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
Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty invests in Nukleus and becomes public face of athlete advisory platform
Nukleus, a startup creating a shared operating system for athletes and their advisors, has signed Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty as an investor and public spokesperson. The Issaquah-based company’s backers also include Microsoft finance EVP Mat McBride, WaFd Bank CEO Brent Beardall, former Vulcan Capital investor Skyler Nelson, and Dr. Brett Kindle, and it operates with a core team of 12 plus engineering support in India.
BrainChild Bio raises $116M Series A to fund Phase 2 CAR T trial for childhood DIPG
Seattle startup BrainChild Bio raised $116 million in Series A funding to advance a CAR T cell therapy for diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) and to support development of additional pediatric and adult brain tumor CAR T programs. The financing will fund a pivotal ILLUMINATE Phase 2 registration-stage trial and was led by an undisclosed private family fund and foundation, with participation from Seattle Children’s and WRF Capital.
Independent report: Seattle’s JumpStart payroll tax penalizes senior hires and concentrates revenue in 10 largely tech firms, risking $50M loss if one large employer shifts 10,000 workers
An independent 127-page City of Seattle-commissioned study finds the city’s tax structure, notably the JumpStart payroll tax, disproportionately penalizes hiring senior high‑pay workers and concentrates revenue risk in a few large tech employers. Researchers warn that reliance on a small number of firms—10 companies account for three-quarters of the payroll tax on large employers—exposes Seattle to significant fiscal vulnerability if large employers relocate or stock‑based compensation fluctuates.
Pallet announces shutdown after nine years; deployed 100+ transitional villages and raised $18M
Everett, Washington social-purpose company Pallet, which built rapidly deployable hard-panel micro-shelters to address unsheltered homelessness, is shutting down after nine years of operation. The firm deployed over 100 transitional villages providing more than 6,000 beds, served an estimated 30,000 people, and raised over $18 million including a $15 million Series A in 2022.
Stoke Space raises roughly $1B in Series E to fund Nova rocket scale-up, Pathfinder launch targeted for early 2027
Stoke Space raised about $1 billion in a Series E round led by Point72 Ventures and Spark Capital to prepare for the first launch of its fully reusable Nova rocket and to scale up the vehicle and test facilities. The Seattle-area startup aims for a Pathfinder flight in early 2027 and plans a larger Nova Block 2 debut in 2029 as it expands capacity amid rising launch demand.
Resect AI launches from stealth with $25M to stop AI hallucinations in-stream, headquartered in Washougal, Wash.
Resect AI, founded by scientists and engineers in Washougal, Washington, launched from stealth with $25 million to commercialize an open-source, in-stream technology that detects and prevents AI hallucinations by intervening inside large language models in real time. The startup employs about 30 people across the U.S., maintains a four-person office in its small-town HQ, and aims to provide transparent, auditable controls for enterprises in regulated industries.
Microsoft names Aneesh Raman chief economic opportunity officer and promotes Jenny Lay‑Flurrie; DAT CPO Brian Gill resigns
Microsoft promoted Jenny Lay‑Flurrie to corporate vice president of its Trusted Technology Group and named Aneesh Raman chief economic opportunity officer; Zillow appointed a new policy lead while departures occurred at Oracle, Hiya and DAT Freight & Analytics, including DAT’s CPO Brian Gill resigning.
McGraw Hill acquires Teachally, five-person AI lesson-planning startup led by Daniel Bernstein; terms undisclosed
McGraw Hill has acquired Teachally, a five-person AI startup founded by Daniel Bernstein that helps teachers create standards-aligned lessons and assessments; financial terms were not disclosed and all employees have joined McGraw Hill, with Bernstein becoming senior advisor for integration and growth.
NewDays raises $16M seed round led by Madrona and General Catalyst, expands AI-driven dementia care to Nevada
Seattle startup NewDays closed a $16 million seed round led by Madrona and General Catalyst to scale a telehealth program combining clinicians with an AI companion, Sunny, for treating mild dementia; early research suggests the platform may preserve about 18 months of cognitive function and the service now operates in six states including Nevada.
Wyze launches AI-powered 'Wyze Stories' to stitch multi-camera clips into single events, included in $19.99/month Cam Unlimited Pro
Wyze launched 'Wyze Stories,' an AI feature that stitches clips from multiple cameras into a single chronological highlight reel with written summaries to reduce notification fatigue. The feature is available on the Cam Unlimited Pro subscription ($19.99/month) and excludes several older Wyze models.
EIT Pharma, led by ex-Athira CEO Leen Kawas, raises $35M Series A to advance lonafarnib for chronic hepatitis D
Kirkland-based EIT Pharma, led by former Athira CEO Leen Kawas, raised $35 million in an oversubscribed Series A led by Propel Bio Partners to support FDA review, manufacturing and commercial preparations for lonafarnib as an oral treatment candidate for chronic hepatitis D. The FDA accepted EIT Pharma's New Drug Application for lonafarnib on Aug. 11; the drug was acquired from Eiger BioPharmaceuticals' 2024 bankruptcy sale.
Rivian spinoff Also unveils TM-B e-bike with pedal-by-wire, regenerative braking; $1B company running Seattle pop-up
Also, a Rivian spinoff valued at $1 billion, launched the TM-B Class 3 e-bike that uses a pedal-by-wire system, regenerative braking, and software-driven controls; GeekWire tested it at a Seattle pop-up near Also’s new Northlake Way office where riders can book demos through year-end.
Also (Rivian spinout) opens 17,459-sq-ft Seattle office and retail hub at 1300 N. Northlake Way led by REI vet Ben Steele
Also, a micromobility startup spun out of Rivian, has opened a 17,459-square-foot Seattle office and retail hub at 1300 N. Northlake Way near Lake Union to be at the center of the city's bike commuting activity. Ben Steele, a former nine-year REI executive and Also’s chief commercial officer, will lead business operations, marketing and customer functions from the new location, which currently houses 38 employees.
Marc Whitten, ex-Microsoft Xbox exec, named president and CEO of Dolby Laboratories as Kevin Yeaman retires
Marc Whitten, a veteran of Microsoft, Sonos, Amazon, Unity, Cruise and Meta, was named president and CEO of Dolby Laboratories, succeeding longtime leader Kevin Yeaman. Fred Hutch announced leadership changes naming Dr. Lawrence Fong as senior VP and director of Translational Science and Dr. Andrew Hsieh as the inaugural endowed chair, and Microsoft AI saw executive departures including CMO Andréa Mallard.
UW Ph.D. student Malek Itani wins Marconi Paul Baran Young Scholar Award for on-device ‘superhuman’ hearing; Hearvana raised $6M
University of Washington Ph.D. student and Hearvana co‑founder Malek Itani won the Marconi Society Paul Baran Young Scholar Award for developing on-device AI algorithms that enable real-time target speech extraction, sound bubbles, and semantic hearing on low-power hearables. His work, including neural networks like IF-MLPNet and the NeuralAids platform, underpins Hearvana’s effort—backed by $6 million in pre-seed funding—to bring real-time acoustic intelligence to earbuds, hearing aids, and smart glasses.
Pro.com co-founders Subramanian, Williams and ex-BofA CIO Zachary Harl launch OnTrade, an AI startup for wealth managers backed by General Catalyst and Madrona
Pro.com co-founders Rajalakshmi “Raji” Subramanian and Matt Williams, with Zachary Harl, launched OnTrade, an AI startup for wealth management that has been building in stealth since 2024 and is backed by General Catalyst, Madrona and angels to deploy AI agents that automate advisors' analytical tasks while keeping human approval.
Arkero signs Bolton Wanderers for three-month AI project to build club intelligence layer after $6M funding
Seattle startup Arkero, founded last fall and backed by $6 million in funding, signed Bolton Wanderers FC to a three-month project to rebuild the club’s data infrastructure and create a custom AI-powered “club intelligence layer” to centralize data and workflows. Arkero already serves several U.S. and U.K. clubs, and CEO Shivaas Gulati emphasizes that AI transformation starts with organizing a club’s data, systems, knowledge and workflows.
Skyfarer founder Nick Tsang launches nationwide marketplace linking pilots to instructors, mechanics and aircraft; 14,000 users, 8,500 listings
Skyfarer, founded by Nick Tsang in July 2024, is a marketplace that connects pilots with instructors, mechanics, examiners, gear, flight schools and aircraft across all 50 states, aiming to unify a fragmented general aviation market. The self-funded startup (with early angel backing) has nearly 14,000 registered users and 8,500 listings, expanded from online instruction to in-person training and acquired competing marketplace InstructAir in 2025.
Levanta raises $22M led by Volition Capital to scale influencer-brand matchmaking across Amazon, Walmart and Shopify
Seattle startup Levanta raised $22 million led by Volition Capital to expand its platform that connects brands with influencers and manages affiliate partnerships across Amazon, Walmart and Shopify; the company says revenue is up 80% year-over-year in 2026 and it has more than 90,000 vetted creators. Founded in 2023 by Ian Brodie, Spencer McKenney and Rob Schab, Levanta provides tools to find creators, send products, set commissions, track sales and handle payments.
Flipboard acquires Portland startup Graze to integrate its algorithm engine used by 12M users and 41B posts
Flipboard has acquired Portland startup Graze to integrate Graze’s customizable algorithm engine into Flipboard’s open social web products, combining Flipboard’s discovery tools with Graze’s creator-facing algorithm builder used by 12 million users and responsible for delivering over 41 billion posts.
Amazon to acquire DuckLabs; DuckDB creators join AWS while DuckDB stays open-source under a foundation
Amazon will acquire DuckLabs, the Amsterdam team behind the open-source DuckDB database, with DuckDB remaining free under the DuckDB Foundation while DuckLabs employees (including co‑founders Hannes Mühleisen and Mark Raasveldt) join AWS. Financial terms were not disclosed; Amazon expects the deal to close shortly and DuckLabs to become part of AWS in early September as Amazon pushes to make S3 a hub for direct data analysis.
Moment Energy opens 100,000‑sq‑ft Megafactory 1 near Vancouver as Redwood Materials powers Crusoe data center with 63‑MWh reused EV battery system (June 2025)
Entrepreneurs like Moment Energy and Redwood Materials are repurposing used EV batteries to power off-grid communities, industrial sites and data centers, avoiding premature recycling and landfill disposal. Moment opened a 100,000-square-foot Megafactory 1 near Vancouver and plans a Texas Gigafactory, while Redwood unveiled a 63‑MWh solar-plus-battery system in June 2025 to power Crusoe’s Nevada data center.
Report: Amazon developing 'Project Tetromino' to build fully automated delivery stations using Boxbot technology
Amazon is reportedly developing Project Tetromino, an internal initiative to create "fully automated" delivery stations that could automate package sorting and vehicle loading; Business Insider says the plan may use Boxbot’s AI-driven sequencing trays. Amazon says the report contains inaccuracies and that the concept is one of many early-stage initiatives it evaluates.
Judge Orders Guardant Health to Pay $245M to TwinStrand and University of Washington, Plus 6% Royalties Through March 2033
A federal judge ordered Guardant Health to pay more than $245 million to TwinStrand Biosciences and the University of Washington for willful infringement of Duplex Sequencing patents and imposed a 6% royalty on covered sales through March 2033. The judgment includes jury damages, supplemental damages, accrued royalties and interest, and recognizes UW-developed technology that greatly increases DNA sequencing accuracy.
Digs raises $25.3M Series A led by Builders FirstSource and inks five-year integration deal for 140,000 builders
Digs, a Vancouver, Wash. startup building AI software for residential construction, raised $25.3 million in a Series A led by Builders FirstSource and signed a five-year agreement to integrate its AI platform into Builders FirstSource’s digital ecosystem for 140,000 builder clients.
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
