It wasn’t so much the predictions as the discussion that was most interesting at last night’s annual predictions dinner, organized by the Washington Technology Industry Association. Will Twitter be acquired in 2010, and why? Who will have the dominant cloud computing platform in the next couple of years? What kind of startup are you looking to build or finance, and which areas are you staying away from?

A panel of Seattle-area tech entrepreneurs and investors gamely took the bait and had some lively exchanges over the course of an hour. OK, these guys all know each other, and we’ll take what they say with a grain of salt since it’s a public forum—but here were some of the most interesting points they made. (You can read more comprehensive recaps of the panel on Brier Dudley’s blog at the Seattle Times, and soon on TechFlash by moderator John Cook.)

The panel was split 3 to 2, with the narrow majority guessing Twitter will get bought next year. Andy Sack of seed-stage fund Founder’s Co-op predicted Twitter will make more money than Facebook in 2010 (surprising, given the current disparity in the other direction). Glenn Kelman, the CEO of Redfin, an online real estate firm, said Twitter should charge for search (as it has begun to do in partnerships with Google and Bing). Kelly Smith from Curious Office and the startup Pressplane argued that Twitter could be “absorbed by a big company,” but “it’s going to go nowhere.” By the end of the evening, Sack was predicting that Microsoft would buy Twitter next year.

There was a consensus that 2010 could be a big year for acquisitions. Bill Bryant of Draper Fisher Jurvetson boldly predicted that Amazon will buy Netflix, Blockbuster, and Hulu, while opening brick and mortar “Amazon media stores.” Greg Gottesman from Madrona Venture Group said Cisco might buy EMC (for VMware) and Seattle-based F5 Networks, while Microsoft might buy Research In Motion, the maker of the BlackBerry smartphone. Sack predicted Adobe would pick up Seattle photo-editing startup Picnik. Rupert Murdoch (News Corp.) would buy Seattle’s Cheezburger Network, and someone would buy Redfin.

Looking back on 2009 for a minute, the big deals that were questioned by the panel included Adobe’s acquisition of Omniture (Gottesman said it just didn’t make sense strategically) and …Next Page »

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My head is exploding trying to keep up with all the tech-business events going on around Seattle these days. Here’s a quick guide to the most prominent ones on my brain, in the hopes of saving you some stress (and keeping you up to date):

—Last night’s “Women in Tech” event from TechFlash was a smash hit, with a first-rate panel and networking. You can check out recaps of the event here and here. Yes, the crowd was predominantly women. I’m surprised more tech guys weren’t there to soak up the diverse perspectives and add their own input (or to get a date).

—Tonight’s panel on “the changing face of venture capital” at the University of Washington (computer science and engineering) should provide some spirited discussion of the unique challenges that investors and entrepreneurs are facing in the current climate. It’s an all-star lineup of local VCs: Mark Ashida from OVP, Greg Gottesman from Madrona, Ron Howell from WRF Capital, Bill McAleer from Voyager, and Cam Myhrvold from Ignition.

—Also tonight is the Clean Tech Open’s Pacific Northwest Regional Awards gala at the ACT Theater in downtown Seattle. Gov. Chris Gregoire is giving the keynote address, and will be followed by the announcement of three Northwest finalist winners (cleantech companies) who will then move on to a Western regional competition.

—Next week brings NWEN’s “Entrepreneur University” on Nov. 5 at the Bellevue Hyatt. It’s an all-day extravaganza about starting, growing, and managing your own company. Don’t miss the talks by Jennifer Mintz Clark, Andy Sack, and the Bacon Salt guys, or the “Entrepreneur Idol” pitch competition. (I’ll be there as one of the judges.)

—That same afternoon, on Nov. 5, Microsoft chief research and strategy officer Craig Mundie is speaking at UW, as part of the computer science and engineering department’s Distinguished Lecturer Series. Mundie will talk about how software and information technology can help solve our most pressing global challenges and reshape scientific exploration. (I’ll need to go quantum so I can be in two places at once that day.)

—On Nov. 6, the Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association (WBBA) is holding its annual meeting at the Sheraton Hotel downtown. Elias Zerhouni, the former director of the National Institutes of Health, is giving the keynote.

—A bit further out, Nov. 18 is the night of the Washington Technology Industry Association’s annual “predictions” dinner event at the Grand Hyatt in Seattle. John Cook of TechFlash will put some of the usual VC/entrepreneur suspects on the spot about their thoughts on 2010. On a separate note, WTIA recently announced that applications are now open for its 2010 Industry Achievement Awards, which will take place on March 4.

—Last but not least, Xconomy is organizing an evening on “The Future of Search and Information Discovery” (and Seattle’s role in shaping it) on Nov. 30, at the University of Washington (Walker-Ames Room in Kane Hall). We’ll get Google and Microsoft to share the stage, and surround them with some compelling VCs and startups, to talk about the technical problems and business opportunities in Web search, real-time information discovery, social media, and user interfaces.

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Tech manufacturing exports from Washington state grew for the sixth straight year in 2008, up to $3.5 billion (15th out of 50 states), according to a TechAmerica Foundation report highlighted today by the Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA). Washington ranked fifth nationwide in consumer electronics exports, which totaled $320 million. The top three tech export destinations for the state were Canada, Taiwan, and the Netherlands. The report did not include software exports.

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The Northwest deal flow in the past week tended toward small partnerships and acquisitions. But there was still some significant activity in software, Internet, and entertainment.

—As ghostbuster Bill Murray once said, “Dogs and cats living together…mass hysteria!” Seattle-based Pet Holdings, operators of I Can Has Cheezburger (Lolcats) and other humor websites, formed an advertising partnership with San Francisco-based social network Dogster. Dogster will sell ads for the Cheezburger network in exchange for the greater traffic on Pet Holdings’ popular sites (which will hit 1 billion page views this week). Details of the revenue split were not given.

—The Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA) joined forces with advocacy organization TechAmerica in Washington state, thereby broadening its membership to include more companies in hardware, electronics, and devices. WTIA has now become TechAmerica’s exclusive management and marketing partner in the state.

—Seattle-based Appature is getting close to securing its first round of venture funding. No deal has closed yet, but the bootstrapped and profitable healthcare marketing startup has generated a lot of interest in the VC community. Appature was founded in early 2007 and develops software that helps companies in healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices understand their customers better and do more effective marketing.

—Kirkland, WA-based Digeo, the home entertainment company backed by Paul Allen, was bought by Arris, a Georgia-based broadband communications firm, for $20 million in cash. Arris will acquire Digeo’s high-definition digital video recorder, called Moxi, along with about 75 Digeo employees and their expertise in video networking and multimedia services. About 10 Digeo staff members will lose their jobs in the transition, however.

—Seattle-based Maveron and Boston-based Spark Capital co-led an $8 million Series A investment in Altius Education, a San Francisco company deveoping online higher education programs through partnerships with nonprofit universities. The Noah Fund also participated in the funding. Maveron was founded in 1998 by Howard Schultz and Dan Levitan, and focuses on investments in consumer and tech companies.

—Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) acquired the technology assets of Interactive Supercomputing (ISC), a parallel computing software firm in Waltham, MA, as Ryan reported. Financial terms of the deal weren’t given. ISC’s chief executive, Bill Blake, and the firm’s technical experts are moving into Microsoft’s New England Research & Development Center in Cambridge, MA.

—This was not a new deal, but I took a closer look at Bellevue, WA-based Ignition Partners’ investments in cloud computing and virtualization. The VC firm’s biggest win to date is XenSource, the Palo Alto, CA-based virtualization company that was bought by Citrix (NASDAQ: CTXS) for $500 million in 2007. Three other Ignition investments in the space—Skytap, InstallFree, and Xeround—are still in pretty early days, but are off to promising starts.

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The Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA) announced today it is joining forces with TechAmerica, the advocacy organization, to become a unified tech entity in Washington state.

The move broadens WTIA’s membership to include more companies in hardware, electronics, and devices, which complements the trade association’s strengths in software, digital media, and telecom, says Ken Myer, WTIA’s president and chief executive. WTIA is now TechAmerica’s exclusive management and marketing partner in the state.

Under the terms of the partnership, WTIA will support TechAmerica members and programs locally and market joint membership in TechAmerica and WTIA to tech companies across the state. WTIA will also deliver TechAmerica’s business programs and policy (together with WTIA’s usual offerings). In turn, TechAmerica is transferring its Washington state council programs and staff to the WTIA. Current TechAmerica members based in Washington state (about 100) will automatically become members of WTIA.

There have been various name changes involved in these longstanding organizations. TechAmerica was previously called the American Electronics Association, which was founded in 1956. As the organization enrolled more software companies, it became the AeA, while WTIA was previously named Washington Software Association and was founded in 1984.

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The role of information technology in healthcare reform is such a huge, sprawling topic that it’s hard to make any real progress in just an hour or two of discussions. Yet that’s just what transpired at a stellar event last night called “Healthcare-IT—Innovations That Will Transform Healthcare Now and in the Future.” It all took place at the Herban Feast in Sodo Park, South Seattle, and it was organized by the Washington Technology Industry Association.

Over some fancy appetizers, a distinguished panel of technologists, executives, and entrepreneurs debated everything from the technical and cultural issues of privacy and security in electronic medical records to who’s going to get a piece of the $19 billion in federal stimulus funding for digital healthcare; everything from whether consumers really want e-health enough to drive regulatory changes to—and this was particularly interesting to Xconomy—what the real opportunities are for startups in the space. The panel showcased some of the first-rate expertise we have here in the Seattle and Portland regions.

Moderator Joel French, the founder and managing director of Nephalios Group, a management consultancy, kicked things off by saying the whole healthcare debate boils down to four things: a cost problem, quality variability, access and coverage, and wellness. In each of these issues, IT plays an important role. “You can’t really share information if it’s not digital,” French said.

With that, it was open season on the panelists:

—Henry Albrecht, CEO of Bellevue, WA-based Limeade, an online health and productivity startup making software-as-a-service for employers (we reported Limeade raised money in July).

—Carla Corkern, CEO and chairman of Bellevue, WA-based Talyst, a company that makes software and systems to help pharmacies manage medications in hospitals and long-term care facilities (we reported on Talyst’s broader strategy and funding in June).

—Luis Machuca, CEO of Hillsboro, OR-based Kryptiq, a maker of collaborative software that lets healthcare providers share information with patients, labs, and physicians (we’ve reported on some of Kryptiq’s deals and customers, including NASA).

—Mohan Nair, executive vice president and chief marketing executive of Oregon-based Regence, the largest health insurer in the Northwest (he has a background in tech entrepreneurship).

—Michael Raymer, global market strategist and general manager for Microsoft’s Health Solutions Group (we’re reported on HealthVault, the company’s Web platform for medical records).

For the next hour, some tough questions flew out from the audience, and among the panelists. Here are my takeaways from the discussion:

1. “The magic pill is data liquidity.” That was from Luis Machuca, who argued that patients need to be able to own and access their own digital health information and use it to get better healthcare. “Universal health will fail, everything will fail, if we don’t have data liquidity and digitization,” Machuca said.

2. An open market, human behavior, and connectivity are important too. Nair argued that the present closed marketplace for healthcare services encourages entitlement instead of earned rewards. Albrecht noted that we should pay more attention to behavior, and less to technology. Raymer added, “Data liquidity needs to be coupled with tools to empower people to make changes, and connect people together.”

3. If you want better healthcare, go to jail. “We see the best compliance for …Next Page »

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The rock and roll moment of the night came when James Dixon broke a bass string during the first song from his hard-driving metal band Juda’s Wake. Let me tell you, it’s not that easy to break a bass string unless you really shred it. It’s also not easy to describe Juda’s Wake beyond killer metal chops, extreme volume, and tremendous hair (from a Microsoft band no less). “We’re here to piss some people off,” Dixon said, to the crowd’s delight.

Five bands competed in the Xconomy Battle of the Tech Bands, hosted at the Washington Technology Industry Association’s annual summer celebration at the Pyramid Alehouse in Seattle. Five bands left as winners in my book. From the first act, the quirky and inimitable Afraid of Figs (representing MorphoTrak and Robert Half Technology), to the closers, the powerful alt-rockers Between These Lines (representing Hewlett-Packard), these performers left it all out on the stage. Check out the comprehensive review of the show from Gene Stout, the former Seattle P-I pop music critic, in TechFlash.

In the end, we gave out two official prizes. Melodic and laid-back rockers Indigo Soul (see photo below), led by Mark Protus of Caiman Consulting (the band also represented Microsoft), took home the Audience Favorite prize—a year of promotional services from Nimbit, a renowned Boston-area firm.

And the Most Innovative Band award, decided by our panel of judges, went to hip-hop rockers Lions Ambition (representing Boeing), for their inspired rhythms and stratospheric vocals—they received free studio time from The Hive Recording Studio in SeaTac.

But I would go see any of these bands again in a heartbeat. And in fact, three of them are playing shows in the area tonight. Afraid of Figs is at the Mix in Georgetown; Lions Ambition is at El Corazon in Seattle; and Between These Lines is at the Manette Saloon in Bremerton.

Great thanks to WTIA for co-organizing the event with us. And thanks to headliner sponsor Lionfish Creative, live-voting sponsor SinglePoint, drink-ticket sponsor Nyhus Communications, and supporting sponsors CCS Printing and ServerLogic, as well as all our raffle prize donors (proceeds went to Technology Access Foundation and Jack Straw Productions). Finally, the show would not have gone on without the hard work of CarToys, Stageworks Productions, and Pyramid to handle the logistics.

We had a great time, and hope you all did too. Drop us a line if you have any feedback on the event. See you next year!

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We’re all still running around covering the fine art of innovation this afternoon, but soon we’ll be heading over to the Pyramid Alehouse next to Safeco Field (see map here), where the stage is being put together for tonight’s big event, as we speak.

Xconomy and the Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA) are partners on this Battle of the Tech Bands in Seattle, which is happening at WTIA’s annual summer celebration. We’re expecting a fantastic crowd, and a rocking competition. Doors open at 5 pm, and the bands kick off at 6 pm (five groups, five different styles), with temperatures expected to be in the upper 80s. So dress accordingly, channel your inner rock geek, and don’t worry—there’ll be plenty of beer to cool you off as the night progresses.

Thanks to The Seattle Times, TechFlash, and nPost for the great event coverage. And former P-I pop music critic Gene Stout will be in the house—enough said. See you there!

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After a scorching week of 90-degree temperatures, what could be better than kicking back with a nice cold one, catching up with friends and colleagues—and seeing five of Seattle’s top rock bands with tech affiliations duke it out for prizes and the adulation of the crowd?

It’s all happening this Thursday evening at Xconomy’s Battle of the Tech Bands, at WTIA’s summer celebration down at the Pyramid Alehouse in Seattle. The Battle will take place from 6-9 pm. Get your tickets online here, by Tuesday 5 pm, as they are going fast…

The bands (listen to their songs here) will be competing for two prizes—Audience Favorite (voted on by the crowd via SMS), which wins one year of band promotional services from Nimbit, and Most Innovative Band (voted on by our judges), which wins free studio time from The Hive Recording Studio. Both winners will also receive free press releases to promote their shows, tours, and albums with traditional and online media outlets, courtesy of Marketwire.

We’ll also be giving out raffle prizes throughout the evening, including a Seattle harbor cruise for four from Argosy Cruises, museum passes and a gift certificate from the Experience Music Project, Guitar Hero III courtesy of Guitar Center, and Seattle Mariners gift packs (see the event site for a complete list). All raffle ticket proceeds are going to our charitable partners, Technology Access Foundation and Jack Straw Productions. Thanks to all for their generous donations.

And last, but not least, check out Paul Allen and Bill Gates in cartoon-land, as they prepare to compete in the Battle. I’m actually starting to believe they might be there, although I don’t know about the costume (that puts it over the top). It’s the latest installment of Protingent Man by David J. Locher, courtesy of Donn Harvey at Protingent Staffing:

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It’s all about the party. It’s all about the networking. No. For today, at least, it’s all about the rock.

Seattle’s first-ever Battle of the Tech Bands is happening one week from tonight, on July 30, at the Pyramid Alehouse. The music starts at 6 pm. Xconomy is teaming up with WTIA to bring this showcase of bands to our fair city, and it’s going to be one heck of a blast. Tickets are going fast, so be sure to get yours in advance here.

I even know what the prizes are going to be—for the winners of Audience Favorite and Most Innovative Band—but I’m not telling yet. All in good time. For now, I want all your attention on the bands. Why? Because they’re incredibly good, that’s why.

For your listening pleasure, I’ve included one track from each band below, as well as a brief bio from their websites. Enjoy!

Afraid of Figs is a band of talented musicians from previous bands. They share a serious work ethic, off the wall sense of humor, and love of performing. Influences include: Barenaked Ladies, Presidents of the USA, Cake, Ben Folds, and others.

Here’s their incomparable track, “I Ate A Vegan”:

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Between These Lines started rocking in late 2005 as a trio jamming on some of the most popular pop-punk rock songs of recent. In September 2008, Between These Lines began recording their debut EP, Familiar Places, with Producer Brandon Bee in Tacoma, Washington. This highly regarded album has been compared to artists such as Paramore, Acceptance, Jimmy Eat World, and Taking Back Sunday.

The rich and swirling “Confess To Impress”:

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Indigo Soul is the alter-ego of Seattle-based singer/songwriter Mark Protus. Music critics describe the Indigo Soul sound as “very melodic song-based rock that’s in no way enslaved to any current trends.” The band combines smart and thoughtful lyrics with “fresh sounds and catchy and soulful classic-rock styles.”

The haunting harmonies and melodic lines of “Waiting For You”:

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Juda’s Wake is a modern Seattle-based metal power trio. They pull together a penetrating mix of intricate guitar, heavy rhythmic hooks, and edged vocal melodies resulting in a convincing, hard hitting, and articulate noise. Juda’s Wake draws influence from such bands as Tool, Disturbed, Marilyn Manson, Rush, Mudvayne, and Static-X, but has brewed a new take on the aggressive sound.

The awesome head-banging thrashiness of “Loggerhead”:

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Lions Ambition is a hip-hop/rock band based out of Seattle, WA. The band mixes together live instrumentation, soulful vocals, and conscious lyrics to blend together a truly unique sound. The band has played in parts of Canada, California, and Seattle at different venues, festivals, and college events.

The soulful and articulate goodness of “Dreams (Don’t Let Go)”:

That’s it for now. Get your tickets, and see you on the 30th!

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Casual games are a serious business.

Seattle-based PopCap Games’ Bejeweled and Big Fish Games’ Mystery Case Files were cheap to develop compared to most modern computer and console games, and the cost to buy them is similarly low, but games like these are played by millions of people around the world. Between the recession and the ever-rising development costs for new games, the so-called “casual” video game seems ripe for an extension of its already massive success. For developers, entrepreneurs, business strategists, and others, the place to network, show off products, and learn new techniques is in Seattle this week.

Casual Connect Seattle, a three-day conference combining seminar, lectures, and networking opportunities started today, filling Benaroya Hall in downtown Seattle with a strange mixture of video game exhibitions and business meetings. While men in suits discussed adjusting costs to hang onto consumers, a woman dressed like a medieval princess took pictures with men wearing a crown to promote King.com, a games website. “This is a really important conference for your industry,” Washington Technology Industry Association president Ken Myer told a crowded auditorium this morning in his welcoming remarks. More than 2,000 people are expected to attend the event from companies all over the world.

Casual Connect occurs three times a year—in Seattle, in Kyiv, Ukraine, and a rotating European location (this year Hamburg, Germany). Seattle is home to a large cluster of video game developers of all stripes, including divisions at Microsoft and RealGames devoted to casual games. “We’re very proud of our gaming industry here in Washington,” Myer said.

Xconomy wrote about the recognition of casual games as increasing sources of revenue at last year’s conference, and the surprising resilience of casual game profit margins despite the recession. Understanding that, the keynote talk given today by Big Fish Games president and CEO Jeremy Lewis focused on what he called “building value”—growing a casual game company into the best shape possible. Lewis talked about his own personal journey to his current position, using various artistic pictures as analogous illustrations. It’s easier said than done to grow value, he admitted, but he offered some lessons he had learned such as putting aside ego, making culture a priority, and looking for ways to expand the audience. For Big Fish, the audience “is what we call the chief household officer,” Lewis said.

What really drew the attention of the crowd, though, were the announcements Lewis made for the first time. He showed a brief preview of a new game called “Drawn: the Painted Tower,” and said it is the first “cinematic game”—a more graphically intensive story-based kind of game that Big Fish will be focusing on more. He also announced an exclusive deal with People.com to put games on their site, which, with 32.6 million unique visitors a month, should build value for Big Fish quite well. And 88 percent of those visitors are female. “That’s a lot of chief household officers,” Lewis remarked.

Tom Prata, senior director of project development at Redmond, WA-based Nintendo of America was the other main speaker this morning. He expanded somewhat on what Lewis said, focusing on what exactly creates avid gamers and retains them. The main area of development has expanded beyond just the linear improvement of graphics because of a combination of cost and complexity, he said. Ten years ago, “the cost of developing titles was increasing at an alarming rate,” Prata said, and games were becoming so complicated that many potential customers were dissuaded from buying them. Today, however, with the rise of casual games, the video game market has expanded enormously, with around 30 million new players in the last two and a half years. “There have never been more opportunities for game developers than right now,” Prata said.

Judging from the eager energy and purpose-filled stride of people in Benaroya, Prata is not alone in his belief. Dozens of companies have booths to talk about their latest products, and there are certain to be a number of deals between different companies and organizations in the works before the end of Thursday. And office workers everywhere can look forward to a new crop of games to absorb them. “Everyone enjoys video games,” Prata said.

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With just under two weeks to go until Seattle’s first-ever Battle of the Tech Bands, I thought I’d give you a quick preview of the event. It’s all taking place on July 30 at the WTIA Summer Celebration, at the Pyramid Alehouse (registration and ticket info here). The music will start at 6pm, and we’ll stick to a pretty tight schedule.

Five bands will compete for two prizes—Audience Favorite (voted on by you, the attendees) and Most Innovative Band (voted on by the event judges). Each of the five finalists will get a 15-minute set. I’ll follow up next week with a more extensive preview of the bands, but for now you can check out their music on their respective sites:

Afraid of Figs
(representing MorphoTrak and Robert Half Technology)

Between These Lines
(representing Hewlett-Packard)

Indigo Soul
(representing Microsoft and Adobe)

Juda’s Wake
(representing Microsoft)

Lions Ambition
(representing Boeing)

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And last, but not least, we have an honorary sixth entrant that will be there in spirit—that is, unless Paul Allen and Bill Gates decide to drop in for an unannounced set (one can always hope…stranger things have happened. OK, maybe not). It’s the Protingent Man comic, the latest installment of which appears below, courtesy of David J. Locher and Donn Harvey of Protingent Staffing:
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And then there were five. Here at Xconomy, we have made our selections for the five finalists who will compete at our inaugural Battle of the Tech Bands in Seattle, to be held on the evening of Thursday, July 30 at the WTIA Summer Celebration at the Pyramid Alehouse. We are looking forward to putting on a spectacular show. (Registration info is here.)

It’s been a long road. We put out the call for bands more than two months ago. We got a couple dozen competitive entrants (thanks to all the bands who applied). We listened to demos, sorted through band bios and websites, consulted our esteemed judges, and listened some more. After a few days of intensive discussions, we arrived at our top picks.

Five finalists, and five words: They are going to rock.

Their mix of musical styles, personalities, and companies represented (each band has at least one member from a Northwest technology firm) is pretty awesome. Most of all, each of them has a legitimate chance to win. In music, as in business, it all comes down to execution, right?

Two awards will be given at the event on July 30. One will be for Audience Favorite, based on voting by all of you, the attendees. The other will be for Most Innovative Band, which will be decided by a select panel of judges, together with Xconomy and WTIA staff.

So here they are—the five bands—along with the tech companies their members represent, my personal impressions of them, and why each has a real shot at winning. Please check out their stuff, come out and support the local tech-music scene, and cast your vote on July 30. We’ll see you there.

Drumroll, please…

Afraid of Figs
(MorphoTrak, Robert Half Technology)
Light, infectious pop rock reminiscent of Barenaked Ladies and Cake.
Why they could win: With a song called “I Ate a Vegan,” anything is possible.

Between These Lines
(Hewlett-Packard)
Contemporary alt-rock quintet with a polished, radio-ready sound.
Why they could win: With expertly crafted songs and strong stage presence, they might be hard to top.

Indigo Soul
(Microsoft, Adobe)
The melodic intersection of classic rock, 80s pop, soulful lyrics, and rocking rhythms.
Why they could win: Their music might be just perfect for a warm, mid-summer evening celebration.

Juda’s Wake
(Microsoft)
Killer metal chops. Need we say more?
Why they could win: This band would have a chance to win any contest they entered—and I mean any.

Lions Ambition
(Boeing)
Energetic hip-hop, rock, and soul with monstrous hooks and catchy lyrics.
Why they could win: The whole city might be dancing after one song.

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We are in the final stages of selecting the five finalist bands who will perform on July 30 at the Xconomy Battle of the Tech Bands, to be featured at the Washington Technology Industry Association’s Summer Celebration at the Pyramid Alehouse across from Safeco Field in Seattle.

We will announce the finalists very soon, but suffice to say that our esteemed judges were suitably impressed by the quality and diversity of the bands who entered. It is going to be a really rocking show, with a great mix of musical styles and companies represented.

The WTIA has also secured two Seattle-based charitable partners for the event, who will receive the proceeds from all raffle tickets sold. They are Technology Access Foundation, a nonprofit that prepares children of color for academic and professional success through a rigorous K-12 curriculum (Luke profiled TAF here), and Jack Straw Productions, a multidisciplinary arts center that fosters communication of art and ideas to diverse audiences through audio media and artist residency programs. To register for the event, click here.

In the meantime, here’s a quick behind-the-scenes look at Bill Gates and Paul Allen’s exploits in cartoon-land, as they prepared to send in their band demo to the contest. It’s the latest installment of Protingent Man, courtesy of Donn Harvey and David J. Locher:

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Alas, the deadline has come and gone. Finis. At the stroke of midnight on Friday night, the doors officially closed on any new band submissions for Xconomy’s Battle of the Tech Bands. The big event is happening on July 30, at the WTIA Annual Summer Celebration at the Pyramid Alehouse in Seattle.

You can beg, you can plead, but even if you are Kurt Cobain and Jimi Hendrix resurrected to form a startup that’s reinventing the Web or curing cancer, we still won’t accept your submission… OK, well, maybe we would in that case.

Now it’s off to the judges for deliberations. Good luck to all of the entrants. We’ve got a great mix of bands from small startups and big companies, and a nice range of musical styles, and we’re looking forward to making some tough decisions. We’ll keep you posted on our progress in whittling the list down to the five finalists who will perform on July 30.

Meantime, in cartoon land, Bill Gates and Paul Allen have been on the ball. Having both been laid off from their temp jobs, they’ve had the time to record a killer demo for the Battle. Yes, it’s the newest installment of the “Protingent Man” comic, courtesy of David J. Locher and Donn Harvey (see the previous installment here and the full strip here):

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Two more days… That’s all that stands between us and the start of the ultra-competitive judging process to determine the finalists for Xconomy’s Battle of the Tech Bands. In case you haven’t heard, the big event is taking place on July 30, at the Washington Technology Industry Association’s annual summer celebration in Seattle (event details and band instructions here). The deadline for band submissions is this Friday, June 12, at midnight Pacific Time. All you have to do is send your band’s info (and an MP3 or two) to techbands@xconomy.com.

We’re looking for the best five bands to perform on July 30 as finalists. Each must have at least one member who works at a Northwest technology, life sciences, or tech-investment organization. Each will get 15 minutes of set time in front of an audience of hundreds. Our judges will include Steve Hall of Vulcan Capital (a lead guitarist himself), Jeff Lin of Microsoft (co-founder of the band Harvey Danger), and Peter Blecha, author of Sonic Boom!, the definitive book on the history of rock and roll in the Northwest (and former senior curator of the Experience Music Project). We’re working on prizes too, and hope to make an announcement about that soon.

So will the next Pearl Jam or Fleet Foxes make its debut on our stage in July? Will the top band of the evening be from Microsoft, a small tech startup, or a life sciences firm? Or will the best young band out there not even get heard because it didn’t get its act together in time? (That’s rock and roll for you.) If you’re thinking of entering, don’t delay. The clock is ticking…

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Here at Xconomy, preparations are in full swing for our Battle of the Tech Bands, which is happening at the WTIA Summer Celebration on Thursday, July 30, at the Pyramid Alehouse in Seattle. If you or anyone you know plays in a band with at least one member from a Northwest tech, life sciences, or tech investing firm, please submit your band’s stuff to techbands@xconomy.com (full details and event info here).

The deadline for submissions is coming up fast—next week, June 12—so don’t delay. We’ve already got a bunch of worthy competitors, but a few more bands from the tech powerhouses (Microsoft? Amazon? Real?), as well as the gaming cluster, certainly wouldn’t hurt. We know you’re out there.

We’ve lined up a team of stellar judges, and are working on a few more, as well as some great music-related prizes. Stay tuned for details on those.

Meanwhile, in cartoon land, Bill Gates and Paul Allen have some extra time on their hands to devote to getting their musical act together in time to participate in the Battle. It’s the latest installment of the Protingent Man comic, courtesy of David J. Locher and Donn Harvey (see the last installment here and the full strip here):

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I had the pleasure of attending the 2009 WTIA Tech Showcase Fast Pitch Forum yesterday. I was one of four panelists tasked with listening, reacting, and asking questions of the 23 Seattle-area companies that each had eight minutes to present. The day was divided up into six one-hour-long sessions, and I’m ashamed to admit I missed the last two sessions because I had some other meetings in Bellevue that I had to attend. However, after listening to 16 companies spread over four sessions, my brain was overflowing with new info and thoughts, so I’m not sure how much value I would have added during the final two sessions.

In a nutshell, I was very impressed by both the content and the form of the presentations. The presenters did a great job of condensing their pitch into exactly eight minutes. What also struck me was that despite the slow economic times, most of the companies were doing well in the marketplace. All of them had growing customer bases and rising revenue, and many of them were hiring.

It is a hackneyed phrase, but it is true—economic downturns are often the best times to build a startup company. In the chaos and confusion of turbulent times, there always lies opportunity. As industries change and contract, the marketplace is ripe for new solutions. Because despite the negative headlines in the media, people are still going about their daily activities and living their lives, and there will always be opportunities for new products and services, and for new technologies that reduce the cost and increase the efficiency of existing products and services.

Two examples in Seattle are Redfin and TeachStreet. Redfin is an online real estate brokerage. As we all know, the real estate industry nationwide is in a major slowdown. However, Redfin continues to experience strong growth, partly because I suspect that during tough times, people enjoy using technology to make their real estate deals a higher quality experience, not to mention a more efficient and cost-effective transaction.

TeachStreet was also interesting. They have built an online marketplace where people who want to learn can connect with the best teachers and classrooms; and where teachers and tutors can find students and clients. They also are growing nicely. During slow economic times, many folks want to learn new skills (either for professional or personal reasons), and many experts have more time on their hands to provide teaching services.

That being said, I’m sure everyone in the room today would rather the economy was growing at a 3 percent rate as it did from 2002-2007, as opposed to shrinking dramatically as it is this year. However, many of the 23 startups that presented yesterday will emerge from this recession in strong shape and will be well-positioned when the economy starts growing again. I was an active VC investor before, during, and after the dot-com crash of 2000 and the telecom meltdown of 2001. Many of today’s most successful startups were founded during those dark days, and as Tim Draper noted during his lunch speech, many of today’s biggest companies were founded in prior recessions.

So hope springs eternal, and I won’t apologize for finding silver linings in the current clouds.

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On a gloriously sunny Seattle afternoon, venture capitalist Tim Draper stopped by to impart some words of wisdom. The founder and managing director of Silicon Valley-based Draper Fisher Jurvetson gave the keynote today at the Washington Technology Industry Association’s Fast Pitch Forum & Technology Showcase down at the Bell Harbor conference center. He was hosted by local DFJ venture partner Bill Bryant and WTIA president Ken Myer.

Tim Draper has previously backed such companies as Skype (now part of eBay), Overture (bought by Yahoo), Hotmail (acquired by Microsoft), and Baidu (the Chinese search engine). He serves on the boards of Glam, Tagworld, SocialText, Meebo, Wigix, and several other companies with intriguingly weird names. Besides all that, the Stanford and Harvard alum is also a singer and songwriter. “I recently got to interview Carlos Santana,” Draper said. “I wrote some other words to ‘Smooth’ and sang it while he played it. It was kind of interesting. My singing career does have its moments.” (More on that in a minute.)

Despite what he called “an economic nuke” and subsequent “nuclear winter,” Draper was bullish on the prospects for entrepreneurs, and he gave some inspirational advice. “One thing has not changed—innovation just keeps going. Where there is a problem, there’s innovation,” he said. “Ultimately, it’s the entrepreneurs who solve all these problems. Entrepreneurs are heroes.”

Here are my main takeaways from Draper’s talk:

1. It’s the regulations, stupid. Draper criticized the many rules and regulations that can harm or slow down innovation. As examples, he cited Sarbanes-Oxley and the Investment Company Act of 1940, NASDAQ and NYSE acceptance hurdles and fees, and accounting rules like FAS 157. He also said monopolies block liquidity. “It’s like putting friction on a path, it slows everything down. That means there’s less money for investment in risky things, less money that goes to venture capitalists and entrepreneurs.”

2. It’s the best time ever to start a business. People need jobs, existing companies are reeling, and there are fewer startup competitors and newer technologies, Draper said. “It’s a whole new game,” he added. “You are as young as you feel.” He pointed to a long list of successful companies that were started during recessions or depressions: IBM, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, Adobe, Coca-Cola, GE, Johnson & Johnson, to name a few.

3. It’s all about starting a revolution. Companies like Amazon and eBay were transformative in that they did away with institutions that most of us thought would be around forever—things like bookstores and trading posts. “What can we start?” Draper asked. “Moore’s Law is starting to accelerate, …Next Page »

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With summer on its way in, we’re starting to gear up for Xconomy’s Battle of the Tech Bands, which is happening on July 30 at the WTIA Summer Celebration at the Pyramid Alehouse in Seattle. If you or someone you know plays in a band that has at least one member who hails from a Northwest tech, life sciences, or tech-investment firm, we want to hear from you (application info and event details are here).

The field is already shaping up to be pretty competitive. How will we choose the finalists and the overall winners, you ask? Very carefully. To that end, we are enlisting the help of some of the Seattle area’s finest tech and music minds (and ears) to serve as judges for the event, in addition to the Xconomy staff. Their duties will range from vetting demos and selecting the finalists to helping us decide which bands get the awards on the big night.

We thought you might like to know a little bit about the judges we’ve recruited so far. Their professional expertise spans the worlds of software, venture capital, and music history. Their musical tastes span everything from heavy metal and Eddie Van Halen to post-punk and alternative rock. Without further ado, here are the luminaries who will help us decide the outcome (not sure who will be the Simon Cowell yet):

—Peter Blecha, music historian, author, and former senior curator of the Experience Music Project in Seattle. Peter is the author of the recently released Sonic Boom! The History of Northwest Rock: From “Louie Louie” to “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (Backbeat Books, 2009). He calls himself a “rock and roll archaeologist,” and has been a drummer with a number of bands in the Seattle area, including The Debbies.

—Steve Hall, managing director at Seattle-based Vulcan Capital, the group that manages Paul Allen’s investment holdings. Steve leads the firm’s early-stage venture capital investments across the technology, life sciences, and alternative energy sectors. He also plays a mean lead guitar, and notes that he has been brushing up on his Eddie Van Halen guitar solos in the past year.

—Jeff J. Lin, Microsoft program manager of Virtual Earth 3D. Jeff is the co-founder, guitarist, and pianist of the Seattle-based band Harvey Danger. You probably know them from their infectious hit single of the late 1990s, “Flagpole Sitta” ( “I’m not sick but I’m not well, and I’m so hot ’cause I’m in hell…”). Harvey Danger has released three full-length albums, played shows with bands like Death Cab for Cutie and Green Day, and once appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman.

We’ll have more details on the judges and prizes soon. But don’t delay, the deadline for submissions is June 12 (event details and info here). If you want to enter, please e-mail your band’s info to techbands@xconomy.com.

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