GeekWire

Slack delivered a surprise this week with the filing of an antitrust complaint against Microsoft, alleging that the tech giant unfairly leverages Microsoft Office to give an edge to its Teams collaboration software. Microsoft responded with a pointed jab of its own, highlighting Slack's subpar video conferencing experience and its own investments in that area.

What are Slack's chances, and what will be the key issues considered by regulators? And does this mean Microsoft is back in the antitrust hot seat? That's our first topic on this week's GeekWire Podcast.

In our second segment, we share highlights and takeaways from the GeekWire Awards, and finally we debate the choice of "Kraken" as the name of Seattle's new NHL team. 

With GeekWire’s Todd Bishop and John Cook. Produced by Curt Milton. Theme music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It should've been a banner year for FlyHomes.

As 2019 drew to a close, the real estate startup had $141 million in fresh funding to fuel the expansion of its novel home-buying service beyond Seattle to Portland, Boston, and Los Angeles. Then, three weeks after announcing the expansion, the first-known U.S. coronavirus case was discovered in Flyhomes' backyard.

The U.S. real estate market froze as the full scope of the coronavirus crisis came into focus, a nerve-wracking jolt for Flyhomes, which was sitting on several homes the startup purchased on behalf of clients.

Flyhomes buys houses directly with cash and then holds onto them until its buyer clients secure financing. The goal is to present its customers as the equivalent of cash buyers, helping them gain an edge in competitive markets.

Despite the uncertainty that marred the initial weeks of the pandemic, FlyHomes managed to close deals on all of the homes it purchased. Since then, the Seattle real estate market has stabilized for the most part, according to Flyhomes CEO Tushar Garg.

"What we're seeing right now is a high demand in the buying market, less inventory, and we're not anticipating that to change anytime soon," Garg said.

We caught up with Garg to hear his perspective on leadership, the real estate market, and more as part of a special GeekWire Podcast series highlighting finalists for the upcoming GeekWire Awards, a live virtual event at 4 p.m. on Thursday, July 23. Garg is one of five finalists for Startup CEO of the Year.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Like many businesses entering 2020, Neu was riding a wave of optimism and growth. With its marketplace that connects Airbnb hosts with hotel-grade cleaners, the Seattle-based startup had found its niche.

Just as Neu was joining the 11th cohort of Techstars Seattle to further fuel its success, the coronavirus pandemic arrived and changed everything. The economic fallout was swift, and travel was among the hardest hit industries.

"It was a one-two punch that definitely knocked us down a little bit," Neu co-founder Kwame Boler told GeekWire. "We had a lot of momentum going into February. We were developing a lot of wealth within the Airbnb community. And then all of a sudden, everything almost completely flipped upside down."

Neu experienced an unprecedented number of cancellations within its platform in just two months, with business shrinking to less than 10% of where it was the previous year. It had to stop its work to address various pain points and re-evaluate what it would mean to run a cleaning business in a post-COVID climate, especially one in which travel would likely be impacted for some time.

But with the desire for on-demand cleaning and sanitizing suddenly skyrocketing, the startup rapidly accelerated its plans to look into cleaning beyond vacation rentals and taking on businesses, residential and commercial real estate properties.

"Those who enjoy or thrive in this kind of environment, in doing a startup or owning a business around this time, are those who are really in it for the long run," said Neu co-founder Claudius Mbemba. "It just taught me that this is what I really want to be doing."

GeekWire caught up with Boler and Mbemba to learn more about how the startup is faring in this installment of a special GeekWire Podcast series highlighting some of the finalists for the upcoming GeekWire Awards. Boler and Mbemba are among the finalists for Young Entrepreneur of the Year — celebrating startup founders in the Pacific Northwest who are 30 or younger.

Register here to watch the live virtual event for free at 4 p.m. on Thursday, July 23.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Before the first-known U.S. coronavirus cases emerged in Rebellyous Foods’ hometown, Seattle, the startup was catering to the food services industry, targeting its its line of plant-based chicken products to cafeterias, schools, and other institutions.

Rebellyous pivoted, accelerating development of a consumer product it could sell at grocery stores. Today that product is available at 14 mom-and-pop markets throughout the Seattle area.

"We really started to re-strategize about who was going to be our customers and who was going to be Rebellyous in a world where we don't go to ballparks and stadiums and even to school for a very long time," said Rebellyous CEO Christie Lagally, a former Boeing engineer. "It was dawning on us pretty quickly there that we had to do something different, and probably for the best. Sometimes these are really, really hard situations but they put us in a better position to be able to offer our products in the future."

In September, Rebellyous plans to retire the plant-based chicken product that it has been temporarily selling in Seattle-area stores to make room for a new suite of items. The startup plans to sell a new Rebellyous chicken nugget, chicken tender, and a chicken patty all made entirely from plant products.

The pivot is fueled by a $6 million investment Rebellyous secured in April. The startup distinguishes itself from other plant-based meat companies, like Beyond Meat and Impossible, by engineering its manufacturing equipment in-house.

We spoke with Lagally to learn more about Rebellyous Foods in the first installment of a special GeekWire Podcast series catching up with some of the finalists for the upcoming GeekWire Awards, a live virtual event at 4 p.m. on Thursday, July 23. Rebellyous is one of five finalists for Innovation of the Year. You can register here to watch the awards for free.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The world of the COVID-19 pandemic is unlike anything any of us has ever experienced. We covered three stories this week that give us a glimpse into how the virus is changing our lives:

We’ll talk about the new realities of work, through the lens of a Seattle area startup that just ditched its physical office space. 

Then on to education, with the latest on what classes will look like at the University of Washington and other schools this fall. 

And finally, sports. For Seattle Mariners fans, “take me out to the ballgame” is going to be a virtual experience this season, but the team is trying an unusual approach to let players hear the fans’ cheering. And Todd is miffed about MLB's new "no fighting" rule.

On July 16, we’ll be hosting GeekWire Roundtable: The Future of Sports. We’ll discuss how sports can safely return in a post-pandemic world, the role of tech and the economics of sports in this challenging environment.

And the GeekWire Awards are back on July 23 and they’re going virtual. We’ll be revealing the winners of the Pacific Northwest’s annual technology and startup awards … and there will be some special guests.

To get more information and to register, go to the events page at GeekWire.com.

With GeekWire’s Todd Bishop and John Cook. Produced by Curt Milton. Theme music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here’s what we’re talking about on the GeekWire Podcast this week.

Despite the pandemic, funding for Seattle tech startups remains robust in the first half of 2020. In fact, funding is ahead of last year. What gives? We consider whether COVID-19 is accelerating some companies into the new economy of remote working, online shopping and more. Check out our list of startup funding to see how companies are doing. 

Health benefits platform Accolade became Seattle's first IPO of the year, with an initial valuation of $1.2 billion. Headed by Raj Singh, a veteran Seattle startup entrepreneur, Accolade uses a variety of technologies to help employees at its client companies navigate their health benefits, with a goal of improving health and reducing costs.

GeekWire's events are back!

• Up next week is a new event, Geeks Gaming for Good, where eight company-sponsored teams will compete in a Rocket League tournament. A portion of the entry fees will go to a prize pool benefiting Seattle-area non-profits.
• On July 16, we'll be hosting GeekWire Roundtable: The Future of Sports. We'll discuss how sports can safely return in a post-pandemic world, the role of tech and the economics of sports in this challenging environment.
• And the GeekWire Awards are back on July 23 and they're going virtual. We'll be revealing the winners of the Pacific Northwest's annual technology and startup awards ... and there will be some special guests.

To register, go to the Events page at GeekWire.com.

With GeekWire’s Todd Bishop and John Cook. Produced by Curt Milton. Theme music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here’s what we’re talking about on the GeekWire Podcast this week.

• Microsoft shocked the tech world Friday morning by announcing it would be closing all of its retail stores. What does this tell us about Microsoft's business strategy and what might it portend for the future of physical retail stores?
• Amazon made a bold move in a new direction by acquiring robotaxi startup Zoox. Why would Jeff Bezos want to get into autonomous vehicles? And which fellow tech billionaire called him a copycat?
• President Trump shuts the door on employment-based visas for foreign workers, and tech leaders are ticked off. We’ll explain what he did, and why they’re not happy.
• Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella laid out an ambitious plan to address racial injustice at the company and across society. Can Microsoft save the world? We’ll assess its chances.
• Amazon bought the naming rights to Seattle's basketball and hockey arena ... and you won't believe what they're going to call it. So, of course, we have to crash Amazon's party by coming up with nicknames for the venue.

With GeekWire’s Todd Bishop, John Cook, Monica Nickelsburg, Taylor Soper and Kurt Schlosser. Produced by Curt Milton. Theme music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here's what we're talking about on the GeekWire Podcast this week.

Not everyone loves Apple's App Store, it seems. This week, it become a target of criticism for its arcane rules and business practices. Even Microsoft President Brad Smith got into it when he said in an interview that he wants more scrutiny on app store policies imposed by its competitors, such as Apple and Google. What is everyone so ticked off about?

• Microsoft president calls for antitrust scrutiny of app stores: ‘The time has come’
• Apple’s App Store Draws Antitrust Scrutiny in European Union
• 1 big thing: Tech giants' life cycles shape their crisis responses
• The pandemic has shown that Amazon is essential—but vulnerable
• Supreme Court’s denial of Trump’s attempt to rescind DACA is a win for Dreamers and Microsoft

A pandemic seems like a crazy time for companies to be pricing their stock and going public, but that's precisely what several tech firms are doing. We talk about why they're doing it right now (and why they might be in a hurry) and what this IPO rush might mean for several Seattle-area firms.

• The Tech I.P.O. Comes Roaring Back in the Pandemic

It's no secret that Todd struggles to keep up with the email pouring into his inbox. He is looking forward to trying HEY, a new email management program offered by Basecamp, but John isn't sure it's going to make much of a difference. Discuss!

Listen above, and subscribe in any podcast app.

With GeekWire’s Todd Bishop and John Cook. Produced by Curt Milton. Theme music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Racism is a pandemic. Whether it's tech, or whether it's any other form of business, we have the need for a vaccine that's going to stop it. And I think that can take many forms." 

Those are the words of Adriane Brown, an Axon and eBay board member, former Intellectual Ventures president, and venture partner at Flying Fish Partners. She was speaking during a conversation about race and the tech industry, organized by GeekWire as protests across the country demand racial equity and justice following the death of George Floyd and other Black Americans at the hands of white police officers.

The conversation was hosted by Former Tacoma Mayor and past Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce CEO Marilyn Strickland, a candidate for U.S. Congress. Also participating were Leafly Chief Product Officer and longtime Seattle entrepreneur Dave Cotter, and Remitly CEO and co-founder Matt Oppenheimer.

In recognition of Juneteenth, commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, we’re presenting Part 2 of the conversation in this special episode of the GeekWire Podcast. Listen above and continue reading for highlights. You can also catch up with Part 1.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Twenty-five years ago, more than a decade before the debut of the iPhone, a different piece of technology had people lining up outside stores around the world: Microsoft's Windows 95.

"Everything was mayhem," recalls Brad Chase, the former Microsoft executive who was in charge of marketing the operating system. "This was the product that ended up ushering computers and Microsoft and arguably Bill Gates into the mainstream. Everybody wanted to know everything about it."

"One time I even went on press tour and tried to calm everybody down because I wanted them to know Windows 95 would not solve world hunger," he jokes.

But beyond the sheer hype, Windows 95 was the culmination of Microsoft’s strategy -- the company’s bet that there would be a market for a computer on every desk and in every home (and running Microsoft software, executives would add privately.)

Chase explores the ingredients of successful business strategies in his new book, "Strategy First: How Businesses Win Big, published today, with examples from across the world of business and technology.

On this episode of the GeekWire Podcast, Chase analyzes the strategies of today’s tech giants, explains the components of effective strategies, and talks about the role of strategy in addressing challenges facing the world (a topic he also explores in this column on how companies can advance racial justice.) As a bonus, he tells the inside story of how he struck the deal with the Rolling Stones to supply the iconic track for the Windows 95 advertising campaign.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.