Starbucks
Starbucks operates coffeehouses and offers a range of coffee drinks, food items, and merchandise for customers. It aims to deliver high-quality coffee and create welcoming environments that foster human connection, while supporting communities and promoting sustainability throughout its operations.
Facts
- HQ
- Washington
- Sectors
- Food & Beverage, Retail, Hospitality
- Founded
- 1971
- Type
- Corporation Seattle business license
- Registered name
- Starbucks Corporation Seattle business license
- Stage
- Public
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What's going on with Seattle startup funding, a Kalshi setback, Impinj's long game, and a smartphone detox
This week on the GeekWire Podcast: Seattle startup funding drops 40% in the first half of the year while AI money floods everywhere else. We dig into the numbers and the implications for the region. Plus: a Seattle judge deals Kalshi a setback, Impinj marks a decade on the Nasdaq after a 26-year climb, and nearly 40 Seattleites trade their smartphones for flip phones for five weeks. Related Stories Venture funding drops in Seattle area as AI boom reshapes startup world Helion raises $465M at $15.5B valuation as it aims to commercialize fusion UK data center startup Nscale bets big…
What we learned about Microsoft in the OpenAI trial, and is Seattle squandering its edge?
This week: As the Musk v. OpenAI trial heads to the jury, we dig into what Microsoft's internal board memos and executive testimony revealed about the origins of the company's massive bet on AI, and why this case matters beyond the billionaire drama. Plus, Howard Schultz, a former Washington governor, and the tech community weigh in on whether Seattle is squandering its edge as an innovation capital. And Todd owes John and the United Kingdom an apology. RELATED STORIES AND LINKS Microsoft's CTO testifies about email at the heart of Elon Musk's allegations against the tech giant OpenAI CEO Sam…
Rec Room shutdown, robot umps, FedEx meets Amazon, and OpenAI's odd media buy
This week: Rec Room, the Seattle-based social gaming platform once valued at $3.5 billion, is shutting down — and Snap is picking up some of the pieces. Todd talks about what it was like fielding calls from distraught users on the night of the announcement. John offers his thoughts on what the shutdown says about the VR hype cycle, and whether everyone betting on the AI boom should take notes. Plus: Major League Baseball's new automated ball-strike system is already exposing umpires and creating a whole new kind of showboating — including one player who was so confident the robot…
Building an AI-first company: What these two business leaders learned from top experts in the field
Our guests this week: Adam Brotman and Andy Sack, co-authors of the book AI First: The Playbook for a Future-Proof Business and Brand. Brotman was Starbucks’ chief digital officer and later co-CEO of J.Crew. Sack is a founder, investor, and longtime advisor to tech leaders. Together, they run Forum3, a company that helps brands rethink loyalty and customer engagement. For their book, they interviewed experts including Bill Gates, Sam Altman, Reid Hoffman and Ethan Mollick, and spent time with companies that have had early success with AI implementation. We talk about their "holy sh*t" moment with Sam Altman, how Moderna…
Emily Long - Founder and CEO at Edera
Emily Long is the co-founder and CEO of Edera, the pioneer of strong workload isolation technology for cloud and AI infrastructure. She places the highest value on people and bringing diverse teams together to build something that is greater than the sum of its parts. Emily is a tactical and strategic leader who’s proven in scaling operations, fostering strong company cultures, and driving strategic execution. She’s also an unapologetic people person who believes in the capacity of humor and human connection to motivate and empower team members to achieve more. Prior to Edera, she was the COO at Chainguard, where…
The Impact of Venture Capital with Dan Levitan, Co-Founder & Partner of Maveron
This is a condensed version of Shauna Swerland’s 2019 interview with Dan Levitan, the co-founder of the venture capital firm Maveron. Dan started the firm with Howard Schultz in 1998 after helping the Starbucks team accomplish its IPO. Under Dan’s guidance, Maveron focused on “creating a cauldron of consumer passion” by forming partnerships with non-normal entrepreneurs. These partnerships have included brands like Allbirds, Ebay, Lovevery, and Zulily. To learn more about Maveron and the team behind their consumer-focused culture, visit maveron.com. In this recap episode, Dan explains the importance of investing in consumers and relationships, the significance of seeing the…
week of june 10: Greg Kunst - Aurion Biotech
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Who will be the Next Tech Titan? Previewing the GeekWire Awards
This week on the show, we get a sneak preview of the GeekWire Awards, coming up at the Showbox SoDo in Seattle on Thursday, May 9. We look back at the past winners of the Next Tech Titan title in the awards, and consider the event's track record in predicting major companies to emerge from Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. We also contemplate the evolution of the "Workplace of the Year" category through the rise of remote and hybrid work. And finally, we consider the impact of migration on another part of state: Spokane, Wash., and the Inland Northwest. See…
The pioneering spirit and joyful life of late 'Cranium' creator Richard Tait
Tributes and memories have been pouring in from longtime friends and colleagues of Cranium creator Richard Tait since the Seattle entrepreneur's death on July 25 the age of 58 from complications due to COVID-19. A passionate and visionary entrepreneur known for being tough, Tait had a generous spirit, effusive personality, and rare ability to connect with people he encountered. This week on the GeekWire Podcast, we're listening back to a conversation that Tait recorded with Fuel Talent CEO and founder Shauna Swerland in 2018 for her podcast, What Fuels You. It's inspiring, insightful, and bittersweet, and we're grateful to Shauna…
Jane Park on SPACs, the immigrant ethos, and brands in the Amazon era
Jane Park, the CEO of newly public Athena Consumer Acquisition Corp., hadn't imagined herself leading a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, before accepting the job. She decided to consider the pitch from venture capitalist Isabelle Freidheim for one reason. “It took some convincing, a little bit. I wasn’t sure if I had the right capabilities. I have always sat on the entrepreneur side. So to be on the acquiring/money side is a new perspective and vantage point for me,” she said. “I don’t think I would have taken the call if it wasn’t the fact that it was an…
Maria Colacurcio
Maria Colacurcio is CEO of Syndio, an analytics platform that ensures workplace fairness in every stage of employment and aims to eliminate pay disparity. She is responsible for the company’s vision, strategy, building talent within the organization, and developing organizational excellence to deliver the highest levels of business value to its customers. Most importantly, she is passionate about issues surrounding equal pay, employee wellness and equity at work. Prior to joining Syndio, Maria co-founded Smartsheet.com, worked in technology and communications at Microsoft, Starbucks, and a variety of tech startups. She has a proven track record of building successful companies, with…
Howard Behar (former Starbucks President) on servant leadership and building Starbucks from startup to icon
We all know Starbucks today. But it was just a startup when Howard Behar joined in 1989. As the President of North America, he grew from 28 regional stores to over 15K stores around the world. Even at scale, he was often seen in the stores talking with baristas and customers. He'd wipe the counters. He'd pick up trash. This was key to his servant leadership. He goes behind the scenes on 21 years of building Starbucks and 50 years of studying and practicing servant leadership.
Scott Ferris
Scott is the CEO of Attunely Inc. A proven, compliant, and trustworthy machine learning platform that makes the recovery of receivables easy, seamless, and profitable. Attunely has earned recognition as one of the Best Places to work in Seattle, #29 of 50 Best Paying Companies, and #7 of 50 Best Small Companies to work for. Scott brings over 30 years of technology executive management experience in both domestic and international markets. Scott’s career spans decades of technology innovation with US WEST, Starbucks, startup Vendaria, aQuantive, and Microsoft. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Maria Colacurcio (Syndio CEO, Smartsheet Co-Founder) on category creation, leadership lessons from parenting, skills over experience, and the power of focus
Syndio just raised a $17M series B to help companies fix gender and racial pay equity problems. It's a big, complex, and new category. They already have 100+ customers like Nordstrom, Salesforce, and Adobe. Maria was previously co-founder at Smartsheet and a tech veteran. She is all about focus and precision. And she explains how parenting 6 kids, working with veterans, startup marketing, and big companies have all helped her find focus in her mission at Syndio.
Joe Heitzeberg (Crowd Cow CEO) on picking the right idea, validating with strangers, and scaling a marketplace
Investors laughed at the original idea for Crowd Cow. But consumers wanted to buy right away. Now they've raised $25M, grow to 90 employees, and went from selling crowd-funded cows to a complete marketplace. Joe Heitzeberg, co-founder & CEO, goes behind the scenes on his lessons validating and scaling Crowd Cow.
Snowflake, Madrona and a giant IPO; Bill Gates Sr.; Apple, UW and COVID
Here’s what we’re talking about on the GeekWire Podcast this week: Snowflake, the data warehousing company, came out with a bang this week in its public debut, raising $3.4 billion in the largest software IPO ever. It reignited a debate over the the IPO process and inequality in the allocation of shares when a company goes public. Snowflake's IPO was also a successful outcome for Seattle's Madrona Venture Group, resulting from a departure from its normal investing strategy. We'll explain what happened, and what it could mean for the future. When Bill Gates Sr. died this week at age 94…
Uber, Grubhub and Seattle; Amazon's virus-killing robot; Surface Earbuds first take
Here’s what we’re talking about this week on the GeekWire Podcast. Word leaked out this week that Uber is considering buying food-delivery service Grubhub, and it turns out there are many Seattle connections behind the possible deal, including links to Expedia and several other companies. Food delivery is a tough market to make a buck in, for companies and their drivers, so what's in the deal for Uber? Uber Eats is #2 and Grubhub is #3 in food delivery services, behind leader DoorDash. DoorDash grew its market share 42% in March while Grubhub stayed flat. Uber Eats grew 20% (it…
Bezos is Back
Here’s what we’re talking about this week on the GeekWire Podcast: Amazon's sales rose 26% in the first quarter as the COVID-19 crisis made the online retailer an even bigger part of many lives, but profits were down 30% due to expenses from dealing with the virus. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos gave a clear message to shareholders, saying they "may want to take a seat," because there are big challenges ahead and they won't be easy or cheap to overcome. The company says it will spend $4 billion this quarter on initiatives related to the pandemic. With Amazon bigger and…
Why millennials love Amazon
Amazon ousted Apple this year as the most loved brand among millennials, people age 19 through 39, according to a new study. What does this say about the future of the world? OK, that might be taking it too far, but some of our resident millennials offer their take on this episode of the GeekWire Podcast. And in news for slightly older generations, the startup HopSkipRide made its debut in Seattle this week, promising to safely shuttle your kids around town. We explain how it works and try to decide if we and our kids will use it. Plus, in…
Colette Courtion
Colette Courtion has founded three venture-backed consumer health and beauty related startups. During this episode, Colette takes us through her journey from a quiet child to a leader and innovator. She shares the lessons she learned while working at Starbucks for eight years, how she started Calidora Skin Clinics, and what ultimately made her decide to sell it. In the midst of growing her second company, JeNu Biosciences, Colette’s decision to get pregnant and the information her girlfriends shared with her ended up birthing the idea for her current company, Joylux. Founded in 2014, Joylux is a leading global femtech…
What Fuels You: Life and leadership with Jane Park
We're starting a new tradition on GeekWire, periodically sharing selected episodes of some of our favorite podcasts about startups, leadership, technology, science and more from the Seattle region and beyond. First up: What Fuels You, a new podcast from Shauna Swerland of Fuel Talent, featuring conversations and insights from successful business leaders. Her guest on this episode is Jane Park, the CEO and founder of Seattle-based beauty products company Julep. Park, who founded Julep in 2006, was named CEO of the Year in the 2014 GeekWire Awards. She sold Julep in 2016 to beauty brand Glansaol, which filed for bankruptcy…
Interview: Uber Chief Legal Officer Tony West
Uber has run into more than a few legal troubles in the last two years. Tony West is the man who has to deal with them. We're sharing Tony's full interview with GeekWire Civic Innovation Editor Monica Nickelsburg on this episode, including his take on Uber's data breach cover-up and how the company can regain the trust of its customers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Doctors Without Data
Dr. Dan Low wanted to know how his patients were doing on a new drug. Getting the data was so painful, he decided to found his own software company to make it easier. On this episode of Health Tech: Dan's journey from career doctor to startup CEO and back, and what his experience says about the state of healthcare data. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Amazon: Savior or villain?
Is Amazon good for Seattle? That's the question a community forum asked this week, and the results point to the complex relationship Amazon has with the communities around it. Plus, Uber and Lyft are the latest tech companies to dive into healthcare and Amazon's Alexa voice assistant gives us a reason to laugh... or not. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A $9 billion biotech deal
One of the most prominent immunotherapy companies, Juno Therapeutics, announced a deal to be acquired by Celgene. Plus, we dive into the tech renaissance in Pittsburgh and complain about Seattle's bike lanes. Read all our coverage at GeekWire.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Brady Brewer Executive, Chief Executive Officer
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Cathy Smith Executive, Chief Financial Officer
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Mike Grams Executive, Chief Operating Officer
