Microsoft
Facts
- HQ
- NASDAQ:MSFT
- Sectors
- Technology, Workplace tools, Cloud
- Founded
- 1975
- Employees
- 221000
- Stage
- Public
ExoFusion Raises Seed Round to License Fusion Tech Including Super X Divertor for Commercial Power
Fusion startup ExoFusion, founded by University of Texas fusion physics professors and led by CEO Romi Mahajan, raised an undisclosed seed round to offer IP and licensing for fusion power technology, including the Super X Divertor that improves fusion device performance. Their goal is to support other companies globally in commercializing fusion energy, a key clean power pursuit centered also in the Pacific Northwest.
Seattle Startup Forum3 Launches Hive3, an AI Content Creation Contest with Cash Prizes and Sponsorships in 2024
Seattle startup Forum3 announced the production of Hive3, an esports-style AI content creation contest offering cash prizes and sponsorships, launching later this year. The contest aims to showcase generative AI's potential, educate viewers on AI tools like ChatGPT and Midjourney, and address ethical and legal concerns amid growing AI adoption and industry controversies.
Seattle Venture Capital Investment Falls to $1.11 Billion in H1 2023, Yet Investors Stay Bullish on AI and Talent
Despite a significant decline in venture capital investments in Seattle, local investors remain optimistic about the region's future, driven by its strong talent pool and growth in generative AI. Seattle startups raised $1.11 billion in the first half of this year, down from $4.02 billion last year, reflecting a cautious shift toward profitability amid a market downturn similar to the dot-com bubble.
Former SoundCommerce VP Diena Lee Mann Launches AI Startup Spectio; Microsoft Federal President Rick Wagner Departs
Diena Lee Mann, former SoundCommerce senior VP, launched Spectio, an AI tool to help business analysts work with BI platforms like Tableau and Power BI. Microsoft Federal president Rick Wagner stepped down, and Jessica Boulanger joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as SVP of communications.
SpecterOps Raises $8.25M More, Extending Series A to $33.25M to Expand Attack Path Management Platform
Seattle cybersecurity startup SpecterOps raised an additional $8.25 million, extending its Series A funding round to $33.25 million to expand adoption of its BloodHound Enterprise attack path management platform. The extension was led by Ballistic Ventures, bringing Mandiant CEO Kevin Mandia to the board.
Ray Meiring says QorusDocs moved HQ from Cape Town to Bellevue in 2015, narrowed focus to proposal/RFP management, and partnered with WestRiver Group for funding
Ray Meiring, co-founder and CEO of QorusDocs, describes relocating the company from Cape Town to Bellevue (near Seattle) in 2015 to be closer to US customers and Microsoft, refocusing the product on revenue-impacting proposal and RFP management, and partnering with WestRiver Group for funding and strategic support. He cites macroeconomic headwinds and COVID as current challenges, and says QorusDocs plans to integrate generative AI to streamline proposal creation and stay at the forefront of AI-powered proposal management.
Seattle Venture Firm Essence VC Raises $27M to Fund Early-Stage Tech Infrastructure Startups
Seattle-based venture capital firm Essence VC, led by managing partner Timothy Chen, has raised $27 million for its third fund to invest in early-stage startups focused on software development tools, data infrastructure, and AI. The firm targets pre-product startups and has made seven investments since December, including in Jasper AI and MotherDuck.
Seattle Recruiting Startup Karat Lays Off 47 Employees Again in 2023 Amid Restructuring Efforts
Seattle-based technical recruiting startup Karat laid off 47 employees for the second time in 2023 to restructure and move towards profitability, reducing its workforce from 423 in January to around 393 employees. Despite the cuts across various departments, Karat continues to grow its customer base and support diversity initiatives in tech.
Teal Acquires Seattle Life-Career Social Startup OwnTrail; Founder Rebekah Bastian to Join as Advisor
Seattle-based life-and-career social startup OwnTrail, launched in 2020 with 6,600 users, is being acquired by Miami-based job platform Teal, with founder Rebekah Bastian joining as an advisor. OwnTrail faced funding challenges despite raising $1.5 million and will make its features free following the acquisition.
David Aronchick Named CEO of Expanso; Highspot Appoints Graham Younger President; Brad Booth and Pete Shimer Join Boards
David Aronchick was named CEO of Expanso to advance its Bacalhau distributed computing platform, while Highspot appointed Graham Younger as president of field operations. Additionally, Brad Booth joined NLM Photonics' board and Pete Shimer was added to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center's board.
Outbound AI raises $16M seed to expand AI virtual agents for healthcare revenue-cycle administration
Seattle-based Outbound AI raised $16 million in seed funding to expand its AI-powered virtual agents that handle healthcare revenue-cycle administrative tasks like eligibility verification, claims status, and prior authorization.
ZeroAvia Expands Hydrogen Aviation R&D in Washington with $350K State Grant; Twelve Builds Low-Emission Jet Fuel Plant
ZeroAvia is expanding its hydrogen-powered aviation R&D in Everett, Washington, supported by a $350,000 state grant and a partnership with Alaska Airlines. Meanwhile, Twelve is building a commercial synthetic jet fuel facility in Moses Lake, aiming to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 90% using renewable energy.
Seattle Startup Meetingflow Raises $760K to Expand AI Platform Improving Sales Meeting Efficiency
Seattle startup Meetingflow, formerly Panda.AI, raised $760,000 from previous investors to grow its AI-driven platform that enhances sales meetings by automating preparation, note-taking, and follow-ups, led by CEO Aaron Goldfeder. The pivot aims to address inefficient client meeting processes by integrating calendar, CRM, and OpenAI’s GPT technology.
Humanly Raises $12M to Expand AI Recruiting Software Used by Microsoft and Seattle Storm
Seattle-based recruiting automation startup Humanly raised $12 million to expand its AI-powered hiring software, which is used by clients like Microsoft and Seattle Storm. The company is enhancing its SMS chatbots and generative AI tools to improve efficiency, reduce bias, and maintain consistent candidate data throughout the hiring process.
Statsig Releases Warehouse Native Platform and AI Experimentation Tools Under CEO Vijaye Raji
Statsig, founded by Vijaye Raji in 2021, has released Statsig Warehouse Native, enabling privacy-conscious companies to run A/B testing via their own data warehouses. The Seattle startup also launched generative AI experimentation tools and now serves hundreds of paying customers including Microsoft and Notion.
GeerGarage Launches Outdoor Gear Rental Marketplace with Lend-to-Own Program, Plans Expansion Beyond Washington
GeerGarage, a Seattle startup founded by Microsoft product manager Adam Wise, is developing a peer-to-peer outdoor equipment rental marketplace with plans to expand beyond Western Washington and introduce a lend-to-own program. The company aims to make outdoor activities more affordable and accessible amid a growing $120 billion outdoor recreation market.
Seattle Startup Funding Plummets 79% in Q1 2023 Amid National 45% Venture Capital Decline
Venture capital funding for Seattle-based startups hit a six-year low in Q1 2023 due to broader economic uncertainty and rising interest rates, with a 79% drop in capital raised locally and a national 45% decline. Startups face fewer deals, lower valuations, and more down or flat rounds, signaling a shift in investor urgency and funding strategies.
GeekWire Week in Review (May 14, 2023): Top stories include ex-CFO indicted over $35M crypto transfer, Bezos’ $500M yacht, and Amazon legal/personnel news
GeekWire's Week in Review for May 14, 2023 lists the site's most-read stories, including a Seattle startup ex-CFO indicted over an alleged $35M crypto transfer, Jeff Bezos' $500M yacht, and Amazon-related legal and personnel news.
Investor Spotlight with Jon Turow
Get to know Madrona Partner Jon Turow. Learn why he got into VC, what he looks for in founders, where the opportunities lay for founders when it comes to generative AI, and what he enjoys doing outside the office. (00:00:00) Introduction (00:00:39) Jon Turow's background (00:01:19) Why venture capital (00:02:27) Why Madrona (00:03:20) Opportunities in generative AI (00:05:35) What Jon looks for in founders (00:07:02) Jon's book recommendations (00:08:58) What Jon does for fun
Groopit raises $3.5M Seed round led by WestRiver Group to scale employee-insight SaaS
Groopit, an enterprise SaaS platform for crowdsourcing employee insights, raised $3.5M in a Seed round led by WestRiver Group to fund product innovation and expand enterprise customers. The platform—used by companies like The Home Depot and Guidant Financial—captures real-time, quantitative frontline data to improve customer experience and operational decisions.
Groopit Raises $3.5M to Expand Employee Data Crowdsourcing Platform with Generative AI Tools
Groopit, an employee data crowdsourcing startup founded by ex-Microsoft leaders Tammy Savage and John Vert, raised $3.5 million to expand its go-to-market strategy and develop generative AI tools. The company's platform gathers real-time insights from employees across multiple tools like Microsoft Teams and Slack, applying a unique 'crowdsolving' model to business data collection.
Likewise Launches ChatGPT Plugin for Personalized TV, Movie, Book, and Podcast Recommendations Backed by Bill Gates
Likewise, an entertainment discovery platform backed by Bill Gates' private office, launched a ChatGPT plugin that provides personalized recommendations for TV shows, movies, books, and podcasts, aiming to reduce users' 23-minute daily search time. The plugin integrates with OpenAI's chatbot to deliver tailored entertainment options accessible via clickable details like ratings and streaming locations.
GeekWire Awards 2023 Honors Four Pacific Northwest Tech Organizations Helping Youth Homelessness, Black Engineers, Agricultural Workers, and Job Seekers
The 2023 GeekWire Awards honored four organizations using technology for social good in the Pacific Northwest: A Way Home Washington, Brilliant Black Minds, Ganaz, and Mentors in Tech. These honorees were recognized for their innovative efforts addressing youth homelessness, supporting Black engineers, aiding agricultural workers, and helping community college grads find jobs.
Seattle Startup Cascade Health Raises $2M Pre-Seed to Boost AI-Powered Healthcare Pricing Transparency
Seattle startup Cascade Health raised $2 million in a pre-seed round to enhance its AI-powered software that makes healthcare pricing data more transparent and accessible. Founded by former Microsoft AI and cloud employees Ana-Maria Constantin and Pulak Goyal, Cascade uses public pricing data and advanced AI to help enterprises and consumers navigate healthcare costs more easily.
Hootsuite Names Jessica Hartigan CRO and Ellen Terchila CCO; EMOTIV, Institute for Protein Design, Appen, and Outreach Announce Executive Hires
Hootsuite appointed Jessica Hartigan as Chief Revenue Officer and Ellen Terchila as Chief Customer Officer, while other tech companies also announced key executive hires including Gary Flake at EMOTIV and Lynda Stuart at the Institute for Protein Design.
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
