Facts
- HQ
- Faculty unit
- Sectors
- Professional services, Digital, Cloud, Cybersecurity, IT consulting
- Employees
- 799000
- Stage
- Public
Ex-Microsoft/Boeing Consultant Genevieve Priebe Launches Reroot to Connect Consumers with 50,000+ Local Producers
Genevieve Priebe left a two-decade tech consulting career to run her family farm and founded bootstrapped Seattle startup Reroot to help make local food more accessible through a marketplace, a mapping app of 50,000+ producers, and a patent-pending voice tool for farmers.
WTIA Selects 21 Startups for 14th Founder Cohort Accelerator Program to Boost Washington Tech Growth
The Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA) announced 21 startups selected for its 14th Founder Cohort Accelerator Program, aimed at supporting early-stage technology companies in Washington through mentorship and structured growth curriculum. The four-month program focuses on building leadership skills, connections, and accelerating startup growth in the state.
WTIA Selects 21 Startups for 14th Founder Cohort Accelerator to Boost Washington State Innovation
The Washington Technology Industry Association selected 21 early-stage startups across Washington state for its 14th Founder Cohort Accelerator Program, focusing on fields like AI, cybersecurity, and healthcare. The four-month program offers mentorship, peer learning, and investor connections to support entrepreneurial growth.
XBOW Raises $35M from NVIDIA, Samsung, and SentinelOne, Totaling $155M in Series C for Autonomous Cybersecurity Platform
XBOW, a cybersecurity startup founded by GitHub Copilot creator Oege de Moor, raised an additional $35 million in its Series C round, bringing the total to $155 million with investors like NVIDIA, Samsung, and SentinelOne. Although headquartered in Seattle by address—a mailbox at a coworking space—the company operates remotely with employees worldwide and its founder based in Malta.
Google commits $10B cash, up to $30B conditional and 5GW compute to Anthropic as Claude hits $30B ARR
Google will invest $10B cash plus up to $30B conditional and provide 5 GW of compute over five years in Anthropic, bringing its total commitment to about $43B as Anthropic’s Claude reaches $30B ARR and outperforms Google’s Gemini in the enterprise market.
Iridius Raises $8.6M Seed Round to Embed Regulatory Compliance in AI, Backed by Accenture and Led by Microsoft, AWS Veterans
Seattle startup Iridius, founded by former Microsoft and AWS veterans, raised $8.6 million in seed funding to develop software that embeds regulatory compliance into AI systems during operation. Accenture is both an investor and strategic partner, with initial focus on life sciences and pharmaceutical industries.
GeekWire Hosts Agents of Transformation AI Summit in Seattle on March 24 Featuring Microsoft, AWS, and OpenAI Leaders
GeekWire's Agents of Transformation summit in Seattle on March 24 will explore how agentic AI is reshaping work, creativity, and leadership through keynote talks, panels, and demos featuring leaders from Microsoft, AWS, and OpenAI. The half-day event includes fireside chats, startup pitches, and networking opportunities with industry experts and sponsors like Accenture and Nebius.
Amazon Announces $200 Billion AI Infrastructure Investment Amid Microsoft Market Value Drop and AI Industry Insights from Oren Etzioni
Amazon plans $200 billion in capital expenses this year mainly to expand AI infrastructure, while Microsoft experiences a significant market value drop due to OpenAI reliance. AI expert Oren Etzioni discusses AI agents, deepfakes, and AI industry dynamics in a GeekWire Podcast interview.
Nate Bek and Kirby Winfield invest in AZX’s $6M pre-Seed round to scale vertical AI for critical infrastructure
Nate Bek and Kirby Winfield announce a $6 million pre-Seed investment in AZX, a 2024-founded vertical AI platform for critical infrastructure serving utilities and energy operators, citing 10x revenue growth, customers like Puget Sound Energy and CBRE, and a team led by CEO Aaron Goldfeder.
Technology Alliance Report Warns Public Investment Lags Behind Private R&D in Washington, Causing 23% Drop in Patents from 2018 to 2023
Washington state's innovation sector faces risk due to a heavy reliance on private R&D spending, with public investment in research lagging significantly. This imbalance has led to a 23% drop in patent filings and limited startup diversity beyond IT and healthcare sectors.
Benjamin Dorr Named CEO of WellSaid Labs; Jennifer Weitzel Joins Microsoft as CVP; Jason Ing Becomes Typeface’s First CMO; Tina Walha Heads U.S. Digital Response
Benjamin Dorr became CEO of AI voice startup WellSaid Labs, replacing Brian Cook, while Jennifer Weitzel joined Microsoft as CVP of engineering and construction, Jason Ing became Typeface's first CMO, and Tina Walha was named CEO of U.S. Digital Response.
Seattle Cybersecurity Startup Staris Raises $5.7M Seed to Build AI Virtual Security Engineers
Seattle-based startup Staris raised $5.7 million in seed funding led by Freestyle VC to develop AI-powered virtual security engineers that identify and fix application vulnerabilities. Founded in 2023 by cybersecurity veteran Adam Cecchetti and engineer Austin Fath, Staris aims to address the talent shortage in security by automating ongoing application protection.
Seattle’s Soapbox Project Launches Weekly Climate Activism Meetups for Tech Workers Starting Jan. 7
Seattle nonprofit Soapbox Project, founded by Nivi Achanta, is hosting weekly meetups starting January 7 at Slip Gallery to engage tech workers and others in climate activism and community building. The organization also distributes a weekly 'changeletter' with actionable climate steps and offers resources to support collective climate action.
Microsoft's Early Focus on Software and Key 1980 Investment Meeting Shaped Its Rise to Tech Giant
This article explores Microsoft's early history, focusing on how its choice to develop software rather than hardware led to its success, highlighting key moments like Bill Gates securing investment support from David Marquardt in 1980. It also commemorates Microsoft's upcoming 50th anniversary with a series reflecting on its past, present, and future.
Picnic Raises $5M Led by Cercano Management with Investor Andy Liu Joining Board to Scale Pizza-Making Robot
Picnic, a food automation startup known for its pizza-making robots, raised $5 million in a new funding round led by Cercano Management, with investor Andy Liu joining the board. The funds will support scaling operations and meeting growing demand for Picnic's pizza-making technology used in high-volume venues.
Yifan Zhang Joins AI2 Incubator as Managing Director; Dropbox, Marchex, and Seattle Startups Appoint New Tech Leaders
Yifan Zhang, former Loftium co-founder, is joining the AI2 Incubator as managing director starting February 2024, while several Seattle tech companies made key executive hires including Dropbox, Marchex, Simply Augmented, and Chainguard.
Icertis Raises $150 Million Debt Financing to Support Growth and Flexibility in Contract Management Market
Icertis, a Bellevue-based contract management software provider valued at around $5 billion, raised $150 million through debt financing as of October 31, 2022, to ensure business flexibility. The company serves clients worldwide, including Microsoft and SAP, and reported over 50% growth in annual recurring revenue in early 2022.
Seattle Startup Taqtile Raises $5M to Expand AR Job Training Software Across Global Enterprise Sectors
Seattle-based AR startup Taqtile raised $5 million to expand hiring and marketing for its Manifest software, which provides mixed reality job training to enterprise clients globally across multiple sectors. The funding will support its partner ecosystem amid growing labor shortages and retirement trends increasing demand for employee training technology.
Former Defense Secretary Ash Carter Joins Tanium Board as Startup Eyes Growth After $150M Round; Other C-Suite Moves Reported
Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter has joined the board of cybersecurity startup Tanium, which recently raised $150 million and reported over $430 million revenue in 2019; the article also reports executive moves at SheerID, Boeing and Teal Communications.
Pandion, led by Amazon Air founder Scott Ruffin, raises $4.9M seed to build ML-driven e-commerce delivery platform
Seattle startup Pandion, founded by former Amazon Air head Scott Ruffin, emerged from stealth and raised $4.9 million in seed funding to build an end-to-end, ML-driven delivery platform aimed at improving e-commerce parcel capacity and performance.
98point6 Raises $118M Series E Led by L Catterton and Activant After 274% Membership Surge
Seattle telemedicine startup 98point6 raised $118 million in a Series E led by L Catterton and Activant Capital after membership grew 274% this year; the company offers AI-supported virtual primary care to over 3 million patients and serves employers and health plans. The round follows a $43 million Series D in April and comes amid a surge in digital health funding during the pandemic.
Scout9 founder Patrick Opie builds ML-powered “Personal Pocket Scout” to guide new dog owners on feeding, training and product choices
Patrick Opie founded Seattle startup Scout9 after struggling to know what his new dog needed; the company offers a machine-learning driven "Personal Pocket Scout" that creates dynamic timelines and product guidance to help new dog owners navigate feeding, training and other milestones. Scout9 targets growing pet-industry demand following pandemic adoption surges and aims to provide an economical, intuitive alternative to time-consuming research and irrelevant purchases.
Madrona hires ex-AWS product manager Anu Sharma as principal; Saykara and DomainTools add senior marketing and leadership hires
Madrona Venture Group hired Anu Sharma as a principal from AWS; Seattle startups and tech companies also announced hires and promotions, including Saykara naming Joy Efron VP of marketing and DomainTools adding four executives (CTO James Reynolds, CCO Jeff Day, VP of product Jackie Abrams, and VP of people Jill Boon).
Hiya names Hillery Nye GC and John Novak SVP of Marketing; Unity hires Scott Pitasky; Bellevue College appoints Gary Locke interim president
Seattle caller-ID startup Hiya hired Hillery Nye as general counsel and John Novak as SVP of marketing; Unity Technologies named Scott Pitasky chief people officer. Bellevue College appointed former Washington governor Gary Locke as interim president starting June 15.
Nelson Del Rio Joins Seattle Startup Blokable as Co-CEO to Advance Scalable Affordable Housing Solutions
Nelson Del Rio has joined Seattle startup Blokable as co-CEO, working alongside co-founder Aaron Holm to develop scalable modular housing solutions for affordable housing. Del Rio brings expertise in public-private partnerships and aims to transform the residential housing development process amid the ongoing housing crisis.
