Microsoft
Facts
- HQ
- NASDAQ:MSFT
- Sectors
- Technology, Workplace tools, Cloud
- Founded
- 1975
- Employees
- 221000
- Stage
- Public
Vulcan Capital renamed Cercano Management and spun off as independent firm managing Allen-era assets
Vulcan Capital, the investment arm created to manage late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s holdings, has been spun off and renamed Cercano Management, a privately held firm working with multiple investors and family foundations. Cercano, based in Bellevue, will remain connected to Allen’s estate, continues Vulcan’s low-profile approach, and was recently disclosed as an investor in a $5.9 million round for Seattle startup Pendulum.
Pack Ventures launches Seattle syndicate to back UW-linked startups, pledges 10% of future profits to University of Washington
Pack Ventures, a new early-stage Seattle VC, will invest $100K–$200K checks in startups tied to the University of Washington and has already backed five companies including Jeeva Wireless, Talus.bio and Monod Bio; the firm will return 10% of individual future profits to UW. The syndicate includes more than 35 founding investors from the Seattle VC and entrepreneur community and will target AI, robotics, computational biology, enterprise software and other high-growth areas.
Seattle VC Fuse announces $170 million inaugural fund, backing 17 Pacific Northwest B2B startups
Seattle-based early-stage VC firm Fuse disclosed its inaugural fund is $170 million, which has backed 17 Pacific Northwest B2B software startups and plans 25–30 total investments.
Zuper raises $13M Series A led by FUSE as ARR jumps 7x; serves HVAC, plumbing, cleaning and other field services
Seattle startup Zuper raised $13 million in a Series A to expand its field-service software for industries like HVAC, plumbing, and cleaning; the 55-person company, led by CEO Anand Subbaraj, grew ARR 7x last year.
Irreverent Labs, led by Rahul Sood and backed by Andreessen Horowitz, raises $5M and unveils MechaFightClub — a Solana-based AI + NFT fighting game
Irreverent Labs, a Seattle startup led by Microsoft veteran Rahul Sood that raised a $5 million seed round backed by a16z, unveiled MechaFightClub, a Solana-based, cruelty-free play-to-earn fighting game using AI, NFTs and an in-game currency called nuggets set to release this spring. The game features unique tradable ‘mechabots,’ genetics/breeding systems, and aims to attract traditional gamers by offering character ownership and monetization.
Seattle tech — including Amazon, Microsoft and startups like Convoy — poised to profit as pandemic-driven supply chain chaos accelerates digital logistics transformation
Persistent COVID-19–related supply chain disruptions have created demand for digital tools, presenting an opportunity for Seattle-area tech firms and startups—alongside Amazon and Microsoft—to provide IoT, cloud, and machine-learning solutions for trucking and logistics. Industry leaders say the pandemic accelerated digital transformation in trucking and may push broader adoption of sensors, edge devices and analytics to reduce delays and visibility gaps.
Boom Learning founders Mary and Eric Oemig see surge in Boom Cards usage since 2020 amid pandemic
Husband-and-wife founders Mary and Eric Oemig started Kirkland-based ed‑tech startup Boom Learning in 2015, and the company has seen rapid growth in usage of its Boom Cards since 2020 as schools shifted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both founders have backgrounds in education and Microsoft, and Eric served as a Washington state senator focused on education policy.
C5 Acquisition Corp. closes $287.5M IPO with ex-Blue Origin president Rob Meyerson as CEO
C5 Acquisition Corp., led by former Blue Origin president Rob Meyerson, completed a $287.5 million IPO by selling 28.75 million units at $10 each and will seek business combinations focused on space, cybersecurity and energy transition tied to national security.
GeekWire updates Seattle list as Highspot raises $248M at $3.5B; SeekOut and Icertis added to 16 local unicorns
GeekWire updated its list of Seattle-area 'unicorn' startups (privately held companies valued at $1B+) after additions and a valuation change for Icertis, noting recent entrants like SeekOut and Highspot, which raised $248 million at a $3.5 billion valuation. The article highlights that the Seattle cohort includes 16 unicorns, none led by a female or Black CEO, and that many CEOs have Microsoft backgrounds amid a global surge in unicorns and venture funding.
Highspot raises $248M Series F at $3.5B valuation as remote-selling demand surges
Seattle-based sales enablement startup Highspot raised $248 million in a Series F at a $3.5 billion valuation, driven by increased demand for remote-selling tools as the pandemic shifted sales work online.
SeekOut raises $115M, valuation tops $1B to expand recruiting and internal-employee products
Seattle startup SeekOut raised $115 million to push its valuation past $1 billion, becoming a unicorn, and will use the funds to expand recruiting and internal-employee products. Its recruiting platform, used by over 1,000 companies, aggregates data on 700+ million candidates, has built-in diversity filters, and reports ARR of $25–$50 million after tripling in nine months.
Thingy AQ to test Amazon’s Sidewalk Bridge Pro to connect remote wildfire air-quality sensors
Bellevue startup Thingy AQ builds environmental sensor systems to monitor air quality for farmers and first responders and won $25,000 in the EPA Wildland Fire Sensors Challenge in 2018. Thingy will test Amazon’s new Sidewalk Bridge Pro to extend connectivity to remote sensors for wildfire prediction and data sharing with first responders.
Napster Co‑founder Jordan Ritter’s Stealth Startup Augment AI Raises $3.45M Seed to ‘Supercharge’ Productivity
Augment AI Corp, a stealthy Seattle startup led by Napster co-founder Jordan Ritter and three other tech veterans, raised a $3.45 million seed round after spinning out of the Allen Institute for AI incubator to build software that aims to "supercharge" personal productivity by better integrating devices and apps.
Modern Electron files for $30M raise to scale heat-to-electricity converters, led by CEO Tony Pan and CTO Max Mankin
Modern Electron, an Intellectual Ventures spinoff, is raising $30 million per an SEC filing to commercialize its heat-to-electricity converters that capture wasted heat from furnaces, hot water tanks and industrial sources. The Bothell, Washington startup previously raised about $40 million including backing tied to Bill Gates, and is led by co-founders CEO Tony Pan and CTO Max Mankin.
Uplevel to Trial Permanent Four-Day Workweek, Giving All Employees Fridays Off to Combat Burnout
Seattle startup Uplevel, a 27-person remote spinout of Madrona Venture Labs, will trial a permanent four-day workweek (Fridays off) starting after the holidays to boost productivity, mental health and culture, with the experiment running through the first quarter and including monthly check-ins.
Rec Room raises $145M led by Coatue, valuing the Seattle VR startup at $3.5B
Seattle-based Rec Room raised $145 million in a funding round led by Coatue Management, bringing its valuation to $3.5 billion after a prior $100 million raise in March 2021; the cross-platform social VR app saw rapid user growth during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Brian Goldfarb named Tenable CMO; Elizabeth Hamren becomes Discord COO; Kurt DelBene confirmed as VA CIO; Madrona adds three strategic directors
Several tech industry hires and appointments: Brian Goldfarb is CMO at Tenable; Elizabeth Hamren is COO at Discord; Kurt DelBene confirmed as VA CIO; Madrona Venture Group added three strategic directors; Christina Mautz joined Panopto.
Gympass acquires Seattle online personal-training startup Trainiac; terms undisclosed
Gympass has acquired Seattle-based Trainiac, a startup that provides software for 1-on-1 online personal training, and will integrate Trainiac’s services into its corporate fitness offerings. Gympass, which raised $220 million in June and values at $2.2 billion, will keep a Seattle product team; financial terms were not disclosed.
Breakthrough Energy Ventures (Bill Gates) leads $65M funding for Stoke Space’s fully reusable-rocket program
Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures is leading a $65 million investment in Stoke Space to support development of fully reusable rockets aimed at cutting launch costs and enabling faster, lower-cost access to satellites for climate-monitoring applications.
Amazon’s $2B Climate Pledge Fund Invests in Hippo Harvest and Amogy to Cut Grocery and Shipping Emissions
Amazon’s $2 billion Climate Pledge Fund has invested in two climate tech startups — Hippo Harvest, which develops closed-loop greenhouse systems using robotics and ML to cut water use and emissions, and Amogy, which converts ammonia into power for heavy transport — part of Amazon’s push to reach net zero by 2040. The moves aim to reduce emissions across Amazon’s grocery stores and shipping operations amid rising company emissions.
Flexe hires Amazon biometrics lead Lara Rogers as SVP/GM; Magnify names ex‑Amazon Sajo Jacob CTO; Schuster joins Open Systems board
Several Seattle-area tech companies announced senior hires and board moves: Flexe hired former Amazon biometrics leader Lara Rogers as SVP and GM; Magnify named Sajo Jacob as CTO and co‑founder after a $6M launch; Open Systems added ex‑Microsoft exec Gavriella Schuster to its board; Fabric and Scener also announced senior appointments.
Scener names Hulu veteran David Baron CEO; J.J. Abrams, Sean Rad and Marc Geiger join as investors/advisors
Seattle social TV startup Scener appointed Hulu launch veteran David Baron as CEO and added a new investor-advisor group including filmmaker J.J. Abrams, Tinder founder Sean Rad, and music exec Marc Geiger. The company, spun out of RealNetworks in 2018 and backed by $2.1M seed funding, offers a Chrome extension and Watch Party Platform supporting up to 10 co-hosts and 1 million viewers across major streaming services.
Intelus, led by ex-Microsoft engineer Patrice Simard, launches Duet open beta — a no-code 'machine teaching' platform
Seattle startup Intelus, founded in November 2020 by former Microsoft engineer Patrice Simard and colleagues, launched an open beta of Duet, a no-code 'machine teaching' platform that lets users build AI models from unstructured text via a graphical interface. Intelus aims to expand beyond text to images and signals, is initially targeting developers, has about 15 people (seven full-time), and is currently self-funded by Simard.
Upbound raises $60M Series B led by Altimeter; total funding $69M — Klue secures $62M
Seattle-based Upbound raised $60 million in a Series B led by Altimeter Capital to expand its Universal Cloud Platform and Crossplane open-source project for multi-cloud management, bringing total funding to $69 million. Vancouver-based competitive intelligence startup Klue also raised $62 million to aggregate competitor data for enterprise customers.
BattGenie selected for Shell GameChanger Accelerator Powered by NREL, awarded $250,000 non-dilutive funding
BattGenie, a University of Washington spinoff, won $250,000 in non-dilutive funding and access to R&D resources after being selected for the Shell GameChanger Accelerator Powered by NREL; the company develops software to improve fast charging and extend life of lithium batteries for EVs, consumer electronics and battery manufacturers.
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
