Sick of cleantech yet? Rick LeFaivre certainly isn’t. In fact, he’s just getting started. The managing director at Kirkland, WA-based OVP Venture Partners leads the VC firm’s investments in alternative energy and cleantech, together with fellow managing director Gerry Langeler, who is based in Portland, OR. To date, OVP has made five investments in cleantech—Carbonflow, … Continue reading “OVP’s Rick LeFaivre on Venture Capital and the Future of Cleantech”
Category: Seattle
Zino Society’s Green Investment Forum
Twelve early-stage companies in the cleantech industry will be selected to make presentations at the Zino Society’s third annual Green Investment Forum. Judges will select a winner who will receive a $50,000 investment,. and awards will also go to the Best Presenter, and Best Investment Opportunity. The application deadline for entrepreneurs is Noon on March … Continue reading “Zino Society’s Green Investment Forum”
What’s a Biotech Banker To Do in a Downturn? How About M&A
George Milstein is a survivor. Lots of peers in his line of work, biotech investment banking, have vanished from the scene with pink slips in hand. Yet after 15 years in the business, living through the mid-90s health reform bust, the genomics collapse of 2001, and now this mortgage-fueled catastrophe, Milstein is still doing what … Continue reading “What’s a Biotech Banker To Do in a Downturn? How About M&A”
Could Patent Reform Hurt Cleantech?
(Editor’s Note: This is excerpted from written testimony to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.) Out of the many patents that will be filed in the coming years, there will be a handful of world-changing inventions that can crucially alter the course of our future. These are the jewels we need to protect: —inventions that solve … Continue reading “Could Patent Reform Hurt Cleantech?”
Skytap Lands $7,000,000 Series B Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=252e08aa-648f-48a9-8018-40d7fa45b31c&Preview=1 Date 3/16/2009 Company Name Skytap Mailing Address 614 1st Ave Seattle, WA 98104 Company Description Skytap is the leading provider of cloud-based virtualization solutions available as on-demand services over the Web. Virtualization is poised to become the defining technology of the 21st century and Skytap’s goal is to make serving up … Continue reading “Skytap Lands $7,000,000 Series B Financing”
Amazon Cloud Takes Reservations
Amazon’s chief technology officer Werner Vogels said yesterday that Amazon Web Services is now letting customers reserve cloud-computing capacity on its Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) service. Companies can reserve computing power for a fee, and receive a discount on the hourly rate (they still pay for just what they use). The move is viewed as … Continue reading “Amazon Cloud Takes Reservations”
Google’s Brian Bershad on the Search Giant’s “Second Act,” and Building More Trust
Google owns the world’s most popular Internet search engine, but to hear the leader of the company’s Seattle site talk, building that was “the easy part.” All the information on the Internet was free and available for indexing with its clever algorithms, but that’s just a tiny fraction of the world’s information, when you start … Continue reading “Google’s Brian Bershad on the Search Giant’s “Second Act,” and Building More Trust”
Top 9 Tech Updates: Photosynth, Geocaching, Google Earth, and More
I’ve been writing World Wide Wade for almost a year now; this is the 44th installment. A year is a long time in the technology world—long enough for many of the gadgets, services, and websites I’ve covered in the past to evolve cool new features. So I thought I’d revisit a few of my previous … Continue reading “Top 9 Tech Updates: Photosynth, Geocaching, Google Earth, and More”
Born a Creationist, Merck’s Schadt Leads Open Source Effort to Unravel Genome
One of the world’s brightest minds at analyzing human DNA was born into a family of creationists. When he was 17 and graduating from high school in a rural area of southwestern Michigan, Eric Schadt couldn’t even imagine going to college. “My parents were very religious,” Schadt told me on a visit to his office … Continue reading “Born a Creationist, Merck’s Schadt Leads Open Source Effort to Unravel Genome”
Seattle Layoff Update: Imperium, Daptiv, General Dynamics, Cell Therapeutics, Trubion Cut Staff
At least five area companies that we watch at Xconomy have had significant layoffs in the past two weeks. They span the fields of energy, biotech, hardware, and software. The sad part is that none of these cases is particularly surprising. You can check our updated list of tech and life sciences layoffs in the … Continue reading “Seattle Layoff Update: Imperium, Daptiv, General Dynamics, Cell Therapeutics, Trubion Cut Staff”
Fate Therapeutics Adds Scientific Muscle, Advancing Stem Cell Technology into First Clinical Trial
Fate Therapeutics has wowed people with its big plans to make drugs that activate adult stem cells in the body to treat diseases and regenerate tissues. And now the biotech startup has brought on new scientific talent to help put its first treatment to the test in clinical trials. Fate said yesterday it has recruited … Continue reading “Fate Therapeutics Adds Scientific Muscle, Advancing Stem Cell Technology into First Clinical Trial”
First Look Forum
The Northwest Entrepreneur Network (NWEN) is hosting an investment forum and reception targeted at early stage entrepreneurs who haven’t previously presented and are in the pre-funding stage of their trajectory. Twelve companies will be selected to give their three-minute pitches. The audience will then vote to determine the top five companies. These five companies will … Continue reading “First Look Forum”
Dendreon Ends Year With $109M
Dendreon, the Seattle biotech company developing an immune-boosting treatment for cancer, said today it finished ended 2008 with $108.5 million in cash and investments. The company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DNDN]]) didn’t provide a financial forecast for how much of that it plans to spend in 2009. Dendreon is awaiting final results next month from a trial of … Continue reading “Dendreon Ends Year With $109M”
The Smart Grid: Powerful ideas for keeping us cool, connected, and competitive
Washington State University and the Washington Clean Technology Alliance are hosting a lunch event and panel discussion on the smart grid. We expect electricity at the flip of a switch. But the electric power grid—marvel of the early 1900s—limped into the twenty-first century overworked, underdeveloped, and headed for a meltdown. What is a “smart grid,” … Continue reading “The Smart Grid: Powerful ideas for keeping us cool, connected, and competitive”
OVP Taps Elder Weissman as Adviser
OVP Venture Partners, the Kirkland, WA-based venture investor in IT, cleantech, and digital biology, said today it has recruited Irv Weissman to join its technical advisory group. Weissman, a professor at Stanford University, co-discovered stem cells that form blood in humans, and is a co-founder of three stem cell companies—SyStemix, StemCells, and Cellerant. He is … Continue reading “OVP Taps Elder Weissman as Adviser”
Seattle-Area Company Closures: Sotto, TeachFirst, and Ultreo Shut Down
It’s rough out there, as everyone knows. Yesterday, Dow Jones VentureWire ran a story about venture-backed companies that have shut down this year. Their list includes three Seattle-area firms. Before we see too many more of these reports, Xconomy would like to start gathering lessons learned from startups, investors, and observers. Many people still seem … Continue reading “Seattle-Area Company Closures: Sotto, TeachFirst, and Ultreo Shut Down”
Microsoft’s Ray Ozzie on Cloud Computing
Ray Ozzie, Microsoft’s chief software architect, is the headline speaker at the annual State of Technology luncheon organized by the Technology Alliance. University of Washington computer science professor Ed Lazowska will interview Ozzie, to learn about Microsoft’s initiatives in cloud computing and other new technologies. Individual tickets are $85 in advance. Networking and registration start … Continue reading “Microsoft’s Ray Ozzie on Cloud Computing”
ZymoGenetics Gets $20M From Bristol
ZymoGenetics disclosed today that it has received a $20 million milestone payment from Bristol-Myers Squibb, as part of a larger partnership potentially worth $1.1 billion, which the companies announced in January. ZymoGenetics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ZGEN]]) has now received $105 million under the deal, which gives Bristol-Myers Squibb the right to co-develop pegylated interferon lambda. It’s an … Continue reading “ZymoGenetics Gets $20M From Bristol”
New Microsoft Board Member Maria Klawe on Bill Gates, College Students, and Seattle Innovation
On Monday, Microsoft announced it had appointed Maria Klawe, the president of Harvey Mudd College, to the company’s board of directors. Klawe’s appointment makes Microsoft’s board 10 members strong again, after longtime director Jon Shirley (a former Microsoft president and chief operating officer) stepped down last November. I had the opportunity to speak with Klawe … Continue reading “New Microsoft Board Member Maria Klawe on Bill Gates, College Students, and Seattle Innovation”
CG Retools with Dendreon Alumni, Microsoft Explains HealthVault, Calistoga Reunites Icosians, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News
Cancer drugs are one of the core strengths of Seattle’s life sciences hub, and this week we found a couple of intriguing stories about startups that haven’t been covered anywhere else in depth. —Seattle-based CG Therapeutics is moving toward clinical trials with an immune-boosting therapy designed to knock down a protein that cloaks tumor cells … Continue reading “CG Retools with Dendreon Alumni, Microsoft Explains HealthVault, Calistoga Reunites Icosians, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”
Contemporary Topics in the Energy Field
The University of Washington will host a National Academy of Engineering Regional Meeting and Public Symposium devoted to Contemporary Topics in the Energy Field on Tuesday, March 17, 2009. The public symposium begins at 1:15 p.m. in the Walker-Ames Room (room 225), Kane Hall (see directions and information here; registration is appreciated but not required). … Continue reading “Contemporary Topics in the Energy Field”
OncoGenex Cash To Last Into 2010
OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals, the Bothell, WA-based developer of cancer drugs, said today it had $12.4 million in cash and investments left at the end of 2008, which ought to be enough to fund its operations through February 2010. OncoGenex (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OGXI]]) hopes to use the cash to further develop its experimental prostate cancer drug which showed … Continue reading “OncoGenex Cash To Last Into 2010”
Rob Monster Backs Complaints.com
Bellevue, WA-based Complaints.com announced today it has received angel funding from Seattle-area investor Rob Monster, who has joined the company as chairman. The amount of investment was not disclosed. Complaints.com was founded in 1998 and lets companies track, manage, and respond to complaints listed against them on websites, forums, blogs, and social networks.
Blade Games Raises $4M, Wants to Make Game Development Cheaper and Easier
Bellevue, WA-based Blade Games World announced today it has raised $4 million in a first round of venture funding led by California Technology Ventures. Blade Games was formed last month in a merger between game-development toolmaker Digini, based in Issaquah, WA, and Shanghai, China-based Vyk Games. Digini was known for creating Blade3D, a software tool … Continue reading “Blade Games Raises $4M, Wants to Make Game Development Cheaper and Easier”
Washington Is “Well Behind” Other States in Cleantech, but Gaining in Smart Grid, Efficiency
“If you’re a technology junkie, cleantech is the candy store for you,” said Byron McCann, co-founder and managing partner of Seattle-based Ascent Partners, an investment bank that advises cleantech and software entrepreneurs. McCann, who also serves on the board of the Northwest Energy Angels, was talking about his own transition from software to energy, and … Continue reading “Washington Is “Well Behind” Other States in Cleantech, but Gaining in Smart Grid, Efficiency”
Calistoga Reunites Icos Execs To Pursue Cancer, Inflammation Drugs
Some members of the band that pumped out a one-hit wonder at Icos are getting back together to see if they can produce at least one more hit at Seattle-based Calistoga Pharmaceuticals. Calistoga has been building up its management team over the past year, and the latest recruit is chief business officer Cliff Stocks. He … Continue reading “Calistoga Reunites Icos Execs To Pursue Cancer, Inflammation Drugs”
Clean Energy Revenues Climbed 53% in 2008: Forecast Flat to Down for This Year
The global cleantech industry stayed on a bull run despite a shaky economy in 2008, but the momentum is bound to slow down this year. That was the key finding from a report released yesterday by Portland, OR-based Clean Edge, a consulting firm. The three major clean energy sectors—solar photovoltaics, wind power, and biofuels—saw their … Continue reading “Clean Energy Revenues Climbed 53% in 2008: Forecast Flat to Down for This Year”
Blade Games World, Inc Receives $4,000,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0449caab-4075-40c6-86f2-9b15c23dcf25&Preview=1 Date 3/11/2009 Company Name Blade Games World, Inc Mailing Address PO Box 1329 Issaquah, WA 98027-0053 Company Description The company offers a complete video game development solution accessible to any and all developers, from the students to the professional studio. The company is led by a strong executive team with management … Continue reading “Blade Games World, Inc Receives $4,000,000 New Round”
Seattle 2.0 Announces Awards
Entrepreneur resource site Seattle 2.0 has announced it is hosting a startup awards ceremony on May 7 at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle. Nominations are open from now until March 25 in 10 categories including best startup, best venture capitalist, best angel investor, and best startup technologist. Finalists will be selected by a panel … Continue reading “Seattle 2.0 Announces Awards”
Dancing in the Light: Expanding Access to Human Embryonic Stem Cells
The Obama campaign, and subsequently his administration, had been hinting for a long time that it would allow researchers to use federal funds to study human embryonic stem cell “lines” which had, under the policies of President Bush, been legal to study only with private funding. Considering the relatively small number of scientists actually working … Continue reading “Dancing in the Light: Expanding Access to Human Embryonic Stem Cells”
Ignition, Bain Invest $5.5M in Enclarity
Enclarity, a healthcare IT company based in Aliso Viejo, CA, announced today it has closed a $5.5 million Series C round led by Bellevue, WA-based Ignition Partners and Boston, MA-based Bain Capital Ventures. The funds will be used for R&D and product development. Enclarity makes software that helps companies manage healthcare provider information and records.
Haute Secure Scores $1.6M, Second Ave Invests in Fanzter, LookStat Gets Funded, & More Seattle-Area Deals News
It was a very quiet week for deals in the Northwest, with just a trickle of activity in software, security, and biotech. —Seattle-based Haute Secure, a software firm focused on computer security against malware, raised about $1.6 million in Series A funding. Investors in the round included Silicon Valley firms Baseline Ventures and Sherpalo Ventures. … Continue reading “Haute Secure Scores $1.6M, Second Ave Invests in Fanzter, LookStat Gets Funded, & More Seattle-Area Deals News”
CG Therapeutics, Immune-Booster For Cancer, Recruits Dendreon Vets, New CEO
Flameouts are the norm for any company that dares to try to stimulate the body’s immune system to fight cancer cells. Cell Genesys, Genitope, Favrille, and Antigenics have been added to the long list of companies that have stumbled in this promising field that hasn’t yet produced a single FDA-approved therapy. One of the sector … Continue reading “CG Therapeutics, Immune-Booster For Cancer, Recruits Dendreon Vets, New CEO”
How to Make a Better Lightbulb, Biofuel, or Energy Storage Technology: Xconomy Forum Adds Voices of Leading Entrepreneurs
Lots of creative entrepreneurs are popping up in the Northwest cleantech business, so we invited three of them to explain their ideas at our upcoming Xconomy Forum, The Rise of Cleantech in the Northwest, on March 26. These new special guests will offer up expertise in biofuels, energy storage, and conservation—some of the region’s key … Continue reading “How to Make a Better Lightbulb, Biofuel, or Energy Storage Technology: Xconomy Forum Adds Voices of Leading Entrepreneurs”
Jive Rolls Out New Product, Takes on Microsoft and IBM in Social Business Software
In the burgeoning software hub of Portland, OR, one company is breaking new ground today. Jive Software, a maker of “social business software” that helps employees communicate with each other and manage their work information, is releasing a new product called SBS 3.0. The software is targeted to businesses, and its goal is to let … Continue reading “Jive Rolls Out New Product, Takes on Microsoft and IBM in Social Business Software”
Zillow, Pet Holdings Lead Startup List
Marcelo Calbucci’s Seattle 2.0 index of local startups’ websites is out for February, and shows little movement at the top. Zillow, Pet Holdings, iLike, BuddyTV, and Robot Co-op have the top five sites, based on traffic estimates. Calbucci points out a few sites in the top 20 that were not there a year ago: BigOven, … Continue reading “Zillow, Pet Holdings Lead Startup List”
Report: Haute Secure Raises $1.6M
Seattle-based Haute Secure, a maker of security software that protects computers against malware, has raised about $1.6 million in Series A funding, according to PE Hub, which cites a regulatory filing. Investors in the round include Silicon Valley VC firms Baseline Ventures and Sherpalo Ventures.
The Xconomy Guide to the Northwest’s Cleantech Clusters
Last week, we published a series of three stories documenting the companies and organizations in the Pacific Northwest that are focused on alternative energy and cleantech. We organized the lists by geography, breaking out separate lists for companies in Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia. Now we can take a step back, analyze the trends in … Continue reading “The Xconomy Guide to the Northwest’s Cleantech Clusters”
Microsoft’s Vet of Online Banking, Travel Aims To Make You Switch to Digital Health Records
No way would American consumers ever switch to online banking. It’s too risky, people used to tell David Cerino in the 1990s. Travel? Same story. Consumers would never voluntarily put their credit card numbers into a website that could get hacked. Turned out the switch to online banking and travel took less than four years, … Continue reading “Microsoft’s Vet of Online Banking, Travel Aims To Make You Switch to Digital Health Records”
Haute Secure Inc Obtains $1,600,000 Series A Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a29ae419-2b62-409a-b1c1-33a667225278&Preview=1 Date 3/9/2009 Company Name Haute Secure Inc Mailing Address 2212 Queen Anne Ave Seattle, WA 98109 Company Description HauteSecure was founded in 2006 by a team of security, internet and web experts with a near-obsessive desire to make the web safer for everybody. After watching helplessly as several of our friends … Continue reading “Haute Secure Inc Obtains $1,600,000 Series A Funding Round”
Cell Therapeutics Cuts 34 Jobs
Cell Therapeutics has eliminated 34 jobs in connection with the sale of its lone approved drug, Zevalin. The Seattle-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CTIC]]), which has run dangerously low on cash, made the disclosure Friday afternoon in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The cuts represent about 28 percent of the company’s workforce, and … Continue reading “Cell Therapeutics Cuts 34 Jobs”
Top 10 Startup Financing Takeaways from Investors Michelle Goldberg and Andy Sack
First of all, the terms “downturn” and “recession” don’t do justice to the current climate, says early-stage tech investor Andy Sack. As he puts it, “This is the seminal event of our lifetimes. This is our World War II. I guarantee I’ll be talking to my grandchildren about the Depression of 2009-10: ‘Make sure you … Continue reading “Top 10 Startup Financing Takeaways from Investors Michelle Goldberg and Andy Sack”
BuddyTV Upgrades, Adds Fantasy League
Seattle-based BuddyTV has rolled out a fantasy league where TV fans can bet on a roster of contestants from reality shows like American Idol, Survivor, and Dancing with the Stars. The move is an effort to make the site, which is attracting more than 6 million visitors a month, more sticky. BuddyTV was founded in … Continue reading “BuddyTV Upgrades, Adds Fantasy League”
Three Startups and a Social Technologist: How Ex-Microsofties Are Driving Seattle Innovation
Does Microsoft innovate? What impact is it having on the startup community these days? Say what you want about the company, but its ex-employees are on a tear. In the past few months, we’ve seen a spike in the number of startups formed by ex-Microsofties who have recently left the company. With the specter of … Continue reading “Three Startups and a Social Technologist: How Ex-Microsofties Are Driving Seattle Innovation”
Three New Reasons To Put Off Buying a Kindle
I titled my January 23 column “E-Book Readers on the iPhone: They’re Not Quite Kindle Slayers Yet.” How quickly technology marches ahead. In the weeks since then, three very compelling new options have arrived for people like me who want to read e-books but balk at the price tag on Amazon’s Kindle 2, the best … Continue reading “Three New Reasons To Put Off Buying a Kindle”
Amazon Rolls Out Game Trade-In Service
Amazon announced today a new service whereby customers can trade in used video games for store credit on any eligible items—not just games. The move is seen as a challenge to retailers with existing trade-in programs like GameStop, Electronics Boutique, and Toys “R” Us. Last month, Amazon officially entered the downloadable casual games market, launching … Continue reading “Amazon Rolls Out Game Trade-In Service”
Vivek Kundra, the Nation’s New CIO, Is Supporter of Seattle Startup, Tableau Software
Today, President Obama appointed Vivek Kundra federal chief information officer, which is a new administrative position in the U.S. government. Kundra, currently the District of Columbia’s chief technology officer, will be in charge of policy and strategic planning of federal investments in information technology. Kundra, 34, has previous experience as an executive at the DC-area … Continue reading “Vivek Kundra, the Nation’s New CIO, Is Supporter of Seattle Startup, Tableau Software”
Paul Graham Angel Investing Conference—Live Streaming Now
I just learned that there is a very interesting angel investing conference, happening as I type this, in Silicon Valley. The confab, bringing together angels and entrepreneurs, was organized by Paul Graham, of Y Combinator. It is live streaming here on Justin.tv. A parade of speakers seems to be imparting some great advice on angel … Continue reading “Paul Graham Angel Investing Conference—Live Streaming Now”
The British Columbia Cleantech Cluster: The A-to-Z List of Alternative Energy Players
(Updated) British Columbia is bigger in land area than Washington, Oregon, and California combined, but has about one-tenth the total population. Yet pound-for-pound, our neighbor to the north appears to have its share of entrepreneurs thinking hard about energy alternatives that can be profitable while also better protecting the natural environment. We’ve been on a … Continue reading “The British Columbia Cleantech Cluster: The A-to-Z List of Alternative Energy Players”
Friend Leads Open Source Biology Push, Arzeda Leaves UW Nest, SBRI Teams with PATH on Malaria, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News
It was another busy week in Seattle life sciences, with some good news from the nonprofit side, and some bad news from the public-traded biotechs. —Xconomy had the exclusive story this week on how Merck’s Stephen Friend is forming a new nonprofit in Seattle called Sage that hopes to spark an open-source biology movement to … Continue reading “Friend Leads Open Source Biology Push, Arzeda Leaves UW Nest, SBRI Teams with PATH on Malaria, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”