The big news this week is a new fund being raised by Seattle-based seed-stage investors Founders’ Co-op. Read on for details on this and new grants for research on human cell lineage from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation; the Munchery’s expansion to Seattle; a data breach via the sale of surplus state government computers; … Continue reading “Seattle Roundup: Founders’ Co-op New Fund; Allen Grant; Munchery & More”
Author: Benjamin Romano
Benjamin is the former Editor of Xconomy Seattle. He has covered the intersections of business, technology and the environment in the Pacific Northwest and beyond for more than a decade. At The Seattle Times he was the lead beat reporter covering Microsoft during Bill Gates’ transition from business to philanthropy. He also covered Seattle venture capital and biotech. Most recently, Benjamin followed the technology, finance and policies driving renewable energy development in the Western US for Recharge, a global trade publication. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication.
Life Sciences Fund Granted Reprieve, But “Future Is Precarious”
The Washington Life Sciences Discovery Fund (LSDF), an important source of early support for applied research and commercialization, will continue its current grant program and plan for others in the coming year thanks to a veto today from Gov. Jay Inslee. But the fund’s long-term future remains in question as it seeks to diversify its … Continue reading “Life Sciences Fund Granted Reprieve, But “Future Is Precarious””
Seattle Roundup: Tidal Turbine, IDRI, Tango Card, Codementor, TAGS
This week’s roundup includes a green-light from federal regulators for a Snohomish County PUD tidal turbine project in Puget Sound; more tuberculosis research funding for IDRI from the Gates Foundation; $3.3 million for Tango Card; $600,000 for Techstars Seattle company Codementor; a productive first year of investing for TiE Angels Group Seattle; and funding for … Continue reading “Seattle Roundup: Tidal Turbine, IDRI, Tango Card, Codementor, TAGS”
Xconomy Seattle’s Top Stories of Q1 2014: Editor’s Picks
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 … Continue reading “Xconomy Seattle’s Top Stories of Q1 2014: Editor’s Picks”
PARC Partners With Seattle B2B Startup Accelerator 9Mile Labs
Nine Seattle-based startup companies will have access to mentoring, technology, intellectual property, and other assistance from the storied Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) in Silicon Valley through a partnership between the Xerox subsidiary and business-to-business startup accelerator 9Mile Labs. 9Mile began early last year, and is currently halfway through its second 16-week program. The Seattle … Continue reading “PARC Partners With Seattle B2B Startup Accelerator 9Mile Labs”
Come See AllSee, UW’s New Low-Power Gesture Control System
The chorus of Hotel California sings out from the mobile phone in Bryce Kellogg’s pocket. He waves his hand to turn down the volume. He flicks his fingers a couple of times and Stairway to Heaven plays. The phone never leaves his pocket. It looks like a parlor trick, but the underlying technology, developed by … Continue reading “Come See AllSee, UW’s New Low-Power Gesture Control System”
Washington Lawmakers Ax Life Sciences Fund, Tech Incentives
Life sciences innovators in Washington state are hoping Gov. Jay Inslee vetoes a budget item that would close the Life Sciences Discovery Fund after its current grant commitments are fulfilled. That’s one of two big disappointments to emerge from the 2014 Washington legislative session for backers of Washington’s innovation sectors. The other is the failure … Continue reading “Washington Lawmakers Ax Life Sciences Fund, Tech Incentives”
Indix Raises $8.5M, Wants to Enable “Product-Aware Apps”
Indix, the startup based in Seattle and Chennai, India, compiling a comprehensive database of product information, is raising $9 million in additional funding to sell its services and advance what co-founder and CEO Sanjay Parthasarathy calls a new category of “product-aware apps.” The company has closed $8.5 million of this Series A-1 round, led by … Continue reading “Indix Raises $8.5M, Wants to Enable “Product-Aware Apps””
Major Foundation Grant to Support Entrepreneurial Researchers at UW
The Washington Research Foundation (WRF), a private nonprofit group that funds research and initiatives to commercialize innovations in the state, is making a large, long-term grant to University of Washington efforts in data science, clean energy, protein design, and neuroengineering. Four programs will share in upwards of $30 million over five years, WRF CEO Ronald … Continue reading “Major Foundation Grant to Support Entrepreneurial Researchers at UW”
Roundup: Tableau, Alibaba, Techstars Seattle, Startup Initiative
Spring is upon Seattle, and, in addition to cherry blossoms, the air must smell like money to some folks out there. This week, Simply Measured hauled in a $20 million round of new financing. Alder BioPharmaceuticals is planning a $115 million IPO. Mindbloom, maker of mobile healthcare apps, was bought by Denver-based Welltok for an … Continue reading “Roundup: Tableau, Alibaba, Techstars Seattle, Startup Initiative”
Keiretsu Forum Northwest Invested $21.2M in 35 Companies Last Year
Angel investors in Keiretsu Forum Northwest chapters plowed $21.2 million into 35 companies in 2013, according to a tally set for release today. Most of the funding went into startups based in the Pacific Northwest. That’s up slightly compared with 2012, when the group backed some 34 companies to the tune of $20.1 million. In … Continue reading “Keiretsu Forum Northwest Invested $21.2M in 35 Companies Last Year”
Simply Measured Raises $20M to Continue Social Media Analysis Growth
Simply Measured, which helps companies understand what’s being said about them on Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites, is raising $20 million in a Series C round led by Trinity Ventures. The investment round, joined by earlier backers including Bessemer Venture Partners, Four Rivers Group, and MHS Capital, brings total funding for the Seattle … Continue reading “Simply Measured Raises $20M to Continue Social Media Analysis Growth”
Seattle Roundup: Kickstarter, Kineta, Ride-Share Regs, Lively
In addition to funding news this week for Seattle-area outfits Seattle BioMed, Rover.com, Tipbit, Illumagear, and ComputeNext, we got word of a Kickstarter milestone, more funding for drug developer Kineta, and a potentially big week for Lively. Next week, we’re expecting a final decision on new city regulations on the likes of Uber, Sidecar, and … Continue reading “Seattle Roundup: Kickstarter, Kineta, Ride-Share Regs, Lively”
Tipbit Raises $4M from Ignition for Personal Search in E-mail
Tipbit is going after a wicked problem that seems to get worse as each new cloud service spreads our digital work farther afield, making key information at once more accessible and harder to find. The Bellevue, WA-based startup’s solution is in the form of an e-mail application for iPhones, but “the heart of what we … Continue reading “Tipbit Raises $4M from Ignition for Personal Search in E-mail”
Pet Services Boom: Menlo Ventures Leads $12M Investment in Rover.com
Seattle-based Rover.com, which helps dog owners find someone to watch the pooch when they’re away, has raised $12 million that will back market expansion, and new services and pet types. “So that includes cats and hamsters and gerbils and horses and guinea pigs,” quips CEO Aaron Easterly. Dog-walking, daycare, and improvements to Rover’s mobile app … Continue reading “Pet Services Boom: Menlo Ventures Leads $12M Investment in Rover.com”
IAmA Seattle Startup Pivoting to Take On Reddit in AMAs
Yabbly has an ambitious new goal: It wants to do “Ask me anything” (AMA) better than Reddit, the Internet giant where this unique, wildly popular form of crowd-sourced interviewing was popularized and thrives today. The Seattle startup, headed by Tom Leung, is embarking on a new course after it failed to gain sufficient traction with … Continue reading “IAmA Seattle Startup Pivoting to Take On Reddit in AMAs”
Roundup: Illumagear, ComputeNext, Paul Allen, BPA
Seattle-area startups Illumagear, maker of safety lighting for construction workers, and ComputeNext, a cloud-services marketplace, attracted funding recently. Meanwhile, Paul Allen and the Bonneville Power Administration plan to bankroll researchers focused on artificial intelligence and the regional power system, respectively. And Cadence Biomedical landed a distribution partner in Asia. Read on for details. —ComputeNext, a … Continue reading “Roundup: Illumagear, ComputeNext, Paul Allen, BPA”
Tableau, Splunk Partnership Aims at Fast-Growing Unstructured Data
A terabyte log of clicks on your Web site isn’t particularly useful in its raw form. That starts to change when it’s indexed and searchable. It’s more useful still when non-experts can easily combine it with other data and visualize the story the data is telling. That process should be easier thanks to a technology … Continue reading “Tableau, Splunk Partnership Aims at Fast-Growing Unstructured Data”
3Tier Shares Global Wind, Solar Data in Google Maps Gallery
Among the many maps in Google’s new Maps Gallery depicting everything from Spanish postal code boundaries to Martian topography, is one showing how much sunshine graces every corner of the globe. The data underlying the Global Solar Map comes from Seattle-based 3Tier, the renewable energy information company acquired last year by Vaisala for about $14.7 … Continue reading “3Tier Shares Global Wind, Solar Data in Google Maps Gallery”
DocuSign Raises Another $85M For Digital Transaction Platform
From a venture investing perspective, 2014 is off to a pretty slow start locally. So the news of an $85 million raise by DocuSign, a company started in Seattle a decade ago and still with a major presence here, is getting some attention. Headquartered in San Francisco, DocuSign, which provides electronic signature and document management … Continue reading “DocuSign Raises Another $85M For Digital Transaction Platform”
Michelangelo, the UW Innovation Emerging From an Unusual Place
There’s a new product emerging from the University of Washington. It was just granted a patent. It is being adopted by other high-profile institutions. And it’s showing promise as the core of a startup company or licensing deal. “Ironically, it’s not from an engineering lab or some chaired faculty position,” said David Bluhm, who was … Continue reading “Michelangelo, the UW Innovation Emerging From an Unusual Place”
Slide Bureau Brings Another Approach to Sparkling Presentations
The Seattle area is home not only to the behemoth of presentation software, Microsoft’s PowerPoint, but also at least three upstarts trying to improve presentation tools in one way or another. The latest is Slide Bureau from boutique software design and consulting firm Jackson Fish Market (JFM). The company of “software artisans” focuses on user … Continue reading “Slide Bureau Brings Another Approach to Sparkling Presentations”
Roundup: Zulily, BlueKai, Koru, and Washington MWC Delegation
Recent notable developments in Seattle tech include: Zulily’s initial earnings report wows Wall Street; BlueKai is acquired by Oracle; Koru names its initial college and university partners; and 16 Washington state companies ply their wares at GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. More details: —Zulily, the latest Seattle-area IPO success, saw its shares soar 36 … Continue reading “Roundup: Zulily, BlueKai, Koru, and Washington MWC Delegation”
Seattle’s OpenCar Wants to Bring ‘Long Tail’ of Apps Into Vehicles
As we all know, there’s an app for that, whatever it is. But chances are, it’s not available for your car. So perhaps you stick with the one on your smartphone, furtively glancing down—dangerously, illegally—when you should be focused on driving. OpenCar, a Seattle startup, has an audacious goal that could help solve that problem, … Continue reading “Seattle’s OpenCar Wants to Bring ‘Long Tail’ of Apps Into Vehicles”
Roundup: Front Desk, Context Relevant, Principle Power & More
Seattle tech news stories that have caught our attention in the last week or so include a Series A funding for Front Desk, a big data security partnership for Context Relevant, a milestone for SNUPI Technologies, a step forward for Principle Power’s proposed wind farm off the Oregon coast, and nice recognition for Exo Labs. … Continue reading “Roundup: Front Desk, Context Relevant, Principle Power & More”
Could Future Car2go Trips Take You to Bellevue in a Black Mercedes?
After a successful first year of service in Seattle, car2go—the pay-as-you-go, free-floating car rental service from German automaker Daimler AG—is researching the potential for expansion to the Eastside and a new business model that would appear to put it more directly in competition with the likes of Zipcar. The company, which rents the diminutive blue … Continue reading “Could Future Car2go Trips Take You to Bellevue in a Black Mercedes?”
To Attract Tech Workers, Developer Envisions the City in the Suburbs
Can a real estate developer create the feeling of an urban neighborhood, complete with its grit and culture, in the suburbs? Assuming it’s possible would such a place attract the kind of employees that technology companies today are competing to hire? That’s the challenge venerable Seattle real estate developer Wright Runstad & Company has set … Continue reading “To Attract Tech Workers, Developer Envisions the City in the Suburbs”
More Nuance From Moz CTO on AWS, Private Cloud Decision
Moz’s chief technology officer says the Seattle marketing technology company is still using Amazon Web Services (AWS), and other public cloud computing services, for some specific tasks. The comments from CTO Anthony Skinner add nuance to Thursday’s post from CEO Sarah Bird, in which she described Moz’ decision to move off of AWS in a … Continue reading “More Nuance From Moz CTO on AWS, Private Cloud Decision”
Moz Dumps Amazon Web Services, Citing Expense and ‘Lacking’ Service
[Updated, 1/31/14, 12:01 pm] Seattle marketing technology company Moz had a worse-than-expected 2013 in terms of profitability and products. But what really jumped out at me in the privately held company’s startlingly frank review of the year was new CEO Sarah Bird’s blunt criticism of Amazon Web Services (AWS), which she says the company is … Continue reading “Moz Dumps Amazon Web Services, Citing Expense and ‘Lacking’ Service”
Seattle Roundup: PNNL, ADA, Donuts, Syntonic Wireless, Scout, Sparq
Catching up on the latest non-Super Bowl related tech news: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is adding to its already substantial advanced energy research program; Ada Developers Academy is off to a solid start with great local support; Donuts is rolling out generic top-level domains including .HOLDINGS and .PLUMBING, with more to come; Syntonic Wireless has … Continue reading “Seattle Roundup: PNNL, ADA, Donuts, Syntonic Wireless, Scout, Sparq”
The New Internet Economy: A Chat With Alibaba CTO Wang Jian
Don’t compare Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba Group to Amazon, eBay, Google, or other U.S. Internet giants. Think bigger. Think Walmart. Yet even Walmart doesn’t quite capture the scale or nature of Alibaba’s operations. To CTO Wang Jian, who visited Seattle this week, Alibaba provides such a fundamental, all-encompassing service to the modern economy that it’s … Continue reading “The New Internet Economy: A Chat With Alibaba CTO Wang Jian”
Angel Group Looks Beyond Northwest Energy With New Name: Element 8
After eight years funding a growing array of cleantech companies in the Northwest and beyond, Northwest Energy Angels is renaming itself Element 8 in a bid to signal its broader industry and geographic focus. Members of the Seattle-based group invested about $3.8 million in 13 companies last year, hailing from Washington, Oregon, California, Montana, Maryland, … Continue reading “Angel Group Looks Beyond Northwest Energy With New Name: Element 8”
Recycling a Phone at EcoATM Is an Easy Route To Feeling Green
I’ve been standing at an EcoATM in the Pacific Place mall in Seattle for about four minutes, when the machine that promises to pay cash for phones, MP3 players, and tablets suddenly tells me something that makes me feel better about myself. “An average of three tons of toxic mining waste is generated just to … Continue reading “Recycling a Phone at EcoATM Is an Easy Route To Feeling Green”
Juno Deal Drives Standout Quarter for VC Investment in Seattle
Venture capitalists invested $893.4 million in Seattle-area companies last year, the most since 2007, according to the latest MoneyTree Report. The fourth quarter in particular was a standout with $485.2 million invested—more than half the year’s total—in 36 deals, thanks largely to the $120 million Series A round raised by cancer immunotherapy company Juno Therapeutics, … Continue reading “Juno Deal Drives Standout Quarter for VC Investment in Seattle”
Murray: Better Internet Access In Seattle Is a ‘Moral Obligation’
In the aftermath of Gigabit Seattle’s flame-out, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray is re-opening the door to “a municipal broadband solution,” casting it as a “moral obligation” in addition to an imperative for the city’s economic health. Gigabit Seattle was announced with much fanfare in late 2012. Gigabit Squared, the private company selected for the pilot … Continue reading “Murray: Better Internet Access In Seattle Is a ‘Moral Obligation’”
Evocalize Raises $3M From Madrona To Spur Better Consumer Conversations
Evocalize, a startup that moved from Austin, TX, to Seattle, has raised $3 million from Madrona Venture Group to help companies ask better questions of their customers. The Series A round will allow Evocalize, formerly known as DishOpinion, to grow its base of large business customers, and its technology platform, says co-founder and chief product … Continue reading “Evocalize Raises $3M From Madrona To Spur Better Consumer Conversations”
Seattle Roundup: Remitly, PlaceFull, Kymeta, UIEvolution, Ador
Time to catch up on a handful of Seattle-area technology news, including new funds for Remitly and Placeful, a partnership between Kymeta and UIEvolution, and an acquisition of Ador, formerly known as Lockerz. The details: —Remitly, the Seattle startup working to reinvent international money transfers, has raised a $5.5 million Series A funding round led … Continue reading “Seattle Roundup: Remitly, PlaceFull, Kymeta, UIEvolution, Ador”
SNUPI Technologies Raises $7.5M from WRF, Madrona to Take Wally to Market
SNUPI Technologies, the Seattle startup commercializing sensor networks and home health monitoring services, has raised a $7.5 million Series A to commercialize its first product, WallyHome. The investment round was led by Washington Research Foundation Capital, joined by Madrona Venture Group, the Seattle firm that led the company’s $1.7 million seed funding round in December … Continue reading “SNUPI Technologies Raises $7.5M from WRF, Madrona to Take Wally to Market”
Talk Among Yourselves: A Washington State Carbon Tax Outlook
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee got Republicans and Democrats to talk in 2013 about proposals to meet the state’s carbon emissions reduction goals. Expect more talk, but little action in 2014. Olympia watchers do see prospects for movement on a few smaller issues important to the Washington clean technology and energy sectors, and technology companies broadly. … Continue reading “Talk Among Yourselves: A Washington State Carbon Tax Outlook”
Despite Benefits, Biogas Systems Face Challenges at Wisconsin Dairies
Wisconsin is already a leading producer of energy from dairy waste, and sunny industry reports suggest the opportunity for the number of digesters in the U.S. to grow more than tenfold in the next decade to a mature market worth nearly $3 billion a year. But today, the market for anaerobic digesters—covered lagoons or tanks … Continue reading “Despite Benefits, Biogas Systems Face Challenges at Wisconsin Dairies”
Roundup: Maveron Fundraising; Vidible & Doxo Funded; NWEN’s Future?
We know the holidays are over because Starbucks has switched its cups back to white. 2013 closed with word of a new fund for Maveron, funding for video marketplace Vidible and paperless billing provider Doxo. As 2014 revs up, we’re watching for the next iteration of the Northwest Entrepreneur Network. Read on for details of … Continue reading “Roundup: Maveron Fundraising; Vidible & Doxo Funded; NWEN’s Future?”
Where Electronic Devices Go to Die, and Be Reborn
Millions of people are today enjoying new electronic devices, becoming familiar with a tablet, phone, PC, or television that was waiting under the tree. But just as this year’s bounty displaces a generation of older devices, so too will these new toys eventually be made to seem obsolete. They will reside in a box in … Continue reading “Where Electronic Devices Go to Die, and Be Reborn”
Roundup: DreamBox, Resolution Tube, & Qazzow Funded; U District Startups
‘Twas the week before Christmas and Seattle-area entrepreneurs filled their stockings with venture capital. Another local ed-tech company, DreamBox Learning, pulled down a significant early-stage funding round. Two companies taking different approaches to customer service in very different industries—Resolution Tube and Qazzow—each landed venture funding. And the U District got some more attention as a … Continue reading “Roundup: DreamBox, Resolution Tube, & Qazzow Funded; U District Startups”
Seattle Startup Koru Takes On Tech Training, Hiring for Recent Grads
Think of Koru, a Seattle startup bridging the worlds of education and high-tech recruitment, as akin to a study-abroad program paired with a high-powered internship for recent graduates looking to burst into tech, but facing a dismal employment picture. The company landed a $4.35 million investment, which we reported in October when it was going … Continue reading “Seattle Startup Koru Takes On Tech Training, Hiring for Recent Grads”
Energy Angels Provide Key Support for Cleantech Innovation in NW and Beyond
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee heaped praise on Seattle energy storage materials maker EnerG2 as he celebrated the University of Washington’s Clean Energy Institute last week. As we’ve reported, the company is a fine example of innovation from a university lab translating to a cleantech job creator. It’s a model Inslee, university leaders, and area investors … Continue reading “Energy Angels Provide Key Support for Cleantech Innovation in NW and Beyond”
Seattle Renewable Energy Forecaster 3TIER Acquired by Vaisala for $14.7M
[Updated throughout 12/17/13, 1:19 p.m.] 3TIER, the Seattle-based provider of weather forecasting and other information to the renewable energy industry, has been acquired by Vaisala, a Finnish measurement company, in a deal worth about $14.7 million. “3TIER will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Vaisala, so you will still interact with 3TIER as you … Continue reading “Seattle Renewable Energy Forecaster 3TIER Acquired by Vaisala for $14.7M”
Kymeta Sees ‘Clear Path’ Ahead After Successful Antenna Demonstration
Kymeta, the spinout from Intellectual Ventures making thin, light-weight satellite antennae with engineered metamaterials, has completed a key demonstration, taking it one big step closer to commercialization in 2015. A prototype antenna in Vancouver, B.C., established a two-way Internet connection with a Ka-band satellite, the company says. It was able to stream video and carry … Continue reading “Kymeta Sees ‘Clear Path’ Ahead After Successful Antenna Demonstration”
Inslee Opens UW Clean Energy Institute, Targets Carbon Regulation
Gov. Jay Inslee, inaugurating a new Clean Energy Institute at the University of Washington on Thursday, reaffirmed his calls for a price on carbon dioxide emissions in the state. Having secured $6 million from the state Legislature for the inter-disciplinary institute, a feat Inslee describes as “a dream come true for me,” he is turning … Continue reading “Inslee Opens UW Clean Energy Institute, Targets Carbon Regulation”
Roundup: UIEvolution, Shippable Score Funds; Outerwall Layoffs & More
Following the big $32 million funding round for Chef, another Seattle-area company working on automating software development—Shippable—has scored funding. Also in this week’s roundup: More investment for UIEvolution; cost- and job-cuts at kiosk operator Outerwall; a changing landscape in Seattle’s broadband market; and a development partnership for Optimum Energy. Read on for details: —Kirkland, WA-based … Continue reading “Roundup: UIEvolution, Shippable Score Funds; Outerwall Layoffs & More”
With $32M, Opscode Becomes ‘Chef’ and Serves ‘New IT’ Platform
The fast-growing Seattle software maker formerly known as Opscode is building a broad platform to serve up a new model of enterprise IT, not just a tool for automating cloud computing deployments. That’s part of the reason the company is adopting Chef as its new name. And the opportunity inherent in a platform that serves … Continue reading “With $32M, Opscode Becomes ‘Chef’ and Serves ‘New IT’ Platform”