The Washington University Mafia

khanak

Published

October 10, 2024

Ana Mari Cauce became president of the University of Washington in 2015, marking a significant milestone as the university’s first Latina, and openly LGBTQ+ leader. A faculty member since 1986, Cauce is a distinguished psychologist and academic, known for her work on adolescent development, diversity, and social justice.

Throughout her tenure, Cauce has prioritized advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, championing initiatives to increase access to higher education for underrepresented communities. Under her leadership, UW has strengthened its role as a global leader in research, healthcare, and innovation, while also enhancing its public service efforts. Cauce has been instrumental in expanding the university’s outreach, focusing on sustainability, public health, and student success.

Her commitment to public education and community impact has solidified the University of Washington’s reputation as one of the leading public research universities in the world, with a mission to foster excellence in teaching, research, and service.

KUOW - Look No Further: Ana Mari Cauce Picked As UW President — Ana Mari Cauce

The Washington University Mafia

The Washington University Mafia has founded 2,064 companies and raised $54B.

PS: Are you a Washington University Mafia member interested in bringing your community together to invest in innovative ventures (and enjoy potential profits and other perks along the way)? Or perhaps you're part of another dynamic group that could be a fantastic source of startup investments?

😉 Then sign up to our waitlist

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List of all the amazing companies covered:

Gogoro
Tilray
NanoString Technologies
Redfin
ResMed
Avalara
Corbus Pharmaceuticals
CTI BioPharma
Spaceflight Industries
Offchain Labs
Amperity
Kaspien
Propel Fuels
LoanSnap
Ovation
Dusty Robotics
Streamlit
Edge Delta
Vapor IO
Quantum Machines
Kineta
Igloo
Bye Aerospace
P0x Labs
Revefi
Moz
Crowd Cow
Dot Inc.
Amplero
Supio
Lockdown Networks
PitchBook
Occupier
PrizePool
Opya
Savioke
Myspace
Neoteris
Shipium
Vacatia
Aimerce
Sensoria
OpenLattice
Storehouse
Ellis Brooklyn
TRU Technologies
Fetch It
2045Tech

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Gogoro

Founder: Horace Luke

University of Washington: BFA and BA, Industrial Design and Fine Art

1989 - 1993

Capital Raised: $1.1B

Investors: Castrol

Stage: Post-IPO Equity

Gogoro is a provider of electric scooters and a battery swapping system for urban electric two-wheel scooters and motorcycles.

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NanoString Technologies

Founder: Dwayne Dunaway

University of Washington: Ph.D., Bioengineering

1991 - 2000

Capital Raised: $873.9M

Investors: CRG

Stage: Post-IPO Debt

NanoString Technologies provides a life science tools platform for a variety of basic research, translational medicine and IVD applications.

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Tilray

Founder: Brendan Kennedy

University of Washington: MS, Engineering

1994 - 1995

Capital Raised: $648.6M

Investors: Growcore Investments

Stage: Post-IPO Debt

Avalara is a cloud-based platform that provides tax compliance software and automated solutions.

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Redfin

Founder: David Eraker

University of Washington: BS, Biochemistry

1995 - 1999

Capital Raised: $569.6M

Investors: Greylock

Stage: Post-IPO Debt

Redfin is a technology-powered real estate brokerage company that simplifies the process of buying and selling homes.

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ResMed

Founder: Maria Artunduaga

University of Washington: Master of Public Health (MPH), Healthcare Leadership, Policy & Management; Epidemiology & Biostatistics

Oct 2014 - Jun 2016

Capital Raised: $500M

Investors: —

Stage: Post-IPO Debt

A global leader in digital health and connected medical devices, plus software solutions that support out-of-hospital care providers.

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Avalara

Founder: Jared Vogt

University of Washington: BS, Psychology

1989 - 1993

Capital Raised: $341M

Investors: Battery Ventures

Stage: Post-IPO Debt

Avalara is a cloud-based platform that provides tax compliance software and automated solutions.

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Corbus Pharmaceuticals

Founder: Bruce Montgomery

University of Washington: Doctor of Medicine (MD), Medicine

1971 - 1979

Capital Raised: $341.4M

Investors: K2 HealthVentures

Stage: Post-IPO Equity

Corbus Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on treating inflammatory and fibrotic diseases.

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Spaceflight Industries

Founder: Jason Andrews

University of Washington: Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering

Capital Raised: $203.5M

Investors: RRE Ventures

Stage: Series C

Spaceflight Industries provides small-satellite services and solutions to enable new applications through the commercialization of space.

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Amperity

Founder: Kabir Shahani

University of Washington: Bachelor of Science, Informatics

2004

Capital Raised: $187M

Investors: Goldman Sachs

Stage: Series D

Amperity is an Intelligent Customer Data Platform that empowers global consumer brands by unlocking all their customer data.

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CTI BioPharma

Founder: Jack Singer

University of Washington: Fellow in Hem/Onc, Hematology/Oncology

1970 - 1975

Capital Raised: $254.8M

Investors: DRI Healthcare Trust

Stage: Post-IPO Debt

CTI BioPharma is a biopharmaceutical company developing oncology products for the treatment of blood-related cancers.

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Offchain Labs

Founder: Ed Felten

University of Washington: Ph.D., Computer Science and Engineering

1989 - 1993

Capital Raised: $123.7M

Investors: Ribbit Capital

Stage: Series B

Offchain Labs develops a solution for scaling Ethereum smart contracts.

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Kineta

Founder: Shawn Iadonato

University of Washington: Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Genetics

1998

Capital Raised: $98M

Investors: Wellcome Trust

Stage: Post-IPO Equity

Kineta aims at developing edge therapeutics in autoimmune disease, viral disease, and chronic pain areas.

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Igloo

Founder: Wei Zhu

University of Washington: BS, Computer Engineering

1992 - 1996

Capital Raised: $98M

Investors: Cathay Innovation

Stage: Series C

Igloo is an insurtech firm that creates insurance solutions to help companies eliminate risk exposure and optimize products.

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Quantum Machines

Founder: Yonatan Cohen

University of Washington: Bachelor's Degree, Physics and Mathematics

2006 - 2009

Capital Raised: $93M

Investors: Battery Ventures

Stage: Series B

Quantum Machines is a start-up developing control systems for quantum computers.

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Vapor IO

Founder: Andrew Cencini

University of Washington: MS, Computer Science

2005 - 2008

Capital Raised: $90M

Investors: Goldman Sachs

Stage: Series C

Vapor IO develops and provides a nationwide network solution for the edge, combining edge exchange, edge colocation, and edge networking.

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Edge Delta

Founder: Ozan Unlu

University of Washington: Bachelor of Science - Nanotechnology

Capital Raised: $81M

Investors: Menlo Ventures

Stage: Series B

Edge Delta is a observability platform offering Cloud-First Log Search, Analytics and Data Pipelines.

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Dusty Robotics

Founder: Tessa Lau

University of Washington: MS, PhD, Computer Science

1995 - 2001

Capital Raised: $68.7M

Investors: Baseline Ventures

Stage: Series B

Dusty Robotics develops robot-powered tools for the modern construction workforce.

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Propel Fuels

Founder: Michael Kudriavtseff

University of Washington: BA, Business Administration

Capital Raised: $63.7M

Investors: Craton Equity Partners

Stage: Series D

Propel Fuels is a commercial fuel provider that has a mobile application with a list of their locations.

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Streamlit

Founder: Adrien Treuille, Nodira Khoussainova

University of Washington: PhD, Computer Science, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Computer Science

2001 - 2007

Capital Raised: $62M

Investors: Sequoia Capital

Stage: Series B

Streamlit is an open-source app framework for creating and deploying data science applications.

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Ovation

Founder: Barry Wark

University of Washington: PhD, Neurobiology and Behavior

2004 - 2009

Capital Raised: $56M

Investors: SignalFire

Stage: Series B

Ovation is a scientific data company providing a cloud-based LIMS for molecular diagnostic laboratories.

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Kaspien

Founder: Tom Simpson

University of Washington: Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), Accounting

1978 - 1982

Capital Raised: $51.7M

Investors: Eclipse Business Capital

Stage: Post-IPO Equity

Kaspien specializes in optimizing and growing brands on various online marketplaces.

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Vacatia

Founder: Michael Burns

University of Washington: Bachelor of Science (BS), Political Science and Government

1972 - 1978

Capital Raised: $48.8M

Investors: Javelin Venture Partners

Stage: Series B

Vacatia is the resort marketplace for vacationing families, whose mission is to make family vacations better

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LoanSnap

Founder: Allan Carroll

University of Washington: M.S., Computer Science & Engineering

2006 - 2008

Capital Raised: $57.7M

Investors: True Ventures

Stage: Series B

LoanSnap is on a mission to improve every American's finances

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Shipium

Founder: Jason Murray

University of Washington: Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.), Computer

1992 - 1996

Capital Raised: $37.5M

Investors: Insight Partners

Stage: Series A

Shipium is the Premier Shipping Platform for retail and ecommerce. We make fast shipping the cornerstone of a great shopping experience.

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Neoteris

Founder: Theron Tock

University of Washington: BS, Computer Science and Engineering

Sep 1984 - Jun 1990

Capital Raised: $37.5M

Investors: Battery Ventures

Stage: Series C

Neoteris develops an instant virtual extranet platform for the SSL VPN market.

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Myspace

Founder: Aber Whitcomb, Chris DeWolf

University of Washington: BS, Computer Science/Math

1996 - 2000

Capital Raised: $37.8M

Investors: Redpoint

Stage: Series A

MySpace is a social networking site that enables members to make friends, write blog posts, add music, and customize their MySpace pages.

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P0x Labs

Founder: Shumo Chu

University of Washington: Doctor of Philosophy - PhD, Computer Science

2013 - 2019

Capital Raised: $31.6M

Investors: Polychain

Stage: Series A

P0x Labs is the team behind Manta Network is a privacy-preserving technology operating on the Polkadot blockchain.

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Revefi

Founder: Shashank Gupta

University of Washington: Master's Degree, Secondary Teacher Education

Capital Raised: $30.5M

Investors: Mayfield Fund

Stage: Series A

Revefi is an AI data engineering company that uses generative AI and automation to help customers maximize ROI from data warehouse tools.

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Bye Aerospace

Founder: George E. Bye

University of Washington: BS, Engineering

1976 - 1980

Capital Raised: $32.9M

Investors: Fine Day Ventures

Stage: Series B

Bye Aerospace designs, builds, and markets electric-powered and solar-powered aircraft.

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Savioke

Founder: Tessa Lau

University of Washington: MS, PhD, Computer Science

1995 - 2001

Capital Raised: $34M

Investors: Felicis

Stage: Series B

Savioke develops and deploys autonomous delivery robots that work in human environments to improve people’s lives.

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Moz

Founder: Rand Fishkin

University of Washington: None, Finance

1997 - 2001

Capital Raised: $29.1M

Investors: Foundry Group

Stage: Series C

Moz is a provider of inbound marketing analytics software.

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Lockdown Networks

Founder: Chad Storey

University of Washington: Master of Science, Computer Science

Jan 1998

Capital Raised: $27.3M

Investors: Intel Capital

Stage: Series B

Lockdown leverages network, security and infrastructure to identify every user and device on the network and assesses devices.

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deepc

Founder: Michael Meyerhoff

University of Washington: Physics

1986 - 1987

Capital Raised: $26M

Investors: Bertelsmann Investments

Stage: Series A

The AI Operating System for the Future of Radiology

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Amplero

Founder: Lisa Clarke

University of Washington: Business

1988 - 1990

Capital Raised: $25.5M

Investors: Greycroft

Stage: Series B

Amplero leverages machine learning and adaptive experimentation to enable marketers to achieve what's not humanly possible!

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Supio

Founder: Kyle Lam

University of Washington: Bachelor's Degree, Computer Science

2006 - 2009

Capital Raised: $25M

Investors: Sapphire Ventures

Stage: Series A

Supio is an accurate and dependable AI that assists attorneys in finding crucial information.

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Crowd Cow

Founder: Joe Heitzeberg

University of Washington: B.S., Computer Science

Sep 1991 - Jan 1995

Capital Raised: $25.3M

Investors: Madrona

Stage: Series B

Crowd Cow works with small family farms to let users choose their cow and their cut.

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Dot Inc.

Founder: Eric Ju Yoon Kim

University of Washington: Activities and Societies: Lavin Entrepreneurship Program, Startup UW

Capital Raised: $25.3M

Investors: InterVest Co.

Stage: Series B

Dot is a pioneer in smart technology for the vision-impaired and the deafblind, helping them to lead more independent lives.

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PrizePool

Founder: Joe Woo

University of Washington: Bachelor's Degree, Computer Science

2005 - 2009

Capital Raised: $18.6M

Investors: FJ Labs

Stage: Series A

PrizePool is a savings startup that offers savings account that makes saving money fun and even exciting.

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Opya

Founder: Jonathan Wright

University of Washington: BA, Geography

1986 - 1990

Capital Raised: $19.3M

Investors: BIP Ventures

Stage: Series A

Offchain Labs develops a solution for scaling Ethereum smart contracts.

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Occupier

Founder: Erik Pearson

University of Washington: Bachelor of Science (BS), Economics

2008 - 2012

Capital Raised: $16.9M

Investors: OMERS Ventures

Stage: Series A

Occupier is building proptech software enabling commercial tenants to make smarter real estate decisions.

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PitchBook

Founder: John Gabbert

University of Washington: BA, Business, Concentrations in Finance & Marketing

1992 - 1996

Capital Raised: $13.8M

Investors: Morningstar

Stage: Series B

PitchBook provides comprehensive M&A, private equity, and venture capital data, as well as daily industry news and analysis.

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Ellis Brooklyn

Founder: Bee Shapiro

University of Washington: Bachelor of Arts

1999 - 2003

Capital Raised: $9M

Investors: REDO Ventures

Stage: Series A

Ellis Brooklyn is an online beauty brand shop that provides vegan and cruelty-free sustainable fragrances.

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Storehouse

Founder: Timothy Donnelly

University of Washington: BFA, Visual Communication Design, Interaction Design

2007 - 2010

Capital Raised: $8.5M

Investors: True Ventures

Stage: Series A

Storehouse lets you tell stories with your photos and videos. Winner of TechCrunch 2015 Crunchie for Best Mobile App. Winner of the 2014 Apple Design Award.

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