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.
Seattle Tech Firms Shift Perks to Remote Support: Accolade Hosts Virtual Commencement; OfferUp Adds Summer Fridays
With employees working from home during the pandemic and amid racial justice protests, Seattle-area tech companies are replacing traditional office perks with remote-focused benefits—virtual events, expanded leave and care packages—to support staff wellbeing and culture. Examples include Accolade's virtual commencement for employees' children and OfferUp's 'Summer Fridays' schedule.
Panda AI launches inside AI2 in Seattle, led by CEO Aaron Goldfeder and CTO Yue Ning in stealth mode
Panda AI is a stealth B2B startup launched inside the Allen Institute for AI (AI2) in Seattle, led by CEO Aaron Goldfeder and CTO Yue Ning, both former AI2 entrepreneurs-in-residence. The company — currently two employees with early access interest and Smartsheet co-founder Eric Browne as product advisor — aims to build next-generation tools for knowledge workers using recent AI breakthroughs.
Madrona-led $4.5M seed funds Zeitworks, a Seattle ML startup co-founded by Ben Elowitz and CEO Ryan Windham
Seattle startup Zeitworks raised a $4.5 million seed round led by Madrona Venture Group with participation from JAZZ Venture Partners and Zillow co-founder Spencer Rascoff; the company uses machine learning to analyze and recommend improvements to repetitive business processes without back-end integrations. Zeitworks spun out of Madrona Venture Labs, is led by CEO Ryan Windham with co-founder Ben Elowitz, and plans to hire for several roles.
Uplevel launches remote-work analytics to track engineers' 'always on' hours, isolation, and throughput
Seattle startup Uplevel, which emerged from stealth earlier this year, added new analytics features to measure developer productivity and wellbeing in remote work settings, tracking metrics like messaging hours, meeting attendance, and engineering throughput. The tools aim to help managers detect overwork, isolation, and workflow bottlenecks caused by increased digital interruptions and home distractions.
Maveron leads $30M Series B in Wave with Scooter Braun and Alex Rodriguez to scale virtual concert platform
Los Angeles-based virtual entertainment startup Wave raised $30 million in a Series B led by Seattle VC Maveron, with participation from Griffin Gaming Partners, Scooter Braun, and Alex Rodriguez to expand its live virtual concert platform. Wave will use the funding to build new in-stream experiences, expand into markets including Japan and China, and has hosted over 50 events with up to 400,000 attendees.
Nomad Go launches HealthySpaces to monitor occupancy, mask use and distancing; raised $2.7M
Seattle startup Nomad Go launched HealthySpaces, a computer-vision product that provides real-time occupancy, density counts, and mask and social-distancing compliance for retailers, running models locally to preserve privacy. The four-year-old company has deployments in over 100 locations and raised $2.7 million in September from Flying Fish Partners, Fitz Gate Ventures and Vulcan Capital.
Athira Pharma raises $85M Series B to push NDX-1017 toward FDA approval for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and ALS
Seattle biotech Athira Pharma raised $85 million in a Series B round to advance NDX-1017, a regenerative therapy aimed at halting or reversing nerve damage in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and ALS, with preliminary trial results reported as positive and potential market availability in 2–3 years.
Seattle Startup CEOs Condemn Racism, Urge Action and Investment in Black Founders After George Floyds Death
Seattle startup leaders publicly condemned racism after George Floyd’s death and pledged concrete actions — including learning, speaking up, and pushing for investments in entrepreneurs of color — while noting tech’s role in inequality and recent moves like SoftBank’s $100 million fund.
Pro.com lays off 52 employees as COVID-19 halts construction; CEO Matt Williams confirms WARN filing
Seattle-based Pro.com laid off 52 employees after COVID-19 halted its construction work, and the company is resuming jobs with new safety and contact-tracing measures. CEO Matt Williams said the cuts were disclosed in a Washington WARN filing and affect a company that employs about 150 people on LinkedIn.
Madrona Venture Labs spinout Weekdays and other startups build tech to help parents manage childcare gaps during COVID-19
Seattle startup studio Madrona Venture Labs and spinout Weekdays are among tech entrepreneurs building services to help working parents handle childcare challenges compounded by COVID-19 — from closed schools and canceled camps to safety worries and financial strain. Single parents like Maria Hess report daily struggles juggling work and parenting, driving increased demand for tech-enabled in-home caregiver matching and other solutions.
Ex-DeepMind Engineers’ Startup Phaidra Raises $1.5M to Build In-House AI for Industrial Customers, Launches in Seattle
Stealth startup Phaidra, founded by ex-DeepMind engineers Jim Gao and Vedavyas Panneershelvam with industry veteran Katherine Hoffman, raised $1.5 million to build AI tools that let industrial companies develop in-house models while retaining data and IP. The four-person company chose Seattle for its mix of tech ecosystem and industrial roots and is currently building a beta product.
Wyze Labs Raises $10M in Series A-1 Led by Norwest to Expand Smart Home Products and Boost AI Amid COVID-19
Wyze Labs raised $10 million in a Series A-1 round led by Norwest to expand its smart home products and enhance AI technology, while adapting operations during the COVID-19 crisis. The startup responded to pandemic needs by supplying no-touch thermometers, face masks, and webcam firmware, despite facing supply chain challenges.
University of Washington-Bothell and iInnovate Network report: Seattle tech, health and life-sciences grew in 2019 but COVID-19 threatens startups
The fifth annual Seattle Tech Ecosystem Report from University of Washington-Bothell School of Business and iInnovate Network finds Seattle’s tech, health and life-sciences sectors continued growing in 2019, with STEM jobs, GDP and venture investment strength, but warns COVID-19 creates uncertain short- and long-term impacts on startups and hiring. The report highlights local resources and notes many startups face cash-runway pressures while major firms like Microsoft and Amazon may weather the crisis and gain share.
Brady Corporation invests $6M in Seattle panic-button maker React Mobile, becomes largest shareholder; valuation $25.7M
Seattle safety-software startup React Mobile received a $6 million investment from publicly traded Brady Corporation, valuing the company at $25.7 million and making Brady its largest shareholder; React Mobile sells GPS/Bluetooth panic-button devices mainly to hotels and has raised $10.4 million to date.
DefinedCrowd raises $50.5M Series B to scale crowd-powered AI training data for Mastercard, BMW and other Fortune 500s
Seattle-based DefinedCrowd raised $50.5 million in Series B funding to expand its AI training data platform that uses machine learning plus a 290,000-strong global crowd to provide datasets in 50 languages. Revenue grew over 650% in 2019, headcount more than doubled to 265 with plans to reach 500 employees and expand offices despite the pandemic.
MDMetrix raises $1.1M from Vulcan Capital and Seattle investors to scale COVID-19 Mission Control
Seattle startup MDMetrix raised $1.1 million from Vulcan Capital and other local investors to expand use of its COVID-19 Mission Control software, which analyzes hospital operational data to improve capacity and patient treatment.
Roche acquires Seattle startup Stratos Genomics, home of Sequencing By Expansion, to form Roche Diagnostics Seattle
Roche has acquired Seattle DNA sequencing startup Stratos Genomics, maker of Sequencing By Expansion (SBX) technology; Stratos will operate as Roche Diagnostics Seattle with its 60 employees joining Roche. Financial terms were not disclosed; Stratos had raised over $60 million previously and Roche was an early investor.
Microsoft’s M12 Leads $700,000 Round for Venture Out, Seattle 12-Week Program Helping Corporate Tech Workers Launch Startups
Venture Out is a Seattle-based 12-week program that helps corporate tech workers launch startups by providing mentorship, requiring 10–20 hours/week commitment, and taking 4% equity. The organization raised $700,000 in a round led by Microsoft’s M12 and is accepting applications for a second cohort starting July 13.
Nautilus Biotechnology raises $76M Series B led by Vulcan Capital; Bezos Expeditions among investors, total funding tops $100M
Nautilus Biotechnology, co-founded by Stanford scientist Parag Mallick and Isilon co-founder Sujal Patel, revealed a platform to study the human proteome and announced a $76 million Series B led by Vulcan Capital with participation from Bezos Expeditions, Perceptive Advisors and others. The round brings total funding above $100 million for the 50-person startup as it exits stealth to accelerate proteomics-driven therapeutics development.
Madrona Venture Labs spinout StrikeGraph launches to automate SOC 2 compliance, led by Justin Beals and Brian Bero
Madrona Venture Labs has launched StrikeGraph, a Seattle startup led by Justin Beals and Brian Bero that automates and simplifies the SOC 2 cybersecurity compliance process to reduce time and cost for companies seeking certification.
Tagboard launches cloud graphics engine as usage rises 48% while broadcasters go remote during COVID-19
Seattle startup Tagboard released a cloud-based graphics engine to help broadcasters create and edit programming graphics remotely, seeing a 48% increase in platform usage as networks shift to cloud production during COVID-19.
T-Mobile, Intel and NASA launch 5G Open Innovation Lab in Bellevue to run 12-week non-equity startup accelerator
T-Mobile, Intel, and NASA launched the 5G Open Innovation Lab in Bellevue, Washington, a 12-week, non-equity startup program providing resources, capital, and partner collaboration to help entrepreneurs prototype and learn about 5G applications. The lab offers partners early access to cohort companies and aims to accelerate 5G-driven innovations across industries.
Constellation Software Acquires Seattle Marketing Startup Tune; Terms Undisclosed
Toronto-based Constellation Software announced it has acquired Seattle marketing-software startup Tune, which builds tools to manage marketing partnerships and will operate under Constellation’s Perseus unit. Terms were not disclosed; Tune CEO Peter Hamilton will move to a strategic role, some team restructuring is expected, and the company has more than 150 employees and $36.4 million raised to date.
Leg Up and Seattle tech HR leaders publish employer guide to support working parents during COVID-19
Seattle startup Leg Up and local tech HR leaders released a new guide to help small and medium-sized employers support working parents and caregivers during COVID-19, offering resources, policy suggestions and executive insights. The guide compiles parent experiences, discounts and HR program changes and complements other toolkits like Madrona Venture Group’s Back to Work Toolkit.
Madrona, Microsoft Ventures and Salesforce Ventures lead $40M Series C for online training platform GO1
Madrona Venture Group, Microsoft’s and Salesforce’s venture arms joined a $40 million Series C for online training platform GO1, which serves 3,000+ organizations and has seen engagement triple amid the COVID-19 remote-learning surge.
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
