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
GeekWire opens voting for 2021 Startup CEO of the Year with five finalists including OctoML, Syndio and WhyLabs
GeekWire is running community voting for its 13th annual GeekWire Awards, featuring five finalists for Startup CEO of the Year: Luis Ceze (OctoML), Maria Colacurcio (Syndio), Mike McSherry (Xealth), Ray Meiring (Qorus Software) and Alessya Visnjic (WhyLabs); voting closes April 30 and winners are announced May 20 at a virtual event.
Accolade to buy PlushCare for up to $450M, adding virtual primary care and expanding TAM to $200B+
Accolade will acquire virtual primary care startup PlushCare for up to $450 million, adding primary care to its benefits platform and expanding its addressable market to over $200 billion. PlushCare, founded in 2015, has served 400,000 patients, posted $35 million revenue last year, and will continue its direct-to-consumer business under Accolade.
Venture Out launches $1,499 Moonlighter Lab to help full-time workers validate startups while keeping day jobs
Seattle nonprofit Venture Out launched Moonlighter Lab, an 8-week program that charges $1,499 to help full-time workers validate startup ideas while keeping their day jobs; some participants from the January cohort later quit to pursue startups. Venture Out, co-founded by Sean Sternbach and Ken Horenstein, previously ran a 12-week Venture Lab exchanging 4% equity and raised $700,000 last year led by M12.
Boundless raises $25M to expand immigration software services; aims to triple staff after RapidVisa deal
Seattle-based immigration software startup Boundless raised $25 million to expand services that help people connect with lawyers and file spousal-visa and citizenship applications, having supported over 70,000 families since spinning out of Pioneer Square Labs in 2017. The company, led by CEO Xiao Wang, plans to grow headcount from 130 with hopes tied to a 'pro-immigrant' Biden administration after recent restructuring and the acquisition of RapidVisa.
Jeff Bezos’s Bezos Expeditions joins Drake, Alexis Ohanian and NBA stars in $80M investment in Overtime as it launches paid high-school basketball league
Jeff Bezos joined an $80 million funding round for Overtime, a Brooklyn-based sports media company planning a paid high-school basketball league, alongside investors including Drake, Alexis Ohanian and current and former NBA players.
RBC Signals raises $1.2M late-seed round to scale global satellite ground-station services, total funding $3.2M
RBC Signals closed a $1.2 million late seed funding round to expand its satellite ground-station services as demand rises, bringing total funding to $3.2 million and supporting growth ahead of a busy 2021.
Coinbase IPO Soars to $85 Billion, Nets Windfalls for Early Backers Including Version One Ventures
Coinbase’s IPO pushed its valuation to $85 billion and delivered major returns to early investors like Version One Ventures, which made a highly profitable bet years ago. The article examines how Seattle and Pacific Northwest investors view crypto and blockchain as the region seeks to grow its fintech presence amid emerging local startups and initiatives.
Wyze Labs starts preorders for $29.99 AI-enabled Wyze Floor Lamp as startup reveals rapid product growth
Seattle-based Wyze Labs began preorders for a $29.99 Wyze Floor Lamp with an AI-learning Bluetooth remote and has launched 17 products in the past year as part of 30 total products. The four-year-old startup employs about 160 people, has over 5 million community users, and has raised $36 million to date including a $15 million round in July 2020 with investment from Marcy Venture Partners.
Dendron raises $2M seed to scale IDE-style open-source note tool, founded by ex-AWS engineers Kevin Lin and Kiran Pathakota
Seattle-based open-source note-taking startup Dendron raised $2 million in seed funding to scale a tool that applies IDE-style structure to managing large personal and institutional information, founded by ex-AWS engineer Kevin Lin and former Amazon TPM Kiran Pathakota.
Spot, founded by former Outreach executives Gordon Hempton and Wes Hather, raises $1.7M to build ‘Sims for the enterprise’ virtual offices
Spot, a year-old Seattle startup founded by former Outreach co-founders Gordon Hempton and Wes Hather, has raised $1.7 million to build virtual office software described as “The Sims for the Enterprise.” The seven-person company, currently in closed beta, has created hundreds of virtual worlds for events and HQs and competes with platforms like Gather, Teamflow, Virbela and Branch amid continued remote and hybrid work tailwinds.
Throne and CityBldr roll out app-controlled mobile restrooms for delivery drivers after Amazon apology
Startups Throne (D.C.) and CityBldr (Seattle) are rolling out app-controlled mobile restrooms aimed at delivery drivers after reports of drivers urinating in bottles prompted an Amazon apology; Throne’s app lets drivers reserve and unlock nearby units. The service is in early rollout/stealth mode, targeting cities near Amazon’s HQs.
Ad Lightning CEO Scott Moore says he pulled company from downtown Seattle over safety, homelessness and transit, won’t return
Ad Lightning CEO Scott Moore says he pulled his company out of downtown Seattle because employees don’t feel safe amid crime and homelessness and poor transit, and he doesn’t plan to return until durable solutions are in place; he warns Seattle is losing competitiveness to Eastside cities like Bellevue and Redmond.
Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures invests $24.3M in ZeroAvia, lifting private funding past $53M
Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures led a follow-up $24.3 million investment in ZeroAvia’s hybrid hydrogen-electric aircraft powertrains, joining prior investors and bringing the company’s total private funding to more than $53 million and nearly $74 million including grants. ZeroAvia plans a 19-seat hydrogen-electric demonstration by 2023, commercialization of a 600 kW powertrain in 2024, and a 2 MW program targeting 50+ seat aircraft by 2026.
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.
Brothers David and Connor Wallace launch CODA Farm Technologies to bring IoT irrigation to their historic Wallace potato farm
Brothers David and Connor Wallace left tech jobs to found CODA Farm Technologies, an IoT agriculture startup built from their multigenerational Wallace potato farm in Skagit Valley. The company focuses on applying David’s data-science and Connor’s software skills to irrigation and other farm problems using connected devices.
Kymeta and Kepler demonstrate u8 flat-panel antenna achieving 100 Mbps and 2+ GB per pass in Arctic test
Kymeta and Kepler demonstrated that Kymeta's u8 flat-panel antenna can connect with Kepler’s LEO Global Data Service in Inuvik, Canada, achieving average uplink and downlink speeds of 100 Mbps and transferring over 2 GB per satellite pass in extreme cold.
Shelf Engine raises $41M to expand forecasting and scan-based ordering for Kroger, Walmart; serves 2,000 stores
Shelf Engine raised $41 million to expand its order-forecasting and automation platform used by grocers like Kroger and Walmart to reduce waste and trim costs; the company now serves about 2,000 stores and reported 15x revenue growth last year.
OctoML raises $28M Series B to speed ML deployment across phones, cars and cloud; backed by Apache TVM creators
Seattle startup OctoML, a University of Washington spinout led by CEO Luis Ceze, raised $28 million in Series B funding to help companies deploy and optimize machine-learning models across diverse hardware. The team — creators of Apache TVM — counts partners like Qualcomm, Microsoft and AMD, has ~1,000 early Octomizer sign-ups, 45 employees and plans >50% headcount growth this year.
Seattle VCs Report 28% Women in Senior Roles, Nearly Double U.S. Average of 14.2%
Seattle-area venture capital firms have nearly double the national share of women in senior roles (28% vs. 14.2%), with 25 women among 88 partners across 21 Washington firms, though overall parity remains distant and 61% of U.S. VC firms still have no women in key decision-making roles.
JetClosing raises $11M Series B, names former Amazon and Bulletproof exec Anna Collins as CEO
Seattle digital home-closing startup JetClosing raised an $11 million Series B led by funds advised by T. Rowe Price, Pioneer Square Labs and Trilogy Equity, bringing total funding to $44 million. The company also named former Amazon and Bulletproof executive Anna Collins as its new CEO, replacing founder Daniel Greenshields.
Former Microsoft Azure distinguished engineer Kushagra Vaid joins Eclipse Ventures as partner; Mary Shea named Outreach’s first evangelist
Multiple Pacific Northwest tech moves: former Microsoft Azure distinguished engineer Kushagra Vaid joined Eclipse Ventures as a partner and is advising Cyemptive Technologies; Athira Pharma appointed Barbara Kosacz to its board; Outreach hired former Forrester analyst Mary Shea as its first evangelist; and Microsoft Vancouver GM Edoardo De Martin left to become CTO at CubicFarm Systems.
Washington Senate Passes SB 5096 25-24 as Tech Industry and Progressives Clash Over Proposed Capital-Gains Tax
Washington state's tech community is sharply divided over SB 5096, a proposed capital-gains tax targeting large gains that startups warn would hurt recruitment and competitiveness; the state Senate passed the bill 25-24 and it now moves to the House. Progressive groups and analysts counter that other tech-leading states tax capital gains and say the WTIA's claims are false, noting many startups received federal PPP aid.
Jungle Scout raises $110M and acquires Seattle Amazon-ad startup Downstream, adding its 11-person team
Jungle Scout, an Austin-based company serving Amazon sellers, raised $110 million and announced the acquisition of Seattle startup Downstream, which provides Amazon advertising recommendations and will join Jungle Scout with its 11-person team; terms were not disclosed. Downstream, founded in late 2017, has 5,000 customers, >200% year-over-year revenue growth, and has raised $5 million from multiple investors.
Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Amazon and others invest $80M in Turntide to commercialize switched-reluctance Smart Motor System
Turntide Technologies raised $80 million in a funding round led by Bill Gates’s Breakthrough Energy Ventures, bringing its total funding to $180 million to scale its Smart Motor System based on switched reluctance motor technology. Investors include the Amazon Climate Pledge Fund, Robert Downey Jr.’s Footprint Coalition Ventures and several venture firms, backing the company’s effort to improve motor efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.
Founders’ Co-op closes $50M Fund V to back pre-seed and seed Pacific Northwest startups
Founders’ Co-op announced the close of its fifth fund, a $50M largest-to-date vehicle focused on pre-seed and seed investments in Pacific Northwest technical founding teams, highlighting the region's growth since 2008 and the firm's track record with over 200 portfolio companies.
People
See all 13-
Jamie Siminoff Executive, Vice President
-
Steve Rabuchin Executive, Vice President of Project Kuiper (Amazon Leo)
-
Ben Wild Co-founder of Hubble Network, Former Amazon Product Lead
