Birth of the New VC
Sequoia Capital gave a presentation (of doom) to their investee CEOs a few weeks ago that technology companies might find interesting. Access it here or view it below.
Also check out the link on the same page to a memo to investee companies from Bill Gurley of Benchmark Capital.
How do we link patient care to data?
They say politics makes strange bedfellows. How else can you explain Newt Gingrich, John Kerry and baseball executive Billy Beane writing an op-ed together?
In “How to Take American Health Care From Worst to First,” the unholy trinity suggest that “to deliver better health care, we should learn from the successful teams that have adopted baseball’s new evidence-based methods. The best way to start improving quality and lowering costs is to study the stats.”
3D computer animation has revolutionized entertainment, from movies to games to music. However, the realms of scientific research and education have been slow to capitalize on 3D animation’s amazing benefits, and graphics professionals have often overlooked the added dimension that scientific acumen can bring to their designs.
MaRS tenant Jason Sharpe, one-third of the innovative biomedical communications company, AXS Biomedical Animations Studio, introduces the very first handbook of biomedical 3D animation techniques, In Silico: 3D Animation and Simulation of Cell Biology with Maya and MEL.
Birth of the New VC
You may have read in the Globe this morning about BlackBerry Partners Fund’s investment in three startups. My first reaction to the article was one of disappointment as the three investments that they made in Buzzd, Digby and Worldmate were investments in the US and Israel. What, no investments in Canada? Then I realized that this is perfect. We are finally creating another world-class VC firm in Canada, one like Celtic House (also a MaRS tenant) that invests worldwide. The fact that BlackBerry Partners made no Canadian investments is exactly the right strategy.
An increasing number of labs are packing it in
Last week Merck & Co. announced that it would cut 7,200 jobs, following disappointing third quarter earnings, and Pfizer is rumored to be laying-off a number of people, including research and development staff, by the end of the year. Also south of the border Epix Pharmaceuticals, a Massachusetts-based small cap biotechnology firm currently conducting clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease, announced plans to cut its workforce by 23 per cent. Other small companies that have recently announced layoffs include BioCryst, MonoGen, Adventrx, Cell Genesys, and Maxygen. What does this mean for Canada?
