Category: Seattle

Tiger Teams, Dropping Subs, and Biotech’s Elusive Second Strikes

Onesie-twosie? Double dipping? The old razzle dazzle? Whatever you call it, it’s a rare feat to sell a biotech company, hold something back to start a new company, then ride that second horse to success. The team behind Flexus Biosciences is halfway there, as I wrote about last week. They sold a preclinical cancer immunotherapy … Continue reading “Tiger Teams, Dropping Subs, and Biotech’s Elusive Second Strikes”

Tempered Networks Raises $15M For Industrial Network Security

Tempered Networks, which aims to improve network security at manufacturing and industrial facilities, said it raised $15 million from Ignition Partners and IDG Ventures. The Seattle company’s Series A funding round, led by Ignition, builds on what it described as a $5 million bridge funding round in December, and $2 million in seed funding raised … Continue reading “Tempered Networks Raises $15M For Industrial Network Security”

Happly Obtains $1,450,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=5a94af4e-b611-41e4-9a1b-538062f991bc Date 3/3/2015 Company Name Happly Mailing Address 4701 SW Admiral Way Seattle, WA 98116 USA Company Description Happly is the iPad app featured by Apple and Techcrunch that provides parents with a cool new interface where their kids can discover family-approved videos and activities curated by a team of world-renown experts … Continue reading “Happly Obtains $1,450,000 New Financing”

WeMontage’s James Oliver On Being An Entrepreneur/Husband/Father

Building a company from scratch is a grueling endeavor that, if done right, can bring great rewards and a feeling of fulfillment. The same goes for being a husband and a father. Balancing all three roles simultaneously is not for the faint of heart, and can seem damn near impossible at times. Just ask James … Continue reading “WeMontage’s James Oliver On Being An Entrepreneur/Husband/Father”

Cancer Immunotherapy Companies: Looking Forward and Looking Back

[Updated, 4/7/15, see below] I’ve been researching one of our local immunotherapy developers here in Seattle, trying to round up the views of industry experts regarding the future prospects of a drug at the front of its pipeline. Do they think it’s a good investment? Here’s what I found out: Analysts predict that sales of … Continue reading “Cancer Immunotherapy Companies: Looking Forward and Looking Back”

Box Acquires Airpost.io for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ba403b50-dc67-4ed2-b6f1-0431e44ca507 Date 3/2/2015 Company Name Airpost.io Mailing Address 511 Boren Ave N Seattle, WA 98109 USA Company Description Airpost unifies cloud storage services to allow people to access files from anywhere. Website http://www.airpost.io Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Proceeds Purposes M&A Terms Financial terms of the transaction were not … Continue reading “Box Acquires Airpost.io for Undisclosed Sum”

Innovation Hub: Advertising’s New Age

A product, a camera phone, and a sensor. Those may be the essential tools of advertising in the 21st century. Increasingly, we’re witnessing the disappearance of the classic, 30-second ad. Now products are looking to lure us with humor (I’m looking at you, Old Spice Guy) or whiz-bang theatrics (think Jean-Claude Van Damme straddling Volvos). … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: Advertising’s New Age”

Milestones of Innovation 3: ‘Modern Pioneers’ at the Waldorf–1940

When people made lists of leading innovators 75 years ago, they saw a landscape very different from today’s for putting discoveries, techniques, money, workers, and customers together to get something new and useful onto the market. In the brief interval between the Depression and World War II, the dominant factor was the large, vertically integrated … Continue reading “Milestones of Innovation 3: ‘Modern Pioneers’ at the Waldorf–1940”

PlayFab Secures New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=68aa5536-b124-4d7e-bc67-847cace5ac45 Date 2/27/2015 Company Name PlayFab Mailing Address 101 Yesler Way Seattle, WA 98104 USA Company Description Based in Seattle, WA, PlayFab provides the industry’s most comprehensive back-end service for building and managing online games. The company was founded by James Gwertzman, PlayFab CEO who previously served as vice president of PopCap, … Continue reading “PlayFab Secures New Financing Round”

Paul Maritz Brings Cloud Expertise to Nanobiosym With Investment

Paul Maritz, the cloud-computing expert who has run companies including Pivotal and VMware, is investing in and joining the board of Nanobiosym Diagnostics, the company said today. Nanobiosym’s CEO Anita Goel (pictured) plans to work with Maritz to develop a way to make data from the company’s’s core diagnostic product available on a secure, customizable … Continue reading “Paul Maritz Brings Cloud Expertise to Nanobiosym With Investment”

West Coast Biotech Roundup: Flexus, NGM, Illumina, Bob Klein & More

A few West Coast companies made news back east this week at the Advances in Genome Biology and Technology conference in Florida, while others (Flexus Biosciences, NGM Biotherapeutics) stayed home to count hundreds of millions of dollars rolling in from huge deals. But the biggest number of the week—$100 billion—came from the mouth of California … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Flexus, NGM, Illumina, Bob Klein & More”

UW Medicine Taps Telemedicine Provider Carena for New Virtual Clinic

In a bid to provide quick, convenient access to care for common, easy-to-diagnose ailments, UW Medicine—the University of Washington’s healthcare organization—began an online virtual clinic in January using telemedicine services from Seattle-based Carena. People in Washington can schedule a face-to-face visit with a doctor or nurse anytime of the day or night for help with … Continue reading “UW Medicine Taps Telemedicine Provider Carena for New Virtual Clinic”

Unify Square Garners $8,200,000 Series B Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e4789875-d321-4fa3-8264-5439a11fb69f Date 2/26/2015 Company Name Unify Square Mailing Address 411 108th Avenue NE Bellevue, WA 98004 USA Company Description Unified Communications (UC) has the potential to transform your business by increasing productivity and agility, reducing costs, and enabling richer, more meaningful connections with internal and external stakeholders. But with any transformation comes … Continue reading “Unify Square Garners $8,200,000 Series B Financing Round”

Simple Energy Flips Switch on E-Commerce Site for Utility Customers

Explaining how you can save money, and maybe the planet, by cutting energy consumption is simple. Getting people to change their behavior is not. Simple Energy, a software company in Boulder, CO, has made solving that challenge its mission since it was founded in 2011, and now it has what it thinks is a powerful … Continue reading “Simple Energy Flips Switch on E-Commerce Site for Utility Customers”

Chirpify Lands $868,405 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c074b04d-55d1-4f16-acad-6ab873a06a5e Date 2/24/2015 Company Name Chirpify Mailing Address 317 SW Alder St. Portland, OR 97204 USA Company Description Chirpify turns Tweets into transactions, enabling consumers and businesses to buy, sell, donate and transact on Twitter. These are social, device agnostic, frictionless, in-stream, one step payments. We do this in real time at … Continue reading “Chirpify Lands $868,405 New Financing”

Triangle Startup Weekend Unites Educators, Entrepreneurs

Educators and entrepreneurs converged during the latest iteration of Triangle Startup Weekend in Raleigh, NC, to brainstorm and launch ideas aimed at solving problems in the K-12 system. During the final hours of the event Feb. 22, 10 teams scrambled to finish demos of products designed to address issues such as student engagement, parent-teacher communication, … Continue reading “Triangle Startup Weekend Unites Educators, Entrepreneurs”

Angel Groups Seek to Assure Entrepreneurs They Are Accredited

The angel investing horror story goes something like this: An entrepreneur publicly solicits seed capital under new securities laws, but accidentally accepts investment from an unaccredited investor. When this violation of JOBS Act rules is discovered, the entire investment round must be rolled back and the money—if there’s any left—returned. It’s the ultimate lose-lose situation. “Everything … Continue reading “Angel Groups Seek to Assure Entrepreneurs They Are Accredited”

Seattle Roundup: CoCo, Glencoe, StratoScientific, APImetrics, & More

In addition to the $100 million-plus private equity funding for software company K2 and confirmation of Facebook’s plans to grow to 2,000 employees in Seattle, we’re tracking a passel of smaller funding and partnership deals this week, including new investments for CoCo Communications, Glencoe Software, StratoScientific, APImetrics, and Stasys Medical. Also, Zillow closed its acquisition … Continue reading “Seattle Roundup: CoCo, Glencoe, StratoScientific, APImetrics, & More”

Innovation Hub: Meet the Science Evangelist

Ainissa Ramirez says she’s a “Science Evangelist,” and she travels the country to preach her gospel in classrooms. As a result, the former Yale professor hopes to invigorate students, amping up their engagement with everything from nanotech to material science. I talked to her about how you help a generation of kids find their inner … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: Meet the Science Evangelist”

NVoicePay Garners $6,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=60e691ca-a3bf-4e09-9753-67831b24f4f8 Date 2/20/2015 Company Name NVoicePay Mailing Address 8905 SW Nimbus Ave Beaverton, OR 97008 USA Company Description NVoicePay is streamlining accounts payable, dramatically reducing costs and generating new revenue for customers. We are a financial services firm specializing in electronic payments for accounts payable invoices. Our simple, secure, and efficient e-payables … Continue reading “NVoicePay Garners $6,000,000 New Financing”

Clinicient Secures $7,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=66ba5ccb-afa2-496a-a14f-738c27684ed4 Date 2/20/2015 Company Name Clinicient Mailing Address 1515 SW Fifth Ave Portland, OR 97201 USA Company Description Founded in 1998 by Physical Therapist Jerry Henderson, we focus exclusively on providing Outpatient Rehabilitation business solutions.??We are dedicated to helping private practices in Outpatient Rehabilitation succeed. Website http://www.clinicient.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount … Continue reading “Clinicient Secures $7,000,000 New Funding Round”

West Coast Biotech Roundup: Laguna, SeaGen, Unchained, DME & More

We’ve grouped our items according to topic this week. First come the financings, led by the relocated Laguna Pharma in San Diego. Then comes the clinical and regulatory news, which is topped by the long-awaited results of a government-sponsored trial to compare three different treatments—including two from Genentech—for diabetic macular edema, a type of vision … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Laguna, SeaGen, Unchained, DME & More”

MagicBook App Transforms Reading into an Active, 3D Endeavor

These days, it seems kids learn how to operate their parents’ iPads before they learn to read—and that can be problematic, says Marjorie Knepp, co-founder of Ann Arbor, MI-based augmented reality startup MagicBook. After all, how can a set of bound pages possibly compare to a gadget that produces colors, sounds, games, cartoons, and movies? … Continue reading “MagicBook App Transforms Reading into an Active, 3D Endeavor”

For Life Science Industry, Social Media Takes on New Significance

It seemed like a question out of left field at the time: “How many of you maintain and monitor Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Tumblr accounts?” The question was posed by Jeremy Levin, former president and CEO of Teva Pharmaceuticals (NYSE: [[ticker:TEVA]]), and just a few hands went up at the 2014 CED Life Science conference … Continue reading “For Life Science Industry, Social Media Takes on New Significance”

Prism Receives $2,000,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=02a9a625-7af8-4981-9ec9-86445ed128ec Date 2/19/2015 Company Name Prism Mailing Address 132nd Ave. SE Bellevue, WA 98005 USA Company Description With Prism, you can review and pay a bill in no time at all. You pay your billers directly in the app and you can pay right before the due date worry free! Website http://www.prismmoney.com … Continue reading “Prism Receives $2,000,000 New Round”

Facebook Leasing Space for 2,000 Employees in Seattle

It won’t be the Guggenheim, but Facebook’s new Seattle offices will have room for up to 2,000 employees, working on virtually everything the social networking company does. And the interior spaces will be designed by Frank Gehry. Facebook confirmed reports by Bloomberg and others over the weekend that it is leasing 274,000 square feet of … Continue reading “Facebook Leasing Space for 2,000 Employees in Seattle”

Business Software Provider K2 Raising $100M+ From Francisco

K2, a 15-year-old business software company formed in South Africa and based in the Seattle area since 2004, said it is raising more than $100 million from private equity investor Francisco Partners. The company, a Microsoft partner that provides software and services to help businesses build and run a range of custom applications, will invest the capital “across … Continue reading “Business Software Provider K2 Raising $100M+ From Francisco”

Biotech M&A by Slow Simmer: An Inside Look at the Build to Buy Deal

Here’s a question for consideration: What does it mean to acquire a virtual, single asset biotech that was ‘built’ for the sole purpose of being bought? The answer is much more complex than you might think. In this post I’ll explain by peeking under the hood at The Medicines Co.’s recent acquisition of Annovation Biopharma, … Continue reading “Biotech M&A by Slow Simmer: An Inside Look at the Build to Buy Deal”

StratoScientific Garners $550,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2cf894ae-ede2-489e-819f-6617d3e02d16 Date 2/18/2015 Company Name StratoScientific Mailing Address 1215 Fourth Avenue Seattle, WA 98161 USA Company Description Innovating elegant products to improve patient outcomes and greatly reduce healthcare costs. We are poised and ready to make a big difference in the health care space. Out of the box thinking, world class design, … Continue reading “StratoScientific Garners $550,000 New Financing”

APImetrics Obtains $500,000 Seed Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=241018a0-cd26-4b5e-82dd-ed343649cbd6 Date 2/18/2015 Company Name APImetrics Mailing Address Undisclosed Seattle, WA 98108 USA Company Description APImetrics builds on 3 years experience gained working on the challenge of API abstraction and management that is critical to every App and Web Service in use today. By combining elements gained from API management tools and … Continue reading “APImetrics Obtains $500,000 Seed Financing Round”

Syndax CEO Says an Immuno-Oncology Thing Happened on the Way to IPO

A bull market doesn’t guarantee a successful IPO. Syndax Pharmaceuticals of Waltham, MA, for instance, began preparing for an IPO back nearly a year ago, but it never made its Nasdaq debut. Instead, after 10 months as an IPO candidate, it cut a $100 million licensing deal with the Japanese drug firm Kyowa Hakko Kirin … Continue reading “Syndax CEO Says an Immuno-Oncology Thing Happened on the Way to IPO”

What Should Be on the Next UW President’s Commercialization Agenda?

The University of Washington hired Michael Young as president nearly four years ago in large part because of his reputation as a leader in university commercialization and innovation—and these issues gained unprecedented visibility during his tenure. With Young’s abrupt departure to lead Texas A&M University, the UW now faces the challenge of maintaining the momentum … Continue reading “What Should Be on the Next UW President’s Commercialization Agenda?”

Ready, Aim, CRISPR: Will Gene-Editing Tools Hit Their Targets?

Gene therapy is finally upon us. After more than two decades of work, one product is approved in Europe. Others are steadily advancing through clinical trials, and gene therapy companies are doing big deals and raising big sums of cash. Now here comes a more precise version of gene therapy—gene editing. Instead of trying to … Continue reading “Ready, Aim, CRISPR: Will Gene-Editing Tools Hit Their Targets?”

Bet the Jockey…and the Horse…and the Track

Earlier this month we announced a new investment in Iora Health, a fascinating company run by an extraordinary entrepreneur transforming an enormous sector of the healthcare economy: primary care. Rushika Fernandopulle (CEO and co-founder) is fundamentally re-architecting how many of us will buy and consume primary care—and in so doing, he has created a passionate, … Continue reading “Bet the Jockey…and the Horse…and the Track”

Seattle Roundup: Z2Live, Lighthouse, Element 8, Ada, Placed, ecoATM

This week, we’re catching up on a big acquisition in mobile games, as King Digital, the Candy Crush maker, is buying Z2Live and establishing its first U.S. studio in Seattle. Meanwhile, Lighthouse eDiscovery took on a new investor; Element 8 set a record for cleantech investments last year; Ada Developers Academy is going out on … Continue reading “Seattle Roundup: Z2Live, Lighthouse, Element 8, Ada, Placed, ecoATM”

Innovation Hub: The Data Behind Online Dating

Online dating is big business. As of last year, it’s worth over 2 billion dollars, having grown at a steady 3.5 percent rate since 2008. And that big business has transformed the way we find love. If you’re getting married this year, there’s a one in three chance that you’ve met your spouse online. That’s … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: The Data Behind Online Dating”

Little Bird Obtains $626,119 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c5313888-795e-4aab-89db-7566bbd22e2b Date 2/13/2015 Company Name Little Bird Mailing Address 5916 NE Alberta Street Portland, OR 97218 USA Company Description A company called Plexus Engine Inc., doing business as Little Bird, automates the process of finding and verifying social media sources. Website http://www.getlittlebird.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $626,119 Transaction Round Undisclosed … Continue reading “Little Bird Obtains $626,119 New Financing Round”

ActionSprout Receives $1,700,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=328ab440-54f6-4336-9466-d943bf635150 Date 2/13/2015 Company Name ActionSprout Mailing Address 1329 N State St. Bellingham, WA 98225 USA Company Description ActionSprout is the key that unlocks the full potential of Facebook for your organization — to increase supporter engagement on the actions that you need, drive recruitment of new supporters, and capture their data … Continue reading “ActionSprout Receives $1,700,000 New Financing”

Lighthouse eDiscovery Obtains $30,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=03a45108-340f-4831-8a3f-ec43dacd4dfb Date 2/13/2015 Company Name Lighthouse eDiscovery Mailing Address 51 University Street Seattle, WA 98101 USA Company Description Lighthouse’s legal and technology experts apply years of practical experience to help clients prioritize objectives, streamline workflows, and implement cost-effective and legally defensible solutions. Website http://www.lhediscovery.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $30,000,000 Transaction … Continue reading “Lighthouse eDiscovery Obtains $30,000,000 New Funding Round”

West Coast Biotech Roundup: Dendreon, Invitae, Juno, Regulus & More

Seattle might be second in professional handegg, but it comes first in this week’s West Coast roundup. The big news is that former high flyer Dendreon is all but sold, with the ever-acquisitive Quebeckers at Valeant on the buying end. Moving down the coast to the Bay Area, we’ve got Invitae pulling off the year’s … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Dendreon, Invitae, Juno, Regulus & More”

Acquisition Extends Buildium’s Offerings for Real Estate Industry

Landlords, supers, and property managers might not seem like the most technologically savvy bunch, but Boston software company Buildium has carved out a niche catering to their needs. This week the company announced it acquired All Property Management, a Seattle-based tech company that also specializes in real estate. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. … Continue reading “Acquisition Extends Buildium’s Offerings for Real Estate Industry”

Expedia Buys Orbitz as Online Travel Consolidation Escalates

Online travel booker Expedia has agreed to buy competitor Orbitz Worldwide for about $1.3 billion, its second acquisition of a competitor in a month. The deal will give Bellevue, WA-based Expedia (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EXPE]]) access to consumer brands such as CheapTickets and HotelClub, broadening Expedia’s international reach, the company said in a statement. The news comes … Continue reading “Expedia Buys Orbitz as Online Travel Consolidation Escalates”

Healthentic: Take Your Meds or Face Increased Hospitalization, Costs

It’s well-known that people who don’t take their prescribed medications face increased health risks. A new analysis of nearly 100,000 people by Seattle-based Healthentic found that slacking on prescriptions carries a heavy financial burden, too. The company, which helps employers evaluate the health needs and costs of their workers, plumbed its database to determine prescription … Continue reading “Healthentic: Take Your Meds or Face Increased Hospitalization, Costs”

NIH Opens Discussion: How to Build a U.S. Health Research Database?

National Institutes of Health director Francis Collins kicked off a two-day meeting in Bethesda, MD, this morning to discuss how to turn President Obama’s call for a national health research database into reality. The database, which NIH officials are calling the National Research Cohort, is one of two main thrusts of the administration’s precision medicine … Continue reading “NIH Opens Discussion: How to Build a U.S. Health Research Database?”

End of Dendreon: Valeant’s $400M is Sole Offer, Purchase is Next

There will be no auction for bankrupt biotech Dendreon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DNDNQ]]). Valeant Pharmaceuticals (NYSE: [[ticker:VRX]]) has made the only bid for the Seattle company, and with a bankruptcy judge’s approval the bid will become a $400 million acquisition. Dendreon entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy last fall after a long spiral downward. Valeant first bid $296 million … Continue reading “End of Dendreon: Valeant’s $400M is Sole Offer, Purchase is Next”

Kickstarter Tech Projects in Washington: Top 5 in 2014

Space telescopes, high-tech decanters, smartphone photography equipment, augmented-reality glasses, high-visibility bike lights, and games of all kinds. These were some of the top-drawing Kickstarter projects in Washington state over the last three years, and they tell a concise story about what excites the imaginations of the innovators who call this place home. Xconomy is looking … Continue reading “Kickstarter Tech Projects in Washington: Top 5 in 2014”

“21st Century Cures” By Year’s End? Its Backers Want More Ideas

If you have an idea to include in the bipartisan initiative known as 21st Century Cures, Fred Upton (R-MI) and Diana DeGette (D-CO) say they are all ears. But speak up quickly: They want to present a bill to the House of Representatives by Memorial Day. That was the message the two members of Congress … Continue reading ““21st Century Cures” By Year’s End? Its Backers Want More Ideas”

Metasurvey Says: Fewer Biopharmas Capturing More Venture Dollars

In biotech, young companies have been raising money from public and private investors alike at an astounding rate. But all the rain isn’t letting a thousand flowers bloom. In other words, there’s more money going into new biopharma companies, but the cash is not being spread widely. That’s according to a new survey released today … Continue reading “Metasurvey Says: Fewer Biopharmas Capturing More Venture Dollars”