Bellevue, WA-based Smartsheet, a project-management software firm, announced it has formed a partnership with Amazon to deliver outsourcing services to the masses. The new release, called Smartsourcing, is powered by the 100,000 virtual workers in Amazon Mechanical Turk. Each outsourced task, such as finding a list of articles, e-mail addresses, or experts on a topic, … Continue reading “Smartsheet Teams Up With Amazon”
Category: Seattle
How to Get Funded in the Recession: The Frugal Mechanic Story
On Monday, Seattle-area startup Frugal Mechanic closed a round of seed funding from Founder’s Co-op, an early-stage investment fund for Internet companies. Frugal Mechanic is an online search engine for auto parts, so people can find the best price for an air filter or muffler, and get the right part to match their car quickly … Continue reading “How to Get Funded in the Recession: The Frugal Mechanic Story”
Seattle Genetics’ Financing Tale, Johnny Stine Sticks it to VCs, Puget Sound’s Biotech Universe, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News
Not a lot of breaking news surfaced this week in Seattle biotech, but we still found some interesting feature stories that challenge all sorts of conventional wisdom. —Seattle Genetics CEO Clay Siegall told Xconomy the inside story of how his company’s $55.8 million financing came together. The moral of the story: Don’t do a bunch … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics’ Financing Tale, Johnny Stine Sticks it to VCs, Puget Sound’s Biotech Universe, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”
Helix BioMedix Inc Receives $3,240,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=96351e19-bd2d-4160-a473-99525e6ee243&Preview=1 Date 2/12/2009 Company Name Helix BioMedix Inc Mailing Address 22118 20th Avenue SE Bothell, WA 98021 Company Description Helix BioMedix, Inc. was founded in 1988 with the mission of developing and commercializing small proteins known as bioactive-peptides. We are headquartered in Bothell, Washington and shares of our common stock trade over-the-counter … Continue reading “Helix BioMedix Inc Receives $3,240,000 New Financing Round”
Frugal Mechanic Backed by Founder’s Co-op
Seattle-based Frugal Mechanic, an auto-parts search engine, has received seed funding from Founder’s Co-op, a peer-to-peer investment firm also based in Seattle, according to TechCrunch. The exact amount was not disclosed, but is between $250,000 and $500,000. Frugal Mechanic was founded in July 2008.
Earth Class Mail and Evri Go Postal, Apptio and Redfin Announce Partners—a Startup Roundup
It’s been a busy day for announcements. Here’s a quick snapshot of four Seattle-area tech startups, all in different fields, all trying to make their way in the world: —Apptio, the Bellevue, WA-based software firm focused on optimizing companies’ IT costs, announced major partnerships with Amazon Web Services, SkyTap, VMware, and Citrix, as well as … Continue reading “Earth Class Mail and Evri Go Postal, Apptio and Redfin Announce Partners—a Startup Roundup”
ZymoGenetics Clamps Down on Losses, Predicts Climbing Recothrom Sales
ZymoGenetics has taken action to slow down its financial bleeding. The Seattle biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ZGEN]]) said today in its quarterly earnings report that it finished the fourth-quarter with a much narrower-than-usual net loss of $9.2 million, and entered the new year with $89.9 million left in the bank. ZymoGenetics, a company that has never … Continue reading “ZymoGenetics Clamps Down on Losses, Predicts Climbing Recothrom Sales”
Redfin Rolls Out New Site, Partners
Seattle-based Redfin, an online real estate broker, announced new partnerships with more than a dozen brokers around the country, and unveiled a new version of its website that contains customer-service reviews and transaction histories for its agents and partners. The move represents a strategic shift for Redfin, which previously used only its own agents. The … Continue reading “Redfin Rolls Out New Site, Partners”
Ex-Microsoft VP Will Poole Looks to Take a Few Good Companies Global
If you’re interested in creating technologies for developing countries, or involved with a Web-based software startup in the Northwest, you definitely want to know Will Poole. OK, that covers a lot of people, but it’s not an overstatement. Poole is one of the most prominent ex-Microsofties to leave the company in the past year. Until … Continue reading “Ex-Microsoft VP Will Poole Looks to Take a Few Good Companies Global”
Q&A With Linden Rhoads: UW TechTransfer Leader Brings VC Revolution to Campus (Part 2)
Yesterday, we shared the first part of a conversation with Linden Rhoads, the University of Washington’s tech transfer boss. She talked about how she’s making the office hustle a lot more, in particular by brokering meetings between faculty and venture capitalists to brainstorm about the best research ideas with commercial potential. Today, in Part Two, … Continue reading “Q&A With Linden Rhoads: UW TechTransfer Leader Brings VC Revolution to Campus (Part 2)”
Zillow, Pet Holdings Top Startup List
Seattle 2.0’s monthly ranking of local-area startup websites is out for January. Based on traffic stats compiled by Marcelo Calbucci, Zillow and Pet Holdings remained #1 and #2, with iLike, Picnik, BuddyTV, Robot Co-op, and PayScale making gains in the top 10. Notable gains in the top 100 were made by SEOmoz, Mixpo, TeachStreet, GotVoice, … Continue reading “Zillow, Pet Holdings Top Startup List”
PivotLink Raises $10M
PivotLink, a business intelligence software firm with offices in Bellevue, WA, and San Francisco, CA, announced it has closed a $10 million Series C round, led by StarVest Partners and backed by existing investors Trident Capital and Emergence Capital Partners. Pivotlink changed its name from SeaTab Software in January 2008.
Seattle Startup Weekend Yields 13 Websites, and Maybe a Multimillion Dollar Company
When I heard Nathan Kaiser of nPost had signed up to be a cook at Seattle Startup Weekend, I couldn’t help but think of Under Siege, the 1992 action film in which Steven Seagal plays an ex-Navy SEAL who’s minding his own business in the galley of a battleship when the bad guys arrive. OK, … Continue reading “Seattle Startup Weekend Yields 13 Websites, and Maybe a Multimillion Dollar Company”
Snowblind Sold to Warner Bros., Seattle Genetics’ Stock Story, Mo’ Madrona for Mixpo, & More Seattle-Area Deals News
It was another busy week for deals in the Northwest, with a steady drumbeat of fundings, acquisitions, and partnerships in software, biotech, mobile, and energy. —Puget Energy, the Bellevue, WA-based public utility company, completed its $7.4 billion purchase by a syndicate of private investment firms, and was de-listed from the New York Stock Exchange. The … Continue reading “Snowblind Sold to Warner Bros., Seattle Genetics’ Stock Story, Mo’ Madrona for Mixpo, & More Seattle-Area Deals News”
Q&A With Linden Rhoads: UW’s TechTransfer Leader Brings VC Revolution to Campus (Part 1)
Six months have flown by since Linden Rhoads joined the University of Washington as its first high-tech entrepreneur in charge of technology transfer. This is a critical job for Seattle’s innovation community at the nexus of university research, venture capital, and the high-tech and life sciences business. From the minute she arrived on campus back … Continue reading “Q&A With Linden Rhoads: UW’s TechTransfer Leader Brings VC Revolution to Campus (Part 1)”
PivotLink Corporation Receives $10,000,000 Series C Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4b8b73cf-1526-498e-a464-f688bd895c01&Preview=1 Date 2/10/2009 Company Name PivotLink Corporation Mailing Address 15325 SE 30th Place Bellevue, WA 98007 Company Description PivotLink is the provider of business intelligence solutions that meet the needs of organizations in a variety of industries. Our PivotLink Solutions™ and the PivotLink Framework™ data platform put the full power of business … Continue reading “PivotLink Corporation Receives $10,000,000 Series C Round”
Valu Valu, Led by Ex-Microsofties, Wants to Find You the Right Price for Anything
Among the current crop of ex-Microsofties building software startups, Emmanuel Marot is unique. Not just because he hails from Niort, a town in western France, by way of Paris (or for his impeccable fashion sense), but because he is trying to do something fundamentally new with Internet commerce. It’s called scientific pricing, and it works … Continue reading “Valu Valu, Led by Ex-Microsofties, Wants to Find You the Right Price for Anything”
Puget Energy Goes Private for $7.4B
Bellevue, WA-based Puget Energy announced the completion of its $7.4 billion acquisition by Puget Holdings, a syndicate of Macquarie Infrastructure Partners, Macquarie Capital Group, CPP Investment Board, British Columbia Investment Management, Alberta Investment Management, and Macquarie-FSS Infrastructure Trust. Puget Energy has been de-listed from the New York Stock Exchange.
Auth, O’Donnell Join Academy
Two University of Washington professors, Matthew O’Donnell and David Auth, have been elected to the National Academy of Engineering. Auth, an affiliate University of Washington professor (and Xconomist) developed a minimally invasive drill for clearing out clogged coronary arteries that led to the founding of Redmond, WA-based Heart Technology. O’Donnell came to UW in 2006 … Continue reading “Auth, O’Donnell Join Academy”
TTM Cuts 369 Jobs in Redmond
TTM Technologies, a Santa Ana, CA-based maker of printed circuit boards for electronics, is closing its facility in Redmond, WA, according to the Washington State Employment Security Department. The closure affects 369 workers, and is effective March 16, 2009. TTM has about 4,000 employees, spread among its facilities in California, Washington, Utah, Connecticut, Wisconsin, and … Continue reading “TTM Cuts 369 Jobs in Redmond”
Amazon Launches Kindle 2
At a press conference this morning in New York City, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos officially unveiled the Kindle 2, the second version of the Seattle-based e-retailer’s popular e-book reading device. Like its predecessor, the Kindle 2 features an electronic-paper screen devised by Cambridge, MA-based E Ink. But Bezos detailed a number of new features, including … Continue reading “Amazon Launches Kindle 2”
Washington State Should Flex Software Muscle to Grab Lead in Cleantech, Says Michael Butler
How will President Obama’s proposed economic stimulus package affect the energy and cleantech industry in the Northwest? We’ve been hearing a lot of rumblings on this front lately. To help sort it all out, I spoke with Michael Butler, chairman and CEO of the Seattle investment bank Cascadia Capital, which is heavily involved with energy … Continue reading “Washington State Should Flex Software Muscle to Grab Lead in Cleantech, Says Michael Butler”
Two Simple Ways to Revitalize Seattle Biotech
Seattle’s biotech community used to be among the top-ranked in the nation. But as some 2,500 layoffs have piled up in the local biotech sector since 2002, Seattle has tumbled in the rankings. We need to face up to this fact first, before we can think seriously about how to get back on our feet … Continue reading “Two Simple Ways to Revitalize Seattle Biotech”
Hey, Don’t Forget the Puget Sound Life Sciences Universe!
Techies, with their cool iPhone apps and Internet software, get all the attention. So a couple of Seattle biotechies squawked at me a couple weeks ago when the Washington Technology Industry Association unveiled an academic study that traced the origins of the “Puget Sound Tech Universe” over the past three decades. The WTIA study examined … Continue reading “Hey, Don’t Forget the Puget Sound Life Sciences Universe!”
Amazon to Put E-Books on Phones
Seattle-based Amazon is planning to make its Kindle e-books available on mobile phones, according to the New York Times, which cited an Amazon spokesman. Yesterday, Google said it had made 1.5 million books available to read on the iPhone, T-Mobile G1, and other devices. Amazon is expected to roll out a new version of its … Continue reading “Amazon to Put E-Books on Phones”
Razorfish Cuts 70 West Coast Jobs
Seattle-based Razorfish, an online advertising company, has confirmed it has laid off about 70 people in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, according to the Seattle Times. Razorfish is an independent subsidiary of Microsoft, acquired in the Redmond firm’s 2007 deal for aQuantive.
Gaming Guru Alex St. John on Amazon, Business Models, and the Future of Casual Games
It’s always interesting when a huge player dives into an established market. Will they radically shift the dynamics and displace their competitors? Or will they be too slow to innovate, and sink to the bottom like a bloated whale? Earlier this week, when Amazon officially entered the downloadable casual games market (offering games for $9.99 … Continue reading “Gaming Guru Alex St. John on Amazon, Business Models, and the Future of Casual Games”
How I Declared E-Mail Bankruptcy, and Discovered the Bliss of an Empty Inbox
I’m not one of those people who thinks you can measure a person’s power, talent, or importance by the number of e-mails or phone calls they get every day. So it’s not a boast—indeed, it’s more like an embarrassed confession—when I say that by early January, my Gmail inbox had swelled to almost 15,000 messages. … Continue reading “How I Declared E-Mail Bankruptcy, and Discovered the Bliss of an Empty Inbox”
Sticking it to the VC Man: Johnny Stine Builds Biotech Startup on a Shoestring
The lone entrepreneur in a garage, driven to change the world, is one of the most powerful archetypical characters of American capitalism. It may still work today in isolated cases for iPhone apps or Internet software, but in biotech, it’s a laughable idea. This is an industry where it takes a decade of sustained work, … Continue reading “Sticking it to the VC Man: Johnny Stine Builds Biotech Startup on a Shoestring”
Top 4 Rejected Startup Ideas from OVP Venture Partners
If you want to make venture capitalists laugh, ask them about the stupidest (or so-crazy-they-might-just-work) ideas they’ve been pitched lately. Earlier this week, Luke and I visited OVP Venture Partners in Kirkland, WA, and besides being a group of investors with very broad and deep expertise—everything from software and life sciences to materials and cleantech—they’ve … Continue reading “Top 4 Rejected Startup Ideas from OVP Venture Partners”
FreeRange Bought by Handmark
Portland, OR-based FreeRange Communications, a mobile publishing firm, announced it has been bought by Handmark, a mobile media company in Kansas City, MO. Financial terms of the deal were not given. FreeRange works with publishers like The Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, CBS, and PaidContent.
Mobui, Nickelodeon Team Up on iPhone
Mobui, a mobile applications company in Redmond, WA, has formed a partnership with Nickelodeon to deliver iPhone applications, including games based on the cartoon character SpongeBob. The newly released series of games, announced today, is Nickelodeon’s first full foray into iPhone apps.
Snowblind Sold to Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group announced it has acquired Bothell, WA-based Snowblind Studios, a developer of action role-playing video games. Financial terms were not disclosed. Snowblind will work together with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, the company’s game publishing division, to create new games.
Tech Workers Shouldn’t Dismiss Old-School Businesses, Says Onyx Co-Founder Brent Frei
Last week, Xconomy published a story about the large number (13 and counting) of former Onyx Software managers who have gone on to become CEOs of other companies. We were put on the trail by Brent Frei, the co-founder of Onyx who’s now executive chairman of Bellevue, WA-based Smartsheet. In talking further with Frei, some … Continue reading “Tech Workers Shouldn’t Dismiss Old-School Businesses, Says Onyx Co-Founder Brent Frei”
Seattle Genetics Defies Gravity With Biotech’s First Underwritten Stock Sale in Six Months
The recession will surely kill off some biotech companies that lack hard cash and the hard data that shows their experimental drugs can improve patients’ lives. But after I heard Seattle Genetics CEO Clay Siegall tell the story of how his company raised $55.8 million last week, I had to conclude it’s still possible to … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics Defies Gravity With Biotech’s First Underwritten Stock Sale in Six Months”
In Tough Times, We Need Leadership, Not Interference, From Lawmakers
Likely you have heard about the large and growing budget problem we have in our state. Right now the gap between projected tax revenues and spending obligations is over $6 billion and it is expected this will grow by another $1+ billion by the next revenue forecast in March. With this significant financial problem hanging … Continue reading “In Tough Times, We Need Leadership, Not Interference, From Lawmakers”
Venrock’s Bryan Roberts: Shakeout Is Coming to VCs, Not Just Companies
As venture-backed tech and life sciences companies around the country are hunkering down to figure out how to survive the downturn, the same can be said for the venture backers themselves. That was one of the interesting observations I heard during a recent interview in San Francisco with Bryan Roberts, a partner who specializes in … Continue reading “Venrock’s Bryan Roberts: Shakeout Is Coming to VCs, Not Just Companies”
Pathway Medical Gets Traction, Ekos Raises $12.5M, ZymoGenetics Sales Boss Departs, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News
Medical devices captured more than its usual mindshare in the Seattle life sciences scene this week, with news of a substantial venture deal and a new product that appears to be catching on in the marketplace. —Pathway Medical Technologies, the Kirkland, WA-based developer of a high-speed drill that removes fatty buildups from leg arteries, revealed … Continue reading “Pathway Medical Gets Traction, Ekos Raises $12.5M, ZymoGenetics Sales Boss Departs, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”
UW Startup, Soluxra, to Form Around Organic Solar Cell Technology
A new startup company is in the works at the University of Washington, based on inexpensive, portable solar cells that could go far beyond the standard rooftop model. Conventional solar cells are made from expensive silicon, but the UW group, led by materials science and engineering professor Alex Jen, has come up with a way … Continue reading “UW Startup, Soluxra, to Form Around Organic Solar Cell Technology”
HighJump Acquires Coaxis Division
Minnesota-based HighJump Software announced today it has acquired Insight Distribution Software from Portland, OR-based Coaxis. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Insight Distribution specializes in software for the food and beverage industries.
ZymoGenetics Sales Chief Exits
ZymoGenetics’ senior vice president of sales and marketing, Michael Dwyer, has left the company as of yesterday, according to a regulatory filing. The Seattle-based company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ZGEN]]) didn’t explain why he left, or financial terms of his departure. Dwyer joined the company in April 2006 to commercialize its first FDA-approved drug, recombinant thrombin (Recothrom). The … Continue reading “ZymoGenetics Sales Chief Exits”
Insilicos Wins $400K NIH Grant
Insilicos, a Seattle-based company that makes software for drug researchers, has received a $400,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to study a statistical method for predicting disease. The grant will support the company’s work on Least Angle Regression, says Insilicos president Erik Nilsson, in an e-mail. This is the second grant for Insilicos … Continue reading “Insilicos Wins $400K NIH Grant”
WBBA: Perspectives on Multiple Sclerosis
The Northwest has a higher incidence of multiple sclerosis than most anywhere on earth. No one knows exactly what causes MS, or why it’s more common in the Northwest. The Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association will host an event on that covers industry, academic and clinical perspectives on discoveries, research and treatment. This panel will … Continue reading “WBBA: Perspectives on Multiple Sclerosis”
WTIA: Scaling the Cloud With Amazon Web Services
The Washington Technology Industry Association is hosting an event on cloud computing with Amazon web services, as part of an ongoing series on the industry trend. At this session, Adam Selipsky, vice president of Amazon Web Services, will provide an overview of the company’s service and how it can help businesses scale up. Two Amazon … Continue reading “WTIA: Scaling the Cloud With Amazon Web Services”
WTIA: Cloud Computing Fundamentals
The Washington Technology Industry Association is organizing an event on cloud computing fundamentals as part of an ongoing series. This session will feature Aaron Kimball of Cloudera, who will cover the basics of flexible ways to deal with data. Then Jason Lochhead, chief technology officer of Terremark Hosting Services Division, will perform a demo of … Continue reading “WTIA: Cloud Computing Fundamentals”
PATH, Fueled by Bill Gates’ Fortune, Builds Global Health Hothouse in Seattle
Bill and Melinda Gates don’t give their money away to just anybody who comes along with an impressive resume and a good cause. So why has the world’s largest charitable foundation seen fit to give $1.3 billion of its fortune to a little-known Seattle-based nonprofit called PATH? PATH, which has raked in the second-largest amount … Continue reading “PATH, Fueled by Bill Gates’ Fortune, Builds Global Health Hothouse in Seattle”
Seattle Startup Weekend 2
Following a successful weekend in early 2008, Startup Weekend returns to Seattle for 54 hours of discussions, pitches, coding, and other activities—all with the goal of seeing how many viable product and startup ideas emerge from the entrepreneurial community. Hosted by Google in Fremont. (See Xconomy’s preview here.)
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick Visits Microsoft to Build Ties With the Northwest
Yesterday morning in Redmond, WA, Governor Deval Patrick of Massachusetts sat down with Ray Ozzie, the chief software architect of Microsoft. They talked about high-tech innovation in the Boston area, how Microsoft views its own global future, and how the company could work together with Massachusetts to help drive the local economy. “I was talking … Continue reading “Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick Visits Microsoft to Build Ties With the Northwest”
Zerhouni Joins Gates Foundation
Elias Zerhouni, the former director of the National Institutes of Health during the Bush Administration, has joined the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as a senior fellow. Zerhouni, a world-class radiology researcher, will advise the foundation on its Grand Challenges in Global Health Initiative, in which the foundation works to identify the top scientific challenges … Continue reading “Zerhouni Joins Gates Foundation”
RNA Networks Nets $7M
Portland, OR-based RNA Networks, a memory virtualization software startup, announced it has raised $7 million in Series A funding, led by Menlo Ventures. RNA (which has a pretty deceptive name) aims to make networked memory in servers and data centers cheaper and faster for business applications like financial services, trading, content delivery, and online gaming.