Information Technology (IT) can be a startup’s biggest asset. Take, for instance, the cloud, mobile devices, and social media—they have all opened up exciting new business opportunities for startups, while also offering them the tools to grow their business powerfully. Yet, we have seen multiple startups make critical IT mistakes. Consequently, their business operations become … Continue reading “4 IT Mistakes All Startups Should Avoid”
Category: Seattle
Think Like a Founder Before Becoming One
February 2014 will go down in history as a month with two huge startup exits: Nest (acquired by Google for a whopping $3.2 billion) and WhatsApp (acquired by Facebook for an even more whopping $19 billion). If you haven’t caught the startup bug, there’s a good chance you will have caught it after this. What’s … Continue reading “Think Like a Founder Before Becoming One”
Sugary Foods Are Killing Us. The Internet, Not So Much.
When I’m jittery from too much caffeine, I don’t blame it on Starbucks. It’s not entirely Hershey’s fault that I have an unhealthy love of chocolate. And if, in a moment of idleness, I click on a headline like 35 Foods From Your Childhood That Are Extinct Now, I don’t blame BuzzFeed for wasting three … Continue reading “Sugary Foods Are Killing Us. The Internet, Not So Much.”
Flowboard Obtains $750,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d882e81d-3315-4b69-bb12-4d5a48d89587 Date 3/28/2014 Company Name Flowboard Mailing Address 101 Yesler Way Seattle, WA 98104 USA Company Description With Flowboard, you will create stunning presentations right from your iPad, using just a few simple gestures. You will bring words, images, and videos together to make compelling stories that captivate your viewers. Flowboard presentations … Continue reading “Flowboard Obtains $750,000 New Funding Round”
WCTA: Clean Technology Showcase
Clean technology companies from around the Northwest will put their wares on display at the inaugural Washington Clean Technology Alliance Clean Technology Showcase. Applications for companies to present are open through April 14. Likewise for research poster presentations. The day-long conference costs $190 for WCTA members and $225 for non-members. More information is available here.
WCTA: Clean Tech Solutions in the Maritime Industry
The Washington Clean Technology Alliance turns its attention to the state’s $30 billion maritime industry and approaches to improve efficiency, reduce pollution, and use alternative fuels at a breakfast meeting. Speakers include Paul Meyer of the Port of Seattle; Atul Deshmane of Whole Energy; Washington State Ferries Capt. George Capacci; Ray Smalling of the U.S. … Continue reading “WCTA: Clean Tech Solutions in the Maritime Industry”
Conference on Automotive User Interfaces and Interactive Vehicular Applications
AutomotiveUI, a leading international conference on technologies enabling connected vehicles, comes to Seattle this fall. The chair of the event is Linda Ng Boyle, a University of Washington associate professor who heads the Human Factors and Statistical Modeling Lab.
Technology Alliance State of Technology Luncheon
The Technology Alliance‘s annual gathering of Washington state technology leaders features a keynote from tech adviser Geoffrey Moore, author of Crossing the Chasm. Tickets are $85 in advance or $100 at the door. More information and registration is available here.
Washington Lawmakers Ax Life Sciences Fund, Tech Incentives
Life sciences innovators in Washington state are hoping Gov. Jay Inslee vetoes a budget item that would close the Life Sciences Discovery Fund after its current grant commitments are fulfilled. That’s one of two big disappointments to emerge from the 2014 Washington legislative session for backers of Washington’s innovation sectors. The other is the failure … Continue reading “Washington Lawmakers Ax Life Sciences Fund, Tech Incentives”
SpaceCurve Receives $501,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7dea8838-8682-4e16-b1d8-95dde6d604d2 Date 3/27/2014 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 Receives $501,000 New Funding Round”
Why Internal Ventures Are Different from External Startups
This post follows directly on Steve Blank’s earlier excellent post, Why Companies are not Startups. The question of how corporations can be more innovative is one I have wrestled with for a long time. For those who don’t know, I wrote the book Open Innovation in 2003, and followed it with Open Business Models in … Continue reading “Why Internal Ventures Are Different from External Startups”
Indix Raises $8.5M, Wants to Enable “Product-Aware Apps”
Indix, the startup based in Seattle and Chennai, India, compiling a comprehensive database of product information, is raising $9 million in additional funding to sell its services and advance what co-founder and CEO Sanjay Parthasarathy calls a new category of “product-aware apps.” The company has closed $8.5 million of this Series A-1 round, led by … Continue reading “Indix Raises $8.5M, Wants to Enable “Product-Aware Apps””
Calling All Angels: Practically Anyone Can Be an Angel Investor
I’m a big fan of angel investing. The thrill of helping innovative entrepreneurs launch their dreams is as exciting as anything I’ve ever done. I once heard someone say your life is divided into thirds—you spend the first third learning, the second third earning, and the last third returning. I like that. For me, angel … Continue reading “Calling All Angels: Practically Anyone Can Be an Angel Investor”
KinDex Pharmaceuticals Receives $5,000,000 Series A Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=cab49bcd-faa9-477e-a48a-6164abb5e313 Date 3/26/2014 Company Name KinDex Pharmaceuticals Mailing Address 800 Fifth Avenue Seattle, WA 98104 USA Company Description KinDex was established in the fall of 2009 to focus on the discovery and development of molecules that modulate key regulatory networks associated with chronic disease. Website http://www.kindexus.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount … Continue reading “KinDex Pharmaceuticals Receives $5,000,000 Series A Financing Round”
Carcode’s Prize-Winning App Allows Customers to Text Car Dealerships
It’s an auto industry pain point that might seem simple: How do car dealerships communicate with potential customers through text messaging? A startup called Carcode based in Seattle and Ann Arbor, MI, thinks it has the answer, and its solution won the grand prize last month at a hackathon sponsored by car-shopping website Edmunds.com. For … Continue reading “Carcode’s Prize-Winning App Allows Customers to Text Car Dealerships”
Seattle’s KinDex Gets $5M to Fight Diabetes, Burn Fat With Hops
Hops give a distinctive bitter taste to beer, which has been known to cause many a drinker to pack on an extra pound or two. But a Seattle-based startup called KinDex Pharmaceuticals thinks a chemical in these plants might just help people shed weight–and even control their diabetes. KinDex is announcing today that it’s raised … Continue reading “Seattle’s KinDex Gets $5M to Fight Diabetes, Burn Fat With Hops”
Clarity Health Obtains $835,949 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=23ab165a-d904-47ec-bcc3-aba5dcf09222 Date 3/25/2014 Company Name Clarity Health Mailing Address 808 Howell Street Seattle, WA 98101 USA Company Description For four years Clarity Health has successfully handled hundreds of thousands of referrals between hundreds of physician practices and the ancillary services and hospital systems that receive and treat their patients. As a result … Continue reading “Clarity Health Obtains $835,949 New Financing”
FlexMinder Garners $1,200,000 Series A Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=cf08c201-a9b8-41db-8119-26968cac5c90 Date 3/25/2014 Company Name FlexMinder Mailing Address 216 1st Ave S Seattle, WA 98104 USA Company Description FlexMinder is a software company that automates manual processes related to the reimbursement process. We have reduced claim handling costs for TPAs by 50% and helped them win new business by giving them a … Continue reading “FlexMinder Garners $1,200,000 Series A Round”
Major Foundation Grant to Support Entrepreneurial Researchers at UW
The Washington Research Foundation (WRF), a private nonprofit group that funds research and initiatives to commercialize innovations in the state, is making a large, long-term grant to University of Washington efforts in data science, clean energy, protein design, and neuroengineering. Four programs will share in upwards of $30 million over five years, WRF CEO Ronald … Continue reading “Major Foundation Grant to Support Entrepreneurial Researchers at UW”
Little Insights About ‘Big Data’
A little over a year ago I became the CEO of a company in the “big data” space that is developing predictive analytics software. My CTO is the “data guy,” and I’m the “business guy.” While my background is technical, I had very little experience in data or analytics and only knew about big data … Continue reading “Little Insights About ‘Big Data’”
DNA Response Obtains $1,436,669 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=822a9358-6e4d-44ad-ad78-7dd1dabd5787 Date 3/24/2014 Company Name DNA Response Mailing Address 411 First Avenue South Seattle, WA 98104 USA Company Description DNA Response (DNA) provides turnkey e-Commerce, On-line Marketing and Order Management Services to companies in the Direct Response Market. Website http://www.dnaresponse.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $1,436,669 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes … Continue reading “DNA Response Obtains $1,436,669 New Financing”
The Missing Middle Class: Jobs in the Second Machine Age
Technological change is not a tide that lifts all boats in our economy. The truth is that it’s more like a tsunami. It threatens to overturn all the boats and drown their occupants, sparing only the lucky few who have already reached safety in the hills. That’s the kind of admission you won’t often see … Continue reading “The Missing Middle Class: Jobs in the Second Machine Age”
Roundup: Tableau, Alibaba, Techstars Seattle, Startup Initiative
Spring is upon Seattle, and, in addition to cherry blossoms, the air must smell like money to some folks out there. This week, Simply Measured hauled in a $20 million round of new financing. Alder BioPharmaceuticals is planning a $115 million IPO. Mindbloom, maker of mobile healthcare apps, was bought by Denver-based Welltok for an … Continue reading “Roundup: Tableau, Alibaba, Techstars Seattle, Startup Initiative”
Lessons From Pat McGovern for Entrepreneurs
Very sad about the passing of Pat McGovern, the Chairman of International Data Group (IDG). He was my mentor and friend for over 30 years, and a giant in the technology, media, market research, and venture capital fields. Today, I took some time to reflect on what Pat taught me as an entrepreneur and investor. … Continue reading “Lessons From Pat McGovern for Entrepreneurs”
Welltok Acquires Seattle-based Mobile Health Developer Mindbloom
[Updated 3/20/14 11:35 am. See below.] Welltok, a Denver-based health IT startup, has bought Seattle-based Mindbloom for an undisclosed price in an all-cash deal, the company announced Thursday. Welltok develops software that healthcare providers and insurers can use to encourage consumers to live healthy lives. [Sentence edited for clarity.] Mindbloom specialized in developing mobile healthcare apps like … Continue reading “Welltok Acquires Seattle-based Mobile Health Developer Mindbloom”
VirtualQube Obtains $250,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ec68b765-0b75-4c25-b5c1-38c5518e96f3 Date 3/20/2014 Company Name VirtualQube Mailing Address 17410 133rd Ave. NE Woodinville, WA 98072 USA Company Description VirtualQube, based near Seattle, WA, is led by CEO Scott Gorcester, an IT veteran with more than 20 years of experience using technology to transform businesses. Sold mainly through channel partners, our stable, secure, … Continue reading “VirtualQube Obtains $250,000 New Financing”
Cardiac Dimensions Lands $379,996 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b09fea04-27eb-49df-9bc3-f027bd654728 Date 3/20/2014 Company Name Cardiac Dimensions Mailing Address 5540 Lake Washington Blvd. NE Kirkland, WA 98033 USA Company Description Cardiac Dimensions, Inc. is a medical device company developing novel interventional tools for the treatment of congestive heart failure (CHF) and related conditions. Website http://www.cardiacdimensions.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $379,996 Transaction … Continue reading “Cardiac Dimensions Lands $379,996 New Funding Round”
Keiretsu Forum Northwest Invested $21.2M in 35 Companies Last Year
Angel investors in Keiretsu Forum Northwest chapters plowed $21.2 million into 35 companies in 2013, according to a tally set for release today. Most of the funding went into startups based in the Pacific Northwest. That’s up slightly compared with 2012, when the group backed some 34 companies to the tune of $20.1 million. In … Continue reading “Keiretsu Forum Northwest Invested $21.2M in 35 Companies Last Year”
Alder BioPharmaceuticals Hits IPO Trail Looking for $115M
Alder BioPharmaceuticals grabbed some headlines late last year when a rheumatoid arthritis drug it’s been developing with Bristol-Myers Squibb showed some early signs that it might have a chance to challenge established treatments for the ailment. Now the Bothell, WA-based company is trying to ride that momentum into the public markets. Alder intends to raise … Continue reading “Alder BioPharmaceuticals Hits IPO Trail Looking for $115M”
Autodesk Acquires Creative Market for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0f07a3c0-380e-460d-bf95-a606e799b6d1 Date 3/19/2014 Company Name Creative Market Mailing Address 333. S. State St. Lake Oswego, OR 97034 USA Company Description A new kind of marketplace for handcrafted, mousemade design content powered by a global community of creative people. Website http://www.creativemarket.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Proceeds Purposes M&A Terms … Continue reading “Autodesk Acquires Creative Market for Undisclosed Sum”
Simply Measured Raises $20M to Continue Social Media Analysis Growth
Simply Measured, which helps companies understand what’s being said about them on Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites, is raising $20 million in a Series C round led by Trinity Ventures. The investment round, joined by earlier backers including Bessemer Venture Partners, Four Rivers Group, and MHS Capital, brings total funding for the Seattle … Continue reading “Simply Measured Raises $20M to Continue Social Media Analysis Growth”
Get the Heck Out of the Building in Founder’s School: Part 2
With a ~$2 billion endowment the Kauffman Foundation is the largest non-profit focused on entrepreneurship in the world. Giving away $80 million to every year (~$25 million to entrepreneurial causes) makes Kauffman the dominant player in the entrepreneurship space. Kauffman launched Founders School – a new education series to help entrepreneurs develop their businesses during … Continue reading “Get the Heck Out of the Building in Founder’s School: Part 2”
Bizible Obtains $499,999 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4808db7a-221f-4eff-a28c-ee05dcf70391 Date 3/18/2014 Company Name Bizible Mailing Address 270 S. Hanford St. Seattle, WA 98134 USA Company Description Bizible is a software-as-a-service company offering local businesses accountability and transparency with their marketing efforts through their patent pending revenue attribution software. Bizible was founded in 2011 by Aaron Bird and Peter Thompson, former … Continue reading “Bizible Obtains $499,999 New Funding Round”
Simply Measured Lands $20,000,000 Series C Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=79dc2d2f-2865-4c9a-a954-108202d40077 Date 3/18/2014 Company Name Simply Measured Mailing Address 2211 Elliott Ave. Seattle, WA 98121 USA Company Description Simply Measured helps marketers get social media data and create beautiful, custom reports in Excel and online. We take a different approach to analytics, rather than a rigid dashboard, we empower non-technical marketers and … Continue reading “Simply Measured Lands $20,000,000 Series C Financing”
Inrix Lands $10,000,018 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6ab54802-4f95-49c9-8f36-a4924924fc59 Date 3/18/2014 Company Name Inrix Mailing Address 10210 NE Points Dr. Kirkland, WA 98033 USA Company Description Inrix delivers highly accurate real-time and predictive traffic services nationwide, providing businesses and individuals with personalized, actionable information that has the power to transform daily commutes and routes. Website http://www.inrix.com Transaction Type Venture Equity … Continue reading “Inrix Lands $10,000,018 New Funding”
CadenceMD Receives $55,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d166512a-542b-42d9-b8b0-a989013c781d Date 3/17/2014 Company Name CadenceMD Mailing Address 935 E. Allison Street Seattle, WA 98102 Company Description At CadenceMD, our mission is simple: we provide innovative technology solutions that enable physician organizations to improve operational efficiency and patient experience. Our business intelligence tools, analytics, and improvement insights are designed to help doctors … Continue reading “CadenceMD Receives $55,000 New Round”
Seattle Roundup: Kickstarter, Kineta, Ride-Share Regs, Lively
In addition to funding news this week for Seattle-area outfits Seattle BioMed, Rover.com, Tipbit, Illumagear, and ComputeNext, we got word of a Kickstarter milestone, more funding for drug developer Kineta, and a potentially big week for Lively. Next week, we’re expecting a final decision on new city regulations on the likes of Uber, Sidecar, and … Continue reading “Seattle Roundup: Kickstarter, Kineta, Ride-Share Regs, Lively”
For Products, Technology Still Matters
Popular media has seriously overshot on the relative importance of marketing and design versus technology for product companies. Just spend some time perusing the usual outlets and you’ll quickly forget that startups employ technologists. What’s scary is it’s not just media—the rest of the world is starting to follow. The number of companies, raising very … Continue reading “For Products, Technology Still Matters”
From Cosimo to Cosmos: The Medici Effect in Culture and Technology
Deep inside the Palazzo Vecchio, the tall stone fortress that has served as the seat of government power in Florence since the 14th century, there’s a room called the Sala delle Carte Geografiche, the Hall of Maps. The cabinets lining the walls, which once held scientific instruments and other precious items, are decorated with 53 … Continue reading “From Cosimo to Cosmos: The Medici Effect in Culture and Technology”
Kineta Garners New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9460d811-3bce-43dc-b903-a2cb4bf89a8b Date 3/14/2014 Company Name Kineta Mailing Address 219 Terry Ave N Seattle, WA 98109 Company Description Through Kineta, our pioneering team is dedicated to further study of innate immunity with an aggressive strategy to develop early stage programs for powerful new antiviral and immune modulating drugs. Website http://www.kinetabio.com Transaction Type Venture … Continue reading “Kineta Garners New Round”
Tipbit Receives $4,000,000 Series A Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=bba52c98-061f-42ac-9f39-2ed5b32b8896 Date 3/13/2014 Company Name Tipbit Mailing Address 10900 NE 8th Street Bellevue, WA 98004 Company Description Tipbit brings email, social and search together so you can complete tasks on your smartphone rather than waiting until you’re back at your desk. Tipbit is led by an email dream team in Seattle and … Continue reading “Tipbit Receives $4,000,000 Series A Funding Round”
Tipbit Raises $4M from Ignition for Personal Search in E-mail
Tipbit is going after a wicked problem that seems to get worse as each new cloud service spreads our digital work farther afield, making key information at once more accessible and harder to find. The Bellevue, WA-based startup’s solution is in the form of an e-mail application for iPhones, but “the heart of what we … Continue reading “Tipbit Raises $4M from Ignition for Personal Search in E-mail”
Hiding in 172M Cab Rides: A New Frontier for the ‘Sharing Economy’
Splitting a cab fare isn’t usually what you’d call a high-tech activity, even with millions of people carrying sophisticated Internet portals in their pockets and purses. Researchers at MIT think it’s about time that changed. By analyzing a year’s worth of New York City cab rides, MIT’s Sensable City Lab was able to see just … Continue reading “Hiding in 172M Cab Rides: A New Frontier for the ‘Sharing Economy’”
Why Companies Are Not Startups
In the last few years we’ve recognized that a startup is not a smaller version of a large company. We’re now learning that companies are not larger versions of startups. There’s been lots written about how companies need to be more innovative, but very little on what stops them from doing so. Companies looking to … Continue reading “Why Companies Are Not Startups”
Pet Services Boom: Menlo Ventures Leads $12M Investment in Rover.com
Seattle-based Rover.com, which helps dog owners find someone to watch the pooch when they’re away, has raised $12 million that will back market expansion, and new services and pet types. “So that includes cats and hamsters and gerbils and horses and guinea pigs,” quips CEO Aaron Easterly. Dog-walking, daycare, and improvements to Rover’s mobile app … Continue reading “Pet Services Boom: Menlo Ventures Leads $12M Investment in Rover.com”
Carriers Lost Round One Against WhatsApp. Can They Rebound?
The day after Mark Zuckerberg spent up to $19 billion on WhatsApp, the world’s wireless carriers suddenly had a lot to say about their own big plans for Internet-based mobile messaging. Third-place U.S. carrier Sprint announced that its competitor app, Messaging Plus, was going to be pre-installed on most of its new Android smartphones. French … Continue reading “Carriers Lost Round One Against WhatsApp. Can They Rebound?”
Rover.com Receives $12,000,000 Series C Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=18c067cc-1665-43c8-bd47-7157fe3cba4c Date 3/12/2014 Company Name Rover.com Mailing Address 808 Howell St. Seattle, WA 98101 Company Description At Rover.com, our mission is to allow dog owners to easily tap into the 40 million U.S. dog-owning households as well as a myriad of other pet lovers-including professionals – to meet their dog care needs. … Continue reading “Rover.com Receives $12,000,000 Series C Round”
Computenext Secures $4,000,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=bf88902a-42bb-44ca-a84b-f34e48435ae2 Date 3/12/2014 Company Name Computenext Mailing Address 13401NE BelRed Road Bellevue, WA 98005 Company Description ComputeNext a Bellevue, WA based cloud-technology Company, is pioneering the way organizations search, discover, procure and provision cloud infrastructure with their multi-cloud marketplace. As a leader in federated cloud service brokerage they enable end-to-end transactions across … Continue reading “Computenext Secures $4,000,000 New Round”
IAmA Seattle Startup Pivoting to Take On Reddit in AMAs
Yabbly has an ambitious new goal: It wants to do “Ask me anything” (AMA) better than Reddit, the Internet giant where this unique, wildly popular form of crowd-sourced interviewing was popularized and thrives today. The Seattle startup, headed by Tom Leung, is embarking on a new course after it failed to gain sufficient traction with … Continue reading “IAmA Seattle Startup Pivoting to Take On Reddit in AMAs”
Roundup: Illumagear, ComputeNext, Paul Allen, BPA
Seattle-area startups Illumagear, maker of safety lighting for construction workers, and ComputeNext, a cloud-services marketplace, attracted funding recently. Meanwhile, Paul Allen and the Bonneville Power Administration plan to bankroll researchers focused on artificial intelligence and the regional power system, respectively. And Cadence Biomedical landed a distribution partner in Asia. Read on for details. —ComputeNext, a … Continue reading “Roundup: Illumagear, ComputeNext, Paul Allen, BPA”