Vicis is adding another big name to its investor list as the startup gears up to make its high-tech football helmet available to high school athletes. The Seattle-based company today announced that NFL star quarterback Russell Wilson participated in a $7 million round led by The Peregrine Group. Total funding in Vicis is now close to $50 million. Founded in 2014 and spun out of the University of Washington, Vicis has developed a $1,500 football helmet designed to mitigate the forces thought to cause concussions. This season, players from more than 15 NFL teams and 20 NCAA programs are wearing… Read More
Seahawks quarterback and Super Bowl Champion Russell Wilson has a lot of fans — and he wants a better way to connect with them. That’s one of the reasons Wilson founded TraceMe, a new Seattle-based startup building a platform for “superfans” to connect with celebrities, sports stars, and artists. As the startup gets off the ground, it’s looking for engineers that can make that platform a reality. The company is currently seeking senior frontend and backend engineers to build the tech behind TraceMe’s platform. The backend engineer will own the end-to-end architecture and development of the company’s services and lead a backend development… Read More
As Russell Wilson describes the ethos of his new startup, it feels like you’re inside his Seahawks huddle, driving down the field in the fourth quarter. His words become sharp; the focus increases. You can hear the passion in his voice as the NFL star quarterback pumps you up and locks you in. “We all have our heroes,” Wilson told GeekWire in an interview last week. “No matter how successful or aspirational you want to be, we all have them, someone that we look up to. Those people can inspire us and make an impact — and we want TraceMe… Read More
Write down your goals, listen more, and dream big. These are good pieces of advice for anyone, really, but they held special importance for more than 15,000 students who gathered inside an energetic Key Arena on Friday in Seattle for WE Day, an annual event that celebrates youth empowerment. WE Day events, hosted by non-profit WE, are attended annually by more than 200,000 students from more than 10,000 schools in the U.S., U.K., and Canada. Students earn tickets by participating in local WE Schools programs. There were several celebrities who spoke on stage Friday in Seattle, including space icon Buzz Aldrin. The Apollo… Read More
Microsoft wants to change how sports fans think about autographs. The tech giant this weekend unveiled “Social Autograph,” a new concept that digitizes an age-old art form — traditionally created with pen and paper — by taking advantage of the company’s Surface tablet and Windows inking technology. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, a long-time Microsoft spokesman, showed off the first-ever “Social Autograph” while appearing on Conan O’Brien’s late night show. Had a blast stopping by @ConanOBrien today. Hooked him up with the first ever Social Autograph on a @Surface #MicrosoftNFL pic.twitter.com/IweAhy8VOu — Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) February 1, 2017 Microsoft also invited Saints quarterback Drew Brees,… Read More
