Category: Seattle

UW’s Gardasil Connection Generates Windfall for Research, Tech Transfer

One of the world’s best-selling vaccines, Merck’s Gardasil, is quietly producing some serious money for an unexpected beneficiary—the University of Washington. Thanks to some hard-fought patent litigation from the 1990s that ended up strengthening and extending the lifespan of a critical piece of UW intellectual property, the university is now raking in a windfall of … Continue reading “UW’s Gardasil Connection Generates Windfall for Research, Tech Transfer”

Coast to Coast

Earlier this month I joined Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and members of his administration on a trade mission to the West Coast. The trade mission was an opportunity to showcase why Massachusetts is a great place to do business for companies in information technology, life sciences and other sectors. For us at the Massachusetts Life … Continue reading “Coast to Coast”

Principle Power Receives $20,000,000 Series A Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9c7b4842-6920-43ef-9c8e-e9229e59c9fa&Preview=1 Date 2/23/2009 Company Name Principle Power Mailing Address 93 S. Jackson Street Seattle, WA 98104 Company Description As a renewable energy technology developer, Principle Power is committed to delivering green, sustainable energy products today, while maintaining the highest level of environmental stewardship. Website http://www.principlepowerinc.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $20,000,000 … Continue reading “Principle Power Receives $20,000,000 Series A Funding”

News in the Internet Era: Newsvine CEO Mike Davidson

Mike Davidson, co-founder and CEO of Newsvine, will be the featured speaker at the University of Washington Alumni Association’s Fostering Innovation Lunch series. Newsvine, a wholly-owned subsidiary of MSNBC, assembles stories from a variety of sources around the world and allows users to edit articles for individual use. For more information about how to register, … Continue reading “News in the Internet Era: Newsvine CEO Mike Davidson”

Greenomics: Creating Profitable Businesses in a Green and Clean World

The MIT Enterprise Forum and AeA are hosting this event to learn from experts in green investment, government policy, and entrepreneurial communities as they help us understand issues and opportunities for clean technology and green solution development businesses in the Pacific Northwest. The discussion will provide entrepreneurs with the information they need to put the … Continue reading “Greenomics: Creating Profitable Businesses in a Green and Clean World”

Cell Therapeutics Sells Remaining Zevalin Stake to Spectrum

Cell Therapeutics is selling off its remaining 50 percent stake in its cancer drug Zevalin for $18 million, as part of a last-ditch bid to pull in enough cash to keep its doors open a little while longer. The Seattle-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CTIC]]) said today it sold its remaining stake in the drug to … Continue reading “Cell Therapeutics Sells Remaining Zevalin Stake to Spectrum”

UW TechTransfer Announces Mentors

The University of Washington’s Tech Transfer department officially announced its first crop of entrepreneurs in residence (EIRs) and LaunchPad advisors for startups. The EIRs (half-time to full-time) are gaming guru Alex St. John, biotechie Deborah Kessler, and finance and energy expert Jeff Canin. The startup advisors (1-2 days a month) include Joe Eichinger, Bill Gossman, … Continue reading “UW TechTransfer Announces Mentors”

Top 3 Marketing Lessons from Luis Salazar, Voyager Capital’s Entrepreneur in Residence

Have you ever talked to someone who really knows technology, and really knows how to sell it? It’s a potent combination. I got that feeling from Luis Salazar, the chief marketing officer of Bellevue, WA-based GMI, an international market research firm. Salazar moonlights as an entrepreneur-in-residence (EIR) at Voyager Capital in Seattle, where he advises … Continue reading “Top 3 Marketing Lessons from Luis Salazar, Voyager Capital’s Entrepreneur in Residence”

Leprosy Test From Protein AI Gets $700K

Protein AI, a Seattle-based developer of a diagnostic test for leprosy, has received a $700,000 Small Business Innovation Research grant. The disease is currently detected when a doctor recognizes skin lesions or runs an antibody-based lab test. Protein AI’s test is designed so a pinprick of blood can be collected and provide an answer within … Continue reading “Leprosy Test From Protein AI Gets $700K”

Microsoft’s Mark Aggar on How IT Can Aid Energy Efficiency and the Environment

One of the distinguished panelists for our upcoming Xconomy Forum on March 26 (The Rise of Cleantech in the Northwest) is Mark Aggar, director of environmental technology strategy for Microsoft. Aggar has been at his current post for just about a year, having come over from the Windows Server product planning group to be part … Continue reading “Microsoft’s Mark Aggar on How IT Can Aid Energy Efficiency and the Environment”

Plinky: The Cure for Blank Slate Syndrome

If you feel it’s time to share something online but can’t think of anything to say, it might be a sign that you’re dull. If you try too hard to craft a bon mot for your blog or some table talk for your Twitter stream, in other words, you might just be inflicting your insipidness … Continue reading “Plinky: The Cure for Blank Slate Syndrome”

Organic To Go Receives $5,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e1f7f3d7-b571-4d12-806c-9453dfdf2f53&Preview=1 Date 2/20/2009 Company Name Organic To Go Mailing Address 3317 3rd Ave South Seattle, WA 98134 Company Description Organic To Go is a Café and Catering Company that Serves Delicious Meals Made to a New Standard with Organic and Natural Ingredients Organic To Go is America’s first fast casual retailer to … Continue reading “Organic To Go Receives $5,000,000 New Funding Round”

Visualant Buys TransTech

Seattle-based Visualant (OTCBB: [[ticker:VSUL]]), a developer of light-based security and authentication technologies, announced today it is acquiring TransTech Systems, a Wilsonville, OR-based maker of identification and security products. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the acquisition is through a combination of cash and stock and is expected to close before the end of … Continue reading “Visualant Buys TransTech”

Wetpaint Reaches 8 Million Monthly Visitors

Seattle-based Wetpaint, a social publishing startup, announced it has surpassed 8 million monthly visitors to its websites. The company also released a new set of features, including a premium ad-free upgrade, enhanced discussion forums, video galleries, and embedded widgets that make your social site portable on the Web. Wetpaint is backed by Accel Partners, DAG … Continue reading “Wetpaint Reaches 8 Million Monthly Visitors”

ImaRx’s Ultrasound Stroke Treatment, After Devastating Setback, Beats Clot-Busting Drug in Study

ImaRx Therapeutics, the Redmond, WA-based developer of an ultrasound-based treatment for stroke, was crushed when news broke last year that three patients suffered brain hemorrhages in a clinical trial. But on further analysis of the data, the company says the therapy showed signs of being more effective than a standard clot-busting drug alone, at least … Continue reading “ImaRx’s Ultrasound Stroke Treatment, After Devastating Setback, Beats Clot-Busting Drug in Study”

Billionaire Lifestyles: Checking In With Paul Allen and Charles Simonyi

Here are a couple of compelling tidbits from around the horn about the exploits of some of our favorite Seattle-area billionaires. A strange window into an alternate reality, if you ask me. —Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft and head of Seattle-based Vulcan, has his investment portfolio examined by CNET. The article kicks off by mentioning … Continue reading “Billionaire Lifestyles: Checking In With Paul Allen and Charles Simonyi”

Symform, Founded by Ex-Microsoft Pair, Offers Cheap, Efficient Data Storage in the Cloud

It could be the most exciting cloud-computing startup you’ve never heard of. It’s two guys in a room overlooking Lake Union, in a hard-to-spot building next to the Fremont Bridge. And it uses Amazon Web Services and other people’s computers to do data storage, backup, and retrieval in the Internet cloud. It’s called Symform—a stealthy … Continue reading “Symform, Founded by Ex-Microsoft Pair, Offers Cheap, Efficient Data Storage in the Cloud”

Biotech in a Garage: It Can Work

(Editor’s Note: Carl Weissman submitted this in response to a feature story about entrepreneur Johnny Stine, who clearly relishes building a biotech startup without venture capital.) Stickin’ it to the VC Man? I am not so sure. Different businesses require different business plans. Some of those business plans support venture capital backing, others are more … Continue reading “Biotech in a Garage: It Can Work”

Cell Therapeutics Nears Brink, ‘Hutch’ Dog Breed Test Hits Market, Lee Hood’s Institute Grows & More Seattle Area Life Sciences News

We had another mixed bag of Seattle biotech news this week, as one of the region’s oldest biotech companies (Cell Therapeutics) ran dangerously low on cash, and one of the newer scientific institutions (Institute for Systems Biology) said its budget for the coming year is growing by $20 million. —Cell Therapeutics is skating closer than … Continue reading “Cell Therapeutics Nears Brink, ‘Hutch’ Dog Breed Test Hits Market, Lee Hood’s Institute Grows & More Seattle Area Life Sciences News”

In the Game: Washington State’s Video Game Industry

As part of the Technology in Focus Series, WTIA and the Washington Interactive Network have brought together leading experts in the gaming industry to share thoughts about how Washington has established itself as a leader in this segment, and what it is going to take for our state to continually dominate the pack. Meet the … Continue reading “In the Game: Washington State’s Video Game Industry”

Digini Merges With Vyk Games

Issaquah, WA-based Digini announced it has merged with Shanghai, China-based Vyk Games to form a new company called Blade Games. The new firm will provide game development software and outsourcing services to game makers. Financial terms weren’t disclosed. Blade Games will be headquartered in Bellevue, WA, and headed by Digini CEO Tony Garcia.

Concur Leads $4.6M Investment in RideCharge

Redmond, WA-based Concur, a corporate expense management firm, has led a $4.6 million Series B investment in RideCharge, a mobile taxi-booking service based in Alexandria, VA. RideCharge lets business travelers arrange ground transportation from their iPhone, BlackBerry, or other mobile device.

What Breed is Your Dog? Geneticists From the “Hutch” Pioneered New Test to Provide Answer

Two scientists walked into Leroy Hood‘s office in Seattle a little more than five years ago with a burning question about the genomes of dogs. They had sequenced the entire string of DNA in the canine genome for biomedical researchers, and sought out the high-speed gene sequencing pioneer for business advice. They wondered what it … Continue reading “What Breed is Your Dog? Geneticists From the “Hutch” Pioneered New Test to Provide Answer”

UW Computer Scientist Oren Etzioni on Startups, Venture Capital, and the Future of Web Search

Oren Etzioni, a computer science and engineering professor at the University of Washington, has certainly ventured out of the ivory tower since he first came to Seattle 18 years ago. The Israel-born computer scientist founded three startup companies out of UW: Netbot, a comparison shopping agent acquired by Excite in 1997, Clearforest, a text-miner acquired … Continue reading “UW Computer Scientist Oren Etzioni on Startups, Venture Capital, and the Future of Web Search”

Cell Therapeutics to Resume Trading

Cell Therapeutics, the Seattle-based biotech company, said today that Italian securities regulators will allow trading in its shares to resume in Italy on Feb. 18 after it issued a statement detailing its finances. This means the company expects (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CTIC]]) to re-start trading in the U.S. on Feb. 18 as well. The company has run … Continue reading “Cell Therapeutics to Resume Trading”

Announcing Xconomy’s Forum on March 26: The Rise of Cleantech in the Northwest

[Updated Feb. 18 with newly confirmed panelist Linden Rhoads of UW TechTransfer:] Cleantech and renewable energy are rare examples of fast-growing areas of investment and entrepreneurial activity—but the Northwest is behind the curve in these emerging arenas compared to Silicon Valley, New England, and some other parts of the country. The Northwest, however, is developing … Continue reading “Announcing Xconomy’s Forum on March 26: The Rise of Cleantech in the Northwest”

Madrona, Amazon Back Yieldex

Seattle-based Madrona Venture Group and Amazon.com have invested in an $8.5 million Series B financing round for Yieldex, an inventory management firm based in New York City (previously in Boulder, CO). Sequel Venture Partners and First Round Capital also participated in the round. Yieldex won the Amazon Web Services startup challenge in November for its … Continue reading “Madrona, Amazon Back Yieldex”

PivotLink Lands $10M, Founder’s Funds Frugal, Earth Class Mail Signs Swiss Post, & More Seattle-Area Deals News

It was a relatively light week for deals in the Northwest, with modest activity in business software, Internet, and biotech. —PivotLink, a software firm specializing in business intelligence with offices in Bellevue, WA, and San Francisco, CA, closed a $10 million Series C round led by StarVest Partners. Other investors included Trident Capital and Emergence … Continue reading “PivotLink Lands $10M, Founder’s Funds Frugal, Earth Class Mail Signs Swiss Post, & More Seattle-Area Deals News”

Beers and Boulder with Brad Feld

Brad Feld, co-founder of TechStars, managing director at Foundry Group, and author of the popular blog Feld Thoughts, is coming to Seattle. Entrepreneurs T.A. McCann and Dave Schappell are hosting an evening discussion around early-stage companies and investing. It’s all happening at the Palace Ballroom in Seattle. Visit the official event site here for registration … Continue reading “Beers and Boulder with Brad Feld”

The Show Must Go On: Invest Northwest Forges Ahead Despite Grim Biotech Climate

There are easier things to do these days than trying to organize a biotech investing conference in Seattle. The local cluster has taken its share of body blows, the weather is usually pretty gray in late winter, and investors aren’t in the mood to bet on anything more risky than U.S. Treasury bills. It’s all … Continue reading “The Show Must Go On: Invest Northwest Forges Ahead Despite Grim Biotech Climate”

What Now, Medical Device Entrepreneurs?

Years ago, new medical device companies were often formed by a small group of people who came up with an idea for a new concept and started the company by working on it nights and weekends in someone’s garage. Often, this new company had little or no real financial backing other than the money that … Continue reading “What Now, Medical Device Entrepreneurs?”

Ontela, Inc. Lands New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ff24e3ae-2a45-4d7a-b8bf-3bea1f9b67b9&Preview=1 Date 2/16/2009 Company Name Ontela, Inc. Mailing Address 506 Second Avenue Seattle, WA 98104 Company Description The Ontela PicDeck™ platform brings simple and reliable image services to popular mobile phone handsets, helping both wireless carriers and image service providers deliver more value to their customers. With a click of the shutter, … Continue reading “Ontela, Inc. Lands New Financing”

Xconomy Forum: The Rise of Cleantech in the Northwest **SOLD OUT**

In today’s economy, cleantech and renewable energy are rare examples of fast-growing areas of investment and entrepreneurial activity—but the Northwest is behind the curve in these emerging arenas compared to Silicon Valley, New England, and some other parts of the country. The Northwest, however, is developing nearly unrivaled expertise in one of the most exciting … Continue reading “Xconomy Forum: The Rise of Cleantech in the Northwest **SOLD OUT**”

Leroy Hood’s Institute Gains Momentum, Nine Years After Starting with “Crazy” Idea

Leroy Hood says when he left the University of Washington in late 1999 to start an institute of multi-disciplinary team of scientists to study what he called “systems biology,” people snickered, saying “it was just a crazy way to raise money.” Almost a decade later, the work of the Seattle-based Institute for Systems Biology still … Continue reading “Leroy Hood’s Institute Gains Momentum, Nine Years After Starting with “Crazy” Idea”

Infinity Softworks Scores Funding

Beaverton, OR-based Infinity Softworks, a mobile software firm, announced today it has closed a round of financing. The investors and amount of funding were not disclosed. Infinity makes Web-based software for doing calculations and creating reports on the iPhone, BlackBerry, and other devices.

New Head of NWEN Looks to Revamp Entrepreneur Tools, Training, and Forums

“I haven’t stopped smiling for the past week,” says Rebecca Lovell. The new executive director of the Northwest Entrepreneur Network (NWEN) was telling me about her career transition to the Bellevue, WA-based nonprofit organization. Lovell has been at her new post since the beginning of February, succeeding outgoing NWEN head Peter Quinn. Previously, Lovell was … Continue reading “New Head of NWEN Looks to Revamp Entrepreneur Tools, Training, and Forums”

Public Radio for People Without Radios

I have a bunch of wireless devices at home, but none of them are radios. And if I’m at all typical, then the radio business has a big problem. For broadcasters, getting radio programming to people like me, who find most or all of their news, information, and entertainment on the Internet, is challenging enough. … Continue reading “Public Radio for People Without Radios”

Cell Therapeutics Teeters on the Brink as Cash Runs Out on Promising Cancer Drugs

Cell Therapeutics has gotten itself into some kind of jam. Just as the Seattle-based biotech company has gotten its hands on two cancer drugs proven to be effective in clinical trials, it may never be able to reap the rewards of bringing them to patients. The company has only enough cash to operate through the … Continue reading “Cell Therapeutics Teeters on the Brink as Cash Runs Out on Promising Cancer Drugs”

Infinity Softworks Obtains New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7ff48800-7eee-4940-b6df-44d887a31e33&Preview=1 Date 2/13/2009 Company Name Infinity Softworks Mailing Address 1315 NW 185th Ave Beaverton, OR 97006 Company Description Infinity Softworks, Inc. is a world leader in financial, scientific and mathematic analysis software for the mobile professional and student. The commercial quality, powerful user interface and professional support of our products have made … Continue reading “Infinity Softworks Obtains New Funding”

Microsoft to Roll Out Retail Stores

Microsoft announced today it is going forward with plans to open retail stores. Leading the charge will be a new hire, vice president David Porter, who hails from DreamWorks Animation SKG and before that, Wal-Mart. The move is seen as an attempt to compete with Apple stores, in order to sell software and devices to … Continue reading “Microsoft to Roll Out Retail Stores”

Electronomics: Why We Need Smart Grid Technology and Infrastructure Today

Here are seven key questions and answers about the electricity economy and smart-grid technology. 1. What is “electronomics” and where does it fit in today’s energy world? One of the best ways to understand the new electric smart grid of the 21st century is by applying electronomics, which helps you analyze the rapidly emerging electricity … Continue reading “Electronomics: Why We Need Smart Grid Technology and Infrastructure Today”