UW biochemistry professor David Baker will be the featured speaker at the Technology Alliance’s Science & Technology Discovery Series breakfast on Oct. 9. Baker, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, is creating new proteins and enzymes not found in nature which could be used for biofuels, drugs, or other products. For more information, click here.
Technology Alliance’s Innovation Showcase
The Technology Alliance is organizing a new program called Innovation Showcase to highlight four promising startups. The event is co-chaired by Rick LeFaivre of OVP Venture Partners and Bob Nelsen of Arch Venture Partners. It will feature four young companies—ProfUSA, X-Caps, Time Dot, and Ajuga Biosciences. For more information on the event, click here.
Seattle Social Games Meetup
Online gaming developers, designers, and entrepreneurs are invited to this inaugural meeting and social event. Featured speakers include: Garrett Link, RealGames David Nixon, I-Play John Vechey, PopCap To RSVP and get more information visit http://www.meetup.com/socialgameseattle.
Sage Bionetworks, Biology’s Open Source Spark, Snags “Major” Donation from Quintiles
[Updated: 10/05/09, 7:05 pm Pacific] Sage Bionetworks, the Seattle-based nonprofit seeking to spark an open source movement for biology, has secured a “major founding donation” from Durham, NC-based Quintiles, the giant contract research organization for pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Sage didn’t disclose how much the donation is worth in its statement announcing the news. But … Continue reading “Sage Bionetworks, Biology’s Open Source Spark, Snags “Major” Donation from Quintiles”
Veratect Secures $4.2M Debt
Veratect, the Kirkland, WA-based company that tracks emerging health threats like swine flu, has raised $4.2 million out of $5 million debt financing, according to an amended regulatory filing today. The filing doesn’t say who invested, but the company’s list of directors includes William Savoy, the former manager of billionaire Paul Allen’s Vulcan investment portfolio … Continue reading “Veratect Secures $4.2M Debt”
Gen-Probe Pays $60M for Prodesse
San Diego’s Gen-Probe (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GPRO]]), which uses nucleic acid testing of blood samples to diagnose human diseases, says it has agreed to pay $60 million in cash to acquire Prodesse, a privately held medical diagnostics company in Waukesha, WI. Gen-Probe says it could eventually pay as much as $85 million if Prodesse meets certain financial … Continue reading “Gen-Probe Pays $60M for Prodesse”
Genzyme Drug Fails to Win FDA Nod
The FDA turned down Genzyme’s application to market clofarabine (Clolar) for patients over age 60 with acute myeloid leukemia, saying the Cambridge, MA-based company should conduct another randomized, controlled clinical trial. The agency’s decision comes about a month after one of its advisory panels recommended the drug not be cleared for the new group of … Continue reading “Genzyme Drug Fails to Win FDA Nod”
Xconomy San Diego’s First Year Anniversary Brings the Benefits of Hindsight on the Local Innovation News with the Biggest Global Impact
Those of us who are lucky enough to work as journalists (and who get to write the first draft of history) often remember the dates when the important and even not-so-important events went down. After 30 years in the news business, it’s become almost second nature for me. Today marks a special day, both personally … Continue reading “Xconomy San Diego’s First Year Anniversary Brings the Benefits of Hindsight on the Local Innovation News with the Biggest Global Impact”
PopCap Games Raises $22.5M in First Outside Funding Round
Seattle-based PopCap Games dropped a bit of a bombshell this morning. The casual games developer and publisher announced it has secured $22.5 million—the first outside funding in its nearly 10-year history—led by Meritech Capital Partners, a late-stage investment firm based in Palo Alto, CA. Also participating in the round are Larry Bowman, a PopCap board … Continue reading “PopCap Games Raises $22.5M in First Outside Funding Round”
Qteros Making Ethanol from Sewage
It’s petrol from poop: Marlborough, MA-based Qteros today unveiled a joint development agreement with Israeli commodities recycler Applied CleanTech under which the two companies are using Qteros’ modified microorganisms to turn Applied CleanTech’s “Recyllose” feedstock, which is made from the solid matter in municipal wastewater, into ethanol for vehicle fuel and other uses. The process … Continue reading “Qteros Making Ethanol from Sewage”
San Diego’s Accumetrics Raises $16.5M in Fifth Round of Venture Funding
Loyalty has its rewards, and in the case of San Diego’s Accumetrics, that means the company’s existing investors have just completed a fifth round of venture funding—putting another $16.5 million into the medical diagnostics company. The Series E funding brings Accumetrics’ overall investment close to $68 million, although, as I explained in June, that includes … Continue reading “San Diego’s Accumetrics Raises $16.5M in Fifth Round of Venture Funding”
Abimab Snags $8.2M in Equity
Adimab, the Lebanon, NH-based developer of technology to quickly make antibody drugs, has raised $8.2 million in a venture round, according to a regulatory filing. Adimab collected the Series D financing from Google Ventures, SV Life Sciences, Polaris Venture Partners, OrbiMed Advisors, and Borealis Ventures, as Ryan reported last week before the dollar amount became … Continue reading “Abimab Snags $8.2M in Equity”
How Twitter Got an App Store: The Oneforty Story (Part 1)
“Ohh, Twitter needs an app store.” It was coming up on Christmas of 2008. Laura Fitton was writing a chapter on the top 10 applications for Twitter for her book Twitter for Dummies when the thought struck her like a tweet out of the blue. She jumped up from her office in Brighton, MA, and … Continue reading “How Twitter Got an App Store: The Oneforty Story (Part 1)”
As Mobile Phones Overtake Cameras, Consumers Still Struggle to Use Them, Says Ontela Survey at CTIA
An interesting tidbit from the mobile industry: Film cameras are going out of style, while camera phones have become ubiquitous. But even as the popularity of things like mobile data plans and text messaging continues to grow in the U.S., people still have problems doing simple things with photos on their phones. That’s according to … Continue reading “As Mobile Phones Overtake Cameras, Consumers Still Struggle to Use Them, Says Ontela Survey at CTIA”
Transdel’s Topical Pain Reliever Falls Short on One Goal, Hits Another
[Updated: 10/06/09, 10:55 am Pacific] San Diego’s Transdel Pharmaceuticals released a mixed bag of clinical trial results this morning. The company’s topical pain reliever fell short on one of its two primary goals in a 364-patient study, but was successful for about two-thirds of patients who followed the study rules. Transdel (OTC BB: [[ticker:TDLP]]) reported … Continue reading “Transdel’s Topical Pain Reliever Falls Short on One Goal, Hits Another”
Springpad Relaunches Personal Organizer, Adds Wine Library’s Vaynerchuk
Charlestown, MA-based Spring Partners announced today that it has relaunched Springpad, its online personal organizer, to include a number of new features that help users find, personalize, and share content. For example, Springpad now comes with a “Web clipper” tool that makes it easier for users to add material discovered at websites, such as restaurant … Continue reading “Springpad Relaunches Personal Organizer, Adds Wine Library’s Vaynerchuk”
Amazon Goes Mobile, Theraclone Inks $18M Deal, Spiration Pulls In $7M, & More Seattle-Area Deals News
In the past week, the Northwest has seen its share of debt financings in medical devices and bio-IT, small funding deals and partnerships in Internet software, and mounting interest in an impending IPO. —Amazon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMZN]]) rolled out a new mobile payments service that lets applications developers and distributors tap into the e-commerce giant’s one-click … Continue reading “Amazon Goes Mobile, Theraclone Inks $18M Deal, Spiration Pulls In $7M, & More Seattle-Area Deals News”
Dart Boston: The Hub’s New Hub for Twenty-Something Entrepreneurs
Apparently, social media services like Facebook and Twitter aren’t everything they’re cracked up to be, even for the twenty-somethings who are supposedly their most devoted users. Here in Boston, there’s a new group for young startup types who prefer to talk about their entrepreneurial ambitions in person at actual bars, of all places. It’s called … Continue reading “Dart Boston: The Hub’s New Hub for Twenty-Something Entrepreneurs”
PopCap Games Receives $22,500,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=60adcbeb-36b2-4075-959b-6cbacfb620a3&Preview=1 Date 10/6/2009 Company Name PopCap Games Mailing Address 2401 4th Ave Seattle, WA 98121 Company Description Here at PopCap our goal is to create fun games that literally everyone can enjoy. Our games are easy to learn, tough to master…and utterly addictive! Website http://www.popcap.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $22,500,000 … Continue reading “PopCap Games Receives $22,500,000 New Financing Round”
IntelePeer Lands $4,000,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=bc43bb68-ed5f-41d8-913f-a1df93f8cb7e&Preview=1 Date 10/6/2009 Company Name IntelePeer Mailing Address 2855 Campus Drive San Mateo, CA 94403 Company Description IntelePeer, Inc. provides all the infrastructure and services needed to connect carriers, cable companies, wireless carriers and other voice service providers, and eCommunities – enabling them to dramatically reduce their communications costs, connect disparate networks … Continue reading “IntelePeer Lands $4,000,000 New Funding”
Sequenom Meets With FBI, U.S. Attorney’s Office Investigators
Sequenom (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SQNM]]), the San Diego medical diagnostics company that disclosed earlier this year it had “mishandled data” from a clinical trial, has met with investigators from the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s office looking into the matter, according to a regulatory filing today. The company previously acknowledged the Securities and Exchange Commission was investigating, so … Continue reading “Sequenom Meets With FBI, U.S. Attorney’s Office Investigators”
Omeros Made Errors on NIH Grant, But Feds Accepted Internal Investigation Saying They Weren’t Overbilled
Omeros, the Seattle biotech company accused by its former chief financial officer of filing false time records on grant work for the National Institutes of Health, disclosed late last night in a federal court filing that it alerted the government to its internal mistakes, and that the NIH accepted the results of an internal investigation … Continue reading “Omeros Made Errors on NIH Grant, But Feds Accepted Internal Investigation Saying They Weren’t Overbilled”
Achates Power Raises $12.1M in Venture Capital to Develop Cleaner, More Efficient Engine
It’s getting harder for San Diego’s stealthy cleantech startup Achates Power to continue flying beneath the radar. In a regulatory filing today, Achates discloses it has raised $12.125 million out of a $20 million venture round. The company, which says in its filing that it was founded in 2007, has been developing a radical new … Continue reading “Achates Power Raises $12.1M in Venture Capital to Develop Cleaner, More Efficient Engine”
Allurent Names New CEO As Co-Founder Chung Moves Upstairs
Allurent co-founder Joe Chung today stepped down (or rather up to executive chairman) as CEO of the online shopping interface and e-commerce company, Xconomy has learned. Graeme Grant, formerly the chief operating officer, has been named to take his place at the helm of the Cambridge, MA-based company. Reached by phone, Chung, an Xconomist, confirmed … Continue reading “Allurent Names New CEO As Co-Founder Chung Moves Upstairs”
Hutch Pulls In $40M From Stimulus
The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has been awarded 60 grants worth a combined $40.4 million under the $787 billion American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009, otherwise known as the federal stimulus. The Hutch estimates that 2.3 jobs in the community are created or retained for every $100,000 of grant funding, so the awards … Continue reading “Hutch Pulls In $40M From Stimulus”
Cheezburger Network Hits 1B Views, Hires Exec
Seattle-based Cheezburger Network (formerly called Pet Holdings) announced today it has served 1 billion page views, or 10 billion images, since its first user-generated humor site, I Can Has Cheezburger, was launched in January 2007. The company also said it has hired Todd Sawicki as chief revenue officer. Sawicki is a senior sales and marketing … Continue reading “Cheezburger Network Hits 1B Views, Hires Exec”
Amazon Dives Into Mobile, Bringing Its Online Checkout to Wider World of App Distributors
Seattle-based Amazon has started a mobile payments service that allows consumers to make purchases from their mobile devices using their Amazon accounts, according to a statement released today. More significantly, the service also gives developers, retailers, and distributors of mobile applications a way to process mobile payments from customers using Amazon’s online checkout system—without having … Continue reading “Amazon Dives Into Mobile, Bringing Its Online Checkout to Wider World of App Distributors”
Nuance Buys eCopy
Burlington, MA-based Nuance Communications (NASDAQ: [[ticker:NUAN]]) said today it has purchased image scanning and indexing company eCopy of Nashua, NH, for $54 million in Nuance stock. ECopy’s software for touchscreen-driven multifunction printers (MFPs) helps companies scan business documents and easily incorporate them into accounting and records systems. “Nuance and eCopy share a vision of connecting … Continue reading “Nuance Buys eCopy”
2009 MITX Interactive Awards
The Massachusetts Innovation and Technology Exchange hosts its 14th annual Interactive Awards ceremony, honoring the most innovative New England-area companies and projects in categories such as Applied Technology, Biotechnology/Pharmaceuticals, Consumer Goods, Education and Learning, Financial Services, Games and Entertainment, News, Rich Internet Application, Social Influence Applications, and Technology. Event details here and here.
J. Craig Venter Cancels Algae Summit Keynote for White House Ceremony
You always hate to see a keynote speaker pull out of a major conference attracting wide attention, especially when the conference is focused on a hot emerging field like algae-based technologies and the speaker is J. Craig Venter, the renowned human genome pioneer and founding CEO of San Diego’s Synthetic Genomics. The brash Venter, who … Continue reading “J. Craig Venter Cancels Algae Summit Keynote for White House Ceremony”
Networking for Fundraising Success
The Capital Network and NEVCA sponsor an evening even on “Networking for Fundraising Success.” From the event description: “Please join us for a special networking event organized by The Capital Network (TCN), New England Venture Capital Association (NEVCA), and Foley Hoag with an honorary key note speaker, Lee Hower, a Principal at Point Judith Capital … Continue reading “Networking for Fundraising Success”
AVI Nabs $11.5M Defense Contract
AVI Biopharma, the Bothell, WA-based developer of RNA-based therapies, said today it has won an expanded $11.5 million contract from the U.S. Defense Department to develop its drug candidate for Junin virus infection. The new contract means AVI has received $45 million in combined contracts to develop treatments for Ebola, Marburg, and now Junin viral … Continue reading “AVI Nabs $11.5M Defense Contract”
Seattle Genetics Shares Drop on Halted Lymphoma Trial
Some unexpected bad news out of Seattle Genetics is driving down its stock 14 percent this morning. The Bothell, WA-based developer of antibody drugs for cancer (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SGEN]]) said a mid-stage clinical trial of an experimental lymphoma drug was halted midway through enrollment after an independent panel of data monitors determined the experimental drug was … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics Shares Drop on Halted Lymphoma Trial”
Group from Atlas Venture, General Catalyst Form Non-Profit to Promote Youth Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation
For the past three years, Jeff Fagnan of Atlas Venture and Hemant Taneja of General Catalyst Partners have teamed up to hold a charity wine tasting and auction event to raise money for select non-profit groups. This year, the pair tell me, they are going themselves one better—setting up their own organization to more directly … Continue reading “Group from Atlas Venture, General Catalyst Form Non-Profit to Promote Youth Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation”
Vivox Opens Facebook Voice Chat
Natick, MA-based Vivox said today that it’s opening its new “Vivox Web Voice for Facebook” service to all Facebook members. The application—which allows Facebook users to set up free voice chat rooms and invite their friends to participate from within Facebook—is one of the first creations of Vivox Labs, a new R&D arm of the … Continue reading “Vivox Opens Facebook Voice Chat”
Larry Smarr on the Internet, Past and Future; ViaSat Acquiring WildBlue Communications; SAIC’s Retired Founder Calls HQ Move ‘Inevitable;’ & More San Diego BizTech News
San Diego’s biztech news was tilted heavily toward the Internet last week, anchored by two in-depth stories about the Internet and Larry Smarr, the director of the California Institute for Information Technology and Communications. You can get that and more below—and you don’t need to listen for the Internet dial tone to get it either. … Continue reading “Larry Smarr on the Internet, Past and Future; ViaSat Acquiring WildBlue Communications; SAIC’s Retired Founder Calls HQ Move ‘Inevitable;’ & More San Diego BizTech News”
Seattle’s Theraclone Strikes $18M Deal to Make Flu-Fighting Antibodies with Japanese Company
Theraclone Sciences has formed a partnership with a Japanese drug company, worth as much as $18 million over time, to discover new antibodies that could broadly protect millions of people in a flu pandemic. Seattle-based Theraclone has formed the alliance with Tokyo-based Zenyaku Kogyo, which markets a blockbuster antibody drug for cancer and rheumatoid arthritis, … Continue reading “Seattle’s Theraclone Strikes $18M Deal to Make Flu-Fighting Antibodies with Japanese Company”
Revolutionary Angels Launches Pay-to-Play Business Plan Competition
Depending on who you talk to, you get conflicting views about where real innovation and growth come from in today’s economy. One school, well represented at the established venture capital firms on Winter Street in Waltham or Sand Hill Road in Palo Alto, says that there are only a few truly disruptive technology ideas in … Continue reading “Revolutionary Angels Launches Pay-to-Play Business Plan Competition”
Making Science Cool: Inspiring Students and Giving Society Something to Celebrate
Just a few days before we kicked off the month-long San Diego Science Festival in March, I wrote a post for the Xconomist Forum that concluded, “if we mean to achieve the essential goal of reviving American Science, the San Diego Science Festival is poised to provide an important start.” It proved to be a … Continue reading “Making Science Cool: Inspiring Students and Giving Society Something to Celebrate”
Novalar Tests Market, Learns a Few Things, Before National Rollout of Dental Drug
While making small talk on my last trip to the dentist, I mentioned that as a biotech journalist, I sometimes interview entrepreneurs who create new dental products, like the Sonicare toothbrush. The dentist, maybe to test if I knew what I was talking about, asked me what cool ideas I’ve seen lately. I stammered a … Continue reading “Novalar Tests Market, Learns a Few Things, Before National Rollout of Dental Drug”
Cray, Isilon, Marchex Weigh In With Their Company Cultures Boiled Down to One Word
How do you go about summarizing a company’s culture in one word? I haven’t a clue, but whenever I ask CEOs, they always come up with something interesting—and often surprising. In the past couple of months, I’ve been asking top executives at Northwest tech startups to talk about their company culture and why it’s unique. … Continue reading “Cray, Isilon, Marchex Weigh In With Their Company Cultures Boiled Down to One Word”
“Don’t Touch My Bags If You Please, Mr. Customs Man”
Imagine the following scenario for a minute: A middle-aged man books a round trip ticket from San Francisco to Shanghai. His reservation indicates this will be a short trip; he is going to be in China less than one full day. Upon arrival at the airport in Shanghai, the immigration control officer asks him “What … Continue reading ““Don’t Touch My Bags If You Please, Mr. Customs Man””
Ironwood Recruits Genentech, Facebook Star as Company Knocks on Wall Street Doors
Personnel moves usually make for boring news, but sometimes they carry deeper meaning. I couldn’t help but wonder about the deeper meaning when Cambridge, MA-based Ironwood Pharmaceuticals said last month it had recruited David Ebersman, the former chief financial officer of Genentech, to join its board. Ebersman, a boyish-looking guy just 39, took the chief … Continue reading “Ironwood Recruits Genentech, Facebook Star as Company Knocks on Wall Street Doors”
NanoViricides Lands $4,300,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=22847dae-7359-4bfe-9f0a-5ad92903f26e&Preview=1 Date 10/5/2009 Company Name NanoViricides Mailing Address 135 Wood Street West Haven, CT 06516 Company Description We have assembled a world class team to lead us to success. We have brought together highly experienced individuals with strong expertise in their respective areas. Our team possesses the combined expertise of having performed … Continue reading “NanoViricides Lands $4,300,000 New Financing”
QSecure Lands $10,000,000 Series D Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=437a883f-0943-4f55-980e-28793fe2392e&Preview=1 Date 10/5/2009 Company Name QSecure Mailing Address 333 Distel Circle Los Altos, CA 94022 Company Description QSecure is a venture funded, technology and solution provider of credit cards that are compatible with all card acceptance systems and point-of-sale terminals. The company was formed, and received funding, on April 1, 2003. The … Continue reading “QSecure Lands $10,000,000 Series D Financing Round”
Causata Secures $4,500,000 Series A Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4da5c79e-c658-42e8-a244-5f5e3df812bb&Preview=1 Date 10/5/2009 Company Name Causata Mailing Address 555 California Street 3rd Floor San Francisco, CA 94104 Company Description Causata delivers breakthrough software that enables companies to optimize customer experience and business results simultaneously – at any touchpoint, in real-time. Causata combines the latest advances in machine learning with a light, parallel … Continue reading “Causata Secures $4,500,000 Series A Funding”
Direct Flow Medical Lands $40,000,000 Series C Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e1d6e7f2-8109-462d-9e60-92b4c8b5403b&Preview=1 Date 10/4/2009 Company Name Direct Flow Medical Mailing Address 451 Aviation Blvd. Santa Rosa, CA 95403-8243 Company Description Direct Flow Medical is a medical device company located in Santa Rosa, CA. Direct Flow Medical is developing a percutaneous aortic tissue valve prosthesis to provide patients requiring treatment of cardiac valve insufficiency … Continue reading “Direct Flow Medical Lands $40,000,000 Series C Financing”
ThreatMETRIX Garners $6,100,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c238ed85-c15c-454a-83d8-17cf11b975c1&Preview=1 Date 10/3/2009 Company Name ThreatMETRIX Mailing Address 5150 EI Camino Real Los Altos, CA 94022 Company Description The company provides fraud control device fingerprinting solutions. Website http://www.threatmetrix.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $6,100,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes The funding will be used to fend off online fraud. M&A Terms … Continue reading “ThreatMETRIX Garners $6,100,000 New Financing Round”
UW Gets $25M For Genome Center
The University of Washington has been awarded a two-year, $25 million grant from the federal stimulus program to establish a new genome sequencing center to explore underlying causes of heart, lung, and blood diseases. The new UW center, to be led by scientist Deborah Nickerson, is one of two such sequencing centers being set up … Continue reading “UW Gets $25M For Genome Center”
‘Ardi’ Scientists Used LifeModeler’s Software to Understand How Earliest Hominid Moved
Researchers who spent 15 years studying the skeletal remains of “Ardi,” a hominid who lived 4.4 million years ago, turned to a specialized software developer in San Clemente, CA, to help them understand how the 110-pound, 4-foot female walked and moved. Scientific papers about the nearly complete fossilized skeleton that were published this week have … Continue reading “‘Ardi’ Scientists Used LifeModeler’s Software to Understand How Earliest Hominid Moved”