Former Amazon manager leads fast-growing, tech-fueled pasta restaurant chain

• Dué Cucina is aiming to take a bite of the pasta industry by drawing on models from established companies like Chipotle and Bellevue, Wash-based MOD Pizza. The company just landed $2.5 million to fuel expansion. (Above: Dué Cucina co-founders Filippo Fiori, left, and Davide Macchi.) Read more.

What will it take to reimagine and reinvigorate Seattle’s downtown? We asked leaders for their ideas to help the city’s urban core thrive.

• Make it safer, more affordable, more walkable. Increase the childcare options. Think big on outdoor spaces. These are some of the ideas to help Seattle rebound from the loss of worker foot traffic brought on by the pandemic. Read more.

Startup fundings:

• Sentio, a Seattle startup building a tool to help developers monitor different layers of blockchain-based applications, raised $6.4 million.

• Kaito, an AI-powered search engine that scours the internet for crypto-related topics, raised $5.3 million.

Quantum news roundup:

• Amazon Web Services releases a cloud-based simulation software for modeling the electromagnetic properties of quantum hardware; Google aims to lower the error rate of quantum calculations; and new recommendations about the public sector’s role on the frontier. Read more.

Help us find the best workplaces, UX designers and STEM educators ahead of the 2023 GeekWire Awards.

• As we get set to recognize some of the top innovators, entrepreneurs and technology leaders in the Pacific Northwest on May 18, consider making a nomination in these exciting categories. Read more.