Seattle-area battery startup raises $214M from Microsoft, others

Group14 Technologies, a Woodinville, Wash.-based battery manufacturer, raised $214 million from investors that include Microsoft’s Climate Innovation Fund.

• The investment from Microsoft is another vote of confidence in Group14, which has developed a silicon-carbon composite material that can replace the graphite anodes in lithium-ion batteries, improving their performance and providing faster re-charging times. Read more. 

Some 3,900 companies worldwide have made pledges to cut their carbon emissions. But many, or perhaps most, lack the skilled workers needed to reach those goals.

• The need to bolster sustainability skills is urgent, experts say. Read more. 

Microsoft is partnering with Viasat to spread satellite internet access across Africa.

• The tech giant’s Airband Initiative has already helped connect 51 million people in rural America and around the world. Read more.

Two Seattle tech veterans who advised Starbucks on the coffee giant’s NFT project raised $10 million for a new Web3 startup.

• Former Starbucks exec Adam Brotman and startup investor Andy Sack lead Forum3, which plans to work with brands to remove frictions that come with blockchain technology. Read more.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee asked lawmakers to allocate $10 million in funding for a clean energy institute at Washington State University.

• The Institute for Northwest Energy Futures could focus on a variety of technologies, including biofuels, next-generation nuclear reactors, power transmission on the electrical grid, energy storage and batteries, and green hydrogen fuels. Read more.