Part of the WTIA’s mission is to grow a strong and sustainable workforce, which means we’re passionate about keeping local talent plugged into our state’s technology industry. Every other week we’ll be keeping you connected to Washington’s job market with the latest in local hiring news.

Extrahop Blows past the $100 Million Milestone Fueled by 10x Growth in Security

Puget Sound Business Journal via Business Wire | January 15, 2019

https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/businesswire/press_releases/Washington/2019/01/15/20190115005573

“ExtraHop, provider of enterprise cyber analytics from the inside out, today announced that it far surpassed $100 million in bookings – a key industry milestone – in 2018, bolstered by 10x growth in cybersecurity in the second half of the year…More than 20 customers across industry verticals invested over a million dollars with ExtraHop in 2018, confirming the importance of its enterprise-class capabilities for hybrid and cloud environments.

2018 was a breakout year for ExtraHop. The company made significant investments in security, both in terms of go-to-market capabilities and technology innovation. ExtraHop launched its purpose-built security product, Reveal(x), in January and followed that with Reveal(x) for Azure in September. It also announced major integrations with companies including Microsoft Azure, ServiceNow, and Splunk Phantom. The company expanded its global headcount to more than 400 employees and now protects over five million devices across more than 800 enterprise customers worldwide.”

Learn more about local job opportunities at Seattle member company ExtraHop.

Walgreens Prepares for High-Tech Future with Microsoft Partnership

Xconomy| Jeff Buchanan | January 15, 2019

https://xconomy.com/seattle/2019/01/15/walgreens-prepares-for-high-tech-future-with-microsoft-partnership/

“Microsoft is making a ‘wal-to-wal’ bet that retailers can harness the Seattle-area tech giant’s products and services to upgrade the brick-and-mortar experience for consumers and patients.

About six months after it struck a partnership with Walmart (NYSE: WMT), Microsoft on Tuesday announced a seven-year agreement with Walgreens (NASDAQ: WBA), the specific financial terms of which were not disclosed.

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Walgreens said in a news release that one of their goals in working together is ‘making healthcare more convenient to people’ through technology. This year, Walgreens plans to upgrade up to 12 of its stores with ‘digital health corners,’ which will display healthcare-related devices and gadgets. Presumably, some or all of them would be underpinned by Microsoft technology.

Learn more about local job opportunities at Seattle member company Microsoft.

Cannabis Data Startup Headset Raises $12.1 Million

Puget Sound Business Journal | Greg Lamm | January 8, 2019

https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2019/01/08/cannabis-startup-headset-venture-capital-leafly.html

“Headset, a Seattle-based startup that tracks the retail sales of cannabis companies, has raised $12.1 million in funding, the company announced…‘Each one of our investors brings invaluable industry knowledge and a strong network of portfolio companies that enable us to collaborate in all new ways,’ said Cy Scott, who is CEO and co-founder of Headset. ‘The new capital will fuel future growth, new market expansion and enhanced product development, continuing to ensure our leadership position within the cannabis industry.’

Headset tracks retail transaction data from companies in the cannabis industry. Headset says the data helps companies target new opportunities, including developing products that reflect real-time consumer demand. The data also helps cannabis retail companies keep tabs on their competitors.”

Learn more about local job opportunities at Headset.

GM’s Cruise Self-Driving Car Venture Plots a Course to Get Its Seattle Team up and Running

GeekWire | Alan Boyle | January 16, 2019

https://www.geekwire.com/2019/gms-cruise-self-driving-car-venture-plots-course-get-seattle-team-running/

“GM’s autonomous-vehicle subsidiary, Cruise Automation…will be setting up an engineering office in the Seattle area, with the aim of having 100 to 200 employees hired by the end of the year. Even though the site of the office hasn’t yet been selected, Cruise is ramping up its hiring in Seattle to take advantage of the region’s high-tech talent and lower cost of living (“lower,” that is, in comparison with Cruise’s home base in San Francisco).

Brian McGowan, CEO of Greater Seattle Partners, said he was thrilled to welcome Cruise to the region. ‘Our world-class talent pipeline and appetite for innovating technologies of the future makes Greater Seattle an ideal location for Cruise’s expansion,’ he said in an email.”

Learn more about local job opportunities at Cruise.

Bellevue’s Polyverse Brings on Significant “Strategic Investors” as It Raises $2M for Its Secure Linux Product and Courts the Pentagon

GeekWire | Tom Krazit | January 14, 2019

“Interest from the federal government into Polyverse’s secure Linux product prompted several undisclosed “strategic investors” to get in on a new $2 million funding round for the Bellevue company.

Polyverse CEO Alex Gounares confirmed the new round in an interview with GeekWire, saying that the company didn’t really need to raise money at this point but wanted to accommodate new investors he was unwilling to disclose at this time. Some of the company’s existing investors led the new round, which increases the total amount of funding raised by the company to $9 million.

Polyverse is drawing attention from the federal government and other customers with sensitive information to protect because the company has established that its Polymorphic Linux server software works as advertised, Gounares said. ‘Now they’re calling us,’ he said.”Learn more about local job opportunities at Polyverse.