CrowdStrike outage hits Microsoft systems and reputation

Signify, a startup spun out of Seattle’s AI2 Incubator, raised $2.1 million to develop an AI-powered software platform to help manufacturers comply with regulations for their products. Read more.

How is the age of AI reshaping the landscape for entrepreneurs and investors alike? Amy McCullough and Yuval Neeman, managing directors of Seattle-area venture capital firm Trilogy Equity Partners, discuss their unique investment thesis, the qualities they look for in entrepreneurs, and the transformative impact of AI on the future of work. Read more and listen to the Shift AI Podcast.

Smartsheet has received buyout interest from private equity firms, according to a Reuters report. The Bellevue, Wash.-based software giant has a market capitalization of around $6.6 billion. Read more.

A new report about Helion Energy raises concerns about the secrecy around the science and operations at the Everett, Wash.-based company as it seeks to produce commercially viable fusion power. Read more.

Seattle biotech startup Bonum Therapeutics is moving into new offices near Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood as it plans to double headcount in pursuit of cancer-fighting immunotherapy treatments. Read more. 

Hot Links:

• Demand is down for software developers from the boom times of 2021-22 as companies are slower to hire and less willing to expand headcount. (Axios)

• A major Xbox Live outage kept gamers from signing into accounts, downloading or playing online games for several hours. (The Verge)