Articles by Nate Bek

Amazon reportedly eyeing Signify Health as it continues push into healthcare

by Nate Bek on August 21, 2022August 22, 2022 at 8:14 am

Amazon is eying an acquisition of Signify Health in a deal that would further push the tech giant into healthcare. The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that Amazon is among… Read More

A sneak peek inside Till Dawn, a new video game-themed bar and cafe in Seattle

by Nate Bek on August 20, 2022August 20, 2022 at 7:58 am

From the outside, Till Dawn looks nondescript. But when you first enter the new neighborhood bar in West Seattle, it feels like a video game-induced trip. The walls are covered… Read More

Microsoft engineering vets raise $7.75M for mobile app testing startup

by Nate Bek on August 18, 2022August 18, 2022 at 2:36 pm

Sofy, a Seattle startup that provides developers and quality assessment professionals a no-code platform to test their mobile apps, has raised $7.75 million in new funding. The cash will be… Read More

Seattle startup Tangibly, which manages trade secrets and NDAs, raises $1.3M

by Nate Bek on August 18, 2022August 18, 2022 at 9:55 am

The news: Tangibly raised $1.3 million, providing the Seattle-based trade secret management startup fresh cash to boost its product development as well as its sales and marketing teams. The team:… Read More

RipeLocker, which sells containers that preserve food and flowers, raises $7.5M to boost production

by Nate Bek on August 16, 2022August 16, 2022 at 11:35 am

The news: RipeLocker raised $7.5 million, providing the food-tech startup fresh funding to boost production, upgrade its systems and continue doing efficacy trials. The Bainbridge Island, Wash.-based company sells containers… Read More

Sales software startup Outreach cuts about 5% of staff, says it is still hiring

by Nate Bek on August 11, 2022August 12, 2022 at 8:51 am

Seattle-based Outreach is laying off about 5% of its workforce, a move that comes at a time when many startups are being advised to reduce costs and extend runway by trimming… Read More

Hootsuite lays off 30% of staff, says it’s focusing on ‘financial sustainability’ amid downturn

by Nate Bek on August 10, 2022August 10, 2022 at 11:59 am

Hootsuite told employees on Tuesday that it would lay off 30% of its staff, becoming the latest tech company to reduce costs and extend runway amid the broader market downturn.… Read More

Ex-Adobe and Facebook engineers raise $2M for Seattle software startup that helps small landlords

by Nate Bek on August 10, 2022August 10, 2022 at 8:34 am

Marble, a Seattle startup building software-enabled rental management systems for smaller landlords, raised $2 million. The company was co-founded in 2020 by Daniel Li, a former software engineer at Facebook,… Read More

Sella, which uses gig workers to promote and resell unwanted items, raises $3M

by Nate Bek on August 9, 2022August 9, 2022 at 1:20 pm

Sella, a startup using gig workers to market, list and sell items from users on its platform, raised $3 million. The Portland, Ore.-based company has seen increasing demand for its… Read More

Video

Seattle AI startup that helps professionals improve public speaking by analyzing speech raises $6M

by Nate Bek on August 8, 2022August 8, 2022 at 10:53 am

The news: Yoodli, a Seattle startup with an AI-enabled software platform that analyzes speech to offer tips for improving communication skills, raised $6 million. The founders: The startup was co-founded… Read More

Meet the Seattle techie picked to lead a new venture arm at iconic auction house Christie’s

by Nate Bek on August 6, 2022August 9, 2022 at 1:22 pm

Legendary auction house Christie’s got a front-row seat to the NFT craze. In March 2021, the 256-year-old art merchant facilitated the sale of a collage of the first 5,000 pieces… Read More

Redfin misses revenue expectations, citing housing market slowdown

by Nate Bek on August 4, 2022August 10, 2022 at 8:42 am

Seattle-based online real estate giant Redfin missed expectations for the second quarter amid a slowing housing market impacted by rising mortgage rates. Revenue of $606.9 million, up 29% from the… Read More

WTIA’s Apprenti program lands $23.5M grant from Dept. of Commerce to expand tech training program

by Nate Bek on August 3, 2022August 4, 2022 at 8:50 am

The Apprenti apprenticeship program run by the Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA) was awarded a $23.5 million grant to help train more tech workers across 11 states. The funding comes from the U.S.… Read More

The rise of high-tech real estate investing platforms and their effect on housing affordability

by Nate Bek on August 3, 2022August 3, 2022 at 8:28 am

Real estate tech startups are making it easier for people to invest and manage property. But critics argue that these software companies and their business models are gobbling up the… Read More

Amazon is partnering with GNC, PacSun, other retailers to offer same-day delivery

by Nate Bek on August 1, 2022August 1, 2022 at 10:13 am

Amazon announced Monday that it is launching same-day delivery options for items from retailers including PacSun, GNC, SuperDry and Diesel. The service, now available in select cities, is free for… Read More

Seattle startup Shelf Engine lays off 43 employees due to ‘challenging economic conditions’

by Nate Bek on July 29, 2022July 29, 2022 at 4:35 pm

Shelf Engine is the latest Seattle startup to cut its workforce. The company, which helps grocers manage food orders, confirmed to GeekWire that it laid off 43 employees due to… Read More

Panopto aims to acquire enterprise video competitor Kaltura in proposed $383M deal

by Nate Bek on July 29, 2022July 29, 2022 at 11:09 am

Seattle-based enterprise video provider Panopto offered to acquire New York-based competitor Kaltura at $3 per share, valuing Kaltura at $383 million. This is the third attempt by privately-held Panopto to… Read More

T-Mobile adds 1.7M customers, shares climb despite missing earnings expectations

by Nate Bek on July 27, 2022July 27, 2022 at 11:17 am

T-Mobile reported $19.7 billion in revenue for its second fiscal quarter, which was down slightly from the year-ago quarter and missed analyst expectations. Still, the Bellevue, Wash.-based wireless carrier added… Read More

Seattle startup making it easier to manage single-family rental properties raises $16.7M

by Nate Bek on July 27, 2022July 26, 2022 at 11:38 pm

The news: Latchel, a platform that facilitates maintenance requests from rental property tenants, raised $16.7 million. The product: Founded in 2016, the Seattle-area startup works mostly with landlords and property… Read More

Microsoft is the latest tech giant to report decelerating advertising revenue

by Nate Bek on July 26, 2022July 26, 2022 at 11:35 pm

Microsoft announced the slowest growth in its digital advertising business in more than a year, part of a bevy of tech giants to report decelerating ad revenue amid the broader… Read More

Amazon vets launch Unwrap, a new AI2 spinout that aggregates and analyzes customer feedback

by Nate Bek on July 26, 2022July 25, 2022 at 4:52 pm

The news: Unwrap, an AI-powered natural language processor that aggregates and analyzes user feedback, raised $3 million after going through the incubator program at Seattle’s Allen Institute for AI (AI2).… Read More

Getty Images set to go public Monday after completing SPAC merger

by Nate Bek on July 24, 2022August 22, 2022 at 10:53 pm

Seattle-based Getty Images will once again be a public company. The 27-year-old digital media provider announced Friday that it completed a merger with CC Neuberger Principal Holdings, a publicly traded… Read More

Health care startup 98point6 lays off 10% of workforce, but says it’s still in ‘growth mode’

by Nate Bek on July 21, 2022July 22, 2022 at 7:55 am

Seattle-based 98point6 recently laid off 10% of its workforce, but the telemedicine startup remains in “growth mode,” according to a human resources executive at the company. The company confirmed the… Read More

Rad Power Bikes cuts about 10% of staff, citing economic uncertainty and rising operating costs

by Nate Bek on July 21, 2022July 21, 2022 at 10:10 am

Rad Power Bikes is laying off 63 employees, citing an effort to be a more “self-sustaining business” amid the broader economic downturn. The Seattle-based e-bike company confirmed the cuts to… Read More

Seattle-area cybersecurity startup led by former Amazon principal engineer lands $3.5M

by Nate Bek on July 21, 2022July 24, 2022 at 6:30 pm

The news: Strac, a software startup building tech that plugs into a company’s website or mobile app to secure sensitive customer data, raised $3.5 million. The team: The Bellevue, Wash.-based… Read More

Seattle startup aims to make it easier to invest in social or environmental impact companies

by Nate Bek on July 20, 2022July 20, 2022 at 7:56 am

A former finance executive and a veteran software engineer are teaming up to build a platform that allows users to make impact-focused investments in private businesses. Citizen Mint emerged from… Read More

Startup building software that helps airlines upsell customers raises $25M

by Nate Bek on July 19, 2022July 19, 2022 at 12:54 pm

Gordian Software, which builds tech that helps airlines and travel websites upsell customers with add-on features, raised $25 million. The Bellevue, Wash.-based startup was founded in 2017 by Stephen Grabowski… Read More

Phaidra, which sells AI tech to industrial customers, raises $25M from DeepMind co-founder, others

by Nate Bek on July 18, 2022July 18, 2022 at 3:40 pm

Phaidra, a startup building artificial intelligence tools for industrial customers ranging from vaccine manufacturers to paper mills, raised $25 million. The startup, led by alum from Alphabet’s AI research hub… Read More

How Washington state could use federal infrastructure money to close the digital divide

by Nate Bek on July 16, 2022July 18, 2022 at 9:06 am

Deploying broadband throughout Washington state has been at the top of local lawmakers’ minds for years. The state legislature enacted a bill in 2019, which recognized that access to reliable… Read More

GeekWire 200 update: Check out which Pacific Northwest startups are moving up the rankings

by Nate Bek on July 14, 2022July 26, 2022 at 12:58 pm

The latest update to the GeekWire 200 rankings shows four newcomers to the top 10 and several startups making big moves up the list. Our index ranks the Pacific Northwest’s… Read More