Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Estately: Kumo's launch; UptakeMedical; HealthUnity; etc.

UptakeMedical, a Seattle company developing a medical device for the treatment of emphysema, has raised $3 million in equity financing, according to a filing with the SEC.

WRF Capital is among the investors in Pathway Medical's previously reported venture round, with the Seattle investment firm contributing $1.5 million of the $42.5 million deal. The news comes a few days after Pathway, a Kirkland company developing medical devices to treat arterial disease, laid off 39 workers.

Estately co-founder Galen Ward tells Inman News that he's pessimistic about the real estate market but notes that the Seattle startup will continue to expand into new markets. Ward also addressed startup challenges in the Q&A. "Running a business is a million little challenges, but our big-picture challenge is where to aim our limited resources to best help us grow Estately," Ward tells Inman.

Look for Microsoft's Steve Ballmer to launch the company's new search engine, code-named Kumo, at the D: All Things Digital Conference next week in Carlsbad, Calif.

A Nokia executive says the company is still investing in its Ovi Share online photo and video sharing service, despite plans to close its Kirkland office which developed the technology, PC World reports. Nokia established a presence in Kirkland after buying startup Twango in 2007, but recently announced it is shutting down the office. Twango co-founder Serena Glover, who ran Nokia's local operation but later left the company, declined to comment on the fate of the Kirkland office.

FinAnalytica, a risk management software company founded by University of Washington statistics professor R. Douglas Martin, has raised $2 million in new funding from New Europe Venture Equity and other investors. The company, which was originally based in Seattle, now operates out of offices in New York, London and Sofia, Bulgaria. Martin is no longer involved in running the company, but is still a shareholder, said current CEO David Merrill. 

Microsoft and HP are renewing a patent cross-license agreement. The companies didn't specify the patents but said they cover a "broad range of products" and said the agreement "provides each company greater access to the other’s patent portfolio."

HealthUnity, a Bellevue startup that helps health care providers connect their IT systems, has raised $2 million in new funding, according to a new regulatory filing. The company is led by Prem Urali, a former group manager in the BizTalk Server division of Microsoft. A Health Unity spokesman declined to comment.

The Washington Technology Center has awarded a $5,000 grant to the University of Washington to support an advanced material research collaboration with Modumetal of Seattle. The project is looking at how to combine anti-corrosion materials with metal.


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