Category: Seattle

Technologies for the Blind and Deaf Could Have Much Broader Impact, Says UW’s Richard Ladner

Think about the technological tools you use most often. For many of us, cell phones and computers rank high up on that list. But these devices are designed with the hearing and sighted in mind, and are constantly evolving, so there are numerous hurdles to clear to make a phone or a computer usable to … Continue reading “Technologies for the Blind and Deaf Could Have Much Broader Impact, Says UW’s Richard Ladner”

Dendreon May Not Survive Its Success: Q&A with Founder Chris Henney, Part 2

Yesterday, we brought Xconomy readers the first installment of a conversation with Christopher Henney, the co-founder of Seattle’s three most successful biotech companies of the past 30 years—Immunex, Icos, and Dendreon. The first two companies ended up getting acquired—Immunex for $10 billion in 2002, and Icos for $2.3 billion in 2007. Now that Dendreon has … Continue reading “Dendreon May Not Survive Its Success: Q&A with Founder Chris Henney, Part 2”

AVI BioPharma Obtains $1,200,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8bd67fca-189e-4470-9d17-2602ee6ae3ad&Preview=1 Date 7/28/2009 Company Name AVI BioPharma Mailing Address One SW Columbia Portland, OR 97258 Company Description AVI BioPharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: AVII) is a biopharmaceutical company developing therapeutic products principally based on third generation NeuGene® antisense technology. Our principle products in development target life-threatening diseases, including cardiovascular and infectious diseases. Website http://www.avibio.com … Continue reading “AVI BioPharma Obtains $1,200,000 New Funding Round”

Gearing Up for Battle of the Tech Bands: Beer, Prizes, and One More Cartoon

After a scorching week of 90-degree temperatures, what could be better than kicking back with a nice cold one, catching up with friends and colleagues—and seeing five of Seattle’s top rock bands with tech affiliations duke it out for prizes and the adulation of the crowd? It’s all happening this Thursday evening at Xconomy’s Battle … Continue reading “Gearing Up for Battle of the Tech Bands: Beer, Prizes, and One More Cartoon”

Microsoft Opens App Store for Developers

Microsoft (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MSFT]]) announced today it has opened its Windows Mobile marketplace for developer submissions from 29 countries. The Redmond, WA, firm is also running a “race to market challenge” in which mobile app developers will receive prizes for categories like most free downloads, most valuable app, and most useful app. The contest will officially … Continue reading “Microsoft Opens App Store for Developers”

Targeted Growth Boosts Algae Yield

Targeted Growth, the Seattle-based developer of renewable fuels and high-yield agricultural products, said today that its scientists have found a way to boost the amount of lipid content by 400 percent in cyanobacteria, which it says could increase the oil yield from algae enough to make it competitive on price with conventional petroleum. The company … Continue reading “Targeted Growth Boosts Algae Yield”

Amazon.com Owns Just About Everything Now

“Earth’s biggest bookstore,” boasted Amazon.com in the early days after its 1995 launch. Nearly 15 years later, Amazon seems more like Earth’s biggest store, period. Music and movies, videogames, clothing, toys, furniture, even food, it’s all just a few clicks away. And with last week’s acquisiton of online retailer Zappos.com (originally estimated at $850 million, … Continue reading “Amazon.com Owns Just About Everything Now”

Seattle Layoff Update: Targeted Genetics, Wetpaint, Google, and Others Cut Staff

Don’t let this summer heat wave fool you. It’s still bitterly cold in job land. Despite Wade’s optimistic report this morning on local companies with open positions, a lot of Seattle-area tech and life sciences firms are still heading in the opposite direction. In the past month, we’ve seen layoffs, big and small, across the … Continue reading “Seattle Layoff Update: Targeted Genetics, Wetpaint, Google, and Others Cut Staff”

Forget the Shortcuts: Creating a Truly Innovative Biotech Culture

Watching the acquisition of Genentech by Roche has been a fascinating process. I wasn’t so interested in the eventual price paid per share, but whether Basel, Switzerland-based Roche, one of the oldest and most traditional pharma companies, could preserve the special science-based culture at Genentech that made it the world’s pre-eminent biotech company. Would Genentech’s … Continue reading “Forget the Shortcuts: Creating a Truly Innovative Biotech Culture”

The Fastest Growing Startups in Boston, Seattle, and SoCal

Behind the stubborn economic clouds, there may be a few hints of blue sky. A few companies, in other words, are hiring rather than firing—and a new report from StartUpHire, a Vienna, VA-based job board that specializes in advertising open positions at venture-backed startups, has the lowdown on which ones (see the lists below). As … Continue reading “The Fastest Growing Startups in Boston, Seattle, and SoCal”

Dendreon May Not Survive Its Success: Q&A with Founder Chris Henney, Part 1

Christopher Henney’s career in biotechnology looks like a three-act drama over three decades. He’s a classically-trained immunologist who went on to be the co-founder of Seattle’s three most successful biotech companies when ranked by stock market value—Immunex, Icos, and Dendreon. Henney, now 68, pushed Dendreon on its odyssey when he joined as CEO in 1995. … Continue reading “Dendreon May Not Survive Its Success: Q&A with Founder Chris Henney, Part 1”

General Fusion, Developer of Novel Nuclear Fusion Method, Raises $9M in Venture Financing

General Fusion, a Burnaby, BC-based company that hopes to generate clean energy from a new form of nuclear fusion, has raised $9 million out of a $12.5 million equity offering, Xconomy has learned. The company isn’t disclosing who invested in the round, although it includes a syndicate from the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada, … Continue reading “General Fusion, Developer of Novel Nuclear Fusion Method, Raises $9M in Venture Financing”

Limeade Laps Up $2.4M

Limeade, a Bellevue, WA-based health IT company, raised $2.4 million of a $3 million equity offering, according to an SEC filing yesterday. The investors were not disclosed. Limeade provides software to companies that helps employees reach wellness goals like losing weight or quitting smoking, by helping them track their progress and providing employer-sponsored incentives. Some of … Continue reading “Limeade Laps Up $2.4M”

Calypso Forms Deal With Varian

Calypso Medical Technologies, the Seattle-based developer of a device to pinpoint radiation therapy for prostate cancer, said today it has formed a partnership with Palo Alto, CA-based Varian Medical Systems, the world’s leading maker of medical devices and software for cancer treatment. The two companies will jointly develop products to incorporate the Calypso technology into … Continue reading “Calypso Forms Deal With Varian”

Dreambox Lands Distributor

Bellevue, WA-based Dreambox Learning, an education software startup, announced yesterday that Pearson Canada, the largest education publisher in Canada, will distribute its online math education system to schools and customers throughout Canada. Financial details were not released. Dreambox, started in 2006, launched its math learning program designed for students in kindergarten through second grade in … Continue reading “Dreambox Lands Distributor”

Targeted Genetics Amends Lease

Targeted Genetics, the Seattle-based developer of gene therapies, said today it has amended the lease on its 38,000-square foot headquarters to get a reduced rate from June through August, and then providing $45,000 and “reasonable credit assurances” to its landlord by Aug. 31. If the company can’t provide those assurances, the landlord can terminate the … Continue reading “Targeted Genetics Amends Lease”

Targeted Growth Plots Future as Agricultural Biotech, Cleantech Pioneer

If you owned a method that can make plants grow bigger and faster on every acre of land, what would you do to best exploit it? Targeted Growth CEO Tom Todaro is hedging his company’s bets 50-50, wagering that his Seattle-based firm will become a player in two potentially huge industries—agriculture and clean energy. If … Continue reading “Targeted Growth Plots Future as Agricultural Biotech, Cleantech Pioneer”

Project Tuva or Bust: How Microsoft’s Spin on Feynman Could Change the Way We Learn

“I don’t know what’s the matter with people: they don’t learn by understanding, they learn by some other way—by rote or something,” physicist Richard Feynman once said. “Their knowledge is so fragile!” Maybe Feynman’s brain was big enough to simply “learn by understanding”—sucking in and comprehending complex realities in a single glance. But what I … Continue reading “Project Tuva or Bust: How Microsoft’s Spin on Feynman Could Change the Way We Learn”

UW Profs, Tech Execs Talk Next-Generation Graphics, Imaging, and Interfaces for Games

Four professors from the University of Washington’s department of computer science and engineering recently presented their cutting-edge research to a private audience of tech executives and investors active in the game industry in downtown Seattle. The Interactive Media Technology Showcase was hosted on Wednesday by UW TechTransfer and enterpriseSeattle, and coincided with the Casual Connect … Continue reading “UW Profs, Tech Execs Talk Next-Generation Graphics, Imaging, and Interfaces for Games”

Limeade Receives $2,400,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e4ef8829-68b8-41bd-a2a3-02ad38e63ac2&Preview=1 Date 7/24/2009 Company Name Limeade Mailing Address 2002 156th Ave NE Bellevue, WA 98007 Company Description Limeade is a health IT company. Website http://www.limeade.com/ Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $2,400,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms Venture Investor Undisclosed

The Future of Gaming Is Purveying Sin, Says VC Tim Chang

“Gaming will save us all,” proclaimed Tim Chang this morning. A principal at Norwest Venture Partners, a venture capital firm out of Palo Alto, CA, Chang spoke at Casual Connect Seattle, the three-day casual video game conference that ends this evening. Chang’s topic was emerging trends in casual gaming, and as a proud gamer since … Continue reading “The Future of Gaming Is Purveying Sin, Says VC Tim Chang”

Report: OVP’s M2E Sold to Motionetics

Boise, ID-based M2E Power, an energy startup funded by OVP Venture Partners, has been acquired by fellow Idaho firm Motionetics for an undisclosed price, according to VatorNews. OVP said it is not disclosing details at this time. The Kirkland, WA-based venture firm led an $8 million Series A investment in M2E in 2007.

Amazon’s Acquisition of Zappos Is “A Good Thing for Kiva,” Says Robot Company’s CEO

Much of the buzz about Amazon’s surprise announcement yesterday that it is acquiring popular online shoe retailer Zappos for more than $900 million is about whether the Las Vegas-based company really needed to sell, or was pressured to do so by its main venture backer, Sequoia Capital. But the first thing I wondered when I … Continue reading “Amazon’s Acquisition of Zappos Is “A Good Thing for Kiva,” Says Robot Company’s CEO”

Are You Ready to Rock? Listen to Xconomy’s Battle of the Tech Bands Finalists Here

It’s all about the party. It’s all about the networking. No. For today, at least, it’s all about the rock. Seattle’s first-ever Battle of the Tech Bands is happening one week from tonight, on July 30, at the Pyramid Alehouse. The music starts at 6 pm. Xconomy is teaming up with WTIA to bring this … Continue reading “Are You Ready to Rock? Listen to Xconomy’s Battle of the Tech Bands Finalists Here”

ZymoGenetics Picks Up Mojo, Dendreon Looks Southeast, Cell Therapeutics Raises Dough & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News

This week biotech, both locally and nationally, showed some real swagger in its step. Human Genome Sciences turned into a rocket ship, Medarex made investors a fortune, and Onyx Pharmaceuticals surprised the street with positive news against breast cancer. You can bet this rising tide will lift other boats as investors prowl around for the … Continue reading “ZymoGenetics Picks Up Mojo, Dendreon Looks Southeast, Cell Therapeutics Raises Dough & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”

Cell Therapeutics Taps Stock Market Again, Seeks $40M or More

Here’s an iron law of biotech: Never doubt Cell Therapeutics’ ability to raise money, in good times or in bad. The Seattle-based biotech company, which has raised more than $1.3 billion from investors in its 18-year history without turning a consistent profit, said today it is hitting up investors for what should amount to another … Continue reading “Cell Therapeutics Taps Stock Market Again, Seeks $40M or More”

Infospace Launches Charity Search Engine

Bellevue, WA-based Internet search service provider Infospace announced the launch of a new search website focused on charity. DoGreatGood.com,which compiles search results from Google, Bing, Yahoo, and ask, will donate money to charity when used, similar to Infospace’s original search engine Dogpile. Like Dogpile, the donations go to animal charities. Half of the revenue generated … Continue reading “Infospace Launches Charity Search Engine”

How To Find, Fund, Protect and Launch New Technologies

The Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association is organizing the “How To Find, Fund, Protect and Launch New Technologies” is the first of many “How To” programs which will help illustrate the available resources at the University of Washington, as well as offer the expertise of local experts. Stephen Graham of Fenwick & West will moderate … Continue reading “How To Find, Fund, Protect and Launch New Technologies”

Startup School: The Xconomy Guide to Venture Incubators, 2009 Edition

Technology entrepreneurship can be a lonely road. Not only do you have to convince a few friends or colleagues to work hundred-hour weeks for the next several years in support of your wild idea, but you’ve got to make it past the elevator pitch with at least one funder, and then prove that your idea … Continue reading “Startup School: The Xconomy Guide to Venture Incubators, 2009 Edition”

Dendreon Scouts for Next Manufacturing Plant, Probably Far From Salmon and Evergreens

Dendreon takes pride in being a Seattle-based company, and CEO Mitchell Gold likes to say he envisions building it into the Northwest’s next biotech powerhouse, like Immunex in the 1990s. But compared to the rest of the country, Seattle just doesn’t have that many people ill with prostate cancer. So it’s a safe bet he … Continue reading “Dendreon Scouts for Next Manufacturing Plant, Probably Far From Salmon and Evergreens”

Ballard Power, IdaTech Help Stop Power Loss in India—a Closer Look at the Deal

Wireless telecommunication networks require a constant, uninterrupted supply of electricity. Unfortunately, power outages are a common problem in many parts of India. The electrical grid in those areas can go down for hours every day. As a solution to this problem, Indian telecommunications company ACME Tele Power has turned to hydrogen fuel-cell generators to keep … Continue reading “Ballard Power, IdaTech Help Stop Power Loss in India—a Closer Look at the Deal”

Northwest VCs See Existential Threat, and a Change in the Entrepreneurial Mindset

Money keeps going in, but it isn’t coming out. If you’re a venture capitalist, this is what you call a serious problem. Innovation will go on. So will entrepreneurship. But when I spoke to a handful of venture capitalists yesterday morning about the trends in their industry, and about their role in financing startups, they … Continue reading “Northwest VCs See Existential Threat, and a Change in the Entrepreneurial Mindset”

Big Fish Goes Cinematic, Nintendo Sees Opportunities for Developers at Casual Connect

Casual games are a serious business. Seattle-based PopCap Games’ Bejeweled and Big Fish Games’ Mystery Case Files were cheap to develop compared to most modern computer and console games, and the cost to buy them is similarly low, but games like these are played by millions of people around the world. Between the recession and … Continue reading “Big Fish Goes Cinematic, Nintendo Sees Opportunities for Developers at Casual Connect”

Finsphere Scores $9M to Fight Fraud

Bellevue, WA-based Finsphere, a security and authentication startup, has closed $9 million in equity funding, according to a regulatory filing. The investors were not disclosed, but the form lists Paul Bialek of Frazier Technology Ventures, William Ericson of Mohr Davidow Ventures, and Ravi Mohan of Shasta Ventures as directors. Finsphere is trying to help banks … Continue reading “Finsphere Scores $9M to Fight Fraud”

Washington Venture Investing Gravitates to Biotech—The Regional Top 10 List

It stands to reason in a downturn, when investors get more cautious, the last place they’d want to park money is in a sector where it takes huge sums, agonizing stretches of time, and slim odds of a profit. That’s biotech in a nutshell, yet even in the downturn, it’s where some of the biggest … Continue reading “Washington Venture Investing Gravitates to Biotech—The Regional Top 10 List”

R.W. Beck Aligns with SAIC, Blackbox Republic Gets Seeded, Bio Architecture Lab Raises Cash, & More Seattle-Area Deals News

With the start of real summer weather in the Northwest, we’ve seen some good deal action heating up in Internet software, biotech, and energy in the past week. —Seattle-based consulting firm R.W. Beck is being acquired by government contractor SAIC (NYSE: [[ticker:SAI]]) in San Diego for $155 million. It’s one of the Northwest’s bigger tech … Continue reading “R.W. Beck Aligns with SAIC, Blackbox Republic Gets Seeded, Bio Architecture Lab Raises Cash, & More Seattle-Area Deals News”

ZymoGenetics Picks Up Some of Human Genome Sciences’ Mojo With Lupus Drug

ZymoGenetics watched in obscurity from the sidelines yesterday as one of its main competitors rocked the biotech world. Yet Zymo cheered every minute like this was a gift from heaven. Say what? The big news came before markets opened yesterday when Rockville, MD-based Human Genome Sciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:HGSI]])—once an overhyped darling of the genome bubble … Continue reading “ZymoGenetics Picks Up Some of Human Genome Sciences’ Mojo With Lupus Drug”

VC Investing Activity Shows Some Gains in Second Quarter, But Still Well Below 2008 Levels

Venture capital invested in U.S. startups during the second quarter was roughly half the amount invested during the same quarter last year, but two venture capital surveys found encouraging signs of improvement from the abysmal first three months of 2009. VCs put $3.67 billion into 612 deals during the three months that ended June 30, … Continue reading “VC Investing Activity Shows Some Gains in Second Quarter, But Still Well Below 2008 Levels”

Finsphere Corp. Receives $9,000,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8322870a-c05f-49c0-86cd-e03f968e1b4f&Preview=1 Date 7/21/2009 Company Name Finsphere Corp. Mailing Address 505 106th Ave NE Bellevue, WA 98004 Company Description Finsphere is a well-funded, high tech, venture-backed start up founded in 2007 based in Bellevue, Washington and is currently operating in stealth mode. Its purpose is to solve a multi-billion dollar, global problem with … Continue reading “Finsphere Corp. Receives $9,000,000 New Funding”

OncoGenex Raises $9.5M

OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals, the Bothell, WA-based developer of cancer drugs, said today it has reached agreements to raise $9.5 million from institutional investors through a registered stock offering. The company has agreed to sell 475,000 new shares at $20 apiece. OncoGenex (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OGXI]]) has been a hot commodity with investors since it presented data from a … Continue reading “OncoGenex Raises $9.5M”

Social Media Boosts Sales, Report Says

Using social media to interact with customers pays off, according to the ENGAGEMENTdb report released today by Seattle-based Wetpaint and the Altimeter group, a San Francisco-based digital marketing consultant. Starbucks, Dell and eBay led the way in consumer interactions across 10 different social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter, according to the report. On … Continue reading “Social Media Boosts Sales, Report Says”

Microsoft Office Mac Version Updated

Microsoft’s Macintosh division announced a new service pack for the Mac version of Microsoft Office.  The update is designed to fix several old issues with the program as well as add new features like document sharing online. Although Microsoft and Apple are fierce rivals with contending operating systems, Microsoft produces Mac versions of many programs … Continue reading “Microsoft Office Mac Version Updated”

Google Axes Seattle Employees, Report Says

Google is based based in Mountain View, CA, but has two research and development groups in the Seattle area, one in Kirkland, WA and one in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood. But according to a report by Steve Spiegel in the Examiner yesterday, Google is getting smaller in the Northwest. The search engine giant is laying off … Continue reading “Google Axes Seattle Employees, Report Says”

Insights into SAIC’s Acquisition of R.W. Beck for $155M—and Beck’s Strategy in Energy, Water

It may be one of the great untold success stories of the Seattle technology scene. For the past decade, R.W. Beck, an engineering and business consulting firm, has been quietly making a name for itself in key technical areas like energy and water management. Now the Seattle-based firm with 550 employees is becoming part of … Continue reading “Insights into SAIC’s Acquisition of R.W. Beck for $155M—and Beck’s Strategy in Energy, Water”