Category: Seattle

We’re Going Public! Now What? Managing A Successful IPO

The New York Stock Exchange, J.P. Morgan, KPMG LLP, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, P.C., Marsh, and Bowne are delighted to invite you to our upcoming IPO seminar on what it takes to go public today. This challenging economic environment calls for strategic planning, sound advice, and a good handle on potential pitfalls. Please join … Continue reading “We’re Going Public! Now What? Managing A Successful IPO”

Ray Ozzie to Step Down as Microsoft Chief Software Architect

Microsoft’s chief software architect, Ray Ozzie, will be stepping down from the position after an undefined transitional period, according to Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer. Ballmer made the announcement via an e-mail sent out to Microsoft employees today, adding that he had no plans to fill Ozzie’s vacated position. “The CSA role was unique and … Continue reading “Ray Ozzie to Step Down as Microsoft Chief Software Architect”

Top Innovators

Join Seattle Business magazine for its annual salute to the new and exciting, the inventors, entrepreneurs, students and academics who are blazing new trails in innovation. This is a great opportunity to network with the inventors, entrepreneurs, students and academics that are blazing new trails in innovation. Event details and registration information here.

Intellectual Ventures’ Latest Big Push: Turning Med-Tech Inventions Into Cash

Nathan Myhrvold is a physicist who made his name as a software guy at Microsoft. So it’s natural to think that if his Bellevue, WA-based invention firm, Intellectual Ventures, creates anything of lasting value, it will probably come from physics or software. Maybe it will be something really offbeat (fighting infectious disease with mosquito-zapping lasers), … Continue reading “Intellectual Ventures’ Latest Big Push: Turning Med-Tech Inventions Into Cash”

NW Energy Angel Kiki Tidwell Seeks to Professionalize Angel Investing Through Kauffman Fellowship

Kiki Tidwell, when she was growing up, had planned on entering the family business. She was raised in Hawaii, and throughout her childhood she and her parents traveled to Aspen, CO often to tend to the family restaurant. When Tidwell graduated high school, she enrolled in the hotel and restaurant management program at the University … Continue reading “NW Energy Angel Kiki Tidwell Seeks to Professionalize Angel Investing Through Kauffman Fellowship”

Abvio vs. FitnessKeeper: The Running App Founder Smackdown

If you’re a runner, walker, or cyclist, there’s a lot of great mobile technology these days to help you track your activity and stay motivated. On Friday I reviewed two apps in particular: RunKeeper from Boston-based FitnessKeeper, and Runmeter from San Francisco-based Abvio. I talked about my personal experiences using the apps, which both work … Continue reading “Abvio vs. FitnessKeeper: The Running App Founder Smackdown”

HaloSource Receives $80,000,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a8277349-24fb-4a9c-b154-39a9dda1ee9d&Preview=1 Date 10/18/2010 Company Name HaloSource Mailing Address 1631 220th Street SE Bothell, WA 98021 Company Description HaloSource health science technologies focus on antimicrobial and disease prevention solutions that reliably and effectively kill germs. For partners that want competitive differentiation through unique proprietary technologies, HaloSource provides reliable, tested and proven solutions in … Continue reading “HaloSource Receives $80,000,000 New Financing Round”

Tableau Reports Record Growth

Seattle-based Tableau Software, a developer of data-visualization software is reporting 123 percent sales and customer acquisition growth in the third quarter, compared with the same time last year. The company has had mounting success for some time—in the first half of 2010, Tableau saw a 106 percent increase in sales compared to the first half … Continue reading “Tableau Reports Record Growth”

31 Northwest Ideas Compete in the GE Ecomagination Challenge

Three months ago General Electric (NYSE: [[ticker:GE]]) announced a $200 million open innovation competition, with the goal of finding and financing breakthrough ideas that will help create a smarter, cleaner, more efficient, and more economically viable grid, and help accelerate the adoption of smart grid technologies. Since the “GE Ecomagination Challenge” was introduced on July … Continue reading “31 Northwest Ideas Compete in the GE Ecomagination Challenge”

RunKeeper Versus Runmeter on the iPhone: A Newbie Runner’s Review

[Corrected, see p. 2] If there’s one seductive thing about being a startup entrepreneur, it’s that you can utterly neglect exercise without feeling guilty about it. After all, doesn’t building a great company require every moment of wakefulness, every ounce of concentration? I know I’ve got a lot to show for my last three years … Continue reading “RunKeeper Versus Runmeter on the iPhone: A Newbie Runner’s Review”

Mirador Biomedical Wins FDA Approval for Tool to Prevent Dangerous Hospital Errors

Seattle’s medical device community has another member of the commercial club—a company that found a way to reach the marketplace after less than two years of work and with only a little more than $1 million of investment. Mirador Biomedical, the startup with a digital sensor that can tell the difference when a syringe pokes … Continue reading “Mirador Biomedical Wins FDA Approval for Tool to Prevent Dangerous Hospital Errors”

New Reality for U.S. Venture Capital: Data Shows Startup Deals Are Smaller, More Numerous and More Capital-Efficient

The MoneyTree Report on third-quarter venture funding echoes results that we reported earlier this week, showing $4.8 billion was invested in 780 venture deals nationwide. That was a 7 percent decline in venture capital invested—but a nearly 9 percent increase in the number of deals—compared with the same quarter in 2009, when almost $5.2 billion … Continue reading “New Reality for U.S. Venture Capital: Data Shows Startup Deals Are Smaller, More Numerous and More Capital-Efficient”

EnergySavvy Finds Unexpected Support from Governments Looking to Spur Retrofits

When EnergySavvy rolled out its online energy audit tool in February, CEO Aaron Goldfeder thought it would appeal directly to consumers. But he quickly learned that the company had a second opportunity, one that the founding team had initially overlooked—government and non-profit programs, and utilities companies. “When we launched EnergySavvy.com, we really had no plans … Continue reading “EnergySavvy Finds Unexpected Support from Governments Looking to Spur Retrofits”

Omeros Addiction Program Wins NIH Grant

Seattle-based Omeros (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OMER]]) said today that the National Institutes of Health has provided a four-year, $3.6 million grant to support mid-stage clinical trials of the company’s experimental anti-addiction drugs. The trials will examine whether the new drugs can help people suffering from addiction to opioid-based painkillers, nicotine, and alcohol, as well as compulsive behaviors … Continue reading “Omeros Addiction Program Wins NIH Grant”

Seattle Genetics Nails 2nd Trial, Bristol Clinches Zymo Buyout, Halosource Goes Public, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News

One of Seattle’s biotech mainstay companies had an unceremonious ending this week, while another took a step ahead toward national prominence. —New York-based pharma giant Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: [[ticker:BMY]]) said this week that it had essentially clinched its takeover of Seattle-based ZymoGenetics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ZGEN]]) by purchasing 95 percent of the company’s shares at $9.75 apiece. … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics Nails 2nd Trial, Bristol Clinches Zymo Buyout, Halosource Goes Public, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”

Fate Therapeutics Snags Deal With Becton Dickinson to Market Stem Cell Technology

Fate Therapeutics, after months of hunting, has found a deep-pocketed partner to take its stem cell technology mainstream, at least for academic and pharmaceutical industry labs. The San Diego-based startup—founded by scientific big shots at Harvard University, Stanford University, The Scripps Research Institute, and the University of Washington—is announcing later today that it has struck … Continue reading “Fate Therapeutics Snags Deal With Becton Dickinson to Market Stem Cell Technology”

Rainier Software Garners $500,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ef33dc49-da77-4be6-9d0f-3ac3d3f63329&Preview=1 Date 10/14/2010 Company Name Rainier Software Mailing Address 1750 112th Ave. NE Bellevue, WA 98004 Company Description The company has created an online registration software service. Website http://www.rainiersoftware.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $500,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC regulatory filing. M&A Terms Venture … Continue reading “Rainier Software Garners $500,000 New Financing”

NWEN October Think Tank: From A to Launch: Getting your Idea to Market

Have a great idea for the next big thing? How do you get from idea to actual product? What do you need to know about research and development, market research, manufacturing, finance, and legal considerations? Come hear from our entrepreneur panel how to get that product concept out of your brain and onto the shelf! … Continue reading “NWEN October Think Tank: From A to Launch: Getting your Idea to Market”

NW Entrepreneur Network: Essentials of Bootstrapping

Nearly every start-up company goes through a period when cash is extremely tight and the demands of fueling the company’s growth are monumental. How many compelling ideas never make it to market because the entrepreneurs couldn’t keep their companies viable until they could receive substantial outside funding or become self-sustaining? Bootstrapping – the corporate version … Continue reading “NW Entrepreneur Network: Essentials of Bootstrapping”

MITEF: Tech to Grid: How Technology Entrepreneurs Can Find Opportunities in the Smart Grid Revolution

Smart Grid is an exciting technology arena that will forever alter how customers think about electricity. The grid’s move to a digital information network is a game-changer for an entire industry – and an opportunity for thousands of entrepreneurs. This sector is attracting millions in investments and billions in federal funding. Like the web, the … Continue reading “MITEF: Tech to Grid: How Technology Entrepreneurs Can Find Opportunities in the Smart Grid Revolution”

MITEF Incubators and Accelerators: The Launchpads for Your Business Success

Mark your calendars, November 4th, and save your spot right now for MITEF NW’s next exciting Venture Lab start-up event, where you will have the chance to meet an impressive group of successful incubators and accelerators! Our stellar group of panelists has been the launchpad for countless successful companies and entrepreneurs, and they can also … Continue reading “MITEF Incubators and Accelerators: The Launchpads for Your Business Success”

MITEF NW Enterprise Forum: Bing, Bang, Boomer! How an Active Aging Population will Demand and Drive Technology Innovation

Today, 112 million Americans are over the age of 45, representing the fastest-growing, highest-spending segment of any single demographic in history. They want to age in place, and make connecting with family and friends easier – both online and off. Extending the time their aging parents can remain in their own homes, and living closer … Continue reading “MITEF NW Enterprise Forum: Bing, Bang, Boomer! How an Active Aging Population will Demand and Drive Technology Innovation”

NW Biodiesel Network Monthly Meeting—Algae Update

What is happening in the algae industry? Is Algae close to being a viable commercial feedstock for the biodiesel/biofuel industry? What is the reality and what is the hype? What can we expect to see in the near future? Where is the algae industry headed? What are the environmental implications of Algae? The NW Biodiesel … Continue reading “NW Biodiesel Network Monthly Meeting—Algae Update”

Technology Alliance Fall Innovation Showcase

Join the Technology Alliance for its fall Innovation Showcase event. The Tech Alliance is starting its new season off with presentations by Battelle/PNNL, Mayfield Bioscience, and early stage technologies emerging from the University of Washington, including Smart Anesthesia Manager, a real-time decision module for anesthesia management; and Michaelangelo, a high performance, user-friendly data mining tool. … Continue reading “Technology Alliance Fall Innovation Showcase”

Zino Society Eastside Roundtable Investment Meeting

Join the Zino Society for networking with other business professionals, investors and entrepreneurs, intellectual stimulation, education and the chance to hear about quality angel investment opportunities at our upcoming ZINO Society Roundtable Investment Meetings. Meetings include unstructured time for connecting with others followed by a specific business session. More information and registration here.

Zino Society Roundtable Investment Meeting

Join the Zino Society for networking with other business professionals, investors and entrepreneurs, intellectual stimulation, education and the chance to hear about quality angel investment opportunities at our upcoming ZINO Society Roundtable Investment Meetings. Meetings include unstructured time for connecting with others followed by a specific business session. The keynote speaker will be enterpriseSeattle president … Continue reading “Zino Society Roundtable Investment Meeting”

Avelle Raises $1M, Bonanza Rolls Out Bags Marketplace

Seattle-based Avelle (formerly known as Bag Borrow or Steal), has raised $1 million in debt financing, according to a regulatory filing. Founded in April 2004, Avelle, known as the “Netflix for handbags,” offers members the ability to rent high-end bags and jewelry from over 3,000 designer labels for a small monthly fee. This deal comes … Continue reading “Avelle Raises $1M, Bonanza Rolls Out Bags Marketplace”

Xconomy Forum: Biotech’s Back in Seattle

Seattle’s biotech industry has endured what could be called a lost decade after a number of the brightest stars of the 1990s—Immunex, Icos, Rosetta Inpharmatics, Corixa—were acquired by companies in other places that made local cutbacks. But a number of today’s Northwest biotechs, particularly Dendreon and Seattle Genetics, are emerging as globally competitive players, while … Continue reading “Xconomy Forum: Biotech’s Back in Seattle”

Biotech’s Back in Seattle: Xconomy Forum to Convene Leaders of Dendreon, Seattle Genetics

Seattle’s biotech industry has experienced what has to be considered a lost decade. Many of the region’s brightest stars of the 1990s—Immunex, Icos, Rosetta Inpharmatics, Corixa—ended up getting bought by companies in other places that ultimately axed hundreds of talented scientists and businesspeople. The jobs may not have all come back, but Seattle biotech has … Continue reading “Biotech’s Back in Seattle: Xconomy Forum to Convene Leaders of Dendreon, Seattle Genetics”

Test Driving the Future of General Motors: My Experience Behind the Wheel of the Chevy Volt

Ten years ago the electric car seemed to be the wave of the future. But in those days of peace and cheap gas, consumers weren’t really demanding the technology. Today that problem has been turned on its ear, as clean energy vehicles are popping up on the factory floor of most major car companies, each … Continue reading “Test Driving the Future of General Motors: My Experience Behind the Wheel of the Chevy Volt”

Impinj, Riding Wave of RFID Resurgence, Looks to Double Sales, Add 20 Employees

As a reporter, you can tell when the innovation economy tide is turning, when a particular sector is rebounding, or when certain companies have turned the corner. How? Because all of a sudden CEOs want to talk on the record, PR people are your best friends, and marketing and real estate guys chat you up … Continue reading “Impinj, Riding Wave of RFID Resurgence, Looks to Double Sales, Add 20 Employees”

Venture Trend Toward Smaller-Size Deals Continues as Survey Shows Big Q3 Funding Surge in Texas, Drop in Massachusetts

Our friends at CB Insights made an early break out of the gate again today with data on venture capital investments in private companies, this time reporting total VC funding of $5.4 billion in 715 deals nationwide for the third quarter that ended Sept. 30. The CB Insights Venture Capital Activity Report shows, though, that … Continue reading “Venture Trend Toward Smaller-Size Deals Continues as Survey Shows Big Q3 Funding Surge in Texas, Drop in Massachusetts”

Motricity Stock Soars On India Deal

Bellevue, WA-based mobile Internet service provider Motricity (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MOTR]]) has inked a big deal with one of India’s largest mobile operators, Reliance Communications, according to Brier Dudley of The Seattle Times. The news has caused the company’s stock to soar about 34 percent, closing today at $17.42. The recent deal is all part of Motricity’s … Continue reading “Motricity Stock Soars On India Deal”

Halosource, Maker of Clean Water Technology, Raises $80M in London IPO

Halosource, the Bothell, WA-based maker of technology to purify drinking water in developing countries, has raised $80 million through an IPO on the London Stock Exchange. The company is taking in about $50 million in net proceeds, while certain shareholders sold their stakes to institutional investors for another $30 million, according to Halosource’s chief financial … Continue reading “Halosource, Maker of Clean Water Technology, Raises $80M in London IPO”

Appature Snaps Up Startup Attorney, Eric Koester, To Help Run Fast-Growing Operation

Seattle-based Appature has signed up more new customers in the last nine months than it did in its first two and a half years in business, combined. Growth at that pace can drown a small company if it doesn’t put the right people, and right processes, in place to keep the operation running smoothly. So … Continue reading “Appature Snaps Up Startup Attorney, Eric Koester, To Help Run Fast-Growing Operation”

BuddyTV Bets the Company That TV Will Go Social on Smartphones and Tablets

Seattle-based BuddyTV got its start as a place where people could go online to talk about their favorite shows. But five years later, a lot of the hit shows have changed, and so has Buddy TV’s strategy as it seeks to stay relevant. BuddyTV has undergone a transformation this year as it seeks new ways … Continue reading “BuddyTV Bets the Company That TV Will Go Social on Smartphones and Tablets”

Microsoft Invests in AppNexus, Optimum Raises $1.2M, Motricity Talks Post-IPO Expansion, & More Seattle-Area Deals News

It’s been another slow deals week for Seattle-area tech companies. Maybe everyone is so distracted by the sunny October skies that they’ve forgotten to carry on with business as usual. Don’t worry, the rain will set in soon enough. In the meantime, take a look at the highlights from the last week: —Redmond, WA-based Microsoft … Continue reading “Microsoft Invests in AppNexus, Optimum Raises $1.2M, Motricity Talks Post-IPO Expansion, & More Seattle-Area Deals News”

HealthUnity Corporation Garners $960,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e9d9f75c-ed23-440a-b1de-27bc0dc34d75&Preview=1 Date 10/12/2010 Company Name HealthUnity Corporation Mailing Address 777 108th Ave NE Bellevue, WA 98004 Company Description Our mission is to provide an affordable, scalable, secure and privacy-aware solution for enabling seamless collaboration between healthcare entities by providing the right information to the right person at the right time. Website http://www.healthunity.com … Continue reading “HealthUnity Corporation Garners $960,000 New Funding Round”

Seattle Genetics, Millennium Nail 2nd Straight Trial With “Empowered Antibody” For Cancer

Seattle Genetics broke new ground in the field of cancer drug development last month, and now evidence is mounting from a second clinical trial that suggests it wasn’t a fluke. Seattle Genetics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SGEN]]) and its partner, Cambridge, MA-based Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company, are reporting today that 50 out of 58 patients (86 percent) … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics, Millennium Nail 2nd Straight Trial With “Empowered Antibody” For Cancer”

Research Universities and Big Pharma’s Wicked Problem

A few years ago BP awarded a consortium of universities led by Berkeley the largest grant in University of California history: $500 million over 10 years to develop biofuels. Despite BP’s well-publicized travails, their commitment to the Energy Biosciences Institute remains firmly in place. BP is a huge company with a wealth of resources at … Continue reading “Research Universities and Big Pharma’s Wicked Problem”

Bristol-Myers Almost Ready to Seal the Deal, Complete Takeover of ZymoGenetics

ZymoGenetics, one of the driving forces of Seattle biotech the past 30 years, is about to become a thing of the past. The pharmaceutical giant Bristol-Myers Squibb is putting the finishing touches on its acquisition of the Seattle-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ZGEN]]). Bristol announced today that 94.9 percent of the ZymoGenetics shareholders agreed to hand … Continue reading “Bristol-Myers Almost Ready to Seal the Deal, Complete Takeover of ZymoGenetics”

Motricity’s Ryan Wuerch on the Post-IPO Game Plan, International Expansion, and the New Wave of Mobile

Most companies might consider reining in their loftiest ambitions after an IPO plan falls far short of expectations.. Then again, most companies aren’t run by Ryan Wuerch. Wuerch is the founder and chief executive of Bellevue, WA-based mobile software company Motricity (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MOTR]]). The company, founded in 2001, filed for its IPO in January. At … Continue reading “Motricity’s Ryan Wuerch on the Post-IPO Game Plan, International Expansion, and the New Wave of Mobile”

Just When I Was Working Up Some Sympathy for Mark Zuckerberg—Facebook Blows It Again

I was going to write an impassioned column this week attacking David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin for the hatchet job they performed on Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network. I can’t remember the last time a movie made me so angry; no entrepreneur who’s created such a beloved and successful service, even if … Continue reading “Just When I Was Working Up Some Sympathy for Mark Zuckerberg—Facebook Blows It Again”

Optimum Energy LLC Garners $1,170,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=188b0dd7-d985-414a-85c6-557ecffbe2fd&Preview=1 Date 10/8/2010 Company Name Optimum Energy LLC Mailing Address 411 First Avenue South Seattle, WA 98104 Company Description Optimum Energy develops networked building control applications and products to reduce energy consumption in commercial buildings. Our groundbreaking integrated solutions reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gases while increasing operating efficiencies in HVAC plants … Continue reading “Optimum Energy LLC Garners $1,170,000 New Funding”

Optimum Energy Raises $1.2M More

Seattle-based cleantech software company Optimum Energy has raised another $1.2 million in debt financing, out of a round that could be worth as much as $4 million, according to a regulatory filing. The company, founded in 2005, develops software that helps large commercial buildings manage the energy efficiency of their heating, ventilation, and air conditioning … Continue reading “Optimum Energy Raises $1.2M More”