TechFlash: Seattle's Technology News

The ZINO Society announced its list of companies eligible for a five-minute presentation at the ZINO Zillionaire Investment Forum on Sept. 13 at the Museum of History and Industry. More information on the forum is here.

Daily deals have had a big impact on online shopping. Industry leader Groupon has raised nearly $1 billion and has high-powered backers such as Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz. Groupon has said it hopes to raise another $750 million by going public.

Amazon launched AmazonLocal in June, as the Seattle ecommerce site seeks to keep up with competitors including Google. Amazon also has backed daily deals startup LivingSocial.

But apparently daily deals are not for everyone. Social media giant Facebook has decided to end its daily deal offerings -- at least for the time being -- and Yelp has followed suit.

Portfolio.com wonders if Facebook decided to get out of daily deals because it did not want to go up against Groupon, which is an important source of advertising for Facebook.

Urbanspoon will start using reviews and ratings from Zagat on the Seattle online restaurant guide’s website.

With a content partnership, Urbanspoon, known for its slot-machine style apps, will get more than 25,000 reviews and diner comments from one of the most recognized names in the restaurant rating game.

Zagat, in return, will get exposure on a popular online restaurant site run by a company that has an app that has been “shaken” a billion times to help diners find a restaurant.

A Kirkland startup working on technology to prevent credit card fraud in restaurants and bars has raised $1 million in equity funds from angel investors.

Viableware designs hardware and software products to eliminate credit and debit card information theft with its product called Rail, which lets restaurant customers self-swipe credit or debit cards at the table, protecting their accounts from theft.

Viableware reported raising $1 million in equity money, according to a filing with the SEC. The funds are from angel investors, said co-founder and CEO Joseph Snell.

Retailers can no longer rely on the flashing neon sign or the “clown on the corner” to draw in customers who are walking past the storefronts with their heads down looking at their mobile devices.

That’s the message from Borrell Associates, which says it is seeing a dramatic shift in how small and mid-size businesses are embracing mobile advertising and mobile promotions.

Mobile advertising is fast becoming the go-to choice for local businesses across the U.S., thanks to the fast spreading of social media, smartphones and daily deals and coupons, according to a new report (subscription required) by Borrell Associates.

Rand Fishkin, CEO of SEOmoz.

Rand Fishkin, the co-founder and CEO of SEOmoz, has got to be one of the most transparent entrepreneurs out there. Following a failed attempt to raise $24 million in venture capital funding for the growing (and profitable) company, Fishkin wrote a lengthy blog post detailing the experience.

Now that the ordeal is over -- and the company has been released from its non-disclosure agreement -- Fishkin said he's writing in the hope that "by sharing, others can learn from our experience and possibly avoid some of the mistakes, pitfalls and pain we faced."

Andrew Trader

Zynga co-founder Andrew Trader has been named a partner at Howard Schultz's venture capital firm Maveron.

Trader has been an entrepreneur in residence at the firm since 2010, working in the area of consumer Internet services. He'll continue to work in with consumer brands in his role as venture partner, based out of the firm's San Francisco offices.

Keith Smith

Gamification is the buzzword lately, and most companies have developed platforms based off the trend. But Seattle's BigDoor uses a customer's existing service and enhances it with game-like features.

Founded in 2009 by Keith Smith and Jeff Malek, BigDoor has worked with clients such as MLB.com, DevHub and BuddyTV. For example, with MLB, BigDoor has added gamification elements to the site's video viewing sections, so users can collect "badges" like baseball cards. Smith said this keeps users more involved and engaged with the site, and in turn, increases revenues.

How much have you raised? We've raised $5.7 million. We had a Series A round two years ago, and our Series B round was from Foundry Group and about $5 million. We'll be looking for a Series C round, but haven't determined when yet.

The internet has made it easier to find old friends and also has given millions of people a platform to express themselves.

But social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook also are causing scarey problems for some people who have been harassed and cyberstalked.

Seattle startup Centri Technology has raised $1.5 million in an equity round, according to a filing with the SEC.

The company, launched in 2008, offers wireless network optimization technology for operators, large businesses and gaming industry companies.

T-Mobile is launching a business-to-business solutions suite called Good for Enterprise designed to help corporations with security and cost management. The suite will include features like cloud-based cost analysis, secure mobile data access and mobile messaging. More information is here.

WildTangent has signed a deal with Double Down Interactive to distribute DoubleDown Casino. Users of the Facebook game can win virtual currency through WildTangent’s WildCoins program, and can spend the winnings on games and upgrades.

Shares in Zillow Inc. soared in trading Thursday, up 20 percent, a day after the Seattle online real estate company announced its first quarterly profit and record quarterly revenues of $15.8 million.

In Thursday trading, shares in Zillow (NASDAQ: Z) had risen $4.99 to $31.25 a share. Zillow went public last month and its shares soared past $35 soon afterward.

RPI, a digital image printing company based in Tukwila, has acquired Paro Group, a personalized consumer-products company based in Eindhoven, Netherlands.

RPI has developed technologies for the creation of personalized business cards, calendars and photo books. The acquisition of Para Group from JP Media Group “brings a strong history in innovative manufacturing and process automation to RPI,” according to an announcement of the deal Thursday morning.

Terms of the deal were not released.

AmazonLocal, a daily deals service that competes with Groupon and Google, is now available in New York City.

Amazon.com announced customers in Manhattan and Brooklyn will get deals including half-priced tickets to Cirque du Soleil’s newest show, Zarkana, as well as savings on cupcakes, yoga classes and groceries from local retailers.

In June, Amazon launched AmazonLocal in Boise, Idaho.

Jive software, a former Portland-based startup that recently acquired Seattle startup OffiSync, has filed to go public.

Jive Software had revenues of $34 million for the first six months of 2011, and revenues of $46.3 million for 2010. The company has lost 74.3 million since 2008, according to its SEC filing.

The company has 635 employees and customers of its Jive Engage Platform include Hewlett-Packard Company, SAP AG, T-Mobile and UBS AG.

Jive Software’s IPO is drawing some skepticism given the fact that its revenue is well below the $100 million threshold considered necessary to launch a successful public offering.

But at The New York Times notes, there have been exceptions: