Startups

Petabyte Technology raises $8M to build Rhapsody enterprise software for veterinarians

by Nat Levy on December 10, 2019December 10, 2019 at 1:25 pmComment

Petabyte Technology, a Seattle-area startup building a cloud-based platform to modernize how veterinary clinics manage their practices, has raised $8 million. The startup’s mobile-first Rhapsody platform touches every aspect of… Read More

Startup advice from new Foursquare CEO David Shim after going through 2 acquisitions in 2 years

by Taylor Soper on December 10, 2019December 10, 2019 at 10:27 amComment

David Shim’s entrepreneurial journey took a wild turn in 2019. The longtime Seattle techie sold his location analytics startup Placed to Snapchat parent Snap in 2017 for a reported $135… Read More

Video

Augmented reality startup Taqtile raises $3M, announces Magic Leap partnership

by Taylor Soper on December 10, 2019December 10, 2019 at 7:37 am1 Comment

New funding: Seattle augmented reality startup Taqtile raised $3 million in a round led by Broadmark Capital and its affiliated entities, along with additional investors. It’s the first equity round for… Read More

Seattle startup Flyhomes is expanding to Boston, Portland and L.A. to help home-buyers compete with cash offers

by Nat Levy on December 10, 2019December 10, 2019 at 5:54 am1 Comment

Flyhomes, the Seattle real estate startup that helps people buy houses in expensive cities, is expanding to a trio of new markets. The startup is coming to Portland, Boston and… Read More

New program in Seattle aims to help tech workers leave big companies and launch their own startups

by Taylor Soper on December 9, 2019December 9, 2019 at 11:22 am 2 Comments

A new startup program, born in Seattle, aims to help tech workers leave big companies and launch their own ventures, aiming to generate a surge of new entrepreneurs in the… Read More

Tech Moves: Placed founder named Foursquare CEO; Pro.com hires CFO; and more

by Cara Kuhlman on December 6, 2019December 6, 2019 at 5:04 pmComment

— David Shim, founder and former CEO of Seattle startup Placed, was appointed CEO and a member of the board of Foursquare, which acquired Placed from Snap in May. Shim… Read More

GeekWire Calendar Picks: Artificial intelligence in public policy; podcasting tips; and more

by Nicole Tanner on December 6, 2019December 6, 2019 at 1:27 pmComment

— Government, higher education, and workforce management are just a few places where artificial intelligence is popping up. In hopes of educating everyone about AI, the Tech Alliance is holding… Read More

Volt raising more cash to expand workout app to office and law enforcement customers

by Nat Levy on December 6, 2019December 6, 2019 at 10:39 amComment

Volt is raising more funds to bring its fitness training app to different types of groups, including offices and “tactical readiness” organizations such as police, firefighters, and military. The Seattle startup… Read More

Rock Paper Coin vows to make wedding planning easier with its payment and contract platform

by Lisa Stiffler on December 5, 2019December 5, 2019 at 12:25 pmComment

Elizabeth Sheils has a confession to make. If she had known before launching Rock Paper Coin what she knows now, she wouldn’t have launched her wedding payment and contract platform.… Read More

Video

Home services giant Frontdoor acquires Portland augmented reality startup Streem

by Taylor Soper on December 5, 2019December 6, 2019 at 1:39 pmComment

Publicly-traded home services giant Frontdoor has acquired Streem, a Portland, Ore.-based startup that develops augmented reality technology for home improvement technicians. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Frontdoor bought… Read More

Ex-Amazon and Zulily supply chain vets raise $2M for Seattle e-commerce logistics startup Shipium

by Taylor Soper on December 5, 2019December 5, 2019 at 10:27 am1 Comment

New funding: Shipium landed a $2 million seed round led by PSL Ventures, the venture arm of Seattle startup studio Pioneer Square Labs, GeekWire has learned. The 4-person company is staying… Read More

Voyager invests in $20M round for ‘crowdsourcing intelligence platform’ Thoughtexchange

by Taylor Soper on December 5, 2019December 7, 2019 at 10:25 pmComment

New funding: Thoughtexchange announced a $20 million (CAD) Series B investment round led by Information Venture Partners with participation from Yaletown Partners and Seattle-based Voyager Capital, which invested for the… Read More

Early stage investing 101: How to break into the club, and why you should give it a shot

by Heather Redman & Minda Brusse on December 4, 2019December 4, 2019 at 8:33 amComment

Early stage investing can be tremendously beneficial for early stage technology companies, the broader startup ecosystem, and of course, investors. But getting started isn’t easy. We both know this first-hand,… Read More

Video

What Chris Petersen’s departure at the Univ. of Washington can teach us about work and life

by Taylor Soper on December 3, 2019December 3, 2019 at 10:50 pmComment

Sports can offer so many life and work lessons beyond the X’s and O’s and wins and losses on the field. It was a theme of our Playbook entrepreneurial event… Read More

Highspot raises $75M to support rapid growth of ‘sales enablement’ software in $50B category

by Taylor Soper on December 3, 2019December 3, 2019 at 6:57 pmComment

New funding: Seattle startup Highspot today announced a $75 million “Series D-1” investment round, bringing total funding for the 7-year-old company to more than $200 million. Existing investors ICONIQ Capital; Madrona… Read More

News Brief

IntraWorlds merges with Conenza, a Seattle startup led by Microsoft Alumni Network founder

GeekWire Calendar Picks: How to live without a smartphone; new technologies in art; and more

by Nicole Tanner on November 29, 2019November 29, 2019 at 12:21 pmComment

— Do you ever get so frustrated with your smartphone that you want to chuck it out the window, but realize how disconnected you would be to the rest of… Read More

Video

Limeade set for $100M IPO, becoming latest Seattle startup to debut on Australian exchange

by Todd Bishop on November 29, 2019November 29, 2019 at 8:02 amComment

Limeade, the Bellevue, Wash.-based human resources technology company, is set to raise $100 million in an initial public offering on the Australian stock market. Terms of the upcoming IPO put… Read More

Seattle startup gives employees an anonymous space for voicing workplace concerns

by Lisa Stiffler on November 28, 2019November 29, 2019 at 9:11 am 6 Comments

Seattle-based Inyore, a startup that lets employees anonymously share their concerns with employers, grew out of a disagreement between two friends. Inyore founder Sidney James, who grew up in Montgomery,… Read More

News Brief

Naveen Jain’s microbiome startup Viome is raising more cash

Portland medtech company Sonivate raises cash for ‘ultrasound by touch’ devices

by James Thorne on November 26, 2019November 26, 2019 at 9:00 amComment

New funding: Medical device startup Sonivate is raising cash to fund its efforts to make ultrasound devices that fit on physicians’ fingertips. A SEC filing reveals $1.4 million raised of… Read More

Fresh Chalk lands $2M to help people find local professionals through friend recommendations

by Taylor Soper on November 25, 2019November 25, 2019 at 4:31 pmComment

New funding: Fresh Chalk just landed a $2 million seed round. The Seattle startup debuted earlier this year with its service that helps users find local professionals by tapping into the… Read More

Video

Concure Oncology raises cash for breast cancer treatment that uses radioactive seeds

by James Thorne on November 25, 2019November 25, 2019 at 8:45 amComment

New funding: Concure Oncology is raising investment for its Breast Microseed treatment, which helps to prevent breast cancer from recurring. A new SEC filing reveals a $3 million cash infusion… Read More

Photos

Testing Sanctuary, ‘the most personal, immersive wellness studio experience in the universe’

by Taylor Soper on November 23, 2019November 26, 2019 at 11:12 amComment

For 80 minutes on Thursday, in the midst of another busy day at work, I was transported to a different world. The ambient music and house-blended tea put me in… Read More

GeekWire Calendar Picks: GeekCraft Expo; Saga of Skywalker; a startup pitch clinic; and more

by Nicole Tanner on November 22, 2019November 22, 2019 at 2:45 pmComment

— If you get bored shopping in the stores with everyone else on Thanksgiving weekend or have trouble finding a gift for a geeky family member — or even for… Read More

The new barcode? Alitheon lands $11.6M for tech that assigns digital fingerprints to objects

by James Thorne on November 22, 2019November 22, 2019 at 9:14 amComment

Imagine mail without postage stickers, airplane luggage without bag tags, and paper money that’s authenticated not by ink or watermarks but the fibers of the paper itself. That’s the vision… Read More

Video

Petabyte Technology raises $8M to build Rhapsody enterprise software for veterinarians

Startup advice from new Foursquare CEO David Shim after going through 2 acquisitions in 2 years

Augmented reality startup Taqtile raises $3M, announces Magic Leap partnership

Seattle startup Flyhomes is expanding to Boston, Portland and L.A. to help home-buyers compete with cash offers

New program in Seattle aims to help tech workers leave big companies and launch their own startups

Tech Moves: Placed founder named Foursquare CEO; Pro.com hires CFO; and more

GeekWire Calendar Picks: Artificial intelligence in public policy; podcasting tips; and more

Volt raising more cash to expand workout app to office and law enforcement customers

Rock Paper Coin vows to make wedding planning easier with its payment and contract platform

Home services giant Frontdoor acquires Portland augmented reality startup Streem

Ex-Amazon and Zulily supply chain vets raise $2M for Seattle e-commerce logistics startup Shipium

Voyager invests in $20M round for ‘crowdsourcing intelligence platform’ Thoughtexchange

Early stage investing 101: How to break into the club, and why you should give it a shot

What Chris Petersen’s departure at the Univ. of Washington can teach us about work and life

Highspot raises $75M to support rapid growth of ‘sales enablement’ software in $50B category

IntraWorlds merges with Conenza, a Seattle startup led by Microsoft Alumni Network founder

GeekWire Calendar Picks: How to live without a smartphone; new technologies in art; and more

Limeade set for $100M IPO, becoming latest Seattle startup to debut on Australian exchange

Seattle startup gives employees an anonymous space for voicing workplace concerns

Naveen Jain’s microbiome startup Viome is raising more cash

Portland medtech company Sonivate raises cash for ‘ultrasound by touch’ devices

Fresh Chalk lands $2M to help people find local professionals through friend recommendations

Concure Oncology raises cash for breast cancer treatment that uses radioactive seeds

Testing Sanctuary, ‘the most personal, immersive wellness studio experience in the universe’

GeekWire Calendar Picks: GeekCraft Expo; Saga of Skywalker; a startup pitch clinic; and more

The new barcode? Alitheon lands $11.6M for tech that assigns digital fingerprints to objects

KitoTech lands $1.5M for skin-healing ‘microstaple’ bandage

‘Amazon Go for the factory’: Xemelgo ramps up after winning top prize at Seattle Angel Conference

A solar-charged electric robot built in Seattle packs a unique and powerful punch for life on the farm

Microsoft and Amazon vets raise $2.85M for multicloud management platform MontyCloud

Drop In Business Coaching with Washington Women’s Business Center

Civics Luncheon: 2019 Year in Review

UW Master of Science in Entrepreneurship Info Session