Kurt Schlosser
Kurt Schlosser is a photographer and reporter associated with GeekWire and Recompose, mentioned in multiple GeekWire articles.
Jeff Ma named GM of Microsoft for Startups to connect founders with Microsoft’s co-sell and marketplace programs
Jeff Ma, a serial entrepreneur and former Twitter data science leader, is the new general manager for Microsoft for Startups, helping startups access Microsoft resources like co-sell and marketplace programs. He says Microsoft for Startups could have been a game changer for his prior companies and is focused on recruiting new talent and reconnecting with the startup community.
CBRE: Seattle No. 1 for Tech Labor Quality in 2020, No. 3 Overall Among 50 North American Markets
CBRE’s 2020 Scoring Tech Talent report ranks Seattle No. 1 for quality of tech labor pool in North America and No. 3 overall among 50 markets, citing concentrations of experienced engineers and graduates from top CS programs. Seattle also ranks highly for educational attainment, millennial population growth, tech wages ($119,170 average), and tech workforce concentration (155,330 workers, 7.7% of workforce).
Scener—RealNetworks spinoff—grows 70x since March and will be Comic-Con@Home's exclusive watch party affiliate
Scener, a RealNetworks spinoff, has grown rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic—over 70x since March—and will be the exclusive watch party affiliate for Comic-Con@Home, hosting virtual film, show and anime screenings. Its free Chrome-based Watch Party Platform supports multiple streaming services with up to 10 co-hosts and up to 1 million viewers, and Scener signed a deal with Funimation to power Comic-Con@Home's anime track.
LumiThera raises $14M to complete LIGHTSITE III trial and pursue U.S. clearance for Valeda
LumiThera, a Poulsbo, Wash. medical device startup, raised $14 million to finish enrollment in its LIGHTSITE III U.S. trial and seek U.S. regulatory clearance for Valeda, a photobiomodulation device for dry age-related macular degeneration already approved in the EU.
WTIA names 26 Washington startups for fourth Founder Cohort Program, a year-long accelerator for early-stage firms
WTIA selected 26 Washington-based tech startups for its fourth Founder Cohort Program, a year-long initiative that helps early-stage companies with fundraising, governance and customer development. Participating companies must be headquartered in Washington, have at least one product in development and under $1 million in annual revenue; examples include CardioCube, PetBiotix and VR Ulysses.
Joe Coffee raises $1.3M in second seed round led by Craft Ventures as mobile orders surge 20x
Seattle startup Joe Coffee raised $1.3 million in a second seed round led by Craft Ventures to expand its mobile order-and-pay and rewards platform, which now serves over 1,000 independent coffee shops and has seen sales grow 20x since March during the pandemic.
Ex-Microsoft Executive Kirt Debique Launches SyncFloor Marketplace with 9,000 Independent Tracks, $1.25M Raised
SyncFloor, founded by former Microsoft executive Kirt Debique, is a marketplace that helps creative professionals find and license independent music; it launched with a 9,000-title catalog, partnerships with labels like Sub Pop, eight employees, and $1.25 million raised to date.
DigniFi raises $14M Series A led by BuildGroup and Exor Seeds, Neuberger Berman to provide up to $275M
DigniFi, a Kirkland-based platform that helps drivers finance auto repairs through partner service centers, raised $14 million in Series A led by BuildGroup and Exor Seeds and secured up to $275 million in additional financing from Neuberger Berman to expand its network amid pandemic-driven demand.
Scout9 founder Patrick Opie builds ML-powered “Personal Pocket Scout” to guide new dog owners on feeding, training and product choices
Patrick Opie founded Seattle startup Scout9 after struggling to know what his new dog needed; the company offers a machine-learning driven "Personal Pocket Scout" that creates dynamic timelines and product guidance to help new dog owners navigate feeding, training and other milestones. Scout9 targets growing pet-industry demand following pandemic adoption surges and aims to provide an economical, intuitive alternative to time-consuming research and irrelevant purchases.
KeeperHR — Dean Graziano and Vishal Ahluwalia launch imagery-based hiring tool, raises $750,000 with Vodafone and Ogilvy as early clients
KeeperHR, a Seattle startup founded by Dean Graziano and co-led by CEO Vishal Ahluwalia, uses GIFs and short clips to help job candidates and employees express soft skills and personality; the company has raised about $750,000, has six employees, and counts Vodafone and Ogilvy as early clients.
Feastfox launches in Seattle as free-to-Aug.31 subscription to recommend independent restaurants without paid placements
Feastfox, a Seattle startup founded by Daniel Petz, Stuart Murless and Endre Varga, launched a smart restaurant recommendation engine to help diners find local restaurants tailored to personal preferences. The paid subscription service is free through Aug. 31, integrates review-site data, does not accept payment from restaurants, and aims to boost independent eateries as King County reopens amid COVID-19.
Seattle’s Persona pivots to AI-powered video chat highlights, turning Zoom calls into digital keepsakes
Seattle startup Persona pivoted during the COVID-19 pandemic from a family-memory social platform to focus on video chat, recording conversations and using AI to identify highlights and create digital keepsakes. Co-founder Chad Wittman says Persona gamifies calls with prompts to spark meaningful conversations and preserve moments across generations.
Tech Veteran Dick Hardt Launches SignIn.org to Add a Privacy-Protecting Identity Layer Between Apps and Providers
Veteran technologist Dick Hardt, founder of companies including Sxip Identity and ActiveState, is building SignIn.org to provide a privacy-protecting abstraction layer between apps and large identity providers so users can choose and switch providers without exposing their data. He argues the internet lacks an identity layer, that password growth and identity theft are serious problems, and that a technical trust architecture (rather than governance) could enable broader adoption.
Sporcle launches Zoom trivia in 2020, hosts ~2,000 events and earns $2.5M in eight weeks after in-person business halts
Seattle trivia company Sporcle moved its live pub-style games online in 2020 after COVID-19 shutdowns halted 800 weekly in-person events, rapidly launching Sporcle Virtual Trivia on Zoom. In eight weeks the company hosted nearly 2,000 virtual events, generated over $2.5 million, and rehired many furloughed hosts.
Beta Hatch raises $3M to build North America’s largest mealworm facility in Cashmere, opening early 2021
Beta Hatch, an insect‑rearing startup founded in 2015 by PhD entomologist Virginia Emery, raised $3 million in a new round (bringing total equity to $5M plus $4.6M in public funding) to advance its technology and build a Cashmere, Washington facility. The new plant, scheduled to open in early 2021, will be North America’s largest mealworm production site with capacity for one ton of insect protein per day and will use waste heat from a nearby data center.
SoftBank Investment Advisers and WeWork launch EMERGE 8-week virtual program, 14 startups start April 27 including three from Seattle
SoftBank Investment Advisers and WeWork launched EMERGE, an equity-free 8-week virtual program to support underrepresented founders; three Seattle startups — Game Jolt, Node, and Rebellyous Foods — are in the inaugural 14-company cohort that began April 27.
Crowd Cow reports surge in orders as COVID-19 disrupts large meat processors, serving consumers directly from 100+ farms
Seattle-based online meat marketplace Crowd Cow has seen sharply increased demand and business growth during the COVID-19 pandemic as restaurants close and large meat processors face outbreaks. The five-year-old company partners with over 100 farms across 23 states and leverages smaller regional processors to deliver beef, pork, chicken and seafood directly to consumers.
Zipwhip hires 17-year-old Avery Wagar as IT systems programmer after he builds Textspresso IV text-enabled coffee robot
Avery Wagar, a junior at Ballard High School, is Zipwhip’s youngest full-time employee who helped develop the Textspresso IV text-enabled robotic coffee machine and was recently hired as an IT systems programmer after joining as a robotics intern. He is also a TA for AP Computer Science, runs his school’s VR club, participates in college classes via Running Start, and has a background of award-winning VR projects.
Partnerize acquires Seattle brand-protection startup BrandVerity; integration announced April 30
Seattle brand-protection startup BrandVerity, which provides paid search and affiliate monitoring to prevent trademark infringement and other brand violations, has been acquired by partnership-automation provider Partnerize, and will be integrated into Partnerize’s platform while remaining available as standalone offerings.
Seattle startup Mystery expands to Austin with 'Night In' boxes after $1.3M raise
Mystery, a Seattle startup that plans surprise nights out for couples, expanded to Austin amid COVID-19 by pivoting to curated 'Night In' boxes that support local vendors; the company launched in Feb 2019 and has raised $1.3 million. The Austin rollout features food and activities from over 20 small businesses and the team is also improving its app for future traditional experiences.
GeekWire: eXp Holdings founder Glenn Sanford uses VirBELA virtual world to run distributed teams as COVID-19 makes avatars practical
GeekWire explores how virtual-world platforms like VirBELA, acquired by eXp Holdings, let people meet, work and socialize with avatars—an option gaining relevance during COVID-19 social distancing. Founder Glenn Sanford uses VirBELA to run large distributed teams and demonstrates virtual rituals that replace in-person office interactions.
Loopie launches Shippie delivery service to move small items up to 15 miles across major U.S. markets
Seattle on-demand laundry startup Loopie has launched Shippie, a new peer-to-peer delivery service created during the COVID-19 lockdown to carry small items across town using the same platform and third-party logistics, with pricing similar to an Uber ride and no-touch pickup/delivery. Shippie operates in major U.S. markets across typical distances up to 15 miles and emphasizes safety precautions while Loopie continues laundry operations as an essential service.
Bill Gates on the future of work; Vicis reborn; Nintendo meets Lego
Here’s what we’re talking about this week on the GeekWire Podcast. Bill Gates talks about how work will change after the coronavirus ... and how school shouldn't. A Seattle startup that is trying to make a safer football helmet gets a new lease on life. And Lego and Nintendo bring Super Mario into the physical world in a surprising way. We have a lot of tech news to discuss on this week's episode: Vicis assets sold for $2.85M to Schutt investor, promising to revive failed startup’s helmet tech No Neo in 2020: Microsoft pauses work on dual-screen device running Windows…
Seattle tech founders Mark Michael and Patrick Opie launch Gumwall on April 13 to raise $1-per-piece donations for restaurant workers
Two Seattle tech workers launched Gumwall, a website where users pay $1 to remove a piece of virtual gum and reveal an image, with proceeds benefiting restaurant and hospitality workers affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. The site, created by Mark Michael (DevHub) and Patrick Opie (Scout9), went live April 13 as a playful fundraising alternative during the pandemic.
Seattle robotics startup Picnic 3D-prints prototype parts to rescue UW student Rob Sinclair’s Kokanee Systems after COVID-19 halted lab access
UW entrepreneurship student Rob Sinclair paused his career to build Kokanee Systems, a real-time water contamination testing startup, but COVID-19 shut off access to prototyping equipment. A Seattle robotics startup, Picnic, stepped in to 3D-print parts and help Sinclair continue developing his prototype.
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