Seattle’s startup scene is thriving, with new companies emerging regularly. Many of these startups, both new and established, are featured on the GeekWire 200 list of top privately held tech companies in the region. Among the newer startups making waves are Alice, Clearly AI, Maelstrom, Ravenna, Rome, and Silurian AI. These companies cover a range of industries from AI transcription services to developer tools to AI-powered helpdesks.
Alice, founded a year ago, offers an AI-powered voice recorder that quickly generates transcripts. Targeting journalists and media professionals, the company aims to assist in capturing and securely preserving spoken words. Led by Karan Gupta, a former engineering executive at several tech companies, Alice has already transcribed discussions at events hosted by Salesforce and Apple.
Clearly AI, a recent graduate of the Y Combinator cohort, focuses on helping companies ensure their software aligns with industry standards and internal policies related to security and privacy. Led by CEO Emily Choi-Greene, a former senior security engineer at Amazon, the company also provides vendor risk assessments and centralized storage for security and privacy documentation.
Maelstrom, led by Neal Fachan, a co-founder of data storage company Qumulo, is developing developer tools to enhance software testing processes. Fachan’s goal is to provide developers with the tools to run tests after making changes. His background as an engineer at Isilon and Amazon, as well as his experience at Qumulo, positions Maelstrom as a promising player in the software development space.
Ravenna, helmed by Taylor Halliday and Kevin Coleman, former engineering leaders at Zapier and Amazon Web Services, offers an AI-powered helpdesk tailored for modern operations teams. With a focus on advanced knowledge retrieval and AI-assisted actions, Ravenna aims to streamline service delivery with minimal human involvement. The startup boasts a deep integration with Slack and targets IT, HR, and revenue operations teams.
Rome, a unique startup led by CEO Ana Malhotra, caters to dog owners seeking private backyard spaces to exercise their pets. Taking inspiration from Sniffspot, Rome allows homeowners to rent out their yards and generate revenue. With a recent partnership with Dog Yard Bar in Seattle and participation in Antler’s Residency program in Austin, Rome is carving its niche in the pet care industry.
Silurian AI, founded by former AI researchers from Microsoft, focuses on building foundation models for Earth simulation, starting with weather forecasting. A recent Y Combinator graduate, Silurian was accepted into the AI Grant program for seed-stage AI startups. Co-founders Jayesh Gupta and Cristian Bodnar bring a wealth of experience from their roles at Microsoft, positioning Silurian as a promising player in the AI technology space.
