Category: Seattle

Driving Corporate Innovation: Design Thinking vs. Customer Development

Startups are not smaller versions of large companies, but interestingly we also see that companies are not larger versions of startups. I’ve been spending some time with large companies that are interested in using “Lean Startup” methods. One of the conundrums is why does innovation take so long to happen in corporations? Previously Hank Chesbrough … Continue reading “Driving Corporate Innovation: Design Thinking vs. Customer Development”

Jintronix Garners $772,508 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=892bb6c9-e715-4418-8a81-38095905c599 Date 7/30/2014 Company Name Jintronix Mailing Address 999 Third Avenue Seattle, WA 98104 USA Company Description Jintronix is a biomedical device company designing software for physical and cognitive rehabilitation. It began as a passion project to help individuals who had suffered from a stroke to get better and back to their … Continue reading “Jintronix Garners $772,508 New Financing Round”

Seattle Jobs? Big Biotech Gives And Takes Away (Mostly The Latter)

Reporting a 25 percent jump in profits, Amgen (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMGN]]) also dealt a blow to Seattle’s biotech job market today. The Thousand Oaks, CA-based biotech drug maker announced a huge round of job cuts, 12 to 15 percent of its staff worldwide, and a shuttering of research and manufacturing groups in Washington state and Colorado. … Continue reading “Seattle Jobs? Big Biotech Gives And Takes Away (Mostly The Latter)”

To Solve Alzheimer’s Mystery, Better Biological Clues Sorely Needed

The other day, I found a video on the website of the Alzheimer’s Association, a nonprofit foundation. It was part of an HBO documentary series produced a few years ago by Maria Shriver to educate the public about Alzheimer’s disease. The first couple minutes showed people going into scanners, doctors gently examining patients, color-contrasted brain … Continue reading “To Solve Alzheimer’s Mystery, Better Biological Clues Sorely Needed”

Accelerator Bags $51M, Makes Long-Awaited Move to NYC

Seattle’s Accelerator has talked for a long time about expanding into other relatively untapped life sciences clusters, aiming to offer a helping hand to early-stage biotech entrepreneurs where there aren’t already a bunch of venture capitalists devoted to the task. Today, Accelerator’s finally making that jump. It’s raised a whole bunch of cash and opened … Continue reading “Accelerator Bags $51M, Makes Long-Awaited Move to NYC”

GraphLab Off to Fast Start with System for Building Predictive Apps

In the course of a mere 14 months, Seattle startup GraphLab Inc. has gone from a computer science professor and a few colleagues creating open source software to analyze graph datasets to a 25-person company with a new, full-fledged system for building predictive applications that draw on a range of data types. Their customers include … Continue reading “GraphLab Off to Fast Start with System for Building Predictive Apps”

Zillow, Trulia Deal Means Fewer Competitors in Online Real Estate

Online real estate marketplace Zillow made good on the rumors today, announcing the $3.5 billion all-stock purchase of its major rival, San Francisco-based Trulia. The news was mostly sunshine and synergy in the corporate announcement and New York Times coverage. “We’ve been competitors and rivals for nine years, but I’ve always had respect for them,” … Continue reading “Zillow, Trulia Deal Means Fewer Competitors in Online Real Estate”

Emulate Scores $12M to Shake Up Drug Testing With Organs on Chips

It’s an age-old problem with drug development: no matter how good a drug looks when tested in animals or petri dishes, there’s no guarantee it’ll have the same effect on a person. That unpredictability has delayed or doomed countless drug prospects—and drives up the cost, and time, it takes to make a successful therapeutic. A … Continue reading “Emulate Scores $12M to Shake Up Drug Testing With Organs on Chips”

Househappy.org Receives $500,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=dda570c2-0cdd-4679-8bc2-954b848ff8e7 Date 7/28/2014 Company Name Househappy.org Mailing Address 239 NW 13th Ave. Portland, OR 97209 USA Company Description Househappy’s mission is to simplify property search and make information accessible to everyone. Househappy is a free, user-generated real estate platform that’s intuitive and easy to use. Website http://www.househappy.org Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction … Continue reading “Househappy.org Receives $500,000 New Funding”

SkyKick Lands $3,000,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=fa053204-d8c4-4766-b41a-156bceb44b76 Date 7/28/2014 Company Name SkyKick Mailing Address 200 West Thomas Seattle, WA 98119 USA Company Description SkyKick is the Easiest Way to Office 365. We offer an integrated application suite consisting of three products that work together to make it fast, safe, and easy for partners to move their customers to … Continue reading “SkyKick Lands $3,000,000 New Funding”

Innovation Hub: How Lego Built a Blockbuster Global Brand

What products count as innovative? Often, the things we take most for granted. Like Legos. A toy that was started by a failing carpenter in the 1940s, suffered a near-death experience several years ago, and is now experiencing blockbuster growth. So, how did the company manage to stay afloat through a half-century of changing tastes … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: How Lego Built a Blockbuster Global Brand”

West Coast Biotech Roundup: IPOs, Gilead, Sofinnova, & Denouements

What a week to round up. Against a backdrop of regulatory approvals, strategic deals, and R&D initiatives, a fresh salvo of life sciences IPOs signaled a resurgence in public offerings already running ahead of last year’s pace. We also saw moves to resolve weeks of drama at The Scripps Research Institute in San Diego and … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: IPOs, Gilead, Sofinnova, & Denouements”

Seattle Roundup: Zillow+Trulia, Pacific Crest, Anomo, Comr.se, & More

Zillow could be pursuing its biggest online real estate rival, Trulia, if a report from Bloomberg is to be believed. Another Northwest M&A deal is also going down: KeyCorp has an agreement to acquire Pacific Crest Securities. Meanwhile, big companies including Oracle and Alibaba are setting up shop in Seattle and a few smaller ones … Continue reading “Seattle Roundup: Zillow+Trulia, Pacific Crest, Anomo, Comr.se, & More”

Dave Eggers’s “The Circle” Fails as Satire, Succeeds as Prophecy

When the anti-utopian book The Circle, the latest novel from McSweeney’s founder Dave Eggers, came out last October, reviewers hailed it as a “provocative” and “foreboding” warning about the spiritual costs of excessive sharing and transparency on the Internet. The Guardian even called it “a deft modern synthesis of Swiftian wit with Orwellian prognostication.” But … Continue reading “Dave Eggers’s “The Circle” Fails as Satire, Succeeds as Prophecy”

Oracle to Hire 100 for Cloud Development Center in Seattle

Oracle is the latest technology giant to set up shop in Cloud City, WA—also known as Seattle—in search of talented engineers. The Redwood Shores, CA, enterprise IT giant is planning to hire 100 engineers to staff a new Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Development Center in downtown Seattle. It will be led by Craig Kelly and Don … Continue reading “Oracle to Hire 100 for Cloud Development Center in Seattle”

Xconomy Launches in Raleigh-Durham—10th Cluster in Our Network

Innovation, North Carolina style—at last. Ever since writing the original Xconomy business plan, I’ve been looking forward to the day when we began covering innovation in the Tar Heel state. Now, I am extremely happy to announce, that day has come. Xconomy Raleigh-Durham is officially off the ground, and with its launch we have grown … Continue reading “Xconomy Launches in Raleigh-Durham—10th Cluster in Our Network”

J&J Immunology Exec on Investing at the Crossroads of the Microbiome

When Roger Pomerantz, the CEO of Cambridge, MA-based Seres Health said last week that he’s preparing to take his company public off of a promising, early study, it wasn’t just the natural next step for a biotech startup. It also marked a key transition point for an entire field of scientific research. After a lot … Continue reading “J&J Immunology Exec on Investing at the Crossroads of the Microbiome”

Immune Design Receives $60,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ba524ebc-0439-427c-932c-8bb39f4fd7b2 Date 7/24/2014 Company Name Immune Design Mailing Address 1616 Eastlake Ave. E Seattle, WA 98102 USA Company Description One of the greatest impacts on human health can be achieved by regulating the activity of the immune system. Recent advances in the field of molecular immunology have created new ways to treat … Continue reading “Immune Design Receives $60,000,000 New Funding Round”

Anomo Secures $800,000 Seed Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=59621141-e7ca-4d35-b1ff-ed113f911973 Date 7/24/2014 Company Name Anomo Mailing Address 811 Kirkland Ave. Kirkland, WA 98033 USA Company Description At Anomo, we believe that relationships and our connections with our fellow beings are core components of the human experience. Website http://www.anomo.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $800,000 Transaction Round Seed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds … Continue reading “Anomo Secures $800,000 Seed Funding Round”

reKode Garners $20,000 Seed Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=5c622794-6236-4838-94b6-42462ff81487 Date 7/24/2014 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 Garners $20,000 Seed Funding”

Venture Capital Had a Great 2013—But Public Markets Were Still Better

In an industry obsessed with creating the next big thing, it can be easy to forget that a lot of big ideas simply crash and burn. So here’s a little reminder: Last year, American venture capitalists put together their best annual performance since 1999. But it still wasn’t good enough to beat the public stock … Continue reading “Venture Capital Had a Great 2013—But Public Markets Were Still Better”

Socrata on a Tear With Open Data Network and European Project

The last year has been a good one for Seattle-based Socrata, which provides technology to help governments open access to data. The company finished 2013 on a rapid growth pace—more than doubling revenue and employees—and continued that momentum into this year, adding 22 new customers in the first quarter, compared to 44 in all of … Continue reading “Socrata on a Tear With Open Data Network and European Project”

Gilead Edges Into Cancer Field With FDA OK of Calistoga Drug

Gilead Sciences snapped up a Seattle company called Calistoga Pharmaceuticals a few years back as part of a plan to treat cancer, not just HIV, as it’s long been known for. Today, the Foster City, CA-based company will get that chance, because it just got clearance to begin selling the cancer drug that attracted it … Continue reading “Gilead Edges Into Cancer Field With FDA OK of Calistoga Drug”

Key Risk Conversations to Have With Your Board and Investors

Building a startup is a risky business. The only way to stay ahead of the risks is to be aware and informed about them. The board of directors, in particular, needs to know enough about the risks in the business to make well-rounded strategic decisions. As for investors, most of them do their own risk … Continue reading “Key Risk Conversations to Have With Your Board and Investors”

M9 Defense Receives $1,006,118 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b9d21c19-0223-470c-8bba-4412484f2984 Date 7/23/2014 Company Name M9 Defense Mailing Address 13110 NE. 177th Place Woodinville, WA 98072 USA Company Description In addition to M9’s innovative Boroclave (Advanced Hydroforming) and press technologies, M9 is an industry leader in advance composite processing and material science. Website http://www.m9defense.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $1,006,118 Transaction Round … Continue reading “M9 Defense Receives $1,006,118 New Financing Round”

Fypio Aims at Online Real Estate Industry with Buyer-Centric Focus

When Michael Koh moved to San Diego in 2010, he expected to start a real estate business focused on luxury residential properties, much like the one he had created (and sold) in Argentina over the previous 11 or 12 years. Instead, he came up with an idea for a mobile app and Web-based technology that … Continue reading “Fypio Aims at Online Real Estate Industry with Buyer-Centric Focus”

Cardiac Insight Garners $7,000,000 Series B Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1b66920e-5824-4d36-a612-2a8a46b5a4c6 Date 7/22/2014 Company Name Cardiac Insight Mailing Address 2002 156th Ave NE Bellevue, WA 98007 USA Company Description Cardiac Insight, Inc. is a privately held medical de vice company based in Seattle, WA, that develops advanced body worn sensing and computing technologies for applications in cardiology, respiratory and other complex disease … Continue reading “Cardiac Insight Garners $7,000,000 Series B Round”

Sexism and Misogyny in Tech: How Investors Can Help Drive Change

The image of some technology startups has been tarnished of late by bad behavior. It might be up to investors who are board members to ensure changes get made. Accusations of sexism and misogyny have circled Tinder, the dating-app startup owned by IAC. If the charges prove to be true, it is just one recent … Continue reading “Sexism and Misogyny in Tech: How Investors Can Help Drive Change”

Nativis Secures $2,319,301 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=65a38c6c-86cc-4ded-920d-2331490a873d Date 7/21/2014 Company Name Nativis Mailing Address 219 Terry Avenue North Seattle, WA 98109 USA Company Description Natvis Voyager is a medical device that replaces standard chemotherapy with specific low level radio frequency energy (REF). Website http://www.nativis.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $2,319,301 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes … Continue reading “Nativis Secures $2,319,301 New Financing”

Comr.se Receives $885,043 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=84129a48-ee6c-436d-9e42-81934c2f3f9f Date 7/21/2014 Company Name Comr.se Mailing Address 206 1st Ave South Seattle, WA 98104 USA Company Description Our goal is to help brands extend the right products to the right consumers at the right times, lowering friction for shoppers and driving new revenue for brands. Comr.se is unlocking true omni-commerce. Website … Continue reading “Comr.se Receives $885,043 New Funding”

ActX Garners $750,003 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=aa0dd446-2b37-4026-a0b5-e97fa1d1271c Date 7/21/2014 Company Name ActX Mailing Address 1100 Dexter Avenue North Seattle, WA 98109 USA Company Description ActX, Inc. is a dynamic venture that is focused on making patient genomic information truly useful in everyday medical practice. Website http://www.actx.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $750,003 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes … Continue reading “ActX Garners $750,003 New Funding Round”

There Was Life Before Smartphones, But Who Can Remember It?

I’m lakeside this week in northern Michigan, hanging out with my extended family. It’s been interesting to observe my six-year-old nephew, who won’t go anywhere without a Power Rangers Megaforce robot in one hand and a Ty Monstaz plush toy in the other. They’re right beside him at the breakfast table, on the dock, at … Continue reading “There Was Life Before Smartphones, But Who Can Remember It?”

Trupanion Secures $71,000,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=98cca735-898b-45d5-8afb-68b4d9d5f669 Date 7/18/2014 Company Name Trupanion Mailing Address 907 NW Ballard Way Seattle, WA 98107 USA Company Description With eight successful years of providing pet insurance in Canada as Vetinsurance, the Trupanion (NYSE: TRUP) team is now offering the same great service and care to pet parents in United States. Website http://www.trupanion.com … Continue reading “Trupanion Secures $71,000,000 New Funding”

PayRange Obtains $2,582,045 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d0fe74a1-90b4-4f6a-885f-117cb4b1fcba Date 7/18/2014 Company Name PayRange Mailing Address 12815 NE Marx Street Portland, OR 97230 USA Company Description PayRange was founded by Paresh Patel, a veteran of the automated retail industry having previously founded companies on both the customer-side and the technology-side. Website http://www.payrange.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $2,582,045 Transaction … Continue reading “PayRange Obtains $2,582,045 New Round”

Sensoria Secures Series A Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=cd3739ea-feaf-4500-b0a1-e82e6e5bc98c Date 7/18/2014 Company Name Sensoria Mailing Address 16225 NE 87th Street Redmond, WA 98052 USA Company Description Imagine a super accurate fitness tracker that tells you how far and how fast. Now imagine a development toolkit, a t-shirt, a sport bra and a pair of smart socks that also tell you … Continue reading “Sensoria Secures Series A Round”

Mega Deals (Like Uber) Boost Venture Funding to $13B

Venture capital investors pumped almost $13 billion into 1,114 U.S. startups in the second quarter—marking the highest level of VC funding in 13 years, according to the MoneyTree Report being released today. While the number of deals is comparable with recent quarters, the $12.97 billion VCs deployed this spring was a third more than the … Continue reading “Mega Deals (Like Uber) Boost Venture Funding to $13B”

West Coast Biotech Roundup: Genentech, CareDx, and More

The week started amid anticipation of a new round of public debuts, with six of the 11 companies queued up coming from the life sciences, according to Renaissance Capital. Then on Tuesday, the Federal Reserve singled out two sectors as overvalued: social media and biotechnology. The biotech indices dropped nearly 4 percent the next two … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Genentech, CareDx, and More”

The Microsoft Job Cuts That Really Matter: 5,500 Non-Nokia Layoffs

Microsoft’s largest-ever layoffs seem like a massive change in direction by new CEO Satya Nadella, who is leading an overdue corporate makeover at the pioneering technology company. But the smaller numbers tell the real story, and we’re not entirely sure what that means just yet. The headline for today’s layoff announcement is Microsoft cutting up … Continue reading “The Microsoft Job Cuts That Really Matter: 5,500 Non-Nokia Layoffs”

Expansion of Microsoft Research—Analysis and Download of 1997 Plan

“We are about to embark on a nearly unprecedented adventure—expanding Microsoft’s investment in research by at least a factor of three.“ So begins the May 1997 memo written by Nathan Myhrvold, architect of Microsoft Research (MSR), a little over five and a half years after the renowned research organization was created. The memo, labeled Microsoft … Continue reading “Expansion of Microsoft Research—Analysis and Download of 1997 Plan”

The Generation Gap in the Tablet Creation/Consumption Debate

The iPad launched in March of 2010 starting the modern tablet era and the debate about what tablets are best for: creation or consumption. While the iPad dominated tablet sales through 2012, in the last couple of years Android- and Windows-based tablets have eaten away at Apple’s dominance. As the tablet market grows, the creation … Continue reading “The Generation Gap in the Tablet Creation/Consumption Debate”

Valant Medical Raises $11M for Behavioral Health-Focused Software

Seattle-based Valant Medical Solutions, which makes billing and health records management software for mental health professionals, has raised $11 million to support expansion into new markets and hiring. The nine-year-old company makes cloud-based electronic health records, billing systems, and other communication and practice management tools used by some 5,000 psychiatrists, therapists, and other behavioral health … Continue reading “Valant Medical Raises $11M for Behavioral Health-Focused Software”

SpaceCurve Obtains $5,000,000 Series B Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=14c86834-9f37-4a10-bcaf-588ba5fbf802 Date 7/16/2014 Company Name SpaceCurve Mailing Address 710 Second Avenue Seattle, WA 98104 USA Company Description SpaceCurve is a fundamentally new kind of massively parallel analytical database technology. Effortlessly index geospatial polygon data in real-time using Internet-scale compute clusters. Efficiently analyze social and semantic graphs on massively parallel systems. Fuse complex … Continue reading “SpaceCurve Obtains $5,000,000 Series B Financing Round”

Valant Medical Solutions Garners $11,000,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1a2b66ff-a84c-4e34-8b52-9c399c17fcf0 Date 7/16/2014 Company Name Valant Medical Solutions Mailing Address 2033 6th Ave. Seattle, WA 98121 USA Company Description Valant takes care of your practice, so you can take care of your patients. Website http://www.valant.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $11,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Valant will be doubling its … Continue reading “Valant Medical Solutions Garners $11,000,000 New Financing Round”

SkyWard Lands $1,500,000 Seed Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=876de753-8bbc-468b-b562-f0ae9f0385a1 Date 7/16/2014 Company Name SkyWard Mailing Address 233 SW Naito Pkwy Portland, OR 97204 USA Company Description The SkyWard platform is a system for managing aerial robotics (AR) flight operations around the world. Unique, portable identities for drones and people give managers real-time visibility on assets in the field; customer requests … Continue reading “SkyWard Lands $1,500,000 Seed Financing”

The Mid-Stage VC Funding Gap, By the Numbers

In recent years, we’ve heard a lot about the “Series A crunch” for tech startups—lots of companies get seed funding but can’t raise a first venture round. Now we’re hearing more about a mid-stage funding bottleneck, typically at the Series B and C venture stages. A recent tech funding deal in Boston highlighted the issue … Continue reading “The Mid-Stage VC Funding Gap, By the Numbers”

Who Needs Biotech VCs, Anyway?

Welcome to In Translation, and thanks for reading. As a companion to Xconomy’s regular life sciences coverage, this new column provides me with a chance to dive a little more deeply into strategic, cultural, and scientific topics around the biotech world, and bring more of my own point of view to bear. I welcome and … Continue reading “Who Needs Biotech VCs, Anyway?”

Motiga Lands $20,000,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0cd0ae67-11e8-4932-ba07-6b9aeba8c630 Date 7/15/2014 Company Name Motiga Mailing Address 677 120th Ave NE Bellevue, WA 98005 USA Company Description We are a team of veteran game developers that are focused on building triple-A PC game experiences. What matters to us most is that you are passionate about making and playing games and love … Continue reading “Motiga Lands $20,000,000 New Funding”