Latest news with #FarahUraizee
Geek Wire
2 days ago
- Business
- Geek Wire
Startup's plan to ditch Seattle for Bay Area sparks reaction about tech culture, work pace, AI and more
GeekWire's startup coverage documents the Pacific Northwest entrepreneurial scene. Sign up for our weekly startup newsletter , and check out the GeekWire funding tracker and venture capital directory . (GeekWire File Photo / Kurt Schlosser) A drizzly, cool, grey morning in August feels like the perfect time to recognize that Seattle is not for everyone. Announcing that your tech startup is packing up for the Bay Area might be another way to throw a wet blanket over the Emerald City. The co-founders of Nectar Social sparked a bit of reaction after GeekWire reported Wednesday that sisters Misbah Uraizee and Farah Uraizee are moving their AI-powered social commerce startup to Palo Alto, Calif., to operate in 'Valley speed.' 'The hustle factor is real,' Misbah Uraizee told GeekWire. 'Right now in [Silicon] Valley, teams are working six, seven days a week because they understand this is a unique moment in technology history. That intensity — that sense of 'we have to win this market NOW' — is harder to cultivate in Seattle where the pace, even at startups, tends to mirror the steadier rhythms of the big tech companies.' On Reddit, Seattle pride mixed with a bit of anti-tech sentiment as commenters on the story essentially said, 'good riddance' and took issue with everything from what Nectar is building to how intensely they expect people to work on it. The comments shed fresh light on the long-simmering animosity toward tech in some Seattle circles. And while others might embrace the city's rise as an industry hub, being dumped for the Bay Area always stings. Here's a sampling: 'Definitely good riddance. The work culture norm that they are seeking from the talent pool is not one that I ever want to see as the norm where I am looking for jobs.' 'Tech culture is full of bullshit and is toxic. This whole idea that you have to work 7 days a week because this is a unique moment in history is pure egotistical garbage.' 'Based on several of my friends who have lived in both the Bay Area and the Seattle area, it's kinda true — and that's not a bad thing either. I like the slower pace of life and I'd pick Seattle over the Bay Area any day. My job is just that — a job, nothing more. 'Bye! Maybe rent will go down.' 'Don't let the DoorDash hit you on the Waymout.' Over on LinkedIn, the story and departure also caught the attention of Aviel Ginzburg, a tech investor who leads the Seattle-based startup hub Foundations. Ginzburg said the first question he asks young and unnetworked or unleveraged founders is 'why haven't you moved to the Bay Area?' 'In many cases, this being one of them, Seattle is just not the better place to build your company,' Ginzburg said about Nectar's move. 'There is enough stacked up against you already, you've gotta take every advantage that you can.' But Ginzburg called the startup pace and culture of Seattle a feature, not a bug, and said the city shouldn't strive to be the Bay Area. But it also shouldn't 'suck for the folks where Seattle makes sense,' he added. The Uraizee sisters are not alone in chasing the AI dream to the nation's tech capital. The New York Times reported this week on the wave of 20-something entrepreneurs who are flocking to San Francisco for fear of being left behind the boom. Nectar Social launched in 2023 to help brands reach consumers where they're hanging out on social media platforms and talk directly to them in personalized conversations using artificial intelligence. The company raised $10.6 million in a funding round earlier this summer. Misbah Uraizee said that while Seattle's startup ecosystem has 'matured tremendously,' there is still a 'cultural gap around early-stage risk appetite.' As GeekWire Editor Taylor Soper pointed out, the departure of this one startup echoes themes highlighted in our story last week in which GeekWire interviewed more than 20 investors and founders across the community about the state of Seattle's startup scene amid a wave of AI-fueled transformation. 'We have the talent. We have the tech. Now we need to move louder, faster, and bolder,' said Samir Manjure, a veteran entrepreneur and CEO of Seattle startup Vieu. Perhaps Seattle will be loud enough and fast enough for the next startup that decides to stick around.
Geek Wire
3 days ago
- Business
- Geek Wire
‘The hustle factor is real': Why this fast-growing Seattle startup is packing its bags for Palo Alto
GeekWire's startup coverage documents the Pacific Northwest entrepreneurial scene. Sign up for our weekly startup newsletter , and check out the GeekWire funding tracker and venture capital directory . Nectar Social co-founders and sisters Misbah Uraizee (left) and Farah Uraizee. (Nectar Social Photo) Misbah Uraizee and Farah Uraizee want to win. And they believe their best shot at success lies in Silicon Valley, not Seattle. The co-founders of Nectar Social, fresh off a $10.6 million funding round, are moving their AI-powered social commerce startup down to Palo Alto, Calif. The decision came down to three main factors: proximity to customers and early adopters, co-locating employees, and accessing specialized talent. 'This wasn't about leaving Seattle — it was about giving Nectar the best possible chance to define a new category,' Misbah Uraziee told GeekWire. 'Sometimes that means being where the game is being played at the highest level.' Speed was also a consideration. 'The hustle factor is real,' Misbah said via email. 'Right now in the Valley, teams are working six, seven days a week because they understand this is a unique moment in technology history. That intensity — that sense of 'we have to win this market NOW' — is harder to cultivate in Seattle where the pace, even at startups, tends to mirror the steadier rhythms of the big tech companies.' Nectar's departure echoes themes highlighted in our story last week about the state of Seattle's startup scene amid a wave of AI-fueled transformation. The presence of tech giants like Amazon and Microsoft — along with Meta, Google, and others with large engineering centers in the Seattle region — has helped attract world-class talent. Misbah previously worked at Microsoft, Meta, and X in the Seattle area before launching Nectar Social in 2023. Farah spent nearly five years at Meta in Seattle. But that talent doesn't always translate into startup activity. Seattle's startup ecosystem has 'matured tremendously,' Misbah said, but she pointed to a 'cultural gap around early-stage risk appetite.' 'The talent pool — particularly from Amazon and Microsoft — tends to gravitate toward later stage companies with more predictable trajectories,' she said. 'For a seed/Series A company doing something new especially in social, the talent pool isn't it large as you'd expect.' Nectar is building AI tools to help brands engage consumers on social media through personalized, direct conversations. Revenue has grown 5X in the past two months, according to the company. Uraizee said Seattle excels in cloud infrastructure and AI research, but the Valley offers stronger depth in go-to-market functions, product marketing, and design — especially from people who've shipped AI products at scale. Asked what she'd add to the Seattle startup scene, Misbah said the city would benefit from celebrating risk-taking and more diversity within the investor ecosystem. Nectar raised from one Seattle firm, Flying Fish, but other backers are in Silicon Valley or elsewhere. 'Seattle VCs tend to pattern-match on enterprise SaaS and biotech,' Misbah said. She also called for more support infrastructure for early stage startups — such as shared spaces, angel investors, and advisory networks. 'Most importantly, Seattle needs to embrace the idea that some companies need to operate at Valley-speed to win their markets,' she said. 'That's not a judgment on work-life balance — it's recognition that certain opportunities have expiration dates. If the ecosystem could support both sustainable growth companies AND these sprint-mode ventures, more founders would stay.'
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sisters Power Nectar to $10.6M Funding, Unveil Game-Changing Marketing Tech
Seattle sisters Misbah and Farah Uraizee just announced $10.6 million in funding for their Nectar Social AI-native social operating system. The marketing tech platform for social media is intended to bypass classic advertising models to deliver stronger sales and financial returns for clients. According to the founders, this segment will generate $3 trillion in sales globally by 2026. According to GeekWire, the 2023 startup wants to help brands do two things. First, move to the front of the line when consumers click around social media platforms. Second, personalize AI conversations that move the consumer toward a buying decision. This two-pronged strategy, if successful, could mark a challenge to traditional methods of marketing digitally through ads, emails and text messaging. Don't Miss: Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — Peter Thiel turned $1,700 into $5 billion—now accredited investors are eyeing this software company with similar breakout potential. Learn how you can Nectar algos review comments, tags, replies to content, direct messages and other data the sisters say are invisible for most brands. They insist this tiny space will yield stronger sales and profits for their clientele because, with marketing relationships in place, these tools can feed product choices that are perfectly tailored to AI discoveries. The Uraizees list three primary goals for their startup: A place where social listening, community management and revenue attribution work together. A platform where AI acts like a strategic teammate, not just a chat bot. A social operating system designed for real engagement, not just publishing. Eight funds participated in the cash infusion, reflecting healthy interest in this relatively new digital marketing tactic. Tony Conrad, partner at True Ventures, and Frederique Dame, general partner at Google Ventures, led the funding round, with additional tranches provided by Trust Fund founder Sophia Amoruso, BAM Ventures, Mercury Fund, Charge Ventures, XRC Ventures and FAB Ventures. The $10.6 million raised includes a $2 million pre-seed round led by Seattle-based Flying Fish Ventures. Trending: Invest where it hurts — and help millions heal:. "Consumer behavior has fundamentally shifted toward social-first discovery, where purchase decisions begin with social content, flow through community, and propel by personalized conversations," Conrad told GeekWire. "Yet most brands are stuck using disconnected tools that weren't built for this reality. Misbah and Farah have built the answer to this problem." "Every customer journey starts with a Reddit search, a TikTok scroll or an influencer recommendation," Farah said in a LinkedIn video. "Ignore it and you'll get left in the dust." In addition to multiple tech companies, the Uraizees led product and engineering teams at Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) and are using this experience to develop new forms of customer engagement that focus on Gen Z and Gen Alpha, our youngest generations. Nectar AI tools engage in "social listening," tracking interactions from initial messaging to end purchases. According to the sisters, they watch online comments and videos from customers and influencers to get insights into the sentiment around brands and products. They specifically focus on the first 30 seconds after social platforms are opened because their research indicates that 25% of users perform searches within this time startup now has 12 employees at a Seattle engineering facility and New York City sales team. It's focusing early efforts on a brand list that includes consumer goods, beauty, wellness, food and beverage marketing, software services and lifestyle products. It has already built a portfolio of customers that include GLAMNETIC, Solawave, Olipop and Jones Road Beauty. However, competition in this AI marketing tech, also known as live shopping and search-as-a-service, is growing rapidly, led by Shanghai's SuperOrdinary, which already carries an $800 million valuation. Algolia, Rebuy and Loup are also working on similar platforms. Read Next: Here's what Americans think you need to be considered wealthy. Inspired by Uber and Airbnb – Deloitte's fastest-growing software company is transforming 7 billion smartphones into income-generating assets – Image: Shutterstock UNLOCKED: 5 NEW TRADES EVERY WEEK. Click now to get top trade ideas daily, plus unlimited access to cutting-edge tools and strategies to gain an edge in the markets. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? This article Sisters Power Nectar to $10.6M Funding, Unveil Game-Changing Marketing Tech originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Sign in to access your portfolio
