Category: Seattle

Fast Gets Faster: Zipline’s Moai Seeks to Speed Up Mobile Game Development by Knocking Down Language Barriers

It seems like the pace of mobile and casual game development is already pretty fast. But the folks at Seattle’s Zipline Games think it could be faster. Today, the startup is unveiling the beta version of its new Moai mobile-game development platform. The idea is to take friction out of game-building by offering a single … Continue reading “Fast Gets Faster: Zipline’s Moai Seeks to Speed Up Mobile Game Development by Knocking Down Language Barriers”

Biotechies Need to Get Serious About Antibiotics, Where There is Money to Be Made

There are lots of exceptions to the rules in the biotech business, and a big one jumped out me this past week, related to antibiotics. One day, Reuters ran a story about the overall abysmal state of the world’s pipeline of new antibiotics. Next day, there were reports about how San Diego-based Optimer Pharmaceuticals appears … Continue reading “Biotechies Need to Get Serious About Antibiotics, Where There is Money to Be Made”

AdXpose Garners $3,000,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a4663c11-f532-4152-aa26-aa246df8b2d4&Preview=1 Date 4/4/2011 Company Name AdXpose Mailing Address 1418 Third Avenue Seattle, WA 98101 Company Description AdXpose delivers everything people need to find the best deals online. Leveraging our proprietary metasearch and pricing analytics engine, AdXpose’s universal shopping experience offers the broadest selection of both new and used items, from the Web’s … Continue reading “AdXpose Garners $3,000,000 New Round”

Dendreon Faces Internet-Fueled Shareholder Uprising, Led by a Little Guy in Kansas

Seattle-based Dendreon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DNDN]]) has a passionate base of fans and detractors all over the web, but now it has a new and potentially volatile issue on its hands—an Internet-driven shareholder uprising that aims to shake up the company’s board of directors. Battles for control of corporate boardrooms that hit the press are usually waged … Continue reading “Dendreon Faces Internet-Fueled Shareholder Uprising, Led by a Little Guy in Kansas”

UW Adds Five Entrepreneurs

The University of Washington’s Center for Commercialization (C4C) said today it has named five new business leaders as entrepreneurs-in-residence. The group includes: Lars Johansson, Ron Berenson, Terri Butler, Henry Berg, and Stephanie Amoss. You can see their bios here. Separately, the UW announced a new program in which entrepreneurial faculty will mentor colleagues, advise C4C … Continue reading “UW Adds Five Entrepreneurs”

Meet Xconomy’s New Social Media Marketing Intern, Omri Mor

We have another new member of the team at Xconomy Seattle that I’m happy to introduce. Starting today, Omri Mor is the new social media marketing intern at Xconomy. Omri is a junior at the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business, where he is part of the prestigious Lavin Entrepreneurial Program. He comes to … Continue reading “Meet Xconomy’s New Social Media Marketing Intern, Omri Mor”

Agilyx Eyes IPO for Plastic-to-Oil

Tigard, OR-based Agilyx, which turns plastic into synthetic oil, is gauging a possible public offering after raising a $22 million Series B round. The new investment was led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and included Vancouver, BC’s Chrysalix Energy Venture Capital, Waste Management, and Total Energy Ventures International. Chrysalix’s Brian Wawro told the Portland … Continue reading “Agilyx Eyes IPO for Plastic-to-Oil”

Gmail Fail: The Problem with Priority Inbox

I was not one the pundits who heaped immediate praise on Priority Inbox, an e-mail management feature that Google added as an option in Gmail last August. TechCrunch instantly labeled it “fantastic,” TheNextWeb called it “outstanding,” and Venturebeat said it “lives up to the hype.” I was hopeful about it, but cautious. Having been burned … Continue reading “Gmail Fail: The Problem with Priority Inbox”

AVI Biopharma Adds $30M

AVI Biopharma (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AVII]]), the Bothell, WA-based developer of RNA-based therapies, said today it has raised $30 million through a stock offering. The company sold 20 million new shares at $1.50 apiece. The price represented a 19 percent discount to yesterday’s stock market closing price of $1.86. The underwriters of the deal—Lazard Capital Markets, Piper … Continue reading “AVI Biopharma Adds $30M”

Sony Axes 205 Jobs in West; Closes Bellevue Game Office, Other Work Shifts to San Diego

A downer in local tech-job news: Sony Online Entertainment is closing its game development office in Bellevue, WA, part of a broader downsizing that also includes the shutdown of offices in Denver, CO and Tucson, AZ. The company’s statement also says it is stopping work on the undelivered game “The Agency” to focus efforts on … Continue reading “Sony Axes 205 Jobs in West; Closes Bellevue Game Office, Other Work Shifts to San Diego”

Visible Technologies Raises $6M

Bellevue-based Visible Technologies, which provides a social media monitoring service for businesses, announced this week that it has raised an additional $6 million in financing. The company said previous investors re-upped, including Investor Growth Capital, Joe Grano, Ignition Partners, In-Q-Tel, and WPP. Chief Executive Kelly Pennock says the money will help Visible ramp up the … Continue reading “Visible Technologies Raises $6M”

Cheezburger Steps Up the Hiring Stunts With Free Burgers Outside Amazon Staff Meeting

I guess this means it’s game on in Seattle for tech-company hiring gimmicks. The folks at Cheezburger Network, fresh off a new acquisition and $30 million in venture financing, put together a quick marketing stunt today outside Key Arena, where Amazon.com was having a big company meeting. About a half-dozen Cheezburger employees, including CEO Ben … Continue reading “Cheezburger Steps Up the Hiring Stunts With Free Burgers Outside Amazon Staff Meeting”

When Safety and Efficacy Isn’t Enough: Preparing for the New Reality of More Cost-Effective Health Care

Sean Tunis, the former chief medical officer of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and Mitchell Higasi, the chief economist of GE Healthcare, will be featured speakers at a April 27 symposium on the movement toward more cost-effectiveness in healthcare, organized by the Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association. For more information on how to … Continue reading “When Safety and Efficacy Isn’t Enough: Preparing for the New Reality of More Cost-Effective Health Care”

Omeros Fails in Pivotal Trials With Drug for Knee Surgery, Stock Crashes

[Updated: 3:45 pm] Omeros, the Seattle-based biotech company, went public back in the fall of 2009 partly on optimism that it had found a novel way to help people recover from knee surgery. Today, the company is reporting that the program was essentially a bust. Omeros stock fell 40 percent on the news in after-hours … Continue reading “Omeros Fails in Pivotal Trials With Drug for Knee Surgery, Stock Crashes”

Editor’s Picks: Xconomy Seattle’s Top Stories of the First Quarter

It’s time to close the books on the first quarter of 2011. As the editor around here, that means it’s time to look back at the journalism we did that broke new ground, shed some new light, or otherwise exemplified what we think is the best stuff we did to serve our readers the past … Continue reading “Editor’s Picks: Xconomy Seattle’s Top Stories of the First Quarter”

The Microsoft Memos on Outgoing Marketing Chief Mich Mathews: ‘I Started Here When Microsoft Was the New, New Thing’

One day after AdAge broke the news that Microsoft marketing chief Mich Mathews was leaving the company, All Things Digital has word that her counterpart at Apple also is moving on. So, whose resignation should we look for tomorrow? In any case, here are the internal email announcements about Mathews’ departure, from Microsoft Chief Operating … Continue reading “The Microsoft Memos on Outgoing Marketing Chief Mich Mathews: ‘I Started Here When Microsoft Was the New, New Thing’”

Dendreon Wins Medicare Coverage, Clarisonic Tops $100M in Sales, Sage Partners Up, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News

This was a pretty quiet news week for Seattle biotech except for one big decision that affects the hot cancer drug company in town. —Seattle-based Dendreon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DNDN]]) has produced enough evidence to win full reimbursement from Medicare for its $93,000 prostate cancer drug, sipuleucel-T (Provenge). This move was widely expected since Dendreon passed muster … Continue reading “Dendreon Wins Medicare Coverage, Clarisonic Tops $100M in Sales, Sage Partners Up, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”

Swype Secures $3,500,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=83be09cd-8dd5-4a4c-af5e-73d08029b85a&Preview=1 Date 3/31/2011 Company Name Swype Mailing Address 701 North 34th St Seattle, WA 98103 Company Description Swype is a maker of text-input technology for mobile devices. Website http://www.swypeinc.com/ Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $3,500,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. Company CEO says the investment is … Continue reading “Swype Secures $3,500,000 New Round”

NexPlanar Receives $10,118,650 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=82f83d37-f3ce-47ad-8bb4-a57a0cf50d9e&Preview=1 Date 3/31/2011 Company Name NexPlanar Mailing Address 7425 NW Evergreen Parkway Hillsboro, OR 97124 Company Description NexPlanar builds the next generation of chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) pads for the semiconductor device industry. Our propriety nano-domain technology coupled with patented molded grooves and the unique ability to tune the pads results in … Continue reading “NexPlanar Receives $10,118,650 New Funding”

Agilyx Obtains $22,000,000 Series B Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=747ab098-d8bd-4a06-92ba-695e2ae72049&Preview=1 Date 3/31/2011 Company Name Agilyx Mailing Address 7904 SW Hunziker Street Tigard, OR 97223 Company Description Agilyx is the first in the world to economically convert difficult-to-recycle waste plastics into crude oil through a patented system that is scalable, versatile, and environmentally beneficial. Website http://www.Agilyx.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount … Continue reading “Agilyx Obtains $22,000,000 Series B Financing Round”

Z2Live’s Latest Round Worth $2.5M

[Updated 4:30 p.m. with comment from CEO] Seattle mobile-game startup Z2Live’s latest venture round is worth about $2.5 million, according to a regulatory filing today. Z2Live had previously announced a Series B investment from Draper Fisher Jurvetson, joining previous investor Madrona Venture Group, but hadn’t disclosed the amount. Z2Live is focusing on social gaming for … Continue reading “Z2Live’s Latest Round Worth $2.5M”

Dendreon Wins Full Reimbursement From Medicare for $93K Prostate Cancer Drug

Chalk up another victory for Seattle-based Dendreon—it has persuaded Medicare officials to provide full reimbursement to doctors who prescribe its new $93,000 prostate cancer drug. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the agency that runs the federal health insurance program for the elderly, said today in a draft memo that “the evidence is … Continue reading “Dendreon Wins Full Reimbursement From Medicare for $93K Prostate Cancer Drug”

Paul Allen’s Book: Rich Guy Spats, Early Days with Gates, and Being OK as a Generalist

Vanity Fair got the first-excerpt scoop on Microsoft co-founder and Vulcan head honcho Paul Allen’s new book, “Idea Man,” and one element in particular is drawing most of the attention today: Allen’s depiction of a past rift with longtime friend and co-founder Bill Gates over Allen’s holdings in the company. The Wall Street Journal has … Continue reading “Paul Allen’s Book: Rich Guy Spats, Early Days with Gates, and Being OK as a Generalist”

RIM, Intellectual Ventures Strike Deal

Intellectual Ventures, ex-Microsoft CTO Nathan Myhrvold’s new-wave patent middleman business, has cut a new licensing deal with Research In Motion (NASDAQ: [[ticker:RIMM]]), makers of the BlackBerry smartphone. As Intellectual Ventures’ senior VP of licensing Don Merino described in today’s in-depth Xconomy interview, licensing deals like this are an increasingly common way that IV is using … Continue reading “RIM, Intellectual Ventures Strike Deal”

Sage Starts Takeda, CHDI Work

Sage Bionetworks, the Seattle-based nonprofit seeking to spark an open source movement for biology, said today it has begun work for a couple of partners—Japan-based Takeda Pharmaceutical and the CHDI Foundation. Both projects involve building computational models for neurological diseases. Takeda said it November that it agreed to pay $3.6 million over four years to … Continue reading “Sage Starts Takeda, CHDI Work”

Clarisonic Cracks Big-Time With $100M Sales, Riding Rave Reviews From Lady Gaga, Oprah

One of Seattle’s hottest tech startups has nothing to do with the sizzly Internet trends you read about a lot—social media, location-based marketing, or mobile apps. It has everything to do with making more than 2 million women so far—Lady Gaga and Oprah among them—look good and feel good about themselves. Unless you read fashion … Continue reading “Clarisonic Cracks Big-Time With $100M Sales, Riding Rave Reviews From Lady Gaga, Oprah”

Intellectual Ventures Creates a New Kind of Market from Scratch: Tales From the Wild West Era of Patents

[Updated at 9:35 a.m. with a correction, see Page 2.]Don Merino used to be the guy sitting across the table when someone went to Intel looking to sell a patent—sometimes he dealt with inventors, but a lot of times it was patent lawyers. Merino liked to say the job was about dealing with “random $40 … Continue reading “Intellectual Ventures Creates a New Kind of Market from Scratch: Tales From the Wild West Era of Patents”

Cheezburger Hits the Big Apple, Zaarly’s Big Debut, Sizing Up the Talent Crunch & More in the Seattle-area Tech Roundup

The Cheezburger Network‘s bid to dominate meme-dom took another leap forward this week with the acquisition of Know Your Meme, a site that attempts to trace the histories of passed-around bits of Internet pop culture that are the fodder for Cheezburger’s humor sites. But the purchase of Know Your Meme, said to be in the … Continue reading “Cheezburger Hits the Big Apple, Zaarly’s Big Debut, Sizing Up the Talent Crunch & More in the Seattle-area Tech Roundup”

Elemental, Riding Wave of Online Video Delivery, Picks Up More Broadcast Business as Rivals Exit

File this under “one to watch more closely.” Before I tell you about the company or its news, consider a few trends. People are watching more videos on their iPads and other tablet devices. Broadcasters, cable companies, and video content owners are starting to focus more on how to deliver TV shows and other entertainment … Continue reading “Elemental, Riding Wave of Online Video Delivery, Picks Up More Broadcast Business as Rivals Exit”

Bobber Lands $1.1M for Social Banking

Seattle-based Bobber Interactive, which makes a “gamified” software platform to help banks attract young people to money management, has raised about $1.1 million in Series A financing. That’s a bit more than half of the offering Bobber has in the market, according to an SEC filing today. Bobber says the round was led by PEAK6 … Continue reading “Bobber Lands $1.1M for Social Banking”

The Science, Technology & Commercialization of Solid-State Microcellular Plastics

Krishna Nadella of MicroGreen Polymers and Vipin Kumar of the University of Washington are the guest speakers on April 8th at the Technology Alliance’s Science & Technology Discovery Series breakfast event. They will talk about the science, technology and commercial aspects of solid-state microcellular plastics. RSVP by Noon on Monday, April 4, by sending a note … Continue reading “The Science, Technology & Commercialization of Solid-State Microcellular Plastics”

Amazon, Challenging Apple Head-On, Makes Move Into Cloud-Based Music Service

[Updated at 1:40 p.m. with more pricing info, see below] Apple’s iTunes has become the default music store, playback platform and digital locker for millions of consumers. But the market-owner certainly has limits—chief among them are terrestrial storage and a limited number of machines authorized to use a given account. Seattle’s Amazon.com (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMZN]]) is … Continue reading “Amazon, Challenging Apple Head-On, Makes Move Into Cloud-Based Music Service”

RealNetworks CEO Bob Kimball Out, Presided Over Big Changes

More turbulence at Seattle’s RealNetworks: President and Chief Executive Bob Kimball has resigned, the company says today. Kimball had only been in the job since January 2010, although he’d been with RealNetworks (NASDAQ: [[ticker:RNWK]]) for about a dozen years. Kimball replaced founder Rob Glaser as CEO and presided over a period of big change: The … Continue reading “RealNetworks CEO Bob Kimball Out, Presided Over Big Changes”

Cheezburger Snaps Up Know Your Meme, Planting a Foothold in New York City

Hey Big Apple: Ready for some Cheezburger? Seattle-based Cheezburger Network, the holding pen for online humor sites like I Can Has Cheezburger and Fail Blog, has acquired the Internet-culture trackback site Know Your Meme. It’s the first big acquisition move that we’ve seen Cheezburger make since securing $30 million round of venture financing early this … Continue reading “Cheezburger Snaps Up Know Your Meme, Planting a Foothold in New York City”

Should You Drink the Social Kool-Aid?

Social media may be fomenting revolution in autocratic states, but is it really revolutionizing marketing? I understand the skepticism; I work in an industry famous for hyperbole. But you can’t deny the decline of traditional media. Americans spend an average of 11 hours a month on Facebook while print and broadcast consumption are in free … Continue reading “Should You Drink the Social Kool-Aid?”

AVI Biopharma Adds Chief Scientist

AVI Biopharma (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AVII]]), the Bothell, WA-based developer of RNA-based therapies, said today it has hired Peter Linsley as its chief scientific officer. Linsley, 59, had previously been the chief scientist at San Diego-based Regulus Therapeutics, a company formed by Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and Isis Pharmaceuticals to develop microRNA treatments.

Bigger Isn’t Better: It’s Time for Big Pharma to Break Up Into Little Pharma

Fresh headlines cross my desk almost weekly about the crisis in the pharmaceutical business. Jaw-dropping sums of money, about $65 billion a year, flow into the pursuit of new medicines. Yet every year we hear the same old refrain—a pathetic number of new FDA-approved drugs, just 21 last year—come out the other end. This highly … Continue reading “Bigger Isn’t Better: It’s Time for Big Pharma to Break Up Into Little Pharma”

Seattle’s Tech Job Crunch: How Long Can the Valley Invaders Poach from Microsoft, Amazon Before the Talent Well Runs Low?

Another month gone by in Seattle, and another Silicon Valley company has moved in to establish a beachhead for recruiting tech workers. And they all seem to say the same thing: This area is rich with talent. That’s certainly true—not to mention cheaper, compared to the Bay Area. But all of those companies often wind … Continue reading “Seattle’s Tech Job Crunch: How Long Can the Valley Invaders Poach from Microsoft, Amazon Before the Talent Well Runs Low?”

Physware Obtains $6,901,915 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=900b7fdb-f163-4c0e-bb81-11e7079cf2ac&Preview=1 Date 3/28/2011 Company Name Physware Mailing Address 600 108th Ave NE Bellevue, WA 98004 Company Description Physware, Inc. develops high-speed field solutions for signal and power issues in high-frequency package and board-level electrical modeling and design for the microelectronics industry. The company’s patent-pending, physics-aware technology tightly couples analysis and design methods … Continue reading “Physware Obtains $6,901,915 New Financing”

Z2Live Receives $500 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=56d69433-ee9b-40a2-b80e-4f9fa2330f4c&Preview=1 Date 3/28/2011 Company Name Z2Live Mailing Address 1601 2nd Ave Seattle, WA 98101 Company Description Z2Live was formed to leverage the new capabilities of mobile devices, the seamless flow between mobile and Web communities and the advent of consumer-focused marketplaces. Website http://www.Z2Live.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $500 Transaction Round … Continue reading “Z2Live Receives $500 New Funding Round”

“Consumer Surplus” from Personal Technology Is Soaring in the Age of Appreciation

It used to be that purchases began depreciating in value the moment you bought them. A new car, for example, might as well come with a little Kelley Blue Book countdown under the odometer showing its declining resale price. Indeed, the idea that property depreciates is so universal that it’s built into our accounting methods … Continue reading ““Consumer Surplus” from Personal Technology Is Soaring in the Age of Appreciation”

Thinkfuse Garners $500,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e5374aea-0ea6-453f-9dfc-519b5ac0db7b&Preview=1 Date 3/25/2011 Company Name Thinkfuse Mailing Address Undisclosed Seattle, WA 98104 Company Description The company operates a website and service that allows users to create status reports more easily. Website http://www.thinkfuse.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $500,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. The company is … Continue reading “Thinkfuse Garners $500,000 New Funding Round”

Amazon: Feds OK Diapers.com Deal

Amazon.com (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMZN]]) said Thursday that government regulators have approved its purchase of New Jersey-based Quidsi, the parent company of Diapers.com and other online retail brands. Amazon announced last November that it would purchase Quidsi for $500 million in cash, along with assuming about $45 million in debt. The companies said at the time that … Continue reading “Amazon: Feds OK Diapers.com Deal”

Drugstore.com, Veteran of the Dot-Com Bust, Grabbed by Walgreens in $429M Deal

Bellevue, WA-based drugstore.com is being scooped up by Walgreens, the nation’s largest drugstore chain, for $429 million in cash. Deerfield, IL-based Walgreens (NYSE: [[ticker:WAG]]) said it would maintain drugstore.com’s headquarters and a separately branded website. Drugstore.com (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DSCM]]) presently employs about 1,000 people in its offices, distribution centers and call center. The acquisition price of … Continue reading “Drugstore.com, Veteran of the Dot-Com Bust, Grabbed by Walgreens in $429M Deal”

Zaarly’s Wild Ride: Winning a Weekend, Quitting a Job, and the $100 Midnight Cheeseburger

People have paid good money to hear Eric Koester‘s advice about running a startup. One of his cardinal rules: Don’t go into business with people you don’t know very well. “Founders—it’s like marriage. You’re basically pinning your hopes on each other,” Koester says. So much for that bit of wisdom. This time Koester ignored his … Continue reading “Zaarly’s Wild Ride: Winning a Weekend, Quitting a Job, and the $100 Midnight Cheeseburger”

13 Tips for Getting Help for Your Startup

It takes a village to raise a startup. TechStars, and other mentor-driven accelerators, understand this. Experienced entrepreneurs understand this. Investors understand this. New entrepreneurs often do not understand this; and those new entrepreneurs that do understand it often don’t know who they need in their village or how to work with them once they figure … Continue reading “13 Tips for Getting Help for Your Startup”

SeaGen Strikes Abbott Deal, Omeros Passes Study, Alnylam Fires Back at Tekmira, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News

Another week, another deal for Seattle Genetics. This company is clearly on a roll. —Seattle Genetics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SGEN]]) raked in another $8 million upfront payment this week from a big drugmaker that wants to use its technology for linking targeted antibodies to toxins that make them more potent. This time, Abbott Laboratories shelled out for … Continue reading “SeaGen Strikes Abbott Deal, Omeros Passes Study, Alnylam Fires Back at Tekmira, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”