Category: Seattle

It’s Complicated: Survey Reveals Rough Patches in FDA’s Working Relationship With Life Sciences Industry

The life sciences industry says its working relationship with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has improved, particularly for the early stages of the agency’s product review process. But a survey of 50 life science companies, primarily in California and Massachusetts, also pointed to rising concerns about the latter part of the product review process, … Continue reading “It’s Complicated: Survey Reveals Rough Patches in FDA’s Working Relationship With Life Sciences Industry”

See You Tonight at “Biotech’s Back in Seattle”

I’m getting ready for one of Xconomy’s biggest events of the year—“Biotech’s Back in Seattle“—which will be held tonight at PATH’s new headquarters in South Lake Union. More than 200 people have snapped up tickets so far, and only six seats are left at the time I’m writing this. So if you missed the last … Continue reading “See You Tonight at “Biotech’s Back in Seattle””

Sparkbuy Emerges from Stealth, Unveils Laptop Shopping Site

[Updated 11/30/10 with signup link. See below] Seattle-based Sparkbuy has come out of stealth mode today, rolling out a comparison shopping website for consumer electronics, starting with laptops. The company also confirmed that it raised $1 million last month led by Benaroya Ventures and angel investor Geoff Entress. Sparkbuy’s website is now in closed beta … Continue reading “Sparkbuy Emerges from Stealth, Unveils Laptop Shopping Site”

The Myth of the “Patent Cliff”

Doctors, patients, and investors who follow the biopharmaceutical business all recognize that the industry is exceedingly complex and in the midst of change. Companies struggle daily with a multifaceted mix of scientific, clinical, and business unknowns. Will a drug be medically effective and make it through clinical trials? Will it get the thumbs up from … Continue reading “The Myth of the “Patent Cliff””

Dinner With Microsoft’s Craig Mundie: On Xbox Kinect, Instantaneous Total Recall, and a More Secretive Culture

I recently had dinner here in the Boston area with Craig Mundie, Microsoft’s chief research and strategy officer. With just one other guest present, it was an unusually personal and far-ranging discussion. Most of the talk was of a general nature—more background than anything else. Still, a few things stuck with me as noteworthy. I … Continue reading “Dinner With Microsoft’s Craig Mundie: On Xbox Kinect, Instantaneous Total Recall, and a More Secretive Culture”

Only a Few Tickets Left for Xconomy “Biotech’s Back in Seattle” Event on Nov. 29

Traveling around the country as Xconomy’s national life sciences editor, people sometimes give me funny looks when I say I’m from Seattle. Often, I hear something to the effect of, “Does Seattle even have a biotech industry?” Yes, it does. And even though most local politicians and media stopped talking about it a few years … Continue reading “Only a Few Tickets Left for Xconomy “Biotech’s Back in Seattle” Event on Nov. 29″

Dendreon Commercial Guy Leaves, Light Sciences CEO Exits, Amgen Wins FDA OK, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News

This was a short holiday week, and so we have an appropriately short biotech roundup. —Seattle-based Dendreon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DNDN]]) said last week that its top sales and marketing executive, Varun Nanda, left the company effectively immediately. Nanda was hired back in April to lead the market introduction of Dendreon’s first product, sipuleucel-T (Provenge), and stayed … Continue reading “Dendreon Commercial Guy Leaves, Light Sciences CEO Exits, Amgen Wins FDA OK, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”

Q3 Venture Capital Terms: Like a Rolling Stone

For me, the latest venture financing report for the third quarter that ended September 30 brings to mind Bob Dylan’s revolutionary rock ballad, “Like a Rolling Stone.” There is not only a sense of shattered hubris throughout the industry (granted, in some places more than others); there are no clear trends in the analysis of … Continue reading “Q3 Venture Capital Terms: Like a Rolling Stone”

Sparkbuy Receives $944,980 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9cbdd1f5-c26c-4226-9792-6bc607034781&Preview=1 Date 11/24/2010 Company Name Sparkbuy Mailing Address 6100 4th Ave. S. Seattle, WA 98108 Company Description The company is developing an as yet unspecified Internet service. Website http://www.sparkbuy.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $944,980 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC regulatory filing. M&A Terms Venture … Continue reading “Sparkbuy Receives $944,980 New Funding Round”

Omeros Adds Discovery Technology

Omeros (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OMER]]), the Seattle-based biotech company, said today it has completed its acquisition of drug discovery technology from Toronto-based Patobios. The assay technology from Patobios is supposed to help Omeros design new drugs against targets known as G-protein coupled receptors. The GPCR program is thought to be promising because many of the world’s top … Continue reading “Omeros Adds Discovery Technology”

Xconomy Adds Marginize Widget for Social Conversations; Check In for a Chance to Win a Free Event Ticket

There’s a new way to share and discuss your favorite Xconomy articles with your friends on a variety of social-media channels: Marginize. If you’re reading this article on the Xconomy website, you’ll see the new Marginize tab on the far right edge of your browser window. Click on this tab and the Marginize bar will … Continue reading “Xconomy Adds Marginize Widget for Social Conversations; Check In for a Chance to Win a Free Event Ticket”

Forward Into the Breach: Private Practice and Data Security

“The fantastic advances in the field of electronic communication constitute a greater danger to the privacy of the individual.” 1963 quote from Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren. I moderated a panel last week for Xconomy that was focused on consumer-oriented healthcare information technology. The panel included 2 hospital chief information officers (one current, one … Continue reading “Forward Into the Breach: Private Practice and Data Security”

Attachmate Buys Novell for $2.2B—the End of an Era

Novell, the Waltham, MA-based networking and workload management software firm (NASDAQ: [[ticker:NOVL]]), said today it has agreed to be acquired by Seattle-based Attachmate for $2.2 billion in cash. The deal represents a purchase price of $6.10 per share, a 9 percent increase over Novell’s closing stock price on Nov. 19. Novell also said it is … Continue reading “Attachmate Buys Novell for $2.2B—the End of an Era”

Light Sciences Oncology CEO Exits for New Job; Company Still Waiting for Pivotal Results

The CEO of Light Sciences Oncology, the Bellevue, WA-based company developing a first-of-its-kind drug/device combo therapy for cancer, has left to take a new job running another biotech firm, Xconomy has learned. Llew Keltner’s name has been taken down from Light Sciences Oncology’s website, and Keltner personally confirmed the move in a phone call Friday … Continue reading “Light Sciences Oncology CEO Exits for New Job; Company Still Waiting for Pivotal Results”

GloStream Seeks to Make Software Easy for Doctors to Use, Built on What They Already Know—Microsoft Office

Troy, MI-based gloStream calls itself the Microsoft Office of medical practice software. Yet in addition to emulating the business strategy behind Microsoft’s dominant desktop applications franchise, gloStream has actually built its software for doctors’ offices on the Redmond, WA-based software giant’s (NASDAQ:[[ticker:MSFT]]) technology. There are thousands of companies that embed Microsoft technology into their software—and … Continue reading “GloStream Seeks to Make Software Easy for Doctors to Use, Built on What They Already Know—Microsoft Office”

Calling All Entrepreneurs: Participate in a UN Survey on Entrepreneurship and Innovation

How do men and women small business owners approach innovation differently? That’s one of the questions the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development is seeking to answer through a six-country study that’s going on as we speak—as one of the organizers of the study, I’m looking for entrepreneurs in the U.S., both male and … Continue reading “Calling All Entrepreneurs: Participate in a UN Survey on Entrepreneurship and Innovation”

Apple TV vs. Roku: Battle of the Set-Top Boxes

Hi, my name is Wade, and it’s been 20 months since I paid for premium cable TV. As longtime Xconomy readers know, I canceled all but my basic cable channels in March 2009. Back then, it was a fairly radical thing to do, but nowadays I run into people all the time who’ve realized that … Continue reading “Apple TV vs. Roku: Battle of the Set-Top Boxes”

Amgen Wins FDA OK For Cancer Drug

Amgen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMGN]]), the world’s largest biotech company, said today it has won clearance from the FDA to start marketing denosumab (Xgeva) to reduce fractures in cancer patients with solid tumors that have spread to the bones. This is the second major approved use of the drug, which was first cleared in June as a … Continue reading “Amgen Wins FDA OK For Cancer Drug”

Dendreon’s Commercial Point Man Exits In Year One of Provenge Launch

[Update: 4:15 pm Pacific] One of the key people at Dendreon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DNDN]]) who was hired to make its new prostate cancer drug a success is out of a job after less than a year. Seattle-based Dendreon said today in a regulatory filing that Varun Nanda has left the company effective immediately. Nanda, Dendreon’s senior … Continue reading “Dendreon’s Commercial Point Man Exits In Year One of Provenge Launch”

Ballmer Will Say Adios, IPOs Will Return, Amazon Will Crack $200: Predictions for 2011 From WTIA Panel

Microsoft, desperate to become a real player in mobile, will do something bold like acquire Finnish wireless giant Nokia. CEO Steve Ballmer will ride off into the sunset. Amazon’s stock could soar to over $200 a share. As the great Yogi Berra once said, it’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future. Yet, with … Continue reading “Ballmer Will Say Adios, IPOs Will Return, Amazon Will Crack $200: Predictions for 2011 From WTIA Panel”

Dendreon Survives Medicare Panel, Arch’s Ouch, RNAi Shock Wave Hits Tekmira, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News

Seattle’s hot biotech company of the moment survived an unusual public hearing this week that could have put a serious crimp in its ability to sell its drug. —Seattle-based Dendreon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DNDN]]) dodged a bullet at a public hearing this week held by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The government-run health insurance plan … Continue reading “Dendreon Survives Medicare Panel, Arch’s Ouch, RNAi Shock Wave Hits Tekmira, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”

Paul Allen Donates $9M for Edgy Neuroscience, Biotech Projects at MIT, Stanford, UW

Paul Allen, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft, has been investing in biotech companies and basic neuroscience for many years, and now he’s set up a new program to put more money to work for scientists pushing the boundaries in those fields. The Seattle-based Paul G. Allen Family Foundation is announcing today it is bankrolling seven … Continue reading “Paul Allen Donates $9M for Edgy Neuroscience, Biotech Projects at MIT, Stanford, UW”

Perlego Systems Secures $1,931,726 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=421296b5-a349-4179-8e16-a4fbf1b5aeed&Preview=1 Date 11/18/2010 Company Name Perlego Systems Mailing Address 600 108th Ave NE Bellevue, WA 98004 Company Description Perlego Systems, Inc. is the only provider of end-to-end mobile device lifecycle management solutions that allow enterprises, resellers and device manufacturers to effectively manage deployed smart wireless devices, regardless of platform or carrier. The … Continue reading “Perlego Systems Secures $1,931,726 New Funding Round”

Dendreon Passes Medicare Panel’s Questions About Provenge Effectiveness

Dendreon followers can breathe a sigh of relief. A panel of physicians and researchers who advise the federal Medicare agency expressed an intermediate amount of confidence that the Seattle biotech company’s immune-booster for prostate cancer extends lives. The vote, at a public hearing today held by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is a … Continue reading “Dendreon Passes Medicare Panel’s Questions About Provenge Effectiveness”

Roche Dumps RNAi, Sends Shock Waves Through Alnylam, Tekmira

The world’s biggest spender on pharmaceutical R&D, Switzerland-based Roche, made news today with a sweeping series of cutbacks, and the ripple effect is extending to leading biotech companies in New England and the Pacific Northwest—including Cambridge, MA-based Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and Vancouver, BC-based Tekmira Pharmaceuticals. Roche said today it is terminating its efforts to discover and … Continue reading “Roche Dumps RNAi, Sends Shock Waves Through Alnylam, Tekmira”

C3 Jian Names Todd Patrick CEO

Todd Patrick, the former president of Vancouver, BC and Bothell, WA-based ID Biomedical, has been named the new CEO of Los Angeles-based C3 Jian. The company is developing selective antibacterial and antifungal treatments, as well as drugs for disorders of mineralization, and reversing hair loss. Patrick, the chairman of the board at the Seattle Biomedical … Continue reading “C3 Jian Names Todd Patrick CEO”

Clarian Wins GE Ecomagination Award

Clarian Power, a Seattle-based company that enables consumers to plug a solar power generator into a home electrical outlet, has won the Consumer Innovation Award that’s part of the GE Ecomagination Challenge. Clarian’s SmartBox Solar Module was picked from more than 3,000 entries. The prize is “a huge validation,” said Chad Maglaque, Clarian founder and … Continue reading “Clarian Wins GE Ecomagination Award”

Dendreon Prepares to Take Some Heat in the Other Washington Over Cancer Drug Prices

Cancer drugs cost a lot, and don’t work very well for most people. Not surprisingly, this is at least part of the reason there’s a popular backlash against drugmakers. And tomorrow, we’re going to see some unusual political theater that could say a lot about how cancer drugs get priced in the future. Seattle-based Dendreon … Continue reading “Dendreon Prepares to Take Some Heat in the Other Washington Over Cancer Drug Prices”

Allozyne’s Next Drug, Made to Kill Two Birds With One Stone, Being Prepped for Clinic

Allozyne, the Seattle-based developer of targeted therapies, is announcing today that its experimental antibody drug that hits not just one, but two targets on inflammatory cells, passed a pair of animal tests that will pave the way for clinical trials. That’s not normally much in the way of news, but it signals a shift of … Continue reading “Allozyne’s Next Drug, Made to Kill Two Birds With One Stone, Being Prepped for Clinic”

Intellisist Lands $3,500,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d3dc66f5-a3d8-44c5-ae3d-b98b7e0f2ed6&Preview=1 Date 11/16/2010 Company Name Intellisist Mailing Address 14150 NE 20th Street Bellevue, WA 98007 Company Description The company provides customer care and call center agent solutions. Website http://www.spoken.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $3,500,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC regulatory filing. M&A Terms Venture Investor … Continue reading “Intellisist Lands $3,500,000 New Financing Round”

Amazon, Elemental Team Up for Video Processing in the Cloud

Seattle-based Amazon Web Services announced today it has introduced a new cloud-computing service based on graphics processing units (GPUs). Portland, OR-based Elemental Technologies is the first company to offer cloud-based services for video transcoding on top of Amazon Web Services. Elemental is going after broadcast and online video customers in its push to become the … Continue reading “Amazon, Elemental Team Up for Video Processing in the Cloud”

EMC Acquires Isilon Systems for $2.25B—Now the Real Work Begins

[Updated 12:30pm ET, see below.] OK, we knew this was coming—it was just a matter of when. Hopkinton, MA-based data storage giant EMC (NYSE: [[ticker:EMC]]) announced today it will acquire Seattle-based Isilon Systems (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ISLN]]) for $2.25 billion in cash. EMC is paying $33.85 per share, a 29 percent increase over Isilon’s previous closing price … Continue reading “EMC Acquires Isilon Systems for $2.25B—Now the Real Work Begins”

Act-On Software Scores $4M from Voyager, USVP

Act-On Software, an online marketing startup based in Beaverton, OR, has raised $4 million in Series B venture financing, co-led by Seattle-based Voyager Capital and Silicon Valley-based U.S. Venture Partners. The startup makes marketing and sales automation software (across Web, e-mail, and social media) for businesses. This is a fast-growing and competitive field. Act-On’s customers … Continue reading “Act-On Software Scores $4M from Voyager, USVP”

Physio-Control, iPhone Appmaker Seek Smooth Wireless Data Between Ambulance and Hospital

Physio-Control has made some unhappy headlines the past few years because of quality control problems that temporarily caused it to halt shipments of its heart defibrillators. But at the same time it was trying to fix that short-term issue, it has been investing for the long-term in wireless infrastructure that it hopes could save precious … Continue reading “Physio-Control, iPhone Appmaker Seek Smooth Wireless Data Between Ambulance and Hospital”

GREENtrepreneurs: The Challenge & The Opportunity (Part 2)

[Editor’s Note: the first part of this guest post ran on Friday.] Governments, Law and Regulations, Oh My! One of the hallmarks of the growth of the Internet was a lack of government regulation or involvement. While not the case for all green businesses, many of the larger opportunities and business sectors look to government … Continue reading “GREENtrepreneurs: The Challenge & The Opportunity (Part 2)”

TechStars Demo Day Yields 10 New Seattle Startups—and a Lot of Work Ahead

It’s pretty impressive what a few startup teams can accomplish in 90 days with a lot of hard work, mentorship, and late-night Maker’s Mark bourbon-fueled sessions. But their real journey is just beginning—and it will be a long one. That’s my main takeaway from TechStars Seattle’s first “demo day” on Thursday. The seed-stage mentorship program—which … Continue reading “TechStars Demo Day Yields 10 New Seattle Startups—and a Lot of Work Ahead”

Act-On Software Obtains $4,000,000 Series B Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1310695b-48c9-41b5-a425-f31773bfbe54&Preview=1 Date 11/15/2010 Company Name Act-On Software Mailing Address 4905 SW Griffith Drive Beaverton, OR 97005 Company Description We provide a next-generation communication and collaboration service that transforms business e-mail into a true 24/7 prospect and customer interaction service. Website http://www.actonsoftware.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $4,000,000 Transaction Round Series B … Continue reading “Act-On Software Obtains $4,000,000 Series B Financing”

NW Biodiesel Network: Biomass and Commercialization

The U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, manages 10 national laboratories around the country with one located in Richland, Washington – Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). PNNL has approximately 4,700 staff and has a business volume of $881 million. So what does PNNL do? What type of research is being conducted, especially around biomass? … Continue reading “NW Biodiesel Network: Biomass and Commercialization”

Targeted Genetics Seeks Merger

Targeted Genetics, the Seattle-based gene therapy company that has struggled to survive the past two years, said today it has agreed to merge with London-based Biocontrol. The deal seeks to combine Biocontrol’s science with Targeted Genetics’ technology for using adeno-associated viruses to deliver gene therapies inside cells. The deal must be approved by Biocontrol shareholders.

Motricity Ends T-Mobile Deal, Cuts Jobs

Motricity (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MOTR]]), the Bellevue, WA-based company that manages wireless data for carriers, has terminated a contact with T-Mobile and cut “a small number of jobs,” according to a report in TechFlash. A Motricity spokeswoman said the move will help the company expand its profit margins. The move is a bit of a surprise, given … Continue reading “Motricity Ends T-Mobile Deal, Cuts Jobs”

RockMelt: A Great Social Browser for the Desktop, But Isn’t This the Mobile Era?

While nearly everything about the Web has changed since its emergence circa 1993—who’s using it, what types of content are available, how Web pages are constructed, how it’s all paid for—the desktop browser hasn’t. It’s still basically a big blank square that lets you navigate between Web pages, with a set of buttons and controls … Continue reading “RockMelt: A Great Social Browser for the Desktop, But Isn’t This the Mobile Era?”

Ouch for Arch: VC Bob Nelsen Says Ikaria Will March On After Withdrawing Big IPO

If Bob Nelsen ever wanted to hide, yesterday would’ve been the time. Ikaria, the futuristic “hibernation-on-demand” company he bankrolled five years ago, was on the cusp of going public this week at a valuation of more than $700 million. It was a moment he had been eagerly awaiting a long time. Two years ago, Nelsen … Continue reading “Ouch for Arch: VC Bob Nelsen Says Ikaria Will March On After Withdrawing Big IPO”

GREENtrepreneurs: The Challenge & the Opportunity

“So what is so special about green entrepreneurs?” This is an excellent question and was a central theme in my recently published book, Green Entrepreneur Handbook. Why is a green entrepreneur any different than any other sort of entrepreneur? Does it take a special entrepreneur with different skills to build a green business? Throughout the … Continue reading “GREENtrepreneurs: The Challenge & the Opportunity”

Forget About a Second Genomics Bubble: Complete Genomics Tumbles on IPO First Day

Super-fast, super-cheap DNA sequencing technologies have made big news in biotech the last couple years. But the early returns have made it clear that investors haven’t gone ga-ga for genomics like they did a decade ago. The latest data point arrived today in the form of Complete Genomics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GNOM]]). This Mountain View, CA-based company, … Continue reading “Forget About a Second Genomics Bubble: Complete Genomics Tumbles on IPO First Day”

Stealth Startups and Acquisition Rumors: Some Tidbits from King of the Web, Sparkbuy, PhotoRocket, Isilon, Widevine, and TechStars

Let’s get caught up on some Seattle tech gossip, shall we? It’s on my mind as I come back to town for the second time in as many weeks. Man, I miss this place and all its back-channel intrigue… —Nick Hanauer of Second Avenue Partners told me a little more about the new social gaming … Continue reading “Stealth Startups and Acquisition Rumors: Some Tidbits from King of the Web, Sparkbuy, PhotoRocket, Isilon, Widevine, and TechStars”

ZymoGenetics CEO Exits Stage, Resolve’s Recession-Era Biotech Plan, Ikaria Pulls IPO, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News

Two of the Seattle area’s venture capitalists watched the IPO market with bated breath this week, and while one looks like it will get a cherished liquidity event, another saw its hopes dashed at the 11th hour. —Ikaria, the hibernation-on-demand company with technology from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, slashed its IPO asking price … Continue reading “ZymoGenetics CEO Exits Stage, Resolve’s Recession-Era Biotech Plan, Ikaria Pulls IPO, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”

“No, I Will Not Fund Your Company”

If you are an entrepreneur and you haven’t heard the phrase above, then you probably got one of the following: “why don’t you come back when you have more traction;” “this just isn’t for us;” or (my least favorite), “this looks like a solid double…we only take home runs.” I do some work for LaunchCapital, … Continue reading ““No, I Will Not Fund Your Company””

Report: Ikaria Withdraws IPO, Leaving Arch, Hutch in the Lurch

Ikaria, the company with the futuristic “hibernation-on-demand” technology with roots at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, has withdrawn its IPO plans, according to a report from Dow Jones News Services. Goldman Sachs,  an underwriter of the deal, confirmed it has been withdrawn, according to the wire service. Earlier in the day, Xconomy … Continue reading “Report: Ikaria Withdraws IPO, Leaving Arch, Hutch in the Lurch”