University of Washington
Facts
- HQ
- University of Washington
- Sectors
- Higher Education, Research, Healthcare, Arts
- Founded
- 1861
- Registered name
- University of Washington Seattle business license
- Stage
- Public
Curi Bio raises $10M to advance iPSC-based 3D tissue drug-discovery platforms including Mantarray
Seattle-based Curi Bio raised $10 million in Series A financing to advance its human iPSC-based drug discovery platforms, including 3D engineered tissue products like Mantarray and Cytostretcher. The company provides customized assay and screening services for cardiac, musculoskeletal and neuromuscular models and has prior funding including $6M this spring and over $6M in NIH grants.
Seattle’s Tasso Raises $100M Series B to Scale Self‑Administered Blood‑Collection Devices
Seattle startup Tasso raised $100 million in a Series B round to advance its self‑administered blood‑collection devices used for remote patient monitoring, decentralized clinical trials and mailed liquid or dried samples. The funding brings total capital to $131 million, building on prior grants and a $17 million raise in July 2020.
Amazon’s $2B Climate Pledge Fund Invests in Hippo Harvest and Amogy to Cut Grocery and Shipping Emissions
Amazon’s $2 billion Climate Pledge Fund has invested in two climate tech startups — Hippo Harvest, which develops closed-loop greenhouse systems using robotics and ML to cut water use and emissions, and Amogy, which converts ammonia into power for heavy transport — part of Amazon’s push to reach net zero by 2040. The moves aim to reduce emissions across Amazon’s grocery stores and shipping operations amid rising company emissions.
T-Mobile equips University of Washington’s CoMotion Labs with 5G; becomes Pacific Northwest’s first 5G hardware incubator
T-Mobile installed a 5G network at the University of Washington’s CoMotion Labs, making it the Pacific Northwest’s first 5G-equipped hardware incubator and adding the 5G Open Innovation Lab as a member to give its startups campus access.
Cyrus Biotechnology raises $18M and acquires Orthogonal Biologics, adding COVID-19 decoy therapeutic and deep mutational scanning platform
Seattle protein engineering company Cyrus Biotechnology raised $18 million and acquired Orthogonal Biologics, adding a deep mutational scanning platform and two protein therapeutics including a potential COVID-19 decoy. Cyrus leverages University of Washington IPD tools (Rosetta, RoseTTAfold) and has partnerships including a deal with Selecta Biosciences worth up to $1.5 billion.
Seattle NFT Museum to Open Jan. 14 in Belltown, Founded by Jennifer Wong and Peter Hamilton
The Seattle NFT Museum, founded by entrepreneurs Jennifer Wong and Peter Hamilton, opens Jan. 14 in Belltown as the Pacific Northwest's first museum devoted to NFTs, aiming to showcase digital artists and educate the public about the medium.
BattGenie selected for Shell GameChanger Accelerator Powered by NREL, awarded $250,000 non-dilutive funding
BattGenie, a University of Washington spinoff, won $250,000 in non-dilutive funding and access to R&D resources after being selected for the Shell GameChanger Accelerator Powered by NREL; the company develops software to improve fast charging and extend life of lithium batteries for EVs, consumer electronics and battery manufacturers.
Deal mania reshuffles GeekWire 200: M&A, IPOs and SPACs push top firms out while Blue Origin stays No. 1
A surge of M&A, IPO and SPAC activity — labeled 'deal mania' — reshuffled the GeekWire 200 rankings, removing several top-10 companies that went public or were acquired and creating openings for new entrants; Blue Origin remains No. 1 while more deal-making and rule changes about private equity-owned companies promise further shake-ups.
Madrona and Goldman Sachs Publish Inaugural IA40 of Top 40 Private AI Business-App Startups; Four Seattle Firms Included
Madrona Venture Group and Goldman Sachs released the inaugural Intelligent Applications Top 40 (IA40) list of private companies building business AI applications, based on votes from 40 venture firms plus Amazon and Microsoft and narrowed by 50 judges from over 220 nominees. Four Seattle-area companies — Amperity, OctoML, SeekOut, and one unnamed here — made the list; Amperity recently raised $100 million to reach unicorn status and OctoML raised $85 million.
UW Spinout Somalytics Launches Carbon-Nanotube Paper Sensors to Detect Eye, Hand and Body Movement
Somalytics, a University of Washington spinout, launched with ultrathin flexible sensors made from carbon nanotubes embedded in specialized paper that detect human gestures, eye movement and body signals from up to 20 cm away. Co-founded by UW researchers Jae-Hyun Chung, graduate students Zhongie Qian and Viggy Sak, and led by CEO Barbara Barclay, the company received undisclosed seed funding from IP Group and support from UW’s CoMotion.
Viome raises $54M to develop saliva-based cancer diagnostics and expand microbiome consumer business
Viome Life Sciences raised $54 million to advance cancer diagnostics and support its consumer microbiome testing and customized supplement business, bringing total funding to over $125 million while targeting $100M revenue and one million customers next year.
Helion Raises $500M — Potential $1.7B More — to Build Polaris Fusion Generator, Aiming for 2024 Demonstration in Everett, Wash.
Helion Energy raised $500 million (with up to $1.7 billion more contingent on milestones) to build its Polaris fusion generator and finish a demonstration facility in Everett, Wash., aiming to operate in 2024 and move toward commercializing fusion power.
OctoML Raises $85M Series C Led by Tiger Global to Expand ML Partnerships and Engineering Team
OctoML, a University of Washington spinout specializing in machine learning optimization, raised $85 million in a Series C funding round, bringing its total to $132 million. The company plans to expand its partnerships with hardware and cloud vendors while nearly tripling its engineering team.
Bellevue’s tech boom draws Amazon, Apptio and major firms as city positions itself as Seattle alternative
Bellevue has become a major tech hub attracting companies like Amazon, Apptio, T-Mobile, Smartsheet, OfferUp and Icertis thanks to its downtown, livability, low crime and business-friendly policies, with major expansions including Amazon’s plan to employ 25,000 there.
Life Science Washington CEO Leslie Alexandre to retire after leading state’s biotech resurgence as 2021 IPOs raise hundreds of millions
Leslie Alexandre, president and CEO of Life Science Washington, is retiring after five years leading the group during a period of strong growth in Washington state's biotech sector that recovered from a 2016 slump. The region has seen several major biotech IPOs in 2021 (including Sana Biotechnology's $587M, Absci's $200M, and Icosavax's $180M+), growing research strength and recognition as an emerging biotech market.
Gopuff adds Sanjay Shah, Dan Beranek and Komal Kashiramka to Seattle leadership as company valued at $15B after $1B funding
Gopuff expanded its Seattle leadership team by hiring three executives — Sanjay Shah (SVP North America fulfillment), Dan Beranek (VP product for fresh food) and Komal Kashiramka (director of engineering for Gopuff Kitchen) — after a $1 billion funding round that valued the company at $15 billion. Other regional moves include Vinayak Hegde promoted to president of Wheels Up and FlavorCloud hiring Telved Devlet as VP of customer success and operations.
Oscilla Power and C-Power Begin First Commercial-Scale Wave Energy Tests in Hawaii as DOE Pours $27M into PacWave South
Two Pacific Northwest companies, Oscilla Power (Seattle) and C-Power (Oregon State University spinout), are beginning commercial-scale tests of wave-energy systems this fall at the U.S. Navy Wave Energy Test Site in Hawaii, while the U.S. Department of Energy awarded $27 million for wave energy R&D at PacWave South off Newport, Oregon. Researchers say wave power has been challenging but may be reaching a proving stage after years of lagging behind solar and land-based wind.
Cloudentity Names Jason Needham as CEO After $13M Series A; Leafly Appoints Suresh Krishnaswamy as CFO; Chris Suh Joins Cardlytics Board; Three Named HHMI Investigators
Seattle startup Cloudentity named Jason Needham, ex-CloudCoreo and VMware multi-cloud security lead, as CEO and board member after a $13M Series A; Leafly hired Suresh Krishnaswamy as CFO as it prepares for a SPAC, and Microsoft CVP Chris Suh joined Cardlytics' board. Trevor Bedford, Frederick Matsen IV and David Veesler were named 2021 HHMI Investigators, each receiving roughly $9M over seven years.
98point6 board ousts co-founder Robbie Cape to seek CEO who can scale growth; Jeff Greenstein named interim leader
98point6's board removed co-founder and CEO Robbie Cape last month to install a leader better suited to scale the telehealth startup, according to board member Lisa Brummel, who said the decision was routine and not due to impropriety; interim CEO Jeff Greenstein is now leading the company after Cape left the board. The Seattle company has raised $247 million and saw large customer demand during the pandemic.
Membrion adds $3M to Series A, will double Seattle manufacturing facility and hire 10
Seattle startup Membrion added $3 million to its earlier Series A to expand production of ceramic desalinization membranes for treating toxic industrial wastewater and plans to double its Seattle facility and hire 10 more people.
AI2 Adds Bioengineer Jenny Cronin to Incubator; Icosavax Names Bekiroglu, Russo and Two Board Members; Proprio’s CMO Browd Expands Role
AI2 hired bioengineer Jenny Cronin as a principal for its startup incubator, bringing experience from s2s Public Relations, NanoString, and a UW bioengineering Ph.D.; AI2 has incubated startups like Ozette, Modulus and MajorBoost. Seattle biotech Icosavax named Elizabeth Bekiroglu general counsel, Thomas Russo CFO, and added Heidi Kunz and Ann Veneman to its board; pediatric neurosurgeon Samuel Browd is taking partial leave from UW/Seattle Children’s to expand as CMO of surgical tech startup Proprio.
City Pods founder Keenan O’Leary pivots startup to build PVC-panel indoor mini-homes for Seattle’s homeless
City Pods, founded by Keenan O'Leary, pivoted from building low-cost hostel pods for travelers to designing durable, low-cost indoor mini-homes to help shelter people experiencing homelessness in unused buildings during the COVID-19 crisis. The redesigned units use PVC panels for durability and can be installed inside underutilized spaces like warehouses, aiming to provide private, hygienic alternatives to tents and crowded shelters.
Chloe Harford Joins Roofstock Board as Kymeta Names Walter Berger and Doug Hutcheson Co-CEOs
Chloe Harford, a former Zillow and OfferUp executive, joined Roofstock's board as the fintech firm continues to expand after acquiring Great Jones and raising $133 million; Kymeta named Walter Berger and Doug Hutcheson co-CEOs and partnered with OneWeb to test mobile satellite broadband. Seattle startups Optimize Health and CityBldr announced leadership moves: Todd Haedrich became Optimize Health CEO, and Convoy CEO Dan Lewis joined CityBldr’s advisory board.
Cyrus Biotechnology signs protein-engineering deal with Selecta Biosciences worth up to $1.5 billion to develop IL-2/ImmTOR immune therapy
Seattle-based Cyrus Biotechnology struck a protein-engineering collaboration with Boston’s Selecta Biosciences to engineer IL-2 combined with Selecta’s ImmTOR, a deal that could pay Cyrus up to $1.5 billion if milestones are met. Cyrus will use its software and lab testing to enhance IL-2 stability and function, adding to its existing partnerships and commercial sales of Cyrus Bench.
Nordstrom to sell Viome’s $199 Health Intelligence microbiome test online and in select stores in 2022
Nordstrom will sell Viome Life Sciences’ Viome Health Intelligence microbiome test for $199 online and in select stores in 2022, with the kit requiring a stool sample. Viome sequences RNA to profile gut microbes and offers AI-driven diet/supplement recommendations plus a $149/month supplement service, though its clinical claims rely on non–peer-reviewed data and have drawn outside skepticism.
People
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Oren Etzioni Executive, Former CEO, Founder and Emeritus Professor, Former Professor, Former Leader of TrueMedia
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Avi Geiger Lecturer, Affiliate Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
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Babak Parviz Professor
