Bill Gates
Bill Gates is the Founder of Breakthrough Energy, Co-founder and Co-chair of the Gates Foundation, and Co-founder at Microsoft and TerraPower. He founded Breakthrough Energy, Gates Foundation, Microsoft (which went public), and TerraPower, and remains active in all. His expertise includes leadership in technology, philanthropy, and energy innovation.
Bellevue’s tech boom draws Amazon, Apptio and major firms as city positions itself as Seattle alternative
Bellevue has become a major tech hub attracting companies like Amazon, Apptio, T-Mobile, Smartsheet, OfferUp and Icertis thanks to its downtown, livability, low crime and business-friendly policies, with major expansions including Amazon’s plan to employ 25,000 there.
Former Kymeta CEO Nathan Kundtz raises $6M seed for Rendered.ai to build customizable synthetic datasets for AI
Nathan Kundtz, former Kymeta CEO, launched Seattle-area startup Rendered.ai to produce customizable synthetic datasets and infrastructure for training AI on visual and sensor data, and the company raised $6 million in a seed round. Rendered.ai focuses on treating dataset generation as an engineering platform to improve AI training efficiency and reduce bias and data-collection costs.
Archera raises $7M Series A to automate AWS and Azure cost optimization, bringing total funding to $10.3M
Seattle startup Archera (formerly Reserved.ai) raised $7 million in a Series A to help AWS, Azure and other cloud customers automate resource management and purchasing; the company reports 150% revenue growth this year and counts customers like Fortive and Guardant Health.
Chloe Harford Joins Roofstock Board as Kymeta Names Walter Berger and Doug Hutcheson Co-CEOs
Chloe Harford, a former Zillow and OfferUp executive, joined Roofstock's board as the fintech firm continues to expand after acquiring Great Jones and raising $133 million; Kymeta named Walter Berger and Doug Hutcheson co-CEOs and partnered with OneWeb to test mobile satellite broadband. Seattle startups Optimize Health and CityBldr announced leadership moves: Todd Haedrich became Optimize Health CEO, and Convoy CEO Dan Lewis joined CityBldr’s advisory board.
Kymeta and OneWeb Successfully Test u8 Antenna-Based Mobile Satellite Broadband at 200 Mbps Using OneWeb’s LEO Constellation
Kymeta Corp. partnered with OneWeb to test satellite broadband services using Kymeta's u8 flat-panel antenna, achieving promising results for mobile connectivity with OneWeb's LEO satellite network. The tests in Toulouse demonstrated about 200 Mbps reception, targeting first responders, government, military, and enterprise markets.
Investors Pour Billions into Climate Tech as E8 Expands and Sector Raises $14.2B by Midyear
A wide range of investors — from tech employees to former VCs and concerned parents — are increasingly funding climate-tech startups, driving a sharp rise in capital flows after years of stagnation. By midyear, climate tech companies raised $14.2 billion globally, supported by growing networks like Seattle’s E8 and large climate-focused funds from private equity and venture firms.
Convoy signs 123,000 sq ft sublease at Russell Investments Center in Seattle, expanding from 73,000 sq ft
Seattle freight-startup Convoy signed a sublease for 123,000 sq ft across three floors at downtown’s Russell Investments Center, expanding from its current 73,000 sq ft Century Square HQ as it outlines a return-to-office plan amid broader Seattle downtown uncertainties.
Blues Wireless Raises $22M Series A Led by Sequoia and Lachy Groom; Bill Gates Among Investors
Blues Wireless, founded by former Microsoft exec Ray Ozzie, raised $22 million in a Series A led by Sequoia Capital and Lachy Groom with investors including Bill Gates to grow its cellular IoT Notecard device and cloud services. The company sells a $49 cellular module that embeds in hardware to send data over AT&T’s network for remote monitoring and management.
Astra goes public via Holicity SPAC led by Craig McCaw, valued at $2+ billion with $500M cash
Astra completed its SPAC merger with Holicity and began trading on Nasdaq (tickers ASTR/ASTRW), a deal that values the company at over $2 billion and provides about $500 million in cash. The transaction was led by Holicity chairman Craig McCaw with financial backing for Holicity from Bill Gates’ Pendrell Corp., and adds McCaw and Michael Lehman to Astra’s board.
Amazon Veteran Dorothy Li Named CTO of Convoy; Will Lead Engineering for Digital Freight Network
Dorothy Li, a 23-year Amazon veteran who helped launch products from Prime to Kindle, has been named CTO of Seattle-based trucking startup Convoy and will lead engineering for its digital freight network. Convoy, valued at $2.7 billion after a $400 million raise in November 2019, reports triple-digit year-over-year revenue growth and a network of over 67,000 carriers and 300,000 trucks.
MetaVC Partners raises debut fund to back metamaterials startups with investments from Bill Gates and Nathan Myhrvold
MetaVC Partners, a San Francisco venture fund founded by physicists Chris Alliegro and Conrad Burke, is raising its first fund to back early-stage metamaterials startups, with investors including Bill Gates and Intellectual Ventures founder Nathan Myhrvold.
Melinda French Gates positions Pivotal Ventures to expand women- and family-focused VC and philanthropy after divorce
Melinda French Gates founded Pivotal Ventures in January 2015 as a vehicle to pursue initiatives outside the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and following her divorce from Bill Gates she is poised to expand Pivotal’s influence on empowering women and families. Observers say her resources and focus could shift venture capital dynamics for female founders and have “transformational potential.”
Seattle-area startups raise record $1.64B in Q1 as U.S. VC funding jumps to $69B, PitchBook/NVCA say
PitchBook and NVCA report U.S. VC activity surged in Q1 2021 to $69 billion across 3,987 deals, while Seattle-area startups raised a Q1 record $1.64 billion across 88 deals, up from $616 million a year earlier. Mega-deals, fundraises, exits and SPAC activity all hit notable highs, and industry leaders say ample dry powder and economic recovery are driving larger investments.
Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures invests $24.3M in ZeroAvia, lifting private funding past $53M
Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures led a follow-up $24.3 million investment in ZeroAvia’s hybrid hydrogen-electric aircraft powertrains, joining prior investors and bringing the company’s total private funding to more than $53 million and nearly $74 million including grants. ZeroAvia plans a 19-seat hydrogen-electric demonstration by 2023, commercialization of a 600 kW powertrain in 2024, and a 2 MW program targeting 50+ seat aircraft by 2026.
Kymeta and Kepler demonstrate u8 flat-panel antenna achieving 100 Mbps and 2+ GB per pass in Arctic test
Kymeta and Kepler demonstrated that Kymeta's u8 flat-panel antenna can connect with Kepler’s LEO Global Data Service in Inuvik, Canada, achieving average uplink and downlink speeds of 100 Mbps and transferring over 2 GB per satellite pass in extreme cold.
Echodyne’s tablet-sized radars enable autonomous AiRanger drone to complete 14.5-mile NASA pipeline test; Gates is an investor
NASA tests with an AiRanger drone and Echodyne’s compact flat‑panel radars demonstrated autonomous detect-and-avoid capability over a 14.5-mile pipeline inspection, showing the potential for drones to operate in crowded airspace. Echodyne, backed by investors including Bill Gates, says regulatory clarity from the FAA is needed before commercial deployment scales.
Icertis raises $80M Series F led by B Capital, valuation jumps to $2.8B; total funding $280M
Seattle-area contract-management software company Icertis raised an $80 million Series F, boosting its valuation to $2.8 billion and bringing total funding to $280 million as it reports revenue north of $100 million and 1,400 employees worldwide.
SeekOut raises $65M Series B led by Tiger Global at nearly $500M valuation after 10x ARR growth
Seattle recruiting startup SeekOut raised $65 million in a Series B led by Tiger Global at a near-$500M valuation to expand its Talent 360 recruiting software, after growing ARR 10x in 21 months and remaining profitable.
Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Amazon and others invest $80M in Turntide to commercialize switched-reluctance Smart Motor System
Turntide Technologies raised $80 million in a funding round led by Bill Gates’s Breakthrough Energy Ventures, bringing its total funding to $180 million to scale its Smart Motor System based on switched reluctance motor technology. Investors include the Amazon Climate Pledge Fund, Robert Downey Jr.’s Footprint Coalition Ventures and several venture firms, backing the company’s effort to improve motor efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.
Pivotal Commware raises $50M Series C led by Tracker Capital with Bill Gates and Verizon participating
Pivotal Commware closed a $50 million Series C led by Tracker Capital Management, with participation from Devonshire Investors and existing backers including Bill Gates and Verizon, to expand R&D, distribution and deployment of its millimeter-wave 5G products. The company sells Pivot outdoor repeaters, Echo indoor repeaters, WaveScape modeling and an Intelligent Beam Management System for ultra-wideband mmWave 5G.
Tanium CEO Orion Hindawi Says Talk of Washington Tax Hikes Will Drive Businesses Away; Calls Seattle 'Freeze' 'Garbage'
Tanium CEO and co-founder Orion Hindawi, who moved his $9 billion company to Seattle, warned at a Washington tech event that talk of raising Washington state taxes—especially capital gains taxes—will deter businesses from relocating to the state and dismissed Seattle's 'freeze' reputation as 'complete garbage.'
Craig McCaw’s Holicity to Merge with Astra in $2.1 Billion SPAC Deal That Could Raise $500 Million
Craig McCaw’s Holicity SPAC is merging with launch startup Astra in a deal that values Astra at $2.1 billion and would yield up to $500 million in cash proceeds, aiming to fund daily low-Earth-orbit access despite Astra not yet having achieved routine orbit success.
Seattle Startup Brightloom Raises $15M Led by Ex-Starbucks Digital Chief Adam Brotman to Personalize Customer Marketing
Seattle startup Brightloom, led by ex-Starbucks digital chief Adam Brotman, raised $15 million to help companies use customer data for personalized marketing campaigns. The company evolved from restaurant automation startup Eatsa and targets smaller brands lacking advanced marketing resources.
Gates-led Breakthrough Energy Ventures raises second $1B fund to back 40–50 hard-to-abate climate tech startups
Breakthrough Energy Ventures, led by Bill Gates, has raised a second $1 billion fund to invest in 40–50 startups developing hard-to-abate climate technologies like low-emission steel and cement, carbon capture, and long-haul transportation, using a 20-year "patient capital" approach focused on large CO₂ reductions.
Shuffl founders Matthew Lee and Chris Watts launch Slack and Teams app to match coworkers; ~1,000 teams installed
Shuffl is a startup launched in 2019 by CEO Matthew Lee and CTO Chris Watts that creates randomized or intentional introductions for coworkers through Slack and Microsoft Teams to encourage workplace connection. The app automatically creates channels, schedules one-on-one or group meetups, provides video links and icebreakers, and has been installed by about 1,000 teams.
Organizations
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Breakthrough Energy Ventures Founder 2015–present · current
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Gates Foundation Co-founder and Co-chair 2000–present · current
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Microsoft Co-founder 1975–present, Former CEO · current
Education
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Harvard University 1973–1975
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Lakeside School
