Intellectual Ventures
Facts
- HQ
- Bellevue, Washington, U.S.
- Sectors
- Venture Capital and Private Equity Principals
- Founded
- 2000
- Employees
- 268
Radar Company Echodyne Opens $40M Woodinville Plant to Produce 30,000 Drone-Detection Radars Annually
Echodyne, a radar platform company based near Seattle, opened a $40 million manufacturing plant in Woodinville to meet increasing demand for drone-detection radars. The facility, spanning over 86,000 square feet, will create up to 200 jobs and produce around 30,000 radars annually.
Echodyne Opens $40M Woodinville Factory to Produce 2,500+ Radars Monthly for Drone Detection
Echodyne opened a $40 million, 86,350-square-foot radar manufacturing facility in Woodinville, Washington, to scale production of drone-detection and airspace-monitoring radars to more than 2,500 units per month, supporting 100–200 new jobs amid rising global demand.
Five Contractors Sue Bill Gates-Backed Modern Hydrogen for $363,458 in Unpaid Invoices After Contract Terminations
Five contractors are suing Modern Hydrogen, a Seattle clean energy startup backed by Bill Gates, for unpaid final invoices totaling over $363,458. The lawsuits follow sudden contract terminations amid Gates' reduced focus on climate initiatives and the company's halted projects.
Lumotive Opens Oman and Taiwan Offices to Commercialize $59M-Funded Miniaturized 3D Sensor Chips
Lumotive, after raising $59 million in venture capital, has opened offices in Oman and Taiwan to advance commercialization of its miniaturized 3D sensor chips. The company, specializing in lidar technology for robotics and other applications, has also expanded its management team with senior industry leaders.
Bill Gates-Backed Modern Hydrogen Lays Off Most Employees Amid Funding Changes After $125M Investment
Clean energy startup Modern Hydrogen, backed by Bill Gates and having raised $125 million over a decade, has laid off most of its employees amid funding changes and restructuring. The company was preparing commercial deployments after successful pilot projects but has not publicly disclosed the extent of layoffs.
Lumotive Secures Additional $14M in Series B Funding from Amazon and Oman's ITHCA Group
Lumotive, a semiconductor startup specializing in optical chips for 3D sensors, raised an additional $14 million for its Series B round from Amazon's Industrial Innovation Fund and Oman's ITHCA Group. Previously, it had secured $45 million in February, with investors including Bill Gates' Gates Frontier and MetaVC.
Aquagga Wins $1,500 Top Prize at PNW Climate Week for Portable PFAS Destruction Technology
Aquagga won the top prize of $1,500 at a PNW Climate Week pitch contest for its portable units that destroy harmful PFAS 'forever chemicals' in contaminated wastewater, addressing major environmental and health concerns. The startup, led by CEO Dhileep Sivam, is expanding operations with new contracts including a three-year deal in Colorado and work with 3M.
Microsoft Veteran Vahé Torossian Joins Tola Capital as Venture Partner; Allen Institute Names Sarah Norris Hall CFO
Vahé Torossian left Builder.ai to join Tola Capital as a venture partner, leveraging his extensive Microsoft and startup experience to support AI-focused enterprise software startups. Additionally, Sarah Norris Hall became CFO of the Allen Institute, bringing over 16 years of financial leadership from the University of Washington.
Seattle Tech Veterans Launch PoulTree, a $20 Stainless Steel Rod for Perfectly Roasted Chicken Cooking
Seattle tech veterans Dave Atchison and Tony Smith co-founded PoulTree, a simple $20 stainless steel rod that allows for evenly roasting a chicken over a cast iron skillet by elevating it for convection cooking without complex gadgets. Their invention emphasizes analog cooking, combining innovative design with straightforward usability, developed and tested in a Seattle workshop.
Echodyne, Pulumi, Read AI, Statsig and Truveta Named Finalists for GeekWire's 2023 Next Tech Titan Award
Five startups—Echodyne, Pulumi, Read AI, Statsig, and Truveta—are finalists for the GeekWire Awards' Next Tech Titan prize, which highlights promising tech companies. These firms specialize in diverse areas like radar technology, cloud infrastructure, generative AI productivity tools, and advanced product feature testing.
Seattle Radar Startup Kapta Space Raises $5M Seed Round Led by MetaVC, Secures $1.8M DoD Grant
Kapta Space, a Seattle-based radar technology startup co-founded by Adam Bily and Milton Perque, raised $5 million in a seed round led by MetaVC Partners. The company develops low-cost, electronically-steered radar sensors for defense and commercial space missions and has secured a $1.8 million Department of Defense grant.
Bill Gates-Backed Lumotive Raises $45M Series B to Advance Optical Semiconductor 3D Sensor Technology
Lumotive, a Bill Gates-backed semiconductor startup specializing in Light Control Metasurface chips for 3D sensing, raised $45 million in a Series B round to advance AI data center, aerospace, and defense applications. The startup aims to provide a faster, cheaper alternative to traditional LiDAR systems and has raised over $90 million to date.
Modern Hydrogen Partners with Puget Sound Energy to Deploy Methane Pyrolysis for Industrial Decarbonization
Modern Hydrogen partnered with Seattle utility Puget Sound Energy to deploy methane pyrolysis technology that produces clean hydrogen fuel from natural gas, aiming to help hard-to-electrify industries reduce carbon emissions. This approach offers a climate-friendly alternative amid disruptions to clean energy deployment under President Trump's policies.
Modern Hydrogen Raises $25M to Expand Clean Hydrogen and Carbon Tech with Bill Gates Support
Seattle-area clean tech startup Modern Hydrogen raised $25 million to advance its methane pyrolysis technology producing clean hydrogen and solid carbon for industrial uses. Bill Gates, a key investor, supports the company, which has raised over $100 million and plans to expand into new markets with strategic partnerships.
Seattle's Early-Stage Tech Startups Spotlighted, Including Glidance's $1.4M Fundraising and Kapta Space's Radar Innovations
This article highlights five promising early-stage tech startups in Seattle, including Glidance, Kapta Space, and Ruvtop, spanning sectors like mobility assistance, space radar technology, and sustainability. These startups showcase innovation and potential in the region's growing entrepreneurial landscape.
Aquagga Names Former Intellectual Ventures Executive Dhileep Sivam as CEO to Commercialize PFAS Destruction Technology
Aquagga, a startup developing technology to destroy 99% of PFAS in contaminated water, has appointed Dhileep Sivam, a former Intellectual Ventures executive, as its new CEO to lead commercialization efforts. The company, founded in 2019, has received over $10 million from grants and customers and raised $1.1 million from investors.
Clarivate Acquires Seattle-Based Patent Automation Startup Rowan TELS Corp.
Clarivate, a London-based software company, acquired Rowan TELS Corp., the maker of an automated patent drafting tool, with Rowan’s development team remaining in Seattle. Rowan was founded in 2018 and merged with TurboPatent in 2019, backed by Seattle investors including Voyager Capital.
Bill Gates Visits Modern Hydrogen, Demonstrates Carbon-Sequestering Asphalt From Hydrogen Fuel Technology
Bill Gates visited climate tech startup Modern Hydrogen in Woodinville, Washington, where he helped fill a pothole using carbon-trapping asphalt made from solid carbon produced in hydrogen fuel creation. Modern Hydrogen develops methane pyrolysis reactors that convert natural gas into clean hydrogen and solid carbon for industrial uses, with demo reactors deployed to customers in Oregon and Miami.
Bill Gates-backed TerraPower to Submit NRC Application and Break Ground on Natrium Nuclear Reactor in Wyoming in 2024
TerraPower, backed by Bill Gates, is advancing the development and deployment of its Natrium small modular nuclear reactor, with plans to submit a certification application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission this month and begin construction of a demonstration plant in Wyoming this spring. The company is positioned to be the first to bring next-generation nuclear technology to the U.S. and is exploring potential large-scale sales internationally.
Peregrine Hydrogen, Spawned from Bill Gates-Backed Orca Sciences, Raises $7.8M to Develop Clean Industrial Hydrogen Tech
Peregrine Hydrogen, a startup spun out of Bill Gates-backed Orca Sciences, raised $7.8 million to develop cost-competitive, clean hydrogen production technology for industrial chemicals. The funding round was led by Bidra, with participation from Gates Frontier and others.
Seattle AI Startup Tangibly Raises $6.5M Seed Round to Protect Trade Secrets with Patent X-Ray Tool
Seattle-based security software startup Tangibly raised $6.5 million in a seed round to advance its AI-powered trade secret protection tools. Founded in 2021, the company helps clients secure intellectual property with features like its Patent X-Ray for patent drafting.
Echodyne Teams with Hyundai's Supernal with Minority Investment to Enhance Safety of eVTOL Air Mobility Systems
Echodyne, a radar company backed by Bill Gates, has partnered with Supernal, a Hyundai subsidiary, to enhance the safety of Supernal's eVTOL air mobility systems. Supernal is also making a minority investment in Echodyne to support in-flight and ground-based radar tracking for its electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles.
Samsung Ventures Leads $13 Million Investment in Lumotive to Expand Production of 3D Sensor Chips for Autonomous Vehicles
Seattle-based startup Lumotive secured $13 million in funding led by Samsung Ventures to expand production of its Light Control Metasurface chips used in 3D sensors for autonomous vehicles and robots. The investment increases Lumotive's total funding to over $56 million and supports both current chip deployment and future product development.
Pacific Northwest Startup Funding Drops 35% in 2022, TerraPower Leads Top Rounds with $750M Investment
Venture capital investment in Pacific Northwest startups dropped 35% in 2022, with funding decreasing over 50% in the year's second half amid economic cooling and rising interest rates. Despite this slowdown, some startups like Bellevue-based TerraPower secured significant funding, with its $750 million round leading the top 10 deals that accounted for 44% of total investment in the region.
Seattle Startup Tangibly Raises $1.3M to Expand Trade Secret Management Platform
Seattle startup Tangibly raised $1.3 million to enhance its trade secret management platform, supporting sales and product development. Founded by Tim Londergan and co-led by CTO Liat Belinson, the platform helps companies organize and control access to sensitive documents across industries.
