agility of staff and improves customer satisfaction while reducing training
    requirements and overall operational costs. SupportPoint has a rapidly-growing blue chip customer
    base that includes British Telecom, HP, BUPA, Foxtel, Health New England, AvMed, Medibank
    Private, HBF, Health Alliance, National Australia Bank and Westpac.
    Leveraging its early successes in Australia and the UK with telecommunications and banking
    customers, Panviva grew sales by over 40% in 2012 and expanded its customer base in the US
    healthcare market where government-mandated reforms are producing increased levels of
    complexity, regulation and cost. SupportPoint has experienced viral growth in US healthcare
    organizations where change, increasing complexity, and costs have affected every function from call
    center operations to medical services delivery.
    According to Ted Gannan, CEO and Co-founder of Panviva, “SupportPoint is one of the few
    products that do exactly what customers need it to do and our customers love it. It delivers
    measurable benefits, a strong ROI and exceptional value to our growing customer base. In this next
    stage, we’re delighted to be working with SBI. This partnership will enable us to step up the pace of
    development for leading-edge product enhancements and leverage SBI’s management expertise in
    the IT/telecoms sector and its extensive network throughout Asia and beyond. The funding will also
    help us enable new partners worldwide and extend our reach to the thousands of other
    organizations in need of a Business Process Guidance solution. The journey has been exciting; it’s
    going to get even better.”
    SBI Ven Capital is the Singapore-based private equity arm of SBI Group. SBI Group is one of the
    largest private equity firms in Japan, with investments across 13 countries in Asia including
    Australia. Masaki Takayanagi, Managing Director and CEO of SBI Ven Capital, said “We are
    excited to come on board to provide a catalyst for the acceleration of Panviva’s growth. Panviva is
    already profitable, has market-leading products and technologies and a solid customer base in a
    rapidly growing market. Panviva’s success in its first markets and the scalability in the new markets
    make it a compelling partner for us, and we look forward to making a powerful contribution to its
    success.”
    About Panviva
    Panviva is the originator of Business Process Guidance, and the developer of SupportPoint, the
    world’s leading Business Process Guidance system. Over 200,000 users across 37 countries rely on
    SupportPoint daily to guide them through complex processes and systems in real time. Panviva’s
    customers reduce task handling times, error rates and compliance issues; increase staff capacity
    and agility; cut training times and operational costs; and achieve the very highest levels of
    satisfaction for customer service. Among Panviva’s customers are BUPA, Blue Cross, Medibank
    Private, HBF, Health New England, AvMed, Gundersen Lutheran, St Mary’s Heath Plans, BT, Colt,
    Foxtel, EXL Services, Stellar BPO, National Australia Bank, and Westpac. For further information,
    please visit www.panviva.com.
    About SBI Jefferies Asia Fund
    SBI Jefferies Asia Fund is a joint venture fund between SBI Group, a Tokyo, Osaka and Hong Kong
    listed financial services conglomerate and Jefferies Group, a NYSE-listed global investment bank
    and private equity firm. The investment advisor to the Fund is SBI Ven Capital Pte Ltd, the overseas
    private equity arm of SBI Group. SBI Group is one of the largest Japanese private equity/venture
    capital firms, with more than USD 3 Billion of committed capital. SBI Ven Capital primarily focuses
    on providing growth capital to promising companies in the mid-market sector in Asia. With its base
    in Japan, SBI Group has an extensive network across Asia including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia,
    India, Brunei, Vietnam, Cambodia, China and Korea. More information on SBI Ven Capital is
    available at http://www.sbivencapital.com.sg
    ###
    Media Contact:
    Linda Wilson
    617.266.7374
    [email protected]

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  • Sticky Secures European Tech Investors

    Media technology company Sticky has closed a $3 million funding round. European tech investors Conor and Northzone paticipated in the financing.

    PRESS RELEASE

    Media technology company Sticky announced today that it has closed a $3M funding round with leading European tech investors Conor and Northzone.
    Over 50% of online impressions are never seen. Thirty percent of those impressions that are considered “viewable” (in-screen) are never seen. So how do you make sure your ad is seen?
    Meet Sticky – the next generation in ad accountability. Sticky is not another in-screen measurement tool; Sticky gets inside the eyes of a consumer showing you whether your ad is actually seen or not. Capable of tracking an entire ad campaign with a dashboard interface, Sticky is revolutionizing optimization for online brand advertising.
    Sticky’s growing list of clients, includes P&G, L’Oreal, McDonalds, and GroupM, among others.
    “With the Sticky Platform, brand advertisers will be able to optimize their campaigns and increase their ROI. Sticky technology will become a must-have in a world of ever increasing competition for attention, where online brand advertising has been left without quality measurement tools for much too long. Sticky has the potential to be the global leader in this category and we are thrilled to be backing them,” comments Jarkko Penttilä, Partner at Conor Venture Partners.
    Representing Sticky, Mathias Plank, Founder and CEO, says, “We are looking forward to working with leading tech investors Conor and Northzone. Tapping into their wealth of experience will take us to the next step in becoming global leaders. Sticky has the potential to revolutionize this industry. Our mission is to help clean up the digital wasteland of advertising.”
    ###
    About Sticky
    Sticky is the only media technology company that provides a platform to ensure that display ads get seen. Sticky’s disruptive technology provides brand advertisers with objective data to improve their digital performance, and can be used in conjunction with all partners in the digital ecosystem to increase ROI. Sticky is a product of rebranding from EyeTrackShop, the world’s first online eye tracking company initially funded by Tobii technology in 2009. EyeTrackShop will now be powered by Sticky continuing its market research studies alongside Sticky’s revolutionary technology. Sticky has offices in New York, San Francisco, London, Stockholm and Shanghai. (www.sticky.ad)
    About Conor
    Conor Venture Partners is a leading early stage technology VC investing in Nordic and Baltic countries. Conor invests in disruptive technologies in ICT, embedded systems, electronics, new materials and optics. Conor’s main interest lies in companies that have the potential and drive to become global winners in their industry categories. The fund is privately owned and supported by local institutional investors and the European Investment Fund. About Northzone
    Northzone was established in 1996 and has offices in London, Copenhagen, Oslo, and Stockholm. Since its inception Northzone has raised over $500 million, invested in more than 75 companies. Notable investments include Spotify, Avito, Lastminute.com, Pricerunner, Nimsoft and EPiServer. Contact
    Mathias Plank, Founder & CEO, Sticky, [email protected], + 46 733 281501
    Jarkko Penttilä, Partner, Conor Venture Partners, [email protected]
    Jeppe Zink, General Partner Northzone, [email protected]

    Sticky is the only media technology company that provides a platform to ensure that your display ads get seen. Our disruptive technology provides brand advertisers with objective data to improve their digital performance, and can be used in conjunction with all partners in the digital eco system to increase ROI.

    The post Sticky Secures European Tech Investors appeared first on peHUB.

  • Duedil rakes in $5M for its open data-powered due diligence services

    Want to see how open data translates into new business models? Look to the London-based fintech firm Duedil, which has just completed a $5 million Series A round of funding.

    Duedil is an aggregator and data visualization outfit that provides due diligence services through a freemium model. It focuses on private companies and it gets its information about them largely thanks to the U.K.’s open data policies, although it also buys data from sources such as Companies House and the Ministry of Justice (for county court judgement debt information). Quite neatly, users can also sync the service with their LinkedIn accounts, so they can perform due diligence on their contacts.

    The firm focuses on making this range of complex data — asset value, intellectual property records, turnover, litigation and health-and-safety violation records, director information — easier to intepret, and its customers range from corporate lawyers and venture capitalists to small businesses checking up on their suppliers. Seventy-five of the FTSE 100 companies are clients. Duedil has also notably been used in some of The Guardian‘s (see disclosure) data journalism efforts, such as its recent exposé on companies (and individuals) that ferret their money away in tax havens.

    The service is generally free to use, although company document downloads and credit reports need to be purchased through a pay-as-you-go system. In a couple of weeks, though, Duedil will launch subscription packages that come with varying quotas of these each month.

    The funding round was led by Notion Capital and Oak Investment Partners, with others such as Passion Capital and Spotify investor Shakil Khan also taking part. According to Duedil CEO Damian Kimmelman, the investment will be used to expand into new regions and hire more engineers and data scientists.

    Powered by open data

    It seems a happy coincidence that Duedil is planning to move into other European countries just as the governments of those countries have agreed to adopt open data policies.

    “The value lies in linking datasets from data providers, governments and businesses themselves into one place,” Duedil commercial officer Andrew Connolly told me. “There is quite a progressive culture here [in the UK] in terms of open data. European data is quite exciting for us – we’ll take data from wherever we can get it.”

    Duedil isn’t the only British company working in this field. Another interesting example is OpenCorporates, which is pulling in data from all over the world, but the difference there is that OpenCorporates is entirely focused on open data, whereas Duedil works with a mix of open/free and closed/paid-for, both in terms of the data coming in and the services going out.

    “They’ve been a great team in terms of making data easily accessible, but they have slightly different source feed,” Connolly said. “They want to give everything away for free. For us, we believe in open data but not all data should be open. A director might not be comfortable with his home address being open to the public.”

    As for expansion outside Europe, Connolly certainly sounded wary of the U.S. market, which he described as a “quagmire” due to the wide variety of jurisdictional regulations around private company data.

    Disclosure: The Guardian is an investor in Giga Omni Media, which publishes GigaOM.

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  • Serent Capital Backs Optimal Blue

    Serent Capital has invested in Optimal Blue, a mortgage technology provider. The companys was founded by Larry Huff and Ivan Darius in 2002.

    PRESS RELEASE

    Serent Capital, a private equity firm focused on investing in profitable, high growth businesses, has invested in Optimal Blue, a leading mortgage technology provider. Founded by Larry Huff and Ivan Darius in 2002, Optimal Blue is one of the leading providers of product eligibility and pricing engine (“PPE”), secondary marketing and compliance technology to the mortgage industry.
    The investment culminates a multi-year search by Serent for an investment in the mortgage technology sector. “Optimal Blue has established itself as a leader in mortgage technology by building a best-in-class platform and by differentiating itself with superior data and advanced functionality. We have been impressed with the enormous value that Optimal Blue delivers to its mortgage lender customers and with its ability to continue to find innovative ways to serve its customers better,” said Kevin Frick, co-founder and General Partner of Serent Capital. “Larry and Ivan have built a very strong team and culture and we are looking forward to working with them as partners.”
    “Working with a capital partner has always been in our plans” said Larry Huff, co-CEO of Optimal Blue. “We have a long-term view and, given our current growth trajectory and strong position in the market, this was the opportune time to partner with a firm that brings many additional resources to Optimal Blue. Serent has expertise in growing profitable businesses, experience in the technology sector and a hands-on approach to working with management. Serent brings a value proposition that perfectly complements our vision for Optimal Blue. We met the team at Serent several years ago and have had the luxury of getting to know each other well over the years. Our business philosophies are perfectly aligned. We couldn’t be happier about our partnership and the advantages this brings to our company.”

    About Optimal Blue
    Founded in 2002, Optimal Blue is a Web-based provider of managed-content, product eligibility and pricing engine technology. Based in Plano, Texas, Optimal Blue has developed a comprehensive suite of products designed to give lenders the ability to automate the management and distribution of their products, pricing and secondary marketing activities, enabling originators to then source, manage, price, lock and sell loans in a way that is efficient, accurate and easy to use. Without having to be technology experts, Optimal Blue’s solutions allow clients to leverage superior technology and content for a competitive advantage.

    About Serent Capital
    Serent Capital invests solely in growing, profitable businesses, delivering compelling solutions that address their customers’ needs. As those businesses grow and evolve, the opportunities and challenges that they face change continually. Serent understands those challenges, as the firm’s principals have seen them first-hand. The Serent team’s experience includes roles as CEOs, strategic advisors, and board members to successful, growing businesses. By bringing its experience and capital to bear, Serent helps growing businesses thrive. Serent is highly selective, choosing to invest in only a handful of businesses each year which ensures that all its portfolio companies receive the attention and expertise that they need.

    The post Serent Capital Backs Optimal Blue appeared first on peHUB.

  • Big Pharma’s legacy of corruption: Natural substances turned into pharmaceuticals sold for massive profit

    Imagine a world where all the vitamins, minerals, herbs, extracts, compounds, powders, and probiotics that are so freely available at any health food store and at many grocery stores were suddenly made illegal so they could be turned into pharmaceutical drugs. Such a…
  • A powerful way to kill cancer from the inside out

    A lack of education kills more people than cancer, heart disease and conventional medicine combined. Would we really see so much death and destruction if the majority of the people really knew about the value of fresh, clean food, water and air? And, if people really…
  • Aquaponics: Is this promising, sustainable farming method the urbanized future of agriculture?

    We talk a lot around here about food and its importance in sustaining life. But how do we as humans continue to sustain the viable production of food itself, particularly in a world where natural resources seem to be getting increasingly more scarce? One of the answers…
  • Manage diabetes with the foods you love

    Every year, people continue to be diagnosed with the different types of diabetes. And since the major causes are not all the time organic, diabetes can be managed and can be reversed with a better lifestyle. And while most people see lifestyle management as an opportunity…
  • Gun control is anti-women: Rapists empowered by gun restrictions

    In New York City on a recent morning, a man approached a woman standing at a Queens bus stop, forced her to a nearby cemetery by knifepoint, then proceeded to rape her. The man, whom the victim described as 25-30 years old, approached the 41-year-old victim and asked…
  • Cancer care rationing begins in America as cancer clinics turn away thousands of Medicare patients

    Federal sequestration measures that came into effect on April 1 are making it impossible for many cancer clinics across the country to administer conventional care to patients, and particularly to those on Medicare. Consequently, thousands of cancer patients with taxpayer…
  • New research: Copper kills superbugs and other hospital-acquired infections

    Scientists have found there’s a way to dramatically prevent serious, life-threatening infections– including those caused by especially dangerous and hard-to-treat superbugs. It doesn’t involve Big Pharma drugs or toxin-laden chemical treatments. Instead, the germ-busting…
  • Mind control, the shell game, and the stealth gods

    Of the many definitions of collectivism, this simple one is my favorite: “The practice or principle of giving a group priority over each individual in it.” When I was starting out as a reporter 30 years ago, one of my first editors sat down with me and said, ” In…
  • Berries, pomegranates shown to have highest anti-cancer activity of any fruits

    Numerous studies have confirmed that berries are the best foods to maximize your intake of disease-fighting antioxidants, and have also identified the other fruits and vegetables with the highest antioxidant content. Antioxidants are increasingly implicated as the…