Facts
- HQ
- None
- Sectors
- Artificial Intelligence, AI Research
- Founded
- 2015
- Stage
- private
Y Combinator-backed Scape, founded by two 23-year-olds, raises $3.2M to launch AI-native email inbox
Y Combinator startup Scape, founded by two 23-year-old entrepreneurs, has emerged from stealth with $3.2M to build an AI-native email inbox that drafts replies, generates documents, and prioritizes important messages.
Kubernetes Co-creators Joe Beda and Craig McLuckie of Stacklok Say AI Agents Need New Identity, Permissions and Governance Layers
Joe Beda and Craig McLuckie, co-creators of Kubernetes and now leading Stacklok, discuss in Madrona’s Founded & Funded episode how enterprises face identity, permissions, and security challenges with AI agents similar to early container days and are building governance and controlled-access tools to speed safe adoption. They explain why existing enterprise governance is ill-suited for agents, argue developer posture must precede broad deployment, describe MCP and FDE models, and warn that current architectural choices can create hard-to-reverse consequences.
Helion Energy Secures $465M at $15.5B Valuation to Advance Fusion Energy with Polaris Prototype
Helion Energy raised $465 million in a Series G funding round at a $15.5 billion valuation to advance its fusion energy technology, bringing total capital raised to $1.5 billion. The company uses a unique Field-Reversed Configuration and Magneto-Inertial Fusion approach, aiming to demonstrate electricity production from fusion with its Polaris prototype.
ArchAstro Raises $6.2M to Launch AI Network for Cross-Company Enterprise Software Integration
ArchAstro, founded by veterans from Microsoft, Stripe, Meta, and Statsig, has launched with $6.2 million in pre-seed funding to develop AI agents that automate complex, cross-company software integrations and deployments. Their privacy-aware Forward Deployed Agents aim to securely connect disparate enterprise systems, addressing the lengthy and difficult process of integrating B2B software across corporate boundaries.
Korean Startups Face Hidden Operational Misalignments Amid Global Expansion and AI Integration
Korean startups, increasingly involved in global and AI-assisted environments, often appear aligned in meetings but face hidden operational misunderstandings that hinder execution. Government initiatives like the Ministry of SMEs and Startups’ AroundX program are helping connect these startups with international corporations and markets.
LinkedIn Co-Founder Reid Hoffman to Leave Microsoft Board in 2026 to Focus on Cancer Drug Startup Manas AI
Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn co-founder and Microsoft board member since 2017, will not seek re-election at the 2026 annual meeting to focus on his cancer drug-discovery startup, Manas AI. His departure is not due to any disagreement with Microsoft and follows repeated shareholder opposition related to his political activities.
'Lean Startup' author Eric Ries calls for a shift to 'mission primacy' in new book 'Incorruptible'
On this special episode, Eric Ries, author of the 2011 bestseller "The Lean Startup," discusses his new book, "Incorruptible: Why Good Companies Go Bad and How Great Companies Stay Great." Ries explains why he's redefining profit as the maximization of human flourishing, reveals his role advising Anthropic's founders on their corporate structure, and makes the case that the era of shareholder primacy is already over. He also discusses the fall of Whole Foods, the Musk v. OpenAI trial, and why he believes mission-controlled companies dramatically outperform. GeekWire's Todd Bishop recorded this conversation with Ries after interviewing him on stage at…
Tech Community Mourns S. 'Soma' Somasegar, Microsoft Veteran and Madrona VC, at Age 59
S. 'Soma' Somasegar, a respected Microsoft veteran and Madrona Ventures investor, passed away at age 59, prompting widespread tributes highlighting his kindness, mentorship, and lasting impact on the tech community. Colleagues remembered him as a humble servant leader and champion of developers whose legacy went beyond his business contributions.
Jeff Bezos Details $38B Startup Prometheus as AI Design Tool, Denies Robotics Focus
Jeff Bezos revealed that his $38 billion startup Project Prometheus is focused on developing an 'artificial general engineer' for next-generation design tools of physical objects, explicitly stating it is not related to robotics. Bezos, who is the co-CEO, described Prometheus as a modern evolution of computer-aided design (CAD), emphasizing the project's innovative approach.
What we learned about Microsoft in the OpenAI trial, and is Seattle squandering its edge?
This week: As the Musk v. OpenAI trial heads to the jury, we dig into what Microsoft's internal board memos and executive testimony revealed about the origins of the company's massive bet on AI, and why this case matters beyond the billionaire drama. Plus, Howard Schultz, a former Washington governor, and the tech community weigh in on whether Seattle is squandering its edge as an innovation capital. And Todd owes John and the United Kingdom an apology. RELATED STORIES AND LINKS Microsoft's CTO testifies about email at the heart of Elon Musk's allegations against the tech giant OpenAI CEO Sam…
Axiom’s Carina Hong: Formal Mathematical Reasoning Is Key to AGI as Axiom Prover Scores 120/120 Putnam and 98.93% on Lean Benchmark
Carina Hong, founder of Axiom, argues that formal mathematical reasoning is essential for AGI; Axiom's prover achieved top Putnam scores and 98.93% on a Lean verification benchmark, far outperforming alternatives.
Republicans Probe Sam Altman’s Personal Investments After Reports He Asked OpenAI to Back Firms in His $3.5B Portfolio
Republicans are probing Sam Altman’s personal investments for potential conflicts of interest after reports he asked OpenAI to support companies in his roughly $3.5 billion portfolio, which includes stakes in firms like Helion and Reddit.
Seattle Students Compete in TiE Young Entrepreneurs Finals with AI Startup Winning Spot in Global Contest
Over 100 students from 20 teams competed in the TYE Seattle Chapter Finals pitching startups in AI, healthcare, nutrition, and recycling, with an AI-powered email assistant winning first place. The event featured a panel from Amazon, Microsoft, and OpenAI discussing career navigation in the AI era, and Seattle aims for a third consecutive global title next month.
Elon takes the stand, Big Tech drops big numbers, and a small VC gets in on a billion-dollar deal
This week on the show: Todd reports from inside the Oakland federal courthouse where Elon Musk is suing OpenAI, Sam Altman, and Microsoft, with jury selection revealing just how hard it is to find anyone neutral about Musk these days. Meanwhile, Microsoft and OpenAI restructured their partnership the same morning the trial began — and less than 24 hours later, OpenAI's models landed on Amazon's cloud. Then, Microsoft and Amazon both dropped blockbuster earnings, with Azure up 40%, AWS posting its fastest growth in 15 quarters, and the two companies combining for nearly $400 billion in capital spending this year…
Anthropic receives $800 billion valuation offers as annualised revenue reaches $30 billion; IPO talks with Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan underway
Anthropic has received investor offers valuing the company at about $800 billion after its annualised revenue accelerated from $1 billion at end-2024 to $30 billion by early April 2026, and the company is holding IPO talks with Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan.
Seattle Startup Ambassador Acquires Tacoma-based Ad Platform Humming to Enhance AI Customer Engagement
Seattle startup Ambassador acquired Tacoma-based ad platform Humming to integrate its digital ad technology and enhance its AI-driven customer engagement services. Ambassador anticipates more acquisitions amid an AI startup shakeout, leveraging its longstanding proprietary customer data to stay competitive.
Patlytics Raises $40M Series B Led by SignalFire; Relativity and Jeff Hammes Participate
New York-based patent workflow startup Patlytics raised $40 million in a Series B led by SignalFire with participation from Relativity, Jeff Hammes, and N47 to expand in Asia and deploy its AI patent technology across industries including life sciences.
Seattle Startup Glacis Hires Microsoft Azure Vet Rohit Tatachar as CTO to Launch AI Monitoring Tools
Seattle startup Glacis appointed longtime Microsoft Azure executive Rohit Tatachar as CTO and co-founder to develop tamper-proof AI behavior records. The company launched open-source tools enabling monitoring and control of AI agents to ensure safety and accountability.
Rec Room shutdown, robot umps, FedEx meets Amazon, and OpenAI's odd media buy
This week: Rec Room, the Seattle-based social gaming platform once valued at $3.5 billion, is shutting down — and Snap is picking up some of the pieces. Todd talks about what it was like fielding calls from distraught users on the night of the announcement. John offers his thoughts on what the shutdown says about the VR hype cycle, and whether everyone betting on the AI boom should take notes. Plus: Major League Baseball's new automated ball-strike system is already exposing umpires and creating a whole new kind of showboating — including one player who was so confident the robot…
GeekWire AI summit takeaways: Token budgets, watermelon metrics, and the $5k weekend coder
Fresh off the big GeekWire AI summit this week, Todd and John unpack what they heard from Microsoft EVP Charles Lamanna, OpenAI applications CTO Vijaye Raji, and other speakers at the Agents of Transformation event in Seattle, presented by Accenture. The big thread: the economics of AI, from token budgets becoming a hiring negotiation point to startups running on subsidized credits that may not last. Plus, a startup founder whose engineer burned through $5,000 in AI tokens over a single weekend of vibe coding, OpenAI shutting down Sora amid $15 million-a-day processing costs, and why one panelist says the metrics…
GeekWire Hosts Agents of Transformation AI Summit in Seattle on March 24 Featuring Microsoft, AWS, and OpenAI Leaders
GeekWire's Agents of Transformation summit in Seattle on March 24 will explore how agentic AI is reshaping work, creativity, and leadership through keynote talks, panels, and demos featuring leaders from Microsoft, AWS, and OpenAI. The half-day event includes fireside chats, startup pitches, and networking opportunities with industry experts and sponsors like Accenture and Nebius.
OpenAI in talks to buy 5 GW of fusion power from Helion by 2030, scaling to 50 GW by 2035; Sam Altman recuses himself
Axios reports OpenAI is negotiating to buy fusion electricity from Helion Energy — potentially 5 GW by 2030 and 50 GW by 2035 — while Sam Altman has stepped down from Helion’s board and recused himself from talks.
Anthropic acquires Vercept, the AI job crisis scenario, and Microsoft's past Epstein connections
Anthropic acquired Seattle startup Vercept on Wednesday, raising familiar questions about the impact of early exits on the broader Seattle startup ecosystem, and the question of whether AI startups can compete long-term against the giants of the field. We dig into the deal, the public feud between two of the company's early investors on LinkedIn, and why one co-founder's prior departure to Meta may have been worth more than the entire acquisition. Plus, a new research paper envisions a 2028 "global intelligence crisis" driven by AI-fueled white collar job losses, and we're already seeing early signs in the news. Then…
Anthropic Acquires Seattle AI Startup Vercept to Boost Claude’s Desktop Automation Capabilities
Anthropic has acquired Seattle AI startup Vercept, integrating its desktop 'computer use' technology and team to enhance Claude's ability to perform multi-step tasks within live applications. As part of the deal, Vercept will shut down its Vy application and encourage users to switch to Claude.
Temporal Raises $300M Series D Led by Andreessen Horowitz, Valued at $5B Amid AI Infrastructure Surge
Temporal, led by CEO Samar Abbas, raised $300 million in a Series D round at a $5 billion valuation, driven by surging demand for its durable execution infrastructure supporting AI agents. The company’s revenue grew over 380% year-over-year as it positions itself as a core infrastructure provider for the emerging AI agent platform shift.
People
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Vijaye Raji Executive, CTO of Applications
