Microsoft
Facts
- HQ
- NASDAQ:MSFT
- Sectors
- Technology, Workplace tools, Cloud
- Founded
- 1975
- Employees
- 221000
- Stage
- Public
Seattle Startup NoxuData Wins $250K from Madrona Venture Labs to Expand AI Data Platform for CPG Companies
Seattle-based startup NoxuData, which provides an AI platform to help consumer packaged goods companies analyze fragmented data, won $250,000 in pre-seed funding after winning the Madrona Venture Labs competition. Led by co-founders Dae Kim and David Lee, the company offers a conversational dashboard that delivers context-driven insights beyond financial metrics to improve decision-making.
Seattle Recruiting Startup SeekOut Cuts 7% Staff Amid Restructuring, Plans Growth to 225 Employees in 2024
Seattle-based recruiting software startup SeekOut laid off 16 employees (7% of its workforce) in a restructuring but plans to grow its team to 225 employees by year-end. The company, valued at over $1.2 billion after raising $115 million last year, uses AI technology and serves over 1,000 clients including Salesforce and McKinsey.
First Row Partners Launches $150K–$200K Startup Competition to Revive Pacific Northwest Angel Investing
Seattle venture capital firm First Row Partners has launched The Ensemble Event Fund, a startup competition offering $150,000–$200,000 to early-stage companies nationwide, aiming to revitalize the Pacific Northwest's angel investor network. The competition engages over 15 angel investors to boost capital deployment amid declining venture funding and a shrinking local angel community.
Valve and Picnik Veterans Darrin Massena and Mike Harrington Launch Hatch, a No-Code Web Design Platform for Tech-Curious Creators
Seattle entrepreneurs and former Valve and Picnik developers Darrin Massena and Mike Harrington launched Hatch, a no-code web design platform for tech-curious creators featuring drag-and-drop tools, interactivity, and generative AI. Hatch enables users to create portfolios, storefronts, and progressive web apps without programming skills, empowering more people to build custom websites.
Pulumi Raises $41M Led by Madrona to Expand Infrastructure as Code Platform and AI Innovations
Seattle-based cloud startup Pulumi raised $41 million in a Series C round led by Madrona Venture Group to expand its infrastructure as code platform and develop new AI-powered products. Pulumi serves over 2,000 customers including half of the Fortune 50, with revenues doubling in the past year.
Seattle AI Startup Revefi Secures $10.5M to Enhance Cloud Data Observability Platform
Seattle startup Revefi raised $10.5 million to expand its AI-powered Data Operations Cloud, helping companies optimize data usage and costs in cloud warehouses. Founded in 2021 by industry veterans Sanjay Agrawal and Shashank Gupta, Revefi offers zero-touch data observability with AI-driven insights to quickly resolve critical data issues.
Scaled Foundations Launches AI Platform GRID to Enable Natural Language Programming of Robots, Backed by Khosla Ventures and E14
Scaled Foundations, a Seattle-based startup led by former Microsoft executive Ashish Kapoor, has launched an AI-powered platform called GRID to simplify programming robots through natural language prompts. Backed by Khosla Ventures and E14, the platform enables non-technical users to command robots like drones for complex tasks by integrating AI models and simulations.
EchoMark Raises $10 Million Seed Round for Digital Watermarking to Identify Document Leakers
EchoMark, a Seattle-area startup led by former Microsoft VP Troy Batterberry, raised $10 million in seed funding to develop digital watermarking technology that helps organizations identify document and email leakers. The technology uses visible and invisible watermarks, including subtle text alterations, to make documents uniquely traceable and support leak forensics.
Ex-Tableau Execs Damon Fletcher and Michael Arvold Launch Seattle Startup Millworks Analytics to Manage Rising AI-Driven Cloud Costs
Former Tableau CFO Damon Fletcher and ex-Tableau senior director Michael Arvold launched Seattle-based Millworks Analytics to help tech companies manage rising cloud costs fueled by AI. Their flagship platform Caliper enables finance leaders to analyze and reduce cloud spending, initially supporting AWS.
Amazon Exec Dave Limp Named New CEO of Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin Space Venture
Dave Limp, Amazon’s senior vice president of devices and services, will become CEO of Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture starting December. The current CEO Bob Smith is retiring but will remain through January to support the transition.
Peregrine Hydrogen, Spawned from Bill Gates-Backed Orca Sciences, Raises $7.8M to Develop Clean Industrial Hydrogen Tech
Peregrine Hydrogen, a startup spun out of Bill Gates-backed Orca Sciences, raised $7.8 million to develop cost-competitive, clean hydrogen production technology for industrial chemicals. The funding round was led by Bidra, with participation from Gates Frontier and others.
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.
Fuse closes $250M second fund to back 30–35 Pacific Northwest software and AI startups
Seattle-area VC firm Fuse has closed a $250 million second fund to invest in 30–35 Pacific Northwest software and AI-enabled startups, writing $1M–$10M checks and co-leading rounds. Backers include state-affiliated accounts, foundations, universities and prominent Seattle software executives, and Fuse aims to back companies that automate business processes or augment workers.
Seattle Marketing Executive Joanna Lord Becomes CMO at Spring Health Amid Outreach Resignation and Maveron CFO Hire
Joanna Lord, formerly a marketing leader in Seattle and New York, has joined New York-based Spring Health as chief marketing officer. Seattle's Outreach exec Amritansh Raghav resigned amid layoffs, and Maveron hired Nathan Apsel as CFO.
Seattle’s Oldest Angel Group Puget Sound Venture Club Merges with Alliance of Angels After Nearly 40 Years
Puget Sound Venture Club, Seattle's oldest angel group founded by Gary Ritner in 1985, is merging its membership with Alliance of Angels to create a larger impact on the Pacific Northwest startup ecosystem. The merger involves around 30 members, no financial transaction, and plans for Ritner to remain actively involved in the combined group.
Amazon Alumni Raise $12.5M for Griptape, a Seattle Startup Building Secure AI App Frameworks for Enterprises
Amazon veterans Kyle Roche and Vasily Vasinov raised $12.5 million for Griptape, a Seattle startup creating a secure AI application framework for enterprises. Griptape offers an open-source Python toolkit and cloud platform to help companies safely build and manage large language models, with a commercial launch planned for October 2023.
Seattle Startups APImetrics and Contxt Merge to Deliver Combined API Monitoring and Security Solutions
Seattle-based API monitoring and security companies APImetrics and Contxt have merged to offer combined tools for comprehensive API visibility and security, serving enterprise clients like Microsoft and Telus. The deal, announced Thursday, responds to growing industry demand driven by cybersecurity risks and regulatory pressures.
Former Uber Engineers’ Startup Rengage Raises $3.2M to Streamline Customer Journey Mapping for Consumer Brands
Rengage, founded by former Uber engineers Shujun Liu and Akram Hassan, raised $3.2 million to develop a no-code platform that helps consumer businesses map and optimize customer journeys. The Seattle-based startup aims to consolidate marketing tools and target industries like fintech and gaming with its product rollout planned for early next year.
Six Former Amazon Execs Including Flexport CEO Dave Clark Depart $8 Billion Logistics Startup
Flexport saw the departure of six former Amazon executives, including CEO Dave Clark and president Teresa Carlson, highlighting recent executive turnover at the $8 billion-valued logistics company. Several of these leaders had long Amazon tenures before joining Flexport, which offers cloud-based freight forwarding and saw $3.3 billion in revenue in 2021.
Hyperproof Raises $40 Million Led by Riverwood Capital to Expand Compliance Software for Clients Including Reddit and Motorola
Seattle-area startup Hyperproof raised $40 million led by Riverwood Capital to expand its risk and compliance software used by companies like Reddit and Motorola, after tripling its customer base and increasing revenue by 260%. Founded in 2018 and led by CEO Craig Unger, the company has raised $66.5 million to date.
Madrona’s Matt McIlwain Highlights Seattle as a Leading AI Hub on Shift AI Podcast
Matt McIlwain of Madrona Venture Group discusses Seattle's emergence as a top AI hub, attributing its success to a strong ecosystem of ideas, talent, and experimentation. He shares insights on AI's future and Seattle's role in tech innovation on the Shift AI Podcast hosted by Boaz Ashkenazy.
Seattle Startup Irreverent Labs Secures Samsung NEXT Funding After AI Video Generation Pivot
Seattle startup Irreverent Labs pivoted from an NFT-based video game to developing an AI video generation model, securing funding from Samsung NEXT. The company aims to offer API tools for creators and developers to generate video content using AI.
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.
Seattle’s Aigen Unveils Solar-Powered Autonomous Weed-Zapping Robot Amid Data Challenges for Ag-Tech AI
Aigen, a Seattle startup led by Kenny Lee and Rich Wurden, has developed a solar-powered, self-driving robot for weed control and crop monitoring, aiming to be one of the first fully autonomous renewable-powered farming machines. Despite growth in ag-tech AI startups, challenges remain, particularly in acquiring sufficient ground truth data to train AI models effectively.
Windup Minds Raises $1.6M Seed to Develop Virtual Creature Experience for VR and Mixed Reality
Windup Minds, a startup founded by gaming and tech veterans including Bernie Yee, raised $1.6 million in seed funding to develop immersive virtual creatures for VR and mixed reality devices, aiming for next year's product release.
People
See all 8-
Ali Farhadi Executive, Former Allen Institute for AI CEO
-
Bill Gates Executive, Former CEO, Co-founder
-
Gaurav Sareen Executive, Chief Technology Officer - CAP
