Newsmakers 2012: Greg Gottesman, Matt McIlwain lead the charge at Madrona

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At a time when many are proclaiming the death of the traditional venture capital firm, Madrona Venture Group seems to be hitting its stride. The Seattle firm, originally founded 17 years ago as a loose network of prominent angel investors, raised a $300 million fund in June. That marked the largest in Madrona’s history, and… Read More…

GeekWire Debate: How Mitt Romney will fuel the ‘opportunity economy’

Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan at a campaign event in Florida

America is at a crossroads.  We can continue to support a president who embraces a government-driven, economic redistribution strategy.  Or, we can make a change to a citizen-driven, economic opportunity strategy.  History shows that an opportunity economy with an appropriate safety net is better for Americans.  And, Mitt Romney is the right leader with the… Read More…

Why Madrona’s Matt McIlwain is hanging at the GOP convention in Tampa this week

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Madrona Venture Group’s Matt McIlwain usually spends his days scouring the Pacific Northwest landscape for the hottest startups. But not this week. McIlwain is one of a handful of venture capitalists braving the heat of Tampa, showing their support for Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan at the 2012 Republican National Convention. Of course, it’s not… Read More…

Madrona Venture Group raises $300 million fund, largest in firm’s history

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Industry reports signal tough times for venture capital firms, with shrinking returns and lackluster results tied to a weak IPO market. But despite the headwinds, Madrona Venture Group still was able to meet with success on the fundraising trail. The Seattle venture capital firm has closed a $300 million fund, beating out original targets of… Read More…

After a busy 2011, Madrona promotes three to managing director

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2011 was a busy year for Madrona Venture Group, with the Seattle venture capital firm bankrolling 14 new startup companies.  Now, Madrona — which incubated four new companies at its offices — is gearing up for even bigger things. The firm today is announcing that three investment professionals — Len Jordan, Tim Porter and Scott Jacobson… Read More…

Rich venture capitalist Nick Hanauer sounds off (again) on why his taxes need to be raised

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Seattle venture capitalist Nick Hanauer was one of the most vocal supporters last year of Initiative 1098, a measure that would have raised funds for public education in Washington state by imposing a state income tax on those making more than $200,000. Most of Hanauer’s peers in the venture capital and tech community absolutely hated… Read More…

Lockerz continues acquisition spree, buys travel site Off & Away

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In what could best be described as a “talent acquisition,” Seattle startup Off & Away has been purchased by fast-growing social networking company Lockerz, GeekWire has learned. Eleven of the 12 employees at Off & Away have joined Lockerz, which is also based in Seattle. Lockerz plans to shut down the Off & Away service,… Read More…

Hey, we’re no Silicon Valley, but Seattle is rising as a tech hub

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I am always interested in how national publications perceive Seattle’s technology community. After all, as long time journalists covering the daily gyrations of the tech industry here, you sometimes need a good 30,000-foot view of the situation from an outsider. Today, Bill Rigby at Reuters provides that perspective in a story titled: “In Microsoft’s shadow,… Read More…

Serving beyond the innovation economy

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Many people in the innovation ecosystem believe in helping out fellow innovators.  They are willing to share their knowledge, experiences and insights with others on topics ranging from scaling a software application to managing a sales organization. Giving back to the community is part of the culture. As someone who helps build companies for a… Read More…

Hey Seattle, here’s why we’re so gosh darn awesome

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The Seattle tech community isn’t perfect, and we’ve certainly been willing to point out and highlight some of the deficiencies. But it’s also important not to lose sight of why so many of us choose to live and work in this mossy-covered corner of the world. That’s part of the reason why I was struck by… Read More…