[Corrected 8/14/14, 8:11pm. See below.] When Amgen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMGN]]) bought South San Francisco-based Onyx Pharmaceuticals last year for $10.4 billion, it expected great things from Onyx’s multiple myeloma treatment carfilzomib (Kyprolis), which won its first approval in 2012 in a limited patient population. Those expectations went a bit sideways this week, as Amgen said late … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Onyx, Calico, Otonomy, Dendreon & More”
Category: Seattle
To Take On New York, Accelerator Makes Big Changes
Talk to anyone involved in the New York biotech ecosystem, and it’s clear what’s missing: startups. The big city is just too expensive, entrepreneurs and their backers say—just try finding an affordable one bedroom apartment in Manhattan, let alone lab space—so a number of promising biotech ideas either stay untapped or get snatched up by … Continue reading “To Take On New York, Accelerator Makes Big Changes”
Non-Compete Agreements: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Twenty years ago, renowned researcher AnnaLee Saxenian wrote a book called Regional Advantage, which compared the development of two high-tech regions, Silicon Valley and Route 128. Everyone in the tech world knows how this story played out: In the face of global competition and technological trends, Silicon Valley reinvented itself and roared ahead, while Route … Continue reading “Non-Compete Agreements: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly”
Blab Secures $1,135,033 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=fd730946-5f1b-4696-a4bc-bc0930bf1b2a Date 8/14/2014 Company Name Blab Mailing Address 101 Yesler Way Seattle, WA 98104 USA Company Description Blab is a pioneer in the category of Predictive Social Intelligence. Blab applies proprietary technology and big data processing to contextualize and predict tomorrow’s online conversations today. Brands rely on Blab to contextualize and predict … Continue reading “Blab Secures $1,135,033 New Round”
Home Automation Startups Begin Microsoft, American Family Accelerator
Microsoft and American Family Insurance today named the 10 startups selected for their joint accelerator focused on home automation. The companies announced the accelerator partnership in June. The selected startups will work from Microsoft’s Redmond, WA headquarters campus through December and will have access to expertise and connections from Madison, WI-based American Family Insurance. American Family … Continue reading “Home Automation Startups Begin Microsoft, American Family Accelerator”
Heatworks Receives $25,000 Seed Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b8d3cb16-abc2-4cb6-a303-fa8cc0fc555c Date 8/13/2014 Company Name Heatworks Mailing Address 3709 NE 39th Street Bldg 20 Redmond, WA 98052 USA Company Description Heatworks is Redefining How the World Heats and Uses Water We were runner-up at this year’s TechCrunch Disrupt NY! Check out our presentation here: ISI Technology Presentation The world wastes too much … Continue reading “Heatworks Receives $25,000 Seed Funding”
Chai Energy Garners $25,000 Seed Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=78592900-cf4e-417f-80b5-fca600b712f6 Date 8/13/2014 Company Name Chai Energy Mailing Address 3709 NE 39th Street Redmond, WA 98052 USA Company Description Chai is an energy information startup founded by four current and former Caltech students, reinventing the way you think about your energy use by helping you save money and earn rewards. Website http://www.chaienergy.com … Continue reading “Chai Energy Garners $25,000 Seed Round”
The Perfect Hacker Storm: CyberVor Was Lightning; Here Comes Thunder
A Russian “hacker gang” they’ve dubbed CyberVor accumulated more than 1.2 unique user credentials from more than 420,000 Web services, ranging from smaller sites to major household names. For scale – if the CyberVor hack were a box office return, it would be the total global gross of the final Harry Potter as compared to … Continue reading “The Perfect Hacker Storm: CyberVor Was Lightning; Here Comes Thunder”
While Protesters Rage Against Tech Giants, Biotech Drives Quietly By
Not long ago, biotech made a lot of people angry. Up until 2005 or so, the annual Biotechnology Industry Organization conference attracted large street protests, which in turn attracted cops in riot gear in some cases (see San Francisco, 2004) as well as the attention of the industry’s top brass. Here’s then-BIO president Carl Feldbaum … Continue reading “While Protesters Rage Against Tech Giants, Biotech Drives Quietly By”
Techstars Seattle Picks 10 Startups for 3-Month Accelerator
It’s becoming a late-summer tradition in Seattle tech: The naming of the new startup companies selected for Techstars. The 10 selected for the 2014 class—which is the startup accelerator’s fifth in Seattle, and its first in new University District digs—have a broad range of target markets, from air conditioner controls to fashion to video for … Continue reading “Techstars Seattle Picks 10 Startups for 3-Month Accelerator”
Assemble Aims to Create Disruptive, Online Chamber of Commerce
When Kate Catlin, a Venture for America fellow based in Detroit, biked across the country the summer before her freshman year of college, she was struck by how many mom and pop businesses had been closed and boarded up in the towns she passed through. “We’d ask people where the businesses went, and they would … Continue reading “Assemble Aims to Create Disruptive, Online Chamber of Commerce”
3 Startup Myths Debunked by Recent Eau Claire Tech News
Wisconsin economic development officials and startup advocates like to say that innovation happens in all parts of the state, not just in its two biggest cities, Milwaukee and Madison. That mantra isn’t always evident, given the lower level of startup activity outside the state’s two hubs. But there certainly are pockets of innovation statewide. I’ll … Continue reading “3 Startup Myths Debunked by Recent Eau Claire Tech News”
Moneyball Meets Sales and Marketing: Tips from Two Masters
Moneyball has come to sales and marketing. I’m trusting you know about the revolution that hit baseball due to the arrival of sophisticated data and analytics—and if you don’t, well, read Moneyball by Michael Lewis. It shouldn’t be a surprise, in any case, to hear that the same type of data-mining and number-crunching that turned … Continue reading “Moneyball Meets Sales and Marketing: Tips from Two Masters”
Mirador Financial Secures $1,000,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=14c7ee10-9719-423e-a835-d215e9597293 Date 8/11/2014 Company Name Mirador Financial Mailing Address 319 SW Washington St. Portland, OR 97204 USA Company Description Mirador is a venture-backed startup in the financial technology space. We are working to solve the problem of expanding access to capital for borrowers, particularly small businesses, by enabling lenders to make faster, … Continue reading “Mirador Financial Secures $1,000,000 New Round”
Appuri Obtains $261,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f32eb0ce-d21b-497f-aa12-c98bc3f45c45 Date 8/11/2014 Company Name Appuri Mailing Address 15127 NE 24th St Redmond, WA 98052 USA Company Description Transform your business by creating measurable goals, tracking and testing changes throughout your infrastructure, and continuous delivery of value to customers. Website http://www.appuri.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $261,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes … Continue reading “Appuri Obtains $261,000 New Financing Round”
Live Stories Lands $118,000 Seed Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=22246f7c-73bb-4356-aa03-063bd4258c07 Date 8/11/2014 Company Name Live Stories Mailing Address 1904 Third Ave. Seattle, WA 98101 USA Company Description We build data tools for non-technical users. Website http://www.livestories.com Transaction Type Accelerator Transaction Amount $118,000 Transaction Round Seed Proceeds Purposes The company will use the proceeds to accelerate its initial development. M&A Terms Venture … Continue reading “Live Stories Lands $118,000 Seed Funding”
Stand In Receives $118,000 Seed Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e8d9bc0d-6875-4ddf-b5b0-294b02dec0d2 Date 8/11/2014 Company Name Stand In Mailing Address Undisclosed Portland, OR 97266 USA Company Description As designers, we have consistently struggled with using desktops for viewing designs intended for mobile screens. We knew we wanted a tool that would allow us to rapidly view and interact with our UX/UI designs natively … Continue reading “Stand In Receives $118,000 Seed Financing”
MagikFlix Receives $118,000 Seed Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=eaefa09e-48ff-4464-b7c4-c6b1663b8ebc Date 8/11/2014 Company Name MagikFlix Mailing Address Undisclosed Seattle, WA 98104 USA Company Description Magikflix’ treasure trove of videos is due to rewarding relationships with original video creators. Going digital on smart devices is a channel that many content creators today are exploring but lack the know how. Website http://www.magikflix.com Transaction … Continue reading “MagikFlix Receives $118,000 Seed Financing”
Garmentory Garners $118,000 Seed Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=56fc4e79-3173-46d1-83ea-f7465506715a Date 8/11/2014 Company Name Garmentory Mailing Address 1648 103rd Ave. SE Seattle, WA 98004 USA Company Description Garmentory is risk-free to use. Your product remains at your store and on your racks until a sale is accepted. You have nothing to lose, only to gain. Website http://www.garmentory.com Transaction Type Accelerator Transaction … Continue reading “Garmentory Garners $118,000 Seed Funding Round”
Innovation Hub: Forget Big Bets—Success Means Thinking Small
If you want to reap big rewards, you’ve got to take big risks. Right? Not according to Peter Sims, author of Little Bets: How Breakthrough Ideas Emerge from Small Discoveries, who argues that companies from Google to Hewlett-Packard have cashed in by thinking small, floating trial balloons, and understanding that micro failures are inevitable. I … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: Forget Big Bets—Success Means Thinking Small”
Washington State Biomedical Device Summit
Venkat Rajan, medical devices industry manager with Frost & Sullivan, will keynote a conference focusing on new technologies, device security and safety, and other challenges and opportunities for the region’s medical device makers. The event also highlights the Biomedical Manufacturing Innovation Zone in Bothell, WA, where it is being held. The cost is $75 with … Continue reading “Washington State Biomedical Device Summit”
Seattle Roundup: Rover, Tune, Rhapsody, Rightside, Zillow, Ada
This week’s Seattle tech news roundup features an acquisitions by Rover, Tune, and Rhapsody; the emergence of Rightside Group as a publicly-traded player in Internet domain names; a new mobile mortgage pre-approval feature from Zillow; and a new class of students at the Ada Developers Academy. Details: —Seattle-based Rover.com, fresh off of a $12 million … Continue reading “Seattle Roundup: Rover, Tune, Rhapsody, Rightside, Zillow, Ada”
Linda Stone’s Antidote to Quantified Self: The Essential Self
The Quantified Self movement emerged in the late 2000s in response to an absence: the lack of useful data about our bodies as we move through the day. Before the QS era, an EKG could show you your heart rhythms; a lab analysis could show you your cholesterol levels; a treadmill stress test could measure … Continue reading “Linda Stone’s Antidote to Quantified Self: The Essential Self”
MongoDB Days Seattle
This one-day conference is geared for software developers and architects using MongoDB database technology. It costs $149, with a $50 discount for early registrations. More information is available here.
Bellevue College Continuing Education Certificates
Prospective students can learn about Bellevue College‘s 15 new continuing education certificates—in areas such as mobile application development, cloud computing architecture, and project management—at an open house Monday, Aug. 25. More details are available here.
West Coast Biotech Roundup: MappBio, Juno, Zosano, and More
The IPO window is still open, sort of, but life sciences companies are not getting through unscathed. San Francisco-based Tobira Therapeutics and New York’s Microlin Bio postponed their offerings after Lexington, MA-based T2 Biosystems and Switzerland’s Auris Medical slashed the terms of their Nasdaq IPOs this week. Now all eyes are on San Diego-based Otonomy, … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: MappBio, Juno, Zosano, and More”
Proof of the Seattle Freeze? People Take Fewer In-Person Meetings via App
Here’s some possible evidence of the Seattle Freeze, that social ill that gives Seattleites a reputation for being superficially friendly but non-committal to newcomers: People in Seattle using a new app for business networking agreed to take half as many in-person meetings with other users, compared to people in San Francisco. The app is called … Continue reading “Proof of the Seattle Freeze? People Take Fewer In-Person Meetings via App”
Audit Finds Business, Government Fails at E-mail Authentication
As e-mail users, we’ve gone from being spammed to phished to precision-targeting spear phished, and the biggest companies on the Internet aren’t doing enough about it. That’s the takeaway from a report out today by the Online Trust Alliance (OTA), a member-funded nonprofit group that has worked for the last decade on cleaning up the … Continue reading “Audit Finds Business, Government Fails at E-mail Authentication”
BlkDot Lands Seed Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6d0ef4d7-e4f8-45a3-83ad-2b764ff13fa8 Date 8/6/2014 Company Name BlkDot Mailing Address 1001 SE Water Avenue Portland, OR 97214 USA Company Description We’re dedicated to making social commerce work by focusing on the details of how people interact with each other and with brands — creating commerce that adds to the unique Tumblr experience. Website http://www.theblkdot.com … Continue reading “BlkDot Lands Seed Financing”
Krumplr Obtains Seed Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c48be2c0-8768-4f6c-ae16-3f5bf876749a Date 8/6/2014 Company Name Krumplr Mailing Address 818 SW 3rd Ave. Portland, OR 97204 USA Company Description Krumplr is developing an interface to easily keep track and complete to-do lists strewn across different systems. Website http://www.krumplr.com Transaction Type Accelerator Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Seed Proceeds Purposes The company will use … Continue reading “Krumplr Obtains Seed Funding Round”
Supportland Receives Seed Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f760d56f-6df7-43a4-9f78-604eb189c3f8 Date 8/6/2014 Company Name Supportland Mailing Address 2211 NW Front Portland, OR 97209 USA Company Description We are neighborhood-business huggers. For years, we helped friends patch together technology solutions for their local businesses. This led to the big idea: Wouldn’t it be great to offer independent businesses the same fancy technology … Continue reading “Supportland Receives Seed Round”
XOBXOB Lands Seed Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=520aed91-7958-4fb0-98ef-a2909306ded5 Date 8/6/2014 Company Name XOBXOB Mailing Address 1227 NW Davis St. Portland, OR 97209 USA Company Description XOBXOB’s vision includes both products and services to help build a personal and responsive connected world. The XOBXOB service allows Makers and product developers to easily experiment with connected devices using Arduino microcontrollers. You … Continue reading “XOBXOB Lands Seed Funding”
Droplr Garners Seed Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=26b781f3-77dd-4b60-8fc4-a945381acbdd Date 8/6/2014 Company Name Droplr Mailing Address 2612 NW Brickyard Street Bend, OR 97701 USA Company Description Droplr is the easiest way to share images, documents, files & links. Drag and drop anything to Droplr. Droplr will let you know when it has been uploaded and provide a link that you … Continue reading “Droplr Garners Seed Financing Round”
Cairns Obtains Seed Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=03a8bc8a-0b14-4126-940a-cab4d63ef327 Date 8/6/2014 Company Name Cairns Mailing Address 1227 NW Davis St. Portland, OR 97209 USA Company Description Cairns is developing a mapping tool. Website Undisclosed Transaction Type Accelerator Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Seed Proceeds Purposes The company will use the proceeds to accelerate its initial development. M&A Terms Venture Investor
Outdoor Project Receives Seed Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=03e84092-7534-48a9-827c-d7d1bceb245b Date 8/6/2014 Company Name Outdoor Project Mailing Address P.O. Box 28373 Portland, OR 97228 USA Company Description Outdoor Project is a member-based community that comes with many benefits, and best of all, membership is FREE. You may also make a monthly contribution to get access to premium features and to create … Continue reading “Outdoor Project Receives Seed Funding”
Read the Docs Secures Seed Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=52c4fa9c-3aec-46d9-95b2-e45de18e2a82 Date 8/6/2014 Company Name Read the Docs Mailing Address 1227 NW Davis St. Portland, OR 97209 USA Company Description Read the Docs hosts documentation, making it fully searchable and easy to find. You can import your docs using any major version control system, including Mercurial, Git, Subversion, and Bazaar. We support … Continue reading “Read the Docs Secures Seed Funding Round”
How Google, Microsoft, and Amazon’s Boston-Area Offices Stack Up
The biggest names in technology have very few boundaries when it comes to competing with each other. Take the smartphone market, where Amazon, Google, Apple, and Microsoft—four companies with very different core business models—have all made huge investments. At the core of that competition is a race to hire the engineers, designers, developers, and other … Continue reading “How Google, Microsoft, and Amazon’s Boston-Area Offices Stack Up”
Funding Options Shrink for Early-Stage Cleantech Ventures
The term “cleantech” has gone through a rebranding. However it’s defined, though, investment in energy and natural resource-related startups continues. Just don’t expect venture capitalists to be writing all the checks. As a reporter, I chronicled the rush of venture capital in cleantech in the mid-to-late 2000s and the subsequent financial bust and politicization of … Continue reading “Funding Options Shrink for Early-Stage Cleantech Ventures”
Nuclear Startup Transatomic Power Lands $2M From Founders Fund
Transatomic Power wants to build a new type of nuclear reactor, an endeavor that could take many years and hundreds of millions of dollars. Today, the startup is announcing that it’s landed a venture investor—Founders Fund—willing to bankroll one early step in the journey. Cambridge, MA-based Transatomic has raised $2 million from FF Science, a … Continue reading “Nuclear Startup Transatomic Power Lands $2M From Founders Fund”
With $310M and Public Investors Aboard, Is a Juno IPO Next?
We won’t know for some time whether the cancer immunotherapies under development at high-powered Seattle startup Juno Therapeutics are the real deal. But there are plenty of investors willing to bet on them. Juno announced today that it has raised a $134 million Series B round from all of its “major” prior investors—the company didn’t … Continue reading “With $310M and Public Investors Aboard, Is a Juno IPO Next?”
Canceling Washington R&D Incentives Will Erase Success
This post was co-authored by Ranken and Eric Viola, the Washington Clean Technology Alliance’s public policy analyst. Washington state’s principal high tech innovation tax incentives are set to expire on January 1. Adopted in 1994, the programs removed large tax barriers to performing new research and development activities in Washington. They have been counted on … Continue reading “Canceling Washington R&D Incentives Will Erase Success”
Juno Therapeutics Garners $134,000,000 Series B Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9a6a8334-9bd6-4497-af77-89b87dd4acf5 Date 8/5/2014 Company Name Juno Therapeutics Mailing Address 307 Westlake Avenue North Seattle, WA 98109 USA Company Description Juno is a clinical-stage company that brings together three of the world’s leading cancer centers – Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Seattle Children’s Research Institute – in unique … Continue reading “Juno Therapeutics Garners $134,000,000 Series B Financing Round”
Military Strategies Being Used in the War on Cancer
Nearly everyone has heard of the War on Cancer, which was launched during the Nixon administration with the passage of the National Cancer Act of 1971. The goal of this legislation was to eradicate (or at least significantly decrease) the number of U.S. cancer deaths. Progress in meeting this goal has been slow over the … Continue reading “Military Strategies Being Used in the War on Cancer”
How Cotton Bureau Became the Internet’s Coolest T-Shirt Store
You may not have realized that it was possible to become addicted to buying T-shirts. But that probably means you just haven’t stumbled upon Cotton Bureau, a year-old website that has quickly become the world’s coolest T-shirt shop. The four-person crew behind Cotton Bureau has managed to pull this off by stitching together an impressive number … Continue reading “How Cotton Bureau Became the Internet’s Coolest T-Shirt Store”
Tune Acquires MobileDevHQ for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0a32f20d-7543-4797-8092-55b51f206d31 Date 8/4/2014 Company Name MobileDevHQ Mailing Address Undisclosed Seattle, WA 98104 USA Company Description MobileDevHQ, a Seattle-based startup providing tools for App Store Optimization (ASO) and additional insights for mobile developers. Website http://www.mobiledevhq.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Proceeds Purposes M&A Terms Financial terms of the transaction were … Continue reading “Tune Acquires MobileDevHQ for Undisclosed Sum”
Innovation Hub: Legendary Investor Roger McNamee on “Day of Reckoning”
There’s always plenty of coverage of the newest phones—are they a millimeter thinner? Is the camera slightly better? But when you back up and look at the broad sweep of how technology has changed our lives over the last generation, it’s profound. Celebrated Silicon Valley investor Roger McNamee has been part of this transformation—having spent … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: Legendary Investor Roger McNamee on “Day of Reckoning””
Global Warming and the Power of Fear to Drive Innovation
[Corrected, see below] As graduation approached at my rural Michigan high school in 1985, our principal had a problem. The commencement ceremony usually featured two speeches: one from the valedictorian and one from the salutatorian. But in my graduating class eight people, including me, had a 4.0 grade point average. Who would give the valedictorian … Continue reading “Global Warming and the Power of Fear to Drive Innovation”
West Coast Biotech Roundup: Amgen Layoffs, Avalanche, Venter & More
Summer in Seattle is usually a joyous season, but with the big West Coast news this week, a gloom more typical of the city’s winter months settled over the biotech community. Amgen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMGN]]) said it would shut down its research facility in town and a manufacturing plant in the suburb of Bothell. The closures … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Amgen Layoffs, Avalanche, Venter & More”
Is Radio Silence Endangering Your Business?
Let’s see if this scenario sounds all-too-familiar. A divisional company director is facing a distressed situation. Her CEO suggests bringing in an outside consultant to help. They meet, and the director decides to hire the consultant and immediately confirms a follow-up meeting on both of their calendars. Except that this second meeting never takes place. … Continue reading “Is Radio Silence Endangering Your Business?”
Freak’n Genius Receives $350,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7a7e6f73-51cd-42c8-a37d-32e059dc6841 Date 7/31/2014 Company Name Freak’n Genius Mailing Address 2820 Elliot Ave. Seattle, WA 98121 USA Company Description Bring any photo to life, making Ke$ha , cats or tea kettles talk. Add tons of personality with animated stickers: eyes, mouths, noses, zombies, bacon, Obama, Satan, special effects, props, and completely change the … Continue reading “Freak’n Genius Receives $350,000 New Round”