Startup radar: 5 early stage tech companies to know in Seattle
From software to sustainability to space, we’re spotlighting another crop of newer startups in Seattle in the early stages of their entrepreneurial journeys.
Many established fast-growing companies are ranked among the GeekWire 200, our list of top privately held tech companies in Seattle and across the Pacific Northwest. We updated those rankings last week.
The startups below are more nascent — but could one day become Seattle’s next great tech company.
Send us an email at [email protected] to flag other companies or startup news we should know about. Check out our past startup radar spotlights. And read about the five companies below.
Glidance
Founded last year, Glidance is developing self-guided mobility devices for people who are blind or have low vision. The company’s technology autonomously guides and avoids obstacles to help with navigation. Glidance recently won second place and $10,000 at a LG pitch competition and has raised $1.4 million, according to founder and CEO Amos Miller, who previously spent 16 years at Microsoft as a product exec and is chairman of the board at Guide Dogs for the Blind (UK). He co-founded Glidance with sales vet Luke Buckberrough and design expert Kyle Buzzard.
Kapta Space
Another radar technology startup has launched in Seattle with Kapta, which is building low-cost, steerable radar sensor systems that will enable space missions for federal agencies, CEO Milton Perque tells GeekWire. Perque and co-founder Adam Bily were engineering leaders at Seattle-area startup Echodyne. Perque also spent time at Metacept and Intellectual Ventures. Bily worked at Astranis Space Technologies and Apple as an antenna engineer.
Ruvtop
Pronounced “rooftop,” this Seattle startup provides guidance to homeowners and renters who want to make their living spaces more sustainable. The company launched earlier this year and plans to generate revenue with a freemium + sponsorship business model, according to Ruvtop founder Todd Staheli. The company’s founding partner is Northwest EcoBuilding Guild. Staheli is currently a team lead at the U.S. Green Building Council and has years of sustainability-related experience.
Scholarly Software
Fresh off a $3 million funding round raised in September, Scholarly is building out a software platform to help universities manage their faculty data. Customers include Harvard, Duke, Carnegie Mellon, and other institutions. Rusty Cowher, CEO, previously led analytics and data efforts for Vail Resorts. CTO Kelly Sutton was an early employee on the payroll team at HR software company Gusto. Scholarly has offices in Seattle and Denver.
Sign AI
The latest spinout from Mudita Studios in Seattle is Sign AI, which is developing AI-fueled software for sign language interpretation. Sign AI CEO Greg Rutty previously led product teams at Karat, RealSelf, Sears, and Amazon. He also co-founded a recruiting startup called Perfect Loop. Sign AI CTO Shama Butala previously led engineering at Catona Climate and also worked at Amazon. The company recently raised a pre-seed investment from Mudita Venture Fund.