It was a busy week for Seattle tech startups, with many companies closing deals while other companies announced new partnerships. Catch up on the latest news, including SpaceX’s plan to partner with T-Mobile, with the Built In Seattle Weekly Refresh.
SpaceX partnered with T-Mobile. Both companies announced that they will work together to bring cell service to “dead zones” in the U.S. using low-orbit Starlink satellites. Starlink, developed by Elon Musk, provides high-speed internet access to about 40 counties and currently has about 3,000 satellites in orbit. T-Mobile is headquartered in Bellevue, while Starlink equipment is assembled in neighboring Redmond. [Built In Seattle]
Yesler secured $5M. Yesler is an e-commerce platform specifically for selling lumber and building materials. The platform allows sellers and buyers to negotiate for commodities and also provides insight into the lumber industry. Last week, the company announced that it raised a $5 million funding round that was led by Crosslink Capital, a San Fransico-based VC firm. [Business Wire]
Tangibly raised $1.3M. Tangibly developed a platform that protects a company’s trade secrets by cataloging assets, managing workflow and tracking legal requirements. Funding was provided by WS Investment Company and Madrona Venture Group and will be used to fuel AI and machine learning product development. The company is hiring for sales and marketing talent. [Built In Seattle]
seattle tech Quote of the week
Rollzi was featured in the Future 5 series. Rollzi moves freight along one route and exchanges loads between drivers to make the process more efficient and faster. The company, founded by Damien Hutchins and Jonathan Epstein, has raised $8 million in seed funding. [Built In Seattle]
Advocat is headed to the Startup World Cup Finals. After winning a regional Seattle competition, Advocat, a tech startup that facilitates contract renewables, is heading to the Startup World Cup Finals, which will be held in San Francisco later next month. The company was founded in 2019 by a former U.S. diplomat and has raised $2.6 million in funding. At the finals, Advocat stands a chance at winning the $1 million grand prize. [Built In Seattle]
Seattle startup 47 Degrees was acquired by Xebia. The tech consulting company’s 100 employees will join Atlanta-based Xebia, but they won’t have to relocate. The financial terms of the acquisition were not made public. Xebia was founded in 2001 and provides IT consulting services for finance, retail, health care and hospitality companies. [Seattle Inno]
