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.
Seattle Startup PairTree Raises $650,000 to Expand Full-Service Adoption Platform with Licensed Professionals
Seattle-based startup PairTree, which connects expectant mothers with adoptive families, raised $650,000 to expand into a full-service adoption platform including lawyers, agencies, and home study providers. Founded by Erin Quick in 2020, PairTree aims to unify the fragmented adoption process nationwide by offering ethical, licensed professionals and services to facilitate adoptions.
University of Washington’s AgroFilms Wins $15,000 at 2023 Alaska Airlines Environmental Innovation Challenge
University of Washington students competed in the Alaska Airlines Environmental Innovation Challenge, with AgroFilms winning the $15,000 grand prize for their biodegradable solution. The event showcased innovative climate tech startups integrating various technologies to tackle environmental challenges.
Goodbill Raises $2M to Expand Medical Billing Error Detection for Self-Funded Health Plans Covering 50,000 People
Goodbill, a Seattle-based startup founded in 2021, raised $2 million to expand its services that identify and challenge errors in hospital bills for individual patients and self-funded employer health plans covering 50,000 people nationwide. The funding round included previous investors Founders’ Co-op, Maveron, and Liquid 2 Ventures, enabling Goodbill to scale its platform upstream into billing processes to help employers control healthcare costs.
Sonoma Biotherapeutics Launches 83,000-Sq-Ft Seattle Waterfront R&D Center for Autoimmune Disease Research
Sonoma Biotherapeutics opened a new 83,000-square-foot R&D center on Seattle's waterfront to consolidate its staff and advance early-stage autoimmune disease research using regulatory T cells. The facility accommodates 65 scientists and is equipped with flexible lab spaces and advanced scientific equipment.
Bill Gates-backed TerraPower to Submit NRC Application and Break Ground on Natrium Nuclear Reactor in Wyoming in 2024
TerraPower, backed by Bill Gates, is advancing the development and deployment of its Natrium small modular nuclear reactor, with plans to submit a certification application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission this month and begin construction of a demonstration plant in Wyoming this spring. The company is positioned to be the first to bring next-generation nuclear technology to the U.S. and is exploring potential large-scale sales internationally.
DocNow Raises $2.5M Seed Round Led by Waterline Ventures to Expand Electronic Medical Records for Long-Term Care
DocNow, a Bellevue-based startup co-founded by Dr. Kashif Saeed, raised $2.5 million to expand its electronic medical records platform supporting long-term care providers. The funding round was led by Waterline Ventures and aims to improve care coordination after hospital stays with integrations across existing systems.
Phase Genomics Secures $1.5M Gates Foundation Grant to Combat Methane from Cattle and Drug-Resistant Bacteria
Seattle biotech startup Phase Genomics received a $1.5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to research bacteriophage-based treatments targeting drug-resistant bacteria and methane-producing microbes in cows. The project aims to reduce methane emissions from cattle, a leading agricultural greenhouse gas source.
UW Oceanographers Launch Banyu Carbon Startup to Remove CO2 from Seawater, Raising $8.5M and Securing $500K CO2 Removal Deal
University of Washington oceanographers Julian Sachs and Alex Gagnon co-founded Banyu Carbon, a startup developing technology to extract carbon dioxide from seawater to combat climate change. The Seattle-based company has raised $8.5 million, secured a $500,000 contract to remove 350 tons of CO2 by 2026, and is supported by notable programs and investors.
Ben Eidelson Launches Stepchange, a $3M Seattle Venture Fund to Accelerate Carbon-Cutting Tech Adoption
Ben Eidelson, former tech entrepreneur, launched Stepchange, a Seattle-based climate-focused venture fund investing $100,000-$200,000 in early-stage carbon-reducing startups, aiming to deploy $3 million within 18 months. Eidelson also hosts the Climate Papa podcast and engages the community to accelerate climate technology adoption.
Seattle Startup Recurrent Raises $16M to Standardize Used EV Battery Scoring on Edmunds and Cars.com
Seattle-based startup Recurrent raised $16 million in Series A funding to become the standard for scoring used electric vehicle (EV) batteries, providing battery health data on major consumer sites like Edmunds.com and Cars.com. The company analyzes data from 25,000 drivers across 65 EV models to offer battery scores for one-third of U.S. used EV sales, aiming to expand its coverage significantly within the year.
Amazon Leader and Army Vet Stephiney Foley Launches Seattle Wellness Startup Yuzi to Support New Moms Postpartum
Stephiney Foley, an Army veteran and Amazon leader, launched Seattle-based wellness startup Yuzi in September to support new parents during the challenging postpartum period. The company is currently bootstrapping and beginning fundraising efforts aimed at addressing gaps in postpartum care for families nationwide.
Seattle Startup MotherDuck Hires Former Google Leaders Frances Perry and Margaret Lawrence Rosas; Humanly Adds VP of Growth Pallavi Sinha
Seattle startup MotherDuck hired Frances Perry, a former Google engineering director, as engineering manager, and Margaret Lawrence Rosas, former Looker and Google executive, as head of customer success. Additionally, Pallavi Sinha joined Seattle startup Humanly as vice president of growth.
Microsoft, Google, and LevelTen Energy Form Granular Certificate Trading Alliance to Create 24/7 Clean Energy Marketplace
Microsoft, Google, LevelTen Energy, and others launched the Granular Certificate Trading Alliance, a marketplace enabling buyers to purchase 24/7 carbon-free energy verified by granular certificates. This initiative supports diverse clean energy sources beyond solar and wind to supply continuous carbon-free power.
LevelTen Energy Raises $10M Follow-On to 2021 Series C to Expand Clean Energy Deal Platform
Seattle's LevelTen Energy raised an additional $10 million to expand its clean energy project facilitation platform, following a $35 million Series C round in 2021. The company partners with Google Cloud to accelerate renewable energy deals and operates a large marketplace for buying and selling renewable energy assets.
Seattle Children’s Launches BrainChild Bio Startup to Develop CAR T-Cell Therapies for Pediatric Brain Cancer
Seattle Children’s has spun out BrainChild Bio, a biotech startup focused on developing CAR T-cell therapies for incurable pediatric brain cancers like diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma. Led by Dr. Michael Jensen, the company will operate from the Building Cure innovation hub in downtown Seattle.
Oscilla Power Deploys Triton-C Wave Energy Device in Hawaii; Plans 1MW Triton Test in Maine for Utility-Scale Ocean Power
Oscilla Power is testing its Triton-C wave energy device in Hawaii and plans a larger Triton device test in Maine, aiming to generate utility-scale ocean wave power along the U.S. West Coast. The startup seeks to harness multi-directional wave movements for clean electricity, with the Triton-C demo soon connecting to the grid to power about 25 homes.
Bill Gates-backed Graphyte Develops $100-per-Ton Plant-Based Bricks for 1,000-Year Underground Carbon Storage
Graphyte, backed by Bill Gates-led Breakthrough Energy Ventures, has developed affordable plant-based bricks that can store carbon underground for up to 1,000 years at under $100 per ton, meeting the Biden administration's climate funding goals. The technology uses waste biomass compressed into stable blocks for scalable, long-term carbon storage.
Ex-Gates Foundation Investors Launch $135M Seattle Deep Tech Fund Bison Ventures
Bison Ventures, founded by former investors from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust, launched a $135 million Seattle-based fund focused on deep tech startups solving complex global problems. The fund targets sectors such as AI in biology, climate tech, food and agriculture, hardware, and transportation, and has invested in six startups addressing areas like environmental cleanup and behavioral health.
Seattle Solar Startup Omnidian Raises $25M to Enhance Remote Solar Panel Maintenance Across 34 States
Seattle-based Omnidian, a company that manages and maintains solar panel performance, raised $25 million in new funding to expand its remote solar performance monitoring across 34 states. The company aims to address the often neglected post-purchase solar panel maintenance amid the growing U.S. solar market supported by policies like the Inflation Reduction Act.
Seattle Trucking Startup Convoy Lays Off 533 Employees Without Severance, Prompting WARN Act Investigation
Seattle-based trucking startup Convoy abruptly laid off 533 employees last week without severance, prompting investigation by a Detroit labor rights law firm for potential WARN Act violations. Convoy CEO cited lender decisions for the lack of severance, while the company offered limited post-layoff benefits.
Tacoma Startup Aquagga Deploys PFAS Destroyer 'Eleanor' in Alaska, Secures $5.7M Funding to Combat Toxic Forever Chemicals
Tacoma startup Aquagga deployed its PFAS destruction device, 'Eleanor,' in Fairbanks, Alaska, successfully treating 20,000 gallons of contaminated wastewater. The startup has secured $4.7 million in government contracts and $1 million in private funding to combat toxic 'forever chemicals' in water.
Seattle Startup Muir AI Raises $3.25M Seed Round to Enhance AI Carbon Emissions Tracking
Seattle startup Muir AI, founded by aerospace veterans Harris Chalat and Peter Williams, raised $3.25 million in a seed round led by Base10 Partners to advance its AI and satellite-based carbon accounting technology. The company helps businesses measure complex supply chain emissions to reduce their carbon footprints.
Ben Eidelson, Former Engineer, Launches 'Climate Papa' Initiative to Support Climate Tech Startups in Seattle
Ben Eidelson, known as 'Climate Papa,' left his tech career to invest in and promote climate tech startups, creating a podcast and hosting meetups to engage the community in climate action. He aims to inspire other software engineers to contribute their skills towards addressing the climate crisis.
PNW Climate Week Panel on Sept. 26, 2023, Urges Climate Tech Startups to Expand Beyond Software
At a PNW Climate Week event on Sept. 26, 2023, climate tech investors from Toba Capital, Elemental Excelerator, and Alante Capital shared insights encouraging startups to look beyond software solutions. The panel emphasized Seattle's potential to leverage its industrial and natural resource strengths to innovate in climate technology.
Tidal Vision Acquires Clear Water Services, Expands Use of Waste Crab Shells to Biodegradable Industrial Chemicals
Tidal Vision, a green chemistry startup turning waste crab shells into biodegradable chitosan polymers for industrial uses, has raised $30 million and acquired water treatment company Clear Water Services. The acquisition expanded its workforce by 100 employees and extended its water purification technology to over 200 locations.
Organizations
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CoMotion News Reporter · current
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GeekWire Reporter · current
