Facts
- HQ
- Madrona
- Sectors
- Financial Services
- Founded
- 1995
- Employees
- 135
- Stage
- Seed
- Last fund
- MADRONA VENTURE FUND X, L.P. · $489.6M · 2025 SEC Form D
- Funds raised
- 10 funds SEC Form D filings
- Total capital
- $1.7B SEC Form D filings
Leg Up and Seattle tech HR leaders publish employer guide to support working parents during COVID-19
Seattle startup Leg Up and local tech HR leaders released a new guide to help small and medium-sized employers support working parents and caregivers during COVID-19, offering resources, policy suggestions and executive insights. The guide compiles parent experiences, discounts and HR program changes and complements other toolkits like Madrona Venture Group’s Back to Work Toolkit.
Madrona, Microsoft Ventures and Salesforce Ventures lead $40M Series C for online training platform GO1
Madrona Venture Group, Microsoft’s and Salesforce’s venture arms joined a $40 million Series C for online training platform GO1, which serves 3,000+ organizations and has seen engagement triple amid the COVID-19 remote-learning surge.
Uber, Grubhub and Seattle; Amazon's virus-killing robot; Surface Earbuds first take
Here’s what we’re talking about this week on the GeekWire Podcast. Word leaked out this week that Uber is considering buying food-delivery service Grubhub, and it turns out there are many Seattle connections behind the possible deal, including links to Expedia and several other companies. Food delivery is a tough market to make a buck in, for companies and their drivers, so what's in the deal for Uber? Uber Eats is #2 and Grubhub is #3 in food delivery services, behind leader DoorDash. DoorDash grew its market share 42% in March while Grubhub stayed flat. Uber Eats grew 20% (it…
Smartsheet CFO Jennifer Ceran joins Auth0 board; Auth0 hires three execs; Outreach opens NYC office led by David Rubinstein
Smartsheet CFO Jennifer Ceran joined the board of Bellevue identity provider Auth0 as she prepares to retire, and Auth0 added three senior hires: Holly Files (SVP customer success), Cassio Sampaio (VP product) and Ken Oestreich (VP product marketing). Separately, Seattle sales-engagement firm Outreach is opening a New York City office led by David Rubinstein as part of its U.S. and international expansion.
Ex-Docker CFO Brian Camposano launches stealth Seattle fintech Stratify; Concur founder Steve Singh named chairman
Former Docker CFO Brian Camposano launched a stealth Seattle fintech called Stratify after spinning out from Madrona Venture Labs, with Concur co-founder Steve Singh serving as chairman. The early-stage company — currently one employee and no public website — aims to use machine learning and AI to modernize corporate finance and deliver real-time insights for CFOs and finance teams.
Pioneer Square Labs and Fortive launch joint innovation studio to build spinout companies, starting with a COVID-19 workplace-safety concept
Seattle startup studio Pioneer Square Labs (PSL) has partnered with publicly traded industrial company Fortive to form a joint innovation studio that will build and spin out new companies and products, starting with a confidential workplace-safety concept prompted by COVID-19. PSL will apply its in-house startup studio model to create standalone venture-backed businesses or concepts Fortive may acquire, while Fortive aims to accelerate innovation and cultural change.
Madrona Venture Labs spinout Simplata launches targeted encryption for sensitive cloud app data, plans seed raise
Madrona Venture Labs spinout Simplata, led by CEO Steve Banfield and CTO Bruce Roberts, is building a targeted encryption solution to protect sensitive data in cloud applications and plans to hire and raise a seed round later this year.
Ben Elowitz launches stealth Seattle startup Zeitworks, spun out of Madrona Venture Labs to optimize people and time
Veteran Seattle entrepreneur Ben Elowitz has launched a stealth startup called Zeitworks, spun out of Madrona Venture Labs, aiming to help organizations maximize people and time using data science and AI. The company is hiring, Elowitz is supporting the team, and further details remain confidential.
Knock raises $12M Series B led by Madrona as COVID-19 drives surge in remote apartment-management tool usage
Seattle rental-software startup Knock raised $12 million in a Series B led by Madrona Venture Group as demand for its apartment management tools and remote leasing features surged during the COVID-19 crisis.
Madrona Venture Group Leads $8.5M Investment in Vendor Management Startup VNDLY; Steve Singh Joins Board
Seattle-based Madrona Venture Group led an $8.5 million investment round in VNDLY, a Cincinnati-based vendor management startup, with Steve Singh joining VNDLY's board. VNDLY, founded in 2017, has raised a total of $57.5 million to help companies manage and pay their non-employee workforce.
GeekWire Podcast: Amazon reports 26% Q1 sales growth but 30% profit drop, pledges $4B for COVID response; Bezos warns shareholders
The GeekWire Podcast discusses Amazon’s Q1 results and pandemic response — including $4 billion in COVID-19-related spending and CEO Jeff Bezos warning of costly challenges — plus worker safety concerns and calls for his Congressional testimony. The episode also covers a Madrona-led workplace-reopening toolkit (with input from Amazon, Microsoft, Starbucks) and a COVID-19-driven decline in Pacific Northwest startup funding through April.
Bezos is Back
Here’s what we’re talking about this week on the GeekWire Podcast: Amazon's sales rose 26% in the first quarter as the COVID-19 crisis made the online retailer an even bigger part of many lives, but profits were down 30% due to expenses from dealing with the virus. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos gave a clear message to shareholders, saying they "may want to take a seat," because there are big challenges ahead and they won't be easy or cheap to overcome. The company says it will spend $4 billion this quarter on initiatives related to the pandemic. With Amazon bigger and…
Julie Sandler (PSL) on how humanity & mental health are driving business decisions in this crisis
Go behind the scenes on Julie's conversations with portfolio companies during the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for conviction and speed in the face of uncertainty, and how humanity & mental health are driving decision making.
Special COVID-19 Episode: Shannon Anderson
Shannon Anderson, Madrona Venture Group’s Talent Director, joins us to discuss COVID-19’s impact on the Seattle community. Shannon shares how she’s advising their portfolio companies during this unique time and gives examples of CEOs who are truly living their values in the midst of this crisis. She also weighs in on best practices for leadership communication and provides details on Silver Lining, the new, free resource for connecting laid off employees with companies that are hiring. Hear why Shannon is fueled by "creating opportunities out of problems" and why she sees “tremendous opportunity once we get through the current situation"…
U.S. VC Investments Total $34.2B in Q1 2020 as COVID-19 Threatens Decade-Long Growth
U.S. venture capitalists invested $34.2 billion across 2,298 deals in Q1 2020, slightly down from the prior year, but analysts expect investment pace and valuations to slow as COVID-19 disrupts the startup ecosystem and deal pipelines.
Madrona Venture Labs launches Founders Unite to connect startup founders with veteran execs through AMAs during pandemic
Seattle-based Madrona Venture Labs launched Founders Unite, a community and AMA series connecting startup founders with veteran tech leaders for advice and peer support during the pandemic. MVL — which raised $11 million for its third fund last year and has launched around ten companies — organized the initiative after polling 100+ founders about what they value most.
Sila raises $7.7M seed led by Madrona and Oregon Venture Fund to scale fintech infrastructure
Portland fintech startup Sila raised $7.7 million in a seed round led by Madrona Venture Group and Oregon Venture Fund to expand its API that lets developers add compliant banking and payment features. Led by CEO and Simple co-founder Shamir Karkal, Sila offers ACH processing, transfers, digital wallets, a built-in SILA stablecoin, tiered pricing, and partnerships with Plaid, Evolve Bank & Trust, and Alloy.
OctoML raises $15M from Amplify and Madrona to scale TVM-based ML deployment tools
Seattle startup OctoML, spun out of the University of Washington and led by Apache TVM creators, raised $15 million from investors including Amplify and Madrona to expand its ML deployment software. The company, which launched a TVM-based SaaS called Octomizer, will use the funding to grow hiring and scale its optimizer for edge and cloud model deployment.
Rover lays off 41% of staff (194 people) amid COVID-19, extends health benefits for six months
Seattle-based pet care startup Rover laid off 41% of its workforce (194 employees impacted) and put an additional 9% on standby due to revenue declines from COVID-19; about 275 employees remain and affected staff receive six months of extended health benefits and extended stock option exercise windows.
Apple acquires Xnor.ai; Microsoft's bold climate plan; Seattle startup trivia
Apple doubled down on artificial intelligence and boosted its presence in Seattle with the acquisition of Xnor.ai, an Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence spinout with roots at the University of Washington, as first reported by GeekWire this week. It was a win for those institutions, and investors including Seattle's Madrona Venture Group, but it's also an example of an ambitious startup selling to a tech giant before it has the chance to become one itself. So how should we look at deals like this? Plus, Microsoft's ambitious plan to go "carbon negative" puts the tech company at the forefront of…
Author Departs Create33 and Madrona Venture Group to Pursue New Opportunities and Personal Growth
The author has left Create33 and Madrona Venture Group without a planned next step, choosing to focus on personal health and exploring new opportunities while supporting the ongoing success of Create33.
Give InKind Raises $1.5 Million in Pre-Seed to Expand Smarter Giving Platform
Give InKind, a platform enabling meaningful support beyond cash donations, raised $1.5 million in pre-seed funding from Seattle investors, tripling its initial goal. Founder Laura Malcolm created the service to simplify and diversify aid for those in hardship after experiencing inadequate support tools herself.
Seattle Startup Crowd Cow Raises $15.1 Million to Expand Direct-to-Consumer Meat Marketplace
Seattle startup Crowd Cow raised $15.1 million to expand its meat marketplace, which allows customers to crowdfund meat from independent farms. Despite competition from alternative meat companies, Crowd Cow has grown by adding new products, partnerships like Shake Shack, and investment from notable backers including Madrona Venture Group and Ashton Kutcher’s Sound Ventures.
Tim Porter
Tim Porter, Managing Director at Madrona Venture Group, discusses how the venture capital firm operates, what a day in the life of a VC looks like, what he looks for in a founder, and funding female founders. Prior to joining Madrona in 2006, Tim attended MIT and Stanford Business School and worked at Teledesic and Microsoft. His passion about very early stage companies makes him a perfect fit for his current role, where he focuses on investing in B2B software companies in the Pacific Northwest. Some of Tim’s companies include Heptio, Highspot, Algorithmia and Lattice Data. Beyond talking about his…
Seattle’s A-Alpha Bio Raises $2.8M Seed Round to Advance AlphaSeq Drug Discovery Platform
Seattle startup A-Alpha Bio raised $2.8 million in seed funding to advance its genetically engineered protein analysis platform, AlphaSeq, which accelerates drug candidate evaluation by sorting millions of protein interactions. The round was led by OS Fund and included investors such as Madrona Venture Group and AME Cloud Ventures.
Fund History
People
See all 16-
Bill Ruckelshaus Founder, Founder and Strategic Director
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Paul Goodrich Founder
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Steve Singh Founder, Co-founder of Concur and Managing Director
