I have some difficult news to share. Your e-mail overload problem is here to stay. We’d all prefer to spend less time managing e-mail, and every so often a new app, service, or time-management system comes along promising to help. The latest one is called Mailbox, and it’s been generating a lot of buzz over … Continue reading “Mailbox App Is Fun, But There’s Only One Real Fix for E-Mail”
Category: Seattle
Corporate Compliance Programs: The Importance of Being Effective
Now more than ever, pharmaceutical companies must not only have an effective Corporate Compliance Program in place, but senior management and boards of directors at these companies must ensure that their Corporate Compliance departments evaluate the effectiveness of those Programs. The federal government has sent numerous signals of its intent to hold the highest levels … Continue reading “Corporate Compliance Programs: The Importance of Being Effective”
Cedexis Receives $1,000,823 Series A Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=262cc150-93fb-4187-8d33-2857fa56a22c&Preview=1 Date 2/15/2013 Company Name Cedexis Mailing Address 317 SW Alder St Portland, OR 97204 Company Description Founded in 2009, Cedexis is an international startup delivering Cloud Performance as a Service. Website http://www.cedexis.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $1,000,823 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC … Continue reading “Cedexis Receives $1,000,823 Series A Funding Round”
Healionics Garners $50,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7efb4fd4-e213-43af-9346-5c404c3a0827&Preview=1 Date 2/15/2013 Company Name Healionics Mailing Address 2121 N. 35th St. Seattle, WA 98103 Company Description Healionics Corporation provides biomaterial solutions to research institutions and medical device manufacturers seeking to enhance the biocompatibility and performance of current and next generation devices. Website http://www.healionics.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $50,000 Transaction Round … Continue reading “Healionics Garners $50,000 New Financing”
Amazon, eBay Wrestling Over Newest Online Sales Tax Plan
This looks like the beginning of the end for tax-free online shopping. Federal lawmakers from both parties today are unveiling their plan to close a loophole in federal tax law that has let retailers like Amazon and eBay avoid charging sales tax to shoppers in many states. Amazon has long said it would support a … Continue reading “Amazon, eBay Wrestling Over Newest Online Sales Tax Plan”
WCTA Breakfast: Leadership and Sustainability–New Dynamics Part II
The Washington Clean Technology Alliance will continue its discussion of corporate sustainability in its monthly breakfast program. Panelists are Stan Gent of Seattle Steam Company, Susan Hansen of Amgen, Jeff Hughes of Seattle Children’s, and Brett Phillips of Unico Properties. Registration is through Brown Paper Tickets.
Join Us at “Biotech in the Belt-Tightening Era” April 9 in Seattle
Payers didn’t have much power in biotech’s old days. For a long time, biotech companies could get away with believing that if they offered patients important new drugs, devices or diagnostics they could essentially impose high prices on U.S. health insurers. Getting data to win over the FDA, physicians, and shareholders was what counted. Those … Continue reading “Join Us at “Biotech in the Belt-Tightening Era” April 9 in Seattle”
Why Conveying a Clear Vision for Your Startup Is Important
Can you see the forest for the trees? If you can’t, and you’re an entrepreneur seeking out seed money for your business, it’s likely you won’t succeed. Recently, an investor friend of mine approached me and asked that I review a company slide deck for him. He said he was considering an investment in the … Continue reading “Why Conveying a Clear Vision for Your Startup Is Important”
The Holy Grail of Drug Development: Small Molecules with the Power of Biologics
FDA new drug approvals hit a 16-year high with 39 drugs approved in 2012; the highest number since 1996 when 53 drugs were approved. Of those, 18 or slightly less than half, were biologics up from 12 in 2011 but still surprisingly low when you consider an industry report citing that nearly 40 percent of … Continue reading “The Holy Grail of Drug Development: Small Molecules with the Power of Biologics”
TrustID Obtains $7,000,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1fe44353-94f6-4773-a3dc-0682d43eb059&Preview=1 Date 2/14/2013 Company Name TrustID Mailing Address 15350 SW Sequoia Parkway Portland, OR 97224 Company Description Founded in 2007, TrustID helps financial institutions and other enterprises conducting telephone-based commerce to authenticate callers with physical “something you have” authentication while combating the growing threat of phone hacking and Caller ID and ANI … Continue reading “TrustID Obtains $7,000,000 New Round”
GroupTalent Obtains $1,000,000 Seed Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d1408d46-ac2e-415c-ae76-143954299096&Preview=1 Date 2/14/2013 Company Name GroupTalent Mailing Address 511 Boren Ave N Seattle, WA 98109 Company Description GroupTalent is the marketplace for high-end software projects. Our marketplace attracts and vets only the highest paid developers and designers and only the best paying projects. Website http://www.grouptalent.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $1,000,000 … Continue reading “GroupTalent Obtains $1,000,000 Seed Financing”
X2 Biosystems Lands $2,115,981 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f052536f-bb65-4bc2-92d6-77400879b142&Preview=1 Date 2/14/2013 Company Name X2 Biosystems Mailing Address 1927 Post Alley Seattle, WA 98101 Company Description The X2 system notifies athletic trainers, coaches, and team physicians in real time about impacts to players heads, and provides a suite of tools supporting athlete assessment in bench vs. play decisions, recovery and safe … Continue reading “X2 Biosystems Lands $2,115,981 New Funding Round”
Small Businesses Aren’t Too Small to Go Mobile
Shifts in technology often occur first in large organizations and trickle their way down to small businesses years later. During the Internet boom of the mid-to-late 1990s, most small businesses avoided having a Web presence. In the early-to-mid 2000s, while these companies finally ventured into the Web, the overwhelming majority didn’t offer e-commerce solutions to … Continue reading “Small Businesses Aren’t Too Small to Go Mobile”
Cozi Group Lands $5,780,569 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=14fffe9f-2e9a-4d5b-bbf2-4c879aa6482e&Preview=1 Date 2/13/2013 Company Name Cozi Group Mailing Address 506 Second Avenue Seattle, WA 98104 Company Description Cozi delivers a new type of service called family-ready software services. These are created specifically with family dynamics in mind, with an emphasis on making life easier, less stressful and more fun for busy families. … Continue reading “Cozi Group Lands $5,780,569 New Funding”
Seattle Genetics Gets $138M in First-Year Sales of Cancer Drug
[Updated 3:16 pm PT] Seattle Genetics ended up getting $138.2 million of sales in the first full year of marketing its first cancer drug. And it expects next year’s sales will be in the same ballpark. The Bothell, WA-based company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SGEN]]) said today, in its fourth quarter and full-year financial report for 2012, that it … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics Gets $138M in First-Year Sales of Cancer Drug”
Yahoo Goes Shopping in Seattle, Acquiring Alike Team
New Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer has made no secret of her ambition to remake Yahoo into a company with a strong mobile streak. Today, she’s picked up a Seattle startup to help with that mission. Alike, a small mobile-app startup that specializes in data about places, has been purchased by the pioneering Internet company and … Continue reading “Yahoo Goes Shopping in Seattle, Acquiring Alike Team”
CloudSway Obtains $1,400,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0d8edc72-f9af-438b-a312-60565476aeeb&Preview=1 Date 2/12/2013 Company Name CloudSway Mailing Address 711 Pacific Avenue Tacoma, WA 98403 Company Description CloudSway was founded on the idea that small businesses have it hard enough already and that there’s much more to business than doing your books. We created CloudSway because it’s something that we needed ourselves. Our … Continue reading “CloudSway Obtains $1,400,000 New Round”
Avnera Receives $3,725,153 Series E Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=414c8874-7cb2-4ee9-859d-a3b202f1e9a0&Preview=1 Date 2/12/2013 Company Name Avnera Mailing Address 16505 NW Bethany Ct. Beaverton, OR 97006 Company Description Avnera is a fabless semiconductor company founded in June 2004 in Beaverton, Oregon. It has pioneered a new semiconductor technology enabling breakthrough products for wireless audio and Voice-over-IP (VoIP) applications that remove the pain-points associated … Continue reading “Avnera Receives $3,725,153 Series E Financing”
Mobilewalla Garners $4,000,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f1a5f2f7-fd76-4f43-abbd-ed7a34a48824&Preview=1 Date 2/12/2013 Company Name Mobilewalla Mailing Address Undisclosed Seattle, WA 98060 Company Description Mobilewalla is the neutral data destination for consumers and the mobile industry insiders seeking insights into the app market.For consumers, Mobilewalla independently rates and ranks applications for the Android, Apple iOS, Blackberry and Windows Phone platforms. Website http://www.mobilewalla.com … Continue reading “Mobilewalla Garners $4,000,000 New Funding Round”
Poll: Which of These 10 New Drugs Is Priced Too High?
Drug pricing tends to drive people to extreme positions. Critics see the drug companies as evil, greedy bastards out to gouge grandma. Defenders say the industry improves patients’ lives, and merely charges what the free market will bear, and what it must to recoup its substantial R&D investments. Those positions have held firm for at … Continue reading “Poll: Which of These 10 New Drugs Is Priced Too High?”
Groundhogs and Superstorms
Punxsutawney Phil didn’t see it coming, but this weekend’s New England blizzard is actually a triumph for modern weather forecasting. Specifically, it’s a triumph for numerical weather prediction models—the primary method used to forecast the weather one to two weeks in advance. These computer-generated simulations are run primarily by large governmental agencies. The National Center … Continue reading “Groundhogs and Superstorms”
I’m Returning My iPad Mini. These Pictures Show Why.
[Important! Author’s Note, June 6, 2014: The article below refers to the first-generation iPad mini, released in November 2012. The second-generation iPad mini, released in the fall of 2013, features a 2048 x 1536-pixel Retina display that fixes all of the display-related problems I perceived with the original. Related to this, I wrote a review of … Continue reading “I’m Returning My iPad Mini. These Pictures Show Why.”
RNA Therapeutics Are Coming of Age
RNA therapeutics are new, innovative high-impact medicines. The combined efforts of pioneering biotechnology companies, pharmaceutical and academic institutions have helped these treatments, which act on ribonucleic acids in the cell, to evolve and come of age. For those unfamiliar, these medicines are designed to target RNA and can ultimately affect many cellular components. They can … Continue reading “RNA Therapeutics Are Coming of Age”
Kineta Receives New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a5f75ad0-e41b-48aa-a4a6-45f4131f5ae6&Preview=1 Date 2/8/2013 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. We believe our unique approach … Continue reading “Kineta Receives New Funding Round”
But This Internet Had Such Promise!
It wasn’t the astonishing and radical new technology of the Internet that transformed my life in graduate school and defined my career, it was the possibilities. To a callow youth with a vivid imagination, the next 50 years of my life seemed instantly visible, so I joined the growing army of people with whom I … Continue reading “But This Internet Had Such Promise!”
Roundup: Ignition Raising Fund As Northwest Deals Abound
Ignition Venture Partners is going forward with a $150 million fund, while Northwest startups Rover.com, Urban Airship, and Rivet & Sway, recently raised venture capital. Other Northwest tech companies are buying and selling, including Avanade, which snapped up Opstera, and Avalara, which bought Tax Technology Services. Read on for details on these deals, as well … Continue reading “Roundup: Ignition Raising Fund As Northwest Deals Abound”
Fledge Raises Funds As ‘Fledgling’ BURN Gets $4m For Africa Factory
Seattle startup incubator Fledge has closed the initial round of a venture capital fund to back companies addressing a broad market of “conscious consumers,” while a member of its first class landed $4 million to manufacture clean cookstoves in Africa. The Fledge fund’s first close of $307,000 is sufficient to back the incubator’s 2012 cohort … Continue reading “Fledge Raises Funds As ‘Fledgling’ BURN Gets $4m For Africa Factory”
Washington Governor Woos, But AMSC Has No Imminent Plans to Move
Washington Governor Jay Inslee dashed off a hand-written note to the chief executive of clean energy company AMSC minutes after being sworn in last month, inviting the Massachusetts company to move to the Evergreen State. It was at least a symbolic gesture, underscoring Inslee’s commitment to building the state’s clean technology sector, a point he … Continue reading “Washington Governor Woos, But AMSC Has No Imminent Plans to Move”
WIB-Seattle: A Discussion on Entrepreneurship With H. Stewart Parker
H. Stewart Parker, IDRI CEO and long-time biotech executive, will lead a discussion on Feb. 20 in Seattle focused on key lessons and strategies for successful entrepreneurship. Ms. Parker founded Targeted Genetics Corporation, Immunex’s second spin-off, in 1992 and held the position of President and CEO from the company’s inception until November of 2008. She … Continue reading “WIB-Seattle: A Discussion on Entrepreneurship With H. Stewart Parker”
The Series A Crunch: Don’t Get Discouraged
Much is being said on a daily basis about the “Series A crunch.” Supposedly, there aren’t enough venture investors to support all the startups winning seed funding these days. I will give you my thoughts on how to deal with the issue. Please note that this advice is entirely for entrepreneurs, not investors. First and … Continue reading “The Series A Crunch: Don’t Get Discouraged”
Urban Airship Receives $25,000,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=09ff174c-06f3-4645-8907-10c5cb3e809e&Preview=1 Date 2/6/2013 Company Name Urban Airship Mailing Address 334 NW 11th Ave Portland, OR 97209 Company Description Urban Airship provides an easy, affordable way to deliver real-time push notifications and in-app purchase content for mobile developers. Website http://www.urbanairship.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $25,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes The … Continue reading “Urban Airship Receives $25,000,000 New Funding”
New Zillow Tool Helps Homeowners Daydream About Remodeling
Zillow is aiming a new service at the one major portion of the real estate marketplace it hasn’t touched yet: remodeling. The Seattle company is launching Zillow Digs, an iPad app and Web service that will compete to improve the process of gathering and sharing remodeling ideas, and give homeowners a sense of whether that … Continue reading “New Zillow Tool Helps Homeowners Daydream About Remodeling”
Hydrovolts Introduces Commercial Turbine, Targets Wastewater Plants
As recently as a year ago, Seattle renewable energy startup Hydrovolts planned to sell its turbines primarily to irrigation districts for use in canals. But the company now sees a more promising initial market for a “waterfall turbine” that can be bolted onto systems within wastewater treatment plants and other industrial facilities. “We made that … Continue reading “Hydrovolts Introduces Commercial Turbine, Targets Wastewater Plants”
Blab Secures $1,500,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a141beb7-87ed-4a51-a24c-59e2fea6767f&Preview=1 Date 2/5/2013 Company Name Blab Mailing Address 101 Yesler Way Seattle, WA 98104 Company Description Blab is a pioneer in the category of Predictive Social Intelligence. Blab applies proprietary technology and big data processing to contextualize and predict tomorrow’s online conversations today. Brands rely on Blab to contextualize and predict conversations … Continue reading “Blab Secures $1,500,000 New Round”
Rivet & Sway Lands $2,000,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3dcec683-6aa9-4389-a28a-a0750daf22e1&Preview=1 Date 2/5/2013 Company Name Rivet & Sway Mailing Address 2108 Western Avenue Seattle, WA 98121 Company Description Rivet & Sway is a merry band of entrepenuers, orchestrators, wordslingers, designers, coders and conversation-starters. Website http://www.rivetandsway.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $2,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. … Continue reading “Rivet & Sway Lands $2,000,000 New Funding”
OncoGenex CFO Resigns After Developing Personal Relationship With CEO
Michelle Burris, the chief financial officer and executive vice president of operations at Bothell, WA-based OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OGXI]]), is stepping down from her executive management roles after she and CEO Scott Cormack disclosed to the company’s board that they have “a developing personal relationship.” The disclosure, made this afternoon in a filing with the … Continue reading “OncoGenex CFO Resigns After Developing Personal Relationship With CEO”
Qualcomm’s Corporate Entrepreneurship Program—Lessons Learned
I ran into Ricardo Dos Santos and his amazing Qualcomm Venture Fest a few years ago and was astonished with its breath and depth. From that day on, when I got asked about which corporate innovation program had the best process for idea selection, I started my list with Qualcomm. This is part 2 of … Continue reading “Qualcomm’s Corporate Entrepreneurship Program—Lessons Learned”
What’s in a Name? A Lot, When It Comes to ‘Precision Medicine’
Personalized medicine was supposed to be the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. It was going to be the payoff our society would see after investing in the Human Genome Project and so much other biomedical research. While most people on the street can’t say what it means, anybody can understand the … Continue reading “What’s in a Name? A Lot, When It Comes to ‘Precision Medicine’”
Rover.com Receives $7,000,000 Series B Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=184d2208-fe9d-4587-b976-4cb5e5c434eb&Preview=1 Date 2/4/2013 Company Name Rover.com Mailing Address 1000 Second Avenue Seattle, WA 98104 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 $7,000,000 Series B Funding Round”
Silicon Valley Meets at Facebook Campus to Recruit LGBT Students
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said many times that the company’s mission is to make the world more open and connected. Usually, the connections Facebook fosters are purely virtual, but this weekend the company is getting real, hosting a gathering for almost 200 lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) college students at its … Continue reading “Silicon Valley Meets at Facebook Campus to Recruit LGBT Students”
Cyber Attacks: A Growing Threat to the U.S. Economy
The cost of ubiquitous cyber attacks and cyber probes in the United States and the rest of the world is a staggering, ever-growing challenge. Antivirus firm Symantec estimated the 2011 global price tag of direct financial loss and the cost of remediating attacks at $338 billion, excluding the theft of intellectual property and damage from … Continue reading “Cyber Attacks: A Growing Threat to the U.S. Economy”
How Lytro is Shifting Our Perspective on Photography
The first time I got to play with a Lytro light-field camera was in March, 2012. If I had to sum up my reaction in eight words, it would be: “Concept: Mind-blowing. Execution: Not quite there yet.” It was clear that the technology inside the camera—which makes it possible to refocus a picture after it’s … Continue reading “How Lytro is Shifting Our Perspective on Photography”
Inslee Claims Clean Energy Mandate, Outlines Ideas for Sector
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee says he has a “mandate” on clean energy and outlined “eight general ideas” to advance the sector, but he offered little in the way of specific new policies to his stalwart supporters at the Washington Clean Technology Alliance policy conference. “We were the first state to really elect a governor who … Continue reading “Inslee Claims Clean Energy Mandate, Outlines Ideas for Sector”
Roundup: 9Mile, Invoke, nFluence, FlexMinder, Sigby, and Globys
Another Northwest startup incubator is launching, this one in Vancouver, BC, while Seattle’s newest, 9Mile Labs, adds to its roster of partners. Meanwhile, nFluence Media, FlexMinder, and Sigby each took on more than $1 million of additional investment, and Globys moved its headquarters to accommodate growth. —Voyager Capital alum Enrique Godreau and Microsoft exec Tom … Continue reading “Roundup: 9Mile, Invoke, nFluence, FlexMinder, Sigby, and Globys”
nFluence Media Receives $1,585,369 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1c984e6f-4de8-4071-8604-239524fc2d65&Preview=1 Date 1/31/2013 Company Name nFluence Media Mailing Address 999 N. Northlake Way Seattle, WA 98103 Company Description nFluence empowers consumers to retake control of their digital presence. Marketers have spammed us to such an extent that it takes on average 250 messages to reach one consumer – leaving 249 consumers ignoring … Continue reading “nFluence Media Receives $1,585,369 New Financing Round”
FlexMinder Receives $1,400,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=06c77728-a3c9-4195-99c7-7f5a966fad25&Preview=1 Date 1/31/2013 Company Name FlexMinder Mailing Address 216 1st Ave S Seattle, WA 98104 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 new … Continue reading “FlexMinder Receives $1,400,000 New Financing Round”
The Post-Kickstarter Conundrum: Delivering Companies DOA?
Picture this: two guys in a garage coding The Next Big Thing. It’s an iconic and familiar image. Now imagine their ubiquitous computer keyboards being overtaken by a colony of 3-D foam models or CAD drawings. Now your mind’s eye sees these same guys (or gals) hacking away at something entirely different. This shift in … Continue reading “The Post-Kickstarter Conundrum: Delivering Companies DOA?”
Organovo Joins with OHSU to Bio-Engineer Cancer Tissue for Drug R&D
Along the way to developing technology for bio-engineering human livers, kidneys, and other vital organs, Organovo CEO Keith Murphy says the San Diego startup realized its 3-D bio-printing technology could be used to address a huge unmet need more immediately. As Murphy explained 18 months ago, Big Pharma companies have been searching for better and … Continue reading “Organovo Joins with OHSU to Bio-Engineer Cancer Tissue for Drug R&D”
Tech M&A: Report Finds Most Startups Didn’t Raise Outside Cash
Investors have been in a rush to finance early stage companies in the past few years, leading to angst among startup founders confronting a tougher time making it to the next stage of investment. But for companies that get successfully acquired, it turns out that outside financing isn’t a necessity. In fact, it’s a rarity. … Continue reading “Tech M&A: Report Finds Most Startups Didn’t Raise Outside Cash”
Defense Secretary Gates: Underfund Basic Research at America’s Peril
Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates distills a critical challenge to America’s continued prosperity and global leadership: Deliver to his generation all promised entitlements, or invest in research and education—the foundations of the country’s success. “I think it’s fair to say America’s economic pre-eminence—and I would argue our national security, and national influence as well—is largely … Continue reading “Defense Secretary Gates: Underfund Basic Research at America’s Peril”