The celebration marking 50 years of computer science education at the University of Washington went from a birthday party to a rechristening Thursday with the announcement of a $50 million endowment from Paul Allen and Microsoft. The UW Board of Regents elevated the university’s computer science department to the Paul G. Allen School of Computer … Continue reading “UW Receives $50M Endowment, Names Computer Science School for Allen”
Category: Seattle
Will Driverless Cars Ever Yield Profits for Uber and Lyft?
Uber has suffered a series of troubles early this year, from sexual harassment claims by a former staff engineer to an intellectual property theft lawsuit by Google unit Waymo. But Uber’s most longstanding, recurrent, and core problem stems from its relationship with its contract drivers. It’s not surprising that Uber is seeking an escape from … Continue reading “Will Driverless Cars Ever Yield Profits for Uber and Lyft?”
Toyota and Others Enabling Self-Driving Cars to Talk to Each Other
Drivers have plenty of ways to communicate with their fellow drivers, beyond the basic turn signal. Some methods are nice, like a friendly wave to beckon a merging car into your lane. Others, not so much. We’ve all probably cursed or honked at another driver, or been given the finger. But if driverless cars become … Continue reading “Toyota and Others Enabling Self-Driving Cars to Talk to Each Other”
Immigrants Are the Best of Humanity and the Strength of Our Nation
[Editor’s note: This post was adapted from Mohamad Ali’s speech at a naturalization ceremony at the JFK Library in Boston on March 8, 2017.] My fellow immigrants, buenas tardes, masa-al-khayr, and good afternoon! I am deeply moved by the opportunity to be here today, to share this momentous occasion with you, and to personally return … Continue reading “Immigrants Are the Best of Humanity and the Strength of Our Nation”
Washington Apprenticeship Program Opens Doors to Tech Careers
A few years ago while working as a crew leader for a moving company, Shawn Farrow was dreaming of a job in technology. “We moved a lot of people in the tech industry, so I was able to talk with them and see their way of life,” said Farrow, 30. “It made me decide, yeah, … Continue reading “Washington Apprenticeship Program Opens Doors to Tech Careers”
Three Ways to Bolster The Innovation Ecosystem for Women
When the topic of encouraging more female leadership in the startup economy arises, discussions usually center on what women entrepreneurs should do differently. How they should present with greater authority, or how they should “dress the part” for their next investor pitch. Put frankly, how they should adopt any manner of different behaviors. I would … Continue reading “Three Ways to Bolster The Innovation Ecosystem for Women”
Seattle Genetics to Resume Leukemia Drug Trials After FDA Lifts Hold
An experimental leukemia drug from Seattle Genetics can resume clinical testing, work that had ground to a halt three months ago following the deaths of four patients. The FDA in December placed clinical holds or partial holds on three early stage trials SeaGen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SGEN]]) has been running to study the leukemia drug vadastuximab. The … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics to Resume Leukemia Drug Trials After FDA Lifts Hold”
How Boragen Banked $10M to Develop New Boron-Based Fungicides
No matter what pharmaceutical companies throw at bacteria and fungi, the microorganisms find ways to get ahead. Their ability to mutate and reproduce quickly gives rise to new generations resistant to anti-infective drugs. Fungal resistance also troubles farmers, but they’ve had few new crop treatments to choose from, in part because agricultural technology investment has … Continue reading “How Boragen Banked $10M to Develop New Boron-Based Fungicides”
Seattle Week in Review: Healing Music Echoes Over ‘Voice City’
It’s still winter, and March, as the saying goes, is coming in like a lion—or a juvenile bald eagle—with snow in the forecast for the weekend. Again. We’re wrapping the week with a look at funding for 2nd Watch, Amazon Web Services’ outage, a spate of Alexa news, a look at ways game controllers are … Continue reading “Seattle Week in Review: Healing Music Echoes Over ‘Voice City’”
VenBio-Backed Directors Wrest Control of Immunomedics Board
Activist investors challenging the management of Immunomedics have reportedly won control of a majority of the seats on the drug developer’s board of directors, putting another hurdle in front of a deal to license the company’s lead drug to Seattle Genetics. Biotech investment fund venBio—Immunomedics’ (NASDAQ: [[ticker:IMMU]]) largest shareholder, with a 9.9 percent stake in … Continue reading “VenBio-Backed Directors Wrest Control of Immunomedics Board”
Bio Roundup: Healthcare Is Hard, “Slow” FDA, Drugging RNA & More
In an address to Congress this week, President Donald Trump outlined many of his near-term goals, including an overhaul of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, even as public opinion has begun to shift in favor of the law. Trump toned down his typical blunderbuss rhetoric, but he had choice words for the … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Healthcare Is Hard, “Slow” FDA, Drugging RNA & More”
Capital Stockpile Grows as Venture Fund-Raising Hits Recent High
In the venture capital business, a rising tide lifts all boats. That’s the idea, at least. A new report released today by Seattle-based PitchBook shows that U.S. venture firms have plenty of capital to invest in new companies, after 328 venture funds raised a total of $51.6 billion in 2016. That’s a high-water mark for … Continue reading “Capital Stockpile Grows as Venture Fund-Raising Hits Recent High”
Snap Raises $3.4B in IPO, Soaring Trades Set Value Past $20B
Snap, which rose to unicorn status based on a social media app that creates quickly vanishing photos, attracted solid investor interest in an IPO that raised $3.4 billion and sent shares up more than 50 percent above the initial offering price during the first day of trading today. Snap (NYSE: [[ticker:SNAP]]) priced its IPO shares … Continue reading “Snap Raises $3.4B in IPO, Soaring Trades Set Value Past $20B”
Trump and Kalanick: Twin Chief Executives Face Similar Problems
In the rinse-repeat rhythm of Uber’s PR crises, it’s easy to miss that this particular cycle has been a long one. Uber’s latest wave of negative press began in January with a backlash against CEO Travis Kalanick’s role on President Donald Trump’s White House business advisory panel. There’s some irony here, because Trump and Kalanick … Continue reading “Trump and Kalanick: Twin Chief Executives Face Similar Problems”
Amazon’s Alexa Opens New Path for Earplay’s Interactive Audio Stories
The woman has been anxious since the moment she sat down at my table in the restaurant. I’ve never seen her before in my life, but she just handed me a small vial of some unknown, green liquid. It’s slightly warm to the touch. “She begins to move away, and you figure you’ve only got … Continue reading “Amazon’s Alexa Opens New Path for Earplay’s Interactive Audio Stories”
After Trial Deaths, Juno Pivots and Scraps Lead CAR-T Therapy
Juno Therapeutics said today it would discontinue its experimental CAR-T cell product known as JCAR015. It was once Juno’s top candidate as the company raced rivals to be the first to win approval of a new kind of cancer treatment called CAR-T. The decision was not unexpected. Juno (NASDAQ: [[ticker:JUNO]]) hoped that a 110-person clinical … Continue reading “After Trial Deaths, Juno Pivots and Scraps Lead CAR-T Therapy”
Backed by Seattle Angels, BluHaptics Readies Robot Control Software
The typical controller that human operators use to manipulate a multi-million-dollar undersea robotic arm is a complicated, analog model of the arm itself. Operators direct the movement of each joint, making a costly, high-pressure task such as repairing oil and gas facilities or cleaning up munitions that much harder and more susceptible to mistakes. Seattle startup … Continue reading “Backed by Seattle Angels, BluHaptics Readies Robot Control Software”
Join Xconomy in June for ‘What’s Hot In Cancer Immunotherapy 2017’
Our bodies fight cancer every day, repairing DNA and cleaning out suspicious cells. But sometimes our powerful immune systems need help. That’s the concept of immunotherapy. Three years ago, the ideas long dreamed of by cancer researchers were quickly taking shape, and Xconomy convened scientists, investors, entrepreneurs, and others in Seattle to take stock of … Continue reading “Join Xconomy in June for ‘What’s Hot In Cancer Immunotherapy 2017’”
Xconomy’s EXOME Presents: What’s Hot in Cancer Immunotherapy 2017
Seattle is one of the world’s centers of cancer immunotherapy. Three years ago, Xconomy gathered some of the field’s experts to talk about the promises of harnessing the immune system to fight cancer. Today, some of those promises seem well within reach, and a small but growing number of patients are benefiting from a handful … Continue reading “Xconomy’s EXOME Presents: What’s Hot in Cancer Immunotherapy 2017”
Former FDA Commissioners Califf, McClellan Talk Healthcare’s Future
The top spot at the FDA remains vacant, and the change in presidential power has some healthcare observers wondering about possible changes for the regulator. One month removed from serving as FDA commissioner, Robert Califf says the agency can be improved through a combination of precedent, experience, and evidence. Califf, who served less than one … Continue reading “Former FDA Commissioners Califf, McClellan Talk Healthcare’s Future”
With Eye On FDA, Kite Says CAR-T For Lymphoma Holds Up After 6 Months
Kite Pharma released more data this morning that it hopes will lead this year to the first commercial approval of a cutting-edge cancer treatment known as CAR-T therapy. The Santa Monica, CA, firm will soon ask the FDA for approval to use its CAR-T therapy, known as axicabtagene ciloleucel, to treat patients with desperate cases … Continue reading “With Eye On FDA, Kite Says CAR-T For Lymphoma Holds Up After 6 Months”
Seattle Week in Review: Upzone, Apple, Washington Resistance, & More
This week, a welcome sign of spring: the first crocuses poked out of the ground near here. More construction is sure to follow. The U District upzone was approved, making way for more development near the University of Washington. Apple made a donation to UW, and revealed Seattle expansion plans. More on those stories below, … Continue reading “Seattle Week in Review: Upzone, Apple, Washington Resistance, & More”
Bio Roundup: Trump Backlash, Verdine Plans, Sarepta Sale & More
A short week makes for a shorter roundup. As we’ve come to expect, however, there was no dearth of health and life-sciences news from Washington, D.C. A bipartisan group of Congress members who oversee health policy countered President Donald Trump’s encouragement of vaccine skeptics; the real test will be the upcoming budget’s funding of Centers … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Trump Backlash, Verdine Plans, Sarepta Sale & More”
Cascadia Innovation Corridor Starts With UW-UBC Urban Data Co-op
The University of Washington and the University of British Columbia will use a $1 million gift from Microsoft to collaborate on data-driven solutions to urban challenges, giving shape to the cross-border Cascadia Innovation Corridor that business, civic, and education leaders envisioned last fall. The effort to strengthen ties between the U.S. Northwest and British Columbia, … Continue reading “Cascadia Innovation Corridor Starts With UW-UBC Urban Data Co-op”
Sexual Harassment Claims Add to Turbulent Times for Uber
For the second time in less than a month, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick found himself fending off critical questions from his own employees at a Tuesday company-wide meeting. The last time, Kalanick was trying to justify remaining on President Trump’s economic advisory council after Trump issued a sudden travel ban against refugees and people from … Continue reading “Sexual Harassment Claims Add to Turbulent Times for Uber”
Amazon, Uber, and Bill Gates’s Robot Tax: An Automation Snapshot
As we gear up for Robo Madness 2017: A.I. Gets Real, our annual robotics and artificial intelligence conference at Google’s offices in Kendall Square, let’s connect a few dots around the topic of automation. In just the past day or two: —Uber has started testing self-driving cars in Tempe, AZ, after having its tests banned … Continue reading “Amazon, Uber, and Bill Gates’s Robot Tax: An Automation Snapshot”
Murray Asks Businesses to Help Homeless as Seattle Opposes Trump
Washington state’s emergence as a capital of resistance to the Trump administration has been abetted by many prominent tech companies. Now Seattle Mayor Ed Murray is asking companies based in the Northwest’s largest innovation hub to do more to address issues such as homelessness—helping fill a void left by an adversarial federal government that Murray … Continue reading “Murray Asks Businesses to Help Homeless as Seattle Opposes Trump”
Boston, NY Tech Job Growth Hits 5-Year Low, as Amazon Keeps Expanding
The hiring pace among Boston and New York software companies has slowed to a crawl, amid a broader downshift in the tech industry. During the fourth quarter of last year, the two tech hubs saw their weakest job growth in the past five years. That’s according to a quarterly study compiled by John Barrett, a … Continue reading “Boston, NY Tech Job Growth Hits 5-Year Low, as Amazon Keeps Expanding”
Agtech Accelerator Radicle Recruits Industry Vets to Mentor Startups
Former Sapphire Energy CEO Jason Pyle is one of four agricultural technology veterans who have agreed to advise the startups taking root at Radicle, the San Diego-based accelerator focused on agricultural and food tech ventures. Radicle named Pyle, who is now the CEO of BaseHealth, a Silicon Valley healthtech developer of analytic software, as a … Continue reading “Agtech Accelerator Radicle Recruits Industry Vets to Mentor Startups”
Lumina Foundation Gives Odds For Edtech Innovation Under Trump
[Corrected 2/22/17, 9:35 am. See below.] Bipartisanship hasn’t exactly been the watchword in Washington over the past month as the new Trump administration grapples with stalled nominations, court battles over its travel ban, and investigations of campaign contacts with Russia. But deeply divided politicians may still find some common ground over education policy—in ways that … Continue reading “Lumina Foundation Gives Odds For Edtech Innovation Under Trump”
Seattle Week in Review: Life Sciences at Risk, Keiretsu Record, & More
Here’s a quick look at news from the Northwest innovation economy this week, including a warning about the future of the life sciences industry in Washington; new funding for the University of Washington’s computer science expansion project; 2016 investment totals from Keiretsu Forum Northwest; fresh funding for ReplyYes; and an important new facility for cleantech … Continue reading “Seattle Week in Review: Life Sciences at Risk, Keiretsu Record, & More”
Bio Roundup: CRISPR Drama, Marathon and PhRMA, the Price of Vision & More
News may be coming out of Washington, DC, at a breakneck pace, but concrete plans regarding the future of the nation’s healthcare system, the FDA, and the pharmaceutical industry have been much slower to materialize. The consternation about President Donald Trump’s coming pick for FDA commissioner was palpable this week at the BIO CEO & … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: CRISPR Drama, Marathon and PhRMA, the Price of Vision & More”
An Update on Tasktop—and the Future of Software Development
You can learn a lot from a quick breakfast meeting. I’m at a French bakery in Assembly Row in Somerville, MA, with executives from Tasktop Technologies, a software company Xconomy has covered for years. Inside, the smell of croissants and coffee. Outside, a coating of fresh snow, just enough to be dangerous. These are heady … Continue reading “An Update on Tasktop—and the Future of Software Development”
UW Testbeds Touted as an Asset to Northwest Cleantech Innovators
Behind the tony shops of Seattle’s University Village, clean energy researchers are preparing to install one of the world’s most advanced machines for printing novel thin-film electronics. The Danish-made, 28-foot-long roll-to-roll printer will be a centerpiece of the new Washington Clean Energy Testbeds, a 15,000-square-foot University of Washington facility for developing clean energy technologies unveiled … Continue reading “UW Testbeds Touted as an Asset to Northwest Cleantech Innovators”
Mylestone Grabs $2.5M to Deliver Memories Via Amazon Alexa Devices
Amazon’s voice-enabled smart speakers can order a pizza, play your favorite song on command, set timers, and do plenty of other ordinary tasks. Now, Boston startup Mylestone aims to help make Alexa your personal memory bank. The company has created a new “skill” for Alexa—that’s Amazon’s term for the growing library of software tools built … Continue reading “Mylestone Grabs $2.5M to Deliver Memories Via Amazon Alexa Devices”
ReplyYes Raises $6.5M for ‘Conversational Commerce’ Platform
Seattle-based startup ReplyYes, which lets people buy things via text message, has raised $6.5 million and landed a major customer, Universal Music Group, for its conversational commerce platform. The Series A funding round was led by Madrona Venture Group, which incubated the company internally, and Cross Culture Ventures, Lowercase Capital, Muse Capital, and Arnold Venture … Continue reading “ReplyYes Raises $6.5M for ‘Conversational Commerce’ Platform”
With “Go,” Amazon Identifies Another Job It Can Do Better
Early last year, I “fired” talk radio along with NPR’s morning and evening editions. That same day, I “hired” Amazon Audible as my commute companion. It wasn’t a difficult decision. Audible is far better than its predecessors at doing the job I need done as I travel to and from my office – provide on-demand … Continue reading “With “Go,” Amazon Identifies Another Job It Can Do Better”
Fintech VC Backing Dipped 13 Percent in 2016, Mirroring Rest of Tech
The final numbers on 2016 fintech funding deals are in from New York-based research firm and investment database CB Insights, and venture capitalists seem to be cooling on the industry. According to a report released today, financial technology companies around the world attracted $12.7 billion in venture capital across 836 investments last year. That is … Continue reading “Fintech VC Backing Dipped 13 Percent in 2016, Mirroring Rest of Tech”
Dear Tom Price: Bundled Payments Help Patients and Reduce Costs
With all the talk of repealing Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act (ACA), people have been taking a closer look at what the law has done for our healthcare system. It turns out the ACA is about a lot more than the problematic healthcare marketplaces. There’s the extension of parental insurance coverage to age 26 and … Continue reading “Dear Tom Price: Bundled Payments Help Patients and Reduce Costs”
Seattle Genetics Puts Up $250M for Immunomedics Cancer Drug Rights
Seattle Genetics has agreed to pay $250 million up front for global rights to an Immunomedics cancer drug that it says complements the company’s pipeline of experimental antibody cancer therapies. If SeaGen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SGEN]]) is able to bring the drug to market, the Bothell, WA-based company would be on the hook for up to $1.7 … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics Puts Up $250M for Immunomedics Cancer Drug Rights”
Senate Confirms Price for HHS, But Stock Deals Still Raise Questions
The Senate confirmed Tom Price as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services early Friday morning by a 52-47 vote that, as expected, fell largely on party lines. Price is an orthopedic surgeon by training who has been a member of Georgia’s congressional delegation since 2004. He will now oversee a department that … Continue reading “Senate Confirms Price for HHS, But Stock Deals Still Raise Questions”
Bio Roundup: Travel Ban Block, Gilead Shock, Dean Kamen Talk & More
The biotech community pushed back against President Donald Trump’s order to block travelers and refugees this week, and not much later, a federal court did, too. Patient advocates have scored big wins with recent approvals of rare disease treatments, but they’re not as happy with insurers’ coverage decisions or with Trump’s promises of massive FDA … Continue reading “Bio Roundup: Travel Ban Block, Gilead Shock, Dean Kamen Talk & More”
Often Advocates Of Faster FDA, Patient Groups Wary Of Trump Deregulation
In the biomedical world, perhaps the biggest question looming over President Donald Trump’s upcoming pick for Food and Drug Administration commissioner is how drastically that person will help roll back FDA regulations. Trump said at last week’s meeting in Washington D.C., with pharmaceutical executives that he wanted to slash FDA rules by 75 to 80 … Continue reading “Often Advocates Of Faster FDA, Patient Groups Wary Of Trump Deregulation”
San Francisco Appeals Court Upholds Stay on Trump’s Travel Ban—For Now
The Trump administration’s travel ban will remain on a temporary hold under an order issued today by a federal appeals court in San Francisco, which held that the government had failed to make its case for lifting a stay won through a court challenge by the state of Washington. That means that for the time … Continue reading “San Francisco Appeals Court Upholds Stay on Trump’s Travel Ban—For Now”
EOW Reading List: Establishing Ethics in the Algorithm Era
In this edition of Xconomy’s End of Work Reading List, we’re running down expert opinion on the net effects of algorithms on humanity; a set of 23 principles agreed to last month by artificial intelligence researchers; progress on machine learning systems that make machine learning systems; new research on what drives cooperation or competition among … Continue reading “EOW Reading List: Establishing Ethics in the Algorithm Era”
Xconomy Is Growing: We Need Great Salespeople in SF, Texas, and NY
Since Xconomy’s founding nearly a decade ago, we have grown from a single bureau in Boston to having editors covering 11 innovation clusters around the United States. And over this time, we have cultivated a reputation for outstanding news coverage and events across high-tech business sectors—from information technology to life sciences and beyond. In the … Continue reading “Xconomy Is Growing: We Need Great Salespeople in SF, Texas, and NY”
Propeller Health, Novartis to Develop Add-On Sensor for Breezhaler
Propeller Health, a Madison, WI-based startup that makes Internet-connected inhalers and sensors designed to help asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients, says it is teaming up with Novartis to build an add-on sensor for the Swiss pharma giant’s Breezhaler device. The agreement, announced on Wednesday, is focused on patients with COPD who live … Continue reading “Propeller Health, Novartis to Develop Add-On Sensor for Breezhaler”
Higher Ed’s Warning: Travel Ban Undermines U.S. Tech Training & Hiring
The more than 125 U.S. tech companies that joined the ongoing court battle against the Trump administration’s travel ban have detailed the many business hindrances it could pose, such as stranding foreign-born employees outside the country, and discouraging talented workers abroad from taking jobs here. But all companies, including tech leaders such as Apple, Google, … Continue reading “Higher Ed’s Warning: Travel Ban Undermines U.S. Tech Training & Hiring”
Semyon Dukach Talks Latest Techstars Boston Class, His Last at Helm
[Corrected 2/9/17, 11:45 a.m. See below.] This year’s session of the Techstars Boston startup accelerator will be the last one led by Semyon Dukach. In a blog post published Monday, Dukach unveiled the 13 companies accepted into the latest program and announced that he will be leaving Techstars Boston after this session, his fourth as … Continue reading “Semyon Dukach Talks Latest Techstars Boston Class, His Last at Helm”
AI Without the Costly GPU Chips? Seattle Startup Xnor.ai Sees a Way
Picture a world in which cameras, sensors, watches, and other devices, equipped with commodity computer chips, recognize and understand what’s happening around them. The basic devices are there now—billions of them—but they can’t handle the complex, resource-hungry algorithms that identify objects in pictures or translate text from one language to another, the kinds of inferences … Continue reading “AI Without the Costly GPU Chips? Seattle Startup Xnor.ai Sees a Way”