On the iPhone, the first page of the home screen—the one you see when you wake up the device—has room for only 20 apps, counting those in the dock. The iPad home screen holds 26. For me, that means the home screen is prime real estate, reserved only for the apps I use most often. … Continue reading “Can Pocket (née Read It Later) Become the TiVo of the Web?”
Category: Seattle
WTIA Golf Tournament
Washington tech leaders gather for the Washington Technology Industry Association’s 17th annual golf tournament at the Glendale Country Club in Bellevue. In addition to 18 holes of golf, the event includes a networking breakfast, an awards banquet dinner, putting and chipping contests, closest to the pin contests, longest and straightest drive contests, and a Hole-in-One contest. … Continue reading “WTIA Golf Tournament”
P4 Medicine Summit
June 21 is officially “P4 Medicine Day” in Washington state. The WBBA will celebrate by hosting a P4 Medicine Summit. Speakers include Leroy Hood of the Institute for Systems Biology, Al Luderer of Integrated Diagnostics, Brad Gray of NanoString Technologies and Dean Sproles of Iverson Genetic Diagnostics. For more information, click here.
Good for Some, Good for All
The recent Facebook IPO has brought to the front pages an issue that many ordinary investors have been asking themselves for a long time: “Is the system fair?” In Facebook’s case, legitimate questions have arisen about why Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, and J.P. Morgan, Facebook’s lead underwriters, all reduced their internal revenue estimates for that … Continue reading “Good for Some, Good for All”
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”
Seattle Genetics Follows the Science, Taking on Rare Lymphoma No. 3
Sometimes when a drug hits the market, it can take on a life of its own. Researchers start using their imaginations—and their own grant money—to pursue applications the drugmaker itself might never have envisioned. And sometimes, those researchers make important new discoveries, which can provide the company with a running start on a potentially lucrative … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics Follows the Science, Taking on Rare Lymphoma No. 3”
Stephen Hawking at Seattle Science Festival
Stephen Hawking, the legendary theoretical physicist, will be one of the featured speakers at the Seattle Science Festival on June 16. Lee Hood, the co-founder and president of the Institute for Systems Biology, will also be part of the festivities. For more information, click here.
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”
Who’s on Biotech’s Endangered Species List? Mid-Sized Drugmakers
[Updated: 9:20 pm PT] Only a few companies have ever been successful enough to call themselves Big Biotechs. If boards and shareholders lack vision and guts, we’ll look back in a few years and wonder why the Big Biotechs went extinct. The group of Big Biotechs includes companies like Amgen, Gilead Sciences, Biogen Idec, and … Continue reading “Who’s on Biotech’s Endangered Species List? Mid-Sized Drugmakers”
Datacastle Secures $1,200,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c29af989-6121-4b1e-be52-a0ca7d1177a4&Preview=1 Date 5/21/2012 Company Name Datacastle Mailing Address 701 North 36th Street Seattle, WA 98103 Company Description Datacastle Corporation has a singular mission – to help organizations simply and cost effectively protect data against loss and laptop theft. We set out in 2005 to address the data protection challenges that expose organizations … Continue reading “Datacastle Secures $1,200,000 New Funding”
Can Facebook’s New Millionaires Save the World?
From everyone to whom much is given, much shall be required. Regular readers know that I’m not in the habit of quoting scripture. But this line found in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke has a bit of new relevance this morning, as Facebook’s initial public offering—valuing the company at $106 billion at the … Continue reading “Can Facebook’s New Millionaires Save the World?”
Does Facebook Solve VC Industry Woes?
So here is my obligatory post on Facebook…which will be the most spectacular IPO of a venture-backed company in the history of mankind…and it just priced tonight. The shares priced at $38 giving the company a market cap of $104 billion fully diluted, raising $16 billion in proceeds. Of the 421 million shares being sold, … Continue reading “Does Facebook Solve VC Industry Woes?”
Xconomist of the Week: Tom Maniatis on Prize4Life and ALS Research
A few years back, molecular geneticist Tom Maniatis was approached by a Harvard Business School student with a heart-wrenching story. The student, Avichai Kremer, then 29, had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), otherwise known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Kremer had an unusual idea: He wanted to advance ALS research by offering million-dollar prizes … Continue reading “Xconomist of the Week: Tom Maniatis on Prize4Life and ALS Research”
Emme E2MS Secures $2,600,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ce567a3d-b6ca-430b-bda9-0749f8c44d74&Preview=1 Date 5/17/2012 Company Name Emme E2MS Mailing Address 8239 SW Cirrus Drive Beaverton, OR 97008 Company Description Emme provides easy-to-use energy management devices that help you save money and lower your home’s carbon footprint. If we can improve your comfort at the same time, so much the better. Website http://www.getemme.com Transaction … Continue reading “Emme E2MS Secures $2,600,000 New Financing Round”
LuckyLabs Receives $3,500,000 Series A Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6e6c2bce-3a67-477c-bb99-bc7b734e7089&Preview=1 Date 5/17/2012 Company Name LuckyLabs Mailing Address 2450 Ferndale Pl. NE Renton, WA 98056 Company Description We’re passionate about what we do. We love technology and we love to make it look unique. We have a lot of really cool stuff planned for the future and we’re excited to bring it … Continue reading “LuckyLabs Receives $3,500,000 Series A Funding Round”
Dendreon’s Provenge Works Best for Patients With Low PSA, Scientists Say
From the moment Dendreon started in business 20 years ago, most scientists have said that if its immune-booster for prostate cancer was going to work, it would probably work best at an early stage of disease, before tumors had gotten too powerful for the immune system to contain. Today, Dendreon is offering the latest slice … Continue reading “Dendreon’s Provenge Works Best for Patients With Low PSA, Scientists Say”
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”
Hutch, UW Scientists Find Elusive Cancers With Adaptive Diagnostic
Doctors often ask themselves, after a leukemia or lymphoma patient gets high-dose chemotherapy, whether they really wiped out every last rugged cancer cell in the patient. That’s always been a difficult question, but now a team of Seattle researchers is showing they might have found a powerful new technology to consistently deliver that answer. Scientists … Continue reading “Hutch, UW Scientists Find Elusive Cancers With Adaptive Diagnostic”
Targeted Cancer Drugs With Punch: The Next Big Class of Antibodies
[Updated: 11 am PT, 6/5/12] One of the big dreams in biotech over the past 35 years has been to make drugs that work like “smart bombs” by destroying tumors while minimizing collateral damage. Scientists have learned this is no easy thing, but now that a couple of these types of drugs have been shown … Continue reading “Targeted Cancer Drugs With Punch: The Next Big Class of Antibodies”
Prosodic Lands $1,400,000 Seed Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2a0a8fc3-4ad1-4dca-8d72-c0ec9ca8bad3&Preview=1 Date 5/16/2012 Company Name Prosodic Mailing Address 1325 4th Avenue Seattle, WA 98101 Company Description Prosodic is a social media predictive analytics platform for brands, agencies and publishers. The name Prosodic [pruh-sod-ik] is, at its foundation, a linguistic analysis term, meaning the study of poetic meters and versification. The company was … Continue reading “Prosodic Lands $1,400,000 Seed Financing”
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”
Theraclone Passes First Clinical Test with Flu-Fighting Antibody
Theraclone Sciences has taken its first step ahead toward showing it might have an antibody drug that could work in humans. The Seattle-based biotech company is announcing today that it passed its first clinical trial with an antibody drug designed to fight a wide variety of flu strains. The study randomly assigned 40 healthy volunteers … Continue reading “Theraclone Passes First Clinical Test with Flu-Fighting Antibody”
Alliance Health Networks Acquires Medify for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=906e67f5-700d-4415-90bd-00d5c3fdb642&Preview=1 Date 5/15/2012 Company Name Medify Mailing Address 100 West Harrison North Tower Seattle, WA 98119 Company Description The company is developing data-driven care management for consumers. Website http://www.mymedify.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Proceeds Purposes M&A Terms Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed by the parties.
Xconomy Editor Luke Timmerman a Finalist for Loeb Award
Anyone in business journalism knows full well the power of the Gerald Loeb Awards for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism. Loeb was a founding partner of E.F. Hutton and a noted author and columnist, and the awards he created in 1957 to promote and recognize great writing and reporting for individual investors have become something … Continue reading “Xconomy Editor Luke Timmerman a Finalist for Loeb Award”
Looking to the Future of A New Kind of Science
[This is the third in a series of posts about A New Kind of Science. Previous posts have covered the original reaction to the book and what’s happened since it was published. This post first appeared on Wolfram’s blog—Eds.] Today ten years have passed since A New Kind of Science (”the NKS book”) was published. But in many … Continue reading “Looking to the Future of A New Kind of Science”
ASCO Preview: Eight Cancer Drugs to Watch at the Big Show
The pistons of the biggest publicity engine in cancer R&D will start firing this week. It’s time to behold the annual rite of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting, the biggest event for showing off what’s new and interesting in the treatment of cancer. This conference, officially held June 1-5 at McCormick Place … Continue reading “ASCO Preview: Eight Cancer Drugs to Watch at the Big Show”
Touch Press, the iPad, and the New Golden Age of Multimedia
Back in 2008 (exactly 180 columns ago, in fact) I wrote an elegy for the CD-ROM. If you’re under the age of 30, you probably won’t know what I’m talking about, but there was a brief span of time in the mid-1990s—after the emergence of personal computers powerful enough to handle multimedia content, but before … Continue reading “Touch Press, the iPad, and the New Golden Age of Multimedia”
M9 Defense Garners $329,945 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2950caab-e55f-4c1b-bbf7-e4d489a3bf8a&Preview=1 Date 5/11/2012 Company Name M9 Defense Mailing Address 13110 NE. 177th Pl. Woodinville, WA 98072 Company Description In addition to M9’s innovative Boroclave (Advanced Hydroforming) and press technologies, M9 is an industry leader in advance composite processing and material science. Website http://www.m9defense.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $329,945 Transaction Round … Continue reading “M9 Defense Garners $329,945 New Funding”
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”
Xconomist of the Week: Len Schlesinger on Learning by Doing
Are successful entrepreneurs born with an innate sense that tells them which risky business bets will pay off? Or is this a skill that that can be learned over time? To Babson College President and Xconomist Leonard “Len” Schlesinger, the answer to both questions is yes. There are occasional business prodigies like Steve Jobs who … Continue reading “Xconomist of the Week: Len Schlesinger on Learning by Doing”
Is Natural Gas Really the Next Big Thing?
Is natural gas the new next big thing? It is called a revolution in energy and a game-changer. Daniel Yergin claims that “the rapidity and sheer scale of the shale breakthrough—and its effects on markets—qualified it as the most significant innovation in energy so far since the start of the twenty-first century.” The President has … Continue reading “Is Natural Gas Really the Next Big Thing?”
IDRI, Aeras Team Up to Develop Tuberculosis Vaccine
A lot of people think tuberculosis is a thing of the past, but it remains one of the most deadly diseases in the world. Now the Seattle-based Infectious Disease Research Institute is getting ready to take it on with a new vaccine being prepped for clinical trials. IDRI said today it has formed a partnership … Continue reading “IDRI, Aeras Team Up to Develop Tuberculosis Vaccine”
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”
A 10-Point Plan to Stimulate Biotech & the Economy as a Whole
AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA Dear President Obama: As you and the rest of our nation’s leadership grapple with the momentous questions of restoring our collective financial stability and eminence, I am hopeful that some lessons from my background as an immigrant—now naturalized citizen—might prove instructive. The undeniable fact that runs throughout all the … Continue reading “A 10-Point Plan to Stimulate Biotech & the Economy as a Whole”
Facebook and the Opportunity for eCommerce Entrepreneurs
The pieces are in place for Facebook’s IPO next week—not only has the company set its stock price range and updated its Q1 numbers, it has also attempted to de-risk the biggest perceived risk in the first draft of its S-1: exposure to mobile competition. Facebook bought Instagram for $1 billion, which ostensibly will help it approach … Continue reading “Facebook and the Opportunity for eCommerce Entrepreneurs”
EveryMove Receives $2,600,000 Series A Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=fc26edab-4fe2-41d7-8cba-3434155c80a1&Preview=1 Date 5/9/2012 Company Name EveryMove Mailing Address 2607 2nd Avenue Seattle, WA 98121 Company Description We are a team of dedicated healthcare entrepreneurs and technologists who believe that by working together we can inspire each other to better health. We call this the EveryMove Movement and we want you to join … Continue reading “EveryMove Receives $2,600,000 Series A Funding”
Seattle Genetics Misses 1st Quarter Sales Estimate, But Sees $1B Future
Seattle Genetics fell short of Wall Street’s quarterly sales expectations for its new lymphoma drug, but the company boldly declared today that it sees its first drug becoming a billion-dollar blockbuster over time. The Bothell, WA-based company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SGEN]]) said today it generated $34.5 million in net product sales in the first quarter, about a … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics Misses 1st Quarter Sales Estimate, But Sees $1B Future”
Washington State Biomedical Device Summit
The fifth annual Washington State Biomedical Device Summit will bring together leading executives, entrepreneurs, researchers, government officials, thought leaders and stakeholders from the region’s medical device community to explore the state of the industry, review trends and innovations coming our way, and discuss the opportunities and challenges created for our region. For more information on … Continue reading “Washington State Biomedical Device Summit”
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”
First Comes The $1,000 genome, Then Comes The $10,000 Analysis
While everyone in the in the world of sequencing has heard this cynical joke, as an industry, the joke is about to be on us. We have focused our time, energy and investment on the ability to sequence the genome in a day, and have largely ignored the computational power required to extract and analyze … Continue reading “First Comes The $1,000 genome, Then Comes The $10,000 Analysis”
Elemental Technologies Obtains $13,000,000 Series C Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d817d036-1218-4a63-9816-2aea15846f5d&Preview=1 Date 5/8/2012 Company Name Elemental Technologies Mailing Address 620 SW Fifth Ave. Portland, OR 97204 Company Description Elemental Technologies, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, is the leading provider of massively parallel processing (MPP) solutions, initially targeting video applications. Website http://www.elementaltechnologies.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $13,000,000 Transaction Round Series C Proceeds … Continue reading “Elemental Technologies Obtains $13,000,000 Series C Financing Round”
iMove Secures $426,072 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2ff74cd0-9b76-4eea-8e70-b9b5724b866a&Preview=1 Date 5/8/2012 Company Name iMove Mailing Address 1732 NW Quimby Portland, OR 97209 Company Description iMove is a leading provider of immersive video solutions for the military, intelligence and critical infrastructure marketplace. Based in Portland, Oregon, iMove patented technology is leading the revolution in high resolution wide area immersive video for … Continue reading “iMove Secures $426,072 New Funding Round”
Dendreon Meets Expectations with $82M in 1st Quarter Provenge Sales
Seattle-based Dendreon said back in February that it expected “moderate” first quarter sales growth with its prostate cancer drug, and now it’s reporting it delivered on that projection, generating just enough sales to meet Wall Street expectations. Dendreon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DNDN]]) said today it generated $82 million in first quarter net sales of sipuleucel-T (Provenge). That … Continue reading “Dendreon Meets Expectations with $82M in 1st Quarter Provenge Sales”
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”
Antibiotic R&D is in Trouble: Here’s One Way to Fix It
Bacteria have been on Earth for more than a billion years, evolving in crafty ways to stay alive amid all kinds of threats. Only about 70 years ago, antibiotics came along and became one of the great triumphs of medicine, giving us the upper hand against infectious bugs. But the combination of government-funded research and … Continue reading “Antibiotic R&D is in Trouble: Here’s One Way to Fix It”
Xconomist of the Week: Rebecca Lynn on the Financial Services Boom
Morgenthaler Ventures partner Rebecca Lynn shows up at just about every Health 2.0 event in Silicon Valley—heck, she organizes some of them, like Morgenthaler’s annual DC to VC health IT showcase. So if you only went to those events, you might think that was Lynn’s whole investing focus. But in fact, the Xconomist’s portfolio at Morgenthaler … Continue reading “Xconomist of the Week: Rebecca Lynn on the Financial Services Boom”
Analyst: Dendreon’s Growth Stalling With Cancer Docs as Rival Gains
Seattle-based Dendreon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DNDN]]) is still struggling to get cancer physicians in the habit of prescribing its new immune-boosting drug for prostate cancer, as a competing product is gaining momentum, according to a survey by investment firm Robert W. Baird. In a survey of 100 community-based medical oncologists conducted in March, about 41 percent of physicians said … Continue reading “Analyst: Dendreon’s Growth Stalling With Cancer Docs as Rival Gains”