Big news in Seattle tech the past week included a bigger Meta presence, more pet insurance options and hiring sprees. This is the Built In Seattle weekly refresh.
Meta signed a new lease in Bellevue. Facebook’s parent company Meta has leased a 213,000-square-foot space in the Spring District. The new lease adds another building to the company’s four in Bellevue and adds to Meta’s growing presence in Seattle where it already has more than 7,000 employees. [GeekWire]
Upbound raised $60M. The Series B round was led by Altimeter Capital with participation from Intel Capital, GV and Telstra Ventures. Upbound is the cloud management platform behind the Crossplane project. The funds raised will be used to expand the company’s services and broaden its go-to-market efforts, among other missions. [Business Wire]
SEATTLE TECH QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Chewy partnered with Trupanion. Chewy is an online marketplace for pet products, while Trupanion offers comprehensive insurance for pets. The two companies partnered in order to offer customers more pet insurance options. The new plans will be available through Chewy in the spring of 2022. In the meantime, Chewy is currently hiring for several roles. [Built In Seattle]
These five tech companies became unicorns. Funding rounds have brought startups a long way, and many become unicorns because of it. In 2021, five Seattle tech startups reached a valuation of more than $1 billion, including HighSpot, Rec Room, Karat, TaxBit and Amperity. [Built In Seattle]
Chainguard raised $5M. Teh seed funding round was led by VC firm Amplify Partners. Chainguard’s software provides security for supply chains by offering the data and tools needed for companies to understand and mitigate threats. The investment will allow Chainguard to triple the size of its team. [Built In Seattle]
LISC teamed up with Amazon. The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) teamed up with Amazon to help build up the next generation of real estate developers of color. LISC is a nonprofit CDFI that supports community development. LISC launched the Housing Equity Accelerator thanks to a more than $5 million grant from the Amazon Housing Equity Fund. [PR Newswire]
