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.
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.
Hanwha Systems to invest $30M in Gates-backed Kymeta to pursue LEO-compatible satellite antennas
Hanwha Systems will invest $30 million in Kymeta Corp., backing the company's metamaterial flat-panel u8 antenna and Kymeta Connect hybrid cellular-satellite service as demand grows for LEO-compatible satellite connectivity.
Top Stories of 2020
To say that 2020 unfolded in unexpected ways would be an epic understatement. The changes caused by the pandemic promise to impact tech, business and everything else for years to come. And that's just the start. The influence of Seattle's tech and scientific communities rippled throughout the world. The region's life sciences institutions played a key role in uncovering and battling COVID-19, and Bill Gates emerged as a leading voice for science and equity in the pandemic. Enterprise tech companies provided the bedrock for a massive global acceleration of digital technologies. A national reckoning over race, sparked by the killing…
ZeroAvia raises $21.4M from Breakthrough Energy and Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund to scale hydrogen-electric aircraft
ZeroAvia raised $21.4 million in a Series A round led by Bill Gates' Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund to accelerate development of hydrogen-electric powertrains for zero-emission propeller aircraft, with commercial flights of 10–20 seat planes up to 500 miles targeted by 2023. The company also secured a £16.3 million UK government grant and partnerships including British Airways, and plans larger hydrogen jets by 2030.
Kymeta launches u8 hybrid satellite–cellular service and terminal for commercial and government markets today
Kymeta is launching commercial availability of its next-generation u8 hybrid satellite-cellular connectivity service and terminal for voice and data, targeting both commercial and government/military customers starting today. The low-power flat-panel u8 antenna uses metamaterials for electronic satellite tracking, is redesigned for extreme environments, and was validated in beta trials by users including firefighters.
Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson Joins Board of Seattle Customer-Data Startup Amperity
Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson is joining the board of Seattle customer-data startup Amperity, which provides software to connect disparate customer data for targeted marketing and counts clients like Alaska Airlines, Patagonia and Kroger; Starbucks was an early adopter of Amperity.
Uber Freight raises $500M led by Greenbriar, valuing the unit at $3.3B
Uber Freight raised $500 million in a funding round led by Greenbriar that values the trucking logistics unit at $3.3 billion, and the business reported $211 million in adjusted net revenue for Uber’s most recent quarter with a $49 million quarterly loss. The unit operates a digital freight marketplace with about 65,000 carriers and competes with startups like Convoy, which recently raised $400 million at a $2.7 billion valuation.
Kymeta wins FCC blanket authorization for next-gen u8 antenna as beta moves toward commercial release
Kymeta, the Bill Gates-backed mobile connectivity venture, won FCC blanket authorization for its next-generation u8 flat-panel antenna, which is in beta and slated for commercial release later this year; the company also secured type approvals from several satellite operators and recently raised $85 million and acquired Lepton Global Solutions.
Illumina to Acquire Bill Gates- and Jeff Bezos-Backed Grail for $8 Billion in Cash and Stock
Illumina will acquire cancer-detection startup Grail for $8 billion in cash and stock; Grail, backed by Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos and planning a 2021 multi-cancer test rollout, had filed to go public earlier this month.
Former Expedia CEO Mark Okerstrom named president and COO of Convoy as startup tops 1,000 employees
Former Expedia CEO Mark Okerstrom joins Seattle digital freight startup Convoy as president and COO to oversee finance, operations, marketing and marketplace growth as the company surpasses 1,000 employees and a $2.7B valuation.
Kymeta acquires Lepton Global Solutions to add 17-satellite service network, targets U.S. government and military contracts
Kymeta Corp., the Redmond-based satellite antenna company backed by Bill Gates, acquired Lepton Global Solutions to add satellite service capabilities and strengthen its position for U.S. government and military contracts. Lepton will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary in Tysons Corner with fewer than 15 employees, expanding Kymeta’s workforce to nearly 200; financial terms were not disclosed.
Former Intellectual Ventures EVP Maurizio Vecchione named CEO of Washington Global Health Alliance; Shujinko hires three executives after $7.5M raise
Maurizio Vecchione, former Intellectual Ventures EVP, was named president and CEO of Seattle-based Washington Global Health Alliance and K.R. Prabha named board chair; Seattle startup Shujinko added three senior hires after a $7.5M raise; Oracle appointed Clay Magouyrk EVP for Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and UW named Dr. Ekin Yasin director of its Communication Leadership graduate program.
Microsoft (maybe) rescues TikTok; downtown Seattle struggles; micro-schools
Here’s what we’re talking about on the GeekWire Podcast this week. Who would have thought that Microsoft could be the likely white knight to save social video app TikTok from threats by President Trump to ban it in the U.S.? Trump set a hard deadline this week for Microsoft or another entity to buy the company before he'll block all transactions with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. We discuss what might be behind Microsoft's interest in entering the social media sphere. In latest TikTok twist, Microsoft reportedly looking at buying entire social media giant Trump issues executive order banning transactions…
Bill Gates-backed Likewise launches TV apps on Fire TV, Android TV and Apple TV to sync picks and launch shows
Likewise, a Seattle startup backed by Bill Gates' Gates Ventures, launched a TV app for Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, and Apple TV that syncs with its iOS/Android apps so users can save and launch recommended movies, shows, books and podcasts across streaming services.
GeekWire Awards 2020 Goes Virtual; Ally Wins Startup of the Year as Bill Gates and Celebrities Celebrate
GeekWire held a virtual GeekWire Awards livestream honoring top Pacific Northwest tech companies and leaders across 12 categories, with winners accepting via Zoom and special video messages from figures like Bill Gates. Seattle startup Ally won Startup of the Year, and the event included entertainment such as The Drunken Tenorperforming an "Opera di Zoom."
Proprio raises $23M Series A led by DCVC to commercialize 3D "X‑ray‑like" surgical navigation system
Seattle startup Proprio raised $23 million in a Series A led by DCVC to develop a hardware‑software surgical navigation system that fuses real-time camera views with preoperative imaging to give surgeons a 3D “X‑ray‑like” view without radiation.
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
