Category: Seattle

Good Done Great Obtains $500,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=425674f3-5644-4b5f-a0fd-e6a1cb0598ff Date 11/11/2014 Company Name Good Done Great Mailing Address 1127 Broadway St. Tacoma, WA 98402 USA Company Description Good Done Great is a social enterprise made up of committed professionals with extensive experience both working and volunteering at nonprofits, and developing solutions at nonprofit technology companies. Website http://www.gooddonegreat.com Transaction Type Venture … Continue reading “Good Done Great Obtains $500,000 New Round”

Avalara Lands $100,000,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b082cde3-9cff-41ba-a9b3-f3dbcdc1dd95 Date 11/11/2014 Company Name Avalara Mailing Address 100 Ravine Lane NE Bainbridge Island, WA 98110 USA Company Description Avalara was founded by a team of tax and software industry veterans to fulfill a vision of delivering an affordable, scalable sales tax solution. Thus making what was not economically feasible in the … Continue reading “Avalara Lands $100,000,000 New Financing Round”

Sales-Tax Software Seller Avalara Adds $100M from Warburg Pincus

Tax compliance doesn’t sound like the kind of sexy business that makes headlines and gets deep-pocketed investors excited. It’s a different story when you’re talking about software that can sift through thousands of overlapping government sales-tax districts around the world. When the idea of paying sales taxes on most online purchases in the U.S. seems like it could become a reality, that story … Continue reading “Sales-Tax Software Seller Avalara Adds $100M from Warburg Pincus”

As Huge Bills Loom, Immunotherapy Pioneer Dendreon Enters Bankruptcy

After 22 years, one groundbreaking cancer treatment, and even more ups and downs than the volatile biotech industry would consider normal, Seattle-based Dendreon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DNDN]]) has filed for bankruptcy. The company and its prostate-cancer treatment sipuleucel-T (Provenge) could be sold, or it could emerge from bankruptcy court with completely new ownership. From a reading of … Continue reading “As Huge Bills Loom, Immunotherapy Pioneer Dendreon Enters Bankruptcy”

Beg, Borrow, or Steal: Accessing Unaffordable Science Journals

If you work in academia or in Big Pharma, you likely have easy access to the world’s scientific literature. Outside of these places, however, obtaining affordable access to the latest scientific journals is much more problematic. This includes scientists at all but the largest biopharma companies, doctors and other health care professionals, and people wanting … Continue reading “Beg, Borrow, or Steal: Accessing Unaffordable Science Journals”

Highspot Obtains $9,600,000 Series A Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f7ff7f6e-f8f3-4e2c-ae7e-95fe5db6628a Date 11/10/2014 Company Name Highspot Mailing Address 2401 Fourth Avenue Seattle, WA 98121 USA Company Description Highspot provides sales engagement software that improves the way companies engage with customers. Using Highspot, sales teams are connected to the most relevant content for each situation, have flexible ways to present content to customers, … Continue reading “Highspot Obtains $9,600,000 Series A Financing”

What Early Looks From ASH Tell Us About Cancer Immunotherapy

[Note: Ben Fidler contributed to this report.] Immunotherapy is one of the most promising new ways to fight cancer, and we’ve followed it closely for some time. One of its main proving grounds is in blood-borne cancers, because some of the immunotherapy methods are, at least for now, easier to target in that direction. That’s … Continue reading “What Early Looks From ASH Tell Us About Cancer Immunotherapy”

How a Big Company Can Run Fast, Like a Startup

What does the word “startup” mean to you? Many words can come to mind: new, exciting, experimental, small, lean, agile, fast. To me, “startup” mostly makes me think of “agile” and “fast.” In an early stage startup, everybody is focused on the same thing. People are passionate, enthusiastic, hungry for an opportunity to change the … Continue reading “How a Big Company Can Run Fast, Like a Startup”

Highspot Lands $9.6M to Improve Sales, Marketing Content

Salespeople in large companies may have hundreds of thousands of individual pieces of marketing content to choose from when pitching a customer. Highspot, a Seattle startup announcing a $9.6 million Series A funding round, wants to help them pick the best one. The investment is being led by Madrona Venture Group and will help the … Continue reading “Highspot Lands $9.6M to Improve Sales, Marketing Content”

Techstars Seattle Demo Day: New Companies, Pitching Models, Leader

Techstars, the international network of startup accelerators, marks its fifth year in Seattle with some significant changes coming in how it presents its companies to investors, and in its local leadership. Another 10 promising startups completed the three-month, intensive business development and mentorship program Thursday, giving short, polished pitches to an audience of hundreds of … Continue reading “Techstars Seattle Demo Day: New Companies, Pitching Models, Leader”

West Coast Biotech Roundup: Nevro, Coherus, Xenon, Rock Health, Etc.

The first week of November has brought the first taste of winter to much of the U.S., plenty of sunshine to California, and a flurry of IPOs. There have been three so far on the West Coast, the main story of what’s been a slow week otherwise. The pace will pick up today and tomorrow … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Nevro, Coherus, Xenon, Rock Health, Etc.”

Seattle Techstars Grad Shippable Gets $8M for Better Software Tests

A year ago, Avi Cavale, co-founder of Shippable, was on stage at Techstars Seattle Demo Day, pitching his company’s solution for software development and testing headaches. Thursday, as another crop of Techstars Seattle company founders prepare to go before investors, Shippable is announcing an $8 million Series A funding round, along with a fast-growing user … Continue reading “Seattle Techstars Grad Shippable Gets $8M for Better Software Tests”

Prepared Response Lands $406,360 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=24f40b00-33a2-400b-af93-e6dc850e00f1 Date 11/6/2014 Company Name Prepared Response Mailing Address 5350 Carillon Point Kirkland, WA 98033 USA Company Description Prepared Response Inc. (PRI) designs and implements crisis management planning and response systems that enable you to enhance your ability to respond. Website http://www.preparedresponse.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $406,360 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds … Continue reading “Prepared Response Lands $406,360 New Round”

Shippable Secures $8,000,000 Series A Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=945c27d3-8726-4184-be9a-eb9c2d65e935 Date 11/6/2014 Company Name Shippable Mailing Address 788 110th Ave NE Bellevue, WA 98004 USA Company Description Shippable setup takes less than a couple of minutes. You sign in with your GitHub credentials, set up your build environment with one click, and then set up a job for every repository you … Continue reading “Shippable Secures $8,000,000 Series A Financing Round”

Sujal Patel Reflects on Isilon Legacy, Seattle’s Storage Leadership

Four years ago this month, technology giant EMC announced the $2.25 billion acquisition of Isilon Systems, a homegrown Seattle company that helped bolster the region’s standing as a center of data storage innovation. Isilon Systems’ legacy today is in EMC’s continuing large presence in Seattle; two well-funded startup companies, Qumulo and Igneous Systems, working on … Continue reading “Sujal Patel Reflects on Isilon Legacy, Seattle’s Storage Leadership”

In Short Order, Indi Convinces Insurers To Cover Its Lung Test

One year after launching its first product, Seattle’s Integrated Diagnostics has secured insurance coverage from several healthcare groups, including UnitedHealthCare (NYSE: [[ticker:UNH]]). The biotech firm, which goes by the shortened name “Indi,” said today that United and six preferred provider organizations (PPOs) covering more than 200 million people, will reimburse for the Xpresys Lung test, … Continue reading “In Short Order, Indi Convinces Insurers To Cover Its Lung Test”

Ossia Receives New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b36321c8-732e-4bac-b980-f8b1c2f99dd7 Date 11/5/2014 Company Name Ossia Mailing Address 2615 151st Place NE Redmond, WA 98052 USA Company Description Ossia is challenging people’s imagination about what is possible with wireless power. Website http://www.ossiainc.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms Venture … Continue reading “Ossia Receives New Round”

Proteostasis, Astellas Join up on Genetic Disease Drugs

Proteostasis Therapeutics got a new CEO a few months ago; now the Cambridge, MA-based startup has a new development deal to work on, and a new high-profile investor too. Japanese drugmaker Astellas Pharma inked a partnership today with Proteostasis to try to discover and develop new drugs for an unspecified genetic disease and, potentially, other … Continue reading “Proteostasis, Astellas Join up on Genetic Disease Drugs”

History, Yes, But Biologist’s Imagination Is No Flight Of Fancy

Any book about life science innovation that starts with quotes from Frank Zappa and Albert Einstein promises to be a good read. The Biologist’s Imagination holds to that promise, as authors William Hoffman and Leo Furcht, both of the University of Minnesota Medical School, take several forays back in history to explain the “crossroads”—perhaps an … Continue reading “History, Yes, But Biologist’s Imagination Is No Flight Of Fancy”

Inrix Lands New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0015d1f1-4915-4ead-a845-b83165100b62 Date 11/4/2014 Company Name Inrix Mailing Address 10210 NE Points Dr. Kirkland, WA 98033 USA Company Description Inrix delivers highly accurate real-time and predictive traffic services nationwide, providing businesses and individuals with personalized, actionable information that has the power to transform daily commutes and routes. Website http://www.inrix.com Transaction Type Venture Equity … Continue reading “Inrix Lands New Financing Round”

Led by Boeing Vet, Tempered Networks Securing the Internet of Things

Here’s a scary headline: “BlackEnergy crimeware coursing through US control systems.” That’s from a report on a security vulnerability discovered in the Internet-connected pieces of industrial infrastructure that control things like electricity generation and water systems. A Seattle startup says its technology, first developed to help secure robotic tooling on Boeing’s 777 assembly lines, can … Continue reading “Led by Boeing Vet, Tempered Networks Securing the Internet of Things”

Rover.com Receives New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6291a2fd-3937-4a8e-81f8-670bca7baaa3 Date 11/3/2014 Company Name Rover.com Mailing Address 808 Howell St. Seattle, WA 98101 USA Company Description At Rover.com, our mission is to allow dog owners to easily tap into the 40 million U.S. dog-owning households as well as a myriad of other pet lovers-including professionals – to meet their dog care … Continue reading “Rover.com Receives New Financing Round”

Seattle Roundup: Commercial Space Setbacks, Cray’s Big Deal, & More

For the commercial space industry, this disastrous week began with a fiery setback and ended with a tragedy. The implications of two catastrophic vehicle anomalies will take time to play out, but Redmond, WA-based Planetary Resources pledges to press on. Meanwhile, supercomputer maker Cray signs a major deal with the U.K. Met Office, laying bare … Continue reading “Seattle Roundup: Commercial Space Setbacks, Cray’s Big Deal, & More”

Innovation Hub: How Immigrants Fuel Innovation

Immigration policy reform is a hot-button issue right now, but it’s affecting the innovation economy in unexpected ways. U.S. companies are having a hard time recruiting enough skilled workers to fill all their high-level science, tech, and engineering positions. I discussed the issue with Stanford Law School professor Dan Siciliano and Silicon Valley Leadership Group … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: How Immigrants Fuel Innovation”

New to Data Analytics? Here’s 3 Simple Steps For Getting Started

Since I got involved in the big data and analytics world a few years ago, I’ve become the person that friends come to (and refer their friends to) for answers to questions about data. Recently I’ve been asked a few times by entrepreneurs how they can make sure their company is prepared to do analytics, … Continue reading “New to Data Analytics? Here’s 3 Simple Steps For Getting Started”

Taking the Copenhagen Wheel for a Spin in Cambridge

I’ve long been a bicycle commuter. And with the rise of urban bike-share programs, many more people are finding the benefits of biking, both for individuals and cities. More bikes on the road means less car congestion and less pollution, and it’s a good way to get exercise. But what if biking to work or … Continue reading “Taking the Copenhagen Wheel for a Spin in Cambridge”

WISErg Obtains $650,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=fffd718c-4093-4814-9cd0-a5a3037ea87f Date 10/31/2014 Company Name WISErg Mailing Address 1775 12th Avenue NW Issaquah, WA 98027 USA Company Description WISErg Corporation is a Pacific Northwest bio resource company based in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 2010, WISErg’s primary focus is on deriving valuable renewable resources from compostable feedstock. Website http://www.wiserg.com Transaction Type Venture Equity … Continue reading “WISErg Obtains $650,000 New Round”

ZIIBRA Receives $100,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=500b3faa-6872-4a23-9a38-a833867369ee Date 10/31/2014 Company Name ZIIBRA Mailing Address 3621 Stone Way N Seattle, WA 98103 USA Company Description ZIIBRA was started with one goal in mind: to help keep creativity alive and well. Over the last year and a half, more than a few things have changed, but this small tenet has … Continue reading “ZIIBRA Receives $100,000 New Financing”

Ivy Garners $241,319 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ea657ce8-a3a0-421f-93b2-d3c7dec7c986 Date 10/31/2014 Company Name Ivy Mailing Address 12277 134th Ct NE Redmond, WA 98052 USA Company Description Presenting Ivytalk: Cross channel messaging solution. We help you easily communicate with anyone, on virtually any medium, anywhere in the world. We provide interactive communication between businesses and consumers, organizations and members, agencies and … Continue reading “Ivy Garners $241,319 New Funding Round”

We Learn Live Envisions New Model of Entrepreneurship Education

Yoli Chisholm, a Microsoft marketer, thinks there are lots of people like her: They’ve got good ideas, and aspire to be entrepreneurs, but may lack the resources or safety net to go out on their own. She’s recruiting for a new Seattle-area program to begin in January called We Learn Live (WELL) that aims to … Continue reading “We Learn Live Envisions New Model of Entrepreneurship Education”

West Coast Biotech Roundup: Amgen, Inslee, Fibrogen, Receptos & More

Amgen keeps adding to the layoffs, the governor of Washington has a lot to say to Xconomy about his state’s life sciences industry, and San Francisco’s Fibrogen hopes to crank up the IPO engine. Let’s get to the roundup. —Under hedge fund pressure to break itself up, Amgen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMGN]]) of Thousand Oaks, CA, instead … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Amgen, Inslee, Fibrogen, Receptos & More”

Edmunds.com Acquires CarCode to Help Further its Mobile Strategy

Car-shopping website Edmunds.com announced this week that it has acquired CarCode, an app maker based in Seattle and Ann Arbor, MI. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. “It’s a great company to be joining,” says Nick Gorton, CarCode’s co-founder. Even though we’re living in an age of ubiquitous smartphones and Edmunds saw a … Continue reading “Edmunds.com Acquires CarCode to Help Further its Mobile Strategy”

Backed by Gates, Affinivax Ramps up Velcro-like Vaccine Tech

Prevnar 13 is a vaccine that, as its name suggests, protects against 13 of the most common strains of pneumococcal bacteria, which can cause deadly pneumonia and meningitis infections. There’s just one problem: there are around 90 total strains of pneumococcus that can cause disease. What about the other ones? A new startup with backing … Continue reading “Backed by Gates, Affinivax Ramps up Velcro-like Vaccine Tech”

I Believe in Angels

My colleague and friend Jeb Spencer recently wrote a piece for Xconomy about angel investors looking for “Unicorns,” those rare early stage companies with valuations—justified or not—of $1 billion or more. He wondered if angels are flying too close to the sun by misunderstanding their chances of success and failing to do their homework on … Continue reading “I Believe in Angels”

Innovation in Ireland: Overview to Xconomy’s Special Report

Until earlier this October, the only time I had visited Ireland was in April of 1989, on the World B. Tour. A group of American former collegiate basketball players came to the Emerald Isle on a hoops tour, taking part in an international tournament outside Dublin and playing exhibition games against Irish all-stars and holding … Continue reading “Innovation in Ireland: Overview to Xconomy’s Special Report”

Bright.md Garners $1,000,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=115674b0-532f-44ae-a0d6-72f2767e4f65 Date 10/29/2014 Company Name Bright.md Mailing Address 1536 SE 24th Avenue Portland, OR 97214 USA Company Description Bright.md was co-founded by Ray Costantini and Mark Swinth – two experienced entrepreneurs with extensive backgrounds in healthcare, business, and technology and a shared passion for transforming healthcare into what it can and should … Continue reading “Bright.md Garners $1,000,000 New Funding”

Techstars Seattle Demo Day

The Techstars Seattle fall 2014 class will pitch to the technology community at the startup accelerator’s Demo Day. The 10 companies pitching are listed here. More information about Demo Day and the launch party that follows is here.

MIT Enterprise Forum NW: Accelerators and Incubators

What’s the difference between an accelerator and an incubator, and which one is right for your startup? Answers are promised at the MIT Enterprise Forum NW from a panel including city of Seattle startup liaison Rebecca Lovell, Microsoft Ventures director James Maiocco, 9Mile Labs co-founder Sanjay Puri, and University of Washington New Ventures Facility associate … Continue reading “MIT Enterprise Forum NW: Accelerators and Incubators”

Seattle Roundup: UW Startups, CSE Expansion; New Funding Flows

Northwest technology companies have racked up more than $67 million in fresh funding over the last two weeks, including investment rounds for Limeade, Acumatica, Urban Airship, Blue Box, and Lytics. Meanwhile, we’re following news of another wireless sensors company emerging from the University of Washington’s computer science department, which has already run out of space … Continue reading “Seattle Roundup: UW Startups, CSE Expansion; New Funding Flows”

Syros Raises $53M More To Push Gene-Control Drugs Into Human Trials

The backers of Syros Pharmaceuticals are sparing no expense. The Watertown, MA-based biotech has reeled in a $53 million Series B round, a huge sum for a company based on relatively new understanding of fundamental human biology: the way our genes are controlled by extremely complicated signals within our cells. “Our investors and board said … Continue reading “Syros Raises $53M More To Push Gene-Control Drugs Into Human Trials”

On a Wing and a Prayer: 300,000 Angels in Search of a Unicorn

As co-founder and managing partner of San Diego’s TVC Capital, I awake every morning to a certain routine that includes scanning my Term Sheet e-mail to see what investments and acquisitions got done in the tech space. I have noticed in recent years that the space Dan Primack has devoted to investments is long, while … Continue reading “On a Wing and a Prayer: 300,000 Angels in Search of a Unicorn”

Limeade Lands $25,000,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=92030e1e-be4e-43c4-b248-41721ee4a463 Date 10/27/2014 Company Name Limeade Mailing Address 10777 Main Street Bellevue, WA 98004 USA Company Description Limeade provides health and wellness information services to employers and employees. Website http://www.limeade.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $25,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes The $25 million financing will enable Limeade to expand its … Continue reading “Limeade Lands $25,000,000 New Funding”

Vadio Receives $1,250,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=cdc21e1a-02fe-4026-8f14-6600c60c71f9 Date 10/27/2014 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 Receives $1,250,000 New Financing”

Q&A: WA Gov. Inslee on Education, Life Sciences, Climate, R&D

Before Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and state legislators can even think about renewing or expanding research and development incentives for innovation industries, they need to find a way to fill a hole in the state budget on the order of $5 billion over the next four years. But in an interview with Xconomy on Friday, … Continue reading “Q&A: WA Gov. Inslee on Education, Life Sciences, Climate, R&D”

Cambia Grove Aims to Spur Healthcare Innovation in Seattle

Cambia Health Solutions, which owns a portfolio of insurance and healthcare companies, wants Seattle to become a center of healthcare innovation. To help, Cambia is building a new 9,000-square-foot meeting and workspace in downtown Seattle, set to open early next year. (A rendering is at right.) The Cambia Grove will be in the 1800 Ninth … Continue reading “Cambia Grove Aims to Spur Healthcare Innovation in Seattle”

reKode Secures $20,000 Seed Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a324f889-c2a3-471a-9463-9625d247f5b4 Date 10/24/2014 Company Name reKode Mailing Address Undisclosed Redmond, WA 98052 USA Company Description reKode is skilling the next generation of innovators that will change the world beyond technology. We teach children and young adults from the age of six how to code through a unique and innovative methodology developed by … Continue reading “reKode Secures $20,000 Seed Funding Round”

West Coast Biotech Roundup: Genentech, Sutro, Amgen, Regulus & More

Immunotherapy deals that could reach $1 billion? We’ve got two of them this week. Sure, those billion-dollar figures include, as they often do, a lot of biobucks, but the rest of the details in those deals—Genentech and NewLink Genetics; Celgene and Sutro Biopharma—are no small potatoes. Let’s get to the roundup. —Roche’s Genentech division in … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Genentech, Sutro, Amgen, Regulus & More”