Seattle-based 3Tier Group, the company that raised $10 million in venture capital last December to help developers find ideal locations for renewable energy facilities, had a staff layoff today, according to a company spokesman. Xconomy received a tip today that 19 employees were let go. The company had 85 people on the payroll the last … Continue reading “3Tier Cuts Staff After Raising $10M to Find Best Spots for Clean Energy”
Category: Seattle
Report: Paul Allen’s Vulcan Sells Wireless Spectrum Licenses to AT&T
Paul Allen, the Seattle-area billionaire who co-founded Microsoft, has agreed to sell 24 licenses for wireless spectrum in Washington and Oregon to AT&T, according to a report by Bloomberg News, which cites filings with the Federal Communications Commission. The price of the sale, which has not yet been approved by the FCC, is not disclosed. … Continue reading “Report: Paul Allen’s Vulcan Sells Wireless Spectrum Licenses to AT&T”
Getty Images Invests $4M in Daylife, Report Says
Seattle-based Getty Images, the creator and distributor of online photos, videos, and other digital media, announced today it has made a strategic investment in Daylife, a media and content services company based in New York City. The two companies have also formed a partnership to create products that let customers more easily incorporate visual content … Continue reading “Getty Images Invests $4M in Daylife, Report Says”
Pet Holdings #1 in Seattle 2.0 Index
Seattle-based Pet Holdings, owners of I Can Has Cheezburger and other humor sites, has taken over the top spot from Zillow in Seattle 2.0’s startup index for August, a ranking of website traffic estimates. The rest of the top five are BuddyTV, Picnik, and CarDomain. Big gains were made in the top 100 by EVO … Continue reading “Pet Holdings #1 in Seattle 2.0 Index”
A Map of Venture Investments Around the U.S.
It’s no secret to those in the innovation community that venture-backed companies are central to America’s economic prosperity. But in its ongoing effort to help reinforce that message—perhaps particularly in light of its current efforts to fight President Obama’s idea of regulating venture capital firms as investment advisers—the National Venture Capital Association this morning released … Continue reading “A Map of Venture Investments Around the U.S.”
HipCricket Makes Noise in Mobile Marketing, Heads for Profitability This Year
A small Seattle-area company is blazing a trail in the crowded field of mobile marketing. Kirkland, WA-based HipCricket, a company founded in 2004 to do mobile marketing for brands and media companies, has been growing its revenue significantly from quarter to quarter and aims to be profitable for the first time by the end of … Continue reading “HipCricket Makes Noise in Mobile Marketing, Heads for Profitability This Year”
Four WA Cleantech Firms—AltaRock, Infinia, Powerit, Verdiem—Crack Global Top 100 List
Four companies from Washington state have been selected to a list of the world’s 100 most promising private cleantech firms. That’s according to a report released yesterday, in a joint effort by The Guardian (the UK-based newspaper) and the Cleantech Group, a global company that provides research, data, and advisory services for the clean technology … Continue reading “Four WA Cleantech Firms—AltaRock, Infinia, Powerit, Verdiem—Crack Global Top 100 List”
State Hands Out $5.1M Biotech Grants
The state’s Life Sciences Discovery Fund announced today that six new research projects will receive $5.1 million combined in funding. The projects will finance research into bone healing, improving limb amputation procedures, enhancing cancer treatment, and generating a wheat variety that’s safe for people with celiac disease. The grants are going to scientists at the … Continue reading “State Hands Out $5.1M Biotech Grants”
Report: Lucid Commerce Lands $3M
Seattle-based Lucid Commerce, a startup focused on business intelligence for direct marketers, has raised a round of equity funding, according to a regulatory filing. The total offering amount is listed as about $4 million. TechFlash reports that Lucid has raised $3 million from Kirkland, WA-based OVP Venture Partners and European venture firm Adinvest. OVP previously … Continue reading “Report: Lucid Commerce Lands $3M”
Others Online, Led by Jordan Mitchell, Gets Bought by the Rubicon Project
[Updated 9/15/09 1:20 pm. See below.] Seattle-based Others Online, a Web advertising and optimization startup led by founder and CEO Jordan Mitchell, has been acquired by the Rubicon Project in Los Angeles for an undisclosed price. Mitchell has become vice president of data intelligence for the Rubicon Project, which automates the buying and selling of … Continue reading “Others Online, Led by Jordan Mitchell, Gets Bought by the Rubicon Project”
Nokia Acquires Vulcan-Backed Plum, Uptake Raises Cash, Smilebox Buys Preclick, & More Seattle-Area Deals News
It was another fairly quiet week for Northwest deals, as summer officially winds down. Activity in wireless, software, and biotech led the way. —The Oregon Angel Fund, based in Portland, said it has closed a new $3 million fund this summer, raised from 60 individual investors and the Oregon Growth Account, a state-run fund dedicated … Continue reading “Nokia Acquires Vulcan-Backed Plum, Uptake Raises Cash, Smilebox Buys Preclick, & More Seattle-Area Deals News”
The Coming Revolution in Healthcare—From Reactive to Proactive Medicine
Leroy Hood, the president of the Institute for Systems Biology, will kick off a discussion on how increasing understanding of the genome will lead the way for a switch from reactive to proactive healthcare. Gregory Foltz, a neurosurgeon at Swedish Neuroscience Institute will discuss how he is using a form of personalized medicine to treat … Continue reading “The Coming Revolution in Healthcare—From Reactive to Proactive Medicine”
The Resurgence of Biotechnology in the Northwest–Chris Henney and Chris Rivera
Christopher Henney, the co-founder of Immunex, Icos and Dendreon, will be the keynote speaker at “The Resurgence of Biotechnology in the Northwest,” a luncheon event organized by the CFA Society of Seattle on Oct. 8. He will be joined by Chris Rivera, the president of the Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association, who will provide an … Continue reading “The Resurgence of Biotechnology in the Northwest–Chris Henney and Chris Rivera”
Gist Opens to the Public, Wants to Own the Nexus of E-mail, Search, and Social Networks
Every time I look at Gist, it’s a little different. Given it’s a scrappy startup trying to navigate the worlds of e-mail, social networking, business software, and Web search—each a huge market opportunity, each hugely competitive—this is probably a good thing. The Seattle company, backed by Paul Allen’s Vulcan Capital and Colorado-based Foundry Group, is … Continue reading “Gist Opens to the Public, Wants to Own the Nexus of E-mail, Search, and Social Networks”
Medical Device Pioneer David Auth Seethes Over $40 Billion Industry Tax Idea, FDA Delays
One of Seattle’s medical device industry pioneers has a beautiful view of Lake Washington from his home office in Kirkland, but a few minutes after I arrived, he was steaming mad. “Our government rewards dummies and punishes geniuses,” says David Auth, the inventor of a less-invasive way to clear out blockages in arteries, called Rotablator. … Continue reading “Medical Device Pioneer David Auth Seethes Over $40 Billion Industry Tax Idea, FDA Delays”
Secrets of NIH Small Business Grant Applications
Gregory Milman, the Director of the Office for Innovation and Special Programs in the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), will be the featured speaker at an event on how to write successful grant applications. He manages the $100 million NIAID small business programs and is acclaimed for his advice on NIH grant … Continue reading “Secrets of NIH Small Business Grant Applications”
Bing Is the Buggiest (But Second-Best) Search Engine, Say Software Testers in uTest Report
Tomorrow, Boston-based uTest, a startup that crowdsources software quality-assurance projects to a global community of 19,000 freelance testers, is expected to announce the official results of its first “Search Engine Bug Battle.” Xconomy got an early look at the data today, and the folks in Redmond and Bellevue, WA, may not be happy about the … Continue reading “Bing Is the Buggiest (But Second-Best) Search Engine, Say Software Testers in uTest Report”
Microsoft Rolls Out Visual Search
Microsoft announced today the beta release of a new image-based interface for its Bing search engine. Called “visual search,” the feature lets you browse pictures of search results—like celebrities, cars, and other products—instead of text links. It requires Microsoft’s Silverlight Web software, and so far works only for predetermined categories, but will be in full … Continue reading “Microsoft Rolls Out Visual Search”
Clearwire Gets WiMax Partners in Japan, Russia
Kirkland, WA-based Clearwire (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CLWR]]) announced today it has signed a collaborative agreement with UQ Communications of Japan and Yota of Russia to support international roaming between the three WiMax operators. Financial terms were not disclosed. WiMax is a next-generation wireless broadband service, which Clearwire is rolling out across the U.S. Clearwire also has partnerships … Continue reading “Clearwire Gets WiMax Partners in Japan, Russia”
CombiMatrix Gets $1.5M Contract
CombiMatrix, the Mukilteo, WA-based maker of genetic analysis tools, said today it has received a $1.5 million contract from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory. The company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CBMX]]) is being asked to develop semiconductor automated tools that detect biological, chemical, and environmental hazards that may affect the health of soldiers. CombiMatrix has developed other … Continue reading “CombiMatrix Gets $1.5M Contract”
How My Career in Technology Influenced My Fly Fishing Business
I spent nine years working for a Customer Relationship Management software provider called Onyx Software. Our CRM systems were (at the time) largely implemented and run on-site at our customers’ locations. I ran the Professional Services team for the Americas—we were responsible for aligning business strategy with our software implementations, conducting business modeling, installing and … Continue reading “How My Career in Technology Influenced My Fly Fishing Business”
Oregon Angel Fund Raises $3M, Makes New Investments in Software, Retail, and Apparel
Angel capital just might be alive and well—at least in Oregon. Following up on Rick Turoczy’s guest post about Portland, OR, startups on Friday, we’ve learned that the Oregon Angel Fund has closed a new $3 million fund this summer, made up of 60 individual investors who each contributed $25,000, plus $1.5 million from the … Continue reading “Oregon Angel Fund Raises $3M, Makes New Investments in Software, Retail, and Apparel”
Why Aren’t There Good Drugs for Autism? Ex-MDRNA Exec Takes a Shot at Pharma’s Neglected Disease
[Corrected: 09/14/09, 12:40 pm. See below.] Autism has stumped drug developers for a long time. Scientists say they don’t really know what causes it. There’s a long list of symptoms, from social isolation, to obsessive behaviors like staring at ceiling fans, to difficulty with language. So it’s hard for drug developers to form a strategy … Continue reading “Why Aren’t There Good Drugs for Autism? Ex-MDRNA Exec Takes a Shot at Pharma’s Neglected Disease”
Nokia Buys Vulcan-Backed Plum
Finnish mobile giant Nokia (NYSE: [[ticker:NOK]]) said today it has acquired certain assets of Plum, a social media sharing and messaging service based in Boston and San Francisco. Financial terms were not given. Plum, which has about 10 employees, is backed by Vulcan Capital in Seattle and Levensohn Venture Partners in San Francisco.
Uptake Medical Nabs $3.4M
Uptake Medical, the Seattle-based developer of a minimally invasive device to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, has raised $3.4 million out of a total equity offering worth $13.3 million, according to a regulatory filing. Uptake is developing a device that’s supposed to seal off access to diseased parts of the lung where air gets trapped, … Continue reading “Uptake Medical Nabs $3.4M”
Portland Tech Startups Power Through a Summer of Highs and Lows—A Guest Roundup
Like many metropolitan areas, the Portland, OR, startup scene has had its share of ups and downs this summer. Some folks started new ventures, some won new customers and garnered funding, and some closed up shop. All in all, it was fairly balanced—especially given the economy. But win or lose, there are still lessons to … Continue reading “Portland Tech Startups Power Through a Summer of Highs and Lows—A Guest Roundup”
UW’s Tadayoshi Kohno on Computer Security and How to Think Like the Bad Guy
Tadayoshi Kohno spends his career looking at life through the eyes of a criminal, and he’s teaching University of Washington students to do the same. The UW computer science and engineering assistant professor studies computer security and privacy, which to Kohno means anticipating the bad guy’s moves before he does. I chatted with him recently … Continue reading “UW’s Tadayoshi Kohno on Computer Security and How to Think Like the Bad Guy”
Seven Projects to Stretch Your Digital Wings: Part Two
Whether the fall is back-to-school season for you or not, there’s always more to learn. In last week’s column I outlined three fun weekend projects involving new technologies for digital self-expression. My suggestions covered art (digital “finger painting” with an iPhone app called Brushes), writing (“lifestreaming” with Posterous and Friendfeed), and photography (building three-dimensional photographic … Continue reading “Seven Projects to Stretch Your Digital Wings: Part Two”
Some Thoughts on Rhapsody, iTunes, and the Future of Digital Music
It can’t hurt for Rhapsody to offer an iPhone app. However, they are going to have to compete with rampant iTunes, Pandora, and rampant piracy. While Pandora has a paid option, their free option satisfies many of the needs mobile users have for music. If RealNetworks offers a similar “free” option, it could provide a … Continue reading “Some Thoughts on Rhapsody, iTunes, and the Future of Digital Music”
Zymo Drug Fails Arthritis Trials
ZymoGenetics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ZGEN]]), the Seattle-based biotech company, said today in a regulatory filing that the atacicept drug it developed and licensed to Merck KGaA has failed to reach its goal of controlling rheumatoid arthritis in a pair of mid-stage clinical trials. The study confirmed the biological effect of atacicept, and researchers saw no unexpected side … Continue reading “Zymo Drug Fails Arthritis Trials”
Rhapsody Flows on iPhone
Rhapsody, the online music service run by Seattle-based RealNetworks, is now available as an app for the iPhone and iPod Touch. It is the first time Apple has allowed on-demand music streaming on its mobile devices in the U.S. Rhapsody customers will have access to some 8 million songs for a monthly fee of about … Continue reading “Rhapsody Flows on iPhone”
Xconomy Forum: Seattle Life Sciences 2029***SOLD OUT***
Seattle biotech has taken its share of lumps lately, but beyond the next quarter or next year, what kind of life sciences potential really exists here in the Northwest? What will the Seattle life sciences landscape look like 20 years from now? Will the region have grown as a world leader in university and corporate … Continue reading “Xconomy Forum: Seattle Life Sciences 2029***SOLD OUT***”
What Will Seattle Biotech Be Like in 20 Years? Xconomy Event Looks Far Into Region’s Future
[Updated, 3:15 pm Sept. 11 with added “burst” from Immune Design.] Seattle biotech has taken its share of lumps lately, but beyond the next quarter or next year, what kind of life sciences potential really exists here in the Northwest? Over the next 20 years, will this area have grown as a world leader in … Continue reading “What Will Seattle Biotech Be Like in 20 Years? Xconomy Event Looks Far Into Region’s Future”
Lilipip, With Recent Focus on Animated Ads, Looks to Keep Growing Without Venture Capital
From architecture to kids’ videos to online animated ads, Ksenia Oustiougova’s path to founder of Seattle online ad company Lilipip has been unusual. To start, the company was funded not by investors, but on credit cards. The good news: after shutting down the kids’ video version of Lilipip and retooling to its current incarnation, Oustiougova … Continue reading “Lilipip, With Recent Focus on Animated Ads, Looks to Keep Growing Without Venture Capital”
Targeted Genetics Lives On, CellCyte Charged With Fraud, Theraclone Finds HIV Weakness, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News
There were some striking highs and lows in Seattle biotech this week. —Seattle-based Targeted Genetics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:TGEN]]), the stalwart of gene therapy, needed a lifeline if it was going to survive any longer, and it got one at the last minute this week from Cambridge, MA-based biotech giant Genzyme (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GENZ]]). Targeted is handing over … Continue reading “Targeted Genetics Lives On, CellCyte Charged With Fraud, Theraclone Finds HIV Weakness, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”
TweepML Helps Share Twitter Groups
Marcelo Calbucci, the founder of Sampa and Seattle 2.0, announced today his team has launched TweepML, a service and format for Twitter users to share lists of other users quickly and efficiently. The service makes it easier to follow multiple Twitter users at once (at a given company, say), instead of having to find them … Continue reading “TweepML Helps Share Twitter Groups”
Calling All WordPress/PHP/Apache/Linux Gurus—Particularly the Ones With Pagers
As we’ve grown Xconomy.com over the last few years, we’ve prided ourselves on keeping our operations lean and mean, in no small part by making the most of DIY technologies and virtual working arrangements. But every once in a while—say when a bitchy little worm wiggles its way through WordPress sites across the Web—we’re reminded … Continue reading “Calling All WordPress/PHP/Apache/Linux Gurus—Particularly the Ones With Pagers”
Investment in Washington Startups Totaled $25M (or $51.4M, Depending on How You Count) in August
Last month sure seemed like a busy one for Seattle-area startup financings, especially for summer. But the hard data paints a much more modest picture. Venture capitalists invested $25 million into four companies headquartered in Washington state last month, according to data provided to Xconomy by ChubbyBrain, a New York-based information services company that develops … Continue reading “Investment in Washington Startups Totaled $25M (or $51.4M, Depending on How You Count) in August”
Smilebox Buys Preclick
Redmond, WA-based Smilebox, a photo services startup, said today it has acquired Preclick, a New Jersey maker (with Seattle developers) of photo organizing and printing software for retailers like WalMart, Costco, and Walgreens. Financial terms were not disclosed. Smilebox was founded in 2005 and launched its service, which lets people create electronic greeting cards, photo … Continue reading “Smilebox Buys Preclick”
Targeted Genetics Survives Brush With Death, Sells Gene Therapy IP to Genzyme for $7M
Targeted Genetics needed a lifeline and it got one at the last possible minute. The Seattle-based mainstay of gene therapy, which has been running on fumes for months, has struck an 11th-hour deal to stay alive another year by selling off its most valuable intellectual property for $7 million to Genzyme (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GENZ]]). Many of … Continue reading “Targeted Genetics Survives Brush With Death, Sells Gene Therapy IP to Genzyme for $7M”
Valu Valu Revamps Site for Businesses That Want to Monitor Prices
Seattle-area e-commerce startup Valu Valu has made a strategic shift in the past few months. Instead of continuing to pitch its service primarily to bargain-hunting consumers and resellers, Valu Valu relaunched two weeks ago as an online price monitoring site geared toward businesses. The idea is to give Internet retailers and small businesses an efficient … Continue reading “Valu Valu Revamps Site for Businesses That Want to Monitor Prices”
OVP Company Does 14 Genomes
Complete Genomics, the Mountain View, CA-based company with a goal of sequencing full human genomes for $5,000, is announcing today that it has completed 14 full human genome sequences for commercial customers like March. The company says it has a dozen customers, including Pfizer, Duke University, the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, and the … Continue reading “OVP Company Does 14 Genomes”
Marketfish Rolls Out New Web Platform, Resembles aQuantive, Says Clark Kokich
Last month, we broke the story of Marketfish, the Seattle-based online marketing startup that has raised an undisclosed sum of money from prominent local investors, including the Alliance of Angels. Today, Marketfish launched a beta version of its new online platform, which helps marketing agencies and businesses find and rent direct mail and e-mail lists … Continue reading “Marketfish Rolls Out New Web Platform, Resembles aQuantive, Says Clark Kokich”
SEC Charges CellCyte With Stem Cell Fraud
CellCyte Genetics, the Bothell, WA-based company that once said it was on the verge of entering clinical trials with a stem cell compound to repair the heart, has been charged with violating federal securities laws by making false statements to investors. Today in U.S. District Court in Seattle, the company, its former CEO, and former … Continue reading “SEC Charges CellCyte With Stem Cell Fraud”
A Recap of Penny Arcade Expo: The Ultimate Destination for Gaming Fans
Pacific-Northwest Armani Exchange it isn’t, but it is totally the height of Geek Chic. Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) has become the ultimate destination for gaming fans. Since 1995, every gamer has dreamed of being able to sneak into E3: the video game industry’s annual closed-to-the-public trade convention, where new games and products are introduced and … Continue reading “A Recap of Penny Arcade Expo: The Ultimate Destination for Gaming Fans”
WBBA Annual Meeting
The Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association is holding its annual meeting at 7 am on Nov. 6 at the Seattle Sheraton. This year’s keynote will be given by Elias Zerhouni, the former director of the National Institutes of Health. For more information, click here.
Cray Inks $40M Korean Contract
Seattle-based Cray, the supercomputing company, announced today it has signed a multi-year contract with the Korea Meteorological Administration worth more than $40 million. Cray (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CRAY]]) will deliver a next-generation supercomputer (capable of more than 600 trillion calculations per second), as well as service and support, to the Seoul-based weather forecasting and climate research organization. … Continue reading “Cray Inks $40M Korean Contract”
Seattle Genetics Gets Milestone
Seattle Genetics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SGEN]]) said today that it achieved a milestone under its partnership with Bayer Schering Pharma AG of Germany. The Bothell, WA-based company provided Bayer with a license to its technology for linking antibodies to toxins, with a goal of making targeted and potent anti-cancer drugs. Bayer has now submitted an application to … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics Gets Milestone”
TriQuint Acquires TriAccess, Dashwire Gets Cash, VoiceBox Talks Funding, & More Seattle-Area Deals News
It was another quiet week for deals in the Northwest, as the holiday weekend brought summer to its unofficial close. We saw a little activity in software, mobile, and semiconductors, and heard from an old Seattle-area dealmaker (see below). —Kai-Fu Lee, the former Microsoft vice president and founding director of Microsoft Research Asia, has quit … Continue reading “TriQuint Acquires TriAccess, Dashwire Gets Cash, VoiceBox Talks Funding, & More Seattle-Area Deals News”
Clarisonic Skin Cleanser Cracks $40M in Sales on Kudos From Oprah and YouTube Beauty Queen
The same people who invented Sonicare toothbrushes have another emerging hit on their hands. This time, David Giuliani and his team of scientists and engineers in Bellevue, WA, who make the Clarisonic device have created a sonic-wave powered brush that’s designed to give people a cleaner, healthier-looking face. They’re marketing a $195 luxury consumer product … Continue reading “Clarisonic Skin Cleanser Cracks $40M in Sales on Kudos From Oprah and YouTube Beauty Queen”