Podcasts in Seattle
Shows
Microsoft's quantum breakthrough; WA state targets Uber and Lyft; GeekWire 200; Bezos and Bond
This week on the GeekWire Podcast, we discuss Microsoft's quantum computing breakthrough; a Washington state bill that targets Uber and Lyft surge pricing; the latest update to the GeekWire 200 ranking of Pacific Northwest startups; and Amazon's move to take creative control of the James Bond movie franchise. Related Links Microsoft quantum breakthrough promises to usher in the next era of computing in ‘years, not decades’ GeekWire 200 update: Here are the hot tech startups moving up our list for Q1 2025 Lawmakers take aim at Uber and Lyft with bill targeting surge pricing after big events Amazon MGM Studios…
TTodd Bishop
TTaylor Soper
Empowering Female Founders with Jessica Kamada, Swizzle Ventures
Empowering Female Founders: A Conversation with Jessica Kamada of Swizzle Ventures In this episode of Sound Investments, host Ed Barker interviews Jessica Kamada, the managing partner of Swizzle Ventures, a venture capital fund based in Bellevue that focuses on empowering female founders addressing women's challenges at pivotal life stages. Jessica shares her journey from a competitive figure skater to a growth marketer and eventually to founding Swizzle Ventures. She discusses the inspiration behind the fund, its vision, and the sectors they are investing in, including women's healthcare and financial health. Jessica also delves into her personal experiences, the fund's investment…
Scaling, AI, and Leadership after Big Tech: Lessons from Highspot's Bhrighu Sareen
Thinking about leaving Big Tech for a startup? In this episode of Founded & Funded, Madrona Managing Director Tim Porter sits down with Bhrighu Sareen, who took the leap from Microsoft to Highspot and has been leading AI-driven product innovation ever since. They talk about the realities of transitioning from a massive company to a high-growth startup, scaling AI-driven teams, and how Bhrighu's helping transform sales enablement through automation and intelligence. His insights on navigating change, working with founders, and executing at speed are a must-listen for any leader considering the leap from stability to startup chaos. Tune in now…
TTim Porter
BBhrigu Sareen
Local venture firms for local founders with James Newell, Voyager Capital
Empowering Pacific Northwest Startups: Insights from Voyager Capital's James Newell In this episode of Sound Investments, host Ed Barker interviews James Newell, Managing Director at Voyager Capital. They discuss the unique investment landscape of the Pacific Northwest, Voyager Capital's focus on early-stage local companies, and the strengths and challenges of the Seattle startup ecosystem. James shares his journey from M&A banking to venture capital, his thoughts on the role of major tech companies like Amazon and Microsoft in shaping the local talent pool, and how Voyager supports founders in bringing their products to market. They also delve into the impact…
JJames Newell
Serial Entrepreneur Mohit Aron on Founding, Scaling, and Leading Category-Leading Companies
What does it take to go from engineer to founder, from startup CEO to scale CEO? In this special live episode of Founded & Funded, Madrona Managing Director Karan Mehandru sits down with Mohit Aron, founder of Nutanix and Cohesity, to uncover the lessons behind his success. Mohit shares his unique hiring strategy, how to identify product-market fit, and the power of balancing vision with execution. Whether you're navigating your first company or scaling your third, Mohit's advice is a masterclass in resilience, grit, and building a legacy. Full Transcript: https://bit.ly/42xnyD9 Chapters: (00:00) Introduction (02:04) Traits of Successful Founders (05:03)…
KKaran Mehandru
MMohit Aron
Stargate, OpenAI and Microsoft; BlueSky in Seattle; and Madrona's big new funds
This week, we delve into the Project Stargate announcement by OpenAI, Oracle and Softbank, in conjunction with President Trump, and assess the implications for OpenAi's relationship with Microsoft. We explain what Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella really meant with his CNBC zinger about the Stargate investment, and consider how Elon Musk's involvement in the new administration could play out in the tech industry. PLUS, we discuss Madrona's big new funds and the potential impact on startup activity in the Pacific NW, and find a revealing piece of Microsoft history on an old CD-ROM. Related stories: Microsoft and OpenAI tweak the terms…
Inside Amazon's strategic planning process; the state of the Seattle startup community
This week on the GeekWire Podcast: An inside look at Amazon's classic process for strategic thinking and decision-making, with a former Amazon product and technology director who has written new book about the documents used by the company to determine its direction. What can others learn from its approach? Plus, we break down this pivotal moment in Amazon's history, as employees return to the office five days a week; and we check in on the state of the Seattle startup world. Our guest is Marcelo Calbucci, a serial entrepreneur and longtime Seattle startup community leader who has worked for both…
TTodd Bishop
MMarcelo Calbucci
Terray's Jacob Berlin on The AI-Powered Future of Medicine
Terray Therapeutics CEO Jacob Berlin returns to Founded & Funded after three years to share how the company has scaled from an ambitious startup to an industry leader in AI-driven biotech. Learn how Terray's proprietary hardware combined with the world's largest chemistry data set is powering new discoveries in small molecule drug development. Jacob also discusses how the company's $120M Series B fundraise will prepare their internal programs for clinical trials and further enhance their AI platform. He shares insights on where he sees the future of AI and drug design and dives into how founders can balance internal innovation…
CChris Paccardo
JJacob Berlin
Curt Medeiros on Revolutionizing Precision Medicine and Scaling Ovation
Imagine a future where healthcare isn't just reactive but deeply personalized — where every patient gets the right treatment at the right time based on a precise understanding of their biology. This is the future Ovation is building, and on this week's Founded & Funded, Madrona Partner Chris Picardo dives into it all with Ovation CEO Curt Medeiros. From transforming underutilized clinical data into rich multiomics datasets to forging industry-leading partnerships with companies like Illumina, Curt shares how Ovation is shaping the future of precision medicine. He also opens up about the challenges of building a scalable, privacy-first platform, the…
Kristen Hamilton - Multi-Time Tech Founder and CEO
Kristen Hamilton is a three-time technology entrepreneur and CEO with multiple exits, a board director of late-stage startups, and a professional CEO Advisor. She is a General Partner at Enjoy The Work, where she teaches founders to become great CEOs. She co-founded the predictive hiring software leader Koru, and was CEO until it was acquired by UK-based Capfinity in 2019. Kristen grew up near Montreal, and currently splits her time between Seattle and Whistler. She is a mom to two university-aged daughters and a golden retriever, and has deep passion for skiing, biking, rowing, and spending time outdoors in the…
SShauna Swerland
KKristen Hamilton
AI, tech talent, and regional innovation: A swan song from retiring WTIA CEO Michael Schutzler
Michael Schutzler, the newly retired CEO of the Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA), joins us on this episode of the GeekWire Podcast to reflect on his 11 years running the not-for-profit trade association, assess the state of the tech industry in Seattle and Washington state, and discuss what's next for him. Schutzler, who has been succeeded as WTIA's CEO by Kelly Fukai, previously its COO, wrote about the extraordinary history of the state's tech industry in a recent post marking the WTIA's 40th anniversary and his retirement. See more highlights from the episode in this GeekWire post. Related coverage: WTIA…
TTodd Bishop
JJohn Cook
MMichael Schutzler
Building AI-Driven Ventures with Amp It Up Ventures Founder Kabir Shahani
In this illuminating episode of the Shift AI Podcast, serial entrepreneur Kabir Shahani joins Boaz Ashkenazy to discuss his journey from founding Amperity to launching Amp It Up Ventures. Shahani shares deep insights into building AI-powered enterprises and his unique approach to company creation through his new venture studio. He reveals details about two stealth companies, Adora and Avante, both tackling trillion-dollar markets with innovative AI solutions. From digital advertising to healthcare, Shahani explains how AI is fundamentally shifting business paradigms and why staying ahead of this transformation is crucial for modern enterprises. This episode offers invaluable lessons about entrepreneurship…
Insights from Uncommon Thinkers: How these innovators found novel approaches in their fields
This week on the GeekWire Podcast, we sit down with some of the Seattle region’s “Uncommon Thinkers” — inventors, scientists, technologists and entrepreneurs transforming industries and driving positive change in the world. We recorded the episode on location, backstage at the GeekWire Gala, where we recognized five Uncommon Thinkers through this annual awards program, presented in partnership with Greater Seattle Partners. Speaking on the episode are: Uri Shumlak, co-founder and chief scientist at Zap Energy, a physicist leading a team in pursuit of fusion energy, taking a different approach from others in the field. Read the profile. Ingrid Swanson Pultz…
TTodd Bishop
UUri Shumlak
IIngrid Swanson Pultz
Breaking Conventional Wisdom: Jama Software's Blueprint for Profitable Growth
In this episode of Founded & Funded, Madrona Managing Director Tim Porter and Jama Software CEO Marc Osofsky discuss the intentional strategies that fueled Jama's transformation from $20M ARR to a $1.2 billion acquisition by Francisco Partners. Marc shares his blueprint for scaling with purpose, challenging conventional wisdom, and embedding efficiency into the DNA of a company. Key Takeaways Include: Accelerating Growth Conventional Wisdom: Scale your sales team rapidly to hit growth targets. Intentional Wisdom: Focus on improving win rates to double or 2.5x your capacity without adding headcount. TAM Conventional Wisdom: Prioritize the total size of your market potential…
TTim Porter
MMarc Osofsky
#87 DocuSign Founder on Building $16B Company | Court Lorenzini
Guest: Court Lorenzini | Founder of DocuSign & FounderNexus Host: Nataraj | Senior PM at Azure, Creator of Startup Project & Angel Investor Subscribe to Startup Project Newsletter for valuable founder insights: https://startupproject.substack.com/ Join Nataraj in conversation with Court Lorenzini, co-founder of DocuSign and serial entrepreneur, as they delve into the world of startups. Court shares his incredible journey, from early engineering roles to leading DocuSign to its multi-billion dollar company. **Timestamps & Topics:** * **00:01:246 - 00:35:234:** Introduction and welcome to Court Lorenzini. * **00:40:246 - 01:16:782:** Court's background – Engineering career and early entrepreneurial ventures. * **01:50:102 -…
CCourt Lorenzini
Elon Musk’s problem with Microsoft; What the GeekWire 200 says about the startup scene
This week on the GeekWire Podcast, we discuss Elon Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI, which now includes Microsoft, and assess the complexities of the OpenAI-Microsoft partnership, as illustrated by early email exchanges revealed in the lawsuit. We also consider the latest update to the GeekWire 200, our ranked index of Pacific Northwest technology startups, including the rise of Highspot to the top spot, and other trends in the Seattle region's startup ecosystem. And we share highlights from tech events around the region this week, including the WTIA's 40th Anniversary, where Mayor Bruce Harrell addressed AI and the incoming presidential administration; and…
JJohn Cook
TTodd Bishop
Microsoft’s startup story: A new look, with insights for today
This special edition of the GeekWire Podcast is the first in a four-episode series that we’ll be publishing in the months ahead as part of our year-long Microsoft @ 50 project, recognizing the company’s 50th anniversary in April 2025. On this episode, we’ll take a fresh look at Microsoft’s startup story with tech historian and author Margaret O’Mara of the University of Washington, author of The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America; plus highlights from a recent conversation with David Marquardt, Microsoft’s first outside investor and a longtime board member. Register here for our Microsoft @ 50 event…
BBill Gates
PPaul Allen
TTodd Bishop
DDavid Marquardt
MMargaret O'Mara
Archon's Jamie Lazarovits on Unlocking the Full Power of Antibodies With AI
What does it take to move from cutting-edge academic research to launching a biotech company that could transform medicine? In this week's episode of Founded & Funded, Madrona Partner Chris Picardo sat down with Jamie Lazarovitz, CEO and co-founder of Archon Biosciences, to uncover the story behind their groundbreaking protein-based biologics and their unique Antibody Cages (AbCs). From bootstrapping deep tech investments as a student to navigating the challenges of commercializing revolutionary science, Jamie shares the pivotal moments, tough decisions, and key lessons that led to Archon's creation. This isn't just a story for biotech enthusiasts — every founder can…
CChris Picardo
JJamie Lazarovits
Beyond the Model: Taking AI From Prototype to Production with Unstructured's Brian Raymond
In this episode of Founded & Funded, Madrona Managing Director Karan Mehandru hosts Brian Raymond, founder and CEO of 2024 IA40 winner Unstructured. Unstructured turns raw, messy, unstructured data into something AI tools can actually process — a typically expensive and time-consuming process for companies hoping to save money with the tools themselves. Brian and Karan explore some of the biggest trends in AI, including moving from prototype to production, the rise and fall of vertical applications, the shift toward powerful horizontal solutions, whether the ROI will be there on all this capital investment into AI, and the trough of…
KKaran Mehandru
BBrian Raymond
Sujal Patel - Founder and CEO at Nautilus Biotechnology
Sujal Patel is Founder and CEO of Nautilus Biotechnology, a life sciences company creating a large-scale, single-molecule platform for quantifying and unlocking the complexity of the human proteome, with the goal of enabling fundamental advancements across human health and medicine. With nearly 20 years of executive leadership experience driving innovation for high-growth companies, Sujal is a successful entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist who founded and served as CEO of Isilon Systems, an enterprise data storage company. After completing one of the most successful initial public offerings of 2006, Isilon was acquired by EMC in 2010 for $2.6 billion. See omnystudio.com/listener for…
SShauna Swerland
SSujal Patel
Taking on Cyberstalking against Women with Certifi CEO Melissa Hutchins
In this episode of the Shift AI Podcast, we dive into the critical issue of digital harassment against women with Melissa Hutchins, CEO of Certifi AI. Melissa shares her personal experience with cyberstalking and how it inspired her to develop AI-driven solutions to combat online abuse. She discusses Certifi AI's innovative approach to detecting manipulated images and videos, including insights into the challenges of entrepreneurship, emphasizing the importance of resilience and having a personal connection to the problem being solved. The conversation also touches on the future of work, with Melissa highlighting the need for ethical AI practices and diverse…
Uber + Expedia? Ballmer on 60 Minutes; 1980s Silicon Valley revisited; What's next for AI
This week, we imagine the possibility of Uber buying Expedia Group, based on a report by the Financial Times this week that the ride-hailing company has considered a bid for the online travel giant. It would be notable in part because Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi was Expedia Group’s CEO from 2005 to 2017 and remains on the company’s board. In the second segment, we enjoy highlights from the "60 Minutes" profile of former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, and a separate appearance by University of Washington historian and author Margaret O'Mara on an episode of the podcast "60 Minutes: A Second…
#84 From Mars Rover to Starups: Ex-aws exec khawaja shams on the art of product-market fit in b2b cloud
In this episode of Startup Project, we chat with Khawaja Shams, Co-founder and CEO of Momento, a serverless caching and messaging service built for interactive applications at scale. Host: Nataraj (Investor at Incisive VC, angel investor, and Senior Product Manager) Guest: Khawaja Shams (Co-founder and CEO of Momento) Website: Momento Website LinkedIn: Nataraj's LinkedIn | Khawaja's LinkedIn [0:00 - 2:00] Khawaja shares his incredible journey—from working on image processing for Mars rovers and communications for interplanetary missions at NASA to building crucial infrastructure at Amazon Web Services (AWS) and ultimately starting Momento. [2:00 - 6:00] Khawaja provides an in-depth look…
Amazon puts AI in delivery vans; Ex-AMZN exec Dave Clark's new startup; AI vs. cancer
Artificial intelligence and automation are transforming the way companies get stuff to stores and doorsteps, changing the world of logistics, transportation and the supply chain, as demonstrated by a few Amazon-related stories we covered this week: Amazon's unveiling of a new "Vision-Assisted Package Retrieval (VAPR) system for the cargo hold of its electric Rivian vans; The announcement of Amazon’s next-generation fulfillment center, with updated and expanded versions of its robotics systems in Shreveport, La. Former Amazon executive Dave Clark's launch of a new supply chain technology startup, based in the Seattle area, with $100 million in funding out of the…
TTodd Bishop
JJohn Cook
DDave Clark
