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
Blue Origin Alumni Launch Startups: Relativity Prepares Terran Launch as Co-founder Jordan Noone Steps Back; Stoke Space Wins $225K NSF Grant
Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos 20 years ago, has spawned a wave of space startups led by its alumni, including Relativity Space and Stoke Space. Relativity is preparing a Terran rocket launch and undergoing leadership change as co-founder Jordan Noone steps back, while Stoke Space in Renton is developing reusable upper-stage propulsion with a $225,000 NSF SBIR grant.
Qumulo Adds Ex-Tableau CMO Elissa Fink to Board After $125M Raise; Maven COO Co-founder Bill Sornsin Steps Down
Seattle data-storage startup Qumulo added former Tableau CMO Elissa Fink to its board after raising $125 million and reaching a $1.2B+ valuation; separately, Maven COO and co-founder Bill Sornsin stepped down as part of a company realignment.
Recurrent launches Seattle startup offering independent ML-based used EV battery reports to reduce buyer risk
Seattle startup Recurrent is launching a service that generates independent, machine-learning–based reports on used EV battery performance to help buyers assess battery health and reduce the risk of buying a vehicle with a failing battery.
Optimize.health raises $15.6M to scale remote patient monitoring platform amid telehealth surge
Seattle health-tech startup Optimize.health raised $15.6 million to expand its remote patient monitoring platform, which integrates with EHRs, supports communication and billing, and has seen revenue grow over 800% year-over-year.
FindyPhone’s TalkSocket — a PopSockets-partnered Alexa-enabled grip — launches on Kickstarter for $49
Seattle startup FindyPhone Inc. launched TalkSocket, a PopSockets-partnered smartphone grip that adds hands-free Alexa via two microphones and Bluetooth, on Kickstarter for a $49 pledge. The device lacks its own speaker, uses Qi charging for up to five days per charge, and had raised over $12,000 of a $25,000 goal at publication.
Progress to Buy Seattle Automation Firm Chef for $220M in Cash; Chef Reports $72M TTM Revenue
Progress, the Bedford, Mass.–based business application platform, will acquire Seattle automation company Chef for $220 million in cash; Chef reported over $72 million in trailing 12-month revenue with more than 95% recurring revenue and about 270 employees. Chef CEO Barry Crist said the deal provides scale to advance Chef’s platform after the company became cash-flow positive and neared full-year profitability.
Flexe sees surge in demand as pandemic-driven e-commerce growth pushes retailers to buy on-demand warehouse space
E-commerce share of U.S. retail surged during the pandemic, accelerating years of digital adoption in months and boosting demand for Flexe’s on-demand warehousing marketplace. Flexe matches retailers with excess warehouse capacity so companies can scale fulfillment regionally without owning fixed real estate, serving clients like Ralph Lauren, Staples, Ace Hardware and Walmart.
Cloudentity raises $13M Series A led by ForgePoint to expand identity and authorization security
Seattle startup Cloudentity raised $13 million in a Series A round led by ForgePoint Capital to expand its identity and authorization security software used by Fortune 500 companies. Total funding to date is $15 million; ForgePoint’s Sean Cunningham will join the board.
ThruWave raises $6.4M to deploy millimeter-wave scanners that image contents of packages for Fortune 100 warehouses
Seattle startup ThruWave raised $6.4 million to commercialize millimeter-wave sensors and computer-vision software that image contents inside packages for retail and e-commerce warehouses, analyzing up to 20,000 boxes per hour to improve cube utilization and detect missing or damaged items. Fortune 100 customers and partners (including In-Q-Tel) are using the University of Washington–developed system to cut shipping waste, costs, and for national security screening applications.
Madrona Venture Group leads $9M round in Trade Coffee, a marketplace linking home brewers to 56 roasters and 400+ blends
Madrona Venture Group led a $9 million financing round in New York-based Trade Coffee, a two-year-old marketplace connecting home brewers with over 400 blends from 56 small roasters and offering single orders or subscriptions; Trade has nearly 75,000 subscribers after tripling since January.
Boundless raises $7.5M to acquire RapidVisa, adds 45 employees and expands online immigration services
Seattle-based Boundless raised $7.5 million to fund the acquisition of rival RapidVisa and expand its online immigration tools, nearly doubling its team by adding 45 RapidVisa employees. CEO Xiao Wang says the funding and deal will strengthen the company’s infrastructure and market position ahead of an economic recovery.
Sensoria Health launches $69 Smart Band tracking SpO2, temperature and heart rate to spot COVID-19 warning signs
Sensoria Health launched a $69 Smart Band that measures body temperature, heart rate, blood oxygenation (SpO2), sleep quality and steps, aiming to help detect potential COVID-19 symptoms. The device will be available later this month in the U.S. and Europe, and CEO Davide Vigano highlighted monitoring SpO2 trends as important for early detection of COVID-19 pneumonia.
Former AWS, Dropbox, Facebook, Convoy Leaders — Linda Lian, Tom Kleinpeter, Francis Luu, Viraj Mody — Launch Stealth Seattle Startup to Build Digital Community Tools
Four former Seattle tech leaders — Linda Lian, Tom Kleinpeter, Francis Luu, and Viraj Mody — have quietly formed a new startup building tools to help users create digital communities, according to a recent tweet by Lian. The team brings experience from Amazon Web Services, Dropbox, Facebook, Convoy and Madrona Venture Group; Lian declined to provide further details.
Lumen Bioscience raises $16M Series B to scale Spirulina platform for orally delivered antibodies; total funding $68M
Lumen Bioscience raised $16 million in a Series B to advance its Spirulina-based platform that produces orally delivered antibodies and biologics for GI diseases, claiming dramatically lower costs and three clinical programs. The Seattle startup, co‑founded in 2017 by CEO Brian Finrow and CSO Jim Roberts, has partnerships with the Gates Foundation, NIH and others and has raised $68 million to date.
Cloudshim, founded by ex-Microsoft and Amazon engineers Lokesh and Vishal Taneja, raises $120,000 from Black Lion Ventures
Seattle startup Cloudshim, founded by former Microsoft and Amazon engineers Lokesh and Vishal Taneja, raised $120,000 from Black Lion Ventures to grow its self‑serve cloud management platform that currently supports AWS and will add GCP and Azure.
Anu Sharma leaves AWS to join Madrona Venture Group as investor after eight years at Amazon
Anu Sharma left an eight-year product management role at Amazon/AWS to join Madrona Venture Group’s investment team, turning a long-standing personal interest in investing into a full-time career where she plans to apply engineering rigor to evaluating and growing startups.
Right to Be Banked campaign seeks Washington law guaranteeing bank accounts and regulatory sandboxes for licensed fintech startups
Fintech startups in the U.S. face barriers from outdated regulation and banks denying accounts—advantages are often given to VC-backed firms—creating a rigged market that excludes competitors, women, and entrepreneurs of color. The Right to Be Banked campaign proposes a Washington State law guaranteeing bank accounts for licensed individuals and businesses and offering regulatory sandbox access for startups deemed high-risk to enable monitored innovation.
Sonder launches in Seattle’s Capitol Hill at Solis, bringing tech-enabled, apartment-style hotel units; company valued at $1.3B
San Francisco startup Sonder, which leases and manages apartment-style, tech-enabled hospitality units, has launched in Seattle at the Solis development on Capitol Hill, offering contactless check-in, digital concierge, in-unit kitchens and enhanced cleaning. Sonder operates 11,000 spaces in 35+ cities, recently raised $200 million as part of $560 million raised to date, and is valued at $1.3 billion.
Former Expedia CEO Mark Okerstrom named president and COO of Convoy as startup tops 1,000 employees
Former Expedia CEO Mark Okerstrom joins Seattle digital freight startup Convoy as president and COO to oversee finance, operations, marketing and marketplace growth as the company surpasses 1,000 employees and a $2.7B valuation.
Prescryptive Health, founded by ex-Microsoft cloud vets Blackley and Young, raises $26M led by Morningside
Seattle startup Prescryptive Health, founded in 2017 by former Microsoft commercial cloud leaders Chris Blackley and Kevin Young, raised $26 million to expand its prescription data platform that connects to over 50,000 pharmacies and integrates with benefit plans in real time. The round was led by Morningside Ventures (whose co-founder Dr. Gerald Chan joined the board) and brings the company's total funding to $35 million.
UW entrepreneur Austin Hirsh’s The 2050 Company launches $20,000 Kickstarter to sell upcycled freeze-dried smoothie powders
Austin Hirsh, founder of The 2050 Company and a UW MS in Entrepreneurship student, is launching a Kickstarter to sell freeze-dried smoothie powder made from surplus or cosmetically imperfect produce to reduce food waste. The campaign seeks $20,000, offers three Northwest flavors and early-bird 10‑pack rewards, and follows multiple competition wins and acceptance into UW’s Jones and Foster Accelerator.
Panda AI, spun out of AI2, raises $3.3M with AI2 as first investor from its new pre-seed fund
Panda AI, a stealth startup spun out of the Allen Institute for AI (AI2), raised $3.3 million in a round led by PSL Ventures with participation from AI2 and others; it is the first company to receive funding from AI2’s new pre-seed fund.
GeekWire: Pacific NW startups raise big rounds — Vacasa $108M, Remitly $85M, Auth0 $120M, OfferUp $120M, Outreach $50M; Qumulo hits $1B
Pacific Northwest privately-held tech startups raised large funding rounds and increased valuations during the 2020 economic crisis, with several firms hitting or exceeding $1 billion valuations and total H1 2020 investment of $2.3 billion across 135 deals.
Kymeta acquires Lepton Global Solutions to add 17-satellite service network, targets U.S. government and military contracts
Kymeta Corp., the Redmond-based satellite antenna company backed by Bill Gates, acquired Lepton Global Solutions to add satellite service capabilities and strengthen its position for U.S. government and military contracts. Lepton will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary in Tysons Corner with fewer than 15 employees, expanding Kymeta’s workforce to nearly 200; financial terms were not disclosed.
Seattle startup Nexme raises $500,000 seed round after toll-free call leads to angel investment
Seattle startup Nexme raised a $500,000 seed round after an unexpected toll-free call from real estate investor Mark Montgomery led to meetings and him becoming their first angel backer. Nexme, founded by Arian Abdulkader and Vanessa Alvarez, offers a lower-cost real estate marketplace charging sellers a 1.5% commission and connecting users with experienced licensed agents.
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
