Facts
- HQ
- Seattle, Washington, US
- Sectors
- Investment Management
- Founded
- 2002
- Employees
- 28
Former Microsoft CVP Jigar Thakkar Named VP of Amazon Quick Suite as Chartis and Supio Announce New Leadership
Jigar Thakkar, former Microsoft corporate vice president, has joined Amazon Quick Suite as vice president, focusing on agentic AI platform development. Additionally, Sara Vaezy returned to Chartis as chief product and technology officer, and legal-tech startup Supio named new executives following a $60 million funding round.
Seattle Biotech Lumen Bioscience Raises $30M Series C Extension, Adds Microsoft Vet Jeff Raikes to Board
Seattle biotech startup Lumen Bioscience raised a $30 million Series C extension led by WestRiver Group, bringing total funding to $186.8 million to advance its oral biologic drugs. The company also added Microsoft veteran Jeff Raikes to its board and announced several leadership updates.
Seattle Early-Stage Startups AlsonAI, InnoMat, LoftxAI, and Orbital Robotics Spotlighted for AI Innovations in Storytelling and Supply Chains
GeekWire's startup radar highlights early-stage Seattle companies focusing on AI innovations in space robotics, storytelling, and supply chain, featuring leaders like Nafisa Muzaffar of AlsonAI and Charlie Sun of InnoMat. Venture capitalist Anthony Bontrager offers insights on their potential and challenges in market adoption.
Seattle Point-of-Sale Startup CHEQ Acquired by Philadelphia's Cantaloupe
Seattle-based point-of-sale startup CHEQ, known for servicing sports venues and the Bite of Seattle festival, was acquired by Philadelphia-area self-service retail tech company Cantaloupe. Founded in 2021 and backed by $8 million in funding, CHEQ's software aims to enhance sales and reduce wait times through mobile and kiosk solutions.
Pacvue Names Ex-Microsoft Leader Zhenbin Xu as Chief Product Officer Amid Multiple Seattle Tech Hires and Board Additions
Pacvue hired Zhenbin Xu, a former Microsoft leader, as chief product officer and recently added another Microsoft veteran, Sunava Dutta, as SVP of product. Other Seattle-area companies also made key hires and advisory appointments, including LeoStella, Adaptiva, WestRiver Group, Spectio, and Trilogy Equity Partners.
Fabric Names Former Salesforce Exec Mike Micucci as CEO Amid $140M Funding and $1.5B Valuation
Seattle e-commerce startup Fabric named Mike Micucci, former Salesforce Commerce Cloud CEO and Automation Anywhere COO, as its new CEO. The company recently raised $140 million in Series C funding at a $1.5 billion valuation and aims to innovate online commerce technology.
Viome raises $86.5M Series C and partners with CVS to sell $179 at-home Full Body Intelligence gut test in 200 stores
Seattle-area health tech startup Viome Life Sciences raised an $86.5 million Series C and struck a deal to sell its $179 at-home Full Body Intelligence gut microbiome test in 200 CVS stores and online. Founded by Naveen Jain, Viome analyzes stool, saliva and blood samples and counts investors including Marc Benioff and Khosla Ventures, though some scientists question clinical utility of microbiome kits.
Groopit Raises $3.5M to Expand Employee Data Crowdsourcing Platform with Generative AI Tools
Groopit, an employee data crowdsourcing startup founded by ex-Microsoft leaders Tammy Savage and John Vert, raised $3.5 million to expand its go-to-market strategy and develop generative AI tools. The company's platform gathers real-time insights from employees across multiple tools like Microsoft Teams and Slack, applying a unique 'crowdsolving' model to business data collection.
Viome Raises $67 Million in Latest Funding Round to Expand Microbiome and Diagnostic Testing
Seattle-based microbiome startup Viome Life Sciences has raised $67 million in a new funding round, bringing its total funding to over $125 million. The company offers stool, saliva, and blood testing kits for personalized health insights and is developing an FDA-designated diagnostic test for oral and throat cancer.
GeekWire Elevator Pitch Season 3 Finale Features Four CEOs Competing Live at GeekWire Summit
The season three finale of GeekWire’s Elevator Pitch featured four startup CEOs pitching their businesses live at the GeekWire Summit, competing for top honors in categories like fintech, sustainability, and consumer products. The finalists included Devin Miller of SecureSave, Amina Moreau of Radious, Erin Quick of PairTree, and Katherine Sizov of Strella Biotechnology.
QorusDocs Raises $10M Led by WestRiver Group to Advance Sales Proposal Software
Bellevue-based startup QorusDocs raised $10 million in a funding round led by WestRiver Group to enhance its software for creating and managing sales proposals, which integrates with Salesforce and Microsoft. The company, founded in 2012 with 70 employees, has raised a total of $18 million and serves clients including Teladoc Health, Hitachi, CDW, and major global law firms.
GeekWire Elevator Pitch Final Episode Features Seattle Sustainability Startups Competing for 2022 Summit Finale Spot
The final episode of GeekWire's Elevator Pitch features three Seattle-area sustainability startup CEOs pitching their innovations in a timed elevator ride, with the winner advancing to the live finale at the 2022 GeekWire Summit on October 6. The startups include Strella Biotechnology, BattGenie, and Aquagga, focusing on produce ripeness sensing, battery longevity, and PFAS destruction respectively.
Seattle Startup Cheq Raises $8M to Expand Stadium and Restaurant Mobile Ordering with Social Gifting Feature
Seattle-area startup Cheq raised $8 million to expand its mobile ordering and social gifting platform used in stadiums and restaurants, aiming to boost vendor sales and enhance customer experience. The platform supports vendors like the Miami Dolphins and University of Washington, with over 100,000 monthly users and an average 28% sales increase per order.
GeekWire’s Elevator Pitch S3 Features PairTree, Spot Tot, and Welcome Home CEOs Pitching Consumer Startups
GeekWire's Elevator Pitch season three features three consumer startup CEOs—Erin Quick of PairTree, Robin Waterman of Spot Tot, and Ashley Michael of Welcome Home—pitching their companies to a panel of judges in Seattle's Smith Tower. The season's finale will occur on October 6, 2022, at the GeekWire Summit.
GeekWire's Elevator Pitch Season 3 Features Startup CEOs Pitching in Smith Tower Elevator to Win Finals at October 2022 Summit
GeekWire’s Elevator Pitch returns with a competition where entrepreneurs pitch startups like Radious, Tribute, and Humanly.io in 32 seconds during an elevator ride to Seattle's Smith Tower. The season includes a series of episodes leading to a live finale at the 2022 GeekWire Summit on October 6.
Former Microsoft VP Gavriella Schuster Joins Nerdio Board; Ex-Mailchimp CPO Natalia Williams Hired by Hootsuite; Ex-Amazon Product Leader Sophi Kim Joins Shelf Engine
Gavriella Schuster, former Microsoft VP, joined Nerdio's board, Natalia Williams became Hootsuite's CPO, and Sophi Kim, ex-Amazon product leader, joined Shelf Engine as head of product management. These strategic hires bolster leadership at companies focused on cloud services, social media management, and grocery tech.
Round, founded by ex-Microsoft leaders Ryan Fuller, Mani Gill and Brian Jansen, raises $12M seed to build vetted network for senior tech leaders
Round, a Seattle startup founded by former Microsoft leaders, raised a $12 million seed round to build a vetted network for senior tech leaders; other Pacific Northwest deals include PTO Exchange's $5.4 million raise and funding and licensing activity at PupPod.
Brightcove acquires Seattle video-audience startup Wicket Labs; all 13 employees join
Brightcove has acquired Seattle-based Wicket Labs, a 13-person startup founded in 2016 that provides audience insights and a 'Wicket Scorecard' for streaming video; terms were not disclosed and Wicket raised about $7 million from investors including WestRiver, Madrona, and Divergent.
GeekWire surveys Seattle-area VCs to name Pacific Northwest startups they predict will become unicorns in 2022
GeekWire surveyed more than a dozen Seattle-area venture capitalists for their picks of Pacific Northwest startups likely to reach unicorn status this year, compiling a list of candidate companies with reasons for each selection. The piece notes rising valuations nationwide and excludes VCs' own portfolio companies to reduce bias.
Opendoor acquires Seattle’s Pro.com and San Francisco’s Skylight, will shut both platforms
Opendoor acquired Seattle-based Pro.com and San Francisco-based Skylight, will discontinue both companies' consumer platforms and integrate their teams and technology into Opendoor’s roadmap; deal terms were not disclosed. The moves give Opendoor a Seattle presence and add home-improvement talent as the iBuyer expands amid increased digital homebuying adoption.
Qualtrics acquires Seattle journey-orchestration startup Usermind to bolster XM Directory
Qualtrics has acquired Seattle-based marketing startup Usermind, a 2013-founded leader in journey orchestration with about 40 employees, to strengthen its Qualtrics XM Directory and customer interaction tracking. Usermind, led by CEO Michel Feaster, raised $14 million in January, weathered pandemic layoffs, and saw increased demand as companies accelerated digital adoption.
GeekWire names winners at 2021 Awards; SeekOut wins Startup of the Year after $65M raise
The 2021 GeekWire Awards returned as a virtual event honoring over 60 finalists across 14 categories from the Pacific Northwest tech community, featuring celebrity cameos and performances. Winners included SeekOut as Startup of the Year, and among 16 winners eight were women and five were people of color and/or immigrant entrepreneurs.
GeekWire opens voting for 2021 Startup CEO of the Year with five finalists including OctoML, Syndio and WhyLabs
GeekWire is running community voting for its 13th annual GeekWire Awards, featuring five finalists for Startup CEO of the Year: Luis Ceze (OctoML), Maria Colacurcio (Syndio), Mike McSherry (Xealth), Ray Meiring (Qorus Software) and Alessya Visnjic (WhyLabs); voting closes April 30 and winners are announced May 20 at a virtual event.
GeekWire Names Common Room, Ozette, SeekOut, Shelf Engine and Strike Graph as 2024 Startup of the Year Finalists; Voting Open
GeekWire has announced five finalists for Startup of the Year — Common Room, Ozette, SeekOut, Shelf Engine, and Strike Graph — highlighting Seattle and Pacific Northwest entrepreneurship; community voting runs through April 30 and winners will be revealed May 20 at the virtual GeekWire Awards.
GeekWire opens community voting for UX Design of the Year finalists — Boundless, Joon, Qumulo Core, Tagboard Producer, Voodle — voting closes April 30
GeekWire’s UX Design of the Year recognizes startups for meaningful, usable product experiences; five finalists — Boundless, Joon, Qumulo Core, Tagboard Producer, and Voodle — are open for community voting through April 30 with winners announced May 20 at the virtual GeekWire Awards.
People
-
Jeff Raikes Executive, Former Chief Executive Officer of the Gates Foundation, Independent Director, Former President of Microsoft Business Division
-
Anthony Bontrager Managing Director
