UW computer science professor wins $100K award | Gilead Sciences closing Seattle office

Shyam Gollakota (above), a University of Washington computer science professor and Seattle-based health tech startup founder, won a $100,000 award as one of six researchers honored as part of this year’s Infosys Prize. Here's how he'll use the money.

Biopharma giant Gilead Sciences will shut down its office in Seattle’s Eastlake neighborhood. The closure will affect 72 workers. Read more.

A proposed capital gains tax in Seattle is drawing mixed reactions from lawmakers and tech leaders. Some raise concerns about possible detrimental impacts to the business industry and retention of tech talent, but supporters of the tax push back on assertions that the policies harm a region’s innovation ecosystem. Read more.

A week or more to get a bunch of stuff we don’t really need? Sign us up! We made our first purchases on Amazon Haul —  the Seattle company's long-awaited response to Temu and Shein, the discount e-commerce platforms for the TikTok generation that have turned online shopping into something that feels more like playing a game. Here’s what we learned.

Another clinic for full-body MRI scans is open in Seattle. With a space at University Village, Prenuvo hopes to attract customers who will spend $2,500 for a 60-minute screening that can detect cancer and other conditions. Read more. 

Seattle-area startup fundings:

• Starfish Space raised $29 million to back the development of its first three Otter orbital servicing spacecraft.

• MIND came out of stealth and announced $11 million in funding for its cybersecurity platform.

• Techstars grad TestSprite, which aims to automate software testing, raised $1.5 million. 

RealWear, Vancouver, Wash.-based maker of augmented reality industrial headsets, acquired a Swiss startup called Almer Technologies.

Microsoft and NASA have joined forces to develop Earth Copilot, a software tool that uses artificial intelligence and cloud computing to simplify the process of searching and analyzing Earth science data. Read more.

Chapter 2, Microsoft @ 50: In the second installment of this GeekWire series, we look back at the company’s beginnings, seeking enduring entrepreneurial lessons from the early moves that catapulted Microsoft from startup to software giant. Read more.

Hot Links:

• Washington state courts’ online systems remain down after “unauthorized activity” was detected more than a week ago. (The Seattle Times)

• Unionized workers at Microsoft-owned ZeniMax, parent company of video game developer Bethesda, went on strike to protest remote work policies. (The Verge)

• Derrick Hicks, a researcher at the University of Washington’s Institute for Protein Design, was awarded a $387,050 grant from Washington Research Foundation. (WRF)

• An AI model developed at Washington State University can identify signs of disease in animal and human tissue much faster and more accurately than humans. (WSU Insider)

• Derek Richardson, CEO of Seattle smart lighting startup Deako, was honored by Entrepreneur magazine. (Entrepreneur)