The W Fund
Venture capitalSeattle Β· Pre-SeedβSeries 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 9 of 18 portfolio companiesBiotech Γ5Deep Tech Γ4Hardware Γ4Healthtech Γ2Robotics Γ2Advanced Manufacturing Γ1AI & Machine Learning Γ1Construction Tech Γ1
HQs:United StatesΓ10
Investments Β· 18 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2018 Β· 12016 Β· 12015 Β· 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
BiotechSeattle, US
Rahul Shendure(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Matthew Snyder(Director)
Co-investorsWRF Capital
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
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-investorsSPRINGROCK VENTURES
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)
Co-investorsAnzu PartnersArgonautic VenturesiSelect FundOrbiMedSPRINGROCK VENTURESStrawberry Creek Ventures+2 more
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 Ventures
BiotechHealthtechShoreline, US
Samuel R. Browd(Executive Officer, Director)Jens U. Quistgaard(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)
BoardChris Igielski(Director)
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 AngelsSeaChangeTectonic VenturesUbiquity Ventures
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
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesWiBotic Β· jaredwatkins.com Β· Mar 31, 2026
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 16 tracked co-investors.
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