Microsoft
Facts
- HQ
- NASDAQ:MSFT
- Sectors
- Technology, Workplace tools, Cloud
- Founded
- 1975
- Employees
- 221000
- Stage
- Public
Washington Senate Passes SB 5096 25-24 as Tech Industry and Progressives Clash Over Proposed Capital-Gains Tax
Washington state's tech community is sharply divided over SB 5096, a proposed capital-gains tax targeting large gains that startups warn would hurt recruitment and competitiveness; the state Senate passed the bill 25-24 and it now moves to the House. Progressive groups and analysts counter that other tech-leading states tax capital gains and say the WTIA's claims are false, noting many startups received federal PPP aid.
Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Amazon and others invest $80M in Turntide to commercialize switched-reluctance Smart Motor System
Turntide Technologies raised $80 million in a funding round led by Bill Gates’s Breakthrough Energy Ventures, bringing its total funding to $180 million to scale its Smart Motor System based on switched reluctance motor technology. Investors include the Amazon Climate Pledge Fund, Robert Downey Jr.’s Footprint Coalition Ventures and several venture firms, backing the company’s effort to improve motor efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.
Seattle Foundation CEO Tony Mestres to become president of health data startup Truveta in May
Tony Mestres will leave his role as president and CEO of the Seattle Foundation in May to become president of Truveta, a health data startup led by former Microsoft Windows chief Terry Myerson. Truveta, founded by 14 U.S. health systems to pool data and apply AI for medical research and equity analysis, appoints Mestres after his seven-year tenure at the Seattle Foundation.
Founders’ Co-op closes $50M Fund V to back pre-seed and seed Pacific Northwest startups
Founders’ Co-op announced the close of its fifth fund, a $50M largest-to-date vehicle focused on pre-seed and seed investments in Pacific Northwest technical founding teams, highlighting the region's growth since 2008 and the firm's track record with over 200 portfolio companies.
Founders’ Co-op raises $50M fifth fund to back 20–25 Pacific Northwest early-stage startups
Seattle venture firm Founders’ Co-op raised a $50 million fifth fund, its largest to date, to invest in 20–25 early-stage startups across the Pacific Northwest. The larger fund reflects growing deal sizes and outside LP interest as the region sees record startup funding and more unicorns.
ChefSteps Co-founder Chris Young Launches Combustion Inc., Debuts Eight-Sensor Smart Thermometer and Timer
ChefSteps co-founder Chris Young launched Combustion Inc. and unveiled a smart wireless thermometer/timer that uses eight sensors and algorithms to measure temperature gradients and estimate size and doneness without sous-vide or plastic bags. He returned to product invention after leaving ChefSteps (acquired by Breville in 2019) and developed the device during COVID-19 downtime.
Pluto VR launches PlutoSphere to stream PC VR games to Oculus Quest headsets without a PC
Seattle-based Pluto VR is launching PlutoSphere, a streaming platform that delivers PC-quality VR games directly to headsets like the Oculus Quest and Quest 2 without a local PC, lowering VR entry costs. The service requires 50 Mbps and a 5 GHz Wi‑Fi 6 connection, will support Steam and Epic libraries and OpenVR/OpenXR apps, and plans broader device and AR support post-launch.
Highspot raises $200M Series E at $2.3B valuation, becoming Seattle’s newest unicorn
Highspot, a nine-year-old Seattle enterprise sales enablement startup, raised a $200 million Series E at a $2.3 billion valuation, becoming the city’s newest unicorn. The company says ARR grew 900% over three years and its platform uses AI to optimize sales conversations for customers like Hootsuite, Twitter, Siemens and Workday.
Wyze names former Nike exec Francis Lee as first CFO; OutSystems raises $150M at $9.5B valuation as CMO relocates to Seattle
Wyze Labs named longtime Nike executive Francis Lee as its first CFO as the Kirkland smart-home startup expands after a Series A; OutSystems closed a $150M funding round valuing it at $9.5B while moving CMO Robson Grieve to Seattle. Additional regional moves include Lisa Nelson joining Flying Fish Partners as a venture partner and Apptio naming Kevin Meeks chief customer officer.
Ally raises $50M Series C led by Green Oaks, Tiger Global and Madrona as remote work fuels demand
Seattle startup Ally raised $50 million in a Series C led by Green Oaks Capital, Tiger Global and Madrona, bringing total funding to $76 million as remote work drove demand for its OKR goal-tracking software that tripled revenue in 2020.
Madison McIlwain, daughter of Madrona’s Matt McIlwain, becomes associate at Defy and pursues fashion, e-commerce investing
Madison McIlwain, daughter of Madrona Venture Group managing director Matt McIlwain, followed her father's path into venture capital and is now an associate at early-stage VC Defy, bringing interests in fashion, e-commerce and the consumer supply chain. The article profiles how growing up with dinner-table discussions about startups shaped her approach to investing and highlights Defy’s co-investments with Madrona in Seattle companies like Nautilus Biotechnology and WhyLabs.
Fourteen U.S. health systems form Seattle startup Truveta to pool de-identified data for AI-driven research
Fourteen U.S. health systems representing tens of millions of patients across 40 states formed Seattle startup Truveta to pool de-identified patient data and use AI to search for medical breakthroughs and detect healthcare inequities. Led by CEO Terry Myerson and governed by the participating systems, Truveta has 53 employees and says it will enable more statistically representative research populations while protecting patient privacy.
Pivotal Commware raises $50M Series C led by Tracker Capital with Bill Gates and Verizon participating
Pivotal Commware closed a $50 million Series C led by Tracker Capital Management, with participation from Devonshire Investors and existing backers including Bill Gates and Verizon, to expand R&D, distribution and deployment of its millimeter-wave 5G products. The company sells Pivot outdoor repeaters, Echo indoor repeaters, WaveScape modeling and an Intelligent Beam Management System for ultra-wideband mmWave 5G.
UW Alum Janie Bube Launches Sensol Systems to Install Illuminated Ground-Level Crosswalks after 2018 Collision
After being struck by a bicyclist in a Seattle crosswalk, University of Washington alum Janie Bube founded Sensol Systems to improve pedestrian visibility with illuminated, ground-level crosswalk panels that light up beneath walkers; the startup launched in spring 2020 after university grants and accelerator support.
Russell Wilson and Spencer Rascoff back MOJO app to give parent coaches pro-grade youth-sports drills
MOJO is a new Los Angeles-based mobile app, backed by Russell Wilson and Spencer Rascoff, offering professionally produced coaching guidance for parent coaches and families in youth sports starting with soccer and expanding to basketball, baseball and softball. Founded by Ben Sherwood and Reed Shaffner, the app aims to simplify youth-sports instruction, make practices more fun, and reduce dropout rates among children ages roughly 4–13.
Nautilus Biotechnology to go public via Arya Sciences Acquisition Corp III SPAC, raising $350M at $900M valuation
Nautilus Biotechnology, a Seattle proteomics startup led by Sujal Patel and Parag Mallick, will go public via a SPAC merger with Arya Sciences Acquisition Corp III, raising about $350 million and valuing the company at $900 million. The deal includes a $150 million SPAC component and a $200 million PIPE, expects to close in Q2, and the combined company will trade on Nasdaq as NAUT.
Cascadia leaders push Seattle–Vancouver life-sciences collaboration as B.C. Cancer Agency and Fred Hutch co-develop cancer diagnostics
Leaders from British Columbia and Washington are encouraging deeper collaboration between Seattle and Vancouver life-science organizations, citing examples like B.C. Cancer Agency’s partnership with Fred Hutch and Gates-funded projects with Vancouver’s AbCellera to build a Cascadia life-sciences cluster.
Madrona’s Elisa La Cava interviews Madrona Venture Labs’ Mike Fridgen and FFA’s Leslie Feinzaig on studios vs. accelerators
This Founded and Funded episode compares two paths to venture funding—startup studios (Madrona Venture Labs) and accelerators (Female Founders Alliance’s Ready Set Raise)—with Madrona investor Elisa La Cava interviewing Mike Fridgen and Leslie Feinzaig about how each model supports different types of companies.
Gradient Ventures leads $5.4M investment in Seattle analytics startup Iteratively to standardize customer data
Seattle analytics startup Iteratively raised $5.4 million in a round led by Gradient Ventures, Google’s AI-focused fund, to help companies standardize and improve customer analytics tracking. The 10-person company, founded in 2019 by Patrick Thompson and Ondrej Hrebicek, integrates with tools like Amplitude and Mixpanel and counts Box and thredUP among clients.
Craig McCaw’s Holicity to Merge with Astra in $2.1 Billion SPAC Deal That Could Raise $500 Million
Craig McCaw’s Holicity SPAC is merging with launch startup Astra in a deal that values Astra at $2.1 billion and would yield up to $500 million in cash proceeds, aiming to fund daily low-Earth-orbit access despite Astra not yet having achieved routine orbit success.
Qualtrics raises $1.55B in Nasdaq IPO, priced at $30 valuing firm near $15B (shares closed >$27B)
Qualtrics completed a $1.55 billion IPO on the Nasdaq, pricing shares at $30 and valuing the company around $15 billion (shares later closed at $45.50 valuing it over $27 billion). The company — spun out from SAP after a 2018 $8 billion acquisition — plans to keep Seattle as a second headquarters with about 800 employees and will move into the renamed Qualtrics Tower when offices reopen.
i2 Holdings acquires Ambassador from Intrado, adds 11 employees and folds product into ContextLink
Seattle-based i2 Holdings acquired Ambassador, a refer-a-friend platform from Intrado, and will operate it within its ContextLink platform while retaining all 11 Ambassador employees; this is i2's third acquisition in 18 months.
Fusebit, founded by Microsoft, Apple and Auth0 veterans, raises $3.3M seed to provide integration APIs
Seattle startup Fusebit, founded in 2019 by veterans of Microsoft, Apple and Auth0, raised a $3.3 million seed round to offer hosted and private-cloud APIs that help SaaS vendors add and monitor integrations at scale. The three-person company — led by CEO Tomasz Janczuk — plans to hire remotely and lists customers including Factory Four, Hyperproof and Leasera.
WTIA launches eight-week Canadian XR Startup Market Accelerator to ready 10 AR/VR/voice startups for U.S. expansion
WTIA launched an eight-week Canadian XR Startup Market Accelerator to prepare 10 Canadian AR, VR and voice startups for U.S. market expansion with curriculum, mentorship and U.S. go-to-market support. The nonprofit is partnering with Global Affairs Canada and Trade and Invest British Columbia to provide workshops on sales, fundraising, localization and market validation.
Gates-led Breakthrough Energy Ventures raises second $1B fund to back 40–50 hard-to-abate climate tech startups
Breakthrough Energy Ventures, led by Bill Gates, has raised a second $1 billion fund to invest in 40–50 startups developing hard-to-abate climate technologies like low-emission steel and cement, carbon capture, and long-haul transportation, using a 20-year "patient capital" approach focused on large CO₂ reductions.
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
