Microsoft
Facts
- HQ
- NASDAQ:MSFT
- Sectors
- Technology, Workplace tools, Cloud
- Founded
- 1975
- Employees
- 221000
- Stage
- Public
Investor Spotlight: A Conversation with Madrona's Tim Porter
Hear from Madrona Managing Director Tim Porter as he discusses his path to venture capital by way of mechanical engineering and Microsoft. He shares invaluable insights about what he looks for in a founder, the importance of customer focus, and the high priority he places on integrity. Tim also shares Madrona's core principles, his favorite books for entrepreneurs, and his personal interests outside of work, including his passion for outdoor sports and the nonprofit Global Partnerships. This chat is a must-watch for aspiring entrepreneurs looking for insights into the venture capital world or strategies to capture an investor's eye. (00:00)…
Audiosocket Launches Subscription Service Granting Instant Access to 85,000 Licensed Songs for Digital Creators
Audiosocket, a Seattle-based music-licensing startup founded in 2009, has launched a new subscription service called Music as a Service (MaaS) Integration Plan that offers instant access to a catalog of over 85,000 licensed songs for digital creators, bypassing traditional licensing delays. The company, led by co-founder and CEO Jenn Anderson-Miller, has also expanded partnerships with major platforms like TikTok, Canva, and YouTube to increase use of its licensed music in various digital ecosystems.
AWS Community Head Emily Freeman Departs; UW Medicine Names Dr. Timothy Dellit CEO; Pfizer Exec Joins Truveta Board
Emily Freeman, head of community at AWS, is leaving after several years, coinciding with another AWS leader's departure. Meanwhile, Dr. Timothy Dellit became UW Medicine CEO, William Johnson stepped down from Vancouver Tech Journal, and Pfizer exec Dr. Patrick Caubel joined Truveta's board.
Seattle’s Tola Capital Raises $230M Third Fund to Back 25–30 Early-Stage AI and Enterprise Software Startups
Seattle-based Tola Capital has raised $230 million for its third fund aimed at investing in 25-30 early-stage AI and enterprise software startups, focusing on cloud computing and AI innovation. Founded by former Microsoft managers Sheila Gulati and Stacey Giard, Tola has invested in over 20 companies and plans seed to Series B investments ranging from $1 million to $15 million.
What's next for Microsoft and OpenAI; Amazon car sales; disappearing unicorns
This week on the GeekWire Podcast, we assess the outcome of the drama at OpenAI, considering what the removal and ultimate return of its CEO Sam Altman, and everything that happened in between, means for Microsoft. While Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella earned kudos for masterfully navigating the mess, the situation also showed how the company was vulnerable to being blindsided due to OpenAI's convoluted structure. And while for-profit interests are likely to get more influence on OpenAI's reformulated board, it's not yet clear if Microsoft will end up with a seat on that board, leaving the ultimate outcome for Microsoft…
Seattle Startup Expanso Raises $7.5M Seed Round Led by General Catalyst and Hetz Ventures to Expand Edge Data Processing Software
Seattle startup Expanso raised $7.5 million in a seed round led by General Catalyst and Hetz Ventures to advance its distributed data processing software powered by open source Bacalhau. The company is led by CEO David Aronchick, a former Amazon, Microsoft, and Google veteran.
No New Seattle Unicorns in 2023 as Venture Capital Slows and Former Unicorn Convoy Collapses
Seattle saw no new unicorn startups in 2023 amid a broader venture capital slowdown following a boom during the pandemic, with some existing unicorns like Convoy collapsing and others cutting costs or staff. This trend reflects a global decrease in new unicorns, dropping from 619 in 2021 to only 64 through Q3 2023.
Bill Gates-backed Graphyte Develops $100-per-Ton Plant-Based Bricks for 1,000-Year Underground Carbon Storage
Graphyte, backed by Bill Gates-led Breakthrough Energy Ventures, has developed affordable plant-based bricks that can store carbon underground for up to 1,000 years at under $100 per ton, meeting the Biden administration's climate funding goals. The technology uses waste biomass compressed into stable blocks for scalable, long-term carbon storage.
Seattle Startup Zuplo Raises $9M Seed Round to Expand API Management Platform Handling 4B Monthly Requests
Seattle-area startup Zuplo, founded by former Microsoft and Auth0 leaders, raised $9 million in a seed round led by Trilogy Equity Partners to support its API launch and management platform. Zuplo manages over 4 billion API requests monthly and focuses on developer productivity and cost efficiency amid a growing $14 billion API management market.
John Stanton of Trilogy Equity Partners Discusses Steady Venture Investments and AI Acquisition Challenges Amid Regulation
John Stanton of Trilogy Equity Partners highlights steady investment activity despite venture capital downturn, emphasizing AI-driven opportunities and regulatory challenges facing tech acquisitions. Speaking at a Harvard Business School event, Stanton also noted US regulators' impact on major tech companies' ability to acquire AI startups.
Jeff Bezos Moves from Seattle to Miami, Raising Questions on Washington's Capital Gains Tax Impact
Jeff Bezos is moving from Seattle to Miami, marking a symbolic end of an era for the Seattle region where he influenced business and philanthropy for three decades. The move raises questions about Washington state's capital gains tax and its impact on local leadership, while Bezos remains executive chairman of Amazon.
Jeff Bezos' big move, Convoy's final stop, AI meets VC
What should we make of Jeff Bezos' decision to move his primary residence from Seattle to Miami? That's our first topic on this week's episode. Plus, Convoy's final destination; a new AI feature from Seattle startup Yoodli that helps startup founders hone their pitches; and Amazon tests Bluetooth earplugs for warehouse workers. Related stories and links ‘Seattle, you will always have a piece of my heart’: Jeff Bezos leaving Amazon’s hometown for Miami Jeff Bezos’ move out of Washington state sparks questions about wealth taxes Swimming from Seattle? Jeff Bezos’ big move brings us full circle from the mid-1990s Flexport…
Yifan Zhang Joins AI2 Incubator as Managing Director; Dropbox, Marchex, and Seattle Startups Appoint New Tech Leaders
Yifan Zhang, former Loftium co-founder, is joining the AI2 Incubator as managing director starting February 2024, while several Seattle tech companies made key executive hires including Dropbox, Marchex, Simply Augmented, and Chainguard.
Seattle-Area Startup Chainguard Raises $61M Series B to Secure Open Source Software Supply Chains
Chainguard, a Kirkland-based cybersecurity startup focused on securing open source software supply chains, raised $61 million in a Series B funding round led by Spark Capital. The company has tripled its annual recurring revenue recently and counts Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Snowflake among its customers.
Krish Ramineni
Krish Ramineni is the Co-Founder and CEO of Fireflies.ai, an AI meeting assistant that transcribes, summarizes, and analyzes meetings. Named on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, Krish graduated from UPenn. He was one of the youngest Product Managers at Microsoft, leading projects in customer voice and growth. He has guest lectured at Stanford on machine learning and holds patents in workflow automation. Krish is a thought leader in SaaS/AI and an active startup advisor. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Seattle’s Neon Machine Raises $20M Series A to Develop Blockchain Web3 Shooter Game Shrapnel
Neon Machine, a Seattle startup developing the blockchain-based Web3 combat shooter Shrapnel, raised $20 million in a Series A funding round led by investors including Polychain Capital and Griffin Gaming Partners. The company plans to launch an early access paid version of Shrapnel in December and a free-to-play version next year.
Seattle Startup PerfectRec Uses AI and Expert Reviews to Simplify Electronics Shopping
PerfectRec, founded by Joe Golden, is a Seattle-based AI-driven product recommendation startup launched in early 2024 that helps users find electronics by combining expert reviews and data science to simplify online shopping decisions. The company employs freelance product experts and around 10 full-time employees, aiming to become the primary starting point for online shopping in a market worth hundreds of billions.
Convoy CEO Dan Lewis Discloses Near-M&A Deals Before Trucking Startup's Shutdown Amid Freight Recession
Convoy CEO Dan Lewis revealed on LinkedIn that the company reached advanced stages of two potential M&A deals before shutting down amid a prolonged freight recession and declined investor interest. The Seattle-based trucking startup, which had about 500 employees before the shutdown, had raised $260 million at a $3.8 billion valuation 18 months earlier.
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.
People
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Ali Farhadi Executive, Former Allen Institute for AI CEO
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Bill Gates Executive, Former CEO, Co-founder
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Gaurav Sareen Executive, Chief Technology Officer - CAP
