Latest News November 27, 2009
Sensata Technologies tackles a $500M IPO plan

NStar, Premium Power win smart-grid DOE grants

Yale: hunger hormone protects against Parkinson’s

Stemgent issues notes to raise $2.7M

Highland Capital a bit wary of biotechs

More Latest Local Technology Business News Get Email Alerts!
- Avid signs Boston area’s biggest suburban lease of the year
- Ironwood looks to IPO, hopes for $172M
- Patrick signs law merging cleantech groups
- IBasis strikes deal with KPN on stock dispute
- Harvard Business School kicks off $25,000 business plan challenge
- Xerox chief Burns tapped by Obama for STEM board
- BK Medical signs distribution deal with MedAssets
- Autovirt gets $5M from return investors Sigma, Kepha
- Yale: hunger hormone protects against Parkinson’s
- NIH awards stimulus funds to Marine Biological Laboratory
- Young entrepreneurs lead charge to build Mass. tech growth
- Avid signs Boston area’s biggest suburban lease of the year
- Medical device firms show cautiously optimistic outlook
- Startup Watch: Five you should follow
- Ironwood looks to IPO, hopes for $172M
- Stemgent issues notes to raise $2.7M
- Roam Data lands $6.5M in Series B round
- Harvard Business School kicks off $25,000 business plan challenge
- Sun Catalytix nets $1M in third seed round
- CambridgeSoft's private financing worth $31M
The PITCH
Squeelr
Headquarters: Cambridge
Employees: 1
Founded: 2009
The Pitch: Matt Mankins is launching an iPhone app for anonymous microblogging. Squeelr has a business model in place to charge 99 cents for the app and an additional 99 cents for five posts and $5 for 20 posts.
Sponsored by
Top 20 Lists
- January 30 IT Consulting Firms
- February 27 Top Technology Deals
- March 27 Tech Employers
- April 24 IT Education Providers
- May 29 Venture Capital Firms
- June 26 Life Sciences Patent Holders
- July 31 Minority-Owned Businesses
- August 28 Software Developers
- September 9 Largest Investment Banks
- September 23 Largest Medical Device Firms
- October 7 Semiconductor Manufacturers
- October 21 NSF Grant Recipients
- November 4 Largest Cleantech Employers
- November 28 IP Law Firms
- December 19 Largest Biotech Companies
2009 Tech Citizenship honoree: Tech Networks of Boston
Tech Networks of Boston has launched the Hutan Project, a new program designed to increase philanthropic impact of the operational expenditures of its clients.
From the Print Edition
- Tech philanthropy brings wave of contributions, volunteers to organizations
- The Dimock Center helps Boston's residents — and many Tech Citizenship firms help the center
- 2009 Tech Citizenship honoree: Accenture Ltd.
- 2009 Tech Citizenship honoree: Boston Scientific Corp.
- 2009 Tech Citizenship honoree: CA Inc.
- 2009 Tech Citizenship honoree: Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Inc.
- 2009 Tech Citizenship honoree: Cisco Systems Inc.
- 2009 Tech Citizenship honoree: Cognex Corp.
- 2009 Tech Citizenship honoree: Comcast Corp.
- 2009 Tech Citizenship honoree: EMD Serono Inc.
Signature Programs
Women to Watch 2009
Mass High Tech’s Women to Watch program honors 10 New England-based women each year who are leading the way in entrepreneurship, technological innovation and lifelong learning.
Celebrate the Mass High Tech All Stars
Each year, Mass High Tech honors the New England tech industry’s pioneers and leaders from such sectors as: Advanced Energy, Biotech, Electronics, Hardware, Internet, Medical Devices, Software and Telecommunications. We also recognize those in support services who make it possible for entrepreneurship to thrive in the region, including lawyers, financiers, educators, public policy makers and association representatives.
Almost 400 members of the innovation community gathered at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel to honor the 2009 MHT All-Stars. You can read the profiles of the 15 honorees and past recipients, and learn more about the awards reception.
Now it’s time to look ahead to 2010, and the 15th Annual MHT All-Stars program. Nominations are now open, and we encourage you to submit the names of the people that you view as the leaders of your industry sector. Who provides ideas, innovation and vision? Which executives have changed the way people do business in your industry? Who are the thought leaders in your market? Who are the trailblazers for new technologies, the market makers for New England? Help us identify these leading players by nominating them now.
Tech Forums
Mass High Tech hosts four tech-focused forums throughout the year that include panel discussions on issues of concern for the bio, cleantech, emerging tech and finance industries.
Watch here for information on upcoming forums and highlights from recent forum events:
- Finance Forum
- BIO Forum
- CleanTech Forum
- Emerging Technologies Forum
Tech Citizenship: How is your company giving back to the community?
Mass High Tech annually honors New England technology companies that use their innovation to improve their communities as part of our Tech Citizenship Awards program. Now is the time to detail how your organization has helped charities and other non-profits through financial contributions, staff time, technology or other forms of assistance. The 24 outstanding tech citizens were honored at a breakfast event at the Seaport Hotel. Read about their charitable efforts and learn how they met the criteria to be named a Tech Citizen. Their stories offer ideas from which we can all learn.
Know a generous company? Nominations are open for the 2010 Tech Citizenship Awards.
Wired-In
Video
New England Tech Stock Index
The New England Technology Stock Index (NETSI) provides a snapshot view of the performance of the region’s publicly traded companies. View the index »

Mass High Tech’s 2009 Technology How-To Guide covers the issues concerning high tech business and how to tackle them — issues ranging from overseas expansion and venture capital funding to choosing an MBA program and cutting your company’s energy bill.
- How to work with your accountant on taxes
- How to retain employees
- How to expand a company globally
- How to negotiate a real estate deal
- How to hire a business attorney
- How to purchase health insurance for employees
- How to run a successful meeting
- How to handle a public relations crisis
- How to continue your education
- How to select an MBA program
- How to cut your company’s energy bill
- How to choose a temporary placement agency
- How to attract venture capital funding
- How to generate sales leads
On the MHT blog now
On the MHT blog now
UMass Lowell-designed robot hand opens doors for disabled
Former UMass Lowell researcher Erin Rapacki has developed a robotic hand to help people in wheelchairs open doors. Rapacki designed the hand with an eye toward simplicity -- it cost less $2,000 to make -- but it can open 14 different types of doors. Rapacki presented the project, which she worked on while at UMass, at the IEEE Robotics Conference in Woburn last week. In July, Rapacki left U...
Community Voices
Views from the front lines of the New England tech economy

STEM education for girls grows beyond school boundaries
To ensure that the Commonwealth remains an engine of innovation and discovery, the STEM Council must adopt what the National Research Council calls an expansive view of “systematic educational reform.” This means recognizing the contributions and synergies of school and out-of-school experiences, including the family and community.
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Industry, government, academia make work force strides
Tech employers and venture investors need a strong pipeline of new talent in order to launch and grow their enterprises. This pipeline starts in the K-12 education system and continues on at the college level. How these educational institutions prepare and interest students in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics is of vital concern for tech employers, in both for-profit and nonprofit organizations.
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Business, education need to prep students for new world
Gloria Larson and Philip DesAutels: On-the-job training, single-skill specialists and static work environments are relics of a bygone era. Today’s graduates need to be ready to bring value the day they start work. Bentley and Microsoft have partnered to address these issues for more than seven years.
Startup Watch
Five You Should Follow
KangoGift Inc.
Founded in 2008, OnState provides device-independent, cloud-based call center and PBX software. The company is based in Burlington.
Other startups featured in our weekly Startup Report and listed in our online directory:
- Check out the Startup Watch archives
- Search the NE Tech Directory
- List your company
- Purchase the directory
Want to be considered for the Startup Watch? Contact the Startup Watch editor.
Business Calendar
Upcoming Events:
Dec. 1st
Metrics in Motion: Best Practices in Linking Strategic Planning and Business Intelligence to Improve Performance

Dec. 1st
IEEE meeting: Acquiring Customers

Dec. 2nd
Sandler Executive Sales Boot Camp Ultra is Free!

Dec. 2nd
NS Chamber presents the 91st Annual Dinner Meeting

Dec. 2nd
New Economy Sales and Marketing Boot Camp

Dec. 2nd
iRobot Engineering Job Fair

Dec. 2nd
Aneesh Chopra, Chief Technology Officer of United States to speak on "Innovation for America"

Dec. 3rd
The Business Development Group Meeting

Dec. 3rd
Cambridge Chamber of Commerce Holiday BAHsh

Dec. 4th
Sandler Executive Sales Boot Camp Ultra is Free!

Dec. 4th
Boston Patent Law Association: Annual Meeting

Dec. 8th
Sandler Executive Sales Boot Camp Ultra is Free!

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