Startups

Hardware isn’t hard: A startup playbook for succeeding in a sector where many have failed

by Anup Chathoth on January 23, 2020January 23, 2020 at 1:22 pmComment

[Editor’s Note: Anup Chathoth is CEO of Seattle startup Ubi Interactive, maker of virtual interactive whiteboard technology and a graduate of the Kinect Techstars Seattle accelerator. In this guest post,… Read More

‘Alternative VC’ firm Lighter Capital eyes growth with new $100M ‘lending vehicle’

by Taylor Soper on January 23, 2020January 23, 2020 at 1:10 pmComment

Lighter Capital is gearing up for more growth thanks to a deal that gives the firm access to an additional $100 million. The Seattle-based company is among a crop of… Read More

Real estate startup Curbio expands to Seattle aiming to speed up home renovation projects

by Nat Levy on January 23, 2020January 23, 2020 at 8:52 amComment

Another day, another real estate tech startup comes to Seattle. This time it’s Curbio, which bills itself as the “only turnkey pre-sale renovation technology company on the market.” The startup… Read More

Seattle startup connects with famed love institute to rekindle relationships around ‘Eight Dates’

by Kurt Schlosser on January 22, 2020January 22, 2020 at 12:01 pmComment

Mystery, the year-old startup that facilitates surprise dates for couples, and the Gottman Institute, the decades-old, research-based love and therapy organization, are forging a partnership to help couples reignite relationships.… Read More

Gov. Inslee helps launch Washington’s first maritime startup accelerator in Seattle

by Taylor Soper on January 22, 2020January 22, 2020 at 10:39 amComment

The maritime industry has long been an anchor to Washington’s economy. Government and business leaders want to make sure that continues, especially with climate change and sustainability concerns looming. That’s… Read More

Mobile voting will be available to 1.2M Seattle area voters in upcoming King County election

by Monica Nickelsburg on January 22, 2020January 22, 2020 at 9:00 am 4 Comments

Mobile voting is coming to the Seattle region, thanks in part to two homegrown companies. A partnership of local government officials, nonprofits, and tech companies will enable 1.2 million registered… Read More

Seattle startup Nori raises cash for blockchain marketplace to fight climate change

by Nat Levy on January 21, 2020January 21, 2020 at 8:19 amComment

Microsoft’s sweeping pledge to remove more planet-warming carbon from the atmosphere than it emits has the tech world buzzing about “carbon removal.” A Seattle startup just raised cash to take… Read More

Tech Moves: Amazon ad exec departs; PwC Labs hires director; AI2 names entrepreneur-in-residence

by Cara Kuhlman on January 21, 2020January 22, 2020 at 8:05 pmComment

— PwC Labs, the multinational firm’s technology innovation group, is growing its team in Seattle. Jill Beck, previously a senior technical product manager at Payscale, has joined as director. “I… Read More

Female Founders Alliance acquires Monarq Incubator to expand national reach

by Taylor Soper on January 21, 2020January 21, 2020 at 3:54 pmComment

Seattle-based Female Founders Alliance (FFA), an organization and accelerator for early-stage women-led startups, is growing its national presence with the acquisition of New York City-based incubator Monarq. FFA said the… Read More

Seattle-based early-stage investment firm SeaChange raises $5.8M for its fifth fund

by Taylor Soper on January 20, 2020January 20, 2020 at 8:08 amComment

SeaChange just raised $5.8 million for its fifth fund as it looks to put more dollars behind Pacific Northwest startups. It’s the largest fund yet for SeaChange, formerly known as… Read More

Podcast

GeekWire Podcast: Apple acquires Xnor.ai; Microsoft’s bold climate plan; Seattle startup trivia

by Todd Bishop on January 18, 2020January 18, 2020 at 10:22 amComment

This week on the GeekWire Podcast: Apple doubled down on artificial intelligence and boosted its presence in Seattle with the acquisition of Xnor.ai, an Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence spinout… Read More

GeekWire Calendar Picks: Economic hope in the 21st Century; fossils after dark; and more

by Nicole Tanner on January 17, 2020January 17, 2020 at 1:20 pmComment

— The newly re-opened Burke Museum is putting together a full slate of activities for people of all ages to come and check out. One of these is Burke NiteLife,… Read More

Women-focused co-working startup The Riveter cuts 5 positions as it aims to grow digital arm

by Taylor Soper on January 17, 2020January 17, 2020 at 12:40 pm1 Comment

The Riveter, a Seattle-based startup building a national network of women-oriented co-working spaces, cut five positions this week as part of what its CEO described as a reorganization. “We’ve been… Read More

Y Combinator grad ZeroDown opens Seattle office to tackle pricey housing down payments

by Nat Levy on January 17, 2020January 17, 2020 at 6:32 amComment

Another real estate startup is coming to Seattle, aiming to disrupt the expensive and stressful process of buying a home. ZeroDown, a Y Combinator graduate, has expanded to Seattle and… Read More

Video

Flight Live matches users with trainers for online, on-demand personal workouts

by Lisa Stiffler on January 16, 2020January 16, 2020 at 2:20 pmComment

When it comes to exercising, motivation can be the toughest hurdle for many people. At least that was true for My Le Goel. “I am, by my own accounts, a… Read More

Seattle AI startup drew interest from Amazon, Microsoft, Intel before selling to Apple

by Taylor Soper on January 16, 2020January 16, 2020 at 10:27 amComment

Apple wasn’t the only tech giant eyeing Xnor.ai. GeekWire broke the news on Wednesday that Apple acquired Seattle startup Xnor.ai, paying around $200 million for the three-year-old company that specializes… Read More

Seattle security company ExtraHop touts $150M in 2019 bookings ahead of potential IPO

by Nat Levy on January 16, 2020January 16, 2020 at 8:25 amComment

Cyber attacks against companies are becoming increasingly common and more expensive. Those troubling stats help explain the rapid growth of companies such as Seattle’s ExtraHop that focus on protecting enterprises… Read More

News Brief

Frazier Healthcare Partners raises $617M life sciences fund

Ex-Nike leaders reimagine funeral experience with new startup that simplifies cremation services

by Kurt Schlosser on January 15, 2020January 15, 2020 at 2:01 pm 3 Comments

Entrepreneurs and innovators set out every day to give life to products and services across the tech landscape. A new startup out of Portland is looking to disrupt death. Solace… Read More

Ex-Concur CEO Steve Singh joins Madrona as a managing director — here’s how he plans to invest

by Taylor Soper on January 15, 2020January 15, 2020 at 9:48 amComment

Steve Singh wants to find the next Concur. The longtime tech executive is joining Madrona Venture Group as a managing director, where he’ll help lead investments at one of Seattle’s… Read More

Madrona Venture Labs spinout Uplevel raises $7.5M to measure engineering teams’ productivity

by Nat Levy on January 15, 2020January 15, 2020 at 7:53 amComment

A new startup has emerged from stealth mode armed with $7.5 million in seed funding to disrupt what it calls the “software engineer status quo,” by giving leaders tools to… Read More

Tech Moves: Smartsheet taps leader for new Sydney office; Payscale adds CMO; Vulcan names CFO; and more

by Cara Kuhlman on January 14, 2020January 14, 2020 at 3:28 pmComment

—Former Microsoft general manager Adrianna Burrows is now chief marketing officer at Seattle-based compensation startup PayScale. Burrows is one of several new executives appointed by new CEO Scott Torrey, who… Read More

Video

Google Cloud acquires AppSheet, a Seattle startup that sells no-code app development software

by Taylor Soper on January 14, 2020January 14, 2020 at 1:27 pmComment

Google Cloud has acquired AppSheet, a Seattle startup founded in 2014 that helps businesses develop their own data-based apps without requiring a team of developers. Terms of the deal were… Read More

Funding to Seattle-area startups reaches record $3.5 billion in 2019 — here’s how that ranks nationally

by Taylor Soper on January 14, 2020January 14, 2020 at 11:00 amComment

Venture capital funding to Seattle-area startups reached a record-high $3.59 billion in 2019, according to the latest PitchBook-NVCA Venture Monitor data released Tuesday. A big year for Pacific Northwest startups:… Read More

Corporate VC arms of Saudi Aramco and Chevron invest in $24M round for Seattle startup Seeq

by Nat Levy on January 14, 2020January 14, 2020 at 8:14 amComment

Seeq, a Seattle-based maker of analytics software for manufacturers, just raised $24 million in fresh cash. The deal is an expansion of a Series B round from mid-2018 that brings… Read More

GeekWire Calendar Picks: Women in Cloud Summit; tech’s influence on democracy; and more

by Nicole Tanner on January 10, 2020January 13, 2020 at 11:04 amComment

— Women can get left behind or overlooked for their abilities to contribute to evolving technologies such as cloud computing. The Women in Cloud Summit aims to change that. Now… Read More

Delta Air Lines debuts crazy ‘parallel reality’ airport experience based on Seattle startup’s technology

by Taylor Soper on January 10, 2020January 10, 2020 at 10:12 amComment

LAS VEGAS — Parallel reality is becoming actual reality. The mind-bending technology — in which a single display shows different images to multiple people at the same time, tailoring the… Read More

Video

Hardware isn’t hard: A startup playbook for succeeding in a sector where many have failed

‘Alternative VC’ firm Lighter Capital eyes growth with new $100M ‘lending vehicle’

Real estate startup Curbio expands to Seattle aiming to speed up home renovation projects

Seattle startup connects with famed love institute to rekindle relationships around ‘Eight Dates’

Gov. Inslee helps launch Washington’s first maritime startup accelerator in Seattle

Mobile voting will be available to 1.2M Seattle area voters in upcoming King County election

Seattle startup Nori raises cash for blockchain marketplace to fight climate change

Tech Moves: Amazon ad exec departs; PwC Labs hires director; AI2 names entrepreneur-in-residence

Female Founders Alliance acquires Monarq Incubator to expand national reach

Seattle-based early-stage investment firm SeaChange raises $5.8M for its fifth fund

GeekWire Podcast: Apple acquires Xnor.ai; Microsoft’s bold climate plan; Seattle startup trivia

GeekWire Calendar Picks: Economic hope in the 21st Century; fossils after dark; and more

Women-focused co-working startup The Riveter cuts 5 positions as it aims to grow digital arm

Y Combinator grad ZeroDown opens Seattle office to tackle pricey housing down payments

Flight Live matches users with trainers for online, on-demand personal workouts

Seattle AI startup drew interest from Amazon, Microsoft, Intel before selling to Apple

Seattle security company ExtraHop touts $150M in 2019 bookings ahead of potential IPO

Frazier Healthcare Partners raises $617M life sciences fund

Ex-Nike leaders reimagine funeral experience with new startup that simplifies cremation services

Ex-Concur CEO Steve Singh joins Madrona as a managing director — here’s how he plans to invest

Madrona Venture Labs spinout Uplevel raises $7.5M to measure engineering teams’ productivity

Tech Moves: Smartsheet taps leader for new Sydney office; Payscale adds CMO; Vulcan names CFO; and more

Funding to Seattle-area startups reaches record $3.5 billion in 2019 — here’s how that ranks nationally

Corporate VC arms of Saudi Aramco and Chevron invest in $24M round for Seattle startup Seeq

GeekWire Calendar Picks: Women in Cloud Summit; tech’s influence on democracy; and more

Delta Air Lines debuts crazy ‘parallel reality’ airport experience based on Seattle startup’s technology

OceanGate raises $18M to build a bigger submersible fleet and set up Titanic trips

Healthcare tech company Accolade reportedly hires banks ahead of potential IPO

Seattle startup Supporti helps people achieve goals, leveraging insights from public health research

Nomics Capital Pitch Night

Investment Outlook Panel 2020

Space.City presents Ronald Rael: Notes from the Borderlands