Madrona Venture Labs
Facts
- HQ
- Seattle
- Sectors
- Startup studio, Venture
- Founded
- 2015 Seattle business license
- Type
- Corporation Seattle business license
- Registered name
- Madrona Venture Labs Inc Seattle business license
Seattle Startup Muir AI Raises $3.25M Seed Round to Enhance AI Carbon Emissions Tracking
Seattle startup Muir AI, founded by aerospace veterans Harris Chalat and Peter Williams, raised $3.25 million in a seed round led by Base10 Partners to advance its AI and satellite-based carbon accounting technology. The company helps businesses measure complex supply chain emissions to reduce their carbon footprints.
PNW Climate Week Panel on Sept. 26, 2023, Urges Climate Tech Startups to Expand Beyond Software
At a PNW Climate Week event on Sept. 26, 2023, climate tech investors from Toba Capital, Elemental Excelerator, and Alante Capital shared insights encouraging startups to look beyond software solutions. The panel emphasized Seattle's potential to leverage its industrial and natural resource strengths to innovate in climate technology.
Seattle VC Firm Fuse Raises $250M Second Fund to Back 30-35 Pacific Northwest Startups
Seattle-based venture capital firm Fuse raised $250 million for its second fund to invest in early-stage enterprise software startups across the Pacific Northwest, aiming to back 30-35 companies despite a broader venture capital slowdown. Founded in 2020 with an initial $170 million fund, Fuse credits its growth to the strong local talent and entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Voyager Capital Targets $100M Sixth Fund to Support Early-Stage B2B Startups in the Pacific Northwest
Voyager Capital is aiming to raise $100 million for its sixth fund to invest in early-stage B2B startups in the Pacific Northwest, targeting software, SaaS, AI, and cloud infrastructure sectors. Founded in 1997, the firm has backed over 75 companies and manages more than $520 million in assets.
Xembly CEO Pete Christothoulou Highlights Focus on Real Customer Problems in AI Startup Landscape After Raising $20M
Pete Christothoulou, CEO of AI startup Xembly, discusses how startups can differentiate themselves by focusing on solving real customer problems rather than just creating cool technology. Founded nearly three years ago and backed by $20 million in funding, Xembly automates executive assistant tasks and serves clients like Salesforce and Twilio.
Madrona Venture Labs Raises $11M for Fifth Fund to Accelerate AI Startups, Including Generative AI
Madrona Venture Labs raised $11 million for its fifth fund to support AI startups, planning to back 12 new companies with a focus on intelligent applications and generative AI. Since its 2014 founding, the Seattle-based studio has raised $40 million, backed 32 companies, and offers funding and advisory services to early-stage startups.
Outbound AI Raises $16 Million to Expand GPT-Powered Healthcare Billing Automation Amid Rising Patient Demand
Outbound AI, a Seattle-based startup specializing in AI tools for healthcare billing automation, raised $16 million to advance its GPT-powered solutions that streamline insurance claims processes. The company aims to reduce administrative burdens on healthcare workers amid rising patient volumes by offering faster, cost-effective, and HIPAA-compliant AI services.
Seattle’s Pioneer Square Labs Raises $20M Third Fund to Accelerate Generative AI Startup Studio
Seattle startup studio Pioneer Square Labs raised $20 million for its third fund to invest in generative AI, building multiple AI-driven apps in finance and healthcare. Founded in 2015, PSL has 33 startups with most securing follow-on investments but no unicorn exits yet.
Seattle VC Firm Ascend Raises $25M Second Fund to Boost AI Investments Amid Market Downturn
Seattle-based pre-seed venture capital firm Ascend, led by Kirby Winfield, raised a $25 million second fund focused on doubling down on artificial intelligence investments amid a challenging startup funding environment. Winfield, who has backed over 70 startups, predicts a further valuation correction but remains committed to early-stage investing.
Seattle Veterans of Urbanspoon, Crowd Cow, Algorithmia Launch Blueprint AI to Automate Product Team Tasks
Seattle startup Blueprint AI, led by veteran founders of Urbanspoon, Crowd Cow, and Algorithmia, develops an AI platform to streamline task management and communication in product development teams. The company, launched in December and recently revealed to the public, uses AI agents to automate routine tasks and provide insights to enhance team productivity.
Amazon and SpaceX Veterans Launch Muir AI to Improve Corporate Carbon Footprint Measurement Using AI and Satellite Technology
Muir AI, founded by Amazon and SpaceX veterans, uses AI and satellite technology to help corporations accurately measure and reduce their scope 3 carbon emissions, particularly from supply chains. The startup aims to fill data gaps that currently hinder precise carbon accounting and enable companies to meet climate goals more effectively.
Seattle Identity Verification Startup Vouched Raises $6.3M Led by BHG VC, Zulily Founders Participate
Seattle-based identity verification startup Vouched raised $6.3 million in a funding round led by BHG VC and SpringRock Ventures, with participation from Zulily co-founders Darrell Cavens and Mark Vadon. The company uses AI to verify identities for over 300 financial and healthcare clients and has now raised over $18 million in total.
Allen Institute Names Helen Protheroe and Arden Yang to Executive Roles; Qumulo’s Aaron Passey Returns as Engineering Lead
The Allen Institute appointed Helen Protheroe as executive director of global partnerships and philanthropy and Arden Yang as vice president of innovation, while Aaron Passey returned to Qumulo as an engineering leader. Other notable tech leadership changes include Kevin Goldsmith becoming CTO of DistroKid, Samir Diwan joining Madrona Venture Labs, S. Skye Yoden stepping down from PATH, and Lindsie Goss joining Outpace Bio.
Seattle Startup Xembly Raises $15M Series A to Enhance AI ‘Chief of Staff’ Automating Meeting and Workflow Tasks
Seattle startup Xembly raised $15 million in Series A funding to expand its AI-powered ‘chief of staff’ that automates meeting notes, scheduling, and to-do lists. The AI uses advanced natural language processing to reduce repetitive tasks and has customers like Twilio and Convoy.
Seattle Startup Outbound AI Launches PayerVA Console to Automate Medical Insurance Claims Processing
Outbound AI, a Seattle startup spun out of Madrona Venture Labs with $7 million in seed funding, launched PayerVA Console, a software product that automates and expedites medical insurance claims processing by reducing time spent on payer communications. The tool transcribes calls, extracts key information, and assists human workers to alleviate burdensome tasks in the healthcare payment system.
Augment AI, Led by Napster Co-Founder Jordan Ritter, Launches Private Beta of AI-Powered Productivity Tools After $3.5M Seed Round
Seattle startup Augment AI, spun out of AI2 and led by Napster co-founder Jordan Ritter, has launched a private beta of its AI-powered productivity sidekick designed to take meeting notes and organize research. The company raised $3.5 million in seed funding and offers two apps, Meeting Augment and Memory Augment, to enhance workflow integration with tools like Zoom.
Seattle Startup Stack Raises $2.7M to Build Crypto Investing and Education Platform for Teens
Seattle-based startup Stack raised $2.7 million to develop its education-focused crypto investing platform for teens, aiming to differentiate with tailored content alongside investment tools. The company plans iOS and Android app launches, targeting a waitlist of 5,000, backed by investors including Madrona Venture Group and Santa Clara Ventures.
Seattle Startup Alongside Raises $5.5M Seed to Launch Adolescent Mental Health App in Schools
Seattle-based startup Alongside raised $5.5 million in seed funding to develop a mental health app for adolescents, partnering with schools to offer resources and crisis support. The app uses a chatbot to guide students to therapy exercises, journaling tools, and connects them with school support teams.
Madrona Announces PitchBook Data Partnership for 2022 IA40 Ranking After IA40 Firms Raised $3B
Madrona, which has been investing in intelligent applications for over a decade, launched the IA40 list in 2021 and says IA40 companies have since raised over $3 billion; for the 2022 IA40 it has added a data partnership with PitchBook to enhance the ranking using PitchBook's private and public equity data.
Madrona investors say ETHDenver shows surging Web3 momentum, talent exodus from Web2, and new startup opportunities
Madrona Venture Group investors Maria Gilfoyle and Chris Picardo report strong momentum for Web3 after attending ETHDenver, noting growing consumer behavior shifts, new app categories, and a large talent migration from Web2 to Web3. They highlight the Pacific Northwest's relevance to Web3 and identify talent movement, future Ethereum work, and startup opportunities as key takeaways.
Vulcan Capital renamed Cercano Management and spun off as independent firm managing Allen-era assets
Vulcan Capital, the investment arm created to manage late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s holdings, has been spun off and renamed Cercano Management, a privately held firm working with multiple investors and family foundations. Cercano, based in Bellevue, will remain connected to Allen’s estate, continues Vulcan’s low-profile approach, and was recently disclosed as an investor in a $5.9 million round for Seattle startup Pendulum.
Pack Ventures launches Seattle syndicate to back UW-linked startups, pledges 10% of future profits to University of Washington
Pack Ventures, a new early-stage Seattle VC, will invest $100K–$200K checks in startups tied to the University of Washington and has already backed five companies including Jeeva Wireless, Talus.bio and Monod Bio; the firm will return 10% of individual future profits to UW. The syndicate includes more than 35 founding investors from the Seattle VC and entrepreneur community and will target AI, robotics, computational biology, enterprise software and other high-growth areas.
Napster Co‑founder Jordan Ritter’s Stealth Startup Augment AI Raises $3.45M Seed to ‘Supercharge’ Productivity
Augment AI Corp, a stealthy Seattle startup led by Napster co-founder Jordan Ritter and three other tech veterans, raised a $3.45 million seed round after spinning out of the Allen Institute for AI incubator to build software that aims to "supercharge" personal productivity by better integrating devices and apps.
Uplevel to Trial Permanent Four-Day Workweek, Giving All Employees Fridays Off to Combat Burnout
Seattle startup Uplevel, a 27-person remote spinout of Madrona Venture Labs, will trial a permanent four-day workweek (Fridays off) starting after the holidays to boost productivity, mental health and culture, with the experiment running through the first quarter and including monthly check-ins.
Convoy appoints John Morrow as general counsel effective Nov. 1; ex-AWS VP Steven Shure joins Neeva as chief business officer
Convoy named John Morrow as general counsel effective Nov. 1, following multiple legal leadership departures in 2021; Morrow previously served at Apptio and Paymentus. Separately, former AWS VP Steven Shure joined ad-free search startup Neeva as chief business officer and will remain based in Seattle.
People
-
Anthony Bontrager Investor / Advisor (MVL Fund III)
-
S. "Soma" Somasegar Managing Director
