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Plenty of Pacific Northwest startups raised big funding rounds this year to fuel their growth in 2017 and beyond. The largest round was a $115 million cash infusion for Remitly, which operates a mobile remittance platform in 10 countries. The Series D round was led by PayU, an international online payment service provider and the fintech arm of Naspers, a global investment company with equity stakes in tech giants like Tencent and Flipkart, among hundreds of others. The $115 million round, approved by regulators in December, was the largest in the Pacific Northwest since OfferUp’s $120 million round last year. The funding will help Remitly expand… Read More
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
Rep the Squad is growing. The Seattle startup, which launched its sports jersey rental service three months ago, today added NBA jerseys to its collection and also announced an additional $1 million in funding. Rep the Squad charges customers $19.95 per month to receive selected jerseys in the mail, one at a time — it’s the model Netflix used in its early days. When you’re done wearing one, you can return it and receive a different jersey as long as you maintain your subscription. The company launched with NFL jerseys for Seahawks, 49ers and Lions players; it added Denver and… Read More
KrowdFit is raising more cash for its wellness rewards platform that offers people money in exchange for practicing healthy habits. The Bend, Ore. startup just reeled in an additional $3.8 million from existing investors, KrowdFit CEO Jim Miller told GeekWire. The money will be used to grow its product development team and partner integrations. KrowdFit launched in 2010 after Miller, a longtime entrepreneur who previously ran a Visa rewards program for his former startup uTANGO, saw an opportunity to create a service that rewarded users with cash for being healthy. The company’s platform engages users by having them log their exercise, step,… Read More
