Apr 21, 2023

Rally Commerce

Rally Commerce, a checkout platform that helps businesses of all sizes optimize their checkout process, announced a $12M Series A investment, led by March Capital with additional participation from Felix Capital, Commerce Ventures, Afore Capital, Alumni Ventures, and Kraken Ventures. This investment follows Rally's $6M seed funding round in 2021. Co-founders Jordan Gal & Rok Knez previously ran CartHook, a checkout solution that processed nearly $3B in transactions for Shopify merchants. They launched Rally in 2020 after seeing demand from merchants for a next-generation checkout platform outside of the Shopify ecosystem. Rally currently offers support for multiple back-end and front-end platforms, payment processors, and payment methods. Later this year, Rally will strengthen its fraud protection offering and plans to build out Web3 features, starting with allowing merchants to accept cryptocurrencies in their checkout. Rally is headquartered in Portland. March Capital is a venture growth firm headquartered in Santa Monica, California and investing globally since 2014.

T-Mobile

Clevon, an Estonian-based global autonomous delivery provider, named T-Mobile as the preferred connectivity provider for its fleet of Autonomous Robot Carriers (ARCs) in the United States. Under the long-term deal, T-Mobile will provide IoT solutions for Clevon's latest ARC — the all-electric, multifunctional CLEVON 1. Clevon will rely on T-Mobile's network and IoT solutions to help power reliable, safe and efficient fleet operations for on-demand driverless delivery services. Clevon has been making driverless deliveries in Europe since 2020. Cameras, radar and other sensors in the CLEVON 1 provide data for rapid mapping and remote operating capabilities. The CLEVON 1 is designed to collect orders at warehouses, retail stores, dark stores and micro fulfillment centers and then deliver those goods to consumers and businesses. T-Mobile is based in Bellevue.

Tyemill

New York-based Syntax has acquired the assets of Tyemill, a software research and development company headquartered in Seattle. The Tyemill team of 24 engineering, design and operations professionals became part of Syntax. As part of the integration, Tyemill's CEO, Ellen Anderson, joined Syntax as managing director and head of the Seattle office. The acquisition expands Syntax's in-house capabilities and resources to execute its growth strategy. Founded in 2010, Tyemill has supported Syntax's economic research with technology that powers patented systems and proprietary commercial software applications. Tyemill's tools are used in developing new methodologies for measuring risks associated with companies and investment vehicles, identifying trends in financial data and automating complex workflows. Syntax is a financial data and technology company that has pioneered a proprietary approach to index construction, portfolio analysis, ESG and SDG measurement and other investment applications.

Apr 20, 2023

Department of Revenue

Shirk

Gov. Jay Inslee named Drew Shirk director of the state Department of Revenue, effective June 16. Acting director John Ryser, who has held the post since Vikki Smith left DOR last year, will continue to lead the agency until that time. Shirk has served as the executive director for legislative affairs in the office of Gov. Inslee since 2017. As a member of the governor's senior leadership team, Shirk manages relationships with legislators and leadership on behalf of the governor. He also manages executive branch legislative proposals, mobilizing support for the governor's priorities in the Legislature and advising the governor on legislation. In that capacity, Shirk has helped to design and pass policies in clean energy, gun violence prevention, education and abortion rights. Shirk has spent more than three decades in public service. He began his career with DOR's compliance division in 1989 and was promoted to a series of leadership positions there. He most recently served as the department's assistant director for tax policy before joining the governor's office. Shirk received his bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Washington and completed graduate coursework at Eastern Washington University's public administration program.

ExtraHop

Bowling

Seattle-based ExtraHop announced that Mark Bowling will assume the new role of chief information security and risk officer (CISRO). Bowling will be responsible for implementing effective security, information security, and risk management frameworks to maximize growth opportunities for ExtraHop. Bowling will report to Lauren Zajac, chief legal and compliance officer at ExtraHop. Under Zajac's leadership, Bowling and his team will help shape the future information security landscape and associated practices to adapt to the ever-evolving world of cybersecurity. Jeff Costlow, deputy CISO at ExtraHop, will report directly to Bowling. Bowling will also be responsible for all other aspects of ExtraHop security to include facility security, physical security, and personnel security. Prior to his civilian career, Bowling spent more than two and a half decades investigating and combating cybercrime and nation-state attacks in leadership roles with the FBI and the Department of Education, and as a nuclear officer in the U.S. Navy. He previously held the role of director of information security and compliance for the Washington Regional Medical System, the virtual CISO for United Capital Financial Advisors, and the director of security and compliance for Southwest Power Pool. He has spent several years as a consulting CISO for numerous organizations in the healthcare, electric utility, and financial services verticals.

SpecterOps Raises

SpecterOps announced it has raised a $25 million Series A venture funding round led by Decibel. This funding will accelerate the adoption of BloodHound Enterprise, a platform for comprehensively removing identity attack paths in Microsoft's Active Directory and Azure AD. It will also expand company research and development initiatives. Other investors in this round include Kevin Mandia, the CEO and founder of Mandiant, as well as Jon Oberheide and Dug Song, the co-founders of Duo Security. BloodHound Enterprise was launched in 2021, and is used worldwide by companies like Capital Group, the University of Texas at Austin and Woodside Energy. Funding will also be used to expand SpecterOps' services and training solutions. Seattle-based SpecterOps is a cybersecurity solutions and services provider specializing in knowledge of adversary tradecraft to help clients detect and defend against sophisticated attackers. Decibel is an independent venture firm based in Silicon Valley that backs technical founders and helps them find product-market fit and accelerate their business.

Westport winery on market

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When a wealthy investor opts to make a wine-centric splurge into viniculture and real estate, one tends to think of areas like Walla Walla, Napa or Sonoma. But ... Westport? Sure, why not. Colliers recently put the 21-acre Westport Winery Garden Resort on the market. It's about midway between Aberdeen and Westport, on a bluff with views of the Grays Harbor bay. Grapes aren't actually grown in that wet, blustery area, but it's a full-fledged wine making operation that was founded in 2008 by Kim and Blain Roberts. Their broker at Colliers is Arvin Vander Veen, and the asking price is just over $5.7 million. The operations side of the business brings in grapes from Eastern Washington, and today produces 5,000 cases of wine annually, and nearly 900 cases of spirits. There's also the Sea Glass Grill restaurant and a lodging component, with two houses and two apartments. (New zoning would allow 20 more units.) And there's a separate nonprofit on the property, The International Mermaid Museum, to help draw tourists. The main business bills itself as the westernmost winery in the state, and draws some 100,000 visitors per year.

Gantry secures nearly $12M for Wallingford ground lessor

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Fremont Dock Co. owns the land beneath what most call the Brooks building in Wallingford, at 3400 Stone Way N. (It's also known as Stone34.) The five-story, 121,000-square-foot building last traded in 2018 to Unico Properties and Partners Group. It's fully leased, with the Brooks store on the prominent corner. Prior to its 2014 development by Skanska USA, Fremont Dock took out a loan from State Farm Life Insurance. Now, representing the same borrower, Gantry has refinanced that note, from the same lender, to the tune of $11.7 million. Leading the effort were Gantry's Alex Saunders and Mike Wood; the latter said in a statement, “Continued performance of the office and retail components of the structure, tied to a seasoned and well capitalized sponsor for the ground lease, attracted one of our top correspondent life companies after a careful review of options across all lender types.” The note has a 10-year, fixed-rate term.”

NAIOP to tour Esterra Park

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Over in Redmond, near the future light rail station, Verde is the new 634-unit apartment project at Esterra Park. And May 25 is the date for a tour offered for NAIOP members. The apartments opened in two phases, beginning last year. Members of the development team will be on hand to discuss the carbon-neutral project, which is targeting both LEED Carbon Zero and LEED Gold certification. Verde is essentially the final step in redeveloping the 28-acre former Group Health campus. Capstone Partners led the effort, with the Verde team also including financial partner PGIM Real Estate, designer Runberg Architecture Group and builder Exxel Pacific. Details and registration: naiopwa.org.