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
Loopie launches Shippie delivery service to move small items up to 15 miles across major U.S. markets
Seattle on-demand laundry startup Loopie has launched Shippie, a new peer-to-peer delivery service created during the COVID-19 lockdown to carry small items across town using the same platform and third-party logistics, with pricing similar to an Uber ride and no-touch pickup/delivery. Shippie operates in major U.S. markets across typical distances up to 15 miles and emphasizes safety precautions while Loopie continues laundry operations as an essential service.
Avast acquires Seattle startup Tenta and releases Avast Secure Browser for Android
Avast acquired Seattle startup Tenta in November and used Tenta’s code and team to build its new Secure Mobile Browser for Android, offering VPN, encryption and free and $12/year premium tiers. The Tenta Android browser remains available and Avast plans an iOS version later this year.
PhishCloud offers one year free of PhishCloud Lite to businesses amid coronavirus to fight phishing attacks
Seattle startup PhishCloud offers automated link-scoring tools to help businesses and employees spot phishing across email, social media and documents, tagging links as safe, suspicious or unsafe. CEO Terry McCorkle is offering the companys entry package, PhishCloud Lite, free for one year to companies affected by the coronavirus.
Remitly reports 100% customer growth and 40% transaction-volume increase from Feb–Mar as COVID-19 drives digital remittances
Seattle remittance startup Remitly experienced rapid growth during the COVID-19 pandemic, with customer numbers up 100% and transaction volume up 40% from February to March, as users shifted to digital transfers while physical providers closed. CEO Matt Oppenheimer said the crisis accelerated the company’s mission to provide safe, mobile cross-border payments for immigrants supporting families abroad.
SoftNAS rebrands as Buurst, raises $5M and switches to performance-based pricing for cloud data
Buurst, formerly SoftNAS, announced a $5 million funding round and rebranded while shifting to a performance-based pricing model for cloud data management. The eight-year-old, 55-person company — which has raised $35 million to date — counts Samsung, Halliburton and T-Mobile among its customers and works with AWS and Azure.
U.S. VC Investments Total $34.2B in Q1 2020 as COVID-19 Threatens Decade-Long Growth
U.S. venture capitalists invested $34.2 billion across 2,298 deals in Q1 2020, slightly down from the prior year, but analysts expect investment pace and valuations to slow as COVID-19 disrupts the startup ecosystem and deal pipelines.
Madrona Venture Labs launches Founders Unite to connect startup founders with veteran execs through AMAs during pandemic
Seattle-based Madrona Venture Labs launched Founders Unite, a community and AMA series connecting startup founders with veteran tech leaders for advice and peer support during the pandemic. MVL — which raised $11 million for its third fund last year and has launched around ten companies — organized the initiative after polling 100+ founders about what they value most.
GeekWire Podcast: Bill Gates on COVID-19’s permanent work shift; Vicis assets sold for $2.85M; LEGO and Nintendo launch interactive Super Mario set
The GeekWire Podcast covers Bill Gates on how COVID-19 will permanently change work (while preserving in-person schooling), the resurrection of Seattle helmet maker Vicis through a $2.85M asset sale, and a collaboration bringing Super Mario into LEGO physical sets, plus tech and COVID-related business headlines.
Vera Whole Health raises $10M from existing backers to expand advanced primary care across 26 clinics
Seattle-based Vera Whole Health raised $10 million from existing backers to expand its advanced primary care model, bringing total funding to $70 million since its 2008 founding; the company operates 26 clinics in 10 states and employs about 450 people. Vera offers health coaching alongside primary care and works with employers, payers and health systems, including clients like Seattle Children’s and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Kansas City.
Rebellyous Foods raises $6 million to scale plant-based chicken-style nuggets, CEO Christie Lagally signals strategic pivot during pandemic
Seattle startup Rebellyous Foods raised $6 million to scale production of plant-based chicken-style nuggets made from wheat, soy and other plant ingredients. CEO Christie Lagally says the funding will help make plant-based meat affordable and expand sales to food-service customers, though the pandemic has prompted a rethink of near-term strategy as cafeteria demand lags.
Gemma Labs raises $3.5M to scale algorithm-driven custom shampoo business after topping $1M in annualized sales
Seattle startup Gemma Labs raised $3.5 million to grow its algorithm-driven direct-to-consumer custom shampoo and conditioner business, which surpassed $1 million in annualized sales and retails for $45 ($36 subscription).
Zscaler to acquire Cloudneeti, 3-year-old Redmond cloud governance startup with ~30 employees
Zscaler is acquiring Cloudneeti, a three-year-old Redmond cloud security startup with about 30 employees that offers a digital governance platform for automated cloud data monitoring; Cloudneeti raised $500,000 and its team will join Zscaler.
Seattle tech founders Mark Michael and Patrick Opie launch Gumwall on April 13 to raise $1-per-piece donations for restaurant workers
Two Seattle tech workers launched Gumwall, a website where users pay $1 to remove a piece of virtual gum and reveal an image, with proceeds benefiting restaurant and hospitality workers affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. The site, created by Mark Michael (DevHub) and Patrick Opie (Scout9), went live April 13 as a playful fundraising alternative during the pandemic.
NextStep raises $3.6M to scale mobile training and job-placement for displaced workers into healthcare roles
Seattle startup NextStep raised $3.6 million to expand its mobile training and job-placement platform that recruits and trains displaced, low-wage workers for in-demand healthcare roles like CNAs and home health aides.
Takeda buys Seattle startup PvP Biologics for up to $330M, will advance TAK-062 into Phase 2
Japanese pharmaceutical Takeda acquired Seattle biotech PvP Biologics for up to $330 million in late February, taking over its TAK-062 (Kuma062) program and all clinical and manufacturing activities while laying off PvP staff. Takeda plans to run phase 2 trials of the enzyme-based celiac disease treatment that PvP developed after earlier funding of $35 million supported phase 1 work.
Bandwagon acquires Seattle’s IdealSeat; combines fan-data platforms as COVID-19 prompts pivot to identity solutions
Seattle startup IdealSeat has been acquired by Greenville, S.C.-based sports fan intelligence company Bandwagon; both firms offer data platforms for live-event fan experience and Bandwagon is shifting toward identity solutions for industries like healthcare amid COVID-19.
Sila raises $7.7M seed led by Madrona and Oregon Venture Fund to scale fintech infrastructure
Portland fintech startup Sila raised $7.7 million in a seed round led by Madrona Venture Group and Oregon Venture Fund to expand its API that lets developers add compliant banking and payment features. Led by CEO and Simple co-founder Shamir Karkal, Sila offers ACH processing, transfers, digital wallets, a built-in SILA stablecoin, tiered pricing, and partnerships with Plaid, Evolve Bank & Trust, and Alloy.
Former Microsoft AI chief Harry Shum joins $2.7M angel round for Seattle blockchain startup Asensys
Seattle startup Asensys raised a $2.7 million angel round that includes investor Harry Shum, former head of Microsoft’s AI and Research Group, to build a more scalable blockchain aimed at supporting AI and other applications. Founder Brendon (JiaPing) Wang says Asensys will address the blockchain “trilemma” using techniques like asynchronous consensus zones to improve scalability, security and decentralization.
Foursquare and Factual merge under Foursquare brand with David Shim named CEO; Sue Desmond-Hellmann joins Pfizer board
Foursquare and Factual are merging under the Foursquare brand with Placed founder David Shim as CEO; Sue Desmond-Hellmann joined Pfizer’s board after leaving the Gates Foundation, and other executive moves include Microsoft hiring Rubén Caballero and leadership change at Egencia.
Xplore wins $50,000 AFWERX award to design cislunar GPS-like navigation for Xcraft missions
Seattle-based smallsat company Xplore won a $50,000, three-month AFWERX award from the Air Force to design a position, navigation and timing (PNT) architecture for cislunar missions, aiming to extend GPS-like tracking to the moon. The study supports Xplore’s Xcraft plans (first launch as early as next year) and explores concepts like Cubesat-sized "space buoys" to enable triangulation in deep-space and highly elliptical orbits.
98point6 raises $43M to triple physician capacity after 200% patient surge, serving 3M nationwide
Seattle telehealth startup 98point6 raised $43 million to expand capacity for its AI-powered virtual primary care amid a 200% surge in patient volume and COVID-19 demand. The funding will triple the company’s physician count this month as it serves over 3 million patients across all 50 states and added coronavirus screening in January.
OctoML raises $15M from Amplify and Madrona to scale TVM-based ML deployment tools
Seattle startup OctoML, spun out of the University of Washington and led by Apache TVM creators, raised $15 million from investors including Amplify and Madrona to expand its ML deployment software. The company, which launched a TVM-based SaaS called Octomizer, will use the funding to grow hiring and scale its optimizer for edge and cloud model deployment.
Nucamp launches affordable online bootcamps nationwide after pivoting fully virtual amid coronavirus
Nucamp, a Bellevue, Washington startup founded in 2017 by Ludo Fourrage and run by CEO Karim El Naggar, offers a low-cost, online web development bootcamp designed to be affordable and accessible to students outside big cities. The company shifted from a hybrid model of online lessons plus weekend in‑person meetups to fully online instruction across 30 cities in one week after the coronavirus outbreak.
Jenny Life raises $3.5M after 800% engagement surge as COVID-19 drives demand for quick, no-exam policies
Seattle life-insurance startup Jenny Life raised $3.5 million in a Series A to fuel growth after reporting an 800% spike in customer engagement tied to the COVID-19 outbreak. Founded in 2017 by Chirag Pancholi and Lief Larson, the company offers quick, no-exam policies aimed at women and mothers and attracted investment from CMFG Ventures and other backers.
Seattle robotics startup Picnic 3D-prints prototype parts to rescue UW student Rob Sinclair’s Kokanee Systems after COVID-19 halted lab access
UW entrepreneurship student Rob Sinclair paused his career to build Kokanee Systems, a real-time water contamination testing startup, but COVID-19 shut off access to prototyping equipment. A Seattle robotics startup, Picnic, stepped in to 3D-print parts and help Sinclair continue developing his prototype.
People
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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
