Portland’s Ensequence Raises $20M for Interactive TV

In one of the Northwest’s biggest tech financings this year, Interactive television firm Ensequence, based in Portland, OR, said today it has secured $20 million in funding led by Clay Mathile, the CEO of CYMI Technologies and former CEO and owner of Iams (the pet food company sold to Proctor & Gamble for $2.3 billion in 1999).

Ensequence has also named a new CEO, Peter Low, who was formerly the company’s president and chief operating officer. He succeeds Dalen Harrison, previously of Intel, who remains on the board.

The Oregonian reports that Ensequence initially said it is moving its headquarters to New York, where Low lives. But in an interview, Low reportedly said no official decision has been made, and that the employment status and the role of employees in Portland (more than 70 out of a total workforce of about 100) would not change. The company has raised a total of about $97 million, according to the report.

Ensequence, founded in 2000, is a leader in Interactive TV, which lets viewers do things like bring up information on sporting events they’re watching, or watch multiple programs on one screen.

Author: Gregory T. Huang

Greg is a veteran journalist who has covered a wide range of science, technology, and business. As former editor in chief, he overaw daily news, features, and events across Xconomy's national network. Before joining Xconomy, he was a features editor at New Scientist magazine, where he edited and wrote articles on physics, technology, and neuroscience. Previously he was senior writer at Technology Review, where he reported on emerging technologies, R&D, and advances in computing, robotics, and applied physics. His writing has also appeared in Wired, Nature, and The Atlantic Monthly’s website. He was named a New York Times professional fellow in 2003. Greg is the co-author of Guanxi (Simon & Schuster, 2006), about Microsoft in China and the global competition for talent and technology. Before becoming a journalist, he did research at MIT’s Artificial Intelligence Lab. He has published 20 papers in scientific journals and conferences and spoken on innovation at Adobe, Amazon, eBay, Google, HP, Microsoft, Yahoo, and other organizations. He has a Master’s and Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT, and a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.