It’s the first big health-tech deal of the year: Watertown-based Athenahealth is acquiring Silicon Valley medical-app firm Epocrates for $293 million in cash.
Athenahealth does web-based software and services for healthcare billing, records, and coordination. With the West Coast acquisition, the 15-year-old company is making a big push in mobile and is expanding its customer base among doctors. It’s also a reversal of fortune in a town where we’ve seen plenty of established companies, from Endeca to Zipcar, get bought by outsiders.
In other innovation news:
BIND Binds itself to Amgen
Cambridge-based BIND Biosciences has formed a partnership with biotech giant Amgen to co-develop a nanoparticle drug for cancer. The deal could be worth more than $180 million over the coming years.
Startup of the Week
Our startup of the week is Foundation Medicine , which is also working on cancer treatment in Cambridge, but with a genomics bent. The 3-year-old company is getting $13.5 million in new money from investors including Bill Gates and Russian billionaire Yuri Milner.
Niraj Shah on E-Commerce
And finally, what does the future of e-commerce look like? Niraj Shah, the CEO of Boston e-retailer Wayfair, says it might be changing slower than you think . Companies around town are focusing on making their supply chains and distribution networks more efficient. So here’s hoping the next Amazon comes out of Boston -- and stays here.
