Cara Kuhlman
Startup Haven launches Startup Haven Ventures, adds Westerdal, Yu and Mbemba; PSL promotes three; Adam Selipsky named AWS CEO
Startup Haven, founded by Bob Crimmins, launched Startup Haven Ventures and expanded its team to include Jay Westerdal, Arry Yu and Claudius Mbemba; the fund targets pre-seed, capital-efficient companies with a Pacific Northwest focus and made its first investment in Verdi. Seattle’s Pioneer Square Labs promoted Palvi Mehta, David Zager and Ben Gilbert; separately, Tableau CEO Adam Selipsky will become AWS CEO, replacing Andy Jassy.
Former Microsoft Azure distinguished engineer Kushagra Vaid joins Eclipse Ventures as partner; Mary Shea named Outreach’s first evangelist
Multiple Pacific Northwest tech moves: former Microsoft Azure distinguished engineer Kushagra Vaid joined Eclipse Ventures as a partner and is advising Cyemptive Technologies; Athira Pharma appointed Barbara Kosacz to its board; Outreach hired former Forrester analyst Mary Shea as its first evangelist; and Microsoft Vancouver GM Edoardo De Martin left to become CTO at CubicFarm Systems.
Port of Seattle and Washington Maritime Blue Launch Second Cohort of Maritime Accelerator, Moving Into New Maritime Innovation Center
The Port of Seattle and nonprofit Washington Maritime Blue launched a second-year maritime startup accelerator to connect regional maritime heritage with modern innovation, replacing WeWork Labs with Maritime Blue for mentorship and programming. The Port will provide space in a new Maritime Innovation Center at Fishermen’s Terminal, with construction expected to start this year.
Wyze names former Nike exec Francis Lee as first CFO; OutSystems raises $150M at $9.5B valuation as CMO relocates to Seattle
Wyze Labs named longtime Nike executive Francis Lee as its first CFO as the Kirkland smart-home startup expands after a Series A; OutSystems closed a $150M funding round valuing it at $9.5B while moving CMO Robson Grieve to Seattle. Additional regional moves include Lisa Nelson joining Flying Fish Partners as a venture partner and Apptio naming Kevin Meeks chief customer officer.
Two Screens for Teachers raises support as founders seek $23M to supply 250,000 pandemic-strained educators; teen Avi Schiffmann built a widely used COVID-19 tracker
A roundup of positive tech, science, and education stories from 2020 highlights initiatives that helped during the pandemic, including Two Screens for Teachers providing monitors to school districts and a high school student, Avi Schiffmann, building a widely used COVID-19 tracker.
Crowd Cow hires ex‑Amazon leaders Ian McAllister, Julie Pruitt, Jeremy Sievert and adds Flexe CTO David Glick to board; Snap! Raise names Stuart Silberg as CTO
Seattle meat and seafood marketplace Crowd Cow hired Ian McAllister as chief product officer, Julie Pruitt as chief merchant, and Jeremy Sievert as VP of operations, and added Flexe CTO David Glick to its board; Crowd Cow says revenue grew over 400% this year. Digital fundraising platform Snap! Raise hired former Expedia CTO Stuart Silberg as its new chief technology officer.
OfferUp names Niti Bashambu CPO after $120M raise and $1.4B valuation; Flyhomes appoints Amy Sellers VP of Marketing
OfferUp hired Niti Bashambu as chief product officer after raising $120 million and reaching a $1.4B valuation; Flyhomes named Amy Sellers VP of marketing as it expands across five markets. Promethean also hired Chris Hand as chief revenue officer.
Outreach CMO Margaret Arakawa departs; FlyHomes CMO Ryan Steingard joins Persona; Brian Goldfarb named Amperity CMO
Several Seattle-area marketing executives have changed roles: Margaret Arakawa left Outreach as CMO to pursue a new venture, FlyHomes CMO Ryan Steingard moved to chief growth officer at Persona, and Brian Goldfarb joined Amperity as CMO. Outreach recently raised $50 million in a Series F at a $1.33 billion valuation and serves over 4,000 companies.
Qumulo names ex-AWS Janine Corey cloud CTO; Elissa Fink joins Conversica board; Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson joins Amperity board
Seattle startup Qumulo hired Janine Corey as cloud CTO after five years at Amazon Web Services; the company is valued at $1.2 billion and raised $125 million earlier this year. Former Tableau CMO Elissa Fink joined Conversica’s board and Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson joined Amperity’s board, reflecting several executive moves among Seattle-area tech firms.
Pandemic Accelerates Adoption of Enterprise Software in Seattle, Boosting Cloud and Cybersecurity Startups
The COVID-19 pandemic is accelerating adoption of enterprise software in the Seattle and Pacific Northwest tech scene, highlighting startups in cloud computing and cybersecurity that dominate the GeekWire 200. Analysts say enterprise cloud firms appear relatively resilient to recessionary pressures compared with consumer-facing startups, though risks remain if businesses cut spending.
Foursquare CEO David Shim to Resign; Gary Little Named CEO in 2021; Other Tech Leadership Moves Reported
Foursquare CEO David Shim, founder of Placed, is resigning and will be succeeded by board member Gary Little in 2021 after a transition; Shim plans to return to entrepreneurship. Other moves: investor Karan Mehandru left Trinity Ventures to join Steadfast Financial while remaining on several boards, 343 Industries’ Chris Lee stepped down from Halo Infinite project direction, and WTIA hired Molly Jones as VP of government affairs.
University of Washington taps Justin Dunnicliff as NSIN university program director; Meredith Han named VP of Product at FlyHomes
The University of Washington partnered with the Department of Defense’s National Security Innovation Network (NSIN) and named UW alumnus Justin Dunnicliff as university program director to run NSIN programs at UW, connecting students to DoD-related research and employment opportunities. The article also notes Meredith Han, an early Amazon employee and angel investor, has become VP of product at FlyHomes.
Amazon names Anne Toth director of Alexa Trust; Zillow adds Claire Cormier Thielke to board; Lockstep exits stealth
Amazon hired Anne Toth as director of Alexa Trust to lead privacy, security, accessibility and ethics efforts for Alexa; Zillow added Claire Cormier Thielke to its board and Lockstep, a Seattle accounting-software startup founded in 2019, emerged from stealth with a founding team drawn from Avalara, Globys, e2b Teknologies and Winshuttle.
Lighter Capital appoints Melissa Widner as CEO after layoffs; firm has invested $200M+ using revenue-based financing
Seattle alternative VC firm Lighter Capital named Melissa Widner as CEO; she succeeds Thor Culverhouse and joins a company that has deployed $200M+ via revenue-based financing and recently cut staff from ~80 to 23 before rising to 25 employees. Widner, a Sydney-based board member and former NAB venture managing partner, plans remote hiring as the firm seeks global growth.
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.
Accolade exits GeekWire 200 after $220M IPO at $1.2B valuation; PNW health techs climb as VC funding hits $2.3B in H1 2020
GeekWire’s latest GeekWire 200 update shows health tech startups rising in the Pacific Northwest rankings during the pandemic, highlighted by Accolade’s $220M IPO at a $1.2B valuation and a surge in VC activity ($2.3B across 135 deals in H1 2020).
Madrona hires ex-AWS product manager Anu Sharma as principal; Saykara and DomainTools add senior marketing and leadership hires
Madrona Venture Group hired Anu Sharma as a principal from AWS; Seattle startups and tech companies also announced hires and promotions, including Saykara naming Joy Efron VP of marketing and DomainTools adding four executives (CTO James Reynolds, CCO Jeff Day, VP of product Jackie Abrams, and VP of people Jill Boon).
Hiya names Hillery Nye GC and John Novak SVP of Marketing; Unity hires Scott Pitasky; Bellevue College appoints Gary Locke interim president
Seattle caller-ID startup Hiya hired Hillery Nye as general counsel and John Novak as SVP of marketing; Unity Technologies named Scott Pitasky chief people officer. Bellevue College appointed former Washington governor Gary Locke as interim president starting June 15.
Smartsheet CFO Jennifer Ceran joins Auth0 board; Auth0 hires three execs; Outreach opens NYC office led by David Rubinstein
Smartsheet CFO Jennifer Ceran joined the board of Bellevue identity provider Auth0 as she prepares to retire, and Auth0 added three senior hires: Holly Files (SVP customer success), Cassio Sampaio (VP product) and Ken Oestreich (VP product marketing). Separately, Seattle sales-engagement firm Outreach is opening a New York City office led by David Rubinstein as part of its U.S. and international expansion.
Foursquare and Factual merge under Foursquare brand with David Shim named CEO; Sue Desmond-Hellmann joins Pfizer board
Foursquare and Factual are merging under the Foursquare brand with Placed founder David Shim as CEO; Sue Desmond-Hellmann joined Pfizer’s board after leaving the Gates Foundation, and other executive moves include Microsoft hiring Rubén Caballero and leadership change at Egencia.
Lighter Capital names Patricia Elliott CSO and Kevin Fink CTO after $100M deal; Gaby Adam launches OurPlanet365; Accolade adds Pat Wadors to board
Seattle-based Lighter Capital hired Patricia Elliott as chief sales officer and Kevin Fink as chief technology officer after securing a $100 million deal; PR veteran Gaby Adam launched sustainability consultancy OurPlanet365; Accolade added Pat Wadors to its board as talent leader.
