Venture capital stats for the second quarter are in, but don’t let the numbers fool you. Although VC deals are holding steady, and Massachusetts companies still rank ahead of New York, there is a funding crunch for young tech companies. Only a handful of Boston-area software startups have raised first-round financing in 2013, including Objective Logistics this week. It may be too early to say, but this trend doesn’t bode well for the future of the local ecosystem.
In other innovation news…
-Waltham- and Dublin-based Alkermes has unveiled new drug programs in cancer, MS, and pain relief. The biotech company, which has a $4 billion market cap, is trying to become an even bigger player like Biogen or Vertex.
-Our deals of the week both involve software for law enforcement. Harvard startup Mark43 has raised funding to help police analyze data on criminal networks. And Boston-based video forensics firm Salient Stills has been acquired by Digital Audio Corporation for an unnamed price.
-And lastly, a new Boston startup called Nifti is trying to make a name for itself in online price-tracking. The idea is to help consumers save money by e-mailing them when the price of something they want to buy drops. If that leads to a better comparison-shopping experience than Amazon or Google, even better.
