In one of the Northwest’s biggest tech financings this year, Interactive television firm Ensequence, based in Portland, OR, said today it has secured $20 million in funding led by Clay Mathile, the CEO of CYMI Technologies and former CEO and owner of Iams (the pet food company sold to Proctor & Gamble for $2.3 billion … Continue reading “Portland’s Ensequence Raises $20M for Interactive TV”
Category: National
SAIC Expected to Announce Headquarters Shift From San Diego to Northern Virginia
[Updated 9/18/09 2:45 pm PT. See below.] SAIC, the secretive defense contractor that was founded in San Diego 40 years ago by nuclear physicist J. Robert Beyster, apparently plans to announce the relocation of its corporate headquarters to Tysons Corner, VA, sometime next week. The looming announcement from Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine was first … Continue reading “SAIC Expected to Announce Headquarters Shift From San Diego to Northern Virginia”
Need to Catch Up With Digital Natives? Check These Seven Projects to Spread Your Digital Wings
If you’re under 25 or so, you probably don’t need much training on how to share digital photos, make a digital sketch, create an animated cartoon, make a personalized online map, or the like. I wrote the last three installments of my World Wide Wade column for everyone else: The majority of everyday computer users … Continue reading “Need to Catch Up With Digital Natives? Check These Seven Projects to Spread Your Digital Wings”
Novo Nordisk’s Historic Mistake is Seattle’s Future Gain, Says Novo CEO
Seattle might never have gotten its newest biotech research center if not for a historic corporate blunder from 30 years ago, according to Lars Rebien Sorensen, the CEO of Novo Nordisk. Novo, the Danish drugmaker that is the world’s biggest producer of insulin for treating diabetes, was approached then by a small biotech company from … Continue reading “Novo Nordisk’s Historic Mistake is Seattle’s Future Gain, Says Novo CEO”
Put Yourself On the Map, Build a Virtual House: Seven Projects to Stretch Your Digital Wings, Part Three
When I set out to write “Seven Projects to Stretch Your Digital Wings” two weeks ago, I really meant to put all seven projects into one column. But I’m famous around Xconomy for my inability to say anything briefly. If 800 words are good, then 1,600 words are even better—that’s my motto. The point being … Continue reading “Put Yourself On the Map, Build a Virtual House: Seven Projects to Stretch Your Digital Wings, Part Three”
How Did Calypso Raise $50M? The Story Behind Seattle’s Biggest VC Deal of 2009
Word out of Calypso Medical Technologies the past year hasn’t been what most people would call positive. The Seattle-based medical device company cut one-fifth of its staff in December. Even in its third year on the market, it was still struggling to get Medicare to pay for its devices that pinpoint radiation in ways that … Continue reading “How Did Calypso Raise $50M? The Story Behind Seattle’s Biggest VC Deal of 2009”
Ambrx Strikes Deal With Wyeth (Soon-to-be Pfizer) to Make Antibody Drugs
Ambrx has ginned up yet another potentially lucrative Big Pharma deal. The San Diego-based biotech company has struck a worldwide partnership with Madison, NJ-based Wyeth to create new engineered antibody drugs against multiple diseases. Financial terms aren’t being disclosed, but Ambrx says it is raking in an upfront payment, research funding, milestone payments based on … Continue reading “Ambrx Strikes Deal With Wyeth (Soon-to-be Pfizer) to Make Antibody Drugs”
Voyager Capital Hires Former Adobe CEO Bruce Chizen, Strengthens Digital Media Expertise
Seattle-based Voyager Capital is announcing today it has added a new venture partner—Bruce Chizen, the former chief executive of Adobe Systems (2000-2007). Chizen started in his new role this month, and he’s based in Silicon Valley, but he’s already making an impact on Northwest companies in Voyager’s portfolio. First things first, I had to ask … Continue reading “Voyager Capital Hires Former Adobe CEO Bruce Chizen, Strengthens Digital Media Expertise”
A123 Plans $200M+ IPO, Seaside Sees $30M, Verivue Grabs $20.1M, & More Boston-Area Deals News
New England’s tech and life sciences companies have cut far too many deals to mention over the last week and a half, so we’re kicking it top-ten style for this installment of roundup. #10 GreenBytes of Ashaway, RI, completed an $8 million Series A financing from Waltham, MA-based Battery Ventures. The startup also unveiled a … Continue reading “A123 Plans $200M+ IPO, Seaside Sees $30M, Verivue Grabs $20.1M, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
Arena Obesity Drug Passes Second Trial, Aims to Sell Safe Option for Millions of People
Arena Pharmaceuticals can breathe a sigh of relief. Twelve years of work and $1 billion invested in drug development isn’t going down the drain. The San Diego-based company is reporting today that it has passed the second big clinical trial it needs to win FDA approval to sell an obesity drug that has potential to … Continue reading “Arena Obesity Drug Passes Second Trial, Aims to Sell Safe Option for Millions of People”
Zino Society Investment Forum Yields Six Finalists for $100K in Prizes
The Seattle-based investor and entrepreneur network Zino Society hosted its fourth annual Zino Zillionaire Investment Forum today at the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Seattle. The event drew 28 companies, some in technology and some non-tech, each making a pitch for a chance to win one of two $50,000 investment prizes. Here are the six … Continue reading “Zino Society Investment Forum Yields Six Finalists for $100K in Prizes”
“It’s All Here,” Massachusetts State Government Says in Business-Expansion Campaign
At Akamai headquarters in Cambridge, MA, today, state officials took the wraps off a cross-media campaign intended to promote Massachusetts as a place to study, live, work, vacation, or grow a business. The new website for the campaign—themed “It’s All Here“—brings together resources for entrepreneurs considering starting their companies in Massachusetts, students looking for jobs … Continue reading ““It’s All Here,” Massachusetts State Government Says in Business-Expansion Campaign”
RealGames Mobilizes, Rolls Out Program for Mobile Game Developers
The world of traditional mobile games can be tough for small studios and publishers to navigate. Having to work around all the different wireless carriers, handsets, and operating systems can severely limit the distribution of their games. Which is why the iPhone and other app stores attract so many developers. Now, Seattle-based RealNetworks is trying … Continue reading “RealGames Mobilizes, Rolls Out Program for Mobile Game Developers”
Calypso Medical Raises $50M to Strengthen Pinpointed Radiation Therapy for Cancer
Calypso Medical, the Seattle-based developer of technology that pinpoints radiation therapy for cancer to minimize side effects, has raised $50 million in the biggest venture financing of the year in the Northwest life sciences industry. The financing for Calypso was led by Skyline Ventures, and the same venture firm that founded the company—Seattle-based Frazier Healthcare … Continue reading “Calypso Medical Raises $50M to Strengthen Pinpointed Radiation Therapy for Cancer”
Tysabri’s Tally of PML Cases Reaches 13
Biogen Idec and Elan’s fast-growing multiple sclerosis drug, natalizumab (Tysabri), has been connected to 13 cases of a potentially fatal brain infection, according to an FDA notice reported on today by Bloomberg News. Cases of progressive multifocal encephalopathy, or PML for short, have been adding up since the drug was re-introduced to the U.S. market … Continue reading “Tysabri’s Tally of PML Cases Reaches 13”
SDG&E Leads Cleantech Coalition to Upgrade ‘Smart Grid,’ Pursue Stimulus Funds
San Diego Gas & Electric has formed a coalition with the non-profit group Cleantech San Diego, UC San Diego, and major companies like Qualcomm, IBM, and Intel to integrate emerging “smart grid” technologies in the public utility’s regional power grid. The coalition’s goal is to develop and deploy a host of innovations, including renewable energy … Continue reading “SDG&E Leads Cleantech Coalition to Upgrade ‘Smart Grid,’ Pursue Stimulus Funds”
As Venture-Backed IPOs Remain Closed, Qualcomm and Google Execs Offer Some M&A Advice to Startup CEOs
The keynote speech that former SEC chairman Christopher Cox delivered yesterday at San Diego’s Seventh Annual Venture Summit was billed as a look at the conditions necessary for the IPO window to reopen, a topic of keen interest to scores of VC partners in the audience. But Cox’s main theme was really focused on the … Continue reading “As Venture-Backed IPOs Remain Closed, Qualcomm and Google Execs Offer Some M&A Advice to Startup CEOs”
VentiRx, Evangelist for Lean, Mean Virtual Way, Makes Progress With Cancer, Allergy Drugs
Virtual companies have been all the rage for some time with biotech venture capitalists, but I’ve been wondering whether this lean-and-mean outsource-darn-near-everything model is really a better way to develop drugs than the traditional soup-to-nuts approach at companies like Genentech. I haven’t seen a good academic paper on this question, and until I do, I’m … Continue reading “VentiRx, Evangelist for Lean, Mean Virtual Way, Makes Progress With Cancer, Allergy Drugs”
Amylin Targets Obesity, Tioga Shows Virtual Business Model, Roka Bioscience Spins Off Gen-Probe, & More San Diego Life Sciences News
The pharmaceutical industry has set its sights on winning a huge new market, with four life sciences companies (three of them in San Diego) in a race to develop the next big obesity drug. Get the latest news as that story unfolds and other developments in San Diego’s life sciences sector. —Business has been surging … Continue reading “Amylin Targets Obesity, Tioga Shows Virtual Business Model, Roka Bioscience Spins Off Gen-Probe, & More San Diego Life Sciences News”
How Biotechs Can Stand Out in the Competition for a Big Pharma Partnership
[Editor’s Note: this piece was co-authored by Hari Kumar of San Diego-based Amira Pharmaceuticals.] The benefits of partnerships between emerging biotech companies and major drug developers are numerous and well known. The smaller biotech company gets cash to support its innovative R&D, and the Big Pharma company gets hot new patented drug candidates to replace … Continue reading “How Biotechs Can Stand Out in the Competition for a Big Pharma Partnership”
Omeros Moves Closer to IPO, Zymo Drug Fails Arthritis Trials, Uptake Medical Gets $3.4M, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News
One of Seattle’s biotech companies showed it’s willing to stick its neck out to see whether the IPO window is really going to open this fall or not. —Omeros, the Seattle biotech company developing a treatment to help people recover faster from knee surgery, has been getting its ducks in a row to go public … Continue reading “Omeros Moves Closer to IPO, Zymo Drug Fails Arthritis Trials, Uptake Medical Gets $3.4M, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”
Autism Gets a Boost: Seaside Therapeutics Raises $30M To Develop First Drugs That Might Work
Seaside Therapeutics, a stealthy biotech startup in Cambridge, MA, has raised $30 million to further develop research from MIT neuroscientist Mark Bear that has the potential to create the first drugs that treat the underlying neurological disorder at work in patients with Fragile X syndrome and autism. Seaside raised the money from a private, family … Continue reading “Autism Gets a Boost: Seaside Therapeutics Raises $30M To Develop First Drugs That Might Work”
Omeros Moves Closer To IPO, Sets Price Goal
Omeros, the Seattle biotech company that’s attempting to pull off the first IPO from a Washington company in two years, took a step closer toward its goal today by updating its prospectus and stating it hopes to go public at a range of $10 to $12 a share. Xconomy broke the news last month based … Continue reading “Omeros Moves Closer To IPO, Sets Price Goal”
When Paid Crowdsourcing Hits the Mainstream: A Report and Online Panel
Sometimes the only way to flush out the truth on something is to state an opinion and spark a discussion. Using on-demand workers has been around for over 10 years, but there are precious few resources available for someone to get educated. Hopefully my report will stimulate discussion and bring a greater level of awareness … Continue reading “When Paid Crowdsourcing Hits the Mainstream: A Report and Online Panel”
3Tier Cuts Staff After Raising $10M to Find Best Spots for Clean Energy
Seattle-based 3Tier Group, the company that raised $10 million in venture capital last December to help developers find ideal locations for renewable energy facilities, had a staff layoff today, according to a company spokesman. Xconomy received a tip today that 19 employees were let go. The company had 85 people on the payroll the last … Continue reading “3Tier Cuts Staff After Raising $10M to Find Best Spots for Clean Energy”
Report: Paul Allen’s Vulcan Sells Wireless Spectrum Licenses to AT&T
Paul Allen, the Seattle-area billionaire who co-founded Microsoft, has agreed to sell 24 licenses for wireless spectrum in Washington and Oregon to AT&T, according to a report by Bloomberg News, which cites filings with the Federal Communications Commission. The price of the sale, which has not yet been approved by the FCC, is not disclosed. … Continue reading “Report: Paul Allen’s Vulcan Sells Wireless Spectrum Licenses to AT&T”
Google-Brightcove Acquisition Rumors Surface, Get Sunk
A report today that Google is in talks to acquire Cambridge, MA-based video hosting company Brightcove met with curt no-comment reactions from both companies, and has been flatly contradicted by one analyst. The report, which surfaced on Twitter Wednesday afternoon, came from Mark Glaser, a San Francisco-based freelance technology writer who is also executive editor … Continue reading “Google-Brightcove Acquisition Rumors Surface, Get Sunk”
New Speech Recognition Engine Under the Hood at Vlingo; Startup Dumps IBM and Nuance for AT&T
Vlingo, the Cambridge, MA-based startup that makes a suite of speech-to-text applications used by millions of iPhone, BlackBerry, and Nokia mobile device owners, is about to get a brain transplant of sorts. It said today that it will largely abandon a core speech-recognition engine developed by IBM and maintained by Nuance Communications in favor of … Continue reading “New Speech Recognition Engine Under the Hood at Vlingo; Startup Dumps IBM and Nuance for AT&T”
A Map of Venture Investments Around the U.S.
It’s no secret to those in the innovation community that venture-backed companies are central to America’s economic prosperity. But in its ongoing effort to help reinforce that message—perhaps particularly in light of its current efforts to fight President Obama’s idea of regulating venture capital firms as investment advisers—the National Venture Capital Association this morning released … Continue reading “A Map of Venture Investments Around the U.S.”
Helicos Biosciences, Running Low on Cash, Snaps Up $10M Lifeline
[Update: 09/16/09, 11:15 am] Helicos Biosciences has gotten a lifeline, at least temporarily. The Cambridge, MA-based maker of genetic analysis instruments which hired an investment banker two weeks ago to seek “strategic alternatives” as it ran low on cash, has raised $10 million from new and existing investors and CEO Ron Lowy. [The deal includes … Continue reading “Helicos Biosciences, Running Low on Cash, Snaps Up $10M Lifeline”
Boiling it Down: 5 CEOs Describe Their Corporate Culture and San Diego’s Status as a Digital Media Cluster
Xconomy Seattle’s editor Greg Huang got this idea going last month when he conducted an informal and wholly anecdotal survey about the startup culture in the woodsy Pacific Northwest. His premise was that you can tell a lot about a company’s corporate culture from its chief executive. Within a couple of weeks, Xconomy’s founder and … Continue reading “Boiling it Down: 5 CEOs Describe Their Corporate Culture and San Diego’s Status as a Digital Media Cluster”
Ascent Therapeutics’ Blood Cancer Drug Could Rival Genzyme’s Mozobil
Ascent Therapeutics is advancing several of its proprietary “pepducin” drugs through early testing, with a lead candidate emerging as a potential rival to Genzyme’s drug plerixafor (Mozobil) for patients with certain types of blood cancer. Cambridge, MA-based Ascent is touting some of its early research at a biotechnology conference in Zurich, Switzerland this week in … Continue reading “Ascent Therapeutics’ Blood Cancer Drug Could Rival Genzyme’s Mozobil”
HipCricket Makes Noise in Mobile Marketing, Heads for Profitability This Year
A small Seattle-area company is blazing a trail in the crowded field of mobile marketing. Kirkland, WA-based HipCricket, a company founded in 2004 to do mobile marketing for brands and media companies, has been growing its revenue significantly from quarter to quarter and aims to be profitable for the first time by the end of … Continue reading “HipCricket Makes Noise in Mobile Marketing, Heads for Profitability This Year”
MicroRNA Drug Developer Santaris Establishes Toehold in San Diego With Isis Veteran
Santaris Pharma, the Danish company that has pushed the first microRNA therapy into clinical trials, is opening a U.S. subsidiary in San Diego to take advantage of the talent pool of people familiar with cutting-edge RNA-based therapies. As it turns out, that includes Art Levin, a former leader of drug development at Carlsbad, CA-based Isis … Continue reading “MicroRNA Drug Developer Santaris Establishes Toehold in San Diego With Isis Veteran”
Nimbit’s MyStore Lets Bands Tap the Power of Facebook to Promote Music and Merchandise
It’s not getting any easier to write and perform great music. But for up-and-coming artists, it is getting easier to build a fan base—especially if they can get their fans to do part of the work for them. That’s the idea behind MyStore, a new Facebook application launched last week by Framingham, MA-based Nimbit. The … Continue reading “Nimbit’s MyStore Lets Bands Tap the Power of Facebook to Promote Music and Merchandise”
Four WA Cleantech Firms—AltaRock, Infinia, Powerit, Verdiem—Crack Global Top 100 List
Four companies from Washington state have been selected to a list of the world’s 100 most promising private cleantech firms. That’s according to a report released yesterday, in a joint effort by The Guardian (the UK-based newspaper) and the Cleantech Group, a global company that provides research, data, and advisory services for the clean technology … Continue reading “Four WA Cleantech Firms—AltaRock, Infinia, Powerit, Verdiem—Crack Global Top 100 List”
Acceleron Aims for Anemia Cure, Mascoma to Pump Out Biofuels For Chevron, Genzyme Chief to Head Boston Fed, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News
This week saw the demise of a couple of New England life sciences firms and the rise of several others. —Luke profiled the efforts of Cambridge, MA-based Acceleron Pharma to bring its lead drug candidate to market as a treatment for anemia. Previous experiments suggested the drug, ACE-011, would actually cause anemia, but in its … Continue reading “Acceleron Aims for Anemia Cure, Mascoma to Pump Out Biofuels For Chevron, Genzyme Chief to Head Boston Fed, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”
Pervasis Therapeutics Secures $10M in New Financing
Pervasis Therapeutics, a Cambridge, MA-based developer of drugs to heal blood vessels, has raised $10 million of a proposed $17.4 million round of private equity financing, according to an SEC filing. The startup names the prolific MIT inventor Bob Langer among its board members. The SEC filing does not say who invested in the round, … Continue reading “Pervasis Therapeutics Secures $10M in New Financing”
Others Online, Led by Jordan Mitchell, Gets Bought by the Rubicon Project
[Updated 9/15/09 1:20 pm. See below.] Seattle-based Others Online, a Web advertising and optimization startup led by founder and CEO Jordan Mitchell, has been acquired by the Rubicon Project in Los Angeles for an undisclosed price. Mitchell has become vice president of data intelligence for the Rubicon Project, which automates the buying and selling of … Continue reading “Others Online, Led by Jordan Mitchell, Gets Bought by the Rubicon Project”
Nokia Acquires Vulcan-Backed Plum, Uptake Raises Cash, Smilebox Buys Preclick, & More Seattle-Area Deals News
It was another fairly quiet week for Northwest deals, as summer officially winds down. Activity in wireless, software, and biotech led the way. —The Oregon Angel Fund, based in Portland, said it has closed a new $3 million fund this summer, raised from 60 individual investors and the Oregon Growth Account, a state-run fund dedicated … Continue reading “Nokia Acquires Vulcan-Backed Plum, Uptake Raises Cash, Smilebox Buys Preclick, & More Seattle-Area Deals News”
Report: San Diego’s Innovation Economy Shows Q2 Uptick in Startups, Patents, and Investments
A just-released report on San Diego’s innovation economy shows 102 new technology companies were created during the three months that ended on June 30—a 53 percent increase over the 66 startups launched during the first three months of 2009, and 34 percent more than the 76 companies started during the second quarter of 2008. A … Continue reading “Report: San Diego’s Innovation Economy Shows Q2 Uptick in Startups, Patents, and Investments”
Video Games Add $2 Billion to Massachusetts Economy, Tech Group Says
Massachusetts “digital gaming” companies have total revenues exceeding $2 billion, according to a survey being released today by the Mass Technology Leadership Council. And those companies are hiring aggressively, with plans to increase their head counts by an average of 20 percent in 2009, the survey found. The gaming industry employs roughly 1,200 people across … Continue reading “Video Games Add $2 Billion to Massachusetts Economy, Tech Group Says”
Vivox, Bringer of Voice to Virtual Worlds, Strikes Major Deal with Electronic Arts
For a long time, Second Life was stuck in the cyber equivalent of the silent-movie era: people communicated by typing, and their words showed up in little thought bubbles above their avatars’ heads. All of that changed drastically around 2007, when Linden Lab, the company behind Second Life, hired an obscure outfit called Vivox to … Continue reading “Vivox, Bringer of Voice to Virtual Worlds, Strikes Major Deal with Electronic Arts”
Gist Opens to the Public, Wants to Own the Nexus of E-mail, Search, and Social Networks
Every time I look at Gist, it’s a little different. Given it’s a scrappy startup trying to navigate the worlds of e-mail, social networking, business software, and Web search—each a huge market opportunity, each hugely competitive—this is probably a good thing. The Seattle company, backed by Paul Allen’s Vulcan Capital and Colorado-based Foundry Group, is … Continue reading “Gist Opens to the Public, Wants to Own the Nexus of E-mail, Search, and Social Networks”
Celladon, Developer of Gene Therapy for Heart Failure, Secures Part of $24.6M Venture Round
Investors haven’t completely turned their backs on gene therapy, at least not on Celladon. The San Diego-based company raised another $2.8 million in recent weeks to keep operating until it sees results from a clinical trial that will show whether it has a groundbreaking gene therapy for people with congestive heart failure. The latest financing … Continue reading “Celladon, Developer of Gene Therapy for Heart Failure, Secures Part of $24.6M Venture Round”
As Shift to Internet TV Accelerates, DivX CEO Positions Company to Offer ‘Any to Any’ Solution
San Diego’s DivX has been on something of a roll since June, when CEO Kevin Hell talked about the capability of someday moving television seamlessly from the living room TV screen to the computer screen and to the screens of wireless mobile devices. The digital media company, which takes its name from the DivX codec … Continue reading “As Shift to Internet TV Accelerates, DivX CEO Positions Company to Offer ‘Any to Any’ Solution”
Medical Device Pioneer David Auth Seethes Over $40 Billion Industry Tax Idea, FDA Delays
One of Seattle’s medical device industry pioneers has a beautiful view of Lake Washington from his home office in Kirkland, but a few minutes after I arrived, he was steaming mad. “Our government rewards dummies and punishes geniuses,” says David Auth, the inventor of a less-invasive way to clear out blockages in arteries, called Rotablator. … Continue reading “Medical Device Pioneer David Auth Seethes Over $40 Billion Industry Tax Idea, FDA Delays”
Brown U. and Johns Hopkins Researchers Form Sentient Bioscience to Improve Liver Cancer Treatment
Most people diagnosed with liver cancer are unlikely to live more than a few years, so there’s plenty of room for new innovative treatments. That’s why Tim Murphy, an interventional radiologist at Rhode Island Hospital and his colleagues at Brown University and Johns Hopkins University have formed Providence, RI-based Sentient Bioscience to develop treatments that … Continue reading “Brown U. and Johns Hopkins Researchers Form Sentient Bioscience to Improve Liver Cancer Treatment”
Bing Is the Buggiest (But Second-Best) Search Engine, Say Software Testers in uTest Report
Tomorrow, Boston-based uTest, a startup that crowdsources software quality-assurance projects to a global community of 19,000 freelance testers, is expected to announce the official results of its first “Search Engine Bug Battle.” Xconomy got an early look at the data today, and the folks in Redmond and Bellevue, WA, may not be happy about the … Continue reading “Bing Is the Buggiest (But Second-Best) Search Engine, Say Software Testers in uTest Report”
EMC Snags Intel Exec, Shuffles Top Office to Deliver Blended Technologies
EMC (NYSE: [[ticker:EMC]]), the Hopkinton, MA-based information infrastructure company that anchors Boston’s infotech industry, today unveiled a series of executive-level changes intended to better integrate its disparate businesses, which range from storage, content management and archiving, security, and IT management to cloud computing services. Most significantly, the company said it has hired veteran Intel executive … Continue reading “EMC Snags Intel Exec, Shuffles Top Office to Deliver Blended Technologies”