Category: Seattle

Amgen Pushes Ahead With ‘Son of Dmab’ For Treating Broken, Frail Bones

Folks who follow Amgen closely know there’s really been one main theme to this story the past couple years—Dmab, Dmab, Dmab. Also know as denosumab, this is the targeted antibody drug Amgen developed for bone disorders that is supposed to be biggest thing to emerge from its internal R&D pipeline in about 20 years (although … Continue reading “Amgen Pushes Ahead With ‘Son of Dmab’ For Treating Broken, Frail Bones”

Three Days of Angel Investing Insights

What a great week we just had for Northwest regional angel investors. Checkbooks were left untouched but minds were impacted by many insights shared among both highly experienced and new investors. Importantly, the insights shared by angels are just as valuable for entrepreneurs since a highly functional partnership between the two is critical for success. … Continue reading “Three Days of Angel Investing Insights”

Physio-Control Cuts Deal With San Diego’s BeneChill to Cool the Brain, Buy Time for Doctors

Science fiction writers have long imagined putting humans into a hibernation-like state to travel long distances in space. Doctors see another application here on Earth, in which cooling the body could slow down blood flow just enough to buy time when a patient could bleed to death or suffer serious brain damage. Now Redmond, WA-based … Continue reading “Physio-Control Cuts Deal With San Diego’s BeneChill to Cool the Brain, Buy Time for Doctors”

UW, Microsoft Get 2 Members of NAE

Microsoft Research and the University of Washington each have new members who have been elected to the National Academy of Engineering. Susan Dumais, who works on interfaces for improved information retrieval at Microsoft, was elected along with Hank Levy, the chairman of UW’s Computer Science and Engineering department. Levy, who has written two books and … Continue reading “UW, Microsoft Get 2 Members of NAE”

RealNetworks Cuts 130 More Jobs

Seattle’s RealNetworks (Nasdaq: [[ticker:RNWK]]) said today that 130 more positions, representing about 10 percent of the company’s workforce, will be eliminated in the final step of a restructuring program that began last year. The cuts, which are projected to save the media software company $11 million per year, bring total layoffs at RealNetworks to nearly … Continue reading “RealNetworks Cuts 130 More Jobs”

LSDF Bets $600K on New Technologies

The Washington Life Sciences Discovery Fund said today it has given out four grants worth a combined $600,000. Jane Burns of Seattle Children’s Hospital, along with Maple Valley, WA-based Enertechnix, will use their grant money to work on an air sampling technology to spot lung infections, while University of Washington researcher Patrick Stayton will work … Continue reading “LSDF Bets $600K on New Technologies”

Computing in the Age of the $1,000 Genome: The Photo Gallery

[Updated: 3:35 pm] Thanks to everyone who joined us yesterday for the latest Xconomy Seattle event, “Computing in the Age of the $1,000 Genome.” We packed the room once again for a highly engaging conversation about the state of the art in genomics. We dug into both the technical and cultural barriers that need to … Continue reading “Computing in the Age of the $1,000 Genome: The Photo Gallery”

Animoto, with Boost from Amazon GPUs, Goes High-Definition

Animoto would have knocked my grandfather’s socks off. A freelance photographer, he spent countless evenings assembling his Ektachrome transparencies into multimedia slide shows—but back in the 1970s and 1980s, “multimedia” meant a pair of carousel slide projectors with a dissolve unit controlled by time codes embedded on a musical cassette tape. At Animoto’s site, by … Continue reading “Animoto, with Boost from Amazon GPUs, Goes High-Definition”

Ernst & Young Says IPOs Continue to Gain Steam in 2011

The IPO pipeline, which slowed to a trickle in 2008 (when just six companies went public), rebounded significantly during the last three months of 2010, as 57 companies went public and 56 others registered for IPOs, according to a report from the Ernst & Young accounting firm. The rate of replenishment represents a healthy balance … Continue reading “Ernst & Young Says IPOs Continue to Gain Steam in 2011”

Datacastle Secures $2,000,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9ba07ff3-72d9-4053-b6e3-10d4476939b0&Preview=1 Date 2/8/2011 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 $2,000,000 New Funding”

Splunk Hires Former Microsoft Fellow, Opens R&D Center in Seattle

Four examples is enough for a bona fide trend. Joining its Bay Area neighbors Facebook, Salesforce.com, and Zynga, San Francisco-based Splunk plans to announce this week that it’s opening a satellite office in Seattle. To be led by former Microsoft engineer Brad Lovering, the office will be an R&D outpost for the fast-growing company, whose … Continue reading “Splunk Hires Former Microsoft Fellow, Opens R&D Center in Seattle”

See You This Afternoon at “Computing in the Age of the $1,000 Genome”

What will your doctor be able to tell you when your entire genome can be sequenced in an afternoon for $1,000 or less? Who out there in the business world has a handle on how to make this data useful? Will it actually help our society improve health and wellness? I’m getting my game face … Continue reading “See You This Afternoon at “Computing in the Age of the $1,000 Genome””

Diagnostics Are Warming Up in Era of Fast, Cheap Sequencing, Says MDV’s Rowan Chapman

Quite a few players in the movement toward super-fast, super-cheap gene sequencing see a mix of arcane science, breathless hype, and modest results. Despite a decade of talk about personalized medicine, nobody walks into a doctors’ office today and gets a universal test that can predict their medical future or give advice on how to … Continue reading “Diagnostics Are Warming Up in Era of Fast, Cheap Sequencing, Says MDV’s Rowan Chapman”

It’s Fashionable to Be Early, and Other Startup Lessons from the Innovation Showcase

The point at which an exciting research project is poised to become the next great product or service can be fraught with peril. So, what’s an innovator to do? Make connections, seek advice, build a team of advisors and investors who can help navigate that rocky road and bridge the gap between research and results. … Continue reading “It’s Fashionable to Be Early, and Other Startup Lessons from the Innovation Showcase”

Antenna Software Acquires Volantis for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d2dc0c28-adaa-4907-93e1-efeb017fb168&Preview=1 Date 2/7/2011 Company Name Volantis Mailing Address 14205 SE 36th Street Bellevue, WA 98006 Company Description Volantis is the world’s leading supplier of Intelligent Content Adaptation solutions and services for the next generation Internet. Website http://www.volantis.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Proceeds Purposes M&A Terms Financial terms of … Continue reading “Antenna Software Acquires Volantis for Undisclosed Sum”

Tablet Journalism: Can Rupert Murdoch’s iPad Adventure Save the News Business?

Sorry for the sensational headline. I couldn’t help myself. Talking about the future of journalism just gets me fired up, I guess. Anyway, the answer, of course, is no. Rupert Murdoch’s new initiative, called The Daily, can’t save journalism in an Internet era when advertising rates have declined and everyone wants to get their content … Continue reading “Tablet Journalism: Can Rupert Murdoch’s iPad Adventure Save the News Business?”

Mobisante Wins FDA Approval for “Ultrasound on a Smartphone” Technology

Seattle is the global capital of ultrasound technology, and now it can lay its claim as the place that developed the first FDA-cleared system that puts ultrasound on a smartphone. Redmond, WA-based Mobisante said today it has won FDA clearance to start selling its MobiUS system to healthcare professionals in the U.S. The startup, which … Continue reading “Mobisante Wins FDA Approval for “Ultrasound on a Smartphone” Technology”

Mobile Monday & Mobile {Dev} Sync Networking Event

Come have a conversation with Mobile {Dev}Sync, a thought leadership program, that will share how it brings together the mobile application value chain – carriers, device makers, developers, service providers and brands – to connect and do business in the mobile application marketplace. For more information on how to register, click here.

Ignition, Barton Bet on Hipmunk

Bellevue, WA-based Ignition Partners, along with Rich Barton, the former CEO of Expedia and Zillow, and former RealNetworks CEO Rob Glaser are among the investors who have joined a financing worth more than $4 million for San Francisco-based Hipmunk, according to a report in VentureBeat. We reported on the financing of Hipmunk last week, when … Continue reading “Ignition, Barton Bet on Hipmunk”

EveryTrail Was “Unappreciated Gem,” Says TripAdvisor Exec: A Look Inside Today’s Acquisition

As we reported earlier today, Palo Alto mobile travel publishing startup EveryTrail is now part of TripAdvisor, the giant travel review site based in Newton, MA and owned by Bellevue, WA-based Expedia (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EXPE]]). EveryTrail’s iPhone and Android apps allow users to document their travels by uploading geotagged photos and voice memos, which are arrayed … Continue reading “EveryTrail Was “Unappreciated Gem,” Says TripAdvisor Exec: A Look Inside Today’s Acquisition”

EveryTrail Thumbs A Ride From TripAdvisor, As Internet Travel Business Consolidates

Newton, MA-based TripAdvisor, the travel review site owned by Bellevue, WA-based Expedia (Nasdaq: [[ticker:EXPE]]), said today that it’s buying EveryTrail, a Palo Alto, CA, startup that helps users create multimedia travel tours using their GPS smartphones. The terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, so it’s hard to say whether the acquisition represents a sizable return … Continue reading “EveryTrail Thumbs A Ride From TripAdvisor, As Internet Travel Business Consolidates”

SeaGen Tacks on $23M

Seattle Genetics said today that its underwriters have exercised their options to purchase another 1.5 million shares at $15.50 apiece, which they were entitled to as part of a financing announced yesterday. The underwriter purchases mean the company has raised another $23 million, bringing the total of the new financing to $178 million. Seattle Genetics … Continue reading “SeaGen Tacks on $23M”

NanoString, Snapping Up Genomic Health Veteran, Seeks to Prove Economic Value of Cancer Diagnostic

There aren’t a lot of success stories out there in molecular diagnostics, but Redwood City, CA-based Genomic Health (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GHDX]]) is one. So if you’re the CEO of a small private company like Seattle-based NanoString Technologies, and you’re trying to find a way to turn an innovative scientific instrument into a bigger moneymaking diagnostic tool, … Continue reading “NanoString, Snapping Up Genomic Health Veteran, Seeks to Prove Economic Value of Cancer Diagnostic”

ISB Partners With P&G

The Institute for Systems Biology, a Seattle-based research center, is announcing today that it has formed a new three-year research collaboration with consumer products giant Procter & Gamble (NYSE: [[ticker:PG]]). Terms of the partnership aren’t being disclosed, but the research will focus on how biological systems function in various skin conditions, including skin aging.

Seattle Genetics Reloads, Uptake Ups and Leaves, PhysioSonics Raises Cash, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News

One of Seattle’s biotech stalwarts raised a lot of money this week that it will use to hire people for its inaugural commercialization drive. —Seattle Genetics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SGEN]]) pulled in $155 million this week through an underwritten stock offering of 10 million new shares. The company is preparing to seek FDA approval for its first … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics Reloads, Uptake Ups and Leaves, PhysioSonics Raises Cash, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”

Vulcan’s Kiha Software Cuts Staff

Seattle-based Kiha Software, a company backed with $20 million from Paul Allen’s Vulcan Capital, has laid off an undisclosed number of employees, and ended a public beta test of software for organizing contacts on mobile devices, according to a report by Brier Dudley of The Seattle Times. Vulcan spokesman David Postman told the Times that … Continue reading “Vulcan’s Kiha Software Cuts Staff”

Seattle Genetics Reloads Cash Reserves With $155M, On Cusp of Selling First Drug

Seattle Genetics has raised a new load of cash to brace itself for a big year ahead, as it prepares to hire a lot of people and introduce its first drug on the U.S. market. The Bothell, WA-based company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SGEN]]) said today it has raised another $155 million through a stock sale. The company … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics Reloads Cash Reserves With $155M, On Cusp of Selling First Drug”

What To Do With The Mother Lode of Genomic Data? Find Out at ‘Computing In the Age of the $1,000 Genome’ on Monday Feb 7

We all have 3 billion chemical units of DNA in each of our cells, and scientists say they will soon be able to unravel our unique genome sequences for $1,000 or less. Since genes get dialed up or down at different points in life, when we are healthy or diseased, scientists want to sequence our … Continue reading “What To Do With The Mother Lode of Genomic Data? Find Out at ‘Computing In the Age of the $1,000 Genome’ on Monday Feb 7”

White House Startup Investment Coincides with Sweeping Changes for TechStars, Y Combinator, Other Incubators: A Road to Recovery, or Another Bubble?

It’s been an unforgettable seven days for tech entrepreneurs—as if somebody poured startup juice into the nation’s water supply. First President Obama dedicates a good chunk of his State of the Union address to the virtues of high-tech innovation and entrepreneurship. Then Russian investor Yuri Milner and Silicon Valley super-angel Ron Conway pair up to … Continue reading “White House Startup Investment Coincides with Sweeping Changes for TechStars, Y Combinator, Other Incubators: A Road to Recovery, or Another Bubble?”

Startup America Starts Up—-Thoughts from the White House Kickoff

Yesterday the Kauffman Foundation and the Case Foundation helped to launch a new initiative called the Startup America Partnership. The idea emanated from the White House early in 2010 and has been germinating since that time. As many Xconomy readers are aware, the Kauffman Foundation has seeded programs to support entrepreneurs, entrepreneur education, and research … Continue reading “Startup America Starts Up—-Thoughts from the White House Kickoff”

Big Fish Games Adds a Big Fish, Angel Investor and Web Veteran Geoff Entress, to Its Board

The Seattle tech scene is getting tighter and more connected every day. Big Fish Games, the casual games developer and publisher, said today that Geoff Entress, the Seattle-area angel investor and venture partner with Voyager Capital, has joined the firm’s board of directors. He’s not an investor in Big Fish, but, as is typical with … Continue reading “Big Fish Games Adds a Big Fish, Angel Investor and Web Veteran Geoff Entress, to Its Board”

UW, Backed by Intel and U.S. Military, Sets Up Center to Merge Electronics, Photonics

Carver Mead and Lynn Conway pioneered a government/university/industry collaboration in the ’70s and ’80s that helped train a generation of engineers to design the chips inside the electronic devices we use today. Now the University of Washington is hoping to spark a new kind of alliance, inspired by Mead and Conway, to help scientists experiment … Continue reading “UW, Backed by Intel and U.S. Military, Sets Up Center to Merge Electronics, Photonics”

Motricity Snaps Up Adenyo For $150M

Motricity, the Bellevue, WA-based maker of mobile technology, said today it has acquired Adenyo, a mobile marketing, advertising and analytics solutions provider in the U.S., Canada and France. Motricity (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MOTR]]) has agreed to pay $100 million upfront through a combination of cash and stock, plus as much as $50 million more in cash and … Continue reading “Motricity Snaps Up Adenyo For $150M”

Uptake Medical Ups and Goes to the O.C., Retains Technical Center in Seattle

One of the best-financed medical device startups in Seattle, Uptake Medical, has moved its headquarters to southern California to tap into a deeper pool for medical device industry talent, Xconomy has learned. Uptake Medical moved its headquarters to the medical device hub in Orange County last fall, CEO King Nelson says. The company has retained … Continue reading “Uptake Medical Ups and Goes to the O.C., Retains Technical Center in Seattle”

Encouraging Women in Industry to Apply for Faculty Jobs

Over the years, I noticed that we’d hired some terrific faculty at the University of Washington who came directly from industry. These faculty members have quickly gotten up to speed, and they’ve loved their new academic careers. It occurred to me that this would be a great way to get more women faculty in science, … Continue reading “Encouraging Women in Industry to Apply for Faculty Jobs”

Uncle Sam Hearts Drugs, Not Devices. Why?

WTF! You can forgive medical device investors and CEOs if they’ve uttered that not-so-family-friendly acronym during the last year or so. First, the Food and Drug Administration signals it will likely tighten restrictions on the popular 510(k) regulatory program, which allows device makers to quickly develop new products that are slightly better or different than … Continue reading “Uncle Sam Hearts Drugs, Not Devices. Why?”

How the Challenger Disaster Changed My Life

The space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff on January 28, 1986—twenty-five years ago today. The disaster took the lives of six astronauts and one schoolteacher, and shook NASA to its core. Like other televised national traumas, it burned itself into the memories of millions of people. I was just a spectator to the catastrophe, … Continue reading “How the Challenger Disaster Changed My Life”

Washington Startups See Spike in Investing Dollars in December

Washington startups must have been good this year, because they sure did nab some serious dollars come holiday time. The state’s tech and life sciences companies collected a total of $69.4 million across 17 equity-based financings, nearly triple November’s funding pot, according to data on venture, angel, and growth equity financing provided by CB Insights … Continue reading “Washington Startups See Spike in Investing Dollars in December”

Merck, Staring at a Biotech Future, Seeks to Get in the Game With New Protein Drugs, Biosimilars

Biotech drugs will soon dominate the pharmaceutical industry, according to analyst estimates of what are projected to be the world’s top 10 selling therapies in 2014. Eight of these brands on this list are products of genetic engineering, while only two are traditional oral pills made through chemical synthesis. One other thing jumps out. Not … Continue reading “Merck, Staring at a Biotech Future, Seeks to Get in the Game With New Protein Drugs, Biosimilars”

Personalized Medicine Regulation Needs More Than Band-Aids

Last week, New York State assemblyman J. Gary Pretlow introduced the descriptively named “act to amend the insurance law, in relation to requiring coverage for genetic testing in accident and health insurance polices.” While not accompanied by a press release, or widely covered by media outlets, the bill merits close attention. While the substance of … Continue reading “Personalized Medicine Regulation Needs More Than Band-Aids”

PhysioSonics Obtains Series B Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=db4b1a74-31bf-4786-967a-84a5addc3171&Preview=1 Date 1/28/2011 Company Name PhysioSonics Mailing Address 14450 NE 29th Pl Bellevue, WA 98100 Company Description PhysioSonics, formerly known as Allez PhysiOnix, is a privately held company, founded in 2000 with technology developed at the University of Washington. The company has developed and patented a number of new technologies including an … Continue reading “PhysioSonics Obtains Series B Funding”

Establishing a ‘TC/IP’ for Human Biology: Sage Bionetworks Data Summit

“Why Can’t We Just Share all Genomics and Clinical Data?” is the organizing idea behind a data summit hosted by Sage Bionetworks on Jan. 31. The event, titled “Establishing a TC/IP for Human Biology,” on how to make genomic and clinical data more interoperable, will be held on campus at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research … Continue reading “Establishing a ‘TC/IP’ for Human Biology: Sage Bionetworks Data Summit”

Shrinkage—Expanded Upon….

Poor investment returns have had a similar effect to cold water – the VC industry is shrinking. As a follow-up to comments I posted this past weekend, I wanted to look deeper into recent fundraising data and see what other implications one might draw. Since 1980 the VC industry has raised $495 billion across 4,333 … Continue reading “Shrinkage—Expanded Upon….”