Detecting theft, helping insurance agencies, improving lab work, and finding nail salons.
We’re covering all the bases with our latest spotlight on early stage startups on the rise in the Seattle area.
Read on to learn more about the companies, and check out past startup radar spotlights here. Email me at [email protected] to flag other companies and startup news.
Jinn Labs
Founded: 2024
The business: Jinn Labs is building computer vision technology to help retailers detect theft in real-time. It’s targeting convenience stores, gas stations, and other retail businesses. The company has raised $775,000 and is working out of the AI2 Incubator.
Leadership: CEO and co-founder Harjeev Anand has experience at Amazon and Microsoft, and led product for Seattle-area infrastructure startup Katanemo. Co-founder and CTO Syed Hashmi was an engineer at Oracle and LinkedIn, and also worked at Katanemo.
ModernVivo
Founded: 2021
The business: ModernVivo is using AI to improve preclinical animal studies. Its software is designed to accelerate project timelines, reduce development costs, and identify more effective therapeutics. The startup launched its full commercial product in December and has more than 20 customers, including small biotech firms and large pharma companies.
Leadership: CEO and co-founder Ian Levine is a research scientist by training and did graduate work in pharmacology at the University of Michigan. Co-founder and CTO Colin Small earned a masters in biotechnology from Brown University.
NailedIT Labs
Founded: 2025
The business: NailedIT Labs bills itself as a crossover of Pinterest and OpenTable that uses AI to help people find nail design inspiration and then book appointments at salons. Users can prompt the company’s “Nail Art Genie” to discover designs from salons. The startup is working with more than 70 salons in the Seattle area and plans to generate revenue with a commission model.
Leadership: Hongyuan Jin (Alex), founder and CEO, has a Ph.D. in economics with a background in data science and consulting. NailedIT Labs’ CTO Daniel Catalan earned a computer science degree last year.
Onyx Platform
Founded: 2025
The business: Former employees at Assurance IQ are taking another swing in the insurance tech market with Onyx, which aims to helps insurance agencies be more efficient. The company has a few customers and is gearing up for a formal launch later this year. Onyx raised a pre-seed round and has eight employees.
Leadership: Onyx CEO and co-founder Allison Arzeno previously led Assurance, which helped match consumers with insurance plans and was acquired by Prudential for $2.35 billion in 2019. The company shut down last year. Onyx CTO and co-founder Nicholas Howard was CTO at Assurance.
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