Ada Developers Academy
Facts
- HQ
- Seattle
- Sectors
- Education, Bootcamp, Tech diversity
GeekWire Awards to Honor AI House and UW’s Center for an Informed Public for Advancing AI and Media Literacy on May 7
The GeekWire Awards will honor AI House and the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public for their contributions to AI innovation and education on misinformation. The awards ceremony will be held on May 7 at Showbox SoDo in Seattle, recognizing impactful community initiatives in the Pacific Northwest.
FoundHer House, San Francisco’s All-Female AI Hacker House Founded by Seattle Natives, Eyes Expansion to Seattle Amid $1.2B Funding Surge for Female-led Startups
FoundHer House, an all-female AI entrepreneur co-living space launched in San Francisco by Seattle natives Miki Safronov-Yamamoto and Anantika Mannby, is gaining attention as a model to support female founders amid the AI boom. With Seattle’s growing female-led startup funding surpassing $1.2 billion in 2024, the city is being considered for expansion of this initiative to help close the tech industry’s gender gap.
Seattle Opens AI House and Foundations Startup Hubs Amid Growing AI Ecosystem
Seattle launched two new startup hubs, AI House and Foundations, to support its growing AI ecosystem, hosting events with notable figures like venture capitalist Vinod Khosla and Mayor Bruce Harrell. These hubs aim to foster collaboration and growth within Seattle's burgeoning AI startup community.
Seattle Opens 108,000-Square-Foot 'AI House' at Pier 70 to Support AI Startups and Talent Growth
Seattle launched 'AI House,' a 108,000-square-foot AI startup hub at Pier 70, aiming to foster collaboration among entrepreneurs, investors, and experts. The facility hosts around 20 startups and offers space for 1,000 desks, co-working, and events to attract and grow AI talent in the region.
Ada Developers Academy Appoints Tina-Marie Gulley as CEO, Shifts to Virtual AI-Focused Programs Amid Tech Hiring Slowdown
Ada Developers Academy, a tuition-free tech boot camp for underrepresented groups, faced challenges due to the pandemic and tech hiring slowdowns, leading to staff reductions and paused admissions. Under new CEO Tina-Marie Gulley, the nonprofit shifted to virtual instruction, emphasized AI, and continued expanding its programming to serve more diverse students nationwide.
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.
Ada Developers Academy Cuts 45% Staff, Pauses Admissions, Names Shawna Young Interim CEO Amid Tech Industry Downturn
Seattle-based nonprofit Ada Developers Academy, which provides tuition-free tech training for underrepresented groups, has significantly reduced its workforce and paused admissions amid economic challenges. Shawna Young has been named interim CEO following Lauren Sato's resignation, as the organization refocuses on sustainability.
Ada Developers Academy Cuts 45% of Staff Amid Tech Hiring Slowdown, Slows Expansion Despite $10M Grant
Ada Developers Academy laid off 45% of its staff, about 34 employees, due to a tech industry hiring slowdown and fewer internship opportunities for students, impacting its mission to diversify tech. The Seattle-based nonprofit also plans to reduce student enrollment and halt expansion efforts initially funded by a $10 million grant from the Equality Can’t Wait challenge.
Maureen Ezekwugo Named CEO of Oggvo; Chad Cohen Joins Capella Space as CFO and COO; GitHub Appoints Inbal Shani as Chief Product Officer
Maureen Ezekwugo became CEO of Seattle-based Oggvo, specializing in customer review software, while Chad Cohen joined Capella Space as CFO and COO. Microsoft-owned GitHub hired Inbal Shani as its new chief product officer, and Falkon added two executives after raising $16 million.
GeekWire names winners at 2021 Awards; SeekOut wins Startup of the Year after $65M raise
The 2021 GeekWire Awards returned as a virtual event honoring over 60 finalists across 14 categories from the Pacific Northwest tech community, featuring celebrity cameos and performances. Winners included SeekOut as Startup of the Year, and among 16 winners eight were women and five were people of color and/or immigrant entrepreneurs.
Melinda French Gates positions Pivotal Ventures to expand women- and family-focused VC and philanthropy after divorce
Melinda French Gates founded Pivotal Ventures in January 2015 as a vehicle to pursue initiatives outside the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and following her divorce from Bill Gates she is poised to expand Pivotal’s influence on empowering women and families. Observers say her resources and focus could shift venture capital dynamics for female founders and have “transformational potential.”
Advancing Women in Product partners with Madrona Venture Group to expand female founder training and access to capital
Advancing Women in Product (AWIP), a nonprofit with over 16,000 members, is partnering with Seattle-based Madrona Venture Group and Madrona Venture Labs to expand training, mentoring, networking and help women launch startups, join boards and secure VC. AWIP founder and CEO Nancy Wang and Madrona managing director Hope Cochran say the collaboration aims to increase female leadership and diversify Madrona's portfolio across its roughly 80 companies.
Seattle startup Weekdays connects families and instructors to form 2–8 child microschools as remote K–12 returns
As many K–12 districts return to remote learning, parents are turning to microschools or "pandemic pods"—small, pooled groups of children supervised by caregivers or teachers—to handle the hands-on demands of young students' online schooling. Seattle startup Weekdays builds a platform to connect families and instructors for microschools, offering options like outdoor education for groups of 2–8 children while states such as Washington urge remote learning.
People
-
Tina-Marie Gulley Executive, CEO