Xconomys Top Innovation Stories of the Year
Summary
Things like impediments to vaccine development; mounting threats in cybersecurity and privacy; the regulatory and cultural struggles of high-flying startups; and intensifying battles between companies trying to win the future of markets like mobile, advertising, and healthcare.New Ag-Biotech Initiative Plants Seeds for Startups There’s something brewing in North Carolina agricultural tech; Frank Vinluan gives the historical context for an important new partnership.John Maraganore: From “Prototypical Geek” to Canny Alnylam Chief Ben Fidler’s signature profile of one of the biggest names in biotech, complete with scientific twists and turns and business opportunities lost and won.WhatsApp, $19 Billion, and the Unreal Economy of Silicon Valley The biggest tech acquisition of the year leads Wade Roush to question the fundamentals of the industry.Honorable mention (a half-dozen wildcards; plenty of others I missed): Vecna CTO Builds Solar-Powered Volkswagen Bus—And It Actually Works Biotech Startups Tap Spider Genes in Quest to Spin Silk Gold Steve Wozniak on Galaxy Gear, Google Glass, & Future of Wearables Bluebird’s Gene Therapy Quickly Halts Blood Disease in Small Study This Boston Lawyer Could Be Uber’s Nemesis as It Eyes Expansion Can Sacramento End Its Innovation Drought?