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
Susan Kaech Named Executive VP at Allen Institute; Arthur Valdez Joins Impinj Board; Jason Bennett Shifts to AWS VP Role
Susan Kaech joins the Allen Institute as executive VP of the Immunology Moonshot; Arthur Valdez Jr. joins Impinj's board; Jason Bennett transitions to VP of worldwide startups and venture capital at AWS. These leadership changes reflect strategic moves across bioscience, RFID technology, and cloud services sectors.
Seattle Entrepreneur Diego Oppenheimer Builds AI Executive Assistant 'Actionary' Highlighted in GeekWire's Agents of Transformation Series
Entrepreneur Diego Oppenheimer developed a personal AI executive assistant called 'Actionary' that helps manage his schedule and communications, illustrating a new wave of AI agents that can autonomously handle tasks but still fall short of human judgment. GeekWire's Agents of Transformation series explores this evolving technology and its impact on workflows.
Redefining Communication: Yoodli Founders on AI Roleplays, Confidence & Building in Seattle
In this episode of Founded & Funded, Madrona Venture Partner Patrick Ennis sits down with Varun Puri and Esha Joshi, co-founders of Yoodli, an AI-powered communications coach helping people become more confident speakers. Varun and Esha share their leap from Big Tech into startup life, eating noodles on secondhand couches while chasing a bold mission: making effective communication accessible to everyone. They dive into: The origin story behind Yoodli, (and where the name came from!) How AI roleplays bring "exposure therapy" to speaking practice. Use cases ranging from sales training to doctors having end-of-life conversations. The decision to build in…
Seattle Biotechs Including Archon and Cyrus Highlight AI's Promise and Pitfalls in Drug Development at 2025 Conference
Seattle biotech leaders at a 2025 conference acknowledged AI's significant potential in drug development while cautioning against overhype. Companies like Archon Biosciences and Cyrus Biotechnology are applying AI to innovate protein design and drug immunogenicity.
Seattle’s AI2 Incubator Closes $80M Third Fund to Back 70 New AI Startups Over Four Years
AI2 Incubator, a Seattle-based startup incubator focused on AI and real-world applications, has closed an $80 million third fund to support about 70 new ventures over the next four years. The incubator has a successful track record with nearly 25% of its 50+ alumni acquired and 90% securing venture funding.
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.
Stanford Dropout Carina Hong Raises $64 Million to Build AI That Solves and Creates Complex Math Problems
Carina Hong, a Stanford dropout, founded Axiom Math in 2025 to build an AI capable of solving and generating complex mathematical problems, raising $64 million in seed funding. The startup has recruited top AI talent from Meta and aims to create an 'AI mathematician' that can produce and verify detailed mathematical proofs and new conjectures.
GeekWire's Top Stories Sept. 21, 2025: Seattle Tech Layoffs, Sila's Battery Plant Launch, Microsoft AI Chip Cooling
GeekWire's most popular stories for the week of Sept. 21, 2025, highlight Seattle's tech challenges amid layoffs, the launch of Sila's automotive-scale battery manufacturing in Washington, and innovations from Microsoft and local startups. The coverage also includes insights from robotics pioneer Siddhartha Srinivasa and cultural moments like YouTuber IShowSpeed's Seattle streaming.
Robotics Pioneer Siddhartha Srinivasa Joins Madrona Venture Group to Drive AI and Robotics Innovation
Robotics expert Siddhartha Srinivasa, known for his work at Berkshire Grey, Amazon, and Cruise, is joining Madrona Venture Group as a venture partner to foster AI and robotics innovation in the Pacific Northwest. He highlights recent advances in robotics hardware affordability and compute power, signaling growth opportunities in the field.
Seattle Startups Yoodli and A-Alpha Bio Appoint New C-Suite Execs, TiE Seattle Names Siddhartha Srinivasa as President
Seattle startups Yoodli, A-Alpha Bio, and MoxiWorks have added senior executives, including Andy Larson as Yoodli's CFO and Troy Lionberger as A-Alpha Bio's chief business officer, while TiE Seattle appointed Siddhartha Srinivasa as president. These moves highlight growth and leadership shifts in the Seattle tech sector, with companies focusing on AI, biotech, and robotics.
Madrona at 30 Years Interview Spotlight: Tim Porter
Madrona Managing Director Tim Porter talks with GeekWire’s John Cook about his 18 years of experience at Madrona, from investing in first-time founders in Seattle and Portland to witnessing the rise of cloud and now AI. He shares what defines a “Madrona founder,” the importance of trust-based relationships, and why lifelong learning is at the heart of venture. Tim also looks ahead to the future of the Pacific Northwest tech ecosystem and Madrona’s enduring commitment to community and innovation.
Fred Hutch-Led Synthesize Bio Raises $10M to Accelerate Drug Discovery Using AI Gene Expression Model
Seattle-based Synthesize Bio, led by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center researchers, raised $10 million from Madrona to accelerate drug discovery using their AI model GEM-1, which predicts gene expression outcomes with lab-level accuracy. The startup aims to reduce drug development time and costs by simulating hypothetical lab experiments with generative genomics.
Apple Acquires Seattle AI Startup WhyLabs and Integrates Founders into New Roles in 2024
Apple has quietly acquired Seattle startup WhyLabs in 2024, incorporating its founding team into AI-related roles. WhyLabs is discontinuing operations and open-sourcing its platform following the acquisition, which includes rights to its intellectual property.
From $1M to $10M ARR in 6 Months: How Fyxer is Winning AI Productivity
Fyxer.ai is an AI-powered assistant that helps users reclaim hours of their day by managing their inboxes, writing replies, and taking meeting notes. But Fyxer didn't start with AI. It started with a decade-long executive assistant agency that gave them a treasure trove of data and insight that became the foundation for integrating AI. Fyxer CEO and Co-Founder Rich Hollingsworth joins Madrona Managing Director Karan Mehandru on this episode of Founded & Funded to share how Fyxer went from $1M to $10M ARR in six months with just 30 employees. In this episode, Rich shares: Why great startups start with…
Seattle AI Startup Vouched Raises $17M Series A to Enhance Identity Verification with Mobile Licenses and AI Agent Security
Seattle-based ID verification startup Vouched raised $17 million in a Series A funding round led by Spring Rock Ventures, advancing AI tools for identity verification including mobile driver’s licenses and AI agent reputation. CEO Peter Horadan emphasized transformative changes in identity verification prompted by emerging technologies and security needs.
OpenAI Acquires Seattle Startup Statsig for $1.1 Billion Amid Its Unique Five-Day In-Office Work Policy
Seattle-area startup Statsig, acquired by OpenAI for $1.1 billion, mandates five-day-a-week in-office work, contrasting with common hybrid models. CEO Vijaye Raji credits this policy for fostering strong collaboration, faster decision-making, and a high-performing culture.
OpenAI Expands Seattle Footprint with $1.1B Acquisition of Bellevue Startup Statsig
OpenAI is expanding its Seattle-area presence by acquiring the Bellevue-based product development platform Statsig for $1.1 billion, with Statsig continuing to operate independently. The move strengthens OpenAI's access to Seattle's tech talent and aligns with its existing local office near Microsoft.
OpenAI Acquires Statsig for $1.1 Billion, Appoints CEO Vijaye Raji as CTO of Applications
OpenAI is acquiring Statsig for $1.1 billion in an all-stock deal, appointing Statsig CEO Vijaye Raji as its new CTO of Applications. The startup will operate independently post-acquisition from its Seattle office, while its employees may join OpenAI.
Seattle Startup Rec Room Lays Off Half of Staff Amid $3.5 Billion Valuation, Refocuses on VR and PC
Seattle-based VR and gaming startup Rec Room is laying off about half its staff due to financial challenges after overexpanding its platform across multiple devices. The company will now focus on its strongest areas, including supporting top PC and VR creators and improving its flagship games.
Autonomous CRM: How Clarify Is Reinventing a $100B Category
Thompson and Austin Hay, co-founders of Clarify, the startup that's pioneering the idea of autonomous CRM. Their vision? A CRM that actually does the work for sellers of driving outreach, managing pipeline, and surfacing insights without constant manual input. Patrick and Austin share: • Their journey from Iteratively, Ramp, and Amplitude to founding Clarify • Why the CRM market is ripe for disruption with AI • How Clarify's unique pricing model flips the script (free CRM, pay only when the AI agent works for you) • The concept of autonomous GTM teams and the rise of the Go-to-Market Engineer •…
Seattle Lags Behind San Francisco in Top AI Startup Funding Deals in 2025 Despite Strong Talent Pool
Despite Seattle's strong AI talent and institutions, no Seattle-area startups rank among the top 100 AI funding deals in 2025, as investors favor San Francisco-based companies for large funding rounds. The city has potential but currently lacks a defining AI startup comparable to Anthropic or OpenAI.
Smartsheet Appoints Stephanie Berner as Chief Customer Officer; Gradial and Zeno Power Expand Senior Leadership
Smartsheet named Stephanie Berner as chief customer officer amid leadership changes, including a new acting CEO. Seattle startups Gradial and Zeno Power also expanded their senior leadership with new executives to drive growth and innovation.
Terry Myerson - CEO and Co-Founder at Truveta
Terry Myerson is CEO and co-founder of Truveta, a leader in EHR data and analytics, led by a growing health system collective that together provide more than 18% of all daily clinical care in the US. Truveta is trusted by more than 50 leading healthcare and life science customers to study safety and effectiveness, improve patient care, and train medical AI. Across these leading organizations, Truveta connects data, people, and ideas to pursue the mission of Saving Lives with Data. Terry previously enjoyed a 21-year career at Microsoft, leading the development of Windows, Xbox, and the early days of Office…
Seattle VCs Greg Gottesman and Matt McIlwain Urge Startups to Rethink Defensibility Amid Rapid AI Advancements
Seattle venture capitalists Greg Gottesman and Matt McIlwain emphasized at Seattle Venture Day that startups must develop new defensibility strategies, like 'reasoning flywheels,' to survive rapid scaling and vulnerability in the AI era. They advise founders to move beyond traditional intellectual property moats and focus on unique data, engagement, and workflows.
Seattle Investors and Founders See AI Boom as Key Startup Opportunity Amid Cultural and Capital Challenges
Seattle's startup ecosystem is poised for significant growth amid the AI boom, thanks to a strong talent pool and tech presence, according to over 20 investors and founders. However, concerns about a risk-averse culture, limited local capital, and government policies could hinder the city's ability to fully capitalize on this opportunity.
Fund History
People
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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
