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
Is this your organization? Claim it
Publication
- Last published Oct 15
Authors & Editors
Porch Group, three weeks public, buys Homeowners of America for $100M, reports $53–$55M 2020 loss and boosts 2021 revenue outlook to $170M
Three weeks after its Dec. 24 public debut via SPAC, Porch Group announced four acquisitions — including a $100 million deal for Homeowners of America — raised its 2021 revenue outlook to $170M, and reported a preliminary 2020 net loss of $53–$55M, about $20M worse than prior guidance.
3X4 Genetics CEOs Jason Haddock and Yael Joffe Put Seattle Move on Hold After COVID-19 and Trump Employment Visa Ban
3X4 Genetics, a South African at-home genetic testing startup led by CEO Jason Haddock and co‑founder Yael Joffe, planned to relocate to Seattle after securing investment and U.S. go‑to‑market plans, but COVID‑19 and a Trump administration visa ban on employment-based nonimmigrant visas left their move and business rollout in limbo. The company focuses on nutrigenomics tests prescribed through healthcare practitioners to guide nutrition-based interventions and physician-patient conversations.
AltPep, UW spinout led by Valerie Daggett, raises $23.1M Series A to develop early-detection and therapeutics for Alzheimer’s
Seattle biotech AltPep, spun out of the University of Washington in 2019 and led by founder/CEO Valerie Daggett, raised $23.1 million in a Series A to develop detection tools and preclinical therapies for Alzheimer’s and other amyloid protein diseases. The company’s technology, based on UW-licensed research into alpha-sheet protein structures, will support early detection efforts and expansion into a new 7,500 sq ft Seattle lab.
Seattle tech vet Keith McCall acquires and relaunches everyvine, moves operations to Bellevue
Seattle tech veteran Keith McCall acquired and relaunched everyvine, an eight-year-old wine-grape marketing and sales site, moved its operations to Bellevue, and is operating the bootstrapped company with two employees. The acquisition complements his Pollen Systems vineyard-monitoring venture and follows McCall’s prior exit when Avanade bought his 2004 startup Azaleos for $106 million in 2010.
Seattle’s Worksphere launches platform to manage COVID-era office returns, raises $550,000 pre-seed
Seattle startup Worksphere, launched in September by Aakhil Fardeen and co-founders, offers a software platform to help companies manage office returns during COVID-19 by automating scheduling, capacity limits, wellness surveys and contact tracing; the company raised $550,000 in pre-seed funding led by Ascend.vc.
iSpot acquires Ace Metrix; Ace CEO Peter Daboll joins as chief strategy officer, 45 employees added
Seattle-based TV-ad measurement firm iSpot has acquired Los Angeles-based Ace Metrix to strengthen its ad measurement technology, adding 45 employees and bringing Ace Metrix CEO Peter Daboll into iSpot as chief strategy officer; financial terms were not disclosed.
U.S. Startups Raised Record $156.2B in 2020; Pacific Northwest Logged $946M in Q4 Across 54 Deals
U.S. startups set a new annual VC funding record in 2020 with $156.2 billion raised, driven by digital acceleration during the pandemic and a surge in mega-deals; Q4 saw $946 million invested across 54 Pacific Northwest deals. VC fundraises also hit records and IPO activity boosted exit values, suggesting continued momentum into 2021 as investors hold dry powder.
Sana Biotechnology files IPO to raise up to $150M, aims to trade as SANA while advancing in‑body gene and cell therapies
Sana Biotechnology, founded less than three years ago with no revenue, filed to go public on Nasdaq under ticker SANA seeking to raise up to $150 million while developing gene and cell therapies aimed at controlling or modifying genes and treating cancers. The Seattle-area startup has raised over $700 million in venture funding, held $459 million in cash and equivalents at September-end, but carries a $316 million accumulated deficit.
Seattle fintech Secure raises $3.5M seed round to power employer-offered emergency savings accounts
Seattle fintech startup Secure raised a $3.5 million seed round to help employers offer emergency savings accounts (ESAs) to workers and is launching with its first customers this month.
Fledge founder Michael “Luni” Libes launches Angel Accelerator for accredited investors with free webinars starting Wednesday
Fledge founder Michael “Luni” Libes is launching the Angel Accelerator, an online training program for accredited angel investors with free webinars starting Wednesday through February and paid courses from March to mid-May, plus a simultaneous Africa track. The program builds on last June’s inaugural session and Seattle Angel Conference ties to scale angel investing in socially focused startups.
Opticyte raises $4.6M to test real-time Cell O2 Monitor for early sepsis-induced organ failure
UW spinout Opticyte raised $4.6 million — $2.9M in federal grants and $1.7M in seed funding — to test a non-invasive Cell O2 Monitor that measures cellular oxygen in real time to detect early organ failure from sepsis. The company will begin an observational study at Harborview Medical Center in May or June and use funding to hire staff and continue device development.
Mailchimp acquires Chatitive; CEO Andy Hollenbeck to lead conversational SMS at Mailchimp
Mailchimp has acquired Seattle SMS-marketing startup Chatitive, a Madrona Venture Labs spinout, integrating its team (fewer than 10 employees) and naming CEO Andy Hollenbeck head of conversational SMS; terms were not disclosed.
Former Zulily Execs Jason LeeKeenan and Kevin Saliba Raise $150M to Buy and Scale E‑Commerce Brands
Two former Zulily executives, Jason LeeKeenan and Kevin Saliba, raised over $150 million to launch Cap Hill Brands, a firm that buys and operationally scales profitable e-commerce businesses and has acquired 10 companies since last summer.
Shotcall CTO Gordon Li — Techstars alum — helps fans play live with creators after $2.25M seed round
Gordon Li, co-founder and CTO of Shotcall, turned his passion for gaming into a company that connects content creators with fans for live, bookable play sessions; Shotcall joined Techstars in 2020 and raised a $2.25 million seed round last fall.
Pioneer Square Labs spins out 25 startups in five years; six launched during pandemic surge
Seattle startup studio Pioneer Square Labs (PSL) spun out 25 startups in five years — six during a six-month pandemic stretch — by rapidly testing ideas, though it has yet to produce a breakout unicorn and faces criticism over founder dilution.
Syndio raises $17.1M led by Bessemer to expand PayEQ pay‑equity analytics after surge in 2020 demand
Seattle-based Syndio raised $17.1 million in a new funding round led by Bessemer Venture Partners to accelerate development of its PayEQ pay‑equity analytics software amid rising demand in 2020. The company says PayEQ is used by more than 100 firms across 2.3 million employees and that ARR nearly tripled during 2020.
Sway Ventures leads $2.7M seed into Omnivor as Seattle startup scales 3D holographic media used by Nike and T-Mobile
Seattle startup Omnivor raised $2.7 million in a seed round led by Sway Ventures to expand its 3D holographic media platform, which is being used by clients including Nike and in partnership with T-Mobile for live holographic telepresence.
NextStep raises $2.5M to expand CNA training platform from Colorado to other states
Seattle startup NextStep, which retrains displaced workers as certified nursing assistants using an app-plus in-person platform, raised $2.5 million to expand beyond Colorado, improve its technology and learning content, and scale employer placements.
Yesler raises $3.3M to scale Seattle B2B lumber marketplace, led by Tech Square Ventures
Seattle-based B2B lumber and building materials marketplace Yesler raised $3.3 million in a funding round led by Tech Square Ventures to scale marketing and engineering after spinning out of Pioneer Square Labs in 2019. The company, founded by CEO Matt Meyers, aims to digitize lumber purchasing and optimize end-to-end supply chains, and currently has 10 employees while competing with MaterialsXChange.
Nautilus Biotechnology hires ex-Smartsheet, Isilon and GenapSys leaders as it scales proteome platform after $76M Series B
Nautilus Biotechnology, a stealthy startup co-founded by Sujal Patel and Parag Mallick, has hired three senior executives — Chris Blessington, Anna Mowry, and Subra Sankar — to expand its team and accelerate development of a platform to quantify the human proteome after a $76 million Series B.
Two Screens for Teachers raises support as founders seek $23M to supply 250,000 pandemic-strained educators; teen Avi Schiffmann built a widely used COVID-19 tracker
A roundup of positive tech, science, and education stories from 2020 highlights initiatives that helped during the pandemic, including Two Screens for Teachers providing monitors to school districts and a high school student, Avi Schiffmann, building a widely used COVID-19 tracker.
Madrona Venture Group Raises $345M for 8th Fund and $161M for 2nd Later-Stage Fund in Largest Ever $500M Capital Raise
Madrona Venture Group raised over $500 million for its largest fundraise ever, including $345 million for an eighth early-stage fund targeting 35-40 Pacific Northwest startups and $161 million for a second later-stage Acceleration Fund. The firm continues to focus on supporting the Pacific Northwest tech ecosystem while also backing later-stage companies across North America.
98point6 CMO and EvergreenHealth ER Physician Dr. Brad Younggren Says COVID-19 Will Lastingly Change Healthcare After Early Kirkland Outbreak and Vaccine Receipt
Dr. Brad Younggren, chief medical officer at Seattle telehealth startup 98point6 and emergency physician at EvergreenHealth in Kirkland, reflects on treating early U.S. COVID-19 patients, rapid growth in virtual care demand, and receiving the vaccine with cautious optimism. He warns the pandemic isn’t over and says COVID-19 will have lasting effects on healthcare science, technology, and worker well-being.
FlowPlay buys out investors to become fully employee- and founder-owned after 50% revenue spike in 2020
Seattle social-game developer FlowPlay repurchased investor shares to become fully employee- and founder-owned after seeing revenue rise 50% during 2020; the 14-year-old company has 75 million registered users and plans a new title in 2021.
Hanwha Systems to invest $30M in Gates-backed Kymeta to pursue LEO-compatible satellite antennas
Hanwha Systems will invest $30 million in Kymeta Corp., backing the company's metamaterial flat-panel u8 antenna and Kymeta Connect hybrid cellular-satellite service as demand grows for LEO-compatible satellite connectivity.
People
See all 5-
John Cook Founder, Co-founder and Publisher, GeekWire
-
Jonathan Sposato Founder, Chairman & co-founder
-
Todd Bishop Founder, Co-Founder
