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Seattle tech vet calls rapidly growing ‘AI Tinkerers’ meetups the new ‘Homebrew Computer Club’ for AI

GeekWire Awards 2024

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AI is boosting drug discovery and development — and sparking questions about proprietary data

by Charlotte Schubert on April 19, 2024April 19, 2024 at 9:53 am

The culture of collaboration in the Pacific Northwest, the impact of AI on biopharma, and the shape of new business models driven by AI were all topics at a panel… Read More

Tech Moves: Sana R&D chief steps down; Seattle U names new computer science leader

by Taylor Soper on April 19, 2024April 19, 2024 at 9:13 am

Seattle University named Dr. Burkhard Englert as the new Department Chair and Amazon Endowed Chair of Computer Science. Englert is currently the computer science department chair at Norfolk State University… Read More

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Seattle tech vet calls rapidly growing ‘AI Tinkerers’ meetups the new ‘Homebrew Computer Club’ for AI

by Kurt Schlosser on April 19, 2024April 19, 2024 at 8:45 am

Seattle tech veteran Joe Heitzeberg remembers seeing a random, AI-related tweet in September 2022. “Still not enough tinkering happening, for whatever reason,” former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman wrote at the… Read More

In-home health screening startup Reperio raises $14M, inks deal with Uber

by Lisa Stiffler on April 18, 2024April 18, 2024 at 4:32 pm

Travis Rush grew up in the tiny seaside town of Gold Beach in Southern Oregon. With a population of only 1,576 — as was proudly proclaimed on the sign coming… Read More

Best Equipment Rental Software | Overview, Alternatives, and Reviews 2024

The equipment rental business is booming, and companies are on the hunt for software that gives them a strategic edge. In 2024, there’s a wide range of software solutions available,… Read More

Initiative to axe carbon emissions law could ‘slam the brakes’ on Washington’s climate tech sector

by Lisa Stiffler on April 18, 2024April 18, 2024 at 9:08 am

Washington is leaning into the fight against climate change. Seattle-area tech giants Microsoft and Amazon have set ambitious carbon reduction targets and invested millions to meet those goals. The state… Read More

Wizards of the Coast President Cynthia Williams stepping down after 2 years leading game giant

by Thomas Wilde on April 17, 2024April 17, 2024 at 10:28 pm

A new SEC filing reveals that Cynthia Williams plans to step down as president at Hasbro-owned game company Wizards of the Coast. No specific reason has been publicly offered for… Read More

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Seattle biotech company NanoString to be acquired by Bruker for $392M, ending bankruptcy process

by Taylor Soper on April 17, 2024April 17, 2024 at 6:06 pm

NanoString announced Wednesday that it will be acquired by Bruker, ending the company’s restructuring process that included a Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan. Bruker, a Massachusetts-based publicly traded life sciences research… Read More

Amazon fashion competitor Shein bringing a pop-up experience to Seattle next week

by Kurt Schlosser on April 17, 2024April 17, 2024 at 3:41 pm

Shein, the fast-fashion e-commerce retailer that recently announced plans to open an office in Bellevue, Wash., is hosting a pop-up experience in Seattle next week. The event will take place… Read More

Amazon, Microsoft back campaign against initiative that would defund climate efforts in Washington

by Lisa Stiffler on April 17, 2024April 18, 2024 at 10:48 am

More than 100 companies, tribal groups, union organizations, environmental nonprofits and political groups are backing a campaign to defeat a November ballot initiative that would scuttle Washington state’s most impactful… Read More

Former Moz CEO Sarah Bird is new CEO at Canvas, creators of home 3D modeling tech

by Kurt Schlosser on April 17, 2024April 17, 2024 at 12:05 pm

Sarah Bird, the Seattle tech veteran who led SEO software startup Moz for seven years, is the new CEO of Canvas, a software company that builds technology for remodeling, architecture… Read More

Bot or Not

AI is boosting drug discovery and development — and sparking questions about proprietary data

Seattle tech vet calls rapidly growing ‘AI Tinkerers’ meetups the new ‘Homebrew Computer Club’ for AI

Bezos Earth Fund launches $100M ‘grand challenge’ for AI solutions to climate change

Seattle Public Schools piloting AI software from new startup for students and teachers

For more about the evolving relationship between humans and machines, check out Bot or Not.

News Brief

Digital ad content generator and testing service Validated raises more cash

by Taylor Soper on April 17, 2024April 17, 2024 at 8:34 am

Validated, a Seattle startup that uses AI to help companies figure out what product features and messaging resonates with customers, raised more investment and released a new product.

Amazon exec explains grocery tech changes, debunks media reports about human reviewers

by Todd Bishop on April 17, 2024April 17, 2024 at 8:13 am

Amazon’s grocery technology has been in the news a lot over the past couple of weeks, following layoffs in the Amazon Web Services group responsible for the company’s physical store… Read More

Civic

Initiative to axe carbon emissions law could ‘slam the brakes’ on Washington’s climate tech sector

Amazon, Microsoft back campaign against initiative that would defund climate efforts in Washington

Washington governor signs bill that could stoke semiconductor industry, draw CHIPS Act funding

A boost for fusion power: With new law, Washington state leaders signal support for sector’s next steps

Read more about tech policy, urban development, transportation, housing, the environment, regulation, and issues impacting the innovcation economy. Civic.

Longtime Microsoft exec Gurdeep Singh Pall joins Qualtrics as president of AI strategy

by Todd Bishop on April 17, 2024April 16, 2024 at 10:21 pm

Technology leader Gurdeep Singh Pall, a longtime Microsoft executive, is joining experience management technology company Qualtrics as its first president of artificial intelligence strategy. Pall left Microsoft last fall after… Read More

Washington Technology Industry Association names Kristen Forecki as new board chair

by Taylor Soper on April 16, 2024April 16, 2024 at 4:25 pm

The Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA) named longtime Seattle tech leader Kristen Forecki as the new chair of its board of directors. Forecki is currently a senior director of experiences… Read More

GeekWire Podcasts

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Google and Amazon workers protest tech giants’ contract with Israel as war in Gaza continues

by Lisa Stiffler & Taylor Soper on April 16, 2024April 16, 2024 at 4:48 pm

Google and Amazon workers held protests on Tuesday in Seattle and other tech hubs, demonstrating in opposition to the tech giants’ role in a cloud services contract with the Israeli… Read More

Bezos Earth Fund launches $100M ‘grand challenge’ for AI solutions to climate change

by Lisa Stiffler on April 16, 2024April 16, 2024 at 10:31 am

The Bezos Earth Fund on Tuesday announced the creation of a $100 million grand challenge that’s seeking artificial intelligence-powered solutions for climate change and damage to the natural environment. The… Read More

Tech Moves: Avalara names president; Microsoft vet launches AI forum; Common Room adds product leader

by Taylor Soper on April 16, 2024April 17, 2024 at 7:44 am

— Seattle-based tax software company Avalara named Ross Tennenbaum as its new president. Tennenbaum joined Avalara in 2019 and became its CFO a year later. He will continue to serve as… Read More

Destination Spokane: How remote work and new arrivals are changing one tech community

by Todd Bishop on April 16, 2024April 16, 2024 at 7:34 am

SPOKANE, Wash. — The “great migration” got a head start here. Long before the rise of remote work spurred many tech workers to move to more affordable and livable parts… Read More

Video

How ‘Myst’ maker Cyan Worlds ended up building its own world in Spokane

by Todd Bishop on April 16, 2024April 16, 2024 at 7:05 am

SPOKANE, Wash. — “The House that Myst Built” could have been built anywhere. The home of Cyan Worlds, on the northern outskirts of Spokane, was made possible by the success… Read More

Microsoft invests $1.5B in G42, the Emirati AI holding company based in Abu Dhabi

by Taylor Soper on April 15, 2024April 16, 2024 at 10:47 am

Microsoft is making another big AI-related investment, this time pouring $1.5 billion into G42, a AI holding company based in the United Arab Emirates. The deal marks Microsoft’s latest strategic… Read More

Portland startup goes national with service that finds residential properties for team meetings

by Kurt Schlosser on April 15, 2024April 15, 2024 at 1:57 pm

Radious, the Portland startup that runs a marketplace where residential properties can be used as collaborative workspaces, expanded its reach across the U.S. with a new “national curation service.” The… Read More

Tech Moves: OpenAI hires former Amazon Web Services leader to lead new Tokyo office

by Taylor Soper on April 15, 2024April 15, 2024 at 8:43 am

Tadao Nagasaki, a longtime tech exec who led Japan-related operations for Amazon Web Services and F5, is joining OpenAI to head up the company’s new hub in Tokyo, its first… Read More

Former Facebook engineers lead Seattle-based investment firm backing data-focused startups

by Taylor Soper on April 15, 2024April 15, 2024 at 10:16 am

Back when Ravi Grover and his colleagues at Data Tech Fund were getting off the ground a few years ago, not everyone was excited about their focus on data. “Some… Read More

Cybersecurity startup that helps companies secure industrial systems opens Seattle office

by Taylor Soper on April 15, 2024April 15, 2024 at 7:29 am

Josh Steinman spent four years working as a senior director inside the National Security Council at the White House. One of his biggest takeaways from that experience was the vulnerability… Read More

Week in Review: Most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of April 7, 2024

by GeekWire on April 14, 2024April 14, 2024 at 8:00 am

See the technology stories that people were reading on GeekWire for the week of April 7, 2024.… Read More

Tech Moves: Former DreamBox Learning CEO joins VC firm; First Fed hires Seattle entrepreneur

by Taylor Soper on April 13, 2024April 13, 2024 at 9:14 am

— Jessie Woolley-Wilson, former CEO at DreamBox Learning, joined Silicon Valley venture capital firm Owl Ventures as an operating partner. Woolley-Wilson previously led DreamBox for more than 13 years. Founded in… Read More

Podcast

GeekWire Podcast: Amazon CTO Werner Vogels on the rapid progress of AI, and its impact on society

by Todd Bishop on April 13, 2024April 13, 2024 at 8:17 am

Early versions of generative AI were “like a dancing bear,” says Werner Vogels, the Amazon chief technology officer. “We’re all amazed that this bear can dance,” he explains. “We don’t… Read More

Top 10 funding deals in Q1 for Pacific Northwest startups

by Taylor Soper on April 12, 2024April 12, 2024 at 11:44 am

Startup fundraising activity didn’t budge much in the first quarter of 2024 across the U.S. as the venture capital slowdown continued into the new year. Quarterly deal value hit the… Read More

Video

Bill Gates really digs his visit to a hydrogen startup, filling a pothole with carbon-trapping asphalt

by Lisa Stiffler on April 11, 2024April 12, 2024 at 10:40 am

Bill Gates grabbed a wheelbarrow and shovel on Wednesday to fill a parking lot pothole with a new carbon trapping asphalt. Gates was visiting Modern Hydrogen, a Seattle-area climate tech… Read More

Vulcan Centaur launch of Amazon Kuiper satellites in October 2023

Video

Kuiper satellite network gets a big lift from Amazon’s CEO, but timeline is a bit hazy

by Alan Boyle on April 11, 2024April 11, 2024 at 7:40 pm

In his annual letter to shareholders, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy says the company’s Project Kuiper satellite venture will be “a very large revenue opportunity” in the future — but he’s… Read More