· Updated · Venture Capital Tracker · investment-strategies · 4 min read
Seattle Startups We Cover 2026: Enterprise, AI Infra, Space & Defense
Directory-backed map of Seattle / Bellevue / Kent startups — Apptio, Temporal, MotherDuck, Chestnut, XBOW, Overland AI, and more — with HQ honesty and linked /fund/ investors.
Seattle-area companies in our directory cluster around enterprise software, AI infrastructure, data analytics, offensive security, off-road autonomy, and reusable launch — not a full census of every Puget Sound startup. This page lists the profiles we actually ship with /startup/ pages and honest HQ geography.
City hub: /vc/seattle · VC map: /seattle-vc-firms-enterprise-2026 · All cities: /cities
What Seattle startups are (and are not)
| In our Seattle set | Not Seattle HQ (common mislabel) |
|---|---|
| B2B / infra born from Microsoft–Amazon talent (Apptio, Temporal, MotherDuck) | Databricks — Bay Area |
| Vertical SaaS and security (Chestnut, XBOW) | Samsara — San Francisco |
| Defense / space hard tech (Overland AI, Stoke Space) | Companies with only a Redmond sales office |
Startups we cover in Seattle / Bellevue / Kent
| Company | What they do | Stage / status | Notable capital | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apptio | IT financial management / FinOps for enterprises | Acquired (IBM, Aug 2023, $4.6B) | a16z, Greylock | /startup/apptio |
| Temporal | Durable execution / workflow orchestration for agentic systems | Growth — $300M Series D (Feb 2026) | a16z, Sequoia, Tiger Global | /startup/temporal |
| MotherDuck | Cloud analytics built on DuckDB (hybrid local/cloud SQL) | Series B ($52.5M, Sep 2023) | a16z, Redpoint | /startup/motherduck |
| Chestnut | AI-native insurance distribution (producer comp, hierarchies) | Seed | a16z | /startup/chestnut |
| XBOW | AI autonomous offensive security / continuous pentesting | Growth — $120M Series C (Mar 2026) | Sequoia, Altimeter | /startup/xbow |
| Overland AI | Off-road ground autonomy for defense / dual-use | Series B ($100M package, Feb 2026) | 8VC, Ascend participated | /startup/overland-ai |
| Irreverent Labs | AI foundation models for short-form video | Series A | a16z, Pear VC | /startup/irreverent-labs |
| Stoke Space | Fully reusable medium-lift rockets | Private — ~$350M Q1 2026 financing | Not yet mapped to /fund/ IDs in startup JSON | /startup/stoke-space |
Why these names matter
Apptio is still the Bellevue enterprise proof outsiders ask for: a16z’s first portfolio bet became the FinOps category leader, IPO’d, and sold to IBM for $4.6B in 2023.
Temporal is the clearest 2026 AI-infra signal in the metro — orchestration and state for agentic workloads. $300M Series D at $5B valuation led by a16z with Sequoia participating.
MotherDuck rides DuckDB developer adoption into cloud analytics — a16z-led Series A and Felicis-led Series B show data teams choosing embedded SQL over warehouse complexity.
Chestnut is quiet vertical SaaS: insurance carrier distribution systems. Early a16z backing; useful for regulated back-office modernization wedges.
XBOW turned offensive-security AI into a $120M Series C at $1B+ — continuous exploit validation, not annual pentest theater.
Overland AI validates Seattle defense-tech: $100M February 2026 raise with Ascend among participants; Marine Corps production contract milestone June 2026.
Stoke Space (Kent) anchors the space narrative with full second-stage reusability — ~$350M Q1 2026 financing in regional coverage.
Local funds that back Seattle-area companies
| Firm | Fit | Profile |
|---|---|---|
| Madrona Venture Group | Applied AI, enterprise seed through growth | /fund/madrona-venture-group |
| Founders’ Co-op | First-check seed for technical PNW teams | /fund/founders-co-op |
| Pioneer Square Labs | Studio + seed fund | /fund/pioneer-square-labs |
| Flying Fish Partners | AI/ML pre-seed and seed | /fund/flying-fish-partners |
| Voyager Capital | B2B seed / Series A | /fund/voyager-capital |
| Ascend | Pre-seed AI agents | /fund/ascend-venture-capital |
Full VC analysis: Seattle VC firms for enterprise 2026.
Worked example (illustrative)
Setup: A Seattle security founder with Amazon pedigree closes $500K pre-seed from Ascend and ships an autonomous pentest MVP.
Move: Twelve months later they land three enterprise design partners and raise $15M Series A from a national cybersecurity specialist with Madrona in the round.
Punch: The Ascend relationship and local operator network mattered at pre-seed; the Series A lead still came from outside the PNW. See XBOW for a real offensive-security comp trajectory.
When this list is the wrong starting point
- You need a consumer marketplace comp slide — OfferUp (Bellevue) exists but consumer is thinner locally than enterprise.
- You want every Q1 2026 mega-round name — Starcloud (~$170M) is not yet a
/startup/profile. - You treat Databricks or Samsara as Seattle HQ because they sell into the metro.
- You expect
/fund/investor arrays on every hard-tech JSON — Stoke Space and some rounds are covered in deal posts first.
Coverage gaps (honest)
| Gap | Why it matters | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Starcloud | Q1 2026 mega-round (~$170M space-data) | No /startup/starcloud yet |
| Maveron | Seattle consumer seed institution | No /fund/maveron yet |
| Stoke / Starcloud investor mapping | Round sizes in deal posts; JSON arrays thin | Expand over time |
How to use this page
- Open
/startup/profiles for stage, highlights, and FAQs. - Follow
/fund/links only when listed — that is our evidence bar. - Cross-check timing: Seattle Q1 2026.
- Build a capital shortlist: Seattle VC firms enterprise 2026 and /directory.
Related reading
Sources
- Startup JSON in
src/data/startups/individual/for companies linked above - Temporal Series D: internal post
- XBOW Series C: internal post
- Overland AI: internal post
- GeekWire Seattle Q1 2026: https://www.geekwire.com/2026/bigger-checks-fewer-bets-seattle-startup-deal-count-drops-to-lowest-level-since-2020/
- IBM / Apptio acquisition (Aug 2023, $4.6B)
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Editorial note: AI tools assisted with research, structure, or drafting. Venture Capital Tracker retains human editorial responsibility for factual accuracy, relevance, and source quality before publication.
