The missing element in Seattle’s startup ecosystem | UW joins $110M AI academic partnership

Despite its potential, Seattle’s startup ecosystem lacks a crucial element: a robust “middle layer” of Series A, B, and C companies. That’s one of the observations from Peter Mueller, co-founder and managing partner at Breakwater Ventures, on a recent episode of the Startup Project podcast with host Nataraj Sindam. Read more and listen here. (Above: Mueller, left, with William Finney, his founding partner at Breakwater)

• Previously on GeekWire: Meet Seattle’s newest seed fund: Breakwater Ventures emerges to back early stage startups

The University of Washington is among four universities — two in the U.S. and two in Japan — that will use $110 million from tech corporations to boost AI-related research and innovation. Amazon is putting $25 million toward the effort. Read more.

Feeling a little anxious about the state of the planet? Find some comfort in the impressive work being done by the five finalists for the Sustainable Innovation of the Year category at the GeekWire Awards. These companies are going after carbon dioxide, toxic pollutants and weeds. We’ll announce the winners on stage at the GeekWire Awards event in Seattle on May 9. Cast your vote here.

Hot Links:

• Amazon will stop paying third-party Alexa app developers through its “rewards program,” although they can still generate revenue with in-app purchases. (Bloomberg)

• Online games including "World of Warcraft" are returning to China following Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard. (Reuters)

• Middle East money: Venture firms are increasingly eyeing countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE for funding. Seattle-based WestRiver Group is looking to open offices in the region. (LinkedIn) 

• For the first time there are national limits on the level of PFAS "forever chemicals" allowed in drinking water. (U.S. EPA)

• Leadership tips from a first-time CEO, Maria Colacurcio of Syndio, who previously co-founded Smartsheet. (LinkedIn)

Thanks for subscribing to the GeekWire newsletter, and have a great day. — GeekWire co-founder Todd Bishop, todd@geekwire.com, and GeekWire editor Taylor Soper, taylor@geekwire.com.