Author: Benjamin Romano

Benjamin is the former Editor of Xconomy Seattle. He has covered the intersections of business, technology and the environment in the Pacific Northwest and beyond for more than a decade. At The Seattle Times he was the lead beat reporter covering Microsoft during Bill Gates’ transition from business to philanthropy. He also covered Seattle venture capital and biotech. Most recently, Benjamin followed the technology, finance and policies driving renewable energy development in the Western US for Recharge, a global trade publication. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication.

Amazon Devotes New Seattle Headquarters Space to Shelter Homeless

Amazon will create a permanent space to shelter homeless families in its growing downtown Seattle headquarters campus, the retail and technology giant announced Wednesday. The company is donating 47,000 square feet in a building set for construction this fall on Eighth Avenue to Mary’s Place, a shelter for homeless women, children, and families. There will … Continue reading “Amazon Devotes New Seattle Headquarters Space to Shelter Homeless”

Week in Review: Apple, Microsoft A.I. Investments, ‘Reality Caucus’

Some 2,500 lightning strikes were recorded across Western Washington Thursday as powerful thunderstorms marched up the state, getting everyone’s attention and lighting up social media with beautiful photographs, such as the one below. In tech news this week, we’re tracking a new state-by-state jobs report from Apple, Microsoft Ventures’ latest A.I. investments, Seattle’s new broadband … Continue reading “Week in Review: Apple, Microsoft A.I. Investments, ‘Reality Caucus’”

EOW Reading List: A.I. Friends and FWBs; Redefining Human Knowledge

One of the most interesting—or vexing—aspects of artificial intelligence is the way it causes us to examine virtually every aspect of what it means to be human. In this edition of Xconomy’s End of Work Reading List, we’re highlighting stories on sex robots, which raise a host of questions about human relationships, and the “black … Continue reading “EOW Reading List: A.I. Friends and FWBs; Redefining Human Knowledge”

LevelTen Aims to Satisfy Surging Corporate Renewable Energy Demand

Large technology companies have driven demand for renewable energy in the U.S. over the last few years as they seek lower, more predictable electricity bills, and pursue climate goals. Companies are buying wind and solar power the traditional way—from utilities—but some of the richest, most sophisticated corporations, such as Google, Microsoft, and Amazon, are building … Continue reading “LevelTen Aims to Satisfy Surging Corporate Renewable Energy Demand”

Seattle Week in Review: Amazon, Indy Bookstores, and Serendipity

Amazon, the behemoth of digital and physical commerce, started out as an independent bookseller, albeit an online one, based in a home in Bellevue, WA. Now that it’s doing everything else—this week it deployed artificial intelligence to judge your fashion choices—how’s that online bookstore business shaping up? It’s something to contemplate on Independent Bookstore Day, … Continue reading “Seattle Week in Review: Amazon, Indy Bookstores, and Serendipity”

Allen Pledges $30M to House Homeless Families Amid Funding Debate

Paul Allen has pledged $30 million to help house homeless families in Seattle, as the city grapples with an ongoing crisis and debates how to pay for it. With an additional $5 million in capital from city coffers, the funding from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation would enable nonprofit housing developer Mercy Housing Northwest … Continue reading “Allen Pledges $30M to House Homeless Families Amid Funding Debate”

Seattle Week in Review: March for Science, MSFT Acquisition, CoMotion

This week, we’re looking forward to Saturday’s March for Science and back at Microsoft’s acquisition of Charles Simonyi’s Intentional Software; former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer’s new effort to inject facts into debate about government; potential changes to the high-skilled visa program and a new startup aimed at helping immigrants; a strong showing for the University … Continue reading “Seattle Week in Review: March for Science, MSFT Acquisition, CoMotion”

Techstars Seattle Fetes Latest Class, Now Counts 100 Startups

Since opening its doors in Seattle in 2010, Techstars has polished up more than 100 startup companies through its 12-week accelerator program here. Those nascent technology companies have gone on to raise more than $400 million, said Techstars Seattle managing director Chris DeVore, introducing the latest batch of startups Wednesday night at the Museum of … Continue reading “Techstars Seattle Fetes Latest Class, Now Counts 100 Startups”

Trump Executive Order Adds Uncertainty to Tech Visa Program

Is the U.S. high-skilled visa program, known as H-1B, an essential contributor to the innovation economy or a way for companies to replace American IT workers with immigrants at lower salaries? It’s a debate as old as the program itself, which began in 1990. The Trump administration on Tuesday joined the fray with a long-anticipated … Continue reading “Trump Executive Order Adds Uncertainty to Tech Visa Program”

Seattle Week in Review: ShakeAlert, Rattle, Easter Egg Roll

Easter Sunday looks to be one of the nicest weather days in Seattle since I’m not sure when. The water year that began in October now ranks as the fourth-wettest in recorded Seattle history, with nearly 43 inches of rain as of Thursday. Enjoy the sun. But first, check out our review of local tech … Continue reading “Seattle Week in Review: ShakeAlert, Rattle, Easter Egg Roll”

New NW-Focused Tech VC Firm Flies Under the Radar

A group of Seattle-area angel investors is organizing a new tech-focused early stage venture capital fund. Flying Fish Partners is described on its co-founders’ LinkedIn pages as an “early stage software technology investment firm investing in the Pacific Northwest.” Those co-founders include Heather Redman, a technology executive already active as an angel investor and supporter … Continue reading “New NW-Focused Tech VC Firm Flies Under the Radar”

EOW Reading List: AI Diagnosticians, Musk’s Warnings, Mnuchin’s Radar

The flood of good reporting and writing on artificial intelligence, automation, and its implications continues. At Xconomy’s End of Work Reading List, we select and highlight some of the best of it. In this edition, we’re pointing to recent long-form pieces in The New Yorker and Vanity Fair, and the recent flap over Treasury Secretary … Continue reading “EOW Reading List: AI Diagnosticians, Musk’s Warnings, Mnuchin’s Radar”

VCs Poured $300M into Seattle Area Companies in Q1, Up 33 Percent

Seattle-area companies collected some $300 million in investment during the first quarter, with biotech and medical devices companies claiming four of the 10 largest deals. The first-quarter investment total was up 33 percent from the first quarter of 2016, according to the National Venture Capital Association’s quarterly Venture Monitor report, prepared by Seattle-based PitchBook. Deal … Continue reading “VCs Poured $300M into Seattle Area Companies in Q1, Up 33 Percent”

Qumulo, Led by Isilon Execs, Raises $30M to Push Data Storage Sales

Qumulo’s founders, leadership team, and investors are all betting that the Seattle data storage technology provider can deliver a repeat of another local success story—and now they’ve got $30 million in fresh funding riding on it. The five-year-old company brings together many of the same people who built Isilon Systems, a data storage company that … Continue reading “Qumulo, Led by Isilon Execs, Raises $30M to Push Data Storage Sales”

Trump’s Anti-Environment Policies Don’t Deter Northwest Innovators

There were local antidotes this week for those who see global catastrophe in the Trump administration’s attempts to reverse course on federal policies combatting climate change. On Thursday, scores of science, engineering, and business students from around the Pacific Northwest pitched their ideas for improving the performance of batteries, recycling food scraps, filtering and conserving … Continue reading “Trump’s Anti-Environment Policies Don’t Deter Northwest Innovators”

Running with the Pack: Rover.com Acquiring Rival DogVacay

In a dog-eat-dog deal, Seattle-based dog-care services marketplace Rover.com is acquiring its largest competitor, DogVacay, the companies announced Wednesday. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. The combined company will be headquartered in Seattle and maintain the Rover brand. Aaron Easterly, CEO of Rover, will continue in that role while DogVacay CEO Aaron Hirschhorn will … Continue reading “Running with the Pack: Rover.com Acquiring Rival DogVacay”

Amazon Grows Middle East Footprint With Souq Acquisition

Spreading its empire to the Middle East, Amazon is buying Souq.com, a leading e-commerce marketplace in the region. The deal was disclosed Tuesday but reported by multiple sources last week. The companies did not announce terms. Reuters, citing unnamed sources, reported that Amazon paid less than an $800 million last-minute counteroffer made for Dubai-based Souq … Continue reading “Amazon Grows Middle East Footprint With Souq Acquisition”

Seattle Week in Review: Mech Bezos, Bay Area Capital, Family Leave

Spring will get here eventually, and it will be more glorious for the wait. In the meantime, we’re looking back on a relatively quiet week in local tech, including: Amazon’s Jeff Bezos in the pilot seat of a giant robot; PitchBook data on investments in Seattle by Bay Area-based venture capitalists; a new Seattle proposal … Continue reading “Seattle Week in Review: Mech Bezos, Bay Area Capital, Family Leave”

As Travel Ban Looms, Remitly Helps Immigrants Send Money, Share Stories

In the face of stepped-up immigration enforcement and ongoing legal battles over the Trump administration’s attempts to ban travelers from several majority Muslim nations, many businesses are taking stronger public positions in support of immigrants. The tech industry, with many immigrants in its ranks, has been among the most vocal, providing both rhetorical and legal … Continue reading “As Travel Ban Looms, Remitly Helps Immigrants Send Money, Share Stories”

Seattle Week in Review: Budget Cuts, Health IT, Alexa on iOS & More

It was a full week with Pi Day, the Ides of March, and St. Patrick’s Day. Tech was busy, too. We’re reviewing the potential impact of the Trump administration’s proposed budget; a Boeing executive tapped for deputy defense secretary; healthcare IT doings at Accolade and Limeade; PACCAR’s work on self-driving trucks with Nvidia; Alexa’s move … Continue reading “Seattle Week in Review: Budget Cuts, Health IT, Alexa on iOS & More”

Visit the Titanic in OceanGate’s Carbon Fiber Sub: Only $105,129

OceanGate’s deep-diving carbon fiber submersible, now under construction, is designed to carry the company’s intrepid, well-heeled clientele to a one-of-a-kind destination beginning next spring: the Titanic. Stockton Rush, CEO of Everett, WA-based OceanGate, announced the expedition Tuesday, and said the 2018 dives—which would be the first manned expedition to the Titanic since 2005—have already sold … Continue reading “Visit the Titanic in OceanGate’s Carbon Fiber Sub: Only $105,129”

Seattle Week in Review: A Renaissance Man for Computing’s Golden Age

The Stranger called Paul Allen “Our Modern Medici,” which is a pretty apt description of the billionaire philanthropist-entrepreneur. Allen’s beneficence has helped the University of Washington grow a world-class computer science department—and now it has become a school named in his honor. Read on for a dispatch from the UW celebration Thursday, as well as a … Continue reading “Seattle Week in Review: A Renaissance Man for Computing’s Golden Age”

UW Receives $50M Endowment, Names Computer Science School for Allen

The celebration marking 50 years of computer science education at the University of Washington went from a birthday party to a rechristening Thursday with the announcement of a $50 million endowment from Paul Allen and Microsoft. The UW Board of Regents elevated the university’s computer science department to the Paul G. Allen School of Computer … Continue reading “UW Receives $50M Endowment, Names Computer Science School for Allen”

Seattle Week in Review: Healing Music Echoes Over ‘Voice City’

It’s still winter, and March, as the saying goes, is coming in like a lion—or a juvenile bald eagle—with snow in the forecast for the weekend. Again. We’re wrapping the week with a look at funding for 2nd Watch, Amazon Web Services’ outage, a spate of Alexa news, a look at ways game controllers are … Continue reading “Seattle Week in Review: Healing Music Echoes Over ‘Voice City’”

Backed by Seattle Angels, BluHaptics Readies Robot Control Software

The typical controller that human operators use to manipulate a multi-million-dollar undersea robotic arm is a complicated, analog model of the arm itself. Operators direct the movement of each joint, making a costly, high-pressure task such as repairing oil and gas facilities or cleaning up munitions that much harder and more susceptible to mistakes. Seattle startup … Continue reading “Backed by Seattle Angels, BluHaptics Readies Robot Control Software”

Seattle Week in Review: Upzone, Apple, Washington Resistance, & More

This week, a welcome sign of spring: the first crocuses poked out of the ground near here. More construction is sure to follow. The U District upzone was approved, making way for more development near the University of Washington. Apple made a donation to UW, and revealed Seattle expansion plans. More on those stories below, … Continue reading “Seattle Week in Review: Upzone, Apple, Washington Resistance, & More”

Cascadia Innovation Corridor Starts With UW-UBC Urban Data Co-op

The University of Washington and the University of British Columbia will use a $1 million gift from Microsoft to collaborate on data-driven solutions to urban challenges, giving shape to the cross-border Cascadia Innovation Corridor that business, civic, and education leaders envisioned last fall. The effort to strengthen ties between the U.S. Northwest and British Columbia, … Continue reading “Cascadia Innovation Corridor Starts With UW-UBC Urban Data Co-op”

Murray Asks Businesses to Help Homeless as Seattle Opposes Trump

Washington state’s emergence as a capital of resistance to the Trump administration has been abetted by many prominent tech companies. Now Seattle Mayor Ed Murray is asking companies based in the Northwest’s largest innovation hub to do more to address issues such as homelessness—helping fill a void left by an adversarial federal government that Murray … Continue reading “Murray Asks Businesses to Help Homeless as Seattle Opposes Trump”

Seattle Week in Review: Life Sciences at Risk, Keiretsu Record, & More

Here’s a quick look at news from the Northwest innovation economy this week, including a warning about the future of the life sciences industry in Washington; new funding for the University of Washington’s computer science expansion project; 2016 investment totals from Keiretsu Forum Northwest; fresh funding for ReplyYes; and an important new facility for cleantech … Continue reading “Seattle Week in Review: Life Sciences at Risk, Keiretsu Record, & More”

UW Testbeds Touted as an Asset to Northwest Cleantech Innovators

Behind the tony shops of Seattle’s University Village, clean energy researchers are preparing to install one of the world’s most advanced machines for printing novel thin-film electronics. The Danish-made, 28-foot-long roll-to-roll printer will be a centerpiece of the new Washington Clean Energy Testbeds, a 15,000-square-foot University of Washington facility for developing clean energy technologies unveiled … Continue reading “UW Testbeds Touted as an Asset to Northwest Cleantech Innovators”

ReplyYes Raises $6.5M for ‘Conversational Commerce’ Platform

Seattle-based startup ReplyYes, which lets people buy things via text message, has raised $6.5 million and landed a major customer, Universal Music Group, for its conversational commerce platform. The Series A funding round was led by Madrona Venture Group, which incubated the company internally, and Cross Culture Ventures, Lowercase Capital, Muse Capital, and Arnold Venture … Continue reading “ReplyYes Raises $6.5M for ‘Conversational Commerce’ Platform”

AI Without the Costly GPU Chips? Seattle Startup Xnor.ai Sees a Way

Picture a world in which cameras, sensors, watches, and other devices, equipped with commodity computer chips, recognize and understand what’s happening around them. The basic devices are there now—billions of them—but they can’t handle the complex, resource-hungry algorithms that identify objects in pictures or translate text from one language to another, the kinds of inferences … Continue reading “AI Without the Costly GPU Chips? Seattle Startup Xnor.ai Sees a Way”

Seattle Week in Review: MSFT Calls for Exceptions to Immigration Ban

[Updated 2/3/17 4:22 p.m. See below.] The Trump administration’s immigration ban remained a top concern for technology companies, including major Seattle-area stalwarts that this week joined with Washington state to challenge it. Microsoft, while acknowledging that the broader debate over the ban must continue, sought a process to exempt certain people from the ban. In other news, … Continue reading “Seattle Week in Review: MSFT Calls for Exceptions to Immigration Ban”

Survey Reveals Seattle Startup Gender Gap as Techstars Struggles

Men and women in Seattle startups agree that men have more opportunities for advancement and typically fit in better with their company’s culture, according to a survey focused on gender of employees at smaller, growing companies. That’s one of several findings of the survey, Catalyze Seattle, released Thursday, which takes in responses from 315 people … Continue reading “Survey Reveals Seattle Startup Gender Gap as Techstars Struggles”

Many Washington Tech Giants in Vocal Opposition to Immigration Ban

When Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a lawsuit to invalidate the Trump administration’s executive order temporarily banning immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries, he did so with the explicit support of two giants of the tech industry. Amazon and Expedia filed legal briefs outlining the order’s negative impacts to their businesses and employees, … Continue reading “Many Washington Tech Giants in Vocal Opposition to Immigration Ban”

Seattle Week in Review: UW Gets $279M, Cow Sharing, Techstars & More

Seattle’s role as a capital for global health was highlighted again this week when the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced a historic grant to a key University of Washington population health effort. We’re also rounding up a handful of recent early-stage funding rounds for area companies pursuing cow-sharing, healthcare IT, and water metering. And, … Continue reading “Seattle Week in Review: UW Gets $279M, Cow Sharing, Techstars & More”

Techstars Picks 9 Startups For Seattle, Complementing Local Strengths

Techstars has named nine startup companies for its 2017 Seattle accelerator class, each with a focus that complements one of the region’s core or emerging technology strengths. Techstars Seattle managing director Chris DeVore says this deliberate matching of startup companies to strengths in the local tech industry is meant to “give the teams we select … Continue reading “Techstars Picks 9 Startups For Seattle, Complementing Local Strengths”

KenSci Raises $8.5M, Delves into Data to Predict Who Will Get Sick

Seattle healthcare IT startup KenSci has a tagline that helps simplify the company’s audacious aims: Death versus data science. Unpack that a little bit and you’ll find a company—banging its drum Wednesday with an $8.5 million Series A funding round led by Ignition Partners—that’s combing of-the-moment machine learning technology and mountains of data to attack … Continue reading “KenSci Raises $8.5M, Delves into Data to Predict Who Will Get Sick”

EOW Reading List: Gender in AI, Manufacturing’s Future & More

Leading off our End of Work Reading List this week is a series of explorations of gender and sexism in the creation of artificial intelligence and automation technologies. Why are so many robots and virtual assistants designed with female forms and voices? Will women suffer more economic dislocation from the coming wave of automation than … Continue reading “EOW Reading List: Gender in AI, Manufacturing’s Future & More”

Seattle Week in Review: 100k to AMZN, MSFT’s Olympia Agenda, VC Stats

This was a busy week. Let’s get right to our review featuring a Microsoft acquisition in “machine literacy”; Amazon’s plans to hire 100,000 full-time U.S. workers by mid-2018; a green light for the UW’s new computer science building; transparency from Microsoft on its agenda for the state legislative session; 2016 venture capital statistics, including a … Continue reading “Seattle Week in Review: 100k to AMZN, MSFT’s Olympia Agenda, VC Stats”

In AI Race, Microsoft Snaps Up Machine Literacy Startup Maluuba

The Montreal-based startup Microsoft is acquiring aims to teach machines to read so they can get smarter on their own. The acquisition of Maluuba, a five-year-old startup, adds a trove of deep learning researchers to Microsoft’s already world-class artificial intelligence research group, and gives the company a stronger presence in Montreal, a significant hub of … Continue reading “In AI Race, Microsoft Snaps Up Machine Literacy Startup Maluuba”

EOW Reading List: Automation, Onshoring, Heart, and AI Texas Hold’em

One of Xconomy’s areas of focus in 2017 is the increasing impact of technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and automation on human labor. Technology has always made some occupations obsolete, while changing others, and creating new ones. Today, and looking forward, these changes seem to be accelerating. This is the exponential economy from which … Continue reading “EOW Reading List: Automation, Onshoring, Heart, and AI Texas Hold’em”

Venture Investment in Seattle Area Companies Falls 27 Percent in 2016

Two quarters do not make a trend, but the Seattle metro area bucked a national downturn in venture capital investment during the second half of 2016, as measured by both deals and dollars invested. For the year, however, 2016 was down significantly from 2015 in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area, according to data from Seattle-based PitchBook … Continue reading “Venture Investment in Seattle Area Companies Falls 27 Percent in 2016”

Zillow’s $5M Gift Powers UW CSE Building Toward Construction Start

[Updated 1/11/17 10:18 am. See below.] Construction on the University of Washington’s second computer science building could start as soon as Friday if the university’s leadership approves a bridge loan of up to $25 million to finance the project while remaining anticipated private contributions materialize. Those private contributions have come in large, highly-touted chunks, and lower-profile … Continue reading “Zillow’s $5M Gift Powers UW CSE Building Toward Construction Start”

Seattle Week in Review: Alexa, Rosetta, Alaska Airlines, Cuba

The deep freeze is forecast to relent this weekend, just in time for playoff football. Go Seahawks! Today we’re looking back at stories on Alexa, Amazon’s voice-activated, cloud-connected personal assistant technology, which had a very good week at CES and, more people are realizing, could represent a new operating system for the growing wave of … Continue reading “Seattle Week in Review: Alexa, Rosetta, Alaska Airlines, Cuba”

Amazon’s Alexa Echoes Across Tech and Beyond

For the second CES in a row, Amazon’s Alexa is grabbing headlines as the tech world’s annual Las Vegas bacchanalia gets rolling. Alexa is fast becoming the cloud-based, voice-activated personal assistant and remote control for everything from your television to your home security to your washing machine. But some analysts see it as something more: an operating … Continue reading “Amazon’s Alexa Echoes Across Tech and Beyond”

In Search of a State-of-the-Art Transcription App

Since reporting on the world’s most capable machine transcription system earlier this year, I’ve been pining for one that would help me with the tedious work of transcribing recorded journalistic interviews. Not long after I wrote about Microsoft’s speech transcription milestone—researchers at the company built a system that matches the human error rate in transcribing spontaneous … Continue reading “In Search of a State-of-the-Art Transcription App”