Nordstrom
Facts
- HQ
- Seattle, WA
- Sectors
- Retail, Department Store, E-commerce
- Founded
- 1890
- Stage
- Public
Microsoft names Aneesh Raman chief economic opportunity officer and promotes Jenny Lay‑Flurrie; DAT CPO Brian Gill resigns
Microsoft promoted Jenny Lay‑Flurrie to corporate vice president of its Trusted Technology Group and named Aneesh Raman chief economic opportunity officer; Zillow appointed a new policy lead while departures occurred at Oracle, Hiya and DAT Freight & Analytics, including DAT’s CPO Brian Gill resigning.
Phia co-founded by Phoebe Gates, Sophia Kianni accused of seven-month cookie-stuffing scheme that may have cost merchants $10M; Impact.com suspends Phia
Shopping startup Phia, co-founded by Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, is accused of using cookie stuffing in its browser extension to claim affiliate commissions for seven months, potentially costing merchants over $10 million and prompting Impact.com to suspend Phia. Internal messages suggest the founders knew of the practice earlier than publicly claimed, and Phia's revenue dropped sharply after removing the tracking feature amid debate over limited mainstream coverage and potential legal consequences.
Seattle Startup Radar Highlights AI-Driven Ventures Like The Carry’s $299 Fitness Vest and Color42’s Music Video AI with 1,000 Users
Several Seattle-area startups led by founders such as Esther Sedgwick of The Carry and Prince Bajracharya of Color42 are leveraging AI across diverse sectors including fitness, music marketing, and autonomous debugging. These companies are at early stages with products launching this year and are receiving feedback from a GPT-powered critic called 'Mean VC' to refine their market strategies.
Joylux Raises $4.5M to Expand Women's Sexual Health Products with Halle Berry Partnership
Seattle-based Joylux raised $4.5 million to expand its women's sexual health products, partnering with actress and investor Halle Berry. The company, which has raised $22 million to date, plans to grow through retail, health partners, and an international collaboration with Essity.
Joylux Partners with Halle Berry to Promote Women’s Health and Launch New Intimacy Gel
Seattle-based women's sexual health startup Joylux announced a partnership with actress Halle Berry to promote women's intimate health, launching a new intimacy gel called Let’s Spin. Founder Colette Courtion highlighted their mission to destigmatize menopause-related health issues, with Berry also becoming an investor following her positive experience with Joylux products.
Viome Raises $25M, Hires Ex-Amazon Exec Kal Raman as COO to Expand CancerDetect Diagnostic
Viome, a microbiome and health diagnostics startup, raised $25 million and hired former Amazon senior VP Kal Raman as COO to expand its diagnostic division. The company’s CancerDetect test for oral and throat cancer, granted FDA breakthrough device status, exhibits high sensitivity and specificity.
Daydream Raises $50M Seed to Launch AI-Driven Online Clothing Shopping Platform Led by Julie Bornstein
Daydream, a startup led by e-commerce veteran Julie Bornstein, raised a $50 million seed round to develop an AI-powered platform aimed at transforming online clothing shopping. The platform, launching in beta later this year, partners with nearly 2,000 brands to offer a more intuitive and personalized shopping search experience.
Seattle Tech Leaders Advise on Overcoming Imposter Syndrome and Building Confidence at HBS Seattle Event
Seattle tech leaders, including Remitly CEO Matt Oppenheimer and Expedia CTO Rathi Murthy, shared advice on normalizing imposter syndrome, building self-confidence, and the value of mentorship during a Harvard Business School Club of Seattle discussion. They emphasized vulnerability, flexibility, and self-improvement as keys to effective leadership and workplace success.
Seattle Tech Leaders Dave Cotter, Johanna Faries, and Marie Donoghue Take New Roles at D3 Advisors, Blizzard, and DraftKings
Dave Cotter, former Leafly chief product officer and ex-Amazon executive, launched advisory firm D3 Advisors to consult startups and VCs. Other Seattle tech moves include Johanna Faries becoming Blizzard Entertainment president and Marie Donoghue joining DraftKings as chief business officer.
Techstars Seattle Demo Day 2024 Unveils 24 Startups Poised to Rival 2011 Unicorn Trio Including Discoverist and TalkStack AI
The 2024 Techstars Seattle Demo Day showcased 24 startups, with experts optimistic that this cohort could rival the successful 2011 group that included three billion-dollar companies. Notable startups like Discoverist and TalkStack AI are leveraging AI for personalized retail recommendations and conversation analysis, respectively.
Seattle Marketing Executive Joanna Lord Becomes CMO at Spring Health Amid Outreach Resignation and Maveron CFO Hire
Joanna Lord, formerly a marketing leader in Seattle and New York, has joined New York-based Spring Health as chief marketing officer. Seattle's Outreach exec Amritansh Raghav resigned amid layoffs, and Maveron hired Nathan Apsel as CFO.
Madrona Venture Labs Raises $11M for Fifth Fund to Accelerate AI Startups, Including Generative AI
Madrona Venture Labs raised $11 million for its fifth fund to support AI startups, planning to back 12 new companies with a focus on intelligent applications and generative AI. Since its 2014 founding, the Seattle-based studio has raised $40 million, backed 32 companies, and offers funding and advisory services to early-stage startups.
Seattle Startup The Waves Launches Monthly Artisanal Wine Subscription with 300+ Small-Batch Wines
The Waves, a Seattle startup founded last year by ex-Amazon tech leader Gaurav Tiwari and former GQ editor Andy Comer, offers a monthly artisanal wine subscription featuring over 300 small-batch wines from a global network of farmers. The company aims to differentiate itself in the crowded $1 billion U.S. craft wine market through a product recommendation tool, editorial content, and direct engagement with small-batch winemakers.
Snapbar CEO Sam Eitzen Leads Pivot from Physical Booths to Global Virtual Photo Booth App, Doubling Revenue Multiple Times Since 2020
Snapbar, originally a physical photo booth company, pivoted during the COVID-19 pandemic to launch a virtual photo booth web application called Snapshot, which rapidly grew to become its primary revenue source and expanded its customer base globally. CEO Sam Eitzen credits this strategic shift with doubling the company's revenue multiple times and transitioning Snapbar from a regional startup to a worldwide tech business.
Maureen Ezekwugo Named CEO of Oggvo; Chad Cohen Joins Capella Space as CFO and COO; GitHub Appoints Inbal Shani as Chief Product Officer
Maureen Ezekwugo became CEO of Seattle-based Oggvo, specializing in customer review software, while Chad Cohen joined Capella Space as CFO and COO. Microsoft-owned GitHub hired Inbal Shani as its new chief product officer, and Falkon added two executives after raising $16 million.
Syndio Hires Milan Parikh as CFO; Multiple Pacific Northwest Tech Firms Announce Executive Changes
Seattle startup Syndio hired Milan Parikh as CFO, bringing his extensive finance leadership experience. Additionally, several Pacific Northwest tech firms announced key executive changes, including Porch Group, Absci, GlobalGiving, F5, Samsara, and Tozny.
Algorithmia Founder Diego Oppenheimer Joins Venture Firm Factory to Open Seattle Office; Expedia Appoints Brad Bentley and Tript Singh Lamba to Executive Roles
Diego Oppenheimer, former CEO of Algorithmia, has joined venture capital firm Factory as partner and CEO-in-residence to open its new Seattle office, focusing on AI startups. Additionally, Expedia Group hired Brad Bentley as COO of Expedia Brands and Tript Singh Lamba as SVP of consumer product.
Seattle Startup Outbound AI Launches PayerVA Console to Automate Medical Insurance Claims Processing
Outbound AI, a Seattle startup spun out of Madrona Venture Labs with $7 million in seed funding, launched PayerVA Console, a software product that automates and expedites medical insurance claims processing by reducing time spent on payer communications. The tool transcribes calls, extracts key information, and assists human workers to alleviate burdensome tasks in the healthcare payment system.
#20 Mike Fridgen: Seattle based Startup Incubator Madrona Venture Labs
In this Episode of Startup Project, Nataraj talked to Mike Fridgen, Managing Director at Madrona Venture Labs a Seattle based tech startup incubator. Some of the companies incubated include Style Genome (Acq by Wayfair), Chatitive (Acq by MailChimp), Message Yes (Acq by Nordstrom) & more. Before joining Madrona Venture Labs Mike was part of founding teams at Farecast (Acq by Microsoft) & Decide (Acq by Ebay) where he led product and growth strategies. Full Conversation includes: Farecast.com (Predicting prices) - Acquired by Microsoft Decide.com (next gen consumer reports) - Acquired by Ebay Through line across being part of multiple acquisitions…
Move Inc., operator of Realtor.com, leads $12M Series A in Seattle–Austin marketing startup Evocalize
Evocalize, a Seattle and Austin startup that helps brands with paid digital marketing, raised $12 million in a Series A led by Move Inc., operator of Realtor.com, which has been a customer for over five years. The company was founded in 2013 by CEO Matthew Marx and co-founder Kumar Srinivasan; additional investors include Second Century Ventures, Habanero Ventures and Madrona Venture Group.
Deloitte’s 2021 Fast 500 Includes 26 Washington Firms; Coinme Tops Seattle Growth at 2,198% (Rank 78)
Deloitte’s 2021 North American Technology Fast 500 ranks the fastest-growing tech companies by revenue growth from 2017–2020; 26 Washington-based firms made the list, with 24 from the greater Seattle area and strong representation from Bellevue and software/SaaS companies. Coinme led local growth with 2,198% growth (ranked 78th), and Washington firms comprised about 5% of the full Fast 500.
Viome raises $54M to develop saliva-based cancer diagnostics and expand microbiome consumer business
Viome Life Sciences raised $54 million to advance cancer diagnostics and support its consumer microbiome testing and customized supplement business, bringing total funding to over $125 million while targeting $100M revenue and one million customers next year.
Syndio raises $50M Series C led by Emerson Collective and Bessemer to expand pay-equity platform
Seattle-based pay-equity startup Syndio raised $50 million in a Series C led by Emerson Collective and Bessemer Venture Partners, bringing total funding to $83 million as it expands customers and product use to analyze gender and race pay gaps.
Nordstrom to sell Viome’s $199 Health Intelligence microbiome test online and in select stores in 2022
Nordstrom will sell Viome Life Sciences’ Viome Health Intelligence microbiome test for $199 online and in select stores in 2022, with the kit requiring a stool sample. Viome sequences RNA to profile gut microbes and offers AI-driven diet/supplement recommendations plus a $149/month supplement service, though its clinical claims rely on non–peer-reviewed data and have drawn outside skepticism.
Simon Yu, ex-Bomba Fusion owner, leads crypto startup StormX and lands Portland Trail Blazers sponsorship
Seattle entrepreneur Simon Yu closed his Korean-Mexican food truck Bomba Fusion and pivoted to cofound StormX, a fast-growing crypto startup he launched in 2015; recently StormX secured a sponsorship deal with the Portland Trail Blazers as Yu reflects on his journey from financial hardship to startup success.
