Q&A: Seattle super angel Geoff Entress talks valuations, missed deals and why the state should support startups

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Seattle angel investor Geoff Entress has backed about 100 startup companies over the years, from social media powerhouses like HootSuite to storage companies like Isilon to software startups like LiquidPlanner. Heck, he’s even an investor and board member at a Redmond soup company, which he jokes not many VCs would have taken a look at. A… Read More…

LinkedIn co-founder Konstantin Guericke, angel Geoff Entress join board of WhitePages

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WhitePages has been around the startup block a few times, and now the 16-year-old Seattle company is injecting a bit of new blood. The company today is announcing that it has added Seattle angel investor Geoff Entress, an investor in about 50 startups in the region, and LinkedIn co-founder Konstantin Guericke to the board. “We’ve excelled… Read More…

HootSuite’s Ryan Holmes, angel Geoff Entress launch new BC startup incubator Invoke Labs

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Geoff Entress has the BC bug. The Seattle angel investor is partnering with HootSuite founder Ryan Holmes and others to create a new startup incubator in Vancouver, B.C. dubbed Invoke Labs. The incubator is the latest step for Invoke Media, the development and design firm that spun out social media management startup HootSuite in 2008…. Read More…

KidScore: The best places to eat with your screaming kids

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As a parent with an energetic toddler, I sometimes struggle to find restaurants that have the right balance of good food and entertainment when dining with a two-and-a-half year old. For the most part, we’ve relied on word-of-mouth, getting recommendations from other parents of the best spots. (We love Fremont Brewing Co. and The Ridge… Read More…

Chirpify lands $1.3 million to sell music and concert tickets through Twitter

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Twitter is great for sharing content. But when it comes to actually conducting commerce, the fast-growing social networking service leaves something to be desired. Portland’s Chirpify wants to solve that problem, and it just landed $1.3 million in a first round of funding from a group of angel investors that includes BuddyTV CEO Andy Liu;… Read More…

Balance Financial lands cash, names new board members

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It’s tax day, and that means millions of Americans are scrambling to get their financial houses in order. If you’re like me, managing personal finance information is a tedious chore, often placed behind yard work and bathroom cleaning. Luckily, some companies want to help. One of those is Balance Financial, a Bellevue startup that’s trying… Read More…

Startup Awards: Vote for Seattle’s Investor of the Year

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Even though it’s cheaper than ever to get a software or Internet company off the ground these days, money still matters. But the best investors bring more to the table than deep pockets, adding extra horsepower when startups need them the most. Today’s featured category in the Seattle 2.0 Startup Awards is Investor of the Year, recognizing some… Read More…

Buuteeq checks in with $2 million in funding to expand hotel marketing platform

The Li-An Lodge, one of the Web sites powered by Buuteeq

Buuteeq has reeled in an addition $2 million in capital from a long list of angel investors in Seattle and Silicon Valley, money that the fast-growing Seattle company will use as a cushion as it strives to become cash flow positive this year. Buuteeq now powers the Web sites for more than 2,000 small hotels… Read More…

Ex-Amazon.com manager lands $3M to bring late-night infomercial products to the Web

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Tanning creams, memory supplements and skin care devices are frequently peddled on late-night TV infomercials. But there’s no reason those products can’t find a bigger audience on the Web, and an enterprising ex-Amazon.com manager thinks he’s figured out the best way to deliver on that promise. Seattle-based DNA Response — a 10-person company led by… Read More…

Walk Score propels forward with $2 million, promises commutes that ‘don’t suck’

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As gas prices soar and commute times lengthen, Walk Score CEO Josh Herst thinks Americans are going to ditch their cars in larger numbers. Instead, he believes they will demand “more walkable places to live with commutes that don’t suck.” If that trend occurs, it could be very good news for Walk Score.  And some prominent investors… Read More…

Geeks Who Give Back: Andy Sack, Geoff Entress, Chris DeVore

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These angel investors are elevating Seattle to new heights. The brains behind Founder’s Co-op and TechStars not only are bankrolling new startup ventures, but Andy Sack, Geoff Entress and Chris DeVore are making sure Seattle’s next generation of entrepreneurs has what it takes to compete on a global scale. Says DeVore, “Seattle is the underdog that actually… Read More…

Geoff Entress, Keith Smith and others bankroll TechStars grad GoChime

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GoChime, a recent grad of the TechStars Seattle incubation program, has raised $630,000 in financing from angel investors Geoff Entress, Matt Shobe, Dave Carlson, Walter Winshall, Rob Martin, Kendall Kunz and Jason Seats. As a result of the financing, BigDoor CEO Keith Smith (also an investor) has joined the board. GoChime is an online marketplace that… Read More…

Seattle super angels make house call to Silicon Valley’s PokitDok

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Many Seattle entrepreneurs head south to Silicon Valley when raising financing, tapping into the region’s ranks of well-connected angels. But PokitDok, a Silicon Valley startup that just landed $450,000, took a more unusual course during its recent financing round. It knocked on doors in Seattle. Co-founder Lisa Maki, who actually grew up in tiny Indianola,… Read More…

Seattle angel Geoff Entress joins board of mobile app maker Treemo Labs

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Seattle angel investor Geoff Entress has joined the board of Treemo Labs, a maker of mobile applications. A member of the Founder’s Co-op team and a venture partner at Voyager Capital, Entress is as well known investor who has backed companies such as Cheezburger, Isilon and Shelfari. In fact, he was an early investor in Treemo,… Read More…

Social media agency Banyan Branch takes root with $1.7M

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Banyan Branch, the Seattle-based social media marketing firm whose clients include Hartz, Porsche and Gilt Groupe, has raised $1.7 million from a prominent group of angel investors that includes former Qpass CEO Chase Franklin; Seattle angel investor Geoff Entress; KissMetrics founder Neil Patel; venture capitalist Bill Bryant and others. “Social media has become pervasive within… Read More…

Mobile phone back-up service Dashwire sells to HTC for $18.5M

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This is giving new meaning to the term “daily deal.” In a continued flurry of activity in the M&A market, Seattle-based Dashwire today agreed to be sold to Taiwain smartphone maker HTC for up to $18.5 million. Founded by former Microsoftie Ford Davidson in 2006, Dashwire has developed a mobile phone back-up service that allows… Read More…

In wake of Airbnb financing frenzy, Seattle super angels pump $3.5M into Buuteeq

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San Francisco’s Airbnb reportedly just raised $100 million at a whopping $1 billion valuation, with high-profile backers like Ashton Kutcher joining the frenzy. But Airbnb is not the only upstart looking to transform the way travelers discover cool places to stay across the globe. In fact, there’s a pretty hot startup emerging right here in… Read More…