Seattle founders are hard at work trying to improve space communication, hiring, restaurant marketing, jewelry sustainability, and finding a great bottle of wine.
We’re back with the latest Startup Radar, our regular spotlight on up-and-coming, early stage Seattle-area startups.
Read on for brief descriptions of each company — and a pitch assessment from GPT-powered “Mean VC,” which we prompt to offer both positive and critical feedback.
Check past Startup Radar posts here, and email me at [email protected] to flag other companies or startup news.
Aetheon
Founded: 2025
The business: Job-matching platform designed to map real world capabilities to work opportunities. Its software translates lived experiences — such as military service, caregiving, or community work — into market-ready skills. Aetheon is partnering with organizations including the World Economic Forum and Harvard’s Human Flourishing Program to pilot its skills intelligence system. The startup has raised $550,000.
Leadership: Founder and CEO Marie Gill was an exec at Executive Networks, Concertus, and Modifi. She also leads the Green Apron Alliance of Starbucks alumni. Co-founders include Gina Jeneroux, a 37-year veteran of BMO Financial Group, and longtime entrepreneur and product leader Mark Wayman.
Mean VC: “You’ve got real partners and credible operators, but in a saturated ‘skills’ space you need to show exactly where you win (segment, data, or workflow) and hard proof that pilots convert into sizable, repeatable contracts.”
Constellation
Founded: 2025
The business: Space communication software that helps satellite operators avoid losing valuable mission data by predicting when a ground connection is about to fail. Its system spots the problem early and automatically reroutes data through a better path. Constellation is testing its technology with defense and industrial partners.
Leadership: Founder and CEO Kamran Majid is a former software engineer at SpaceX and Xplore. Other co-founders include Raaid Kabir, a former engineer with Prudential Financial and Blue Origin; Omeed Tehrani, a software engineer at Capital One; and Laith Altarabishi, also a software engineer at Capital One.
Mean VC: “The problem and team both look strong, yet unless you can prove fast integration, real willingness to pay, and expansion inside operators, this risks being treated as a clever reliability feature rather than a standalone company.”
Feedia
Founded: 2025
The business: AI-powered marketing manager to help small, independent restaurant owners automate their digital marketing, cut costs, and save time. The startup aims to empower immigrant restaurant owners often underserved due to language barriers. Feedia has 15 pilot users and plans to begin paid subscription trials next quarter.
Leadership: CEO Deyi (Robert) Zhu is a Seattle restaurateur who co-owns the fast-casual chain Master Bing. He previously worked in business development leadership roles at SprintiQ and Beejern. Co-founder Dexuan Zhu is a senior engineer at Sea Group in Singapore.
Mean VC: “Founder-market fit is excellent and the immigrant focus is compelling, but without clear, quantified impact on revenue or hours saved and a very narrow core use case, you’ll blend into the noise of generic “AI for SMB marketing” tools.”
Redyoos
Founded: 2024
The business: Circular jewelry recycling system that recovers precious metals from pre-owned jewelry and returns them to the supply chain. The company partners with groups like Goodwill, Armoire, Starbucks, Dress for Success, and Phoenix Tailings, and is developing an AI-powered product for jewelry appraisal. Redyoos is bootstrapped and generating revenue.
Leadership: Founder and CEO Cleo Escarez was chief operating officer at Boma Silver Jewelry and a former brand manager at Starbucks.
Mean VC: “The circular jewelry angle and partnerships are promising, but your entire story hinges on whether you can beat existing recycling channels on unit economics and make the AI appraisal tool essential rather than decorative.”
Theodora
Founded: 2022
The business: Provides casual wine drinkers with personalized recommendations guided by answers about their taste and budget. Theodora suggests a bottle based on what’s available in a nearby store. The company is bootstrapped and just launched its iOS app this week.
Leadership: Founder and CEO Jess Thevenoz was a former data analyst at Flockjay, Hellosaurus, and CDC Group.
Mean VC: “The consumer problem is relatable and your store-based recommendations are logical, but you still need to prove sticky repeat usage and a path to monetizing retailer or brand value so you don’t become just another short-lived wine app.”
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