Zymergen, located in Heritage Square building across from Doyle-Hollis Park, is at the center of the gene-editing revolution using a breakthrough technique known as CRISPR (Clustered regularly-interspaced short palindromic repeats). A technique that has huge potential for advancements for things like new fuel sources or drought-tolerant crops. It also invites controversy by having the potential for misuse. According to CrunchBase.com, Zymergen has raised $44 million in venture capital funding.
Internet Security Company Tanium who operates out of the Towers complex, recently appointed Orion Hindawi as CEO. He takes over the role from his father, David Hindawi, whom he cofounded Tanium with in 2007. The Duo have since grown the security platform to more than 350 employees, have raised $302 million in venture funding and has an estimated valuation of $3.5 billion.
A “Smart Lock” bicycle security product called Linka made a recent appearance on ABC’s Shark Tank program looking for additional investment in their unique product. Founder Mohamed Mohamed hopes his product will make a dent in the epidemic of Bike theft that is becoming a more common and frustrating one. Linka is registered to Velasso LLC that operates out of The Terraces on Horton.
Gene Editing: Coming to a Kitchen Counter Near You
By Danielle Venton (Photo Credit: Albert Law)
When you hear “gene editing,” do you think cancer cures? Designer babies? What about new fuel sources or drought-tolerant crops? Gene editing with a technique known as CRISPR/Cas9, hailed as a scientific breakthrough, could mean all those things.
There’s a possibility, of course, that CRISPR/Cas9 may not live up to expectations. That’s happened before. Twenty-five years ago, recombinant DNA was supposed to transform society in a way that, well, didn’t happen. But any past biotech disappointments are not stopping a slew of Bay Area CRISPR startups from taking the leap into the new world of DNA tinkering and synthetic biology. They are, in fact, everywhere, from biotech labs in Emeryville to kitchen counters in Burlingame.
Read More on KQED Science →
Emeryville Bike Lock Startup Linka makes an appearance on Shark Tank
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Former Toyota Engineer and Oakland Resident Mohamed Mohamed appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank recently pitching his idea for a Smart Bike Lock called Linka. Linka hard-mounts to your bike at the rear wheel and pairs to your phone through Bluetooth. If the bike is moved, it emits a high-pitched noise and sends an alerts to your phone.
Mohammed asked for 250K for 10 percent equity stake in his company. Ultimately, none of the Sharks made an offer citing the saturation of the market and lack of a deterrent. The MSRP of the product is $159 with the additional chain that allows the product to also be locked to a fixed object. Emeryville’s Revolights (who also make bicycle products) also made an appearance on Shark Tank and procured 300K in investments. Linka recently procured $130K through a Kickstarter campaign.
Watch Online on ABC.com →
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Preorder your Linka through their Website →
Tanium adds new CEO as it prepares for growth, eventual IPO
Tanium cofounders Orion and David Hindawi (Photo Credit: Timothy Archibald for Forbes)
By Annie Gaus
Tanium, the high-growth cybersecurity firm based in Emeryville, has shuffled its leadership as the company prepares for long-term success in the red-hot security sector.
“The time is ripe to take action,” wrote Orion Hindawi, Tanium’s new CEO, in a blog post. “We’re excited about the possibility of making ’15-second endpoint visibility and control’ the expected standard.”
Steven Sinofsky, the former head of Windows software at Microsoft who now invests with Andreessen Horowitz, invested a $90 million funding of Tanium in 2015.
Tanium’s cybersecurity tools, which include real-time security and systems management, have drawn a rapidly expanding client base across a range of corporate and government entities. The company points to greater speed and scale of endpoint security as its advantage over incumbent providers.
Read more on SF Business Times →
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