LIVEMOCHA INC.

Location: Bellevue

Website: www.livemocha.com

Founded: February 2007

Key Innovation: LiveMocha is in stealth mode, so it isn't divulging details as it plans to officially launch this summer. However, founder and CEO Shirish Nadkarni, a former Microsoft senior manager, says the strategy is to dramatically transform a large market niche by applying the latest Web 2.0 and social networking concepts. "Social networking is no longer just an end feature by itself," he says. "It's something that can be leveraged or enhanced." So, for example, consumers will be able to go to LiveMocha and tap into applications without the trouble of installing or downloading those applications. Moreover, Nadkarni says, they'll be able to connect with others who share their interests, to learn from each other, and to generate content that others may use.

Key People: Nadkarni, founder and CEO; Krishnan Seshadrinathan, vice president of engineering; Raghav Kher, an investor in the company.

Money Raised: Nadkarni declined to talk specifics, but said the company is "wellsettled."

Measure of Success: LiveMocha will measure its success by a combination of the number of people who visit the site and the number of registered users. The company projects $50 million in annual revenue within three to five years.

Employees: Seven or eight initially, but the company plans to have as many as 30 employees.

What's Next: LiveMocha is focusing on launching this summer and then raising a venture capital round, Nadkarni says.

ZOODANGO INC.

Location: Seattle

Website: www.zoodango.com

Founded: 2006

Key Innovation: Zoodango enables people, businesses and organizations to create online profiles for networking purposes. The company encourages people to include both professional and lifestyle information. Users can set up face-to-face meetings at an event or public venue listed on Zoodango. "They can network online before the event, and they can set up or prearrange meetings at or before the event to get a better return on investment of their time," says founder and CEO James Sun.

Key People: James Sun, founder and CEO; Bill Chi, co-founder and chief technology officer; Daniel Azuma, chief software architect.

Money Raised: The company has raised $200,000 and is "closing in on another $800,000," Sun says. The plan is to reach profitability within a year and a half.

Measure of Success: Zoodango has more than 2,200 user profiles and has gotten up to 50,000 views in one day. Sun says the company has received inquiries from Google and MSN. Sun has recently been featured in the TV program The Apprentice.

Employees: Seven

What's Next: One plan is to have Zoodango work with universities to help students network with alumni. Students could, for example, set up specific university profiles. "That's the bridge to start networking with professionals in that community," Sun says, adding that the young, up-and-coming entrepreneur is a target market for Zoodango.

MIXXER INC.

Location: Seattle

Website: www.mixxer.com

Founded: 2006

Key Innovation: Mixxer is a web-to-mobile destination site for music, content and community, and currently serves more than 4 million members. Mixxer's new "widget" allows users to send pictures and videos from sites like MySpace to their mobile phone, or even a friend's phone. The Mobilizer Widget is free and works on just about any web page. Mixxer supports more than 1,200 phones and 28 U.S. carriers.

Key People: John Dearborn, CEO; Bill Lange, vice president of customer operations; Chris Korol, director of marketing; Kate Roth, director of technology.

Money Raised: $20 million from VantagePoint Venture Partners.

Measure of Success: This year, says CEO Dearborn, the company has seen the number of media, such as videos or photos, sent to cell phones increase 50 percent month over month, "and a fivefold increase in the amount of sharing going on."