Charlotte Schubert
Charlotte Schubert is a GeekWire contributing writer focused on biotech, healthcare, and life sciences; she is a Seattle native with a Ph.D. in developmental biology.
Seattle Biotech Intrinsic Medicine Withdraws $20.3M IPO Filing While Developing Human Milk Molecule Therapies
Seattle biotech Intrinsic Medicine, developing sugar-based molecules found in human milk for immune and gut health disorders, withdrew its IPO filing after planning to raise $20.3 million. The company, founded in 2018 and led by CEO Alex Martinez, is conducting preclinical programs for several conditions and planned a phase 2 trial in Australia for irritable bowel syndrome.
Truveta Partners with Pfizer to Monitor COVID Vaccine and Therapy Safety Using Data from 20 U.S. Health Systems
Seattle-based health data company Truveta partnered with Pfizer to use its platform for monitoring COVID vaccine and therapy safety in the U.S., leveraging data from 20 health systems. Truveta also released data indicating women may be more prone to long COVID, aligning with earlier research.
Pacific Northwest Life Sciences Update: Talus Bioscience Raises $9.75M, Kineta Merges with Yumanity, UW’s David Baker Launches Charm Therapeutics
Recent Pacific Northwest life sciences news includes Talus Bioscience raising $9.75 million, Kineta going public via merger with Yumanity, and UW's David Baker launching Charm Therapeutics. Key partnerships involve TwinStrand and Singular Genomics developing rare gene variant tests, and Umoja Biopharma partnering with TreeFrog Therapeutics for stem cell therapies.
David Baker Launches London Biotech Charm Therapeutics with $50M Series A to Advance Deep Learning Drug Discovery
David Baker, leader of the University of Washington Institute for Protein Design, co-founded London-based Charm Therapeutics, which uses deep learning to discover new small molecule therapeutics, and recently secured $50 million in Series A funding. The company's DragonFold platform predicts protein-small molecule interactions to aid drug discovery in cancer and other diseases.
Asha AI Launches Voice-Enabled Elder Care Management App, Showcased at Life Science Innovation Northwest 2022
Asha AI, a Redmond-based startup founded by Rashmi Joshi, has launched an iOS app to help elderly users manage healthcare tasks through a voice-enabled interface. The app was showcased at the Life Science Innovation Northwest 2022 event and aims to support independence and caregiver communication.
Fintech Startup Formations Raises $8M to Simplify Taxes for Freelancers with Focus on Realtors
Bellevue-based fintech startup Formations raised $8 million to simplify tax and paperwork processes for self-employed individuals, initially targeting realtors. The company has served about 700 customers with average savings of $8,000 each and recently partnered with Gusto to expand its services.
Aurion Biotech Raises $120M to Advance Cell Therapy for Corneal Edema Affecting Millions
Aurion Biotech, a spinoff of CorneaGen, has raised $120 million to advance its cell therapy for treating corneal edema caused by endothelial dysfunction, a condition leading to impaired vision or blindness affecting about 4% of people over 40 in the U.S. The therapy uses cultured corneal cells from a single donor to treat multiple patients with a less complex procedure than corneal transplantation.
Five Finalists for 2022 GeekWire Health Innovation of the Year Include A-Alpha Bio and UW Institute for Protein Design
The 2022 GeekWire Health Innovation of the Year finalists include A-Alpha Bio, Parse Biosciences, Tasso, Truveta, and the University of Washington’s Institute for Protein Design, highlighting advances in computational health approaches. Winners will be announced on May 12 at the GeekWire Awards, with community voting open until April 22.
Hazel Analytics Expands Partnership with Yelp to Provide Health Ratings for Restaurants Across 48 U.S. States and Canada
Seattle startup Hazel Analytics expanded its partnership with Yelp to provide standardized health inspection ratings for restaurants now covering 48 states and parts of Canada, serving nearly 70% of the U.S. population. Founded in 2014 by academics and economists, Hazel collects and standardizes health data to improve public awareness and supports major restaurant chains with inspection dashboards.
Icosavax COVID-19 Vaccine Trial Shows Weaker Immune Response Than Expected, Stocks Fall Over 60%
Icosavax reported interim phase 1/2 trial results for its COVID-19 vaccine showing immune responses below expectations, causing its stock to drop over 60%. The company plans to investigate causes for the underwhelming data while remaining committed to its VLP vaccine platform.
Discovery Health Grew from 8 to 300 Employees Under CEO Ann Jarris by Leading COVID-19 Testing and Vaccinations in Pacific Northwest Maritime Industry
Discovery Health, led by CEO Ann Jarris, experienced significant growth during the COVID-19 pandemic by overseeing testing and vaccinations for maritime, agriculture, and airport workers in the Pacific Northwest. Starting with just eight employees and limited resources, the Seattle-based health startup expanded to a team of nearly 300, becoming a key partner in pandemic response efforts.
DoD awards $1.1M to Seattle’s A-Alpha Bio to hunt antibodies for COVID-19 variants with LLNL collaboration
Seattle biotech A-Alpha Bio received a $1.1 million DoD sub-contract to collaborate with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, using its AlphaSeq platform and machine learning to identify high-affinity antibodies against current and future COVID-19 variants.
Andreessen Horowitz, Madrona and other tech VCs ramp up bets on AI-driven biotech startups as founders from software enter life sciences
Tech venture capital firms like Andreessen Horowitz and Seattle’s Madrona Venture Group are increasingly investing in life-science startups that use AI, machine learning and data science to speed drug discovery and development. Investors are following founders who transitioned from software to biotech—such as Sujal Patel of Nautilus and Terry Myerson of Truveta—seeing reduced perceived risk and new opportunity at this intersection.
Apis Health Angel Conference launches health-focused startup competition; winner to be chosen March 24 with pooled funding from 25+ angels
Apis Health Angel Conference, launched by Seattle Angel Conference founder John Sechrest, is a new forum and startup competition to connect investors with health-focused startups and educate new angel investors. Over 50 startups entered the first cohort, narrowing toward a March 24 final where the winner will receive pooled funds from more than 25 angel investors; qualified investors contribute $5,000 and must meet income or asset thresholds.
Madrona Venture Group leads $60M Series A in Terray Therapeutics to fund AI‑powered drug discovery
Pasadena-based Terray Therapeutics raised $60 million in a Series A led by Seattle’s Madrona Venture Group to advance its nanotechnology chips and AI-driven drug discovery screening.
Parse Biosciences raises $41.5M to scale Evercode single-cell RNA sequencing kits that profile up to 1M cells
Parse Biosciences, a Seattle startup co-founded by CEO Alex Rosenberg and CTO Charles Roco, raised $41.5 million to expand its single-cell RNA sequencing kits and software, which scale to profile up to one million cells using standard lab equipment. The company, launched from University of Washington research, now has more than 300 customers and emphasizes ease of use versus competitors requiring specialized hardware.
Kevala raises $12.1M to help long-term care providers fill shifts and manage compliance
Seattle-based Kevala raised $12.1 million to expand its software platform that helps long-term care and senior living facilities schedule staff, manage compliance, and access temporary nurses and caregivers across five states. The company has grown from five to 20 corporate employees since January 2021 and serves hundreds of healthcare facilities, offering a pool of more than 1,000 registered and licensed caregivers.
Curevo raises $60M to test shingles vaccine vs. GSK’s $2.3B-a-year Shingrix in 650+ person phase 2b trial
Seattle vaccine startup Curevo raised $60 million to fund a phase 2b trial comparing its shingles vaccine against GSK’s market-leading Shingrix, aiming to reduce side effects while preserving strong immune responses. The shot uses a non-living viral component plus a proprietary adjuvant and was developed through a 2018 partnership including GC Pharma, the Mogam Institute, and Seattle’s IDRI.
Seattle Startup Wavely Diagnostics Raises $2.2M to Launch App Detecting Ear Infections via Acoustic Signals
Seattle startup Wavely Diagnostics raised $2.2 million to launch a smartphone app that detects ear infections using acoustic signals, enabling virtual care and treatment. The company is led by CEO Arna Ionescu Stoll and founded by experts including a pediatric ENT physician and a computer science professor.
Rose Health wins Cambia Grove’s TRAILS competition; to develop platform with Providence Digital Innovation Group and MultiCare
Baltimore-based mental health startup Rose Health won the TRAILS behavioral-health startup competition hosted by Seattle’s Cambia Grove, earning a partnership to develop its platform with Providence Digital Innovation Group and MultiCare Behavioral Health Network. Founded by CEO Kavi Misri and recently raising $1.7 million in seed funding, Rose offers patient self-care tools and a clinician dashboard with behavioral specialists supporting each healthcare customer.
AI2 Spinout BirchAI Raises $3.1M Seed to Automate Healthcare Customer-Support Call Summaries
BirchAI, an AI2 spinout founded in June 2020, raised $3.1 million in seed funding for software that transcribes, summarizes and analyzes healthcare customer-support calls to reduce post-call documentation time and improve employee and patient satisfaction. CEO Kevin Terrell says the Seattle startup targets medical device, pharmaceutical and insurance companies and lets employees edit AI-generated summaries.
Affini-T Therapeutics launched by Fred Hutch scientists including Juno co-founder Philip Greenberg to develop engineered TCR cancer therapies
Affini-T Therapeutics, founded by Fred Hutch scientists including Philip Greenberg (a Juno co-founder), Aude Chapuis and Thomas Schmitt, launched to develop T cell receptor (TCR) cancer immunotherapies that add engineered CD8 co-receptors and other gene edits. The Boston-headquartered company, led by CEO Jak Knowles, was unveiled at the J.P. Morgan Health Care Conference and will operate a research lab in Seattle.
DexCare, Providence spinout led by CEO Derek Streat, raises $50M to expand patient-access platform
Seattle health-tech startup DexCare, spun out of Providence’s digital innovation group, raised $50 million to accelerate platform development and go-to-market expansion; its software manages health system capacity and patient appointment booking and is used by Providence, Kaiser Permanente, Mass General Brigham, Houston Methodist and others. The round follows a $20 million raise last March and was led by Transformation Capital, whose managing partner emphasized patient competition as a major hospital issue in 2022.
Curi Bio raises $10M to advance iPSC-based 3D tissue drug-discovery platforms including Mantarray
Seattle-based Curi Bio raised $10 million in Series A financing to advance its human iPSC-based drug discovery platforms, including 3D engineered tissue products like Mantarray and Cytostretcher. The company provides customized assay and screening services for cardiac, musculoskeletal and neuromuscular models and has prior funding including $6M this spring and over $6M in NIH grants.
Seattle’s Tasso Raises $100M Series B to Scale Self‑Administered Blood‑Collection Devices
Seattle startup Tasso raised $100 million in a Series B round to advance its self‑administered blood‑collection devices used for remote patient monitoring, decentralized clinical trials and mailed liquid or dried samples. The funding brings total capital to $131 million, building on prior grants and a $17 million raise in July 2020.
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