Facts
- HQ
- Seattle
- Sectors
- Software Development
- Founded
- 2015
- Employees
- 33
Amplitude acquires Seattle analytics startup Iteratively, founded 2019; Iteratively to operate as unit within Amplitude
San Francisco product intelligence firm Amplitude has acquired Seattle-based customer data analytics startup Iteratively, which was founded in 2019 and raised $5.4 million earlier this year; Iteratively will operate as a unit within Amplitude and already shares most of its customers with the acquirer.
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.
Boundless raises $25M to expand immigration software services; aims to triple staff after RapidVisa deal
Seattle-based immigration software startup Boundless raised $25 million to expand services that help people connect with lawyers and file spousal-visa and citizenship applications, having supported over 70,000 families since spinning out of Pioneer Square Labs in 2017. The company, led by CEO Xiao Wang, plans to grow headcount from 130 with hopes tied to a 'pro-immigrant' Biden administration after recent restructuring and the acquisition of RapidVisa.
Jeff Bezos’s Bezos Expeditions joins Drake, Alexis Ohanian and NBA stars in $80M investment in Overtime as it launches paid high-school basketball league
Jeff Bezos joined an $80 million funding round for Overtime, a Brooklyn-based sports media company planning a paid high-school basketball league, alongside investors including Drake, Alexis Ohanian and current and former NBA players.
GeekWire opens community voting for UX Design of the Year finalists — Boundless, Joon, Qumulo Core, Tagboard Producer, Voodle — voting closes April 30
GeekWire’s UX Design of the Year recognizes startups for meaningful, usable product experiences; five finalists — Boundless, Joon, Qumulo Core, Tagboard Producer, and Voodle — are open for community voting through April 30 with winners announced May 20 at the virtual GeekWire Awards.
Coinbase IPO Soars to $85 Billion, Nets Windfalls for Early Backers Including Version One Ventures
Coinbase’s IPO pushed its valuation to $85 billion and delivered major returns to early investors like Version One Ventures, which made a highly profitable bet years ago. The article examines how Seattle and Pacific Northwest investors view crypto and blockchain as the region seeks to grow its fintech presence amid emerging local startups and initiatives.
Libsyn Acquires Seattle Podcast Monetization Startup Glow for $1.2M; Integrates Subscription Billing for 75,000+ Shows
Seattle startup Glow, spun out of Pioneer Square Labs and founded by Amira Valliani, built podcast subscription tools and has been acquired by podcast host Libsyn; Libsyn will integrate Glow’s private feed distribution and subscription billing for its 75,000+ podcasts. Glow had raised $2.3 million, and an SEC filing shows Libsyn agreed to pay $1.2 million ($800k upfront, up to $400k earnout); other deal terms were not disclosed.
Seahawks Linebacker Bobby Wagner Joins Fuse Venture Partners as Venture Partner, Investing in Early-Stage Seattle Startups
Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner is a venture partner at Fuse Venture Partners, investing in early-stage Seattle startups while applying negotiation and leadership lessons from his NFL career; he discussed these topics and his angel investments on GeekWire Studios' podcast 2025: Tomorrow, Today.
Startup Haven launches Startup Haven Ventures, adds Westerdal, Yu and Mbemba; PSL promotes three; Adam Selipsky named AWS CEO
Startup Haven, founded by Bob Crimmins, launched Startup Haven Ventures and expanded its team to include Jay Westerdal, Arry Yu and Claudius Mbemba; the fund targets pre-seed, capital-efficient companies with a Pacific Northwest focus and made its first investment in Verdi. Seattle’s Pioneer Square Labs promoted Palvi Mehta, David Zager and Ben Gilbert; separately, Tableau CEO Adam Selipsky will become AWS CEO, replacing Andy Jassy.
Seattle VCs Report 28% Women in Senior Roles, Nearly Double U.S. Average of 14.2%
Seattle-area venture capital firms have nearly double the national share of women in senior roles (28% vs. 14.2%), with 25 women among 88 partners across 21 Washington firms, though overall parity remains distant and 61% of U.S. VC firms still have no women in key decision-making roles.
JetClosing raises $11M Series B, names former Amazon and Bulletproof exec Anna Collins as CEO
Seattle digital home-closing startup JetClosing raised an $11 million Series B led by funds advised by T. Rowe Price, Pioneer Square Labs and Trilogy Equity, bringing total funding to $44 million. The company also named former Amazon and Bulletproof executive Anna Collins as its new CEO, replacing founder Daniel Greenshields.
Pioneer Square Labs raises $100M Fund II to back 30+ Pacific Northwest startups with $1–3M initial checks
Seattle-based Pioneer Square Labs raised $100 million for its second venture fund, exceeding its $80 million target due to strong institutional demand, and will invest across more than 30 early-stage Pacific Northwest companies with initial checks of $1–3 million. The firm operates a startup studio (raised $29 million) and a venture fund model that splits capital roughly half to studio spinouts and half to external startups.
Madrona’s Dan Li: Niche, Creator-Driven Communities Like Roblox ($30B) and Clubhouse (~$1B) Are Rising
Madrona partner Dan Li says niche, user-populated online communities — exemplified by Roblox (valued at $30B) and Clubhouse (about $1B) — are growing more important as creators produce sticky, original content, a trend accelerated by the pandemic. He discussed these themes on GeekWire Studios’ podcast 2025: Tomorrow, Today, hosted by John Cook and Jordon Voss.
SPACs Let Founders Reach Public Markets Faster and Keep Larger Equity Stakes, Say Startup Observers
The article explains how SPACs (special purpose acquisition companies) let founders and early employees reach liquidity faster and often retain larger ownership stakes than through later-stage VC or private equity rounds. Using examples like Sana Biotechnology and Seattle entrepreneur Sujal Patel, it argues SPACs can preserve founders' equity by bypassing dilutive funding rounds.
Seattle Fintech Startup Secure Names Suze Orman as Co-Founder After $3.5 Million Funding Round
Seattle-area fintech startup Secure revealed that TV personality and author Suze Orman is a co-founder. The company, which offers emergency savings accounts as a financial wellness benefit, raised $3.5 million in funding in January.
Founders’ Co-op raises $50M fifth fund to back 20–25 Pacific Northwest early-stage startups
Seattle venture firm Founders’ Co-op raised a $50 million fifth fund, its largest to date, to invest in 20–25 early-stage startups across the Pacific Northwest. The larger fund reflects growing deal sizes and outside LP interest as the region sees record startup funding and more unicorns.
TiE Seattle VC Panel: 2020 Ended with Record Startup Funding and SPAC Surge, Investors Expect Strong 2021
A TiE Seattle panel of four Seattle-area VCs said despite early pandemic layoffs and valuation fears, 2020 ended with record startup funding, VC capital raises, and strong exits, and they expect continued momentum in 2021 driven by SPAC activity and pandemic-driven innovation. Panelists highlighted increased founding activity, higher valuations, and pandemic-forced business improvements creating investor opportunities.
Boundless lays off 4, asks 27 employees to relocate to Las Vegas after $7.5M raise and RapidVisa acquisition
Seattle-based immigration startup Boundless cut four jobs and asked 27 customer-support employees to relocate to Las Vegas after raising $7.5 million and acquiring RapidVisa, consolidating support to the acquired companys Las Vegas center as part of a restructuring.
Gradient Ventures leads $5.4M investment in Seattle analytics startup Iteratively to standardize customer data
Seattle analytics startup Iteratively raised $5.4 million in a round led by Gradient Ventures, Google’s AI-focused fund, to help companies standardize and improve customer analytics tracking. The 10-person company, founded in 2019 by Patrick Thompson and Ondrej Hrebicek, integrates with tools like Amplitude and Mixpanel and counts Box and thredUP among clients.
Lockstep raises $10M Series A to expand cloud-based 'connected accounting' tools for cash-flow management
Seattle startup Lockstep raised $10 million in a Series A to expand its cloud-based "connected accounting" tools that automate receivables/payables communications and provide shared accounting inboxes to improve cash flow and remote collaboration.
Kevala raises $4M led by Vulcan Capital to help long-term care facilities fill nursing shifts with staffing and compliance software
Seattle startup Kevala raised $4 million led by Vulcan Capital to provide staffing, compliance and workforce-management software for long-term care facilities, helping them fill nursing shifts via a curated on-call pool and earning revenue from software sales and a cut of supplemental staff wages.
Gemma Labs raises $2.75M from PSL Ventures to expand Gemmist personalized shampoo service
Seattle-based Gemma Labs raised $2.75 million from PSL Ventures and other investors to expand its Gemmist custom shampoo service and roll out new products after reaching $1.5M in annualized sales. The company creates personalized shampoos using customer surveys and in-house scientists, with bottles starting at $18 and a $25 scalp balancing bar.
Seattle fintech Secure raises $3.5M seed round to power employer-offered emergency savings accounts
Seattle fintech startup Secure raised a $3.5 million seed round to help employers offer emergency savings accounts (ESAs) to workers and is launching with its first customers this month.
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.
NextStep raises $2.5M to expand CNA training platform from Colorado to other states
Seattle startup NextStep, which retrains displaced workers as certified nursing assistants using an app-plus in-person platform, raised $2.5 million to expand beyond Colorado, improve its technology and learning content, and scale employer placements.
People
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Ben Gilbert Founder, Co-founder and Managing Director, Venture Partner
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Geoff Entress Founder, Co-founder and Venture Partner
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Greg Gottesman Founder, Managing Director, Co-Founder
