Microsoft unveils Mesh, betting on mixed-reality meetings

Seattle startup reveals celebrity co-founder | SPAC secret: better terms for founders ADVERTISEMENT [GeekWire]( SPONSOR MESSAGE: Become a GeekWire member: [Support independent journalism and join today!]( TODAY'S TOP STORIES Microsoft’s mixed reality vision: In a world still adjusting to the realities of remote work and life, the tech giant doubled down on the concept [with a new mixed-realty platform called Mesh]( representing its vision for how we’ll gather and meet in the future. The image above depicts a meeting in Mesh, with an animated avatar (left), in-person participant (center) and photorealistic avatar (right) collaborating on a virtual simulation. Mesh will work via Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 headset, but also VR headsets, phones, tablets and computers. - In other news from its Ignite conference, Microsoft announced [shared external channels for Teams]( seeking to outdo an existing feature from rival Slack. - We’re working on a story about what’s next for remote work and a return to the office. How is your company planning for 2021? What do you miss most — and not miss at all — about being at a physical office? Let us know at tips@geekwire.com. How SPACs are shifting the IPO game: Special purpose acquisition companies are all the rage these days in the startup world. A key reason: they expedite the path to liquidity for founders, early employees and executives, who can enter the public markets while retaining larger chunks of equity. [Read more](. - Speaking of SPACs, Zulily’s co-founder is [getting in on the craze, as well.]( - Seattle Backchannel on Clubhouse: GeekWire co-founder John Cook will join tech investors Ben Gilbert, Heather Redman, and Jon Staenberg to talk all about Seattle. Tune in [at 4 p.m. PT Wednesday on the popular live audio conversation app](. Secure’s ‘secret weapon’: The Seattle-area fintech startup revealed that it had some secret help in getting the company off the ground — TV personality and best-selling author Suze Orman is a co-founder. [Read more.]( Would you fly in a Boeing 737-MAX? How about four flights in one day? Tech journalist Brian M. Westbrook did exactly that Monday as the first paying customer aboard Alaska Airlines’ first commercial 737-MAX 9 flight, part of the Boeing plane’s return to service. [Read his first-person account.]( A hybrid heli-drone? Aerovel, an aerospace venture started by the founders of Boeing’s Insitu business unit, is developing a new drone dubbed the Flexrotor, which takes off and lands vertically, like a helicopter, then shifts into horizontal flight like an airplane. [Aerovel just raised $2.4 million]( an SEC filing shows. Elizabeth Warren revives wealth tax plan: The Massachusetts senator is back, alongside Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA),[with legislation she championed while running for president last year](http://). The ultra-wealthy are also being targeted [by another wealth tax proposal in Washington state](. Thanks for reading, and see all our latest headlines below. — GeekWire editor Todd Bishop, editor@geekwire.com, managing editor Taylor Soper, taylor@geekwire.com, and reporter Kurt Schlosser, kurt@geekwire.com. 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[Join Today!]( LATEST HEADLINES [Zillow Group real estate rival Compass files for IPO, shows $3.7B in revenue for 2020]( [Microsoft unveils Mesh, betting on mixed reality for gatherings and collaboration across platforms]( [How SPACs are changing the IPO game: Equity ownership of founders a big consideration]( [Zulily co-founder latest to join SPAC mania]( [Boeing Insitu founders raise cash for Aerovel, which makes drones that take off and land vertically]( SPONSORED: GEEK HOME OF THE DAY [Estate Escapes | Columbia River Villa]( [Amazon Web Services inks deal with the PGA Tour, its latest cloud computing sports deal]( [Microsoft Teams getting shared external channels, smart speakers, new presenter modes]( [Presage Biosciences raises $13M and inks new deal with Merck for cancer drug tests]( [Seattle-area fintech startup Secure reveals secret: Suze Orman is part of the founding team]( [Led by co-creator of Nintendo’s Power Glove, this startup raised $2M for its restaurant tech]( [What it was like to fly — and land — in Alaska Airlines’ first commercial 737-MAX 9 flight]( [Elizabeth Warren revives wealth tax plan alongside Washington’s Jayapal, seeking $3T over 10 years]( GEEKWORK: TODAY'S TECH JOBS - [Proprio Vision: Lead Software Development Engineer – Test]( - [INRIX: Sales Development Representative]( - [TrueBlue, Inc.: Director, Oracle Cloud Applicaations]( - [Icertis: Senior Director Demand Generation]( - [GeekWire: GeekWire Technology and Business Reporter]( - [Logic20/20: Data Engineer – Spark]( - [INRIX: Legal Contracts Manager]( - [INRIX: Head of Product – Location Intelligence]( - [INRIX: Content Strategist]( - [Playful Software, Inc: Startup Sr Product Manager]( [FIND MORE JOBS ON GEEKWORK]( [HIRING? 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