Former Olympic skier starts company that teaches young female athletes mental fitness

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For the ten years Libby Ludlow spent racing down mountains as a U.S. Olympic skier, she never met with venture capitalists, surely did not spend time in an accelerator and definitely never presented at a Demo Day. But in a way, she was still an entrepreneur in spirit, taking ownership of everything going on from… Read More…

The Most Valuable Pitches (MVPs) from Nike Accelerator Demo Day

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Well, that was inspiring — both to the brain and the body. The Nike Accelerator Demo Day wrapped up Monday afternoon on the pristine Nike campus just outside of Portland. More than 700 investors, mentors, industry leaders, Nike execs and friends packed an auditorium here as ten founders — many of them rocking sweet Nike… Read More…

Nike Accelerator Spotlight: GeoPalz motivates kids to exercise with reward system

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Editor’s note: Nike Accelerator Spotlight takes a look at the ten startups participating in the Nike+ Accelerator, a three-month startup program based in Portland, Ore. and put on by Nike and TechStars. GeekWire is featuring each company leading up to the June 10 demo day. Check out past Spotlights below.  As technology becomes more prevalent in today’s world, seeing… Read More…

Nike Accelerator Spotlight: Nextstep.io teaches you about yourself with exercise data

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Editor’s note: Nike Accelerator Spotlight takes a look at the ten startups participating in the Nike+ Accelerator, a three-month startup program based in Portland, Ore. and put on by Nike and TechStars. GeekWire is featuring each company leading up to the June 10 demo day. Check out past Spotlights below.  There are countless fitness activity trackers available… Read More…

A CPR coach: New $1,795 device measures chest compressions in real time

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Redmond-based Physio-Control today rolled out a new technology called TrueCPR which is designed to help first responders and other health professionals more accurately determine whether they are performing CPR chest compressions properly. The unit uses a proprietary technology known as Triaxial Field Induction to monitor the depth of compressions, using magnetic fields to pinpoint the exact… Read More…

Nike Accelerator Spotlight: GoRecess helps you find, book fitness classes

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Editor’s note: Nike Accelerator Spotlight takes a look at the ten startups participating in the Nike+ Accelerator, a three-month startup program based in Portland, Ore. and put on by Nike and TechStars. GeekWire is featuring each company leading up to the June 10 demo day.  For many of us, exercising alone is sometimes boring. Fitness classes,… Read More…

EveryMove partners with popular Endomondo sports tracker app

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EveryMove, a Seattle-based startup that lets users track their healthy habits and rewards them with gift cards and reduced health-care premiums, has partnered with the popular sports tracking app Endomondo. As a result of the deal, EveryMove users can earn points from workouts tracked on Endomondo. In a blog post, the company wrote that it saw high demand… Read More…

Here comes Cody, another fitness-oriented app

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Based on how much brain power is going into creating health and fitness technologies, you’d be surprised that there’s an obesity problem in this country. Nearly every week we come across a new application in the health, fitness and wellness arena. This week, for example, we’ve already written about Mindbloom’s Proof which allows users to set… Read More…

Bill Gates’ Annual Letter: How measurement can change the world

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Bill Gates published his fifth annual letter today and wrote that accurate measurements and clear goals are the keys to improving the lives of poor people around the world. Gates’ letter highlights progress with the education in the United States to the prenatal health care in Ethiopia. He emphasizes the of the importance of setting goals and… Read More…

Rewind: EveryMove’s ‘mileage program’ for your health

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Our guest this past weekend on the GeekWire Podcast was Russell Benaroya, the CEO of EveryMove, a Seattle-area startup that lets users track their exercise and other healthy habits either manually or using gadgets such as high-tech pedometers. Rewards for participants include everything from gift cards to reduced health-care premiums. Russell tried to win over John… Read More…

Stop slouching! Startup scores cash for high-tech posture-sensing waistband

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Now, here’s a product that just seems perfect for desk-bound, laptop-typing geeks like us. Meet the Lumo BodyTech, a device worn around the waist which vibrates when one slouches. Those vibrations are meant as a gentle reminder to sit up straight. (Now, I don’t have to hear it from my mom or wife). Seattle’s Madrona… Read More…

Feeling tired? Mindbloom app helps increase your energy level with a smartphone

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Getting tired and feeling sleepy during the day is a common problem. Many of us resort to several cups of joe per day and some even try energy drinks, which are now reported as deadly. Mindbloom wants to help. The Seattle-based interactive media company today debuted its free new app for iOS devices called Juice that… Read More…

New chip is tiny, cheap and can monitor everything from your heartbeat to sleeping patterns

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Advancements of technology have made electronics smaller in size and cheaper in price — think iPods, laptops, cell phones. And while it won’t help us listen to music or surf the web, a new inexpensive chip developed by researchers at Oregon State University may make it both cheaper and easier to monitor vital signs. Similar… Read More…

Mindbloom’s Chris Hewett on the startup rat race and how to work smarter

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Veteran game designer Chris Hewett and his team at Mindbloom want to make sure you are living your healthiest, happiest life. Though he was once no stranger to the hectic schedule and eighty-hour work weeks common in the tech startup space, Chris took a step back and decided it was time for a change. Now,… Read More…

EveryMove launches service to earn rewards for running, biking and walking the dog

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A flat belly or a healthy lifestyle aren’t the only incentives for exercise anymore. A Seattle startup is now rewarding users with money for completing tasks like walking, jogging and cycling. Heck, you can even earn rewards for mowing the lawn or walking the dog. EveryMove, a TechStars Seattle grad led by entrepreneurs Marcelo Calbucci… Read More…

Health portal Navigating Cancer lands $2 million, looks to hire developers

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Navigating Cancer, an online resource for patients who are dealing with various forms of cancer, has reeled in an additional $2.25 million in debt funding led by Western Technology Investment. The 14-person company plans to use the funds to expands its engineering team. It follows a $3 million financing round in the company last year led… Read More…

Earn a chance to win $1M just for getting in shape: That’s the promise of KardioFit

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I never thought playing the lottery would help improve one’s physical fitness. But that’s the idea behind KardioFit, a Bellevue startup that’s announcing $500,000 in financing today from angels including former SurveyMonkey CEO Ryan Finley and former UnitedHealth Group exec John Blank. The company has designed a method by which employees or individuals can be entered… Read More…

Frazier Healthcare files to raise a $400 million venture fund

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Frazier Healthcare, a  21-year-old venture capital firm with offices in Seattle and Silicon Valley, has filed documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission to raise up to $400 million for its seventh venture fund. The firm was founded by former Immunex Chief Financial Officer Alan Frazier, and now includes general partners James Topper, Patrick Herron,… Read More…

Meet Cody: Could this virtual coach actually pump you up more than Hans and Franz?

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Would you take your fitness advice from a robotic looking character named Cody? Some former Microsoft geeks hope so. That’s the name of the virtual personal coach that’s designed to get folks off their duffs, and start exercising. “Think of Cody as a proactive Siri.  He collects data on your fitness activities, and provides encouragement,… Read More…

Seattle startup lands $5M for ‘tumor paint’ to ID cancer cells

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A Seattle startup that spun out of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has raised $5 million in series A funding to develop what it calls “tumor paint.” Blaze Bioscience’s experimental “tumor paint” technology is described as a real-time, high-resolution visualization of cancer cells. From the press release: By binding to and illuminating cancer cells, Tumor Paint… Read More…