Microsoft
Facts
- Sectors
- Technology, Workplace tools, Cloud
- Founded
- 1975
- Employees
- 221000
- Stage
- Public
Seattle Energy Monitoring Company Buddy to Acquire Smart Light Startup LIFX for $51 Million
Seattle-based Buddy announced plans to acquire Silicon Valley smart light maker LIFX for $51 million in cash and stock, aiming to integrate its energy monitoring platform with LIFX's lighting products. LIFX will continue operating independently, while the deal expands commercial opportunities for both companies.
Educative Raises $2.3 Million Seed Round Led by Trilogy Equity Partners to Expand Interactive Coding Platform
Educative, an interactive learning platform for software developers co-founded by Fahim ul Haq and Naeem ul Haq, raised $2.3 million in seed funding led by Trilogy Equity Partners to enhance its interactive coding courses. The platform offers preconfigured virtual environments enabling developers to learn by doing, with nearly 50 courses focused on popular programming languages like Java, Python, and React.
Nelson Del Rio Joins Seattle Startup Blokable as Co-CEO to Advance Scalable Affordable Housing Solutions
Nelson Del Rio has joined Seattle startup Blokable as co-CEO, working alongside co-founder Aaron Holm to develop scalable modular housing solutions for affordable housing. Del Rio brings expertise in public-private partnerships and aims to transform the residential housing development process amid the ongoing housing crisis.
GeekWire and MOHAI Host January 22 Event Celebrating Five Years of Seattle 10 Startup Program
GeekWire and MOHAI are hosting a special event on January 22 at MOHAI to celebrate five years of The Seattle 10 program, featuring a panel of past startup CEOs sharing entrepreneurial lessons. The event highlights up-and-coming Seattle startups whose business concepts are showcased on cocktail napkins displayed permanently at MOHAI.
Visual Vocal Raises $3.6M Led by Eniac Ventures to Advance Virtual Reality Collaboration for Enterprises
Visual Vocal, a Seattle startup developing virtual 3D environment productivity tools for enterprises, has raised $3.6 million in a funding round led by Eniac Ventures. The company's cloud-based platform enables remote real-time collaboration using smartphone-viewable VR to improve design feedback in industries like architecture and aerospace.
2017 GeekWire Summit in Seattle Features CEOs Nadella, Johnson; Limited Tickets Available for Oct 9-11 Event
The 2017 GeekWire Summit, happening October 9-11 in Seattle, will gather over 800 leaders to discuss advances in tech, business, and science, featuring top speakers like Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson. The event includes fireside chats, startup showcases, and a new 'Immigrant’s Journey' speaker series, with limited tickets still available.
Puppet Acquires Seattle Startup Distelli to Enhance Cloud Automation and Code Deployment
Puppet has acquired Seattle-based startup Distelli to enhance its cloud automation platform by integrating Distelli’s efficient code deployment tools. Distelli, founded in 2015 and backed by Andreessen Horowitz, will join Puppet’s Seattle office to help improve software development speed and visibility for Puppet’s 37,000 customers.
Author argues regional VCs must map startups to the venture-capital 'stack' to connect local companies with San Francisco/New York growth capital
The author connects the concept of the venture capital valuation stack with how institutional LPs view regionally focused managers, arguing that regional innovation hubs can succeed only if they understand how to connect local startups to centralized global capital markets concentrated in places like San Francisco and New York.
Smartsheet Rises to No. 6 on GeekWire 200 List with Over $70M Revenue and Boston Expansion Plans
Smartsheet has risen to number six on the GeekWire 200 list of privately held Pacific Northwest startups, up from 13th at the start of the year, driven by strong subscription revenue growth and key executive hires. Other notable movers include Vacation rental startup Vacasa entering the top 10 and Seattle’s Highspot climbing to number 148 after forming a strategic partnership with Brainshark.
Swym Launches Platform to Help E-Commerce Retailers Offer Amazon-Like Multi-Device Shopping Experiences
Swym, a Seattle-based startup, offers a platform that helps e-commerce retailers track shopper behavior across devices to provide personalized shopping experiences similar to Amazon's. Founded to enhance mobile shopping convenience, Swym aims to level the playing field for smaller retailers competing against giants like Amazon and Walmart.
Over 100 Tech Companies and Startups Join Lawsuit Against Trump’s Immigration Ban Citing Harm to Innovation Economy
Tech giants and over 100 startups and investors, including Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, have joined a lawsuit against President Trump's immigration ban, arguing it causes immediate harm to innovation and the U.S. economy. They emphasize immigrants' crucial role in founding startups and driving technological innovation that contributes to national prosperity and security.
GeekWire 200 November Update: DocuSign Tops as Textio Rises 23 Spots and Morningstar Acquires PitchBook for $180M
The November update of the GeekWire 200 highlights Pacific Northwest startups leveraging recent large funding rounds to expand products and staff, with DocuSign leading the list. Notable moves include Textio jumping 23 spots to number 176 and Avvo advancing into the seventh spot, while PitchBook was acquired by Morningstar for $180 million.
Bryson DeChambeau Partners with Microsoft and Sensoria to Create Smart Pressure-Sensing Golf Grip Using Azure Cloud
Bryson DeChambeau collaborated with Microsoft and Sensoria to develop a smart golf grip equipped with eight sensors that measure grip pressure during swings, sending real-time data via Microsoft Azure for analysis. The project aims to leverage machine learning to optimize DeChambeau's grip consistency and swing mechanics.
Seattle 10 Names Top Startups to Showcase at GeekWire Gala Dec. 7 at MOHAI
The Seattle 10 highlights the region’s most promising startups across diverse industries such as education, enterprise software, virtual reality, and robotics. These selected startups will creatively showcase their business ideas on large cocktail napkins at the GeekWire Gala on December 7th at MOHAI.
Microsoft and Nathan Myhrvold Lead $20.7M Investment in Atlas, Launching Digital Footprint Search Engine Atlas Recall
Microsoft, Nathan Myhrvold, and Aspect Ventures invested $20.7 million in Seattle-based Atlas Informatics, which launched Atlas Recall, a search engine for indexing users' entire digital footprint with an open beta release for Mac and iOS. The technology captures encrypted records of user activity across apps by integrating deeply with the operating system and supports search via Google and Mac Spotlight.
Bill Gates-Backed Kymeta Demonstrates High-Speed Flat-Panel Satellite Antennas at Monaco Yacht Show, Secures Superyacht Commitments
Kymeta Corp., backed by Bill Gates, showcased its flat-panel satellite antennas at the Monaco Yacht Show, delivering high-speed broadband to yachts using Panasonic’s satellite network. The demonstration impressed superyacht owners, resulting in commitments for Kymeta’s mTenna technology from iconic yachts and promising significantly faster maritime broadband.
Hulu buys Vhoto assets, shuts down service and hires most of Seattle startup’s team; Noah Heller joins Hulu
Hulu purchased the assets of Seattle video startup Vhoto last fall, shut down the Vhoto service, and hired most of its team to work in Hulu’s Seattle engineering office. Vhoto founder Noah Heller has moved to Hulu as vice president of audience development and data partnerships; financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Pioneer Square Labs Raises $12.5M from Foundry Group, Bezos Expeditions and 50 Angels to Build Start-Ups
Pioneer Square Labs, a Seattle "start-up studio," raised $12.5 million from over a dozen VC firms and 50 angel investors to build companies from in-house ideas. Backers include Bezos Expeditions, Rich Barton, and lead investor Foundry Group among others.
Pioneer Square Labs raises $12.5M from 13 VCs and 50+ angels; Foundry Group led, Brad Feld joins board
Pioneer Square Labs, a new Seattle startup studio co-founded by Geoff Entress, Greg Gottesman, Mike Galgon and Ben Gilbert, raised $12.5 million from 13 VC firms and over 50 angels. Foundry Group led the round and Brad Feld will join PSL's board.
Liz Howekamp Powell named head of organic growth at Pro.com; Cyanogen appoints Frank Montes as general counsel
Liz Howekamp Powell has joined Seattle home-improvement marketplace Pro.com as head of organic growth after five years at WhitePages, citing firsthand experience with remodeling as motivation; Pro.com is led by former Digg CEO Matt Williams and has raised over $17 million. Cyanogen hired Frank Montes as general counsel; Montes previously served as general counsel at Coin Inc. and worked as a lawyer at Facebook and Google.
Shauna Causey joins EveryMove; Garret Link named VP of Product; SNUPI adds ex‑Dropcam VP Elizabeth Hamren to board
Shauna Causey, formerly of UP Global and Decide.com, has joined Seattle health startup EveryMove, which also named Garret Link as VP of product; EveryMove aims to improve 10 million lives in 10 years and is backed by several Blue Cross Blue Shield ventures. SNUPI Technologies added former Dropcam marketing VP Elizabeth Hamren to its board as it develops the WallyHome leak and temperature detector.
Windows UX leader Jensen Harris leaves Microsoft to co‑found Textio, a language‑analysis startup
Jensen Harris, a 16-year Microsoft veteran who led Windows user experience, is leaving Microsoft to co‑found Textio, an early-stage Seattle startup that analyzes language to predict how well job listings or project descriptions will attract desired candidates or succeed. He and co‑founder Kieran Snyder (CEO) presented their plans after Harris announced his departure, saying his exit was personal and not driven by recent Windows 10 UI changes.
Oren Etzioni, UW Professor and Decide CTO, Discusses Farecast, Siri, Burning Man and Algorithm-Driven Startups
Oren Etzioni, a University of Washington computer science professor, serial entrepreneur and Madrona Venture Group partner, builds algorithm-driven businesses like Farecast and Decide that predict consumer electronics prices. The interview covers his work, views on AI and social networks, experiences with Siri and Burning Man, and advice for computer science students.
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
