Category: Seattle

From Smartphones to Smart Spaces: SRI’s Vision of Computer Evolution

If the future is here but unevenly distributed, as William Gibson said, then where is it concentrated? One place, certainly, is the contract research giant SRI International. Created by Stanford University in 1946, it’s the organization we have to thank for inventions like automated check processing, the computer mouse, hypertext, the ARPANET (which evolved into … Continue reading “From Smartphones to Smart Spaces: SRI’s Vision of Computer Evolution”

Smartphone Robots, Insect-Wing Wind Power, Online Video Game Tourneys & More Notes from the UW Business Plan Competition

Hundreds of people packed the Bell Harbor Conference Center on Seattle’s waterfront yesterday for the University of Washington’s annual Business Plan Competition. Now in its 14th year, the competition is a great showcase of energy and ideas from student entrepreneurs and some of their more experienced collaborators. Last night, the group of 37 teams was … Continue reading “Smartphone Robots, Insect-Wing Wind Power, Online Video Game Tourneys & More Notes from the UW Business Plan Competition”

Turning Garbage Into Fuel, S4 Energy Joins Xconomy Lineup on May 19

Most people in the renewable fuel business will say that if you want to make ethanol, then corn is a lousy choice of raw material. The U.S. certainly has a lot of it, but corn is an inefficient source of energy, and it hogs up land that can be used to produce food. But what … Continue reading “Turning Garbage Into Fuel, S4 Energy Joins Xconomy Lineup on May 19”

Gates Foundation Dishes Out Latest $100K Grants for ‘Out of the Box’ Global Health Ideas

You can liken the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to a giant mutual fund for global health, with a diversified portfolio like you might find at T. Rowe Price. The world’s largest philanthropy invests in some big, stable, blue-chip global health projects that are sort of like its version of IBM or Boeing stock, and … Continue reading “Gates Foundation Dishes Out Latest $100K Grants for ‘Out of the Box’ Global Health Ideas”

Zino Names Green Fund Finalists

The Zino Society said four finalists have emerged from its Zino Green Investment Forum earlier this week, who will go on to compete for a $50,000 investment. The finalists are Columbia Power Technologies, MyTown, Puralytics, and WISErg. The recipient of the Zino investment will be announced in 60 days.

GE Healthcare Buys Applied Precision

GE Healthcare, a unit of industrial giant General Electric (NYSE: [[ticker:GE]]), said today it has agreed to acquire Issaquah, WA-based Applied Precision for an undisclosed amount. Applied Precision makes super high resolution microscopes with software and data visualization tools for biomedical researchers. Applied Precision had $37 million in revenue in 2010, has been growing 20 … Continue reading “GE Healthcare Buys Applied Precision”

Indel Grabs $1.4M for Antibiotics

Vancouver, BC-based Indel Therapeutics, the developer of new antibiotics, is announcing today it has raised $1.4 million in a second round of financing. Morningside Ventures, MAD Ventures, and Quantum Pacific Capital participated in the deal. I last profiled Indel two years ago, as CEO Malcolm Kendall outlined the company’s strategy for pursuing novel biological targets, … Continue reading “Indel Grabs $1.4M for Antibiotics”

Immune Design Gets New CEO, Seattle Biomed Nabs $9M, VCs Turn Up Heat on FDA, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News

This week we had a couple of notable personnel moves, a big clinical trial result for a drug with local roots, and some sobering commentary about how this crazy biotech business keeps getting harder by the day. —Seattle-based Immune Design, the developer of new vaccine technology, hired a big fish to be its new CEO. … Continue reading “Immune Design Gets New CEO, Seattle Biomed Nabs $9M, VCs Turn Up Heat on FDA, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”

Seattle Biomed Nabs $9M Gates Foundation Grant to Speed Up Malaria Vaccine Effort

Seattle Biomed isn’t wasting any time putting the whole systems biology idea to work. The nonprofit global health research center is announcing today it has nailed down an $8.9 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to use systems biology techniques to identify new biomarkers that could become building blocks for a new … Continue reading “Seattle Biomed Nabs $9M Gates Foundation Grant to Speed Up Malaria Vaccine Effort”

Immune Design, Developer of New Vaccines, Adds Former Elan President as New CEO

Immune Design aspires to become a bigger company, and now it has recruited a CEO from a bigger company. The Seattle-based vaccine developer is announcing today that its new chief executive is Carlos Paya, the former president of Elan, the Ireland-based biotech company which has significant operations in South San Francisco. Paya is replacing Immune … Continue reading “Immune Design, Developer of New Vaccines, Adds Former Elan President as New CEO”

SignalSet Obtains $6,000,000 Series A Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=5532e38b-abf4-4e81-8436-098b2a4d71c1&Preview=1 Date 4/27/2011 Company Name SignalSet Mailing Address 720 3rd Ave. Seattle, WA 98104 Company Description SignalSet has developed the first wireless infrastructure solution that allows wireless machine-to-machine device manufacturers and OEMs to deploy and remotely manage wireless devices capable of seamlessly switching between GSM and CDMA wireless networks with no manual … Continue reading “SignalSet Obtains $6,000,000 Series A Round”

Cleantech Open Pacific Northwest Briefing

The Cleantech Open, an investment competition that spurs creation of new cleantech companies, is holding a lunchtime briefing for prospective applicants and mentors in Seattle on May 3. For more information on how to register, click here.

Al Gore’s Favorite Waste-to-Energy Company On Deck for Xconomy May 19 Event

Poke around a little bit here on the West Coast, and you can find some fascinating people working on big alternative fuel ideas that are below the public radar. You’d never know it, but one of the brains behind one of Al Gore’s favorite alternative fuel companies is right here in Seattle, and will be … Continue reading “Al Gore’s Favorite Waste-to-Energy Company On Deck for Xconomy May 19 Event”

Sean Tunis, Former Medicare Guru, on What Biotechies Gotta Do the Next Five Years

There are a lot of biotech entrepreneurs out there who are living by yesterday’s rules. The idea was you really had to design and execute a bang-up clinical trial for your new drug or device, win FDA approval, market the heck out of it, and count the money. If that sounds like your idea of … Continue reading “Sean Tunis, Former Medicare Guru, on What Biotechies Gotta Do the Next Five Years”

Amazon’s Cloud Crash, Under-the-Radar Inventions, Zillow’s Trend-Setting IPO, & More in the Seattle-Area Tech Roundup

As we dive into a new week in Seattle, Amazon Web Services‘ big cloud computing crash is still reverberating. The server-farm failure took out countless small sites and apps that rely on Amazon’s (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMZN]]) market-leading service, and the company got low marks for its communication while attempting to fix the problem over several days. … Continue reading “Amazon’s Cloud Crash, Under-the-Radar Inventions, Zillow’s Trend-Setting IPO, & More in the Seattle-Area Tech Roundup”

Zino Green Investment Forum

The Zino Society is presenting its annual Zino Green Investment Forum for cleantech companies on April 26th. The event will highlight 15 entrepreneurs vying for investment. Amy Bann, the director of environmental policy, business development and strategy for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, and U.S. Rep Jay Inslee will be among the featured speakers. For more information … Continue reading “Zino Green Investment Forum”

Paul Allen, the Quiet Billionaire with Fingerprints All Over Seattle, Shows the Hometown Crowd a Bit of Himself

Even in his hometown, Paul Allen can seem like an enigma. His influence is everywhere, from sports teams to politics to real estate development. But because of his famously private ways, Allen is only occasionally seen and very rarely heard. That made last Friday’s long public interview at Town Hall an interesting event. It was … Continue reading “Paul Allen, the Quiet Billionaire with Fingerprints All Over Seattle, Shows the Hometown Crowd a Bit of Himself”

VCs Turn Up The Heat on FDA to Get Faster, More Predictable

The FDA felt the heat in the 1990s when AIDS activists marched in the streets, shouting about how bureaucratic foot-dragging meant that patients died while waiting for approvals of experimental drugs. The FDA listened. It started clearing more new drugs for sale, and completing safety and effectiveness reviews faster than before. Now it’s venture capitalists, … Continue reading “VCs Turn Up The Heat on FDA to Get Faster, More Predictable”

Clipboard Receives $1,385,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=80335063-8c95-4917-a8ae-da7f27c1d9de&Preview=1 Date 4/25/2011 Company Name Clipboard Mailing Address 10220 NE. First Place Bellevue, WA 98004 Company Description The company is developing social media oriented technologies. Website http://www.clipboard.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $1,385,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. Debt was issued in the form of convertible promissory … Continue reading “Clipboard Receives $1,385,000 New Funding”

Things Fall Apart: Amazon’s Epic Cloud Failure Reveals Shortsightedness by Some Other Well-Known Tech Companies

As this week’s massive failure of Amazon Web Services cloud-computing infrastructure continued to roil the Web today, a few things were sadly clear. Perhaps most striking of all: Major service providers and websites—companies with enough money and talent to avoid the problem—didn’t spend nearly enough energy planning for the inevitability of a breakdown. Yes, it’s … Continue reading “Things Fall Apart: Amazon’s Epic Cloud Failure Reveals Shortsightedness by Some Other Well-Known Tech Companies”

Scientists Must Change Their Culture to Bring About Better Healthcare

What do science, culture, and policy have in common? In order to improve the quality and affordability of health care, all three have to change. This message is central to Sage Bionetworks‘ mission and the theme from this year’s Sage Commons Congress held April 15th and 16th in San Francisco. What’s the problem? Biology is … Continue reading “Scientists Must Change Their Culture to Bring About Better Healthcare”

Zillow’s IPO: As the Market Comes Back to Life, Is this Deal the Bellwether of a New Boom?

Trying to read too much significance into any single event in business can be a dicey proposition. But when we’re talking about a well-known Seattle tech company IPO—something the innovation community here hasn’t seen in quite a while—it’s worth chewing over what the development could say about the months and years ahead. The IPO filing … Continue reading “Zillow’s IPO: As the Market Comes Back to Life, Is this Deal the Bellwether of a New Boom?”

Could a Game Be the Answer to Your E-mail Woes?

E-mail is the great savior and scourge of our time. We couldn’t get much done without it. Yet as regular readers know, I have an ongoing feud with my inbox. I’ve declared e-mail bankruptcy (twice), I’ve adopted tools like Taskforce that help turn e-mails into to-do list items, and I’ve tried filtering options like Gmail’s … Continue reading “Could a Game Be the Answer to Your E-mail Woes?”

Impinj Files for $100M IPO

Seattle-based Impinj, a 10-year-old RFID tech firm founded by University of Washington professor Chris Diorio, filed registration papers for an initial public offering today. The company said it was seeking up to $100 million. Impinj’s numbers were a little up and down in the past few years: The company went from about $25 million in … Continue reading “Impinj Files for $100M IPO”

Please Don’t Go! Microsoft Boosting Pay Across Company After Watching Silicon Valley Encroach on Its Turf and Talent

Looks like Microsoft is officially tired of having people poached by the Silicon Valley raiders setting up shop in its backyard. CEO Steve Ballmer’s new memo on employee compensation changes, in wide circulation this morning, looks somewhat like the Redmond, WA-based software giant’s version of Google’s abrupt companywide raise-and-bonus combo of late last year. Microsoft … Continue reading “Please Don’t Go! Microsoft Boosting Pay Across Company After Watching Silicon Valley Encroach on Its Turf and Talent”

Amgen Passes Key Trial With “Son of Dmab” For Osteoporosis

The financial crowd who follows Amgen may be talking all about dividends or techniques to boost the stock through share buybacks, but the medical and scientific world will be chirping today about an interesting new finding the company has made for treating osteoporosis. Amgen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMGN]]), the Thousand Oaks, CA, biotech giant with R&D operations … Continue reading “Amgen Passes Key Trial With “Son of Dmab” For Osteoporosis”

From Three-Month Ice to Fast Broadband Everywhere: Some Projects You Might Not Know About From Intellectual Ventures Lab

There are two sides to Intellectual Ventures, the Bellevue, WA-based “invention capital” company started by former Microsoft CTO Nathan Myhrvold. The revenue-generating side of the business is a stockpile of more than 30,000 patents, which Intellectual Ventures licenses and sells to other firms, including tech companies large and small looking to defend themselves in lawsuits. … Continue reading “From Three-Month Ice to Fast Broadband Everywhere: Some Projects You Might Not Know About From Intellectual Ventures Lab”

Triangulating VC Activity: Third Survey Shows Q1 Increase in Invested Capital

Another survey on venture capital activity during the first quarter shows that venture investors put $6.4 billion into 661 startups nationwide. That’s a 35 percent increase in capital and a 5 percent rise in deals, according to the report from Dow Jones VentureSource. It’s the third survey to show a substantial increase in the amount … Continue reading “Triangulating VC Activity: Third Survey Shows Q1 Increase in Invested Capital”

Life Science Discovery Fund Faces Cuts, Boeing’s Biofuel Push, SeaGen’s Latest Deal, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News

We’ve got biofuel on the brain here at Xconomy as we prep for our next big event. —Boeing and Alaska Airlines are taking the lead on a regional network that wants to turn the Northwest into a hotspot for biofuel production by growing the plants, refining the oil, transporting, and consuming it all locally to … Continue reading “Life Science Discovery Fund Faces Cuts, Boeing’s Biofuel Push, SeaGen’s Latest Deal, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”

Xconomy Forum: Separating Hype from Reality in Alternative Fuels

Cleantech was minted by venture capitalist John Doerr a few years ago as the greatest opportunity of the 21st century. The global energy and transportation market is about as big as any market in the world, worth an estimated $7 trillion a year. Despite all the talk, what kind of progress is really being made … Continue reading “Xconomy Forum: Separating Hype from Reality in Alternative Fuels”

Boeing, Alaska Airlines Lead Push for Renewable Aviation Fuel From the Northwest

To borrow a phrase from folks in Texas, the biofuel industry has been “all hat, and no cattle” for quite some time. But that could be changing, as a group of 40 power players in the Northwest, led by Boeing, has coalesced to create what could be the first strategic plan to turn the region … Continue reading “Boeing, Alaska Airlines Lead Push for Renewable Aviation Fuel From the Northwest”

Sparkbuy Adds Product Selection from Best Buy in Quest to Make Electronics Shopping as Powerful as Online Travel

Another day, another bit of news for Seattle-based online electronics shopping startups. This time, it’s Sparkbuy announcing that it will offer products from Richfield, MN-based Best Buy (NYSE: [[ticker:BBY]]) on its customizable search site, a big addition for a company that’s only been in the public eye for about two weeks. Sparkbuy, which already featured electronics like … Continue reading “Sparkbuy Adds Product Selection from Best Buy in Quest to Make Electronics Shopping as Powerful as Online Travel”

Decide.com Lands $6,000,000 Series B Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a00590b6-b2f3-4e78-8b90-c04ee5cba5c8&Preview=1 Date 4/20/2011 Company Name Decide.com Mailing Address Undisclosed Seattle, WA 98104 Company Description The company is developing a new online shopping service. Website http://www.decide.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $6,000,000 Transaction Round Series B Proceeds Purposes The company is preparing its online service for launch. M&A Terms Venture Investor Maveron … Continue reading “Decide.com Lands $6,000,000 Series B Funding”

Zillow Files for IPO, PopCap Heading the Same Way, Zynga Beckons Local Talent, & More in the Seattle-Area Tech Roundup

The Seattle tech scene got its first entrant in what looks like a coming wave of initial public offerings when Zillow made its intentions official, filing paperwork with federal regulators Monday for a future stock sale. In its filing, the online real-estate listing and mortgage database said it would seek about $52 million from the stock … Continue reading “Zillow Files for IPO, PopCap Heading the Same Way, Zynga Beckons Local Talent, & More in the Seattle-Area Tech Roundup”

Stealthy Decide.com Lands $6M

Seattle stealth startup Decide.com, which says it’s working on a consumer electronics shopping service, announced a $6 million Series B financing round today. The latest investment was led by Maveron—Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz’s outfit—along with Madrona Venture Group and angel investors. Decide, led by CEO Mike Fridgen, is also adding some notable names: Dan Levitan … Continue reading “Stealthy Decide.com Lands $6M”

Clearwire, Sprint Settle Wholesale Pricing Dispute with $1B Deal

Troubled 4G wireless network operator Clearwire (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CLWR]]) had some positive news today, reporting that it and majority shareholder Sprint had resolved a dispute over wholesale pricing. Sprint (NYSE: [[ticker:S]]) will pay at least $1 billion over the next two years for use of Clearwire’s service, the companies said in a joint statement. Interim Chief … Continue reading “Clearwire, Sprint Settle Wholesale Pricing Dispute with $1B Deal”

Genmab Expands SeaGen Alliance

Genmab, the Denmark-based developer of antibody drugs, said today it has formed  a second collaboration to use technology from Seattle Genetics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SGEN]]) that’s designed to make antibodies more potent. Genmab will seek use the “empowered antibody” technology against a target known as CD74, which is found on various blood cancer and solid tumor cells. … Continue reading “Genmab Expands SeaGen Alliance”

An Investment Opportunity: Training in Biosciences

The burgeoning life sciences/biotech sector here is gratifying and indicates that Seattle isn’t just about airplanes, software and coffee. However, in order for our industry to enjoy the success that others in our region have, it’s crucial that we prioritize training the next generation of scientists. Last fall, Xconomy hosted an event called “Biotech’s Back,” … Continue reading “An Investment Opportunity: Training in Biosciences”

Groupon Swallows Seattle’s Pelago, Makers of the Whrrl Check-In App

There’s been a bit of discussion lately about whether “the check-in” is dead. Chicago-based daily deals behemoth Groupon apparently doesn’t think so: It’s acquiring Seattle’s Pelago, makers of the Whrrl social check-in service. Terms weren’t disclosed. In a blog post, Groupon Chief Executive Andrew Mason said he was a fan of Whrrl’s technology and people, … Continue reading “Groupon Swallows Seattle’s Pelago, Makers of the Whrrl Check-In App”

Separating Hype from Reality in Alternative Fuels: Slated for May 19 at Institute for Systems Biology

If clean-burning renewables are ever going to replace fossil fuels at the corner fueling station, it will probably require a rethinking of the biofuel production process at the basic level of genes and cells. That’s why I’m jazzed to say we’re convening the next big Xconomy Seattle event at one of the hotspots where scientists … Continue reading “Separating Hype from Reality in Alternative Fuels: Slated for May 19 at Institute for Systems Biology”

Zillow, with Growing Revenue and Shrinking Losses, Files Paperwork for IPO

Seattle online real-estate company Zillow is trying to raise nearly $52 million in an initial public offering, according to registration paperwork filed today with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Zillow, which has been edging toward an IPO for some time, said in the statement that its revenues nearly doubled last year to about $30.5 million. … Continue reading “Zillow, with Growing Revenue and Shrinking Losses, Files Paperwork for IPO”

PopCap, Eyeing an IPO this Fall, Talks Revenue Growth, Shifting Platforms, & Zynga Jealousy in a Blitz with Media, Investors

PopCap, the Seattle-based maker of popular online and casual games like “Bejeweled” and “Plants vs. Zombies,” is coming off a very newsy week as it tries to build buzz among investors ahead of a possible initial public offering later this year. Of course, if PopCap actually files an IPO prospectus with securities regulators, the company … Continue reading “PopCap, Eyeing an IPO this Fall, Talks Revenue Growth, Shifting Platforms, & Zynga Jealousy in a Blitz with Media, Investors”

Concur Stakes a Bigger Claim in India with Cleartrip Investment, New International Office

Concur, which helps businesses manage travel and expense accounts, is making a couple of big moves to broaden its international reach today. The company said it has invested $40 million to obtain a minority stake in Cleartrip, a privately held online travel-booking service in India. Redmond, WA-based Concur said it’s forming a marketing partnership with … Continue reading “Concur Stakes a Bigger Claim in India with Cleartrip Investment, New International Office”

ShipSweet is Now EquaShip

The Seattle package-shipping startup previously known as ShipSweet has changed its name to EquaShip, and is emerging from stealth mode today as it heads for a summer launch. The company is headed by serial entrepreneur Ron Wiener, also of Venture Mechanics. The idea behind EquaShip is to give small- and medium-sized businesses much better deals … Continue reading “ShipSweet is Now EquaShip”

Asemblon, Forging Ahead With Hydrogen Fuel Dream, Leans on Partners to Make it Happen

Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, and scientists have dreamed for years about turning it into a source of clean alternative fuel. The vision hasn’t materialized, but one Seattle-area entrepreneur, Michael Ramage of Asemblon, says he is more confident than ever that this idea can reach the marketplace in about two years. … Continue reading “Asemblon, Forging Ahead With Hydrogen Fuel Dream, Leans on Partners to Make it Happen”