In case you missed them, check out these 11 stories of Seattle innovation that appeared on Xconomy in the first three months of 2014. This subjective list includes stories that attracted large audiences, and others that we think should have. They represent the breadth of the region’s innovation efforts, from the competition for the cloud to developing-world diseases to a new app platform for vehicles.
1. Moz Dumps Amazon Web Services, Citing Expense and ‘Lacking’ Service
There was a lot of attention paid to digital marketing company Moz’s decision to switch from the most popular cloud service to its own datacenters. It’s not so cut-and-dried, however, as a less-read follow up piece explains. A subsequent blog post from Moz CTO Anthony Skinner goes into even greater depth.
2. Juno Therapeutics Adds Jeff Bezos, Venrock to $145M Venture Deal
Big money. Big names. Big biotech ambition.
3. Recycling a Phone at EcoATM Is an Easy Route To Feeling Green
Hands-on with the automated recycling kiosks owned by Bellevue, WA-based Outerwall. This was a follow-up to my December visit to an e-waste recycling facility.
4. Gates Foundation Hires Second Biotech VC to Connect With Startups
Charlotte Hubbert is tasked with convincing biotech stars to “tackle the diseases and issues that impact the poorest in the world.”
5. The New Internet Economy: A Chat With Alibaba CTO Wang Jian
Later this year, Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba is expected to embark on an initial public stock offering that could be bigger than Facebook’s. Our talk with Wang reveals a lot about how the company sees itself and its competitive context.
6. Major Foundation Grant to Support Entrepreneurial Researchers at UW
Our scoop on funding for high-profile hires in data science, clean energy, protein design, and neuroengineering.
7. Seattle’s OpenCar Wants to Bring ‘Long Tail’ of Apps Into Vehicles
Profile of one of several innovative companies in Washington’s sometimes overlooked automotive IT and telematics cluster.
8. Why It’s Time to Retire the Term “Life Sciences”
Stewart Lyman’s provocative argument against an overly broad, confusing term.
9. Seattle’s KinDex Gets $5M to Fight Diabetes, Burn Fat With Hops
You had me at beer.
10. Michelangelo, the UW Innovation Emerging From an Unusual Place
A potential commercial spin-out comes not from an engineering lab or high-profile researcher, but from UW Advancement.
11. To Attract Tech Workers, Developer Envisions the City in the Suburbs
Can an urban neighborhood like South Lake Union or Portland’s Pearl District be built from whole cloth in Bellevue?
