Benjamin Romano

Senior Editor, Seattle

Benjamin has covered the intersections of business, technology and the environment in the Pacific Northwest and beyond for more than a decade. At The Seattle Times he was the lead beat reporter covering Microsoft during Bill Gates’ transition from business to philanthropy. He also covered Seattle venture capital and biotech. Most recently, Benjamin followed the technology, finance and policies driving renewable energy development in the Western US for Recharge, a global trade publication. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication.

Recent posts

New Partner at Quiet Hambrecht Fund Takes ‘Moneyball’ Approach to VC

Thomas Thurston says we’ve entered “the era of the Moneyball VC,” and no less a name than investment banking pioneer Bill Hambrecht is placing a bet on this Northwest-based data scientist’s... Read more »
Roundup: Version One Ventures, Scope 5, Gigabit Squared, and Fledge

In the news this week: Canadian fundraising with an eye on U.S. startups, funding for sustainability software company Scope 5, Seattle’s high-speed broadband project expanding, and a new flock of Fledglings.... Read more »
On the Cusp of Commercialization, Hydrovolts Runs Out of Cash

Seattle renewable energy equipment maker Hydrovolts, which was on the “cusp” of initial commercial sales of its small hydroelectric turbines, is evaluating its options after running out of capital.

“The company... Read more »
Itron CEO Talks Smart Grids and Cities, Big Data, China, and Water

Based outside of Spokane, WA, but with a business presence in 120 countries, Itron is the quiet, global giant in the state’s cleantech sector—and a key part of the Pacific Northwest’s... Read more »
Roundup: Cozi, X2Impact Raise Funds, Angels Report, and More

Investors are making bets on Seattle companies including family organizer Cozi and X2Impact, which aims to prevent sports head injuries, while angel groups the Keiretsu Form Northwest and Northwest Energy Angels... Read more »
Roundup: Ignition Raising Fund As Northwest Deals Abound

Ignition Venture Partners is going forward with a $150 million fund, while Northwest startups Rover.com, Urban Airship, and Rivet & Sway, recently raised venture capital. Other Northwest tech companies are buying... Read more »
Fledge Raises Funds As ‘Fledgling’ BURN Gets $4m For Africa Factory

Seattle startup incubator Fledge has closed the initial round of a venture capital fund to back companies addressing a broad market of “conscious consumers,” while a member of its first class... Read more »
Washington Governor Woos, But AMSC Has No Imminent Plans to Move

Washington Governor Jay Inslee dashed off a hand-written note to the chief executive of clean energy company AMSC minutes after being sworn in last month, inviting the Massachusetts company to move... Read more »
New Zillow Tool Helps Homeowners Daydream About Remodeling

Zillow is aiming a new service at the one major portion of the real estate marketplace it hasn’t touched yet: remodeling.

The Seattle company is launching Zillow Digs, an iPad app... Read more »
Hydrovolts Introduces Commercial Turbine, Targets Wastewater Plants

As recently as a year ago, Seattle renewable energy startup Hydrovolts planned to sell its turbines primarily to irrigation districts for use in canals. But the company now sees a more... Read more »
Inslee Claims Clean Energy Mandate, Outlines Ideas for Sector

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee says he has a “mandate” on clean energy and outlined “eight general ideas” to advance the sector, but he offered little in the way of specific new... Read more »
Roundup: 9Mile, Invoke, nFluence, FlexMinder, Sigby, and Globys

Another Northwest startup incubator is launching, this one in Vancouver, BC, while Seattle’s newest, 9Mile Labs, adds to its roster of partners. Meanwhile, nFluence Media, FlexMinder, and Sigby each took on... Read more »
Defense Secretary Gates: Underfund Basic Research at America’s Peril

Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates distills a critical challenge to America’s continued prosperity and global leadership: Deliver to his generation all promised entitlements, or invest in research and education—the foundations of... Read more »
Confirmed: Ignition Partners Scaling Down With New $150M Fund

[Updated 5:30 pm Pacific] One of the Northwest’s leading venture firms is scaling back, looking at raising a smaller fifth fund with fewer active partners.

A source familiar with... Read more »
Seattle Smorgasbord: UW Molecule, Telanetix Sold, Symform CEO, and More

Can you taste the potential in a promising new ferroelectric molecule, new ownership for cloud-based voice provider Telanetix, new leadership at backup service Symform, more cash for app host Blue Box,... Read more »
SEOmoz Buys AudienceWise, Plans Hipster-Friendly Portland Office

Cue the “Dream of the ’90s.” SEOmoz is acquiring AudienceWise, its third Portland-based buy, and will open an office in the Rose City.

The Seattle search engine and social marketing company... Read more »
Simply Measured Plans to Double Staff with $8M From Bessemer, Others

Simply Measured, a Seattle startup that helps marketers analyze and report on their social media presence, achieved profitability in three years with an investment of only $900,000.

But Adam Schoenfeld, chief... Read more »
Governor Inslee Comes Out Swinging For Washington Cleantech

Washington Governor Jay Inslee devoted about one-seventh of his inaugural address to climate change and the state’s moral imperative and economic opportunity in responding to it.

While the longtime environmental champion... Read more »
Symform, Tred, LikeBright, UIEvolution, and More Seattle Tech Deals

Washington attracted 4 percent of VC investment in the fourth quarter of 2012—up from 2 percent a year earlier—and new deals are continuing to roll out for Northwest tech companies... Read more »
Exo Labs Links iPads, Microscopes To Modernize Science Education

Exo Labs wants to turn the iPad—proliferating in schools like generations of Apple products before it—into a platform for science education, both in the classroom and in the field.

The Seattle-area... Read more »

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