Could those addictive crop-farming and city-building games on Facebook dispense real money someday? It’s coming, and sooner than you might think. On Wednesday afternoon, amid a poor quarterly earnings report, social game leader Zynga said it plans to incorporate real-money gambling for players outside the U.S. next year. And, although the regulations are still not … Continue reading “As Zynga Eyes Gambling, Betable Offers Small Devs Some Action”
Author: Curt Woodward
Curt covered technology and innovation in the Boston area for Xconomy. He previously worked in Xconomy’s Seattle bureau and continued some coverage of Seattle-area tech companies, including Amazon and Microsoft.
Curt joined Xconomy in February 2011 after nearly nine years with The Associated Press, the world's largest news organization. He worked in three states and covered a wide variety of beats for the AP, including business, law, politics, government, and general mayhem.
A native Washingtonian, Curt earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA. As a past president of the state's Capitol Correspondents Association, he led efforts to expand statehouse press credentialing to online news outlets for the first time.
Big Fish Games Hooks New Revenue Streams with Cloud Service
Seattle’s Big Fish Games, a multimillion-dollar company that publishes and distributes casual video games, is taking a big step into the future of connected entertainment. After months of work, Big Fish is unveiling a streaming game service called Big Fish Unlimited that lets players move seamlessly between their laptop, tablet, and smartphone. The subscription service, … Continue reading “Big Fish Games Hooks New Revenue Streams with Cloud Service”
Mobile Game Startup Z2Live Gets New CEO
Z2Live, a publisher of top-grossing mobile games, is getting a leadership change. The company says it has promoted operations chief Lou Fasulo to CEO, with co-founder and previous CEO David Bluhm moving into the role of chairman. In its announcement about the change, Z2Live says Bluhm will “focus on working with Z2Live’s board and Lou … Continue reading “Mobile Game Startup Z2Live Gets New CEO”
New CEO for Lighter Capital, Founder Sack Moves to Exec Chairman
Seattle’s Lighter Capital exists to fill some holes in the usual models for financing young companies. And with that mission comes some criticism of the venture capital playbook—namely, a VC’s focus on billion-dollar opportunities and constant search for lucrative exits. So it’s a little interesting that the alternative-financing startup had recruited a former VC to … Continue reading “New CEO for Lighter Capital, Founder Sack Moves to Exec Chairman”
Yapta Taps Business Travel Veteran as New CEO
Airline price-tracking startup Yapta has found its new CEO: James Filsinger, a travel industry veteran who will be in charge of growing the Seattle company’s footprint in the big-bucks market for business services. Filsinger comes to Yapta after a short stint running EZYield.com, which helped hotels sell their rooms online by giving managers a single … Continue reading “Yapta Taps Business Travel Veteran as New CEO”
T-Mobile’s Bobsled Tackles the App Market, Racks Up 2M Users
You’d have to be a little nuts to tackle a new voice and messaging service for a wireless carrier. Sure, those have been the carriers’ bread-and-butter services for many years. But these days, revenues from voice and text services are dropping like a brick—a decline that’s being hastened along by Internet-based alternatives from smartphone companies … Continue reading “T-Mobile’s Bobsled Tackles the App Market, Racks Up 2M Users”
Venture Investment Hits Highest Level Since Dot-Com Era
Venture capitalists invested some $8.1 billion in more than 800 deals in the second quarter, registering the highest such total in more than a decade, according to a new report from the analysts at CB Insights. The totals represent a fairly modest uptick from the second quarter last year: A 5 percent rise in dollars, … Continue reading “Venture Investment Hits Highest Level Since Dot-Com Era”
DocuSign Raises Another $47.5M
Updated 7/13 DocuSign, a well-funded provider of software that captures and transmits electronic signatures, has raised nearly $47.5 million in additional financing to pay for continued growth. The investment, which puts total financing in DocuSign above $100 million, was led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Accel Partners, Comcast Ventures, and SAP Ventures also invested in … Continue reading “DocuSign Raises Another $47.5M”
Microsoft Confirms Bing Fund, a New Angel Investment Vehicle
Microsoft’s enthusiasm for early stage companies is getting turned up another notch. Today, the company is pulling back the curtain on its new Bing Fund, an angel investment program targeting online and mobile startups. The fund is headed by Rahul Sood, a former entrepreneur who sold niche computer maker VoodooPC to Hewlett-Packard in 2006. Details … Continue reading “Microsoft Confirms Bing Fund, a New Angel Investment Vehicle”
Asteroid Miners to Hitch Rides on Richard Branson’s New Rocket
Planetary Resources, a startup that hopes to mine precious materials from asteroids, is partnering with a leading name in private space exploration: Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic. The deal calls for Bellevue, WA-based Planetary Resources to use Virgin Galactic’s new LauncherOne spacecraft to send “constellations” of its telescopes into orbit near the Earth. Those telescopes are … Continue reading “Asteroid Miners to Hitch Rides on Richard Branson’s New Rocket”
Ubi Interactive Bets on Kinect, Finds a New Home in Seattle
Last Christmas was not shaping up to be a banner holiday season for Anup Chathoth. Sick and cooped up at home, the young entrepreneur was contemplating how he could revive an idea that he’d been crunching for several months. Chathoth and his partner, Chao Zhang, were trying to make a new device that could turn … Continue reading “Ubi Interactive Bets on Kinect, Finds a New Home in Seattle”
UW’s Computer Science Hiring Spree Nets More Kudos
It’s been a rough few years for state-supported entities in Washington, as tax collections still haven’t rebounded from the Great Recession. Among the most visible victims has been the University of Washington, which has seen its state tax funding drop by about half over the past several years. But recently, the UW has been making … Continue reading “UW’s Computer Science Hiring Spree Nets More Kudos”
RealNetworks CEO Nielsen Out, Glaser Back as Interim Chief
The latest makeover at RealNetworks is over before it really got started. This afternoon—just before a holiday, of course—the Seattle-based company reported that president and CEO Thomas Nielsen had resigned, and would be replaced on an interim basis by founder Rob Glaser. There’s a particular emphasis on the “interim,” with Glaser reporting in the company’s … Continue reading “RealNetworks CEO Nielsen Out, Glaser Back as Interim Chief”
Context Relevant Raises $1.3M to Democratize Data Science
From DNA sequencing to high finance to time-wasting games, our ever-growing networks of powerful computers are generating piles of data about virtually every facet of life. That makes it a pretty good time to be a high-level data scientist. Stephen Purpura should know—he’s one of them. Educated at Harvard and Cornell, the former Microsoftie has seen the … Continue reading “Context Relevant Raises $1.3M to Democratize Data Science”
Avalara Rings Up $20M Growth Round Led by Battery Ventures
Fast-growing sales tax software provider Avalara wasn’t out looking for additional investment cash, after raising a $21 million round just last year. But when Battery Ventures came knocking, the Bainbridge Island, WA, company couldn’t say no. “They’d researched the market, they’d researched Avalara, they’d really done a lot of homework. And they came to us … Continue reading “Avalara Rings Up $20M Growth Round Led by Battery Ventures”
Inspired by a New Baby, OfferUp Aims to Simplify Selling Used Stuff
Having kids can change a lot of things in life—an experience Nick Huzar knows quite well. Last year, after Huzar and his wife found out they were expecting a child, he jumped into the task of arranging a nursery. “I went into dad mode, and I had this room of stuff that I wanted to … Continue reading “Inspired by a New Baby, OfferUp Aims to Simplify Selling Used Stuff”
Status-Report Startup Thinkfuse Acquired by Salesforce
The trend of enterprise software consolidation marches on. On the same day that Microsoft confirmed its $1.2 billion buyout of corporate communication platform Yammer, Seattle startup Thinkfuse announced that it’s being acquired by Salesforce.com. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. It doesn’t sound like the Thinkfuse product will be ported over to Salesforce—in its blog post, … Continue reading “Status-Report Startup Thinkfuse Acquired by Salesforce”
Now Hear This: Hark Racks Up Hollywood Success (and Profits)
From its earliest days, sound-sharing website Hark.com had its sights set on Hollywood. And these days, the Seattle-based startup is hitting the mark—it’s profitable, counts a growing audience, and has inked licensing partnerships with several big-name studios. But, like countless entertainment industry hopefuls before it, Hark found that the road to show-business success wasn’t always … Continue reading “Now Hear This: Hark Racks Up Hollywood Success (and Profits)”
Nuance, Swype Combine Strengths—with an Eye On More than Mobile
When Nuance acquired Seattle startup Swype last year, it wasn’t just another startup buy for the Burlington, MA-based mobile-input juggernaut. It was actually a kind of reunion, bringing together a core group of mobile veterans who had worked at Tegic Communications in the mid-1990s. If Tegic’s name doesn’t ring a bell, think back to the … Continue reading “Nuance, Swype Combine Strengths—with an Eye On More than Mobile”
$20 Million W Fund, Focusing on Research Spinouts, Open for Business
We’ve been hearing about a new investment fund for university spinouts in Washington state for close to two years. Starting today, the W Fund is officially ready to start cutting checks—and it’s already started investigating promising research projects from colleges and government R&D labs around the state. Officials say the $20 million W Fund is … Continue reading “$20 Million W Fund, Focusing on Research Spinouts, Open for Business”
Startup Weekend Expands Global Operations with New Foreign Offices
Startup Weekend has grown into a global network of entrepreneurs and mentors who flock to its 54-hour company-creating events. And despite that worldwide footprint, the nonprofit organization’s efforts have all been tied back to its hometown of Seattle—until now. Startup Weekend now says it’s now opening its first official foreign branch offices, part of a … Continue reading “Startup Weekend Expands Global Operations with New Foreign Offices”
StartupCity Connects Seattle Entrepreneurs, Looks to Keep Growing
In a city the size of Seattle, there’s still some room to spread out. And for startup companies, that can be a problem. As entrepreneurs who move on to bigger cities often lament, there’s just not as much action crackling all around town. In Seattle, you still have to spend a little more time hunting … Continue reading “StartupCity Connects Seattle Entrepreneurs, Looks to Keep Growing”
SURF Incubator Sees Tenant Base Double in 2 Months
In the first stages of creating a new company, timing can be everything. The folks behind SURF Incubator know that principle all too well. As they were trying to build a new group office for technology startups, a few of the key pieces started falling into place. An entire floor of office space in downtown … Continue reading “SURF Incubator Sees Tenant Base Double in 2 Months”
Amazon, Microsoft join Donuts in Web Name Race: .book, .xbox, .shop
Seattle-area domain-name company Donuts Inc., which raised more than $100 million to amass new Internet domains, faces some heavy competition in the race for fresh digital territory. But it also stands to own some valuable chunks of new Web real estate without a bidding war, including .email and .games. That became clear Wednesday morning when the … Continue reading “Amazon, Microsoft join Donuts in Web Name Race: .book, .xbox, .shop”
Fundraising Notes: Xenon Arc, Concurix, Red Loop
Xenon Arc, a semi-stealthy provider of software services for materials manufacturers, has filled out its Series A fundraising to a total of $22 million, CEO Chad Steigers says. The Bellevue, WA-based company had previously reported a $15 million commitment from private equity firm Weston Presidio. Steigers says new cash came in the form of options that … Continue reading “Fundraising Notes: Xenon Arc, Concurix, Red Loop”
AT&T Exec: No `Jihad’ Between Carriers & Over-the-Top Apps
Among startups and app developers, it’s pretty close to gospel that major wireless carriers are slow to adapt and hard to work with. One high-ranking AT&T executive says that’s changing, even if the pace may seem slow from the outside. “We know what’s going on. We embrace what’s going on,” says Abhi Ingle, AT&T’s vice … Continue reading “AT&T Exec: No `Jihad’ Between Carriers & Over-the-Top Apps”
Bigger Isn’t Better: Why Madrona Capped its New Fund at $300M
Madrona Venture Group could have gone bigger than $300 million for its already oversubscribed fifth venture fund. Much bigger, managing director Matt McIlwain says. So why stop raising money? Well, the few-hundred-million range has worked out pretty well for the Seattle venture firm, which focuses mostly on early stage deals for local technology entrepreneurs. Every … Continue reading “Bigger Isn’t Better: Why Madrona Capped its New Fund at $300M”
Madrona Raises $300M New Fund, Focus Stays on NW
Madrona Venture Group, one of the top VC firms in the Seattle area, has raised a new $300 million fund that will continue the firm’s focus on early stage investments in the Pacific Northwest. It’s the fifth fund for Madrona, whose previous, $250 million fund dates to 2008. In a statement, Madrona says its new fund … Continue reading “Madrona Raises $300M New Fund, Focus Stays on NW”
Donuts Chases New Crop of Internet Addresses with $100M
The rush for Internet real estate is on once again, and a new Seattle-area company says it’s raised more than $100 million in a bid for hundreds of new domain names. Donuts Inc., a startup founded by veterans in the Internet domain industry, says it has applied for the rights to 307 top-level domains in … Continue reading “Donuts Chases New Crop of Internet Addresses with $100M”
New UW Spinout Zplasma Aims to Keep Moore’s Law Humming
For years, the people who make semiconductors have been trying to unlock their industry’s next big technological leap. A fledgling company in Seattle thinks it may have an answer—and right now, it’s crammed into the basement of a University of Washington research lab. The startup, called Zplasma, has a patented method for producing the high-powered … Continue reading “New UW Spinout Zplasma Aims to Keep Moore’s Law Humming”
Safety Light Startup Illumagear Wins Seattle Angel Conference
Illumagear, a Seattle startup that has developed a hardhat-mounted “halo” light to improve safety on construction sites, won a $100,000 investment at the inaugural Seattle Angel Conference. And not a moment too soon—founder Max Baker says the infusion will help him get to work on a new prototype of his product, tackle intellectual property protection, … Continue reading “Safety Light Startup Illumagear Wins Seattle Angel Conference”
Buddy Platform Open for Business, Raises $1M for App Backend Service
Buddy Platform, a Kirkland, WA-based startup that sells back-end services for mobile apps, is now open for business and says it has raised $1 million from investors. The company was founded by two former Microsofties, David McLauchlan and Jeff MacDuff. Their investors include Transmedia Capital and Crestlight Venture Productions, along with angel investors. The startup … Continue reading “Buddy Platform Open for Business, Raises $1M for App Backend Service”
With Orders Piling Up, Zulily Built a Shipping Arm—in 8 Weeks
When you build a fast-growing business, there are bound to be a few “oh shit” moments. Darrell Cavens, the CEO of moms-and-kids retailer Zulily, knows that feeling well. Cavens runs one of the fastest growing startups in the Seattle area, a private-sales site that has amassed more than 5 million daily e-mail subscribers since launching … Continue reading “With Orders Piling Up, Zulily Built a Shipping Arm—in 8 Weeks”
Rooftop Farming Startup UrbanHarvest Wins UW Student Competition
Why pay for produce to be trucked up from California when you’ve got rooftops that could be converted to greenhouses? That’s the question posed by UrbanHarvest, a startup company founded by two University of Washington students. And as of today, they’ve got a few thousand more bucks in their pockets to help make the dream … Continue reading “Rooftop Farming Startup UrbanHarvest Wins UW Student Competition”
RealNetworks Settles Unfair Marketing Claim for $2.4M
Seattle’s RealNetworks (NASDAQ: [[ticker:RNWK]]) has agreed to pay $2.4 million to settle a lawsuit over deceptive marketing practices that Washington state’s attorney general says duped consumers into expensive monthly subscription fees. Most of that money—$2 million—goes into a pool for paying restitution to consumers. People who think they were improperly billed by the company can … Continue reading “RealNetworks Settles Unfair Marketing Claim for $2.4M”
Amazon’s Shareholder Spectacle and the Fight Over Seattle
Amazon.com’s remarkable growth is remaking the face of downtown Seattle, on a scale far different than any company before it in this city. Today, the e-commerce and cloud-computing pioneer felt some of the growing pains. Amazon’s annual shareholder meeting devolved into a bizarre standoff with liberal political activists, who hijacked the typically staid gathering to … Continue reading “Amazon’s Shareholder Spectacle and the Fight Over Seattle”
Bye, SocialEyes: Startup Drops Video Chat, Goes Mobile with Sidecar
SocialEyes, a startup with roots in RealNetworks and financial backing from Bellevue, WA’s Ignition Partners, is changing directions. The company unveiled a group video-chat service tied to Facebook just last spring. But the startup left that product in the dust a few months later, after realizing there wasn’t a clear path to making it work … Continue reading “Bye, SocialEyes: Startup Drops Video Chat, Goes Mobile with Sidecar”
Twitter Was Clueless About Spammers at First, Safety Chief Says
Ever get the feeling that social media services didn’t really think through the privacy and legal problems they might run into? Turns out, you’re probably right. Del Harvey saw it firsthand. When she joined the fledgling company in late 2008, Harvey quizzed co-founders Biz Stone and Evan Williams about how they might handle spam. “And … Continue reading “Twitter Was Clueless About Spammers at First, Safety Chief Says”
Facebook, Google+ Officials: Privacy Complaints are Sinking In
In today’s tech industry, builders rule. But there’s a real tension between creators—who want to use every tool at their disposal—and everyday users, who freak out when too much of their personal information gets vacuumed up and sprayed out into the world. The privacy leaders at Facebook and Google+ say their companies are starting to … Continue reading “Facebook, Google+ Officials: Privacy Complaints are Sinking In”
Medify Acquired by Alliance Health Networks, Will Continue to Grow
Seattle startup Medify unveiled its medical-research service last year, aiming to give patients a window into the latest and best knowledge as they navigate the medical system. The 10-person team will continue that work, but as part of a larger company following an acquisition by Alliance Health Networks, a Salt Lake City-based operator of health-focused social … Continue reading “Medify Acquired by Alliance Health Networks, Will Continue to Grow”
Seattle Angel Conference Names Six Finalists
With just a few weeks left until its big demo day, organizers of the Seattle Angel Conference are announcing the finalists competing for an investment of about $100,000. And it’s a pretty wide range of startups, from tools for software developers to outdoor clothing and even neighborhood grocery stores. I wrote about the Seattle Angel … Continue reading “Seattle Angel Conference Names Six Finalists”
Microsoft’s Bing: Favorite Ally for Social Networks Scared of Google
With its latest attempt to make a dent in Web search market, Microsoft is once again showing its true value in the social networking age: a safe place to turn for other tech companies wary of Google. On Thursday, Microsoft (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MSFT]]) detailed upcoming changes to its Bing search engine, which holds a small slice of … Continue reading “Microsoft’s Bing: Favorite Ally for Social Networks Scared of Google”
Amazon Takes Over: How a Flood of People Could Remake Seattle
In Seattle, the future is pretty easy to find. Just head to Amazon.com’s neighborhood. Just a few years ago, this corner of the city was dominated by warehouses and cheap rentals. It was a mostly forgotten area, infamous for the rush-hour traffic that piled up as drivers fled to the freeway. Today, the place is … Continue reading “Amazon Takes Over: How a Flood of People Could Remake Seattle”
Elemental Technologies Grabs $13M to Expand in Video Processing
For your average digital consumer, Internet-connected video is no longer a revolutionary thing. It’s now simply a staple of the modern media diet, and one that will get even more ubiquitous as consumers gobble up the latest generations of smartphones and tablets. Things are a little different, however, for companies that built their video expertise … Continue reading “Elemental Technologies Grabs $13M to Expand in Video Processing”
Yapta Continues Makeover With Corporate Airfare Tracker FareIQ
Five years into its existence, online airfare tracker Yapta is going through a major overhaul. The company is searching for a permanent CEO, after co-founder Tom Romary stepped down late last year. And for the last six months, its team has been building a new product that could be a major turning point for the … Continue reading “Yapta Continues Makeover With Corporate Airfare Tracker FareIQ”
Zillow Buys RentJuice for $40M, Reports Record Revenue
Zillow, one of the country’s leading online real-estate companies, is acquiring San Francisco-based RentJuice to beef up its growing professional services business. Zillow is paying $40 million in cash for the smaller company, which is the second acquisition Zillow has made since going public last July. In a statement, Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff said the … Continue reading “Zillow Buys RentJuice for $40M, Reports Record Revenue”
Amazon Expands Content-Creation Play with Original TV Show Project
Amazon.com’s ambitions in signing up content creators are taking another step forward. The company is now showing off the details of its new TV programming project for Amazon Studios, an entertainment division that had thus far been focused on developing movie scripts. Any shows would be piped to viewers over Amazon’s streaming video service, which … Continue reading “Amazon Expands Content-Creation Play with Original TV Show Project”
SEOmoz Raises $18M from Brad Feld, Sees a Possible Path to IPO
SEOmoz, the Seattle-based provider of online marketing software, has raised $18 million in venture financing to fuel its expansion in the growing sectors of social media, online publishing, and search engine optimization. The profitable company, always refreshingly open about its performance, says it doubled revenue last year to $11.7 million and is projecting revenue growth … Continue reading “SEOmoz Raises $18M from Brad Feld, Sees a Possible Path to IPO”
Big Fish Games Founder Thelen Back in CEO Job
Updated 4:15 pm with comment The surprising announcement that Big Fish Games CEO Jeremy Lewis was stepping aside was a planned change of power that puts the focus on founder Paul Thelen’s expertise in gaming and product development, Thelen says. “It was in the planning with both Jeremy and myself, and the board, for a … Continue reading “Big Fish Games Founder Thelen Back in CEO Job”
Fledge, a New Social Enterprise Incubator, Opening in Seattle
Could Seattle become a center of innovation for social enterprise? Mobile and tech startup veteran Michael “Luni” Libes is betting on it with Fledge, a new incubator aimed at fostering companies that hope to improve society. Libes is calling these ventures “conscious companies,” and the second part of that phrase is key—Seattle-based Fledge is not … Continue reading “Fledge, a New Social Enterprise Incubator, Opening in Seattle”