Facts
- HQ
- Seattle
- Sectors
- Software Development
- Founded
- 2015
- Employees
- 33
Lev names startup veteran Jay Bartot as CTO to build its ‘AI co-founder’ and productize PSL playbook
Lev, a Pioneer Square Labs spinout building an 'AI co-founder' for entrepreneurs, named veteran startup builder Jay Bartot as CTO to help productize the venture-studio playbook and launched Lev Learn, a free guide to startup terminology.
Emerson Electric acquires Glue Inc. to add Glue Studio AI to Test & Measurement; terms undisclosed
Emerson Electric has acquired Seattle AI startup Glue Inc., bringing its Glue Studio software into Emerson’s Test & Measurement segment to bolster AI-driven test generation and planning; financial terms were not disclosed. The deal follows Emerson’s 2023 $8.2 billion acquisition of National Instruments and aims to accelerate Emerson’s NI Nigel AI capabilities.
From Madrona to Pioneer Square Labs: Greg Gottesman’s Venture Playbook
In this episode of Direct Edge, Wilson speaks with Greg Gottesman, veteran investor, entrepreneur and co-founder of Pioneer Square Labs. With more than 25 years of experience on both sides of the venture table and a quarter-century teaching entrepreneurship at the University of Washington, Greg walks us through the lessons he’s learned, from the importance of self-awareness and assembling complementary teams to the idea that everyone in an organization is, in one way or another, a salesperson. Drawing on stories from his days at Madrona Venture Group through the runaway success of Rover and the emergence of AWS, Greg shows…
Seattle Startup Conduit Venture Labs Launches Sniff App Connecting Neighbors via Their Dogs to Combat Social Isolation
Seattle startup Conduit Venture Labs, founded by Amish Patel, launched Sniff, an iOS app that connects neighbors through their dogs by turning dog encounters into social connections, aiming to combat loneliness and isolation. The app verifies users' identities and neighborhoods using AI for safety, focusing on dog profiles to initiate neighborly interactions.
Robbie Cape Launches The Instrument to Disrupt Trillion-Dollar Insurance Industry with Pioneer Square Labs Backing
Seattle entrepreneur Robbie Cape is launching The Instrument, a new startup backed by Pioneer Square Labs, to disrupt the trillion-dollar insurance industry. After a nine-month job search and drawn by the sector's complexity and financial potential, Cape aims to build generational wealth unlike his previous mission-driven ventures.
Possible Finance Reaches $125 Million Revenue Run Rate and First Profit, Expands Seattle Office as Founders Reunite
Seattle fintech Possible Finance achieved a $125 million revenue run rate and its first annual profit after pandemic challenges, including layoffs. The company is expanding its Seattle office and reuniting its founding team, with co-founder Prasad Mahendra returning to lead AI initiatives.
Tin Can CEO Chet Kittleson and Founders Share Key Startup Lessons at Seattle Flow Day on May 15
At Seattle Flow Startup Day, experienced founders including Tin Can CEO Chet Kittleson shared lessons from their hardships, emphasizing building passionate companies, maintaining emotional stability, hiring capable people, disciplined fundraising, questioning the need for venture capital, and considering acquisition early. Kittleson recounted surviving a disastrous network outage that nearly ended his startup, highlighting resilience and customer-driven growth.
SageOx Raises $15M Seed Round Led by Canaan Partners to Build Shared Context Infrastructure for AI Teams
SageOx, a Seattle startup building shared context infrastructure for AI-native teams, raised $15 million in a Seed round led by Canaan Partners with participation from A.Capital, Pioneer Square Labs, and Founders’ Co-op on May 6, 2026.
T.A. McCann Becomes CEO of Lev, AI-Powered Startup Spun Out From Pioneer Square Labs with $1M Investment
T.A. McCann, after eight years as managing director at Pioneer Square Labs, is now CEO of Lev, an AI-powered co-founder platform designed to help early-stage entrepreneurs by automating guidance and validation. Lev, spun out from PSL and backed with over $1 million in investment, aims to scale founder support using AI tools for ideation, validation, and company formation.
Seattle Startup Tin Can's Screenless Kids Phone Cited by Jimmy Kimmel After NYT Wirecutter Praise
Seattle startup Tin Can's screenless phone for kids gained mainstream recognition after Jimmy Kimmel mentioned it during his show, following a positive New York Times Wirecutter review. The company has grown to 30 employees and sold hundreds of thousands of units.
2026 GeekWire Awards Young Entrepreneur Finalists: Emily Choi-Greene's Clearly AI Raises $8.4M Seed, Alongside Robotics and AI Startups
The 2026 GeekWire Awards Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalists include Emily Choi-Greene (Clearly AI), Caleb John (Pioneer Square Labs), Kavian Mojabe (MediScan AI), Charles Wu (Orchard Robotics), and Zheqing (Bill) Zhu (Pokee AI), showcasing innovation in AI, robotics, and cybersecurity. The event takes place May 7 in Seattle, with public voting for the winner open through April 16.
2026 GeekWire CEO of the Year Finalists Announced Across Fintech, Climate, Real Estate, and AI
The 2026 GeekWire Awards CEO of the Year finalists include Tony Huang of Possible Finance and others leading innovations in fintech, climate tech, real estate, and AI. The awards event takes place on May 7, with voting open through April 16.
Starfish Space Raises $110M Series B to Fund Satellite Servicing Missions and Scale Operations
Starfish Space raised $110 million in a Series B funding round led by Point72 Ventures to support its first satellite servicing missions and scale operations. Founded by Blue Origin veterans, the company developed the Otter vehicle for on-orbit satellite servicing and has conducted technology demonstrations and tests.
Author Departs Pioneer Square Labs After 7+ Years and 40+ Companies, Reflects on Career Highlights and Team Bonds
The author marks their last day at Pioneer Square Labs after over seven years and involvement with more than 40 companies, reflecting on memorable experiences and expressing gratitude for colleagues and mentors. They highlighted unique moments like pitching their AI-powered dating app 'Jail Date' and emphasized the lasting relationships formed during their tenure.
Pay-i Founder David Tepper Wins GeekWire’s AI Startup Pitch Competition with Advanced AI Spend Management Platform
At GeekWire’s Agents of Transformation event in Seattle, four AI startups—Pay-i, Cascade, Autessa, and GemaTEG—pitched their ideas to a panel of judges, with Pay-i founder David Tepper winning for his AI spend management platform that accurately tracks AI costs beyond token usage. Judges praised Tepper for his strong presentation skills and ability to answer questions under pressure.
UW Students Pitch AI Startup Ideas to Seattle Venture Capitalists After 10-Week Program at Pioneer Square Labs
University of Washington students from seven teams pitched AI-driven startup ideas to influential Seattle investors at Pioneer Square Labs, concluding a 10-week entrepreneurship program led by venture capitalist Greg Gottesman and UW professor Ed Lazowska. The event featured realistic pitch rounds, attracting prominent tech leaders as guests throughout the course.
Seattle Startup Certivo Raises $4M Seed Round Led by Suffolk Technologies to Automate Supply Chain Compliance with AI
Seattle startup Certivo raised $4 million in seed funding led by Suffolk Technologies to expand its AI-powered platform automating supply chain compliance. Founded in 2024 and led by CEO Kunal Chopra, Certivo aims to replace manual compliance with its AI-native system called CORA, targeting manufacturers facing evolving regulatory requirements.
Seattle Startup Accelerator Foundations Expands to San Francisco with New 5,000-Sq-Ft Location in Q2 2024
Seattle-based startup accelerator Foundations is opening a new 5,000-square-foot location in San Francisco to support founders who split time between the two tech hubs, responding to shifting market dynamics and growing startup momentum in the Bay Area. The expansion aims to bridge Seattle and San Francisco communities without abandoning Seattle, enabling members to access both spaces starting in Q2 2024.
Startup Founders Nour Gajial and Avi Agola Relocate from Seattle to San Francisco to Boost AI Ventures
Several early-stage startup founders, including Nour Gajial of MathGPT and Avi Agola of Talunt, are relocating from Seattle to San Francisco to leverage its dense AI startup ecosystem, investor networks, and customer base amid the AI boom. Despite Seattle’s strengths as a global AI hub, entrepreneurs see San Francisco as essential for scaling and maximizing success.
Founding Rover and the business model behind Pioneer Square Labs, a conversation with Greg Gottesman
Brought to you by TiE Seattle Hosts: Shirish Nadkarni and Gowri Shankar Guest: Greg Gottesman Producers: Minee Verma and Eesha Jain Learn about the founding of Rover and how it scaled its service to form the largest pet sitting service in the country, Explore the business model behind Pioneer Square Labs and how they incubate new companies. Greg Gottesman is a Managing Director and Co-Founder of PSL. Prior to PSL, Greg served as one of the three initial Managing Directors of Madrona Venture Group, where he worked for almost 20 years. He also co-founded and led Madrona Venture Labs. Greg…
2:32 Julie Sandler, Pioneer Square Labs
DARE speaks with Julie Sandler, Managing Director at Pioneer Square Labs and co-founding general partner of PSL's venture capital firm, PSL Ventures. The firm invests in companies all over the Pacific Northwest region. Julie has a long-standing interest in digital solutions serving women and underserved communities. Prior to PSL, Julie was a partner at Madrona Venture Group and managed digital marketing for Amazon’s ebook business worldwide. Julie was named a “Power 100” influencer in the Puget Sound Business Journal, voted “Geek of the Year” by GeekWire, named an AdWeek “Brand Star” for her work with underrepresented entrepreneurs, voted GeekWire’s “Hire…
Seattle Startup Tin Can Raises $12M Seed Funding Led by Greylock to Scale Kid-Friendly Wi-Fi Landline Phones
Seattle startup Tin Can raised $12 million in a seed round led by Greylock Partners to meet high demand for its Wi-Fi landline-style phones for kids, which have sold out two production runs and built a near-six-figure waitlist. The company aims to provide a safer communication device for kids without screen distractions, attracting investors who are also parents and industry experts.
HandsRing Health Acquires Seattle’s Joon Care to Expand Digital Youth Mental Health Services
Seattle-based Joon Care, a mental health startup serving youth with evidence-based online therapy, was acquired by New York-based Handspring Health, which also offers virtual mental health services. The acquisition aims to build a leading digital platform for youth and family mental healthcare, though financial terms were not disclosed.
Seattle Startup Casera Launches AI Tool to Streamline Hospital Case Management and Reduce Patient Stay Delays
Seattle-based healthcare startup Casera is developing AI software that assists hospital case managers by automating coordination tasks to reduce patient stay delays and operational costs. Spun out from Pioneer Square Labs, Casera integrates with existing communication tools to ensure timely follow-ups and task completion, aiming to improve hospital patient flow.
HSA Bank Acquires Seattle-Based Fintech SecureSave, Provider of Emergency Savings Solutions for Employees
HSA Bank has acquired fintech startup SecureSave, a 2020 Pioneer Square Labs spinout that provides emergency savings accounts as an employee financial wellness benefit. SecureSave has supported over 60,000 users saving more than $100 million, and the acquisition will allow it to continue its platform and client services.
People
See all 11-
Geoff Entress Founder, Co-founder and Venture Partner
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Greg Gottesman Founder, Managing Director, Co-Founder
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Julie Sandler Founder, Co-founder & General Partner, PSL Ventures, Former Managing Director , Venture Partner (upcoming), Venture Partner, Managing Director, PSL
