Microsoft
Facts
- Sectors
- Technology, Workplace tools, Cloud
- Founded
- 1975
- Employees
- 221000
- Stage
- Public
PDM Automotive and Tribute each win $132,500 at first-ever virtual 17th Seattle Angel Conference
PDM Automotive and Tribute each won $132,500 at the 17th Seattle Angel Conference, the event's first held virtually; the five-month program ran on Zoom with 53 applicant companies and 44 participating investors.
SirionLabs raises $44M Series C to open Seattle tech hub, hires Cloudera and Google/Microsoft veterans
Contract-management startup SirionLabs raised $44 million in a Series C round to open a Seattle-area technology center and expand its U.S. presence, hiring senior leaders from Cloudera, Microsoft and Google. The eight-year-old company, which manages 3.5 million contracts for clients like BP and Vodafone, has grown customers 4X in 18 months and has raised $66 million total.
Grammarly makes first-ever investment, joins $10M seed round in Seattle AI startup Docugami
Grammarly made the first investment in its 11-year history by participating in a $10 million seed round for Seattle AI document-engineering startup Docugami, reflecting shared goals between CEOs Brad Hoover and Jean Paoli. The companies currently have no short-term product partnership plans but may collaborate in the future.
BlackSky’s Spectra platform uses satellite imagery and AI to track activity and flag early signs of COVID-19 economic recovery
BlackSky's Spectra platform combines satellite imagery, AI image recognition, and multiple data streams to monitor activity—such as counting cars in parking lots—to identify early signs of economic recovery during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Docugami doubles to 20 after $10M funding and keeps hiring amid widespread tech layoffs
Docugami, a Kirkland, Washington document-engineering startup, doubled its staff to 20 after a $10 million funding round in early February and continues hiring despite widespread tech layoffs. CEO Jean Paoli and new head of operations Hartley Riedner have onboarded remotely, reflecting a flipped labor market where some startups can recruit while larger firms cut jobs.
Knock raises $12M Series B led by Madrona as COVID-19 drives surge in remote apartment-management tool usage
Seattle rental-software startup Knock raised $12 million in a Series B led by Madrona Venture Group as demand for its apartment management tools and remote leasing features surged during the COVID-19 crisis.
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.
Bezos is Back
Here’s what we’re talking about this week on the GeekWire Podcast: Amazon's sales rose 26% in the first quarter as the COVID-19 crisis made the online retailer an even bigger part of many lives, but profits were down 30% due to expenses from dealing with the virus. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos gave a clear message to shareholders, saying they "may want to take a seat," because there are big challenges ahead and they won't be easy or cheap to overcome. The company says it will spend $4 billion this quarter on initiatives related to the pandemic. With Amazon bigger and…
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.
Julie Sandler (PSL) on how humanity & mental health are driving business decisions in this crisis
Go behind the scenes on Julie's conversations with portfolio companies during the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for conviction and speed in the face of uncertainty, and how humanity & mental health are driving decision making.
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.
Bill Gates on the future of work; Vicis reborn; Nintendo meets Lego
Here’s what we’re talking about this week on the GeekWire Podcast. Bill Gates talks about how work will change after the coronavirus ... and how school shouldn't. A Seattle startup that is trying to make a safer football helmet gets a new lease on life. And Lego and Nintendo bring Super Mario into the physical world in a surprising way. We have a lot of tech news to discuss on this week's episode: Vicis assets sold for $2.85M to Schutt investor, promising to revive failed startup’s helmet tech No Neo in 2020: Microsoft pauses work on dual-screen device running Windows…
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.
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
