In addition to significant fundraising news from iSpot.tv, Glowforge, and Ignition Partners, we’re tracking the winners of the University of Washington’s business plan competition, Seattle Angel Conference, and more. First, here’s a recap of Xconomy Seattle stories this week, followed by a few other notable developments: —Peach expanded to San Diego. We looked at how … Continue reading “Seattle Roundup: Seattle Angel Conference, UW Business Plans, & More”
Category: Seattle
West Coast Biotech Roundup: Illumina, Veracyte, Otonomy, Kite & More
Out west this week, the news flow was breezy. There were a sprinkling of diagnostics showers led by Illumina, which is in a patent fight with a Roche subsidiary, and Veracyte, which presented promising data for its lung test. It also seemed to be a week for pharma collaborations. Two pairs of partners signed pacts, … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Illumina, Veracyte, Otonomy, Kite & More”
Ignition Partners Plans to Stay the Course with $200M Sixth Fund
The headline on venture capital firm Ignition Partners‘ pitch deck to investors in its new $200 million fund was “No Change.” Ignition, based in based in Bellevue, WA, and Palo Alto, CA, has good reason to stay the course. In announcing Ignition Venture Partners VI, the firm touted 25 significant exits in the last three years, … Continue reading “Ignition Partners Plans to Stay the Course with $200M Sixth Fund”
Ex-Pfizer Exec Gutierrez-Ramos to Lead Synlogic’s “Smart Bug” Plan
Synlogic has already attracted some $35 million from investors on both coasts, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to pursue a science fiction-like idea to make customized disease-killing bacteria. Now, the Cambridge, MA-based startup has brought in a well-known former Pfizer executive to lead its first programs into clinical testing. Jose-Carlos Gutierrez-Ramos today is … Continue reading “Ex-Pfizer Exec Gutierrez-Ramos to Lead Synlogic’s “Smart Bug” Plan”
UW Recognized for Promoting Women in Computer Science
The University of Washington’s computer science program granted 30 percent of its undergraduate degrees last year to women, a mark that earned it recognition from the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT). The UW received the grand prize in the first NCWIT Extension Services Transformation Awards, “based on the significant gains they have made … Continue reading “UW Recognized for Promoting Women in Computer Science”
Fuze Receives $20,000,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7cfbd465-4eab-4796-a4f4-84b9b5024c42 Date 5/21/2015 Company Name Fuze Mailing Address 124 NW Canal Street Seattle, WA 98107 USA Company Description Fuze is redefining real time visual communication and collaboration. Our core principles guide our actions and priorities. They are as follows: Design a great user experience that drives engagement. Enable everyone to communicate and … Continue reading “Fuze Receives $20,000,000 New Funding”
Glowforge Garners $9,000,000 Series A Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=50a75141-0cc0-44e0-987d-becfd23e0ed2 Date 5/21/2015 Company Name Glowforge Mailing Address 2944 1st Ave S Seattle, WA 98134 USA Company Description Glowforge is a Seattle-based startup that’s creating the first 3D laser printer. Glowforge’s wireless desktop system makes it simple for designers and engineers to take products directly from digital design to reality. Website http://www.glowforge.com … Continue reading “Glowforge Garners $9,000,000 Series A Round”
Building an Agnostic Cloud Infrastructure
Over the last two years I have often been asked: What is the best way to move out of Amazon Web Services (AWS) or other public cloud services? There are many reasons for making such a move, but cost, stability, and planned growth are the primary factors. Many companies that surpass $50,000 a month in … Continue reading “Building an Agnostic Cloud Infrastructure”
Glowforge Gets $9M From Foundry, MakerBot Vets for Consumer Laser Cutter
If there’s one Seattle-area startup making something I really want, Glowforge is it. The company just raised $9 million from Foundry Group, True Ventures, and leaders of 3D-printing company MakerBot to build a consumer-grade “3D laser printer”—more commonly known as a laser cutter and engraver. Co-founder and CEO Dan Shapiro said Glowforge aims to have … Continue reading “Glowforge Gets $9M From Foundry, MakerBot Vets for Consumer Laser Cutter”
Mobcrush Secures $4,900,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=5e29ec69-8cc9-4804-abaa-4bc07d60b7a6 Date 5/20/2015 Company Name Mobcrush Mailing Address Undisclosed Los Angeles, CA 98033 USA Company Description Mobcrush is a mobile video streaming company that enables mobile users to broadcast, watch and chat about games played and streamed in real-time. Website http://www.mobcrush.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $4,900,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds … Continue reading “Mobcrush Secures $4,900,000 New Financing Round”
Fate Therapeutics, Riding High on Juno Deal, Raising More Cash
Taking advantage of a healthy bounce on Wall Street, San Diego’s Fate Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:FATE]]) said Monday it plans to sell 6 million shares of its common stock through a secondary public offering. All shares of common stock to be sold in the offering will be offered by the company. With Fate shares trading at … Continue reading “Fate Therapeutics, Riding High on Juno Deal, Raising More Cash”
Four Tough Questions Startup CEOs Need to Ask to Scale
Mark Organ thinks very differently about how to evolve as a founder-CEO now that he’s on his second company. A decade ago, Mark co-founded customer relations management software company Eloqua. “I held on too long to all the details of the business,” he says. Even though the company had reached several million dollars in revenue, … Continue reading “Four Tough Questions Startup CEOs Need to Ask to Scale”
iSpot.tv Lands $22M to Measure TV Ads and Their Online Impact
Many modern advertising campaigns still start with a prime time TV commercial, but any Mad Man worth his salt follows that up with social and digital media strategies, measuring everything along the way. Except the kind of detailed, real-time analytics advertisers expect online are still tough to come by for TV spots. That’s where iSpot.tv comes … Continue reading “iSpot.tv Lands $22M to Measure TV Ads and Their Online Impact”
iSpot.tv Obtains $21,900,000 Series B Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a722c842-d748-40de-b807-ea9b083f109b Date 5/19/2015 Company Name iSpot.tv Mailing Address 14042 NE 8th Street Bellevue, WA 98007 USA Company Description iSpot.tv is the only real-time TV advertising intelligence platform that enables users to find, track and share TV ads. Website http://www.ispot.tv Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $21,900,000 Transaction Round Series B Proceeds Purposes … Continue reading “iSpot.tv Obtains $21,900,000 Series B Funding Round”
Battle to Regulate Uber, Lyft Moves From City Halls to State Capitols
[Updated 5/19/15, 10:40 a.m. See below.] The push to regulate increasingly popular ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft has shifted from city halls to state capitol buildings—with implications for the companies’ reputations and expansion plans, as well as the future of transportation systems worldwide. Last year saw passage of the first rules for ridesharing companies—or … Continue reading “Battle to Regulate Uber, Lyft Moves From City Halls to State Capitols”
Still Room For Great Guests at Napa Summit 2015—Request An Invite
“It’s like a mini-Davos.” That’s the way one leading venture capitalist describes Xconomy’s Napa Summit. And while he is perhaps a bit effusive, we do believe our annual retreat in wine country is something special. Maybe you can judge for yourself. We are just two weeks away from Napa Summit 2015, which will take place … Continue reading “Still Room For Great Guests at Napa Summit 2015—Request An Invite”
That First Move Can Be a Doozy: Why Peach Expanded to San Diego
Seattle-based Peach makes its debut in San Diego today, and therein lies a tale. The question, “Where do we expand first?” can be one of the hardest decisions confronting an early stage tech company looking to rapidly scale its business beyond the hometown market. Peach, founded in early 2014 by three ex-Amazon software engineers, began … Continue reading “That First Move Can Be a Doozy: Why Peach Expanded to San Diego”
West Coast Biotech Roundup: Orexigen, Denali, Nant, ASCO & More
This week’s roundup has an elevation change. In San Diego, Orexigen Therapeutics, maker of a weight-loss drug, dug itself deep into a hole with the FDA, its clinical collaborators, and its business partners. In San Francisco, Denali Therapeutics debuted with a mountain of cash to tackle neurodegenerative diseases. L.A. billionaire and partial Laker owner Patrick … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Orexigen, Denali, Nant, ASCO & More”
9Mile Labs Startups Tackle Out-Dated Business Processes
If there was a common theme among several of the nine business-to-business companies finishing Seattle startup accelerator 9Mile Labs this week, it was modernization. From booking a campground to verifying employees’ credentials to managing suppliers, these startups aim to take cumbersome or out-dated business processes in a range of industries and give them a technology … Continue reading “9Mile Labs Startups Tackle Out-Dated Business Processes”
On Big Brain Day, Allen Institute Debuts Neuron “Periodic Table”
The biotech world has brains on their mind today with the launch of Denali Therapeutics, a mega-startup with lofty goals of developing drugs for Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. A big problem in finding treatments for those diseases is how little we know about the brain itself. One group making those explorations and sharing them … Continue reading “On Big Brain Day, Allen Institute Debuts Neuron “Periodic Table””
Denali Rises With $217M and Genentech Alumni to Fight Brain Diseases
A group of investors is betting $217 million that a new drug company led by three Genentech alumni can break the frustrations of what, to now, has been a Sisyphean task: Finding treatments for the world’s most vexing neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. The new startup, Denali Therapeutics, is debuting today with Marc Tessier-Lavigne … Continue reading “Denali Rises With $217M and Genentech Alumni to Fight Brain Diseases”
Angel Investors Still Awaiting the Impact from Equity Crowdfunding
After reading that angels would be the No. 1 losers due to the explosive growth of crowdfunding, angels like me have been keeping a wary eye on equity crowdfunding. Some reports in the press have suggested that crowdfunding could actually replace angels as a capital source. So far, the warnings have turned into a big … Continue reading “Angel Investors Still Awaiting the Impact from Equity Crowdfunding”
Fulfilling Our Energy Future’s Potential: 5 Key Challenges
I believe that 2035 is a crucial year for the global energy economy. Over the next 20 years, Citibank forecasts a global investment of roughly $10 trillion in new electricity generation infrastructure and $7 trillion in new distribution infrastructure. Steps taken today will dictate who becomes, or remains, a leader as the energy landscape gets … Continue reading “Fulfilling Our Energy Future’s Potential: 5 Key Challenges”
An Open Standard for APIs Could Lead us to Better Health
[Updated, 12:05 pm ET] There’s a parable about the elephant and the rider that’s been used by Chip and Dan Heath, and that originated with Jonathan Haidt, to describe how humans make decisions. A person’s mind can be thought of as consisting of a rider, representing the rational part of human thinking, and the elephant … Continue reading “An Open Standard for APIs Could Lead us to Better Health”
Cyanogen Lands Series C Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2c3ece6e-7c29-4d4a-bb17-229df6a86386 Date 5/13/2015 Company Name Cyanogen Mailing Address 542 1st Ave S. Seattle, WA 98104 USA Company Description CyanogenMod (pronounced sigh-AN-oh-jen-mod), is a customized, aftermarket firmware distribution for several Android devices. Based on the Android Open Source Project, CyanogenMod is designed to increase performance and reliability over Android-based ROMs released by vendors … Continue reading “Cyanogen Lands Series C Financing Round”
Why Do Corporations Pay Billions Annually for Inefficient Hiring?
The hourly job market is the bedrock of the American workforce, 76 million members strong. While the growth in retail and hospitality positions, representing one third of these jobs, is pacing our economic recovery, the sector still spends an astonishing $1 billion annually on hiring. A thought provoking question: Can the industry create more than … Continue reading “Why Do Corporations Pay Billions Annually for Inefficient Hiring?”
Talking Cure? For Cancer Immunotherapy, Still Many Rivers to Cross
Cancer is a humbling thing: Our own cells gone bad, killing us from the inside, and so often able to rebound from attack or avoid it entirely. There has been progress fighting some types of cancers, but in no way equal to the resources (or rhetoric) the human race has aimed at the problem. On … Continue reading “Talking Cure? For Cancer Immunotherapy, Still Many Rivers to Cross”
The Future of Marketing Technology
The digital age has revolutionized marketing, increasing its complexity as well as creating the opportunity to dramatically improve customer experiences. As consumers, we live in an always-on and always-available world and we have come to expect our favorite brands to be one click or swipe away. As a consequence, the rapid advancements in technology that … Continue reading “The Future of Marketing Technology”
Transpose Receives $1,400,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3997352f-f424-4e27-a0d6-1a49be86e842 Date 5/12/2015 Company Name Transpose Mailing Address 2105 5th Ave. Seattle, WA 98121 USA Company Description Transpose is the simplest platform for structuring data, enabling users to leverage enterprise-level technology in a user-friendly format. Transpose is available across desktop, mobile, and web-based applications. Website http://www.transpose.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount … Continue reading “Transpose Receives $1,400,000 New Round”
Vadio Lands $7,500,000 Series A Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2d513a70-98f3-4e30-9ff1-35a0adabf3ff Date 5/12/2015 Company Name Vadio Mailing Address 111 SW 5th Avenue Portland, OR 97204 USA Company Description Vadio takes your digital presence a step further by also offering the ability to easily create and curate additional video channels to compliment your main streams. Think summer playlists, countdowns, or custom channels to … Continue reading “Vadio Lands $7,500,000 Series A Funding”
Agenda Posted For Xconomy Napa Summit on June 2—Request Your Invite
We are just three weeks away from the Napa Summit 2015: The Xconomy Retreat on the Economy, Jobs, and Growth. Quite simply, it is my favorite event of the year. Beyond the incredible setting, this exclusive, invitation-only conference features some of the world’s leading innovators and investors in a uniquely intimate format—offering an unprecedented view … Continue reading “Agenda Posted For Xconomy Napa Summit on June 2—Request Your Invite”
Will the Energy Economy of 2035 Mirror the Energy Economy of 2015?
My view of the Pacific Northwest’s energy economy in 2035 will surprise some people, because, in terms of the energy mix, what we’ll see then will be very similar to what we’re looking at today. That means we’ll still be hydro-rich. We’ll still be using natural gas. There will be a small nuclear component. Wind … Continue reading “Will the Energy Economy of 2035 Mirror the Energy Economy of 2015?”
Transpose Obtains $1,500,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2f64a525-d08b-4ae0-9cbe-2bf03265d233 Date 5/11/2015 Company Name Transpose Mailing Address 2105 5th Ave. Seattle, WA 98121 USA Company Description Transpose is the simplest platform for structuring data, enabling users to leverage enterprise-level technology in a user-friendly format. Transpose is available across desktop, mobile, and web-based applications. Website http://www.transpose.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount … Continue reading “Transpose Obtains $1,500,000 New Round”
West Coast Biotech Roundup: Adaptive, Gilead, Juno, aTyr & More
[Corrected 5/8/15, 6:48 pm. See below.] Out west this week there was news, there was an event, and there was coincidence. It just happened that two executives who spoke at Xconomy’s annual Seattle biotech forum Wednesday represented local companies, Adaptive Biotechnologies and Juno Therapeutics, in this week’s news. (Xconomy Seattle editor Ben Romano was there … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Adaptive, Gilead, Juno, aTyr & More”
Washington Needs a Master Plan to Prepare for the 2035 Energy Economy
The energy system of 2035 will be distributed in nature with a variety of safe, clean generation technologies and load-smoothing technologies like battery storage. The centralized spoke and wheel control system of today will give way to a more dynamic model that can react more quickly and efficiently to the changing needs of the electrical … Continue reading “Washington Needs a Master Plan to Prepare for the 2035 Energy Economy”
Theraclone Sciences Obtains $3,080,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7f44037b-8492-4ca8-8e08-81408406ccd9 Date 5/8/2015 Company Name Theraclone Sciences Mailing Address 1124 Columbia Street Seattle, WA 98104 USA Company Description Theraclone Sciences is a discovery-stage biotech developing novel therapeutic antibodies for the treatment of infectious disease and inflammation. Our proprietary discovery platform allows us to comprehensively screen and identify the rare antibodies that select … Continue reading “Theraclone Sciences Obtains $3,080,000 New Round”
Seahawks Players, Tech CEOs Trade Ideas at Madrona Gathering
About 15 Seattle Seahawks players met with a similar number of startup and tech company CEOs Wednesday night at Madrona Venture Group’s offices. Madrona managing director Matt McIlwain describes it as an “informal gathering” of NFL pros and CEOs from the firm’s portfolio companies. There are “many great entrepreneurial thinkers and doers on the Seahawks … Continue reading “Seahawks Players, Tech CEOs Trade Ideas at Madrona Gathering”
Slideshow: Seattle Biotech Seizes the Momentum
Seattle biotech leaders gathered at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center on Wednesday received a generally sunny view of the industry in the region, despite the ongoing laments about our lack of a true anchor tenant and lackluster state-level support. The crowd erupted in cheers when Adaptive Biotechnologies CEO Chad Robins announced a $195 million … Continue reading “Slideshow: Seattle Biotech Seizes the Momentum”
Communal Culture Spawns Rental Startups in Construction, Healthcare
How does today’s “sharing economy” look to a guy who grew up in a commune in Missouri, without any technology like phones or computers? It looks familiar—and also like good business. Willy Schlacks was raised in a community that he calls a “mix of theocracy and communism.” He was 27 when he and his brother, … Continue reading “Communal Culture Spawns Rental Startups in Construction, Healthcare”
Transform Utilities to Smooth the Way to a New Energy Future
What will the energy system look like 20 years from now—in 2035? Well, it will certainly be less carbon intensive, more distributed, and more electric. If you think about it, electric utilities right now are where the telecomm companies were in the 1980s. The telcos had a comfortable, regulated monopoly, and then a wave of … Continue reading “Transform Utilities to Smooth the Way to a New Energy Future”
DroneExtra: DJI Raises $75 M; New FAA Initiatives
Big Silicon Valley venture firm Accel Partners has placed a hefty bet on the potential of commercial drones, and it’s one of the VC’s largest funding commitments to date. Accel announced a $75 million investment today in Shenzhen, China-based drone manufacturer DJI, a major player in the fast-developing industry. The big DJI funding news came … Continue reading “DroneExtra: DJI Raises $75 M; New FAA Initiatives”
Milestones Of Innovation 6: The Driving Force Of Moore’s ‘Law’
Few phrases have rung louder in the history of innovation than “Moore’s Law,” the amazingly potent guess, published 50 years ago on April 19, that the capacity of electronic circuits would double every couple of years. Since the 1968 founding of Intel, the world’s leading semiconductor-maker, that prediction has formed the basic doctrine of the … Continue reading “Milestones Of Innovation 6: The Driving Force Of Moore’s ‘Law’”
Adaptive Reels in Whopping $195M For Immuno-Sequencing Work
[Updated, 5/7/15, 11:10 am ET] Adaptive Biotechnologies of Seattle is continuing its busy year, announcing this morning it has reeled it $195 million in financing from a group of new investors. The big cash haul comes four months after the sequencing company, which specializes in understanding the immune system, raised $94 million to help buy … Continue reading “Adaptive Reels in Whopping $195M For Immuno-Sequencing Work”
Leadership: An Essential Variable in Washington’s 2035 Energy Equation
When I look out 20 years, I see a future energy system that is a lot more distributed and a lot more efficient. The centralized inefficiency problem that we currently wrestle with will be greatly mitigated, and we’ll be matching the variability of supply and demand much better. There will likely also be a sophisticated … Continue reading “Leadership: An Essential Variable in Washington’s 2035 Energy Equation”
InDemand Interpreting Secures $4,000,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=660b67c4-e3b4-43b8-9280-9d184c9cdd04 Date 5/6/2015 Company Name InDemand Interpreting Mailing Address 555 Andover Park West Seattle, WA 98188 USA Company Description Qualified Medical InterpretersSince 2007, InDemand Interpreting has been working to close the language gap in healthcare. With more than half a million encounters, our team makes a difference hundreds of times a day … Continue reading “InDemand Interpreting Secures $4,000,000 New Round”
Adaptive Biotechnologies Receives $195,000,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2dde95f5-5a7c-4e70-8385-d1fbf8eea286 Date 5/6/2015 Company Name Adaptive Biotechnologies Mailing Address 1551 Eastlake Avenue East Seattle, WA 98102 USA Company Description Adaptive Biotechnologies’ platform technology breaks open the field of genomics immunology. T-cell receptor profiling using Adaptive’s proprietary technology and software allows scientists to study the adaptive immune system to an unprecedented depth via … Continue reading “Adaptive Biotechnologies Receives $195,000,000 New Financing”
Epic Systems: Madison Healthtech’s “Unwitting” Anchor Company
As healthcare technology grows increasingly important in our everyday lives—from the software that manages our medical records to the explosion of health and fitness-monitoring devices and apps—different cities around the country are trying to claim the mantle of “America’s healthtech capital.” Madison, WI, is among the places vying for that title. And while it can … Continue reading “Epic Systems: Madison Healthtech’s “Unwitting” Anchor Company”
Readying the Distributed Grid for the Big Energy Challenges of 2035
Predicting the future in the energy business is difficult for five years, let alone 20 years. That said, we feel the “better bet” is a future energy system that will be a lot more distributed as compared to the largely centralized grid of today. There will be much more generation and storage at the individual … Continue reading “Readying the Distributed Grid for the Big Energy Challenges of 2035”
Outreach Lands $2,000,000 Seed Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1de752d8-6921-4307-b844-a6ee1b784851 Date 5/5/2015 Company Name Outreach Mailing Address 3417 Fremont Ave N. Seattle, WA 98103 USA Company Description Outreach is the only system intelligent enough to know exactly who needs a follow-up and when they need it, helping you outperform your sales goals. Website http://www.outreach.io Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $2,000,000 … Continue reading “Outreach Lands $2,000,000 Seed Round”
New Investment Fund Forming in Seattle to Back Cleantech Innovation
A new cleantech-focused investment fund is forming in Seattle. The Element 8 Fund is emerging from the Element 8 angel investing group (formerly the Northwest Energy Angels) as a way to give individual accredited investors a chance to broaden their portfolios in the sector. The Element 8 Fund will be a separate legal entity from … Continue reading “New Investment Fund Forming in Seattle to Back Cleantech Innovation”