Category: Seattle

Imperium Collects $18M To Pay Down Debts

Imperium Renewables, the Seattle-based biodiesel maker, raised more than $18 million last month from investors to pay down some of its debts, according to this report by The Seattle Times that cites a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Greg reported a couple weeks ago that Imperium’s existing investors provided a cash infusion to … Continue reading “Imperium Collects $18M To Pay Down Debts”

ESI and Zygo To Merge

Portland, OR-based Electro Scientific Industries (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ESIO]]) and Middlefield, CT-based Zygo (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ZIGO]]) announced today they have agreed to merge in an all-stock transaction. ESI’s expertise is in photonic microengineering, while Zygo’s is in metrology and optical systems. The merger is expected to be complete in the first quarter of 2009.

Cell Therapeutics, Still Fighting, Gets Zevalin Data Published In Cancer Journal

Cell Therapeutics isn’t going down without a fight. The Seattle-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CTIC]]) said today that data from a clinical trial of Zevalin, its drug for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, along with an editorial by a leading lymphoma doc who urged his peers to “encourage wider appreciation and … Continue reading “Cell Therapeutics, Still Fighting, Gets Zevalin Data Published In Cancer Journal”

Seattle Has Global Health Muscle, But Needs More Education, Industry Partnerships

What does the global health community in Washington need in order to firmly stake our claim as a world leader in this endeavor? That question will be a central topic next week when nearly 250 leaders from the Seattle area gather at Suncadia Resort in Cle Elum for the Seattle Chamber’s annual Regional Leadership Conference … Continue reading “Seattle Has Global Health Muscle, But Needs More Education, Industry Partnerships”

Founder’s Co-op Gets Warm Reception, Wants Startups That Will Survive Cold Recession

Andy Sack’s favorite coffee drink is a 12-ounce, single-shot, non-fat latte. But if you’re meeting with him to pitch your latest technology startup idea, be advised that he’s probably on his second or third cup already. These days, his schedule is filled with meetings and networking—most of it pretty informal. “I’ll have coffee with anyone,” … Continue reading “Founder’s Co-op Gets Warm Reception, Wants Startups That Will Survive Cold Recession”

Allozyne, Developer of Multiple Sclerosis Drug in Fewer Shots, Poised to Enter Clinical Trials

Allozyne will find out soon whether it has a disruptive technology for treating multiple sclerosis. The fledgling Seattle biotech company plans to start its first clinical trial within the next six months, which will give it an early glimpse into whether it can do something that giant companies have been unable to do. It plans … Continue reading “Allozyne, Developer of Multiple Sclerosis Drug in Fewer Shots, Poised to Enter Clinical Trials”

Micronics Inc. Garners Series C Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ed048863-bd83-4583-accc-2f1e4247a583&Preview=1 Date 10/16/2008 Company Name Micronics Inc. Mailing Address 8463 154th Avenue NE, Building G Redmond, WA 98052 Company Description Micronics provides comprehensive development services to clients worldwide that bring complementary technologies and/or chemistries for incorporation into a disposable device. Micronics’ services include state-of-the-art rapid prototyping, reagent printing, ability to integrate MEMs, … Continue reading “Micronics Inc. Garners Series C Financing Round”

TrackSimple Inc. Lands $2,500,000 Series A Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=add39a60-11d7-4d66-87e7-43d2594c660c&Preview=1 Date 10/16/2008 Company Name TrackSimple Inc. Mailing Address 558 1st Avenue S Seattle, WA 98104 Company Description Tracksimple Inc. is a developer of a platform that captures customer events. Its technology works from a clients’ perspective, server perspective or both via cookies and/or javascripts tags, aggregating data in near real-time. Website … Continue reading “TrackSimple Inc. Lands $2,500,000 Series A Financing Round”

Mobile Northwest Conference

The second annual Mobile Northwest Conference is a one-day educational seminar and networking event featuring leading regional and national mobile executives who will share their insight on the successful applications, trends, and opportunities in the mobile commerce arena. Hear the latest success stories in this dynamic industry and take advantage of networking with presenters and … Continue reading “Mobile Northwest Conference”

Science Educators Win $1.4M NIH Grant

The Northwest Association for Biomedical Research has received a $1.35 million award for science education programs from the National Institutes of Health. The five-year grant, one of 16 given nationally, will help secondary school teachers and students learn about the science and ethics of how biomedical research is conducted, the nonprofit group said in a … Continue reading “Science Educators Win $1.4M NIH Grant”

Sonosite Ousts CFO, Brings Back Former Finance Chief Mike Schuh

Sonosite has ousted its chief financial officer, just a couple weeks before it is due to report third quarter earnings. The Bothell, WA-based maker of hand-carried ultrasound machines said that Bernard Pitz, 47, has left “at the request of the company” and is being replaced by his predecessor, Michael Schuh. Sonosite (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SONO]]) didn’t give … Continue reading “Sonosite Ousts CFO, Brings Back Former Finance Chief Mike Schuh”

Winshuttle Acquires ADAR, Launches French Office

Bothell, WA-based Winshuttle, maker of data-entry software and download tools for businesses, announced today it has acquired ADAR, a French distributor of data-management tools. Winshuttle’s new French operations will be based in Paris and will provide sales and technical support to customers such as Bouygues Telecom, Yves Rocher, and Solvay.

Seattle Genetics Collects Payment From Progenics

Seattle Genetics, the developer of targeted cancer drugs, said today it has received a milestone payment from Progenics Pharmaceuticals. Bothell, WA-based Seattle Genetics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SGEN]]) got the payment because Progenics bought a license to the Seattle Genetics antibody-drug linking technology, and has used it to develop a drug candidate that has entered the first stage … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics Collects Payment From Progenics”

Jive Software Jarred by Layoffs

Layoffs are hitting the Northwest tech community this week—first Redfin, now Jive Software. TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington reports that Portland, OR-based Jive, a maker of social software for businesses, laid off about one-third of its staff, or about 40 people, yesterday. Among those who left the company are a vice president of engineering and a vice … Continue reading “Jive Software Jarred by Layoffs”

Arch, In an Earlier Warning, Told Companies To Buckle Down, Brace For the Worst

Sequoia Capital may have been late to the punch. The legendary Silicon Valley venture firm made headlines last week when it called an emergency meeting to warn entrepreneurs to brace for hard times, but it turns out Arch Venture Partners began advising its portfolio companies to start cutting back more than two weeks ago when … Continue reading “Arch, In an Earlier Warning, Told Companies To Buckle Down, Brace For the Worst”

Dendreon Sells $20M in Stock, Microsoft Teams Up with Scripps, Monster Buys BitWine, & More Seattle-Area Deals News

Heading deep into the battles of October (hang in there, Red Sox), dealflow has been fairly strong. The Northwest saw plenty of action in mobile, biotech, health care, and seed-stage tech funds in the past week. —Redmond, WA-based MobUI, a mobile software developer, acquired Bellevue, WA-based Action Engine, as Ryan reported. MobUI also raised new … Continue reading “Dendreon Sells $20M in Stock, Microsoft Teams Up with Scripps, Monster Buys BitWine, & More Seattle-Area Deals News”

Redfin Layoffs Bode Ill for Real Estate Startups

Is this the beginning of the end for online real estate companies? Yesterday, Seattle-based Redfin announced it had laid off roughly 20 percent of its employees, leaving it with a staff of about 75 spread across Seattle, Boston, Los Angeles, Washington DC, and Chicago. The news comes as a serious blow to a company that … Continue reading “Redfin Layoffs Bode Ill for Real Estate Startups”

Northstar Gets OK For Second Depression Study

Northstar Neuroscience, a Seattle medical device company, said today the FDA has given conditional approval to run a second study of its brain-stimulation device against depression. Northstar (NASDAQ: [[ticker:NSTR]]) said it plans to start enrolling the first of 24 patients in the study, called Prospect II, before the end of the year. Preliminary results should … Continue reading “Northstar Gets OK For Second Depression Study”

MobUI Acquires Action Engine, Raises Funds

MobUI, a Redmond, WA, developer of mobile applications, announced it has acquired mobile application platform firm Action Engine of Bellevue, WA, and raised an undisclosed amount of new funds. MobUI says the new financing—led by South American wireless application service provider GlobalNET Mobile Solutions—will help the firm develop applications for the iPhone, mobile Web, and … Continue reading “MobUI Acquires Action Engine, Raises Funds”

Five Seattle-Area Companies, and an Apprentice, Join WTIA’s Mobile Mission to China

‘Tis the season for grand tours of Asia. Last week, we covered life on the road with Intellectual Ventures, as the Bellevue, WA-based invention firm launched offices in five Asian countries, including China. This week, it’s the Washington Technology Industry Association’s turn. Together with the Washington State Community, Trade and Economic Development office, the WTIA … Continue reading “Five Seattle-Area Companies, and an Apprentice, Join WTIA’s Mobile Mission to China”

CMC Icos Sees Expanding Markets for Biotech Drugs With New Factory

CMC Icos Biologics made news a couple weeks ago when it said it plans to expand its biotech drug factory in Bothell, and double its workforce there to about 250 employees in three to four years. The big question in my mind was why, so I tracked down CMC Icos president Gustavo Mahler to ask. … Continue reading “CMC Icos Sees Expanding Markets for Biotech Drugs With New Factory”

How to Build a Successful Innovation Ecosystem: Educate, Network, and Celebrate

Last week, I was honored to give a keynote speech in Dublin, Ireland, at an international symposium marking the launch of the nation’s ambitious new R&D program in energy by its NSF equivalent, the Science Foundation of Ireland (SFI). The Symposium on Science and Engineering Underpinning Sustainable Energies and Energy-Efficiency was an excellent opportunity to … Continue reading “How to Build a Successful Innovation Ecosystem: Educate, Network, and Celebrate”

MobUI Receives New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=419e5ce0-9580-4721-b42e-30bd2c3771bd&Preview=1 Date 10/13/2008 Company Name MobUI Mailing Address 7508 164th Ave NE Redmond, WA 98052 Company Description Are you ready? To be wowed. We founded MobUI to help brands, like you, mobilize fast. We built a team of mobile development experts who are renowned for the quality of their work and the … Continue reading “MobUI Receives New Financing”

MobUI Acquires Action Engine Corp. for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=dceb5c53-08bf-4a7b-9c37-1c18e185ede1&Preview=1 Date 10/13/2008 Company Name Action Engine Corp. Mailing Address 2331 130th Ave NE Bellevue, WA 98005 Company Description Action Engine Corporation is the mobile application platform leader. Action Engine was founded in 2000 with a vision that current approaches for delivering wireless data to mobile devices were incomplete. Website http://www.actionengine.com Transaction … Continue reading “MobUI Acquires Action Engine Corp. for Undisclosed Sum”

Renewable Energy Finance Forum-West

Renewable Energy Finance Forum-West, a national conference addressing regional renewable energy issues, will be held in Seattle on October 27-28 at the Grand Hyatt. REFF-West will be an event for financiers, investors and renewable energy project developers to network. Industry leaders from around the country will present on venture capital, financing in a credit-constrained economy, … Continue reading “Renewable Energy Finance Forum-West”

Vinod Khosla Keynote–Algal Biomass Summit

Vinod Khosla, the prominent venture investor in cleantech, will be the keynote speaker at the 2008 Algae Biomass Summit, taking place Oct. 22-24 at the Bell Harbor Conference Center, Pier 66 in Seattle. The event is organized by the non-profit Algal Biomass Organization (ABO) and is designed to highlight scientific advances and encourage knowledge sharing … Continue reading “Vinod Khosla Keynote–Algal Biomass Summit”

Scripps Health Teams Up With Microsoft and Others for Genetic Testing Study

It was almost exactly a year ago that Microsoft launched its HealthVault service, a secure online database for users to store and manage their medical records. And in recent months, we’ve reported on the software giant’s increasing efforts in health care, including its new partnerships with prescription drug provider CVS Caremark and Boston, MA-based health … Continue reading “Scripps Health Teams Up With Microsoft and Others for Genetic Testing Study”

Playful vs. Preachy: Sizing Up TV’s New Science Dramas

Crime shows generally turn me off, but for years I’ve enjoyed CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, because (as I’ve written before) the heroes are scientists. They catch crooks not by outgunning them, but by observing, hypothesizing, and testing. Of course, the dramatic license that CSI and other series sometimes take with real-world science can be disturbing: … Continue reading “Playful vs. Preachy: Sizing Up TV’s New Science Dramas”

UW, Microsoft Research Aim to Turn Northwest Into a Neural Engineering Hotspot

The minute I walked into an auditorium at Microsoft Research in Redmond last night, I knew this was going to be a fun event. In foot-high letters, someone wrote on a white board, “FOOD BEHIND THIS WALL. EAT.” It turns out that that someone, who clearly had an innate sense for how to get people … Continue reading “UW, Microsoft Research Aim to Turn Northwest Into a Neural Engineering Hotspot”

Leroy Hood, Turning 70, Still Aims to Accomplish “The Most Ambitious Things of My Career”

It’s hard to believe Leroy Hood—a guy busy enough to employ not one, but two full-time executive assistants—is turning 70 today. But it’s true. This milestone seemed to be as good a reason as any to catch up with the biotechnology pioneer. So I stopped by his office at the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) … Continue reading “Leroy Hood, Turning 70, Still Aims to Accomplish “The Most Ambitious Things of My Career””

Challenging Microsoft, Startup AutoVirt Fixes Windows Data Migration Nightmares

If you’ve ever had to replace your home computer, you know what a hassle it can be to copy your most important software and data from the old computer’s hard drive to the new one. The IT-industry term for this process is “data migration”—and it’s even more of a headache for system administrators at big … Continue reading “Challenging Microsoft, Startup AutoVirt Fixes Windows Data Migration Nightmares”

WTIA Launches Survey on Impact of Financial Crisis

It’s what everyone is talking about: the global financial crisis, and its impact on business and markets. But more specifically, what is its impact on local-area tech businesses and innovation, and how will people respond to it? Here at Xconomy, we’ve posed those important questions to some of our distinguished network of Xconomists—leaders in technology, … Continue reading “WTIA Launches Survey on Impact of Financial Crisis”

Institute for Systems Biology, UW Researchers Win Bulk of $68M Grants To Study Flu, SARS

Seattle researchers snapped up the lion’s share of a massive round of grants announced today by the National Institutes of Health. The Institute for Systems Biology, the University of Washington, and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, WA—along with a group at Stanford University—have been awarded five-year grants totaling $68.7 million to study dangerous … Continue reading “Institute for Systems Biology, UW Researchers Win Bulk of $68M Grants To Study Flu, SARS”

Mentor Graphics Acquires Flomerics

Wilsonville, OR-based Mentor Graphics, which does electronics design and analysis, announced it has acquired the Flomerics Group, a U.K.-based maker of fluid-dynamics simulation software. Flomerics will become the mechanical analysis division within Mentor (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MENT]]).

Silicon Valley Sounds the Alarm—Sequoia Calls Emergency Meeting Warning Entrepreneurs to Brace for Financial Impact

The word spread quickly through the Silicon Valley blogosphere and around the entrepreneurial and venture worlds last night: legendary California venture capitalist Mike Moritz and the Sequoia Capital folks had called an emergency meeting of the firm’s portfolio-company leaders and told them to brace for what might well be the worst economic times they had … Continue reading “Silicon Valley Sounds the Alarm—Sequoia Calls Emergency Meeting Warning Entrepreneurs to Brace for Financial Impact”

One Year Old, Widgetbucks Steps Up Attack on Google Ads

This week marks the one-year anniversary of the launch of Widgetbucks, the online ad network from Seattle-based startup Mpire. Founded in 2005, Mpire’s story makes for a pretty compelling case study in adapting to the market. Although the verdict isn’t in yet—we’ll see how much market share it ends up taking from Google ads, for … Continue reading “One Year Old, Widgetbucks Steps Up Attack on Google Ads”

Dendreon Stays in the Hunt, Lilly Makes Amends, Calistoga Hires First CEO, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News

Fall is in the air, at least one baseball team in an Xconomy city is still alive (Red Sox, of course) and biotech news is coming out full throttle every day. Isn’t it a wonderful time of year? —Dendreon announced that its interim analysis of the 500-patient Impact trial of Provenge wasn’t the sort of … Continue reading “Dendreon Stays in the Hunt, Lilly Makes Amends, Calistoga Hires First CEO, & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”

Oregon Entrepreneurs Network–Venture Northwest 2008

The Oregon Entrepreneurs Network will hold its Venture Northwest 2008 conference at the Marriott Waterfront in Portland, OR on Oct. 30. Fourteen companies have been selected to deliver presentations, and were chosen by a panel of venture capitalists, investment bankers, and representatives from professional service firms. Registration information is available here.

Founder’s Co-op Raises $1.8M From Seattle Internet Entrepreneurs

Founder’s Co-op, the Seattle-based tech incubator founded by Andy Sack and Chris DeVore, has gathered a $1.8 million investment round from some well-known Seattle Internet entrepreneurs, according to this report in TechCrunch. Ben Elowitz of Wetpaint and Blue Nile, Alex Algard of Whitepages.com, and Adam Brotman of Play Network all participated in the round, according … Continue reading “Founder’s Co-op Raises $1.8M From Seattle Internet Entrepreneurs”

Ex-Entellium Execs Charged With Fraud By Feds

Entellium’s former CEO, Paul Thomas Johnston, and former CFO Parrish L. Jones, have been arrested and charged with wire fraud, according to this story in the Associated Press. The fraud was uncovered late last month when an employee found evidence that Entellium, a Seattle software company, inflated its revenues to attract investors, according to the … Continue reading “Ex-Entellium Execs Charged With Fraud By Feds”

Spiration Enters European Market with Device for Lung Disease

Spiration can now say it has its first marketed product. The Redmond, WA-based medical device maker said today that its partner, Tokyo-based Olympus, has started selling its device for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Europe. Spiration will manufacture the product, called the IBV Valve System, and Olympus will market it initially to select European physicians … Continue reading “Spiration Enters European Market with Device for Lung Disease”

On the Road with Intellectual Ventures’ Global Head of Technology, Patrick Ennis

It’s 10:15 pm, and Patrick Ennis is in a taxi bound for the airport in Delhi, India. He’s getting ready for a 1:00 am flight to Beijing. The streets of India are legendary for displaying 2,000 years of transportation history in one place—animals, pedestrians, carts, bikes, cars, buses, trucks—and it sounds like tonight is no … Continue reading “On the Road with Intellectual Ventures’ Global Head of Technology, Patrick Ennis”

Calistoga Builds Cancer Drug Strategy, Hires First CEO, Carol Gallagher

Calistoga Pharmaceuticals is growing up. The Seattle biotech company, which raised its founding $21 million round in March 2007, is announcing today it has hired its first CEO, Carol Gallagher, an executive who led the Rituxan oncology team at Biogen Idec when it crossed the $1 billion mark in sales. I stopped by Calistoga’s offices … Continue reading “Calistoga Builds Cancer Drug Strategy, Hires First CEO, Carol Gallagher”

Keith Grinstein, 1960-2008, Was Larger Than Life

The Seattle community lost a giant last week, when Keith Grinstein passed away at the age of 48. A memorial service for Grinstein, the chairman of Coinstar and a venture capitalist at Second Avenue Partners, was held yesterday afternoon in Seattle. I wanted to post a couple of thoughts from the community that I’ve gathered. … Continue reading “Keith Grinstein, 1960-2008, Was Larger Than Life”

Monster Venture Buys BitWine

Monster Venture Partners, based in Bellevue, WA, has acquired a controlling stake in BitWine, an online startup that lets users get expert advice and share knowledge. Former Expedia exec Ronnie Gurion has been named chief executive officer of Bitwine, and Rob Monster has joined as chairman of the board.

Lilly Patches Up Relationships in Seattle Biotech, Pushes TB Drug Discovery

Eli Lilly did some fence-mending today with the Seattle biotech community. Almost two years ago, the Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical giant took over Icos, the Northwest’s most valuable biotech company, grabbing the billion-dollar erectile dysfunction drug it created and sending 365 talented local workers to the unemployment lines. It’s a story you often see with big drugmakers … Continue reading “Lilly Patches Up Relationships in Seattle Biotech, Pushes TB Drug Discovery”