Facts
- HQ
- Seattle
- Sectors
- Venture capital, University-affiliated fund, Startup finance
- Founded
- 2011
Pack Ventures launches Seattle syndicate to back UW-linked startups, pledges 10% of future profits to University of Washington
Pack Ventures, a new early-stage Seattle VC, will invest $100K–$200K checks in startups tied to the University of Washington and has already backed five companies including Jeeva Wireless, Talus.bio and Monod Bio; the firm will return 10% of individual future profits to UW. The syndicate includes more than 35 founding investors from the Seattle VC and entrepreneur community and will target AI, robotics, computational biology, enterprise software and other high-growth areas.
Athira Pharma raises $204M in IPO at $17/share, values company at ~$670M to advance Alzheimer’s drug NDX-1017
Seattle biotech Athira Pharma raised $204 million by selling 12 million shares in a Nasdaq IPO at $17 per share, valuing the company at about $670 million as it advances its lead Alzheimer’s therapeutic NDX-1017 into late-stage development.
UW Spinout AnswerDash Acquired by CloudEngage; AI Q&A Tool Joins Personalization Platform
Seattle startup AnswerDash, founded from University of Washington research by Jake Wobbrock, Amy Ko and Parmit Chilana, has been acquired by Spokane-based CloudEngage after nearly eight years. The AI-powered contextual Q&A tool will join CloudEngage’s web personalization and live chat offerings to help clients reduce support costs and improve customer experience.
WiBotic raises $5.7M Series A to scale wireless charging and fleet power software for robots and drones
Seattle-based WiBotic raised $5.7 million in Series A funding to accelerate development of its near-field wireless charging stations and fleet power-management software for robots and drones, bringing total funding to nearly $9 million. The company, spun out of the University of Washington five years ago, says its technology enables scalable, contactless charging useful for automated deployments and COVID-19–era social distancing.
Athira Pharma raises $85M Series B to push NDX-1017 toward FDA approval for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and ALS
Seattle biotech Athira Pharma raised $85 million in a Series B round to advance NDX-1017, a regenerative therapy aimed at halting or reversing nerve damage in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and ALS, with preliminary trial results reported as positive and potential market availability in 2–3 years.
Cyrus Biotechnology Raises $8M Series A Led by Trinity Ventures to Expand Cloud-Based Protein Modeling for Drug Discovery
Cyrus Biotechnology secured $8 million in Series A funding led by Trinity Ventures to advance its cloud-based protein modeling platform, Cyrus Bench, which aids drug discovery. The software builds on the University of Washington's Rosetta platform, enabling researchers to design novel protein configurations for therapeutic applications.
Seattle Startup Nexgenia Raises $2M to Broaden Polymer Reagent Technology for Immunotherapy Applications
Seattle biotech startup Nexgenia, led by CEO Ron Myers, raised $2 million to expand its polymer-based reagents for sorting cells in immunotherapy production to new applications. The funding, led by the W Fund and Washington Research Foundation, will support further research into diverse uses of their technology beyond cancer treatment.
