Fundraising FoxThe W Fund
Venture capitalSeattle · Pre-Seed–Series A
Not to be confused with The W Fund (Venture capital · New York, US)
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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 11 of 19 portfolio companiesBiotech ×6Deep Tech ×4Hardware ×4Consumer ×2Healthtech ×2Robotics ×2Advanced Manufacturing ×1AI & Machine Learning ×1
HQs:United States×11
Investments · 19 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2018 · 12016 · 12015 · 13 dated
Seattle, US
JACOB O. WOBBROCK(Executive Officer)inWILLIAM T. COLLERAN(Executive Officer, Director)ANDREW KO(Executive Officer)
BoardWILLIAM MCALEER(Director)inMARK UPSON(Director)MICHAEL FRIDGEN(Director)
Co-investorsCowles VenturesVoyager CapitalWRF Capital
A biotechnology company developing new therapies for patients with high unmet medical needs.
Biotech
Co-investorsDolby Family VenturesLifeSci Venture PartnersSofinnova VenturesCommodore CapitalFranklin TempletonLigand Pharmaceuticals+5 more
BiotechSeattle, US
Rahul Shendure(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)inMatthew Snyder(Director)
Co-investorsWRF Capital
A subscription video platform that helps Black viewers discover and watch content created by and featuring Black creators and performers.
ConsumerMedia & EntertainmentNew York City, US
Uzo Ometu(Founder)inIyanu Obidele(Founder)in
Co-investorsTechstarsY CombinatorBackstage CapitalBungalow CapitalCresset CapitalGlobal Founders Capital+6 more
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)inBrad Harlow(Executive Officer, Director)inRobert deGavre(Executive Officer, Director)
Co-investorsCowles VenturesKeiretsu ForumSeaChange
Cyrus operates a protein engineering platform that combines AI and Rosetta computational design methods with a biochemistry lab performing large-scale deep mutagenesis scanning, protein stabilization, immunogenicity reduction, and affinity/specificity tuning.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechDeep TechSeattle, US
Yifan Song(CSO)inDavid Baker(Co-founder)Javier Castellanos(Executive Officer, Director)inMark(President & EVP, Business Development)
BoardLucas Nivon(CEO)in
Co-investorsAlumni VenturesAnzu PartnersArgonautic VenturesiSelect FundOrbiMedSPRINGROCK VENTURES+4 more
CSATS is a Seattle-based healthcare technology company providing AI-driven surgical video capture, analytics and performance feedback.
Seattle, US
Thomas Lendvay(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)
BoardDerek Streat(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Hans Lundin(Director)
Co-investorsHealthtech CapitalSeaChangeSPRINGROCK VENTURES
HyperSciences develops a hypersonic accelerator engine aimed at mining and tunneling applications.
Construction TechDeep TechHardwareSpokane, US
Mark Russell(Executive Officer, Director)inMichelle Carbon(Executive Officer)in
BoardMichael McSherry(Director)Charles Russell(Director)
Co-investorsCowles VenturesMilkbox Partners
Nexgenia develops proprietary stimuli-responsive polymer-based reagents for molecular and cellular selection, diagnostics, and immunoassays.
BiotechDeep TechNew MaterialsSeattle, US
Ron Myers(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardSteven Gillis(Director)Charles P. Waite(Director)Martin Simonetti(Director)Stewart Parker(Director)David Urdal(Director)
Co-investorsAlliance of AngelsWRF Capital
Olis Robotics provides remote monitoring, control, and troubleshooting solutions for industrial robots, serving over 50% of the global installed industrial robot fleet.
Advanced ManufacturingDeep TechEnterprise SoftwareRoboticsSeattle, US
Co-investorsAlliance of AngelsPioneer Square LabsSeaChangeTectonic VenturesUbiquity VenturesPSL Ventures
VICIS manufactures protective equipment for youth football players, specifically shoulder pads featuring advanced impact protection and lightweight design.
ConsumerHardwareSports Tech
Co-investorsAlliance of Angels
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 CapitalTsing Capital
Other
Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.
AqueductBeat BiotherapeuticsLumisandsNavisonicsPast CompaniesStasysTwinstrand
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesAthira · geekwire.com · Dec 18, 2025
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has The W Fund made?
- The W Fund has 19 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 23 tracked co-investors.
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