After 14 years as CEO, Brad Gray has decided to step down from leading NanoString, a Seattle-based biotech company. NanoString recently completed an acquisition by Bruker for approximately $392.6 million in cash following a bankruptcy process earlier in the year. Gray expressed confidence in Bruker as the new home for NanoString, assuring customers that their needs will be taken care of. NanoString CFO Tom Bailey is also leaving the company, but many of NanoString’s senior leaders are staying on under the new ownership, including Chief Scientific Officer Joe Beechem.
Founded in 2003, NanoString originated from the Institute for Systems Biology and went public in 2013. Before joining NanoString in 2010, Brad Gray held positions at Genzyme Genetics and McKinsey & Company. The decision to explore a potential sale was made after NanoString lost a patent infringement case against 10X Genomics, who claimed NanoString infringed on seven patents related to their GeoMx Digital Spatial Profiler, which analyzes RNA and protein. Despite the challenges, NanoString is hopeful that its mission to map the universe of biology will continue under its new ownership.
In other key personnel changes in the Pacific Northwest tech industry, the co-founders of Temporal, a Seattle startup focused on cloud applications, have swapped positions. Samar Abbas, who was previously the CTO, has become the CEO, while Maxim Fateev, the former CEO, is now the CTO. Both founders worked together at Uber on a project called Cadence before launching Temporal in 2019. The company raised $75 million in funding last year and continues to grow and evolve under its new leadership structure.
Lisa Nelson, a notable tech leader in the Seattle area who previously ran Microsoft’s venture fund, joined the board of telecommunications giant Spark New Zealand. Nelson expressed her belief in the New Zealand tech ecosystem’s potential for continued growth and success. Meanwhile, Anup Chamrajnagar, former CFO and COO at Certa, has joined Gradial, a Seattle marketing startup, as co-founder and chief commercial officer. Gradial recently raised $5.4 million and is on a mission to revolutionize marketing technology.
Cyemptive Technologies, a Seattle-based cybersecurity startup, appointed Wessel Graatasma as vice president overseeing the company’s business in European markets. Graatasma brings his experience from a previous role at Solid Optics to his new position. Additionally, Kiterocket, a communications agency based in Seattle, welcomed Jessica Fishman as a director of renewable energy. Fishman’s background includes executive roles at various companies within the renewable energy sector. Lastly, Amazon’s Prime Video has enlisted racing legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. to join its broadcast booth for the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series coverage starting next year.
