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 Podcast: OthersideAI raises $2.6M to use GPT‑3 for drafting emails; Tom Alberg profile and Trivia Challenge return
The GeekWire Podcast covers OthersideAI, a startup using GPT-3 to draft emails that just raised a $2.6 million seed round, discusses Seattle tech investor Tom Alberg’s long career and current focus, and relaunches the GeekWire Trivia Challenge with a chance to win a limited-edition face mask.
AI that writes your emails; a Seattle tech visionary; and our trivia challenge returns
Here’s what we’re talking about on the GeekWire Podcast this week: OthersideAI thinks it can help you be more productive by using artificial intelligence to write your emails for you. But is that really a good idea? The months-old firm announced a $2.6 million seed round this week. It's one of several startups creating email products based on OpenAI's GPT3 language processing technology. We talk about the long-term implications for the industry and for humanity. Tom Alberg was an internet financial pioneer when he became one of the first investors in Amazon in 1995. He didn't stop there. He was…
Wyze co-founder Dave Crosby’s unreleased Wyze Cam Outdoor records car prowler stealing camera; Crosby tracks thief via Craigslist and films the pursuit
Wyze co-founder Dave Crosby used an unreleased Wyze Cam Outdoor mounted over his driveway to record a car prowler stealing a camera from his vehicle, then tracked the thief after the stolen device surfaced for sale on Craigslist and documented the incident on his popular YouTube channel.
Tom Alberg invested in Amazon’s 1995 seed round, joined its board and co-founded Madrona to build Seattle’s tech scene
Tom Alberg invested in Amazon’s 1995 seed round, joined its board, and later co-founded Madrona Investment Group to back Pacific Northwest internet startups, helping shape Seattle’s tech ecosystem. His early bets and leadership influenced regional tech growth and left a legacy noted by Jeff Bezos and others.
2048 Ventures Hires Seattle Investor Minda Brusse to Lead Pre-Seed Sourcing in Seattle and Portland
NYC-based 2048 Ventures has hired Seattle investor Minda Brusse as a venture partner to source pre-seed investments in Seattle and Portland while she remains at First Row Partners; 2048 launched last year with a $27 million fund and has backed 29 companies.
Foursquare CEO David Shim to Resign; Gary Little Named CEO in 2021; Other Tech Leadership Moves Reported
Foursquare CEO David Shim, founder of Placed, is resigning and will be succeeded by board member Gary Little in 2021 after a transition; Shim plans to return to entrepreneurship. Other moves: investor Karan Mehandru left Trinity Ventures to join Steadfast Financial while remaining on several boards, 343 Industries’ Chris Lee stepped down from Halo Infinite project direction, and WTIA hired Molly Jones as VP of government affairs.
Bottomless says Amazon’s new Dash Smart Shelf validates Seattle startup’s WiFi coffee-reordering scale; Bottomless is profitable with ~$2M sales
Seattle startup Bottomless, which sells a WiFi-connected smart scale that automatically reorders coffee beans, says Amazon’s new Dash Smart Shelf validates its market; Bottomless is profitable, has raised over $2 million, and generates nearly $2 million in annual coffee sales.
Seattle startup Plunk raises $2M+ to power AI-driven home valuation and renovation recommendations
Seattle startup Plunk, founded by Brian Lent and David Bluhm, has developed an app that uses image processing, AI and machine learning to evaluate home condition, estimate renovation-driven value increases (a "Plunk Value") and recommend specific projects; the company has 15 employees and has raised over $2 million to date, including an initial $1M reported in 2019.
University of Washington taps Justin Dunnicliff as NSIN university program director; Meredith Han named VP of Product at FlyHomes
The University of Washington partnered with the Department of Defense’s National Security Innovation Network (NSIN) and named UW alumnus Justin Dunnicliff as university program director to run NSIN programs at UW, connecting students to DoD-related research and employment opportunities. The article also notes Meredith Han, an early Amazon employee and angel investor, has become VP of product at FlyHomes.
WestRiver Group CEO Erik Anderson and Riverstone launch Decarbonization Plus Acquisition SPAC, raising $200M to pursue global decarbonization targets
WestRiver Group CEO Erik Anderson and asset manager Riverstone launched Decarbonization Plus Acquisition, a SPAC that raised $200 million to target companies advancing global decarbonization across energy, agriculture, industrials, transportation and commercial/residential sectors.
Amazon names Anne Toth director of Alexa Trust; Zillow adds Claire Cormier Thielke to board; Lockstep exits stealth
Amazon hired Anne Toth as director of Alexa Trust to lead privacy, security, accessibility and ethics efforts for Alexa; Zillow added Claire Cormier Thielke to its board and Lockstep, a Seattle accounting-software startup founded in 2019, emerged from stealth with a founding team drawn from Avalara, Globys, e2b Teknologies and Winshuttle.
Fabric, led by ex-Amazon exec Faisal Masud, raises $9.5M seed from Redpoint to offer headless e-commerce for mid-market brands
Fabric, a Seattle-area startup led by former Amazon and Staples executive Faisal Masud, emerged from stealth and raised $9.5 million in seed funding led by Redpoint Ventures to provide a headless, API-first e-commerce platform for mid-market brands that have outgrown Shopify but aren’t ready for enterprise solutions.
Jonathan Sandals launches Sook Chrome extension to aggregate local Seattle boutique inventory and counter Amazon’s search advantage
Jonathan Sandals, who moved to Seattle in 2019, built Sook, a Chrome extension that aggregates product listings from many small local store websites so shoppers can browse and buy from multiple boutiques in one place. He designed Sook to require no extra work from store owners and to make buying local as easy as shopping on major corporate sites like Amazon.
Temporal raises $20M Series A led by Sequoia to commercialize open-source microservices orchestration
Temporal, a Seattle startup founded by former Uber engineers and cloud veterans, raised $20 million in a Series A led by Sequoia to commercialize its open-source microservices orchestration platform that improves developer productivity and reliability. Major customers include Snap, Box, Checkr, HashiCorp, and Coinbase, and investors include Madrona, Addition, Amplify and Snowflake ex-CEO Bob Muglia.
PNW Startups Raised $1.1B in Q3 2020 Across 65 Deals as Investors Keep Funding Amid Pandemic
Pacific Northwest startups raised $1.1 billion across 65 deals in Q3 2020, with funding in July and August exceeding last year’s levels as investors continue backing tech despite the pandemic.
Skilljar raises $33M Series B led by Insight Partners as pandemic boosts demand for its customer education platform
Seattle-based Skilljar, founded by Sandi Lin and Jason Stewart, raised $33 million in a Series B led by Insight Partners as demand for its customer education software surged during the pandemic; total funding exceeds $50 million and the platform has delivered over 10 million instructional hours to 300+ customers including Tableau and Cisco. The company provides cloud-based training, assessments, certifications, analytics and integrations to help companies build onboarding and customer education programs.
GeekWire Podcast: Seattle startup CEOs optimistic for 18 months; Amazon launches Amazon Explore; Spencer Rascoff launches Pacaso
GeekWire Podcast reports Seattle startup CEOs are optimistic about the economy for the next 18 months, Amazon launched a virtual tourism service called Amazon Explore, ex-Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff introduced Pacaso for shared second-home ownership, and the GeekWire Summit will be held virtually Oct. 13–29.
Startup CEOs optimistic despite pandemic; Amazon moves into virtual travel
Here’s what we’re talking about on the GeekWire Podcast this week: The results are in from the first-ever GeekWire 200 CEO Insights survey and they may surprise you. Startup CEOs in Seattle are generally optimistic about the state of the economy for the next 18 months. And they have some thoughts on who should be president. Amazon's latest offering is virtual tourism through its new Amazon Explore service. GeekWire's Todd Bishop went for a walk around Quebec City with a local guide and took a cooking lesson in Buenos Aires, all without leaving the office. Ex-Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff jumps…
Uber Freight raises $500M led by Greenbriar, valuing the unit at $3.3B
Uber Freight raised $500 million in a funding round led by Greenbriar that values the trucking logistics unit at $3.3 billion, and the business reported $211 million in adjusted net revenue for Uber’s most recent quarter with a $49 million quarterly loss. The unit operates a digital freight marketplace with about 65,000 carriers and competes with startups like Convoy, which recently raised $400 million at a $2.7 billion valuation.
GeekWire 200 CEO Survey: Most Seattle-Area Startups Report Little or No Pandemic Impact and Plan Hiring
A GeekWire 200 CEO survey of nearly 50 Pacific Northwest startup leaders found most report little or no negative impact from the pandemic, many plan to hire, and significant optimism about the regional economy over the next 18 months.
Ex-Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff and dotloop Founder Austin Allison Launch Pacaso, Raise $17M Seed and $250M Debt to Fractionalize Second-Home Ownership
Former Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff and dotloop founder Austin Allison launched Pacaso, a startup that fractionalizes second-home ownership and manages co-owned properties. The company announced a $17 million seed round led by Maveron plus $250 million in debt to buy homes and partners with agents to form LLCs for shared ownership.
RealSelf promotes James Coyle to CEO as platform rebounds, adds execs and board member Lizette Williams
Seattle-based cosmetic review marketplace RealSelf promoted COO James Coyle to CEO as the company rebounds from pandemic layoffs, adds executives and a new board member, and launches new virtual services and products to capture rising demand.
Nori raises $4M seed from Placeholder-led round to scale crypto carbon-offset marketplace
Seattle startup Nori raised $4 million in a seed round led by Placeholder to expand its crypto-based carbon-offset marketplace that pays farmers for regenerative practices; the platform has sold nearly 13,000 metric tons of CO2 offsets and aims to sell 20,000 more by year-end.
Matt McIlwain (Madrona) on lessons from 20 years of VC investing, traits of top entrepreneurs, and building a bigger pie
20 years as a VC at Madrona. Headline IPOs like Accolade, Smartsheet, Apptio, Isilon. Invested in cloud before it was cool. 3x Midas list. 3x CB's top 100 VC list. Matt goes behind the scenes on his lessons (from the highs and lows), Madrona's philosophy, and how the best leaders work.
WhyLabs, AI2 Spinout Led by Ex-Amazon Engineers, Raises $4M from Madrona, Bezos Expeditions and Others
WhyLabs, an AI monitoring startup spun out of the Allen Institute for AI, emerged from stealth after raising $4 million from investors including Madrona, Defy Partners, Bezos Expeditions and Ascend VC to commercialize a platform for monitoring ML data and models. The company is led by CEO Alessya Visnjic, joined by former Amazon ML engineers Andy Dang and Sam Gracie plus ex-Madrona principal Maria Karaivanova.
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
