Category: Seattle

Picnik CEO on Getting Bought by Google, and How It Affects Startups and Consumers

Google’s acquisition of Seattle-based photo editing company Picnik is the deal of the year—and maybe more—for the local tech startup community. It just closed this morning, and terms aren’t being disclosed, but suffice to say Picnik’s leadership and team of 20-odd employees will make out pretty well. What’s more, the acquisition adds a bookend to … Continue reading “Picnik CEO on Getting Bought by Google, and How It Affects Startups and Consumers”

Google Buys Picnik, Developing Its Strength in Photo Editing and Storage

Well, this is no big surprise. Seattle-based Picnik was on everybody’s list as a local tech company with great potential to be acquired. The photo-editing startup announced today it has been bought by Google. Terms of the deal weren’t given, but this is big news for a startup community that hasn’t seen a major tech … Continue reading “Google Buys Picnik, Developing Its Strength in Photo Editing and Storage”

Poole, Gerrity Join MOD Squad

Seattle-based MOD Systems announced that former Microsoft vice president and social technologist Will Poole and former Coinstar and Naverus CEO Dan Gerrity have joined the company’s board of directors. Poole is co-chairman of Redwood City, CA-based NComputing, while Gerrity is vice president of business development at Bellevue, WA-based Intellectual Ventures. MOD board member Kyleen Cane … Continue reading “Poole, Gerrity Join MOD Squad”

Cell Therapeutics Gets New Day in Front of FDA

Cell Therapeutics has been walking a “tight-wire act” for more than a year, and now we’ll see if the company keeps its balance or crashes to the ground on March 22. That’s the date FDA has now set for a re-scheduled a meeting of cancer drug experts who will recommend whether the Seattle-based company ought … Continue reading “Cell Therapeutics Gets New Day in Front of FDA”

Napera Networks Evolves, Moves Into Purely Cloud-Based IT Security

Startups almost never end up doing what they started out doing. The key is, can they adjust to the market and find enough paying customers before they run out of money? Here’s an interesting case study in the making: Napera Networks. The computer-network security startup, based in Mercer Island, WA—are there any other startups there?—is … Continue reading “Napera Networks Evolves, Moves Into Purely Cloud-Based IT Security”

Microsoft HealthVault Makes Pitch to Hospitals, Tries to Crack Tough Nut of Health-IT Adoption

One of the big questions surrounding the burgeoning field of healthcare IT is, who is going to push to adopt the technology—patients, doctors, or hospitals? After much thought, it seems Microsoft is banking on the latter. The Redmond, WA, company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MSFT]]) is announcing a new software system geared toward hospitals today at the 2010 … Continue reading “Microsoft HealthVault Makes Pitch to Hospitals, Tries to Crack Tough Nut of Health-IT Adoption”

Light Sciences Oncology Sits Tight, Awaits Key Cancer Trial Results This Summer

The suspense is excruciating for the people at Bellevue, WA-based Light Sciences Oncology. They have been waiting almost a year longer than expected for results from a couple of cancer studies that could make or break their company. They have no idea if they are waiting because their drug is a big success, helping cancer … Continue reading “Light Sciences Oncology Sits Tight, Awaits Key Cancer Trial Results This Summer”

Google Acquires Picnik for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4b0d711b-bd77-4c37-b730-d81a59dc8462&Preview=1 Date 3/1/2010 Company Name Picnik Mailing Address Undisclosed Seattle, WA 98100 Company Description The Picnik team is headquartered in downtown Seattle. We love making great software for real people, eating the food at Pike Place Market, and taking pictures that bring to life great memories of times we’ve had with family … Continue reading “Google Acquires Picnik for Undisclosed Sum”

Under the Radar Deals: 10 Northwest Financings You Might Not Have Heard Of

Unlike the retail industry, Northwest startups pulled in a fair amount of cash in January. Venture investing jumped from $22 million in December to $57 million in the first month of 2010. But there’s another layer of data that further attests to the state of financing in the startup landscape. That would be last month’s … Continue reading “Under the Radar Deals: 10 Northwest Financings You Might Not Have Heard Of”

Breakthrough Ideas: Hanauer, Hood, Myhrvold to Keynote Xconomy Event at UW

Entrepreneurs need to think bigger. Big companies need to think bigger. Everyone needs to think bigger. Including Xconomy. That’s why we’re organizing our biggest event in Seattle so far, called “What’s Your Breakthrough Idea?” It’s on the afternoon of March 29 at the University of Washington, in the atrium of the Computer Science & Engineering … Continue reading “Breakthrough Ideas: Hanauer, Hood, Myhrvold to Keynote Xconomy Event at UW”

3Tier Pockets $3M

3Tier Group, the Seattle-based company that has developed a map of the world’s best places for wind and solar power plants, has raised $3 million in new equity financing, according to a regulatory filing. The company raised $10 million in December 2008, and recently completed its detailed map of solar power hotspots. The company, which … Continue reading “3Tier Pockets $3M”

Video and Books: Two Great Tastes That Taste Great Together?

If a book can be made from something other than paper—say, pixels on a screen—then why can’t it consist of something other than plain old words and pictures? It can. Companies like Eastgate Systems in Watertown, MA, have been publishing PC-based interactive “hypertexts” for almost 30 years. Thanks to the built-in speech synthesis software on … Continue reading “Video and Books: Two Great Tastes That Taste Great Together?”

Microsoft Builds Out Health IT Portfolio, Waits (and Waits) for Market to Materialize

Patience has got to be the watchword for the 800 or so people who work at Microsoft’s Health Solutions Group. There’s certainly been a lot of political rhetoric over the past year about dragging the inefficient world of pen and paper medical records into the 21st century—but this is still one big market opportunity waiting … Continue reading “Microsoft Builds Out Health IT Portfolio, Waits (and Waits) for Market to Materialize”

3Tier Obtains $3,000,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b9dc19b3-0cff-49e7-a302-89493ce28665&Preview=1 Date 2/26/2010 Company Name 3Tier Mailing Address 2001 Sixth Avenue Seattle, WA 98121 Company Description 3TIER is an energy efficiency company: we provide the core data and knowledge for clients to make the best decisions regarding their investment in a renewable energy generation technology. 3TIER is unique in that we cover … Continue reading “3Tier Obtains $3,000,000 New Funding”

Seattle 2.0 Awards

Registration and info here Marcelo Calbucci’s blog post here. Technology startups have been the birthplace of some of the biggest changes in our way of life this century, from how we buy houses to how we manage our family photos, from how we entertain ourselves on the Web to how we run our businesses. The … Continue reading “Seattle 2.0 Awards”

PhotoRocket Hires Michael Cockrill; Founder Scott Lipsky Shares More Details

Seattle stealth startup PhotoRocket has some intriguing news today. The company, which says it is planning on “changing the landscape of the photo sharing space,” has hired former Atlas Accelerator managing partner Michael Cockrill to lead the delivery of its products and services. PhotoRocket has also officially opened a new round of financing, which it … Continue reading “PhotoRocket Hires Michael Cockrill; Founder Scott Lipsky Shares More Details”

Alliance of Angels Invested $9.1M in 2009

Seattle-based Alliance of Angels said today that it invested more money in 2009—$9.1 million in 29 companies—than in any previous year. The investments were made in software (33 percent of the money), cleantech (28 percent), retail and consumer products (12 percent), and other sectors like Internet, mobile, biotech, and medical devices. Besides direct investment, the … Continue reading “Alliance of Angels Invested $9.1M in 2009”

How Amazon Innovates: Lessons in Strategy for Microsoft and Others

Sometimes a question that sounds naïve at first can lead to a revealing answer. So here goes: What is it about Amazon’s corporate culture that seems to foster creativity and innovation, while Microsoft gets ripped constantly for failing to innovate? Are there simple principles at work inside Amazon that might explain the difference? I choose … Continue reading “How Amazon Innovates: Lessons in Strategy for Microsoft and Others”

Tips on How Academic Scientists Can Make the Career Switch to Industry

Scientists have a lot to consider if they want to leave the world of academia for a job in industry. I picked up a lot of good insights yesterday at a meeting of people with experience in making that transition. This event was hosted by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, organized by the Washington … Continue reading “Tips on How Academic Scientists Can Make the Career Switch to Industry”

SonoSite Spends $89M on Share Buyback

SonoSite (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SONO]]), the Bothell, WA-based maker of portable ultrasound machines, said today it has agreed to pay $88.8 million to buy back 2.96 million shares at $30 apiece. That represents about 16.9 percent of the company’s outstanding shares, and leaves it with about 14.5 million shares outstanding. The deal was managed by JP Morgan … Continue reading “SonoSite Spends $89M on Share Buyback”

OncoGenex CFO Exits

OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals,  the Bothell, WA-based developer of a prostate cancer drug, said today that its chief financial officer, Stephen Anderson, left the company yesterday. OncoGenex (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OGXI]]) is searching for a replacement, who is “suited for the next stage of company growth, with deep ties in the biopharma investment community and experience transitioning a pharmaceutical … Continue reading “OncoGenex CFO Exits”

Dendreon Spending Big Bucks, Gilead Gets FDA Nod, NanoString Thinking Diagnostics, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News

Seattle biotech had more than the usual flow of good news this week. —The top executives at Seattle-based Dendreon provided a detailed overview to analysts this week about their plans for the year ahead. Dendreon is planning to spend $460 million of its cash hoard on the commercial push for sipuleucel-T (Provenge), a first-of-its-kind immune … Continue reading “Dendreon Spending Big Bucks, Gilead Gets FDA Nod, NanoString Thinking Diagnostics, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”

Cray Wins $45M DoD Contract

Seattle-based Cray, the supercomputing company, announced today it has won three high-performance computing awards from the U.S. Department of Defense, totaling more than $45 million. Cray will provide three next-generation supercomputing systems to the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory in Ohio, the Arctic Region Supercomputing Center in Alaska, and the U.S. Army Engineer Research and … Continue reading “Cray Wins $45M DoD Contract”

Smilebox CEO Talks New Funding, Profitability, and European Expansion

Smilebox is turning into an intriguing story of a young company grappling with the challenges of expanding to new markets and geographies. The Redmond, WA-based company just raised $2 million from its existing investors, as we reported yesterday, and the money is being used to fuel its expansion to Europe, starting with the U.K., Germany, … Continue reading “Smilebox CEO Talks New Funding, Profitability, and European Expansion”

3Tier Group Finishes Map of the World’s Wind, Solar Energy Hotspots

Seattle-based 3Tier Group set an audacious goal two years ago of remapping the world to find the best spots to generate solar and wind power, and now it’s done. Of course, that means it’s time for 3Tier to show this information is truly valuable to customers. 3Tier finished its map of the world’s wind currents … Continue reading “3Tier Group Finishes Map of the World’s Wind, Solar Energy Hotspots”

Amazon and Microsoft Strike Patent Deal, Yapta and Kayak Team Up, Smilebox Scores Cash, & More Seattle-Area Deals News

Microsoft showed up in three deals this past week, involving healthcare-IT, Web search, and software patents. Other than that, the Northwest deals scene felt a little too quiet for its own good. —Redmond, WA-based Smilebox raised $2 million in equity financing, according to a filing with the SEC. The investors weren’t disclosed, and Smilebox hasn’t … Continue reading “Amazon and Microsoft Strike Patent Deal, Yapta and Kayak Team Up, Smilebox Scores Cash, & More Seattle-Area Deals News”

Smilebox Secures $2,000,000 Series B Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9c9a4272-1a04-408a-ba35-f561d2665b9a&Preview=1 Date 2/24/2010 Company Name Smilebox Mailing Address 8201 164th Ave NE Redmond, WA 98052 Company Description Smilebox™ makes it easy to connect with friends and family in a more creative and compelling way. Unlike existing solutions that focus on organizing, editing and sharing photos or sending pre-packaged greetings, Smilebox enables users … Continue reading “Smilebox Secures $2,000,000 Series B Round”

Smilebox Raises $2M, Keeps Pushing E-Cards and Photo Services

Redmond, WA-based Smilebox, a provider of software and photo services for electronic greeting cards, scrapbooks, and photo albums, has raised $2 million in equity financing, according to an SEC filing. The investors weren’t disclosed, but Paul Bialek, Rob Stavis, and Richard Wolpert are listed on the form as directors, and they are all previous investors … Continue reading “Smilebox Raises $2M, Keeps Pushing E-Cards and Photo Services”

Survey Analytics, Feedjit, Delve Climb Index

The Seattle 2.0 website announced its monthly ranking of local tech startups based on Web traffic estimates. For January, Cheezburger Network, Zillow, BuddyTV, and Picnik ranked as the top four. In the top 20, gains from the previous month were made by Survey Analytics (IdeaScale) at #5, Feedjit at #7, Cozi at #17, and Delve … Continue reading “Survey Analytics, Feedjit, Delve Climb Index”

TeachStreet Rolls Out Test Prep Sites, Does Lead Generation with Big Partners

“It’s like figuring out what we want to be when we grow up.” That’s Dave Schappell, founder and CEO of Seattle-based TeachStreet, an Internet startup focused on helping students and teachers connect through classes and online tools in seven metro areas around the U.S. Today, the company announced an important milestone in its growth: the … Continue reading “TeachStreet Rolls Out Test Prep Sites, Does Lead Generation with Big Partners”

Sage Bionetworks Snaps Up $6.7M Grant to Train Young Network Biologists

Sage Bionetworks, a fledgling Seattle nonprofit attempting to launch an open-source biology movement, has nabbed a $6.7 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to train young scientists to learn to better use genomic data to help improve drug discovery and patient care. The grant lasts for four years, and it may be supplemented and … Continue reading “Sage Bionetworks Snaps Up $6.7M Grant to Train Young Network Biologists”

Pivotal Investments Seeks to Build Regional Network of Future Cleantech Leaders

There has been a lot of talk in the past year (and the past month) about the need to build a critical mass of cleantech and alternative energy companies in the Northwest. Now one venture firm in Portland, OR, is doing something about it, by assembling a talent pool of people with the ability to … Continue reading “Pivotal Investments Seeks to Build Regional Network of Future Cleantech Leaders”

Gilead Sciences Gets FDA Green Light To Sell Cystic Fibrosis Drug

Gilead Sciences paid $365 million to acquire Seattle-based Corus Pharma in 2006, and now it finally can see a way of getting a return on that investment in the U.S. The world’s leading marketer of HIV medicines said late Monday that the FDA has given it clearance to start selling an inhalable antibiotic to U.S. … Continue reading “Gilead Sciences Gets FDA Green Light To Sell Cystic Fibrosis Drug”

Smilebox Receives $2,000,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8fb024be-7ce5-40c2-99b7-da26ca601ef4&Preview=1 Date 2/23/2010 Company Name Smilebox Mailing Address 8201 164th Ave NE Redmond, WA 98052 Company Description Smilebox™ makes it easy to connect with friends and family in a more creative and compelling way. Unlike existing solutions that focus on organizing, editing and sharing photos or sending pre-packaged greetings, Smilebox enables users … Continue reading “Smilebox Receives $2,000,000 New Round”

Alibris Acquires Monsoon for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=fb18d75f-f3d0-4c7e-98d5-a2d58d66f265&Preview=1 Date 2/23/2010 Company Name Monsoon Mailing Address 520 NW Davis Street Portland, OR 97209 Company Description Monsoon is the best solution for marketplace selling for three simple reasons: Our experience, our solutions, and our customer support. Website http://www.monsoonworks.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Proceeds Purposes M&A Terms Financial … Continue reading “Alibris Acquires Monsoon for Undisclosed Sum”

Microsoft, Amazon Tie Patent Knot

Seattle-area tech giants Amazon and Microsoft have signed a patent cross-license agreement that gives each company some access to the other’s patent portfolio, and covers a broad range of technology, including Amazon’s Kindle e-book reader and its use of Linux-based servers. Financial terms of the deal weren’t given, but Microsoft says Amazon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMZN]]) will … Continue reading “Microsoft, Amazon Tie Patent Knot”

Arzeda CEO Resigns; Company Looks to Prove Technology, Conserve Cash

Arzeda CEO Michael Martino is out. Martino, the former CEO of Bothell, WA-based Sonus Pharmaceuticals, has resigned his job as CEO of the Seattle designer-enzyme startup, and plans to take a new position with a biotech company in San Diego, according to an e-mail he sent today to friends and colleagues. Martino’s resignation is effective … Continue reading “Arzeda CEO Resigns; Company Looks to Prove Technology, Conserve Cash”

Dendreon To Spend $460M on Provenge Push This Year, Looks for Payoff in 2011

Dendreon raised $630 million from investors last year to gear up for the commercial push of its new drug for prostate cancer, and the Seattle-based company plans to spend a lot of it this year. The company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DNDN]]) plans to use about $460 million of its cash in 2010—about triple what it burned through … Continue reading “Dendreon To Spend $460M on Provenge Push This Year, Looks for Payoff in 2011”

How Microsoft’s New Mobile Approach Stacks Up with Apple and Google

Pretty soon you might not be able to tell the difference between Microsoft and its most hated rivals. At least in the mobile sector. This would be good news for Microsoft. That’s my take after thinking more about Microsoft’s announcement last week of its heir apparent to Windows Mobile—the Windows Phone 7 Series operating system. … Continue reading “How Microsoft’s New Mobile Approach Stacks Up with Apple and Google”

Survey Finds Venture Deal Terms Improving, But Still Below Historical Levels

Even though venture capital funding plunged dramatically in 2009, it was nevertheless encouraging when the VC surveys that came out in January showed an uptick in venture deals during the fourth quarter—like a ski jump into 2010. Now the Cooley Godward Kronish Venture Financing Report for the fourth quarter of 2009 gives us another piece … Continue reading “Survey Finds Venture Deal Terms Improving, But Still Below Historical Levels”

CollabNet Acquires Danube for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=078e7bf2-aef6-4452-bee1-135bb599a7d4&Preview=1 Date 2/22/2010 Company Name Danube Mailing Address 520 SW Sixth Ave Portland, OR 97204 Company Description Founded in 2000, Danube Technologies, Inc. provides software and training exclusively focused on the Scrum method of agile software development. The company’s ScrumWorks® Pro and ScrumWorks Basic products are licensed to more than 125,000 software … Continue reading “CollabNet Acquires Danube for Undisclosed Sum”

Amazon Kindle E-Books Expand Reach

Seattle-based Amazon.com announced today that its Kindle Digital Text Platform can now be used by authors and publishers to upload their electronic books in Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian to the Kindle Store. The service is already available for English, French, and German books. Amazon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMZN]]) also said yesterday that its Kindle application is now … Continue reading “Amazon Kindle E-Books Expand Reach”

ARPA-E Director Arun Majumdar Meets with Bill Gates, Advises Local Startups, Speaks at UW

There’s no better way to kick off a Seattle visit than to have a two-hour meeting with Bill Gates. That was Arun Majumdar’s morning yesterday. The director of ARPA-E, the new $400 million research agency within the U.S. Department of Energy, was on tour to promote novel energy R&D programs and get feedback from innovators … Continue reading “ARPA-E Director Arun Majumdar Meets with Bill Gates, Advises Local Startups, Speaks at UW”

Alliance of Angels 10-Minute Pitch Clinic

Get inside tips on how to hone a 10-minute business pitch in order to wow angel investors, at this interactive workshop held by the Alliance of Angels.  Hear the group’s ideas on best practices for pitches, and get direct feedback on the messaging surrounding your startup. Buy your ticket here.