Lisa Stiffler
Lisa Stiffler is a journalist who covers nonprofits, companies, and researchers applying technology to environmental, energy, health, transit, education and other societal challenges; she has worked at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, freelanced for The Seattle Times, and written for outlets including Seattle's Child, Sightline Institute, NPR, MSNBC, Smithsonian Magazine, GeekWire and CoMotion News.
Convoy VP Kristen Forecki — former Amazon and Rover executive — helped scale Convoy from employee No. 11 to a company valued at $2.7 billion
Kristen Forecki, vice president of supply at Convoy, attributes her career success to a mix of preparation, networking and passion, moving from Amazon to early roles at Rover and joining Convoy as employee No. 11; Convoy has grown to about 1,000 employees and was valued at $2.7 billion in November.
Gates Foundation Awards $800,000 to A-Alpha Bio to Fund AlphaSeq Antibody Research Targeting SARS-CoV-2 and Intestinal Pathogens
Seattle biotech A-Alpha Bio received an $800,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support research using its AlphaSeq platform to develop multi-target antibody treatments for respiratory viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, and intestinal pathogens such as campylobacter, in partnership with Lumen Bioscience.
Nori CEO Paul Gambill Raises $1.3M Pre-Seed, Poised to Scale Carbon-Removal Marketplace
Nori, a Seattle carbon-removal marketplace founded by Paul Gambill, raised $1.3 million in a pre-seed round and is nearing its next funding target as it prepares to scale and hire. Gambill, a former engineer and entrepreneur, aims to grow the team after years of early-stage bootstrapping and Techstars Sustainability Accelerator support.
CleanTech Alliance and VertueLab announce 10 startups for 2020 Cascadia CleanTech Accelerator; 15-week program begins ahead of July 15 showcase
Seattle’s CleanTech Alliance and Portland’s VertueLab announced the 10 startups selected for the 15-week 2020 Cascadia CleanTech Accelerator, supporting early-stage companies working on energy efficiency, toxic chemical removal, biofuels, waste reduction and related green technologies. The cohort will present at the CleanTech Innovation Showcase on July 15 and conclude at Fuel 2020 in September.
University of Washington-Patented Electrostatic Foam Filter Halves Energy Use, Agentis Air to Commercialize Device
The University of Washington received a U.S. patent for an electrostatic air filtration technology that uses disposable foam cartridges to capture airborne pollutants, including viruses, while halving energy use and lowering maintenance. Agentis Air, a UW spinoff in Columbia, Md., is commercializing the system for homes and businesses and is working with testing labs to quantify pathogen removal.
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.
Observa raises $725,000 from Paul Mikesell, Bill Bryant and Drew Bradley to scale AI retail-audit platform
Seattle startup Observa, which uses AI and crowd-sourced retail audits to track product displays and link them to in-store sales, closed a $725,000 financing round from notable investors and reported four-fold revenue growth and 23% average customer sales gains. The five-year-old company has 20 employees, has raised over $2 million to date, and counts investors including Paul Mikesell, Bill Bryant and Drew Bradley.
Seattle technologists and restaurateur launch Off Their Plate and FoodPair to route meals from struggling restaurants to healthcare workers and vulnerable residents
During the COVID-19 pandemic Seattle technologists and restaurant owners launched donation-driven projects to connect struggling restaurants with people in need, including healthcare workers, low-income children, seniors and people experiencing homelessness. Initiatives include Off Their Plate, which provided over 8,600 meals to local healthcare workers, and FoodPair, a new startup from Expedia Group's Katherine Cheng and co-founder Marie Gill to match donors, restaurants and recipients.
Tribute CEO Sarah Haggard ties for $140,000 top prize at Seattle Angel Conference XVII and wins Audience Choice
Sarah Haggard, founder and CEO of mentorship startup Tribute, advises taking bold steps toward big goals and recently tied for the top prize at Seattle Angel Conference XVII, winning $140,000 and the Audience Choice award. Tribute, launched in January 2018, aims to provide a real-time digital mentorship platform for remote workers to find on-demand help and better-aligned advice.
UW Student Ryan Yousefian’s ApnoMed Wins $25,000 Grand Prize for Sleep-Apnea Device at 2020 Dempsey Startup Competition
University of Washington student Ryan Yousefian’s startup ApnoMed won the $25,000 Herbert B. Jones Foundation grand prize at the 2020 Dempsey Startup Competition for a device treating obstructive sleep apnea; the virtual contest awarded $77,500 total and drew 97 teams from the Pacific Northwest.
Lyssn launches AI-powered telehealth platform to transcribe and assess therapy sessions amid COVID-19 demand
Seattle startup Lyssn launched a telehealth platform that uses AI to transcribe and analyze therapist-patient conversations to evaluate use of evidence-based practices, aiming to meet rising mental health demand amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Michael “Luni” Libes launches Fledge in 2012 to fund mission-driven startups; program now in 10 locations with $3M+ invested
Michael “Luni” Libes founded Fledge in 2012 to accelerate mission-driven, for-profit startups with $15,000–$20,000 revenue-based investments and a two-month program; Fledge now operates in 10 locations and has raised and invested over $3 million while Libes also runs nonprofit Realize Impact and helped launch Decarbon8 and Investorflow.org.
E8 launches Decarbon8-US philanthropic fund to back climate-tech startups, raised $120,000 so far
Seattle-based E8 launched Decarbon8-US, a tax-deductible philanthropic fund that lets anyone donate to support early-stage climate-tech startups; it has raised $120,000 so far and will award $50,000–$75,000 to three-to-six companies announced in July.
PhishCloud offers one year free of PhishCloud Lite to businesses amid coronavirus to fight phishing attacks
Seattle startup PhishCloud offers automated link-scoring tools to help businesses and employees spot phishing across email, social media and documents, tagging links as safe, suspicious or unsafe. CEO Terry McCorkle is offering the companys entry package, PhishCloud Lite, free for one year to companies affected by the coronavirus.
Nucamp launches affordable online bootcamps nationwide after pivoting fully virtual amid coronavirus
Nucamp, a Bellevue, Washington startup founded in 2017 by Ludo Fourrage and run by CEO Karim El Naggar, offers a low-cost, online web development bootcamp designed to be affordable and accessible to students outside big cities. The company shifted from a hybrid model of online lessons plus weekend in‑person meetups to fully online instruction across 30 cities in one week after the coronavirus outbreak.
Groota Startup Launches Tool to Filter Promotional Emails and Protect User Privacy
Groota, founded by Rushin Liu and Cho-Min Chou, is a startup providing a tool to help users filter promotional emails by keeping desired ones and removing unwanted junk while prioritizing user privacy. The company is also developing technology to remove email tracking, addressing privacy concerns users may not be aware of.
Seattle Startup Armoire, Led and Invested in by Women, Offers Clothing Rentals with Personal Stylists to Save Time for Professional Women
Armoire is a Seattle-based women’s clothing rental startup launched in 2016, offering personal styling and rental services focused on saving busy professional women time. The company is woman-led in leadership, investment, and operations, aiming to address workplace outfit biases against women.
Organizations
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CoMotion News Reporter · current
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GeekWire Reporter · current
