Category: Seattle

Pogoplug: One Service to Back Up All Your Devices

I’m a little obsessive when it comes to backups. In my Windows days, in the early 2000s, I used to make complete CD-ROM copies of my PC’s hard drive every couple of months. Until last year, I had two separate online backup services running on my Macbook Pro—Carbonite and Backblaze—along with an external hard drive … Continue reading “Pogoplug: One Service to Back Up All Your Devices”

West Coast Biotech Roundup: Burrill, Topol, Aduro, Receptos, & More

The ultimate West Coast biotech roundup is happening next week in San Diego. It’s the international BIO convention, which one biotech veteran described to us as a “sharknado” when we asked if he would be there. (He won’t be there.) Xconomy will definitely be there, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves. We’ve got the past … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Burrill, Topol, Aduro, Receptos, & More”

Amazon’s Fire Phone: One Big Piece of a Real-World Shopping Push

Anyone who’s fallen into a wormhole of product recommendations can testify that buying things on Amazon.com is already pretty easy. With an Internet connection and a bank card, just about anything you can dream up is available around the clock, ready to be shipped to your door. But some things haven’t changed all that much … Continue reading “Amazon’s Fire Phone: One Big Piece of a Real-World Shopping Push”

BIO 2014: An Industry Surrounded by Insurmountable Opportunity

Biotech is riding the crest of a wave of public and private financial interest unparalleled in the 36-years since the founding of Genentech. Since 2012 public markets have committed $10.3 billion to more than 100 life-sciences IPOs, an industry record. Pharma has been buying/partnering with biotech on an unprecedented scale. Research breakthroughs from cancer immunotherapy … Continue reading “BIO 2014: An Industry Surrounded by Insurmountable Opportunity”

Puppet Labs Lands $40,000,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=33f35903-573c-4f65-be51-d51217cc7dec Date 6/19/2014 Company Name Puppet Labs Mailing Address 926 NW 13th Ave Portland, OR 97209 USA Company Description Puppet Labs provides next-gen IT automation, enabling IT organizations to manage infrastructure as code so they can provide higher service levels with less staff. Website http://www.puppetlabs.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $40,000,000 … Continue reading “Puppet Labs Lands $40,000,000 New Funding”

Puppet Labs Obtains $40,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=33f35903-573c-4f65-be51-d51217cc7dec Date 6/19/2014 Company Name Puppet Labs Mailing Address 926 NW 13th Ave Portland, OR 97209 USA Company Description Puppet Labs provides next-gen IT automation, enabling IT organizations to manage infrastructure as code so they can provide higher service levels with less staff. Website http://www.puppetlabs.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $40,000,000 … Continue reading “Puppet Labs Obtains $40,000,000 New Financing”

“We Have to Find Our Way”: Eric Topol of Scripps on Connected Health

Eric Topol wears many hats. He is a practicing cardiologist, genomic researcher, chief academic officer of Scripps Health, and the head of the Scripps Translational Science Institute, one of more than 60 biomedical centers supported through an ambitious National Institutes of Health program created nearly 10 years ago to move basic medical research into the … Continue reading ““We Have to Find Our Way”: Eric Topol of Scripps on Connected Health”

Microsoft, American Family Insurance Launch Startup Accelerator

Microsoft announced a new startup accelerator today that will be housed at its headquarters outside Seattle and focused on companies innovating in home automation. Microsoft has formed a partnership with Madison, WI-based American Family Insurance, the nation’s eighth-largest provider of homeowners’ insurance (among other insurance products). Through its venture capital arm, American Family Ventures, the … Continue reading “Microsoft, American Family Insurance Launch Startup Accelerator”

Yammer CTO Pisoni Visits NY, Talks Innovation in the Future of Work

Yammer keeps sharpening its knife as more rivals tread in its territory. On Monday, Microsoft held a group discussion on the future of work at its Times Square technology center. It was a chance for the company to show off how its enterprise social network software, Yammer, gets used by its customers. Companies such as … Continue reading “Yammer CTO Pisoni Visits NY, Talks Innovation in the Future of Work”

Illumagear Garners $1,250,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9290c3f8-1eea-43a8-8a47-872e32cfbc75 Date 6/17/2014 Company Name Illumagear Mailing Address 1752 NW Market St. Seattle, WA 98107 USA Company Description ILLUMAGEAR’s mission is to illuminate people working in high-risk environments, making them safer and more prepared. We’ve been on work sites. We know how dangerous they are. Every year hundreds of workers die and … Continue reading “Illumagear Garners $1,250,000 New Financing Round”

CommitChange Lands $700,000 Seed Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d0a21c8b-6ddc-466f-802d-8ee039aec0b2 Date 6/17/2014 Company Name CommitChange Mailing Address 711 Capitol Way South Olympia, WA 98501 USA Company Description We don’t rope you in. Use any services you want with total freedom. Our goal is to get you 100% of every donation. No extra transaction costs or monthly fees. Website http://www.commitchange.com Transaction Type … Continue reading “CommitChange Lands $700,000 Seed Funding Round”

The Future of Work, Plus or Minus E-mail

I. Too Much of a Good Thing I’ll begin by admitting my biases. I don’t like electronic mail. In the pre-Internet days of the 1970s, when e-mail as we know it was invented, it may have been a decent solution to a certain problem—namely, the need for users logged into a single mainframe, server, or … Continue reading “The Future of Work, Plus or Minus E-mail”

HashPlex Lands $400,000 Seed Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2097f595-884d-44b0-aca8-0612b0ad30ef Date 6/16/2014 Company Name HashPlex Mailing Address 3628 Linden Ave. Seattle, WA 98103 USA Company Description Send us your mining equipment and mining pool worker information, and we do the rest. We provide host computers, internet, start/stop/control scripting, and basic maintenance to make sure your bitcoin miners are always mining. A … Continue reading “HashPlex Lands $400,000 Seed Financing Round”

Closing the Skills Gap: How Higher Education, Business and Policy Can Collaborate to Create Change

Northeastern University and the World Trade Center Seattle host a panel discussion to address underemployment in the face of large numbers of unfilled job openings, particularly in technology fields. Speakers include Tayloe Washburn, founding dean and CEO of Northeastern University—Seattle; Mike Monroe, chief operating officer, Washington Technology Industry Association; Dave Wallace, research unit manager, Washington … Continue reading “Closing the Skills Gap: How Higher Education, Business and Policy Can Collaborate to Create Change”

Seattle (Location) Roundup: Dwellable, Buuteeq, Medio Systems

It’s all about location this week. Two Seattle-based companies doing interesting things with location, Placed and Glympse, raised eight-digit venture rounds this week. Meanwhile, we saw a couple of Seattle-based travel companies, Dwellable and Buuteeq, raising capital and being acquired, respectively. Also getting its M&A on was Medio Systems, which is being acquired by HERE, … Continue reading “Seattle (Location) Roundup: Dwellable, Buuteeq, Medio Systems”

Innovation Hub: Twitter’s Deb Roy Sees More Change Ahead for TV

It’s fair to say that Deb Roy is obsessed with Twitter. In 2008, he started Bluefin Labs to understand the power and influence of social media. He looked at how the public viewed political candidates, brands, and TV shows. And the data he gathered was so valuable that last year, Twitter gobbled up Bluefin, making … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: Twitter’s Deb Roy Sees More Change Ahead for TV”

Glympse Raises $12M to Forge More Location-Sharing Partnerships

[Updated, 8:45 am. See below.] Seattle-based Glympse, which allows people to temporarily share their location from mobile phones and a growing array of other devices, has raised $12 million from UMC Capital, Verizon Ventures, and other investors. The company is finding its greatest success through partnerships that have seen Glympse integrated directly into mobile handsets, … Continue reading “Glympse Raises $12M to Forge More Location-Sharing Partnerships”

How I Conquered My Reading List Using Pocket

If you’re a student, a researcher, a knowledge worker, or an entrepreneur, you probably swim in ideas all day long. Like it or not, replenishing those ideas through reading is a huge part of your job. After all, it’s hard to make new knowledge without old knowledge; it’s impossible to see new connections unless you … Continue reading “How I Conquered My Reading List Using Pocket”

PlaceFull Garners $387,813 Series A Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=da812309-c742-4d74-84ca-38a89f662b26 Date 6/13/2014 Company Name PlaceFull Mailing Address 122 S Jackson Street Seattle, WA 98103 USA Company Description Placefull develops an online marketplace that connects event and party planners with trusted venues. Founded in 2011, we’re a growing team of product engineers, developers, marketers, sales people, and designers working from a Seattle … Continue reading “PlaceFull Garners $387,813 Series A Financing”

TFG Card Solutions Receives $1,800,000 Series A Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=440fbf5d-deed-4cac-9200-a99701ae0bd8 Date 6/13/2014 Company Name TFG Card Solutions Mailing Address 1675 SW Marlow Avenue Portland, OR 97225 USA Company Description The TFG Visa Payroll Card helps employers maximize direct deposit participation in their organization by providing the opportunity for unbanked employees. Our experienced team has a unique blend of payroll, banking and … Continue reading “TFG Card Solutions Receives $1,800,000 Series A Funding Round”

Glympse Receives $12,000,000 Series C Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8c898a28-d31c-40b5-b65a-d445ff3f4877 Date 6/13/2014 Company Name Glympse Mailing Address 1124 Harrison St. Seattle, WA 98109 USA Company Description Glympse is a mobile service that allows GPS-enabled mobile phone users to share their location via a Web-based map for a pre-set period of time with anyone they choose. With Glympse, you are in complete … Continue reading “Glympse Receives $12,000,000 Series C Funding Round”

West Coast Biotech Roundup: Dendreon, Venter, Orexigen, & More

What did we learn out west the past seven days? Orexigen will have to wait at least three more months to learn if it can market its obesity drug. Four companies in our coverage cities inched closer to the public markets. Dendreon CEO John Johnson decided to step down, and Peter Thiel’s Breakout Labs decided … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Dendreon, Venter, Orexigen, & More”

SourceClear Lands $1,500,000 Seed Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3892b393-06d9-461f-9b13-3d168fc3cf4a Date 6/12/2014 Company Name SourceClear Mailing Address 3417 Evanston Ave North Seattle, WA 98103 USA Company Description Today’s developers use today’s web. They work in the cloud, use social platforms like Facebook and GitHub, work with open-source and use frameworks and libraries. They are the API economy and masters of the … Continue reading “SourceClear Lands $1,500,000 Seed Funding”

Here Acquires Medio Systems for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2cb3d0f4-f406-43db-8c88-f8e5e84ba8b8 Date 6/12/2014 Company Name Medio Systems Mailing Address 701 Pike Street Seattle, WA 98101 USA Company Description Medio Systems is helping carriers and content providers large and small to realize their content revenue goals through efficient, effective search. Founded by some of today’s leaders in search and mobility, and in consultation … Continue reading “Here Acquires Medio Systems for Undisclosed Sum”

OTA: Most Top Websites Don’t Follow Best Security, Privacy Practices

Craig Spiezle, executive director of the Online Trust Alliance, sees online data breeches and privacy fumbles in much the same way an environmentalist might view chemical leaks or oil spills. There are the headline-grabbing catastrophes: last year’s theft of credit and debit card information from Target; this year’s Heartbleed vulnerability, for example. Then there are … Continue reading “OTA: Most Top Websites Don’t Follow Best Security, Privacy Practices”

Inpria Garners $725,004 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=33618aac-44f1-4df6-a5cf-05e05341671e Date 6/11/2014 Company Name Inpria Mailing Address 2001 NW Monroe Avenue Corvallis, OR 97330 USA Company Description Inpria Corporation is a pioneer in extending semiconductor lithography with inorganic photoresists for nanoscale patterning. Inpria’s patented photo-condensed molecular oxides offer customers the unique ability to deposit. Website http://www.inpria.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction … Continue reading “Inpria Garners $725,004 New Funding”

Dwellable Secures $2,000,000 Seed Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2dae5b41-fa4b-4d6e-8f62-dd78012447bc Date 6/11/2014 Company Name Dwellable Mailing Address 205 NE Northlake Way Seattle, WA 98105 USA Company Description Dwellable helps travelers find unique vacation rental homes on their mobile devices. We focus on big, beautiful photos and elegant apps that provide the most important information (price, quality, size) quickly and clearly so … Continue reading “Dwellable Secures $2,000,000 Seed Funding Round”

gatheredtable Receives $2,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=71b8b00b-94ac-4a01-b4f0-e2eb074aceb0 Date 6/11/2014 Company Name gatheredtable Mailing Address Smith Tower 506 Second Ave. Seattle, WA 98104 USA Company Description we gather your recipes into weekly menus, and we can also gather your groceries- so you can spend more time gathered around your dinner table. Website http://www.gatheredtable.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount … Continue reading “gatheredtable Receives $2,000,000 New Funding Round”

Seattle’s Placed Raises $10M to Measure Mobile Ad Effectiveness

If you’re a retailer trying to drive consumers into your stores with mobile ads, the number of clicks your ad gets doesn’t matter. What matters is how many people come into your stores after seeing the ads. Seattle startup Placed is raising $10 million to continue its bid to measure the real-world effects of mobile … Continue reading “Seattle’s Placed Raises $10M to Measure Mobile Ad Effectiveness”

Placed Lands $10,000,000 Series B Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=05bf1cd5-7b15-4c71-b216-74d4459a37fe Date 6/10/2014 Company Name Placed Mailing Address 1205 Second Ave Seattle, WA 98101 USA Company Description The company’s Placed for Developers service is designed to help app developers better understand location analytics. Website http://www.placed.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $10,000,000 Transaction Round Series B Proceeds Purposes Placed will use the … Continue reading “Placed Lands $10,000,000 Series B Financing”

A $15 Minimum Wage Doesn’t Have to Mean Price Increases

Last week, Seattle approved the nation’s highest minimum wage: $15 an hour, to be phased in over the next seven years. Other major cities, including San Francisco, Chicago, and New York City, are debating similar increases, and President Obama has called for an increase in the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour. … Continue reading “A $15 Minimum Wage Doesn’t Have to Mean Price Increases”

Post-IPO Biotechs Have News, But Big Pharma Drives the ASCO Boat

As often happens, industry news from the annual American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting, which ended Wednesday in Chicago, was dominated this year by Big Pharma. It’s not surprising—even with the advent of targeted cancer therapies that promise more precise treatment of smaller patient populations, clinical trials require big budgets. No drug giant had … Continue reading “Post-IPO Biotechs Have News, But Big Pharma Drives the ASCO Boat”

Roundup: InDemand Interpreting, Cozi, Ada Developers, Accelerators & More

This week, we’re catching up on a funding round for medical interpreting service provider InDemand Interpreting, the acquisition by Time of Cozi, expansion at the Ada Developers Academy, upcoming deadlines to apply for two Seattle-area startup accelerators, Smartsheet’s new app gallery, and a key licensing deal for Airbiquity. The details: —InDemand Interpreting, which uses PC-based … Continue reading “Roundup: InDemand Interpreting, Cozi, Ada Developers, Accelerators & More”

Innovation Hub: Businesses Know You’re Biased

Who’s better at math? Women or men? Studies show that both men and women believe men are better at math, even when data indicates otherwise. To understand why we have these biases—and why businesses think that getting rid of them will help the bottom line—I sat down with Harvard professor Mahzarin Banaji (pictured), the co-author … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: Businesses Know You’re Biased”

If Tesla Made Bike Lights, They’d Look Like This; The Story of Sparse

Hardware is Silicon Valley’s new religion. At maker spaces like TechShop, hardware startup accelerators like HAXLR8R and Lemnos Labs, and conferences like O’Reilly Media’s Solid, there’s one overriding article of faith: that bits and atoms aren’t so different after all. Just as the cost and complexity of starting a software company has drastically declined over … Continue reading “If Tesla Made Bike Lights, They’d Look Like This; The Story of Sparse”

West Coast Biotech Roundup: NanoString, Sequenom/Agena, CIRM, & More

In the life sciences, much of the attention was focused in the past week on the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago. We’ll have a separate roundup of that news, starring West Coasters and everyone else in Xconomy’s coverage areas. Happily for this roundup, however, there was plenty of non-ASCO activity in San … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: NanoString, Sequenom/Agena, CIRM, & More”

Starting Unicorn Companies: Tableau Software

Last November, Ailene Lee wrote a post on TechCrunch entitled Welcome To The Unicorn Club: Learning From Billion-Dollar Startups. In it, she offered a list of companies that have had billion-dollar exits, and analyzed some of the common threads. I would like to look at some of the “unicorn” companies that she identified, as well … Continue reading “Starting Unicorn Companies: Tableau Software”

Symform Obtains $200,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=da3c6be2-f54a-49b5-ac58-b16bf53c5d37 Date 6/6/2014 Company Name Symform Mailing Address 1008 Western Ave Seattle, WA 98104 USA Company Description Symform is a privately-held company based in Seattle. We are developing cost effective solutions to large scale distributed data management problems. Symform is dedicated to the belief that technology products built on cooperative, decentralized principles … Continue reading “Symform Obtains $200,000 New Financing Round”

Cheetah Medical Secures $5,000,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=203f9a35-0d1d-43b6-ad93-55af6be1d5b4 Date 6/6/2014 Company Name Cheetah Medical Mailing Address 600 SE Maritime Ave Vancouver, WA 98661 USA Company Description By providing non-invasive, accurate, continuous and real-time information Cheetah’s products have been used in a broad range of clinical settings that include fluid and drug optimization for high-risk hospital patients, monitoring for kidney … Continue reading “Cheetah Medical Secures $5,000,000 New Funding”

Microsoft Hosts Chat in New York About Making Design More Human

There is no question anymore; Microsoft wants to prove it can design technology for appeal and function alike. Last night in New York, the company held a private gathering to let a few of its designers talk about their tradecraft. Microsoft admitted it has not been known as a design diva, but in recent years … Continue reading “Microsoft Hosts Chat in New York About Making Design More Human”

Its First Drug in Clinic, Kineta Keeps Raising Cash from Odd Sources

Seattle biotech company Kineta keeps adding to its fundraising pool in unexpected ways. The firm announced Thursday it has raised the first part of a $10 million round [corrected 6/5/14, 4:55 pm] from a group of companies that also happen to be its drug development partners. Kineta has leaned on nontraditional investors and other funding … Continue reading “Its First Drug in Clinic, Kineta Keeps Raising Cash from Odd Sources”

Not All Entrepreneurs Are Young

Most of the famous entrepreneurs we hear about are fairly young. We tend to read in the popular press about the Mark Zuckerbergs of the world and assume that all successful entrepreneurs launch businesses in their 20s. However, this couldn’t be further from reality. Recent studies show that older entrepreneurs are increasing while the number … Continue reading “Not All Entrepreneurs Are Young”

RNA Therapeutics Are Here to Stay

Over the past year, we’ve witnessed the biotech bull market expand, deflate and expand again—specifically in relation to RNA-based therapeutic companies. The innovators in the space have increased and decreased their investment levels in the technology, leaving investors, the media, and some in the scientific community wondering which way the pendulum will ultimately swing. In … Continue reading “RNA Therapeutics Are Here to Stay”

NVoicePay Receives $1,250,003 Series D Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=5dfdca25-2d12-476a-b630-33cd0eca510f Date 6/5/2014 Company Name NVoicePay Mailing Address 8905 SW Nimbus Ave Beaverton, OR 97008 USA Company Description NVoicePay is streamlining accounts payable, dramatically reducing costs and generating new revenue for customers. We are a financial services firm specializing in electronic payments for accounts payable invoices. Our simple, secure, and efficient e-payables … Continue reading “NVoicePay Receives $1,250,003 Series D Round”

West Coast Floating Wind Turbine Plan Gains Momentum, Funding

Seafarers and beachgoers know ocean winds blow strong and often. Wind energy developers know it, too. Hundreds of massive wind turbines already dot the seas around the U.K., Denmark, Germany and other countries—and developers are preparing to install the first U.S. offshore turbines in New England waters. That’s bringing a growing source of carbon-free—though still … Continue reading “West Coast Floating Wind Turbine Plan Gains Momentum, Funding”

InDemand Interpreting Secures $8,800,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a02be36b-0014-42a5-88e1-f236979003d4 Date 6/4/2014 Company Name InDemand Interpreting Mailing Address 555 Andover Park West Seattle, WA 98188 USA Company Description Qualified Medical InterpretersSince 2007, InDemand Interpreting has been working to close the language gap in healthcare. With more than half a million encounters, our team makes a difference hundreds of times a day … Continue reading “InDemand Interpreting Secures $8,800,000 New Funding Round”

Chirpify Acquires Measureful for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e87cd0f7-b8bd-4985-9224-2bf7ef5750c5 Date 6/4/2014 Company Name Measureful Mailing Address 5237 NE 29th Ave. Portland, OR 97211 USA Company Description Simple. Insightful. Sharable stories. Measureful pulls your marketing data together, analyzes, and reports on your top stories every week and month. Website http://www.measureful.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Proceeds Purposes M&A … Continue reading “Chirpify Acquires Measureful for Undisclosed Sum”

Three Key Workplace Policies that Startups Can’t Afford to Ignore

Most startups are focused on getting their business off the ground. As a result, they usually delay policy development until a later date. But here’s why it’s important to draft and implement certain policies right at the start of your business: Policies pre-empt and prevent misunderstandings between employees and employers about obligations and behavior at … Continue reading “Three Key Workplace Policies that Startups Can’t Afford to Ignore”