Will the next big e-commerce company come out of Boston? Well, between firms like Wayfair, Shoebuy, Rue La La, CustomMade, and Gemvara, we certainly have the pedigree. But one company you might not have heard of is Olejo.com, a retail site that sells beds and mattresses. It’s a quiet, bootstrapped startup out of Boston that illustrates the increasing specialization in e-retail---and the ongoing rewards of entrepreneurship.
In other innovation news…
A local angel investor is announcing the first annual “ TroubleMaker award.” The $10,000 prize goes to Zack Kopplin, a 19-year-old Louisiana native who’s leading a movement against the teaching of creationism in publicly funded schools.
The Cambridge Innovation Center is expanding beyond the Boston area. The CIC, which is the heart of startups in Kendall Square, is looking to set up shop in several other cities, including Baltimore.
Our deal of the week is a $47 million venture round for Cambridge-based Jounce Therapeutics, the latest startup out of Third Rock Ventures. Jounce is working on drugs that stimulate the immune system to fight cancer.
And lastly, what’s beyond our current conceptions of mobile technology? You can hear all about the future of connected devices, mobile health, and app strategy at Xconomy’s fifth annual Mobile Madness conference in Cambridge on March 19.
