Zillow vets land $6.7M for new real estate startup | Microsoft invests in Veeam

• Related: When Zillow and Redfin announced a key partnership earlier this month, it got us thinking: could the Seattle real estate rivals join forces in a bigger way in the future? Here’s what analysts told us.

Microsoft made an equity investment in Veeam, deepening its partnership with the Kirkland, Wash.-based data protection and ransomware recovery company, focused on their joint work in cloud and AI technologies. Read more.

A grocery space in Seattle that has been tied to Amazon over the past few years is set to become a new H Mart location. The Asian grocery chain is taking over the former New Seasons Market in Ballard, where Amazon had been testing its grocery tech. Read more.

Blue Origin sent its 10th crew on a quick suborbital ride to space today, reaching a new milestone — with a bit of a mystery onboard. Read more.

Tesla keeps sales advantage: A bipartisan effort aiming to give Rivian, Lucid and other EV makers the right to sell their vehicles directly to consumers has stalled in the Washington state legislature. Read more.

Microsoft’s venture firm led a $15 million round for Edera, a Seattle startup that helps companies secure their Kubernetes and AI workloads. Read more.

GeekWire editor Taylor Soper is moderating an investor outlook discussion this week hosted by TiE Seattle with four venture capitalists. What should he ask? Email him questions. 

Hot Links:

• Microsoft is testing an ad-supported version of Office for Windows. (Beebom; The Verge)

• Phone-spam fighting startup Hiya released its latest Global Call Threat Report, revealing that AI-generated deepfake fraud calls cost victims much more money than traditional phone scams. (Hiya)

• How is AI changing the film industry? A University of Washington researcher spoke with striking film workers in 2023 to understand their concerns about tech’s impact in Hollywood. (UW News)