What a difference a day makes. After releasing grim quarterly earnings yesterday, the region’s two tech giants, Amazon.com and Microsoft, took a beating on Wall Street today — and saw big chunks of market value evaporate.

Microsoft’s market value lost nearly $19 billion as its stock fell more than 8 percent, to $23.45. The company on Thursday reported a 17 percent decline in revenue for its fiscal fourth quarter, to $13.1 billion, missing Wall Street’s revenue expectations by more than $1 billion.

The stock slide came despite the Redmond company’s completion this week of Windows 7, which has received positive reviews and demonstrated the potential to revive the Windows franchise in the eyes of businesses and consumers.

Amazon.com shares surged this week following the company’s announcement that it will acquire online shoe retailer Zappos. But today, the first day of trading after Amazon reported a 10 percent drop in second quarter profit, the company’s shares sank 7.86 percent to close at $86.49. That means Amazon lost more than $3 billion in market value in a single day. 

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and On the scene at the TechFlash BBQ & Ping Pong Tournament  

Thanks to all of you for joining us at last night’s TechFlash BBQ and Ping Pong Tournament. We had a ton of fun putting on the event, and it was great to have so many TechFlash readers and members of the Seattle tech community there. Read on for a rundown of winners and click through the links below for a gallery of photos from the event.

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Congratulations to Valeri Kim of Akvelon, who overcame Minh Le of Silicon Valley Bank in the finals to claim the title. Le defeated Adam Harris of Concur in the semis, in perhaps the most closely contested match of of the tournament. Kim, who didn’t drop a game in the entire tournament, bested Dmitry Balin of Pikaba.com in his semifinal round.

Other prize winners were Amy Bohutinsky of Zillow.com, who found the golden ping pong ball hidden under the dragon’s tongue; and Shannon Ressler of Findwell and John Dietz of Adometry, who both won Spirit awards in their elaborate outfits.

Also see video coverage of the event, posted earlier today.

A big thanks also to presenting sponsor Bing; event sponsors Solutions IQ; Seattle University Master of Software Engineering program, and Microsoft BizSpark; and bracket sponsor Washington Technology Industry Association.

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and Radio Interview: Does the iPhone represent a new gold rush?  

I had the pleasure to chat about the iPhone on KUOW’s "Weekday" program today, along with fellow guests Ethan Lowry of Urbanspoon, Steve Murch of Big Oven and Victor Melfi of VoiceBox Technologies. You can listen to the full broadcast here.

We covered a lot of ground in the hour long program, which concluded with host Steve Scher leading an Ocarina jam session.  (I should have captured video of that.)

Some of the most interesting insights from the panel — I thought — dealt with whether the iPhone represents a compelling business opportunity for entrepreneurs and investors. That discussion started around minute 31, with Melfi saying the App store doesn’t represent a gold rush in the traditional sense.

That’s because it is difficult for any real business to make money, other than Apple.

"… The developer in this ecosystem is really taking on a lot of risk and it is not an environment which you can count on sustainable revenue," said Melfi.

Lowry — whose Urbanspoon app has recorded more than 6 million downloads  — said that Apple does play the role of "Sheriff" and decides what gets in to the App Store. And he said it is good for consumers that Apple takes the best apps and "bakes them" into the next-generation phone.

Still, that gives a lot of power to Apple as the promoter of apps, something that Lowry said his company benefited from given its exposure in Apple’s TV campaign.

"Apple really does have the stranglehold on how to get your app noticed in that environment and that is really powerful," he said.

Melfi added later that "there are no barriers" to app development and "there is no way to sustain the cost of trying enough apps to find a hit."  

Scher then compared iPhone app development to fishing, with people just hoping they will get a bite.

That prompted a follow-up from Melfi in minute 43 who said established brands can do well with new apps that extends their core service, as well as small developers who get an occasional hit.

"You are going to have a lot of established brands wining and then you are going to have a revolving door of people trying to look for a hit. That creates a stimulating market for the person who owns the market — Apple. But the probability of success for anyone player is very random. So it is a tough business."

 

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Limeade looks to improve the health of the nation’s workforce  

Limeade, which helps companies improve the health and well being of their workforces, has landed $2.4 million in new financing with plans to raise up to $600,000 more. But don’t look for the Bellevue startup to go after a big $10 or $15 million series B anytime soon.

"We ascribe to the new ultra-lean (software as a service) paradigm of financing," says CEO Henry Albrecht.  "We believe that with a couple million dollars, a clear sense of mission, and a small … high-energy team, we can sign up (and delight) real enterprise customers."

Those customers — which now number about 20 — include the State of Washington, the Puget Sound Blood Center, Seattle Mariners and R.W. Beck. And business continues to boom.

"We saw over 200 percent growth in contracted seats between Q1 and Q2," said Albrecht, a former executive at Bocada.  "Our customers see rates of employee assessment completion and ongoing engagement unheard-of in the industry, and use the workforce intelligence we provide to design cash-saving HR/benefits strategies."

Limeade is riding the wave of some big national trends, most importantly healthcare reform and a drive to make the nation’s workforce healthier.

It does this by helping employees achieve certain goals — for example to reduce stress, quit smoking, lose weight or improve sleeping patterns. And it monitors an employee’s performance via the Web, encouraging them to hit certain goals and offering incentives from the employer if they reach milestones.

Limeade also encourages other employees to support the efforts of their co-workers through an online community where folks can offer tips and suggestions on how to — for example –  train for a marathon or eat healthier.

Employees also can tap additional resources such as health coaching and disease management in a drive to lead a healthier lifestyle.

We put employees in charge of their own self-improvement with a turnkey system built around the science of behavior change. Peer support, company incentives, challenges and goal-tracking all combine to create an engaging, cohesive experience.

 

John Cook is the co-founder of TechFlash. Follow him on Twitter @johnhcook.

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