The biotech and pharmaceutical industry is full of people who went to the top universities, live in the fanciest neighborhoods, and work for brand-name companies. But this industry needs to start thinking more about millions of people who are mostly an afterthought today. I’m talking about people who live in America’s small cities and rural … Continue reading “Biotech’s Missed Opportunity: Small-Town and Rural America”
Category: Seattle
Groupon Acquires Pelago for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=59febada-99f1-4dd9-8d57-608acf428bb1&Preview=1 Date 4/18/2011 Company Name Pelago Mailing Address 1201 3rd Ave. Seattle, WA 98101 Company Description Pelago was founded in early 2006 with a DNA of innovation, customer obsession, bias for action and, of course, a relentless commitment to having fun. We’re incredibly proud of the all-superstar team we’ve assembled to date, … Continue reading “Groupon Acquires Pelago for Undisclosed Sum”
Seattle 2.0 Awards
Tech startup community hub Seattle 2.0 hands out awards voted on by a crowd of judges, including honors for Best Consumer Startup, Best B2B Startup, Best Startup Acquisition, Best Angel or VC, and more. Also includes showcase booths for startups.
MIT Enterprise Forum NW Startup Demo
A select group of entrepreneurs demonstrate their startups for a panel of investors and others, who will select a winner. Event preceeded by networking reception.
Technology Alliance Innovation Showcase
The quarterly event is meant to “bridge the gap between research and commercialization by highlighting the most promising discoveries and new technologies ready for commercialization in Washington.” Presentations by three to six innovators as selected by event organizers. Hosted reception follows the showcase.
State of Technology Luncheon with U.S. CTO Aneesh Chopra
The Obama administration’s chief technology officer, Aneesh Chopra, is the headliner at the Technology Alliance’s State of Technology Luncheon. The alliance says Chopra will discuss “harnessing the power of technology to fuel job creation and clean energy innovation, reshape education and health care, and transform the way we do business.”
Reporter’s Notebook: A Dozen Digital Media Discoveries
Every day, I come across loads of interesting material that I’d love to blog about but can’t because I don’t have the time or the right venue. I usually just stick this stuff into Evernote and tell myself I’ll write about it later. Well, it’s later. In today’s column I want to round up a … Continue reading “Reporter’s Notebook: A Dozen Digital Media Discoveries”
Why Do I Love Drug Regulation? Simple: It Keeps Us Safe
I frequently read comments from pundits and politicians decrying the US drug regulatory system, specifically the FDA. Many of these people, reading from the same PR playbook, will try to convince you that regulation is the primary factor in stifling innovation. But based on history, I am convinced that without adequate government regulation, companies in … Continue reading “Why Do I Love Drug Regulation? Simple: It Keeps Us Safe”
Paul Allen: “Idea Man”
Billionaire Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen discusses his new autobiography “Idea Man,” which includes tales from befriending Bill Gates, the founding and early days of Microsoft, his rocky departure from day-to-day duties at the company, and his pursuits and passions since then. Interviewed by Todd Bishop of Seattle tech news site GeekWire. More information at Town … Continue reading “Paul Allen: “Idea Man””
The DBar: The Networked Consumer
Hear a discussion about the ways mobile and social connections are changing consumer buying behavior and brand engagement, plus check out products in the hands-on lab station. Panelists are James Lively of DIY Media, Scott Blanksteen of AppStoreHQ, Kathy Savitt of Lockerz, and Jordan Williams of REI. Moderated is Tricia Duryee of Allthingsd.com. Hosted by Holly Brown … Continue reading “The DBar: The Networked Consumer”
Paul Allen’s Billionaire Book Tour Continues with a “60 Minutes” Sitdown This Weekend
When you’re one of the richest people in the world, your autobiography gets the deluxe publicity rollout. Exhibit A is billionaire Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, whose new book, “Idea Man,” is about to hit the market. The first excerpt, adapted in Vanity Fair, caused tons of headlines, mostly for its depiction of a heated fight … Continue reading “Paul Allen’s Billionaire Book Tour Continues with a “60 Minutes” Sitdown This Weekend”
Life Sciences Discovery Fund On Pins and Needles During Budget Talks (Again)
The state budget being hashed out in Olympia is spreading angst far and wide, and you can bet Washington state’s biotech community will feel it this time. The Life Sciences Discovery Fund, the program championed by Gov. Chris Gregoire to foster more biotech innovations and jobs in Washington, is being primed for what looks like … Continue reading “Life Sciences Discovery Fund On Pins and Needles During Budget Talks (Again)”
Hitting the Target, Missing the Mark: How Targeted Therapies Have Left Patients Wanting
It is not unusual to read about another drug failure in a challenging neurological disease such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, or Parkinson’s disease. Designing therapeutics with exquisite specificity has been the goal of modern drug development, and significant resources continue to be allocated towards this approach, only to see treatments fail due to inadequate … Continue reading “Hitting the Target, Missing the Mark: How Targeted Therapies Have Left Patients Wanting”
Open Source Biology’s Moment, Mirador Advances the Runner, Allen’s Latest Brain Map, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News
We had an eclectic news mix this week, with features on medical devices, open source biology and an innovation story from the East Side of the Cascades. —Sage Bionetworks, the Seattle-based nonprofit seeking to light a spark for open source biology, is gearing up for its second big annual conference, which is expected to draw … Continue reading “Open Source Biology’s Moment, Mirador Advances the Runner, Allen’s Latest Brain Map, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”
Looking Up: First Quarter Venture Capital Deals & Dollars Rise
Venture capital investments surged during the first three months of 2011, driven mostly by sharply increased funding for Internet and cleantech-renewable energy startups, according to CB Insights, a New York information and data services firm. Venture investors sunk a total of $7.5 billion into 738 deals throughout the country during the first quarter, a 27 … Continue reading “Looking Up: First Quarter Venture Capital Deals & Dollars Rise”
Northwest Entrepreneur Network Showcases Startups in Health Care, Software, Clean Power, Apparel, & Plenty More
A really interesting variety of startups made their initial pitches to the broader investing crowd yesterday at the Northwest Entrepreneur Network’s First Look Forum. The 12 presenters represented a wide array of sectors, from food to retail to software services and—seriously—nuclear fusion power. “I don’t think we could have imagined a more diverse slate, in … Continue reading “Northwest Entrepreneur Network Showcases Startups in Health Care, Software, Clean Power, Apparel, & Plenty More”
Spokane’s Latest Idea: Invest in New Med School To Create Biotech Hub
The state budget is a mess, but that isn’t stopping the folks in Spokane, WA from thinking big about planting seeds today for biotech. I’ve been in Spokane the past couple days to give a keynote talk on the Northwest biotech industry at an event organized by an entrepreneurial networking group called LaunchPad Inland Northwest. … Continue reading “Spokane’s Latest Idea: Invest in New Med School To Create Biotech Hub”
Zynga’s Mark Pincus on Becoming the Amazon of Social Games, Big Data Growth, & Recruiting Failures Spawning a Seattle Office
Zynga, the San Francisco-based maker of addictive online games like FarmVille and Mafia Wars, officially opened its new Seattle office with a reception last night that was aimed squarely at recruiting new tech talent. And there wasn’t anything coy about the hunt, echoing a pitch Seattle-area techies have heard from many Silicon Valley companies in … Continue reading “Zynga’s Mark Pincus on Becoming the Amazon of Social Games, Big Data Growth, & Recruiting Failures Spawning a Seattle Office”
Mirador Biomedical, Playing ‘Small Ball’ in Medical Devices, Pockets $1.5M Financing
Seattle-based Mirador Biomedical was able to win FDA approval of its first medical device on a shoestring budget of a shade over $1 million, and now investors are rewarding it with some more cash to see what it can do in the marketplace. Mirador has pulled in another $1.5 million in its Series B financing … Continue reading “Mirador Biomedical, Playing ‘Small Ball’ in Medical Devices, Pockets $1.5M Financing”
Lockerz, a Gamified Social Network Site with Original Content, Scores Another $30M
Seattle startup Lockerz, which is positioning itself as a unifying platform for the online lives of teens and young adults, has raised $30 million out of a possible $45 million investment round, according to a new SEC filing. The company declined to disclose the investors, pending further fundraising. That’s a pretty big chunk of change … Continue reading “Lockerz, a Gamified Social Network Site with Original Content, Scores Another $30M”
Webby Award Nominees Include New York, Boston, San Francisco, San Diego, and Seattle Internet Innovators
OK, so they’re not quite the Emmys. And this being New York, they’re not even the Tonys. But for the city’s legions of Web developers and interactive advertisers they might as well be the Oscars. That’s right, it’s time for the 15th Annual Webby Awards. The nominees were announced today in New York. The Webby … Continue reading “Webby Award Nominees Include New York, Boston, San Francisco, San Diego, and Seattle Internet Innovators”
Allen Institute Releases Human Brain Map
The Allen Institute for Brain Science, the Seattle-based nonprofit founded by billionaire Paul Allen, is announcing today it has released what it says is the first comprehensive anatomical and genomic map of the human brain. The Allen Human Brain Atlas, based on two normal adult brains, showed about 94 percent similarity between the two specimens, … Continue reading “Allen Institute Releases Human Brain Map”
Expedia Spins Out TripAdvisor, PopCap Opens a New Studio, LiquidPlanner Makes Work Social & More in the Seattle-Area Tech Roundup
The digital travel sector was a hot source of news for Xconomy readers in the past week—specifically, we had three major appearances from Bellevue, WA-based Expedia (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EXPE]]). The online travel giant made its biggest headlines with its decision to spin out TripAdvisor into a separate public company. As Xconomy’s Greg Huang reported, Newton, MA-based … Continue reading “Expedia Spins Out TripAdvisor, PopCap Opens a New Studio, LiquidPlanner Makes Work Social & More in the Seattle-Area Tech Roundup”
Lockerz Obtains $29,999,988 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b3f9931b-63f6-4136-a8d4-d6fce99252d6&Preview=1 Date 4/12/2011 Company Name Lockerz Mailing Address Undisclosed Seattle, WA 98101 Company Description 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, … Continue reading “Lockerz Obtains $29,999,988 New Financing Round”
BigDoor: New Game Platform for Ads
Seattle startup BigDoor is unveiling a new website advertising platform centered around game behavior, hoping to tie a better profit engine to one of the tech world’s current buzzwords—gamification. BigDoor says its “Engagement Economy” approach is based around having advertisers pay on a “cost per quest” basis, which ties ad spending to user tasks, such … Continue reading “BigDoor: New Game Platform for Ads”
Zillow Grabs San Francisco-Based Postlets, an Online Real-Estate Listing Syndicator
Seattle-based online real estate website Zillow has acquired San Francisco-based Postlets, a startup that syndicates property listings across about a dozen sites. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, and Zillow wouldn’t comment on any possible layoffs as part of the acquisition. Postlets says it has more than 500,000 registered users generating more than 350,000 … Continue reading “Zillow Grabs San Francisco-Based Postlets, an Online Real-Estate Listing Syndicator”
Seattle’s Marchex Acquires Boston-Area Startup Jingle Networks for $62.5M, Adding Heft to Phone Call Advertising
Seattle-based Marchex, an online advertising and search company, is acquiring Billerica, MA-based Jingle Networks for up to $62.5 million in cash and stock, the companies announced today. Marchex (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MCHX]]) says the combination will allow its advertising network to reach more than 500 million phone calls annually. Jingle Networks provides advertising to mobile carriers and … Continue reading “Seattle’s Marchex Acquires Boston-Area Startup Jingle Networks for $62.5M, Adding Heft to Phone Call Advertising”
Kineta Gets $1M NIH Contract Extension
Kineta, the Seattle-based drug developer, said today it has received a $1 million contract extension from the National Institutes of Health to mine existing computer databases to find new drug targets and candidates. The first part of the contract was designed to set up computational infrastructure for the project, which involves collaborators at the University … Continue reading “Kineta Gets $1M NIH Contract Extension”
LiquidPlanner, Inspired by Social and Mobile Computing, Aims to Make Business Software Sexier
The explosion of faster networks, connected crowds and mobile computing has made millions of Americans into astonishingly fast and efficient consumers. But when the weekend’s over, too many of us walk back into a technological time-warp of email chains, conference calls and endless meetings. Bellevue-based LiquidPlanner is among the companies trying to break down that … Continue reading “LiquidPlanner, Inspired by Social and Mobile Computing, Aims to Make Business Software Sexier”
Open Source Biology Deserves a Shot
Gene sequencing has gotten incredibly fast and cheap, and researchers around the world are pouring huge volumes of genomic data onto their private servers, in the hope they will sift through it all to make groundbreaking discoveries. Should so much genomic data be so closely guarded, or should it be poured into a free and … Continue reading “Open Source Biology Deserves a Shot”
Evolve or Die: Versant’s Beckie Robertson on Four Ways Med Device Companies Can Survive
The business model for medical device startups is said to be in jeopardy, and it’s the topic du jour at conferences everywhere, as entrepreneurs are complaining bitterly about arbitrary FDA regulators and tight-fisted insurers. Much of this industry’s spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship is migrating overseas, it is often said. Yesterday, I heard all that … Continue reading “Evolve or Die: Versant’s Beckie Robertson on Four Ways Med Device Companies Can Survive”
Report: MOD Systems Furloughs
Seattle-based MOD Systems, which makes technology to deliver movie and music files through self-service kiosks, is putting some workers on unpaid furlough as it attempts to raise more money. The news comes via TechFlash, which says it confirmed the furloughs with CEO Anthony Bay today. TechFlash also notes this SEC filing from early last month … Continue reading “Report: MOD Systems Furloughs”
Separating Hype From Reality in Alternative Fuels: Mark Your Calendars for May 19
Energy independence and reducing greenhouse gas emissions were big issues in the last couple Presidential elections. Yet, if you look around town in 2011, it’s still the norm to see people filling up inefficient cars with gasoline from non-renewable sources, at a cost of about $4 a gallon. Lots of entrepreneurs are pursuing dreams of … Continue reading “Separating Hype From Reality in Alternative Fuels: Mark Your Calendars for May 19”
With iMovie on the iPad 2, Video Editing Is Fun Again
As much as I loved the original Apple iPad, there was one thing about the device that stuck in my craw: the missing cameras. It was an easy guess when the original product debuted 12 months ago that Apple would rectify the omission in a near-future version. What annoyed me was the certainty that at … Continue reading “With iMovie on the iPad 2, Video Editing Is Fun Again”
TripAdvisor to Spin Out of Expedia as Separate Public Company; CEO Kaufer Looking Forward to “Growth and Innovation”
Interesting news in online travel this afternoon, spanning the Boston and Seattle areas—and plenty of destinations in between. Bellevue, WA-based Expedia (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EXPE]]) said it plans to split into two publicly traded companies—one will be Newton, MA-based TripAdvisor (which has been part of Expedia since 2004), and the other will remain Expedia, which also owns … Continue reading “TripAdvisor to Spin Out of Expedia as Separate Public Company; CEO Kaufer Looking Forward to “Growth and Innovation””
Forbes Ranks Detroit, Other Xconomy Cities Poorly In Minority Entrepreneurship
Forbes recently ranked the best cities for minority entrepreneurs and perhaps not surprisingly, Detroit finished near the bottom of the list. Despite Detroit’s large African American population, the magazine ranked the Motor City 47th out of 52 metropolitan areas. You can probably blame the usual suspects: lack of venture capital, the loss of population, downsizing … Continue reading “Forbes Ranks Detroit, Other Xconomy Cities Poorly In Minority Entrepreneurship”
Omeros Flunks Pivotal Trials, Dendreon’s Shareholder Hubbub, AVI Biopharma Nabs $30M, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News
Lots of little blurbs crossed the desk this week, along with one major blowup for a drug in the third and final stage of clinical trials. —Seattle-based Omeros (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OMER]]) said it failed in a series of pivotal clinical trials with its anti-inflammatory drug to help patients undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery. The trials, which enrolled … Continue reading “Omeros Flunks Pivotal Trials, Dendreon’s Shareholder Hubbub, AVI Biopharma Nabs $30M, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”
UpWind Solutions Garners $10,000,000 Series C Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6824c8f2-abca-49c7-9830-50c9c9487968&Preview=1 Date 4/7/2011 Company Name UpWind Solutions Mailing Address 3555 Lear Way Medford, OR 97504 Company Description We help wind project developers and owners maximize profits and ensure project success. UpWind Solutions is a full-service operations and maintenance service provider for utility-scale wind energy projects with a bold, innovative approach to business. … Continue reading “UpWind Solutions Garners $10,000,000 Series C Round”
Matt McIlwain the Only Seattle-Area VC on New Forbes “Midas List”
With March Madness officially over, Forbes is feeding the thirst for some statistical gamesmanship with its latest “Midas List,” an attempt to rank the country’s top 100 venture capitalists. The Seattle area has just one entry on the list: Madrona Venture Group‘s Matt McIlwain, at No. 75—in fact, there were more women in the rankings … Continue reading “Matt McIlwain the Only Seattle-Area VC on New Forbes “Midas List””
Intellectual Ventures Licenses Patents to Mobile Data Startup Dashwire as Smaller Company Defends Itself in Court
It’s not just the tech behemoths who are girding for the patent wars. Dashwire, a Seattle cloud-services startup, today announced a licensing deal with Intellectual Ventures, Nathan Myhrvold’s Bellevue, WA-based patent middleman firm. Terms were not disclosed. Dashwire’s products synchronize and back up data from smartphones and other mobile devices to the Web. The company … Continue reading “Intellectual Ventures Licenses Patents to Mobile Data Startup Dashwire as Smaller Company Defends Itself in Court”
NW Biodiesel Network Monthly Meeting: Biomass and Commericalization
E.C. Lund, a tech transfer manager at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and Rick Orth, a technical group manager at PNNL, will be the featured guests at a Northwest Biodiesel Network meeting on April 26th in Seattle. The event is free. For more information, click here.
EnerG2 Moves Into ‘Execute Mode’ to Enhance Batteries, Natural Gas Cars
Every startup, at some point in its maturation, needs to put up or shut up. EnerG2 is starting to enter that phase when it’s time to find out if it can really do what it said it was going to do. The Seattle-based company, founded in 2003 with technology from the University of Washington, started … Continue reading “EnerG2 Moves Into ‘Execute Mode’ to Enhance Batteries, Natural Gas Cars”
Halosource Unveils New Water Products
Halosource, the Bothell, WA-based maker of low-cost technology for purifying water in the developing world, said it has introduced a new line of clean water products that consumers can use in their homes. The new products—called Waterbird, Waterbird Premium, and Waterbird Elite—will come in the form of powered water pitchers, or a gravity-based water container … Continue reading “Halosource Unveils New Water Products”
AT&T’s Buyout of T-Mobile & the Future of Seattle-Area Wireless Innovation: The View from VC Tom Huseby
AT&T’s blockbuster $39 billion bid for Bellevue, WA-based T-Mobile is easily among the biggest stories of this year in Seattle-area tech. But the deal won’t be consummated for a year or more as government regulators consider the massive industry consolidation at stake. As you’d expect, there’s been a fair bit of teeth-gnashing associated with the … Continue reading “AT&T’s Buyout of T-Mobile & the Future of Seattle-Area Wireless Innovation: The View from VC Tom Huseby”
Expedia To Roll Out New Hotel iPhone App Designed By Mobiata
Ben Kazez needs a place to live. Preferably a warehouse loft he can rent somewhere in Ann Arbor, MI. A quiet place where he can finally grab some ZZZZs. You can forgive Kazez for neglecting his living situation. Since selling his startup Mobiata to online travel giant Expedia (Nasdaq:[[ticker:EXPE]]) last fall, Kazez has been hard … Continue reading “Expedia To Roll Out New Hotel iPhone App Designed By Mobiata”
PopCap’s New Indie Label 4th & Battery, the Sandbox For a Death-Metal Horse Romp & Other “Really Strange or Marginal Ideas”
Chalk up another sign of the explosive growth in mobile and casual gaming—Seattle’s PopCap Games, makers of the hit games Bejeweled and Plants vs. Zombies, has set up an “experimental” second label for feeding their weirder side. Yes, even weirder than a Zombie bobsled team. The new studio and label is called 4th & Battery, … Continue reading “PopCap’s New Indie Label 4th & Battery, the Sandbox For a Death-Metal Horse Romp & Other “Really Strange or Marginal Ideas””
Oncothyreon Starts Phase 2 Trial
Oncothyreon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ONTY]]), the Seattle-based cancer drug developer, said today it has begun a mid-stage clinical trial for patients with relapsed forms of brain cancer—glioblastoma multiforme. The company is testing whether its treatment, PX-866, is able to help shrink tumors in about 30 patients at seven clinical sites in Canada. The drug is designed to … Continue reading “Oncothyreon Starts Phase 2 Trial”
Allen vs. Gates and Ballmer, Amazon Takes on Apple, Intellectual Ventures Whips Up a Market, & More in the Seattle-Area Tech Roundup
A juicy excerpt from billionaire Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen‘s new autobiography caused plenty of chatter around Seattle and the broader tech world this past week, and considering that he’s starting a book tour, I guess that’s the point. The stunning vignette, in the excerpt published in Vanity Fair, was a scene in which Allen writes that … Continue reading “Allen vs. Gates and Ballmer, Amazon Takes on Apple, Intellectual Ventures Whips Up a Market, & More in the Seattle-Area Tech Roundup”
Mpire Now AdXpose, Raises $3M
Seattle-based advertising company Mpire has a three-fer today: It’s raised another $3 million, named a new CEO, and is making the switch to its AdXpose platform very official by changing the name of the company. Mpire—now known just as AdXpose—told Xconomy about a year ago that it was ditching its previous Widgetbucks advertising network to … Continue reading “Mpire Now AdXpose, Raises $3M”
Xconomy Expands to New York—the Country’s Hottest Hub of Tech Startups and Entrepreneurship
Every time I visit the Big Apple, a line from Stevie Wonder’s Living for the City flashes in my mind: “New York, just like I pictured it, skyscrapers and everything.” But my mental picture of New York has evolved dramatically in the last few years—not the skyscrapers part, of course, but the “everything” that’s going … Continue reading “Xconomy Expands to New York—the Country’s Hottest Hub of Tech Startups and Entrepreneurship”