Facts
- HQ
- None
- Sectors
- Artificial Intelligence, AI Research
- Founded
- 2015
- Stage
- private
Seattle AI Startup Vercept Raises $16M Seed Round Led by Fifty Years to Automate Computer Tasks with AI
Seattle startup Vercept, backed by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and other tech veterans, raised $16 million in seed funding to develop AI-powered automation software called Vy, designed to automate repetitive computer tasks by understanding and mimicking user workflows. The company aims to create a new computer interaction paradigm that differs from traditional robotic process automation by eliminating the need for hardcoded interactions.
Yoodli Raises $13.7M to Expand AI Roleplay Software Helping Enterprises Enhance Employee Communication Skills
Yoodli, founded by CEO Varun Puri, has raised $13.7 million to grow its AI roleplay software that helps employees improve communication skills through interactive speech analysis and feedback. The startup, spun out of AI2 in 2021, is shifting focus to enterprise clients and has increased revenue fivefold in eight months.
Seattle Cybersecurity Startup Protect AI, Founded by Ian Swanson, Acquired by Palo Alto Networks
Seattle-based cybersecurity startup Protect AI, founded by Ian Swanson and co-founders, was acquired by Palo Alto Networks after addressing AI security gaps in enterprises. Swanson leveraged his experience with previous startups and AWS to pivot Protect AI towards securing large-scale machine learning deployments, coinciding with increased AI adoption following ChatGPT's popularity.
Seattle Startup Gumshoe Raises $2M to Help Marketers Navigate AI Search Tool Recommendations
Seattle startup Gumshoe, led by Todd Sawicki and Patrick O’Donnell, raised $2 million to help marketers understand AI search tools' product recommendations and brand visibility. Their platform analyzes AI-generated conversations to reveal brand mentions, sources cited, and evolving trends in AI search, addressing marketers' concerns about the impact of AI on e-commerce and SEO.
Aircall Opens Ninth Global Office in Bellevue to Expand AI Innovation, Plans 50 Employees by 2025
Aircall, a cloud-based business communications company led by CEO Scott Chancellor, has opened its ninth global office in Bellevue, Washington to expand AI innovation and plans to employ about 50 people there by the end of 2025. The profitable company serves over 20,000 customers, expects $200 million in annual recurring revenue this year, and recently launched an AI Voice Agent to automate customer service calls.
Seattle AI Startup heyLibby, Co-Founded by Spencer Rascoff, Raises $4.5M to Automate Customer Service for Gyms and Salons
Seattle-based AI startup heyLibby, now renamed Replify, raised $4.5 million in seed funding to help health and wellness businesses like gyms and tanning salons automate customer communications. Founded by Tony Small, Anna Rodriguez, and Spencer Rascoff, the company currently serves U.S. clients with plans for international expansion.
Stargate, OpenAI and Microsoft; BlueSky in Seattle; and Madrona's big new funds
This week, we delve into the Project Stargate announcement by OpenAI, Oracle and Softbank, in conjunction with President Trump, and assess the implications for OpenAi's relationship with Microsoft. We explain what Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella really meant with his CNBC zinger about the Stargate investment, and consider how Elon Musk's involvement in the new administration could play out in the tech industry. PLUS, we discuss Madrona's big new funds and the potential impact on startup activity in the Pacific NW, and find a revealing piece of Microsoft history on an old CD-ROM. Related stories: Microsoft and OpenAI tweak the terms…
Madrona Raises $770M for Two New Funds to Back Early and Late-Stage Tech Startups Amid VC Slowdown
Madrona, the largest venture capital firm in the Pacific Northwest, raised $770 million for two new funds focusing on early-stage and more mature tech startups despite a challenging VC fundraising environment in 2024. The firm plans to invest in about 30 companies at early stages and 12 at later stages, maintaining its strong position amid a slowdown in the broader venture capital sector.
Anthony Bontrager: 2025 VC Reset Prioritizes Capital Efficiency, Unit Economics and Proprietary Data Amid Generative AI Boom
Anthony Bontrager argues that the 2025 venture capital reset—shaped by 2024’s pullback and the rise of generative AI—will prioritize capital efficiency, unit economics, and proprietary data over ‘growth at all costs,’ forcing founders and investors to focus on sustainable business models and lower-cost AI development.
Seattle VCs Forecast AI Dominance and Crypto Skepticism in 2025 Tech Landscape
Seattle venture capitalists predict AI will dominate tech trends in 2025, emphasizing its integration into consumer interactions and infrastructure. While AI is expected to advance, some also view crypto as the most overhyped technology.
Databricks Raises $10B at $62B Valuation and Expands Seattle Area Workforce to Nearly 400 Employees
Databricks is raising $10 billion at a $62 billion valuation to accelerate its AI efforts and plans to expand its Seattle-area offices, which have grown from 52 employees in 2021 to nearly 400 today. The company is actively hiring across engineering, product, and security roles to compete for AI talent alongside companies like OpenAI and Anthropic.
Microsoft GM Nikesh Parekh Advises SaaS VP on Evaluating Stock Value and Career Priorities at Slow-Growth Company
Nikesh Parekh, a Microsoft general manager and former startup founder, advises a VP of engineering at a slow-growing SaaS company to assess the value of their stock and company exit potential before making career moves. He suggests prioritizing career goals like skill growth, title, or compensation while considering the risks involved.
Jeff Bezos Optimistic About Trump’s Return, Predicts Blue Origin Will Surpass Amazon
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos expressed optimism about President-elect Donald Trump's return to office, highlighting Trump's calmer demeanor and regulatory reduction goals. Bezos also stated that his space venture Blue Origin will become a bigger business than Amazon.
Microsoft, Amazon, AI, the economy, and another bad tech ad
This week on the GeekWire Podcast, we take a closer look at the earnings reports from Microsoft and Amazon this week, as a litmus test for artificial intelligence demand and the state of the economy. We also consider the implications of Boeing's new CEO being based in the Seattle region, discuss a new AI tool that aims to streamline marketing tasks, and weigh in on the backlash to Google's Olympics ad for its Gemini AI chatbot Microsoft capital spending soars to $19B, betting big on AI, as Azure growth underwhelms Wall Street Amazon sales come up short, profits nearly double…
WestRiver Senior Associate Sean Maier: Cheap Capital and Platform Shifts Spawned 54,000 U.S. Venture-Backed Startups and 532 Unicorns by 2023, Many Overvalued
Sean Maier of WestRiver Group argues that successive technology platform waves plus cheap capital drove a surge in venture-backed U.S. startups and inflated valuations, creating many unicorns with weak fundamentals. He warns that the subsequent capital tightening exposes those weaknesses but expects innovation to continue, favoring startups that focus on product-market fit, unit economics, and durable value.
AI, VC, and the next big opportunity in tech, with 'Startup Project' host Nataraj Sindam
As the creator and host of the "Startup Project" podcast, Seattle-area tech senior product manager Nataraj Sindam talks with a wide range of investors and entrepreneurs, contributing to his broad perspective on the future of artificial intelligence, investing, startups, and business technology. He's also author of the Above Average email newsletter, and venture partner with Incisive Ventures. Our topics this week include: The opportunity to apply the power of large language models and generative AI to the larger world of business-to-business applications, including services tailored to workflows in specific industry verticals. How AI will drive a massive increase in data…
Inside the GeekWire Awards: What's next for AI, the economy, and startups
This week, we go inside the GeekWire Awards, our annual recognition of the top people, companies and innovations in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest, which drew a sold-out crowd to the Showbox Sodo on Thursday May 9 in Seattle. We talk with finalists about AI, the economy and key trends in their industries, and we hear from some of the winners on stage during the program. RELATED Photos: Inside the GeekWire Awards, with the big winners, musical numbers and surprise guests GeekWire Awards 2024 revealed: Winners bask in momentum of AI and potential of region See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
AI's transparency problem: Tech leaders advocate for new insights into training data
Artificial intelligence is a powerful technology that promises to reshape the future, but it also poses many risks. One of the most pressing issues is the lack of regulation and oversight of the data used to train AI models. A new nonprofit, the Seattle-based Transparency Coalition (transparencycoalition.ai) aims to address this issue. The co-founders of the group, veteran startup founders and technology leaders Rob Eleveld and Jai Jaisimha, join us on this episode of the GeekWire Podcast to discuss their reasons for starting the organization, and their goals to help shape emerging legislation and public policy in this area. With…
OpenAI's Sora, a new Amazon book, and 5 days a week in the office
This week on the GeekWire Podcast, stick around to the end for a late-breaking addition to the show — a bonus segment about OpenAI's new AI video generation technology Sora. Joining the show is Rahul Sood, CEO and co-founder of Irreverent Labs, a Seattle-area startup that is working on AI to turn images and text into video. We also discuss the Seattle-area startups that are bringing employees into the office five days a week; look ahead to the upcoming release of what appears to be a juicy Amazon book, due out in April; and preview the GeekWire Awards in advance…
Merck & Co. Adopts Variational AI’s Enki Platform to Generate Novel Small Molecules for Drug Discovery
Merck & Co. is an early user of Variational AI’s Enki platform, assessing its ability to generate novel small molecules that meet target product profiles for drug discovery. The generative AI tool creates lead-like structures quickly based on user-defined attributes, aiming to accelerate lead optimization.
Sports Loft gathers 2024 predictions from top sports investors—including Techstars, Ryan Sports Ventures, Edge VC and Sapphire Sport—on industry shifts and investment focus
Sports Loft surveyed leading sports and media investors and VCs for their 2024 expectations, collecting lessons from 2023 and predictions about where the industry will focus. Contributors emphasized disciplined investing, sustainable fundamentals, and shifting revenue strategies as key themes for the year ahead.
Navigating the Dynamics of Startup Boards: Managing Disagreements & Effective Governance
In this episode, Madrona Managing Director S. Somasegar and General Counsel Joanna Black discuss the fundamental role of a board in a startup's growth and development. They touch upon the importance of aligning strategic views with board members, managing disagreements, and effective governance to ensure that the organization is run efficiently. The duo offers numerous insights into the intricacies of board structure at different stages of a startup lifecycle, drawing parallels from recent events at OpenAI. The conversation covers the need for transparency, both in sharing good and bad news, and the necessity for a functional board reflecting a functional…
What's next for Microsoft and OpenAI; Amazon car sales; disappearing unicorns
This week on the GeekWire Podcast, we assess the outcome of the drama at OpenAI, considering what the removal and ultimate return of its CEO Sam Altman, and everything that happened in between, means for Microsoft. While Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella earned kudos for masterfully navigating the mess, the situation also showed how the company was vulnerable to being blindsided due to OpenAI's convoluted structure. And while for-profit interests are likely to get more influence on OpenAI's reformulated board, it's not yet clear if Microsoft will end up with a seat on that board, leaving the ultimate outcome for Microsoft…
Statsig Founder Vijaye Raji on Product Building, Launching a Startup, and AI
Today, Madrona Managing Director S. Somasegar talks with Statsig founder and CEO Vijaye Raji, who spent 20 years at Microsoft and Facebook before launching Statsig as a way to bring the powerful tools he was used to using inside Facebook to all builders. Statsig experimentation platform and automated AB testing helps companies make product decisions in a data-driven way at scale, which means shipping the right products faster. Vijaye and Soma go way back and take a little trip down memory lane, talking about Microsoft's Small Basic. But then they dive into what it's like transitioning from big tech to…
Building an 'AI chief of staff,' with Xembly CEO Pete Christothoulou
How can startups differentiate themselves in the new era of AI? We've been discussing that question a lot recently on the GeekWire Podcast, and on this episode, we'll get a first-hand look from business and technology veteran Pete Christothoulou, who has been immersed in this world for many years. Christothoulou is the former CEO of Marchex, the call and conversational analytics company, who is now founder and CEO of Xembly, a Seattle-based startup developing AI-powered technology that replicates a chief of staff and executive assistant, automating tasks such as meeting notes, scheduling, and action items. Xembly was founded in Madrona…
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Vijaye Raji Executive, CTO of Applications
