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 Ricardo’s “post mortem” … Continue reading “Designing Qualcomm’s Corporate Entrepreneurship Program”
Category: Seattle
Ten Companies in Three Days: The MIT Sloan Tech Trek
[Editor’s note: The Technology Club at MIT’s Sloan School of Management organizes an annual student trip to Silicon Valley to tour top technology companies. Xconomy traditionally invites one Sloan student each year to blog about the experience.] I’ve always been interested in technology, but after working on reconstruction projects in Afghanistan, I decided to make … Continue reading “Ten Companies in Three Days: The MIT Sloan Tech Trek”
Crowdfunding Is Coming to Biotech, so Get Ready for a Wild Ride
Most biotech pros will shrug, or chuckle, if you ask whether crowdfunding will transform life sciences financing in the U.S. This, after all, is an industry where you often need to raise at least $50 million or $100 million to even have a chance at developing a new drug or medical device. Scraping together a … Continue reading “Crowdfunding Is Coming to Biotech, so Get Ready for a Wild Ride”
Introverts and the Internet
If you live in San Francisco, it’s hard to justify traveling anywhere else, since you already have a bed in the postcard-perfect place that 16 million other people go out of their way visit every year. Still, sometimes you just need to get the hell out of Dodge. That’s why I drove up to Napa … Continue reading “Introverts and the Internet”
Crowdfunding Helps Bring Xconomy to Colorado; Now Writers Needed
If you’ve spent much time in the Colorado back country, you probably remember feeling a profound sense of elation that comes after hours of relentless upward hiking, when you finally reach the summit and a panorama of the Rocky Mountains opens around you. We’re feeling a little like that now, after learning a crowdfunding initiative … Continue reading “Crowdfunding Helps Bring Xconomy to Colorado; Now Writers Needed”
Leprosy 2013 – The Problem and the Solutions
Leprosy – still a problem? The answer is yes. Every year, an estimated quarter million people worldwide – mostly in Africa, Asia and Latin America – are diagnosed with leprosy, a cruel disease that leaves its victims maimed, crippled, disfigured and blind, often with terrible quality of life. Sunday, Jan. 27, is set aside as … Continue reading “Leprosy 2013 – The Problem and the Solutions”
Confirmed: Ignition Partners Scaling Down With New $150M Fund
[Updated 5:30 pm Pacific] One of the Northwest’s leading venture firms is scaling back, looking at raising a smaller fifth fund with fewer active partners. A source familiar with the situation confirms the news that Bellevue, WA-based Ignition Partners is in the process of raising a new fund in the $150 million range, significantly smaller … Continue reading “Confirmed: Ignition Partners Scaling Down With New $150M Fund”
Seattle Smorgasbord: UW Molecule, Telanetix Sold, Symform CEO, and More
Can you taste the potential in a promising new ferroelectric molecule, new ownership for cloud-based voice provider Telanetix, new leadership at backup service Symform, more cash for app host Blue Box, and a software program that promises to vanquish jargon? Read on to sample the latest Seattle-area tech news. —A novel organic molecule discovered by … Continue reading “Seattle Smorgasbord: UW Molecule, Telanetix Sold, Symform CEO, and More”
The Surreal, Ironic Story Behind California’s Retroactive Tax on Investors
A major tax incentive designed to encourage investors to back startups and other small businesses in California has just evaporated. If you sold stock in a so-called “qualifying small business” (QSB) in 2012, you won’t be able to exclude or defer any of your gains when you fill out your state income tax return this … Continue reading “The Surreal, Ironic Story Behind California’s Retroactive Tax on Investors”
Alder Biopharma Looks to Take On Migraines, and the World
[Corrected, 8:58 am PT. See below.] Nobody has ever come up with a drug that can stop migraine headaches before they start. This will be the year that Bothell, WA-based Alder Biopharmaceuticals finds out if it can achieve that lofty goal, and change the way patients and physicians think about treating migraines. Alder passed its … Continue reading “Alder Biopharma Looks to Take On Migraines, and the World”
SEOmoz Buys AudienceWise, Plans Hipster-Friendly Portland Office
Cue the “Dream of the ’90s.” SEOmoz is acquiring AudienceWise, its third Portland-based buy, and will open an office in the Rose City. The Seattle search engine and social marketing company is parting with cash and stock in the “low seven-figure” range for AudienceWise, which helps develop audiences for news and e-commerce sites. The company’s … Continue reading “SEOmoz Buys AudienceWise, Plans Hipster-Friendly Portland Office”
The Million Dollar Club
I had two conversations last week, each of which reinforces a simple phenomenon that I have constantly emphasized over the last five years in my writings. On Wednesday, I had lunch with Brian Jacobs, General Partner at Emergence Capital. We were discussing our respective startup portfolios, and Brian mentioned that his firm’s preferred stage for … Continue reading “The Million Dollar Club”
Blue Box Lands $800,000 Series A Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e378d4ba-2179-4cf7-9cb9-3eb3fef53084&Preview=1 Date 1/23/2013 Company Name Blue Box Mailing Address 119 Pine Street Seattle, WA 98101 Company Description Founded in 2003, we focus on the needs of our customers instead of the whims of the market. We are immersed in the operations and systems world and focus on running the most streamlined setups … Continue reading “Blue Box Lands $800,000 Series A Funding”
Enroute Systems Garners $1,250,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=fd88ef85-940b-4a71-a578-52078d0c0f82&Preview=1 Date 1/23/2013 Company Name Enroute Systems Mailing Address 616 1st Avenue Seattle, WA 98104 Company Description Enroute Systems Corporation is a privately owned supply chain management and software-as-a-service-solution provider that helps retailers and e-tailers gain control, reduce shipping spend and improve efficiency. Since 2008, Enroute has been helping companies with high … Continue reading “Enroute Systems Garners $1,250,000 New Financing Round”
Puppet Labs Lands $30,000,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=495c8f19-12a6-4311-839b-52e5b332b14d&Preview=1 Date 1/23/2013 Company Name Puppet Labs Mailing Address 411 NW Park Ave Portland, OR 97209 Company Description Puppet Labs provides next-gen IT automation, enabling IT organizations to manage infrastructure as code so they can provide higher service levels with less staff. Reductive Lab’s flagship offering, Puppet, significantly improves the automation and … Continue reading “Puppet Labs Lands $30,000,000 New Funding”
ValueAppeal Garners $6,489,578 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9340dc37-6df3-418f-b5f7-6f444b73c331&Preview=1 Date 1/23/2013 Company Name ValueAppeal Mailing Address 501 Dexter Ave N Seattle, WA 98109 Company Description Our services help overassesed homeowners lower their property taxes. Find out for FREE if you are overassessed. Use our simple process that takes as little as 10 minutes to appeal your property tax assessment and … Continue reading “ValueAppeal Garners $6,489,578 New Funding Round”
Simply Measured Plans to Double Staff with $8M From Bessemer, Others
Simply Measured, a Seattle startup that helps marketers analyze and report on their social media presence, achieved profitability in three years with an investment of only $900,000. But Adam Schoenfeld, chief executive of the 40-person company, and his co-founders Aviel Ginzburg and Damon Cortesi, are raising the stakes with an $8 million Series B investment … Continue reading “Simply Measured Plans to Double Staff with $8M From Bessemer, Others”
Governor Inslee Comes Out Swinging For Washington Cleantech
Washington Governor Jay Inslee devoted about one-seventh of his inaugural address to climate change and the state’s moral imperative and economic opportunity in responding to it. While the longtime environmental champion left detailed policy proposals for later, his address—along with an op-ed published in Publicola last month—provide a sense of the specific markets and initiatives … Continue reading “Governor Inslee Comes Out Swinging For Washington Cleantech”
The Intersection of the Double Helix and Life Sciences in Seattle
Sixty years ago this spring, three landmark papers were published in Nature on the 3-D structure of deoxyribonucleic acid – DNA, the molecule that allows life to exist, replicate and evolve. The most celebrated of these papers was authored by James Watson and Francis Crick, working in the U.K. at the Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge University. … Continue reading “The Intersection of the Double Helix and Life Sciences in Seattle”
Simply Measured Secures $8,000,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2dd86094-bcf7-42bf-b2e8-ab0168581de0&Preview=1 Date 1/22/2013 Company Name Simply Measured Mailing Address 511 Boren Ave N Seattle, WA 98109 Company Description Simply Measured helps marketers get social media data and create beautiful, custom reports in Excel and online. We take a different approach to analytics, rather than a rigid dashboard, we empower non-technical marketers and … Continue reading “Simply Measured Secures $8,000,000 New Funding Round”
Boston’s Got Big Mo in Biotech, But SF is Pushing Back
San Francisco is used to being No. 1 in lots of things. It’s there in technology, and in biotechnology. Every magazine that ever ranked ‘Best Places to Live’ is practically required to put it near the top. Even Bay Area sports teams are riding high, as the Giants won the World Series, the 49ers are … Continue reading “Boston’s Got Big Mo in Biotech, But SF is Pushing Back”
Cloudability Secures $158,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=643c0fc5-e1fc-48fb-9c44-4951f8f44104&Preview=1 Date 1/20/2013 Company Name Cloudability Mailing Address 718 SW Alder St Portland, OR 97205 Company Description Cloudability is based in cloudy Portland, Oregon and was recently selected by GigaOM as one of the most promising cloud companies of 2011. Our flagship product aggregates our customers’ cloud costs into accessible and comprehensive … Continue reading “Cloudability Secures $158,000 New Financing Round”
Cloudability Lands $1,082,369 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2c2c02f1-5864-47a2-875f-e156845e4e86&Preview=1 Date 1/20/2013 Company Name Cloudability Mailing Address 718 SW Alder St Portland, OR 97205 Company Description Cloudability is based in cloudy Portland, Oregon and was recently selected by GigaOM as one of the most promising cloud companies of 2011. Our flagship product aggregates our customers’ cloud costs into accessible and comprehensive … Continue reading “Cloudability Lands $1,082,369 New Round”
Facebook Used to Be Fun—Graph Search Makes It Useful
I spend a lot of time on Facebook. Probably more than the average user, who spends around 400 minutes on the site per month, or about 13 minutes per day, according to data from comScore. It isn’t exactly wasted time—I’m usually gathering or spreading news and keeping up with my friends by browsing their news … Continue reading “Facebook Used to Be Fun—Graph Search Makes It Useful”
2012 VC Funding Strong in Software, Soft Elsewhere: The Top 10 Deals
Venture capital investments receded nationwide in 2012, with double-digit decreases in funding for new cleantech and life sciences companies weighing upon the $26.5 billion that was invested in 3,698 companies nationwide. It marked a 10 percent slide from the $29.5 billion that VCs invested in 2011, with the deal count declining 6 percent (from 3,937), … Continue reading “2012 VC Funding Strong in Software, Soft Elsewhere: The Top 10 Deals”
LikeBright Garners New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8784e280-3ecd-46d0-96aa-15aa24b7ea23&Preview=1 Date 1/18/2013 Company Name LikeBright Mailing Address 511 Boren Avenue North Seattle, WA 98109 Company Description Dating can be tough. But we at LikeBright believe you’re closer to finding love than you think. In fact, we bet your match is someone cool your friends already know. And better yet, someone they … Continue reading “LikeBright Garners New Round”
Parallels Receives New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=83fc4c61-0aed-4b4f-8c7b-290172815eba&Preview=1 Date 1/18/2013 Company Name Parallels Mailing Address 500 SW 39th Street Renton, WA 98057 Company Description Parallels (formerly SWsoft) is a worldwide leader in virtualization and automation software that optimizes computing for consumers, businesses, and service providers across all major hardware, operating system, and virtualization platforms. Website http://www.parallels.com Transaction Type Venture … Continue reading “Parallels Receives New Financing Round”
Systems Biology & The Brain: The 12th Annual ISB Symposium
The Institute for Systems Biology’s 12th annual symposium, titled “Systems Biology and The Brain,” will be held on April 14-15 at ISB headquarters in Seattle. Christof Koch of the Allen Institute for Brain Science and Linda Buck of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center will be among the featured speakers. For more information on how … Continue reading “Systems Biology & The Brain: The 12th Annual ISB Symposium”
The Problem With Kickstarter
Kickstarter helped pioneer crowdfunding for creative projects. It has been enormously successful. The Kickstarter model is to set a fundraising goal. If the project meets its goal, the money is transferred to the creators to fund the development of the project. Kickstarter collects a 5 percent fee, the creator gets funding, and the backers get … Continue reading “The Problem With Kickstarter”
Symform, Tred, LikeBright, UIEvolution, and More Seattle Tech Deals
Washington attracted 4 percent of VC investment in the fourth quarter of 2012—up from 2 percent a year earlier—and new deals are continuing to roll out for Northwest tech companies this year. Seattle TechStars grads Tred and LikeBright landed funding, along with Symform, UIEvolution, and Portland’s Janrain, which collected a whopping $33 million. Read on … Continue reading “Symform, Tred, LikeBright, UIEvolution, and More Seattle Tech Deals”
How the TCA is Making 2013 The Year of the Angel Investor
A number of pundits have been claiming that angel investment is waning, and that such funding opportunities will remain few and far between for deserving startups seeking to take their innovations to market. I beg to differ. In fact, 2013 could very well be the year of the angel investor. Case in point: Southern California’s … Continue reading “How the TCA is Making 2013 The Year of the Angel Investor”
Symform Garners $3,000,000 Series B Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=cb6b5c6b-7971-409e-bc63-da237c52659e&Preview=1 Date 1/17/2013 Company Name Symform Mailing Address 999 N. Northlake Way Seattle, WA 98103 Company Description Symform is a privately-held company based in Seattle. We are developing cost effective solutions to large scale distributed data management problems. Symform is dedicated to the belief that technology products built on cooperative, decentralized principles … Continue reading “Symform Garners $3,000,000 Series B Financing”
Winter 2013 Innovation Showcase—Technology Alliance
The Winter 2013 Innovation Showcase continues the Technology Alliance’s effort to highlight Washington research that is ready for commercialization. This quarter’s event, on Jan. 22 from 3:00 – 6:00 p.m., will feature presentations from Saltbox, SEngine Medicine, Qazzow, and Princeton University Professor Paul Steinhardt. Here’s the link for more information.
Early Stage Deals, Cleantech Collapse Drive 2012 VC Trends
They were two of the major storylines in startup investing this past year: The collapse of cleantech and the march of venture capitalists into earlier stages. Now, we’ve got some fresh numbers to help illustrate those trends. A new report out today by CB Insights, a New York-based VC research firm, shows that venture investors … Continue reading “Early Stage Deals, Cleantech Collapse Drive 2012 VC Trends”
Tred Garners $1,700,000 Seed Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d677acc4-f94c-499e-9318-c77597e538f4&Preview=1 Date 1/16/2013 Company Name Tred Mailing Address 511 Boren Avenue North 2nd Floor Seattle, WA 98109 Company Description Tred redefines the $600B new car market by letting you test drive from your doorstep. We deliver through Tred concierges who are incentivized by customer service reviews rather than sales commission, so shoppers … Continue reading “Tred Garners $1,700,000 Seed Funding”
California To Hit Startup Founders with Big Retroactive Tax Bills
California is a great place to live and work, but it is not a particularly friendly place to start and run a small business. In 1999, I co-founded Sagient Research Systems, an enterprise-focused data company in San Diego. Over the ensuing 13 years we tinkered, triumphed, failed, and even tempted bankruptcy. But through it all, … Continue reading “California To Hit Startup Founders with Big Retroactive Tax Bills”
SevOne Secures New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=049a07a1-24ac-41b7-b9bb-a17f175d55e9&Preview=1 Date 1/15/2013 Company Name SevOne Mailing Address 4550 New Linden Hill Rd. Wilmington, DE 9808 Company Description SevOne offers scalable, easy to use Network Management products. Integrating performance and fault management in an easy to install and maintain appliance, SevOne brings low TCO and high ROI to companies of all sizes … Continue reading “SevOne Secures New Financing”
Photograph 51: An Evening at the Intersection of Life Sciences and Local Theater
Join members of the biotechnology community for an intriguing portrait of Rosalind Franklin, and her often overlooked role in the discovery of DNA’s double helix structure. This performance commemorates the 60th anniversary of the landmark discovery, and the 50th anniversary of the Seattle Repertory Theater. The special event for members of the biotech community will … Continue reading “Photograph 51: An Evening at the Intersection of Life Sciences and Local Theater”
Why Women Tech Execs Can and Must Thrive on Risk
The stereotypical image of women as risk avoiders is changing fast. More women are occupying the boardroom, making important strategic decisions, and taking on high-risk responsibilities as CEOs, CFOs, and even chief risk officers. As a woman who worked her way up to various executive roles, and now as the CEO of a governance, risk, … Continue reading “Why Women Tech Execs Can and Must Thrive on Risk”
If You’ve Got a Real Breakthrough, the FDA Wants To Talk
If you ever want to have an interesting chat with a healthcare journalist, ask about use of the word “breakthrough.” Like many reporters, I generally avoid it. The word may be good for generating eyeballs/pageviews/ratings, but it’s usually an exaggeration that serves the financial interest of drugmakers and gives patients false hope. Sometimes, though, breakthroughs … Continue reading “If You’ve Got a Real Breakthrough, the FDA Wants To Talk”
JanRain Obtains $33,000,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=366b90f6-8b8b-4be1-b42f-39f7d5db1e32&Preview=1 Date 1/14/2013 Company Name JanRain Mailing Address 519 SW 3rd Ave Portland, OR 97204 Company Description JanRain has been a recognized leader and catalyst driving the OpenID market forward since 2005. While providing OpenID solutions for both consumers and businesses, our company has helped create the OpenID Foundation and the majority … Continue reading “JanRain Obtains $33,000,000 New Funding”
Big Data—MIT Enterprise Forum of the Northwest
Big data remains a big topic in 2013. The MIT Enterprise Forum of the Northwest will tackle it with a panel discussion Jan. 16 including Brian Lent of Medio Systems, Stephen Purpura of Context Relevant, Paul Sanford of Splunk, and moderated by Madrona Venture Group’s Len Jordan. The event begins at 5 p.m. at the … Continue reading “Big Data—MIT Enterprise Forum of the Northwest”
Exo Labs Links iPads, Microscopes To Modernize Science Education
Exo Labs wants to turn the iPad—proliferating in schools like generations of Apple products before it—into a platform for science education, both in the classroom and in the field. The Seattle-area hardware startup, which landed $640,000 from angel investors in December and a clutch of recognition through local startup competitions last fall, plans to begin … Continue reading “Exo Labs Links iPads, Microscopes To Modernize Science Education”
Women ARE Running Startups
There has been tremendous sensationalizing of the women and entrepreneurship issue. Self-proclaimed (male) pundits pontificate on how women entrepreneurs face tremendous obstacles, huge prejudice. I disagree. A blog post that I wrote on the subject in October 2010 still garners readership and discussions. Meanwhile, our 1M/1M virtual incubator continues to work with women entrepreneurs actively, … Continue reading “Women ARE Running Startups”
Turning On to Live Internet Radio with TuneIn
Radio. It’s my periodic obsession, my news lifeline, my aural ecosystem. It’s the most antique of electronic media, yet at the same time, it’s evolving as fast as the Internet, perhaps faster. Where is radio going? How will it thrive? What will it look like (or sound like) in an era when every phone, tablet, … Continue reading “Turning On to Live Internet Radio with TuneIn”
UIEvolution Obtains $1,999,998 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6f1fec77-0edb-408a-9a27-ad8ac52d8adb&Preview=1 Date 1/11/2013 Company Name UIEvolution Mailing Address 11335 NE 122nd Way Kirkland, WA 98034 Company Description At UIEvolution we see a future where our software technology and solutions power dynamic application experiences for any device, platform or network enabling consumers to access their content anytime, anywhere. Website http://www.uievolution.com Transaction Type Venture … Continue reading “UIEvolution Obtains $1,999,998 New Round”
Feld, Herron, and O’Driscoll Talk Startups and Investments at Eureka Park
Beyond the glitz of new big ticket electronics, startup innovations sparked chatter at this year’s International CES in Las Vegas—especially after a trio of high-profile VCs came to Eureka Park, the startup-focused exhibitor area at the show. Frank Gruber, founder of Las Vegas–based media company and events organizer Tech Cocktail, moderated the spirited chat that … Continue reading “Feld, Herron, and O’Driscoll Talk Startups and Investments at Eureka Park”
Innovation or Litigation?
The story of the year in the technology industry has to be HP’s claims that it was deceived by Autonomy in the $11 billion purchase of the software company. The questions of who knew what, and who did (or didn’t) do what, will be discussed and debated for years. And as many business and technology … Continue reading “Innovation or Litigation?”
Got Cancer? Sorry, There’s No App for That
That’s right. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there are no apps for treating Parkinson’s either. Or ALS. Or Alzheimer’s, or one of a large number of other diseases I could name and you don’t want to have. Numerous pharma and biotech companies have created more than a hundred different apps, … Continue reading “Got Cancer? Sorry, There’s No App for That”
Clean Energy: The New Public Policy Reality
Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates headlines a day-long public policy conference of the Washington Clean Technology Alliance Jan. 28 in Seattle. Other confirmed speakers include former U.S. Senator Slade Gorton, Washington Rep. Adam Smith, and a host of clean technology financiers and policy experts. Find the full agenda here, and registration information here.