Microsoft
Facts
- HQ
- NASDAQ:MSFT
- Sectors
- Technology, Workplace tools, Cloud
- Founded
- 1975
- Employees
- 221000
- Stage
- Public
Microsoft acquires Seattle OKR startup Ally to integrate into Microsoft Viva; terms undisclosed
Microsoft has acquired Seattle-based OKR startup Ally, founded three years ago, to integrate its goal-tracking capabilities into Microsoft Viva and other products; financial terms were not disclosed.
Relevvo raises $1.5M seed to power personalized B2B sales messaging from Microsoft and LinkedIn veterans
Seattle startup Relevvo, founded by veterans from Microsoft, LinkedIn and other firms, raised a $1.5 million seed round to sell a B2B ‘relevance engine’ that delivers personalized sales messaging at scale to replace ‘spray and pray’ outreach. The seven-person company counts customers like iSpot, Esper, Hiya and CourseKey and was founded by Aashish Dhamdhere and Tushar Shanbhag.
Esper raises $60M Series C from Insight Partners to scale DevOps platform for company-owned Android device fleets
Seattle-area DevOps startup Esper raised a $60 million Series C led by Insight Partners to grow its platform for managing fleets of company-owned Android devices across retail, healthcare, education and other industries; the company has 200+ customers, raised $30M in May, expects 2021 revenue to quadruple and is not yet profitable.
Read, founded by ex-Placed team members David Shim, Elliott Waldron and Rob Williams, raises $10M seed to analyze faces and voices on video calls
Seattle startup Read — founded by David Shim, Elliott Waldron, and Rob Williams — raised $10 million in seed funding for software that uses AI to analyze participants' facial expressions and voice during video calls to measure engagement and sentiment in real time.
Microsoft invests in Seattle startup Truveta and partners to run health-data analyses on Azure
Seattle health-data startup Truveta will use Microsoft Azure under a new partnership and received an undisclosed Microsoft investment; the company aggregates de-identified data from 17 health systems representing about 15% of U.S. patients. Truveta, led by former Microsoft exec Terry Myerson, previously raised $95 million from healthcare partners including Providence and says the data will support research and care decisions, not targeted patient advertising.
Cloudentity Names Jason Needham as CEO After $13M Series A; Leafly Appoints Suresh Krishnaswamy as CFO; Chris Suh Joins Cardlytics Board; Three Named HHMI Investigators
Seattle startup Cloudentity named Jason Needham, ex-CloudCoreo and VMware multi-cloud security lead, as CEO and board member after a $13M Series A; Leafly hired Suresh Krishnaswamy as CFO as it prepares for a SPAC, and Microsoft CVP Chris Suh joined Cardlytics' board. Trevor Bedford, Frederick Matsen IV and David Veesler were named 2021 HHMI Investigators, each receiving roughly $9M over seven years.
Remitly IPO Marks End of 10-Year Journey for Seed Investor Who Led Early Round and Served on Board
Investor and VC recounts Remitly’s IPO, celebrating the Seattle fintech’s public debut after a decade since he led its Seed round and served on the board, praising the founders’ methodical approach and noting the milestone’s importance to his investing career.
98point6 board ousts co-founder Robbie Cape to seek CEO who can scale growth; Jeff Greenstein named interim leader
98point6's board removed co-founder and CEO Robbie Cape last month to install a leader better suited to scale the telehealth startup, according to board member Lisa Brummel, who said the decision was routine and not due to impropriety; interim CEO Jeff Greenstein is now leading the company after Cape left the board. The Seattle company has raised $247 million and saw large customer demand during the pandemic.
Mystery pivots from surprise dates to ‘morale as a service,’ selling virtual team events to Amazon, Microsoft, Starbucks and more
Mystery, a Seattle startup that began by organizing surprise date nights, pivoted during the COVID-19 pandemic to virtual events and now markets a B2B employee-engagement product it calls “morale as a service,” attracting clients like Amazon, Microsoft, Starbucks, Apple and Zillow. The company offers six categories of virtual experiences tailored to team types and says it has codified its event design into a tech-centric platform to deliver surprise-driven morale-boosting events.
Four High School Interns Analyze GeekWire 200 Rankings with UW Bothell Dean via SparkSIP
Four high school students worked with UW Bothell Business Dean Sandeep Krishnamurthy through the SparkSIP program to analyze the GeekWire 200 startup rankings over a summer, using the April update, past lists and public data. They aimed to apply data analysis to understand factors behind successful Pacific Northwest startups and gain entrepreneurial and regional startup insights.
AI2 Adds Bioengineer Jenny Cronin to Incubator; Icosavax Names Bekiroglu, Russo and Two Board Members; Proprio’s CMO Browd Expands Role
AI2 hired bioengineer Jenny Cronin as a principal for its startup incubator, bringing experience from s2s Public Relations, NanoString, and a UW bioengineering Ph.D.; AI2 has incubated startups like Ozette, Modulus and MajorBoost. Seattle biotech Icosavax named Elizabeth Bekiroglu general counsel, Thomas Russo CFO, and added Heidi Kunz and Ann Veneman to its board; pediatric neurosurgeon Samuel Browd is taking partial leave from UW/Seattle Children’s to expand as CMO of surgical tech startup Proprio.
Humanly raises $4.3M led by Zeal Capital Partners to scale automated hiring tools; total funding $5.3M
Seattle HR startup Humanly raised $4.3 million led by Zeal Capital Partners (bringing total funding to $5.3 million) to expand its recruiting software that automates candidate screening, scheduling, initial communications and reference checks, and claims sixfold revenue growth over the past year.
Remitly Global files for IPO to raise up to $294 million by selling 7 million shares at $42, ticker RELY
Seattle-based Remitly Global filed to go public aiming to raise up to $294 million by selling 7 million shares at up to $42 each, with its board and management planning to sell an additional 5,162,777 shares; the fintech serves predominantly immigrant customers sending money from several developed countries to over 115 destinations.
Former Microsoft VP and ex-RingCentral CRO Phil Sorgen joins Tola Capital as venture partner
Phil Sorgen, a former Microsoft corporate vice president and most recently RingCentral chief revenue officer, has joined Seattle-area investment firm Tola Capital as a venture partner; Tola manages $440 million and focuses on enterprise software.
Cascadia Capital Raises $150M SPAC and Eyes Pittsburgh Tech Acquisition, CEO Calls City 'Seattle 10–15 Years Ago'
Seattle investment bank Cascadia Capital raised $150 million for a SPAC, Cascadia Acquisition Corp., and is targeting a Pittsburgh tech company—citing local strengths in AI, robotics, automation and research from Carnegie Mellon and University of Pittsburgh. CEO Michael Butler, who has spent more time in Pittsburgh recently, said the city resembles Seattle 10–15 years ago and is poised for a tech boom.
Kymeta and OneWeb Successfully Test u8 Antenna-Based Mobile Satellite Broadband at 200 Mbps Using OneWeb’s LEO Constellation
Kymeta Corp. partnered with OneWeb to test satellite broadband services using Kymeta's u8 flat-panel antenna, achieving promising results for mobile connectivity with OneWeb's LEO satellite network. The tests in Toulouse demonstrated about 200 Mbps reception, targeting first responders, government, military, and enterprise markets.
Pebblebee CEO Daniel Daoura Perseveres After Co-Founder Nick Pearson-Franks Dies in June 2020 ATV Accident
Daniel Daoura, CEO of Pebblebee, continues to push forward at the startup more than a year after the tragic death of his co-founder and close friend Nick Pearson-Franks, who died in an ATV accident in June 2020. Despite the personal and professional challenges, Daoura remains committed to honoring their shared vision and has sought therapy to cope with the loss while relentlessly advancing the company.
Investors Pour Billions into Climate Tech as E8 Expands and Sector Raises $14.2B by Midyear
A wide range of investors — from tech employees to former VCs and concerned parents — are increasingly funding climate-tech startups, driving a sharp rise in capital flows after years of stagnation. By midyear, climate tech companies raised $14.2 billion globally, supported by growing networks like Seattle’s E8 and large climate-focused funds from private equity and venture firms.
Former Tech Leaders Join Biotech: Isilon Founder Sujal Patel, Ex-Microsoft Terry Myerson and Others Lead AI-Driven Life Sciences Startups
Several former software and tech executives are moving into biotech and life sciences startups, bringing AI, machine learning, and tech-style business models to companies that analyze proteins, microbes, and medical records. Their tech backgrounds are reshaping product development and funding approaches at firms such as Nautilus Biotechnology, Truveta, insitro and Viome.
98point6 co-founder Robbie Cape abruptly exits as CEO; chairman Jeff Greenstein named interim leader
98point6 co-founder and CEO Robbie Cape has abruptly left the virtual primary care company he helped start in 2015, with chairman and co-founder Jeff Greenstein named interim CEO while the board searches for a replacement. The 350-person startup, which raised a $118 million Series E in October, said the C-suite will continue leading operations and praised Cape’s six years of leadership.
Textio integrates inclusive-writing guidance into LinkedIn for enterprise customers, CEO Kieran Snyder says
Seattle startup Textio is integrating its augmented writing and inclusive-language guidance directly into LinkedIn, enabling enterprise customers and employees to get real-time suggestions while composing posts and comments on the platform. The move extends Textio’s post-2020 product expansion aimed at improving diversity, equity and inclusion across company communications and external social media.
Aseem Datar leaves Microsoft to join Madrona Venture Group as partner; Madrona promotes Chris Picardo and hires Birkan Uzun; Jaime Teevan promoted to Microsoft CVP
Microsoft Azure GM and COO Aseem Datar is leaving Microsoft to join Madrona Venture Group as a partner later this month, while Madrona also promoted Chris Picardo to partner and hired Birkan Uzun as an investor; separately, Microsoft promoted Chief Scientist Jaime Teevan to corporate vice president. The article notes Datar’s 17+ years at Microsoft and prior roles, Picardo’s and Uzun’s backgrounds, and Teevan’s reaction to her promotion.
Clearbrief Raises $3.5M Seed Round Led by Reign Ventures with Court Lorenzini, Jack Newton and Others
Clearbrief, a product that strengthens legal writing, has raised a total of $3.5 million in seed funding led by Reign Ventures and announced on August 30, 2021; new investors include Court Lorenzini, Jack Newton, Amy Weaver, Hadi Partovi and Lata Setty. The company previously attracted early backers such as Mark Britton, Bryan Garner and Bill Neukom.
RapL Raises $2.2M to Scale Mobile AI Microlearning Used by Toyota, Casio and Shell
Seattle startup RapL raised $2.2 million to grow its mobile-focused, AI-driven microlearning platform used by companies including Toyota, Casio and Shell to upskill employees with bite-sized, gamified training.
Xinova, spun out of Intellectual Ventures in 2016, shutters after failed fundraising and restructuring
Xinova, a Seattle-based invention-network company spun out of Intellectual Ventures in 2016, is winding down after failing to raise additional capital and unable to restructure legacy liabilities. The firm raised $48 million in Series A funding, grew a 12,000-inventor network, employed 100+ people at its peak, and has cut staff to two employees assisting the shutdown.
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
