CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — What is mobility doing to the titans of the tech world? Consider the exploits of Apple, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. They’re starting to look more and more alike. They’re all making mobile devices and hardware, as well as proprietary operating systems and software. That could ultimately be bad for consumers and advertisers, says George Bell , the CEO of Boston mobile ad company JumpTap. Bell says he supports neutrality and a common set of standards — before the big guys come to be seen as the four horsemen of the tech apocalypse.
In venture capital news, a report says investors in private biotech companies had more “ big exits ” from acquisitions last year than in any year since 2005. Meanwhile, overall VC investment levels for the past quarter are at their highest point in over a decade.
It’s the end of an era at Cambridge-based Sermo. The online physician community has been acquired by New York health care data firm WorldOne for an undisclosed price. Sermo has raised more than $40 million from investors since 2005.
And finally, some big moves are underway at Hopkinton-based EMC. The data storage giant has named VMware CEO Paul Maritz as its chief strategist. EMC president Pat Gelsinger is being tapped to succeed Maritz at VMware. It’s all part of EMC’s strategy to stay ahead of big trends in cloud computing and IT.
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