Startups

Ex-Amazon, Google managers reveal new grocery tech startup powered by smart shopping cart

by Taylor Soper on September 16, 2019September 16, 2019 at 7:07 am1 Comment

Shariq Siddiqui and Umer Sadiq thought Amazon Go was amazing. While the longtime Amazon employees didn’t work specifically on the company’s grocery tech concept, they were one of the first… Read More

‘Our biggest competitor is paper’: Mapping startup Unearth lands $7M from Vulcan and Madrona

by Nat Levy & James Thorne on September 16, 2019September 16, 2019 at 10:15 amComment

Unearth Technologies is front-and-center on the map of the Seattle startup scene. The company, which aims to simplify geographic information system (GIS) mapping technology, just raised $7 million as part… Read More

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Headphone maker Human cuts majority of staff, including execs, seeks buyer 3 weeks after launch

by Todd Bishop on September 13, 2019September 14, 2019 at 7:25 am 4 Comments

Human, the Seattle startup that launched its distinctive ear-shaped wireless headphones last month after five years of development, has laid off almost its entire team — including its CEO and… Read More

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Inspired by the Amazon Dash button, this startup is using tech to help special needs students

by Lisa Stiffler on September 12, 2019September 11, 2019 at 12:32 pmComment

Nikody Keating launched mytaptrack because his first-grade son needed help. Keating’s son has autism and their family and educators were trying to figure out how to effectively meet his needs.… Read More

Coinme reels in $1.5M to grow cryptocurrency ATM network

by James Thorne on September 12, 2019September 13, 2019 at 11:53 amComment

Seattle startup Coinme raised $1.5 million to fund the growth of its cryptocurrency ATM network in the U.S. and internationally. The fresh cash, which is the first wave of a… Read More

Tech Moves: Goldman Sachs snags AWS exec; Vicis names COO; Leafly, Jama, FlavorCloud hire product chiefs

by James Thorne on September 12, 2019September 13, 2019 at 11:40 amComment

— Goldman Sachs hired former AWS exec Marco Argenti as co-chief information officer and former Verizon chief technology officer Atte Lahtiranta as CTO. Argenti is the former vice president of… Read More

Windermere spinout MoxiWorks raises cash from Vector Capital to grow tech platform for brokerages

by James Thorne on September 12, 2019September 12, 2019 at 10:29 amComment

MoxiWorks, a Seattle startup that operates a platform for real estate brokers, has raised cash from private equity firm Vector Capital. The company declined to reveal the size of the… Read More

Nomad Go raises $2.7M to help brick-and-mortar businesses use AI to level field against online retail

by Kurt Schlosser on September 12, 2019September 12, 2019 at 12:52 pmComment

Brick-and-mortar businesses are already up against the wall when it comes to competing against the technology that fuels online competitors. Nomad Go, the Bellevue, Wash.-based startup that uses artificial intelligence… Read More

Echodyne raises $20M from Bill Gates and others as surveillance radar gains traction

by Alan Boyle on September 11, 2019September 12, 2019 at 12:48 pmComment

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and other investors have contributed to a fresh $20 million funding round for Kirkland, Wash.-based Echodyne, a company that makes use of exotic metamaterials to build… Read More

Tech Moves: WestRiver Group hires managing director; ex-PayScale CEO joins MediaPro; Impinj adds board member

by Taylor Soper on September 11, 2019September 11, 2019 at 11:07 amComment

— WestRiver Group is adding some firepower to its leadership team as the investment firm looks to put more dollars behind startups across the Pacific Northwest. The Seattle-based firm just… Read More

NBA star Kevin Durant, Snoop Dogg back marijuana startup Dutchie as part of $15M round

by Nat Levy on September 11, 2019September 11, 2019 at 7:38 amComment

Dutchie, a Bend, Ore. startup that makes an online platform for customers to order from cannabis companies, raised $15 million from some big-name investors. The 36-person company resembles a Shopify… Read More

Seattle startup Swiftly raises $15.6M, launches supermarket OS to help retailers battle Amazon

by Nat Levy on September 10, 2019September 10, 2019 at 6:01 amComment

Swiftly raised a $15.6 million seed round to help grocery stores and other retailers up their technology offerings to keep up with Amazon and Walmart. The funding round coincides with… Read More

Techstars Seattle grad Rammer.AI raises $1.8M to democratize ‘conversational intelligence’ tech

by Taylor Soper on September 9, 2019September 10, 2019 at 12:18 pmComment

Rammer.AI wants to help put “conversational intelligence” capabilities in the hands of more developers. The Seattle startup just reeled in a $1.8 million seed round led by Flying Fish Partners,… Read More

Uber doubles down on trucking venture, will invest $200M in new Uber Freight Chicago HQ

by Taylor Soper on September 9, 2019September 9, 2019 at 11:29 amComment

Heads up, Convoy: Uber is doubling down on its trucking venture. Uber announced Monday that it will invest $200 million annually and hire thousands at a new Uber Freight headquarters… Read More

Y Combinator grad Brave Care raises another $5.2M for tech-fueled urgent care service for kids

by Taylor Soper on September 9, 2019September 11, 2019 at 11:09 amComment

Brave Care is attracting so much investor attention that it didn’t even need to pitch at Y Combinator Demo Day. The Portland startup announced another $5.2 million in funding today… Read More

LTN Global will acquire Seattle startup Make.TV to bolster live video distribution technology

by Taylor Soper on September 9, 2019September 8, 2019 at 8:23 pmComment

LTN Global has agreed to acquire Make.TV, a 3-year-old Seattle startup that builds live video streaming technology. Savage, Md.-based LTN Global sells broadcast-quality IP video transport services. It will use… Read More

Corrio aims to reduce recidivism with messaging technology for incarcerated people

by Lisa Stiffler on September 6, 2019September 6, 2019 at 11:11 amComment

Life without readily available cell, text and email communication is unimaginable for most of us. But for people who are incarcerated, those basic tools that connect us to friends and… Read More

Studio216 becomes mixed reality startup Altoura, raises $1.1M, looks to build off Microsoft partnership

by Taylor Soper on September 6, 2019September 7, 2019 at 10:31 amComment

Jamie Fleming launched studio216 in 2005 and helped build the digital content agency for more than a decade. But after the recent acquisition of a Seattle mixed reality startup called… Read More

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How a stealthy insurance tech startup bootstrapped its way to a $2.35B acquisition in less than 4 years

by Monica Nickelsburg on September 5, 2019September 6, 2019 at 11:01 amComment

It started as conversations between two friends about how to improve the insurance and financial services industries for consumers. That idea turned into a company when Michael Rowell and Michael… Read More

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GeekWire Elevator Pitch returns! An insect farmer, detergent maker and wine grape analyzer vie for startup glory (inside an actual elevator)

by John Cook on September 5, 2019September 5, 2019 at 10:33 amComment

Welcome to Smith Tower! With those words we kick off season two of GeekWire’s Elevator Pitch, a fun startup competition in which entrepreneurs pitch their business concepts while traveling to… Read More

Prudential to buy Seattle-area insurance tech startup Assurance for $2.35B

by Monica Nickelsburg on September 5, 2019September 5, 2019 at 9:43 amComment

Prudential Financial agreed to acquire Seattle-area startup Assurance IQ for $2.35 billion, the companies announced Thursday. The acquisition will fold a tech-focused insurance seller into the financial services giant, allowing… Read More

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Pulumi takes on cloud juggernauts with flagship product for deploying infrastructure as code

by Todd Bishop on September 5, 2019September 5, 2019 at 8:05 amComment

Seattle startup Pulumi is formally launching its technology for programming the underlying infrastructure of the cloud, looking to land new corporate customers in the increasingly competitive field of technology providers… Read More

Three Seattle startups make LinkedIn’s 2019 list of 50 hottest companies to work for now

by Kurt Schlosser on September 4, 2019September 4, 2019 at 5:51 pmComment

LinkedIn’s 2019 list of the 50 Top Startups in the U.S. once again includes three companies from Seattle, with two unicorns and one fast-growing customer data platform making the cut.… Read More

Video

Ex-Amazon, Google managers reveal new grocery tech startup powered by smart shopping cart

‘Our biggest competitor is paper’: Mapping startup Unearth lands $7M from Vulcan and Madrona

Headphone maker Human cuts majority of staff, including execs, seeks buyer 3 weeks after launch

Inspired by the Amazon Dash button, this startup is using tech to help special needs students

Coinme reels in $1.5M to grow cryptocurrency ATM network

Tech Moves: Goldman Sachs snags AWS exec; Vicis names COO; Leafly, Jama, FlavorCloud hire product chiefs

Windermere spinout MoxiWorks raises cash from Vector Capital to grow tech platform for brokerages

Nomad Go raises $2.7M to help brick-and-mortar businesses use AI to level field against online retail

Echodyne raises $20M from Bill Gates and others as surveillance radar gains traction

Tech Moves: WestRiver Group hires managing director; ex-PayScale CEO joins MediaPro; Impinj adds board member

NBA star Kevin Durant, Snoop Dogg back marijuana startup Dutchie as part of $15M round

Seattle startup Swiftly raises $15.6M, launches supermarket OS to help retailers battle Amazon

Techstars Seattle grad Rammer.AI raises $1.8M to democratize ‘conversational intelligence’ tech

Uber doubles down on trucking venture, will invest $200M in new Uber Freight Chicago HQ

Y Combinator grad Brave Care raises another $5.2M for tech-fueled urgent care service for kids

LTN Global will acquire Seattle startup Make.TV to bolster live video distribution technology

Corrio aims to reduce recidivism with messaging technology for incarcerated people

Studio216 becomes mixed reality startup Altoura, raises $1.1M, looks to build off Microsoft partnership

How a stealthy insurance tech startup bootstrapped its way to a $2.35B acquisition in less than 4 years

GeekWire Elevator Pitch returns! An insect farmer, detergent maker and wine grape analyzer vie for startup glory (inside an actual elevator)

Prudential to buy Seattle-area insurance tech startup Assurance for $2.35B

Pulumi takes on cloud juggernauts with flagship product for deploying infrastructure as code

Three Seattle startups make LinkedIn’s 2019 list of 50 hottest companies to work for now

Microsoft acquires cloud migration startup Movere to help companies transition to Azure

Suplari raises funding from Workday, Madrona and others for AI that analyzes corporate spending

Would you trust this startup to plan a mystery date for you? We did — and here’s what it was like

No poop required: Researchers devise blood test for gut microbiome diversity using data from defunct startup Arivale

Y Combinator grad Preclusio automates how companies comply with tech privacy regulations

Intellectual Ventures spinoff Xinova lays off staff as invention network company aims for profitability

Why Nestlé just bought a personalized vitamin startup in Washington state

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