Pacific Northwest startups raise $1.1B in Q3 despite pandemic

Apple unveils 5G iPhones | Amazon workers want paid time off to vote ADVERTISEMENT [GeekWire]( SPONSOR MESSAGE: 2020 GeekWire Summit: Hear from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Co-chair Bill Gates, Expedia CEO Peter Kern, Microsoft Chief Product Officer Panos Panay, Dreambox Learning CEO Jessie Woolley-Wilson and other tech and business leaders: [Learn more and register for tickets today!]( TODAY'S TOP STORIES Latest PNW funding data: Startups in Seattle and across the Pacific Northwest continue raising gobs of money even amid an ongoing economic and health crisis. Companies reeled in $1.1 billion across 65 deals during the third quarter, according to GeekWire’s tally, derived from [our running list of Pacific Northwest startup investments.]( We spoke to local investors to learn why they are happily writing checks despite a global pandemic that doesn’t appear to be ending anytime soon. [Read more](. iPhone event marks ‘firing gun’ for 5G race: That’s the word from T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert, who touted the Bellevue, Wash.-based carrier’s network after [Apple unveiled its first 5G-enabled smartphones]( on Tuesday. It’s unclear if customers will flock to 5G devices, given that it’s not available nationwide and there are no must-have 5G apps — not yet, at least. “This is our moment,” Sievert said. [Read more](. Good and bad vaccine news: A panel of experts involved in the quest for a COVID-19 vaccine laid out their assessment of the road ahead during the opening day of the 2020 GeekWire Summit. Scientists are moving at a rapid pace, but the coronavirus outbreak is still likely to be with us next year — and low- to medium-income countries such as India are likely to be hit particularly hard. [Read the story]( and [register to get access to more Summit content.]( Election-related demand at Amazon: Thousands of Amazon workers signed onto an internal petition demanding that the company provide paid time off between now and Election Day so that employees can vote, according to reports. The petition comes at a time when hours-long lines are being reported in states where early voting has begun. [Read the story.]( Catch fish, not COVID: Approximately 10,000 employees of Washington-based fishing and processing companies are expected to participate in a screening program aimed at early detection and control of COVID-19 infections, to keep the virus from spreading in the Alaska fishing industry. [Read more.]( Longterm vision for Cascadia: Dire predictions about traffic, housing affordability and climate are spelled out in a report for the Microsoft-backed Cascadia Innovation Corridor. Those involved in a more connected vision for the Seattle-Portland-Vancouver, B.C. mega-region still seem to have plenty of questions about how housing hubs and high-speed rail will materialize in the coming decades. [Read the story.]( Thanks for reading, and see all of our latest headlines below. -- GeekWire Geek Life reporter Kurt Schlosser, [kurt@geekwire.com]( and Managing Editor Taylor Soper, taylor@geekwire.com. SPONSOR MESSAGE No RSS items found. LATEST HEADLINES [PNW startups raised more than $1B in Q3 — here’s why investors are still making bets amid pandemic]( [Seattle researchers aim to stop the spread of COVID-19 infections in Alaskan fishing industry]( [T-Mobile CEO: Apple iPhone 12 launch marks ‘firing gun’ for 5G and T-Mobile leads the race]( [Experts foresee triumphs and tragedies in worldwide quest for COVID-19 vaccine]( [Report: Thousands of Amazon workers support internal petition demanding paid time off to vote]( SPONSORED: GEEK HOME OF THE DAY [Beautiful Contemporary Home in West Seattle]( [Longterm vision for Seattle-Portland-Vancouver mega-region will require a ‘consensus on growth’]( [Fitness tech company JAXJOX raises $10M as it gets ready to ship AI-enabled workout system]( GEEKWORK: TODAY'S TECH JOBS - [INRIX: Strategy Analyst]( - [INRIX: Senior Java Data Engineer]( - [Libro.fm: Senior iOS Developer]( - [Libro.fm: Senior Android Developer]( [FIND MORE JOBS ON GEEKWORK]( [HIRING? BUY A FEATURED LISTING TO APPEAR HERE]( [About GeekWire]( [Contact Us]( [Advertise]( Copyright © 2020 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](