Microsoft
Facts
- HQ
- NASDAQ:MSFT
- Sectors
- Technology, Workplace tools, Cloud
- Founded
- 1975
- Employees
- 221000
- Stage
- Public
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.
Statsig Founder Vijaye Raji on Product Building, Launching a Startup, and AI
Today, Madrona Managing Director S. Somasegar talks with Statsig founder and CEO Vijaye Raji, who spent 20 years at Microsoft and Facebook before launching Statsig as a way to bring the powerful tools he was used to using inside Facebook to all builders. Statsig experimentation platform and automated AB testing helps companies make product decisions in a data-driven way at scale, which means shipping the right products faster. Vijaye and Soma go way back and take a little trip down memory lane, talking about Microsoft's Small Basic. But then they dive into what it's like transitioning from big tech to…
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.
Shift AI Podcast: Seattle's place at the center of the AI universe, with Madrona's Matt McIlwain
On this week’s GeekWire Podcast, we're featuring an episode of Shift AI, a podcast hosted by Boaz Ashkenazy, CEO of AI solutions provider Simply Augmented, with guest Matt McIlwain of Seattle-based venture capital firm Madrona Venture Group. A thriving tech hub requires access to ideas, people, and experiments that produce collective lessons sooner and with greater fidelity than anywhere else. This is what made the Seattle area the cloud capital of the world. It also positions the region as one of the world’s top centers of excellence for artificial intelligence. That’s one of the insights from Matt McIlwain, managing director…
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.
Building an 'AI chief of staff,' with Xembly CEO Pete Christothoulou
How can startups differentiate themselves in the new era of AI? We've been discussing that question a lot recently on the GeekWire Podcast, and on this episode, we'll get a first-hand look from business and technology veteran Pete Christothoulou, who has been immersed in this world for many years. Christothoulou is the former CEO of Marchex, the call and conversational analytics company, who is now founder and CEO of Xembly, a Seattle-based startup developing AI-powered technology that replicates a chief of staff and executive assistant, automating tasks such as meeting notes, scheduling, and action items. Xembly was founded in Madrona…
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.
Amazon's AI strategy, how AI startups can stand out, and hope for AI and humanity
This week on the GeekWire Podcast, we look at how Amazon is positioning itself in the emerging era of generative artificial intelligence. We play and assess clips of Amazon CEO Andy Jassy explaining the company's AI strategy on its earnings call this week. We also discuss the history of AI usage by startups, and consider advice from investors and startup leaders at Seattle Tech Week for emerging tech companies looking to stand out with their own AI applications and solutions. And finally, we reconsider our approach to interacting with machines and contemplate the possibility of artificial intelligence reflecting not just…
Drones and the future of public safety, with Brinc CEO Blake Resnick
Blake Resnick built a fusion reactor in his garage at age 14, and interned at McLaren Automotive, Tesla, and DJI, before dropping out of Northwestern University in 2017 to launch drone startup Brinc. Now, at age 23, he oversees a team of nearly 100 people making drones and other technology for public safety agencies, serving more than 400 customers. On this episode of the GeekWire Podcast, recorded on-location at the company's headquarters in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood, Resnick talks about Brinc’s origins, its move from Las Vegas to Seattle, the upcoming release of its Lemur 2 drone, his recent White House…
Madrona Leads Inaugural Seattle Tech Week July 31-August 4 Featuring AI-Focused Panels and Networking
Seattle venture firm Madrona, along with other local firms and tech leaders, is launching the inaugural Seattle Tech Week from July 31 to August 4 to connect the city's tech ecosystem through various events focused on AI and innovation.
Google's James Phillips and Former Tableau CEO Mark Nelson on PLG and Scaling in the Face of Stiff Competition
This week, investor Aseem Datar is possibly making app dev and product development history with his guests. We've got former Tableau CEO Mark Nelson and James Phillips, the former president of Microsoft who drove the creation of many of the company's most successful products, including, of course, Tableau's number one competitor — Power BI. James was also just named the VP of Google Cloud. Mark and James are both part of the Madrona family, as venture partner and strategic director respectively. And today, we have the rare treat of them together sharing their learnings and experiences about modern app development…
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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
