It’s one of the bigger tech funding rounds as of late. And, not too surprisingly, it’s in the mobile sector. Bothell, WA-based Dexterra, a maker of software that helps businesses manage mobile workflow, has announced it has closed a $21.5 million investment round led by New Enterprise Associates, with previous investors Canaan Partners, Intel Capital, … Continue reading “Dexterra Raises $21.5 Million, Affirms Growing Market for Mobile Business Software”
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.
Nathan Myhrvold & Co. on Tour as Intellectual Ventures Opens Offices Across Asia
When I visited Nathan Myhrvold in the summertime, he lamented that he wasn’t able to attend the Olympics in Beijing (though he did provide some insight into the physics of ping-pong matches). But this week and next, Myhrvold is taking a grander tour of Asia, as his Bellevue, WA-based invention company, Intellectual Ventures, opens a … Continue reading “Nathan Myhrvold & Co. on Tour as Intellectual Ventures Opens Offices Across Asia”
Microsoft Opening Three-Headed Search Technology Center in Europe to Challenge Google
When corporate R&D rains, it pours. On the heels of Intel Research Seattle’s annual open house, an even bigger tech giant across Lake Washington is stirring up some serious action across the pond. Microsoft announced today it is opening a European Search Technology Center, with three main offices in the Paris, London, and Munich areas. … Continue reading “Microsoft Opening Three-Headed Search Technology Center in Europe to Challenge Google”
Digini Discloses Funding Round, Release Date
Issaquah, WA-based Digini, a maker of video-game development tools, announced it has closed an institutional investment from California Technology Ventures, a venture capital fund. The amount was not disclosed. Digini also announced it is releasing Blade3D, a tool for developing Windows and Xbox 360 games, on October 29.
Personal Robots, Home Sensing, Private Networks, and More from Intel Research Seattle’s Open House
Want wireless power? Better network privacy? Automated elder care? You’ve come to the right place. That place is the 2008 Intel Research Seattle open house, which I had the opportunity to attend yesterday afternoon. I had gotten a sneak preview the day before from lab director David Wetherall, and just before hitting the demos, I … Continue reading “Personal Robots, Home Sensing, Private Networks, and More from Intel Research Seattle’s Open House”
Intel’s Global Research Head, Andrew Chien, Sizes Up the State of West Coast Innovation
My last memory of Andrew Chien might be wrestling with him on the living room floor circa 1981. Growing up in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, his family and mine were friends. Chien grew up to be a professor of computer science at his hometown University of Illinois, then a professor of computer science and engineering at the … Continue reading “Intel’s Global Research Head, Andrew Chien, Sizes Up the State of West Coast Innovation”
RealNetworks Vs. Hollywood: Let the DVD Lawsuits Begin
Digital rights management, here we go again. First, it was the music industry. Now Seattle-based RealNetworks and Hollywood’s big movie studios are suing one another in California federal court, after yesterday’s release of RealDVD on RealNetworks’ site. The software, which costs $30, allows DVD users to make copies of their videos on their computer and … Continue reading “RealNetworks Vs. Hollywood: Let the DVD Lawsuits Begin”
Bezos Expeditions Backs ZocDoc
New York-based ZocDoc, a healthcare startup that helps you find doctors and book appointments online, announced it has expanded its Series A investors to include Jeff Bezos from Amazon.com and Marc Benioff from SalesForce.com. Financial terms were not disclosed. Last month, ZocDoc announced it had raised $3.3 million, led by Khosla Ventures.
Director of Intel Research Seattle Focuses on Game-Changing Technologies, Opening New Markets
On a clear day, David Wetherall can see Mount Rainier from his desk. On a clearer day, he can see the future of Intel. OK, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration. But Wetherall, the director of Intel Research Seattle, has certainly been charged with leading an exploratory research effort for the chip-making giant—blue-sky, “off-roadmap” … Continue reading “Director of Intel Research Seattle Focuses on Game-Changing Technologies, Opening New Markets”
Heller Ehrman Lays Off 139; Tech Law Firm Is Dissolving
There has been a lot of bad news already this week. Now Xconomy has learned that the global law firm Heller Ehrman has laid off 139 workers in its Seattle office, effective November 28, according to Washington State’s Employment Security Department. This comes on the heels of the news that the company’s partners have voted … Continue reading “Heller Ehrman Lays Off 139; Tech Law Firm Is Dissolving”
Wireless Info Tech Acquired by VanceInfo
San Diego-based Wireless Info Tech, a mobile testing and applications company, has agreed to be acquired by Beijing, China-based VanceInfo, an IT services provider and software development firm. The deal is worth $1.08 million in cash plus restricted stock. It is seen as a strategic move that could strengthen VanceInfo’s position in the U.S. mobile … Continue reading “Wireless Info Tech Acquired by VanceInfo”
Amazon Teams Up With Google, MOD Systems Scores $35M, RescueTime Raises Series A, & More Seattle-Area Deals News
Coming off a turbulent week in the financial markets, there were still plenty of deals getting done in Seattle with software, digital media, and biotechnology companies. —Amazon’s MP3 music store will be pre-loaded onto the G1, the first mobile phone to run Google’s Android operating system. The deal is being viewed as a push by … Continue reading “Amazon Teams Up With Google, MOD Systems Scores $35M, RescueTime Raises Series A, & More Seattle-Area Deals News”
Second Avenue Partners’ Keith Grinstein Dies at Age 48
Xconomy is sad to report that Keith Grinstein, a major figure in the Seattle-area innovation community, passed away suddenly last night from an apparent heart attack. He was 48. Grinstein was a founding partner in Seattle-based Second Avenue Partners, a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage technology deals. He was also a strategic advisor … Continue reading “Second Avenue Partners’ Keith Grinstein Dies at Age 48”
2008 IEEE International Conference on Image Processing
The International Conference on Image Processing (ICIP), sponsored by the IEEE Signal Processing Society, is the premier forum for the presentation of technological advances and research results in the fields of theoretical, experimental, and applied image and video processing. ICIP-2008, the 15th in a series held annually since 1994, will bring together leading engineers and … Continue reading “2008 IEEE International Conference on Image Processing”
Voyager Capital Founders Discuss Investment Strategy, Connected Computing, and the Future of Venture Firms
Bill McAleer and Enrique Godreau remind me of an old couple. They’ve been through the ups and downs together. They’ve raised three children (OK, venture funds) in the past 10 years. They even sometimes finish each other’s sentences. And together they’ve built Voyager Capital into one of the most forward-looking venture firms in town. First, … Continue reading “Voyager Capital Founders Discuss Investment Strategy, Connected Computing, and the Future of Venture Firms”
Test Driving the Tesla Roadster, and Glimpsing the Future of Electric Cars
The idea of electric vehicles is in the crisp Northwest air these days—and the vehicles are on the road. Earlier this week, we reported that Seattle-based V2Green, which makes software to manage the charging of plug-in electric vehicles, was acquired by Virginia-based GridPoint. V2Green is part of a pilot study being run by Seattle City … Continue reading “Test Driving the Tesla Roadster, and Glimpsing the Future of Electric Cars”
Monetizing Web Services with WidgetBucks (and Others) at the Westin
I’ve always thought “Web services” is a boring name for one of the most lucrative areas of tech-business innovation. The term encompasses many interactions on the Internet—everything from Web-based software to shopping to social networks. A big question these days is how to monetize these Web services, and how to get revenue from all the … Continue reading “Monetizing Web Services with WidgetBucks (and Others) at the Westin”
MOD Systems Scores $35M Equity Investment from Toshiba, NCR, Others
Why is it still such a hassle to download movies, TV shows, and other digital content to your computer or mobile device? A local company has been trying to solve one aspect of this problem—how to do it in retail stores—and now it has scored some big partners who could make a difference. Seattle-based MOD … Continue reading “MOD Systems Scores $35M Equity Investment from Toshiba, NCR, Others”
IRobot To Deliver 165 More PackBots, Spare Parts to U.S. Army
The orders keep rolling in for iRobot. The Bedford, MA-based robot maker announced today that it has received two more orders from the U.S. Army involving its PackBot 510. The first is a $5.8 million order for spare parts and accessories for the robot, which soldiers use to detect roadside bombs and other hazards. The … Continue reading “IRobot To Deliver 165 More PackBots, Spare Parts to U.S. Army”
Pressplane Raises $1.7 Million, Stays Stealthy
Kelly Smith is at it again. The co-founder of Seattle-based Curious Office Partners and Imagekind (which was sold to CafePress in July) announced today that his latest startup, Pressplane, has closed a Series A financing round worth $1.7 million. The round was led by Second Avenue Partners and includes a who’s who of investors with … Continue reading “Pressplane Raises $1.7 Million, Stays Stealthy”
Evri Opens to the Public, Wants Your Browsing Feedback
Seattle-based Evri has announced its beta site is open and ready for user feedback. Evri, which is backed by Vulcan Capital, wants to make the Web better for browsing by understanding connections between people, products, places, and things—and providing pages and widgets to recommend relevant content.
V2Green Bought by GridPoint
GridPoint, an Arlington, VA-based cleantech firm, announced it has acquired Seattle-based V2Green as the first step in its acquisition strategy. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. V2Green makes software and other technologies for integrating plug-in vehicles with the electric grid.
In Google’s Phone, a Major Clash Between Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft Heats Up
Updated Sep. 24 (see below): OK, this is getting good. Yesterday’s announcement that Amazon’s MP3 music store will be pre-loaded onto the G1—the first mobile phone to be powered by Google’s Android operating system—makes the future of music and other mobile services you can get on your phone delectably messy. The deal also drives home … Continue reading “In Google’s Phone, a Major Clash Between Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft Heats Up”
RescueTime Raises $900K
Seattle-based RescueTime, a maker of Web-based time management software, has announced it has closed a Series A round led by True Ventures. Several angels also participated, including Tim Ferriss, Mike Koss, Chris Sacca, and Mike Seckler. RescueTime, which got seed funding from Y Combinator, lets you monitor the amount of time you spend on various … Continue reading “RescueTime Raises $900K”
U.S. Genomics Gets $4.5M, Enters Partnership
Woburn, MA-based U.S. Genomics, a maker of single-molecule technologies for biodefense and diagnostics, announced today it has raised $4.5 million in private equity funding from Becton, Dickinson & Co. The deal marks the start of a strategic partnership between the firms to develop an infectious-disease diagnostic platform.
Microsoft Makes Moves, Cocrystal Collects Cash, Washington and Oregon Win Water-Power Grants, & More Seattle-Area Deals News
Even with the upheaval in the financial markets, there was no shortage of deals and other news from the Northwest in the past week. Biotech, software, media, and renewable-energy ventures were all represented. —Seattle-based Cocrystal Discovery raised a $10 million venture round, as Luke reported. The round was led by The Frost Group, based in … Continue reading “Microsoft Makes Moves, Cocrystal Collects Cash, Washington and Oregon Win Water-Power Grants, & More Seattle-Area Deals News”
Chatterous Chats About Happy Hours, Investors, and Moving to San Francisco
It must be the weather—or rather, the climate. How else to explain another tech startup with Seattle roots moving to the San Francisco Bay Area? Last week I heard from DocVerse, a collaborative-document software company, which relocated from the Seattle area to San Francisco this summer after raising a round of funding from Bay Area … Continue reading “Chatterous Chats About Happy Hours, Investors, and Moving to San Francisco”
The Italian Job, Part One: Startup Designer H-Farm Comes to Seattle
Sometimes you just have to write the story even when you don’t know all the details yet. This is one of those times. This is the story of H-Farm, an Italian design and investment firm, coming to America. But it’s only Part One of the story—a preview, really. That’s because it won’t be until next … Continue reading “The Italian Job, Part One: Startup Designer H-Farm Comes to Seattle”
Oregon Entrepreneurs Network Names Award Winners
Last night, the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network announced the winners of the 2008 Tom Holce Awards for entrepreneurship at its 15th annual awards ceremony. The award for individual achievement went to Doug Fieldhouse of Portland, OR-based Vesta, an electronic payment firm. The development-stage company of the year was Hillsboro, OR-based ClearEdge Power. The working-capital stage winner … Continue reading “Oregon Entrepreneurs Network Names Award Winners”
Wishpot Wants Your Wish List to Go Everywhere With You on the Web
Max Ciccotosto has entrepreneurship in his blood. A native of Italy, his parents ran a business in the old country. While in college at the University of Bologna, Ciccotosto ran a “junior enterprise” company (the system no longer exists in Italy) that handled networking and IT for small companies. He came to Seattle in 1999 … Continue reading “Wishpot Wants Your Wish List to Go Everywhere With You on the Web”
Pacific Northwest Researchers Win Funding from U.S. Department of Energy for Three Water-Power Projects
In the Northwest, it’s all about the hydro. Today, the U.S. Department of Energy announced grants to 14 research teams around the country, with the goal of developing cleaner, cheaper, and more reliable alternative energy sources based on water power. Three of the contracts will be based in Washington and Oregon, which have traditionally been … Continue reading “Pacific Northwest Researchers Win Funding from U.S. Department of Energy for Three Water-Power Projects”
Seattle Tech Investors Urge Caution in the Face of Market Meltdown, “Unprecedented Times”
It’s what everyone’s talking about. Whether you’re an investor, a private equity firm, or a startup trying to find your way, the financial crisis on Wall Street is hitting home. But beyond the large-scale layoffs and reorganizations, what will be the true impact in innovation circles? I spoke this week with a few investors in … Continue reading “Seattle Tech Investors Urge Caution in the Face of Market Meltdown, “Unprecedented Times””
Bill Gates, Arch Venture Back Biofuel Maker Sapphire Energy
Algae-based biofuel is getting pretty big—at least as an investment. Today, the Wall Street Journal reports that San Diego-based Sapphire Energy has closed a round of venture financing from Bill Gates’s investment arm, Kirkland, WA-based Cascade Investment. Sapphire Energy, which is working on oil-producing algae, has now raised a total of $100 million, and is … Continue reading “Bill Gates, Arch Venture Back Biofuel Maker Sapphire Energy”
iLike Launches Music Platform for Developers
Seattle-based iLike has announced it has launched a platform to allow website and application developers to add playlists and other interactive music services. Best known for its music application on Facebook and other social sites, iLike has signed up some big partners like Google and Evite for the new launch.
Bay Area Is Like Hollywood for Startups, Says Seattle Entrepreneur Who Moved to San Francisco
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been exploring the relationship between tech startups in Seattle and investors in the San Francisco Bay Area. We ran a story about what Seattle entrepreneurs can do to attract more attention from Bay Area VCs, and then a follow-up about whether there might be a brain drain of … Continue reading “Bay Area Is Like Hollywood for Startups, Says Seattle Entrepreneur Who Moved to San Francisco”
Cray, Microsoft Team Up to Sell $25K Windows Supercomputer—Will It Blue-Screen?
Remember when a supercomputer was an exotic, multimillion-dollar machine that took up a whole room and churned out calculations for quantum physics, molecular modeling, and other big science? Now, thanks to Moore’s Law and improvements in electronic design, your desktop PC is probably more powerful than what would have been called a “supercomputer” in 1990. … Continue reading “Cray, Microsoft Team Up to Sell $25K Windows Supercomputer—Will It Blue-Screen?”
Big Fish Gets Big Funds, UIEvolution Emerges, Targeted Growth Targets Biofuels, Healionics Dogs It, & More
As fall approaches, the Northwest deals (and other news) are starting to pick up. In the past week, we’ve seen plenty of action in mobile, gaming, biotech, and biofuels—including Washington state’s biggest venture deal of 2008 so far. —Seattle-based Big Fish Games has raised a whopping $83.3 million in Washington’s largest venture deal of the … Continue reading “Big Fish Gets Big Funds, UIEvolution Emerges, Targeted Growth Targets Biofuels, Healionics Dogs It, & More”
Seattle Versus San Francisco: Will There Be a Brain Drain to the Bay Area?
A couple weeks ago, we ran a story about the relationship between Seattle startups and San Francisco Bay Area VCs. We asked, what can Seattle entrepreneurs do to attract more attention from California investors? The responses I got from the tech-business community painted an interesting and complex picture of the local investment scene—but it was … Continue reading “Seattle Versus San Francisco: Will There Be a Brain Drain to the Bay Area?”
UIEvolution Raises $5M
Bellevue, WA-based UIEvolution, a maker of multimedia publishing software for mobile phones and other consumer electronics, announced that it has raised a Series A round led by Intel Capital, with Itochu also participating. The deal is reportedly worth some $5 million.
Getting the Gist of Gist, from Entrepreneur T.A. McCann
T.A. McCann has been on my list of people to talk to for months. So when I heard the Seattle-area entrepreneur, a former Microsoftie and pro sailor, has a new website in beta trials, I had to get the scoop from him. The site, and company, is called Gist, and this is its first week … Continue reading “Getting the Gist of Gist, from Entrepreneur T.A. McCann”
Game On: The Greater Seattle Gaming Cluster
The Seattle area is known for many things. But right up there with the coffee, the weather, and the music scene would have to be the gaming community. If you’ve ever played a video game like Halo on an Xbox console, or a multiplayer online game like World of Warcraft, or an online “casual” game … Continue reading “Game On: The Greater Seattle Gaming Cluster”
Microsoft Opens Development Center Near Vancouver
Microsoft officially opened its Vancouver, BC-area development center today. The company announced the center, which is located in Richmond, BC, in July of last year. It is expected to add about 300 jobs to the region. Software developers there will work on products that include Windows, Windows Mobile, Office, and Xbox 360.
Mobliss and Reaxion Merge, Realign Goals
Seattle mobile-gaming companies Mobliss and Reaxion have announced they are merging into a new company called PressOK Entertainment, which will be led by Reaxion CEO Colin Prior. Mobliss is known for its existing-brand titles like Deal or No Deal, while Reaxion makes original titles like Detective Puzzles. The deal is being viewed as a sign … Continue reading “Mobliss and Reaxion Merge, Realign Goals”
Ontela Signs Up Wireless Carriers and Websites, Wants To Send Your Camera-Phone Pictures with Nary a Click
Today marks the start of CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment 2008, the world’s largest wireless-data event, in San Francisco. A host of local wireless companies are peddling their products there, and at least one of them has some interesting news. Seattle startup Ontela, which makes software to transmit digital photos from camera phones, is announcing … Continue reading “Ontela Signs Up Wireless Carriers and Websites, Wants To Send Your Camera-Phone Pictures with Nary a Click”
Washington Is Number One—in Slowest Internet Connections
Wade wrote today about Cambridge, MA-based Akamai’s second quarterly “State of the Internet” report, which details such trends as broadband connections by state and country, number of Internet-connected devices, and amounts of attack traffic and malware. In terms of Internet connection speeds, South Korea is tops with 64 percent of all connections (to Akamai’s content … Continue reading “Washington Is Number One—in Slowest Internet Connections”
Battery Ventures Promotes Battery of Investors
It’s a good day to be an investor at Battery Ventures. The Waltham, MA-based VC and private equity firm announced today four promotions on its investment team. The four are part of Battery’s global team of more than 40 investors in Waltham, Silicon Valley, and Israel. —Jesse Feldman, based in Waltham, has been promoted to … Continue reading “Battery Ventures Promotes Battery of Investors”
Zillow Launches Ad Network With Newspapers
Seattle-based Zillow, a real-estate website, announced today it is launching the country’s largest online real-estate ad network, together with 11 major newspaper companies (282 papers). The network is an extension of last fall’s newspaper partnership that allows local real-estate classified advertisers to buy ads on Zillow.com. The partners include Hearst Newspapers, publisher of the Seattle … Continue reading “Zillow Launches Ad Network With Newspapers”
Tableau Raises $10M in Second Venture Round, Wants To Be the “Adobe of Data”
Apparently it’s a good time to be in the business of data visualization. Wade wrote in July about Visual I|O, a Newton, MA-based business-analytics startup, and Hans Rosling’s splashy Trendalyzer software, which was acquired by Google last year. Not to be outdone, Seattle-based Tableau Software is announcing today it has closed a Series B round … Continue reading “Tableau Raises $10M in Second Venture Round, Wants To Be the “Adobe of Data””
A Good Deal for Captaris and Open Text—but Impact on Seattle-Area Innovation Is Less Clear
Yesterday we reported on the $131 million acquisition of Bellevue, WA-based Captaris by Open Text, a Canadian software company, and wondered how good a deal it really is for the companies and their employees. (Captaris, a $90 million public company, eked out $220,000 in net income last year, down from nearly $4 million the year … Continue reading “A Good Deal for Captaris and Open Text—but Impact on Seattle-Area Innovation Is Less Clear”
The Wild World of Wireless According to Tom Huseby, a Well-Connected Seattle VC
Tom Huseby has a fairly normal-looking BlackBerry phone. No fancy software on it, he says—not even from Ontela, SnapIn, or Zumobi, local mobile-tech companies for which he serves as chairman of the board. It rang two or three times during our meeting at his downtown Seattle office, and he dealt with the calls right then … Continue reading “The Wild World of Wireless According to Tom Huseby, a Well-Connected Seattle VC”