GEEK News
June 05, 2015 - 01:04 PM
Find it, fix it: Seattle startup Emphere raises $2.1M to automate software vulnerability patching
Emphere co-founders Ankit Kumar, CEO, left, and Pallav Gupta, CTO. (Emphere Photos) AI-powered security tools are getting increasingly good at finding vulnerabilities, but a new Seattle startup is aiming to help software companies do the harder part: fixing them. Emphere announced $2.1 million in pre-seed funding Thursday from AI2 Incubator and Outsiders Fund to automate the work of fixing...
Published :
World Cup scoreboard in the sky: Drones will fly over Seattle to put match results in lights
High-scoring affair: A rendering of a drone-enabled score between the USA and Australia in the FIFA World Cup as it might appear in the Seattle sky near the Space Needle. (Visit Seattle Image) Soccer fans who aren’t there in person or not glued to their phones or TVs during FIFA World Cup matches in Seattle will be able to look to the sky for results. Visit Seattle is planning to launch...
Published :
Data center operator reveals plans for downtown Seattle facility as city weighs one-year ban
The building at 301 Virginia St. in downtown Seattle, formerly a Bed Bath & Beyond store. (Image via King County property records) A Texas company has formally signaled plans to build a data center in downtown Seattle, even as the city moves toward a moratorium that could impact the construction of such facilities. Digital Realty of Austin, a real estate investment trust with more than 300...
Published :
Google alert! Seattle-area teen wins Doodle contest with artwork celebrating hair and culture
The winning Google Doodle artwork by Kameirah Johnson of Renton, Wash. (Google Image) The Google homepage has a special look this morning thanks to the artwork of a Seattle-area teen. Kameirah Johnson, a senior at Lakeside School, is the winner of the 2026 Doodle for Google contest, and her work is now displayed online for the millions of people who visit the search giant. Kameirah, 18,...
Published :
Helion hits $15.5B valuation with $465M in new cash as it aims to commercialize fusion this decade
The glow from a super hot plasma generated inside Polaris, Helion Energy’s seventh fusion prototype device. (Helion Photo) Helion Energy, a startup racing to commercialize fusion power, announced $465 million in new funding Thursday, bringing its total capital raised to more than $1.5 billion. The Everett, Wash.-based company said it is now valued at $15.5 billion. The company aims to be...
Published :
With $12M second fund, fintech startup aims to pump more cash into climate entrepreneurs
Enduring Planet’s co-founders, from left: Chief Technology Officer Joshua Krafchin, CEO Dimitry Gershenson, and Chief Operating Officer Erin Davis. (Enduring Planet Photo) Enduring Planet, a fintech company with Pacific Northwest roots, on Wednesday announced it has closed its second fund at more than $12 million — more than twice the size of its first. Launched in 2021, Enduring Planet...
Published :
Ag tech startup wins top prize as UW’s Dempsey competition awards $92,500 across finalists
BioBead won the top prize at the Demsey Startup Competition, awarded by Trish Held (left), manager of philanthropy at the BECU Foundation, and received by BioBead’s Jared Espinosa and Renee Davis. (UW Photo) The big winner at the University of Washington’s 29th annual Dempsey Startup Competition was BioBead, a startup launched by a UW team with an ag tech solution for boosting soil health and...
Published :
‘Biometrics for things’: Alitheon raises $8M to expand its optical AI tech to ID physical objects
From industrial gears to healthcare products to luxury goods, Alitheon’s FeaturePrint provides a link between physical objects and digital traceability without tags, labels, or stickers. (Alitheon Photo) Bellevue, Wash.-based Alitheon raised $8 million in new funding to expand its FeaturePrint technology, which uses optical AI to create a unique digital “fingerprint” for physical objects — no...
Published :
Amazon knocks Walmart from the top spot on Fortune 500 for the first time in 13 years
An Amazon delivery van parked in front of the company’s headquarters campus and The Spheres in Seattle. (GeekWire File Photo / Kurt Schlosser) For the first time in 13 years, the Fortune 500 has a new No. 1— and it’s Amazon. The Seattle-based e-commerce and cloud giant knocked Walmart from its familiar perch atop the ranking of the biggest U.S. companies by revenue. Amazon surpassed $700...
Published :
Space Northwest teams up with Commercial Space Federation on business accelerator program
Stoke Space has its 168,000-square-foot headquarters in Kent, Wash., where Mount Rainier can be seen on a good day. (Stoke Space Photo) Space Northwest, a nonprofit association serving the Pacific Northwest’s space industry ecosystem, says it’s partnering with the Commercial Space Federation to launch a regional space business accelerator. The initiative will begin with an executive...
Published :
Amazon’s ‘Tomb Raider’ reboot gets a new trailer and release date at Sony’s State of Play
(Official PlayStation image) This week marks one of the biggest events on the modern video game calendar, as studios from around the world bring their newest projects to the annual Summer Game Fest event in California. This includes a new look at Amazon Game Studios’ impending reboot of the long-running Tomb Raider franchise, coming in early 2027. Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is a...
Published :
Blue Origin CEO pledges to repair ruined launch pad and return to flight by the end of the year
The SkySat satellite image at left shows Blue Origin’s launch pad in Florida on May 20, before the New Glenn rocket explosion. The satellite image at right shows the pad on May 31, three days after the blast. Click on the image for a larger version. (Credit: Planet Labs PBC) Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture aims to repair the damage done last week by a launch-pad rocket explosion and...
Published :
Mary Jo Foley: No Copilot ‘Super App’ at Microsoft Build, but plenty of agentic fodder
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella teases the coming Copilot “Super App” during the Build keynote, telling the audience that Chat, Cowork and Code will come together in one app this summer. Despite the rumors, Microsoft didn’t demo the app itself. (Screenshot via webcast) The token-hungry developers were there. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang was there (virtually). The Chainsmokers were there. But...
Published :
Microsoft unveils seven homegrown AI models in new bid for ‘long term self-sufficiency’
Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman presents seven new in-house MAI models at the company’s Build developer conference. (Via webcast) Microsoft has based much of its AI business on models from OpenAI, before expanding more recently to Anthropic. On Tuesday, the company showed how it plans to rely less on both. At the Build developer conference, the Microsoft AI Superintelligence Team unveiled...
Published :
WTIA selects 21 startups for 14th Founder Cohort Accelerator Program
Founders participating in the WTIA Founder Cohort Accelerator, a program designed to support emerging entrepreneurs and strengthen Washington state’s innovation ecosystem. (WTIA Photo) The Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA) named the 21 startups that will be participating in its 14th Founder Cohort Accelerator Program. The early stage companies from across Washington state...
Published :
Inside Microsoft’s Project Solara: A new platform for devices that run AI agents instead of apps
Stevie Bathiche, Microsoft CVP and technical fellow, presents Project Solara during a briefing in Redmond. (GeekWire Photo / Todd Bishop) [Editor’s Note: Agents of Transformation is an independent GeekWire series, underwritten by Accenture, exploring the adoption and impact of AI and agents. See coverage of our related event.] A team inside Microsoft has been quietly building a platform for...
Published :
Tech Moves: Expedia names SVP; Microsoft AI leader departs for Uber; ZeroAvia CEO steps down
Bill Watkins. (LinkedIn Photo) — Expedia Group appointed Bill Watkins as senior vice president and general manager of global advertising within its marketing organization. He will focus on helping outside advertisers across Expedia’s portfolio of sites engage with consumers planning travel. Watkins and his team will connect advertisers “more directly with our marketing, audience insights,...
Published :
Version One Ventures raises fresh capital for early bets on AI, robotics and deep tech
Boris Wertz and Angela Tran Kingyens, partners at Version One Ventures. (Version One Ventures Photo) Version One Ventures, the Vancouver, B.C.-based early stage venture firm led by Boris Wertz, has raised $108 million across two new funds. The firm announced Tuesday that it closed Version One Fund V, a $78 million fund focused on pre-seed and seed investments, along with Opportunities Fund...
Published :
Allen Institute’s big new bet: $400M effort aims to go from mapping the brain to treating disease
Ed Lein, left, who leads the Allen Institute’s new Brain Health Accelerator, with scientist Aaron Garcia. (Allen Institute Photo / Erik Dinnel) Editor’s note: This story has been updated with new figures, partners and details announced by the Allen Institute after the initiative’s launch Tuesday morning. The organization that Paul Allen founded to map and understand the complexities of the...
Published :
Code.org rebrands as CodeAI, solidifying its shift to AI education
The rise of AI has been changing the focus of Code.org for the past two years. On Tuesday, the Seattle-based computer science education platform acknowledged the shift and rebranded as CodeAI. “In the past, the focus of computer science was coding,” co-founder Hadi Partovi said in a video message. “Today, the focus is AI — learning how AI works, learning how to create technology,...
Published :
A sports power play for Melinda French Gates as she takes minority stake in Seattle Kraken hockey team
Melinda French Gates, left, and Samatha Holloway, One Roof Sports and Entertainment majority owner and managing partner, in the Seattle Kraken locker room at Climate Pledge Arena. (One Roof Sports and Entertainment Photo) Seattle Kraken fans, Melinda French Gates is ready to “see you in the deep.” The billionaire philanthropist and the NHL team’s ownership group announced Monday that French...
Published :
Scoop: Medical technology giant plans to put its longtime Seattle-area campus up for sale
Philips designs and builds its ultrasound systems, including this premium imaging platform, at its Bothell campus. (Philips Photo) Philips plans to put its Bothell, Wash., campus up for sale, marking a significant moment for Washington state’s medical device industry and for a site that helped establish the region as a global center for ultrasound innovation. GeekWire confirmed the news...
Published :
Zuckerberg’s yacht leaves Seattle’s Lake Union, anchors in Elliott Bay
Mark Zuckerberg’s superyacht Launchpad in Elliott Bay on Sunday, after leaving Lake Union. (GeekWire Reader Photo) The Zuckerboat is at bay. After several days on Seattle’s Lake Union — drawing onlookers, hecklers, and even some flaming protest art — Mark Zuckerberg’s superyacht quietly slipped back through the Ballard Locks early Sunday and has been anchored in Elliott Bay for more than...
Published :
Rec Room’s final day: Fans say goodbye as social gaming platform comes to an end
The Seattle-based social gaming platform Rec Room is shutting down today (Rec Room Image) It’s the last day of school for Rec Room, and there’s no next year. The social gaming platform, set on a virtual college campus where 150 million players built worlds and friendships over the past decade, shuts down at noon Pacific today. The Seattle startup, founded in 2016 by former Microsoft...
Published :
Week in Review: Most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of May 24, 2026
Get caught up on the latest technology and startup news from the past week. Here are the most popular stories on GeekWire for the week of May 24, 2026. Sign up to receive these updates every Sunday in your inbox by subscribing to our GeekWire Weekly email newsletter. Most popular stories on GeekWire The Meta CEO’s 387-foot Launchpad passed through the Ballard Locks toward Lake Union on Tuesday,...
Published :
Etzioni on AI: Wall Street is quietly betting on AI to beat inflation
(BigStock Illustration) How can the U.S. bond market, where the world’s smartest money lives, reconcile $36 trillion in national debt with less than 2.5% expected annual inflation over the next decade? The answer may consist of two letters: A and I. Four forces are pushing inflation up: The debt keeps growing as a fraction of GDP and neither political party has a credible plan to...
Published :
Zuckerberg’s yacht, Meta’s layoffs, a robot pizza flameout, and a reality check on AI expenses
Onlookers gather along the Lake Union waterfront to take in Mark Zuckerberg’s 387-foot superyacht. (GeekWire Photo / Todd Bishop) This week on the GeekWire Podcast: Mark Zuckerberg’s 387-foot superyacht arrives in Seattle, cruising through the Ballard Locks and mooring on Lake Union just a short walk from Meta’s engineering center, just as it discloses nearly 1,400 layoffs in the Seattle area,...
Published :
Blue Origin’s rocket blowup could cause big problems for NASA — and a satellite slowdown for Amazon Leo
One day after Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket exploded on its launch pad during a static-fire test, United Launch Alliance’s Atlas 5 successfully sent 29 Amazon Leo satellites into low Earth orbit. (ULA via YouTube) Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture is still assessing the damage from this week’s catastrophic New Glenn rocket explosion on the company’s Florida launch pad, but it’s already...
Published :
Microsoft holds up rural Washington as data centers ‘gone right,’ but does the model still work?
Microsoft hosted a community party in Quincy, Wash., on Thursday celebrating the opening of its first data center there 20 years ago. (Microsoft Photo) As data center backlash builds nationwide, Microsoft is pointing to Quincy, Wash., as Exhibit A in making the case that it’s a company communities can trust. But it’s not clear whether the conditions that made things work 20 years ago in the...
Published :
Bellevue’s AI boom: CoreWeave doubles down on office space
One Bellevue Center in downtown Bellevue, Wash. (CBRE Photo) Bellevue’s AI frenzy continues as CoreWeave recently doubled its footprint to 36,000 square feet at One Bellevue Center, according to a report in the Puget Sound Business Journal. Livingston, N.J.-based CoreWeave, which rents infrastructure to companies training and running large-scale artificial intelligence models, is expanding...
Published :
Still ringing a bell: F5 marks its 30th year in business
F5 CEO François Locoh-Donou (center) and members of the company’s leadership team with Nasdaq’s Jeff Thomas (in front of F5 logo) at the Nasdaq MarketSite in Times Square on Friday, marking F5’s 30th anniversary by ringing the opening bell. (Screenshot via webcast) Nearly 27 years ago, in June 1999, a 3-year-old Seattle-based internet traffic-management company called F5 Networks Inc. went...
Published :
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket explodes on pad during test; Jeff Bezos vows to rebuild
An explosion at Blue Origin’s launch pad lights up the skies over Florida. (Spaceflight Now Video) Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket exploded today during a hotfire test on its launch pad in Florida — dealing heavy damage to the pad, and dealing a heavy blow to Jeff Bezos’ space venture. “All personnel are accounted for and safe,” Bezos said in a post to X. “It’s too early to know the root...
Published :
City of Seattle selects new CTO: Shannon Smith is longtime public-sector tech executive
Shannon Smith. (LinkedIn Photo) Shannon Smith, an experienced public-sector technology executive, will be the City of Seattle’s next chief technology officer. A city spokesperson confirmed to GeekWire that Mayor Katie Wilson made the selection, which has not been announced publicly. Smith’s first day will be June 8. Smith is currently a Seattle-based director at CAI, a global IT and...
Published :
Zuckerberg brought a ‘Wingman’: Meta CEO’s $100M yacht support vessel is also docked in Seattle
The superyacht support vessel Wingman is seen docked at the Smith Cove Cruise Terminal at Pier 91 at the northern end of Seattle’s waterfront this week. (GeekWire Photo / Kurt Schlosser) Mark Zuckerberg — or whoever is traveling aboard his superyacht in Seattle this week — brought a Wingman. While the Meta founder and CEO’s 387-foot yacht Launchpad is attracting attention with its travels...
Published :
Tech Moves: Amazon’s healthcare business gets new leader; Scott McFarlane leaves helm of Avalara
Neil Lindsay, left, and Dr. Roy Schoenberg. (Amazon Photos) Neil Lindsay, senior vice president of Amazon Health Services, is leaving his post after five years — capping a 15-year tenure at the tech giant. As the head of Amazon’s healthcare business, Lindsay oversaw divisions including Amazon Pharmacy, One Medical, Health AI and Health Benefits Connector, growing them from experimental...
Published :
Log in Sign up