Ignition's latest bet; Picnik's new hire; Zumobi, DEMO and more |
Follow the ups and downs of a new Seattle startup in a series of behind-the-scenes posts by its founders.
Ignition Partners is leading a $10 million venture round in Zenprise, a Fremont, Calif. startup that automates and fixes problems on mobile devices. It sounds a bit like SnapIn Software, the Bellevue company which sold to Nuance for $180 million last summer. Ignition's Cameron Myhrvold has joined the board as part of the deal, which was oversubscribed and included cash from Bay Partners, Shasta Ventures and Mayfield.
Picnik is announcing today that Lisa Conquergood has joined as chief marketing officer. Conquergood has worked at Eddie Bauer and Expedia, most recently assisting in the launch of online fashion site Bevy. Picnik continues to grow, attracting about 8 million unique visitors per month. It is also cash flow positive.
After renegotiating its partnership with Celladon Corp. and outsourcing some of its future manufacturing needs, struggling Seattle biotech company Targeted Genetics now says it has enough cash on the books to last through June.
Bellevue's Pharmacy OneSource, which provides online tools to more than 1,300 healthcare organizations, has promoted Tim Gibbons to the position of CEO. He joined the company as president and CEO in 2005 after working at Healthprolink.
Google vice president Marissa Mayer is the subject of a profile in The New York Times in which friends speculate that the 33-year-old exec may leave the company. We also learn about her $5 million San Francisco penthouse, decorate with glass work from Seattle's Dale Chihuly.
Seattle's Cell Therapeutics, which continues to undergo a restructuring, said it will close a research facility in Bresso, Italy and lay off 62 workers there in an effort to save $14 million a year in operating costs.
Picnik and Trusera have been nominated for Web awards at the SXSW festival later this month in Texas. Trusera is an online health network fonded by former Amazon.com employee Keith Schorsch, while Picnik is the popular photo editing company led by Jonathan Sposato.
Speaking of conferences, two Pacific Northwest companies are among those presenting at the DEMO conference in Palm Springs this week. They are Portland-based Ontier and Seattle-based Evri.
Former Sonus Pharmaceuticals CEO Michael Martino has been named the CEO of University of Washington spin out Arzeda, a company that has received funding commitments from OVP Venture Partners and WRF Capital, reports Xconomy. Representatives from OVP and WRF declined to comment on the company, which is reportedly raising up to $12 million.
Bellevue's Knowledge Anywhere said this morning that it has acquired Warehouse Intellect, a Minneapolis-based provider of online training and e-learning tools to companies such as Xcel Energy and Denny's. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Knowledge Anywhere said the business will "add to its bottom line shortly" after the close of the deal.
Seattle's Principle Power wants to raise $20 million for its offshore wind power facilities in Oregon, reports Xconomy.
Zumobi, a custom developer of iPhone apps, said it has created a free app called Pro Basketball that allows users to track the performance of their favorite NBA teams as well as obtain stats, scores, player profiles and post-game recaps.
John Cook is co-founder and executive editor of TechFlash. He has been covering the technology beat for nearly a decade, writing about startups, entrepreneurs and venture capital, most recently serving as a reporter/blogger at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
READ FULL BIOGRAPHYSeattle Repertory Theatre presents Glengarry Glen Ross Feb 5th to Feb 28th
One of the largest and most renowned regional theatres in the country, Seattle Repertory Theatre produces a mix of celebrated classics, recent Broadway hits and cutting-edge new works in two theatre spaces. Now playing David Mamet's American classic Glengarry Glen Ross through February 28. Join us for Sales Rep Industry night February 11 with the Puget Sound Business Journal. For details click here.
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WTIA 15th Annual Industry Achievement Awards
Held on March 4th at the Showbox SODO, this casual event celebrates and recognizes some of the best emerging and established companies in the Washington Tech Industry. The evening will feature a finalist company technology showcase and a variety of coffee, chocolate, and wine samples from local companies. More than 800 attendees are expected to be present at the celebration. Public online voting for Technology Leader of Tomorrow Scholarships will open February 3rd on the WTIA site.
We congratulate the 2010 finalists and look forward to unveiling the winners on March 4th. REGISTER NOW!