Shopping, sword-fighting and silliness: Meet the first-ever WIN Reactor graduates

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From a retro-futuristic driving game to a healthy shopping and eating app, more than six months of stealth startup work going on at the Washington Interactive Network (WIN) accelerator was shown off at a demo day on Thursday afternoon. It’s been nearly two years since WIN was awarded a $1.2 million grant for what’s now called the WIN Reactor, also known… Read More…

How this startup went from Microsoft’s Kinect Accelerator to creating a kickass iOS app

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If you haven’t heard of Freak’n Genius, well, the past week at the company will tell you everything you need to know. The Seattle-based startup just debuted a extremely funny mobile app called YAKiT, which lets you manipulate the mouths of your family, friends, cats, dogs, celebrities and really, just about anything. To help promote and market… Read More…

Hilarious Freak’n Genius app YAKiT lets you move mouths to make photos funny

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The folks over at Seattle-based Freak’n Genius certainly know how to make us laugh, and their newest app is no exception. The latest LOL-inducing program is called YAKiT, a mobile app that lets you manipulate the mouths of your family, friends, cats, dogs and really, just about anything. It’s essentially just like JibJab, but with added messaging and social… Read More…

GeekWire Awards: Vote for Young Entrepreneur of the Year

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We’ve collected hundreds of nominations and listened to the feedback of dozens of expert judges. Now, it’s your time to vote for the best and brightest in the Pacific Northwest technology community. We’re kicking off public voting today for the GeekWire Awards. Over the next two weeks, you’ll get the chance to vote in 14… Read More…

After spurning acquisition offer, Seattle’s Freak’n Genius raises $525,000 angel round

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Kyle Kesterson’s new animation startup, Freak’n Genius, has raised $525,000 in fresh funding from more than a dozen angel investors that include Zapd founder Kelly Smith; Jumala founder Virl Hill; Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati; Chris Hurley; Ty Alevizos and others. Kesterson tells GeekWire that the company hit its original $450,000 funding goal within two weeks of… Read More…

Video: Startup makes its pitch at Microsoft, with help from ‘Steve Ballmer’

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Your startup has just spent three months inside Microsoft trying to democratize animation using the Kinect sensor, and you’re pitching your business to potential investors at the company’s conference center. So which tech celebrity do you call upon for a product endorsement? Why, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, of course! Well, an animation of Ballmer, at… Read More…

Freak’n Genius: Animation startup uses Microsoft Kinect to tap your inner goofball

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Kyle Kesterson may be known around Seattle as a talented designer, artist and active participant in the Startup Weekend hackathons. But did you know that the entrepreneur also was the Geico Gecko? During University of Washington basketball games back in 2009, Kesterson donned the mascot costume of the insurance giant, entertaining fans with his outrageous… Read More…