Kurt Schlosser
Kurt Schlosser is a photographer and reporter associated with GeekWire and Recompose, mentioned in multiple GeekWire articles.
Recurrent raises $3.5M seed round led by Wireframe Ventures to scale battery data science for used EV reports
Recurrent, a Seattle startup that issues independent battery-condition reports for used electric vehicles, raised $3.5 million in a seed round led by Wireframe Ventures to expand the data science behind its reports. The company launched in September, has over 2,500 EV owners providing data and 10 dealer partners, and has collected more than 1 million data points to train its machine-learning models.
Seattle teens Luca Motte and Massimo Corsini launch Seattle Skate Features selling portable plywood skate obstacles during COVID-19
Two 16-year-old Seattle friends, Luca Motte and Massimo Corsini, launched Seattle Skate Features during COVID-19 quarantine, building affordable, portable plywood skate obstacles from Massimo’s garage and learning business skills like website building, marketing and order fulfillment. They faced early setbacks including a tool theft but continued operating the small startup serving local skaters.
Wyze launches $49.99 Sprinkler Controller with 8-zone smart scheduling, ships in January
Wyze Labs announced a $49.99 Wyze Sprinkler Controller that lets homeowners schedule and control up to eight watering zones, sync with local weather, and will ship in January; a premium Sprinkler Plus weather service is $9.99/year.
Wyze co-founder Dave Crosby’s unreleased Wyze Cam Outdoor records car prowler stealing camera; Crosby tracks thief via Craigslist and films the pursuit
Wyze co-founder Dave Crosby used an unreleased Wyze Cam Outdoor mounted over his driveway to record a car prowler stealing a camera from his vehicle, then tracked the thief after the stolen device surfaced for sale on Craigslist and documented the incident on his popular YouTube channel.
Bottomless says Amazon’s new Dash Smart Shelf validates Seattle startup’s WiFi coffee-reordering scale; Bottomless is profitable with ~$2M sales
Seattle startup Bottomless, which sells a WiFi-connected smart scale that automatically reorders coffee beans, says Amazon’s new Dash Smart Shelf validates its market; Bottomless is profitable, has raised over $2 million, and generates nearly $2 million in annual coffee sales.
Textio launches 'Textio for Employer Brand' to infuse DEI language across corporate messaging
Textio launched Textio for Employer Brand, an augmented-writing tool that guides companies to use more diverse, equitable and inclusive language across corporate messaging beyond job listings. The product, now exiting beta, aims to update guidance continuously and apply DEI-focused language suggestions to pages like 'About this company' and culture blog posts as firms rebuild and rehire after the pandemic.
Shift expands to Seattle region, offering at-home test drives and digital purchases after SPAC-led Nasdaq debut
Used-car marketplace Shift has expanded into the Seattle region, offering end-to-end digital buying services including at-home test drives and on-the-spot purchases within 60 miles of central Seattle, after recently going public via a SPAC merger.
Membrion develops spray coating to boost cotton mask protection by adsorbing coronavirus particles
Seattle startup Membrion is developing a sprayable, food-safe coating derived from its ion-exchange membrane technology to make cotton masks more protective by adsorbing and neutralizing coronavirus particles.
Arrived Homes launches $100-share crowdfunding platform for rental-property investing, founded by ex-Simply Measured and Sprout Social executives
Arrived Homes, a Seattle startup founded by tech veterans Ryan Frazier, Kenny Cason and Alejandro Chouza with CFO Joel Mezistrano, launched a crowdfunding platform that lets people buy $100 shares in rental properties and earn passive income while the company handles acquisition, renovation and management. The team uses tech and big data to select properties and has posted its first homes for investment after over a year of development and regulatory work.
Jonathan Sandals launches Sook Chrome extension to aggregate local Seattle boutique inventory and counter Amazon’s search advantage
Jonathan Sandals, who moved to Seattle in 2019, built Sook, a Chrome extension that aggregates product listings from many small local store websites so shoppers can browse and buy from multiple boutiques in one place. He designed Sook to require no extra work from store owners and to make buying local as easy as shopping on major corporate sites like Amazon.
Scener raises $2.1M seed round as social TV demand grows; backed by SeaChange, Glaser Investments and others
Scener, a two-year-old Seattle startup spun out of RealNetworks, raised $2.1 million in seed funding to expand its virtual co-watching platform that supports up to 1 million viewers and playback on at least 10 major streaming services. The company, backed by SeaChange, Glaser Investments and others, is nearing 500,000 active installs and about 14 million minutes of weekly co-watching as social TV gains traction among streaming providers.
Pure Watercraft raises $23.4M Series A from L37 Ventures to commercialize electric outboard motors
Pure Watercraft, a nine-year-old Seattle startup led by CEO Andy Rebele, raised $23.4 million in a Series A led by L37 Ventures to scale production and move its electric outboard motor from beta to general availability amid rising U.S. boating demand. The company aims to capitalize on a boating boom driven by increased participation and pandemic-era interest from first-time and younger buyers.
Cloud Paper raises $3M seed led by Greycroft with Mark Cuban, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ashton Kutcher and Guy Oseary investing
Seattle startup Cloud Paper, which makes tree-free bamboo toilet paper shipped direct to consumers, raised $3 million in a seed round led by Greycroft and backed by investors including Mark Cuban, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ashton Kutcher and Guy Oseary. The year-and-a-half-old company says signups jumped 800% amid the pandemic and highlights sustainability claims such as plastic-free packaging and over 1 million pounds of carbon saved or offset.
Wrench acquires Lemon Squad, adds 2,800 inspectors and names Andy Dabbs GM of inspections
Seattle-based mobile car-repair startup Wrench has acquired Minnesota-based vehicle inspection company Lemon Squad, integrating its 2,800 inspectors and bringing Lemon Squad CEO Andy Dabbs on as Wrench’s general manager of inspections. The deal lets Wrench offer on-site, pre-purchase inspections scheduled through its mobile app, expanding services as demand for contactless auto care grows during the pandemic.
Madrona Venture Group leads $9M round in Trade Coffee, a marketplace linking home brewers to 56 roasters and 400+ blends
Madrona Venture Group led a $9 million financing round in New York-based Trade Coffee, a two-year-old marketplace connecting home brewers with over 400 blends from 56 small roasters and offering single orders or subscriptions; Trade has nearly 75,000 subscribers after tripling since January.
Sensoria Health launches $69 Smart Band tracking SpO2, temperature and heart rate to spot COVID-19 warning signs
Sensoria Health launched a $69 Smart Band that measures body temperature, heart rate, blood oxygenation (SpO2), sleep quality and steps, aiming to help detect potential COVID-19 symptoms. The device will be available later this month in the U.S. and Europe, and CEO Davide Vigano highlighted monitoring SpO2 trends as important for early detection of COVID-19 pneumonia.
Anu Sharma leaves AWS to join Madrona Venture Group as investor after eight years at Amazon
Anu Sharma left an eight-year product management role at Amazon/AWS to join Madrona Venture Group’s investment team, turning a long-standing personal interest in investing into a full-time career where she plans to apply engineering rigor to evaluating and growing startups.
Sonder launches in Seattle’s Capitol Hill at Solis, bringing tech-enabled, apartment-style hotel units; company valued at $1.3B
San Francisco startup Sonder, which leases and manages apartment-style, tech-enabled hospitality units, has launched in Seattle at the Solis development on Capitol Hill, offering contactless check-in, digital concierge, in-unit kitchens and enhanced cleaning. Sonder operates 11,000 spaces in 35+ cities, recently raised $200 million as part of $560 million raised to date, and is valued at $1.3 billion.
UW entrepreneur Austin Hirsh’s The 2050 Company launches $20,000 Kickstarter to sell upcycled freeze-dried smoothie powders
Austin Hirsh, founder of The 2050 Company and a UW MS in Entrepreneurship student, is launching a Kickstarter to sell freeze-dried smoothie powder made from surplus or cosmetically imperfect produce to reduce food waste. The campaign seeks $20,000, offers three Northwest flavors and early-bird 10‑pack rewards, and follows multiple competition wins and acceptance into UW’s Jones and Foster Accelerator.
Atomo Coffee raises $9M to build 12,000 sq ft Seattle roastery for molecular coffee near Starbucks HQ
Seattle-based Atomo Coffee raised $9 million in a funding round led by Horizons Ventures and S2G Ventures to scale its molecular coffee made from upcycled plant materials and open a 12,000-square-foot roastery near Starbucks headquarters. The company plans regional product launches in 2021 for a molecular coffee concentrate and Atomo Grounds aimed at reducing coffee’s environmental impact and removing bitterness.
WiBotic wins FCC authorization for 300-watt wireless charging system for drones and robots
Seattle startup WiBotic received FCC authorization for its wireless charging system that delivers up to 300 watts to power drones, robots and other devices, claiming greater range and reliability than contact-based chargers.
Zipwhip extends work-from-home through July 2021 after moving into 75,000 sq ft Seattle office in Oct 2019
Seattle startup Zipwhip, which moved into a 75,000-square-foot office in October 2019, is extending its coronavirus-induced work-from-home policy through July 2021 while nearly all of its 250+ employees work remotely. The company provided $500 per employee for home-office setups, keeps the office open for up to 25 people with special needs, and found 80% of employees prefer hybrid schedules.
Wyze Labs raises $15M in Series A-1 (additional $5M) with investment from Jay-Z’s Marcy Venture Partners, plans thermostat and video doorbell
Wyze Labs raised an additional $5 million in a Series A-1 round—bringing $15 million in new funds—to expand its smart-home products, with investment from Marcy Venture Partners, co-founded by Jay-Z. The Seattle startup plans new devices including a thermostat and video doorbell and has raised $36 million to date.
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."
Wrench reports 300% YOY fleet repair revenue growth, partners with Tirescanner for nationwide mobile tire installs
Seattle-based mobile auto repair startup Wrench reports a 300% year-over-year revenue increase in fleet vehicle repairs during the COVID-19 pandemic and says demand from delivery fleets has driven growth; the company also announced a partnership with Tirescanner to offer nationwide mobile tire installation. Wrench, which raised $20 million in November, employs mobile mechanics who perform contactless repairs at customer locations and expects pandemic-driven convenience habits to persist.
Organizations
-
GeekWire Photographer · current
-
GeekWire Photo Credit · current
-
Recompose current
