Anyone who has interviewed job applicants by winging it knows the routine: questions in a free-form document, notes on the back of a resume, and an overabundance of gut instinct and selective memory in the process.
Seattle
Built in Seattle: Telehealth Service Amazon Care Expands to 20 Cities
From books to web services and from e-commerce to entertainment, part of Amazon’s success is due to its various business expansions, which opened new opportunities for the Seattle retailer. Now it’s continuing its expansion into the healthcare industry. On Tuesday the company announced it would be expanding its telehealth service Amazon Care.
Built in Seattle: Makara Acquired by NYC-Based Fintech Platform Betterment
Cryptocurrencies seem to be the latest craze but not everyone understands Bitcoin and Ethereum, much less how to invest in them. Now, NYC-based investing startup Betterment is making it easier than ever to start buying cryptocurrencies. On Tuesday the company announced it acquired Seattle-based Makara and will now offer crypto investing on its platform.
GeekWire: What Amazon’s big pay increase says about the company and the broader tech industry in 2022
Amazon’s decision to more than double its maximum base pay to $350,000 for corporate and tech employees is getting lots of attention, and not just among the workers who stand to benefit directly from the change. The rest of the industry is also taking notice, given the likely impact on other companies and their employees.
Built in Seattle: Sony Acquired Bungie, Lost Lake Games Gained $5M, and More Seattle Tech News
The Seattle tech scene had lots of gaming news and other innovations within the crypto and housing space last week. Keep reading to find out more. This is the Built In Seattle weekly refresh.
SeattleInno: This Seattle startup wants to mentor women in STEM through crowdsourcing
Seattle-based Gotara wants to become the go-to advice destination for women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
The startup, which was founded in 2020 by former Amazon executive D. Sangeeta, allows women working in STEM fields to anonymously ask for advice to deal with real-world problems in the workplace, and Gotara crowdsources relevant answers from its network of advisers. For Sangeeta, finding the right advisers is crucial.
Read the full article at SeattleInno.
GeekWire: Seattle startup Stack wants to help teens invest in cryptocurrency
Cryptocurrency is increasingly going mainstream, but not everyone is familiar with or using the emerging tech. That group includes young adults.
Enter Stack. The Seattle-based startup is building a crypto platform for teenagers and others disenfranchised by the financial system.
The company, which recently joined a fintech incubator in Seattle, recently closed a $500,000 pre-seed round from On Deck and Santa Clara Ventures.
Read the full article at Geek Wire.
SeattleInno: Seattle area has 2nd-highest average tech salary in US, report finds
The Seattle area trailed only Silicon Valley for average tech salary in 2021, according to a new report from Dice.
Dice, a platform that connects tech workers with employers, found the Seattle area had an average 2021 tech salary of $118,729 compared with $133,204 in Silicon Valley. The Seattle area had an 11.2% jump in average tech salary from 2020 to 2021, the report noted.
Read the full article at SeattleInno.
Built in Seattle: The Future 5 of Seattle’s Tech Scene, Q1 2022
Seattle might be best known as the home of major corporate players like Starbucks, Amazon and Nordstrom, but there’s a lot more to the city than coffee, e-commerce and luxury department stores. Seattle is bustling with large and small tech companies ranging from game development to marketing tech to machine learning. In fact, 11 percent of the city’s workforce is employed in the industry, according to Statista.
An environment like Seattle is bound to produce new tech innovations. We spoke with leaders at five up-and-coming companies in Seattle’s tech scene to learn how they’re innovating in their field and solving problems creatively. Read on to get a glimpse into the future of Seattle tech.
Read the full article at Built in Seattle.
Geek Wire: Startups to watch: 13 venture capitalists offer their picks for the next Pacific Northwest unicorns
Unicorn startups are everywhere these days.
CB Insights’ unicorn tracker — keeping tabs on privately-held companies valued at $1 billion or more — is quickly approaching 1,000 companies. And earlier this month, GeekWire identified 16 startups in the Seattle region that have already reached this status.
As we kick off the new year, startup valuations continue on the upward trajectory. In fact, the average pre-money valuation for later-stage venture-backed companies hit $750 million last year, up from $431 million in 2020, according to the Venture Monitor report.
Read the full article at Geek Wire.
