Can venture capital save the planet?

Highspot raises $60M | Ex-Urbanspoon and Dwellable vets launch new startup [GeekWire]( TODAY'S TOP STORIES [Can venture capital save the planet? Tech and political leaders look to change climate for energy innovation]( Despite the high stakes of climate change, capital flows overwhelmingly to companies developing online games, VR and other consumer products instead of breakthrough batteries or cheaper solar panels. But new initiatives in Washington state aim to unleash game-changing investment and discovery in clean energy. [Ex-Urbanspoon and Dwellable execs take on Google and Yelp with friend recommendation startup]( There are several existing places you can go to find local professionals for a variety of services — Google, Yelp, and Facebook are the market behemoths. But the experienced tech founders at Seattle startup Fresh Chalk believe they have come up with a faster and more efficient way to find everything from doctors to plumbers to barbers to photographers. [Highspot reels in $60M for AI-powered software used by Fortune 500 sales teams]( Highspot is the latest Seattle startup to raise a big investment. The company builds software to help salespeople and customer service reps field questions around the "last mile" of significant purchases. The Series D round brings total funding to date to $124 million and comes less than a year after Highspot landed $35 million to power its rapid growth. SPONSOR MESSAGE [All Eyes on Technology Targets – Baird’s Take on M&A Trends:]( Technology companies continue to catch the eyes of corporations looking to accelerate innovation and combat disruptive competition. [The latest article]( from Baird’s Global Mergers and Acquisitions team examines why the appeal of these acquisition targets has recently become even more broad-based – and what that could mean for the tech sector. MORE FROM GEEKWIRE [Another open-source database company will tighten its licensing strategy, wary of Amazon Web Services]( [Avalara looks to raise an additional $222M in new offering, one year after original IPO]( [SpaceX Dragon cargo ship splashes down]( [‘Avengers’ directors ink deal with Netflix to produce new ‘Magic: The Gathering’ animated series]( [BlackSky revs up satellite operations and teams up with HawkEye 360 and NRO]( SPONSORED: GEEK HOME OF THE WEEK [Contemporary Living on Bellevue’s Old Main Street]( [This startup just raised cash for its robots that help farmers monitor vineyards and crops]( [Apple repositions iPad to compete with low-cost Windows devices and Google Chromebooks]( GEEKWORK: TODAY'S TECH JOBS - [Rad Power Bikes: Associate Technical Videographer]( - [Rad Power Bikes: Brand Copywriter]( - [New Hampshire Ball Bearings: Sr. Key Account Manager]( - [Yapta: Data Engineer]( - [Integra LTC Solutions: Senior Software Engineer]( - [Rad Power Bikes: Senior Paid Acquisition Manager]( - [OfferUp: Software Development Engineer – Front End Web]( - [OfferUp: Software Development Manager – Backend]( - [Yapta: Software Development Engineer]( - [SkyKick: Build Engineer]( [FIND MORE JOBS ON GEEKWORK]( [HIRING? BUY A FEATURED LISTING TO APPEAR HERE]( [About GeekWire]( [Contact Us]( [Advertise]( Copyright © 2019 GeekWire LLC, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted to receive emails from GeekWire LLC.  Our mailing address is: GeekWire LLC 123 NW 36th St, Suite 203 Seattle, WA 98107  [change email frequency or address]( | [unsubscribe](