It’s diversity. The world is being written and consumed in code now. But the teams writing the code aren’t reflective of their global customers. We often hear that major companies can’t find enough talent from different backgrounds because of a pipeline problem that starts in schools. At PowerToFly we disagree. We don’t want people to … Continue reading “If There Is One Major Issue the Innovation Scene Must Address…”
Category: Seattle
Stewart Parker: Biotech Thoughts On Gene Therapy, GOP & Trout Streams
H. Stewart Parker is the former CEO of Seattle’s Targeted Genetics, a pioneering gene therapy company that fizzled out after nearly 20 years but helped pave the way for a new generation of companies, such as Bluebird Bio and Spark Therapeutics, that are moving gene therapies through the clinic. Parker spent time at the head … Continue reading “Stewart Parker: Biotech Thoughts On Gene Therapy, GOP & Trout Streams”
Xconomy’s Top 10 Innovation Stories of 2015
It was the year of drug pricing, fantasy-sports and Uber regulations, and countless cyber and terror attacks. It was a year when initial public offerings were few and far between for technology companies, and the biotech window may have closed as well. Yet there were plenty of commercial advances in fields like gene editing, immunotherapy, … Continue reading “Xconomy’s Top 10 Innovation Stories of 2015”
Synthetic Biology Primer: In Conversation With Richard Kitney, Part 1
“Synthetic biology” has always been a puzzling term to me. Prosthetic limbs are synthetic. Knee replacements are synthetic. Splicing the gene from one organism into another, a practice that began in the 1970s and gave rise to the biotechnology industry, is also a synthetic act. But those things are not “synthetic biology” in the way … Continue reading “Synthetic Biology Primer: In Conversation With Richard Kitney, Part 1”
Surprises in Tech from 2015, and What to Do If A Downturn Hits
Two tech trends gained surprising momentum this year, which positions them to be key drivers in 2016. Both take aim at the heart of the economy. Recently the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) gave crowd finance a shot in the arm. First it passed Regulation A which provides an exemption to the registration requirements mandated … Continue reading “Surprises in Tech from 2015, and What to Do If A Downturn Hits”
In 2016, Will We Finally Enter the Age of Imagination?
The biggest advance or most surprising development of 2015 was the private sector’s rapidly advancing and serious pursuit of commercial spacecraft development. This, coupled with the success of various missions like the Pluto fly-by; the dream of landing a craft on Jupiter’s moon Europa; the discussion of an outpost on the moon; the colonization of … Continue reading “In 2016, Will We Finally Enter the Age of Imagination?”
Thong Le: Biotech Thoughts On Pitches, Prices, Diversity, And Stress
Thong Le is the CEO of Accelerator, a Seattle biotech venture fund and incubator more than a decade old. Le took over in early 2014 and is overseeing a cross-country expansion. A second Accelerator facility opened with fanfare in New York City a year and a half ago. Le said at the time that Accelerator … Continue reading “Thong Le: Biotech Thoughts On Pitches, Prices, Diversity, And Stress”
Virtual Reality’s Turning Points In 2015
Among the most significant developments in VR this year have been the rate of change and improvement in mobile VR. Until recently, compelling VR experiences required a high-powered PC, considerable technical know-how, and were enjoyed only by enthusiasts and early adopters. Now there are mobile solutions that deliver a comparable level of quality, but are … Continue reading “Virtual Reality’s Turning Points In 2015”
Time to Bring Our Education System in Line with the 21st Century
The most pressing issue facing the innovation community is the lack of a robust tech talent pipeline to support emerging new enterprises and to help legacy industries adapt. While other countries are developing workers with skills to compete in the 21th century, our country’s education system remains stuck in the 20th. Not only do public education programs lack … Continue reading “Time to Bring Our Education System in Line with the 21st Century”
In the Face of Genomic Data Challenges, the Cloud Keeps Us Afloat
The data intensity of genomics is so intense that it’s difficult for most people to comprehend. According to estimates published in the journal PLOS Biology in July, as many as 2 billion human genomes could be sequenced by 2025, which would far exceed the data output expected of other “big data domains,” such as astronomy, … Continue reading “In the Face of Genomic Data Challenges, the Cloud Keeps Us Afloat”
Infrastructure Investments Are Key to U.S. Future
The issue that makes me most angry is the lack of investment in the infrastructure of the United States. From roads to mass transit to science to education, we are falling behind (or further behind) other regions. It’s a false economy, as lack of investment now means less capability to generate returns in the future. … Continue reading “Infrastructure Investments Are Key to U.S. Future”
Innovation vs. Healthcare Spending: Biotech’s Biggest Looming Challenge
Let’s start with the good news. We are at the beginning of a transformation in human health, treating diseases in ways that we could only speculate about in the recent past. While biology isn’t quite engineering (yet), biotech has become a technology-based, high-growth, high-wage space, all while working to cure cancer. Doing well by doing … Continue reading “Innovation vs. Healthcare Spending: Biotech’s Biggest Looming Challenge”
Five Cybersecurity Trends to Watch in 2016
To no one’s surprise, cybersecurity continued to be a key area of concern and struggle among organizations of all sizes in 2015. However, buried amongst the constant news cycle of new attacks and sophisticated breaches is the fact that more business leaders are understanding the importance of cybersecurity and its potential impact on the organization. … Continue reading “Five Cybersecurity Trends to Watch in 2016”
West Coast Bio Roundup: Shkreli, BlackThorn, Unhappy Holiday Layoffs
As welcome rain falls on the West Coast, with snow farther east in our mountains, we wrap the year with—what else?—more Martin Shkreli-related drama at KaloBios Pharmaceuticals, which was about to go belly-up a month ago when he swooped in to buy a majority stake. With Shkreli gone, KaloBios is headed south again. Bad news … Continue reading “West Coast Bio Roundup: Shkreli, BlackThorn, Unhappy Holiday Layoffs”
Pharmabros, Designer Babies, And Other Final Words For 2015
Every three months, Oxford Dictionaries releases its new entries, and modern language mavens everywhere have a field day. A few of my favorites from the summer update: weak sauce, microaggression, cupcakery, and at the risk of perpetuating wholly unfair stereotypes about journalists, beer o’clock. With that, I kick off my final column of 2015, a … Continue reading “Pharmabros, Designer Babies, And Other Final Words For 2015”
Finding Gratification in the Lessons Learned Along the Journey
During the downturn in 2000, when the dot com became dot bomb, I had to take a job that was a few levels below my expectations, but right in line with my actual life experiences. My boss and mentor at the time told me about his experiences in war and asked me to watch “Band … Continue reading “Finding Gratification in the Lessons Learned Along the Journey”
The Scientist and the Student: Thoughts on Lessons Learned From a Mentor
What is a key relationship or turning point that helped you get to where you are today? This is a great question. I suspect because it comes up so often in interviews, we tend to underplay the importance of the topic. We get familiar with the answer and over time, lose the tacit feel for … Continue reading “The Scientist and the Student: Thoughts on Lessons Learned From a Mentor”
Human Obtains $700,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=03ab60b3-f6e4-4115-bfea-3ccd5365d1a9 Date 12/24/2015 Company Name Human Mailing Address 3100 Airport Way Seattle, WA 98134 USA Company Description Human is a group of Pacific Northwest designers and thinkers bridging the gap between hardware and software. Next summer, Human will introduce an innovation that fundamentally transforms the way people experience their world through sound. … Continue reading “Human Obtains $700,000 New Round”
Illumagear Lands $400,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e34363e2-dd9f-4224-b51d-c2280f5c3831 Date 12/24/2015 Company Name Illumagear Mailing Address 1752 NW Market St. Seattle, WA 98107 USA Company Description ILLUMAGEAR’s mission is to illuminate people working in high-risk environments, making them safer and more prepared. We’ve been on work sites. We know how dangerous they are. Every year hundreds of workers die and … Continue reading “Illumagear Lands $400,000 New Funding Round”
UniEnergy Technologies Garners $25,000,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4fd5bbac-8385-480d-88ae-d89bf6300f53 Date 12/24/2015 Company Name UniEnergy Technologies Mailing Address 4333 Harbour Pointe Blvd SW Mukilteo, WA 98275 USA Company Description UniEnergy Technologies produces large-scale energy storage systems for utility, micro-grid, commercial and industrial, and other applications. Website http://www.uetechnologies.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $25,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes … Continue reading “UniEnergy Technologies Garners $25,000,000 New Funding”
Amid Neuroscience Renaissance, BlackThorn Quietly Builds a Business
The past year has seen several new biotech companies announce ambitious goals of tackling neurological disease, a vast, complex, and frustrating region of biomedicine. The academic side of the field has had a shot in the arm, too, from National Institutes of Health funding, to scientific advances at the Allen Institute for Brain Research (now … Continue reading “Amid Neuroscience Renaissance, BlackThorn Quietly Builds a Business”
Location Everywhere: What We’ll See in 2016
2016 is going to be a pivotal year for location- and proximity-based technology solutions. Companies across industries are testing the deployment of location aware infrastructures, opening up a world of possibilities. Location technology adoption will likely mirror that of social networks over the past 10 years. On balance, and with good direction, location-enabled experiences are … Continue reading “Location Everywhere: What We’ll See in 2016”
With $25M Investment, UniEnergy Technologies Plans to Scale Up
UniEnergy Technologies (UET) has landed a $25 million “strategic equity investment” from Japanese financial services firm Orix Corporation and a prior investor to accelerate production and sales of its grid-scale batteries. The company, based in Mukilteo, WA, about 40 minutes north of Seattle, is trying to build momentum after winning contracts in the last 18 … Continue reading “With $25M Investment, UniEnergy Technologies Plans to Scale Up”
Five Trends Ready to Disrupt In-Store Retail in 2016
With 2015 coming to a close, retailers are looking ahead for the next wave of technology that will impact in-store innovation. While we’re still waiting for some popular 2015 predictions to take off, including the merging of online recommendation engines with in-store visits, other trends such as e-commerce sites opening more brick and mortar locations … Continue reading “Five Trends Ready to Disrupt In-Store Retail in 2016”
The Big Value Creation Trend of 2015: Q&A with Jonathan Medved
When OurCrowd founder and CEO Jonathan Medved gives a talk about crowdfunding, as he did at the recent Stocktoberfest conference in San Diego, there is one particular slide in his deck that is something of a show stopper. Medved says it is the one slide that tells the whole story—explaining in one bar chart why … Continue reading “The Big Value Creation Trend of 2015: Q&A with Jonathan Medved”
Chatbox Obtains $2,100,000 Seed Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1b6efc27-9cdd-4356-aff9-435f4981b7a7 Date 12/22/2015 Company Name Chatbox Mailing Address 14419 Greenwood Ave N Seattle, WA 98133 USA Company Description At Chatbox, we believe that digital messaging is the future of communication. Messaging will become the primary interface for just about everything: how we talk to friends, say hello to grandma, find a date, … Continue reading “Chatbox Obtains $2,100,000 Seed Round”
TINYhr Obtains $5,999,969 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d2861bf9-a245-4083-81c1-799817e146df Date 12/22/2015 Company Name TINYhr Mailing Address 200 West Thomas Street Seattle, WA 98121 USA Company Description Founded in 2012, TINYhr works hard to make employees happier around the globe. The brainchild of serial entreprenuer David Niu (more on him below!), TINYhr believes that when employees are happy, engagement, productivity, retention, … Continue reading “TINYhr Obtains $5,999,969 New Funding Round”
Bayer, CRISPR Therapeutics Form $335M+ Gene Editing Venture
Every day, the landmark gene editing system known as CRISPR-Cas9 inches closer towards becoming a real method of treating human disease. It’s no surprise, then, that more and more large biotech and pharmaceutical companies are taking a vested interest in its progress. The latest is Bayer, which has just aligned itself with one of the … Continue reading “Bayer, CRISPR Therapeutics Form $335M+ Gene Editing Venture”
Patient Investors, Impatient Researchers Essential for Clean Energy Future
Maybe it’s something in the Seattle air that we share, but over the last few weeks, I’ve learned that Bill Gates and I worry about similar things. In interviews with The Atlantic and The Washington Post Gates said: “Historically, it takes more than 50 years before you have a substantial shift in energy generation, but … Continue reading “Patient Investors, Impatient Researchers Essential for Clean Energy Future”
The Best Podcasts of 2015: A Guide for New Listeners
The percentage of Americans who say they’ve never listened to a podcast is steadily shrinking, but it’s still pretty large — 67 percent, according to a 2015 survey by Edison Research and Triton Digital. I’m going to assume for a minute that you’re in this uninitiated group. You know what podcasts are, and you’re vaguely … Continue reading “The Best Podcasts of 2015: A Guide for New Listeners”
Digital Business, Data-Driven Consumers, and the Dark Web
It’s that time of year again, where we look ahead to determine what tech trends will make the most significant impact in 2016. From my view, data analytics and our digital way of life will increasingly transform the world and the nature of business. Here are a few ways I see that playing out in … Continue reading “Digital Business, Data-Driven Consumers, and the Dark Web”
The Day After His Arrest, Martin Shkreli Is Out At Turing Pharma
Martin Shkreli was arrested for securities fraud yesterday, and today he has one fewer business to run. Turing Pharmaceuticals announced this morning Shkreli has resigned his post as CEO. His departure from Turing marks the second time he has built a company, only to leave under no small amount of controversy. The federal government is … Continue reading “The Day After His Arrest, Martin Shkreli Is Out At Turing Pharma”
Seattle Roundup: Mazlo, Textio, Pixvana, Janrain, Innervate, Matcherino
‘Twas the week before Christmas, And throughout the Northwest, Tech companies scored funding, For VR, e-sports, and being your best Read on for details of new rounds for Mazlo, Textio, Pixvana, Janrain, Innervate, and Matcherino. —Mazlo is trying to help people improve themselves through brief, focused practice sessions on things like public speaking, meditation, nutrition, and … Continue reading “Seattle Roundup: Mazlo, Textio, Pixvana, Janrain, Innervate, Matcherino”
Innervate Receives $2,950,805 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=50abc249-49df-4d1b-84f0-3792e1c4fe55 Date 12/18/2015 Company Name Innervate Mailing Address 2018 156th Avenue Bldg F Bellevue, WA 98007 USA Company Description In order to jump into conversations and find engaging content, gamers are often forced to use a myriad of third-party sites. This is a problem because these sites can have misinformation, toxic communities, … Continue reading “Innervate Receives $2,950,805 New Financing Round”
West Coast Bio Roundup: Shkreli Cuffed, KaloBios Halted & More
[Updated, 9:00 am ET] As regular roundup readers know, the continuing saga of Martin Shkreli, the hedge funder-turned-drug price gouger, has a West Coast angle. Now under arrest on fraud charges, Shkreli took over Redwood City, CA-based KaloBios Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:KBIO]]) last month. It soon emerged he aimed to pursue a strategy similar to his … Continue reading “West Coast Bio Roundup: Shkreli Cuffed, KaloBios Halted & More”
Health Startups That Could Make My Job Easier
It’s remarkable how just six months of 80-hour weeks has changed me. Before I started my first year of residency last July, I was optimistic and excited about all sorts of healthcare startups. But now I can’t remember the last time I did my laundry and I’m just hoping to make it home from the … Continue reading “Health Startups That Could Make My Job Easier”
Textio Lands $8,000,000 Series A Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=239849e0-9df5-41d7-a1e1-dec14aa4eba1 Date 12/17/2015 Company Name Textio Mailing Address 700 Broadway E Seattle, WA 98102 USA Company Description Founded in Seattle in 2014 by Kieran Snyder and Jensen Harris, Textio is an artificial intelligence platform that predicts the performance of business documents as they’re being written. Website http://www.textio.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction … Continue reading “Textio Lands $8,000,000 Series A Financing Round”
From Google to Novartis: Business Showed Up Big at World Climate Talks
When negotiators from 195 countries met in Paris to hammer out an agreement to fight climate change, the two-week meeting in December was notable for many reasons. In an historic accord, the nations set a goal of limiting the warming of the planet to below 2 degrees C—even as low as 1.5 degrees C. The … Continue reading “From Google to Novartis: Business Showed Up Big at World Climate Talks”
With New Funding, Textio Trains Machines to Improve HR Writing
Textio, a Seattle startup using machine intelligence and natural language processing to help people improve documents like job listings and recruiting e-mails as they’re writing them, has raised $8 million and plans to triple its workforce in the coming year. Emergence Capital led the $8 million Series A, with existing investors Cowboy Ventures, Bloomberg Beta, … Continue reading “With New Funding, Textio Trains Machines to Improve HR Writing”
Matrix Genetics Receives $1,600,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=bf192dcc-80cc-4d4f-a864-60205b0afc69 Date 12/16/2015 Company Name Matrix Genetics Mailing Address 1600 Fairview Avenue E. Seattle, WA 98102 USA Company Description Matrix Genetics is a biotechnology company focused on producing renewable fuel and specialty chemicals derived from cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). Website http://www.matrixgenetics.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $1,600,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds … Continue reading “Matrix Genetics Receives $1,600,000 New Financing Round”
JanRain Obtains $27,000,000 Series D Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6aa6be8f-39f1-490e-93f5-728f9b779b0e Date 12/16/2015 Company Name JanRain Mailing Address 519 SW 3rd Ave Portland, OR 97204 USA Company Description JanRain has been a recognized leader and catalyst driving the OpenID market forward since 2005. While providing OpenID solutions for both consumers and businesses, our company has helped create the OpenID Foundation and the … Continue reading “JanRain Obtains $27,000,000 Series D Funding”
London Notebook: Conversations Inside The Biomedical Golden Triangle
Xconomy had reporters in eight locales when I joined in the spring of 2014. Since then, we have expanded into Texas and North Carolina, adding two more locales where we cover the life sciences and much more. We’re always looking for the next place to put down roots. One big place on our radar is … Continue reading “London Notebook: Conversations Inside The Biomedical Golden Triangle”
Pixvana Obtains $6,000,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1fa34e26-dd3c-457a-a8a5-4bdd8528b379 Date 12/15/2015 Company Name Pixvana Mailing Address 3621 Stone Way N Seattle, WA 98103 USA Company Description Pixvana is a Seattle-based software startup building a Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) video processing and delivery platform for media and entertainment applications. Website http://www.pixvana.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $6,000,000 … Continue reading “Pixvana Obtains $6,000,000 New Round”
Mazlo Receives $10,000,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=60092b03-56df-41e2-be87-b63a4c4af7e7 Date 12/15/2015 Company Name Mazlo Mailing Address 1424 11th Ave. Seattle, WA 98122 USA Company Description Named after Abraham Maslow, the founder of positive psychology, our company is about achieving personal and professional improvement goals through smart planning, daily practice, and the adoption of simple yet powerful skills. Website http://www.mazlo.me Transaction … Continue reading “Mazlo Receives $10,000,000 New Funding”
International Startup Resin.io Aims to Fix IoT Software Updates
Tucked into a small office in the heart of Seattle’s Capitol Hill is one hub of a tech startup whose team members hail from 10 countries. The international aspect of Resin is interesting by itself, and so is the challenge it’s tackling: wirelessly updating software on the billions upon billions of Internet of Things (IoT) … Continue reading “International Startup Resin.io Aims to Fix IoT Software Updates”
West Coast Biotech Roundup: Otonomy, Oncothyreon, Gilead, & More
Life sciences news pummeled the West Coast last week like a series of storms barreling out of the North Pacific. Here’s our roundup: —Otonomy (NASDAQ [[ticker:OTIC]]), a San Diego biotech developing new treatments for diseases and disorders of the ear, said Friday the FDA approved its antibiotic gel for treating ear infections among children. It’s … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Otonomy, Oncothyreon, Gilead, & More”
Reklaim Receives $9,781,775 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=832f2488-8f39-45b0-a224-624f091b1737 Date 12/14/2015 Company Name Reklaim Mailing Address 210 S. Hudson St. Seattle, WA 98134 USA Company Description Reklaim’s innovative solution not only makes old rubber tire disposal methods obsolete, it provides additional value in terms of reclaimed materials, usable energy sources, and healthier communities. We are not only eliminating a problem, … Continue reading “Reklaim Receives $9,781,775 New Financing Round”
Seattle Roundup: TINYpulse, Eventbase, MetricStory, Pogo, & More
A “drunken” rainstorm barraged the Northwest this week. Entrepreneurs made it rain, too. Read on for details of funding news from TINYpulse, Eventbase Technology, MetricStory, and Pogo, as well as results of surveys of software engineer salaries and the best companies to work for. —TINYpulse, the Seattle startup that makes anonymous survey and feedback tools … Continue reading “Seattle Roundup: TINYpulse, Eventbase, MetricStory, Pogo, & More”
Austin, Denver Score High in U.S. List of Software Engineer Pay
If you are a software engineer, you are in demand. This you know. What you may not know is how your salary stacks up to that of your peers around the country. For that, I present to you the State of U.S. Salaries Report, courtesy of a San Francisco company called Hired. To no one’s … Continue reading “Austin, Denver Score High in U.S. List of Software Engineer Pay”
Calico Energy Services Obtains $6,667,707 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=107da9fd-6820-4636-aad3-435cec4a9253 Date 12/11/2015 Company Name Calico Energy Services Mailing Address 811 Kirkland Avenue Kirkland, WA 98033 USA Company Description Calico Energy Services was founded in 2009 by a group of seasoned energy, enterprise software, and business automation professionals. From the Company’s inception, our vision has been to redefine the way the world … Continue reading “Calico Energy Services Obtains $6,667,707 New Round”