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
Auger, led by ex‑Amazon operations chief Dave Clark, raises $50M Series B to reach $150M total and expand customers
Auger, a Bellevue supply-chain software startup led by ex‑Amazon operations chief Dave Clark, raised $50 million in a Series B led by Eclipse, bringing total funding to $150 million while growing to ~130 employees and signing customers including Meta, Fanatics, and Kimberly‑Clark. The company integrates existing ERP and logistics systems into a unified operating layer using AI agents and optimization models to make and execute supply‑chain decisions.
Ex-OpenAI Chief Product Officer Kevin Weil Joins Stoke Space Board to Advance Fully Reusable Rocket Technology
Kevin Weil, former Chief Product Officer at OpenAI and instrumental in ChatGPT's development, has joined the board of Stoke Space, a startup developing fully reusable rockets to significantly reduce launch costs. His appointment highlights a notable crossover between AI tech leadership and the advancing commercial space industry.
Zoom to Acquire Seattle AI Startup Common Room, Known for $52M-Funded Buyer Intelligence Platform
Zoom is acquiring Common Room, a Seattle-based AI startup that developed a platform to help sales and marketing teams track customer buying signals. Common Room emerged from stealth in 2021 with $52 million in funding and was named the 2022 GeekWire Awards Startup of the Year.
Taiwan’s eNeural Technologies Opens North American HQ in Bellevue with $3.5M Investment and 30 Jobs, Targets 500 Employees
Taiwan-based AI startup eNeural Technologies is establishing its North American headquarters in Bellevue, Washington, planning to invest $3.5 million and create around 30 jobs initially, with a long-term goal of expanding to over 500 employees as a core edge AI R&D center. The company specializes in lightweight, low-power AI software and chips for on-site device intelligence in logistics, vehicles, and smart city infrastructure.
Devplan Raises $2.5M Seed Round Led by AI2 Incubator for AI-Native Product Development
Devplan, a Seattle-based AI-native product development intelligence platform, emerged from stealth announcing a $2.5 million seed funding round led by AI2 Incubator with participation from Acequia Capital, Mighty Capital, Grand Ventures, and eLab Ventures.
Jamie Siminoff on Why Shark Tank Didn't Save Ring (and What Actually Did)
What does building a billion-dollar company actually feel like? According to Ring founder Jamie Siminoff, it's far less glamorous than most founder stories make it seem. Jamie joins Sammi to unpack the journey from almost running out of money to building Ring into one of the biggest consumer tech acquisitions in history. He explains why entrepreneurship can be deeply traumatic, how close Ring came to bankruptcy before appearing on Shark Tank, and why the rejection that made headlines wasn't nearly as important as what happened afterward. They also discuss why Jamie spent nearly all of Ring's remaining cash buying Ring.com…
Virginia AI Startup Trase Raises $107M Seed Round, Expands Seattle Team to 100 Employees with AWS Vet Baskar Sridharan as President
Virginia-based AI startup Trase raised a $107 million seed round led by Arch Venture Partners and is expanding its Seattle-area team from 20 to 100 employees, led by new president Baskar Sridharan, to focus on AI deployment in highly regulated industries like healthcare.
Governor Ferguson Assembles 26 Business Leaders from Boeing, Microsoft, Amazon to Enhance Washington State's Economic Competitiveness
Governor Ferguson has gathered 26 business leaders from companies like Boeing, Microsoft, and Amazon to advise on enhancing Washington state's economic competitiveness.
Amperity Undertakes Layoffs Amid AI-Driven Operational Shift Under New Co-CEOs Shahani and Slager
Seattle-based customer data startup Amperity conducted unspecified layoffs as it shifts its operations toward increased artificial intelligence integration under new co-CEOs Kabir Shahani and Derek Slager. The company, with over 200 employees globally, aims to build a stronger AI-driven future following leadership changes including the CEO transition earlier in 2024.
Startups Starcloud and Cowboy Space Raise Over $445 Million to Develop Space-Based AI Data Centers Amid Launch Cost Challenges
Startups Starcloud and Cowboy Space are advancing space-based AI data centers with significant funding and hardware deployments, yet economic viability hinges on launch costs. Starcloud has already demonstrated AI in orbit and raised $170 million, while Cowboy Space plans to integrate rocket and data center technology with $275 million raised.
Former Convoy CEO Dan Lewis Launches Stealth Startup Focused on AI Infrastructure and Supply Chain Intelligence
Dan Lewis, former CEO of Convoy, has launched a stealth startup aimed at developing AI infrastructure and enhancing supply chain intelligence.
Convoy Co-founder Dan Lewis Leaves Microsoft to Launch Stealth Startup for Efficient AI Model Computing
Dan Lewis, co-founder of the former freight marketplace Convoy, has left his corporate vice president role at Microsoft to launch a stealth startup focused on creating an efficient computing platform for running AI models. His new venture aims to optimize AI inference costs by managing data centers, networking, chips, and software to make AI more efficient and affordable.
Seattle Startup Devplan Raises $2.5M Seed to Launch Weaver, an AI Tool Automating Product Team Coordination
Devplan, a Seattle startup founded by industry veterans Chris Bee and Anton Safonov, raised $2.5 million in seed funding led by AI2 Incubator to launch Weaver, a software that automates coordination and status reporting for product and engineering teams. Weaver integrates with tools like GitHub and Slack to provide real-time project tracking and reduce meetings and manual updates.
Devplan Raises $2.5M Seed Round to Cut AI Coordination Costs by 3.5x Using Real-Time Knowledge Graph
Devplan, a Seattle startup founded by former Uber and Amazon executives, raised $2.5M in seed funding led by AI2 Incubator to develop a real-time knowledge graph that reduces AI coordination costs by 3.5 times for product and engineering teams.
ElevenLabs Invests $11 Million in Warsaw R&D Hub Amid $500 Million ARR Milestone and $11 Billion Valuation
ElevenLabs, a Polish AI voice company valued at $11 billion, invested $11 million in a Warsaw R&D hub while surpassing $500 million ARR. The company emphasizes maintaining engineering work in Europe despite global expansion.
Solius Labs Raises $23M Series A to Launch FDA-Cleared $2,995 At-Home UVB Light Therapy Device
Solius Labs, a Bainbridge Island startup founded in 2013, raised $23 million in Series A funding to launch the Solius Pro, a $2,995 FDA-cleared at-home UVB light therapy device that delivers safe, personalized vitamin D stimulating treatment via a smartphone-controlled wall-mounted unit. The device uses a patented skin-scanning sensor to customize UVB dosage in under five minutes per weekly session, enabling convenient home use previously only available in clinics.
SpaceX Surpasses Amazon with $2.95 Trillion Valuation After IPO Amid Analyst Warnings of Overvaluation
SpaceX briefly became the fourth-largest company on Wall Street with a market cap of $2.95 trillion shortly after its IPO, surpassing Amazon and Microsoft, though many analysts warn its valuation is significantly inflated. The company faces critical tests with upcoming earnings reports and insider lockup expirations.
Ex-Axon Leader Luke Larson Launches Vale, a Nationwide Automated Matcha Beverage Startup from Seattle
Luke Larson, former Axon president, is building Vale, a Seattle-based automated matcha beverage startup aiming to scale nationally like Starbucks. He leverages his tech and leadership experience to grow Vale from local cafes to thousands of automated dispensers across the U.S.
Prometheus, co-led by Jeff Bezos, raises $12B at $41B valuation to build an ‘artificial general engineer’
Jeff Bezos’s AI startup Prometheus raised $12 billion at a $41 billion valuation from investors including JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, and BlackRock to build an “artificial general engineer” that accelerates design-to-manufacturing for physical products; the company has about 150 employees and total funding exceeds $18 billion.
ArchAstro Raises $6.2M to Launch AI Network for Cross-Company Enterprise Software Integration
ArchAstro, founded by veterans from Microsoft, Stripe, Meta, and Statsig, has launched with $6.2 million in pre-seed funding to develop AI agents that automate complex, cross-company software integrations and deployments. Their privacy-aware Forward Deployed Agents aim to securely connect disparate enterprise systems, addressing the lengthy and difficult process of integrating B2B software across corporate boundaries.
Expedia and Zillow Co-Founder Rich Barton Relocates to Las Vegas Amid Washington State Wealth Tax Concerns
Rich Barton, the co-founder of Expedia and Zillow, has moved from Washington to Las Vegas, joining other tech magnates like Jeff Bezos who left due to Washington state's new wealth taxes. His departure is seen as a significant loss to the Seattle tech startup ecosystem amid growing debates over taxes on wealthy residents.
Hydrogen Aviation Startup ZeroAvia Scales Back U.S. Operations, CEO and Several Executives Depart Amid Strategic Shift
ZeroAvia, a hydrogen aviation startup backed by Bill Gates and Amazon, has scaled back its ambitions by ceasing most operations in Washington and California, shifting product development to the UK, and experiencing executive departures, including CEO Val Miftakhov. Despite these setbacks, the company maintains its mission to advance hydrogen-electric powertrains for aviation and seeks to adjust its pace and focus according to market conditions.
Fintech Startup Enduring Planet Raises $12M Second Fund to Support Early-Stage Climate Startups
Enduring Planet, a Pacific Northwest fintech startup launched in 2021, has closed its second investment fund at over $12 million, more than doubling its initial fund size to support early-stage climate startups. The company focuses on lending to climate ventures with government awards and also provides part-time CFO services.
Zuckerberg's yacht, Meta's layoffs, a robot pizza flameout, and a reality check on AI expenses
This week on the show: Mark Zuckerberg's superyacht arrives in Seattle the same day Meta discloses nearly 1,400 local layoffs, robot pizza startup Picnic flames out and sells to a mystery buyer, and corporate America confronts the rising cost of AI, including the leaderboard-gaming practice known as "tokenmaxxing." And we return to the theme of billionaire yachts for our trivia challenge. With GeekWire co-founders Todd Bishop and John Cook. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Madrona and Wing Lead $40M Series A in Gray Swan to Secure Agentic AI, Investors Include Snowflake Ventures and Samsung Next
Madrona co-led a $40 million Series A in Gray Swan, a startup founded by Carnegie Mellon researchers Zico Kolter and Matt Fredrikson to build security and safety infrastructure for agentic AI in the enterprise. Gray Swan aims to create frameworks for agent identity, runtime protection, and adversarial testing to unlock wide enterprise deployment of AI agents.
People
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Jamie Siminoff Executive, Vice President
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Ben Wild Co-founder of Hubble Network, Former Amazon Product Lead
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Manish Srivastava Director, Product & Technology, A to Z Platform & PXT AI
