Mar 29, 2022

Kymeta

Kymeta and OneWeb, a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications company, announced a distribution partner agreement to offer broadband connectivity services across the globe. The OneWeb LEO satellite network will give Kymeta customers access to high-speed, low-latency broadband connectivity while on the move or while stationary, anywhere in the world. Kymeta offers the world’s only high-bandwidth, low power, fully integrated family of high throughput mobile terminals and has been widely adopted by military, government, enterprise, and maritime customers. The connectivity from OneWeb will complement Kymeta’s existing broadband geostationary orbit (GEO) and 4G cellular service offering. Kymeta’s distribution agreement with OneWeb will enable the company to resell OneWeb services in conjunction with fixed and mobility hardware solutions to government and commercial customers globally. The announcement comes just three months after the two companies partnered in a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) to develop and bring to market by the end of 2022 a new u8-based LEO terminal that supports communications on the move (COTM) and communication on the pause (COTP) for governments, businesses, and communities. Kymeta is a privately held company based in Redmond.

Verasonics

Verasonics, a research ultrasound firm, announced that since February 2021, Verasonics has received six new patents supporting the company’s vision to advance research and development in biomedical ultrasound, materials science, earth sciences, and the physics of acoustics and ultrasonics. This marks an important milestone as the company continues to focus on developing research ultrasound technologies. Verasonics’ patent portfolio is now comprised of 74 issued patents worldwide, covering nine unique technologies. Verasonics has targeted patent coverage across important geographies including Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Macau, the Netherlands, Poland, the United Kingdom and the United States. Verasonics is a privately held company founded in 2001, with headquarters in Kirkland. Verasonics also licenses its technology to companies for use in their commercial products. Researchers in 36 countries across North and South America, Europe, Asia and Oceania routinely use Verasonics product solutions through their own research efforts.

Symetra

Balkovetz

Symetra promoted executive vice president Chantel Balkovetz to chief operations officer. In this newly created role, Balkovetz will add leadership for Symetra’s Information Technology organization to her current responsibilities heading Service & Operations for the company’s Retirement, Benefits and Individual Life divisions. She reports to Margaret Meister, president and chief executive officer. The announcement follows an organizational realignment to better position Symetra’s technology and business teams to help accelerate and achieve the company’s long-term strategic goals. The move blends Symetra’s IT teams with its Service & Operations organization, led by Balkovetz, and within its Strategy Office, led by chief of strategy Mindi Work, who will take on responsibility for leading emerging opportunities, experiences, new lines of business, and technologies. A member of the Symetra Leadership Team, Balkovetz was named executive vice president in April 2020, heading enterprise-wide service and operations. She joined Symetra in 2008 as director of Retirement Service and Operations, subsequently moved into the Individual Life Division, and was named vice president in 2011. In 2012, she became vice president, Individual Life and Retirement Service and Operations, and was promoted to senior vice president in March 2017. Symetra Financial is a diversified financial services company based in Bellevue.

Mar 25, 2022

Sustainable Living Innovations

Sustainable Living Innovations announced that it has closed its accelerated growth fundraising round with approximately $53 million of corporate equity raised from existing and new investors. Investors in the company include Goldman Sachs, Equity Residential, Hunt Companies, strategic partners and developers, and many high-net-worth individuals and leading family offices. SLI's patent-protected technology platform is a new way to build, using wall and floor panels with pre-installed wiring, plumbing, mechanical, fire safety and network systems equipment. SLI employs over 80 people with offices in Seattle and Denver, and operates a showroom in Seattle and a manufacturing facility in Tacoma.

3form

Materials solution company 3form announced the creation of a new chief creative officer position, along with the promotion of Ryan Grey Smith into the role. Smith previously held leadership positions at LightArt, a Seattle-based lighting and acoustic fixtures company that he founded in 2005 and 3form acquired in 2008. As 3form's chief creative officer, Smith will lead 3form, 3form Elements, and LightArt's design approach and innovation. He will collaborate with teams across the 3form companies to apply his insight to long-term product planning and overall design decisions. He will also regularly contribute to the company's sustainability mission. Smith has been part of the design industry for more than 32 years as an architect and business owner, founding and selling two design-focused companies. He started his architectural career with DMJM in Los Angeles, and later became the architectural department leader for glass artist Dale Chihuly. 3form, a Hunter Douglas company, is a design-driven materials solutions company offering sustainable products.

Outgo

Outgo, a new all-in-one banking solution for freight carriers, announced it has emerged from stealth mode with $3.4 million in funding led by Neo and PSL Ventures, along with Bezos Expeditions, Dan Lewis (CEO, Convoy), Jason Droege (founder, Uber Eats), Jason Davis (CEO, Simon Data), and other angel investors. Outgo will use the new funding to continue its hiring efforts, scale its product offerings, and bolster its partnerships and growth goals. Outgo was founded by senior executives and technology leaders from transportation companies including Uber and Convoy. In founding the company last year, co-founders Marcus Womack, Ray Fortna and Mike Bohlander recognized an opportunity for a fresh approach to building a streamlined fintech product focused entirely on giving carriers a true end-to-end solution for managing their finances. Outgo is headquartered in Seattle.

Mar 24, 2022

Suquamish Tribe

Suquamish Tribal citizens voted to fill two Tribal Council positions up for election this year at the Tribe’s annual General Council gathering. Josh Bagley was elected Tribal Council vice chair and Denita Holmes was elected treasurer. Bagley, a former geoduck diver, is president of the Suquamish Seafoods Board and vice chair of the Suquamish Tribal Gaming Commission. Holmes is a teacher at Chief Kitsap Academy, a former member of the Suquamish Museum Board and an artist. Outgoing vice chair Wayne George and treasurer Robin LW Sigo were thanked by fellow Council members, and their services acknowledged by Tribal members. Tribal Council is now comprised of Chairman Leonard Forsman, Vice Chair Josh Bagley, Secretary Windy Anderson, Treasurer Denita Holmes, and three at-large members, Sammy Mabe, Luther (Jay) Mills III, and Rich Purser. The Suquamish Tribal Council is the governing body of the Suquamish Tribe, elected by Tribal citizens during their annual General Council meeting. Candidates elected to Tribal Council serve for three-year staggered terms. With approximately 1,200 citizens, Suquamish Tribe is a federally recognized sovereign nation. The village of Suquamish and seat of the Suquamish Tribal Government are located on the Port Madison Indian Reservation, along the shores of the Puget Sound near Seattle.

POSaBIT

Seattle-based POSaBIT Systems, a provider of point of sale software and payments infrastructure in the cannabis industry, has launched their payments solution in two new markets: Texas and Georgia. These are the 17th and 18th states overall where a POSaBIT solution is active, with the aim to enter a handful of additional markets over the remainder of 2022 and beyond. POSaBIT’s technology provides a safe environment for cash-only merchants. Ryan Hamlin is the CEO and co-founder of the company.

Walker Sands

Walker Sands, a full-service marketing agency focused on accelerating the growth of B2B brands, has promoted Annie Gudorf to senior vice president, public relations. Gudorf has played a pivotal role in accelerating the growth of the agency’s public relations department since joining Walker Sands in 2013. Gudorf also serves as managing director of Walker Sands’ Seattle office, where she oversees operations, including growing and engaging the team and leading client work from B2B tech brands across the West Coast. In her new role as senior vice president, Gudorf will continue serving as strategic PR counsel for her clients, and focus on growing the agency’s PR department in Seattle through employee and client development. Walker Sands is one of the fastest-growing B2B marketing agencies in the world, with offices in Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Boston and Atlanta.