Atara Biotherapeutics angles for $92M, but jobs are scarce
Atara is among a new breed of “virtual” biotech startups. Such firms operate with barebones staff and outsource research and manufacturing operations to contract organizations. They are becoming increasingly common as investors seek to mitigate the huge risks of bringing drugs to market, a process that can cost as much as $1.8 billion, according to industry estimates.
Firms shape up for success with workplace wellness programs, perks
At the San Luis Obispo headquarters for international software company Mindbody, employees can break away for noontime yoga or retreat to one of the building’s downstairs spa rooms for a massage or facial. Amid high ceilings, colorful beanbag chairs and exercise balls, employees at Mindbody are working in an atmosphere that’s anything but the Read More →
Cabbies hail help from Sacramento: Bills target Uber, Lyft
Two pending bills in the state Senate could significantly change the competitive landscape between booming ridesharing startups such as Lyft and Uber and the flagging taxi-cab industry in California.
Stantec to buy tri-county engineering firm Penfield & Smith
Stantec, a large publicly traded design and consulting company, is acquiring Santa Barbara-based engineering firm Penfield & Smith. Terms of the deal, expected to close in October, were not disclosed. Penfield & Smith has regional offices in Santa Barbara, Camarillo and Santa Maria. The company had revenue of $16 million last year, according to Business Read More →
Amgen seeks approval for new cholesterol drug
Amgen became the first drugmaker to seek U.S. regulatory approval for a new class of cholesterol-lowering treatments after it submitted an application to the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday for evolocumab. Thousand Oaks-based Amgen said the drug works by blocking a naturally occurring protein called PCSK9 that prevents the liver from removing LDL cholesterol, Read More →
HG Data signs up for space in Funk Zone
HG Data, a business intelligence firm, recently signed a 3.5-year lease for 9,000 square feet in a former dance studio at 1 N. Calle Cesar Chavez on Santa Barbara’s east side. The deal is yet another sign that young and growing tech companies favor Santa Barbara over cheaper, more easily-equipped spaces in Goleta or Read More →
QAD’s second-quarter profits drop despite record revenue
Shares of Summerland-based business software firm QAD fell Aug. 27 on news that the company’s second-quarter profits dropped 24.2 percent to $985,000. QAD reported record revenues and higher operating income during the second quarter. Its total revenue climbed 12 percent to a second-quarter record of $73.1 million, it said, up from $65.2 million in the Read More →
