After several years under the stewardship of international HIV vaccine expert Larry Corey, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, one of the world’s leading biomedical research centers, is looking for a new leader. The “Hutch” announced today that Corey is stepping down after three and a half years on the job to “return to … Continue reading “Hutch Starts Search for New Prez as Corey Steps Down”
Category: Seattle
LiquidPlanner Raises $8M In Hot Market for Project Management Tools
LiquidPlanner has spent five years, and a relatively modest amount of capital, developing a sophisticated scheduling engine that is at the heart of its project management software. Now, the company is raising $8 million from San Diego’s TVC Capital and Seattle-area angel investors including Geoff Entress and Bill Bryant to sell its offering to a … Continue reading “LiquidPlanner Raises $8M In Hot Market for Project Management Tools”
Three Months in Berlin: One Tech Entrepreneur’s Journey
San Francisco is the center of the tech world. But after three months in Europe, my conclusion is that there’s a major new contender as a great place to start startups: Berlin. In this article I’ll tell you about the companies and investors I got the chance to work with, and then talk about the … Continue reading “Three Months in Berlin: One Tech Entrepreneur’s Journey”
Igneous Systems Lands $23,600,000 Series A Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1d060cd6-f12d-49d2-8a81-339ab5b93f59 Date 5/8/2014 Company Name Igneous Systems Mailing Address Undisclosed Seattle, WA 98101 USA Company Description We’re a group of systems veterans looking to change enterprise data centers. Of course, behind any change is a team of great people and we’re building that now. If you’re an engineer that’s interested in talking … Continue reading “Igneous Systems Lands $23,600,000 Series A Round”
Alder Biopharmaceuticals Lands $80,000,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8bb3b7ad-213e-43b9-a2d8-f817664e4d22 Date 5/8/2014 Company Name Alder Biopharmaceuticals Mailing Address 11804 North Creek Parkway South Bothell, WA 98011 USA Company Description Alder Biopharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ALDR) uniquely identifies, develops, and manufactures novel antibody therapeutics to alleviate human suffering in the autoimmune and inflammatory disease areas. Alder’s management team combines decades of industry experience with … Continue reading “Alder Biopharmaceuticals Lands $80,000,000 New Funding Round”
With $23.6M, Igneous Systems Targets Next-Gen Datacenters
Igneous Systems is quietly working on something to do with modern datacenter infrastructure—something that attracted a $23.6 million Series A funding round, announced by the Seattle startup today. New Enterprise Associates led the round, which was joined by Seattle-based Madrona Venture Group (which incubated the company’s founders over the last nine months and led a … Continue reading “With $23.6M, Igneous Systems Targets Next-Gen Datacenters”
Smore Garners $1,700,000 Seed Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1a2467d7-f14e-478b-aec8-77041c8d8c11 Date 5/7/2014 Company Name Smore Mailing Address 511 Boren Ave N Seattle, WA 98109 USA Company Description Smore makes it easy for anyone to create beautiful, effective online flyers — highly designed single-page websites with a clear purpose, like marketing an app, promoting an event or selling a product. Website http://www.smore.com … Continue reading “Smore Garners $1,700,000 Seed Financing”
“Fledgling” Startups Provide Power, Light, and Food in East Africa
Three of the startup companies graduating from Seattle incubator Fledge on Wednesday are focused on doing well by doing good in one particular East African country: Tanzania. These entrepreneurs—hailing from outside Toronto, the Bay Area, and the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro—found and applied for Fledge in the typical ways. But over the course of the … Continue reading ““Fledgling” Startups Provide Power, Light, and Food in East Africa”
A Little Look at Big Data: Microsoft Research NYC Opens Up for a Visit
Monday night, in New York’s Flatiron District, Microsoft Research opened its doors to give the world a glimpse of what its data scientists are up to. Jennifer Chayes, co-founder of the New York lab and managing director at Microsoft Research New England in Cambridge, MA, cut the ribbon last evening for the latest home of … Continue reading “A Little Look at Big Data: Microsoft Research NYC Opens Up for a Visit”
Restaurant Reservations App Table8 Snags $4.6 million, Plans NY Expansion
Table8, maker of an app that allows users to make last-minute reservations at sought-after restaurants for a fee, today announced a $4.6 million funding round led by angel investors and Concur, a business travel and expense management platform based in Bellevue, WA. Concur’s $150 million Perfect Trip Fund is dedicated to investing in companies in … Continue reading “Restaurant Reservations App Table8 Snags $4.6 million, Plans NY Expansion”
Microsoft Ventures Opens Downtown Detroit Office
Microsoft Ventures today announced it will open an office in downtown Detroit’s Madison Building, the Dan Gilbert-owned tech hub that houses homegrown startups like UpTo and Detroit Labs as well as the local offices of tech giants like Google and Twitter. Microsoft Ventures partners with startups to offer funding, acceleration services, or general mentorship. According … Continue reading “Microsoft Ventures Opens Downtown Detroit Office”
Burnt Out? Try a ‘Careercation’
You’re CRAZY! I was getting used to hearing that when I told family and friends that I was selling everything I owned and buying one-way tickets to New Zealand to travel around the world with my wife and 10-month-old daughter. After being a serial entrepreneur for over a decade, I was flat burnt out. I … Continue reading “Burnt Out? Try a ‘Careercation’”
Droplr Lands $259,999 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=453269d3-a686-4dc5-b23c-b6dd71fd8bff Date 5/6/2014 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 Lands $259,999 New Funding Round”
4 Weeks Until Our Napa Summit on June 2-3–Request Your Invitation
We all know it’s important to get out of our boxes at times. By taking in new ideas from leaders outside of our own fields, we can return to face day-to-day challenges with fresh perspective and energy. Sometimes getting out of the box also means getting out of our comfort zones. But sometimes it’s better … Continue reading “4 Weeks Until Our Napa Summit on June 2-3–Request Your Invitation”
Smartsheet Wins Big Customers, $35M From Sutter Hill Ventures
An important aspect of the consumerization of corporate IT is the way new products are initially adopted and ultimately deployed by a large business. For many business software makers, the idea now is to get an easy-to-use tool in the hands of a few people or a small team, and let them spread it throughout … Continue reading “Smartsheet Wins Big Customers, $35M From Sutter Hill Ventures”
Organizing For Aging—An Investment Imperative
Starting now, venture capitalists should reflect on an opportunity that probably occupies them very little. They know they are in the medical progress business, having financed numerous hard-won successes in developing drugs and diagnostics for rare diseases. Along with general material progress, the application of DNA science and genomics in biotechnology is giving millions of … Continue reading “Organizing For Aging—An Investment Imperative”
SmartSheet Secures $35,000,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=735dfff9-9abf-4ead-9300-6084872b6423 Date 5/5/2014 Company Name SmartSheet Mailing Address 10500 NE 8th St. Bellevue, WA 98004 USA Company Description Incorporated in 2005, the company launched its Smartsheet.com service in August of 2006. Since that time, thousands of users throughout the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and more than twenty other countries have … Continue reading “SmartSheet Secures $35,000,000 New Funding”
Startup Weekend University of Washington
You know the drill by now: Gather the developers, designers, and non-technical types, form teams, and build businesses, all in the course of a weekend. This one coming up at University of Washington has a discounted student rate of $49. More information here. Register here.
AngelHack Seattle Spring 2014
Billed as the largest hackathon series, AngleHack makes its Seattle stop for a weekend software development sprint in mid May. It costs $25 to participate. More information and registration details available here.
Cultivating Accountability in the Workplace
Accountability is one of the most important aspects of any business. A company that holds its employees accountable for the choices they make and the tasks they perform witnesses high levels of productivity and efficiency. In a startup too, a shared sense of accountability among employees makes all the difference in how they approach their … Continue reading “Cultivating Accountability in the Workplace”
Soft Spots: Five Places Where Silicon Valley’s Bubble Could Pop
The main premise of J.J. Abrams’ Fringe—unquestionably one of the three best sci-fi shows made for television in this century, alongside Battlestar Galactica and Doctor Who—is that there’s a second, nearly identical universe coterminous with ours. The wall between the parallel worlds remains impenetrable until a grief-stricken scientist, Walter Bishop, figures out how to cross … Continue reading “Soft Spots: Five Places Where Silicon Valley’s Bubble Could Pop”
Cleantech Roundup: Inslee Points Toward Cap and Trade; EnergySavvy Funding
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who has made combating climate change his signature issue, directed a taskforce to research a state cap-and-trade policy this week. Meanwhile, EnergySavvy collected fresh funding for its energy efficiency software, while early-stage funding for cleantech startups all but dried up in the first quarter. More details: —Washington Gov. Jay Inslee spent … Continue reading “Cleantech Roundup: Inslee Points Toward Cap and Trade; EnergySavvy Funding”
Innovation Hub: Jason Fried on the End of the Workplace
Jason Fried wants us to forget about meetings, stop talking to our managers, and avoid coming into the office. Mostly. Fried, the co-founder and CEO of the software company Basecamp, believes many workplaces are dysfunctional and should be reinvented. Why? And what’s Fried’s vision of the new office? I sat down to talk with him … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: Jason Fried on the End of the Workplace”
At Two-Year Mark, JOBS Act Is Regulation Even A Biotech Can Love
It’s been two years since President Obama signed the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act into law and revamped the rules that govern private companies trying to raise money from all types of investors. The biotech crowd, usually hard pressed to find good things to say about federal regulation, couldn’t be more pleased with the … Continue reading “At Two-Year Mark, JOBS Act Is Regulation Even A Biotech Can Love”
EnergySavvy Secures $7,000,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=87b997ca-288a-4bda-9f19-4597c6c52f36 Date 5/1/2014 Company Name EnergySavvy Mailing Address 159 Jackson St. Seattle, WA 98104 USA Company Description The company operates a one stop shop web application that helps homeowners become more energy efficient. Website http://www.energysavvy.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $7,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes EnergySavvy plans to use the … Continue reading “EnergySavvy Secures $7,000,000 New Financing Round”
PivotDesk Launches in 23 New Markets in Rapid Nationwide Expansion
Fresh off raising a $3.8 million Series B round, PivotDesk is expanding its footprint dramatically, announcing today it is launching its service in 23 new markets. The move nearly quintuples the startup’s number of markets and puts it in hubs such as Chicago, Seattle, and Austin, TX. PivotDesk is a Boulder CO-based startup that has … Continue reading “PivotDesk Launches in 23 New Markets in Rapid Nationwide Expansion”
New Napa Speakers: Kawasaki on Startups, Ashenfelter on Wine
McLuhan said that the medium is the message. Here at Xconomy, we agree, and we think it even goes for the venues we pick for our events. When we hold a big conference in a university lecture hall, the message we’re sending is: deep thoughts and nuanced arguments coming. If we gather at the campus … Continue reading “New Napa Speakers: Kawasaki on Startups, Ashenfelter on Wine”
BioPharma Learns From Marvel, Begins Real Life Search For “X-Men”
Biopharma employees read, as you might expect, a wide spectrum of scientific journals and trade publications. What might be surprising is that their reading lists appear to have expanded recently to include classic Marvel comics. What’s led me to this conclusion? The Belgian pharmaceutical company UCB has sponsored an Innovation Challenge on the InnoCentive Website … Continue reading “BioPharma Learns From Marvel, Begins Real Life Search For “X-Men””
Indi Reels In $47M To Push Launch Of Lung Cancer Diagnostic
Lung cancer diagnostic company Integrated Diagnostics launched its first product last fall, and now it has plenty of cash to go out and sell it. The firm, which grew out of Seattle’s Institute for Systems Biology and the California Institute of Technology, said Tuesday it has raised $47 million in equity and debt. The cash … Continue reading “Indi Reels In $47M To Push Launch Of Lung Cancer Diagnostic”
Milwaukee Has Startup Ecosystem Elements, Awaits Chain Reaction
Obviously the startup communities on the coasts are different than those in “flyover country” (as it is often referred to). I’d like to comment on some of the differences between two startup communities I am familiar with: Boston and Milwaukee. While I grew up in Milwaukee, I left after high school to go to MIT … Continue reading “Milwaukee Has Startup Ecosystem Elements, Awaits Chain Reaction”
Why Would Amazon Want its Own Smartphone, Anyway?
It’s been called one of the worst-kept secrets in the mobile technology industry, but it’s still generating a lot of buzz—Amazon.com, the king of online commerce and trend-setting provider of cloud-computing services, wants to sell its own smartphone. With leaks and rumors being churned out on an almost daily basis, it looks like those long-developing … Continue reading “Why Would Amazon Want its Own Smartphone, Anyway?”
Integrated Diagnostics Receives $47,250,000 Series B Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d83f4033-2b26-4d43-ad45-24ee1b321ae6 Date 4/29/2014 Company Name Integrated Diagnostics Mailing Address 219 Terry Avenue North Seattle, WA 98109 USA Company Description The mission of Integrated Diagnostics is to leverage powerful emerging technologies in the development of diagnostic products that enable physicians and patients to manage complex and important diseases such as cancer, diabetes and … Continue reading “Integrated Diagnostics Receives $47,250,000 Series B Funding”
“Top of Rockies” Honors Xconomy’s Davidson with 2 First Place Awards
We’re proud to report this morning that one of our own has added his name to the summit log in the “Top of the Rockies” journalism competition awards, a program organized by the Colorado Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Michael Davidson, who joined Xconomy just over a year ago as editor of … Continue reading ““Top of Rockies” Honors Xconomy’s Davidson with 2 First Place Awards”
OncoGenex’s Long Wait For Cancer Drug Ends With a Phase 3 Stumble
OncoGenex has waited for years for the outcome of a Phase 3 trial that would tell it whether it had a real treatment for prostate cancer patients on its hands—all while watching increasingly effective drugs seep into the marketplace. The news finally came down today, and unfortunately for the Bothell, WA- and Vancouver, BC-based company, … Continue reading “OncoGenex’s Long Wait For Cancer Drug Ends With a Phase 3 Stumble”
Five Views of the Microsoft Research Silicon Valley TechFair
Microsoft, with a new CEO and a new corporate structure, is pushing hard to burnish its image as a source of innovation in business and consumer computing. Satya Nadella, Steve Ballmer’s replacement (and only the third CEO in the company’s 39-year history), continues to talk about Microsoft’s future as both a “mobile first” and a … Continue reading “Five Views of the Microsoft Research Silicon Valley TechFair”
Beauty Is Everywhere, Except On Your TV Screen. Time to Change That.
Your mother probably taught you to turn off the TV when you weren’t watching it. That made sense, back in the day: television sets used to consume a lot of juice. Today, they don’t. If you bought the largest, most electricity-guzzling flat-screen TV you could find and left it on all the time, you’d still … Continue reading “Beauty Is Everywhere, Except On Your TV Screen. Time to Change That.”
Seattle Roundup: PayScale, LSDF, Blucora, Glider, Utrip, VirtualQube
PayScale is getting up to $100 million from Warburg Pincus; Blucora bought HowStuffWorks; the Washington Life Sciences Discovery Fund is making more grants; Glider is acquired by FPX; and Utrip and VirtualQube raised capital. More details: —PayScale, the Seattle compensation data company, will cash out existing investors and fund continued growth with an investment of … Continue reading “Seattle Roundup: PayScale, LSDF, Blucora, Glider, Utrip, VirtualQube”
PayScale Receives $100,000,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=005ed564-647a-4871-81b1-6fdf99fb6be5 Date 4/25/2014 Company Name PayScale Mailing Address 542 1st Avenue S Seattle, WA 98104 USA Company Description PayScale is a market leader in online compensation and benefit information, providing access to accurate compensation data for both employees and employers. Website http://www.payscale.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $100,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed … Continue reading “PayScale Receives $100,000,000 New Funding Round”
Amid Court Fight and Trial Pauses, Juno Closes First Round at $176M
Supercharged Seattle startup Juno Therapeutics said Thursday it has topped off its first round of venture funding, totaling $176 million in one of the largest cash infusions a private biotech has ever received. It’ll need every penny, and more. Not only is Juno trying to launch an ambitious set of clinical trials in the burgeoning … Continue reading “Amid Court Fight and Trial Pauses, Juno Closes First Round at $176M”
GlobeSherpa Receives $790,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b6cc8af8-9f79-4084-aa7a-34713eb36691 Date 4/24/2014 Company Name GlobeSherpa Mailing Address 2025 NW Overton St. Portland, OR 97209 USA Company Description Started in 2010, GlobeSherpa provides a secure, mobile ticketing platform for transit systems interested in moving to open payments, open data, and mobile fare collection with minimal infrastructure investment. GlobeSherpa is using that same … Continue reading “GlobeSherpa Receives $790,000 New Financing Round”
Juno Therapeutics Obtains $31,000,000 Series A Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a4924a68-cd85-44c3-91f7-3a276746acd3 Date 4/24/2014 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 Obtains $31,000,000 Series A Financing”
Life Sciences Research in Washington Delivers Economic Punch
In addition to novel therapies, improved crops, and cleaner fuels, life sciences research at University of Washington and Washington State University delivers a multibillion-dollar economic boost to the state. Research and development spending by Washington state universities exceeded $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2010, with more than half of that spent in life sciences fields … Continue reading “Life Sciences Research in Washington Delivers Economic Punch”
NFL’s Richard Sherman on Social Media: “You Can Only be Yourself”
[Updated 4/24] He’s one of the best players on the NFL’s top defense, and just won the first Super Bowl in his team’s history. But Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman might be just as well-known for another skill: highly entertaining online smack-talk with other NFL players. There’s more than a bit of calculation behind his … Continue reading “NFL’s Richard Sherman on Social Media: “You Can Only be Yourself””
Corporate Acquisitions of Startups: Why Do They Fail?
For decades large companies have gone shopping in Silicon Valley for startups. Lately the pressure of continuous disruption has forced them to step up the pace. More often than not the results of these acquisitions are disappointing. What can companies learn from others’ failed efforts to integrate startups into large companies? The answer – there … Continue reading “Corporate Acquisitions of Startups: Why Do They Fail?”
New Ignition Partners Happy Betting on Business Computing Renaissance
A little more than a year after raising its fifth fund and tightening its investing focus to enterprise and business-to-business startups, Ignition Partners sees the past as precedent for its bets on a broad reinvention happening in business computing. The venture capital firm, based in Bellevue, WA, and with a new office in Palo Alto, … Continue reading “New Ignition Partners Happy Betting on Business Computing Renaissance”
How To Fund a “Fat Startup”
These days, we focus a lot more on lean startups than startups that require capital to get going. The entire industry has moved away from the “fat” startup category. Investors expect that you will have your product launched, customer acquisition model fleshed out fully, and a team in place before Series A. However, infrastructure software, … Continue reading “How To Fund a “Fat Startup””
Utrip Secures $750,000 Seed Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=98b812a8-0262-49dd-afa5-8f3a736e9b4d Date 4/23/2014 Company Name Utrip Mailing Address 530 4th Ave West Seattle, WA 98119 USA Company Description Utrip is a free travel planning site that brings together the best in artificial intelligence and human experience, making it easy for travelers to create their perfect trip quickly. Website http://www.utrip.com Transaction Type Venture … Continue reading “Utrip Secures $750,000 Seed Round”
Techstars’ Cohen Opens Up About Attracting Investors, Raising Money
What can a cute puppy in a pet shop window, couples therapy, and dating teach entrepreneurs trying to raise money from investors for the first time? Plenty, according to Techstars founder and CEO David Cohen. Cohen—who also is an investor with more than 400 deals to his credit—gave a talk Monday night about finding funding … Continue reading “Techstars’ Cohen Opens Up About Attracting Investors, Raising Money”
Zillow, Trulia, Placester? Boston Startup Moves Into Real Estate Ads
Get through the Series A crunch? Check. Move into online advertising? Check, check. Sign up big publisher? Check-plus. Boston-based Placester is moving up in the world of real estate startups. The company said today it has raised a $5.5 million Series A funding round led by previous investor Romulus Capital. Angel investors also participated in … Continue reading “Zillow, Trulia, Placester? Boston Startup Moves Into Real Estate Ads”
A Big Day for Xconomy: Introducing Elise Craig and Alex Lash
At a growing media startup like Xconomy, there’s no task more thrilling than welcoming new editors and writers on board. Today is especially exciting, because I’ve got not one but two additions to tell you about. First, I’m extremely pleased to announce that Elise Craig has joined us as the new Editor of Xconomy San … Continue reading “A Big Day for Xconomy: Introducing Elise Craig and Alex Lash”