Seattle venture capital firm Maveron announced today that Kinetix Living Corp., one of its portfolio companies, has been acquired by Regence BlueShield of Washington state. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. Kinetix, which was founded in 2000 and based in Seattle, provides customized health and nutrition programs to corporate customers and individuals. Regence is the … Continue reading “Regence BlueShield Buys Kinetix”
Category: Seattle
Biotech Pioneer Lee Hood: Whole Families Will Get Whole Genomes Sequenced
[Updated: 9:20 pm Pacific, 3/10/10 with independent expert comment] Doctors and researchers in the future won’t just want to look at your genome to see how to treat or prevent illness. Instead, they will look at how all of an individual’s DNA compares with the closest members of their family, according to biotech pioneer Leroy … Continue reading “Biotech Pioneer Lee Hood: Whole Families Will Get Whole Genomes Sequenced”
How Google’s New App Store Impacts Microsoft, Amazon, and Startups
Google announced last night that it has officially opened an online store for outside developers to sell their business software applications. The Google Apps Marketplace offers cloud-based software that is integrated with Google Apps—things like Google Calendar, Google Docs, and Gmail for businesses. (That might be a record for the number of Googles in one … Continue reading “How Google’s New App Store Impacts Microsoft, Amazon, and Startups”
What Happens to a Dream Deferred?
[Editor’s note: This post is from a speech by Trish Millines Dziko of the Technology Access Foundation. It begins by citing a poem from Langston Hughes.] What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore– And then run? Does it stink like rotten … Continue reading “What Happens to a Dream Deferred?”
Leroy Hood Sizes Up South Lake Union as Institute for Systems Biology Expands
[Clarification: 3:35 pm, 4/2/10] Leroy Hood‘s eye is turning from the north to the south side of Seattle’s Lake Union. The biotechnology pioneer and his colleagues at the Institute for Systems Biology are looking for new digs that are twice as big as their 65,000 square foot facility on the north side of the lake, … Continue reading “Leroy Hood Sizes Up South Lake Union as Institute for Systems Biology Expands”
World Wide Web Consortium Must Seize High Ground on Web Standards Earlier, Says New CEO Jeffrey Jaffe
[Corrected 3/12/10, see below] When Tim Berners-Lee and colleagues from CERN proposed the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) and the hypertext markup language (HTML) as Internet-wide standards back in the early 1990s, they didn’t face much resistance, because there weren’t any competing ideas for doing what Berners-Lee wanted to do—that is, setting up a global network … Continue reading “World Wide Web Consortium Must Seize High Ground on Web Standards Earlier, Says New CEO Jeffrey Jaffe”
New “Innovation Tax” Puts Tech Industry and Professional Service Firms at Risk
The challenge currently before our Governor and Legislature to balance the Washington state budget in the face of declining tax revenues is not an easy one. No one envies the task of either cutting needed state programs or raising new taxes—yet this year we are faced with the prospect of both. In the past 24 … Continue reading “New “Innovation Tax” Puts Tech Industry and Professional Service Firms at Risk”
ActiveTrak Obtains Series A Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f94045c8-a18b-4639-b5a3-55d6a4d8e919&Preview=1 Date 3/10/2010 Company Name ActiveTrak Mailing Address Undisclosed Portland, OR 97201 Company Description Mobile-device anti-theft software company ActiveTrak Inc. Website http://www.activetrak.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms Venture Investor Undisclosed
NW Energy Angels Names Director
Seattle-based Northwest Energy Angels announced today it has hired Margo Shiroyama as its new executive director. Shiroyama is a veteran of the Washington Technology Industry Association, Northwest Entrepreneur Network, enterpriseSeattle, and the Washington Biomedical Device Innovation Zone. Martin Tobias and Jeff Morris founded Northwest Energy Angels in 2006. The angel group provides early-stage capital to … Continue reading “NW Energy Angels Names Director”
Joe Eichinger, Top Medical Device Entrepreneur and UW Volunteer, Dies From Cancer
Joe Eichinger, one of the Northwest’s best-known medical device entrepreneurs of the past three decades, died yesterday at his home in Everett, WA, from complications of pancreatic cancer. He was 65. Eichinger was in his prime as a businessman, and was fired up about his latest startup, Redmond, WA-based CoAptus Medical, when he was diagnosed … Continue reading “Joe Eichinger, Top Medical Device Entrepreneur and UW Volunteer, Dies From Cancer”
Chuck Thacker of Microsoft Research Wins Turing Award, Talks Future of Mobile Interfaces
One of the founding fathers of the personal computing era, Microsoft Research technical fellow Chuck Thacker, has won the Association for Computing Machinery’s A.M. Turing Award, which is often called the “Nobel Prize of computer science.” The award, which was announced today, comes with a $250,000 prize, sponsored by Intel and Google. Thacker, 67, was … Continue reading “Chuck Thacker of Microsoft Research Wins Turing Award, Talks Future of Mobile Interfaces”
Z2Live Rolls Out Voice Chat for iPhone Games, Announces New Mobile Game Community
This week is nuts for videogame companies: the annual Game Developers Conference starts today in San Francisco. Z2Live, a Seattle-based social mobile gaming startup, kicked off what is sure to be a busy news week for local companies by making a couple of notable announcements. First, it unveiled a “voice chat” feature for games on … Continue reading “Z2Live Rolls Out Voice Chat for iPhone Games, Announces New Mobile Game Community”
Google Buys DocVerse, Madrona Backs ShopIgniter, ISB Gets Mystery Gift, & More Seattle-Area Deals News
In the week since Google’s acquisition of Picnik, the Northwest deals scene came back to earth a little bit. But there was a decent amount of activity in software, Internet, mobile, and cleantech, much of it from Oregon-based companies. —Seattle’s Institute for Systems Biology received a five-year, $6 million gift from a venture capitalist in … Continue reading “Google Buys DocVerse, Madrona Backs ShopIgniter, ISB Gets Mystery Gift, & More Seattle-Area Deals News”
BuddyTV’s Andy Liu on the One That Got Away, and What He’d Ask the God of Business
Andy Liu knew something most people didn’t. When I asked him to name his favorite Seattle-area company that he’s not involved with, he said “Picnik” without hesitation. “That’s the one I’d want to be in,” he said. “I’m a big fan.” That was on February 26, three days before Picnik, the photo-editing site, announced it … Continue reading “BuddyTV’s Andy Liu on the One That Got Away, and What He’d Ask the God of Business”
ISB Nabs $6M Gift From VC
The Institute for Systems Biology, a Seattle-based nonprofit research center, said today it has received a five-year $6 million gift from a venture capitalist in California who wishes to remain anonymous. The money will be used to help the Institute move to a new facility that’s twice as large as its current location, to recruit … Continue reading “ISB Nabs $6M Gift From VC”
Cell Therapeutics Passes Factory Test
Cell Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CTIC]]), the Seattle-based company developing pixantrone for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, said today that the FDA has certified that a contract manufacturer is ready to make the treatment. The factory, run by NerPharMa in Italy, was inspected and found to be in compliance and acceptable for continued manufacturing, Cell Therapeutics said. The treatment is … Continue reading “Cell Therapeutics Passes Factory Test”
How to Build a Profitable IT Company: Three Questions with Laplink CEO Thomas Koll
It’s a dirty job, but someone’s got to do it. I’m talking about migrating people’s files and programs from their old computer to their new computer. Sure, IT guys do this for employees all the time, but who knew you could build a profitable and sustainable business around it? Meet Laplink, a Bellevue, WA-based company … Continue reading “How to Build a Profitable IT Company: Three Questions with Laplink CEO Thomas Koll”
Dendreon Leans on California 9-1-1 Software Vendor to Keep Provenge Trains on Time
If Dendreon makes any information technology screw-ups with its experimental treatment for prostate cancer, it could be a matter of life and death for patients. That’s why the Seattle-based biotech company has turned to a custom software vendor with a reputation for supporting the California 9-1-1 system for 12 years with zero downtime. The Dendreon … Continue reading “Dendreon Leans on California 9-1-1 Software Vendor to Keep Provenge Trains on Time”
NWEN Breakfast Buzz: Funding, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Info and registration here. Who: What keeps you up at night? How to fund your business tops the list for many entrepreneurs, and never more than in 2010. Hit with a barrage of funding (or not so much funding) options, how do you choose: bootstrapping, debt, angel and VC financing, other? What better way than … Continue reading “NWEN Breakfast Buzz: Funding, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly”
NWEN Think Tank: Space Exploration and Earthbound Technology
Info and registration here. Space research has always pushed the limits of what was achievable, and continues to be fertile ground for commercial spin offs and opportunities for entrepreneurs. How has space exploration led to new and transformative solutions to earth bound problems? Join us and find out how research and products developed for space … Continue reading “NWEN Think Tank: Space Exploration and Earthbound Technology”
DeltaPoint Wins OEN Angel Investment
Portland, OR-based DeltaPoint has won $170,000 in the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network’s angel investment competition today. DeltaPoint is developing diagnostic software that performs “virtual biopsies” on suspected cancers, starting with breast cancer. The company was a finalist in the OEN event’s “launch stage” category. Portland-based Enjoy Life, which says it is the producer of the first … Continue reading “DeltaPoint Wins OEN Angel Investment”
Cell Therapeutics Offers Execs Big Cash Bonuses As Stock Trades Below a Buck
[Updated: 6:17 pm Eastern, 3/5/10, with company comment.] Cell Therapeutics stock is trading at less than a buck, but the company’s board still rewarded its senior management with a big boost in the annual bonus column. The Seattle biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CTIC]]) made the disclosure in a regulatory filing after markets closed for the week … Continue reading “Cell Therapeutics Offers Execs Big Cash Bonuses As Stock Trades Below a Buck”
Seattle’s Loss: DocVerse Bought by Google (Maybe as a Bridge to Microsoft)
It’s the second notable Google acquisition in these parts, coming on the heels of Seattle-based Picnik getting bought by the search giant earlier this week. DocVerse, a collaborative-document software startup founded in the Seattle area in 2007 by former Microsofties and MIT alums Shan Sinha and Alex DeNeui, has been acquired by Google, according to … Continue reading “Seattle’s Loss: DocVerse Bought by Google (Maybe as a Bridge to Microsoft)”
UpWind Solutions Raises Cash
Medford, OR-based UpWind Solutions, a provider of operations and maintenance services for utility-scale wind projects, has raised $10 million out of a $29 million round of Series B preferred stock, according to a regulatory filing. The investors weren’t disclosed, but the SEC form lists Michael Linse of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Mark Lewis … Continue reading “UpWind Solutions Raises Cash”
Amazon, Cozi, Pathway, Talyst, and VholdR Among Winners at WTIA Awards Bash
Pardon me if I’m still a little hung over, but last night was a blast. Eight hundred techies packed into the Showbox SoDo in Seattle for the 15th annual Industry Achievement Awards organized by the Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA). The awards recognize excellence in local tech companies, and the winners were selected by a … Continue reading “Amazon, Cozi, Pathway, Talyst, and VholdR Among Winners at WTIA Awards Bash”
Where’s World Wide Wade? Four Encores
I regret to report that both I and my column are going on a bit of a hiatus, as I’ve been seated as a juror on an extended civil trial in Boston. To fill some airtime, I thought I’d direct you to a few old columns that are special favorites of mine or that have … Continue reading “Where’s World Wide Wade? Four Encores”
Ekos, Swedish Aim to Shake Up Stroke Treatment with Ultrasound Brain Clot Buster
Innovation stories don’t get more local than this. A local medical device company provides an innovative tool to a local doctor, who gets money from local taxpayers to test the idea. And, before you dismiss this as some irrelevant insider-y project, an independent expert from Boston has said publicly that this Seattle collaboration may transform … Continue reading “Ekos, Swedish Aim to Shake Up Stroke Treatment with Ultrasound Brain Clot Buster”
The Pharmaceutical R&D Model is Broken. Here’s How to Fix It
Research is the lifeblood of the biotech and pharmaceuticals business. The pharma and biotech industry spent some $65 billion dollars on R & D in 2008, according to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association. That’s a tremendous amount of money considering that the FDA only approved 24 new drugs (21 new molecular entities and 3 … Continue reading “The Pharmaceutical R&D Model is Broken. Here’s How to Fix It”
Seattle 2.0 Goes from Calbucci to Cabala
Seattle 2.0 founder Marcelo Calbucci said today he has named television reporter Jennifer Cabala the new president and editor-in-chief of the organization, in charge of business and editorial content. Cabala previously was a TV journalist with KING 5 and Q13 (Fox) based in Seattle. Calbucci says he will continue as a blogger and advisor to … Continue reading “Seattle 2.0 Goes from Calbucci to Cabala”
Steve Ballmer at UW: Is This Microsoft’s Cloud Computing Strategy, or Just Internet Software?
The first sign that Steve Ballmer was in the house came when I saw a cop car parked outside the University of Washington’s Computer Science & Engineering building. Then there were the paper signs telling you where to line up for his 10 am talk today. The Microsoft CEO doesn’t make many local public appearances, … Continue reading “Steve Ballmer at UW: Is This Microsoft’s Cloud Computing Strategy, or Just Internet Software?”
Offbeat Creations Bought by Playdom
Bellevue, WA-based Offbeat Creations, a developer and publisher of Facebook gaming apps, has been acquired by Playdom, the social gaming company based in Mountain View, CA. Financial terms of the deal weren’t released. Offbeat Creations is best known for its dice game, Super Farkle. Its founders, Chia Chin Lee, Robert Reichner, and Tom Fakes, are … Continue reading “Offbeat Creations Bought by Playdom”
Dendreon’s False Rumor, Cell Therapeutics’ New FDA Day, Microsoft’s Health-IT Plan, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News
Speculation about the future of a few cancer drugs attracted a ton of interest in Seattle biotech this week. —Seattle-based Dendreon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DNDN]]) lived up to its nickname on Wall Street this week: Dendrama. The company was forced to fight back against a rumor from analyst Elliott Favus, which turned out to be wrong, but … Continue reading “Dendreon’s False Rumor, Cell Therapeutics’ New FDA Day, Microsoft’s Health-IT Plan, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”
Donuts for Developers: CEO Scott Kveton on Getting Urban Airship Aloft
Every startup has a defining moment from its early days. Its first big customer. Its first outside funding round. Its first big change in strategy or revenue model. For Urban Airship, I would say it was its first big developers conference. And the company didn’t even make it in the door. You might think the … Continue reading “Donuts for Developers: CEO Scott Kveton on Getting Urban Airship Aloft”
S4 to Build Waste-to-Fuel Plant
S4 Energy Solutions, a joint venture by Houston, TX-based Waste Management (NYSE: [[ticker:WM]]) and Bend, OR-based InEnTec, said today it plans to build a waste-to-fuel facility at a landfill in Arlington, OR. The plan is for the plasma gasification plant to convert municipal solid waste into clean fuels and renewable energy. Construction is slated to … Continue reading “S4 to Build Waste-to-Fuel Plant”
Dendreon Follow-Up Confirms Survival Edge, Helping Fend off Sanofi Rival
Dendreon’s pivotal clinical trial is standing up to the test of time—and it may need that sort of analysis to fend off a tough new competing chemo drug. The Seattle-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DNDN]]) said today that its first-of-a-kind immune booster for prostate cancer helped men live longer than a placebo, after another couple extra … Continue reading “Dendreon Follow-Up Confirms Survival Edge, Helping Fend off Sanofi Rival”
TechFlash Live: The Future of Advertising
Registration and info here. As the economy recovers, advertising is at a crossroads, with digital innovations creating better ways for companies to reach their customers and build their brands using everything from traditional websites to video games. In the meantime, many technology startups are faced with a dilemma — bet the future of their businesses … Continue reading “TechFlash Live: The Future of Advertising”
Seaweed Biofuel Company, Seattle’s Bio Architecture Lab, Struck by Chile Quake
One of Seattle’s most interesting clean energy startups is feeling the impact from the earthquake last weekend in Chile. Seattle-based Bio Architecture Lab, a University of Washington spinoff that’s developing microbes to turn seaweed into renewable fuel, has built a big part of its business on relationships in Chile. The company has an office in … Continue reading “Seaweed Biofuel Company, Seattle’s Bio Architecture Lab, Struck by Chile Quake”
Microsoft’s Full-Court Innovation Press: TechFest User Interfaces, IT for Hospitals, Ballmer at UW
Please excuse the March Madness sports metaphor, but Microsoft is picking up the intensity around its innovative new products (and earlier-stage projects) this week. Between its TechFest research showcase, healthcare software product announcements, and a special local appearance by CEO Steve Ballmer, the Redmond, WA-based company is on a serious PR roll, getting the word … Continue reading “Microsoft’s Full-Court Innovation Press: TechFest User Interfaces, IT for Hospitals, Ballmer at UW”
Vulcan Re-ups with Audience
Seattle-based Vulcan Capital, the venture firm of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, has participated in a $15 million Series E round for Audience, a Mountain View, CA-based voice processing semiconductor company. New Enterprise Associates, Tallwood Venture Capital, and VentureTech Alliance also participated in the funding, which was all raised from existing investors. Audience designs chips, for … Continue reading “Vulcan Re-ups with Audience”
Seattle Genetics Gets Roche Cash
Seattle Genetics said today it has received an undisclosed milestone payment from Genentech, a wholly owned unit of Switzerland-based Roche. Seattle Genetics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SGEN]]) is getting the payment because Genentech has filed an application with the FDA to begin clinical trials of an antibody for cancer that uses Seattle Genetics’ technology that links those targeting … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics Gets Roche Cash”
Geospiza Runs in the Black, as Scientists Turn to Software to Help Crunch Genomes
The faster and cheaper that gene sequencing gets, the better things start to look for Seattle-based Geospiza. This small angel-backed company has stuck to its guns for 13 years, many of them lean, arguing that biologists need better software to make sense of the digital mountains of DNA being created every day. Geospiza—knock wood—has now … Continue reading “Geospiza Runs in the Black, as Scientists Turn to Software to Help Crunch Genomes”
ShopIgniter Adds $3M for Social Commerce, Led by Madrona Venture Group; Amazon Watches
Portland, OR-based ShopIgniter, a startup working to unify the worlds of e-commerce and social media, has raised $3 million in Series A funding led by Seattle-based Madrona Venture Group. As part of the deal, former Madrona venture partner Matt Compton has joined ShopIgniter as CEO. ShopIgniter was founded in 2008 by Alan Wizemann, Dan Warner, … Continue reading “ShopIgniter Adds $3M for Social Commerce, Led by Madrona Venture Group; Amazon Watches”
British Invasion: Finsphere Expands to U.K., With A Little Help From Its Friends
A couple of weeks ago, I had an interesting chat with Finsphere, a technology company in Bellevue, WA, that makes mobile software to help banks and other institutions fight financial fraud and identity theft. Finsphere has been working on expanding globally, and it took a big first step last August when it opened an office … Continue reading “British Invasion: Finsphere Expands to U.K., With A Little Help From Its Friends”
ShopIgniter Garners $3,000,000 Series A Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=05d2738f-c7d8-4981-9690-cc6509b5c84b&Preview=1 Date 3/3/2010 Company Name ShopIgniter Mailing Address Undisclosed Portland, OR 97201 Company Description The goal of ShopIgniter is to bring human interaction to eCommerce with social media tools, bridging the offline and online shopping experience. Website http://www.shopigniter.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $3,000,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes The … Continue reading “ShopIgniter Garners $3,000,000 Series A Funding”
Portland’s Platial to Close
Portland, OR-based Platial, a social mapping startup, is shutting its doors, according to a blog post on the site. The news was reported yesterday by paidContent, TechCrunch, GigaOm, and others. Platial was backed by Kleiner Perkins, Keynote Ventures, Ron Conway, and other investors.
Dendreon Stock Rides Roller Coaster on FDA Panel Rumor
Dendreon stock is in for some wild times today. The Seattle-based biotech company woke up this morning to a new rumor that suggests it will have to appear before an FDA advisory panel one more time before it can get clearance to sell its prostate cancer drug in the U.S. Shares of the company (NASDAQ: … Continue reading “Dendreon Stock Rides Roller Coaster on FDA Panel Rumor”
CombinatoRx Grabs $40M with FDA Approval
CombinatoRx has garnered its first drug approval. It’s a milestone for the Cambridge, MA-based drug developer, even if the path the company took to reach this point isn’t the one its founders had mapped out when they launched the company in 2000. The FDA has approved the pain drug hydromorphone HCL (Exalgo), which is an … Continue reading “CombinatoRx Grabs $40M with FDA Approval”
PhotoRocket Opens Financing Round, Alliance of Angels Has Record 2009, Picnik Gets Bought by Google, & More Seattle-Area Deals News
The big news of the week (and year) is Picnik’s acquisition by Google. But read on for some other notable deals from the Northwest as well. —Seattle-based Picnik, the popular photo-editing software startup, was bought by Google in a deal of undisclosed size. The folks at Picnik seem pretty happy, and it sounds like a … Continue reading “PhotoRocket Opens Financing Round, Alliance of Angels Has Record 2009, Picnik Gets Bought by Google, & More Seattle-Area Deals News”
Ion Torrent Systems Unveils New Gene Machine, Introducing Watson to Moore’s Law
The world of DNA sequencing is buzzing about a startup based in Guilford, CT, and San Francisco called Ion Torrent Systems. This stealthy operation, which is advised by Harvard genomics pioneer George Church and supported by a partner in Seattle, finally pulled off the veil last weekend on a tool that uses semiconductors to generate … Continue reading “Ion Torrent Systems Unveils New Gene Machine, Introducing Watson to Moore’s Law”
WTIA Spring Energy Technology Series: Smart Grid
Info and registration here. Heard all the buzz about “Clean Tech” but don’t know the facts? Starting your own energy tech business and need connections to potential customers, partners or investors? Interested in working in the energy technology industry but don’t know where to navigate? Then G.E.T. Smart — at our WTIA Spring Energy Technology … Continue reading “WTIA Spring Energy Technology Series: Smart Grid”