Hear From Brad Gerstner and Mustafa Suleyman, Impinj CEO Dishes on the Startup Journey, and UW's David Baker Wins Nobel Prize
This week, Impinj Co-founder?shares his decades-long?journey?of creating one of the most quietly pervasive technologies in the world. You'll also hear from Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman on how personal AI will reshape our daily lives?and from Brad Gerstner on the role of disruptive technologies. Plus, we celebrate David Baker's remarkable achievement —?winning the Nobel Prize in chemistry for his groundbreaking work on protein design. From the portfolio:?Statsig and Esper landed on LinkedIn's 2024 list of?Top Seattle Startups,?Observe released OpenTelemetry-Native APM, Runway made its API?open to all developers, and so much more.
Perseverance Over Speed: Creating a New Category with Impinj’s Chris Diorio
In the latest episode of Founded & Funded, Madrona Managing Director Tim Porter and Venture Partner Patrick J. Ennis host Chris Diorio , co-founder and CEO of Impinj . Patrick and Chris have known each other for more than 24 years — since Madrona and ARCH Venture Partners co-led Impinj’s first round of financing in the summer of 2000 — and in that time, Impinj has created "the most pervasive technology that nobody’s ever heard of," Chris likes to say.
In this episode, these three reminisce about old times and share some fun stories while diving into what it takes to truly launch a new category — and the patience required by both entrepreneurs and investors when doing so. They also discuss developing new speculative technology, navigating channel partner relationships, making it through an IPO during uncertain times, and how Impinj became the least-known $4.6 billion public company (now, actually $6.6B) in Seattle. This is a must-listen for any entrepreneurs out there.?
Fireside Chat With Altimeter Founder and CEO Brad Gerstner
In the fast-moving world of AI, few conversations cut to the heart of the matter quite like this one. At the IA Summit earlier this month, Brad Gerstner , Founder of Altimeter , joined Madrona’s Matt McIlwain for a discussion about how AI is reshaping everything from web search to enterprise applications — and what it takes to succeed in this new landscape.
Whether you're curious about OpenAI’s massive valuation, the future of enterprise AI, or why the Google search model is on its way out, this fireside chat delivers insights that will make you rethink where AI is heading. Brad doesn’t hold back, giving real-world examples and predictions that both challenge and excite.
You can now watch the recording on YouTube or read the transcript here.
Fireside Chat With Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman
AI is evolving faster than we can predict, and no one has a clearer view of what’s coming than Mustafa Suleyman , the CEO of 微软 AI. In his candid fireside chat with Madrona Managing Director S. Somasegar during the 2024 IA Summit, Mustafa shared a bold vision for how personal AI assistants will soon transform the way we live, work, and interact with technology. He doesn’t just talk about tools or models — he redefines AI as a deeply personal relationship, one that adapts, learns, and even anticipates our needs in ways we haven’t yet imagined.?Curious about what AI will look like by 2030? Wondering how AI will impact industries, business models, and everyday life? Watch the recording (or dive into the full transcript) to hear Mustafa’s take on the most exciting — and challenging — shifts we’re about to experience.
You can read the full transcript here. GeekWire also covered some of the highlights in the latest episode of the GeekWire Podcast.
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UW's David Baker Wins Nobel Prize for Designing Proteins
Congratulations to David Baker and the other protein researchers who were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry last week. Proteins have revolutionized the work to discover new treatments for disease, and we are honored to have worked with David and his lab at the Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington since its inception. Four Madrona portfolio companies – A-Alpha Bio , Vilya , and two yet to be announced, have emerged from the IPD, and several others are working in this area of chemistry.
The combination of the breakthrough work on proteins and AI is uncovering new frontiers, and we are excited to be at the edge of this new world, backing founders and teams who are bringing these two disciplines together.
David and his team are an incredible asset to the Seattle startup ecosystem. One stand-out quote from David’s talk at our 2022 Annual Meeting was that students used to come to him seeking tenured research positions; now, they all want to start companies! There is so much opportunity ahead!
Read More from the University of Washington,?CNN, and GeekWire
The Business Travel Magazine Features Steve Singh
The Business Travel Magazine published a feature on Madrona Managing Director Steve Singh that dives into his quest for "the perfect trip," the future of travel management companies, how he balances his time working so closely with his portfolio companies, his annoying habits, best bosses, and more.?
"Cloud computing and AI are enabling a level of value creation that wasn't possible when I started Concur. We are living in the golden age for travel industry innovation."
You can read the full piece here. And you can read more directly from Steve in a piece he wrote outlining his roadmap for transforming corporate travel.?
Portfolio Roundup
Both Statsig and Esper landed on LinkedIn's 2024 list of?Top Seattle Startups?— congratulations!
Observe released OpenTelemetry-Native APM.
Pulumi announced System Prompts for Pulumi Copilot.
Outbound AI was named a winner of the Healthcare + AI Awards by Modern Leader.
Spotnana Founder Sarosh Waghmar joined the SaaS Sessions podcast. ?
Eclypsium’s Paul Asadoorian joined the Hackers on the Rocks podcast.
Runway made its API open to all developers.
Route was named one of Utah’s 30 Fastest-growing companies.