Startups

TechSandBox, the MetroWest innovation center for science- and technology-based startups, said it has received a $25,000 planning grant to develop a new accelerator program from the Westborough-based Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. As part of its efforts to strengthen regional innovation and entrepreneurship across the state, The Innovation Institute at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative is providing the six-month grant to TechSandBox to design what it deemed a “new effort aimed at boosting high-potential entrepreneurs and startups in MetroWest.”

Officials at Framingham State University will celebrate the opening of the school's new Entrepreneur Innovation Center with a ceremony on site this afternoon. The incubator provides office space for area entrepreneurs, as well as internship opportunities for FSU students. It opened in January in FSU's Maynard Building on Framingham's Vernon Street, becoming the second incubating space to open in MetroWest in the last year. TechSandBox, a technology incubator in Hopkinton, launched in May 2013.

A Massachusetts Biotechnology Council (MassBio) report released April 3 found that an intense focus on reducing health-care...

When Geert Cauwenbergh needed money for a life sciences startup in 2002, he knew where to turn: venture capitalists.

Karyopharm Therapeutics of Natick has produced promising results as it develops its cancer drug, KPT-330. Now, the startup is exploring other potential applications for its technology. Karyopharm CEO Dr. Michael Kauffman said the startup has tested KPT-330 in a topical gel on animal subjects and gotten positive results in treating wounds that are difficult to heal. The startup is also studying other applications for autoimmune diseases, but Kauffman said it was too early to discuss those in detail.

A little over five years ago, Peter Rucinski couldn't have told you the first thing about yoga.

Milford biotech startup Prothelia Inc. announced it has entered into an agreement with a Connecticut-based drug company to further develop Prothelia's clinical-stage treatment for the rare form of muscular dystrophy known as MCD1A. Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc., which specializes in treatments for rare diseases, will have an option to acquire Prothelia and license its clinical-state treatment, Laminin-111, after entering into a “strategic agreement” with Prothelia and its research partner, the University of Nevada Reno (UNR), according to a statement from Prothelia.

Who says innovation has to be complicated? Many inventions are seen as solutions to problems. One day, Gary Richard saw how people who enjoy canned, carbonated beverages couldn't put down their drinks for long stretches without those drinks losing some of their fizz or taste.

The decision to take a company public isn't an easy one, said Paul Brannelly, senior vice president of finance and administration at Karyopharm Therapeutics in Natick. The money and time spent on activities related to public trading are considerable, according to Brannelly. Being public somewhat limits executives' ability to make quick business decisions. But Karyopharm, a clinical-stage drug company that is developing treatments for solid tumors as well as cancers of the blood, saw pursuing an initial public offering (IPO) this fall as an opportunity to shore up financing as it continues the lengthy clinical trial process that it hopes will lead to approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

What has your company done for you lately? If you work at a young technology company, the answer may differ slightly from that of the average employee in another industry. The tech companies seem to lead the way in designing workplace perk programs designed to lure candidates and keep talented employees, with Google an obvious example. It counts free on-site haircuts, laundry service and table games among its famous perks.