Taylor Soper, GeekWire
Taylor Soper is GeekWire's managing editor, responsible for coordinating the newsroom, planning coverage, and editing stories. A native of Portland, Ore., and graduate of the University of Washington, he was previously a GeekWire staff reporter, covering beats including startups and sports technology. Follow him @taylor_soper and email taylor@geekwire.com.
Amazon took a big step into the gaming industry Wednesday with the launch of Crucible, a free-to-play online shooter and the company's first original big-budget game.
The game, available for Windows 10, is a team-based shooter that lets players hunt down opponents. It's similar to other megahits such as Overwatch, Apex Legends, and Fortnite. It was initially announced in 2016.
<p><em>Crucible </em>will be a litmus test of sorts for Amazon as it looks to dive deeper into the crowded <a href="https://venturebeat.com/2020/01/02/superdata-games-hit-120-1-billion-in-2019-with-fortnite-topping-1-8-billion/" target="_blank">$120 billion</a> video game industry. Amazon acquired Twitch in 2014 for nearly $1 billion and established Amazon Game Studios eight years ago, but hasn't launched many original titles and ran into several hiccups with canceled projects and layoffs.</p><p>"This division could have been an industry juggernaut in terms of leveraging Amazon's cash reserves and tech-industry dominance," <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/05/crucible-amazons-new-online-shooter-alexa-does-this-game-have-a-chance/" target="_blank">Ars Technica</a> noted. "Instead, it has limped to its current May 2020 state."</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
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<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Crucible | Extended Overview</small>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHLd9fOcDjA&feature=emb_title" target="_blank">www.youtube.com</a>
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</p><p>Crucible is developed by Relentless Studios, a Seattle-based development team of Amazon Games led by Louis Castle, co-founder of Westwood Studios.<br/></p><p>Early response to the game are mixed, with Ars Technica giving it a lukewarm review, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/19/21262435/amazon-crucible-review-free-to-play-team-shooter-moba-release-date" target="_blank">The Verge</a> noting that Crucible "will find an audience that's been itching for this particular mashup of design ideas and genres in an accessible package," and <a href="https://www.engadget.com/crucible-amazon-relentless-game-preview-interview-130013794.html" target="_blank">Engadget</a> praising its "surprisingly solid gameplay foundation."</p><p>Amazon plans to launch another game, <a href="https://youtu.be/OKnUBs-Ko44" target="_blank"><em>New World</em></a>, in August.</p><p><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-20/crucible-has-arrived-amazon-s-first-big-budget-video-game" target="_blank">Bloomberg</a> reported that <em>Crucible </em>and <em>New World</em> could be part of Amazon's plan to launch a game-streaming service that would compete with offerings from Microsoft, Google, Sony, and others.</p><p>Amazon in 2016 <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2016/twitch-prime/" target="_blank">unveiled Twitch Prime</a>, a series of benefits for gamers that is included as part of the an Amazon Prime or Prime Video membership.</p><p><a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2020/amazon-dives-deeper-video-games-launches-first-big-budget-title-crucible/" target="_blank">This story first appeared on GeekWire.</a></p>
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L.A. Startup Kandela Sues Seattle’s Porch for $11.5M, Alleging Fraud One Year After Acquisition
May 12 2020
Home improvement startup Porch acquired moving concierge startup Kandela in April 2019, describing it as a strong complement to its existing slate of services. But a little more than a year later, Kandela is suing its new Seattle-based owner, alleging that Porch purposefully sought to reduce the long-term payout under the deal.
<p>Kandela filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Monday, accusing <a href="http://porch.com" target="_blank">Porch</a> of fraud and breach of contract. The company alleges that Porch and its CEO Matt Ehrlichman "have engaged in a stunning and systematic pattern of fraud designed to prevent Kandela from achieving any earnout" for hitting certain milestones, to according to the complaint.</p><p>The Los Angeles-based startup is seeking $11.5 million plus punitive damages.</p><p>Here's a statement from Ehrlichman, shared with GeekWire via email:</p><blockquote>"Porch acquired Kandela and the acquisition included an earnout. Unfortunately, when selling its business, Kandela oversold their ability to hit its own objectives. We strongly dispute all claims related to this lawsuit and we will defend ourselves vigorously. Porch as a company has grown rapidly and we will continue to work in partnership with utilities and other partners across the country to help make the homeownership experience better and we are excited about what is ahead."</blockquote><p>Porch helps match home service professionals with homeowners for improvement projects. Founded in 2012, Kandela aimed to simplify the moving experience by setting up installation of home services like TV, internet and security systems. It employed 100 people when Porch acquired the company.</p><p>"Kandela's mission closely aligns with Porch's — to make tasks related to the home easier, faster, and simpler," Ehrlichman said in a statement <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2019/home-improvement-marketplace-porch-makes-another-acquisition-headcount-hits-500/" target="_blank">after the acquisition in April 2019</a>. "Kandela's suite of services are a natural extension of the work Porch is already undertaking."</p><p>The all-stock acquisition was valued at approximately $11.5 million, according to the complaint, which notes that Kandela would "earnout" more than $6 million by achieving certain revenue and profitability milestones.</p><p>But Kandela alleges that Porch was "hell-bent on ensuring that Kandela did not achieve any earnout" by withholding resources from Kandela, refusing to sell Porch products and services to Kandela customers, and instructing Kandela to "sell products and services that did not exist."</p><p>"Porch and Ehrlichman's misconduct was designed to suppress Kandela's business so that Kandela could not achieve any of the earnout targets set forth in the parties' agreement," the lawsuit reads.</p><p>This is the latest chapter in a tumultuous startup journey for Porch and Ehrlichman.</p><p>The high-profile Seattle startup grew rapidly and raised $100 million less than two years after it <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2013/startup-porch-raises-625m-seed-aiming-disrupt-home-improvement-massive-amount-data/" target="_blank">came out of stealth mode in 2013</a>, inking partnerships with Lowe's, Facebook, and others.</p><p>But just months later, Porch reduced its headcount from 500 to 250 as the company was forced to repair the business. <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2018/home-improvement-data-startup-porch-emerges-2-year-quiet-period-rebounds-450-people/" target="_blank">Porch emerged</a> from a two-year quiet period in April 2018, and said it had resumed growth.</p><p>Porch originally made money by matching homeowners with home services professionals. It has since evolved into a "vertical software-as-a-service company" that sells CRM products to moving companies, large utility providers, home inspectors, and more, helping their customers with maintenance projects and moves. Porch says its software platform grew revenue by 10X between 2017 and 2019.</p><p><a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2020/home-improvement-marketplace-porch-raises-21m-pushes-toward-profitability/" target="_blank">Porch raised more than $20 million</a> as part of a Series C round in January of this year. It was the first equity round for Porch since the company <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2015/porch-raises-65m-high-profile-vcs-tv-star-ty-pennington-planning-even-growth/" target="_blank">landed a $65 million investment in 2015.</a> The company's investors include Battery Ventures, Capricorn Investment Group, Founders Fund, Valor Equity Partners, Lowe's, Black River Ventures, Moderne Ventures, HVAC distributor Watsco, and others.</p><p>This story <a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2020/l-startup-kandela-sues-seattles-porch-11-5m-alleging-fraud-one-year-acquisition/" target="_blank">first appeared on GeekWire</a>.</p>
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When Tarryn Marcus set out to create a comprehensive database of COVID-19 testing centers across the United States, her call for volunteers to help build it drew more than 120 responses. Today, with 35 active volunteers including developers, data scientists, content writers, social media producers, and marketers, she is running Get Tested COVID-19 like a tech startup.
<p><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tarryn-marcus/" target="_blank">Marcus</a> grew up in Washington, attended the University of Washington and worked for a few startups, including most recently at the AR/VR company Pixvana as director of demand generation.<br/>
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She started the testing database in March with her partner, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-boldyga/" target="_blank">Zach Boldyga</a>, who runs a healthcare software company called <a href="https://www.scalabull.com/" target="_blank">Scalabull</a>, a network that provides connections between clinical labs and doctors across the U.S. He works directly with most of the clinical labs that are providing testing for COVID-19.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://dot.la/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzE0ODA5NS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwMjYyOTEyN30.qS-yN1h4VlbEbeM9svRQtXqX1rFXciCEa0RlUAC06Bs/image.png?width=980" id="9b931" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4547da5359a7cdc6e45c842fdbeccfb7" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Tarryn Marcus, left, and Zach Boldyga are leading a volunteer-driven effort to build a COVID-19 testing location database. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Photos courtesy of Tarryn Marcus</small></p><p>"Our backgrounds were a pretty good launchpad for the effort," Marcus said. "We were able to get some early insight from the healthcare industry, build the initial website, and start to spread the word quickly."<br/></p><p>
Get Tested COVID-19 is intended to work as a crowdsourced effort to streamline access to testing information, even as reports show that <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/15/us/coronavirus-testing-trump.html" target="_blank">testing has remained inadequate to date</a>.
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"We didn't hesitate to see whether other organizations would create this resource. We knew it had the potential to be helpful, it was within our wheelhouse, and we could get it up and running quickly, so we dove in," Marcus said.
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The database now includes more than 2,100 testing centers, and users enter their zip code to find the nearest site, including hours and requirements. There is also a <a href="https://get-tested-covid19.org/when-should-you-get-tested" target="_blank">comprehensive guide</a> to when and why people should get tested.
</p><p>Right now, the site primarily tracks active case testing with the nasal swab, which is the primary testing method of the drive-thrus. Some walk-ins are blood testing and a small handful (10) are doing antibody, according to Marcus, who said they are working on a design to distinguish between test types.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://dot.la/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzE0ODExMC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzODg1NDkyNH0.we8-OijLrj7CV7RDkcYhvvdufjmkEz5idPk2YQswsew/image.png?width=980" id="df069" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="71f64cfc198ab02e19c746cbc2f33bfc" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">A screen grab showing the information available for a testing location.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Get Tested COVID-19 Image</small></p><p>Elsewhere when it comes to resources, Google is now showing information for testing centers on searches for terms related to COVID-19, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/17/21225828/google-showing-covid-19-testing-centers-search-results" target="_blank">The Verge reported</a>. And Apple Maps intends to add that information as well, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-maps-will-soon-show-covid-19-testing-locations-2020-4" target="_blank">according to Business Insider</a>.<br/></p><p>
Operating more smoothly like a company now, Get Tested COVID-19 has projects in motion for data science, UX improvements, marketing, software engineering, and communicating with stakeholders in the industry to explore additional ways to add value.
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Some of volunteers work full time for larger tech companies, some are freelancers, and others have been recently laid off and are choosing to spend their time on COVID-19-related projects. Organizations like Fullstack Academy have reached out and offered the help of recent graduates.
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"Everyone just seems to really want to help in whatever way they can," Marcus said, adding that some contributors are working full time on the effort, and that the time she's put in has been much more than initially anticipated.
</p><p> The team has identified lots of issues and opportunities, and we're all rallying around putting a high-quality tool in front of anyone who needs it.</p><p>
With volunteers from six different time zones across the world, establishing clear project workflows and tools for communication has proven critical. There's even a <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1a5slrzTuNXq5g6-KC12xGk8ob3T_25bs/view" target="_blank">mission statement and guidelines. </a>
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Core tools driving the project from an organization standpoint are GitHub for development and Slack, Google Hangouts, and Zoom for communication. Web scrapers, machine learning and human-validated data are all employed. A small team is crunching data in Python to provide helpful insights to responders in the healthcare industry. And Get Tested is leveraging free Amazon Web Services credits to run the website and ensure it is ready to scale.
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"The team has identified lots of issues and opportunities, and we're all rallying around putting a high-quality tool in front of anyone who needs it," Marcus said. "The reality is that we are not first responders or essential workers, and outside of giving money and staying indoors, this is a direct way we can hopefully provide value and contribute to the fight against COVID-19."
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"I know for sure that we can build something amazing" she added. "Our biggest challenge is ensuring that the average American knows that this resource exists."
</p><p><a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2020/volunteers-launch-database-covid-19-test-centers-across-u-s-run-like-tech-startup/" target="_blank">This story was originally published on GeekWire.</a></p>
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