Claudius Mbemba
Claudius Mbemba is Principal AI/ML Technical Lead and Principal Software Engineer at Capital Technology Group, and serves as Venture Investment Director at Startup Haven. He founded Fundstarter, where he is no longer active, and has expertise as an investor, engineer, and leader.
Seattle’s Startup Haven Founded by Bob Crimmins in 2006 Expands with New HQ and $4.5M Early-Stage Startup Fund
Startup Haven, founded by Seattle entrepreneur Bob Crimmins in 2006 as a poker game gathering for founders and investors, has grown to over 2,500 members across 18 cities. Recently, it partnered with Seattle’s Columbia Tower Club and The Collective to open a physical headquarters offering events and co-working space, while Crimmins also launched a $4.5 million fund investing in early-stage startups globally.
Madrona Venture Group’s Steve Singh Details Six Post-COVID Tech Trends and Reasons for Hope on GeekWire Podcast
Steve Singh, managing director of Madrona Venture Group and former CEO of Docker and Concur, joined GeekWire to discuss reasons for hope and six technology trends to watch as the Pacific Northwest emerges from the pandemic, in a special episode tied to the 2021 virtual GeekWire Awards.
GeekWire names winners at 2021 Awards; SeekOut wins Startup of the Year after $65M raise
The 2021 GeekWire Awards returned as a virtual event honoring over 60 finalists across 14 categories from the Pacific Northwest tech community, featuring celebrity cameos and performances. Winners included SeekOut as Startup of the Year, and among 16 winners eight were women and five were people of color and/or immigrant entrepreneurs.
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.
Airbnb cleaning startup Neu raises $700,000 led by New Stack Ventures to fund Scottsdale expansion
Seattle startup Neu, which provides cleaning services to Airbnb hosts, adapted to pandemic-era demand by adding PPE and meeting Airbnb’s enhanced cleaning protocols and has raised $700,000 led by New Stack Ventures to support expansion including a planned move into Scottsdale, AZ.
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."
Daniel Kihanya launches Founders Unfound podcast to spotlight underrepresented founders and counter racial bias
Seattle entrepreneur Daniel Kihanya hosts the Founders Unfound podcast to showcase personal stories of underrepresented founders—especially Black entrepreneurs—to counteract racial bias in startup funding and hiring. By highlighting founders’ backgrounds and character, the biweekly interviews aim to replace surface credibility shortcuts with richer evidence of track records and potential.
Techstars Seattle’s 2020 cohort shifts programming online, prepares for virtual Demo Day May 6 as startups pivot amid COVID-19
Techstars Seattle's 11th accelerator cohort of 10 startups began in February and has adapted to COVID-19 by moving in-person programming online, pivoting business models, and accelerating product development where needed ahead of a virtual Demo Day on May 6, 2020.
Organizations
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Capital Technology Group Principal AI/ML Technical Lead 2026–present, Principal Software Engineer 2022–present · current
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FIRST Washington Board Member, Committee Chair 2020–present · current
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Startup Haven Venture Investment Director 2020–present · current
Education
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The Ohio State University Bachelor’s Degree, Computer and Information Sciences, Entrepreneurship/Business, Spanish · 2011–2015
