A relatively quiet week on the Puget Sound still yielded a diverse array of tech moves from several companies. Read on to find out how these companies are fueling growth. This is the Built In Seattle weekly refresh.
AWS acquired Wickr. Amazon Web Services announced its acquisition of Wickr, a company that supplies end-to-end encrypted communication tech. With Wickr’s added capabilities, AWS will be able to provide customers and partners with security features across messages, calls, file sharing and collaboration. [AWS]
EchoNous raised $60M. This Redmond-based startup offers portable AI-powered ultrasound tools and software. With the round led by Kennedy Lewis, the company is looking to fund the commercial launch of its flagship product, Kosmos. The device is an AI-guided point-of-care ultrasound built to provide high-quality imaging using smaller and less costly machinery. [Business Wire]
Seattle Tech Quote of the Week
Amazon to make 800 Seattle-area hires. The tech giant is looking to onboard 800 more people to work within Amazon Web Services, the company’s cloud-hosting business. Open roles span software development, UX design, technical program management and more. The jobs will be based in Redmond at the company’s 137,000-square-foot facility. [Built In Seattle]
Knock hired a new CRO. Offering customer relationship and performance management software for residential property management companies, Knock brought on a new addition to its C-suite. Having led teams at companies like Cisco and Oracle, Jennifer Haas will be taking over as Knock’s chief revenue officer. She has two decades of experience in the enterprise tech space. [EIN Presswire]
Gates Foundation puts $2.1B toward gender equality. The organization committed the donation over the next five years as part of the Generation Equality Forum that happened in Paris. The Gates Foundation made the pledge in the interest of advancing women’s economic empowerment, strengthening women’s and girls’ health and family planning, and accelerating women’s leadership. [GeekWire]
WXR Fund closed its first fund. The VC firm is dedicated to women-led companies in the extended reality and artificial intelligence space. To date, WXR Fund has invested in companies in industries across healthcare, entertainment, education and retail. Names include Obsess, absurd:joy, Embodied Labs, Wavely Diagnostics, All3D.ai, Prisms of Reality and Scatter. [BusinessWire]
