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
Umoja Biopharma raises $53M Series A to develop in vivo CAR T-cell immunotherapies for adult and pediatric tumors
Seattle-based Umoja Biopharma raised $53 million in a Series A to advance its preclinical in vivo CAR T-cell immunotherapy platform for blood and organ tumors in adult and pediatric patients, aiming to generate cancer-fighting cells inside the body. The company was founded last year by CEO Andy Scharenberg and collaborators from Seattle Children’s Research Institute and Purdue University, with MPM Capital and Qiming Venture Partners USA leading the round.
Tom Alberg invested in Amazon’s 1995 seed round, joined its board and co-founded Madrona to build Seattle’s tech scene
Tom Alberg invested in Amazon’s 1995 seed round, joined its board, and later co-founded Madrona Investment Group to back Pacific Northwest internet startups, helping shape Seattle’s tech ecosystem. His early bets and leadership influenced regional tech growth and left a legacy noted by Jeff Bezos and others.
Foursquare CEO David Shim to Resign; Gary Little Named CEO in 2021; Other Tech Leadership Moves Reported
Foursquare CEO David Shim, founder of Placed, is resigning and will be succeeded by board member Gary Little in 2021 after a transition; Shim plans to return to entrepreneurship. Other moves: investor Karan Mehandru left Trinity Ventures to join Steadfast Financial while remaining on several boards, 343 Industries’ Chris Lee stepped down from Halo Infinite project direction, and WTIA hired Molly Jones as VP of government affairs.
Membrion develops spray coating to boost cotton mask protection by adsorbing coronavirus particles
Seattle startup Membrion is developing a sprayable, food-safe coating derived from its ion-exchange membrane technology to make cotton masks more protective by adsorbing and neutralizing coronavirus particles.
University of Washington taps Justin Dunnicliff as NSIN university program director; Meredith Han named VP of Product at FlyHomes
The University of Washington partnered with the Department of Defense’s National Security Innovation Network (NSIN) and named UW alumnus Justin Dunnicliff as university program director to run NSIN programs at UW, connecting students to DoD-related research and employment opportunities. The article also notes Meredith Han, an early Amazon employee and angel investor, has become VP of product at FlyHomes.
Seattle’s HDT Bio raises $3M seed (updated to $6M) to fund replicating-RNA COVID-19 vaccine HDT-301 and clinical trials
Seattle biotech HDT Bio raised about $3 million in seed funding to advance its replicating RNA COVID-19 vaccine candidate HDT-301 and hire staff with clinical trial experience; the company reported promising preclinical results and plans human trials beginning in Brazil this month with U.S. and India trials possible later in the year. An update notes an additional $3 million raised, bringing the round to $6 million led by Zoic Capital to support three products entering clinical trials.
Phase Genomics wins $3.9M in NIH grants to advance Hi-C and AI tests for chromosomal abnormalities
Seattle biotech Phase Genomics received $3.9 million in NIH grants to fund three-year projects using Hi-C proximity ligation and AI to detect chromosomal abnormalities linked to infertility and cancers.
WhyLabs, AI2 Spinout Led by Ex-Amazon Engineers, Raises $4M from Madrona, Bezos Expeditions and Others
WhyLabs, an AI monitoring startup spun out of the Allen Institute for AI, emerged from stealth after raising $4 million from investors including Madrona, Defy Partners, Bezos Expeditions and Ascend VC to commercialize a platform for monitoring ML data and models. The company is led by CEO Alessya Visnjic, joined by former Amazon ML engineers Andy Dang and Sam Gracie plus ex-Madrona principal Maria Karaivanova.
Cloud Paper raises $3M seed led by Greycroft with Mark Cuban, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ashton Kutcher and Guy Oseary investing
Seattle startup Cloud Paper, which makes tree-free bamboo toilet paper shipped direct to consumers, raised $3 million in a seed round led by Greycroft and backed by investors including Mark Cuban, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ashton Kutcher and Guy Oseary. The year-and-a-half-old company says signups jumped 800% amid the pandemic and highlights sustainability claims such as plastic-free packaging and over 1 million pounds of carbon saved or offset.
Sironix Renewables Raises $1.8M to Scale Plant-Based Cleaning Chemical Production Using Eosix Technology
Seattle-based clean-tech startup Sironix Renewables raised $1.795 million, including $645,000 in seed funding and $1.15 million from the U.S. Department of Energy, to scale production of its plant-based Eosix technology that replaces hazardous petroleum-derived chemicals in cleaning products. Founded in 2016 and spun out from the University of Minnesota, Sironix's technology meets consumer demands for sustainable, safe, and high-performance products.
5G Open Innovation Lab, backed by T-Mobile, Intel and NASA, unveils 16 startups in second cohort
The 5G Open Innovation Lab, funded by T-Mobile, Intel, and NASA, announced its second cohort of 16 startups after completing its inaugural 12-week program, aiming to help entrepreneurs exploit 5G technology without taking equity. The Bellevue-based lab connects startups with corporate and public partners and participates in Washington states 5G Open Innovation Zone alongside institutions like WSU and the University of Washington.
Qumulo Adds Ex-Tableau CMO Elissa Fink to Board After $125M Raise; Maven COO Co-founder Bill Sornsin Steps Down
Seattle data-storage startup Qumulo added former Tableau CMO Elissa Fink to its board after raising $125 million and reaching a $1.2B+ valuation; separately, Maven COO and co-founder Bill Sornsin stepped down as part of a company realignment.
Recurrent launches Seattle startup offering independent ML-based used EV battery reports to reduce buyer risk
Seattle startup Recurrent is launching a service that generates independent, machine-learning–based reports on used EV battery performance to help buyers assess battery health and reduce the risk of buying a vehicle with a failing battery.
ThruWave raises $6.4M to deploy millimeter-wave scanners that image contents of packages for Fortune 100 warehouses
Seattle startup ThruWave raised $6.4 million to commercialize millimeter-wave sensors and computer-vision software that image contents inside packages for retail and e-commerce warehouses, analyzing up to 20,000 boxes per hour to improve cube utilization and detect missing or damaged items. Fortune 100 customers and partners (including In-Q-Tel) are using the University of Washington–developed system to cut shipping waste, costs, and for national security screening applications.
UW entrepreneur Austin Hirsh’s The 2050 Company launches $20,000 Kickstarter to sell upcycled freeze-dried smoothie powders
Austin Hirsh, founder of The 2050 Company and a UW MS in Entrepreneurship student, is launching a Kickstarter to sell freeze-dried smoothie powder made from surplus or cosmetically imperfect produce to reduce food waste. The campaign seeks $20,000, offers three Northwest flavors and early-bird 10‑pack rewards, and follows multiple competition wins and acceptance into UW’s Jones and Foster Accelerator.
Panda AI, spun out of AI2, raises $3.3M with AI2 as first investor from its new pre-seed fund
Panda AI, a stealth startup spun out of the Allen Institute for AI (AI2), raised $3.3 million in a round led by PSL Ventures with participation from AI2 and others; it is the first company to receive funding from AI2’s new pre-seed fund.
Former Intellectual Ventures EVP Maurizio Vecchione named CEO of Washington Global Health Alliance; Shujinko hires three executives after $7.5M raise
Maurizio Vecchione, former Intellectual Ventures EVP, was named president and CEO of Seattle-based Washington Global Health Alliance and K.R. Prabha named board chair; Seattle startup Shujinko added three senior hires after a $7.5M raise; Oracle appointed Clay Magouyrk EVP for Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and UW named Dr. Ekin Yasin director of its Communication Leadership graduate program.
Routable raises $12M Series A to automate business payments; total funding $16M
Routable, a 2-year-old fintech founded in Seattle and now based in San Francisco, announced a $12 million Series A to automate accounts payable and receivable and streamline business payments. The company, led by CEO Omri Mor and CTO Tom Harel, integrates with Xero and QuickBooks and has raised $16 million total from investors including Y Combinator and Founders’ Co-Op.
Atomo Coffee raises $9M to build 12,000 sq ft Seattle roastery for molecular coffee near Starbucks HQ
Seattle-based Atomo Coffee raised $9 million in a funding round led by Horizons Ventures and S2G Ventures to scale its molecular coffee made from upcycled plant materials and open a 12,000-square-foot roastery near Starbucks headquarters. The company plans regional product launches in 2021 for a molecular coffee concentrate and Atomo Grounds aimed at reducing coffee’s environmental impact and removing bitterness.
WiBotic wins FCC authorization for 300-watt wireless charging system for drones and robots
Seattle startup WiBotic received FCC authorization for its wireless charging system that delivers up to 300 watts to power drones, robots and other devices, claiming greater range and reliability than contact-based chargers.
Seattle startup Weekdays connects families and instructors to form 2–8 child microschools as remote K–12 returns
As many K–12 districts return to remote learning, parents are turning to microschools or "pandemic pods"—small, pooled groups of children supervised by caregivers or teachers—to handle the hands-on demands of young students' online schooling. Seattle startup Weekdays builds a platform to connect families and instructors for microschools, offering options like outdoor education for groups of 2–8 children while states such as Washington urge remote learning.
Jane Zhang’s Remmie Health launches at-home ENT monitor after son’s repeated infections; raises $100,000+
Seattle entrepreneur Jane Zhang founded Remmie Health after her toddler suffered repeated ear infections, developing an at-home ear-nose-throat (ENT) monitor that captures images and video for telemedicine consultations. The startup has secured over $100,000 in initial funding, plans to sell the device and share telemedicine revenue, and aims to be a household brand for ENT self-care.
Jirav raises $8.3M led by Information Venture Partners for cloud financial planning software; total funding $13.6M
San Francisco startup Jirav raised $8.3 million for its cloud-based financial planning and analysis software, serving over 1,400 customers with a 30-person team; total funding is $13.6 million.
Qumulo raises $125M, valued at more than $1.2B to join Seattle’s unicorns
Qumulo raised $125 million in funding, pushing its valuation to over $1.2 billion and making it a Seattle-area unicorn; the data-storage company serves customers across healthcare, media, research and the public sector and has seen increased demand during the pandemic.
Gates Foundation Awards $800,000 to A-Alpha Bio to Fund AlphaSeq Antibody Research Targeting SARS-CoV-2 and Intestinal Pathogens
Seattle biotech A-Alpha Bio received an $800,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support research using its AlphaSeq platform to develop multi-target antibody treatments for respiratory viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, and intestinal pathogens such as campylobacter, in partnership with Lumen Bioscience.
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
