a partnership to create products that let customers more easily incorporate photos and videos on their websites. Financial terms weren’t given.
—Companies in Washington state attracted nearly $1 billion in venture funding in 2008, and these companies grew their staff and revenue faster than any other state, including California, as Bob reported. The stats were in a report from the National Venture Capital Association, which also included a very informative map of venture investments around the U.S. since 1970. That map shows how far and wide the venture industry has spread, comparing Silicon Valley with regions like the Northwest, Southern California, and New England.
—Seattle-based Omeros moved closer to an initial public offering, stating that it hopes to go public at $10 to $12 per share, as Luke reported. Omeros, a biotech drug company, wants to find investors willing to buy 6.8 million shares of its common stock, which could generate up to $81.8 million in proceeds. The company also plans to grant its underwriters the right to buy another 1 million shares. It would be the first IPO from a Washington company in more than two years, since Kirkland, WA-based Clearwire (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CLWR]]) went public in March 2007.
—Lucid Commerce, the Seattle-based startup focused on business intelligence for direct marketers, has raised $3 million from Kirkland, WA-based OVP Venture Partners and the European venture firm Adinvest. The news was first reported by TechFlash. OVP previously led Lucid Commerce’s $2.5 million Series A financing, which was announced in June 2008.
—Seattle-based Others Online, a Web advertising and optimization startup, was bought by the Los Angeles-based Rubicon Project. Financial terms of the deal, which closed a few months ago, were not announced. Others Online began in 2006 and provides Web publishers with behavioral analytics, ad services, and other software to help them target and generate revenues from their audiences. Four employees, including founder Jordan Mitchell, have joined the Rubicon Project and will remain in Seattle for now.
