High-profile talent shift: Nvidia has recruited 26-year Microsoft veteran Nick Parker (above) to serve as its new global sales chief, luring the executive with a massive $40 million-plus compensation package that includes a $5 million signing bonus. The new role puts Parker in charge of sales and customer relationships at the center of the AI boom, reporting directly to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Read more.
Big military deal for Seattle startup: Overland AI won a Marine Corps contract worth nearly $20 million to produce more than a dozen autonomous ground vehicles, which the startup says makes it the first ground autonomy company to be the lead contractor on a military production deal. Read more.
Pet project emerges from startup studio: Sniff is a Seattle-based app from Conduit Venture Labs co-founder Amish Patel (above, with his standard poodle Chewie), who was looking for a way to capitalize on the connections his own dog would make on walks. The goal is to combat human isolation and loneliness via a community of dog parents who can arrange meet-ups and lean on each other for services such as pet sitting and walking. Read more.
Constellation taking shape: Amazon has reached a key milestone in its satellite internet ambitions, announcing that its latest launch provides enough orbiting capacity to begin commercial service for the Amazon Leo network later this year. Read more.
17 startups complete accelerator: Early stage companies innovating across advanced manufacturing and computational health made up the latest cohort of the Seattle accelerator run by Creative Destruction Lab. Read more.
The week’s top stories: We’re going to pause Saturday’s regular recap newsletter for the July 4 holiday, but here’s a quick rundown of some of our top headlines from the week:
And be sure to check out Positive Charge, our brand-new podcast that launched this week about the latest climate and environmental innovations. It offers a glimmer of hope for the future of the planet, with initial episodes on fusion energy and the quest to rid the world of forever chemicals. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen.
Hot Links:
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Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ once-hostile relationship with President Donald Trump has flipped into a strategic alliance, and his Blue Origin space venture is reaping the rewards. (WSJ)
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Amazon CEO Andy Jassy and Microsoft President Brad Smith are part of a new 40‑member AI for Good Global Commission, a UN-backed effort to expand access and build trust in AI worldwide. (ITU)
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Pushpay, a Redmond‑based company that makes software for churches, rolled out a rebuilt Groups dashboard, kicking off a major overhaul of its platform. (GlobeNewswire)
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Google's 4th of July ad, imagining the Founding Fathers drafting the Declaration of Independence with modern tech, started as a scrappy 30-second prototype that Seattle-based marketing manager Andrew Mitrak pitched in an internal competition. (LinkedIn)
Thanks for subscribing, and have a great holiday weekend! — GeekWire editor Todd Bishop, [email protected]; reporter Kurt Schlosser, [email protected]; and reporter Lisa Stiffler, [email protected].
