Taylor Soper
Taylor Soper is Director of Community and Programming at AI House and serves as a board member at the University of Washington, Board of Student Publications. He previously held editorial and reporting roles at GeekWire and Major League Baseball, with expertise in technology startups, programming, and community building.
Tech Veterans Joseph Sirosh and Oren Etzioni Advocate Daily AI Experimentation at PAN-IIT Seattle 2024, Spotlighting Generative AI’s Transformative Impact
Tech veterans Joseph Sirosh and Oren Etzioni urge daily experimentation and learning with AI to stay current amid a pivotal shift driven by generative AI innovations. Sirosh's new startup, CreatorsAGI, focuses on empowering creators to build conversational AI agents, highlighting AI's transformative potential despite existing limitations.
Seattle Mentoring Platform Chronus Acquires Employee Engagement Startup Imperative to Boost Workplace Productivity
Seattle-based mentoring platform Chronus acquired employee engagement startup Imperative, founded in 2014 and previously led by Aaron Hurst. The acquisition aims to enhance employee purpose, engagement, and productivity under Chronus CEO David Satterwhite.
Tektonic AI Raises $10M Seed Round from Madrona and Point72 Ventures to Automate Complex Business Workflows
Seattle-based startup Tektonic AI raised $10 million from Madrona and Point72 Ventures to develop AI software automating complex business workflows, initially targeting sales and revenue teams. The company aims to streamline dynamic workflows by using AI agents that understand natural language, enhancing productivity beyond traditional automation tools.
Vilya Secures $71 Million Series A Funding Led by NVIDIA, ARCH, Madrona, and Menlo Ventures for AI-Driven Macrocyclic Drug Development
Vilya, a biotech startup developing macrocyclic drugs using AI and machine learning, announced an expanded $71 million Series A funding round led by ARCH Venture Partners, NVIDIA's NVentures, Madrona, and Menlo Ventures. The company, a spinout from Seattle's Institute for Protein Design, aims to revolutionize drug discovery with advanced protein engineering technologies.
Seattle B2B Marketing Startup Inflection Raises $7.6 Million in New Funding
Seattle-based B2B marketing startup Inflection is raising $7.6 million in new capital, according to an SEC filing. Founded in 2021 by Aaron Bird and colleagues, the company previously raised $6 million in a 2022 seed round.
Yi-Jian Ngo Steps Down as Leader of Seattle’s Alliance of Angels After Growing Membership and Investments
Yi-Jian Ngo, longtime leader of Seattle's Alliance of Angels, is stepping down to focus on family, with Maren Nelson stepping in as interim executive director. Under Ngo's leadership, the group grew its membership and invested over $125 million into 250+ startups, including notable exits like DocuSign.
Seattle Startup Humanly Acquires AI Recruiting Firm Teamable, Expands Team and Product Leadership
Seattle startup Humanly has acquired San Francisco-based Teamable to enhance its AI-driven recruiting technology. The acquisition brings Teamable CEO Matthew Raymond to Humanly as vice president of product, expanding Humanly's team to just under 50 employees.
Madrona Adds Jeff Mills as Partner to Lead Silicon Valley Expansion; Nex Hires Former Walmart Execs; Amperity CEO Steps Down
Seattle venture firm Madrona hired Jeff Mills as partner to expand its Silicon Valley presence, while Nex appointed two former Walmart tech leaders, and Amperity's CEO Barry Padgett stepped down. Other Pacific Northwest tech industry moves include leadership changes at Zendesk and Cohesity.
Copper Halts Banking Services After Synapse Bankruptcy Forces Deposit Account Lockouts
Fintech startup Copper has discontinued its banking services and debit card offerings due to its banking-as-a-service provider Synapse filing for bankruptcy and shutting down its platform. Affected customers are temporarily unable to access deposit accounts, but Copper plans to pivot to its 'Earn' product focused on surveys and games.
Seattle Startup Abett Raises $11.6M Series A to Expand Healthcare Data Platform for Employers
Seattle startup Abett raised $11.6 million in a Series A funding round to enhance its Lockbox platform, which helps large employers manage and analyze employee healthcare data to reduce costs. Led by CEO Mike Hanlon, the company benefits from recent healthcare data transparency laws and now employs 47 people.
Seattle Recruiting Software Startup SeekOut Lays Off 30% of Workforce, Second Round in Eight Months
Seattle-based recruiting software startup SeekOut cut 30% of its workforce last week, marking its second round of layoffs in eight months amid a tech downturn. The company raised $115 million in 2022, was valued at $1.2 billion, but did not disclose exact numbers of employees affected.
YC Graduate Manifold Freight Raises $1.9M to Aggregate Spot Freight in Trucking Logistics
Manifold Freight, a Seattle-based startup founded by ex-Convoy engineers, raised $1.9 million in seed funding to develop trucking logistics software focused on aggregating spot freight opportunities. The funding round was led by New Stack and Y Combinator, from which Manifold recently graduated.
UW Spinout Overland AI Raises $10M to Develop Off-Road Autonomous Tech for U.S. Military
Seattle startup Overland AI raised $10 million to advance its off-road autonomous driving technology, which is being developed for U.S. military use. The company recently secured a potential $18.6 million contract with the U.S. Army to develop its OverDrive platform for robotic combat vehicles.
Aviel Ginzburg Launches Seattle Foundations to Support Tech Startups with Non-Equity Accelerator in Capitol Hill
Aviel Ginzburg and a team of entrepreneurs are launching Seattle Foundations, a new invite-only entrepreneurial community and shared workspace in Seattle, aiming to support tech founders with mentorship and resources without taking equity. The initiative, set to open later this year in Capitol Hill, will offer co-working space, events, and six-month memberships focused on startup acceleration.
Seattle Startup Nexme Acquired by Silicon Valley Real Estate Company Finaya Ahead of 2024 Nationwide Launch
Seattle startup Nexme, which streamlines homebuyer tours and raised $500,000 in seed funding, will be acquired by Silicon Valley real estate services company Finaya. Finaya plans a nationwide 2024 launch and aims to enhance transparency and services for agents and loan officers.
Vivek Ladsariya Joins Pioneer Square Labs as Managing Director, Moves from Bay Area to Seattle
Vivek Ladsariya, a veteran Bay Area investor with experience in enterprise technology startups, has moved to Seattle to become managing director at Pioneer Square Labs, playing a key role in their Ventures arm and Studio. He aims to focus on technically driven enterprise software infrastructure startups, especially those delivering real automation, enhancing Seattle's venture capital ecosystem.
Kyndryl Acquires Seattle-Based Cloud Migration Company Skytap to Expand Hybrid Cloud Services
Kyndryl has acquired Seattle-based cloud migration software company Skytap, aiming to enhance its hybrid cloud services portfolio. Skytap, led by CEO Bradley Schick, supports traditional on-premise systems on Microsoft Azure and IBM Cloud, serving clients like Honeywell and Okta.
Gaurav Oberoi’s Lexion Acquired by DocuSign for $165 Million, Marking Third Successful Exit for the Entrepreneur
Serial entrepreneur Gaurav Oberoi, co-founder of AI-based legal tech startup Lexion, will exit successfully as Lexion is acquired by DocuSign for $165 million. Oberoi, known for his customer-centric approach and expertise, has now had three startups acquired, earning strong respect in Seattle’s tech community.
Seattle Startup Fairway Bikes Launches 3-Wheeled Electric Golf Bike With 20-Mile Range Battery
Seattle startup Fairway Bikes has introduced a 3-wheeled electric golf bike with a detachable 20-mile range battery and golf accessories, designed to improve pace of play while providing exercise on the course. The bike offers a top speed of 12 MPH, adjustable electric assist, and aims to fill the gap between walking and traditional golf carts.
Seattle Startup Mason Names Webb Stevens as CEO and John Thimsen as CTO, Nancy Xiao Shifts to President
Seattle startup Mason appointed Webb Stevens, former Docker COO, as CEO and John Thimsen, former Qualtrics CTO, as CTO, while Mason's previous CEO Nancy Xiao became president. Additional regional leadership changes include new hires at Beyond, Continuous Composites, and a new venture fund role in Seattle.
Creative Destruction Lab Seattle Graduates 17 Startups from Manufacturing and Computational Health Cohort
Creative Destruction Lab's Seattle accelerator, launched in 2021 and funded by UW and Microsoft, graduated 17 startups focused on manufacturing and computational health from its latest cohort of 40. The 9-month program features no equity taken, milestone checkpoints, and support from over 70 Pacific Northwest mentors.
Former Microsoft Engineers Ashish Kurmi and Varun Sharma Raise $3M for StepSecurity to Secure CI/CD Pipelines
StepSecurity, a Seattle startup founded by former Microsoft engineers Ashish Kurmi and Varun Sharma, raised $3 million in seed funding led by Runtime Ventures to secure CI/CD pipelines. The company targets developers using GitHub Actions and has customers in crypto, healthcare, and cybersecurity sectors.
Prudential Shuts Down $2.35B Acquired Insurance Tech Startup Assurance IQ After Five Years
Prudential is shutting down Assurance IQ, the insurance tech startup it acquired for $2.35 billion in 2019, citing a strategic shift to focus on its core businesses. Assurance, a Seattle-based unicorn, had used technology to match consumers with insurance, but faced challenges including missed financial targets and regulatory scrutiny.
Seattle Dementia Care Startup Rippl Acquires Boston AI Coach Kinto, Expands Team to 66
Seattle-based dementia care startup Rippl acquired Boston's Kinto, which uses AI to support family dementia caregivers, adding eight employees and combining cash and stock in the deal. Rippl, which raised $32 million in 2022 and partnered with the Alzheimer’s Association, offers virtual and in-person care services.
Matt Hulett Steps Down as PetMed Express CEO; Sandra Campos Named Successor; Seattle Startups Avante, OfferUp Add Execs
Matt Hulett is stepping down as CEO and president of PetMed Express, with Sandra Campos named as his replacement. Additionally, several executives joined or were promoted at Seattle-area startups Avante, OfferUp, and New York-based Sisense.
Organizations
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AI House Director of Community and Programming 2026–present · current
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University of Washington, Board of Student Publications Board Member 2016–present · current
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AI House Director of Community and Programming · current
Education
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University of Washington Executive Development Program, Business Administration and Management, General · 2021–2022
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University of Washington Bachelor, Business, Journalism · 2008–2012
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Foster School of Business B.A., Business Administration · 2008–2012
