Author: Taylor Soper

Taylor Soper is a GeekWire staff reporter who covers a wide variety of tech assignments, including emerging startups in Seattle and Portland, the sharing economy and the intersection of technology and sports. A native of Portland, Ore., and graduate of the University of Washington, he was named a “New Journalist of the Year” by the Society of Professional Journalists.

Digital signature giant DocuSign files for IPO, seeks $100M in tech industry’s latest public offering

Latest from Taylor Soper

Zillow Group will start buying and selling homes, taking on Opendoor and expanding real estate footprint

by Taylor Soper on April 12, 2018April 12, 2018 at 4:16 pmComment

Zillow Group will start buying and selling homes for the first time later this month, expanding its real estate business and creating new competition for real estate agents and companies… Read More

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AI-powered horse monitoring: Magic AI raises $1.2M to expand equine technology

by Taylor Soper on April 12, 2018April 12, 2018 at 10:47 am1 Comment

Horse monitoring might not be the first application of computer vision-based machine learning that comes to mind. But investors like what they see with Magic AI. The Seattle startup has… Read More

What you need to know about ESPN’s new $5/month ESPN+ streaming service

by Taylor Soper on April 12, 2018April 12, 2018 at 10:33 amComment

ESPN on Thursday debuted its new ESPN+ service, reflecting larger trends in the sports industry and marking the first big step into streaming for the Disney-owned sports media giant. For… Read More

Coinstar partners with doxo for new bill pay feature at coin-counting kiosks

by Taylor Soper on April 12, 2018April 12, 2018 at 9:07 amComment

Coinstar is known for its kiosks that count coins. But now the machines will also offer a bill pay service thanks to a partnership with Seattle startup doxo. Bellevue, Wash.-based… Read More

Startup Spotlight: Spocket helps small online retailers with on-demand inventory sourcing

by Taylor Soper on April 11, 2018April 12, 2018 at 2:54 pmComment

When Saba Mohebpour created an online store to sell smartphone accessories, he became frustrated with the time and effort it took to maintain proper inventory and negotiate discounts with suppliers. That’s why… Read More

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Former Seahawks CEO Tod Leiweke to lead Seattle’s NHL group as president

by Taylor Soper on April 11, 2018April 11, 2018 at 11:34 amComment

Tod Leiweke is headed back to Seattle. The veteran sports executive will be officially announced as the CEO and president of Seattle’s NHL ownership group on Wednesday. Leiweke was most… Read More

Shares of Sprint and T-Mobile spike after merger talks reignite

by Taylor Soper on April 10, 2018April 11, 2018 at 10:16 amComment

Sprint and T-Mobile are talking about a merger — again. CNBC and The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that the two wireless carriers have resumed merger talks. Shares of Sprint spiked… Read More

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Watch: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies before Congress

by Taylor Soper on April 10, 2018April 10, 2018 at 4:29 pm1 Comment

Update: Facebook faces Congress: 5 key takeaways from Mark Zuckerberg’s hearing All eyes and ears are on Mark Zuckerberg today as the Facebook boss testifies before Congress in Washington D.C. His… Read More

Fintech vet raises $2.5M for startup that gives you stock in a company for buying its products

by Taylor Soper on April 10, 2018April 10, 2018 at 7:05 am1 Comment

Bumped wants kill two birds with one stone, helping companies build 1-to-1 relationships with customers while giving people an easier way to own shares of said companies. The Portland startup… Read More

Venture-backed U.S. companies raise $28B in Q1, highest amount since 2006

by Taylor Soper on April 9, 2018April 10, 2018 at 9:55 amComment

The U.S. venture capital industry is on pace for a record-breaking year. The latest PitchBook-NVCA Venture Monitor report shows $28.2 billion flowing into 1,683 U.S. venture-backed companies during Q1 of… Read More

Frazier Healthcare Partners raises $780M fund, its 11th, to invest in profitable healthcare startups

by Taylor Soper on April 9, 2018April 9, 2018 at 4:39 pmComment

Frazier Healthcare Partners today announced the closure of a $780 million fund. It’s the firm’s 11th fund and will be used to invest in profitable healthcare companies in the lower… Read More

‘Depressing and inspiring’: Study finds 5% of Washington tech companies founded by women

by Taylor Soper on April 9, 2018April 10, 2018 at 10:23 am 2 Comments

New research from the Washington Technology Industry Association shows how wide the gender gap is among the state’s startup founders. WTIA collected data on 400 active tech companies in Washington… Read More

Uber in Seattle: 15K drivers, 800K riders, and 200-person engineering office — with plans to grow

by Taylor Soper on April 9, 2018April 9, 2018 at 11:23 am1 Comment

The local roots of new Uber leaders Dara Khosrowshahi and Barney Harford are helping the transportation giant recruit talent for its growing Seattle engineering office. Uber employs 200 people at… Read More

Pixvana creates in-house virtual reality production studio WunderVu

by Taylor Soper on April 9, 2018April 9, 2018 at 10:15 amComment

Pixvana has created its own in-house virtual reality production studio. The Seattle startup today announced WunderVu, a new independent consultancy for clients needing help with virtual and augmented reality storytelling projects.… Read More

Recode’s Kara Swisher rips Facebook, says tech giant was ‘willfully ignorant’

by Taylor Soper on April 8, 2018April 8, 2018 at 2:43 pmComment

PORTLAND — Count Kara Swisher among those not surprised that Facebook is going through a political reckoning. The veteran tech journalist and Recode co-founder has been critical of the social… Read More

Juno’s $9B deal helps venture capitalist Bob Nelsen land on Midas List; Seattle investors don’t make cut

by Taylor Soper on April 6, 2018April 6, 2018 at 8:20 pmComment

Forbes released its annual Midas List this week and Seattle-area investors are certainly lacking again. The list, which ranks the top 100 venture capitalists from around the world, features Neil… Read More

Technology at The Masters; ESPN’s new streaming service; NBA esports league draft; and more sports tech news

by Taylor Soper on April 6, 2018April 6, 2018 at 12:04 amComment

TAYLOR’S TAKE ON THE WEEK IN SPORTS TECH: It’s shaping up to be an epic Masters in Augusta this weekend. The annual pro golf major tournament is off to an exciting… Read More

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Articles by Taylor Soper

Top Stories from Taylor Soper

Digital signature giant DocuSign files for IPO, seeks $100M in tech industry’s latest public offering

Latest from Taylor Soper

Zillow Group will start buying and selling homes, taking on Opendoor and expanding real estate footprint

AI-powered horse monitoring: Magic AI raises $1.2M to expand equine technology

What you need to know about ESPN’s new $5/month ESPN+ streaming service

Coinstar partners with doxo for new bill pay feature at coin-counting kiosks

Startup Spotlight: Spocket helps small online retailers with on-demand inventory sourcing

Former Seahawks CEO Tod Leiweke to lead Seattle’s NHL group as president

Shares of Sprint and T-Mobile spike after merger talks reignite

Watch: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies before Congress

Fintech vet raises $2.5M for startup that gives you stock in a company for buying its products

Venture-backed U.S. companies raise $28B in Q1, highest amount since 2006

Frazier Healthcare Partners raises $780M fund, its 11th, to invest in profitable healthcare startups

‘Depressing and inspiring’: Study finds 5% of Washington tech companies founded by women

Uber in Seattle: 15K drivers, 800K riders, and 200-person engineering office — with plans to grow

Pixvana creates in-house virtual reality production studio WunderVu

Recode’s Kara Swisher rips Facebook, says tech giant was ‘willfully ignorant’

Juno’s $9B deal helps venture capitalist Bob Nelsen land on Midas List; Seattle investors don’t make cut

Technology at The Masters; ESPN’s new streaming service; NBA esports league draft; and more sports tech news

As funding nears $400M, Impossible Foods targets meat eaters with plant-based burger that ‘bleeds’

SCI Solutions acquires DatStat to bolster digital engagement for healthcare patients

Johnson & Johnson acquires C-SATS, a University of Washington spinout that grades surgeons

Suplari raises $10.3M, reveals AI platform that identifies cost savings in procurement process

Ad Lightning raises another $2M to help advertisers and publishers spot disruptive ads

Wall Street warms to enterprise software: Could this bode well for Smartsheet, DocuSign and others?

Marketing startup Lytics raises $14M to help brands understand their customers with data

Avvo founder Mark Britton and 4 top execs to depart as Internet Brands acquisition closes

Receipt data processing startup MetaBrite cuts employees amid ‘challenging circumstances’

Metricstory raises $2M to decipher Google Analytics data with AI and machine learning

Startup Spotlight: Facebook and Microsoft vets build coding education marketplace Educative

Be bombastic: Top investors share startup tips for female entrepreneurs

Healthcare tech company Accolade raises another $50M, total funding tops $200M

TeamsCode Development Challenge

Games for Our Future Game Jam: Surviving Climate Change

WWU Great Puzzle Hunt