Matrix Genetics is one of those startups that never really got off the ground in its early days, but never died, either. While the Seattle-based company lived on fumes at various points over the past four years, it saw other contenders in the algae biofuel business rise, and fall. Now Matrix has stayed in the … Continue reading “Matrix Genetics Emerges from Algae Biofuel Wilderness With a Partner”
Category: Seattle
Tableau Software Receives $254,200,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f1c29470-efad-4af4-b406-78ce976a4af7&Preview=1 Date 5/16/2013 Company Name Tableau Software Mailing Address 837 North 34th Street Seattle, WA 98103 Company Description Tableau Software (NYSE: DATA) is the leading provider of visual reporting and analysis solutions. Website http://www.tableausoftware.com Transaction Type IPO Transaction Amount $254,200,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes are on file with company … Continue reading “Tableau Software Receives $254,200,000 New Financing Round”
In Pursuit of Big Opportunity, Software Maker Apptio Raises $45M More
Apptio, which makes software to help corporate CIO’s manage IT operations, has filled up its coffers for a push into what it sees as a major untapped market. The Bellevue, WA, company has raised $45 million in a Series E round led by new investors including Janus Capital and The Hillman Company, and returning backers … Continue reading “In Pursuit of Big Opportunity, Software Maker Apptio Raises $45M More”
With IPO Pending, Tableau Ups Targeted Share Price Again to Max of $30
Tableau Software has again increased the price range of shares in its impending initial public offering, putting the top range at $30 in a sign of strong interest among investors in the Seattle data visualization software maker. Tableau is expected to begin trading later this week on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker … Continue reading “With IPO Pending, Tableau Ups Targeted Share Price Again to Max of $30”
Real Estate Move: DocuSign Buys Cartavi, Strengthens Ties with zipLogix
Electronic signatures company DocuSign is beefing up its real estate line with the acquisition of Cartavi and a tighter partnership with zipLogix, meant to enable transactions using any device. DocuSign—founded in Seattle in 2004, but with its headquarters now in San Francisco—has had a partnership with Cartavi, based in Naperville, IL, for the last year … Continue reading “Real Estate Move: DocuSign Buys Cartavi, Strengthens Ties with zipLogix”
Hollywood Celebrates Breast Cancer Genetics Pioneer Mary-Claire King
[Corrected: 11 am 5/16] A sort of perfect storm of celebrity and media has hit the world of breast-cancer genetics. Actress and international celebrity Angelina Jolie wrote yesterday in The New York Times of her own genetic status—knowing that she carried a mutation of the BRCA1 gene. Jolie chose to have a prophylactic mastectomy, surgery … Continue reading “Hollywood Celebrates Breast Cancer Genetics Pioneer Mary-Claire King”
GraphLab Receives $6,750,000 Series A Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=bb4f8224-ea20-4153-bc76-d7775558d5fb&Preview=1 Date 5/15/2013 Company Name GraphLab Mailing Address 3624 Meridian Avenue North Seattle, WA 98103 Company Description GraphLab Inc. is building the fastest machine learning analytics engine for graph datasets. Started in 2009 as an open source project by Carlos Guestrin, the software is used daily for millions of recommendations in popular … Continue reading “GraphLab Receives $6,750,000 Series A Funding Round”
Make Cyber Security Training Mandatory
The online world can be a dangerous place for the unprepared. And it’s just going to get worse. It’s time to teach cyber security as integral part of the high school and college curriculum and to all corporate employees. I grew up in New York City and for a few years heaven on earth for … Continue reading “Make Cyber Security Training Mandatory”
Cloudant Raises $12M from Rackspace and Others, Opens SF Office
There’s some more fuel for the online database arms race today: Boston-based Cloudant has secured a new $12 million investment round. The money will bankroll Cloudant’s general growth, which includes a new office in San Francisco, complementing Cloudant’s previous footprint in Boston, Seattle, and Bristol, England. New investors in the new Series B round are Devonshire Investors, … Continue reading “Cloudant Raises $12M from Rackspace and Others, Opens SF Office”
Madrona, NEA Bet $6.75M on Seattle Big Data Analysis Startup GraphLab
When Seattle’s tech community pulled together last year to help recruit Carlos Guestrin, a standout machine-learning expert and data scientist, to the University of Washington, some people were hoping a hot startup would wind up here as well. They weren’t disappointed. Guestrin is launching GraphLab Inc. with a $6.75 million investment led by Madrona Venture … Continue reading “Madrona, NEA Bet $6.75M on Seattle Big Data Analysis Startup GraphLab”
Henri Termeer on Startups, Drug Prices, Getting Older (Part 2)
Yesterday, we ran the first part of a wide-ranging interview with Henri Termeer, the legendary biotech entrepreneur and former CEO of Cambridge, MA-based Genzyme. He spoke about what kinds of startups he likes to get involved in, the trend toward drug companies working on rare diseases, and efforts to repair pharma’s damaged reputation. Today, he … Continue reading “Henri Termeer on Startups, Drug Prices, Getting Older (Part 2)”
Bootstrapping Products with Services
Because it’s often so difficult for entrepreneurs to obtain seed funding for their startups, bootstrapping is one of the best methods to self-fund their projects. And offering a service is one of the best ways to go. This, by the way, remains a controversial point of view, and most industry observers will take the position … Continue reading “Bootstrapping Products with Services”
Henri Termeer on Startups, Drug Prices, Getting Older (Part 1)
Henri Termeer could have easily faded away into obscurity a couple years ago. The biotech pioneer could have relaxed at his oceanside home in Maine, played a little golf. Or, if he wanted, he could have made loads of money at a private equity firm. Certainly, he didn’t need to mess around with hungry little … Continue reading “Henri Termeer on Startups, Drug Prices, Getting Older (Part 1)”
Twitter Acquires Lucky Sort for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4b4b6463-29a2-4a77-b09b-82f44047c6c4&Preview=1 Date 5/13/2013 Company Name Lucky Sort Mailing Address Undisclosed Portland, OR 97201 Company Description Lucky Sort is building a Big Data visualization and navigation engine called TopicWatch for exploring emergent patterns in live text streams. TopicWatch equips analysts to explore and dissect the Big Picture by visualizing news, comments, and social … Continue reading “Twitter Acquires Lucky Sort for Undisclosed Sum”
Life After PowerPoint: Prezi Zooms Ahead in Digital Storytelling
Not every speech is improved by visual aids. Abraham Lincoln made do without PowerPoint at Gettysburg (though wags have tried to reimagine that), and Franklin Roosevelt’s voice on the radio in 1933 calmed a nation rattled by the Great Depression and cemented the New Deal. But there’s high oratory, and then there’s the old-fashioned presentation, … Continue reading “Life After PowerPoint: Prezi Zooms Ahead in Digital Storytelling”
Onehub Secures $200,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=96afeea1-2e27-45b8-8410-ae65f524f2ca&Preview=1 Date 5/10/2013 Company Name Onehub Mailing Address 105 S Main Street Seattle, WA 98104 Company Description Onehub is a web application that provides everything you need to easily and securely share business information and files with partners, customers, coworkers, and suppliers. Onehub is not your typical complicated collaboration software. Instead, it’s … Continue reading “Onehub Secures $200,000 New Funding Round”
Salesforce Acquires Clipboard for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c1a3535d-bc3a-42b8-bab9-3a770df52104&Preview=1 Date 5/10/2013 Company Name Clipboard Mailing Address 10220 NE. First Place Bellevue, WA 98004 Company Description The company is developing social media oriented technologies. Website http://www.clipboard.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 parties.
Salesforce Collects Flake and His Seattle Startup Clipboard
Clipboard, the Gary Flake-led startup that aimed to give people a way to privately organize their online lives, is being acquired by Salesforce.com and will shutter its service at the end of June. The “bittersweet news” is disclosed on Clipboard’s website. The acquisition “allow[s] us to pursue our mission of saving and sharing the Web … Continue reading “Salesforce Collects Flake and His Seattle Startup Clipboard”
Seattle Seeks to Stir Up More Startups With New McGinn Initiative
Seattle is the latest big city government to throw its weight behind the technology startup community, as mayors and economic development officials across the country grasp at an elusive formula for fostering more new companies with potential to create jobs. From New York City to San Francisco to state and national capitals, governments are trying … Continue reading “Seattle Seeks to Stir Up More Startups With New McGinn Initiative”
Dendreon Shares Fall Again, as Provenge Sales Slump
Dendreon has made a habit of disappointing investors, and it did so again today. The Seattle-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DNDN]]) said today it generated $67.6 million in first quarter sales of sipuleucel-T (Provenge), down a whopping 17.6 percent from the $82 million in sales it reported for the same period a year ago. The company, … Continue reading “Dendreon Shares Fall Again, as Provenge Sales Slump”
Out of Bezos’s Shadow: 7 Startup Secrets from Amazon’s Andy Jassy
If you want to understand Amazon’s culture of innovation—and the lessons it holds for startups, big companies, and the tech world at large—you could do a lot worse than talk to Andy Jassy. Jassy is senior vice president of Amazon Web Services (AWS). In his 16 years at the Seattle-based Internet giant (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMZN]]), he … Continue reading “Out of Bezos’s Shadow: 7 Startup Secrets from Amazon’s Andy Jassy”
The 600-Hour Data Dilemma For Healthcare
The healthcare industry is slow moving. While beginning to adopt technology for logistical issues including electronic medical records and appointment scheduling, the focus of these efforts is narrow and off-base. True impact on human health now requires technology architecture which addresses the critical data issues faced by the healthcare industry today. Over the last 10 … Continue reading “The 600-Hour Data Dilemma For Healthcare”
Zillow Takes Questions via Twitter in Real-Time During Earnings Call
Seattle online real estate company Zillow took a new, more open approach to its first quarter earnings conference call Tuesday, accepting and answering questions via social media side-by-side with those of professional analysts on the phone. Michael Graham, managing director and senior equity analyst at Canaccord Genuity, who was covering Internet stocks in the late … Continue reading “Zillow Takes Questions via Twitter in Real-Time During Earnings Call”
Trulia Buying Market Leader for $355M, Upping Zillow Competition
Home shopping website Trulia is bolstering its offerings for real estate professionals with a $355 million cash and stock purchase of Kirkland, WA-based Market Leader. San Francisco-based Trulia’s acquisition of a company right under the nose of top online real estate rival Zillow underscores the fierce competition—and unclaimed opportunity—in the online real estate market. Trulia … Continue reading “Trulia Buying Market Leader for $355M, Upping Zillow Competition”
Exit Early and Often: A New Age of Limited Options for Entrepreneurs
I rarely meet an entrepreneur (or one of their investors) who doesn’t believe their venture will be a runaway hit. In three to five years, I hear over and over, we’ll be able to go public or sell big, providing huge returns for those who got into the deal early. Many won’t reach that mark. … Continue reading “Exit Early and Often: A New Age of Limited Options for Entrepreneurs”
Fun and Games in ICANN’s new gTLD Process
Most readers are probably aware that the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has recently introduced a process to open up the domain system to a myriad of new generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs). In this context “generic” may be somewhat of a misnomer, because a number of the domains applied for correspond … Continue reading “Fun and Games in ICANN’s new gTLD Process”
To ‘Lean In’ or Not to ‘Lean In:’ Is That the Real Question?
Steve Jobs famously said that you cannot “connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.” For me, one of those moments of clarity in connecting the dots—looking back and seeing a logic and pattern in my life … Continue reading “To ‘Lean In’ or Not to ‘Lean In:’ Is That the Real Question?”
The VC Will See You Now at the “World’s Largest Office Hours”
The three laws of getting a meeting with a VC: 1) If you don’t know somebody who can provide a referral, don’t even try. 2) Start about four months in advance. 3) Once the meeting is on the books, assume that it will be rescheduled at least twice, and probably again on the day of … Continue reading “The VC Will See You Now at the “World’s Largest Office Hours””
Factor.io Receives $50,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9f1a7013-ffa6-4470-b636-f19499cfd823&Preview=1 Date 5/7/2013 Company Name Factor.io Mailing Address 6426 SW Burlingame Place Portland, OR 97239 Company Description Factor.io is a service which enables you to connect best-of-breed tools you already use in your development workflow with a simple if-this-then-that interface. Website http://www.factor.io Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $50,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds … Continue reading “Factor.io Receives $50,000 New Financing Round”
Life Science Innovation Northwest
Life Science Innovation Northwest, the biggest annual biotech industry gathering in Washington state, will be held July 10-11 at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle. For more information on how to register, click here.
Washington State Biomedical Device Summit
The sixth annual Washington State Biomedical Device Summit will be held 3 pm to 7 pm on June 17 at Mobius Hall on the UW Bothell – Cascadia Community College Campus. Mark Leahey, the president of the Medical Device Manufacturers Association, will be the featured speaker. For more information, click here.
Targeted Tableau Software IPO Price Would Value Company at up to $1.5B
Tableau Software, the Seattle data visualization company, is aiming to offer 7.2 million shares of stock for sale to the public at between $23 and $26 a share, valuing the company at nearly $1.5 billion on the high end. Tableau would raise about $111.4 million at a midpoint offering price of $24.50, net of discounts, … Continue reading “Targeted Tableau Software IPO Price Would Value Company at up to $1.5B”
Lessons For Drug Development From The Aveo Buzzsaw
Drug development is a tough business. Small companies that dare to try often end up in public train wrecks when they head to Washington to meet the FDA. It’s a shame, a colossal waste, every time a company gets that far and stumbles. And it doesn’t have to be that way. The folks at Cambridge, … Continue reading “Lessons For Drug Development From The Aveo Buzzsaw”
AVA.ai Lands $16,000,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=60610bde-22b1-485d-a7a4-3cb24113a988&Preview=1 Date 5/6/2013 Company Name AVA.ai Mailing Address P.O. Box 2038 Bellingham, WA 98227 Company Description AVA.ai LLC is a fast-growing internet technology company, based in Bellingham Washington. Our office has floor to ceiling glass looking out over beautiful Bellingham Bay and the San Juan Islands. Our team is made up of … Continue reading “AVA.ai Lands $16,000,000 New Funding”
Do You Need an Extended Warranty? Do the Math, Says SquareTrade
Consumer Reports, the nation’s most respected source of product reviews and buying advice, does not mince words about extended warranties. It calls them a bad idea and money down the drain. The website Consumerist agrees, calling extended warranties useless and usually a bad deal. So why on earth would you consider shelling out an extra … Continue reading “Do You Need an Extended Warranty? Do the Math, Says SquareTrade”
NW Biotech Education Group Faces Loss of Federal Money, Deep Cuts
The Northwest Association for Biomedical Research (NWABR), a nonprofit that fosters science education and public understanding of research in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, is contemplating the deepest cuts in the organization’s history, as it expects to lose about half of its annual budget because of federal spending cuts. The Seattle-based organization, which reported a $1.2 … Continue reading “NW Biotech Education Group Faces Loss of Federal Money, Deep Cuts”
Roundup: Tango Card, VoloMetrix, Glider, Chirpify Score Funds, & More
Call this the “torrid springtime heatwave” edition of the Seattle tech news roundup, because that’s what’s in the forecast from now through the weekend. Meanwhile, a handful of tech companies in the region have made it rain. Details: —Tango Card, which allows people to redeem gift cards for other gift cards, charitable donations, or cash, … Continue reading “Roundup: Tango Card, VoloMetrix, Glider, Chirpify Score Funds, & More”
Cheezburger Lays Off 24, Restructures to Focus on Mobile
Cheezburger Network, which publishes well-known humor sites such as I Can Has Cheezburger and FAIL Blog, is laying off two dozen employees as it prepares to restructure for mobile-focused publishing. Perhaps more significantly, the Seattle-based company is hoping to swap its current Web advertising model for a new focus on longer-term, integrated sponsorships. In an … Continue reading “Cheezburger Lays Off 24, Restructures to Focus on Mobile”
Xconomy Opens in Texas, Expanding Roundup of Innovation Across U.S.
I’ve been coming to Texas regularly for more than 20 years—first to meet my future in-laws, and ever since to visit a growing extended family network around the state. I didn’t envision opening a Texas business arm on that initial visit (I didn’t have a business), but ever since launching Xconomy in mid-2007, I’ve been … Continue reading “Xconomy Opens in Texas, Expanding Roundup of Innovation Across U.S.”
Xconomy, Welcome to Texas, Where Energy Will Be Solved!
It’s great that Xconomy is finally getting to Texas. Which is not to say that I’m rooting for Austin over “Baustin.” Innovation is not a zero-sum game. Or, as they say around these parts, we know you’re not from Texas, but we’re glad you’re here. On the other hand, I spent 10 years trying to … Continue reading “Xconomy, Welcome to Texas, Where Energy Will Be Solved!”
Jobaline Brings Technology to Overlooked Hourly Job-Seekers, Employers
Seattle-area startup Jobaline is out to solve some big problems for workers and employers in the huge, underserved world of hourly labor. The company’s technology platform is meant to match job applicants—many of whom lack regular Internet access—with employers struggling with constant turnover, high ratios of applicants to openings, and inefficient hiring processes. After a … Continue reading “Jobaline Brings Technology to Overlooked Hourly Job-Seekers, Employers”
Supply Chains Are Orderly. Biotech Innovation Is Messy
I was intrigued by the concept of an “innovation supply chain” for biotech raised in last week’s Xconomy discussion with Noubar Afeyan of Flagship Ventures. The basic idea is that if there’s agreement about certain experiments, results, and value with a pharma company, then a biotech company can focus on delivering those results, the pharma … Continue reading “Supply Chains Are Orderly. Biotech Innovation Is Messy”
Glider Obtains $1,000,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=938552f0-b194-43c1-9b89-5243d54064bf&Preview=1 Date 4/30/2013 Company Name Glider Mailing Address 1227 NW Davis Portland, OR 97209 Company Description Trusted by companies both big and small, Glider was founded in early 2012 by Eli Rubel and Justin Thiele with the mission of solving complicated business problems through beautiful software. The company is based in beautiful … Continue reading “Glider Obtains $1,000,000 New Funding”
Announcing Xconomy Napa Summit 2013: New Rules for Growth
Finally, the economy seems to be heading in the right direction, but frustratingly slowly—and peril lurks around every sequester corner. Is that the new normal in this age of rising healthcare costs, venture capital belt-tightening, and a nearly broken Congressional system that can’t see fit to invest properly in vital areas such as research and … Continue reading “Announcing Xconomy Napa Summit 2013: New Rules for Growth”
Man vs. Machine: Can Software Trump Editors in the Newsfeed Wars?
Suddenly, digital newsfeeds are the hottest thing in consumer tech. Big tech companies have been frantically opening their wallets in recent weeks to buy out small startups making mobile-friendly applications that use software to pull together news from innumerable sources around the Web. Last week, it was Google paying a reported $30 million or more … Continue reading “Man vs. Machine: Can Software Trump Editors in the Newsfeed Wars?”
The Napa Summit 2013: New Rules for Growth
How can entrepreneurs today build big new global companies—what ideas are paying off, and what previously successful strategies no longer work? Which fields or geographies likely hold the keys to future success? This year’s Napa Summit will bring together leading high-tech innovators, executives, and investors with unique perspectives on the U.S. and global innovation landscapes … Continue reading “The Napa Summit 2013: New Rules for Growth”
Six Reasons Why Illumina Has Nothing to Fear from Thermo/Life
Illumina doesn’t need luck. But the San Diego-based company just caught a break this month, which will make it easier to continue crushing all who dare challenge its supremacy in genomics. The gift I’m referring to was the mega-merger a couple weeks ago between Waltham, MA-based Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE: [[ticker:TMO]]) and Carlsbad, CA-based Life … Continue reading “Six Reasons Why Illumina Has Nothing to Fear from Thermo/Life”
VisibleBrands Garners $975,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ec01aa33-8a29-4aba-8740-442aa08ff09f&Preview=1 Date 4/29/2013 Company Name VisibleBrands Mailing Address 6604 Lake Washington Boulevard Kirkland, WA 98083 Company Description Shoppers make purchase decisions while they are in the store, in the aisle. The Moment of Decision™ is what matters most, the moment where advertisers can have the most impact with their audience – and … Continue reading “VisibleBrands Garners $975,000 New Financing Round”
Tango Card Secures $5,452,500 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3308170f-0000-4b59-8d0f-6e9a0bdc8a5c&Preview=1 Date 4/29/2013 Company Name Tango Card Mailing Address 601 Union Street Seattle, WA 98101 Company Description Tango Card is the perfect way to give the right gift card every time. You canredeem it for gift cards from premier stores and donate any balance to one ofour non-profit partners. And if you … Continue reading “Tango Card Secures $5,452,500 New Round”
Automatic’s App Puts Your Smartphone in Charge of Your Car
My car is probably the dumbest machine I own. It’s a 2000 Honda Accord, meaning it’s got none of the cool in-dash electronics found in today’s latest models, like the MyFord Touch entertainment system from Ford, the OnStar safety and navigation system from GM, or the iDrive computer system from BMW. But what I do … Continue reading “Automatic’s App Puts Your Smartphone in Charge of Your Car”