Pienza
Facts
- HQ
- Seattle
- Sectors
- Startup studio, B2B software
- Stage
- Seed
Version One Ventures Raises $100M Across Fund IV ($70M) and Opportunities Fund II ($30M), Will Target 25–30 Early-Stage Startups
Version One Ventures raised $100 million across two new funds — $70M for Fund IV (pre-seed and seed) and $30M for Opportunities Fund II — and plans to invest in 25–30 startups across sectors including SaaS, marketplaces, crypto, healthcare, and climate. The nine-year-old firm, led by Boris Wertz and Angela Tran Kingyens, continues to treat Seattle as a key geography while broadening its geographic focus.
Madrona Venture Labs raises $8M and turns investors like Spencer Rascoff into co‑founders of spinouts
Madrona Venture Labs has raised $8 million for its fourth fund and introduced a model that makes investors — including Spencer Rascoff, Julie Larson-Green and Elena Donio — co-founders, board members, and advisors of its spinouts to attract talent and accelerate startup formation. Founded in 2014, the Seattle-based studio has spun out more than a dozen companies, including recent spinouts Zeitworks, Simplata, and Stratify.
Pioneer Square Labs spins out 25 startups in five years; six launched during pandemic surge
Seattle startup studio Pioneer Square Labs (PSL) spun out 25 startups in five years — six during a six-month pandemic stretch — by rapidly testing ideas, though it has yet to produce a breakout unicorn and faces criticism over founder dilution.
Outreach CMO Margaret Arakawa departs; FlyHomes CMO Ryan Steingard joins Persona; Brian Goldfarb named Amperity CMO
Several Seattle-area marketing executives have changed roles: Margaret Arakawa left Outreach as CMO to pursue a new venture, FlyHomes CMO Ryan Steingard moved to chief growth officer at Persona, and Brian Goldfarb joined Amperity as CMO. Outreach recently raised $50 million in a Series F at a $1.33 billion valuation and serves over 4,000 companies.
Bizible founder Aaron Bird raises $5.1M to launch Seattle B2B startup studio Pienza
Aaron Bird, founder of Bizible, launched Seattle startup studio Pienza and raised $5.1 million from MHS Capital, Version One Ventures, Vulcan Capital and angels to build a small portfolio of B2B software companies. Pienza will focus on fewer, highly concentrated bets, put most of the funding into portfolio companies, keep a lean internal team, and Bird will forgo a salary.
