WhyLabs
Facts
- HQ
- Seattle, Washington, USA
- Sectors
- AI, Machine Learning, Observability, Security, SaaS
- Founded
- 2019
- Type
- Corporation Seattle business license
- Registered name
- WhyLabs Inc Seattle business license
- Stage
- startup
Apple Acquires Seattle AI Startup WhyLabs and Integrates Founders into New Roles in 2024
Apple has quietly acquired Seattle startup WhyLabs in 2024, incorporating its founding team into AI-related roles. WhyLabs is discontinuing operations and open-sourcing its platform following the acquisition, which includes rights to its intellectual property.
Find Ventures Shuts Down After Six Years Due to Funding Challenges, Donates Remaining Funds to UW
Find Ventures, a nonprofit supporting early stage Washington startups and underrepresented entrepreneurs with non-dilutive funding, is shutting down due to funding challenges after six years. The organization raised $700,000 in 2022 but could not secure capital for a second cohort amid a challenging macro environment and declining donor interest.
Apple Quietly Acquires Seattle AI Startup WhyLabs in 2025, Expanding Local AI Expertise
Apple appears to have quietly acquired Seattle startup WhyLabs, which specializes in AI application monitoring, marking another in a series of AI and machine learning acquisitions in the Seattle area. The acquisition, indicated by venture capital and LinkedIn clues but not publicly confirmed, aligns with Apple's ongoing investment in AI despite reports of lagging behind competitors.
Former Microsoft engineers Koukoumidis and Elachqar launch Bellevue AI lab Oumi with $10M seed round
Bellevue-based AI lab Oumi, founded by former Microsoft engineers Manos Koukoumidis and Oussama Elachqar, launched with $10 million in seed funding to build a collaboration platform for AI researchers and developers and has partnered with academics from Caltech, MIT, UW and Stanford. The startup has 10 employees, one research fellow, dozens of founding scholars, and space in UW's Global Innovation Exchange in Bellevue.
Alessya Visnjic
Alessya Visnjic is the CEO of WhyLabs, the AI Observability company building tools that power robust and responsible AI deployment. Prior to WhyLabs, Alessya was a CTO-in-residence at the Allen Institute for AI, where she evaluated commercial potential for the latest AI research. Earlier, Alessya spent 9 years at Amazon leading ML initiatives, including forecasting and data science platforms. Alessya is also the founder of Rsqrd AI, a global community of 1,000+ AI practitioners who are committed to making enterprise AI technology responsible. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Seattle VC Firm Ascend Raises $25M Second Fund to Boost AI Investments Amid Market Downturn
Seattle-based pre-seed venture capital firm Ascend, led by Kirby Winfield, raised a $25 million second fund focused on doubling down on artificial intelligence investments amid a challenging startup funding environment. Winfield, who has backed over 70 startups, predicts a further valuation correction but remains committed to early-stage investing.
Ascend’s Kirby Winfield closes $25M second fund to back pre-seed AI/ML startups in Pacific Northwest
Seattle-based VC Ascend, led by founder and solo GP Kirby Winfield, closed a $25 million second fund to invest in pre-seed AI and ML startups primarily in the Pacific Northwest, shifting focus away from brands and marketplaces.
Startups, superheroes, and the economy at a crossroads: Voices from Seattle's tech community
After holding the GeekWire Awards virtually for the past two years, there was a feeling of real catharsis Thursday evening as hundreds of people streamed through the doors of the Showbox Sodo in Seattle for our annual celebration of the Pacific Northwest's top tech startups, leaders, and innovations. For the finalists in the 2022 GeekWire Awards, recognition at the superhero-themed show came with the added bonus of knowing that their companies made it through a period of unprecedented challenge and change. But the week also brought a new sense of uncertainty about what's to come. [Related Post: 2022 GeekWire Awards…
GeekWire returns in person for 2022 Awards at Showbox SoDo, honoring 60+ finalists across 15 categories with 16,000+ votes
GeekWire held its first in-person GeekWire Awards in three years at Showbox SoDo in Seattle, honoring 60+ finalists across 15 categories with over 16,000 community votes and appearances by local tech leaders and entertainers.
Napster Co‑founder Jordan Ritter’s Stealth Startup Augment AI Raises $3.45M Seed to ‘Supercharge’ Productivity
Augment AI Corp, a stealthy Seattle startup led by Napster co-founder Jordan Ritter and three other tech veterans, raised a $3.45 million seed round after spinning out of the Allen Institute for AI incubator to build software that aims to "supercharge" personal productivity by better integrating devices and apps.
WhyLabs, an AI2 spinout led by CEO Alessya Visnjic, raises $10M and launches AI Observatory to monitor live ML models
WhyLabs, a Seattle startup spun out of AI2 and led by CEO Alessya Visnjic, raised $10 million and launched AI Observatory, a tool to monitor and diagnose live machine-learning models for anomalies and "model meltdowns." The platform offers an open-source library and real-time alerts, positioning WhyLabs as a Datadog-like monitoring service focused on backend ML/AI, and saw adoption by over a dozen organizations in its first week.
Modulus Therapeutics, spun out of the Allen Institute for AI, raises $3.5M to engineer enhanced NK cell therapies
Modulus Therapeutics, a Seattle cell-therapy startup spun out of the Allen Institute for AI, raised $3.5 million in seed funding to use lab research and machine learning to engineer enhanced natural killer (NK) cells for anti-tumor therapies. Founders Max Darnell and Bryce Daines aim to develop a discovery platform to generate NK cell product candidates for larger cellular therapy companies.
Khosla Ventures leads $11M Series A for Seattle AI contract startup Lexion as revenue quadruples
Seattle startup Lexion, which uses AI to parse contracts and create searchable repositories, has quadrupled revenue and added 50 customers in four months. The 30-person company raised an $11 million Series A led by Khosla Ventures to expand from reporting into workflow features and accelerate growth.
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.
Madison McIlwain, daughter of Madrona’s Matt McIlwain, becomes associate at Defy and pursues fashion, e-commerce investing
Madison McIlwain, daughter of Madrona Venture Group managing director Matt McIlwain, followed her father's path into venture capital and is now an associate at early-stage VC Defy, bringing interests in fashion, e-commerce and the consumer supply chain. The article profiles how growing up with dinner-table discussions about startups shaped her approach to investing and highlights Defy’s co-investments with Madrona in Seattle companies like Nautilus Biotechnology and WhyLabs.
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.
