Memorial Day weekend may be fast approaching, but don’t fire up those grills yet: there’s plenty of headlines to dig into first in our biotech trip around the Xconomy network. In New York, the nation’s most prestigious science competition changed sponsors for just the second time in its 74-year history. In Boston, one company’s controversial … Continue reading “Biotech Roundup: Duchenne Delay, Forum’s Fate, Califf, Ionis & More”
Category: Seattle
LeaveLogic Garners $900,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=53d67093-7905-42b4-9e0b-2bd8ba99a2b8 Date 5/27/2016 Company Name LeaveLogic Mailing Address 2008A California Ave SW Seattle, WA 98116 USA Company Description LeaveLogic sends email-based training to the manager just in time. We deliver content educating the manager on employee rights and resources available. With LeaveLogic the family leave experience is standardized across organizations, locations, and … Continue reading “LeaveLogic Garners $900,000 New Funding Round”
Planetary Resources Receives $21,100,000 Series A Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3888ed9d-edf8-47d4-a059-72bd212a3897 Date 5/27/2016 Company Name Planetary Resources Mailing Address 6742 185th Street Redmond, WA 98052 USA Company Description Planetary Resources is establishing a new paradigm for resource discovery and utilization that will bring the solar system into humanity’s sphere of influence. Our technical principals boast extensive experience in all phases of robotic … Continue reading “Planetary Resources Receives $21,100,000 Series A Financing”
Strategies to Attract More Women and Minorities to Startup Accelerators
Startup incubators and accelerators represent an important avenue of advancement in the tech industry for women and underrepresented minorities. And while several high-profile accelerators are taking specific steps to recruit companies led by diverse founders, progress is slow in coming. That was evident on the stage at the end of Techstars Seattle’s latest Demo Day … Continue reading “Strategies to Attract More Women and Minorities to Startup Accelerators”
FDA Commish Califf to Big Data Crowd: Flood Of New Treatments Coming
New FDA commissioner Robert Califf said Wednesday that the recent spike in drug approvals is no temporary phenomenon, thanks to a better understanding of biology and continued adoption of sophisticated technology throughout healthcare. “I predict we’ll see of a flood of effective treatments”—not just drugs but combinations of drugs and data-enabled devices—“and we’ll have to … Continue reading “FDA Commish Califf to Big Data Crowd: Flood Of New Treatments Coming”
New Proposed Laws, Collaborations Pave Way for Driverless Future
This has been a banner week for Michigan-centric news pertaining to the development of driverless vehicles. On Wednesday, Google announced in a Google+ post that, after placing a team of employees in the metro Detroit area for “the past few years,” it would open a facility in suburban Novi, MI, to develop self-driving car technology. … Continue reading “New Proposed Laws, Collaborations Pave Way for Driverless Future”
Meet the Bad Guys After Your Data
Cyber attacks make news headlines virtually every day; businesses and organizations know the threats are out there and that they need to take action quickly because threats are growing in both number and scope of complexity. The reality is, however, that the “bad guys” are likely already on your network and endpoints, poised to steal … Continue reading “Meet the Bad Guys After Your Data”
Bloomz Receives $2,300,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f321be92-1a85-4172-bad7-4326597d44ea Date 5/25/2016 Company Name Bloomz Mailing Address 8201 164th Ave NE Redmond, WA 98052 USA Company Description With Bloomz, teachers can safely communicate with parents, share class photos & updates, and coordinate through volunteer and conference signups. Website http://www.bloomz.net Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $2,300,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes … Continue reading “Bloomz Receives $2,300,000 New Round”
Software Robots Are Transforming Old Guard Industries
Everyone’s talking about robots and automation. Do you imagine having a “Rosie” cleaning your home, or the next industrial revolution of automation putting millions out of work? Neither is quite reality, but there is a highly valuable virtual workforce of “software robots” working in today’s offices. They aren’t rolling around like BB-8 delivering the mail, … Continue reading “Software Robots Are Transforming Old Guard Industries”
Seattle Week in Review: Don’t Sleep on These Techstars
This week, we’re reviewing the latest batch of startups to emerge from Techstars Seattle; an ambitious renewable energy commitment from Microsoft; an artificial intelligence-powered legal research assistant; top stories from around Xconomy’s network on mobility, enterprise search, and entrepreneurship education at MIT; and a dire warning about earthquake safety for those living and working in … Continue reading “Seattle Week in Review: Don’t Sleep on These Techstars”
The Biotech Roundup: Immunotherapy Ups And Downs, Gene Deals & More
A quick housekeeping note: Starting this week, we are combining our East Coast and West Coast biotech roundups into a single weekly post that will also include highlights from our other cities and regions, including Texas, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Xconomy’s latest bureau, Indiana. As with our bygone coastal roundups, this new national roundup is not … Continue reading “The Biotech Roundup: Immunotherapy Ups And Downs, Gene Deals & More”
As the Mobility Sector Revs Up, Startups and Dealerships Respond
Mobility, in case you haven’t heard, is the up-and-coming tech buzzword driving the future of transportation. As defined by the auto industry, mobility refers to moving goods and people from point A to point B. This encompasses vehicles for personal use, fleet vehicles, public transit, ridesharing, bicycles, car-sharing, self-driving cars, planes, trains, and essentially any … Continue reading “As the Mobility Sector Revs Up, Startups and Dealerships Respond”
ThoughtSpot Raises $50M for Business Data Search Engine
“The consumption of data by humans has increased maybe millions of times compared to what we used to use,” Ajeet Singh says. “This is possible because of search.” By that, serial entrepreneur Singh means search engines like Google and Microsoft’s Bing, which instantly scour websites to find us a restaurant, an audiobook, or the name … Continue reading “ThoughtSpot Raises $50M for Business Data Search Engine”
MIT Boosts Resources for Entrepreneurs as Startup “Fever” Rages
[Editor’s note: This is part of a series of stories examining entrepreneurship on MIT’s campus and beyond.] [Corrected 10/4/16, 9:33 am. See below.] In 1901, 40 years after the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was founded, alumnus and inventor William Nickerson co-founded the company that would become Gillette. MIT graduate William Shockley co-invented the transistor in … Continue reading “MIT Boosts Resources for Entrepreneurs as Startup “Fever” Rages”
TableSafe Secures $513,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0ed4a8d7-f5ec-40c1-86f2-a679b2eab244 Date 5/19/2016 Company Name TableSafe Mailing Address 12220 – 113th Ave. NE Kirkland, WA 98034 USA Company Description TableSafe provides solutions for secure payment transactions, while providing a marketing platform for communications between the hospitality industry and their guests. The Company partners with industry leading technology companies to ensure the highest … Continue reading “TableSafe Secures $513,000 New Financing”
Hubb Lands $155,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c27e5ebe-6244-4703-98e0-b72f8edd1b91 Date 5/19/2016 Company Name Hubb Mailing Address 4510 NE 68th Dr. Vancouver, WA 98661 USA Company Description Hubb automates the complex workflows & tasks required to collect, manage and market content for your next conference or meeting. Website http://www.hubb.me Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $155,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes … Continue reading “Hubb Lands $155,000 New Funding Round”
Make Exits, Not Unicorns: Voyager Charts the Early Stage VC Course
Elemental Technologies and Blue Box Group were acquired by Amazon and IBM, respectively, in two of the Northwest’s most prominent technology deals of 2015. Both received initial venture capital investments from Voyager Capital. With these successful exits behind them and the firm’s 20-year anniversary ahead next year, Voyager partners Bill McAleer and Erik Benson sat … Continue reading “Make Exits, Not Unicorns: Voyager Charts the Early Stage VC Course”
Agenovir Gets $10.6M To Take on Viral Infections With CRISPR
The gene editing system known as CRISPR-Cas9 has electrified the world of science and led to a slew of startups, including two—Editas Medicine and Intellia Therapeutics—that have already gone public. The latest to join the fray is Agenovir, a company incubated at Johnson & Johnson’s JLABS accelerator in South San Francisco that aims to use … Continue reading “Agenovir Gets $10.6M To Take on Viral Infections With CRISPR”
PhaseRx Obtains $18,500,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a9471bca-770c-450c-a4ad-6753ff90174f Date 5/18/2016 Company Name PhaseRx Mailing Address 410 West Harrison Street Seattle, WA 98119 USA Company Description PhaseRx (NASDAQ: PZRX) is an RNAi delivery technology company developing a breakthrough polymer-based system that enables the systemic delivery of RNAi-based drugs and potentially other macromolecules as therapeutic products. Website http://www.phaserx.com Transaction Type IPO … Continue reading “PhaseRx Obtains $18,500,000 New Round”
Learn These Tech Skills & Get a Raise, PayScale Report Says
Want to make a few extra (thousand) bucks? For software developers, it’s possible if you add a few trending programming languages to your resume, according to Seattle-based PayScale, a crowdsourcing and data analytics company that seeks out and provides salary information. Developers and programmers who learn the Go or Scala computer programming languages will make … Continue reading “Learn These Tech Skills & Get a Raise, PayScale Report Says”
Moment Garners $2,999,992 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=16d51446-c5a3-4d18-9b86-609b3870cf7d Date 5/17/2016 Company Name Moment Mailing Address 425 Westlake Ave. N Seattle, WA 98109 USA Company Description You’ll instantly feel the quality of these lenses, and that’s not an accident. With a perfect balance of size and weight, they’re proportional to your phone and extremely minimal. Clean lines and a machined … Continue reading “Moment Garners $2,999,992 New Funding”
Internal Threats: 10 Ways to Protect Your Business
The topic of cybercriminals can invoke the image of a scruffy-looking hacker glaring at a computer screen from a mysterious location. But the most serious threats to your business’s information security could be much closer than you think. A growing number of small and midsize businesses consider internal security breaches—accidental and malicious—from employees a bigger … Continue reading “Internal Threats: 10 Ways to Protect Your Business”
EnBiotix Obtains Series A Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=da35cd84-1121-44c9-a7f7-7687aab9bb6d Date 5/16/2016 Company Name EnBiotix Mailing Address Undisclosed Cambridge, MA 98032 USA Company Description EnBiotix is a product-focused bioengineering company commercializing anti-infective inventions of EnBiotix co-founder and SAB Chair Professor James J. Collins. Website http://www.enbiotix.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were … Continue reading “EnBiotix Obtains Series A Funding Round”
White House Wants to Spend $121M on National Microbiome Initiative
The Obama administration announced this morning a public-private initiative to study the collections of microorganisms that live on or in humans and practically everywhere else on Earth. More than 100 other institutions are joining the administration with funding and resources in what’s being billed as the National Microbiome Initiative. The microbiome has become a subject … Continue reading “White House Wants to Spend $121M on National Microbiome Initiative”
Seattle Week in Review: Failure is Likely, But Not Guaranteed
Entrepreneurs know it, the angel investors and venture capitalists who back them know it: Building a business from scratch is difficult, and the odds of it becoming a runaway success are long. Xconomy Seattle’s Week in Review looks at new research on angel investing outcomes and the winner of the latest Seattle Angel Conference, the … Continue reading “Seattle Week in Review: Failure is Likely, But Not Guaranteed”
Bankrupt Biotech KineMed Owes More Than $1M To Gates, Others
KineMed spent years trying to help drug companies and other researchers pinpoint how to best attack a disease. Despite multiple deals with big names in pharma and academia, the business didn’t work. KineMed, of Emeryville, CA, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last week, which means it wants protection from creditors while it comes up with … Continue reading “Bankrupt Biotech KineMed Owes More Than $1M To Gates, Others”
Amazon, Mitsubishi Advancing Speech Technology in Boston
[Updated 5/13/16, 9:56 a.m. See below.] Computer scientists have been trying to train software-powered machines to reliably understand and respond to human speech for years. They seem to have turned a corner recently. Two of the latest examples were highlighted Thursday in Boston, as researchers from Amazon and Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories (MERL) briefly discussed … Continue reading “Amazon, Mitsubishi Advancing Speech Technology in Boston”
Is Your Machine Learning Algorithm Smarter Than a Dog?
Do we need an Asimov’s Law for chatbots? And how do they compare with a talking parrot? What can dairy farmers learn from outfitting cows with pedometers? How can algorithms better explain to humans not just what they’re predicting, but why? Some of the biggest names from the Seattle area’s growing machine learning and artificial … Continue reading “Is Your Machine Learning Algorithm Smarter Than a Dog?”
RIPL Garners $500,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=debcff6a-97aa-4492-bb0a-204bdcd45848 Date 5/12/2016 Company Name RIPL Mailing Address 5227 111th Lane NE Kirkland, WA 98033 USA Company Description RIPL has developed a mobile application that enables users to animate their social media posts. Website http://www.ripl.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $500,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. 6 … Continue reading “RIPL Garners $500,000 New Funding Round”
Investigation Finds Recyclers Ship E-Waste Overseas
Despite assurances otherwise, electronic waste dropped at collection sites around the U.S. is winding up in junkyards in Hong Kong, and elsewhere in Asia, where handling practices are imperiling workers and the surrounding environment, according to an investigation by the Seattle-based Basel Action Network. Recyclers tied to overseas shipments of e-waste include Total Reclaim, the largest e-waste handler serving the Pacific … Continue reading “Investigation Finds Recyclers Ship E-Waste Overseas”
Integris.io Lands $3,000,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e8855317-0156-48c9-bc60-3f9aad3dc410 Date 5/11/2016 Company Name Integris.io Mailing Address Undisclosed Seattle, WA 98104 USA Company Description At Integris, we are building a data risk intelligence solution that enables companies to handle the complexity of their data risk in an automated, proactive and continuous manner. Website http://www.integris.io Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $3,000,000 … Continue reading “Integris.io Lands $3,000,000 New Round”
MGH Goes Epic: What I Learned in the Trenches
On April 2 at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), the green charts went away. Every morning around 6:30 am since starting residency, my co-interns and I had frantically scrambled around the halls searching for these plastic binders, which contained the sole record of our patients’ vital signs. It was a ritual that blended equal parts anxiety, … Continue reading “MGH Goes Epic: What I Learned in the Trenches”
Across The Board: Ideas To Narrow Biotech’s Gender Gap
The evidence is piling up. Companies with more women in charge are better businesses. So why are so many biotechs still led mainly by men? Saira Ramasastry, a former Merrill Lynch analyst, is now a Bay Area consultant on the boards of three biotechs, including Sangamo Biosciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SGMO]]). Having benefited from female mentors such … Continue reading “Across The Board: Ideas To Narrow Biotech’s Gender Gap”
As Costs Soar in Silicon Valley, San Diego Looks for Startup Gains
Venture capital continues to gush into Silicon Valley, but is the Bay Area’s decades-long startup boom sustainable? Talk in the valley has turned increasingly gloomy amid signs that its phenomenal tech boom—like Moore’s law itself—is bumping against its upper limits. One perspective in this conversation comes from Redpoint Ventures partner Tomasz Tunguz. In a post … Continue reading “As Costs Soar in Silicon Valley, San Diego Looks for Startup Gains”
OpenSesame Secures $998,049 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=fdf58140-788e-47dc-9857-8e49ded3614e Date 5/9/2016 Company Name OpenSesame Mailing Address 520 NW Davis Street Portland, OR 97209 USA Company Description OpenSesame is the world’s largest source for elearning courses focused on employee training. Buyers browse online training courses in a wide variety of subjects from workplace safety to business skills then purchase and start … Continue reading “OpenSesame Secures $998,049 New Financing”
Seattle Week in Review: Facing Displacement from AI
When will the technology arrive that makes you obsolete in your current job? [Checks watch.] It’s no idle question, and one that none other than Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella took up this week in remarks to hundreds of Seattle technology and business leaders. We’ll explore his comments, a new offering from Textio, the media’s failures … Continue reading “Seattle Week in Review: Facing Displacement from AI”
How a Mobile Device Can Reduce Distracted Driving
Distracted driving is a major problem. In 2014, more than 30,000 people were killed and more than 430,000 injured in car crashes involving distracted drivers. Ironically, it may just be that the root of the problem – a smartphone – could actually be the solution. People know they shouldn’t, but they do. In a survey … Continue reading “How a Mobile Device Can Reduce Distracted Driving”
Ford Expands Mobility Play with $182.2M Pivotal Investment
[Updated, 11:56am. See below] When Pivotal launched in 2013 with 1,250 employees and a valuation of over $1 billion, my colleague Wade Roush wrote that the cloud computing infrastructure firm “isn’t your typical startup.” Further proof of that came yesterday when Ford announced it was plunking down more than $182 million to continue its collaboration with Pivotal. Alan … Continue reading “Ford Expands Mobility Play with $182.2M Pivotal Investment”
West Coast Biotech Roundup: Acadia, Medivation, Verily, and More
Just a few weeks ago, the Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur and philanthropist Sean Parker committed $250 million of his Napster and Facebook fortune to a massive effort to accelerate ways to boost the body’s own immune system against cancer. Now he’s turning his attention to a different kind of biotech initiative, which you might describe … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Acadia, Medivation, Verily, and More”
AgTech Accelerator Aims to Sway Agriculture Investment Trends
Agriculture and food-related companies make up a global industry, but when it comes to seeding startups in the sector, agricultural technologies face a relative funding famine. AgTech Accelerator, a new startup program launched Thursday in Research Triangle Park, NC, is trying to address funding issues facing agtech companies, while also providing some of the business … Continue reading “AgTech Accelerator Aims to Sway Agriculture Investment Trends”
PayScale Secures $42,250,038 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a35e13d3-9e99-42d1-8ec2-65b20969e953 Date 5/6/2016 Company Name PayScale Mailing Address 1000 1st Ave South Seattle, WA 98134 USA Company Description PayScale is a market leader in online compensation and benefit information, providing access to accurate compensation data for both employees and employers. Website http://www.payscale.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $42,250,038 Transaction Round Undisclosed … Continue reading “PayScale Secures $42,250,038 New Funding”
New AgTech Accelerator Takes Root in RTP with $11.5M Investment
AgTech Accelerator, a new program intended to foster entrepreneurialism in agriculture, has launched in Research Triangle Park, NC, boosted by $11.5 million in support from heavyweights in the agriculture and investment communities, and partnerships with leading academic centers throughout the country. Alexandria Venture Investments, the investment arm of Alexandria Real Estate Equities (NYSE: [[ticker:ARE]]), is … Continue reading “New AgTech Accelerator Takes Root in RTP with $11.5M Investment”
More than a Matter of Appearances: Pharma’s Existential PR Problem
When President Obama forced Pfizer to scrap its proposed $160 billion merger with Allergan, the industry as well as the company emerged as losers in the eyes of the public, despite Pfizer’s credible and constructive position. As Pfizer CEO Ian Read explained in a recent op-ed piece in The Wall Street Journal: Pfizer has long … Continue reading “More than a Matter of Appearances: Pharma’s Existential PR Problem”
Textio’s Learning Machine Offers Opportunities to Improve HR Writing
Remember the English composition teacher who could always find a gentle way to improve that middling passage in your writing? The editor who elevated the lightning bug to lightning? That’s a computer now, sitting with you and offering suggestions as you type. Textio, a Seattle machine learning and natural language processing startup focused on improving … Continue reading “Textio’s Learning Machine Offers Opportunities to Improve HR Writing”
Xconomy Launches Robotics and A.I. Channel
At the end of March, Xconomy held a jam-packed event called Robo Madness: The A.I. Explosion. If you were among the roughly 250 people who descended on the Googleplex in the heart of Cambridge’s Kendall Square for the event, you may have heard me note that robotics and artificial intelligence were clearly growing in importance … Continue reading “Xconomy Launches Robotics and A.I. Channel”
Down to Wire on Napa Summit—Get Your Invite to Our May 16-17 Event
It’s getting close to the last call for Xconomy’s invitation-only Napa Summit. We have a star-studded lineup. But there are only a few tickets and hotel rooms left, and the May 16-17 event is coming up fast. So request your invitation right away if you’d like to join us. It all starts with a dinner … Continue reading “Down to Wire on Napa Summit—Get Your Invite to Our May 16-17 Event”
A Vision for Boosting the Life Sciences in San Diego and Beyond
The life sciences industry represents a vital piece of San Diego’s innovation economy, contributing $31.8 billion each year in local economic impact—more than defense or even tourism, according to the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp. Beyond our region, San Diego’s life sciences community is significant for a different reason: Our companies contribute novel healthcare … Continue reading “A Vision for Boosting the Life Sciences in San Diego and Beyond”
Formlabs Buys Pinshape, a 3D Design Marketplace
A bit of consolidation in the 3D-printing market today: Formlabs, a desktop 3D-printer company in Somerville, MA, says it has acquired Pinshape, an online marketplace for 3D designs, based in Vancouver, Canada. No terms of the deal were given, but it’s a fairly small acquisition. Pinshape has eight employees and got started in 2013. Its … Continue reading “Formlabs Buys Pinshape, a 3D Design Marketplace”
Echodyne Readies Lightweight Radar for Small Drones, Other Uses
As aviation regulators and the drone industry work out rules for the quadcopters and other small unmanned aircraft systems that may someday deliver packages—among scores of other commercial missions—one thing is clear: For the drones to reach the potential their backers envision, they will need to fly beyond the pilot’s line of sight. Radar is … Continue reading “Echodyne Readies Lightweight Radar for Small Drones, Other Uses”
Ransomware: Four Steps to Avoid Becoming the Next Victim
It’s no secret to anyone who’s been paying attention to global business news: over the last few months, ransomware attacks have been plaguing organizations across every vertical and nation. Recent examples include events in the healthcare and legal industries in particular, notably the widely reported attacks on the MedStar Health hospital chain. In the case … Continue reading “Ransomware: Four Steps to Avoid Becoming the Next Victim”