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
Zane Dunham Launches NoWhere Foods to Reconnect Communities Through Ecological Beverage Line
Zane Dunham, a recent graduate of the Foster School of Business, developed NoWhere Foods, a beverage line aimed at reconnecting people with their local ecologies and communities through drink.
Miami Startup MOBY Robotics Builds Autonomous Robots to Collect Deep-Sea Critical Minerals Without Drilling
MOBY Robotics, a Miami startup founded in May 2025, develops autonomous underwater robots to collect critical minerals like nickel, cobalt, and copper from the deep ocean floor without drilling. The company aims to provide a more environmentally responsible source for these essential minerals needed in batteries and clean energy technologies.
Vik Chopra Turns Life Around After 2013 Arrest, Spends 58 Months in Prison Embracing Purpose
Vik Chopra reevaluated his life and decided to change after being arrested and charged with multiple felonies in 2013. His resolve helped him endure nearly five years in prison, where he met inspiring individuals and began writing a new chapter for himself.
Helion Energy Secures $465M at $15.5B Valuation to Advance Fusion Energy with Polaris Prototype
Helion Energy raised $465 million in a Series G funding round at a $15.5 billion valuation to advance its fusion energy technology, bringing total capital raised to $1.5 billion. The company uses a unique Field-Reversed Configuration and Magneto-Inertial Fusion approach, aiming to demonstrate electricity production from fusion with its Polaris prototype.
Zuckerberg's yacht, Meta's layoffs, a robot pizza flameout, and a reality check on AI expenses
This week on the show: Mark Zuckerberg's superyacht arrives in Seattle the same day Meta discloses nearly 1,400 local layoffs, robot pizza startup Picnic flames out and sells to a mystery buyer, and corporate America confronts the rising cost of AI, including the leaderboard-gaming practice known as "tokenmaxxing." And we return to the theme of billionaire yachts for our trivia challenge. With GeekWire co-founders Todd Bishop and John Cook. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Bruce Harrell Named CEO of Seattle-Based Sustainable Textile Company Filium, Founded by Raj and Akhil Shah
Former Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell is now the CEO of Filium, a Seattle-based sustainable textile company specializing in odor, stain, and liquid-repellent natural fabrics without harmful chemicals. He succeeds Raj Shah, who remains chairman, as the company focuses on eco-friendly innovation in textiles.
UW DubHacks Next Incubator Launches 20 Student Startups at May 7 Demo Day, Totaling 68 Since 2022
The University of Washington's DubHacks Next 16-week incubator produced 20 new student startups, addressing diverse challenges including manufacturing automation and AI applications. Since 2022, the program has launched 68 startups, with participants gaining mentorship and funding opportunities like the Pack Ventures portfolio.
Seattle AI Startup Convexus Uses Anthropic’s Claude API to Turn Civic Debate into Coordinated Action
Seattle startup Convexus, co-founded by mother and daughter Merrill and Doña Keating, uses AI to transform fragmented civic debates into coordinated actions for local governments and community groups. Their platform employs AI-assisted facilitation to identify shared goals and foster productive dialogue, aiming to move beyond division prevalent in traditional social media.
GeekWire Awards to Honor AI House and UW’s Center for an Informed Public for Advancing AI and Media Literacy on May 7
The GeekWire Awards will honor AI House and the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public for their contributions to AI innovation and education on misinformation. The awards ceremony will be held on May 7 at Showbox SoDo in Seattle, recognizing impactful community initiatives in the Pacific Northwest.
GeekWire Names mpathic, ElastixAI, Dropzone AI, Dopl Technologies, and Loopr AI as 2026 Startup of the Year Finalists
The 2026 GeekWire Awards Startup of the Year finalists include mpathic, ElastixAI, Dropzone AI, Dopl Technologies, and Loopr AI, representing innovations from AI safety to robotic ultrasounds. The event will be held on May 7 in Seattle, with voting open for selecting the winner.
Seattle Startup Glacis Hires Microsoft Azure Vet Rohit Tatachar as CTO to Launch AI Monitoring Tools
Seattle startup Glacis appointed longtime Microsoft Azure executive Rohit Tatachar as CTO and co-founder to develop tamper-proof AI behavior records. The company launched open-source tools enabling monitoring and control of AI agents to ensure safety and accountability.
Data Visualization Veterans Ellie Fields and Jeffrey Heer Launch Ridge AI with $2.6M Led by Madrona to Enhance SaaS Analytics
Data visualization experts Ellie Fields and Jeffrey Heer launched Ridge AI with $2.6M in pre-seed funding from Madrona and prominent angels to help SaaS companies embed interactive analytics and AI data agents quickly into their products. Ridge AI aims to fix persistent issues in web-based data presentation by enabling rapid creation of interactive dashboards and data agents sharing the same dataset.
Plug and Play Launches Third Seattle Accelerator Cohort with 10 Startups for 12-Week Program Ending Mid-June
Plug and Play selected 10 startups, primarily Seattle-based, for its third Seattle-area accelerator cohort, a 12-week program running through mid-June focusing on enterprise software, biotech, AI, robotics, and health tech. The program provides tailored mentorship and opportunities to develop business strategies, pilot projects, and commercial partnerships.
Seattle Startup Lamu Uses AI to Facilitate Meaningful Dating with $9.99 Registration and Weekly Matched Introductions
Ada Jin founded Lamu, a Seattle-based dating app that uses AI to facilitate intentional and meaningful human connections by learning about users and moderating matches with features like a 'love score' and wingman-style group chats. The app charges a $9.99 registration fee and reveals limited matches weekly to reduce choice overload.
Vantari Relocates Headquarters to Seattle to Expand VR Medical Training Across North America with Harvard, Yale, and Others as Clients
Vantari, a VR startup founded in 2017, has moved its headquarters from Sydney to Seattle to expand its healthcare training software across North America. Its VR platform, used by top medical centers including Harvard and Yale, simulates medical procedures with AI guidance and realistic controls to improve clinician training.
Taylor Soper Named Director of Seattle’s AI House at AI2 Incubator After 13 Years at GeekWire
Taylor Soper is leaving GeekWire after more than 13 years as a reporter and editor to become director of AI House at AI2 Incubator, a key hub for AI founders and researchers in Seattle. His deep connections in the Seattle tech scene and editorial leadership will support his new role in the AI community.
UW Students Pitch AI Startup Ideas to Seattle Venture Capitalists After 10-Week Program at Pioneer Square Labs
University of Washington students from seven teams pitched AI-driven startup ideas to influential Seattle investors at Pioneer Square Labs, concluding a 10-week entrepreneurship program led by venture capitalist Greg Gottesman and UW professor Ed Lazowska. The event featured realistic pitch rounds, attracting prominent tech leaders as guests throughout the course.
Seattle Downtown Jobs Decline to 2018 Levels Amid Rising Business Taxes and Post-Pandemic Economic Shifts
Seattle's downtown employment, which peaked at over 340,000 jobs in 2019, has declined to about 317,000 since the pandemic despite improvements in public safety and visitor numbers. Rising business taxes, including the JumpStart tax and gross revenue tax changes, combined with nationwide corporate headcount reductions, are contributing to the slowdown in the city's traditional economic engine.
Tim Chen’s Essence VC Raises New $7 Million Fund to Boost Infrastructure Startup Investments
Essence VC, led by Tim Chen, is raising a new $7 million fund to lead larger pre-seed rounds and have greater investment flexibility, focusing on infrastructure startups. This fund is separate from their previous $41 million fund raised last year.
Amperity Names Bridget Perry CMO; Gong Promotes Simon Frey; Elizabeth Scallon Joins Nvidia Healthcare AI
Amperity appointed Bridget Perry as CMO, Gong promoted Simon Frey to chief customer officer, and Elizabeth Scallon joined Nvidia as director of healthcare AI startups. These leadership changes highlight significant executive movements in Pacific Northwest tech companies.
Seattle Entrepreneurs Dave Parker and Kathy Cox Launch $1,900 Trajectory Playbook Education Platform for Startup Founders
Seattle tech veteran Dave Parker and educator Kathy Cox launched Trajectory Playbook, a $1,900 education platform to help startup founders bridge the gap from ideation to product-market fit through a 10-module AI-enhanced curriculum. The program combines Parker's 2021 methodology with community networking and expert feedback to accelerate entrepreneurial success.
Anthropic acquires Vercept, the AI job crisis scenario, and Microsoft's past Epstein connections
Anthropic acquired Seattle startup Vercept on Wednesday, raising familiar questions about the impact of early exits on the broader Seattle startup ecosystem, and the question of whether AI startups can compete long-term against the giants of the field. We dig into the deal, the public feud between two of the company's early investors on LinkedIn, and why one co-founder's prior departure to Meta may have been worth more than the entire acquisition. Plus, a new research paper envisions a 2028 "global intelligence crisis" driven by AI-fueled white collar job losses, and we're already seeing early signs in the news. Then…
Cleveland's Mayor, Seattle's Future: What happens when a city's economy shifts
GeekWire brought Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb and Seattle tech veteran Charles Fitzgerald together on the phone Thursday after a guest column warning Seattle not to repeat Cleveland's past mistakes sparked a big response — including from Bibb himself. What followed was a constructive conversation about what cities should do when the economic ground shifts beneath them. Plus: a Seattle-to-Cleveland trip may be in the works. Related Links A warning to Seattle: Don’t become the next Cleveland Cleveland mayor responds to GeekWire guest column, calls Ohio city a ‘case study of what’s possible’ Mayor Bibb on LinkedIn: "For decades, national narratives…
Amazon's big bet, a 'MySpace for bots', and a conversation with AI veteran Oren Etzioni
Upcoming GeekWire Podcast Live Event: Join us from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb 12 at Fremont Brewing for a live recording of the GeekWire Podcast with Todd Bishop and John Cook. Free for Fremont Chamber members, $15 otherwise. Register here. This week on the show: Andy Jassy tells Wall Street that Amazon is planning $200 billion in capital expenses this year, mostly to build out AI infrastructure, and investors give it a thumbs down. Microsoft's financial results beat expectations but the company loses $357 billion in market value in a single day after investors learn the extent of…
Startup Founders Nour Gajial and Avi Agola Relocate from Seattle to San Francisco to Boost AI Ventures
Several early-stage startup founders, including Nour Gajial of MathGPT and Avi Agola of Talunt, are relocating from Seattle to San Francisco to leverage its dense AI startup ecosystem, investor networks, and customer base amid the AI boom. Despite Seattle’s strengths as a global AI hub, entrepreneurs see San Francisco as essential for scaling and maximizing success.
People
See all 25-
Oren Etzioni Executive, Former CEO, Founder and Emeritus Professor, Former Professor, Former Leader of TrueMedia
-
Avi Geiger Lecturer, Affiliate Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
-
Babak Parviz Professor
