Facts
- HQ
- United States
- Sectors
- Professional networking, Social networking, Technology
- Founded
- 2002
- Stage
- Public
Strivve Names Chartway Ventures Lead Investor in Expected Final CUSO-Backed Capital Raise; Velera and Reseda Join
Strivve announced Chartway Ventures as the lead investor in its expected final capital raise, joined by Velera and Reseda Group, through its CUSO subsidiary Strivve CUSO LLC. The funding will support expansion of Strivve's card-on-file placement across more issuers and online merchant and bill-pay destinations.
Agnes Kim announces ViaJiin: LLC formed months before July layoff, first orders shipped this month
Agnes Kim began building ViaJiin nine months before being laid off, forming an LLC, running supplier talks and focus groups while still employed; she announced the company two days after the layoff, shipped first orders this month, and has no co-founder, hand-packing every box.
Amazon to acquire DuckLabs; DuckDB creators join AWS while DuckDB stays open-source under a foundation
Amazon will acquire DuckLabs, the Amsterdam team behind the open-source DuckDB database, with DuckDB remaining free under the DuckDB Foundation while DuckLabs employees (including co‑founders Hannes Mühleisen and Mark Raasveldt) join AWS. Financial terms were not disclosed; Amazon expects the deal to close shortly and DuckLabs to become part of AWS in early September as Amazon pushes to make S3 a hub for direct data analysis.
Shape Therapeutics and Rett Syndrome Research Trust partner to advance SHP-401 AI-designed RNAfix® therapy correcting MECP2 R168X toward IND studies
Shape Therapeutics and the Rett Syndrome Research Trust partnered to fund translational studies of SHP-401, an intravenously delivered, one-time RNAfix® gene therapy using AI-designed guide RNA to correct the MECP2 R168X mutation for Rett syndrome. Preclinical mouse data posted to bioRxiv show ~70% RNA editing in the brain and restoration of full-length MeCP2 after a single IV dose, supporting IND-enabling study goals in non-human primates.
AI House Co-founder Jacob Colker Delivers Rallying Cry for Seattle’s Tech Community at Showbox Market
AI House co-founder and managing director Jacob Colker delivered a passionate rallying speech at a Seattle Tech Week event, urging Seattle to reconnect around community and recognize its outsized impact on technology. He praised local institutions and companies like Boeing, Amazon, Microsoft and the University of Washington while warning that residents have grown numb to the city’s achievements.
ABC Fitness acquires Seattle agentic-AI startup Replify; founders and 12-person team to join company
Seattle startup Replify, which uses agentic AI to automate calls, emails, chats and texts for fitness and wellness businesses, is being acquired by Dallas-based ABC Fitness so its AI agents can reach ABC’s global customer base.
TerraByte AI launches TerraByte News map and adds SkyFi high-resolution imagery partnership, images from $15
TerraByte AI expanded its Earth Search Engine with a TerraByte News interactive map that links to news, social posts and satellite imagery, and added high-resolution images via a partnership with SkyFi offering images from 300+ sources starting at $15. Founded by Rishi Madhok and Fuxun Yu after Microsoft geospatial work, the startup recently grew its team and aims to make Earth intelligence as easy as a web search.
Vieu launches Business Graph to map verifiable professional ties, aims to replace cold B2B outreach
Seattle startup Vieu launched Business Graph, a live network that maps verifiable professional relationships to enable warm B2B introductions for sales, recruiting, marketing and fundraising; the 40-person company raised an $11 million seed round in October 2024 and has over 100 enterprise customers.
Blake Resnick announces Brinc, founded 2019, more than tripled 2025 revenue and expanded production capacity
Brinc, founded in 2019 by CEO Blake Resnick, more than tripled its revenue in 2025 and expanded production capacity, according to a first‑party post by Resnick.
Zoom to Acquire Seattle AI Startup Common Room to Expand AI-Powered Workplace Solutions
Zoom has agreed to acquire the Seattle-based AI startup Common Room, which uses AI agents to identify sales opportunities. Founded in 2020 with 180 employees today, Common Room aligns with Zoom's push to enhance its AI-powered workplace offerings amid post-pandemic shifts.
Zoom to Acquire Seattle AI Startup Common Room to Boost AI-Powered Sales Platform
Zoom is acquiring Seattle AI startup Common Room, which provides an AI-driven sales and marketing platform, to enhance its AI-powered workplace offerings. This acquisition supports Zoom's pivot from video conferencing to AI-enhanced business solutions as it projects over $5 billion in revenue by fiscal year 2027.
Former Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman Joins Greylock as Executive in Residence After $1.75 Billion Rocket Sale
Glenn Kelman, former CEO of Redfin who led the company for over 20 years and through its $1.75 billion acquisition by Rocket, has joined venture capital firm Greylock as an executive in residence.
Syndio Acquires Embrace.ai to Advance AI-Powered Pay Equity Platform
Syndio, a Seattle-based pay equity startup, made its first acquisition by acquiring Austin-based agentic AI startup Embrace.ai to enhance its AI-powered compensation platform. The acquisition brings Embrace.ai's founders and team to Syndio to accelerate development in real-time pay decision governance.
Seattle Startup Devplan Raises $2.5M Seed to Launch Weaver, an AI Tool Automating Product Team Coordination
Devplan, a Seattle startup founded by industry veterans Chris Bee and Anton Safonov, raised $2.5 million in seed funding led by AI2 Incubator to launch Weaver, a software that automates coordination and status reporting for product and engineering teams. Weaver integrates with tools like GitHub and Slack to provide real-time project tracking and reduce meetings and manual updates.
LinkedIn Co-Founder Reid Hoffman to Leave Microsoft Board in 2026 to Focus on Cancer Drug Startup Manas AI
Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn co-founder and Microsoft board member since 2017, will not seek re-election at the 2026 annual meeting to focus on his cancer drug-discovery startup, Manas AI. His departure is not due to any disagreement with Microsoft and follows repeated shareholder opposition related to his political activities.
Seattle Startup Radar Highlights AI-Driven Ventures Like The Carry’s $299 Fitness Vest and Color42’s Music Video AI with 1,000 Users
Several Seattle-area startups led by founders such as Esther Sedgwick of The Carry and Prince Bajracharya of Color42 are leveraging AI across diverse sectors including fitness, music marketing, and autonomous debugging. These companies are at early stages with products launching this year and are receiving feedback from a GPT-powered critic called 'Mean VC' to refine their market strategies.
Temporal Raises $300M Series D Led by Andreessen Horowitz, Valued at $5B Amid AI Infrastructure Surge
Temporal, led by CEO Samar Abbas, raised $300 million in a Series D round at a $5 billion valuation, driven by surging demand for its durable execution infrastructure supporting AI agents. The company’s revenue grew over 380% year-over-year as it positions itself as a core infrastructure provider for the emerging AI agent platform shift.
Philip Johnston announces: "Starcloud is growing!"
Philip Johnston posted a first-party announcement titled "Starcloud is growing!" indicating that Starcloud is expanding.
Seattle Startup Overland AI Partners with CAL FIRE to Test Autonomous 4-Wheelers for Wildfire Response
Seattle startup Overland AI is partnering with CAL FIRE to test its self-driving 4-wheelers for wildfire resupply and logistics, marking the technology's first use in civilian firefighting applications beyond its military background. Overland AI, founded in 2022, has existing contracts with U.S. defense agencies and recently raised $32 million to expand production capabilities.
Ascend joins SNR Capital in $2M seed for Limelight to automate personality-led B2B marketing
Ascend invested in Limelight’s $2 million seed round alongside lead investor SNR Capital; Limelight provides an AI platform that automates creator discovery, activation, and ROI measurement to scale personality-led B2B marketing. The company plans to expand into an autonomous AI-driven B2B marketing workforce, and founders David Walsh and Youngjae Ji bring deep go-to-market and technical experience.
Jeff Bezos Named Co-CEO of $6.2 Billion Funded AI Startup Project Prometheus in Return to Executive Role
Jeff Bezos has become co-CEO of Project Prometheus, a secretive AI startup with $6.2 billion in funding focused on AI for the physical economy, marking his first operational executive role since leaving Amazon's CEO position in 2021. The startup, co-led by Vik Bajaj, aims at applications in computers, automobiles, and aerospace with potential collaboration opportunities with Amazon.
Chainguard Raises $280M from General Catalyst Six Months After $356M Series D, Valued at $3.5B
Seattle-based cybersecurity startup Chainguard secured $280 million in new financing from General Catalyst’s Customer Value Fund, six months after raising $356 million in a Series D round, bringing its total funding to $892 million and valuation to $3.5 billion. The company, which helps secure open source software supply chains and serves over 200 customers, grew its annual recurring revenue to $40 million in fiscal year 2025.
OfferUp Conducts Layoffs to Simplify Marketplace and Focus on Local Experience Amid Growth Plans
OfferUp, a Seattle-based used goods marketplace, is conducting another round of layoffs to simplify its business and focus on local user-to-user experiences, less than a year after cutting 22% of its staff. CEO Todd Dunlap highlighted changes including downplaying shipping, modernizing the app, and increasing marketing spend to maintain profitability and invest in growth.
Seattle Recruiting Startup Humanly Acquires Sprockets, Qualifi, and HourWork to Expand AI Hiring Platform
Seattle startup Humanly has acquired recruiting tech companies Sprockets, Qualifi, and HourWork to expand its AI-driven hiring platform encompassing sourcing to post-hire engagement. This move follows a $1 billion rival acquisition in the HR tech sector and aims to automate efficient, equitable candidate interactions amid growing application volumes.
Seattle’s Alpyne Labs Introduces Juno, an AI Assistant to Automate Admin Tasks for Mental Health Clinicians
Seattle startup Alpyne Labs launched Juno, an AI-powered Chrome extension designed to handle administrative tasks like billing and scheduling for mental health clinicians, freeing them to focus on patient care. Co-founded by CEO Justin Ith and VP Michelle Arenas, Juno integrates with popular EHR platforms and enables natural conversational interaction.
