Fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation are very familiar with the Borg, a society of cybernetic individuals linked together in a collective mindset. The Borg navigate the universe in cube-shaped spacecraft actively seeking members of other races to absorb into their collective. Whenever others oppose their efforts, the Borg let them know, in no … Continue reading “Resistance Is Futile: Why That’s A Good Thing In Biomedicine”
Category: Seattle
Innovation on Kickstarter: The 10 Top-Funded Tech Ideas of 2014
A lot of ink has been spilled about the Coolest Cooler, a re-imagined picnic cooler equipped with a built-in blender, waterproof Bluetooth speaker, and UBS charger (among other things). To fund the project, inventor Ryan Grepper of Portland, OR, raised a record $13.3 million from 62,642 backers last summer on Kickstarter. The $13.3 million Grepper … Continue reading “Innovation on Kickstarter: The 10 Top-Funded Tech Ideas of 2014”
Milestones of Innovation 2: Gregor Mendel on Heredity, 1865
Today, as 150 years ago, for an innovation to happen, the idea it rests on must be understood by the people who hear it. On the 8th of February and the 8th of March 1865, the Augustinian monk Gregor Mendel told his local natural science society about a decade of results from thousands of cross-breeding … Continue reading “Milestones of Innovation 2: Gregor Mendel on Heredity, 1865”
Innovation Hub: Meet Amy, Your AI Assistant
Amy Ingram is the most well-liked personal assistant in New York City. She was created by Dennis Mortensen to do a real job: schedule business meetings. And, given the fact that she’s artificially intelligent, she’s very good at it. But Mortensen, CEO and founder of x.ai, envisions more. His AI trainers are researching ways to … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: Meet Amy, Your AI Assistant”
West Coast Biotech Roundup: Tracon, Mirati, Third Rock, & Dendreon
This week, we’ll take our roundup on a West Coast roadtrip from south to north. First, down San Diego way, the news the past seven days was mostly financial, led by Tracon Pharmceuticals’ IPO. In San Francisco, Genentech had breakthrough news, while KaloBios had more bad news. And in Seattle, bankrupt Dendreon found a potential … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Tracon, Mirati, Third Rock, & Dendreon”
The Clean Energy Promise of Student Entrepreneurs
[This article was co-authored by MBA candidates Molly Bales and Eric Kirchblum at the MIT Sloan School of Management.] Cleantech investing has taken quite a hit in recent years. Last year, CBS News highlighted the “cleantech crash” on U.S. primetime television, and Bloomberg New Energy Finance, a Bloomberg-owned energy data firm, has tracked the multi-year … Continue reading “The Clean Energy Promise of Student Entrepreneurs”
FDA’s Hamburg Stepping Down With Biopharma Turnaround as Her Legacy
[Corrected 2/6/15, 2:40 pm. See below.] FDA Commissioner Margaret “Peggy” Hamburg will step down in March after nearly six eventful years, transforming the agency from one of the life science industry’s biggest bete noirs into, arguably, a fairly reliable arbiter for innovators. She announced her decision this morning in an open letter to FDA employees. … Continue reading “FDA’s Hamburg Stepping Down With Biopharma Turnaround as Her Legacy”
Cheezburger Obtains $2,739,591 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e5171328-a797-49d8-b20a-0226175acf95 Date 2/5/2015 Company Name Cheezburger Mailing Address 190 Queen Anne Ave. N. Seattle, WA 98109 USA Company Description The company operates a network of humor oriented websites. Website http://www.cheezburger.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $2,739,591 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC regulatory filing. Contact technology … Continue reading “Cheezburger Obtains $2,739,591 New Funding”
Analysis: Microsoft Missed Mobile, So It’s Buying Its Way In
For most of Steve Ballmer’s long tenure as Microsoft CEO, the company’s cash-cow applications for white-collar workers were a very effective way to keep people using its PC operating system. But Microsoft whiffed badly on the mobile revolution, letting Google and Apple control the next major computing platform. In mid-2013, after years of speculation, Microsoft finally relented … Continue reading “Analysis: Microsoft Missed Mobile, So It’s Buying Its Way In”
Seattle-based Qumulo Raises $40M for Modern Data Storage
It’s about the water, not the bucket. The money, not the safe. And for Qumulo, a Seattle startup that’s just raised $40 million, it’s the data, not the storage. Qumulo—founded in 2012 by early employees of enterprise storage provider Isilon Systems, which was acquired just over four years ago by EMC for $2.5 billion—is part … Continue reading “Seattle-based Qumulo Raises $40M for Modern Data Storage”
Qumulo Lands $40,000,000 Series B Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a250db78-b0e4-4420-bc41-06b6311a4830 Date 2/4/2015 Company Name Qumulo Mailing Address 1501 4th Ave. Seattle, WA 98101 USA Company Description Qumulo is a Seattle-based enterprise data storage startup. We believe that storage should be simple, scalable, and efficient. Formed in 2012 by leaders from Isilon Systems, Adobe, and Wily Technology, Qumulo is reimagining enterprise storage. … Continue reading “Qumulo Lands $40,000,000 Series B Funding”
Harvard i-lab Leader Leaving for Boise State to Revamp Education
The head of the Harvard Innovation Lab, Gordon Jones, has accepted a new position as dean of the College of Innovation and Design at Boise State University in Idaho. Jones will continue to serve as the lab’s managing director through the end of the academic year in June, and then head west. “This isn’t your … Continue reading “Harvard i-lab Leader Leaving for Boise State to Revamp Education”
Now Playing: California’s $1 Billion Stem-Cell Renovation Show
Home remodeling shows are a reality TV staple. But no Park Avenue mansion or country estate can top the nearly $1 billion price tag of the house C. Randal Mills is trying to renovate on the fly in California. Mills, who goes by Randy, is the president of the State of California’s stem cell agency, … Continue reading “Now Playing: California’s $1 Billion Stem-Cell Renovation Show”
MightySignal Receives $1,200,000 Seed Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6cc22353-ada6-4fe4-b36a-7d2f23c3051a Date 2/3/2015 Company Name MightySignal Mailing Address Undisclosed Seattle, WA 98102 USA Company Description Started by engineers, MightySignal tells B2B SaaS sales teams who are most likely to buy their product. Companies leave fingerprints across the web that indicate what services they currently pay for, and what they are likely to … Continue reading “MightySignal Receives $1,200,000 Seed Funding”
What Are We Watching on YouTube? Super Bowl Leftovers, Of Course
Super Bowl Sunday is a singularly American gathering where, despite our fragmenting popular culture, millions of people still turn their attention to a shared spectacle of sports, entertainment, and commerce. Even after all that gluttony, however, it appears the year’s biggest media onslaught isn’t enough for most consumers. The day after the biggest NFL game of the year, millions of … Continue reading “What Are We Watching on YouTube? Super Bowl Leftovers, Of Course”
Did the Super Bowl Flu Strike Your Office?
Look around. A few of your colleagues missing today? Maybe yesterday’s game was just too much for them? Seattle-based healthcare IT startup Healthentic says it’s not your imagination. The company tracks health insurance usage and other data for companies to help them find ways to save money and improve benefits for their employees. It looked … Continue reading “Did the Super Bowl Flu Strike Your Office?”
Zapproved Secures $15,000,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=32613098-615f-41a1-a5d0-a6ab33e9906e Date 2/2/2015 Company Name Zapproved Mailing Address 19075 NW Tanasbourne Drive Hillsboro, OR 97124 USA Company Description Founded in February 2008, Zapproved is a software-as-a-service provider based in Portland, Ore. Our flagship product, Legal Hold Pro, was the first cloud-based litigation hold management software. Website http://www.zapproved.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction … Continue reading “Zapproved Secures $15,000,000 New Financing”
Boston Beats Seattle in Venture Capital Bowl With Biotechs as MVPs
It’s Super Bowl Friday—Super Blue Friday, here in Seattle, where the sun shines in January. Time for a good old fashioned venture capital showdown between Seattle and New England. It’s not much of a contest, unfortunately. Venture investors did 390 deals in the greater Boston area last year, compared to 173 in Seattle, according to … Continue reading “Boston Beats Seattle in Venture Capital Bowl With Biotechs as MVPs”
Innovation Hub: 10 Years After the Larry Summers Controversy
Ten years ago, Harvard’s then-president, Larry Summers, wondered why women are so scarce in elite math and science departments. Is it because they’re less ambitious than men? Or, perhaps, they’re less inclined to be extremely smart? His comments caused a national furor, and Summers stepped down as president the following year. Now, Professor Eileen Pollack, … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: 10 Years After the Larry Summers Controversy”
Dendreon Gets $296M Bid From Valeant as Bankruptcy Auction Looms
It looks like someone is interested in salvaging Provenge after all. The ever-acquisitive, Quebec-based Valeant Pharmaceuticals (NYSE: [[ticker:VRX]]) made a surprising $296 million all-cash offer late Thursday to buy Seattle’s Dendreon (OTC: [[ticker:DNDNQ]]) out of Chapter 11. The move signals that, at minimum, the struggling proprietor of the cellular immunotherapy sipuleucel-T (Provenge) has at least one … Continue reading “Dendreon Gets $296M Bid From Valeant as Bankruptcy Auction Looms”
Obama Wants You (And 1 Million Others) For ‘Precision’ Health Data
[Updated 1/30/15 1:15 pm. See below.] President Obama’s precision medicine plan just got a bit more precise, and it has a $215 million price tag. Starting with that cash, his administration wants to build a massive national database to study long-term public health trends, gathering head-to-toe health data from a million or more volunteers over … Continue reading “Obama Wants You (And 1 Million Others) For ‘Precision’ Health Data”
Cyanogen Receives New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e1a2ca7f-fa13-41ff-b055-fbeae45cce8c Date 1/30/2015 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 Receives New Financing Round”
West Coast Biotech Roundup: Qualcomm, Google X, Mapp, Onyx, & More
Most of California hasn’t had rain in a month, Seattle had a few days of “Juneuary” this past week, and West Coast tech titans warmed up the life-science news flow. Qualcomm, with its interest in digital health, is teaming with Roche to monitor patients in clinical trials. Google, with its interest in, well, everything, will … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Qualcomm, Google X, Mapp, Onyx, & More”
Koru Raises $8M to Connect Tech Employers, Recent Grads
Seattle startup Koru has raised $8 million to continue growing its business at the intersection of recruiting for high-growth technology companies and training for recent college graduates. The Series A funding round was led by Seattle-based Maveron, with new investors City Light Capital and Trilogy Equity Partners and previous backers Battery Ventures and First Round … Continue reading “Koru Raises $8M to Connect Tech Employers, Recent Grads”
Koru Secures $8,000,000 Series A Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c409ae82-41a9-4d9e-b319-9726526b5340 Date 1/29/2015 Company Name Koru Mailing Address Undisclosed Seattle, WA 98520 USA Company Description Koru is an intensive business program that teaches college grads relevant skills in a real-work setting and gets them hired. Website http://www.joinkoru.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $8,000,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes Koru will … Continue reading “Koru Secures $8,000,000 Series A Round”
Tune Secures $27,000,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=af6c665d-c5aa-4370-ba64-a74ecef98ceb Date 1/29/2015 Company Name Tune Mailing Address 2220 Western Ave. Seattle, WA 98121 USA Company Description We are passionate people on a mission to make mobile marketing better, for everyone. We are helpful, creative, diligent, and forward thinking. We’ve stepped up to the challenges of building products with massive scale while … Continue reading “Tune Secures $27,000,000 New Round”
Zipwhip Secures $5,000,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=86a5b41f-0899-4322-813d-e25ed985b2f3 Date 1/29/2015 Company Name Zipwhip Mailing Address 2401 4th Avenue Seattle, WA 98121 USA Company Description For over 4 years Zipwhip has been laser focused on text messaging and the unique characteristics that have made it such a widely adopted medium. While billions of consumers globally have grown to embrace its … Continue reading “Zipwhip Secures $5,000,000 New Funding Round”
Xconomy Is Seeking Great Sales People in Boston and San Francisco
When it comes to writing in-depth, daily stories about the business of high technology—in tech, life sciences, and beyond—we at Xconomy believe there are few news organizations that can match our editorial team. We feature many of these stories—and the people behind them—at our events as well. Now, right here in Boston and also in … Continue reading “Xconomy Is Seeking Great Sales People in Boston and San Francisco”
Techstars Closes $150M Seed and Early Stage Fund
Techstars has closed a $150 million third fund to make seed and early stage investments, the Boulder, CO-based startup accelerator announced Wednesday. Techstars co-founder and CEO David Cohen said the fund will be focused on investing on startups that have graduated from the accelerator or have other ties to the program. According to its website, … Continue reading “Techstars Closes $150M Seed and Early Stage Fund”
Mobile Health Adoption Growing Among Doctors, for Apps and Content
More than 80 percent of U.S. doctors surveyed use mobile apps or view professional content on mobile devices for work. That’s a significant increase over the numbers from around a year ago, according to a new survey. The main reasons for adoption? Improved patient care and communication, and time efficiency, doctors say. The survey was … Continue reading “Mobile Health Adoption Growing Among Doctors, for Apps and Content”
SNUPI Technologies Obtains $1,516,074 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=57e3795f-a4ec-4388-a311-60d4e27cc8ce Date 1/28/2015 Company Name SNUPI Technologies Mailing Address 1415 NE 45th St. Seattle, WA 98105 USA Company Description SNUPI Technologies — for Sensor Network Utilizing Powerline Infrastructure — is building a communications platform that can support a wide variety of environmental sensors capable of detecting water leaks, carbon monoxide, smoke, mold, … Continue reading “SNUPI Technologies Obtains $1,516,074 New Funding”
Brammo Secures $12,563,944 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ec2ad30d-4413-4dea-9d4d-bd5d9139df05 Date 1/28/2015 Company Name Brammo Mailing Address 300 W Valley View Road Talent, OR 97540 USA Company Description Brammo is in business for one simple reason – to drive change in the New Energy Economy. Our technically-advanced Enertia plug-in electric motorcycle – which gets up to 45 miles per charge – … Continue reading “Brammo Secures $12,563,944 New Funding Round”
Grayl Lands $800,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4bdf0747-8737-4d63-b38f-f5e6757bdc58 Date 1/28/2015 Company Name Grayl Mailing Address 6557 Greenwood Ave N Seattle, WA 98103 USA Company Description Water has shaped our landscapes and every civilization. Today, far too many people do not have access to safe drinking water, and those of us that do rarely have truly clean drinking water. Sadly, … Continue reading “Grayl Lands $800,000 New Round”
The Venture Funding Gap is Widening; What Does it Mean?
The National Venture Capital Association has just released the latest MoneyTree data on venture industry fund-raising, which always makes me sit up straight and take notice—it’s kind of an industry scorecard. In addition to being baffled by the fact that the amount the U.S. venture industry invests outstrips how much we raise (see below), I … Continue reading “The Venture Funding Gap is Widening; What Does it Mean?”
DFJ Grows Seattle Footprint With New Entrepreneur in Residence
Venture capital giant Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ) has stationed its first entrepreneur in residence in Seattle. Seattle native Bryan Hale, 32, will work with Seattle-based partner Bill Bryant, advising the firm’s portfolio companies, evaluating new investments, and, most importantly, looking for a startup of his own. Hale spent the last five and a half years … Continue reading “DFJ Grows Seattle Footprint With New Entrepreneur in Residence”
$75M in Real Cash Helps Coinbase Launch First U.S. Bitcoin Exchange
Bitcoin took a potentially big step toward legitimacy in the U.S. today with the launch of the nation’s first licensed exchange for the virtual currency. Now, it’s up to San Francisco startup Coinbase to convince would-be traders that its platform is a safe and preferable place to put their money. Founded in 2012, Coinbase has … Continue reading “$75M in Real Cash Helps Coinbase Launch First U.S. Bitcoin Exchange”
Primary Care Provider Iora Health Takes In $28M to Fuel Growth
Iora Health has raised $28 million in a Series C funding round as the primary care provider plans to double the number of practices it operates in the next year. The new financing will help the company, founded in 2011 by CEO and physician Rushika Fernandopulle, build out the software platform it uses at its … Continue reading “Primary Care Provider Iora Health Takes In $28M to Fuel Growth”
Innovation Outlook for 2015: Tackling Big Data Variety
In 2015, look for the innovation community to be talking about Big Data Variety: the problem, how to fix it, how to make money off of it. Companies have invested roughly $3-4 trillion on enterprise software over the last 20 years, with Gartner forecasting $320 billion in 2014 alone. A lot of that investment has … Continue reading “Innovation Outlook for 2015: Tackling Big Data Variety”
Online Travel Consolidation: Expedia Buys Travelocity for $280M
Bellevue, WA-based Expedia (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EXPE]]) has purchased Travelocity as consolidation continues in the online travel industry. Expedia paid Sabre Corporation (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SABR]]) $280 million for Travelocity, formed in 1996. In 2013, Expedia competitor Priceline.com (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PCLN]]) acquired Kayak (NASDAQ: [[ticker:KYAK]]) for $522.4 million in cash and 1.5 million shares of stock. Since 2013, Expedia technology has underpinned … Continue reading “Online Travel Consolidation: Expedia Buys Travelocity for $280M”
Innovation Hub: Who Needs Talent?
How many articles have been written about the innate business acumen of Steve Jobs, the brilliant coding abilities of Mark Zuckerberg, the extraordinary gifts of Yo Yo Ma? And what if they were all wrong? Geoff Colvin has combed through the research, and he argues that, again and again, scholars have almost completely discounted the … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: Who Needs Talent?”
Neofocal Garners $9,000,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8edb8e1d-5850-4218-b621-d2ab7d7d16f8 Date 1/23/2015 Company Name Neofocal Mailing Address 10170 SW Nimbus Ave. Portland, OR 97223 USA Company Description Neofocal Systems is a privately held fabless semiconductor company producing chipsets for fine granularity LED lighting control. Website http://www.neofocal.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $9,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were … Continue reading “Neofocal Garners $9,000,000 New Funding Round”
West Coast Biotech Roundup: Zymeworks, Lee Hood, Sue Biggins, Nektar
The news flow has been slow since the end of this year’s J.P. Morgan madness. The week in life sciences was dominated by President Obama’s call for a national precision medicine initiative. (For a West Coast angle, Xconomy asked genetics pioneer and Seattle fixture Lee Hood to weigh in with his thoughts.) Let’s start our … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Zymeworks, Lee Hood, Sue Biggins, Nektar”
UW Rebrands Commercialization Office CoMotion, Sets Broader Mission
Add a new name to the list of major changes at the University of Washington’s technology transfer office over the last year. The new moniker, CoMotion, is meant to signal a broader mission for what was formerly called the Center for Commercialization. “We’re expanding beyond [intellectual property] and startups and licensing to include supporting the … Continue reading “UW Rebrands Commercialization Office CoMotion, Sets Broader Mission”
Ascentis Obtains $7,000,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a7853141-5bd7-4f2a-8ec0-12dd39d60dd0 Date 1/22/2015 Company Name Ascentis Mailing Address 11040 Main St Bellevue, WA 98004 USA Company Description Ascentis Payroll (formerly Instapay) was created in 1980 by EBS OnLine, a California payroll services company. The organization flourished through a focus on exceptional customer service and real-time payroll processing. Website http://www.ascentis.com Transaction Type Venture … Continue reading “Ascentis Obtains $7,000,000 New Funding”
LendingRobot Secures $3,000,000 Series A Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=85945e85-1133-4ab3-8629-42c7bf85ed8d Date 1/22/2015 Company Name LendingRobot Mailing Address 227 Bellevue Way NE Seattle, WA 98004 USA Company Description Gilad and Emmanuel initially created a solution to automate their own investments on Lending?Club. The success of peer lending and the growing needs to automate such investments convinced them to make LendingRobot generally available. … Continue reading “LendingRobot Secures $3,000,000 Series A Funding Round”
Two Generations of Geneticists, Two “Precision Medicine” Wish Lists
In late 2012, President Obama awarded Leroy “Lee” Hood the National Medal of Science for a lifetime of achievements, including the invention of machines that made the historic Human Genome Project possible. So when Obama announced yesterday a “precision medicine initiative”—something that would surely require ever-deeper knowledge about the personal genetic differences that influence health … Continue reading “Two Generations of Geneticists, Two “Precision Medicine” Wish Lists”
Crowdfunding is Banging on Biotech’s Door. Will We Let It In?
In the summer of 2013, the medical device startup Scanadu made headlines around the world when Scout, its handheld medical diagnostic tool for consumers, raked in an astounding $1.6 million on the popular crowdfunding platform Indiegogo. That’s all well and good for a medical device, but most biotech veterans remain skeptical that crowdfunding can make … Continue reading “Crowdfunding is Banging on Biotech’s Door. Will We Let It In?”
What President Obama’s Precision Medicine Initiative Might Include
In case you missed it, President Obama used his State of the Union speech Tuesday night to call for a national “precision medicine” initiative. But, as often happens in these Halloween candy bags of Presidential wish lists, the details were scant. Here’s the entirety of what he said about it: I want the country that … Continue reading “What President Obama’s Precision Medicine Initiative Might Include”
SpaceX’s $1 Billion Financing Follows Musk’s Expansion Talk
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) landed a major $1 billion financing round led by Google and Fidelity on Tuesday. SpaceX will use some of the money for manufacturing satellites, the company announced in a statement on its website. The news comes just a week after billionaire CEO Elon Musk told Bloomberg News that he is … Continue reading “SpaceX’s $1 Billion Financing Follows Musk’s Expansion Talk”
In the Jiu-Jitsu Match of Biotech Risk, a Reminder of Other Paths
Risk makes for great headlines. I’m guilty as charged. My first column for Xconomy questioned whether biotech venture capitalists were losing relevance, running away from risk in an inherently risky business. Heading full steam into the new year, there will be plenty of headlines and stories from us and our peers about the brave and … Continue reading “In the Jiu-Jitsu Match of Biotech Risk, a Reminder of Other Paths”