First Mode files for bankruptcy | Allen Institute names new VP

Tech Moves: Allen Institute vet returns as new vice president; Nordstrom board member resigns; and more personnel changes in Pacific Northwest tech.

Joylux, a Seattle-based startup selling electronic devices that can help women improve their vaginal health, raised $4.5 million to help launch its partnership with actress, filmmaker and entrepreneur Halle Berry. Read more.

• See the latest startup funding news here.

Gaming industry trends to watch: The sector is poised for a big rebound in 2025, according to one analyst, as the latest console wars take hold and distribution methods rise in importance. Read more.

This is (not) bananas: Amazon devices chief Panos Panay did his best Oprah impression at the company’s Seattle HQ, but instead of free cars he handed out free Kindle Paperwhites to those stopping by a banana stand near the Spheres.

Hot Links:

• Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) announced that five tribes in Washington state will receive $32.2 million to increase broadband connectivity, and $15.9 million will go toward enhanced cybersecurity and digital equity in the state. (Cantwell’s office)

• Reported crime in Seattle amounts to a lot of data to manage and analyze. Seattle startup Row Zero, makers of the “world’s fastest spreadsheet,” crunched the numbers by neighborhood. (Nick End via LinkedIn)

• Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella looks back at the pace of AI innovation and its impact around the world throughout 2024. (Microsoft) 

• The Jeff Bezos-owned Washington Post is reportedly having trouble luring candidates for its top newsroom job, with some job seekers being asked to write an Amazon-style six-page memo about their journalistic vision for the paper. (Axios)