12 Tech Firms in WA Make Inc. 500

Inc. magazine has released its annual list of the top 500 fastest growing private companies in the U.S. A dozen Washington state consulting or technology-related companies made the list, with the highest-ranked firm, Kirkland-based Revel Consulting, at number 34. The others are: Xtreme Consulting Group, Clarisonic, Sirsai, C&I Engineering, Remote Medical International, Visible Technologies, Audigy … Continue reading “12 Tech Firms in WA Make Inc. 500”

VMIX Views its Online Video Service as Silver Lining for Newspaper Industry

These are dark times for the newspaper business, which has been suffering from revenue erosion as classified ads, corporate recruiting, and other forms of advertising—not to mention readers—have moved to the Internet. You’d think that means the outlook also would be gloomy at San Diego-based VMIX, a venture-backed startup that provides Web-based software used primarily … Continue reading “VMIX Views its Online Video Service as Silver Lining for Newspaper Industry”

Targeted ‘Must Raise’ Cash

Targeted Genetics, the Seattle-based developer of gene therapies, said today in its quarterly financial report that it “must raise additional capital” to remain in business beyond this month. The company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:TGEN]]) had $2.5 million in cash and investments left at the end of June. The company is considering selling assets, product collaborations, or stock … Continue reading “Targeted ‘Must Raise’ Cash”

Momenta Pharma Competitor Lodges Ethics Complaint Against FDA Boss, WSJ Reports

A story in the Wall Street Journal today about an ethics complaint against a top official at the FDA has brought new attention to Cambridge, MA-based Momenta Pharmaceuticals’ effort to win approval of its generic version of a multibillion-dollar blood thinner. The WSJ reports that Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, of Rancho Cucamonga, CA, is alleging that Momenta … Continue reading “Momenta Pharma Competitor Lodges Ethics Complaint Against FDA Boss, WSJ Reports”

WTIA QA Sig

The Washington Technology and Industry Association is hosting it’s monthly QA Sig with the theme: “What would MacGyver do.”  According to the event website, “Test automation is currently in a rut and needs some of that outside-the-box thinking. When most testers think about automation, they think of regression scenarios and capture/replay tools. However, regression testing … Continue reading “WTIA QA Sig”

Razorfish Deal Could Be Great for Microsoft, Says Online Strategy Expert Warren Gouk

One of the biggest tech deals of the year came over this past weekend—the $530 million acquisition of Seattle-based Razorfish by French marketing firm Publicis Groupe. Most people I’ve talked to seem to think the deal makes good sense for all parties. (Razorfish became an online advertising subsidiary of Microsoft in 2007 when Microsoft bought … Continue reading “Razorfish Deal Could Be Great for Microsoft, Says Online Strategy Expert Warren Gouk”

Microsoft, Nokia Announce Alliance on Smartphones

In a press conference in New York this morning, Microsoft Business Division president Stephen Elop and Nokia’s executive vice president for devices Kai Öistämö announced that Redmond, WA-based Microsoft and Finland-based Nokia have formed an alliance that will create adaptations of Microsoft programs for Nokia’s smartphones. Microsoft and Nokia will begin immediate development of Microsoft … Continue reading “Microsoft, Nokia Announce Alliance on Smartphones”

Biogen Idec Faces Suit From Partner Elan, Genzyme Wins European Approval for Stem-Cell Boosting Drug, Alnylam Teams with Tekmira, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News

This week we had the usual mix of news on partnerships, clinical trials, and the like, as well as some fascinating in-depth discussions with key players in the life sciences arena. —Antibiotic developer Rib-X Pharmaceuticals announced that the oral form its experimental antibiotic radezolid passed a mid-stage clinical trial as a treatment for a common … Continue reading “Biogen Idec Faces Suit From Partner Elan, Genzyme Wins European Approval for Stem-Cell Boosting Drug, Alnylam Teams with Tekmira, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”

MIT Sloan Prof, Richard Locke, Talks Sustainability at Amazon, Intel, Nike

One of MIT’s leading business professors, Richard Locke, came to Seattle yesterday to talk about the “S” word. Yes, we’ve been hearing a lot about sustainability lately, in the context of technology and business. Big companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and Boeing are talking seriously about the issue. Smaller Seattle-area companies like Verdiem, Powerit Solutions, and … Continue reading “MIT Sloan Prof, Richard Locke, Talks Sustainability at Amazon, Intel, Nike”

Seattle Genetics, Bucking the Trend, Recruits Hodgkin’s Patients at Warp Speed

Drug companies usually have a hard time recruiting cancer patients in clinical trials, and some dirty little financial reasons for it were exposed last week in The New York Times. Another little secret is that biotech companies often overpromise, and under deliver, when they tell investors they will hit their clinical trial deadlines. That makes … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics, Bucking the Trend, Recruits Hodgkin’s Patients at Warp Speed”

Jules Pieri of The Daily Grommet Wants to Make You Think Outside the Retail Big Box

Last month I wrote about the Daily Grommet, an e-commerce startup in Lexington, MA, whose website features one cool new product or service—a “grommet,” to use the company’s term—every weekday. Far from being yet another automated online store, the Daily Grommet puts its own staff members on camera to record short, homey, informally edited videos … Continue reading “Jules Pieri of The Daily Grommet Wants to Make You Think Outside the Retail Big Box”

SustainX Garners $4,000,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ec8b3e74-f07d-4571-8283-a567f11a386b&Preview=1 Date 8/12/2009 Company Name SustainX Mailing Address 7 Commerce Ave. West Lebanon, NH 03784 Company Description SustainX is an energy storage technology developer whose solution is cost effective, low maintenance, non-toxic, and highly efficient. The technology is being developed to provide a solution for enhancing the value of renewable energy, commercial … Continue reading “SustainX Garners $4,000,000 New Financing Round”

JanRain Receives $3,000,000 Series A Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=682e43dc-1be9-4c4c-87b8-78f2b617b4cf&Preview=1 Date 8/12/2009 Company Name JanRain Mailing Address 5331 SW Macadam Ave Portland, OR 97239 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 Receives $3,000,000 Series A Round”

Mint Software Garners $14,000,000 Series C Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=35849dc4-348b-4acf-96c6-4c69a942b559&Preview=1 Date 8/12/2009 Company Name Mint Software Mailing Address 280 Hope Street Mountain View, CA 94041 Company Description Mint is the freshest, most intelligent way for you to manage your money online. Not only is Mint free, it saves you money. While existing personal finance software “solutions” require hours to set up, … Continue reading “Mint Software Garners $14,000,000 Series C Financing”

Innovators Network: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

The Innovators Network, a group geared toward donors to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center under age 45, is holding an event with three top scientists to discuss their work on campus. The event, INsight 2009, will feature Corey Casper on making the link between infections and cancer; Colleen Delaney on using umbilical cord blood … Continue reading “Innovators Network: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center”

Avanir’s Results for Neurological Drug Triggers Outburst in Trading

The price of shares in Avanir Pharmaceuticals climbed by almost 30 percent today after the onetime San Diego biotech said a late-stage clinical trial shows its drug for treating an unusual neurological disorder can substantially reduce involuntary emotional outbursts and is “generally safe and well tolerated.” Avanir (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AVNR]]), which is now based just across the Orange … Continue reading “Avanir’s Results for Neurological Drug Triggers Outburst in Trading”

Covario Adds Online Marketing Services

San Diego’s Covario, which specializes in high-end software analytics that helps customers optimize search engine results for their web sites and products, says it is expanding to offer Internet marketing services capabilities. The company says the move into agency services, which marks a turning point in its technology-focused strategy, came in response to growing advertiser market … Continue reading “Covario Adds Online Marketing Services”

MyWebGrocer Wraps Up $13M Investment

Colchester, VT-based MyWebGrocer, a provider of online commerce software and digital media services for grocery stores and consumer goods companies, announced on its website yesterday that it has raised $13 million in equity financing from New York, NY, investment firm Stripes Group. Stripes Group managing partner Dan Marriott is taking a seat on the company’s … Continue reading “MyWebGrocer Wraps Up $13M Investment”

Networking for Career Success

Presented by TiEWIN, this event will focus on ways to stand out from other well-qualified job seekers. Three prominent leaders, Senator Karen Spilka, Judge Sabita Singh, and Eustacia Reidy will discuss the steps they took on their journeys to the positions they now hold. For more information, visit the events page on the TiE webstie.

VirtenSys Raises $16M

Manchester, UK-based VirtenSys, which opened up U.S. headquarters in Beaverton, OR, in January, announced in a press release today that it has raised $16 million in a Series C funding round. Investors in the round included Scottish Equity Partners, Celtic House Venture Partners, and Gimv. Virtensys develops virtualization technology for servers in data centers. The … Continue reading “VirtenSys Raises $16M”

Razorfish Chief Strategy Officer Says Publicis Deal Will Expand Firm’s Global Reach

Yesterday was a busy day for Razorfish chief strategy officer Jeff Lanctot. With the official announcement that French advertising firm Publicis will acquire Microsoft-owned Razorfish, Lanctot had quite a lot on his plate. Despite his having to fly out from Seattle to another office, I managed to get a few answers from him about the … Continue reading “Razorfish Chief Strategy Officer Says Publicis Deal Will Expand Firm’s Global Reach”

Northrop Grumman Takes Center Stage at Unmanned Technologies Confab

The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International says its conference and exhibition in Washington D.C. this week is the largest event of its kind, featuring the world’s biggest collection of robotic vehicles for use in the air, land, and sea. Judging by the news conference agenda, however, the four-day convention could almost be called the … Continue reading “Northrop Grumman Takes Center Stage at Unmanned Technologies Confab”

Javelin Pharma Stock Takes Hit

Javelin Pharmaceuticals’s stock had lost more than a quarter of its value as of late this morning. This comes on the heels of the Cambridge, MA-based drug developer (AMEX:[[ticker:JAV]]) announcing this morning that its late-stage clinical of intranasal ketamine (Ereska) showed “borderline” statistical improvement over placebo in treating pain after orthopedic surgery. According to Google … Continue reading “Javelin Pharma Stock Takes Hit”

Boston GameLoop

This one-day, self-organized “unconference” is focused on professionals in the computer and video game development business—“artists, programmers, designers, producers, QA—hell, even executives,” in the words of the conference website. Students, academics, and aspiring game developers need not apply. $20 donation suggested; RSVP required via e-mail. More information here.

Sequenom Maintains Tight Lid on “Mishandled Data” of Key Diagnostic Test

Three months ago, San Diego’s Sequenom disclosed that the launch of a new prenatal test for Down syndrome would be delayed because scientific data had been mishandled. So what have we learned since that bombshell announcement? Not much. The company’s recent quarterly filing with the SEC suggests Sequenom (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SQNM]]) must start the process of … Continue reading “Sequenom Maintains Tight Lid on “Mishandled Data” of Key Diagnostic Test”

Alnylam Takes Moment to Pause on Cutting Edge, Mull Options on RSV Game Plan

Navigating the world of cutting-edge drug development can be thrilling, but you can sometimes find yourself in a gray zone. That’s the impression I got from a conversation yesterday with Alnylam Pharmaceuticals CEO John Maraganore about the many options he’s carefully mulling over before deciding whether to bet bigger company resources on his lead drug … Continue reading “Alnylam Takes Moment to Pause on Cutting Edge, Mull Options on RSV Game Plan”

Microsoft Sells Razorfish, EnerG2 Scores Stimulus Funds, Tekmira Teams Up with Alnylam, & More Seattle-Area Deals News

The big news of the week was Microsoft’s sale of Razorfish to Publicis (see directly below), but there were a few other important deals in software, biotech, and energy. —Microsoft’s online advertising subsidiary, Seattle-based Razorfish, was bought by French marketing firm Publicis for approximately $530 million, as Bob reported. The payment is expected to include … Continue reading “Microsoft Sells Razorfish, EnerG2 Scores Stimulus Funds, Tekmira Teams Up with Alnylam, & More Seattle-Area Deals News”

$2.6M Financing for Imaginatik

Imaginatik, a provider crowdsourcing software for large businesses, said yesterday that it has raised $2.6 million from unnamed new and previous investors. The firm (AIM:[[ticker:IMTK]]) has main offices in Boston and Winchester, United Kingdom, according to its website. The company said the funding will bankroll its growth plans and further development of enterprise crowdsourcing software, … Continue reading “$2.6M Financing for Imaginatik”

VMware Drinks Up SpringSource

VMware (NYSE: [[ticker:VMW]]), the Palo Alto, CA-based virtualization subsidiary of Hopkinton, MA-based information management giant EMC (NYSE: [[ticker:EMC]]), said yesterday that it has agreed to acquire SpringSource for $420 million in cash and stock. The San Mateo company makes tools used by developers to write Java software. The deal, VMware’s largest acquisition to date, has … Continue reading “VMware Drinks Up SpringSource”

Energy Secretary Steven Chu: Hire Brash Young Turks to Create the New Bell Labs

Steven Chu was once a young turk scientist in the late 1970s at Bell Labs, the hothouse that gave the world the transistor, satellites, and all sorts of other high tech inventions. Now that he’s the U.S. Secretary of Energy, overseeing 30,000 government scientists and engineers around the country, Chu is drawing on his own … Continue reading “Energy Secretary Steven Chu: Hire Brash Young Turks to Create the New Bell Labs”

A Visit to Olin College: A Design-Oriented Future of American Engineering

[Updated and corrected, August 11—see below] Anyone who has spent much time in universities knows that openness, teamwork, and collaboration are widely taught, but not always widely practiced. And when it comes to implementing entirely new models of education, well, let’s just say that institutional barriers, turf wars, bureaucracy, and tradition all too often derail … Continue reading “A Visit to Olin College: A Design-Oriented Future of American Engineering”

Bay State Startup Investments Soared in July—Internet the Busiest Sector

Investments in Massachusetts startups rose as fast in July as the Red Sox have fallen in August. Venture investors poured some $215 million into a whopping 25 deals last month. That marked a 54 percent jump over the $139.5 million invested in 15 deals in June, according to data provided to Xconomy by ChubbyBrain, a … Continue reading “Bay State Startup Investments Soared in July—Internet the Busiest Sector”

VirtenSys Obtains $16,000,000 Series C Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a06cf5c7-d80b-4ddc-b186-0cae9a7cff8f&Preview=1 Date 8/11/2009 Company Name VirtenSys Mailing Address 14908 NW Greenbrier Parkway Beaverton, OR 97006 Company Description VirtenSys was founded in December of 2005 and has developed industry-leading and patented I/O virtualization technologies for servers and storage platforms. VirtenSys solutions revolutionize how I/O infrastructure is deployed and used in data centers and … Continue reading “VirtenSys Obtains $16,000,000 Series C Financing Round”

DriveCam Receives $19,000,000 Series D Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0bb383fd-b76e-41b0-97ce-25dcb49fcdc4&Preview=1 Date 8/11/2009 Company Name DriveCam Mailing Address 8911 Balboa Ave. San Diego, CA 92123 Company Description DriveCam, Inc. is the leading provider of knowledge-based systems that identify and improve unsafe driving behavior for commercial fleets. Website http://www.drivecam.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $19,000,000 Transaction Round Series D Proceeds Purposes We … Continue reading “DriveCam Receives $19,000,000 Series D Funding Round”

MyWebGrocer Secures $13,000,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=26c78ff6-4780-46fd-9577-5892f530079c&Preview=1 Date 8/11/2009 Company Name MyWebGrocer Mailing Address 354 Mountain View Dr Colchester, VT 05446 Company Description Founded in 1999, by Rich Tarrant, MyWebGrocer is based in Colchester Vermont. We maintain a full service team of development, database, networking, website design and customer service professionals. We provide a variety of eCommerce and … Continue reading “MyWebGrocer Secures $13,000,000 New Round”

iMedX Lands $13,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=09fc6e45-b2af-432a-be9a-e95478c5ad7a&Preview=1 Date 8/11/2009 Company Name iMedX Mailing Address Four Corporate Drive Shelton, CT 06484 Company Description iMedX, Inc. is a rapidly growing medical software and services company headquartered in Shelton, Connecticut. The Company’s main product is TurboScribe®, a unique combination of medical transcription software and service. With TurboScribe®, physician practices can halve … Continue reading “iMedX Lands $13,000,000 New Financing”

Metabolic Solutions Development Company Secures $1,500,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=edc75ed7-982b-4ef9-a031-882d75e74d6c&Preview=1 Date 8/11/2009 Company Name Metabolic Solutions Development Company Mailing Address 161 East Michigan Ave. 4th Floor Kalamazoo, MI 49007 Company Description Metabolic Solutions Development Company was formed in January 2006 to develop innovative therapeutics addressing the growing global threat of type 2 diabetes and other metabolic disorders. Its founders are two … Continue reading “Metabolic Solutions Development Company Secures $1,500,000 New Funding”

Simply Hired Receives $4,600,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b9036064-c115-4fa2-9bd0-3217d120df82&Preview=1 Date 8/11/2009 Company Name Simply Hired Mailing Address 2513 Charleston Road Mountain View, CA 94043 Company Description Building a good search engine is sort of like writing a good haiku. Coming up with one that works well may require repeated and thoughtful effort. But crafted properly, the result can be incredibly … Continue reading “Simply Hired Receives $4,600,000 New Round”

Richrelevance Garners $12,500,000 Series C Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9eeb1a29-22e9-44d7-b793-341efbc6b718&Preview=1 Date 8/11/2009 Company Name Richrelevance Mailing Address 275 Battery St. San Francisco, CA 94111 Company Description richrelevance powers next-generation merchandising and personalized recommendations on eCommerce sites. The company’s product outperforms collaborative filtering solutions through use of more than fifteen recommendation types combined with transparent messaging, continuous optimization, and merchandiser controls. Website … Continue reading “Richrelevance Garners $12,500,000 Series C Funding Round”

Dendreon Will Build Manufacturing Plant in Georgia

Dendreon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DNDN]]), the Seattle-based developer of an immune-boosting drug for prostate cancer, announced today that it has leased property in Atlanta to build a second manufacturing plant for the drug. Rumors about the deal surfaced last month, but Dendreon would not comment before the official announcement. The factory will actually be built in Union … Continue reading “Dendreon Will Build Manufacturing Plant in Georgia”

Turbine Collects $6.6M of $50M Round for Role-Playing Empire

Turbine, the Westwood, MA-based maker of online role-playing games profiled here last week, has obtained $6.57 million of a planned $50 million Series D round of financing from its venture funders, according to a document filed today with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The funding was first reported by Dan Primack at PE Hub. So … Continue reading “Turbine Collects $6.6M of $50M Round for Role-Playing Empire”

Acadia Files Shelf Registration

San Diego’s Acadia Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ACAD]]) has filed a shelf registration to sell up to 7 million shares at a maximum share price of $4.17. The company, which is working on a drug to treat psychotic symptoms in Parkinson’s disease patients, anticipates that the proceeds will be used for working capital and general corporate purposes. … Continue reading “Acadia Files Shelf Registration”

Domain Raises $500M for VC Fund

San Diego’s hometown VC firms, which have been languishing in the doldrums for much of the year, got a breath of fresh air today. Domain Associates, the venture capital firm that helped fund San Diego’s Orexigen, NuVasive, and other life sciences startups, says it has successfully raised $500 million for its eighth VC fund, which … Continue reading “Domain Raises $500M for VC Fund”