LipoSonix, rest in peace. The developer of ultrasound technology for busting up unwanted fat, said today it has agreed to be acquired by Arizona-based Medicis Pharmaceutical for $150 million. The sale marks the end for the privately-held company in Bothell, WA, which probably has more potential for Oprah-style mass market appeal than any medical technology … Continue reading “LipoSonix Agrees to $150M Takeover by Medicis Pharma”
Category: Seattle
Hello, Seattle: Xconomy Comes to Town To Cover Innovation Community
Just a quick follow-up to Bob’s post. Yes, today marks the start of Xconomy’s coverage of the Seattle and Pacific Northwest tech-business scene. Our goal is to bring you “hyperlocal” reporting on the most compelling innovation news—the deals, entrepreneurs, investors, companies, and technology—on the ground as it happens. We want to help grow a community … Continue reading “Hello, Seattle: Xconomy Comes to Town To Cover Innovation Community”
Xconomy Launches in Seattle
Good morning Boston. Good morning Seattle. And good morning world. Today marks the public debut of the Xconomy network, as we launch both a Seattle website that will serve as a sister to our original Boston/Kendall Square site and a national overview site designed to be a gateway to both cities. (This means some changes … Continue reading “Xconomy Launches in Seattle”
Making Personal Health Networking as Easy as a Book Club: Former Amazon Exec Launches Online Healthcare Site
For Keith Schorsch, it all started with a tick. In the summer of 2004, the former senior executive at Amazon was on the East Coast for a family reunion when (unbeknownst to him) he was bitten. Back in Seattle, he came down with a bull’s-eye rash and flu-like symptoms. Then one night, at a Mariners … Continue reading “Making Personal Health Networking as Easy as a Book Club: Former Amazon Exec Launches Online Healthcare Site”
Pacific Health Summit Vies to Make Seattle the “Davos” of Global Health
Everybody can relax. Bono and Angelina Jolie won’t be here. At least not this year. But some of the biggest names in science, global health, and business will gather in Seattle today for the Pacific Health Summit, to brainstorm about the world’s thorniest emerging health problems. Key decision makers from the Bill & Melinda Gates … Continue reading “Pacific Health Summit Vies to Make Seattle the “Davos” of Global Health”
Accelerator Backs New Biotech Startup in Goddard Lab at Caltech
Accelerator has given birth to its newest company. Investors in the Seattle-based biotech startup machine, affiliated with Leroy Hood’s Institute for Systems Biology, have sunk $200,000 into a company emerging from the lab of Bill Goddard, a renowned chemist at the California Institute of Technology. The company, called GPC-Rx, is developing a computational technique to … Continue reading “Accelerator Backs New Biotech Startup in Goddard Lab at Caltech”
Varolii Shelves IPO: Seattle Software Maker Founded by MIT Grads Has Boston Operations… and Shareholders
Seattle software maker Varolii, which makes tools that help businesses communicate over multiple channels—voice, SMS, Web, fax, pager, e-mail—said on Friday it would not proceed with its IPO plans “due to the difficult market conditions for initial public offerings.” The offering, which was expected to raise up to $86 million, affects both Seattle and the … Continue reading “Varolii Shelves IPO: Seattle Software Maker Founded by MIT Grads Has Boston Operations… and Shareholders”
SpectraWatt Receives $50,000,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f0fd53c2-a7ed-4d44-bca3-c48b19f0b842&Preview=1 Date 6/16/2008 Company Name SpectraWatt Mailing Address Undisclosed Undisclosed, OR 97200 Company Description SpectraWatt will manufacture and supply photovoltaic cells to solar module makers. In addition to focusing on advanced solar cell technologies, SpectraWatt will concentrate development efforts on improvements in current manufacturing processes and capabilities to reduce the cost of … Continue reading “SpectraWatt Receives $50,000,000 New Funding”
Funding Gap? Ha!
Ever since I came back to Seattle in 2003 to help get Accelerator up and running, I have been barraged with rhetoric about something euphemistically referred to as the “Funding Gap.” Everywhere I went seeking interesting emerging biotechnologies, or to tell the Accelerator story, people I met constantly lamented the Funding Gap. So I started … Continue reading “Funding Gap? Ha!”
Seattle Genetics Gunning for the Market With “Empowered Antibody” For Cancer
The last time the phone rang this much at Seattle Genetics, the company parlayed enthusiasm about one of its drug candidates into a partnership with Genentech potentially worth more than $800 million. This time, after 10 years in business, the Bothell, WA-based company thinks it may have the first drug it can take all the … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics Gunning for the Market With “Empowered Antibody” For Cancer”
BizJam Seattle 08
BizJam Seattle 08 focuses on “Social Media Essentials for Small Businesses.” Savvy business owners know that social media such as blogs, social networks and online communities are effective, inexpensive ways to promote your business. Learn how to fully tap their potential at BizJam, where 30 expert speakers will host dozens of workshops. You’ll leave with … Continue reading “BizJam Seattle 08”
NWEN Pub Night
Pub Night, a members-only event for Northwest Entrepreneur Network members, is an opportunity for entrepreneurs to get together and share ideas, build networks and have a great time at a well-known Northwest brew-pub. Pub Night will allow five NWEN members to be in the limelight for three minutes each to talk about what they do … Continue reading “NWEN Pub Night”
Venture Breakfast
The Northwest Entrepreneur Network hosts its monthly venture breakfast at the Bellevue Harbor Club. Non-members $40, members receive a discount. Information and registration here.
Essentials of Bootstrapping
The Northwest Entrepreneur Network offers a workshop on getting through the period that every startup endures when cash is extremely tight and the demands of fueling the company’s growth are monumental. Bootstrapping—the corporate version of Europe on $10 a day—is a critical and immensely useful skill that enables startups to stay alive until they can … Continue reading “Essentials of Bootstrapping”
Web Surveys That Work
Bellevue Community College offers a three-hour course on connecting with customers, employees and members quickly and cost effectively through Web surveys. The course covers determining whether the Web is your best option, selecting tools and services, maximizing response rates, using skips and data validation, accessibility, and making sure your data is reliable. Registration $65, information … Continue reading “Web Surveys That Work”
Certified ScrumMaster Training
SolutionsIQ Agile thought leaders conduct a two-day course on the essentials of Scrum management in software development projects. Registration $1,200; information here.
Profits & Privacy: Exploring the Boundaries of Digital Marketing
WTIA’s June Technology in Focus Series event looks at how managers can monetize online audiences while respecting their privacy. Information here.
VOIP Phones for Small Business
Congruent and Microsoft host a lunchtime demonstration and test drive of the Microsoft Response Point system. Register free here.
Lucid Commerce Lands $2.5 Million in Series A
Lucid Commerce, a Seattle-based provider of on-demand business intelligence for direct marketers, announced today that it has raised $2.5 million in Series A funding. The round was led by Kirkland, WA-based OVP Venture Partners. Lucid said the funding will be used to add capacity and scale the company’s operations.
Still Growing, Vertafore To Acquire Sircon
Vertafore, a Bothell, WA-based provider of insurance software and services, announced today that it is acquiring Sircon, a Michigan-based firm that provides online networking services for the insurance industry. The financial terms of the deal (which is expected to close in July) were not disclosed. Vertafore has been growing steadily since moving its headquarters to … Continue reading “Still Growing, Vertafore To Acquire Sircon”
As iRobot and University of Washington Team Up, Robotic-Sub Competition Heats Up
This week, iRobot made a splash with the news that it has signed a sole licensing agreement with the University of Washington in Seattle to commercialize UW’s “Seaglider” underwater robot. The specific terms of the deal with UW TechTransfer were not disclosed, but the announcement marks the Bedford, MA-based robotics company’s first foray into the … Continue reading “As iRobot and University of Washington Team Up, Robotic-Sub Competition Heats Up”
Lucid Commerce Secures $2,500,000 Series A Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b6793815-d82c-476e-803d-6fc6b5efdd77&Preview=1 Date 6/13/2008 Company Name Lucid Commerce Mailing Address 562 1st Avenue S Seattle, WA 98104 Company Description Lucid Commerce provides on-demand business intelligence that combines automatic data consolidation, organization, and analysis for direct marketing companies. Website http://www.lucidcommerce.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $2,500,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes The … Continue reading “Lucid Commerce Secures $2,500,000 Series A Financing”
WidgetBucks Raises $10M in Series B
Seattle-based WidgetBucks, an online advertising network, announced that it has raised $10 million in its second round of funding. The investment was led by Draper Fisher Jurvetson and also included Bellevue, WA-based Ignition Partners.
Delve Networks Un-Pluggd; Startup Relaunched as Video Search Provider, To Compete With Cambridge Companies
Seattle-based audio and video search company Pluggd rebranded itself yesterday as Delve Networks and launched a video hosting and search technology that seems designed to compete directly with services from Cambridge, MA-based EveryZing. The development’s bicoastal impact was particularly interesting to us, given Xconomy’s impending expansion to Seattle (for more on that, watch this space … Continue reading “Delve Networks Un-Pluggd; Startup Relaunched as Video Search Provider, To Compete With Cambridge Companies”
WidgetBucks Obtains $10,000,000 Series B Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=fd681551-95ed-45ba-b844-f72bdf93fe91&Preview=1 Date 6/12/2008 Company Name WidgetBucks Mailing Address 1725 Westlake Avenue N. Seattle, WA 98109 Company Description WidgetBucks features pay-per-click shopping widgets that help our customers make money fast. They instantly display the most popular products based on buying trends of 100 million shoppers. Website http://www.widgetbucks.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount … Continue reading “WidgetBucks Obtains $10,000,000 Series B Funding Round”
Madrona Venture Group Closes $250 Million Fund, Its Largest to Date
Times are good for at least one of the area’s tech-focused VC firms. Seattle-based Madrona Venture Group announced today that it has closed a $250 million fund, the largest in its 13-year history. Returning investors include the Kauffman Foundation, the University of Washington, the University of Virginia Management Company, and Investure, while new investors include … Continue reading “Madrona Venture Group Closes $250 Million Fund, Its Largest to Date”
Three Seattle Companies Accept Webby Awards
At the 2008 Webby Awards in New York City last night, three Seattle-based companies accepted their prizes. I Can Has Cheezburger? won awards in both the “weird” and “humor” categories (I still have no idea what this website is about). Zillow won in the “real estate” category. And Farecast (recently acquired by Microsoft) won in … Continue reading “Three Seattle Companies Accept Webby Awards”
Finsphere Corp. Receives $10,000,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6092a391-6552-469e-b2eb-a5fbf758f595&Preview=1 Date 6/6/2008 Company Name Finsphere Corp. Mailing Address 505 106th Ave NE Bellevue, WA 98004 Company Description Finsphere is a well-funded, high tech, venture-backed start up founded in 2007 based in Bellevue, Washington and is currently operating in stealth mode. Its purpose is to solve a multi-billion dollar, global problem with … Continue reading “Finsphere Corp. Receives $10,000,000 New Round”
Podcamp Seattle
From the event’s website: “PodCamp is an informal ‘unconference’ event where people come together to connect, learn and share about online social tools, such as blogging, podcasting, videoblogging, Twitter, wikis, virtual worlds, etc. Our Seattle event is aimed at new media enthusiasts, marketers, PR and ad people, and technologists. Curious about Twitter? Wondering where consumers … Continue reading “Podcamp Seattle”
Look Out, Comcast and Verizon: Bicoastal Startups Are Bringing Free Wi-Fi to Harvard Square (and Elsewhere Soon, We Hope)
Why isn’t there free Wi-Fi everywhere? I ask this as I sit in an Espresso Vivace in Seattle, typing away and enjoying free wireless (and a truly terrific latte—easily an 8.5 on the Huang scale). Being new to the city and still in the process of setting up connectivity, I’m acutely aware of any and … Continue reading “Look Out, Comcast and Verizon: Bicoastal Startups Are Bringing Free Wi-Fi to Harvard Square (and Elsewhere Soon, We Hope)”
Vantos Vaults Ahead with $10.6M in Series B
Look out, corporate fraudsters. Seattle-based Vantos, an enterprise investigation management firm, announced that it has raised $10.6 million in Series B funding. The round was led by Bellevue, WA-based Fluke Venture Partners, with OVP Venture Partners and Outlook Ventures also participating.
Oh Friendly Day: Boston VCs Launch National Network for Renewable-Energy Entrepreneurs
As I wrote last year in a piece entitled “Go East, Young Man,” cleantech investors Rob Day and Andrew Friendly both left California around the same time in early 2007—Day to become a principal at Wilmington, MA-based @Ventures and Friendly to become a senior associate at Waltham, MA-based Advanced Technology Ventures. The two men already … Continue reading “Oh Friendly Day: Boston VCs Launch National Network for Renewable-Energy Entrepreneurs”
$22 Million Invested in Inimex Pharma
Inimex Pharmaceuticals, based in Vancouver, BC, has announced that it has closed a $22 million Series B venture round, led by Morningside Venture Investments. Inimex is focused on discovering and developing new medicines based on selective modulation of the innate immune response. The funds will help the company conduct the first clinical trials of an … Continue reading “$22 Million Invested in Inimex Pharma”
Will Web 2.0 Go Pop? A Guest Post from Microsoft’s Don Dodge
Is Web 2.0 headed for Bubble 2.0? That was the subject of a debate at the TiECON East Conference on Friday. Fred Wilson (Union Square Ventures), Nabeel Hyatt (Conduit Labs), Brian Balfour (Viximo), and I had a lively discussion and arrived at some very different conclusions. Xconomy asked me to write them up, and I’m … Continue reading “Will Web 2.0 Go Pop? A Guest Post from Microsoft’s Don Dodge”
Nonprofit Startups a Nonstarter? Non True.
It is nice to see that a nonprofit like Diagnostics For All (DFA) can actually garner attention and interest from both the MIT and Harvard communities by winning the MIT’s 100K competition and Harvard Business School’s Business Plan Contest. Just a year ago George Whitesides and I were repeatedly told that if we stuck to … Continue reading “Nonprofit Startups a Nonstarter? Non True.”
Goodbye Amazon, Hello Cambridge: Powered by Local Firms, Borders’ Online Store Is the New Face of E-Commerce
I love Borders. Independent bookshops aside, it’s my favorite place to kill an hour or two while browsing the latest books and enjoying a nice cup of coffee. (The original Borders chai was the best, but it’s hard to argue with a latte from Seattle’s Best—more on that coming soon). So when I heard about … Continue reading “Goodbye Amazon, Hello Cambridge: Powered by Local Firms, Borders’ Online Store Is the New Face of E-Commerce”
Gazing Through Microsoft’s WorldWide Telescope
I was 13 years old when Carl Sagan’s 13-part PBS miniseries Cosmos appeared in 1980. I was so hypnotized by the combination of Sagan’s storytelling, Jon Lomberg’s space art, and Vangelis’s music that I decided to become an astronomer. I saved up to buy a telescope—an Edmund Scientific Astroscan, a fantastic beginner’s instrument that is … Continue reading “Gazing Through Microsoft’s WorldWide Telescope”
Akamai Details Winners, Losers in Broadband Race
About one-fifth of all Internet traffic passes through an Akamai server on the way to its destination—and even the four-fifths that doesn’t leaves ripples in the network that the Cambridge, MA-based content distribution network can easily detect. Indeed, with 34,000 servers monitoring traffic within and between 950 networks in 70 countries, Akamai may have the … Continue reading “Akamai Details Winners, Losers in Broadband Race”
Ontela, Inc. Receives Series B Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=623c48ff-c00f-4699-8ae1-a4d2013de20c&Preview=1 Date 5/28/2008 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. Receives Series B Financing”
comScore Networks Acquires M:Metrics for $44,300,000
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0ebcb5d2-8f3f-4882-9488-124835430f84&Preview=1 Date 5/28/2008 Company Name M:Metrics Mailing Address 316 Occidental Avenue S Seattle, WA 98104 Company Description M:Metrics is the pioneer in measuring consumer consumption of mobile content and applications, benchmarking the performance of carriers, handset OEMs, platform vendors, media companies and others. Website http://www.mmetrics.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount $44,300,000 Transaction … Continue reading “comScore Networks Acquires M:Metrics for $44,300,000”
Pelago Lands $15,000,000 Series B Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b29b7170-cb85-417c-9fda-6269d6a2a2a0&Preview=1 Date 5/27/2008 Company Name Pelago Mailing Address 1201 3rd Ave. Seattle, WA 98101 Company Description Pelago was founded in early 2006 with a DNA of innovation, customer obsession, bias for action and, of course, a relentless commitment to having fun. We’re incredibly proud of the all-superstar team we’ve assembled to date, … Continue reading “Pelago Lands $15,000,000 Series B Financing Round”
Vantos, Inc. Secures $10,690,000 Series B Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=5710d6b0-0ef2-45e3-9368-9c3387eb488f&Preview=1 Date 5/27/2008 Company Name Vantos, Inc. Mailing Address 605 1st Ave Seattle, WA 98104 Company Description VANTOS is singularly and passionately focused on being the global leader in the Enterprise Investigation Management market. From minor office misconduct to international financial crimes, companies can spend millions of dollars conducting workplace investigations. Website … Continue reading “Vantos, Inc. Secures $10,690,000 Series B Funding Round”
Telecom Transport Management Obtains $20,000,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1a71ce7e-7033-4c3b-a467-548cc5d556fa&Preview=1 Date 5/21/2008 Company Name Telecom Transport Management Mailing Address 146 N. Canal St Seattle, WA 98103 Company Description TTM offers a best-in-class combination of network quality, surveillance, and price, using a combination of owned and leased radio and landline-based technologies. TTM adds value to its customers’ operations by reducing network complexity, … Continue reading “Telecom Transport Management Obtains $20,000,000 New Round”
NGenera Corporation Acquires Talisma Corporation for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7b2bd579-913a-4534-ac01-8fcb1e46b493&Preview=1 Date 5/21/2008 Company Name Talisma Corporation Mailing Address 411 108th Avenue N.E. Bellevue, WA 98004 Company Description Talisma is a leading provider of web-driven customer service solutions that integrate the power of email, chat, real-time collaboration and telephony applications with a mature, robust multi-channel interaction management platform, comprehensive analytics and a … Continue reading “NGenera Corporation Acquires Talisma Corporation for Undisclosed Sum”
The Next Big Thing in Energy Innovation and Investing? Let’s Talk Water
Energy innovation and investing are exploding right now. Technological breakthroughs are seen as perhaps the greatest hope to solving our dire energy challenge. However, what is often overlooked is the link between finding or creating new sources of energy and the effects on food and water. Indeed, if you think of energy as a coin, … Continue reading “The Next Big Thing in Energy Innovation and Investing? Let’s Talk Water”
OLPC Teams With Microsoft, Wired Bonds with Ars Technica, Greenfuel Gets More Green, & More Deals News
There was a steady flow of Boston-area deals last week—not to mention a couple of nice ones for our fellow tech-media companies. —The One Laptop Per Child Foundation forged an agreement with Microsoft to make versions of the foundation’s XO laptop that run Windows XP (even as former OLPC president of software and content Walter … Continue reading “OLPC Teams With Microsoft, Wired Bonds with Ars Technica, Greenfuel Gets More Green, & More Deals News”
Wetpaint Receives $25,000,000 Series C Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1135ec0a-8c74-478e-a35b-a6f86bb7c498&Preview=1 Date 5/19/2008 Company Name Wetpaint Mailing Address 307 3rd Ave. S. Seattle, WA 98104 Company Description Wetpaint is changing the way people share and collaborate about passions and interests online through its consumer-friendly Wiki platform. For the first time, anyone who knows how to use Microsoft Word can use Wetpaint to … Continue reading “Wetpaint Receives $25,000,000 Series C Financing”
XO Laptop Goes Windows
Microsoft and the One Laptop Per Child Foundation have reached an official agreement to produce versions of the foundation’s XO Laptop that run Windows XP. The move is intended in part to overcome resistance to the XO among bureaucrats in countries where OLPC would like to distribute the laptop. “The people who buy the machines … Continue reading “XO Laptop Goes Windows”
Introducing Greg. He Rocks.
Astute readers will have noticed a new byline cropping up on Xconomy for the last week or so. It’s our new Seattle editor, Greg Huang. Seattle? Yeah, that’s what I said—more on that very soon. But Greg is filing stories from the Boston home office before he heads west so we thought you should know … Continue reading “Introducing Greg. He Rocks.”
BSX Meets With Much Approval, Biogen and Icahn Set the (Showdown) Date, Fate’s Fate Revealed, Win Free Stuff, & More Life Sciences News
Each week I round up the latest news from the New England life sciences cluster, but this week I also want to offer you, gentle reader, the opportunity to share your views on the cluster, as part of a survey we’re helping PricewaterhouseCoopers conduct. Participating in the survey is a great chance to help key … Continue reading “BSX Meets With Much Approval, Biogen and Icahn Set the (Showdown) Date, Fate’s Fate Revealed, Win Free Stuff, & More Life Sciences News”