Startups

Seattle startup Textio raising more cash for augmented writing platform

by Taylor Soper on March 19, 2020March 30, 2020 at 2:10 pm1 Comment

Update: Textio has attracted new investors and closed a $12 million funding round as the company looks to expand beyond the enterprise market. Read the story. Textio is raising more… Read More

A virtual new world: Seattle startups on what works and what they miss while working from home

by Kurt Schlosser on March 18, 2020March 18, 2020 at 1:14 pmComment

How’s everybody doing? That seems to be the question of the moment as we check in with one another via Slack, Zoom, Teams, Google Hangouts and more from the kitchen… Read More

Seattle-area cloud governance startup CoreStack raises $8.5M

by Taylor Soper on March 17, 2020March 17, 2020 at 5:04 pmComment

Seattle-area cloud governance startup CoreStack today announced an $8.5 million Series A investment round. As more business moves to the cloud, companies increasingly need a way to manage the cost,… Read More

Real-time fever tracking: How a Seattle startup quickly altered its roadmap to help with COVID-19

by Todd Bishop on March 13, 2020March 13, 2020 at 10:14 amComment

Sentinel Healthcare, a Seattle health tech startup founded by a doctor seeking a better way to monitor his patients’ condition remotely, has quickly switched up its product roadmap in the… Read More

Airbnb for childcare: New Seattle startup Weekdays wants to help parents during coronavirus outbreak

by Taylor Soper on March 13, 2020March 13, 2020 at 11:42 amComment

Update: King County in Seattle provided updated recommendations for child care providers who identify a case of COVID-19 at their facility. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced Thursday that all public and… Read More

Auth0 makes its first-ever acquisition to launch new tools that protect against automated cyberattacks

by Taylor Soper on March 12, 2020March 13, 2020 at 8:40 amComment

Auth0 is using its first acquisition to roll out a new product that combats cyberattacks such as credential stuffing and phishing. The Bellevue, Wash.-based startup acquired Apility.io, an “anti-abuse API”… Read More

Glowforge makes push to bring 3D laser printer to more students, hires head of educational sales

by Kurt Schlosser on March 12, 2020March 13, 2020 at 1:20 pmComment

Glowforge, the Seattle-based startup that makes a 3D laser cutter/engraver, is making a move into education to bring its technology to more schools and students and foster a sense of… Read More

Ride Report raises $10M to help cities manage data from shared scooters and bikes

by Taylor Soper on March 12, 2020March 12, 2020 at 9:42 am1 Comment

Ride Report announced a $10 million investment round to fuel growth of its data platform that helps city governments manage shared mobility fleets. The Portland, Ore.-based startup serves 60 cities… Read More

The show goes on(line): As events cancel due to COVID-19, Seattle startup builds a virtual platform

by Kurt Schlosser on March 12, 2020March 12, 2020 at 8:04 amComment

On a typical day, Pathable, the Seattle-based company that normally produces mobile apps for conferences and events, might get three to five inquiries on its website from people interested in… Read More

Seattle used clothing startup Kids on 45th shuts down after running out of cash

by Taylor Soper on March 11, 2020March 11, 2020 at 11:56 amComment

Kids on 45th, a Seattle e-commerce startup that sold used clothing, is shutting down. The company aimed to help parents with a common problem: buying affordable clothes for their growing… Read More

Tech Moves: Ex-Nintendo president joins GameStop board; Vacasa hires OpenTable vet; and more

by Cara Kuhlman on March 11, 2020March 11, 2020 at 3:21 pmComment

— Former Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Amié joined the board of video game retailer GameStop. Also joining the board are William Simon, former president and CEO of Walmart U.S.,… Read More

Startup advice for coronavirus turmoil: curb expenses; assess hiring; don’t panic; be human

by Taylor Soper on March 10, 2020March 11, 2020 at 8:27 am 2 Comments

Amid the coronavirus outbreak, investors are telling startup founders to look closely at sales forecasts, hiring plans, expenses and every other assumption about their business. Turmoil can also present opportunity,… Read More

Forbes ranking of ‘America’s Best Startup Employers’ includes 13 Seattle-area companies

by Kurt Schlosser on March 10, 2020March 10, 2020 at 1:49 pmComment

Seattle-area companies grabbed 13 spots on a list from Forbes on Tuesday that calls out “America’s Best Startup Employers.” The inaugural ranking from the magazine, in partnership with market research… Read More

Tinybeans acquires Red Tricycle, a parent-focused digital media site that started in Seattle

by Taylor Soper on March 10, 2020March 10, 2020 at 10:39 amComment

Red Tricycle, a decade-old parent-focused media startup founded in Seattle and backed by top venture capital firms, today announced its acquisition by Tinybeans. Founded in 2010 by Jacqui Boland, Red… Read More

HealthStream pays $25M to acquire Portland startup NurseGrid, maker of a mobile app for nurses

by Taylor Soper on March 9, 2020March 9, 2020 at 6:20 pmComment

Publicly-traded healthcare company HealthStream has acquired NurseGrid, a Portland, Ore.-based startup that develops software and apps for nurses. HealthStream paid approximately $25 million in cash as part of the deal,… Read More

Version One Ventures launches $18M ‘Opportunity Fund’ to double down on its portfolio companies

by Taylor Soper on March 9, 2020March 9, 2020 at 6:28 pmComment

Version One Ventures just launched the “Version One Opportunity Fund,” an $18 million ($25 million CAD) investment vehicle that lets the firm continue backing existing portfolio companies. “While raising a… Read More

News Brief

Event marketing startup Banzai raises $7M; CEO anticipates more adoption of virtual events offering

Seattle-based WatchGuard to acquire endpoint protection provider Panda Security

by Taylor Soper on March 9, 2020March 9, 2020 at 9:51 amComment

Seattle-based Watchguard Technologies announced Monday that it will acquire Panda Security, a 30-year-old Madrid-based company that sells endpoint protection software. “In the short term, the acquisition of Panda Security makes… Read More

GeekWire Calendar: Full list of event postponements and cancellations in Seattle area

by Nicole Tanner on March 6, 2020March 6, 2020 at 5:03 pmComment

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, many events listed on our community calendar have been postponed or canceled. Others have been changed to online-only events. If our calendar lists an event… Read More

Vote for the Pacific Northwest’s top hardware innovation at the GeekWire Awards

by Nat Levy on March 6, 2020March 6, 2020 at 9:49 amComment

Editor’s note: The GeekWire Awards event has been postponed to May 19. A rock picker; a weed zapper; a pizza-making robot; augmented reality headsets for industrial workers; and a device… Read More

3 Seattle companies make CB Insights’ list of world’s most promising AI startups

by Taylor Soper on March 4, 2020March 4, 2020 at 12:43 pmComment

CB Insights released its annual list of 100 most promising artificial intelligence startups in the world and three Seattle-area companies made the cut. They include: Algorithmia: Founded in 2013, the… Read More

Ex-AWS, Azure employees raise $3.3M for Seattle startup that helps companies save on cloud costs

by Taylor Soper on March 4, 2020March 4, 2020 at 10:20 am1 Comment

Aran Khanna, Nikhil Khanna, and Daniel Christianto know a lot about the complexity of cloud computing, having worked for industry leaders such as Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure. Now… Read More

Inside Rover’s pet friendly Seattle HQ: People and dogs stretch out as company aims for more growth

by Kurt Schlosser & Taylor Soper on March 2, 2020March 3, 2020 at 6:52 am 3 Comments

Rover’s new headquarters has already gone to the dogs — and about 375 people, as the pet-sitting startup has just taken over five floors of the 8th + Olive building… Read More

GeekWire Awards 2020: Meet the 5 finalists for Startup CEO of the Year

by Taylor Soper on March 2, 2020March 6, 2020 at 10:50 amComment

Editor’s note: The GeekWire Awards event has been postponed to May 19. Managing a fast-growing startup is not easy. Company leaders must have passion, drive, smarts, and an ability to… Read More

GeekWire Calendar Picks: The inside story about Facebook; International Women’s Day; and more

by Nicole Tanner on February 29, 2020February 29, 2020 at 11:15 pmComment

— Facebook dominates the social media space and is one of the most recognizable entities in the world today. It allows people to share things with long-distance friends or find… Read More

How the coronavirus outbreak and supply chain slowdown are impacting West Coast startups

by Taylor Soper & Rachel Uranga on February 28, 2020March 5, 2020 at 10:25 am1 Comment

Matt McCormick always plans for the Chinese New Year. As the owner of Jet City Device Repair in Seattle, he knows there will be two weeks in winter when the… Read More

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