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
DataRobot buys Seattle ML startup Algorithmia and raises $300M Series G at $6.3B valuation
Boston-based DataRobot acquired Seattle startup Algorithmia and announced a $300 million Series G at a $6.3 billion valuation; Algorithmia CEO Diego Oppenheimer will remain at DataRobot after the deal. Algorithmia, founded in 2013, had raised $37.9 million, served over 130,000 users, and employed 58 people.
StormX raises $9M from Optimista Capital to expand rewards app, plans debit card after Portland Trail Blazers jersey deal
Seattle crypto startup StormX raised $9 million from Optimista Capital to expand its rewards platform and launch a debit card, after a prior $6 million round and an NBA jersey sponsorship with the Portland Trail Blazers.
AuthenticID announces $100M minority investment from Long Ridge Equity Partners
Seattle-based identity authentication firm AuthenticID received a $100 million minority investment from Long Ridge Equity Partners; the 2001-founded company provides identity-proofing software to carriers, banks, credit bureaus and other enterprises.
Lighter Capital raises more than $100M (mostly debt) to expand revenue-based financing for startups
Lighter Capital has raised over $100 million (mostly debt) to expand its revenue-based financing program that lets startups get $50,000–$3 million without giving up equity. The Seattle firm, which has invested $200M in 400+ companies, is now profitable with 36 employees after prior layoffs and recently named Melissa Widner CEO.
Big Sky Labs raises $1M to build PillPez dispenser that auto-reminds patients and alerts caregivers
Seattle-area startup Big Sky Labs raised $1 million in seed funding to develop PillPez, a home health hub that dispenses medications from pre-loaded pharmacy strips and provides escalating reminders and caregiver alerts. Founders with telehealth experience designed the device to improve medication adherence for people with chronic conditions, Alzheimer’s, or developmental disabilities.
Saltbox opens 31,000+ sq ft co-warehousing facility in Seattle’s SoDo with 47 suites, pricing from $600/month
Saltbox, a co-warehousing provider for small and mid-size e-commerce businesses, opened a more than 31,000 sq ft Seattle facility in SoDo with 47 suites and month-to-month memberships starting at $600. Founded in 2019, the company offers storage, private offices, logistics and on-demand workforce services and plans further expansion to Denver and Los Angeles.
Picnic raises $4.2M more for Series A to scale Picnic Pizza System as partnerships and customer talks accelerate
Seattle food-automation startup Picnic raised an additional $4.2 million for its Series A, bringing the round past $20 million, to expand its team and commercial operations for the Picnic Pizza System. The pizza-assembly robot — able to produce up to 100 customized 12-inch pizzas per hour — has drawn partnerships and late-stage customer talks with multiple restaurant groups and brands.
Qualtrics acquires Seattle journey-orchestration startup Usermind to bolster XM Directory
Qualtrics has acquired Seattle-based marketing startup Usermind, a 2013-founded leader in journey orchestration with about 40 employees, to strengthen its Qualtrics XM Directory and customer interaction tracking. Usermind, led by CEO Michel Feaster, raised $14 million in January, weathered pandemic layoffs, and saw increased demand as companies accelerated digital adoption.
Ridwell CEO Ryan Metzger grows Seattle recycling startup to 35,000 members across 40+ cities, adds Denver and hires 100+ employees
Seattle startup Ridwell, founded by CEO Ryan Metzger, has grown to over 35,000 members across 40+ Pacific Northwest cities, collecting hard-to-recycle household items for up to $14/month and employing more than 100 people. The company is expanding (recently entering Denver), hiring aggressively, and aiming for about 300 employees within a year while its founder says he’d prefer the need for the service disappear if climate change were solved.
Fabric raises $100M Series B at $850M valuation as revenue jumps 800% and headcount hits 161
Seattle e-commerce startup Fabric raised $100 million in a Series B that values the four-year-old company at $850 million after reporting revenue growth of more than 800% year-over-year and expanding headcount to 161.
HaptX raises $12M from existing investors, bringing total to $31M, and relocates HQ back to Seattle
HaptX raised $12 million from existing investors to meet demand for its DK2 haptic gloves, bringing total funding to $31 million, and is moving its headquarters back to the Seattle area into a new 15,000 sq ft space while maintaining offices in Redmond and San Luis Obispo.
Kno2 Raises $15M Series A Led by Providence Ventures to Improve Secure Healthcare Communication
Boise-based Kno2, which builds software to streamline secure healthcare data exchange and reduce faxing, raised $15 million in a Series A led by Providence Ventures and Health Enterprise Partners.
DreamBox Learning acquires Reading Plus to expand from K–8 math into ELA; Reading Plus used by nearly 8,000 schools
Bellevue-based DreamBox Learning is expanding beyond K–8 math by acquiring Reading Plus, an online grades 3–12 reading program used by nearly 8,000 schools, after recently buying Squiggle Park.
adyn CEO Elizabeth Ruzzo launches genetic-and-hormone test this fall to predict birth-control side effects
Elizabeth Ruzzo, founder and CEO of Seattle startup adyn, is launching a fall test that analyzes genetic and hormone data to predict birth-control side effects and reduce trial-and-error prescribing. She aims to make scientific discovery more inclusive by addressing biases in medical research and offering users the option to opt into anonymous research.
mpathic launches empathy-as-a-service AI to suggest real-time wording fixes in Slack, Gmail
Bellevue startup mpathic offers an "empathy-as-a-service" AI that integrates with platforms like Slack and Gmail to suggest real-time text and email wording changes aimed at reducing miscommunication in the workplace. Founded by CEO and co-founder Grin Lord, the system draws on a decade of research and datasets to provide dynamic, psychology-informed phrasing recommendations before users hit send.
Shape Therapeutics raises $112M to advance RNA-editing platform and AAV gene-delivery for neurological and genetic diseases
Seattle preclinical biotech Shape Therapeutics raised $112 million to develop RNA-editing and gene therapy technologies, including improved AAV delivery vectors and an RNA editing platform. The company, led by CEO and co-founder Francois Vigneault and leveraging work from co-founder Prashant Mali, aims to target neurological and genetic diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer’s, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, and Rett syndrome.
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.
Sana Biotechnology to build 163,000 sq ft Fremont biomanufacturing facility to produce T cell therapies, stem cells and viral DNA
Sana Biotechnology will build a 163,000 sq. ft. biomanufacturing facility in Fremont, California to produce T cell therapies, human stem cells, and viral DNA, expanding its operations beyond Seattle after a $587 million IPO. The three-year-old gene-editing and cell therapy company plans to use the site for late-stage clinical and early commercial manufacturing and is hiring across Seattle, San Francisco, and Boston.
AI2 spinout MajorBoost raises $350,000 pre-seed to automate insurance calls for medical providers
MajorBoost, an AI2 spinout founded by Lekshmi Venu, Ben Hesketh and Andrew Palmer, uses AI to automate insurance phone calls for medical providers to reduce time lost to eligibility and claim inquiries; it received $350,000 in pre-seed funding from AI2 and is preparing a seed round while running private beta customers.
Modulus Therapeutics, spun out of the Allen Institute for AI, raises $3.5M to engineer enhanced NK cell therapies
Modulus Therapeutics, a Seattle cell-therapy startup spun out of the Allen Institute for AI, raised $3.5 million in seed funding to use lab research and machine learning to engineer enhanced natural killer (NK) cells for anti-tumor therapies. Founders Max Darnell and Bryce Daines aim to develop a discovery platform to generate NK cell product candidates for larger cellular therapy companies.
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.
Maveron, co-founded by Dan Levitan and Howard Schultz, becomes Certified B Corporation after rigorous assessment
Maveron, the venture capital firm co-founded by Dan Levitan and Howard Schultz, became a Certified B Corporation to formalize its commitment to balancing profit with social and environmental goals. The firm pursued the certification after working with B Corp portfolio companies like Allbirds and completed a rigorous assessment covering governance, demographics, and environmental impact.
ProfoundBio, led by former Seagen executives, raises $55M Series A to advance ADCs and T‑cell engager programs
ProfoundBio, a biotech headquartered in Woodinville, Washington, and Suzhou, China, raised $55 million in a Series A to advance preclinical anti-cancer programs focused on antibody-drug conjugates and a T‑cell engager. The company is led by former Seagen executives and plans multiple IND submissions in 2022 and beyond.
Seattle startups raise record $3.1B in H1 2021, producing 12 local unicorns as Auth0 exits for $6.5B
Seattle-area startups raised a record $3.1 billion across 205 deals in H1 2021, driven by mega-rounds that produced at least 12 local unicorns and broader Pacific Northwest tech funding topping $5 billion. National VC activity and IPO/M&A dollar volumes are also surpassing prior records, with major exits like Auth0’s $6.5 billion acquisition by Okta highlighting regional maturation.
BECU and UWs CoMotion Admit Joola, PYT Funds, Bumper and Stack to Third Annual Year-Long Seattle Fintech Incubator
Four Seattle startups—Joola, PYT Funds, Bumper, and Stack—were selected for the third annual year-long fintech incubator run by BECU and the University of Washingtons CoMotion, receiving support, mentorship, training, and space. Each company offers a distinct fintech product: Joola (co-savings/rewards), PYT Funds (education financing matchmaking), Bumper (Gen Z investing app), and Stack (API for brands to connect with brokerages).
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
