Vulcan Real Estate
Facts
- HQ
- Seattle, Washington, US
- Sectors
- Real Estate
- Founded
- 2001
- Employees
- 42
- Stage
- Private
T.A. McCann Becomes CEO of Lev, AI-Powered Startup Spun Out From Pioneer Square Labs with $1M Investment
T.A. McCann, after eight years as managing director at Pioneer Square Labs, is now CEO of Lev, an AI-powered co-founder platform designed to help early-stage entrepreneurs by automating guidance and validation. Lev, spun out from PSL and backed with over $1 million in investment, aims to scale founder support using AI tools for ideation, validation, and company formation.
Susan Kaech Named Executive VP at Allen Institute; Arthur Valdez Joins Impinj Board; Jason Bennett Shifts to AWS VP Role
Susan Kaech joins the Allen Institute as executive VP of the Immunology Moonshot; Arthur Valdez Jr. joins Impinj's board; Jason Bennett transitions to VP of worldwide startups and venture capital at AWS. These leadership changes reflect strategic moves across bioscience, RFID technology, and cloud services sectors.
The Agentic Entrepreneur: How the next wave of AI is changing the startup playbook
This week on the GeekWire Podcast: How artificial intelligence is changing the way companies are created, built, and operated. We're on location at Pioneer Square Labs in Seattle with investor and entrepreneur T.A. McCann, a managing director at the startup studio and venture capital firm. He explains how AI agents are automating complex functions, letting small teams do the work that once required large groups of people. As AI makes product development easier, he says, the key strategic moat for many startups is now shifting to distribution and data. Other topics include: The wearable AI recorder that captures everything he…
Seattle’s ACME Brains Launches 'nexie' AI Assistant with Persistent Memory and Enhanced Privacy Controls
Seattle startup ACME Brains, led by CEO Mary Jesse and co-founders Alan Caplan and Bob Bergstrom, is developing nexie, a personal AI assistant with persistent memory and privacy controls. The tool aims to improve AI conversation continuity by remembering past interactions and safeguarding user data, currently progressing toward alpha and beta testing phases.
GeekWire Week in Review: Bill Gates Pledges $200B, Statsig Hits $1.1B Valuation, Seattle Startups Raise Millions in May 2025
This GeekWire Week in Review highlights top tech stories including Bill Gates' $200 billion philanthropy pledge, Seattle startups raising significant capital, and the emergence of new AI-driven unicorn Statsig valued at $1.1 billion. It also covers local news like a controversial Washington EV tax and cultural moments involving Seattle figures.
GemaTEG Inc. Develops Micro Heat-Pump to Cool Data Center Chips, Partners with Leonardo to Boost Davinci-1 Supercomputer
GemaTEG Inc., a Bellevue-based startup, has developed a micro heat-pump technology to precisely cool individual data center microprocessors, addressing growing performance and energy efficiency challenges amid the AI boom. The company recently partnered with Italian aerospace firm Leonardo to enhance its Davinci-1 supercomputer's performance.
GeekWire Week in Review (May 12, 2024): AWS and Google executive moves, Expedia leadership exits, Kyndryl acquires Skytap
A weekly roundup of GeekWire’s most-read technology and startup stories for the week of May 12, 2024, covering major tech moves, executive departures, acquisitions, and new accelerator initiatives in the Seattle area and beyond.
Vulcan Capital renamed Cercano Management and spun off as independent firm managing Allen-era assets
Vulcan Capital, the investment arm created to manage late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s holdings, has been spun off and renamed Cercano Management, a privately held firm working with multiple investors and family foundations. Cercano, based in Bellevue, will remain connected to Allen’s estate, continues Vulcan’s low-profile approach, and was recently disclosed as an investor in a $5.9 million round for Seattle startup Pendulum.
Relevvo raises $1.5M seed to power personalized B2B sales messaging from Microsoft and LinkedIn veterans
Seattle startup Relevvo, founded by veterans from Microsoft, LinkedIn and other firms, raised a $1.5 million seed round to sell a B2B ‘relevance engine’ that delivers personalized sales messaging at scale to replace ‘spray and pray’ outreach. The seven-person company counts customers like iSpot, Esper, Hiya and CourseKey and was founded by Aashish Dhamdhere and Tushar Shanbhag.
Candidate launches out of beta, raises $4M seed to pay $2,400–$6,000 for referral hires
Seattle startup Candidate launched out of beta and closed a $4 million seed round to pay $2,400–$6,000 to external referrers who submit hired candidates, keeping roughly 20% as revenue. The platform lists roles in major cities and remote positions, aims to diversify hiring beyond internal referrals, and has attracted investors including Voyager and Revolution’s Rise of the Rest.
Rec Room raises $100M, becomes $1.25B Seattle unicorn after pandemic-fueled 566% revenue surge
Seattle-based social gaming startup Rec Room raised $100 million at a $1.25 billion valuation after explosive growth during the COVID-19 pandemic, driven by 15 million lifetime users and a 566% year-over-year revenue increase. The five-year-old company offers cross-platform tools for creating virtual rooms and games, has over 2 million creators, isn’t yet profitable, and plans an Android launch later this year.
Seattle VCs Report 28% Women in Senior Roles, Nearly Double U.S. Average of 14.2%
Seattle-area venture capital firms have nearly double the national share of women in senior roles (28% vs. 14.2%), with 25 women among 88 partners across 21 Washington firms, though overall parity remains distant and 61% of U.S. VC firms still have no women in key decision-making roles.
Nautilus Biotechnology to go public via Arya Sciences Acquisition Corp III SPAC, raising $350M at $900M valuation
Nautilus Biotechnology, a Seattle proteomics startup led by Sujal Patel and Parag Mallick, will go public via a SPAC merger with Arya Sciences Acquisition Corp III, raising about $350 million and valuing the company at $900 million. The deal includes a $150 million SPAC component and a $200 million PIPE, expects to close in Q2, and the combined company will trade on Nasdaq as NAUT.
Cloud City Venture Capital, founded by Jim Brisimitzis and Kevin Ober, raises fund to back 5G, edge and AI startups
Cloud City Venture Capital, founded earlier this year in Seattle by Jim Brisimitzis and Kevin Ober, is raising a new fund to invest in startups at the intersection of 5G, edge networks and artificial intelligence. Both founders have deep Seattle tech and VC ties—Brisimitzis with Microsoft and the 5G Open Innovation Lab, Ober from Divergent Ventures and Vulcan Ventures.
Seattle's Portal VR Founder Compares Current VR/AR Hype to 1990s Internet Video Struggles
Virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) technology is currently experiencing hype similar to the early days of internet video, with startups and companies investing heavily despite limited consumer adoption. Industry insiders, like Tim Harader who runs Portal VR in Seattle, see parallels but remain uncertain if VR/AR will eventually achieve mass market penetration akin to digital video.
2017 GeekWire Summit in Seattle Features CEOs Nadella, Johnson; Limited Tickets Available for Oct 9-11 Event
The 2017 GeekWire Summit, happening October 9-11 in Seattle, will gather over 800 leaders to discuss advances in tech, business, and science, featuring top speakers like Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson. The event includes fireside chats, startup showcases, and a new 'Immigrant’s Journey' speaker series, with limited tickets still available.
