Category: Seattle

The Publishing Industrial Complex is Dead. Long Live the Publishers!

When Fred Wilson wrote about Simplified Content Marketing, he got hundreds of comments, many of them saying essentially that this was nothing new. They are wrong. There’s something really dramatically new going on, but the shift is so massive, so tectonic, that it’s a little hard to even see while being in the middle of … Continue reading “The Publishing Industrial Complex is Dead. Long Live the Publishers!”

The Brain Map Shouldn’t Get $100M a Year. It Should Get Much More

The human brain, as Francis Collins recently said, “is the most complicated organ in the universe.” We only have vague ideas today of how it works at the level of genes, and neural circuits. Deeper understanding could help us unravel some of today’s great mysteries, from autism to Alzheimer’s to epilepsy. The sequencing of the … Continue reading “The Brain Map Shouldn’t Get $100M a Year. It Should Get Much More”

Student Teams Working on Environmental Innovation Inspire

You can’t help but be inspired after spending a couple of hours with the 20 Northwest student teams at the UW Environmental Innovation Challenge. Despite the shortcomings of our education system at multiple levels, rising tuition, and laments about diminishing American technological competitiveness, here is a group of talented, motivated young people thinking hard about … Continue reading “Student Teams Working on Environmental Innovation Inspire”

Eye on the Living Room: How Dropcam Makes Surveillance Feel Safe

Ten years ago this month, I edited a cover story for MIT’s Technology Review magazine called “Surveillance Nation.” Written by veteran science journalist Charles Mann and network security guru Dan Farmer, the story looked at the state of digital video circa 2003 and envisaged a near future where every home, business, and street would be … Continue reading “Eye on the Living Room: How Dropcam Makes Surveillance Feel Safe”

Now is the Time to Push for a Robot-Assisted Surgery Revolution

As recently reported in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Bloomberg News, there is a controversy brewing over robotic surgery and whether it is superior to alternative surgical approaches. Robotic training practices have also been questioned and it has been debated whether surgeons are receiving enough supervised cases before flying solo. What … Continue reading “Now is the Time to Push for a Robot-Assisted Surgery Revolution”

Ignition Partners Raises $150M, Expands to Silicon Valley

Bellevue, WA-based Ignition Partners has raised a $150 million fund to make early-stage investments in enterprise technology companies, mainly on the West Coast, and is opening a second office in Palo Alto, CA. Ignition Venture Partners V, which was oversubscribed and was raised in less than three months, is significantly smaller than Ignition’s $400 million … Continue reading “Ignition Partners Raises $150M, Expands to Silicon Valley”

Seattle Big Data Star Tableau Software Seeks $150M in IPO

Tableau Software’s much-anticipated IPO filing Tuesday could attract new attention to the Seattle tech scene and its growing big data cluster in particular. The 10-year-old company—profitable in each of the last three years—aims to raise up to $150 million in what would be the first tech company IPO from the Seattle area since Zillow in … Continue reading “Seattle Big Data Star Tableau Software Seeks $150M in IPO”

Seattle Roundup: Indix, Haiku, Livemocha, WebTuner, and More

A handful of interesting local companies have raised significant capital in the last week, including Indix and Haiku Deck, and stealthy WebTuner, which added to an earlier round. Meanwhile, Rosetta Stone is buying language learning company Livemocha; apps from some Seattle companies are hitching a ride in your Bimmer; Verdiem wants to help businesses save … Continue reading “Seattle Roundup: Indix, Haiku, Livemocha, WebTuner, and More”

Adaptive Biotechnologies Reaches Fork in the Road. What to Charge?

Chad Robins has a problem that all entrepreneurs hope to face someday. It’s a sign that his company has passed some key tests in R&D. He needs to figure out how much he should charge for his company’s new diagnostic test for patients with leukemia and lymphoma. Robins, the co-founder and CEO of Seattle-based Adaptive … Continue reading “Adaptive Biotechnologies Reaches Fork in the Road. What to Charge?”

Sequencing Seattle: An Idea for the Future of the Northwest

Let me make a modest proposal:  Seattle should commit to sequencing and interpreting the genomes of every willing member of its population and should do it within the next five years.  This program would elevate Seattle to the forefront of personalized genomic medicine, leverage many advantages unique to our area, and create a vibrant and … Continue reading “Sequencing Seattle: An Idea for the Future of the Northwest”

SEC’s New Social Media Guidance: Sensible, Fair, Inevitable

Give the SEC a lot of credit…the headline they chose for their press release yesterday about public companies using social media could not have been more clear: “SEC Says Social Media OK for Company Announcements if Investors Are Alerted.” With those words, and a full report here, the commission has blessed the inevitable modernization of corporate … Continue reading “SEC’s New Social Media Guidance: Sensible, Fair, Inevitable”

Rosetta Stone Acquires LiveMocha for $8,500,000

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=53ef3440-754e-444e-bedb-0614476f2bfe&Preview=1 Date 4/3/2013 Company Name LiveMocha Mailing Address 1011 Western Ave. Seattle, WA 98104 Company Description Livemocha is the world’s largest online language learning community, offering free and paid online language courses in 35 languages to more than 9 million members from 195 countries around the world. Website http://www.livemocha.com Transaction Type M&A … Continue reading “Rosetta Stone Acquires LiveMocha for $8,500,000”

Healthcare IT: Making Good Progress

The cost of healthcare administration is a hot issue in America. According to the Center for American progress, in the U.S. healthcare system an estimated $361 billion annually goes to cover administrative costs. That number is a 14 percent of total healthcare expenditure nationwide. Improvements in IT are expected to reduce these expenditures dramatically. The … Continue reading “Healthcare IT: Making Good Progress”

One of the Lucky Few: HighFive Kicks Off Nike+ Accelerator

Brent Gilmore was just looking for a Web domain. He wound up with a co-founder, a new company, and a trip across the country. Gilmore’s startup, HighFive, is part of the new Nike+ Accelerator program, a three-month product bootcamp run by prominent national startup accelerator TechStars. The program kicked off last month and runs through … Continue reading “One of the Lucky Few: HighFive Kicks Off Nike+ Accelerator”

Divergent Ventures Leads $2M Round for San Diego’s Proximal Data

Proximal Data, a San Diego data storage specialist founded in 2011, says it has raised $2 million in a Series B round led by Seattle’s Divergent Ventures and existing investor Avalon Ventures of San Diego. The round brings total funding for the company to $5 million, according to a statement today. Proximal is developing software … Continue reading “Divergent Ventures Leads $2M Round for San Diego’s Proximal Data”

Nuance Brings Madison Avenue Mobile Ads That Talk To You

If you could have a conversation with an ad on your mobile phone, would you pay more attention to it? Nuance Communications (NASDAQ: [[ticker:NUAN]]), maker of widely used voice recognition software, and some of the biggest names in advertising are betting that you will. The company is putting its technology in the hands of Madison … Continue reading “Nuance Brings Madison Avenue Mobile Ads That Talk To You”

Gilead Sciences Building on HIV, Becoming Cancer Drug Force

Gilead Sciences has had what you could call a “high-class problem” the last few years. Biotech companies that are great at one thing eventually must prove they can be great at something else. And Gilead is showing signs that it’s finally on its way to becoming a truly diversified biotech industry leader, with a plan … Continue reading “Gilead Sciences Building on HIV, Becoming Cancer Drug Force”

WebTuner Obtains $1,295,899 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=37d2b2c7-018b-4003-9e87-c9bfd5624417&Preview=1 Date 4/1/2013 Company Name WebTuner Mailing Address 11121 Willows Rd. NE Redmond, WA 98052 Company Description WebTuner supplies software infrastructure for the next generation video distribution networks. Website http://www.webtuner.tv Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $1,295,899 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC regulatory filing. M&A Terms … Continue reading “WebTuner Obtains $1,295,899 New Financing”

INRIX Traffic Data Shows Improving Economy, Big Data Possibilities

Traffic congestion across the U.S. increased in December, January, and February. It’s the strongest sustained increase in the last two years and another that the U.S. economy is in recovery. The latest INRIX Gridlock Index (IGI), which measures average trip times in the 100 largest U.S. metro areas, also illustrates how companies are finding novel … Continue reading “INRIX Traffic Data Shows Improving Economy, Big Data Possibilities”

To Do Or Not To Do? That Is the Question

Do you really need a to-do list? In the age of personal optimization, when books like The 4-Hour Workweek peddle the idea that you could be superhumanly productive if you just had the right tools, the question is almost blasphemous. Of course you need a to-do list. How else are you supposed to know what … Continue reading “To Do Or Not To Do? That Is the Question”

Measureful Lands $165,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=aa1bf8d6-d8a6-49e1-af86-b17d5f24f8fc&Preview=1 Date 3/29/2013 Company Name Measureful Mailing Address 5237 NE 29th Ave. Portland, OR 97211 Company Description Simple. Insightful. Sharable stories. Measureful pulls your marketing data together, analyzes, and reports on your top stories every week and month. Website http://www.measureful.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $165,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds … Continue reading “Measureful Lands $165,000 New Financing Round”

Amazon’s Acquisition of Goodreads: The True Ventures Perspective

Amazon announced this afternoon that it has acquired San Francisco-based Goodreads, the online community where 16 million people find and share book recommendations. Born six years ago as the brainchild of Otis Chandler, a scion of the Chandler publishing family in Los Angeles, Goodreads is home to more than 23 million book reviews and 30,000 … Continue reading “Amazon’s Acquisition of Goodreads: The True Ventures Perspective”

Boulder and Denver, a Mile High Sibling Rivalry

Dear Xconomy, Welcome to Colorado. We’re glad to have you, but there’s a… thing you should know about. From the outside, the startup environment in Colorado just seems like one big funky but remarkably effective family of startup goodness. But, like any family, we have our internecine feuds. We are speaking, of course, about the … Continue reading “Boulder and Denver, a Mile High Sibling Rivalry”

Announcing Xconomy Boulder/Denver—7th Region in Our Network

Thank you Boulder and Denver! We are extremely pleased to announce today the launch of Xconomy Boulder/Denver, the seventh bureau in our growing network of news sites covering the business of technology in key innovation clusters around the United States. We couldn’t have done it without the incredible support of the entrepreneurial and innovation communities … Continue reading “Announcing Xconomy Boulder/Denver—7th Region in Our Network”

Still Waiting for the Ships to Come in at Third Rock Ventures

Third Rock Ventures was in the enviable position of turning away some institutional investors when the life sciences venture firm recently closed on $516 million for its third venture fund. So first let me say, “Congratulations!” to team Third Rock. Mark Levin has demonstrated at Third Rock and as the chairman and CEO of Cambridge, … Continue reading “Still Waiting for the Ships to Come in at Third Rock Ventures”

The Inevitability of Archiving Social Networking Data

Making A Case For Email Archiving In 1985 In 1985, I was part of a team at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) that was doing some very radical things, including deploying Internet e-mail to the entire campus. Some people were quite skeptical about the whole enterprise, fearing in particular that letting “the masses” loose on the … Continue reading “The Inevitability of Archiving Social Networking Data”

Why Maveron Plans More Venture Investments in Consumer Startups

[Clarified 3/27/13, 9:43 am. See below.] Maveron, the venture capital firm co-founded in Seattle by Howard Schultz and Dan Levitan, plans to make more frequent early investments in tech-enabled consumer businesses. The firm, which expanded by opening a San Francisco office in 2009, has always focused on investing in companies that aim their products and … Continue reading “Why Maveron Plans More Venture Investments in Consumer Startups”

Kleiner & Sequoia’s Fund Returns Could be Exposed in CA Lawsuit

As venture capital firms feel the squeeze from new competitors, unsatisfied investors, and stagnant markets, two of the industry’s biggest names could finally have their performance data revealed to the public. A California lawsuit from the news organization Reuters is threatening to expose the performance records of Sequoia Capital and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers—Silicon … Continue reading “Kleiner & Sequoia’s Fund Returns Could be Exposed in CA Lawsuit”

Tasktop Talks Up New Model to Boost Software Delivery, Productivity

Anything that describes itself as “the opposite of Facebook” is OK with me. Enter Mik Kersten, the CEO and co-founder of Tasktop Technologies. “Vendors want to create ‘Facebook for software,’” he says, referring to more social ways to develop, deploy, and manage applications. “It would be a beautiful world, but Facebook is good at one … Continue reading “Tasktop Talks Up New Model to Boost Software Delivery, Productivity”

Standing Up for ‘Lean In:’ What’s Wrong with Managing Your Career?

Sheryl Sandberg got it right. In Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, Facebook’s COO offers a compelling view on how women managers can empower themselves in today’s workplace. Sandberg does not complain about the “glass ceiling” or “the old boys club.” Instead she gives straightforward advice on how to focus on things … Continue reading “Standing Up for ‘Lean In:’ What’s Wrong with Managing Your Career?”

Build Credibility As You Build Your Business

Whether you are a first-time entrepreneur or a veteran company executive, the one aspect of growing a business and raising capital, or selling a product rarely discussed at seminars is the building of your organization’s credibility. It doesn’t get much attention when you issue your quarterly report because it is not always easy to measure … Continue reading “Build Credibility As You Build Your Business”

Microryza Garners Seed Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f0388d2f-89b9-4b98-9052-e53c19a6a1bb&Preview=1 Date 3/26/2013 Company Name Microryza Mailing Address Undisclosed Seattle, WA 98105 Company Description Microryza is a crowdfunding platform for research. Individuals pool their money until the funding goal is reached. You’ll get to see experiments unfold with updates and progress from the lab and have a chance to interact directly with … Continue reading “Microryza Garners Seed Financing Round”

Theraclone Secures $14M to Push Antibody Drug Programs

Seattle-based Theraclone Sciences has raised another $14 million to support its antibody drug R&D programs. Theraclone said today it has secured $8 million in equity financing and $6 million in venture debt. The equity came from its existing investors Arch Venture Partners, Canaan Partners, MPM Capital, Healthcare Ventures, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Versant Ventures, and … Continue reading “Theraclone Secures $14M to Push Antibody Drug Programs”

Complying with Regulations Doesn’t Have to Slow Down Your Startup

These are exciting times for innovators. Arguably never before have the right opportunities, circumstances, and technologies come together as they have today to create such a fertile ground for the creation of new products and services. Yet one of the biggest obstacles along the way is the increasing burden of regulations. And the ones who … Continue reading “Complying with Regulations Doesn’t Have to Slow Down Your Startup”

Biotech VCs Aren’t Lemmings Anymore. They’re Lone Rangers

A certain song has been running through my head the past few days. Lately, it strikes me as an anthem of sorts for biotech venture capital in 2013. It’s Fleetwood Mac’s classic break-up song, “Go Your Own Way.” Allow me to explain. Biotech venture capital has been going through a shakeout now for a couple … Continue reading “Biotech VCs Aren’t Lemmings Anymore. They’re Lone Rangers”

Theraclone Sciences Receives $14,000,000 Series B Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=5c72deb4-2901-4481-9ca7-ad3618f90135&Preview=1 Date 3/25/2013 Company Name Theraclone Sciences Mailing Address 1124 Columbia Street Seattle, WA 98104 Company Description Theraclone Sciences is a discovery-stage biotech developing novel therapeutic antibodies for the treatment of infectious disease and inflammation. Our proprietary discovery platform allows us to comprehensively screen and identify the rare antibodies that select individuals … Continue reading “Theraclone Sciences Receives $14,000,000 Series B Funding Round”

Theraclone Sciences Garners $14,000,000 Series B Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=5c72deb4-2901-4481-9ca7-ad3618f90135&Preview=1 Date 3/25/2013 Company Name Theraclone Sciences Mailing Address 1124 Columbia Street Seattle, WA 98104 Company Description Theraclone Sciences is a discovery-stage biotech developing novel therapeutic antibodies for the treatment of infectious disease and inflammation. Our proprietary discovery platform allows us to comprehensively screen and identify the rare antibodies that select individuals … Continue reading “Theraclone Sciences Garners $14,000,000 Series B Financing”

Roundup: Kick, UW STEM Programs, Funds for Indochino, World CNG

[Corrected 3/26/13, 12:00 pm See below.] In addition to Decide’s $8 million funding round, local companies Indochino and World CNG raised capital this week. Meanwhile, new resources are being added to the front end of the local business and technology pipeline with expanded technology education programs at UW Bothell and UW Tacoma, and a new … Continue reading “Roundup: Kick, UW STEM Programs, Funds for Indochino, World CNG”

Decide Raises $8 million To Expand to ‘All E-Commerce Categories’

Decide.com, the company that uses big data to help consumers buy smarter, is about as Seattle as it gets right now in tech, having just closed an $8 million Series C funding round led by Paul Allen’s Vulcan Capital. Decide combines Seattle’s legacy strength in e-commerce with big data, an emerging cluster here, to aggregate … Continue reading “Decide Raises $8 million To Expand to ‘All E-Commerce Categories’”

Saying Farewell to World Wide Wade

They say it’s better to quit while you’re ahead, and I believe them. It’s easy to see what happens when you don’t. Remember season 7 of The West Wing? The second term of Ulysses S. Grant’s presidency? All of the Star Wars prequels? With precedents like that in mind, I’m shutting down World Wide Wade. … Continue reading “Saying Farewell to World Wide Wade”

Atomic Object’s Watson on Its “No Brainer” Expansion to Detroit

[Corrected 3/22/13, 2:20 p.m. See below.] Bruce Watson spent 20 years working in IT for Nike in Beaverton, OR, and another six years doing consulting work. Finally, he was ready to settle into retirement in a big house on a boutique organic blueberry farm overlooking Mt. Hood, one of the most picturesque spots in the … Continue reading “Atomic Object’s Watson on Its “No Brainer” Expansion to Detroit”

Decide.com Receives $8,000,000 Series C Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=13492305-758a-4f84-bcf7-57d630b5fab0&Preview=1 Date 3/22/2013 Company Name Decide.com Mailing Address 200 W Mercer Street Seattle, WA 98119 Company Description The company is developing a new online shopping service. Website http://www.decide.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $8,000,000 Transaction Round Series C Proceeds Purposes The company will hire additional employees and expand its service offerings. … Continue reading “Decide.com Receives $8,000,000 Series C Financing Round”

PlaceFull Lands $1,000,000 Seed Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0981bd7c-1d47-4dba-bffd-c4691456bd8b&Preview=1 Date 3/21/2013 Company Name PlaceFull Mailing Address 122 S Jackson Street Seattle, WA 98103 Company Description Placefull develops an online marketplace that connects event and party planners with trusted venues. Founded in 2011, we’re a growing team of product engineers, developers, marketers, sales people, and designers working from a Seattle office … Continue reading “PlaceFull Lands $1,000,000 Seed Funding”

Fighting a Global War on Rare Diseases

Are we winning the war against rare, or “orphan,” diseases? A casual observer could be forgiven for thinking so, given the drumroll of news. The crescendo came in 2011, when the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved 26 drugs in this category, meaning for illnesses that afflict fewer than 200,000 people. It was the … Continue reading “Fighting a Global War on Rare Diseases”

A Call for the 113th Congress to Support an Innovation Agenda

While the 113th Congress addresses hot-button issues like gun control, comprehensive immigration reform, sequester spending cuts and the federal budget, a critical issue that greatly impacts our economy and global competitiveness is being overlooked—innovation. Washington’s approach to innovation policy has been fragmented and detached from other prevalent issues, which led CONNECT to develop an innovation … Continue reading “A Call for the 113th Congress to Support an Innovation Agenda”