Gates Foundation
Facts
- HQ
- Washington, D.C.
- Sectors
- Philanthropy, Global health, International development, Non-profit
- Founded
- 2000
- Employees
- 500
Amarjit Kaur Sandhu joins Ozette as VP of Engineering; AWS marketing chief Rachel Thornton to depart after 10 years
Amarjit Kaur Sandhu joined Ozette Technologies as vice president of engineering, bringing experience from Nuance Communications and Saykara. Additionally, AWS executive Rachel Thornton is leaving, and various leadership moves across Pacific Northwest tech firms have been announced.
Icosavax COVID-19 Vaccine Trial Shows Weaker Immune Response Than Expected, Stocks Fall Over 60%
Icosavax reported interim phase 1/2 trial results for its COVID-19 vaccine showing immune responses below expectations, causing its stock to drop over 60%. The company plans to investigate causes for the underwhelming data while remaining committed to its VLP vaccine platform.
Affini-T Therapeutics launched by Fred Hutch scientists including Juno co-founder Philip Greenberg to develop engineered TCR cancer therapies
Affini-T Therapeutics, founded by Fred Hutch scientists including Philip Greenberg (a Juno co-founder), Aude Chapuis and Thomas Schmitt, launched to develop T cell receptor (TCR) cancer immunotherapies that add engineered CD8 co-receptors and other gene edits. The Boston-headquartered company, led by CEO Jak Knowles, was unveiled at the J.P. Morgan Health Care Conference and will operate a research lab in Seattle.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Pledges up to $90M to Fund Inventprise’s 25-Strain Pediatric Pneumococcal Vaccine Trials
Seattle-area biotech Inventprise will use up to $90 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to advance a 25-strain pediatric pneumococcal vaccine into phase 1 and 2 human trials, contingent on meeting development and manufacturing milestones.
Life Science Washington CEO Leslie Alexandre to retire after leading state’s biotech resurgence as 2021 IPOs raise hundreds of millions
Leslie Alexandre, president and CEO of Life Science Washington, is retiring after five years leading the group during a period of strong growth in Washington state's biotech sector that recovered from a 2016 slump. The region has seen several major biotech IPOs in 2021 (including Sana Biotechnology's $587M, Absci's $200M, and Icosavax's $180M+), growing research strength and recognition as an emerging biotech market.
Karat raises $110M Series C at $1.1B valuation to scale remote technical interviewing
Karat, a Seattle startup that runs technical interviews through a vetted network of interviewers, raised $110 million in a Series C at a $1.1 billion valuation while more than doubling revenue and customers year-over-year.
A-Alpha Bio raises $20M Series A led by Madrona to expand Seattle lab and scale protein-discovery platform
University of Washington spinout A-Alpha Bio raised $20 million in Series A funding led by Madrona Venture Group to expand downtown Seattle lab space and grow its machine-learning team for its protein-discovery platform. The company combines computational tools and yeast-based experiments to generate large protein-interaction datasets used to predict therapeutic protein candidates for diseases including COVID-19.
Just–Evotec Biologics opens 130,000 sq ft Redmond J.POD to manufacture COVID‑19 antibody therapeutics for U.S. Defense
Just–Evotec Biologics opened a 130,000 sq ft J.POD drug manufacturing facility in Redmond, Washington that uses continuous, autonomous bioprocessing to design, develop and produce antibody therapeutics more efficiently and at lower cost. The plant will manufacture antibodies for the U.S. Department of Defense to potentially treat COVID-19 and supports both small- and large-scale production for biotech customers globally.
Lumen Bioscience and Google use machine learning to double spirulina protein yields; research backed by $2M DOE grant
Seattle biotech Lumen Bioscience and Google collaborated on machine-learning research that doubled spirulina-based protein production, supported by a $2 million DOE grant and backing from the Gates Foundation.
Icosavax IPO: Seattle biotech raises $180M, stock jumps 200% on first trading day (ICVX)
Seattle biotech Icosavax surged more than 200% on its NASDAQ debut after raising over $180 million by pricing shares at $15; the company develops virus-like particle vaccines and recently began phase 1/2 trials for a COVID-19 vaccine supported by a $10 million Gates Foundation grant.
Simon Yu, ex-Bomba Fusion owner, leads crypto startup StormX and lands Portland Trail Blazers sponsorship
Seattle entrepreneur Simon Yu closed his Korean-Mexican food truck Bomba Fusion and pivoted to cofound StormX, a fast-growing crypto startup he launched in 2015; recently StormX secured a sponsorship deal with the Portland Trail Blazers as Yu reflects on his journey from financial hardship to startup success.
Lumen Bioscience to convert former Wallingford bakery into algae plant, quintupling spirulina output after $16M Series B
Seattle biotech Lumen Bioscience will convert a former Wallingford bakery into an algae-based manufacturing facility to roughly quintuple spirulina production from about 3 kg per week, following a $16M Series B and several new partnerships and grants.
Icosavax files for IPO after raising $150M and advancing nanoparticle COVID-19 and RSV vaccines
Seattle-based Icosavax, a 2017 spinout from the University of Washington’s Institute for Protein Design, has filed for an IPO after raising over $150 million and advancing nanoparticle-based COVID-19 and RSV vaccine candidates into early clinical trials with support from a $10 million Gates Foundation grant.
Clayton, Dubilier & Rice buys majority stake in Vera Whole Health, valuing Seattle startup at $400 million
Private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice acquired a majority stake in Seattle-based primary care startup Vera Whole Health in a deal valuing the company at $400 million; Vera uses a per-member, per-month employer-paid model and operates centers in ten states. The partnership adds to CD&R's healthcare portfolio and follows Vera's $76 million in prior funding and reported employer healthcare cost reductions of 10–25%.
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.”
Icosavax, UW IPD Spinout, Raises $100M Series B to Advance Computer-Designed Virus‑Like Particle Vaccines
Seattle biotech Icosavax, a University of Washington Institute for Protein Design spinout, raised $100 million in a Series B to develop computer-designed, virus-like particle vaccines including programs for COVID-19, RSV, and hMPV. The company, backed by investors led by RA Capital and supported by a $10 million Gates Foundation grant, has 17 employees and cites strong preclinical immune responses.
Seattle Foundation CEO Tony Mestres to become president of health data startup Truveta in May
Tony Mestres will leave his role as president and CEO of the Seattle Foundation in May to become president of Truveta, a health data startup led by former Microsoft Windows chief Terry Myerson. Truveta, founded by 14 U.S. health systems to pool data and apply AI for medical research and equity analysis, appoints Mestres after his seven-year tenure at the Seattle Foundation.
Presage Biosciences raises $13M, inks collaborations with Merck and Maverick to test cancer drugs using CIVO
Seattle-based Presage Biosciences raised $13 million in its first venture round, bringing total equity to $35 million, and announced new collaborations with Merck and Maverick Therapeutics to use its CIVO platform for testing cancer drugs in human tumors. The CIVO device enables micro-dosing and biomarker tracking in phase 0 trials, aiming to improve preclinical screening and reduce failures in costly phase I trials.
Cascadia leaders push Seattle–Vancouver life-sciences collaboration as B.C. Cancer Agency and Fred Hutch co-develop cancer diagnostics
Leaders from British Columbia and Washington are encouraging deeper collaboration between Seattle and Vancouver life-science organizations, citing examples like B.C. Cancer Agency’s partnership with Fred Hutch and Gates-funded projects with Vancouver’s AbCellera to build a Cascadia life-sciences cluster.
Two Screens for Teachers raises support as founders seek $23M to supply 250,000 pandemic-strained educators; teen Avi Schiffmann built a widely used COVID-19 tracker
A roundup of positive tech, science, and education stories from 2020 highlights initiatives that helped during the pandemic, including Two Screens for Teachers providing monitors to school districts and a high school student, Avi Schiffmann, building a widely used COVID-19 tracker.
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.
Phase Genomics wins $3.9M in NIH grants to advance Hi-C and AI tests for chromosomal abnormalities
Seattle biotech Phase Genomics received $3.9 million in NIH grants to fund three-year projects using Hi-C proximity ligation and AI to detect chromosomal abnormalities linked to infertility and cancers.
Lumen Bioscience raises $16M Series B to scale Spirulina platform for orally delivered antibodies; total funding $68M
Lumen Bioscience raised $16 million in a Series B to advance its Spirulina-based platform that produces orally delivered antibodies and biologics for GI diseases, claiming dramatically lower costs and three clinical programs. The Seattle startup, co‑founded in 2017 by CEO Brian Finrow and CSO Jim Roberts, has partnerships with the Gates Foundation, NIH and others and has raised $68 million to date.
Gates Foundation Awards $800,000 to A-Alpha Bio to Fund AlphaSeq Antibody Research Targeting SARS-CoV-2 and Intestinal Pathogens
Seattle biotech A-Alpha Bio received an $800,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support research using its AlphaSeq platform to develop multi-target antibody treatments for respiratory viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, and intestinal pathogens such as campylobacter, in partnership with Lumen Bioscience.
Phase Genomics CEO Ivan Liachko shifts company to R&D focus after pandemic hits revenue; one furlough, no layoffs
Phase Genomics, a five-year-old University of Washington spinoff led by CEO Ivan Liachko, shifted to skeleton lab crews and remote work during the pandemic, cutting revenue and furloughing one employee while focusing R&D inward to adapt and continue innovating. The company is adjusting its genomics technology amid Seattle's biotech disruption and exploring ways to help with COVID-19 research.
People
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Bill Gates Founder, Co-founder and Co-chair
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Melinda French Gates Founder, Co-founder and Co-chair, Former Co-chair
