Tech layoffs could be a boon for startups and entrepreneurship 

• The answer to the first question is yes. While some startups are feeling the effects of the tech downturn, trimming headcount themselves, others are already taking advantage of the larger hiring pool. But it’s less clear if the tech layoffs will spark a new wave of entrepreneurial activity. Read the story from GeekWire startups reporter Nate Bek. 

Go inside with GeekWire:

• Group14 Technologies: Reporter Lisa Stiffler toured the Woodinville, Wash., headquarters of the startup that’s building next-generation batteries.

• Seattle Convention Center: Reporter Kurt Schlosser checked out the $2 billion expansion, Summit, which city leaders hope will boost downtown activity.

Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant proposed legislation to ban caste discrimination in the city, citing in part how it impacts South Asians in tech.

• Some tech workers who support the effort say the system of social hierarchy and bias followed them when they emigrated to the U.S. Read more. 

Tech Moves

• Babak Parviz, who helped create Google Glass and led Amazon’s secretive innovation arm, joined Madrona Venture Group as a venture partner. Read more about the latest key personnel changes. 

Are startup exits on their way back? 

• After IPO and M&A activity took a nose dive in 2022 amid inflation, rising interest rates, and other macroeconomic forces, some tech analysts are predicting public listing and acquisitions to pick up in the latter half of this year. Read more. 

Three years after the pandemic and its impact on live events derailed this photo booth startup, the company is surviving and seeing a bigger picture.

• Snapbar pivoted from being an in-person company mainly serving the West Coast to launching a virtual photo booth that’s used around the world. Read more.