Seattle-based Foodista has opened up a cooking website that everyone can edit, wiki-style. Billed as an online cooking encyclopedia, the site includes information on food, recipes, techniques, and tools, and allows users to share their knowledge by posting comments, editing content, and uploading photos. The site is run by former Amazon veterans Barnaby Dorfman and … Continue reading “Foodista Unveils Social Cooking Site”
Category: Seattle
Xconomy, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Form Partnership to Share Online News, Features
Xconomy’s growing audience in the Seattle area just got even bigger. Today, my colleague Greg Huang and I are thrilled to announce that our company has formed a partnership with one of the heavyweights of the Northwest news business, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Under this deal, the P-I readers will get access to Xconomy news and … Continue reading “Xconomy, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Form Partnership to Share Online News, Features”
Venture Survey Forecasts A Big Chill, With Solar Bright Spot, in 2009
More gloomy forecasts from private investors in high-tech sectors. U.S. venture capitalists see a cooling trend in the investment climate for the year ahead. One of the only bright spots I saw in the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) Predictions Survey is that a majority of VCs are optimistic that the market for initial public … Continue reading “Venture Survey Forecasts A Big Chill, With Solar Bright Spot, in 2009”
VLST Snags Partnership with Novo Nordisk to Develop New Drugs for Autoimmunity
VLST has nailed down its first partnership with a major pharmaceutical company. The Seattle biotech is announcing today it has formed an exclusive, worldwide collaboration that will allow Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk to develop drugs against cell targets VLST has discovered for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. It’s a pretty big deal for VLST. The collaboration … Continue reading “VLST Snags Partnership with Novo Nordisk to Develop New Drugs for Autoimmunity”
Will Biomass Power the Utilities of the Near Future?
Oil prices have recently dropped well below $100 in response to slower economic growth around the world. But this decline doesn’t necessarily mean that the utilities industry will be able to provide cheaper power to millions of American consumers and companies. In fact, utilities are going to face huge and upward price pressure on the … Continue reading “Will Biomass Power the Utilities of the Near Future?”
Seattle-Area Wireless Companies (and Others) Look to Innovate, Expand in China
A couple of news tidbits involving China in the past week have made me look more closely at what local startups and companies are doing to expand there. On Thursday, Seattle-based Airbiquity, a wireless communications firm focused on the auto industry, announced it has entered the Chinese market, branding itself locally as Ai Bi Ke … Continue reading “Seattle-Area Wireless Companies (and Others) Look to Innovate, Expand in China”
Amgen’s Bid to Make Cancer Drug “Personalized” Lacks Data, FDA Panel Says
Amgen, the world’s largest biotechnology company, with operations in Seattle and Cambridge, MA, came up short in its bid to make its colorectal cancer drug personalized today in front of a panel of expert advisers to the FDA. The panel said Amgen and Eli Lilly will have to run more clinical trials to gather enough … Continue reading “Amgen’s Bid to Make Cancer Drug “Personalized” Lacks Data, FDA Panel Says”
State Tobacco Cash Funneled Into Vaccines, Biotech Drug Delivery, Cardiac Arrest, and Mental Health Research
(Update: This story has added information on the six finalists that fell short in their bid for state grants.) Washington’s Life Sciences Discovery Fund just made a bunch of biomedical researchers either very happy, or highly disappointed. The 10-year, $350 million initiative, which takes money from the state tobacco settlement, chose to pump almost $19 … Continue reading “State Tobacco Cash Funneled Into Vaccines, Biotech Drug Delivery, Cardiac Arrest, and Mental Health Research”
PressOK, Movaya Team Up for Mobile Games
Seattle-based Movaya and PressOK Entertainment announced today they are joining forces to develop mobile games. Financial terms and impact of the deal were not disclosed. PressOK was formed by the merger of mobile-gaming companies Reaxion and Mobliss in September. Reaxion’s development teams are in Russia and Belarus, while Movaya’s team is in China.
Luck, Curiosity, Naivete: The Essential Ingredients of Innovation
It’s cold outside, so I was a little bummed there was no actual fire at an event last night billed as a “fireside chat.” This get-together actually took some time to warm up (pun intended). But once it got rolling, three of the most experienced life sciences entrepreneurs in the region shed some light on … Continue reading “Luck, Curiosity, Naivete: The Essential Ingredients of Innovation”
Arch Names Two New Partners
Arch Venture Partners, which has its Northwest offices in Seattle, says that it has named Kristina Burow and Paul Thurk as partners. Burow is a co-founder and director of Seattle-based domestic crude oil firm Sapphire Energy and is based at Arch’s San Francisco office. Thurk, who began his career in the firm’s Austin office, co-founded … Continue reading “Arch Names Two New Partners”
$2.6M Helps Healionics Heal, Uptake Takes In $3M, BlueKai Gets $10.5M Boost, & More Seattle-Area Deals News
Maybe it’s because everyone is trying to get their deals announced before the holidays, but it was a busy week in the Northwest, with plenty of activity in mobile software, online media, and medical devices. —Bellevue, WA-based BlueKai, an Internet marketing firm, raised $10.5 million in Series B funding, led by Waltham, MA-based Battery Ventures. … Continue reading “$2.6M Helps Healionics Heal, Uptake Takes In $3M, BlueKai Gets $10.5M Boost, & More Seattle-Area Deals News”
Prostate Cancer Drug Vaults OncoGenex Onto Investor Radar Screens
The best-performing stock on the Nasdaq last week was a little biotech company from the Pacific Northwest that few people had heard of before. The company was OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals, a cancer drug developer based in Vancouver, BC and Bothell, WA, with technology licensed from Carlsbad, CA-based Isis Pharmaceuticals. Before last week, OncoGenex appeared to be … Continue reading “Prostate Cancer Drug Vaults OncoGenex Onto Investor Radar Screens”
BlueKai Makes Splash with $10.5M Round, Wants Advertisers to Understand Consumer Intentions
BlueKai, an online-marketing startup in Bellevue, WA, has nailed down one of the bigger tech venture deals of the past few months. The company is announcing today it has closed a $10.5 million Series B investment led by Battery Ventures, based in Waltham, MA, and Menlo Park, CA. The round also includes returning investor Redpoint … Continue reading “BlueKai Makes Splash with $10.5M Round, Wants Advertisers to Understand Consumer Intentions”
Blue Kai, Inc. Secures $10,500,000 Series B Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8781001c-838d-4984-ba53-1fb6d8ebc3a5&Preview=1 Date 12/16/2008 Company Name Blue Kai, Inc. Mailing Address 170 120th Ave Bellevue, WA 98005 Company Description Blue Kai is developing an online marketplace based on relevant marketing. Website http://www.bluekai.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $10,500,000 Transaction Round Series B Proceeds Purposes The new funds will be used for “more … Continue reading “Blue Kai, Inc. Secures $10,500,000 Series B Funding Round”
InFocus Cuts 30 Percent of Staff
Wilsonville, OR-based InFocus (NASDAQ: [[ticker:INFS]]), a maker of digital projectors, announced today it is reducing its global workforce by 30 percent, as part of a company restructuring that will span all of 2009. The staff cuts will be effective next month. InFocus president and CEO Bob O’Malley cited the economic downturn and reduced demand for … Continue reading “InFocus Cuts 30 Percent of Staff”
Boston Hedge Fund Lashes Northstar Neuroscience, Urges Liquidation
Pressure is mounting once again on Northstar Neuroscience to fold up its tent and go home. The Seattle-based medical device company got hit today with an angry letter from one of its largest shareholders, Boston-based RA Capital, which urges the board to shut down the company and distribute all of its remaining cash and assets … Continue reading “Boston Hedge Fund Lashes Northstar Neuroscience, Urges Liquidation”
Uptake Medical Raises $3M in Venture Capital
Uptake Medical, a Seattle-based medical device company, has raised $3 million to carry out a pair of small clinical trials that could show it has a viable technique for treating emphysema, and other deadly lung-obstructing diseases. The company got the cash as a “bridge” financing to carry out trials in Australia and Germany, which should … Continue reading “Uptake Medical Raises $3M in Venture Capital”
Zumobi, REI Do Ski Reports
Seattle-based Zumobi and Recreational Equipment, Inc. have teamed up to release the REI Snow Report, a free software application for the iPhone, Blackberry, and Windows Mobile devices that lets consumers get information about ski-resort conditions. Zumobi, a mobile software startup, was founded in 2006 and is backed by Oak Investment Partners and Hunt Ventures.
MDRNA Gets Tentative FDA Approval
MDRNA (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MRNA]]), a Bothell, WA-based biotech company, said today it received tentative FDA approval of a generic version of calcitonin nasal spray for osteoporosis. The company can get full FDA approval in June, when a 180-day exclusivity period expires for Apotex, another generic maker. MDRNA now focuses on developing RNA interference drugs, not nasal … Continue reading “MDRNA Gets Tentative FDA Approval”
Amgen Cancer Drug Getting Personal, Which May Be a Good Thing for Patients—and Sales
Amgen is preparing to make an unusual argument to an FDA advisory panel tomorrow. The world’s largest biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMGN]]), with research operations in Seattle and Cambridge, MA, plans to make a case that one of its drugs should be used by just a subgroup of patients with colorectal cancer who appear to be … Continue reading “Amgen Cancer Drug Getting Personal, Which May Be a Good Thing for Patients—and Sales”
Got $10M? Seattle Chapter of Tiger 21 May Be For You (Part 2)
On Friday, we reported that Tiger 21, a New York-based network and support group for the very wealthy, is setting up a Seattle chapter, headed by the local entrepreneur and investor Andy Sack. (Tiger 21 had planned to announce the news today, but another media outlet jumped the gun on Friday.) The point of Tiger … Continue reading “Got $10M? Seattle Chapter of Tiger 21 May Be For You (Part 2)”
Yapta Raises $2.7M, Looks for More
Seattle-based Yapta, an online travel service that tracks airfares for consumers, has raised $2.7 million in funding from undisclosed investors, according to a company spokesman. The funding round is still open, so that figure could change in the next month. Yapta launched in May 2007 and is backed by First Round Capital, Voyager Capital, Swiftsure … Continue reading “Yapta Raises $2.7M, Looks for More”
Got $10M? Seattle Chapter of Tiger 21 May Be For You (Part 1)
Think the super-rich don’t have problems? Try fending off friends and relatives who always want to borrow money, or raising spoiled brats who don’t take responsibility for their actions. Not to mention the more obvious financial questions of how to manage such hefty portfolios—especially in economic times like these. (Granted, some of this might be … Continue reading “Got $10M? Seattle Chapter of Tiger 21 May Be For You (Part 1)”
Invest Northwest: The Life Sciences Investor Conference
Invest Northwest is the leading investment conference for the Pacific Northwest life science community. This conference provides bioscience companies an ideal venue to network, identify opportunities and expose the investment community to the width and breadth of this regions’ life science sector. Companies present business plans to an international audience of investors ranging from certified … Continue reading “Invest Northwest: The Life Sciences Investor Conference”
Our Family Tree Unveiled: The Visual History of the Puget Sound Technology Industry
The Washington Technology Industry Association will release the results of a year long project to document the history of the Puget Sound technology industry. Working with researchers at Virginia Tech and Seattle University, the WTIA has created the first picture of the foundational companies in the industry. Heike Mayer of Virginia Tech, Jeremy Jaech, the … Continue reading “Our Family Tree Unveiled: The Visual History of the Puget Sound Technology Industry”
Hutch Award Luncheon: Honoring Red Sox Pitcher Jon Lester
The Hutch Award luncheon will be held Jan. 21 at Safeco Field on the Left Field playing surface. This year’s event will honor Jon Lester, a starting pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, and a native of Tacoma, WA, who fought back cancer to return to the major leagues. Lester was 16-6 wiht a 3.21 … Continue reading “Hutch Award Luncheon: Honoring Red Sox Pitcher Jon Lester”
Science & Technology Discovery Series: UW’s Raymond Huey on Survival Patterns of Himalayan Climbers
The Science & Technology Discovery Series will host a talk on Jan. 9 by Raymond Huey, an evolutionary physiologist at the University of Washington. Huey will focus on the study of survival patterns of Himalayan mountain climbers. To see the full season’s lineup, or to register, click here.
What’s Next for Advertising–Online and Offline?
Fortunes will be won and lost through the advertising and marketing decisions individuals and companies make in the next year. An explosion of content, advertising platforms, and display mediums have made the process of selecting and buying advertising more complex than ever, while the pressure to deliver measurable results increases daily. The MIT Enterprise Forum … Continue reading “What’s Next for Advertising–Online and Offline?”
Life Sciences Day in Olympia
The Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association is holding its annual life sciences day in Olympia on Jan. 27, for meetings with lawmakers. The event is free to WBBA members. The WBBA has arranged for express bus from Seattle to Olympia. For more information, click here.
Melodeo Teams with Salvation Army on iPhone
Seattle-based Melodeo, a digital-music startup, is powering the Salvation Army’s holiday music iPhone application, which was announced yesterday. The software, available from the iPhone Application Store for $2.99, streams a selection of holiday tunes to your phone, with unlimited listening. Proceeds will benefit the Salvation Army charity.
Microvision Lands $750K Eyewear Contract
Redmond, WA-based Microvision, a mobile imaging and display company, announced it has been awarded a $750,000 contract to begin developing a high-definition, see-through eyewear display. The name of the customer was not disclosed. The wearable display is designed to be full-color and transparent to the surroundings.
Vaccines Force Their Way off Pharma’s Back Burner, as Price Increases Help Fuel New Wave of Innovation
A newfound energy is coalescing around the science and business of vaccines, and much of it is happening right here in Seattle. We explored the trend yesterday evening in our first Xconomy Forum in Seattle. The event, held at The Institute for Systems Biology, attracted more than 85 people for an hour of panel discussion … Continue reading “Vaccines Force Their Way off Pharma’s Back Burner, as Price Increases Help Fuel New Wave of Innovation”
How To Invent: Tips from Patrick Ennis of Intellectual Ventures (Part 2)
Yesterday, I gave a few highlights from a lunchtime discussion with Intellectual Ventures’ global head of technology, Patrick Ennis. The Bellevue, WA-based firm, founded by Nathan Myhrvold and Edward Jung, is sometimes called an “invention company.” It has gotten a lot of attention—and stirred controversy—for buying up large numbers of technology patents worldwide. So I … Continue reading “How To Invent: Tips from Patrick Ennis of Intellectual Ventures (Part 2)”
Uptake Medical Corp Secures $3,000,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=bbf44f0b-f584-452d-9334-3b662bec281a&Preview=1 Date 12/12/2008 Company Name Uptake Medical Corp Mailing Address 1924 1st Avenue, 3rd Floor Seattle, WA 98101 Company Description Uptake Medical Corporation is a Seattle-based medical device company dedicated to improving the lives of patients suffering from emphysema and other types of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD). Website http://www.uptakemedical.com/ Transaction Type … Continue reading “Uptake Medical Corp Secures $3,000,000 New Round”
Former “Daily Show” Producer Karlin is Humorist Behind WonderGlen Comedy Site
Since October, the Internet has been abuzz with discussion about WonderGlen, a fictional TV production company whose fake company intranet is a window onto the obsessions of a staff that takes dysfunction well beyond the levels of Dunder Mifflin, the fictional paper company in NBC’s “The Office.” Much of the buzz has focused on the … Continue reading “Former “Daily Show” Producer Karlin is Humorist Behind WonderGlen Comedy Site”
Angel Groups Pull Back in 2008
It would have been a surprise—at least to me—to see any group of investors seek more deals in this turbulent economy. So it wasn’t shocking to see that many angel groups reported less deal activity in the Angel Capital Association’s (ACA) latest nationwide Angel Group Confidence Report. The Lenexa, KS-based angel association says it tapped … Continue reading “Angel Groups Pull Back in 2008”
Zino Society Life Sciences Investment Forum
The Zino Society, a group that connects angel investors with entrepreneurs, is hosting “Zino Life: Life Sciences Investment Forum” on February 24 in partnership with the Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association. Bruce Montgomery, the senior vice president of respiratory therapeutics for Gilead Sciences, will give a keynote address. Twelve companies will make presentations, and the … Continue reading “Zino Society Life Sciences Investment Forum”
Gates Gives $1.4M to Local Food Banks
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world’s largest philanthropy, said today it is giving $1.4 million to provide emergency food supplies to hungry people in the Pacific Northwest. The money is going to Food Lifeline, Oregon Food Bank, and Second Harvest Food Bank of the Inland Northwest. The money will be able to provide … Continue reading “Gates Gives $1.4M to Local Food Banks”
Healionics Scores $2.6M Angel Backing to Promote Healing Around Medical Devices
Good news this morning from Redmond, WA-based Healionics. The company, which develops technology to promote healing around implantable medical devices, has raised $2.6 million in a second round of angel financing. The cash comes from some of the Northwest’s biggest angel networks, including the Alliance of Angels, Bellingham Angels, Keiretsu, Tacoma Angel Network, and Zino … Continue reading “Healionics Scores $2.6M Angel Backing to Promote Healing Around Medical Devices”
How To Invent: Tips on Global Technology from Patrick Ennis of Intellectual Ventures (Part 1)
Why can’t big companies invent? How should inventors handle their intellectual property? And what are countries around the world doing on these fronts? I recently stopped by Intellectual Ventures in Bellevue, WA, to get the scoop from Patrick Ennis, IV’s global head of technology. Ennis was a venture capitalist with Arch Venture Partners in Seattle … Continue reading “How To Invent: Tips on Global Technology from Patrick Ennis of Intellectual Ventures (Part 1)”
Seattle Genetics Drug Fights Hodgkin’s, Frazier Sounds Off on Biotech Ventures, SBRI Pushes Malaria Vaccine, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News
Maybe everybody’s rushing to scratch things off the to-do list before the holidays, but this was one of the busiest weeks of the year we’ve seen in Seattle biotech news. Here are the highlights. —Seattle Genetics had a big week. The Bothell, WA-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SGEN]]) said follow-up data in a clinical trial of … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics Drug Fights Hodgkin’s, Frazier Sounds Off on Biotech Ventures, SBRI Pushes Malaria Vaccine, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”
Healionics Corp. Lands $2,600,000 Series A Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=efab03b7-5742-45f7-b39c-a023ec929f7e&Preview=1 Date 12/11/2008 Company Name Healionics Corp. Mailing Address 14787 NE 95th Street Redmond, WA 98052 Company Description Healionics Corporation provides biomaterial solutions to research institutions and medical device manufacturers seeking to enhance the biocompatibility and performance of current and next generation devices. Website http://www.healionics.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $2,600,000 … Continue reading “Healionics Corp. Lands $2,600,000 Series A Financing Round”
SplashCast Puts TV on MySpace, Facebook
Portland, OR-based SplashCast, an online content-syndication startup, announced it has teamed up with video service Hulu to distribute TV shows and other content on Facebook and MySpace. SplashCast’s “social TV player” software will syndicate new episodes from Hulu directly to viewers’ social-network pages. Twenty shows are currently available, and the company says “dozens more” will … Continue reading “SplashCast Puts TV on MySpace, Facebook”
Seattle Genetics Drug Passes Safety Test, Trial Continues
Seattle Genetics said today its experimental drug for acute myeloid leukemia passed an interim safety review. The Bothell, WA-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SGEN]]) said an independent monitoring committee recommended the study continue of lintuzumab (SGN-33). Full results from the trial, which is two-thirds of the way to its enrollment goal of 210 patients, should be … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics Drug Passes Safety Test, Trial Continues”
Who’s Hiring in Seattle Biotech? It’s Not All Layoffs, All the Time
(UPDATE: This story has added information at the end about openings at the Institute for Systems Biology.) Mass firings dominate the news almost every day now, yet some companies are still hiring. Since a lot of highly-skilled and experienced people have been thrown out of work lately, I thought I’d check around to see where … Continue reading “Who’s Hiring in Seattle Biotech? It’s Not All Layoffs, All the Time”
Seattle-Area Social Networking Sites Roll Out Plans to Drum Up New Business
Two of the area’s more interesting social-networking startups are announcing new product offerings today. Each has been quietly building its business this year without a lot of fanfare. One plays in the professional networking arena, while the other focuses on families and friends. Both need to drum up new users in a tough economic climate. … Continue reading “Seattle-Area Social Networking Sites Roll Out Plans to Drum Up New Business”
Zillow Still Tops Seattle Startup Rankings
Seattle 2.0’s monthly rankings of local tech-startup websites is out for November. Based on traffic estimates compiled by Marcelo Calbucci, Zillow remained #1, though its lead over Pet Holdings (#2) is nominal. Picnik, BigOven, and WidgetBucks continued to climb upward within the top 10, and Athleon, Visible.net, CultureMob, GoGoMo, and Jackson Fish Market also made … Continue reading “Zillow Still Tops Seattle Startup Rankings”
Seattle-based Kineta, New Biotech Startup, Unveils Plan to Trigger Innate Immunity
Two veterans of Illumigen Biosciences, the Seattle-based company that was acquired a year ago by Lexington, MA-based Cubist Pharmaceuticals, have resurfaced in a new biotech venture in Seattle called Kineta. Shawn Iadonato and Charles Magness co-founded the company to develop new classes of therapies to enhance the innate immune system to fight viral infections and … Continue reading “Seattle-based Kineta, New Biotech Startup, Unveils Plan to Trigger Innate Immunity”
Ontier Lands Investment, Board Members
Portland, OR-based Ontier, a stealthy software startup, announced it has landed new board members and investors Les Fahey, of Fahey Ventures, and Paul Gulick, co-founder of InFocus. The amount of investment was not disclosed. Ontier was founded in early 2008 and is developing software for business communication that tries to fill the gap between e-mail … Continue reading “Ontier Lands Investment, Board Members”