John Cook
Kanu AI raises $11.7M led by Trilogy Equity to convert employee workflows into production software
Kanu AI, founded by Karan Grover, raised $11.7 million to scale a platform that converts employee workflows into production-grade software running in customers' clouds, aiming to capture institutional knowledge and reduce costs and turnaround times.
GeekWire and Greater Seattle Partners call for nominations for 2026 Uncommon Thinkers; deadline Sept. 18, winners honored Dec. 10
Nominations for GeekWire’s 2026 Uncommon Thinkers Awards — honoring Seattle-area inventors, scientists, technologists and entrepreneurs — close Friday, Sept. 18 at 11 a.m. PT; winners will be chosen by a judges panel and celebrated at the GeekWire Gala on Dec. 10. The fourth annual program, run with Greater Seattle Partners, seeks nominees who demonstrate innovation, leadership and measurable impact.
BrainChild Bio raises $116M Series A to fund Phase 2 CAR T trial for childhood DIPG
Seattle startup BrainChild Bio raised $116 million in Series A funding to advance a CAR T cell therapy for diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) and to support development of additional pediatric and adult brain tumor CAR T programs. The financing will fund a pivotal ILLUMINATE Phase 2 registration-stage trial and was led by an undisclosed private family fund and foundation, with participation from Seattle Children’s and WRF Capital.
Levanta raises $22M led by Volition Capital to scale influencer-brand matchmaking across Amazon, Walmart and Shopify
Seattle startup Levanta raised $22 million led by Volition Capital to expand its platform that connects brands with influencers and manages affiliate partnerships across Amazon, Walmart and Shopify; the company says revenue is up 80% year-over-year in 2026 and it has more than 90,000 vetted creators. Founded in 2023 by Ian Brodie, Spencer McKenney and Rob Schab, Levanta provides tools to find creators, send products, set commissions, track sales and handle payments.
Harell Data founded by Harlan Robins raises $15M to let data owners securely monetize AI training
Harlan Robins, co-founder and former CSO of Adaptive Biotechnologies, launched Harell Data with $15 million in funding to let proprietary data owners securely host datasets for AI model training and receive direct revenue shares instead of waiting for downstream royalties.
InduPro raises $77M Series B, doses first patient in Phase 1 trial of IDP-001 targeting tumor protein pairs
InduPro raised $77 million in Series B financing and has dosed the first patient in a Phase 1 trial of IDP-001, an antibody-drug conjugate that uses the company’s ARRIS platform to target cancer cells by bringing two surface proteins together.
GeekWire Podcast: Seattle startup funding falls 40% in H1 2026 as AI redirects venture capital; Kalshi court setback and Impinj marks decade on Nasdaq
The GeekWire Podcast reports Seattle startup funding fell about 40% in H1 2026 as AI redirected venture capital, plus coverage of a Seattle judge rejecting Kalshi's federal defense, Impinj's 10th year on the Nasdaq after 26 years of growth, and nearly 40 locals trying a five-week smartphone detox.
Diplo invests in Seattle rewards startup Copper as company grows to 4+ million members and $42M raised
Grammy-winning artist and entrepreneur Diplo has invested in Seattle-based consumer rewards startup Copper as it expands its platform, which now serves more than 4 million members. Copper, founded in 2019 and having raised $42 million to date, says it helps users earn money via mobile games, cash-back offers and purchases while positioning itself as an alternative to attention-extracting apps.
Nscale opens 24,000-ft² Bellevue U.S. engineering HQ, backing expansion after $2B raise and $900M credit line
London-based data center startup Nscale, fresh off a $2 billion fundraising and a $900 million credit line, is opening a 24,000-square-foot U.S. engineering headquarters in Bellevue, Washington, slated for January 2027 and able to house up to 250 employees. The company hired former Microsoft VP Nidhi Chappell as president of AI infrastructure to lead global engineering and data center operations as it expands amid demand for AI computing infrastructure.
Seattle Sounders honor S. ‘Soma’ Somasegar, Madrona VC and former Microsoft exec, with pregame tribute after his May death at 59
The Seattle Sounders honored late Microsoft executive and Madrona venture capitalist S. “Soma” Somasegar, a minority owner who died in May at 59, with a pregame tribute and moment of silence recognizing his impact on Seattle’s tech and sports communities. Somasegar, who joined the Sounders ownership group in 2019, was remembered for his leadership at Microsoft, mentorship of startups, and efforts to bring people together through sports.
Todd Boehly, Vinod Khosla Lead Billionaire Bidders for Seattle Seahawks in $9 Billion Sale
The Seattle Seahawks are up for sale for an expected record $9 billion, attracting bids from high-profile billionaires and venture capitalists including Todd Boehly, Vinod Khosla, Aditya Mittal, and Wyc Grousbeck. The sale is being managed by the estate of the late Paul Allen, with proceeds designated for philanthropy.
2025 Tech Year-End: AI Boom, $80 Billion Bets, and Seattle's Shifting Job Landscape Highlight Industry's Brutal Realities
The year 2025 was pivotal in technology history, marked by AI's rapid ascent, significant investments, tech industry layoffs, and evolving job impacts, particularly in Seattle. Key perspectives from Bill Gates and Satya Nadella highlight AI's transformative nature and the industry's complex challenges and opportunities.
Seattle Hardware Firms Glowforge and Rad Power Bikes Face Financial Collapse Amid Pandemic Boom and Overfunding
Seattle hardware companies Glowforge and Rad Power Bikes, once pandemic-era boomers, face severe financial struggles due to manufacturing challenges and overfunding. Their difficulties highlight a broader regional trend of high hopes and tough realities in consumer hardware startups.
GeekWire Awards Preview Highlights Next Tech Titan Winners and Workplace Trends Ahead of May 9 Seattle Event
The GeekWire Awards event will take place on May 9 at Showbox SoDo in Seattle, featuring a look back at past Next Tech Titan winners and discussions on workplace evolution and regional migration impacts.
How this Seattle tech CEO landed in the pro bowling Hall of Fame
Rob Glaser is best known as the founder and CEO of RealNetworks, the Seattle-based company that specializes in digital media, games and computer vision technology. But for about two decades, he was also part of the ownership group for the Professional Bowlers Association, along with his former Microsoft colleagues Chris Peters and Mike Slade. That's how Glaser landed in the PBA Hall of Fame earlier this year, despite never having been a pro bowler himself. It also makes Glaser the answer to what turned out to be a real stumper of a trivia question on the latest episode of the…
Lost and Founder with Rand Fishkin
Rand Fishkin is the co-founder and former CEO of Seattle technology company Moz, and in his seventeen years in the startup world, he's learned a thing or two about being an entrepreneur. He shares some of those stories — personal and professional — in his new book, Lost and Founder, out April 24. Rand joins us on this episode of the GeekWire Podcast to talk about his unwavering dedication to transparency, the lessons he's learned as a founder and even his recent departure from Moz to found a new company, SparkToro. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The future of mobile marketing: Live from Postback with Tune and Belkin
The smartphone is king of the world these days, and how we interact with our phones is something that thousands of mobile marketers are constantly trying to understand. On this episode of the GeekWire podcast, we bring you two interviews from mobile marketing conference Postback, put on every year by Seattle company Tune. First, we speak with Tune CEO Peter Hamilton about the state of mobile marketing and how his background as an opera singer has helped him succeed in the startup world. Then we speak with the CMO of connected device company Belkin, Kieran Hannon, about the future of…
Bezos-backed doxo expands doxoPAY with auto-pay for incoming statements, inks AT&T partnership
Bezos-backed Seattle startup doxo expanded its doxoPAY service to allow automatic payments for received statements and added AT&T to its partner network alongside Puget Sound Energy, Sprint and Sound Community Bank.
