Seattle’s newest unicorn | Microsoft’s new AI division

New unicorn sighting in the Seattle region: Truveta reached a $1 billion valuation after the health data company raised $320 million to fuel a massive new genomic dataset project with the support of biotech giant Regeneron and various healthcare systems. Read more.

• In another big funding round for a Seattle-area startup, Tune Therapeutics raised $175 million to help bolster its genetic medicine research. Read more.

Microsoft’s new AI division: Longtime Facebook/Meta engineering chief Jay Parikh didn't have a formal role or title when he joined Microsoft in October, but he does now. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella told employees that Parikh will lead a new division, CoreAI — Platform and Tools, bringing together several teams to build fundamental AI technologies and tools. Read more.

The first-ever orbital launch of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket was postponed once again early Monday due to a technical glitch. Jeff Bezos’ space venture is attempting to put a payload into Earth orbit for the first time. Read more.

T-Mobile reached a deal to acquire Vistar Media for $600 million. The company is a leading provider of solutions for digital out-of-home advertising. Read more.

“We are in a race to save soldiers’ lives.” That’s a line from Overland AI’s announcement revealing a fresh $32 million funding round to fuel development of its tech that helps the U.S. military use ground vehicles in complex terrain without the need for a human driver. Read more.

• See the latest startup fundings across the Pacific Northwest here. 

"HuskySwap" saga: Did you follow the LinkedIn posts last week by the University of Washington student whose class-swapping app ran afoul of UW policies? Here’s the backstory, including the student's perspective and the UW’s explanation.

Logistics fallout: Pandion was, by all appearances, a high-flying Seattle-area startup with a strong niche in e-commerce deliveries. Until last week. Here’s what happened.

How do you take notes? What do you do with them? In 2025, AI-powered note-taking tools offer not just efficiency but new opportunities for personal and team productivity by connecting insights, automating tasks, and boosting collaboration. Read more.

Hot Links:

• AT&T, which has corporate offices in the Seattle region, is reportedly running into issues with its new 5-day RTO mandate. (Business Insider)
• Washington State University’s Institute for Northwest Energy Futures received a $2.4 million grant to study how solar panels can aid apple production. (WSU Insider)