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
Former Maveron Investor Jason Stoffer Says He Was Wrong to Pass on Remitly as Company Nears $6.5B IPO
Maveron investor Jason Stoffer passed on investing in Seattle remittance startup Remitly in 2012 due to regulatory and market concerns but now says the company proved him wrong as it prepares a $6.5 billion IPO. Stoffer discusses his analysis of Remitly’s S-1, investing lessons, and related topics on the GeekWire Podcast.
Four High School Interns Analyze GeekWire 200 Rankings with UW Bothell Dean via SparkSIP
Four high school students worked with UW Bothell Business Dean Sandeep Krishnamurthy through the SparkSIP program to analyze the GeekWire 200 startup rankings over a summer, using the April update, past lists and public data. They aimed to apply data analysis to understand factors behind successful Pacific Northwest startups and gain entrepreneurial and regional startup insights.
Concreit launches app enabling $1 real-estate investments after $6M seed round led by Matrix Partners
Seattle-based Concreit launched a mobile app this week that lets users invest in its real estate fund from as little as $1, backed by a $6 million seed funding round. The fund, co-founded by CEO Sean Hsieh, has an annualized return of 5.47% (July 1, 2020–July 1, 2021) and offers weekly payouts or on-demand withdrawals.
AI2 Adds Bioengineer Jenny Cronin to Incubator; Icosavax Names Bekiroglu, Russo and Two Board Members; Proprio’s CMO Browd Expands Role
AI2 hired bioengineer Jenny Cronin as a principal for its startup incubator, bringing experience from s2s Public Relations, NanoString, and a UW bioengineering Ph.D.; AI2 has incubated startups like Ozette, Modulus and MajorBoost. Seattle biotech Icosavax named Elizabeth Bekiroglu general counsel, Thomas Russo CFO, and added Heidi Kunz and Ann Veneman to its board; pediatric neurosurgeon Samuel Browd is taking partial leave from UW/Seattle Children’s to expand as CMO of surgical tech startup Proprio.
Alpine Immune Sciences raises $91M in private placement led by Frazier to fund ALPN-303 phase 1 and ALPN-202 cancer trials
Alpine Immune Sciences raised about $91 million via a private placement led by Frazier Healthcare Partners to advance ALPN-303 into a phase 1 study for lupus and other inflammatory diseases and to support ongoing cancer trials of ALPN-202, including a combination study with Merck's Keytruda.
Humanly raises $4.3M led by Zeal Capital Partners to scale automated hiring tools; total funding $5.3M
Seattle HR startup Humanly raised $4.3 million led by Zeal Capital Partners (bringing total funding to $5.3 million) to expand its recruiting software that automates candidate screening, scheduling, initial communications and reference checks, and claims sixfold revenue growth over the past year.
Madrona leads $1.5M round for Battlesnake, the competitive coding game with a 10,000-developer community
Battlesnake, a Victoria, B.C.–based company that runs a competitive coding game used by mid-career programmers to experiment with new technologies, raised $1.5 million led by Seattle’s Madrona Venture Group to expand its reach. The community grew to about 10,000 developers after moving online during the pandemic and has hosted events including an AWS internship tournament.
Bridgestone leads investment in Wrench, to integrate mobile mechanic platform with 2,200+ Bridgestone Americas stores
Bridgestone led a new investment round in Seattle-based mobile car service Wrench and will partner to integrate Wrench’s mobile mechanics platform with Bridgestone Americas’ network of over 2,200 service stores. Wrench, which operates in 40 metro areas with about 285 employees and has grown through acquisitions like Lemon Squad, Fiix and Octobots, declined to disclose the amount raised.
Zenoti acquires SuperSalon; CEO Raj Mahajan to become SVP, 30 employees added to 800-person team
Seattle-area startup Zenoti has acquired salon and spa software maker SuperSalon; terms were not disclosed, SuperSalon CEO Raj Mahajan will join Zenoti as SVP of corporate development and 30 employees will be added to Zenoti’s ~800-person headcount.
Remitly files to raise up to $332.6M in IPO at roughly $6.5B valuation with $38–$42 price range
Remitly set IPO terms expecting to raise $284.6 million (up to $332.6 million with overallotment) at $38–$42 a share, valuing the Seattle fintech about $6.5 billion. The company reported $202M revenue and a $9.2M net loss in the first half of the year and competes with firms like Wise and Zepz.
Strike Graph raises $8M Series A to expand AI-driven SOC 2 and privacy compliance services
Seattle startup Strike Graph raised $8 million in a Series A to expand its compliance automation platform that simplifies SOC 2 and other security/privacy certifications using AI; the company says it has 4x customer growth since October 2020 and a 100% clean audit rate among customers.
Edifecs acquires NLP startup Talix to expand value-based care and risk-adjustment capabilities
Bellevue-based health software firm Edifecs has acquired San Francisco startup Talix, which uses natural language processing to mine health data for billing, risk adjustment and care management; terms were not disclosed. The deal expands Edifecs’ value-based care offerings and aims to provide end-to-end risk adjustment from insight to submission.
Seattle-area CaaMTech Raises $22M to Develop Novel Tryptamines, Aiming for Human Testing
Seattle-area startup CaaMTech raised $22 million to develop synthesized tryptamine compounds similar to those in psilocybin and LSD, aiming to create defined formulations that maximize desired psychedelic effects and minimize side effects. The company says many of its novel agents are unscheduled in the U.S., and it plans to advance toward human testing amid growing investment and interest in psychedelics for mental-health treatments.
RareCyte raises $24M to commercialize Orion 21-channel high-speed cell imaging platform
Seattle startup RareCyte raised $24 million to commercialize and expand its Orion high-speed, 21-channel fluorescent cell imaging and analysis platform and other automated biopsy products for researchers and biopharma.
BlackSky begins NYSE trading as BKSY after SPAC merger with Osprey, raising ~$283M and valuing company near $1.5B
BlackSky began trading publicly on the NYSE under ticker BKSY after shareholder approval of a SPAC merger with Osprey Technology Acquisition Corp., which unlocked about $283 million in capital and valued the company near $1.5 billion.
City Pods founder Keenan O’Leary pivots startup to build PVC-panel indoor mini-homes for Seattle’s homeless
City Pods, founded by Keenan O'Leary, pivoted from building low-cost hostel pods for travelers to designing durable, low-cost indoor mini-homes to help shelter people experiencing homelessness in unused buildings during the COVID-19 crisis. The redesigned units use PVC panels for durability and can be installed inside underutilized spaces like warehouses, aiming to provide private, hygienic alternatives to tents and crowded shelters.
Chloe Harford Joins Roofstock Board as Kymeta Names Walter Berger and Doug Hutcheson Co-CEOs
Chloe Harford, a former Zillow and OfferUp executive, joined Roofstock's board as the fintech firm continues to expand after acquiring Great Jones and raising $133 million; Kymeta named Walter Berger and Doug Hutcheson co-CEOs and partnered with OneWeb to test mobile satellite broadband. Seattle startups Optimize Health and CityBldr announced leadership moves: Todd Haedrich became Optimize Health CEO, and Convoy CEO Dan Lewis joined CityBldr’s advisory board.
Cyrus Biotechnology signs protein-engineering deal with Selecta Biosciences worth up to $1.5 billion to develop IL-2/ImmTOR immune therapy
Seattle-based Cyrus Biotechnology struck a protein-engineering collaboration with Boston’s Selecta Biosciences to engineer IL-2 combined with Selecta’s ImmTOR, a deal that could pay Cyrus up to $1.5 billion if milestones are met. Cyrus will use its software and lab testing to enhance IL-2 stability and function, adding to its existing partnerships and commercial sales of Cyrus Bench.
AccelByte raises $10M Series A led by Galaxy Interactive to power backend for live-service multiplayer games
Seattle startup AccelByte, founded in 2016, raised $10 million in a Series A led by Galaxy Interactive to provide backend tools and scalable architecture for multiplayer "live service" games. Investors also include NetEase, KRAFTON, and Dreamhaven, and AccelByte counts partners like Bandai Namco, Gearbox, and Stray Bombay.
Shutterstock buys PicMonkey for $110M, adds 200,000 subscribers and ~3% of annual revenue
Shutterstock acquired Seattle-based PicMonkey for $110 million in cash, adding about 200,000 subscribers and an estimated 3% boost to annual revenue. PicMonkey, founded in 2012 with roughly 50 employees and $41 million raised previously, will continue its product while integrating Shutterstock stock photography.
Former Microsoft VP and ex-RingCentral CRO Phil Sorgen joins Tola Capital as venture partner
Phil Sorgen, a former Microsoft corporate vice president and most recently RingCentral chief revenue officer, has joined Seattle-area investment firm Tola Capital as a venture partner; Tola manages $440 million and focuses on enterprise software.
Nordstrom to sell Viome’s $199 Health Intelligence microbiome test online and in select stores in 2022
Nordstrom will sell Viome Life Sciences’ Viome Health Intelligence microbiome test for $199 online and in select stores in 2022, with the kit requiring a stool sample. Viome sequences RNA to profile gut microbes and offers AI-driven diet/supplement recommendations plus a $149/month supplement service, though its clinical claims rely on non–peer-reviewed data and have drawn outside skepticism.
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.
Study Finds Seattle Startup Tasso’s Tasso‑SST Self‑Collection Device Matches Venous COVID‑19 Antibody Results
A study led by Seattle researchers found the Tasso-SST self-administered upper-arm blood collection device produced antibody results nearly identical to venous draws and worked for a high proportion of users, even after simulated 48-hour shipping. The device, made by Seattle startup Tasso, could replace some clinic blood draws for COVID-19 antibody testing.
Cascadia Capital Raises $150M SPAC and Eyes Pittsburgh Tech Acquisition, CEO Calls City 'Seattle 10–15 Years Ago'
Seattle investment bank Cascadia Capital raised $150 million for a SPAC, Cascadia Acquisition Corp., and is targeting a Pittsburgh tech company—citing local strengths in AI, robotics, automation and research from Carnegie Mellon and University of Pittsburgh. CEO Michael Butler, who has spent more time in Pittsburgh recently, said the city resembles Seattle 10–15 years ago and is poised for a tech boom.
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
