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Relay.ai Shuts Down; Founder Jacob Bank Rejoins Google as Chrome VP — Paid Accounts End Sept. 14, 2026
Relay, an AI workflow automation startup founded by Jacob Bank, is shutting down: free accounts lost access on August 15 and paid workspaces will be terminated on September 14, 2026. Bank is rejoining Google as VP of Product for Chrome, marking his second return after selling his earlier startup Timeful to Google in 2015.
Clarify Acquires Seam AI to Build 'Clarify Signals' Integrating Proprietary Buying Signals; Five Seam Employees Join
Seattle AI startup Clarify has acquired San Francisco-based Seam AI to integrate Seam’s web-based buying-signal monitoring into a new product, Clarify Signals, later this year; financial terms were not disclosed and five Seam employees will join Clarify.
Clarify acquires Seam AI to power Clarify Signals, adds five employees including Seam CEO Nicholas Scavone
Seattle AI startup Clarify, which has raised $22.5 million, acquired San Francisco-based Seam AI to integrate its proprietary web monitoring signals into a new product, Clarify Signals, launching later this year; five Seam employees including CEO Nicholas Scavone will join Clarify. Financial terms were not disclosed, though Clarify said it raised additional undisclosed funding as part of the deal.
Integrated AI Features in Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and HubSpot Lead Small Business Productivity in 2026
The most effective AI tools for small businesses in 2026 are integrated features within everyday apps like Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and HubSpot rather than standalone products. Small businesses should focus on assigning AI to specific, time-consuming tasks within their existing workflows instead of comparing and replacing various AI tools.
Zapier Has More AI Agents Than Employees. Here's How That Happened
Zapier is doing hundreds of millions in ARR, has 800 employees, and has more AI agents than people. That ratio isn't an accident. Wade Foster, CEO and co-founder of Zapier, built one of the most capital-efficient software companies in history on less than $1 million in venture funding. When GPT-4 launched in March 2023, he called a company-wide "code red" (a term he'd never used before) and stopped the entire company for a week-long hackathon. What happened next reshaped how Zapier hires, operates, prices its product, and thinks about the future of software. In this episode of Founded & Funded…
Seattle Startup Radar Highlights AI-Driven Ventures Like The Carry’s $299 Fitness Vest and Color42’s Music Video AI with 1,000 Users
Several Seattle-area startups led by founders such as Esther Sedgwick of The Carry and Prince Bajracharya of Color42 are leveraging AI across diverse sectors including fitness, music marketing, and autonomous debugging. These companies are at early stages with products launching this year and are receiving feedback from a GPT-powered critic called 'Mean VC' to refine their market strategies.
Seattle Startup Dropzone AI Raises $37M Series B to Scale AI SOC Analyst Security Software with 100+ Enterprise Clients
Seattle startup Dropzone AI raised $37 million in a Series B round to advance its AI-powered SOC analyst software aimed at reducing security alert fatigue. The company serves over 100 enterprise clients and claims superior false negative and positive rates while competing with tech giants like Microsoft and Google.
Customer Obsession & Agentic AI Power Ravenna's Reinvention of Internal Ops
Most startups bolt AI onto old products. @ravennahq reimagined the entire workflow. When we first met Kevin Coleman and Taylor Halliday, it was clear they weren't just chasing the hype cycle. They were pairing AI-native architecture with deep founder-market fit, and rebuilding how internal ops work — from first principles. Their new company, Ravenna, is going after a $160B+ market dominated by legacy players. But instead of being intimidated by incumbents, they got focused, making some smart moves that more early-stage teams should consider: 1) Speak with 30+ customers before writing a line of code 2) Define a clear ICP…
Seattle Startup Karat Acquires Byteboard to Enhance Technical Talent Assessment Platform
Seattle-based technical talent platform Karat has acquired San Francisco startup Byteboard, known for its project-based engineering interview tool. This marks Karat's third acquisition in two years as it integrates Byteboard's AI-enabled assessments with its human-plus-technology approach to improve technical hiring.
Seattle Early-Stage Startups Spotlight: Alice's AI Transcription and Clearly AI's Security Tools Lead Innovation
Six early-stage Seattle startups are highlighted for their innovative technology solutions, including Alice's AI voice transcription for journalists and Clearly AI's cybersecurity compliance tools. These companies, led by experienced executives, represent the vibrant growth of the local tech startup scene.
Krish Ramineni
Krish Ramineni is the Co-Founder and CEO of Fireflies.ai, an AI meeting assistant that transcribes, summarizes, and analyzes meetings. Named on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, Krish graduated from UPenn. He was one of the youngest Product Managers at Microsoft, leading projects in customer voice and growth. He has guest lectured at Stanford on machine learning and holds patents in workflow automation. Krish is a thought leader in SaaS/AI and an active startup advisor. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Investor Spotlight with Madrona Managing Director Karan Mehandru
Get to know Madrona Managing Director Karan Mehandru. Learn what drew him to venture capital and working with founders, what he looks for in founders, what he thinks founders should look for in VC partners, and what he enjoys doing outside the office. (00:00:00) Introduction (00:01:00) Madrona Managing Partner Karan Mehandru's background (00:01:33) Why venture capital (00:02:50) Founders: Become the best version of yourself (00:04:58) Understand the person behind titles and roles (00:05:44) What Karan looks for in founders (00:06:52) Visionary founders (00:07:34) The role of grit and intellectual honesty (00:08:50) How Founders should select partners/investors (00:11:36) Biggest changes Karan's…
Seattle Startup Whalesync Raises $1.8M to Expand No-Code Data Sync Tool for Businesses
Whalesync, a Seattle-based startup founded by Curtis Fonger and Matthew Busel, raised $1.8 million to develop a no-code data syncing tool for businesses. The platform simplifies syncing data across software apps and is used by hundreds of customers, competing with companies like Zapier and HubSpot.
Seattle Startup Keyplay Raises $3M Led by MHS Capital to Launch Sales Lead Aggregation Platform
Seattle startup Keyplay, co-founded by Adam Schoenfeld, raised $3 million led by MHS Capital to launch a subscription platform that aggregates and scores sales leads. The platform integrates multiple data sources to help sales teams identify potential accounts and currently serves eight customers with plans to expand offerings by mid-2023.
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Chee Chew Executive, chief product and technology officer
