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.
Remitly reports 100% customer growth and 40% transaction-volume increase from Feb–Mar as COVID-19 drives digital remittances
Seattle remittance startup Remitly experienced rapid growth during the COVID-19 pandemic, with customer numbers up 100% and transaction volume up 40% from February to March, as users shifted to digital transfers while physical providers closed. CEO Matt Oppenheimer said the crisis accelerated the company’s mission to provide safe, mobile cross-border payments for immigrants supporting families abroad.
SoftNAS rebrands as Buurst, raises $5M and switches to performance-based pricing for cloud data
Buurst, formerly SoftNAS, announced a $5 million funding round and rebranded while shifting to a performance-based pricing model for cloud data management. The eight-year-old, 55-person company — which has raised $35 million to date — counts Samsung, Halliburton and T-Mobile among its customers and works with AWS and Azure.
U.S. VC Investments Total $34.2B in Q1 2020 as COVID-19 Threatens Decade-Long Growth
U.S. venture capitalists invested $34.2 billion across 2,298 deals in Q1 2020, slightly down from the prior year, but analysts expect investment pace and valuations to slow as COVID-19 disrupts the startup ecosystem and deal pipelines.
Madrona Venture Labs launches Founders Unite to connect startup founders with veteran execs through AMAs during pandemic
Seattle-based Madrona Venture Labs launched Founders Unite, a community and AMA series connecting startup founders with veteran tech leaders for advice and peer support during the pandemic. MVL — which raised $11 million for its third fund last year and has launched around ten companies — organized the initiative after polling 100+ founders about what they value most.
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…
Gemma Labs raises $3.5M to scale algorithm-driven custom shampoo business after topping $1M in annualized sales
Seattle startup Gemma Labs raised $3.5 million to grow its algorithm-driven direct-to-consumer custom shampoo and conditioner business, which surpassed $1 million in annualized sales and retails for $45 ($36 subscription).
Zscaler to acquire Cloudneeti, 3-year-old Redmond cloud governance startup with ~30 employees
Zscaler is acquiring Cloudneeti, a three-year-old Redmond cloud security startup with about 30 employees that offers a digital governance platform for automated cloud data monitoring; Cloudneeti raised $500,000 and its team will join Zscaler.
NextStep raises $3.6M to scale mobile training and job-placement for displaced workers into healthcare roles
Seattle startup NextStep raised $3.6 million to expand its mobile training and job-placement platform that recruits and trains displaced, low-wage workers for in-demand healthcare roles like CNAs and home health aides.
Bandwagon acquires Seattle’s IdealSeat; combines fan-data platforms as COVID-19 prompts pivot to identity solutions
Seattle startup IdealSeat has been acquired by Greenville, S.C.-based sports fan intelligence company Bandwagon; both firms offer data platforms for live-event fan experience and Bandwagon is shifting toward identity solutions for industries like healthcare amid COVID-19.
Sila raises $7.7M seed led by Madrona and Oregon Venture Fund to scale fintech infrastructure
Portland fintech startup Sila raised $7.7 million in a seed round led by Madrona Venture Group and Oregon Venture Fund to expand its API that lets developers add compliant banking and payment features. Led by CEO and Simple co-founder Shamir Karkal, Sila offers ACH processing, transfers, digital wallets, a built-in SILA stablecoin, tiered pricing, and partnerships with Plaid, Evolve Bank & Trust, and Alloy.
98point6 raises $43M to triple physician capacity after 200% patient surge, serving 3M nationwide
Seattle telehealth startup 98point6 raised $43 million to expand capacity for its AI-powered virtual primary care amid a 200% surge in patient volume and COVID-19 demand. The funding will triple the company’s physician count this month as it serves over 3 million patients across all 50 states and added coronavirus screening in January.
OctoML raises $15M from Amplify and Madrona to scale TVM-based ML deployment tools
Seattle startup OctoML, spun out of the University of Washington and led by Apache TVM creators, raised $15 million from investors including Amplify and Madrona to expand its ML deployment software. The company, which launched a TVM-based SaaS called Octomizer, will use the funding to grow hiring and scale its optimizer for edge and cloud model deployment.
Jenny Life raises $3.5M after 800% engagement surge as COVID-19 drives demand for quick, no-exam policies
Seattle life-insurance startup Jenny Life raised $3.5 million in a Series A to fuel growth after reporting an 800% spike in customer engagement tied to the COVID-19 outbreak. Founded in 2017 by Chirag Pancholi and Lief Larson, the company offers quick, no-exam policies aimed at women and mothers and attracted investment from CMFG Ventures and other backers.
Usermind lays off 15 employees (25% of staff) amid COVID-19; CEO Michel Feaster calls it heartbreaking
Seattle marketing-software startup Usermind laid off 15 employees — about 25% of its staff — citing economic impact from the COVID-19 crisis, CEO and co-founder Michel Feaster said. The company, founded in 2013 and backed with over $45 million in funding, will help affected workers find new jobs while focusing on its customer-journey platform.
Shiftboard merges with SchedulePro; Shiftboard keeps name and CEO Sterling Wilson, SchedulePro CEO Sachin Agrawal becomes CTO
Seattle-based Shiftboard is merging with Vancouver-based SchedulePro; Shiftboard will retain its name and CEO Sterling Wilson will lead the combined company while SchedulePro CEO Sachin Agrawal becomes CTO, and Shiftboard raised $8 million from existing investors to support product development and sales/marketing expansion.
Rover lays off 41% of staff (194 people) amid COVID-19, extends health benefits for six months
Seattle-based pet care startup Rover laid off 41% of its workforce (194 employees impacted) and put an additional 9% on standby due to revenue declines from COVID-19; about 275 employees remain and affected staff receive six months of extended health benefits and extended stock option exercise windows.
Redfin Sells $110M in Stock to Durable Capital Partners Led by Henry Ellenbogen Amid COVID-19
Redfin sold $110 million of stock to Durable Capital Partners to gain financial support during the COVID-19 crisis; CEO Glenn Kelman outlined cost-cutting measures including forgoing his 2020 salary and raising fixed pay for agents.
GeekWire 200 CEOs and execs from Accolade, PayScale, DreamBox, Auth0, Moz and others share COVID-19 leadership advice
GeekWire interviewed leaders from top Pacific Northwest startups on the GeekWire 200 about how they’re responding to the COVID-19 crisis, sharing actions taken, leadership principles, and cautious optimism. The piece presents company-by-company perspectives from executives at firms such as Accolade, PayScale, DreamBox Learning, Auth0, Moz, Act-On, Remitly, Puppet, DefinedCrowd, and Icertis.
Microsoft acquires Affirmed Networks to expand Azure 5G cloud offerings; deal valued at $1.35 billion
Microsoft will acquire Boston-area virtualized-network startup Affirmed Networks to expand Azure's 5G and telecom cloud offerings; Affirmed serves 85+ networks, employs 500+ people, and had raised over $150 million. Bloomberg later reported the deal valued Affirmed at $1.35 billion.
OfferUp raises $120M and to acquire Letgo, creating 20M monthly users as COVID-19 drives demand
OfferUp raised $120 million and announced plans to acquire rival Letgo, creating a combined marketplace with about 20 million monthly active users while seeing increased demand during the COVID-19 outbreak. CEO Nick Huzar said the company will invest the new capital in product innovation and hiring despite challenges like price-gouging on certain items.
OfferUp Raises $120M, Acquires Letgo; OLX Group to Own 40% of Combined Entity
OfferUp raised $120 million and agreed to acquire rival app Letgo, creating a combined U.S. marketplace with over 20 million monthly active users; OLX Group led the round and will own 40% of the merged company. OfferUp CEO Nick Huzar will lead the combined business, while Letgo's non‑North American operations will remain with OLX.
The Riveter places 24 employees (34% of staff) on temporary layoff under Washington’s COVID-19 ‘standby’ rule
Seattle tech startups like The Riveter and Armoire are using Washington’s temporary layoff (“standby”) policy so employees can collect unemployment benefits while expected to return within eight weeks, as revenue falls and social distancing forces closures amid the COVID-19 outbreak. The Riveter put 24 employees (34% of staff) on standby, cut hours and pay, and is covering health insurance while aiming to bring staff back after the crisis.
Textio raises new capital — SEC filing shows $7M infusion as company closes $12M round to expand writing platform
Seattle startup Textio closed a $12 million funding round and an SEC filing shows a $7 million cash infusion as it aims to expand its augmented-writing platform beyond enterprise hiring use cases.
CoreStack raises $8.5M Series A from Naya Ventures; total funding $13M, Dayakar Puskoor to join board
Seattle-based cloud governance startup CoreStack raised an $8.5 million Series A led by Naya Ventures to expand its automated cloud compliance and cost-management software; the company says it saves customers 20–60% on annual cloud costs and has over 60 enterprise clients.
Seattle Startup Crowd Cow Raises $15.1 Million to Expand Direct-to-Consumer Meat Marketplace
Seattle startup Crowd Cow raised $15.1 million to expand its meat marketplace, which allows customers to crowdfund meat from independent farms. Despite competition from alternative meat companies, Crowd Cow has grown by adding new products, partnerships like Shake Shack, and investment from notable backers including Madrona Venture Group and Ashton Kutcher’s Sound Ventures.
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
