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Geek Wire
4 days ago
- Business
- Geek Wire
Seattle doesn't have many unicorns. Does it matter?
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 . From left: Moderator Joaquin Gallardo, Flying Fish's Geoff Harris, Tola Capital's Sophia Lu, Amazon's Phoebe Wang, and Madrona's Tim Porter. (GeekWire Photo / Todd Bishop) It's hard to find Seattle-area startups represented on CB Insights' list of unicorn companies. In fact, out of more than 1,200 startups on the list (as of January 2025), there are fewer than 20 active companies from the Seattle region that reached a $1 billion valuation in recent years. That's about 1.5% of all global unicorns. San Francisco has nearly 200. New York has 125. Beijing has 62. Seattle is in the same league as places like Chicago, Boston, and Austin. But for a region with nearly a quarter of the nation's AI engineers and a super dense tech talent pool — the lack of unicorns wandering around the Pacific Northwest presents a bit of a paradox. Or maybe it's just not that important of a metric. 'I think unicorns are a really bad measure of things,' Tim Porter, a longtime managing director at Seattle's Madrona Venture Group, said at a Technology Alliance event in Redmond on Tuesday. Porter's point: while it would be great if Seattle had more unicorns, it doesn't tell the whole story — especially for this moment. He said Seattle is in the 'top two places in the world' to build an AI startup. 'It's a great place to build a business,' he said. Seattle has plenty of fast-growing startups. Truveta and Statsig have emerged in 2025 as unicorns. The region has produced some sizable acquisitions and a handful of public offerings in recent years. It also has the ingredients for billion-dollar value startup creation. There are homegrown cloud computing giants (Microsoft and Amazon), premier research institutions (Ai2, University of Washington), and more than 100 Silicon Valley engineering centers (Meta, Apple, Google, Salesforce, OpenAI, Anthropic). But why aren't more unicorns sprouting out of Seattle? Some believe Seattle founders should swing bigger — go for massive, disruptive growth rather than just steady, linear growth. 'Seattle has a history of building companies a little bit more pragmatically,' Porter said. Maybe the city needs more on-ramps to help longtime corporate tech workers make the leap to startup land or welcome transplant entrepreneurs who are looking for community. Foundations and AI House are two new groups aiming to do that. Even just three years ago, founders in Seattle wouldn't know where to find investors or connect with other company builders, said Sophia Lu, an investor with Seattle-based Tola Capital. 'That's definitely changing now,' Lu said. It may just be a 'matter of time,' as Geoff Harris, managing partner at Seattle VC firm Flying Fish, said at the Tech Alliance event. 'For what we do, this is an absolutely amazing place to do that work,' Harris said. Here are the companies included on the CB Insights unicorn list that are currently active and based in the Seattle area, along with the year they were added. (Caveat: some companies may no longer be valued above $1 billion due to down rounds, business slowdowns, etc.) Tanium , cybersecurity (2015) , cybersecurity (2015) Outreach , sales software (2019) , sales software (2019) Icertis , contract management (2019) , contract management (2019) Qumulo , data management (2020) , data management (2020) Zenoti , salon software (2020) , salon software (2020) Amperity , customer data (2021) , customer data (2021) Helion , fusion energy (2021) , fusion energy (2021) Highspot , sales enablement (2021) , sales enablement (2021) Karat , technical interviews (2021) , technical interviews (2021) Place , real estate (2021) , real estate (2021) Rad Power Bikes , e-bikes (2021) , e-bikes (2021) Rec Room , gaming (2021) , gaming (2021) Flexe , warehouse logistics (2022) , warehouse logistics (2022) Temporal , developer tools (2022) , developer tools (2022) SeekOut , recruiting software (2022) , recruiting software (2022) Chainguard , cybersecurity (2024) , cybersecurity (2024) Statsig , developer tools (2025) , developer tools (2025) Truveta, healthcare (2025) Data from PitchBook also shows additional unicorns in the region: EigenLayer , blockchain infrastructure , blockchain infrastructure Group14 Technologies , next-generation batteries , next-generation batteries iSpot , advertising tech , advertising tech Veeam Software , data protection , data protection Zap Energy, fusion energy Related:
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Moss Expands UK Presence with Rocket Graphics Acquisition
FRANKLIN PARK, Ill., Feb. 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Moss, a leading producer of premium graphics, complex structures and custom installations for branded experiences, has acquired Rocket Graphics, a respected UK-based large format printer serving creative agencies and live event organizers. The move significantly expands Moss's UK footprint and strengthens its position as a creative production leader for corporate brand experiences and live events. Launched 25 years ago, Rocket's co-founder Tim Porter, has remained true to his original vision of redefining the landscape of large format printing. The business has grown substantially in that time, built on its reputation as a leader in high quality, eco-friendly graphic solutions for exhibits and large-scale events. Michael Green, Managing Director at Moss UK, will lead the combined business with Tim Porter joining the senior management team at Moss UK as Group Account Director. "Expanding in the UK market with a fellow premium provider gives our customers access to both increased capability and proven expertise – all while maintaining the Moss gold standard for exceptional quality and service," commented Jason Popp, President and CEO of Moss. "It's exciting to bring two highly successful businesses and teams together." "After 25 incredible years building the business, I'm thrilled to join forces with Moss, a company that shares our values, our commitment to sustainability and a belief that outstanding customer service is a fundamental business imperative," added Tim Porter. "Together, we can deliver even greater innovation and value to our clients." Michael Green, Managing Director at Moss UK welcomed the move, stating, "These two businesses make for a great strategic fit: a shared passion for transforming our environmental legacy, imaginative and creative teams and a customer-centred ethos that make us a trusted partner in our fast-paced, fast-moving industry. We look forward to welcoming Tim, our new colleagues and our new clients to Moss". Moss operates globally with operations in the US, Germany, Poland, and the UK. The Rocket Graphics acquisition is the third in the past 16 months and follows Moss's recent purchase of US based Stretch Shapes, reinforcing the company's commitment to partnering with clients to deliver immersive branded environments worldwide. About Moss Moss is the leading global production partner for branded experiences and is a portfolio company of investment funds managed by EagleTree Capital. With over 45 years of expertise, Moss serves diverse end markets including exhibits, live events, sports, retail, and environments. For more information on Moss, please visit About Rocket Graphics Rocket was founded twenty-five years ago by Tim Porter, a young installer turned business co-founder and company director. Based in Watford (UK), Rocket has successfully navigated the evolving landscape of graphic design and large format digital printing. Transitioning from traditional photographic production to pioneering digital print techniques, Rocket has built an enviable reputation as a front-runner in high quality, eco-friendly graphic solutions for exhibitions and large-scale events. For more details visit About EagleTree Capital EagleTree Capital is a leading New York-based middle-market private equity firm that has completed 45 private equity investments and over 100 add-on transactions over the past 20+ years. For more information, visit or find EagleTree on LinkedIn. Contact: Claire Hamilton, Marketing Manager, Moss chamilton@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Moss Sign in to access your portfolio
