Amazon Donates $2M to Create Fund to Help Immediate Needs of Seattle School Students, Univ. of Washington Launched Fintech Incubator with BECU in Seattle, and more in Seattle in the Spotlight for October 12th – 18th.

Univ. of Washington Launched Fintech Incubator with BECU in Seattle, Unveils Initial Startups

GeekWire | Taylor Soper | October 16
https://www.geekwire.com/2018/amazon-donates-2m-create-fund-help-immediate-needs-seattle-schools-students/

“The University of Washington’s innovation arm is partnering with the state’s largest non-profit credit union to launch a new fintech incubator. BECU and CoMotion this week will open the BECU Fintech Incubator, a new group housed inside Startup Hall near the UW campus in Seattle. Participating companies will get support from BECU leadership and its financial services expertise, which includes anonymized data and connections to the credit union network nationally. The UW will provide office space via CoMotion Labs (membership sponsored by BECU) and access to the university’s own resources and networks. Companies do not give up equity.”

Amazon Donates $2M to Create Fund to Help Immediate Needs of Seattle School Students

GeekWire | Frank Catalano | October 15
https://www.geekwire.com/2018/amazon-donates-2m-create-fund-help-immediate-needs-seattle-schools-students/

“Amazon is announcing a $2 million grant to help Seattle school students. But the focus isn’t the latest shiny education technology. Instead, it’s that missing raincoat, a weekend backpack full of food, or unaffordable school supplies. Amazon’s donation to the Alliance for Education, which is an organization that works closely with Seattle Public Schools, will create what the company calls a new “Right Now Needs Fund” to meet the urgent needs of individual students. The Alliance will administer the grant, designed to cover the current 2018-19 and the following 2019-20 school years.”

Here’s What I Learned When I Signed Up to Climb the Space Needle

INC | Minda Zetlin | October 12
https://www.inc.com/minda-zetlin/space-needle-climb-seattle-base2space.html

“Every year, the Space Needle Foundation in Seattle offers the public an opportunity to climb to the top via an outdoor staircase. It’s a charity event that raises money both for Space Needle itself and for Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, a local research hospital that pioneered immunotherapy and other innovative cancer treatments. This year, for the first time, I signed up for the climb. Could I actually walk up the stairs of the Space Needle, all the way to the top?”

Ahead of Tunnel Switchover, Alaskan Way Shifts Out from Under Viaduct

GeekWire | Zonah Millman | | October 15
https://www.seattlepi.com/local/transportation/article/Alaskan-Way-Viaduct-traffic-construction-13308484.php

“Your last chance to drive on the viaduct is still months away. But your last chance to drive under it has already passed. This past weekend, Alaskan Way moved west of the viaduct, reopening on Sunday with one lane of traffic in each direction. It will remain in this configuration for about six weeks, while crews do utility and signal work; after that, the new alignment will feature two lanes in each direction.”