If you’re considering seeking outside capital for your startup, you need to think like an investor when putting together your pitch. Get a sneak preview of what investors are looking for in a business, and do’s and don’ts for your presentation. The format is conversational, the examples are real, and the deliverable will be a … Continue reading “NWEN eIQ: Think Like an Investor”
NW Entrepreneur Network: Essentials of Bootstrapping
Nearly every start-up company goes through a period when cash is extremely tight and the demands of fueling the company’s growth are monumental. How many compelling ideas never make it to market because the entrepreneurs couldn’t keep their companies viable until they could receive substantial outside funding or become self-sustaining? Bootstrapping – the corporate version … Continue reading “NW Entrepreneur Network: Essentials of Bootstrapping”
MITEF: Northwest Startup DEMO Fall 2010
Join us at Northwest Startup DEMO – Fall 2010 to discover what could be the next big thing! Whether you’re an entrepreneur or someone who wants to get an early look at some of the latest and coolest products from our region, this is a must-attend event! Some of the Pacific Northwest’s current hottest deals … Continue reading “MITEF: Northwest Startup DEMO Fall 2010”
MITEF: Tech to Grid: How Technology Entrepreneurs Can Find Opportunities in the Smart Grid Revolution
Smart Grid is an exciting technology arena that will forever alter how customers think about electricity. The grid’s move to a digital information network is a game-changer for an entire industry – and an opportunity for thousands of entrepreneurs. This sector is attracting millions in investments and billions in federal funding. Like the web, the … Continue reading “MITEF: Tech to Grid: How Technology Entrepreneurs Can Find Opportunities in the Smart Grid Revolution”
MITEF Incubators and Accelerators: The Launchpads for Your Business Success
Mark your calendars, November 4th, and save your spot right now for MITEF NW’s next exciting Venture Lab start-up event, where you will have the chance to meet an impressive group of successful incubators and accelerators! Our stellar group of panelists has been the launchpad for countless successful companies and entrepreneurs, and they can also … Continue reading “MITEF Incubators and Accelerators: The Launchpads for Your Business Success”
Qualcomm Buys iSkoot
San Diego’s Qualcomm (NASDAQ: [[ticker:QCOM]]) said today it has acquired San Francisco-based iSkoot Technologies, a mobile social networks software developer. Financial terms were not disclosed. In a statement, the wireless technologies giant said iSkoot works with mobile device makers and mobile operators to bring popular social networks and Internet services to mobile handsets in ways … Continue reading “Qualcomm Buys iSkoot”
MITEF NW Mix ‘N Mingle
Come join the MITEF NW learning community for its Mix ‘n Mingle and network with current and future volunteers, members of MITEF NW’s leadership team and program committees, as well as local entrepreneurs. A cash bar will be available, and light complimentary appetizers will be served. Don’t miss our door prize drawing for one complimentary … Continue reading “MITEF NW Mix ‘N Mingle”
MITEF NW Enterprise Forum: Bing, Bang, Boomer! How an Active Aging Population will Demand and Drive Technology Innovation
Today, 112 million Americans are over the age of 45, representing the fastest-growing, highest-spending segment of any single demographic in history. They want to age in place, and make connecting with family and friends easier – both online and off. Extending the time their aging parents can remain in their own homes, and living closer … Continue reading “MITEF NW Enterprise Forum: Bing, Bang, Boomer! How an Active Aging Population will Demand and Drive Technology Innovation”
NW Biodiesel Network Monthly Meeting—Algae Update
What is happening in the algae industry? Is Algae close to being a viable commercial feedstock for the biodiesel/biofuel industry? What is the reality and what is the hype? What can we expect to see in the near future? Where is the algae industry headed? What are the environmental implications of Algae? The NW Biodiesel … Continue reading “NW Biodiesel Network Monthly Meeting—Algae Update”
Technology Alliance Fall Innovation Showcase
Join the Technology Alliance for its fall Innovation Showcase event. The Tech Alliance is starting its new season off with presentations by Battelle/PNNL, Mayfield Bioscience, and early stage technologies emerging from the University of Washington, including Smart Anesthesia Manager, a real-time decision module for anesthesia management; and Michaelangelo, a high performance, user-friendly data mining tool. … Continue reading “Technology Alliance Fall Innovation Showcase”
Zino Society Eastside Roundtable Investment Meeting
Join the Zino Society for networking with other business professionals, investors and entrepreneurs, intellectual stimulation, education and the chance to hear about quality angel investment opportunities at our upcoming ZINO Society Roundtable Investment Meetings. Meetings include unstructured time for connecting with others followed by a specific business session. More information and registration here.
Zino Society Roundtable Investment Meeting
Join the Zino Society for networking with other business professionals, investors and entrepreneurs, intellectual stimulation, education and the chance to hear about quality angel investment opportunities at our upcoming ZINO Society Roundtable Investment Meetings. Meetings include unstructured time for connecting with others followed by a specific business session. The keynote speaker will be enterpriseSeattle president … Continue reading “Zino Society Roundtable Investment Meeting”
Avelle Raises $1M, Bonanza Rolls Out Bags Marketplace
Seattle-based Avelle (formerly known as Bag Borrow or Steal), has raised $1 million in debt financing, according to a regulatory filing. Founded in April 2004, Avelle, known as the “Netflix for handbags,” offers members the ability to rent high-end bags and jewelry from over 3,000 designer labels for a small monthly fee. This deal comes … Continue reading “Avelle Raises $1M, Bonanza Rolls Out Bags Marketplace”
Zynga Expands to Seattle
San Francisco-based Zynga this week posted job openings for Web engineers in Seattle, signifying that the social games juggernaut is expanding to the Northwest, already a hotbed of game design. Though the company has been on an acquisition binge lately—buying Bonfire Studios in Dallas, Challenge Games in Austin, Conduit Labs in Cambridge, MA, Dextrose in Frankfurt, … Continue reading “Zynga Expands to Seattle”
Xconomy Forum: Biotech’s Back in Seattle
Seattle’s biotech industry has endured what could be called a lost decade after a number of the brightest stars of the 1990s—Immunex, Icos, Rosetta Inpharmatics, Corixa—were acquired by companies in other places that made local cutbacks. But a number of today’s Northwest biotechs, particularly Dendreon and Seattle Genetics, are emerging as globally competitive players, while … Continue reading “Xconomy Forum: Biotech’s Back in Seattle”
Negroponte on the Media Lab’s 25th: A Salon des Refusés That Could Only Have Happened at MIT
The MIT Media Laboratory, whose 1985 launch created a new intellectual center of gravity for studies of the future of computing while blazing trails in industry-university research partnerships, will mark its 25th anniversary this Friday. MIT is celebrating the occasion with a day of festivities that include an appearance from Google CEO Eric Schmidt and … Continue reading “Negroponte on the Media Lab’s 25th: A Salon des Refusés That Could Only Have Happened at MIT”
PlayFirst Wins $9.2M
PlayFirst, the San Francisco-based maker of popular iPhone, iPad, and Facebook games such as Diner Dash and Chocolatier, said Tuesday that it has raised $9.2 million in venture and debt financing. Mayfield Fund, Trinity Partners, DCM, and Rustic Canyon Ventures provided a $5.2 million venture infusion, while Comerica Bank provided a $4 million loan. Playfirst … Continue reading “PlayFirst Wins $9.2M”
Zynga Sells $6.3M in Stock
A regulatory filing published yesterday shows that San Francisco based social game giant Zynga sold $6.34 million in equity on September 29. The names of the buyers of the stock were not disclosed. It’s unclear whether the sale is related to general fundraising (unlikely, given the much larger amounts the company has raised from investors recently) … Continue reading “Zynga Sells $6.3M in Stock”
Investors Suing Genzyme Over Its Handling of Sanofi’s $18.5B Buyout Bid
Genzyme (NASDAQ:[[ticker:GENZ]]) is fending off multiple shareholders who are suing the Cambridge, MA-based biotech company for rejecting French drug giant Sanofi-Aventis’s $18.5 billion buyout offer, according to court documents filed with the SEC. Bloomberg News reported the lawsuits in a story Tuesday afternoon. The lawsuits call attention to Genzyme’s repeated rejection of Sanofi’s (NYSE:[[ticker:SNY]]) offer … Continue reading “Investors Suing Genzyme Over Its Handling of Sanofi’s $18.5B Buyout Bid”
CarWoo Promises Car Buyers Hassle-Free Quotes Online, Raises $4.2 Million
The Internet was supposed to make car shopping easier, Tommy McClung is explaining. Back in the 1990s, sites like Vehix.com, Cars.com, and Autotrader.com promised a future where you wouldn’t have to haggle with a salesman, and where you didn’t have to drive from dealer to dealer just to see who could offer the best price … Continue reading “CarWoo Promises Car Buyers Hassle-Free Quotes Online, Raises $4.2 Million”
Marvell Funds OLPC Tablet, Viewdle’s Face Recognition Advances, Aneesh Chopra Speaks, & More Bay Area BizTech News
Thanks to the long Columbus Day weekend (observed at Xconomy’s Massachusetts headquarters, if not by many Californians), last week seems like it was ages ago. But not so long ago that I couldn’t scrape up our main business and technology headlines. —I scored an interview with Aneesh Chopra, the chief technology officer of the United … Continue reading “Marvell Funds OLPC Tablet, Viewdle’s Face Recognition Advances, Aneesh Chopra Speaks, & More Bay Area BizTech News”
2010 Women’s Leadership Forum: The Successful You
This leadership conference targeted directly at women will highlight what it takes for women to succeed in top positions. Speakers come from the investing and entrepreneur sides of the tech industry, and also feature women in academia. Come for the networking, too. Registration is here.
140 Character Conference
Twitter does Detroit at this all-day event on the social media tool. Session topics will include tweeting Detroit, social media for the common good, and the real-time applications on news gathering, education, medicine and much more. Register online.
Prop. 24 Will Hurt California Businesses, Big and Small
Proposition 24, on the November ballot, is all about jobs. Prop. 24 will cost us as many as 322,000 jobs a year…next year, and for some years to come. Prop. 24 will cost us as much as $1.8 billion a year in revenues to the state…next year, and for some years to come. Those numbers … Continue reading “Prop. 24 Will Hurt California Businesses, Big and Small”
San Diego’s Mini-Cluster of Virtual Biotechs Without Labs on High Bluff Drive
One fascinating geographic pattern jumped out at me on my last visit to San Diego a couple weeks ago. More and more of my meetings with biotech leaders are occurring in places other than Torrey Pines Mesa, the regional heart of science and home to UC San Diego, The Scripps Research Institute, the Sanford-Burnham Medical … Continue reading “San Diego’s Mini-Cluster of Virtual Biotechs Without Labs on High Bluff Drive”
Isolating the Elusive Management Gene
They have done it. Finally. Biologists at the National University of Singapore have isolated the Management gene. Now DNA technology will forever change how we think about business—and who runs it. That same rigor that was used to sequence the genome can now tell us who is going to be a good/great manager from the … Continue reading “Isolating the Elusive Management Gene”
5 Biotech Storylines to Watch in Boston
It almost goes without saying that the Boston biotech scene is rapidly evolving—perhaps as fast as any industry we write about here at Xconomy. So the editors and I thought it would be useful to highlight five of the most important storylines that we have been and will continue to follow in New England. 1. … Continue reading “5 Biotech Storylines to Watch in Boston”
Biotech’s Back in Seattle: Xconomy Forum to Convene Leaders of Dendreon, Seattle Genetics
Seattle’s biotech industry has experienced what has to be considered a lost decade. Many of the region’s brightest stars of the 1990s—Immunex, Icos, Rosetta Inpharmatics, Corixa—ended up getting bought by companies in other places that ultimately axed hundreds of talented scientists and businesspeople. The jobs may not have all come back, but Seattle biotech has … Continue reading “Biotech’s Back in Seattle: Xconomy Forum to Convene Leaders of Dendreon, Seattle Genetics”
Test Driving the Future of General Motors: My Experience Behind the Wheel of the Chevy Volt
Ten years ago the electric car seemed to be the wave of the future. But in those days of peace and cheap gas, consumers weren’t really demanding the technology. Today that problem has been turned on its ear, as clean energy vehicles are popping up on the factory floor of most major car companies, each … Continue reading “Test Driving the Future of General Motors: My Experience Behind the Wheel of the Chevy Volt”
Impinj, Riding Wave of RFID Resurgence, Looks to Double Sales, Add 20 Employees
As a reporter, you can tell when the innovation economy tide is turning, when a particular sector is rebounding, or when certain companies have turned the corner. How? Because all of a sudden CEOs want to talk on the record, PR people are your best friends, and marketing and real estate guys chat you up … Continue reading “Impinj, Riding Wave of RFID Resurgence, Looks to Double Sales, Add 20 Employees”
Venture Trend Toward Smaller-Size Deals Continues as Survey Shows Big Q3 Funding Surge in Texas, Drop in Massachusetts
Our friends at CB Insights made an early break out of the gate again today with data on venture capital investments in private companies, this time reporting total VC funding of $5.4 billion in 715 deals nationwide for the third quarter that ended Sept. 30. The CB Insights Venture Capital Activity Report shows, though, that … Continue reading “Venture Trend Toward Smaller-Size Deals Continues as Survey Shows Big Q3 Funding Surge in Texas, Drop in Massachusetts”
ImmunoGen Inks $45M Deal With Novartis, Tata Leads $9.5M Sun Catalytix Deal, InfraReDx Gets $21M, & More Boston-Area Deals News
We saw a number of startup financings, acquisitions, and partnership deals in the healthcare IT, cleantech, life sciences, Web, and software spaces this week in New England. —Black Duck Software, a Waltham, MA-based open source software firm, announced that it had purchased Ohloh.net from Geeknet (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GKNT]]) for an undisclosed sum. Black Duck said it … Continue reading “ImmunoGen Inks $45M Deal With Novartis, Tata Leads $9.5M Sun Catalytix Deal, InfraReDx Gets $21M, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
Cerulean Pharmaceuticals Secures $1,499,999 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a090c0a2-9414-46d1-94bd-cabc35b19e4f&Preview=1 Date 10/13/2010 Company Name Cerulean Pharmaceuticals Mailing Address 840 Memorial Drive 5th Floor Cambridge, MA 02139 Company Description Within the field of nanopharmaceuticals, Cerulean Pharma is uniquely focused on a next-generation approach we call Nanobiology. Cerulean’s nanobiology-based drug development is based on a deep understanding of the complex biological microenvironment of … Continue reading “Cerulean Pharmaceuticals Secures $1,499,999 New Funding Round”
Daily D Obtains $5,000,000 Series A Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=66a697a7-e63c-4619-bc78-16db59ee9847&Preview=1 Date 10/13/2010 Company Name Daily D Mailing Address 2919 1/2 Main Street Santa Monica, CA 90403 Company Description The site picks the best local merchants to provide significant discounts. Website http://www.Dailyd.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $5,000,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms … Continue reading “Daily D Obtains $5,000,000 Series A Funding Round”
Xoft Secures $804,525 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f27b02ed-5b54-4e95-ad7d-256d14436ab7&Preview=1 Date 10/13/2010 Company Name Xoft Mailing Address 345 Potrero Avenue Sunnyvale, CA 94085 Company Description Xoft is an innovative technological leader revolutionizing the practice of radiation oncology through electronic brachytherapy with proprietary miniaturized x-ray tube technology. Xoft is dedicated to providing the most intelligent, efficacious, and cost-effective therapy for patients, health-care … Continue reading “Xoft Secures $804,525 New Funding”
Carwoo Lands $4,500,000 Series A Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=cfc699a5-7b2d-4a0d-a975-7872ab7560e5&Preview=1 Date 10/13/2010 Company Name Carwoo Mailing Address Undisclosed Burlingame, CA 94010 Company Description The company has created an online car buying service. Website http://www.carwoo.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $4,500,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms Venture Investor InterWest Partners Venture Investor Comcast … Continue reading “Carwoo Lands $4,500,000 Series A Financing Round”
xAD Obtains $4,000,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d1339fc6-cf6c-4618-b2c7-c33ad6fcc84e&Preview=1 Date 10/13/2010 Company Name xAD Mailing Address One Market St. – Spear Tower San Francisco, CA 94105 Company Description xAD publishers and advertisers benefit from the scale and reach of the LocalAdXchange platform. The LocalAdXchange manages billions of search and ad requests with the largest combined network of local and national … Continue reading “xAD Obtains $4,000,000 New Round”
IBM Acquires PSS Systems for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=da2375d5-09ce-413f-9175-52ec10b6604f&Preview=1 Date 10/13/2010 Company Name PSS Systems Mailing Address 2525 E Charleston Road Mountain View, CA 94043 Company Description The company is an early solution leader and a clear thought leader enterprise on retention and preservation strategies. Its unique suite of software includes specific modules for litigation communications and collections and enterprise … Continue reading “IBM Acquires PSS Systems for Undisclosed Sum”
Qualcomm Acquires iSkoot for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=5369515f-03ac-4390-b2ac-b4a498a75f2f&Preview=1 Date 10/13/2010 Company Name iSkoot Mailing Address Undisclosed San Francisco, CA 94123 Company Description The company develops mobile social networking and Skype communications software for mobile phones. Website http://www.iskoot.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Proceeds Purposes M&A Terms Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Broadcom Corporation Acquires Beceem Communications for $316,000,000
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a4bc19fe-a940-4533-9c21-eb5ff1fc1024&Preview=1 Date 10/13/2010 Company Name Beceem Communications Mailing Address 3960 Freedom Circle First Floor 1 Santa Clara, CA 95054 Company Description Beceem Communications Inc. was founded in October 2003 with the goal of building a wireless technology company offering semiconductor solutions for the wireless broadband market. Beceem is the leading supplier of … Continue reading “Broadcom Corporation Acquires Beceem Communications for $316,000,000”
Alkermes Gets Drug Approval
Waltham, MA-based biotech firm Alkermes (NASDAQ:[[ticker:ALKS]]) said today that the FDA has approved its extended-release formulation of naltrexone (Vivitrol) for preventing the relapse of opioid drug dependence. The firm’s drug, which is injected once per month, was initially approved for alcohol dependence in 2006. The company will discuss the new approval of the drug during … Continue reading “Alkermes Gets Drug Approval”
Synosia Raises $30M, Strikes Deal With UCB Worth Up to $725M for Parkinson’s Drugs
Synosia Therapeutics made some waves in biotech today with a couple of deals that reflect its progress in developing new therapies for Parkinson’s disease. The company, with offices in South San Francisco and Basel, Switzerland, said today it has formed a partnership with Belgium-based UCB that could generate as much as $725 million in milestone … Continue reading “Synosia Raises $30M, Strikes Deal With UCB Worth Up to $725M for Parkinson’s Drugs”
$20M for Care.com
Care.com, a Waltham, MA-based firm that operates a website for rating family care services such as babysitters, tutors, and senior care providers, said today it has brought in $20 million in funding. New Enterprise Associates led the financing, which included return backers Matrix Partners and Trinity Ventures. Founded in 2006, Care.com provides ratings on various … Continue reading “$20M for Care.com”
Halozyme Trims Workforce
Halozyme Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:HALO]]) said it plans to decrease research relating to the discovery and preclinical assessment of new compounds in a strategic refocusing that will require laying off about 30 workers, or 25 percent of the company’s workforce. Halozyme said it is focusing its resources on developing and commercializing three compounds already in clinical … Continue reading “Halozyme Trims Workforce”
Motricity Stock Soars On India Deal
Bellevue, WA-based mobile Internet service provider Motricity (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MOTR]]) has inked a big deal with one of India’s largest mobile operators, Reliance Communications, according to Brier Dudley of The Seattle Times. The news has caused the company’s stock to soar about 34 percent, closing today at $17.42. The recent deal is all part of Motricity’s … Continue reading “Motricity Stock Soars On India Deal”
“How I Got Funded” Panel Discussion by Startup Leadership Program & Dogpatch Labs
This event features a panel of entrepreneurs, each of whom have raised between $250,000 and $1 million. They’ll dish on what to look for in investors, what investors are looking for, and how to approach and pitch. Retroficiency, Assured Labor, Localytics, and SocialSci will be represented. Register here.
TechWorld 2010
Take a look at the New Hampshire seacoast’s innovation cluster, at this two-day conference. The event will showcase companies that design, develop, and deliver technology. It will offer separate tracks, split up between the technical, business, and education/employment standpoints, in order to more effectively target the different audience members. Register here.
NanoBio, U-M Nab $1.5M to Treat Combat Injuries
NanoBio, the Ann Arbor, MI-based company developing nanotech formulations of drugs and vaccines, said today it has been awarded a $1.5 million federal research grant along with the University of Michigan to study how to prevent burn wounds on the battlefield from getting dangerously infected. The grant, from the U.S. Department of Defense, will be … Continue reading “NanoBio, U-M Nab $1.5M to Treat Combat Injuries”
Sonus Gets New CEO
Network technology provider Sonus Networks (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SONS]]) of Westford, MA, announced today that it has brought on Raymond Dolan as president and CEO, effective immediately. The Westford, MA-based company revealed in May that its chief executive and director Richard Nottenburg planned to step down from his post by March 2011. Dolan has held positions at companies … Continue reading “Sonus Gets New CEO”
Halosource, Maker of Clean Water Technology, Raises $80M in London IPO
Halosource, the Bothell, WA-based maker of technology to purify drinking water in developing countries, has raised $80 million through an IPO on the London Stock Exchange. The company is taking in about $50 million in net proceeds, while certain shareholders sold their stakes to institutional investors for another $30 million, according to Halosource’s chief financial … Continue reading “Halosource, Maker of Clean Water Technology, Raises $80M in London IPO”