Microsoft
Facts
- Sectors
- Technology, Workplace tools, Cloud
- Founded
- 1975
- Employees
- 221000
- Stage
- Public
Outreach CEO Manny Medina Says Seattle Unicorn (550 Employees) Avoided Layoffs, Aids Customers Through COVID-19 After $114M Raise
Outreach CEO Manny Medina says the Seattle-based sales-engagement unicorn has avoided layoffs and continues serving customers through the COVID-19 crisis by helping them manage remote teams and pivot sales processes, after raising $114 million last year. The 550-employee company is seeing mixed demand as some clients like DoorDash and DocuSign surge while others cut spending.
GeekWire Podcast: Amazon reports 26% Q1 sales growth but 30% profit drop, pledges $4B for COVID response; Bezos warns shareholders
The GeekWire Podcast discusses Amazon’s Q1 results and pandemic response — including $4 billion in COVID-19-related spending and CEO Jeff Bezos warning of costly challenges — plus worker safety concerns and calls for his Congressional testimony. The episode also covers a Madrona-led workplace-reopening toolkit (with input from Amazon, Microsoft, Starbucks) and a COVID-19-driven decline in Pacific Northwest startup funding through April.
Imperative raises $3M led by Voyager Capital to expand virtual peer-coaching; Nikhil Singhal joins as CTO
Seattle startup Imperative raised $3 million led by Voyager Capital to accelerate its virtual peer-coaching platform that connects managers for structured one-on-one video coaching; the company has 120,000 users and 40 corporate clients and added former Microsoft/Expedia/AT&T engineer Nikhil Singhal as CTO.
ExtraHop says April 22, 2020 layoffs cut staff back to end-of-2019 levels as COVID-19 hits revenue
Seattle-based security company ExtraHop carried out a reduction in force on April 22, 2020, cutting staff back to its end-of-2019 level amid COVID-19’s economic impact; the company had ended 2019 with more than 500 employees and $150 million in bookings.
GeekWire Podcast: Bill Gates on COVID-19’s permanent work shift; Vicis assets sold for $2.85M; LEGO and Nintendo launch interactive Super Mario set
The GeekWire Podcast covers Bill Gates on how COVID-19 will permanently change work (while preserving in-person schooling), the resurrection of Seattle helmet maker Vicis through a $2.85M asset sale, and a collaboration bringing Super Mario into LEGO physical sets, plus tech and COVID-related business headlines.
Rebellyous Foods raises $6 million to scale plant-based chicken-style nuggets, CEO Christie Lagally signals strategic pivot during pandemic
Seattle startup Rebellyous Foods raised $6 million to scale production of plant-based chicken-style nuggets made from wheat, soy and other plant ingredients. CEO Christie Lagally says the funding will help make plant-based meat affordable and expand sales to food-service customers, though the pandemic has prompted a rethink of near-term strategy as cafeteria demand lags.
Zscaler to acquire Cloudneeti, 3-year-old Redmond cloud governance startup with ~30 employees
Zscaler is acquiring Cloudneeti, a three-year-old Redmond cloud security startup with about 30 employees that offers a digital governance platform for automated cloud data monitoring; Cloudneeti raised $500,000 and its team will join Zscaler.
NextStep raises $3.6M to scale mobile training and job-placement for displaced workers into healthcare roles
Seattle startup NextStep raised $3.6 million to expand its mobile training and job-placement platform that recruits and trains displaced, low-wage workers for in-demand healthcare roles like CNAs and home health aides.
Former Microsoft AI chief Harry Shum joins $2.7M angel round for Seattle blockchain startup Asensys
Seattle startup Asensys raised a $2.7 million angel round that includes investor Harry Shum, former head of Microsoft’s AI and Research Group, to build a more scalable blockchain aimed at supporting AI and other applications. Founder Brendon (JiaPing) Wang says Asensys will address the blockchain “trilemma” using techniques like asynchronous consensus zones to improve scalability, security and decentralization.
Foursquare and Factual merge under Foursquare brand with David Shim named CEO; Sue Desmond-Hellmann joins Pfizer board
Foursquare and Factual are merging under the Foursquare brand with Placed founder David Shim as CEO; Sue Desmond-Hellmann joined Pfizer’s board after leaving the Gates Foundation, and other executive moves include Microsoft hiring Rubén Caballero and leadership change at Egencia.
98point6 raises $43M to triple physician capacity after 200% patient surge, serving 3M nationwide
Seattle telehealth startup 98point6 raised $43 million to expand capacity for its AI-powered virtual primary care amid a 200% surge in patient volume and COVID-19 demand. The funding will triple the company’s physician count this month as it serves over 3 million patients across all 50 states and added coronavirus screening in January.
Nucamp launches affordable online bootcamps nationwide after pivoting fully virtual amid coronavirus
Nucamp, a Bellevue, Washington startup founded in 2017 by Ludo Fourrage and run by CEO Karim El Naggar, offers a low-cost, online web development bootcamp designed to be affordable and accessible to students outside big cities. The company shifted from a hybrid model of online lessons plus weekend in‑person meetups to fully online instruction across 30 cities in one week after the coronavirus outbreak.
Seattle robotics startup Picnic 3D-prints prototype parts to rescue UW student Rob Sinclair’s Kokanee Systems after COVID-19 halted lab access
UW entrepreneurship student Rob Sinclair paused his career to build Kokanee Systems, a real-time water contamination testing startup, but COVID-19 shut off access to prototyping equipment. A Seattle robotics startup, Picnic, stepped in to 3D-print parts and help Sinclair continue developing his prototype.
Textio raises $12M as layoffs hit 20% of staff; Industry Ventures, Operator Collective join round
Seattle augmented-writing startup Textio raised $12 million from new investors including Industry Ventures and Operator Collective to expand beyond enterprise customers, after laying off 20% of staff amid COVID-19 uncertainty. CEO Kieran Snyder says the funding will help pivot the product to help candidates better express skills and values as remote written communication rises.
Seattle AI Startup Textio Lays Off 30 Employees Amid COVID-19, Shifts Focus to Aid Job Seekers
Seattle startup Textio laid off 30 employees, or 20% of its staff, due to COVID-19 uncertainty, leaving about 120 employees remaining. CEO Kieran Snyder emphasized shifting the company's AI writing technology focus to help job seekers better represent their skills amid a challenging labor market.
Microsoft acquires Affirmed Networks to expand Azure 5G cloud offerings; deal valued at $1.35 billion
Microsoft will acquire Boston-area virtualized-network startup Affirmed Networks to expand Azure's 5G and telecom cloud offerings; Affirmed serves 85+ networks, employs 500+ people, and had raised over $150 million. Bloomberg later reported the deal valued Affirmed at $1.35 billion.
MDMetrix and TransformativeMed Offer Free COVID-19 Tracking Tools to Hospitals; Deployed at UW Medicine
Two Seattle startups, MDMetrix and TransformativeMed, are offering their combined COVID-19 patient-tracking and analysis tools free to hospitals so clinicians can spot treatment and spread trends across patient groups. Their systems are already in use at University of Washington Medicine to screen patients, track symptoms and labs, and report data to state health departments.
Textio raises new capital — SEC filing shows $7M infusion as company closes $12M round to expand writing platform
Seattle startup Textio closed a $12 million funding round and an SEC filing shows a $7 million cash infusion as it aims to expand its augmented-writing platform beyond enterprise hiring use cases.
Lighter Capital names Patricia Elliott CSO and Kevin Fink CTO after $100M deal; Gaby Adam launches OurPlanet365; Accolade adds Pat Wadors to board
Seattle-based Lighter Capital hired Patricia Elliott as chief sales officer and Kevin Fink as chief technology officer after securing a $100 million deal; PR veteran Gaby Adam launched sustainability consultancy OurPlanet365; Accolade added Pat Wadors to its board as talent leader.
Seattle Startup Flyhomes Expands to Boston, Portland, and L.A., Raises $141M to Aid Homebuyers in Competitive Markets
Seattle-based Flyhomes is expanding its real estate home-buying services to Portland, Boston, and Los Angeles/Orange County, focusing on competitive, high-priced markets by purchasing homes with cash for clients. The startup recently raised $141 million to support growth and has helped over 1,000 clients close on more than $1 billion in homes since 2015.
Seattle Startup Picnic Raises $5M Seed Funding for Pizza-Making Robot Assembling 300 Pizzas Per Hour
Seattle startup Picnic raised $5 million in a seed round to advance their pizza-making robot, which can assemble 300 pizzas per hour and has attracted global interest. The funding will help develop the next version and expand pilot programs, addressing labor shortages in the food industry.
Groota Startup Launches Tool to Filter Promotional Emails and Protect User Privacy
Groota, founded by Rushin Liu and Cho-Min Chou, is a startup providing a tool to help users filter promotional emails by keeping desired ones and removing unwanted junk while prioritizing user privacy. The company is also developing technology to remove email tracking, addressing privacy concerns users may not be aware of.
Satya Nadella and Seattle Tech Leaders Join Sounders FC Ownership; Cray Gets $600M DOE Supercomputer Contract Ahead of $1.3B HPE Acquisition
Seattle tech leaders, including Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, have joined a revamped Sounders FC ownership group. Cray is developing a $600 million exascale supercomputer for the U.S. Department of Energy and is being acquired by HPE for $1.3 billion.
Amazon Launches Third Alexa Accelerator Cohort Featuring Nine Startups Innovating Voice Technology Applications
Amazon's Alexa Accelerator has launched its third cohort, featuring nine startups innovating with Alexa's voice technology across diverse applications like cooking and remote healthcare. The Alexa platform has rapidly grown, with over 90,000 skills and 100 million Alexa-enabled devices sold, reflecting the maturing voice tech market.
Founders’ Co-op marks 10 years after launching in 2008 with $2.7M, raised $7.7M fund and brought Techstars to Seattle
Founders’ Co-op reflects on its first decade after launching in early 2008 with a $2.7M seed fund, helping regional startups through investments and by bringing Techstars to Seattle in 2010 while raising a second $7.7M fund.
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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Dan Lewis Executive, Corporate Vice President
