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
Seattle rises three spots to crack Startup Genome’s global top 10, backed by $3.59B in 2019 VC funding
Seattle climbed three places into Startup Genome’s global top 10 startup ecosystems, driven by strengths in AI, big data, analytics, life sciences and a strong startup genealogy from Microsoft, Amazon and the University of Washington. Venture funding reached a Seattle-area record of $3.59 billion in 2019, and the city ranks highly on performance, funding, market reach, talent, connectedness, knowledge and infrastructure.
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.
Madrona hires ex-AWS product manager Anu Sharma as principal; Saykara and DomainTools add senior marketing and leadership hires
Madrona Venture Group hired Anu Sharma as a principal from AWS; Seattle startups and tech companies also announced hires and promotions, including Saykara naming Joy Efron VP of marketing and DomainTools adding four executives (CTO James Reynolds, CCO Jeff Day, VP of product Jackie Abrams, and VP of people Jill Boon).
Proprio raises $23M Series A led by DCVC to commercialize 3D "X‑ray‑like" surgical navigation system
Seattle startup Proprio raised $23 million in a Series A led by DCVC to develop a hardware‑software surgical navigation system that fuses real-time camera views with preoperative imaging to give surgeons a 3D “X‑ray‑like” view without radiation.
University of Washington-Patented Electrostatic Foam Filter Halves Energy Use, Agentis Air to Commercialize Device
The University of Washington received a U.S. patent for an electrostatic air filtration technology that uses disposable foam cartridges to capture airborne pollutants, including viruses, while halving energy use and lowering maintenance. Agentis Air, a UW spinoff in Columbia, Md., is commercializing the system for homes and businesses and is working with testing labs to quantify pathogen removal.
Panda AI launches inside AI2 in Seattle, led by CEO Aaron Goldfeder and CTO Yue Ning in stealth mode
Panda AI is a stealth B2B startup launched inside the Allen Institute for AI (AI2) in Seattle, led by CEO Aaron Goldfeder and CTO Yue Ning, both former AI2 entrepreneurs-in-residence. The company — currently two employees with early access interest and Smartsheet co-founder Eric Browne as product advisor — aims to build next-generation tools for knowledge workers using recent AI breakthroughs.
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.
Phase Genomics CEO Ivan Liachko shifts company to R&D focus after pandemic hits revenue; one furlough, no layoffs
Phase Genomics, a five-year-old University of Washington spinoff led by CEO Ivan Liachko, shifted to skeleton lab crews and remote work during the pandemic, cutting revenue and furloughing one employee while focusing R&D inward to adapt and continue innovating. The company is adjusting its genomics technology amid Seattle's biotech disruption and exploring ways to help with COVID-19 research.
Ex-DeepMind Engineers’ Startup Phaidra Raises $1.5M to Build In-House AI for Industrial Customers, Launches in Seattle
Stealth startup Phaidra, founded by ex-DeepMind engineers Jim Gao and Vedavyas Panneershelvam with industry veteran Katherine Hoffman, raised $1.5 million to build AI tools that let industrial companies develop in-house models while retaining data and IP. The four-person company chose Seattle for its mix of tech ecosystem and industrial roots and is currently building a beta product.
A-Alpha Bio wins $620,472 NSF Phase II SBIR to develop molecular-glue discovery system
Seattle startup A-Alpha Bio received a $620,472 NSF Phase II SBIR grant to develop a system that identifies molecular glues which tag disease-causing proteins for cellular degradation, aiming to target previously 'undruggable' proteins for diseases like Alzheimer’s, cancer and autoimmune disorders.
University of Washington-Bothell and iInnovate Network report: Seattle tech, health and life-sciences grew in 2019 but COVID-19 threatens startups
The fifth annual Seattle Tech Ecosystem Report from University of Washington-Bothell School of Business and iInnovate Network finds Seattle’s tech, health and life-sciences sectors continued growing in 2019, with STEM jobs, GDP and venture investment strength, but warns COVID-19 creates uncertain short- and long-term impacts on startups and hiring. The report highlights local resources and notes many startups face cash-runway pressures while major firms like Microsoft and Amazon may weather the crisis and gain share.
Roche acquires Seattle startup Stratos Genomics, home of Sequencing By Expansion, to form Roche Diagnostics Seattle
Roche has acquired Seattle DNA sequencing startup Stratos Genomics, maker of Sequencing By Expansion (SBX) technology; Stratos will operate as Roche Diagnostics Seattle with its 60 employees joining Roche. Financial terms were not disclosed; Stratos had raised over $60 million previously and Roche was an early investor.
UW Student Ryan Yousefian’s ApnoMed Wins $25,000 Grand Prize for Sleep-Apnea Device at 2020 Dempsey Startup Competition
University of Washington student Ryan Yousefian’s startup ApnoMed won the $25,000 Herbert B. Jones Foundation grand prize at the 2020 Dempsey Startup Competition for a device treating obstructive sleep apnea; the virtual contest awarded $77,500 total and drew 97 teams from the Pacific Northwest.
Magic Leap sued by Rainier Brewery owner for $52,547 in unpaid rent; landlord seeks possession (filed May 15)
Magic Leap, which raised over $2.6 billion and recently cut about half its workforce, is being sued by the owner of the Rainier Brewery building in Seattle for $52,547 in unpaid rent and to regain possession; the company closed its Seattle office affecting 39 workers. The suit was filed May 15 in King County Superior Court and follows the company's announced shift toward enterprise markets amid COVID-19 economic pressures.
T-Mobile, Intel and NASA launch 5G Open Innovation Lab in Bellevue to run 12-week non-equity startup accelerator
T-Mobile, Intel, and NASA launched the 5G Open Innovation Lab in Bellevue, Washington, a 12-week, non-equity startup program providing resources, capital, and partner collaboration to help entrepreneurs prototype and learn about 5G applications. The lab offers partners early access to cohort companies and aims to accelerate 5G-driven innovations across industries.
Lyssn launches AI-powered telehealth platform to transcribe and assess therapy sessions amid COVID-19 demand
Seattle startup Lyssn launched a telehealth platform that uses AI to transcribe and analyze therapist-patient conversations to evaluate use of evidence-based practices, aiming to meet rising mental health demand amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Michael “Luni” Libes launches Fledge in 2012 to fund mission-driven startups; program now in 10 locations with $3M+ invested
Michael “Luni” Libes founded Fledge in 2012 to accelerate mission-driven, for-profit startups with $15,000–$20,000 revenue-based investments and a two-month program; Fledge now operates in 10 locations and has raised and invested over $3 million while Libes also runs nonprofit Realize Impact and helped launch Decarbon8 and Investorflow.org.
Magic Leap to Close Seattle Office, Laying Off 39 Workers Starting June 21
Magic Leap has closed its Seattle satellite office and will lay off 39 workers beginning June 21, according to a Washington state WARN notice; the AR startup previously cut about half its workforce amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Seattle outpost, led by chief futurist Neal Stephenson and co-founder Brian Schowengerdt, housed R&D and developer-relations teams.
Knock raises $12M Series B led by Madrona as COVID-19 drives surge in remote apartment-management tool usage
Seattle rental-software startup Knock raised $12 million in a Series B led by Madrona Venture Group as demand for its apartment management tools and remote leasing features surged during the COVID-19 crisis.
Boundless CEO Xiao Wang and Angel investor Dan Rosen urge startups to shift to 'wartime' survival, extend runway to 18 months
Startup leaders must shift from rapid-growth mindsets to survival strategies amid the COVID-19 shock, learning from past downturns and peers. Leaders like Dan Rosen and Xiao Wang recommend extending cash runway, cutting and renegotiating expenses, and using government programs to preserve teams and prepare for recovery.
Takeda buys Seattle startup PvP Biologics for up to $330M, will advance TAK-062 into Phase 2
Japanese pharmaceutical Takeda acquired Seattle biotech PvP Biologics for up to $330 million in late February, taking over its TAK-062 (Kuma062) program and all clinical and manufacturing activities while laying off PvP staff. Takeda plans to run phase 2 trials of the enzyme-based celiac disease treatment that PvP developed after earlier funding of $35 million supported phase 1 work.
OctoML raises $15M from Amplify and Madrona to scale TVM-based ML deployment tools
Seattle startup OctoML, spun out of the University of Washington and led by Apache TVM creators, raised $15 million from investors including Amplify and Madrona to expand its ML deployment software. The company, which launched a TVM-based SaaS called Octomizer, will use the funding to grow hiring and scale its optimizer for edge and cloud model deployment.
Seattle robotics startup Picnic 3D-prints prototype parts to rescue UW student Rob Sinclair’s Kokanee Systems after COVID-19 halted lab access
UW entrepreneurship student Rob Sinclair paused his career to build Kokanee Systems, a real-time water contamination testing startup, but COVID-19 shut off access to prototyping equipment. A Seattle robotics startup, Picnic, stepped in to 3D-print parts and help Sinclair continue developing his prototype.
Cloud Paper sees 600% subscriber surge during COVID-19 run and pledges 10,000 bamboo toilet-paper rolls to Food Lifeline
Seattle startup Cloud Paper, which makes tree-free bamboo toilet paper, has seen a 600% jump in subscribers amid the COVID-19 run on toilet paper and has pledged 10,000 rolls to Food Lifeline to help those in need.
Seattle’s A-Alpha Bio Raises $2.8M Seed Round to Advance AlphaSeq Drug Discovery Platform
Seattle startup A-Alpha Bio raised $2.8 million in seed funding to advance its genetically engineered protein analysis platform, AlphaSeq, which accelerates drug candidate evaluation by sorting millions of protein interactions. The round was led by OS Fund and included investors such as Madrona Venture Group and AME Cloud Ventures.
People
See all 25-
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
