Via Xconomy.com
As the Xconomy Forum on Big Data Meets Big Biology draws near, one of the best arguments for understanding the significance of the convergence of data science and the life sciences may lie in what came out of the 2013 sale of San Diego’s EcoATM.
Founded by several veterans of the wireless semiconductor industry, EcoATM created a business where there wasn’t one for recycling smartphones and other electronic devices. The company developed automated kiosks that would scan a device and use analytic software to calculate what it was worth and how much of a rebate to offer for it. When Outerwall paid $350 million in cash to acquire EcoATM, it was one of the biggest deals in years for a San Diego tech startup.