Monica Nickelsburg
Monica Nickelsburg is an AI & Economy Reporter at KUOW Public Radio and also works as a Reporter and Photographer at GeekWire. She has held multiple reporting roles at KUOW, OPB, and GeekWire.
Washington Senate Passes SB 5096 25-24 as Tech Industry and Progressives Clash Over Proposed Capital-Gains Tax
Washington state's tech community is sharply divided over SB 5096, a proposed capital-gains tax targeting large gains that startups warn would hurt recruitment and competitiveness; the state Senate passed the bill 25-24 and it now moves to the House. Progressive groups and analysts counter that other tech-leading states tax capital gains and say the WTIA's claims are false, noting many startups received federal PPP aid.
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan’s First Term Tried to Reconcile Tech Firms and Critics but Left Her Politically Isolated
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan tried to bridge tech companies and their critics during her first term by courting firms like Amazon, Expedia, and Apple, but her efforts pleased neither business leaders nor progressive activists, leaving her politically isolated and prompting her decision not to seek a second term.
iObeya announces Seattle-area dual headquarters in Kirkland/Bellevue after $17M round led by Red River West
French visual collaboration startup iObeya announced a Seattle-area office in Kirkland/Bellevue that will be a dual headquarters with Massy, France, after a $17 million funding round led by Red River West; the company plans to hire about 20 people this year and serve as a North America sales and marketing hub.
Flyhomes CEO Tushar Garg says startup closed all pandemic-era purchases as Seattle market stabilized; he’s a GeekWire Awards finalist
Flyhomes, which buys homes with cash for clients, weathered the early pandemic pause by closing all properties it had purchased and says Seattle's market has since stabilized with high buyer demand and low inventory, CEO Tushar Garg told GeekWire. Garg spoke as a finalist for GeekWire's Startup CEO of the Year and discussed leadership and the industry in a podcast tied to the awards.
Create33 and Microsoft launch six-month Startup Success Program for 27 founders of color in Seattle
Create33 and Microsoft launched a six-month Startup Success Program in Seattle to support 27 founders of color with coaching, peer networks and workshops, culminating in a demo day. Participants like Golden Sherpa (which has raised $95,000) report new, diverse connections and meaningful early impact.
Rebellyous Foods pivots to retail after COVID, readies plant-based nuggets, tenders and patties backed by $6M
Rebellyous Foods, a Seattle plant-based chicken startup, pivoted from selling to institutions to retail grocery after COVID closures and now sells products in 14 local stores while preparing a new lineup of nuggets, tenders, and patties. The shift is supported by a $6 million April investment and in-house manufacturing engineering, and the company is a finalist for GeekWire's Innovation of the Year.
Mayfield and Pivotal Ventures award $6 million to four women-led startups in Female Founders Competition
Microsoft’s venture arm Mayfield and Melinda Gates’ Pivotal Ventures announced four winners of the Female Founders Competition, awarding a total of $6 million to scale women-led startups. Two B2B enterprise startups received $2 million each and two deeptech companies received $1 million each.
RipeLocker raises $7M total with $2M round led by Avalara co-founders Scott McFarlane and Jared Vogt
RipeLocker, a pallet-sized low-oxygen storage device co-created by George and Kyle Lobisser to extend shelf life of berries and other produce, raised $7 million from angel investors including a newly closed $2 million round. The $2M tranche included Avalara co-founders Scott McFarlane and Jared Vogt plus investor Gary Waterman after tasting 98-day-old blueberries preserved in a RipeLocker.
Seattle Tech Leaders Lead Coalition Urging Mayor Durkan to Enact Police Reforms Recommended by Community Police Commission
Hundreds of Seattle-area tech and business leaders formed the Washington Coalition of Businesses for Racial Justice to urge Mayor Jenny Durkan to implement police reforms, including increased transparency and curbing police union power. The coalition, founded by Rubica CEO Frances Dewing, supports reforms proposed by the Community Police Commission as an alternative to defunding the police.
Ventec Life Systems and GM Partner to Produce 30,000 Ventilators by August After Federal Request
Two months after the federal government asked Ventec Life Systems and General Motors to address the U.S. ventilator shortage, the startup and GM have formed a rapid manufacturing partnership aiming to produce 30,000 ventilators by August, scaling from about 200 units per month to thousands with government contracts and high-profile attention.
Rad Power Bikes reports 297% surge in demand, apologizes for delays as pandemic boosts bicycle sales
Seattle e-bike startup Rad Power Bikes reported a 297% surge in demand amid the pandemic, causing delays and reflecting a wider bicycle industry boom driven by changed transportation and exercise habits.
Uber, Grubhub and Seattle; Amazon's virus-killing robot; Surface Earbuds first take
Here’s what we’re talking about this week on the GeekWire Podcast. Word leaked out this week that Uber is considering buying food-delivery service Grubhub, and it turns out there are many Seattle connections behind the possible deal, including links to Expedia and several other companies. Food delivery is a tough market to make a buck in, for companies and their drivers, so what's in the deal for Uber? Uber Eats is #2 and Grubhub is #3 in food delivery services, behind leader DoorDash. DoorDash grew its market share 42% in March while Grubhub stayed flat. Uber Eats grew 20% (it…
Bezos is Back
Here’s what we’re talking about this week on the GeekWire Podcast: Amazon's sales rose 26% in the first quarter as the COVID-19 crisis made the online retailer an even bigger part of many lives, but profits were down 30% due to expenses from dealing with the virus. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos gave a clear message to shareholders, saying they "may want to take a seat," because there are big challenges ahead and they won't be easy or cheap to overcome. The company says it will spend $4 billion this quarter on initiatives related to the pandemic. With Amazon bigger and…
Imperative raises $3M led by Voyager Capital to expand virtual peer-coaching; Nikhil Singhal joins as CTO
Seattle startup Imperative raised $3 million led by Voyager Capital to accelerate its virtual peer-coaching platform that connects managers for structured one-on-one video coaching; the company has 120,000 users and 40 corporate clients and added former Microsoft/Expedia/AT&T engineer Nikhil Singhal as CTO.
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 confronts the coronavirus
Here’s what we’re talking about this week on the GeekWire Podcast. Seattle became ground zero in the U.S. coronavirus outbreak this week and tech firms were trying to adjust. Meetings and conferences were cancelled or moved online and many firms told employees to work from home for the rest of the month. GeekWire was no exception: Our annual awards event has been postponed. How will the virus impact Seattle’s tech scene in the short term and in the long run? Will it change the way many of us work? We discuss … Coronavirus Live Updates: The latest COVID-19 developments in…
Why millennials love Amazon
Amazon ousted Apple this year as the most loved brand among millennials, people age 19 through 39, according to a new study. What does this say about the future of the world? OK, that might be taking it too far, but some of our resident millennials offer their take on this episode of the GeekWire Podcast. And in news for slightly older generations, the startup HopSkipRide made its debut in Seattle this week, promising to safely shuttle your kids around town. We explain how it works and try to decide if we and our kids will use it. Plus, in…
Amazon takes Seattle baggage to NYC
"You’re worth a trillion dollars. Why do you need our 3 billion dollars?" That's how Amazon was greeted by the New York City Council this week. City leaders in the Big Apple pointed to the tech giant's rocky relationship with its original hometown of Seattle to contend that winning the company's HQ2 isn't much of a prize. Meanwhile, Apple announced plans for a big Austin campus, along with new offices in Seattle and Southern California. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ganaz Raises $2.1M Led by Founder’s Co-op to Expand Farm-Worker Communication Platform
Ganaz, a platform connecting farmers with seasonal workers using native language translation, raised $2.1 million led by Founder’s Co-op to expand its team and grow its business. The startup aims to build trust between farmers and workers by enhancing direct communication and cultural understanding.
Interview: Uber Chief Legal Officer Tony West
Uber has run into more than a few legal troubles in the last two years. Tony West is the man who has to deal with them. We're sharing Tony's full interview with GeekWire Civic Innovation Editor Monica Nickelsburg on this episode, including his take on Uber's data breach cover-up and how the company can regain the trust of its customers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Co-living Startup Common Launches Two Shared-Living Buildings in Seattle with $1,600 Monthly Rent
Common, a New York-based co-living startup, has launched two buildings in Seattle offering private rooms with shared amenities for about $1,600 per month, aiming to provide more affordable housing alternatives in the city's expensive market. The company highlights these flexible, community-driven homes as a solution to Seattle's housing supply and demand challenges.
Tech, homelessness + the future of cities
The Seattle City Council passed a controversial tax on big businesses, prompting outcry from the city's tech giants and unearthing white-hot passion over the city's growth and homelessness crisis. The money raised will go towards building much-needed affordable housing, but it is may also make Amazon and other companies slow or stop growth in the city, maybe even reversing part of Seattle's tech boom. So what happens now? Can the tax make headway towards solving the city's problems? And would it really be all that bad if Amazon and other companies stopped adding new jobs? We debate on this episode…
Amazon vs. its hometown
The Seattle City Council is considering a tax on Amazon and other high-earning companies in the city — and the conflict over it got nasty this week. We explain it all on this episode. Plus, a Seattle-based startup wants to give you doctors appointments from your smartphone with help from an AI chatbot. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A tech renaissance
This week, the Week In Geek comes to you from GeekWire HQ2 in Pittsburgh. Amazon is pushing further Prime integration with Whole Foods and we dive into the tech renaissance happening in Pittsburgh and how the city is preparing for challenges that come along with a tech boom. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Year In Geek
It's been a big year for the tech world. The industry endured repeated clashes with the Trump Administration and saw the rise of Amazon as the company made two of its biggest moves yet. We analyze the Year In Geek on this episode and also make some predictions about what's to come in 2018. Follow all our coverage and read more about this week's stories at GeekWire.com Thank you to this week's sponsors: Winshuttle (Winshuttle.com) Hughes Marino (hughesmarino.com) Kinects (kinectstower.com) And the University of Washington's Master of Science in Entrepreneurship (foster.uw.edu/msentre) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Organizations
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KUOW Public Radio AI & Economy Reporter 2023–present · current
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Self-employed Freelance 2020–present · current
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GeekWire Reporter / Photographer · current
Education
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New York University Bachelor's degree, Journalism and History · 2009–2013
