Amazon
Facts
- HQ
- SEATTLE
- Sectors
- E-commerce, Cloud computing, Aerospace/Satellites, Media/Streaming, Advertising, Consumer devices
- Founded
- 1994
- Type
- Corporation Seattle business license
- Employees
- 1600000
- Registered name
- Amazon.Com Inc Seattle business license
- Stage
- Public
Shirish Nadkarni explains how to judge startup ideas and why incumbents are hard to beat
Veteran entrepreneur Shirish Nadkarni excerpts lessons on evaluating startup ideas, arguing founders must assess ideas against incumbents, market dynamics and strategic perspectives rather than early positive feedback. He emphasizes incumbents’ advantages and the difficulty of displacing established players without exploiting major industry transformations.
Amazon Web Services acquires encrypted messaging startup Wickr; financial terms undisclosed
Amazon Web Services announced it has acquired Wickr, an end-to-end encrypted messaging platform used by government entities and security-conscious users; financial terms were not disclosed and AWS is offering Wickr immediately.
Sendle raises $35M Series C to expand U.S. operations, using unused delivery-truck space to cut costs
Australian e-commerce shipping startup Sendle raised $35 million in a Series C to expand in the U.S., using unused space on existing delivery trucks to offer lower-cost, faster shipping for small merchants. The company, which integrates with Etsy, eBay and Shopify, touts carbon-neutral operations, compostable packaging and plans to invest the funds in logistics, delivery and tech partnerships.
Providence spinout Tegria acquires Seattle AI health startup KenSci; founders depart, Sudarshan Chitre named CEO
Tegria, a Providence spinout, has acquired Seattle-based healthcare AI startup KenSci, which uses machine learning to predict patient risk and reduce costs; terms were not disclosed and KenSci’s founders will depart while about 50 staff will be retained. KenSci has raised $30 million to date and Sudarshan Chitre becomes CEO following the acquisition.
Amazon Veteran Dorothy Li Named CTO of Convoy; Will Lead Engineering for Digital Freight Network
Dorothy Li, a 23-year Amazon veteran who helped launch products from Prime to Kindle, has been named CTO of Seattle-based trucking startup Convoy and will lead engineering for its digital freight network. Convoy, valued at $2.7 billion after a $400 million raise in November 2019, reports triple-digit year-over-year revenue growth and a network of over 67,000 carriers and 300,000 trucks.
OfferUp hires Booking.com veteran Todd Dunlap as CEO; starts in July as co-founder Nick Huzar becomes CPO
OfferUp hired former Booking.com U.S. and Canada managing director Todd Dunlap as CEO starting in July while co-founder Nick Huzar moves to chief product officer and retains president and board chair roles; the Seattle-based marketplace has 56 million users, $380M total funding, and raised $120M last year.
University of Washington-backed Seattle neighborhood delivery hub launches near Space Needle, testing electric-assist trikes and parcel lockers with Coaster Cycles, BrightDrop and AxleHire
Seattle launched its first neighborhood delivery hub near the Space Needle as a University of Washington Urban Freight Lab pilot to test last-mile logistics using electric-assist cargo trikes, parcel lockers and partnerships with companies like Coaster Cycles, BrightDrop and AxleHire. The hub aims to cut costs and emissions in the final leg of deliveries while serving as a community gathering spot.
Pioneer Square Labs spins out Dance Church Go with Dance Church; membership platform launches at $19/month or $199/year
Pioneer Square Labs is partnering with Seattle’s Dance Church to launch Dance Church Go, a dance-on-demand membership platform priced at $19/month or $199/year, after the company expanded into livestreaming during the pandemic and hired Clara Siegel as CEO.
Candidate launches out of beta, raises $4M seed to pay $2,400–$6,000 for referral hires
Seattle startup Candidate launched out of beta and closed a $4 million seed round to pay $2,400–$6,000 to external referrers who submit hired candidates, keeping roughly 20% as revenue. The platform lists roles in major cities and remote positions, aims to diversify hiring beyond internal referrals, and has attracted investors including Voyager and Revolution’s Rise of the Rest.
Nautilus Biotechnology (NAUT) goes public via SPAC, raises $345 million to commercialize proteome analysis
Nautilus Biotechnology, co-founded by Sujal Patel and Parag Mallick, is going public on Nasdaq as NAUT through a SPAC merger that raised $345 million to advance a new proteome analysis platform aimed at accelerating biomedical research and drug development. Institutional backers include Bezos Expeditions, Vulcan Capital and Madrona Venture Group, and the deal closes on the 25th anniversary of Patel’s arrival in Seattle.
Shipium raises $8M to help retailers optimize fulfillment and compete with Amazon
Seattle startup Shipium raised $8 million to provide API-driven fulfillment software that helps online retailers optimize shipping decisions and compete with Amazon amid a pandemic-driven e-commerce surge.
YourBase raises $5M seed from Lightspeed to speed software testing with automated Code Dependency Graph
Seattle startup YourBase raised a $5 million seed round led by Lightspeed to sell tooling that shortens test times and release cycles by automating test selection using a Code Dependency Graph, claiming ~90 developer hours saved per month and more than a dozen private-beta customers.
Stackline raises $130M Series B from TA Associates after $50M raise last November; serves 2,000+ brands
Seattle-based e-commerce software company Stackline raised $130 million from TA Associates in a Series B, less than a year after a $50 million round; the firm serves over 2,000 brands, has been profitable since 2014, and grew headcount 75% this year.
Astra to Go Public July 1 via Craig McCaw’s Holicity SPAC in $2.1B Deal; Proxy Voting Starts
Astra plans to go public on Nasdaq on July 1 via a merger with Craig McCaw’s SPAC Holicity, a deal that values Astra at $2.1 billion and follows recent launches and business moves including a planned acquisition of Apollo Fusion worth up to $145 million. CEO Chris Kemp said proxy statements for the June 30 shareholder vote are being mailed, and Astra has secured multi-launch work for Planet and aims to use Apollo Fusion propulsion on Spaceflight Inc.’s Sherpa tug.
iContact (J2 Global subsidiary) acquires Seattle SEO firm Moz; terms undisclosed
Seattle SEO software startup Moz, founded in 2004 by Rand Fishkin and Gillian Muessig, was acquired by iContact (a J2 Global subsidiary); terms were not disclosed and Moz will keep its brand while joining J2’s email marketing portfolio. Moz, which employs 177 people, is profitable, serves clients like Alaska Airlines and Zillow, and will pair resources with iContact for combined search and email marketing solutions.
Esper raises $30M Series B led by Scale Venture Partners to expand DevOps platform for Android IoT fleets
Seattle-based Esper raised $30 million in a Series B led by Scale Venture Partners to expand its DevOps platform for managing fleets of company-owned Android IoT devices; the 100-person startup says revenue, customers and device installs surged in 2020. Total funding to date is $40.6 million and Esper targets industries using point-of-sale tablets, connected fitness gear and kiosks.
Sally Jewell named Edward V. Fritzky chair at UW Foster; Riveter CEO Amy Nelson relocates to Columbus; other exec moves
A roundup of leadership moves: former Interior Secretary Sally Jewell will be the Edward V. Fritzky endowed chair at UW Foster School for 2021–22; Riveter CEO Amy Nelson is relocating to Columbus but will remain with the company; and several other executives (including Jeff Blackburn, Randy Tinseth, and Vinayak Hegde) are taking new roles or joining boards.
Xplore opens 22,000‑sq ft satellite manufacturing facility in Redmond, to start production in June
Xplore has leased a 22,000-square-foot satellite manufacturing facility in Redmond, Washington, in the former Planetary Resources complex and will begin moving in June to produce ESPA-class XCraft and LightCraft spacecraft. The company plans to build up to 20 spacecraft per year for commercial customers and U.S. agencies including NASA, NOAA, the Space Force and Air Force.
Remitly buys IP from Seattle startup Jargon; co-founders Milkana Brace and Jonathan Burstein join Remitly
Remitly has acquired intellectual property from Seattle startup Jargon and will hire Jargon co-founders Milkana Brace and Jonathan Burstein plus three staffers, while Jargon winds down operations; Remitly plans to use the technology to improve customer experience.
Orbite launches three-day astronaut orientation sessions Aug. 23 in France, November–December in Orlando with zero‑G and high‑G flights
Seattle startup Orbite will offer three-day "try before you buy" astronaut orientation sessions starting Aug. 23 in France and later in Orlando, featuring VR, zero-G and high-G flights, space-food classes and stargazing for up to 10 participants per session.
Seattle startup Plunk raises $6.5M seed from Unlock Ventures to recommend remodels that boost home value
Seattle startup Plunk raised a $6.5 million seed round led by Unlock Ventures to expand its app that uses image processing, AI and machine learning to recommend remodels that raise home value. The free app has analyzed over 1 million homes in Seattle, identifying about $400 billion in combined potential "Plunk Value," while the company focuses on establishing credible analytics before announcing monetization plans.
Seattle gallerist Kirsten Anderson and tech veteran Art Min launch Phosphene, a curated NFT portal for vetted artists and collectors
Seattle gallery owner Kirsten Anderson is launching Phosphene, a curated NFT portal, partnering with tech veteran and investor Art Min to connect vetted artists with serious collectors and simplify entry into NFTs.
Modica converts shipping containers into software-driven microfactories to deploy automated factories globally
Seattle startup Modica converts shipping containers into modular, software-driven microfactories that enable small-to-medium scale automated manufacturing anywhere in the world. Founded in 2018 by Will (William) Gibbs, the company applies systems integration, modular construction and generative design to speed factory build-out and avoid supply shortages.
BitTitan to Acquire Perspectium, Adding 75 Employees and Expanding ServiceNow Data Management
BitTitan announced it will acquire Perspectium, a 75-person company that helps manage data on ServiceNow, in a deal that expands BitTitan’s IT service management offerings and raises headcount to over 250; financial terms were not disclosed. Perspectium CEO David Loo will join BitTitan as chief product officer.
FlavorCloud raises $6.3M Series A led by Mucker Capital as profitable international-shipping startup hits rapid growth
Seattle-based FlavorCloud, which simplifies cross-border e-commerce shipping by handling customs rules and product codes, raised $6.3 million in a Series A led by Mucker Capital. The profitable, four-year-old startup — founded by CEO Rathna Sharad and CTO Sherwyn Soff in 2017 — has grown rapidly during the pandemic and has deals including a partnership with Chinese payments firm LianLian Pay; total funding is $8.6 million.
People
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Jamie Siminoff Executive, Vice President
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Steve Rabuchin Executive, Vice President of Project Kuiper (Amazon Leo)
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Ben Wild Co-founder of Hubble Network, Former Amazon Product Lead
