Facts
- HQ
- Vancouver, Wash.
- Sectors
- Biotechnology, Artificial Intelligence, Drug discovery
- Stage
- Clinical-stage
Jay Choi Named CEO of Typeform; Charley Daitch CEO of Rowan Digital Infrastructure; Allison Arnold Joins VertueLab Board
Jay Choi, former Qualtrics executive, is now CEO of Typeform, while Charley Daitch, ex-AWS director, became CEO of Rowan Digital Infrastructure, and Allison Arnold joined VertueLab's board.
Gen AI Series: The past, present and future of Gen AI with leading industry expert Joseph Sirosh - ex- VP Amazon and Microsoft
Send us Fan Mail 2023 was a dramatic year for AI with the emergence of Gen AI and ChapGPT. Learn about the evolution of Generative AI from industry leader and expert Joseph Sirosh. Understand how enterprises will deploy Gen AI technology to make their workers more productive. Learn about how Joseph's new company CreatorsAGI will leverage Gen AI to enable creators and authors to interact in new ways with their audience. Joseph is currently CEO of CreatorsAGI Inc, an AI startup dedicated to empowering creators with Artificial Generative Interaction capabilities. He has been an AI leader all of his career…
The Collapse of Silicon Valley Bank
What was previously a point of pride on Silicon Valley Bank's website now reads like a warning sign: nearly half of U.S. venture-backed technology and life sciences companies bank with the financial institution. Financial regulators on Friday morning shut down Silicon Valley Bank and put it in the hands of the FDIC, a jaw-dropping move that has created a crisis for startup founders and their financial backers. Based in Santa Clara, Calif., Silicon Valley Bank has long been a key player in the Seattle region. GeekWire's reporting suggests that the percentage of tech startups in the Seattle area that used…
Neoleukin Therapeutics Cuts 70% of Workforce, CEO Jonathan Drachman to Step Down Amid Strategic Review
Neoleukin Therapeutics is cutting about 70% of its workforce and exploring strategic alternatives including sale or merger, with CEO Jonathan Drachman stepping down. The company’s stock rose by over 30% following the announcement.
Syndio Hires Milan Parikh as CFO; Multiple Pacific Northwest Tech Firms Announce Executive Changes
Seattle startup Syndio hired Milan Parikh as CFO, bringing his extensive finance leadership experience. Additionally, several Pacific Northwest tech firms announced key executive changes, including Porch Group, Absci, GlobalGiving, F5, Samsara, and Tozny.
Andreessen Horowitz, Madrona and other tech VCs ramp up bets on AI-driven biotech startups as founders from software enter life sciences
Tech venture capital firms like Andreessen Horowitz and Seattle’s Madrona Venture Group are increasingly investing in life-science startups that use AI, machine learning and data science to speed drug discovery and development. Investors are following founders who transitioned from software to biotech—such as Sujal Patel of Nautilus and Terry Myerson of Truveta—seeing reduced perceived risk and new opportunity at this intersection.
CBRE: U.S. life-sciences VC tops $30B; Seattle-area firms raise $898M amid scarce lab space
A CBRE report shows U.S. life sciences venture funding topped $30 billion for the 12 months ending September 2021, driving strong demand for lab space and record capital raises in Seattle-area companies that pulled in $898 million during that period. Washington state also saw rising life-science employment and multiple biotech IPOs in 2021, including large offerings from Sana Biotechnology, Absci and Icosavax.
Absci opens 77,400 sq ft HQ in Vancouver, Wash., three months after IPO valued company near $2 billion
Absci opened a 77,400 sq ft headquarters with a 9,150 sq ft courtyard in Vancouver, Wash., three months after its IPO that valued the company at nearly $2 billion; Gov. Jay Inslee attended the ribbon-cutting. The 200-employee biotech — founded in 2011 by CEO Sean McClain — provides drug discovery services using in silico models, synthetic biology and recent acquisitions Totient and Denovium to support its platform.
Life Science Washington CEO Leslie Alexandre to retire after leading state’s biotech resurgence as 2021 IPOs raise hundreds of millions
Leslie Alexandre, president and CEO of Life Science Washington, is retiring after five years leading the group during a period of strong growth in Washington state's biotech sector that recovered from a 2016 slump. The region has seen several major biotech IPOs in 2021 (including Sana Biotechnology's $587M, Absci's $200M, and Icosavax's $180M+), growing research strength and recognition as an emerging biotech market.
Remitly files S-1 ahead of IPO after 2020 revenue doubles to $257M and $1.5B valuation
Remitly filed an S-1 ahead of a conventional IPO, reporting $257M revenue and a $32.5M net loss for 2020 and $202M revenue with a $9.2M loss in H1 of the current year, with a $1.5B valuation from a July funding round and roughly $16.1B in trailing 12-month send volume.
Mason founders Jim and Nancy Xiao swap CEO and President roles as startup, backed by $25M Series A, tops 50 employees; Microsoft CVP Gavriella Schuster departs to focus on DEI
Seattle IoT startup Mason is swapping CEO Jim Xiao and President Nancy Xiao, with Nancy becoming CEO after the company raised $25M in Series A and grew to 50+ employees; longtime Microsoft CVP Gavriella Schuster has left Microsoft to focus on DEI work.
Icosavax IPO: Seattle biotech raises $180M, stock jumps 200% on first trading day (ICVX)
Seattle biotech Icosavax surged more than 200% on its NASDAQ debut after raising over $180 million by pricing shares at $15; the company develops virus-like particle vaccines and recently began phase 1/2 trials for a COVID-19 vaccine supported by a $10 million Gates Foundation grant.
Icosavax files for IPO after raising $150M and advancing nanoparticle COVID-19 and RSV vaccines
Seattle-based Icosavax, a 2017 spinout from the University of Washington’s Institute for Protein Design, has filed for an IPO after raising over $150 million and advancing nanoparticle-based COVID-19 and RSV vaccine candidates into early clinical trials with support from a $10 million Gates Foundation grant.
GeekWire 200: Auth0, Rover Among Top 10 but Set to ‘Graduate’ as Tanium and Outreach Climb
GeekWire’s monthly GeekWire 200 ranking shows established Pacific Northwest startups like Auth0 and Rover among the top 10 but poised to “graduate” after Okta’s acquisition and Rover’s SPAC IPO, while companies such as OfferUp, Moz, PayScale, Puppet and Clio are positioned to move up. The list highlights movers like Tanium and Outreach and notes recent major funding and leadership news across the region’s startups.
U.S. Startups Raised Record $156.2B in 2020; Pacific Northwest Logged $946M in Q4 Across 54 Deals
U.S. startups set a new annual VC funding record in 2020 with $156.2 billion raised, driven by digital acceleration during the pandemic and a surge in mega-deals; Q4 saw $946 million invested across 54 Pacific Northwest deals. VC fundraises also hit records and IPO activity boosted exit values, suggesting continued momentum into 2021 as investors hold dry powder.
