Wed. Nov. 30, 2011 ChoiceStream raises $8.7m
ChoiceStream Inc., a Cambridge firm that helps consumer brands to target their online advertising, said it has secured $8.7 million in funding. The round is planned to top out at $10.7 million; investors include Sage Hill Partners, Sutter Hill, and AT&T. ChoiceStream customers include brands such as Zappos, Ticketmaster, and MTV. Columbus Center developer fined $1.6m
The developer of the failed Columbus Center project in Boston was sentenced to pay a $1.6 million fine today for illegally giving campaign contributions to politicians in order to get government support for the project. Judge Joseph L. Tauro imposed the sentence on Winn Columbus Center Partnership, an affiliate of affordable housing developer WinnCompanies, during a brief hearing in US District Court in Boston. Fidelity: 401(k) balances drop 12% in 3Q
Workers continued to stash more money in their 401(k) plans in the third quarter, but the stock market’s sharp decline only left them farther behind in reaching their savings goals. The average balance in Fidelity Investments’ plans dropped nearly 12 percent, falling to $64,300 by the end of September from $72,700 three months earlier, the company said today. That setback snapped four consecutive quarters of increases, and even put investors behind where they stood a year ago. Boston-based Digitas CEO to run Time Warner’s magazine division
Time Warner Inc. has named Digitas chief executive Laura Lang as chief executive of its magazine-publishing division, Time Inc., according to a memo sent to Time Warner employees today. Officials at Digitas, a digital marketing company based in Boston -- where it has about 700 employees -- could not be immediately reached for comment. Lang’s hiring ends Time Warner’s nearly year-long search for someone to oversee its publishing division. She has been running Digitas since 2007. Boston Scientific: FDA approves 3 heart devices
Boston Scientific Inc. said today that the Food and Drug Administration approved several new implantable heart devices the company developed. The Natick-based medical device company said the FDA approved its Incepta, Energen, and Punctua devices. Incept and Punctua are implantable cardioverter defibrillators, which are used to treat rapid heartbeats. Energen is a cardiac resynchronization device, which includes an ICD and a resynchronization device used to coordinate the pumping of the heart. At the wire, DeGeneres squeaks out ratings win in Oprah’s former time slot
Thanks to a last-day surge in viewers, talk show host Ellen DeGeneres won her new afternoon time slot on WCVB-TV (Channel 5) for the fall ratings period, though the show’s overall audience was much smaller than that of her predecessor, Oprah Winfrey. That’s according to the final numbers of the November sweeps, which were released this week by The Nielsen Co. DeGeneres’ show led the 4 p.m. time period with 109,400 total viewers. Affinnova: We could hire up to 70 new staffers next year
Affinnova, a Waltham firm that helps consumer-products companies do market research, said that rapid growth has it planning to hire as many as 70 new staff members in 2012, up from an earlier estimate of 40 new hires. Over the past 10 months, it has added 67 full-time staff members, bringing its current worldwide headcount to 150. Most of the 2012 hires will be in the Boston area. Affinnova said it will also add people in its West Coast and European offices. Sensable technology helps flesh out mummies
Sensable technology is often used to design snug-fitting partial dentures. Meanwhile, Egyptologists have been 3D design software from the Wilmington company to flesh out mummies during facial reconstruction procedures. Two such reconstructions just went on display, one at an exhibit titled “External Life in Ancient Egypt” at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, the other at the University of Illinois. By using computed tomography, scientists can reproduce more accurate likenesses with less risk of damaging a mummy’s fragile mug. Rhythm appoints chief scientific officer
Rhythm, a Boston biotechnology company, said that Lex Van der Ploeg has joined the company as chief scientific officer. Van der Ploeg’s experience includes 17 years at Merck Research Laboratories. Rhythm is focused on developing peptide therapeutics that address metabolic diseases. The company is looking at potential drug candidates for obesity and diabetes as well as for the treatment of gastrointestinal functional disorders. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society will help support Curis drug candidate
Curis Inc., a Lexington drug company focused on cancer treatments, could receive up to $4 million from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to support the development of a treatment for patients with B-cell lymphoma and multiple myeloma. Curis has designated the potential treatment as a drug candidate called CUDC-907. Under the agreement, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society will fund about 50 percent of the direct costs of the development of CUDC-907, up to $4 million. Bank of New York Mellon CEO defends company against foreign-exchange suits
Bank of New York Mellon Corp.’s chief executive said most public pension fund managers, and the investment firms they hire “fully understood” how foreign-exchange trading works, despite allegations that the bank overcharged them and misled them about the costs. The bank has been engaged in talks with customers since allegations of charging too much for foreign-exchange trading surfaced in 2009, said Gerald L. Hassell following a speech at the Boston College Chief Executives’ Club of Boston. | 
