In 20 years, which of these two Jeff Bezos-related announcements this week will have had a bigger impact: The $13.7 billion deal for Amazon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMZN]]) to acquire high-end grocer Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ: [[ticker:WFM]]) or Bezos’ stepped-up philanthropic ambitions, indicated by a tweet Thursday requesting ideas for how to give away his money ($84.8 … Continue reading “Seattle Week In Review: The Whole Everything Store, Yes, All of It”
Category: Seattle
Bill Gates Backs Fourth Metamaterials Spinout, Pivotal Commware
Pivotal Commware, a year-old metamaterials startup built inside patent licensing and invention business Intellectual Ventures, has raised $17 million from investors including Bill Gates. If that sounds familiar, it should. Pivotal is the fourth Gates-backed company to spin out of Intellectual Ventures armed with software-driven radio-wave bending metamaterials technology. Like its sister companies in satellite … Continue reading “Bill Gates Backs Fourth Metamaterials Spinout, Pivotal Commware”
Bio Roundup: Trumpcare Is Mean, SCOTUS Says Go, Merck’s Myeloma No
What exactly does the American Health Care Act, the Republican proposal to replace Obamacare, currently look like? Few people know, because the Senate version is being negotiated behind closed doors in Washington D.C. without any public hearings. We do know President Trump now thinks the version of the AHCA that squeaked through the House is … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Trumpcare Is Mean, SCOTUS Says Go, Merck’s Myeloma No”
Patient Network Group Says Majority of Members Want To Keep Obamacare
A U.S. patient networking group called PatientsLikeMe has dipped its toe in the waters of public opinion, asking its members what they think of the healthcare policy fight. There are many caveats, but the numbers trend in the same direction that other national polls have found—a shift towards more acceptance of the Affordable Care Act, … Continue reading “Patient Network Group Says Majority of Members Want To Keep Obamacare”
Data Collective, Other Top AI VCs, Pour $102M Into Element AI Series A
[Updated 6/14/17, 1:45 pm. See below.] Canada’s Element AI, publicly launched in October, announced today it has raised US$102 million in an outsized Series A financing round seen by experts as a sign that artificial intelligence is ready to solve real-world business problems. The young Montreal-based company, whose staff of AI engineers collaborates with academic … Continue reading “Data Collective, Other Top AI VCs, Pour $102M Into Element AI Series A”
Xealth Raises $8.5M to Help Doctors Prescribe Digital Health Apps
With more digital health apps and devices popping up each week, the debate continues about their effectiveness at improving health. But there’s another big problem for doctors and hospitals that want their patients to use the apps that do work: prescribing them. Xealth, a cloud-based software startup, aims to make prescribing a diabetes management app as … Continue reading “Xealth Raises $8.5M to Help Doctors Prescribe Digital Health Apps”
Washington State Program Could Be Model for Trump Apprenticeship Push
[Updated 6/13/17, 10:25 pm PT. See below.] President Trump, once the star of reality television show “The Apprentice,” is pushing for apprenticeships as a way to connect more people with some 6 million unfilled jobs in fields such as healthcare and information technology. A program from Washington state’s technology industry is doing just that, and planning to … Continue reading “Washington State Program Could Be Model for Trump Apprenticeship Push”
Accolade A.I. Engine Aims to Personalize Healthcare Choices
This story is part of an ongoing series on A.I. in healthcare. Accolade, a healthcare concierge company, has built what it’s calling an intelligence engine to do things like suggesting when an individual should seek a second opinion about a planned surgical procedure. The goal is to make interacting with health insurance benefits more like … Continue reading “Accolade A.I. Engine Aims to Personalize Healthcare Choices”
Last Chance for “What’s Hot in Cancer Immunotherapy 2017” Tickets
Registration is closing soon for Xconomy’s “What’s Hot in Cancer Immunotherapy 2017.” It’s all happening on Wednesday, June 14, at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. We have lined up some of the most forward-thinking entrepreneurs, investors, and innovators in cancer immunotherapy. Join us for an afternoon of spotlight talks, chats, and panel … Continue reading “Last Chance for “What’s Hot in Cancer Immunotherapy 2017” Tickets”
Seattle Week in Review: The A.I. Driver/Psychiatrist Will See You Now
If the TV show Frasier, which aired from 1993 to 2004, were rebooted and set in Seattle of, say, 2037, Dr. Frasier Crane would be an artificial intelligence avatar that would pick you up in a driverless, all-electric luxury sedan, and, after confirming your destination, inform you in an approximation of Kelsey Grammer’s dulcet tone: … Continue reading “Seattle Week in Review: The A.I. Driver/Psychiatrist Will See You Now”
Getting Women On Boards: Three Ways to Increase the Numbers
The hot topic of getting more qualified women on corporate boards continues unabated. Recent statistics show how companies with women prominently serving in such capacities experience higher-than-average financial performance. A major investment group even declared earlier this year that it would push to get women on the boards of the companies in their portfolio. Yet … Continue reading “Getting Women On Boards: Three Ways to Increase the Numbers”
Bio Roundup: ASCO Digested, Juliet Unveiled, PTC Slated & More
The New York Times Magazine wrote a few weeks ago about the extraordinary metabolic changes in a python after it gulps down a 50,000 calorie meal. The biomedical world was like a postprandial python this week; after extending its maw around the supersized meal of news and data from the American Society for Clinical Oncology … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: ASCO Digested, Juliet Unveiled, PTC Slated & More”
DimensionalMechanics Joins Rush to Bring A.I. to All
When he was 13, Rajeev Dutt, inspired by science-fiction authors such as Isaac Asimov, envisioned a world with ubiquitous artificial intelligence. His startup, DimensionalMechanics, is one of many companies large and small trying to deliver on that vision. The company has built a set of software tools meant to make it easier for non-experts to … Continue reading “DimensionalMechanics Joins Rush to Bring A.I. to All”
Microsoft Confirms Acquisition of Cybersecurity Firm Hexadite
Microsoft announced on Thursday that it has signed an agreement to purchase Boston-based cybersecurity startup Hexadite. The acquisition hasn’t closed yet. The deal was first reported on May 24 by Israeli publication Calcalist, but Microsoft didn’t confirm the acquisition until today’s announcement. No terms were disclosed in the news release, but Calcalist previously reported the price … Continue reading “Microsoft Confirms Acquisition of Cybersecurity Firm Hexadite”
States Seek Slice of $7 Trillion Autonomous Vehicle Industry
As U.S. states and cites vie to capture some of the trillions of dollars of economic activity expected to flow from a shift to autonomous vehicles in the coming decades, Washington on Wednesday joined about two dozen states that have paved the way for testing driverless cars. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee directed relevant state agencies … Continue reading “States Seek Slice of $7 Trillion Autonomous Vehicle Industry”
Grab Your Ticket for What’s Hot in Cancer Immunotherapy 2017 on June 14th
We are just a week away from “What’s Hot in Cancer Immunotherapy 2017”—and we’re offering you a chance to save $100. Join us for an afternoon of spotlight talks, fireside chats, and panel discussions that will delve into a variety of cancer immunotherapy topics. It all takes place on Wednesday, June 14, at Fred Hutchinson … Continue reading “Grab Your Ticket for What’s Hot in Cancer Immunotherapy 2017 on June 14th”
Snap Buys Placed, Maker of Ad Attribution Technology
Placed, a Seattle company that tracks traffic to physical locations using mobile devices to help measure the offline impact of online advertising, has been acquired by camera company Snap Inc. (NYSE: [[ticker:SNAP]]), the maker of messaging app Snapchat. Bloomberg, citing unnamed sources, pegged the value of the deal at $125 million with stock payouts that … Continue reading “Snap Buys Placed, Maker of Ad Attribution Technology”
ASCO Roundup: Checkpoint Combos, Tumor Profiling, Financial Toxicity
[Note: Ben Fidler coauthored this report.] The American Society of Clinical Oncology conference is wrapping up, and the closely watched medical meeting-slash-hype machine produced its usual array of data. There were a few big business-focused “horse race” stories—one company’s stumble was another company’s gain—but much of the news consisted of mid-trial updates that companies produce … Continue reading “ASCO Roundup: Checkpoint Combos, Tumor Profiling, Financial Toxicity”
BridgeCare Finance Aims to Ease Burden of Paying for Child Care
Quality child care—an essential foundation for children, with a lasting benefit—can cost as much as or more than college tuition, about $17,700 a year in Washington state, on average. But the expense also comes at a time of life when many parents are still relatively early in their careers, stretching their budgets, and often forcing … Continue reading “BridgeCare Finance Aims to Ease Burden of Paying for Child Care”
Of Catfish & Fickle Lovers: Aste CEO Talks Online Dating’s Downsides
There are millions of fish in the sea, and dating apps have made it easier to quickly find and connect with a lot more of those would-be catches. But the ease of creating an online dating profile—and the lack of oversight by the companies running such services—means that users can, and often do, misrepresent themselves. … Continue reading “Of Catfish & Fickle Lovers: Aste CEO Talks Online Dating’s Downsides”
Precision Steps: Can Loxo Drug Help Broaden Use of Cancer DNA Tests?
When the FDA last week approved Merck’s cancer drug pembrolizuamb (Keytruda) for tumors with a specific genetic signature, regardless of what body part they originated in, it was a watershed moment for oncology and a victory for the concept of precision medicine. But Merck isn’t alone; others are following suit with similar plans, and their … Continue reading “Precision Steps: Can Loxo Drug Help Broaden Use of Cancer DNA Tests?”
Week in Review: States, Corporations Look to Save World from Trump
Will this week be remembered as the moment the Earth’s changing climate went irretrievably over the edge—if it hasn’t done so already—or will it be a catalytic moment that accelerates action in spite of the U.S. president’s rejection of the global accord to address climate change? We explore that question with a couple of veteran … Continue reading “Week in Review: States, Corporations Look to Save World from Trump”
Ghostruck Fined by Washington Regulator for Operating Without Permit
[Updated 6/3/17, 9:27 a.m. PT. See below.] Ghostruck, a Seattle startup connecting movers with customers, was fined $75,500 by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) for “operating as a residential moving company without the required permit,” the commission announced Thursday. More than two-thirds of that penalty was suspended for two years, provided that the company … Continue reading “Ghostruck Fined by Washington Regulator for Operating Without Permit”
SIGINT Wins Midway: Milestones of Innovation 13
In these days of internet disruptions of complex systems like medical care and even elections, our obsession with data security is swelling. We’re all too aware of how signals from myriad sources can help us construct patterns of human behavior and make plans to take advantage of that behavior. Although it may be no comfort … Continue reading “SIGINT Wins Midway: Milestones of Innovation 13”
Bio Roundup: ASCO Combo Frenzy, Maine’s Free DNA Tests, Sema4 & More
Over the next four days, the Second City will be the center of the biomedical world. The American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual meeting in Chicago brings together thousands of researchers from across the globe to discuss the latest progress in the war against cancer. On tap this year: the crush of immunotherapy drug combinations, … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: ASCO Combo Frenzy, Maine’s Free DNA Tests, Sema4 & More”
Energy Leaders React to Trump’s Withdrawal From Paris Climate Accord
[Updated 6/2/17, 10:10 pm ET. See below.] President Donald Trump today announced the United States would withdraw from complying with what’s known as the Paris climate accord, a landmark international agreement to combat climate change. In December 2015, nearly all the countries in the world—195 of them—agreed to the pact, which aims to reduce emissions of … Continue reading “Energy Leaders React to Trump’s Withdrawal From Paris Climate Accord”
Seattle Startup WiBotic Readies Wireless Recharge System for Drones
For drones and other autonomous vehicles to carry out lengthy, meaningful assignments such as ongoing aerial surveillance or a day of delivering packages, they will need a reliable way to recharge their batteries with little or no human intervention. Seattle-based startup WiBotic, a spinout from the University of Washington, is developing a suite of wireless … Continue reading “Seattle Startup WiBotic Readies Wireless Recharge System for Drones”
Countering Cybersecurity Turnover: 57 Companies That Do It Best
What does it take to keep highly skilled cybersecurity employees? Salary and benefits are table-stakes. Challenging work, ongoing training, an opportunity to advance without having to become a manager, and a talented peer group all help companies recruit and retain these sought-after “ninjas”—the individuals who can do what artificial intelligence security tools can’t. Research from … Continue reading “Countering Cybersecurity Turnover: 57 Companies That Do It Best”
Teva Seeks to Keep Pace in Migraine Drug Race With Trial Results
An experimental Teva Pharmaceutical migraine drug has met the main goals of a late-stage clinical trial, keeping the drugmaker in the race to bring to the market a product that prevents migraine headaches instead of treating them after they start. Teva (NYSE: [[ticker:TEVA]]) reported Wednesday that its drug fremanezumab reduced the number of days during … Continue reading “Teva Seeks to Keep Pace in Migraine Drug Race With Trial Results”
In Maine, Making Cancer DNA Tests Free—And Asking Tough Questions
Has the era of genetic oncology arrived? Last week, the biomedical world took a notable step in that direction when the FDA said Merck’s drug pembrolizumab (Keytruda), already one of the world’s most successful cancer immunotherapies, could now treat any tumor with a particular genetic fingerprint. It was the first time a drug has been … Continue reading “In Maine, Making Cancer DNA Tests Free—And Asking Tough Questions”
Woodcock: New Approvals Show FDA Is Adapting to Precision Medicine
The randomized controlled trial has long been held up as the gold standard for testing new drugs. But the nation’s top drug evaluator, Janet Woodcock, believes they aren’t necessary for all new experimental treatments. Randomized trials are long, expensive to run, and ultimately produce limited answers, she said at a medical conference last week. The … Continue reading “Woodcock: New Approvals Show FDA Is Adapting to Precision Medicine”
On ASCO’s Eve, Experts Fret Over Backlash to Cancer Combo Frenzy
When thousands of cancer researchers from around the world gather in Chicago this weekend for the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual meeting, drugs that fight tumors by boosting a patient’s immune system will take center stage, as they have in previous years. But the stage is more crowded, as researchers have begun in earnest … Continue reading “On ASCO’s Eve, Experts Fret Over Backlash to Cancer Combo Frenzy”
Week in Review: Seattle Tech Boom From Amazon to Zestimate
With the Memorial Day Weekend weather forecast as nice as it has ever been or will ever be again, it’s time to grab some lab-grown “meat” and fire up the grill. First, let’s recap some of the headlines from booming Seattle’s tech industry this week, including our nation-leading population growth; several large venture capital investments … Continue reading “Week in Review: Seattle Tech Boom From Amazon to Zestimate”
Bio Roundup: Skinny Cuts, Genomic Approvals, Unfrozen FDA & More
Team Trump unveiled its 2018 federal spending proposal—the so-called “skinny budget”—with health and science in the crosshairs. The NIH is looking at a 22 percent cut and the FDA 31 percent, although the administration wants to backfill the FDA loss with a huge boost in user fees, which drug and device companies pay to have … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Skinny Cuts, Genomic Approvals, Unfrozen FDA & More”
Amid Budget Concerns, NIH Preps Beta Test for Precision Medicine Plan
An ambitious plan to recruit 1 million U.S. volunteers and amass a treasure trove of their health information will start next week with a “beta test” that health officials hope to eventually expand nationwide. National Institutes of Health director Francis Collins said Wednesday that the Precision Medicine Initiative will begin in Pittsburgh, where the agency … Continue reading “Amid Budget Concerns, NIH Preps Beta Test for Precision Medicine Plan”
Smartsheet, Outreach, Echodyne, Bulletproof, and Discuss.io Raise VC
Seattle-area tech companies announced a spate of eight-figure investment rounds this week. Here’s a rundown of who’s raising and who’s investing: —Smartsheet. The Bellevue, WA-based maker of online project management and collaboration tools announced a $52.1 million Series F funding round Wednesday. Insight Ventures Partners, an existing backer, took the lead on the funding—Smartsheet’s first … Continue reading “Smartsheet, Outreach, Echodyne, Bulletproof, and Discuss.io Raise VC”
Report: Microsoft Buying Cybersecurity Firm Hexadite for $100M
Microsoft is acquiring cybersecurity startup Hexadite for $100 million, according to a report by Israeli publication Calcalist. Xconomy has not yet confirmed the report. A Microsoft spokesperson said the company has “nothing to share at this time.” Hexadite CEO and co-founder Eran Barak and the company’s public relations representative have not yet responded to requests for … Continue reading “Report: Microsoft Buying Cybersecurity Firm Hexadite for $100M”
Unconventional Partners, Like FDA, Can Drive Adoption of New Tech
We’ve heard it time and again. Drug development is too expensive, takes too long, and many drug candidates that show promise in preclinical trials end up failing because testing methods don’t predict how they will work in humans. Recently, new technologies have emerged that offer disruptive potential for steering the development of drugs in more … Continue reading “Unconventional Partners, Like FDA, Can Drive Adoption of New Tech”
Gottlieb Says FDA’s “Regulatory Tools” Can Help Fight Opioid Abuse
The FDA considers how safe and effective a new drug is before approving it. But for addictive opioid painkillers, which have triggered a massive public health crisis, should the agency also weigh the potential for the medication to be abused? That’s one of the questions that new FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb is posing as he … Continue reading “Gottlieb Says FDA’s “Regulatory Tools” Can Help Fight Opioid Abuse”
FDA Landmark Nod: Cancer Drug To Match Tumor Genes, Not Tissue Type
For many years, doctors and researchers have known that cancers in different parts of the body can share genetic abnormalities. For the first time, the FDA has approved a drug based on those abnormalities and not on the organ in which the cancer originated. It’s a moment that a lot of people in the cancer … Continue reading “FDA Landmark Nod: Cancer Drug To Match Tumor Genes, Not Tissue Type”
Trump’s Cybersecurity Czar Talks WannaCry, Industry Partnerships
The Trump administration’s plan for strengthening the nation’s cyber defenses is starting to come into focus. Rob Joyce, a special assistant to the president and the White House’s cybersecurity coordinator, spoke in Boston Monday at an event promoting the launch of CyberMA, a Massachusetts affiliate of the national CyberUSA initiative. CyberMA is a MassTLC-led group … Continue reading “Trump’s Cybersecurity Czar Talks WannaCry, Industry Partnerships”
With $29M in New Cash, Echodyne Advances “Radar Vision” for Machines
[Updated, 5/23/17, 5:50am. See below] One of the Northwest’s most intriguing startups has a new wad of cash. Bellevue, WA-based Echodyne said it has raised $29 million in Series B funding led by New Enterprise Associates. The company’s previous investors also participated in the round; they include Bill Gates, Paul Allen’s Vulcan Capital, Madrona Venture … Continue reading “With $29M in New Cash, Echodyne Advances “Radar Vision” for Machines”
Envision the Future: Request Your Invite to Our Napa Summit June 8-9
We are getting down to the wire—just two and a half weeks until Xconomy’s most unique, up close and personal event of the year: our sixth annual Napa Summit: The Xconomy Retreat on Technology, Jobs, and Growth. We have only about 20 spots left open, and a number of those will likely go fast. So … Continue reading “Envision the Future: Request Your Invite to Our Napa Summit June 8-9”
What’s Next for American Workers as Trade, Automation Roil Manufacturing?
When Donald Trump heralded Ford’s announcement earlier this year that it would invest $1.2 billion in its Michigan plants, it was seen by some as the fulfillment of campaign promises to “bring jobs back” and put America first. Last week, the other shoe dropped with reports that Ford will cut 10 percent of its global … Continue reading “What’s Next for American Workers as Trade, Automation Roil Manufacturing?”
Week in Review: Remembering the Seattle of Chris Cornell and Grunge
Seattle mourns the death of Chris Cornell, the Soundgarden front man and Seattle native synonymous with the city’s grunge sound. Some thoughts on that below, but first tech news including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s visit to the Microsoft CEO Summit; results from the Seattle Angel Conference; new leadership at the University of Washington’s entrepreneurship … Continue reading “Week in Review: Remembering the Seattle of Chris Cornell and Grunge”
Bio Roundup: Termeer Tribute, ASCO Peeks, Califf’s New Gigs & More
Exhausted by the nonstop drama in Washington, DC? Immerse yourself instead in this week’s biotech headlines. Let’s start with a tribute to a life sciences icon, then we’ll head around the Xconomy network with early news from the nation’s big yearly cancer meeting. There was also momentum onthe IPO front and new gigs for high-profile … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Termeer Tribute, ASCO Peeks, Califf’s New Gigs & More”
The Reconfigurable Future of Healthcare
Data plays a more central role in healthcare than ever before. It won’t be long before every person’s genome is sequenced at birth, with follow-up sequencing done at regular intervals throughout life. Each genomic check-up would produce roughly 180 gigabytes of data that will need to be processed, analyzed, and stored. The promise of using … Continue reading “The Reconfigurable Future of Healthcare”
Could Seattle’s Life Science Expertise Support Clean Meat Industry?
The Pacific Northwest has the ingredients and the recipes for innovation in animal-free meats and proteins—but entrepreneurs and investors here have yet to don the chef’s toque. An event at the University of Washington’s CoMotion innovation transfer arm on Monday seeks to gauge interest among would-be innovators in the clean meat and plant-based protein. Advocates have … Continue reading “Could Seattle’s Life Science Expertise Support Clean Meat Industry?”
Medtech Firm Nativis Appoints Ferguson Chief Scientific Officer
Nativis, a medical device company aiming to use ultra-low radio frequency energy to treat disease, has appointed Kenneth Ferguson chief scientific officer. Seattle-based Nativis is currently in clinical trials testing its medical device, Nativis Voyager, as a treatment for recurrent glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer. Before joining Nativis, Ferguson was chief development officer for … Continue reading “Medtech Firm Nativis Appoints Ferguson Chief Scientific Officer”
Check Out The Agenda for What’s Hot in Cancer Immunotherapy 2017
We have posted the agenda for What’s Hot in Cancer Immunotherapy 2017, which is taking place on June 14 at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Xconomy is gathering some of the field’s experts to assess the past and future opportunities and challenges when using the immune system to fight cancer—folks like Hans … Continue reading “Check Out The Agenda for What’s Hot in Cancer Immunotherapy 2017”