Facts
- HQ
- Seattle
- Sectors
- Software Development
- Founded
- 2021
- Type
- Corporation Seattle business license
- Employees
- 119
- Registered name
- Read AI Inc Seattle business license
- Stage
- startup
- Total raised
- $81M SEC Form D filings Total of this company's SEC Form D filings
- Last round
- $50M · Sep 2024 SEC Form D
- Founders
- David Shim, Rob Williams, Elliott Waldron
WTIA’s 2026 ‘Tech Universe Map’ shows Microsoft (161) and UW (143) produced most founders of 625 mapped Washington tech firms
The Washington Technology Industry Association's 2026 "Tech Universe Map" visualizes founder lineage for 625 Washington tech companies and finds Microsoft (161 companies) and the University of Washington (143) are the largest founder hubs, followed by Amazon (58) and Google (20). WTIA says the map highlights regional connectivity, is broader than the 2015 Seattle-focused version, and signals emerging hubs are often out-of-state companies with local engineering centers.
WTIA launches 2026 Washington Tech Universe Map detailing 625 companies and founder lineages — first update since 2015
The Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA) released the 2026 Washington Tech Universe Map on July 27, 2026 — the first update since 2015 — visualizing 625 notable Washington tech companies and the founder lineages linking Microsoft, Amazon, the University of Washington, and new hubs. The wall-sized map organizes companies by founder origin to highlight how major organizations act as launchpads for successive generations of local tech founders.
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.
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.
Read AI Launches Operator to Capture In-Person Workplace Conversations Across Desktop and Mobile
Read AI has launched Operator, a new system enabling users to capture and analyze in-person workplace conversations via desktop and mobile apps. This expansion beyond virtual meetings addresses the growing trend of capturing spontaneous offline work interactions as companies return to office settings.
Seattle Entrepreneur Diego Oppenheimer Builds AI Executive Assistant 'Actionary' Highlighted in GeekWire's Agents of Transformation Series
Entrepreneur Diego Oppenheimer developed a personal AI executive assistant called 'Actionary' that helps manage his schedule and communications, illustrating a new wave of AI agents that can autonomously handle tasks but still fall short of human judgment. GeekWire's Agents of Transformation series explores this evolving technology and its impact on workflows.
T.A. McCann of Pioneer Square Labs Explains AI Agents' Impact on Startup Strategies and Company Creation
Investor T.A. McCann of Pioneer Square Labs discusses how AI agents are transforming startups by automating complex functions, shifting focus from product to distribution and data, and enabling one-person billion-dollar companies. The podcast also explores AI-powered tools and the future of AI agent interactions impacting business operations.
Seattle Lags Behind San Francisco in Top AI Startup Funding Deals in 2025 Despite Strong Talent Pool
Despite Seattle's strong AI talent and institutions, no Seattle-area startups rank among the top 100 AI funding deals in 2025, as investors favor San Francisco-based companies for large funding rounds. The city has potential but currently lacks a defining AI startup comparable to Anthropic or OpenAI.
Seattle Startup Founders Highlight Focused Community and Talent Amid Risk-Aversion Concerns
Seattle startup founders praise the city's focused, welcoming community, strong technical talent, and unique advantages like proximity to Joint Base Lewis-McCord. However, concerns remain about the region's risk-averse culture, limited local capital, and government policies.
2025 GeekWire Awards Tickets on Sale for April 30 Event Honoring Pacific Northwest Tech Innovators at Showbox SoDo
Individual tickets are now available for the 2025 GeekWire Awards celebrating top Pacific Northwest tech innovators on April 30 at Showbox SoDo, Seattle, featuring nearly 50 finalists across a dozen categories. The event includes a welcome party, dinner, main program, and sponsor participation, highlighting innovations in AI, sustainability, health, and more.
Seattle Startup Read AI Launches AI-Powered Search Copilot to Transform Enterprise Data Discovery, Raises $81M Total Funding
Seattle startup Read AI launched Search Copilot, an AI-powered enterprise search tool that helps users find and analyze internal data across multiple platforms, offering free access with limits. The company has grown rapidly with 40,000 new accounts daily, 5X revenue growth last year, and $81 million funding to date.
Echodyne, Pulumi, Read AI, Statsig and Truveta Named Finalists for GeekWire's 2023 Next Tech Titan Award
Five startups—Echodyne, Pulumi, Read AI, Statsig, and Truveta—are finalists for the GeekWire Awards' Next Tech Titan prize, which highlights promising tech companies. These firms specialize in diverse areas like radar technology, cloud infrastructure, generative AI productivity tools, and advanced product feature testing.
GeekWire 200 Q1 2025: Highspot Leads as Helion Rises to No. 2 After $425M Funding; Truveta, Statsig, Protect AI Also Advance
The GeekWire 200 Q1 2025 update highlights rapidly growing Pacific Northwest tech startups, with Highspot retaining No. 1 and Helion rising to No. 2 after a $425 million funding round. Other notable movers include Truveta, Statsig, Protect AI, Carbon Robotics, and Stoke Space, reflecting dynamic shifts in the regional tech landscape.
Pacific Northwest Tech Startups Raise $762M in Q4 2024 with Zap Energy and Auger Leading Funding Rounds
Venture capital funding for Pacific Northwest startups rose over 20% year-over-year in Q4 2024, totaling $762 million across 48 deals, driven by major rounds from Zap Energy and Auger. Despite being well below 2021 peaks, the region shows positive momentum amid a cautious but moderately optimistic U.S. VC market influenced by AI investment growth.
Seattle Rises to Third in U.S. SaaS Startup Funding Rankings, Fifth in Overall Capital Raised
Seattle ranked third in SaaS startup funding based on Carta data for the first time, highlighting its growing strength in software innovation driven by major companies and AI talent. The city's overall funding position improved to fifth place nationally, signaling increased investment across tech sectors.
UW Allen School's AI-Powered Remote Work Project Wins Madrona Prize at Annual Research Showcase
At the University of Washington's Paul G. Allen School annual Research Showcase, the Madrona Prize was awarded to a PhD-led team using AI to enhance remote work communication, including projects like Meeting Bridges. The event highlighted over 100 student projects and emphasized the intersection of research and commercial potential, with Madrona also recognizing two runner-up teams.
Seattle Startup Read AI Raises $50M Series B to Accelerate Growth of AI-Powered Enterprise Productivity Tools
Seattle startup Read AI, selling generative AI-powered enterprise productivity tools, has raised $50 million in a Series B round to accelerate growth, boasting 75% of the Fortune 500 as users and adding 100,000 new accounts weekly without marketing spend. The company aims to expand its 'copilot everywhere' vision by integrating AI across communication platforms like email, messaging, and video calls, with plans to add predictive analytics and automation.
Read AI Welcomes Kate Reinmiller as VP of Operations and Karin Rodriguez, CIR, as Principal Recruiter Amid Growth
Read AI has announced the hiring of Kate Reinmiller as VP of Operations and Karin Rodriguez, CIR, as Principal Recruiter during a period of significant growth. The company is also inviting interested candidates to explore open roles on their career page.
Read, founded by ex-Placed team members David Shim, Elliott Waldron and Rob Williams, raises $10M seed to analyze faces and voices on video calls
Seattle startup Read — founded by David Shim, Elliott Waldron, and Rob Williams — raised $10 million in seed funding for software that uses AI to analyze participants' facial expressions and voice during video calls to measure engagement and sentiment in real time.
People
See all 4-
David Shim Founder, Co-Founder, CEO, Executive Officer, Director
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Kate Reinmiller Executive, Vice President of Operations, Vice President Operations
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Julie Sandler Investor
