Seattle-based startup Lockerz is a new kind of social networking service—an invitation-only social commerce site where the ultimate goal is for members to earn rewards for their online interaction. Through the site, members collect points redeemable for discounts on brand name products by connecting with friends, watching videos, shopping online, and otherwise engaging in the … Continue reading “Lockerz.com Raises Cash From Kleiner Perkins for Social Commerce Site”
Author: Thea Chard
Before joining Xconomy, Thea spent a year working as the editor of another startup, the hyperlocal Seattle neighborhood news site QueenAnneView.com. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California, where she double-majored in print journalism and creative writing. While in college, Thea spent a semester studying in London and writing for the London bureau of the Los Angeles Times. Indulging in her passion for feature writing, she has covered a variety of topics ranging from the arts, to media, clean technology and breaking news. Before moving back to Seattle, Thea worked in new media development on two business radio shows, "Marketplace" and "Marketplace Money" by American Public Media. Her clips have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the Santa Monica Daily Press, Seattle magazine and her college paper, the Daily Trojan. Thea is a native Seattleite who grew up in Magnolia, and now lives in Queen Anne.
Amazon Acquires Woot, Symform Raises $4M, Starbucks Offers Wi-Fi for All, & More Seattle-Area Deals News
It’s been a slow deal week for Northwest tech companies, most likely because of the holiday weekend. But that’s not to say nothing of note happened. In the past week we’ve seen two cloud storage and health IT startups rake in some dough, the free Wi-Fi trend expand to one of the biggest retail brands … Continue reading “Amazon Acquires Woot, Symform Raises $4M, Starbucks Offers Wi-Fi for All, & More Seattle-Area Deals News”
Starbucks Offers Free Wi-Fi
Starbucks (NASDAQ: [[ticker: SBUX]]) began offering unlimited free Wi-Fi in all of its corporate-owner stores across the United States and in Canada today. The company said it would be rolling out the new program July 1 “as a part of its ongoing commitment to enhancing the customer experience.” Prior to this, free Wi-Fi has been … Continue reading “Starbucks Offers Free Wi-Fi”
Microsoft Drops Kin Phone
Microsoft (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MSFT]]) has decided to stop producing the Kin phone just six weeks after its release, according to a report by Gizmodo Wednesday citing testimony from “sources close to Microsoft.” In Microsoft’s official statement the company said it will instead be focusing exclusively on the Windows Phone 7, and “will not be shipping KIN … Continue reading “Microsoft Drops Kin Phone”
New CFO Pearl Chan on What Drew Her to the Cheezburger Network and Why Humor is for Everyone
If you like to spend your spare time crawling the Internet for pictures of cute animals with silly captions or stories of others’ “fails” (i.e. moments of sheer misfortune caught on camera), odds are you’ve stumbled upon I Can Has Cheezburger. It’s grown into a network of 51 sites that have become the viral ‘it … Continue reading “New CFO Pearl Chan on What Drew Her to the Cheezburger Network and Why Humor is for Everyone”
Amazon Acquires Woot
Carrollton, TX-based deal-a-day online marketplace Woot said today it has signed an acquisition agreement with Seattle-based e-commerce giant Amazon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMZN]]). Under the agreement, Woot said it would become an independent subsidiary of Amazon, maintaining the same level of autonomy as other subsidiary companies, such as Audible and Zappos. Financial terms weren’t disclosed, and Amazon … Continue reading “Amazon Acquires Woot”
Cheezburger CEO Ben Huh on Surrounding Himself with More Talent, and the Future of the Global Humor Blog Network
Ben Huh is a very busy man. He’s only 32, yet he’s already spent much of the last few years soaking up the media spotlight due to the almost instant success of his network of humor blogs famous for its eccentric and misspelled name, I Can Has Cheezburger. In the three years since Huh purchased … Continue reading “Cheezburger CEO Ben Huh on Surrounding Himself with More Talent, and the Future of the Global Humor Blog Network”
Tech Alliance’s Susannah Malarkey on Four Things Seattle Could Learn from Boston, and One Big Northwest Advantage
Susannah Malarkey, the executive director of the Technology Alliance in Seattle, spent three days earlier this month in Boston with a group of Seattle civic and business leaders as part of the 2010 Intercity Study Mission. These annual trips, organized by the Seattle Chamber of Commerce since 1983, enable Seattle business leaders to pick the … Continue reading “Tech Alliance’s Susannah Malarkey on Four Things Seattle Could Learn from Boston, and One Big Northwest Advantage”
HP Buys Melodeo, RumbleFish Partners With YouTube, Motricity Declines & More Seattle-Area Deals News
Although it hasn’t been the biggest deal week for Northwest tech companies volume-wise, there have been some sizeable transactions worth mentioning in the roundup. In the past week, we’ve seen three global companies take particular interest in our local startup scene, especially in some pretty unusual music and mobile ventures. Take a look at the … Continue reading “HP Buys Melodeo, RumbleFish Partners With YouTube, Motricity Declines & More Seattle-Area Deals News”
Bonanzle and PhysioSonics, Plus a Few New Kids on the Block in May’s Under the Radar Deals
Much like April’s “under the radar” roundup, this month a number of smaller, but still significant deals (between $100,000 and $1,000,000) have come through for a number of companies we’ve been following for some time. But we also saw a handful of companies for the first time in this month’s installment of local micro-deals compiled … Continue reading “Bonanzle and PhysioSonics, Plus a Few New Kids on the Block in May’s Under the Radar Deals”
Rumblefish, YouTube Team Up to Offer Music Licensing Service for Consumers
One of the complications of living in an information age is the fact that an endless amount of digital content is available anywhere and at all times, no matter who owns it. For creators—artists, writers, musicians—the massive influx of digital information has meant intellectual property is more easily reprinted, plagiarized, pirated and downright stolen virally. … Continue reading “Rumblefish, YouTube Team Up to Offer Music Licensing Service for Consumers”
DigitalScirocco Nabs $1.1M
Seattle-based digital content and service marketplace DigitalScirocco has raised $1.1 million in an equity financing, according to an SEC filing Tuesday. The company connects website owners looking to republish outside content on their sites to online content owners (such as media organizations) through an automated marketplace. This allows website owners to purchase content they want … Continue reading “DigitalScirocco Nabs $1.1M”
HP Buys Melodeo for Reported $30-$35M
[Updated and corrected: 2:40 pm] The team behind the nuTsie cloud-based music service, Seattle-based startup Melodeo, has been acquired by Hewlett-Packard, according to a TechCrunch report. The company was reportedly purchased for approximately $30 to $35 million earlier this month, “a source familiar with the deal” told TechCrunch. Melodeo provides an all-in-one music system that … Continue reading “HP Buys Melodeo for Reported $30-$35M”
RealNetworks Cuts 85 Jobs
Seattle-based RealNetworks (NASDAQ: [[ticker:RNWK]]) said today it is cutting 85 jobs, and eliminating one-fourth of its executive management positions. The reorganization is part of Real’s new strategy to do what it calls “simplify, restructure and grow.” “This reorganization marks a significant milestone in our transformation of RealNetworks,” president and acting CEO Bob Kimball said in … Continue reading “RealNetworks Cuts 85 Jobs”
Tom Ranken, Former WBBA Chief, Named CEO of Washington Clean Tech Alliance
The Washington Clean Technology Alliance (WCTA), a business network founded in 2007 to serve as an advocacy organization for Washington’s clean, green and environmental tech industries, has hired J. Thomas Ranken as its first full time president and CEO. The pick should help strengthen the local cleantech sector, and help the organization garner more support. … Continue reading “Tom Ranken, Former WBBA Chief, Named CEO of Washington Clean Tech Alliance”
Clearwire Raises $290M More
Kirkland, WA-based wireless Internet service company Clearwire (NASDAQ: CLWR) said late Monday that it has raised an additional $290.8 million through a public market rights offering. The company said its shareholders exercised rights to purchase approximately 39.7 million shares of Class A common stock for the aggregate price. Back in November, Clearwire received a $1.5 … Continue reading “Clearwire Raises $290M More”
Precision Polling Acquired by Survey Monkey
Seattle-based phone polling developer Precision Polling was snatched up by web-based survey giant Survey Monkey Monday, according to TechCrunch. The financial terms of the acquisition have not yet been disclosed, however according to TechCrunch, both Precision co-founders Gaurav Oberoi and Charles Groom will stay employed with the company out of Seattle. Survey Monkey was founded … Continue reading “Precision Polling Acquired by Survey Monkey”
Cleantech Open Names Semifinalists, Opscode Pulls in $11M, Greg’s Five Trends to Watch, & More Seattle-Area Deals News
This past week has been a slow one on the deals front, partly because of our own transition here at Xconomy Seattle. Greg has been over in Boston this past week setting up for his new post, and yesterday was my first day on the job as the new assistant editor here in Seattle. Still, … Continue reading “Cleantech Open Names Semifinalists, Opscode Pulls in $11M, Greg’s Five Trends to Watch, & More Seattle-Area Deals News”
Opscode Nabs $11M From Battery Ventures, Draper Fisher Jurvetson for Software Automation
Seattle-based automation software developer Opscode said today it has raised $11 million in a Series B financing led by Battery Ventures. This latest round of funding includes a follow-on investment from Draper Fisher Jurvetson, which led the company’s $2.5 million Series A round back in April 2009. Opscode plans to use the money to hire … Continue reading “Opscode Nabs $11M From Battery Ventures, Draper Fisher Jurvetson for Software Automation”
Toward a New Land Speed Record: A Day in the Life of the North American Eagle “Turbojet Car”
It was just after 10 a.m. on a hazy spring morning as Ed Shadle drove a trailer the size of a semi-truck to the far end of the Spanaway Airport, a quarter-mile active airstrip located 15 miles south of Tacoma, WA. A handful of his 44-person crew, which includes his son Cam and eight-year-old grandson … Continue reading “Toward a New Land Speed Record: A Day in the Life of the North American Eagle “Turbojet Car””
UW Honors Medical Device Entrepreneur Joe Eichinger For 35 Years Of Service
About 40 prominent researchers, physicians, and businesspeople gathered at the University of Washington’s bioengineering department Wednesday night to honor Joe Eichinger for mentoring students and faculty about how to best apply their inventions in the business world for the past 35 years. Matt O’Donnell, the dean of the UW College of Engineering, and Paul Yager, … Continue reading “UW Honors Medical Device Entrepreneur Joe Eichinger For 35 Years Of Service”
Founder of Adaptiva, Deepak Kumar, on Green-IT Strategy and Working with Microsoft
Seattle knows green—green trees, green ideas, and green innovation. As businesses rush to become more environmentally friendly, organizations like New York and London-based 1E and Seattle-based Verdiem have emerged as leaders in green-IT management. They offer systems that allow companies to cut off power to their computers remotely, saving energy and IT costs, and make … Continue reading “Founder of Adaptiva, Deepak Kumar, on Green-IT Strategy and Working with Microsoft”
Microsoft’s Director of Environmental Sustainability Talks Green Initiatives, Copenhagen Summit
In the past, Microsoft has had a reputation for being slow moving in the areas of green technology and energy-saving innovation. However, in the last two years, the corporation seems to have turned the tide, stepping up to the sustainability plate and implementing a number of company-wide green initiatives. First, it hired Rob Bernard as … Continue reading “Microsoft’s Director of Environmental Sustainability Talks Green Initiatives, Copenhagen Summit”
From Swiss Army Knives to Smoking Cigarettes: Google, Bing, and Startups Talk Future of Search
The World Wide Web is an overwhelming collection of information, especially when one is faced with the task of sifting through it—and it’s only expanding. In the last few years, the induction of social media into the online realm has added more content to the Internet than that of the decades preceding it combined. Picture … Continue reading “From Swiss Army Knives to Smoking Cigarettes: Google, Bing, and Startups Talk Future of Search”
Bing Partners with Twitter, Facebook to Bring Real-Time Updates to Search Capabilities
Microsoft announced the integration of real-time status updates from Twitter and Facebook into its Bing search engine this morning at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco. Senior vice president Yusuf Mehdi and Online Services Group president Qi Lu confirmed the company’s non-exclusive partnerships with the two social media networks on stage, followed by a … Continue reading “Bing Partners with Twitter, Facebook to Bring Real-Time Updates to Search Capabilities”