The W Fund
Venture capitalSeattle · Pre-Seed–Series A
Investment thesis
The W Fund supports early-stage technology companies emerging from Washington state's academic and research ecosystem. The fund prioritizes ventures based on intellectual property developed through university research programs and maintains strong connections to faculty and students at institutions including the University of Washington, Washington State University, and affiliated research centers. Investment focus spans life sciences, software, IT, engineering, and clean technology sectors, with typical first checks up to $500,000 in rounds of $1 million or more.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 7, 2026.
What they invest in
from 8 of 18 portfolio companiesBiotech ×4Hardware ×4Deep Tech ×2Healthtech ×2Robotics ×2Advanced Manufacturing ×1Construction Tech ×1Consumer ×1
HQs:United States×8
Investments · 18 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2018 · 12016 · 12015 · 13 dated
Seattle, US
JACOB O. WOBBROCK(Executive Officer)WILLIAM T. COLLERAN(Executive Officer, Director)ANDREW KO(Executive Officer)
BoardWILLIAM MCALEER(Director)inMARK UPSON(Director)MICHAEL FRIDGEN(Director)
Co-investorsCowles VenturesVoyager CapitalWRF Capital
BiotechSeattle, US
Rahul Shendure(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Matthew Snyder(Director)
Cardiac Insight develops handheld and wearable ECG devices for cardiac diagnostics, including the Cardea 20/20 for athlete heart screening and the Cardea SOLO for 7-day ambulatory monitoring.
BiotechHardwareHealthtechMedical DevicesBellevue, US
David Linker(Executive Officer, Director)Dr. Dave Hadley(Founder)Dr. Vic Froelicher(Founder)Bill Willis(Executive Officer)Brad Harlow(Executive Officer, Director)Robert deGavre(Executive Officer, Director)
Co-investorsCowles VenturesKeiretsu ForumSeaChange
Seattle, US
Thomas Lendvay(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)
BoardDerek Streat(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Hans Lundin(Director)
Co-investorsSPRINGROCK VENTURES
HyperSciences develops a hypersonic accelerator engine aimed at mining and tunneling applications.
Construction TechDeep TechHardwareSpokane, US
Mark Russell(Executive Officer, Director)Michelle Carbon(Executive Officer)
BoardMichael McSherry(Director)Charles Russell(Director)
Co-investorsCowles Ventures
BiotechHealthtechShoreline, US
Samuel R. Browd(Executive Officer, Director)Jens U. Quistgaard(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)
BoardChris Igielski(Director)
BiotechSeattle, US
Ron Myers(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardSteven Gillis(Director)Charles P. Waite(Director)Martin Simonetti(Director)Stewart Parker(Director)David Urdal(Director)
Olis develops an edge-based monitoring and diagnostics platform for robotic and automation systems that aligns video, event data, and system state in one interface.
Advanced ManufacturingDeep TechRobotics
Co-investorsAlliance of AngelsSeaChangeTectonic VenturesUbiquity Ventures
VICIS designs and manufactures protective football helmets for athletes across all ages and levels of play.
ConsumerHardwareSports Tech
WiBotic makes wireless charging hardware and fleet energy management software for robots, drones, and autonomous vehicles, using adaptive antenna tuning to charge across different battery chemistries, voltages, and charging rates.
EnergyHardwareRoboticsSeattle, US
Benjamin Waters(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Joshua R Smith(Director)
BoardPingrong Yu(Director)Michael Li(Director)Robert Wetzel(Director)Mark Rogers(Director)
Co-investorsComet LabsWisemont Capital
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has The W Fund made?
- The W Fund has 18 tracked investments.
- What stage does The W Fund invest at?
- The W Fund invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A stages.
- What is The W Fund's typical check size?
- The W Fund typically writes checks of $500K.
- What sectors does The W Fund focus on?
- The W Fund focuses on Biotech, Cleantech, Cloud Computing, Deep Tech, Hardware, Medical Devices, New Materials.
- Where is The W Fund located?
- The W Fund is headquartered in Seattle, US.
- Does The W Fund lead rounds?
- The W Fund typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.
- Who does The W Fund co-invest with?
- The W Fund most often shares deals with Cowles Ventures, SeaChange, SPRINGROCK VENTURES, among 9 tracked co-investors.
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