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.
Former AWS, Dropbox, Facebook, Convoy Leaders — Linda Lian, Tom Kleinpeter, Francis Luu, Viraj Mody — Launch Stealth Seattle Startup to Build Digital Community Tools
Four former Seattle tech leaders — Linda Lian, Tom Kleinpeter, Francis Luu, and Viraj Mody — have quietly formed a new startup building tools to help users create digital communities, according to a recent tweet by Lian. The team brings experience from Amazon Web Services, Dropbox, Facebook, Convoy and Madrona Venture Group; Lian declined to provide further details.
Lumen Bioscience raises $16M Series B to scale Spirulina platform for orally delivered antibodies; total funding $68M
Lumen Bioscience raised $16 million in a Series B to advance its Spirulina-based platform that produces orally delivered antibodies and biologics for GI diseases, claiming dramatically lower costs and three clinical programs. The Seattle startup, co‑founded in 2017 by CEO Brian Finrow and CSO Jim Roberts, has partnerships with the Gates Foundation, NIH and others and has raised $68 million to date.
Cloudshim, founded by ex-Microsoft and Amazon engineers Lokesh and Vishal Taneja, raises $120,000 from Black Lion Ventures
Seattle startup Cloudshim, founded by former Microsoft and Amazon engineers Lokesh and Vishal Taneja, raised $120,000 from Black Lion Ventures to grow its self‑serve cloud management platform that currently supports AWS and will add GCP and Azure.
Prescryptive Health, founded by ex-Microsoft cloud vets Blackley and Young, raises $26M led by Morningside
Seattle startup Prescryptive Health, founded in 2017 by former Microsoft commercial cloud leaders Chris Blackley and Kevin Young, raised $26 million to expand its prescription data platform that connects to over 50,000 pharmacies and integrates with benefit plans in real time. The round was led by Morningside Ventures (whose co-founder Dr. Gerald Chan joined the board) and brings the company's total funding to $35 million.
Panda AI, spun out of AI2, raises $3.3M with AI2 as first investor from its new pre-seed fund
Panda AI, a stealth startup spun out of the Allen Institute for AI (AI2), raised $3.3 million in a round led by PSL Ventures with participation from AI2 and others; it is the first company to receive funding from AI2’s new pre-seed fund.
GeekWire: Pacific NW startups raise big rounds — Vacasa $108M, Remitly $85M, Auth0 $120M, OfferUp $120M, Outreach $50M; Qumulo hits $1B
Pacific Northwest privately-held tech startups raised large funding rounds and increased valuations during the 2020 economic crisis, with several firms hitting or exceeding $1 billion valuations and total H1 2020 investment of $2.3 billion across 135 deals.
CityBldr CEO Bryan Copley Battled COVID-19 in March While Running His $6M Seattle Startup in Capitol Hill Protest Zone
CityBldr CEO Bryan Copley contracted COVID-19 in March and recovered while simultaneously managing his eight-person Seattle startup, which sits in the midst of the city's protest zone; his company has raised $6 million and his account illustrates the personal and business strains of the pandemic and social unrest.
Routable raises $12M Series A to automate business payments; total funding $16M
Routable, a 2-year-old fintech founded in Seattle and now based in San Francisco, announced a $12 million Series A to automate accounts payable and receivable and streamline business payments. The company, led by CEO Omri Mor and CTO Tom Harel, integrates with Xero and QuickBooks and has raised $16 million total from investors including Y Combinator and Founders’ Co-Op.
Tom Skerritt’s Triple Squirrels launches EVRGRN Channel on Sinclair’s STIRR to showcase Pacific Northwest filmmakers
Actor Tom Skerritt launched Triple Squirrels, a Seattle digital media startup, and this month debuted the free EVRGRN Channel on Sinclair’s ad-supported STIRR to showcase Pacific Northwest filmmakers. The channel features programming like the Chihuly documentary and Seattle International Film Festival selections, with plans to expand to other platforms and monetize via ads and sponsorships.
Coda raises $80M Series C led by Kleiner Perkins; Madrona and others join to scale document-as-app platform
Coda, a Bay Area startup led by ex-Microsoft and Google director Shishir Mehrotra, raised an $80 million Series C led by Kleiner Perkins with participation from Madrona Venture Group and others to expand its document-as-app collaboration platform used by companies like Spotify and Uber. Madrona said the investment aligns with its focus on Future of Work and low-code/no-code tools as remote work increases demand for collaboration software.
ZoomInfo posts Q1 as public company: revenue $110.9M (up 62%), non-GAAP EPS $0.07; shares fall 4% after hours
ZoomInfo reported its first quarterly results as a public company with revenue up 62% year-over-year to $110.9 million and non-GAAP EPS of $0.07, both beating expectations, while shares fell over 4% in after-hours trading.
The Closing Docs offers instant bank-linked income verification to 700,000+ rental units amid pandemic-driven demand
Seattle startup The Closing Docs provides automated income verification by connecting to applicants' bank accounts to generate deposit-history income reports for property managers and lenders, helping assess tenants' ability to pay. Founded in 2017, the company serves over 700,000 managed units and has seen increased demand during the pandemic-driven economic crisis.
GentiBio raises $20M seed round, licenses Treg technologies from Seattle Children’s, BRI and MIGAL
Boston-based GentiBio raised $20 million in a seed funding round and signed licensing deals with Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Benaroya Research Institute (BRI), and MIGAL to develop engineered regulatory T cells for autoimmune, alloimmune, autoinflammatory, and allergic diseases.
Xealth partners with Cerner as Cerner invests $6 million to scale digital health prescriptions amid COVID-19
Seattle startup Xealth announced a partnership with EHR vendor Cerner and received a $6 million investment from Cerner (with participation from LRVHealth) to help hospitals rapidly adopt digital health tools accelerated by COVID-19.
Adam Schoenfeld’s Seattle Startup Hiring Tracker: 67% of 348 Seattle tech firms have openings, 2,620 roles; 42% grew headcount
A new Seattle Startup Hiring Tracker from entrepreneur Adam Schoenfeld shows 67% of 348 tracked Seattle tech companies have open roles (2,620 total), with 42% growing headcount month-over-month, 35% stable and 23% shrinking despite the pandemic.
Minnow raises $2.2M seed round to expand contactless IoT food-pickup pods; total funding $3.4M
Seattle startup Minnow raised a $2.2 million seed round to expand IoT-enabled contactless food pickup 'pods' for restaurants and buildings, bringing total funding to $3.4 million. The company offers hardware-as-a-service (hardware, software, maintenance) allowing users to unlock secure pods via smartphone links with no touchscreens or keypads.
Ossia signs commercial deal and receives strategic investment from Toyota Group subsidiary Toyoda Gosei to advance Cota wireless power
Seattle-area startup Ossia announced a commercial agreement and strategic investment from Toyoda Gosei to advance its Cota long-range wireless power technology for automotive and other applications.
JetClosing raises $8.5M Series B led by T. Rowe Price amid pandemic-driven surge in digital home closings
Seattle-based JetClosing raised $8.5 million in a Series B led by funds advised by T. Rowe Price as demand for its digital title and escrow closing service surges during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company reported order activity up 124% from April to July, says digital notary adoption has accelerated, and total funding is now $35 million.
Remitly raises $85M, reaches $1.5B valuation as digital remittance demand spikes during COVID-19
Remitly, a Seattle-based digital remittance platform, raised $85 million in new funding, valuing the company at $1.5 billion as customer growth surged amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Polyarc, founded by ex-Bungie vets, raises $9M Series B led by Hiro Capital to expand VR studio into AR
Seattle VR studio Polyarc, founded by ex-Bungie developers, raised $9 million in a Series B led by Hiro Capital to expand from VR (creator of Moss) into augmented reality development, citing advances in untethered hardware and a focus on physical interaction and emotional immersion.
Edifecs announces private equity investment from TA Associates and Francisco Partners, deal closing within two months
Bellevue-based Edifecs, a 24-year-old healthcare software company, announced a private equity investment from TA Associates and Francisco Partners to accelerate product innovation and market growth; financial terms were not disclosed and the deal is expected to close within two months (PEHub estimated $1.4 billion).
Ignition Partners investors spin out Fuse Venture Partners led by Kellan Carter, Cameron Borumand and Seahawks star Bobby Wagner
A group of investors from Seattle VC firm Ignition Partners, including managing partner John Connors, have launched a spinoff called Fuse Venture Partners led by general partners Kellan Carter and Cameron Borumand and featuring Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner as a venture partner. Ignite will sunset its brand while Fuse focuses on doubling down in Seattle and managing new investments, with Wagner committing to active involvement.
AstrumU raises $7.6M Series A to map college coursework and skills to job outcomes
AstrumU, a three-year-old Seattle-area startup, raised $7.6 million in a Series A led by Kingdom Capital to expand its platform that maps college courses, skills and extracurriculars to labor-market outcomes. The company sells insights to universities and employers to enable skills-based hiring and help institutions understand how educational experiences translate into jobs.
Jane Zhang’s Remmie Health launches at-home ENT monitor after son’s repeated infections; raises $100,000+
Seattle entrepreneur Jane Zhang founded Remmie Health after her toddler suffered repeated ear infections, developing an at-home ear-nose-throat (ENT) monitor that captures images and video for telemedicine consultations. The startup has secured over $100,000 in initial funding, plans to sell the device and share telemedicine revenue, and aims to be a household brand for ENT self-care.
Tasso raises $17M to expand Tasso OnDemand at-home blood collection platform; CEO cites pandemic-driven demand
Seattle startup Tasso raised $17 million to expand its Tasso OnDemand at-home blood collection platform, which lets users self-collect and mail samples for lab testing; CEO Ben Casavant says the COVID-19 pandemic has increased demand for patient-friendly, at-home diagnostics.
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
