GeekWire
GeekWire provides technology news, analysis, and resources for tech professionals, entrepreneurs, and enthusiasts. It covers developments in the technology industry, produces events and podcasts, and offers tools such as job boards and startup rankings to support the tech community. Its mission is to inform and connect people interested in technology and startups.
Facts
- HQ
- Seattle
- Sectors
- Online Audio and Video Media
- Founded
- 2011
- Type
- LLC Seattle business license
- Employees
- 26
- Registered name
- GeekWire LLC Seattle business license
- Founders
- John Cook, Todd Bishop
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Publication
- Last published Oct 15
Authors & Editors
RipeLocker raises $7M total with $2M round led by Avalara co-founders Scott McFarlane and Jared Vogt
RipeLocker, a pallet-sized low-oxygen storage device co-created by George and Kyle Lobisser to extend shelf life of berries and other produce, raised $7 million from angel investors including a newly closed $2 million round. The $2M tranche included Avalara co-founders Scott McFarlane and Jared Vogt plus investor Gary Waterman after tasting 98-day-old blueberries preserved in a RipeLocker.
LumiThera raises $14M to complete LIGHTSITE III trial and pursue U.S. clearance for Valeda
LumiThera, a Poulsbo, Wash. medical device startup, raised $14 million to finish enrollment in its LIGHTSITE III U.S. trial and seek U.S. regulatory clearance for Valeda, a photobiomodulation device for dry age-related macular degeneration already approved in the EU.
Accolade exits GeekWire 200 after $220M IPO at $1.2B valuation; PNW health techs climb as VC funding hits $2.3B in H1 2020
GeekWire’s latest GeekWire 200 update shows health tech startups rising in the Pacific Northwest rankings during the pandemic, highlighted by Accolade’s $220M IPO at a $1.2B valuation and a surge in VC activity ($2.3B across 135 deals in H1 2020).
WTIA names 26 Washington startups for fourth Founder Cohort Program, a year-long accelerator for early-stage firms
WTIA selected 26 Washington-based tech startups for its fourth Founder Cohort Program, a year-long initiative that helps early-stage companies with fundraising, governance and customer development. Participating companies must be headquartered in Washington, have at least one product in development and under $1 million in annual revenue; examples include CardioCube, PetBiotix and VR Ulysses.
Tagboard CEO Josh Decker ends Redmond office lease and shifts 29-person startup to fully remote amid COVID-19
Seattle-area startup Tagboard decided to end its office lease and go fully remote amid the COVID-19 pandemic, citing economic uncertainty and effective work-from-home operations. The 29-person company gave employees office furniture, cut overhead to fund tech/internet stipends and future in-person activities, and relies on tools like Slack and Zoom.
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.
Joe Coffee raises $1.3M in second seed round led by Craft Ventures as mobile orders surge 20x
Seattle startup Joe Coffee raised $1.3 million in a second seed round led by Craft Ventures to expand its mobile order-and-pay and rewards platform, which now serves over 1,000 independent coffee shops and has seen sales grow 20x since March during the pandemic.
Pioneer Square Labs and Fortive launch TeamSense, a COVID-19 symptom‑tracking SaaS that reached paying customers in six weeks
Pioneer Square Labs and Fortive launched their first spinout, TeamSense, a SaaS platform that lets employers screen and communicate with hourly workers about COVID-19 symptoms via quick daily texts or emails. TeamSense moved from initial funding to paying customers in six weeks and provides dashboards, rosters, and 1-on-1 chat to support workplace health, planning and compliance.
Nori CEO Paul Gambill Raises $1.3M Pre-Seed, Poised to Scale Carbon-Removal Marketplace
Nori, a Seattle carbon-removal marketplace founded by Paul Gambill, raised $1.3 million in a pre-seed round and is nearing its next funding target as it prepares to scale and hire. Gambill, a former engineer and entrepreneur, aims to grow the team after years of early-stage bootstrapping and Techstars Sustainability Accelerator support.
SBA data: Seattle startups Rover, ExtraHop, Porch, Promethean and Logic20/20 each received $5–$10M in PPP loans
The SBA released Paycheck Protection Program data showing several Seattle-area tech startups received $5–$10 million PPP loans to help during COVID-19; recipients include Rover, ExtraHop, Porch, Promethean and Logic20/20. The program has seen controversy over eligibility and forgiveness guidance, and some venture-backed startups declined loans on ethical grounds.
GeekWire: Pacific NW tech funding rises in H1 2020; Accolade prices IPO at $1.2B; GeekWire events go virtual
GeekWire Podcast reports Pacific Northwest tech funding stayed strong in H1 2020 despite the pandemic, with totals ahead of last year and Accolade becoming Seattle’s first 2020 IPO at a $1.2 billion valuation; the episode also previews virtual GeekWire events including Geeks Gaming for Good, a July 16 Roundtable on the Future of Sports, and the July 23 virtual GeekWire Awards.
Pacific Northwest startups attract $2.3B in H1 2020 as Sana Biotech’s >$700M June raise boosts totals
Despite the pandemic and recession fears, Pacific Northwest startups attracted $2.3 billion across 135 deals in H1 2020, up from $1.1 billion in 94 deals in H1 2019; Seattle-based Sana Biotechnology’s >$700 million June raise heavily skewed totals but H1 2020 still topped $1.6 billion excluding that deal.
Accolade prices IPO at $22, raises $220M and debuts on Nasdaq at $1.2B valuation as shares jump 40%
Health benefits platform Accolade priced its IPO at $22 per share, raising $220 million and debuting on Nasdaq with a $1.2 billion valuation; shares rose over 40% to $30.90 in early trading. The Seattle- and Philadelphia-based company, led by CEO Raj Singh, serves employers with a subscription model and reported $132.5 million revenue for fiscal 2020, with four customers contributing 59% of that revenue.
Madrona leads $27M round in Fauna; Bob Muglia named executive chairman, Eric Berg becomes CEO
Madrona Venture Group led a $27 million investment in Fauna, the San Francisco-based database startup founded by two former Twitter engineers, bringing total funding to $57 million and appointing Bob Muglia as executive chairman and Eric Berg as CEO. Fauna focuses on cloud-native, serverless-accessible databases (FaunaDB) and will add Madrona’s S. Somasegar to its board.
Ex-Microsoft Executive Kirt Debique Launches SyncFloor Marketplace with 9,000 Independent Tracks, $1.25M Raised
SyncFloor, founded by former Microsoft executive Kirt Debique, is a marketplace that helps creative professionals find and license independent music; it launched with a 9,000-title catalog, partnerships with labels like Sub Pop, eight employees, and $1.25 million raised to date.
DigniFi raises $14M Series A led by BuildGroup and Exor Seeds, Neuberger Berman to provide up to $275M
DigniFi, a Kirkland-based platform that helps drivers finance auto repairs through partner service centers, raised $14 million in Series A led by BuildGroup and Exor Seeds and secured up to $275 million in additional financing from Neuberger Berman to expand its network amid pandemic-driven demand.
OneTrust acquires Seattle AI-focused privacy startup Integris, folds tech into OneTrust DataDiscovery and keeps 20-person Seattle team
Atlanta-based privacy software firm OneTrust has acquired Seattle startup Integris Software and integrated its AI-based discovery technology into OneTrust DataDiscovery while retaining Integris’s 20-person Seattle team. Integris, founded in 2016 and a $16 million VC-backed company, will support tasks like compliance monitoring during cloud migrations and data governance.
Voodle launches short-form workplace video app after Pixvana shutdown; Pixvana had raised $20M
Seattle startup Voodle launched a short-form, selfie-style workplace video app—spun out of Pixvana after that company closed—to replace lengthy calls and text updates with searchable, transcribed clips that integrate with apps like Salesforce and HubSpot. Pixvana had raised $20 million before shuttering in late 2019 when CEO Forest Key concluded AR/VR wasn’t yet ready for mainstream business scale.
Sentinel Healthcare’s Sentinel Monitor to test and monitor 1,300 residents and 900+ staff at Era Living retirement communities
Seattle startup Sentinel Healthcare expanded its Sentinel Monitor COVID-19 tracking app — already used by UT Health Austin to diagnose about 1,600 Texas cases and trigger contact tracing for 4,000 people — into local retirement communities to test and monitor over 900 staff and 1,300 residents. The company partnered with Era Living and Transpara Health to support regular testing, monitoring and outbreak prevention in long-term care facilities amid rising case counts.
Seattle rises three spots to crack Startup Genome’s global top 10, backed by $3.59B in 2019 VC funding
Seattle climbed three places into Startup Genome’s global top 10 startup ecosystems, driven by strengths in AI, big data, analytics, life sciences and a strong startup genealogy from Microsoft, Amazon and the University of Washington. Venture funding reached a Seattle-area record of $3.59 billion in 2019, and the city ranks highly on performance, funding, market reach, talent, connectedness, knowledge and infrastructure.
Accolade files IPO to sell 8.75M shares at $19–$21, seeks up to $211M and ~$1B valuation; will trade as ACCD
Accolade priced 8.75 million IPO shares at $19–$21 to raise up to $211 million, aiming for a ~ $1 billion valuation and Nasdaq ticker ACCD, positioning itself as Seattle's first public company of 2020. The health benefits platform reported $132.5 million revenue and a $51.3 million net loss for the fiscal year ending Feb. 29, serves 1.6 million members across 58 corporate customers, and estimates a $24 billion total addressable market.
Humanly raises $800,000 from TMD Ventures, Gusto and Kinetica CFOs to expand AI hiring tools
Seattle startup Humanly raised $800,000 from investors including TMD Ventures, Gusto CFO Mike Dinsdale and Kinetica CFO Dean Neese to expand its AI recruiting tools that screen candidates, schedule interviews and run reference checks amid COVID-19–driven hiring changes. The company says automation and bias-reducing features help employers manage larger applicant pools while improving inclusion.
Sana Biotechnology raises over $700M (SEC filings suggest $866.8M total) to advance gene and cell therapies
Sana Biotechnology announced it has raised more than $700 million in venture funding to develop gene- and cell-therapy approaches, marking one of the largest life-sciences venture rounds and among Seattles biggest. SEC filings indicate total capital and non-cash assets may total about $866.8 million, though the company declined to disclose valuation.
Wyze launches $49.99 wire-free outdoor 1080p camera, undercutting competitors
Wyze Labs is launching its first outdoor, wire-free, weather-resistant 1080p camera priced at $49.99 with a base station ($39.99 for individual cameras), targeting demand for its most-requested product and undercutting competitors' higher prices.
UW Spinout AnswerDash Acquired by CloudEngage; AI Q&A Tool Joins Personalization Platform
Seattle startup AnswerDash, founded from University of Washington research by Jake Wobbrock, Amy Ko and Parmit Chilana, has been acquired by Spokane-based CloudEngage after nearly eight years. The AI-powered contextual Q&A tool will join CloudEngage’s web personalization and live chat offerings to help clients reduce support costs and improve customer experience.
People
See all 5-
John Cook Founder, Co-founder and Publisher, GeekWire
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Jonathan Sposato Founder, Chairman & co-founder
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Todd Bishop Founder, Co-Founder
