‘A true pillar of the Seattle tech community’: UW’s Baker wins Nobel Prize

Those who have worked with David Baker call him a “brilliant and visionary biochemist” and “a true pillar of the Seattle tech community.” The director of Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington won a share of the Nobel Prize in chemistry for his decades-long discoveries about the molecular structure of proteins — the foundation for biological processes. Read more.

In its race to produce commercially viable fusion power, Everett, Wash.-based Zap Energy confirmed a $130 million funding round and shared new details about investors backing the effort. The company is also making progress on a demonstration power plant. Read more.

Democratic VP nominee Tim Walz made a quick swing through Seattle Tuesday for a fundraiser co-hosted by Accolade CEO Rajeev Singh , among others. Here’s what Walz had to say.?

Melinda French Gates launched a $250 million open call to organizations around the world that are working to address women’s physical and mental health. Action for Women’s Health is part of the billionaire philanthropist’s 2-year, $1 billion initiative centered on women and family issues. Read more.

Can AI and augmented reality make 亚马逊 delivery drivers more efficient? Amazon unveiled new vision technology for the cargo holds of its electric Rivian vans, which puts a green “O” on packages to be delivered at a given stop, and a red “X” on others. Read more.

• In related news, the company announced its next-generation fulfillment center, with updated and expanded versions of its robotics systems in Shreveport, La.

• Meanwhile, a new AI-powered search feature from Amazon's Ring lets users search the video archive from their doorbells and other Ring cameras using keywords.?

Virtual furniture: Zillow just acquired a startup that helps agents create staged images for online real estate listings. Read more.

Seattle-based startup Wokelo AI raised $4 million to further develop and expand its AI platform, which automatically generates detailed due diligence reports for acquisitions, deals, and other strategic decisions. It’s seeing traction in M&A, investing, and consulting. Read more.

Two former employees of Jeff Bezos' space company have big plans for their own startup studio, Actuate Ventures , which focuses on space and deep-tech enterprises. Will they achieve warp speed? Read more.

The City of Seattle joined other Washington cities in opposition of Initiative 2117, a ballot measure targeting the state’s Climate Commitment Act. Read more.

Two new class action lawsuits take aim at Amazon’s hiring practices, alleging that the tech giant violated Washington state laws governing pay transparency and non-compete agreements. Read more.

Seattle-area Star Wars collectors are part of a group raising funds to build a public museum for their vast collections of film-related memorabilia. Read more.

Seattleites aren’t as pessimistic about their city, compared to recent years. That’s one takeaway from a new survey of Seattle voters. Read more.

Hot Links:

• Washington is among more than a dozen states suing TikTok , alleging the video-sharing app is intentionally designed to keep young people hooked. (NPR)
• The Seattle City Council approved crime-fighting ordinances that include the addition of surveillance cameras in three areas of the city. (KUOW; previous coverage on GeekWire)
• Seattle venture capitalist Kirby Winfield and Oculus VR founder Palmer Luckey went back and forth on X over the use of the “R word” in what Winfield called a “healthy” exchange of opinions. (X)

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