Employees from the Armoire team, before social distancing. (Armoire Photo) Like many tech startups, when the pandemic hit the U.S., Armoire braced for impact. Its clothing subscription rental business had its best month in February, but suddenly faced several headwinds. People no longer needed new clothes for the office or weekend get-togethers. Customers put their … Read more
Gemma Labs CEO Allison Harr. (Gemma Labs Photo) Gemma Labs is raising cash to support increasing demand for its Gemmist custom shampoo service. The Seattle startup reeled in a $2.75 million round from PSL Ventures and other investors. Gemma Labs spun out of Pioneer Square Labs’ startup studio more than two years ago and raised … Read more
3X4 Genetics co-founders Jason Haddock, left, and Yael Joffe. (3X4 Genetics Photo) Jason Haddock had big plans for the rollout of his health tech startup in the U.S. The CEO of 3X4 Genetics, a South African genetic testing company, had attracted an investor with sizable funding and developed a go-to-market strategy with plans for elaborate … Read more
OwnTrails co-founders Kt McBratney (left) and Rebekah Bastian. Bastian has proposed a new term for capturing an emerging tech business model called “authentech.” (OwnTrails Photo) The world of tech loves innovation and thinking outside of the box. Except, perhaps, when it comes to fundraising. As Rebekah Bastian was making her pitch to funders in recent … Read more
Valerie Daggett, founder and CEO of AltPep. (UW Photo) AltPep, a Seattle-based biotech startup tackling amyloid protein disorders, has raised $23.1 million in a Series A funding round. The venture spun out the University of Washington in March 2019. Its founder and CEO is Valerie Daggett, a longtime professor in the Department of Bioengineering in … Read more
Keith McCall. (Mekhato Photo / Dan DeLong) Keith McCall is diving deeper into the intersection of wine and tech. The Seattle tech vet recently acquired and took over operations at everywine, an 8-year-old site that is used by vineyards to market and sell their wine grapes and products. McCall moved the company’s operations to Bellevue, … Read more
The Worksphere platform enables employees and organizations to manage and automate tasks related to scheduling, office capacity and more. (Worksphere Image) If and when workers return to offices in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new Seattle startup called Worksphere is looking to make the process safer and more manageable with a software platform … Read more
iSpot CEO Sean Muller. (iSpot Photo) Seattle-area startup iSpot is beefing up its technology platform that measures TV advertisement performance with the acquisition of Los Angeles-based Ace Metrix. The two companies are similar, both offering software to help brands figure out the effectiveness of their TV ads. Ace Metrix focuses on analyzing consumer sentiment before and … Read more
When the pandemic hit the U.S. earlier this year and tech companies began laying off thousands of employees, analysts warned of a bumpy ride ahead for startups and venture capital investment. To say the industry stabilized would be an understatement. New Q4 numbers from the latest PitchBook-NVCA Venture Monitor show that U.S. startups broke another … Read more
Secure co-founders Devin Miller (left) and Bassam Saliba. (Secure Photos) Investors are betting on Secure, a new Seattle-area startup riding a trend of increased interest in emergency savings accounts amid the pandemic. The company raised a $3.5 million seed round led by SeaChange Fund; other investors include PSL Ventures, IA Ventures, and Bloom Capital. Secure … Read more