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Thursday, December 14, 2017

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Dylan: In case you haven’t noticed yet, BostInno has launched a new Career Directory where you can submit job listings for free. All you need to do is go to the Post a Job page and submit your information. If you want the listing to be go in the Featured Jobs spot at the bottom of this email, you can learn more about pricing and how to submit here.

The Big One

A breakdown on the day’s biggest Inno story.

Dylan: Well, folks. The Federal Communication Commission has voted 3-2 to repeal the Obama-era net neutrality rules, giving big telecom companies like AT&T and Verizon the ability to block or slow down access to websites while prioritizing their own content.

This is a major blow against net neutrality advocates — Facebook, Google and the Electronic Frontier Foundation included — who believe rules should be in place to guarantee that broadband providers treat all web traffic equally. In a press conference I covered earlier this year, Boston tech leaders urged FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, who was appointed by President Trump, to not repeal the rules, arguing that it would put startups at a disadvantage. Kirk Arnold, former CEO of Data Intensity, said the repeal could impact manufacturers, consumer good makers and any other company that relies on high-speed internet to use cloud services.

“This is a ubiquitous competitive issue,” Arnold said at the time. “This isn’t any longer a technology industry question. Net neutrality is a manufacturing question, it’s a consumer goods question … and the impact on jobs is significant across all these sectors.”

As noted by Recode, telecom companies maintain that they won’t throttle or block traffic in the absence of rules — if they did, they would have to be transparent about what they do, in light of the FCC’s vote today — but net neutrality advocates think promises aren’t enough.

For those fretting about what telecoms could do now, the fight isn’t over yet. The Internet Association, which represents Facebook, Google and other large tech companies, said it’s weighing its legal options, and other organizations are expected to sue. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman just said he’s suing.

In The Know

The Inno stories you need to read today.

Making Moves

Inside the people, companies and organizations making moves in Boston.

Dylan: MassChallenge has announced the 32 startups that will participate in the second cohort of its digital health accelerator. The startups in the 2018 program come from a pool of more than 500 applicants from around the world, and they will have a chance to partner with healthcare institutions, systems and payers to try to achieve certain milestones, such as a pilot study or funding round. Startups in the new cohort include aam, which makes a connected hardware device that reminds women to take their birth control pill; HealthRhythms, which provides real-time, personalized mental health assessments and provides activities to boost mental health; and Orbita, which is using voice assistant and AI tech to improve remote patient monitoring, among other things. Read more: MassChallenge Names 32 Startups for 2018 Digital Health Accelerator

Lucy: When you think of digital media firms, you might think of a space with a modern vibe featuring state-of-the-art tech that’s an open concept and features some pretty cool amenities – like a Nespresso machine. If this is what you think, cue Boston-based digital media firm Gupta Media, who just recently moved to a bigger space in the Back Bay area. The firm currently has 52 employees in an approximately 10,400 square foot space on the 7th floor of 200 Berkeley Street. Our intern Fran Albanese went to check it out. Read more: Office Envy: Inside Gupta Media’s New Back Bay Space That’s a Tribute to Music and Entertainment

New Money

Your daily funding roundup.

Dylan: We’re not even close to being done with end-of-year coverage. Here’s my list of this year’s 10 largest startup funding rounds in Boston (minus biotech or life sciences companies). At the top of the list are Indigo ($203M), Fuze ($134M) and DraftKings ($118M). Read more: The Top 10 Boston Startup Funding Rounds of 2017

Lucy: Boston welcomes another unicorn today. Biotech startup Ginkgo Bioworks has announced it has raised $275M in Series D funding, putting the company’s valuation at over $1B, TechCrunch reported. If you are curious to know who are the other local unicorns, Dylan’s got you covered.

Dylan: We have more information on Commonwealth Crypto, the stealthy startup led by a Boston University professor that just raised a seed round. Local venture capital firm Underscore VC co-led Commonwealth Crypto’s $1.5M round with Highland Capital, Notation Capital and the founders of United Bitcoiners. The startup’s co-founders, Sharon Goldberg and Ethan Heilman, were previously part of the team behind a trustless anonymous payment hub for Bitcoin transactions called TumbleBit. Commonwealth Crypto is developing tech that can ensure that crypto traders maintain custody of their tokens while using an exchange. Jimmy Homma, one of United Bitcoiners’ founders, said in a statement that he wants to see the company’s tech used in trading platforms in Asia.

Lucy: Coeo, an app-based network that allows users to book studio fitness classes, raised a $160K round of “friend and family fundraising,” the company wrote in a press release. In case you’re wondering how to pronounce the name of the company, “Coeo” rhymes with “rodeo.”

Player Personnel

Who’s moving where.

Lucy: The Boston office of design agency Mad*Pow announced the new hires of Emily Treat as experience strategy director, Lis Pardi as experience design director, Rod Gifford in the experience design team and Rick Allen as director of content strategy. Previously, Treat worked for Kaplan International, Pardi at The Boston Globe, Gifford at Medullan and Allen at his company ePublish Media.

Dylan: Workbar announced three leadership appointments today: Sarah Travers as head of business development, C. Todd Lombardo as head of product and experience and Justin Miller as head of marketing. Travers was previously at Regus, Lombardo was at Constant Contact’s Innovation Loft, and Miller was most recently VP of marketing at Startup Institute.

Lucy: Paint Nite added two executives to its C-Suite, CEO David Krauter and CMO Stephanie Brocoum. Brocoum and Krauter reunite, having previously worked together on the launch team of Boston-based private sale site Rue La La.

In The Community

The events and happenings to know about tonight and this week.

Lucy: Couple of exciting events tonight at 6:30 p.m., folks. Girl Develop It Boston is hosting a meetup where Jen Weber will show what it takes to contribute to open source projects (the event’s location is only made available to those who RSVP). If design is more your thing, stop by General Assembly on 125 Summer Street, where Formlabs will host the discussion, “Inside the minds of brilliant designers.” Read more: BostInno Approved: December’s Top Tech & Startup Events in Boston