I have an angel investor friend—let’s call this friend “Alex.” Alex has great deal flow and works hard to pick the best opportunities for investment. Alex has been frustrated over the past several years, however, because she doesn’t seem to be making any money. This is despite solid operational performance by several of the companies … Continue reading “Five Ways To Avoid Losing Money as An Angel Investor”
Category: Seattle
Seattle BioMed Nabs $10M NIAID Grant to Develop HIV Vaccines
Scientists have tried for years to make an effective HIV vaccine, only to be thwarted by the shifty, mutating virus’s ability to evade the immune system. But vaccine development efforts continue, as evidenced by a bi-coastal collaboration Seattle BioMed has just put together to battle the virus. The nonprofit global health research center today is … Continue reading “Seattle BioMed Nabs $10M NIAID Grant to Develop HIV Vaccines”
Tableau, Splunk Partnership Aims at Fast-Growing Unstructured Data
A terabyte log of clicks on your Web site isn’t particularly useful in its raw form. That starts to change when it’s indexed and searchable. It’s more useful still when non-experts can easily combine it with other data and visualize the story the data is telling. That process should be easier thanks to a technology … Continue reading “Tableau, Splunk Partnership Aims at Fast-Growing Unstructured Data”
Genentech Joins “What’s Hot in Cancer Immunotherapy” Apr. 22
Three of the world’s biggest drugmakers are chasing what many analysts consider to be the next multi-billion dollar opportunity in cancer immunotherapy. All three companies are going to show their stuff at the next big Xconomy Seattle event on April 22. Genentech, the South San Francisco-based biotech giant that’s part of Roche, is the third … Continue reading “Genentech Joins “What’s Hot in Cancer Immunotherapy” Apr. 22”
Brammo Secures $9,500,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=5a7e7bf8-3687-40f4-b458-44f3413ace24 Date 3/6/2014 Company Name Brammo Mailing Address 300 W Valley View Road Talent, OR 97540 Company Description Brammo is in business for one simple reason – to drive change in the New Energy Economy. Our technically-advanced Enertia plug-in electric motorcycle – which gets up to 45 miles per charge – is … Continue reading “Brammo Secures $9,500,000 New Round”
SpaceCurve Receives $4,499,999 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=14f3fe87-538e-4cf6-b924-c0d851003c6f Date 3/6/2014 Company Name SpaceCurve Mailing Address 710 Second Avenue Seattle, WA 98104 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 sensors … Continue reading “SpaceCurve Receives $4,499,999 New Funding”
Farewell, Xconomy Readers. I’m Going to Climb a New Mountain
This is my last week on the job at Xconomy. After almost six years, I’m moving on. I’m going to finish writing a biography of Leroy Hood, the pioneer of high-speed DNA sequencing and genomic-based personalized medicine. And then I’ll see what’s next. When I first joined Xconomy, it had been founded 10 months earlier … Continue reading “Farewell, Xconomy Readers. I’m Going to Climb a New Mountain”
3Tier Shares Global Wind, Solar Data in Google Maps Gallery
Among the many maps in Google’s new Maps Gallery depicting everything from Spanish postal code boundaries to Martian topography, is one showing how much sunshine graces every corner of the globe. The data underlying the Global Solar Map comes from Seattle-based 3Tier, the renewable energy information company acquired last year by Vaisala for about $14.7 … Continue reading “3Tier Shares Global Wind, Solar Data in Google Maps Gallery”
4 Ways to Stop Social Media from Blowing Up In Your Startup’s Face
Social media offers startups a powerful platform to cost-effectively market their products and services, get their brand recognized, and engage with a wide audience of customers. Yet social media also throws up multiple risks. Many of these risks—be they security and privacy risks, compliance risks, or reputational risks—are not new. However, companies have become more … Continue reading “4 Ways to Stop Social Media from Blowing Up In Your Startup’s Face”
PetHub Lands New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=45d85c11-c098-41d0-a94c-a960bc5b39c3 Date 3/5/2014 Company Name PetHub Mailing Address 700 NW Gilman Blvd Issaquah, WA 98027 Company Description The people at Pet Hub know that you’re all about your pet. Well, we’re all about that. We’re proud to be part of a community of people that make sure that come dinner time they … Continue reading “PetHub Lands New Funding”
Yahoo! Acquires Vizify for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3c432415-2ea8-4081-a7be-569de69a7b4a Date 3/5/2014 Company Name Vizify Mailing Address 812 SW Washington Portland, OR 97205 Company Description Vizify likes to build wonderful things. Based in Portland, OR, we’re currently participating in TechStars (Seattle) and the Portland Seed Fund and are working on an awesome new way to make a great first impression. Website … Continue reading “Yahoo! Acquires Vizify for Undisclosed Sum”
DocuSign Raises Another $85M For Digital Transaction Platform
From a venture investing perspective, 2014 is off to a pretty slow start locally. So the news of an $85 million raise by DocuSign, a company started in Seattle a decade ago and still with a major presence here, is getting some attention. Headquartered in San Francisco, DocuSign, which provides electronic signature and document management … Continue reading “DocuSign Raises Another $85M For Digital Transaction Platform”
Michelangelo, the UW Innovation Emerging From an Unusual Place
There’s a new product emerging from the University of Washington. It was just granted a patent. It is being adopted by other high-profile institutions. And it’s showing promise as the core of a startup company or licensing deal. “Ironically, it’s not from an engineering lab or some chaired faculty position,” said David Bluhm, who was … Continue reading “Michelangelo, the UW Innovation Emerging From an Unusual Place”
Merck Joins ‘What’s Hot in Cancer Immunotherapy’ Apr. 22
For years, Merck was a traditional small-molecule, pill-in-a-bottle company that was known for being skeptical and late to the biotech drug party. So why is Merck suddenly mobilizing real resources—people and money—in an unmistakable biotech quest to fight cancer by unleashing the immune system to fight tumors? Some of it has to do with Merck … Continue reading “Merck Joins ‘What’s Hot in Cancer Immunotherapy’ Apr. 22”
Supreme Court Should Scale Back Securities Class Actions
Class-action lawsuits against publicly traded companies, which ironically are meant to protect investors like me, have officially jumped the shark. That was the only conclusion I could come to after learning last week that one firm alone, Levi & Korsinsky, is suing not one, but three companies I invest in—Aegerion Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AEGR]]), Sarepta Therapeutics … Continue reading “Supreme Court Should Scale Back Securities Class Actions”
Why It’s Time to Retire the Term “Life Sciences”
I originally thought about titling this piece “Life Sciences, Biosciences, BioPharma, Biotech, and Healthcare: What’s the Difference?” but that was simply too unwieldy. Many people use these terms interchangeably without thinking about what they specifically refer to, and which types of jobs and activities they encompass. Are they all the same thing? I don’t think … Continue reading “Why It’s Time to Retire the Term “Life Sciences””
Adapx Secures $1,872,630 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d6253acb-17fe-4aca-8d1b-72a94d20ae8c Date 3/4/2014 Company Name Adapx Mailing Address 2200 Alaskan Way Seattle, WA 98121 Company Description Adapx has developed field information capture technology that digitizes field personnel handwritten information. Website http://www.adapx.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $1,872,630 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC regulatory filing. Contact … Continue reading “Adapx Secures $1,872,630 New Financing Round”
Clinicient Obtains $15,000,000 Series C Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2abc54c1-1379-4c86-a84d-cf1cf8c3ea06 Date 3/4/2014 Company Name Clinicient Mailing Address 1515 SW Fifth Ave Portland, OR 97201 Company Description Founded in 1998 by Physical Therapist Jerry Henderson, we focus exclusively on providing Outpatient Rehabilitation business solutions.??We are dedicated to helping private practices in Outpatient Rehabilitation succeed. Website http://www.clinicient.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount … Continue reading “Clinicient Obtains $15,000,000 Series C Financing Round”
PacBio, the Post-Hype Sleeper of Genomics
Hype and biotech go hand in hand, but genomics takes exaggeration up a few extra notches. When genomics companies fail, they tend to crash especially hard. Yet every now and then, a company that’s monumentally hyped falls flat and then figures out a way to become a solid, if not spectacular, player. That’s the storyline … Continue reading “PacBio, the Post-Hype Sleeper of Genomics”
Ivy Receives $611,915 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e2087673-88e5-41ba-9ebc-9fd629ea3cf2 Date 3/3/2014 Company Name Ivy Mailing Address 12277 134th Ct NE Redmond, WA 98052 Company Description Presenting Ivytalk: Cross channel messaging solution. We help you easily communicate with anyone, on virtually any medium, anywhere in the world. We provide interactive communication between businesses and consumers, organizations and members, agencies and volunteers. … Continue reading “Ivy Receives $611,915 New Round”
Bob Doyle and the Magic of Merlin, the First Mobile Game
If you sat down to make a list of the key turning points in the history of mobile computing, you’d definitely have to include 2007, the year Apple released the iPhone. Its glowing touchscreen became a personalized portal to our friends, to the Web, and to hundreds of thousands of games and other specialized apps. … Continue reading “Bob Doyle and the Magic of Merlin, the First Mobile Game”
How to Tell When a Startup Is Ready for Investment
Since 2005 startup accelerators have provided cohorts of startups with mentoring, pitch practice, and product focus. However, accelerator Demo Days are a combination of graduation ceremony and pitch contest, with the uncomfortable feel of a swimsuit competition. Other than “I’ll know it when I see it”, there’s no formal way for an investor attending Demo … Continue reading “How to Tell When a Startup Is Ready for Investment”
A New Era for Microsoft: Overcoming the Innovator’s Dilemma
I don’t know if Microsoft will be a $300 billion company 50 years from now, but I do know one thing: selecting Satya Nadella as CEO gives it a better chance than some of the names that were discussed in the news since Steve Ballmer announced he would be stepping down. The reason is simple: … Continue reading “A New Era for Microsoft: Overcoming the Innovator’s Dilemma”
Drug Development 101: A Story About OncoGenex and the FDA
Most people in the local business community have never heard of Bothell, WA-based OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OGXI]]). But the little company, working on an experimental prostate cancer drug, has an interesting story that’s about to climax this year. In its own way, the OncoGenex story may even help shed some light on the labyrinthine process … Continue reading “Drug Development 101: A Story About OncoGenex and the FDA”
Encore Entrepreneurs: They’re Older and They Have More Insurance
OK, I want you to take a quick test and answer the question with the first thing that comes to mind: What does a “start-up entrepreneur” look like? OK, do you have a picture in your mind? If you are like most people, I bet your first thought was someone who looks suspiciously like a … Continue reading “Encore Entrepreneurs: They’re Older and They Have More Insurance”
Slide Bureau Brings Another Approach to Sparkling Presentations
The Seattle area is home not only to the behemoth of presentation software, Microsoft’s PowerPoint, but also at least three upstarts trying to improve presentation tools in one way or another. The latest is Slide Bureau from boutique software design and consulting firm Jackson Fish Market (JFM). The company of “software artisans” focuses on user … Continue reading “Slide Bureau Brings Another Approach to Sparkling Presentations”
Roundup: Zulily, BlueKai, Koru, and Washington MWC Delegation
Recent notable developments in Seattle tech include: Zulily’s initial earnings report wows Wall Street; BlueKai is acquired by Oracle; Koru names its initial college and university partners; and 16 Washington state companies ply their wares at GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. More details: —Zulily, the latest Seattle-area IPO success, saw its shares soar 36 … Continue reading “Roundup: Zulily, BlueKai, Koru, and Washington MWC Delegation”
An Executive’s Guide to Not Screwing Up Partnerships
Everyone loves partnerships. These fancy sounding deals are also often called “strategic alliances,” “co-marketing agreements,” “channel sales,” or in Continental Europe, “a coöperation” (sounds quite nice and German, doesn’t it?). Partnerships are prestigious, and they whisper to you the sweet possibilities of easy revenue. In Silicon Valley, they are generally run with lots of fanfare … Continue reading “An Executive’s Guide to Not Screwing Up Partnerships”
Cheetah Medical Receives $9,000,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c8254726-d43c-481f-9898-d47f09fa9494 Date 2/25/2014 Company Name Cheetah Medical Mailing Address 600 SE Maritime Ave Vancouver, WA 98661 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 failure … Continue reading “Cheetah Medical Receives $9,000,000 New Round”
The Inside Story: What CISOs Know About Cybersecurity
In the wake of aggressive press coverage of recent major breaches at companies from Target to Neiman Marcus, cybersecurity has finally moved out of the shadows to become a top-of-mind issue at major enterprises. The new focus is dramatically changing the landscape for security leaders and business executives, who no longer struggle to convince their … Continue reading “The Inside Story: What CISOs Know About Cybersecurity”
Act Now to Support Crowdfunding in Washington State
Nearly two years after Washington D.C. passed the JOBS Act, which legalized crowdfunding of startup fund raising, the law goes unused, awaiting a final set of regulations from the SEC. With no end to that process in sight, we here in Washington state say it is time to make crowdfunding a reality. Luckily, securities are … Continue reading “Act Now to Support Crowdfunding in Washington State”
IBM Buys Online Database Provider Cloudant as Cloud Wars March On
IBM is taking another bite out of the cloud software world as it tries to keep up with much younger technology companies. Today, IBM announced it was buying Boston-based Cloudant, an online database software provider. The price wasn’t revealed. Cloudant had raised about $15 million in private investment since it was founded in 2008. Cloudant’s … Continue reading “IBM Buys Online Database Provider Cloudant as Cloud Wars March On”
Hiring in Biotech is Tricky. But Algorithms Won’t Save the Day
People who appreciate baseball stats agree: Jonny Gomes of the Boston Red Sox is a below-average player. Yet, if you pay attention to his intangibles, he looks better. Even with lousy performance data, he was credited with playing a key role last fall in helping his team win the World Series. The Gomes example reminds … Continue reading “Hiring in Biotech is Tricky. But Algorithms Won’t Save the Day”
Fledge Receives $637,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0fc2be1d-6690-4428-9d9d-3bb198fdba1c Date 2/24/2014 Company Name Fledge Mailing Address Undisclosed Seattle, WA 98104 Company Description Fledge is the conscious company accelerator, here to help those entrepreneurs who are bringing products and services to the growing number of consumers, who in their consumption are conscious of the environment, their health, of community, sustainability, and … Continue reading “Fledge Receives $637,000 New Financing”
Oracle Acquires BlueKai for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e3a921f2-c307-436b-8071-b70b01159144 Date 2/24/2014 Company Name BlueKai Mailing Address 10900 NE 8th Street Bellevue, WA 98004 Company Description Blue Kai is developing an online marketplace based on relevant marketing. Website http://www.bluekai.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Proceeds Purposes M&A Terms Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed by the … Continue reading “Oracle Acquires BlueKai for Undisclosed Sum”
“All Hat, Ton of Cattle…”
Had a remarkable day Friday in Houston crawling around the Texas Medical Center. I was in town to speak at the Xconomy Healthcare Summit—an incredible roster of speakers and attendees, I must say. As Ron DePinho, president of MD Anderson Cancer Center, characterized, this part of Houston is as if someone put the Kendall Square … Continue reading ““All Hat, Ton of Cattle…””
Summit on Social Responsibility—UW Tacoma Leadership & CSR
KoAnn Skrzyniarz, fonder and CEO of Sustainable brands, headlines the third annual Conference on Corporate Social Responsibility. Speakers from Microsoft, Alaska Airlines, REI, and several other local companies join the one-day conference, presented by University of Washington, Tacoma. More information and registration is available here.
University of Washington iAffiliates Day
The University of Washington Information School hosts dozens of employers including Cisco, Cobalt, Deloitte Digital, and Costco for its third iAffiliates Day. The goal is to showcase the school’s work “at the intersection of information, technology, and people.” More information and registration is available here.
WhatsApp, $19 Billion, and the Unreal Economy of Silicon Valley
Facebook announced Wednesday that it will acquire mobile messaging provider WhatsApp, a five-year-old startup in Santa Clara, CA, for $4 billion in cash, $12 billion in stock, and another $3 billion in restricted stock units. So, $19 billion when all’s said and done. The deal is eyebrow-raising on any number of levels. What made WhatsApp … Continue reading “WhatsApp, $19 Billion, and the Unreal Economy of Silicon Valley”
Inpria Secures $4,700,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c13ac8a2-e342-40fe-a33d-4b8b2ddfc5ed Date 2/21/2014 Company Name Inpria Mailing Address 2001 NW Monroe Avenue Corvallis, OR 97330 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 Amount … Continue reading “Inpria Secures $4,700,000 New Round”
Seattle’s OpenCar Wants to Bring ‘Long Tail’ of Apps Into Vehicles
As we all know, there’s an app for that, whatever it is. But chances are, it’s not available for your car. So perhaps you stick with the one on your smartphone, furtively glancing down—dangerously, illegally—when you should be focused on driving. OpenCar, a Seattle startup, has an audacious goal that could help solve that problem, … Continue reading “Seattle’s OpenCar Wants to Bring ‘Long Tail’ of Apps Into Vehicles”
What Does $19B Buy? Market Validation for Text Messaging
When Facebook acquired WhatsApp last night, most of the initial headlines focused on the value of the deal and overall shock at how big the number actually was. Examples ranged from “Facebook to buy WhatsApp for $19 billion in deal shocker” (Reuters) to “Stunner: Facebook to buy WhatsApp for $19 billion in cash, stock” (Forbes). … Continue reading “What Does $19B Buy? Market Validation for Text Messaging”
Join Xconomy for ‘What’s Hot in Cancer Immunotherapy’ on April 22
Two or three years ago, most biotech pros would have scoffed if you had predicted a revival of cancer immunotherapy. Dendreon flopped, right? Oh, how quickly things change. Today, researchers have never been more excited about different ways to harness the immune system to kill cancer cells. Medical meetings saw a series of eye-opening presentations … Continue reading “Join Xconomy for ‘What’s Hot in Cancer Immunotherapy’ on April 22”
Are Universities Creating Too Many Biotech Startups?
Bruce Booth, the biotech venture capitalist known for his social media savvy, sent a Tweet last month that caught my eye. He tweeted in reference to the number of academic spinoffs reported in the 2012 AUTM Licensing Survey Report, “What % biotech? My bet, ~ half.” Extrapolating from Top U.S. universities, institutes for life sciences in … Continue reading “Are Universities Creating Too Many Biotech Startups?”
This Ain’t Like Dusting Crops, Boy. Oh, Wait…Actually, It Is.
Awhile back I blogged about Ashwin, one of my ex-students wanted to raise a seed round to build Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones) with a hyper-spectral camera and fly it over farm fields collecting hyper-spectral images. These images, when processed with his company’s proprietary algorithms, would be able to tell farmers how healthy their plants were, … Continue reading “This Ain’t Like Dusting Crops, Boy. Oh, Wait…Actually, It Is.”
Roundup: Front Desk, Context Relevant, Principle Power & More
Seattle tech news stories that have caught our attention in the last week or so include a Series A funding for Front Desk, a big data security partnership for Context Relevant, a milestone for SNUPI Technologies, a step forward for Principle Power’s proposed wind farm off the Oregon coast, and nice recognition for Exo Labs. … Continue reading “Roundup: Front Desk, Context Relevant, Principle Power & More”
Intel Survey: Americans Skeptical, Yet Hopeful, About Smart Cities
Intel thinks it’s only a matter of time before cars, streets, highways, buildings—in short, most parts of the urban infrastructure—get a brain upgrade. And naturally, it expects that Intel chips will be powering much of the new smarts. But the Santa Clara, CA-based semiconductor giant knows that public fears about sensor networks and large-scale data … Continue reading “Intel Survey: Americans Skeptical, Yet Hopeful, About Smart Cities”
Xconomy Forum: What’s Hot in Cancer Immunotherapy
Two or three years ago, people in biotech would have said you were nuts if you had predicted a revival of cancer immunotherapy. Dendreon, the Seattle-based trailblazer, had its well-documented stumbles in the marketplace. But researchers have never been more excited about the various ways of harnessing the immune system to kill cancer cells. Enthusiasm … Continue reading “Xconomy Forum: What’s Hot in Cancer Immunotherapy”
Balancing Power Between Biotech and Big Pharma Benefits Both
Xconomy’s Luke Timmerman recently suggested that biotechs’ IPO option has shifted the balance of power between Big Pharma and biotech closer to parity, and the big guys have lost (or at least loosened) their iron grip on venture-backed biotech. As he put it, The power dynamic between the two parties is the closest it’s been … Continue reading “Balancing Power Between Biotech and Big Pharma Benefits Both”
Gates Foundation Hires Second Biotech VC to Connect With Startups
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is trying to get more biotech entrepreneurs to work on global health, and it just hired another venture capitalist to give the initiative a boost. Charlotte Hubbert, a former vice president at H.I.G BioVentures and associate at Seattle-based Accelerator, is joining the Gates Foundation as a program investment officer … Continue reading “Gates Foundation Hires Second Biotech VC to Connect With Startups”