Fireworks weren’t the only highlight of last week. Seattle startups were also busy making moves. From Flexe securing unicorn status to Amazon offering free Grubhub delivery, catch up on the latest tech news with the Built In Seattle Weekly Refresh.
Flexe became a unicorn. Flexe closed a $119 million Series D round, which brought the company’s valuation to over $1 billion, securing its status as a tech unicorn. The Seattle logistics startup helps companies improve their supply chains. With the new funding, the company will work to meet the customer demand for its product and will also launch hiring initiatives for Seattle talent. [Built In Seattle]
Amazon bought equity in GrubHub. Grubhub’s parent company agreed last week to sell 2 percent of its equity to Amazon. With the deal finalized, Amazon Prime members will reap the benefits of the investment by getting access to GrubHub+ at no extra cost. GrubHub+ is originally a $9.99 a month service that includes zero delivery fees when ordering on GrubHub. Prime members will be able to sign up for a free year of the service. [Built In Seattle]
seattle tech quote of the week
Rollzi raised $8M. Rollzi is a logistics startup that moves freight using a single-lane relay strategy, according to Seattle Inno. This means that it moves freight from one city to another and exchanges freight with other drivers going in the opposite direction. According to the company’s CEO, Damien Hutchins, the process makes supply chains more efficient. With the funding, the company will hire more freight drivers. [Seattle Inno]
Built In Seattle released its Future 5 roundup. Seattle has a lot of movers and shakers, but these five up-and-coming startups have shown early promise without raising a Series A funding round. The list included Game Jolt, a gaming social platform; Proxi, an interactive mapping system; PTO Exchange, an innovative HR platform; Seashell, a new banking method; and Stack, a crypto exchange for teens. [Built In Seattle]
June’s top funding rounds totaled $428M. Despite a slowdown in venture capital funding, five local startups raised close to a half million dollars in June. Zap Energy, an energy startup, reeled in $160 million. Echodyne, a radar project, raised $135 million. Chainguard raised $60 million, Glowforge got $43 million and coffee startup Atomo Coffee raised $40 million. [Built In Seattle]
