F5, a Seattle-based application security and delivery company, recently appointed Lyra Schramm as their Chief People Officer and Kunal Anand as Chief Technology Officer. Schramm joins F5 from Google, where she held various human resources leadership positions, including Vice President of People Strategy. Anand is the former CTO and CISO of cybersecurity company Imperva, and also co-founded Prevoty. Both executives will hold EVP titles at F5, which reported $693 million in revenue for its most recent quarter. The company’s stock is up 8% this year.
In addition to the appointments at F5, Adaptive Biotechnologies named Kyle Piskel as their new CFO, replacing Tycho Peterson. Adaptive also announced the restructuring of their MRD and Immune Medicine businesses, causing the company’s stock to fall over 9% on Wednesday. Bryan Copley, CEO of Seattle real estate data startup CityBldr, has been appointed as a planning commissioner for the City of Redmond. Meir Lakhovsky, a veteran product leader in Seattle, has joined Gradient as VP of Product Management. Leafly, a cannabis software company, announced a change in board leadership.
Former Techstars Seattle leaders, Marius Ciocirlan and Sarah Studer, are exploring new opportunities following the shutdown of the startup accelerator in February. Ciocirlan, who previously co-founded ShareGrid, a marketplace for filmmakers and photographers, is leaving Techstars after serving as the managing director of the Seattle program. Studer, who joined Techstars as the Director of Platform, is also moving on to new ventures. She is currently working as a “chief storyteller” for TrueMedia, a nonprofit focused on combating misinformation and identifying deepfakes.
The departure of Ciocirlan and Studer from Techstars Seattle comes as the organization refocuses its efforts on cities with higher venture capital activity. Carson Nye, previously an investment manager at Techstars Seattle, has joined Two Ravens, a new venture firm led by former Techstars Seattle managing director Isaac Kato. Despite the closure of the Seattle program, Techstars has supported over 160 startups through the accelerator since its inception in 2010. The changes in leadership at F5, Adaptive Biotechnologies, and Techstars Seattle reflect a broader trend of movement and restructuring in the Pacific Northwest tech industry.
Overall, these executive appointments and leadership changes highlight the dynamic nature of the tech industry in the Pacific Northwest. Companies like F5 and Adaptive Biotechnologies are adapting to new market trends and opportunities, while organizations like Techstars are adjusting their focus to align with strategic priorities. The departure of key leaders like Ciocirlan and Studer from Techstars Seattle opens up new possibilities for talent and innovation in the region. As the industry continues to evolve, these changes signal both challenges and opportunities for growth and development in the tech sector.
