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
Madrona-led $4.5M seed funds Zeitworks, a Seattle ML startup co-founded by Ben Elowitz and CEO Ryan Windham
Seattle startup Zeitworks raised a $4.5 million seed round led by Madrona Venture Group with participation from JAZZ Venture Partners and Zillow co-founder Spencer Rascoff; the company uses machine learning to analyze and recommend improvements to repetitive business processes without back-end integrations. Zeitworks spun out of Madrona Venture Labs, is led by CEO Ryan Windham with co-founder Ben Elowitz, and plans to hire for several roles.
Uplevel launches remote-work analytics to track engineers' 'always on' hours, isolation, and throughput
Seattle startup Uplevel, which emerged from stealth earlier this year, added new analytics features to measure developer productivity and wellbeing in remote work settings, tracking metrics like messaging hours, meeting attendance, and engineering throughput. The tools aim to help managers detect overwork, isolation, and workflow bottlenecks caused by increased digital interruptions and home distractions.
Hiya names Hillery Nye GC and John Novak SVP of Marketing; Unity hires Scott Pitasky; Bellevue College appoints Gary Locke interim president
Seattle caller-ID startup Hiya hired Hillery Nye as general counsel and John Novak as SVP of marketing; Unity Technologies named Scott Pitasky chief people officer. Bellevue College appointed former Washington governor Gary Locke as interim president starting June 15.
Madrona Venture Labs spinout Weekdays and other startups build tech to help parents manage childcare gaps during COVID-19
Seattle startup studio Madrona Venture Labs and spinout Weekdays are among tech entrepreneurs building services to help working parents handle childcare challenges compounded by COVID-19 — from closed schools and canceled camps to safety worries and financial strain. Single parents like Maria Hess report daily struggles juggling work and parenting, driving increased demand for tech-enabled in-home caregiver matching and other solutions.
Madrona Venture Labs spinout StrikeGraph launches to automate SOC 2 compliance, led by Justin Beals and Brian Bero
Madrona Venture Labs has launched StrikeGraph, a Seattle startup led by Justin Beals and Brian Bero that automates and simplifies the SOC 2 cybersecurity compliance process to reduce time and cost for companies seeking certification.
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.
Docugami doubles to 20 after $10M funding and keeps hiring amid widespread tech layoffs
Docugami, a Kirkland, Washington document-engineering startup, doubled its staff to 20 after a $10 million funding round in early February and continues hiring despite widespread tech layoffs. CEO Jean Paoli and new head of operations Hartley Riedner have onboarded remotely, reflecting a flipped labor market where some startups can recruit while larger firms cut jobs.
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.
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.
Seattle's Portal VR Founder Compares Current VR/AR Hype to 1990s Internet Video Struggles
Virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) technology is currently experiencing hype similar to the early days of internet video, with startups and companies investing heavily despite limited consumer adoption. Industry insiders, like Tim Harader who runs Portal VR in Seattle, see parallels but remain uncertain if VR/AR will eventually achieve mass market penetration akin to digital video.
Pioneer Square Labs Raises $12.5M from Foundry Group, Bezos Expeditions and 50 Angels to Build Start-Ups
Pioneer Square Labs, a Seattle "start-up studio," raised $12.5 million from over a dozen VC firms and 50 angel investors to build companies from in-house ideas. Backers include Bezos Expeditions, Rich Barton, and lead investor Foundry Group among others.
People
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Anthony Bontrager Investor / Advisor (MVL Fund III)
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S. "Soma" Somasegar Managing Director
