Meet TheFounderVC (TFVC). The new Seattle- and San Francisco-based firm unveiled a $5 million early stage fund focused on “vertical AI” startups, including several in the Seattle region. Read more. Above, TheFounderVC team, from left:
Paul Longhenry
,
Mia Lewin
, and
Shail Kaveti
. Not pictured:
Jay Bartot
.
A group of Seattle AI founders and investors is urging Gov. Bob Ferguson to pause a proposed 9.9% income tax on earnings above $1 million, warning it could drive talent and startups out of Washington. Read more.
- Related:
Matt McIlwain
, managing director at Seattle venture firm
Madrona
, writes that the income tax narrative “can manipulate the public into supporting misguided policies with dire consequences.” Read his opinion column.
Meanwhile, as tech leaders threaten to leave over taxes, a new ranking named Seattle as the best U.S. city to live in. Read more.
Accenture is buying
Ookla
— the Seattle-based company behind Speedtest — as part of a $1.2 billion deal with Ziff Davis. Read more.
MicroVision®
layoffs: The Redmond, Wash.-based radar technology company is cutting 49 employees, including many senior-level engineering positions. Read more.
A Washington state bill requiring data center operators to protect ratepayers from power cost hikes and disclose environmental impacts has missed a key deadline. Microsoft, which has around 30 data centers in Washington, publicly came out in opposition to the bill on Friday. Read more.
Amazon is rolling out a “dynamic canvas” for sellers that generates personalized visual dashboards in response to prompts, building on its existing AI-powered Seller Assistant. It comes as Shopify, Walmart and others race to add AI to their merchant tools. Read more.
Is your middle schooler behind on AI? Don’t panic, says
Karim Meghji
, the new leader of Code.org. He said middle school is the perfect “tinkering age” to make AI a glass box — teaching kids to peek inside models, understand data, and spot AI tricks. Read more.
Dave Parker
, former Techstars mentor and WTIA programs chair, teamed with educator
Dr. Kathy Cox
to launch Trajectory Playbook — a structured curriculum for early-stage founders that offers AI-enhanced modules on customer discovery, financials, and fundraising, plus peer/expert feedback. Read more.
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