— Diena Lee Mann, former senior vice president at Seattle startup SoundCommerce, launched a startup that aims to help business analysts work more effectively with platforms such as Tableau, Microsoft Power BI, Looker Studio, and others.
Spectio uses artificial intelligence to address common pain points that occur while using these tools, such as communication and documentation.
Domain and technical comprehension of these systems vary within an organization, placing the responsibility on business analysts to act as the “translation layer,” Mann told GeekWire.
“Spectio is designed to make their lives easier,” she said.
Mann spent more than two years at SoundCommerce, which aims to help online retailers improve operational efficiency. She also worked at iLink Digital for nearly two years and helped run a software development services company.
Spectio has raised an undisclosed amount of investment and plans to grow in Seattle. The region has a “pool of talent with deep experience in data and analytics,” Mann said.
Spectio is meant to be a complementary solution to BI platforms. Tableau and Microsoft Power BI recently rolled out their own AI-fueled tools to help users automate processes and identify trends.
Other key personnel changes across the Pacific Northwest tech industry:
— Jessica Boulanger, former head of executive communications at Amazon, joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as a SVP of communications. She spent more than a year as a communications leader at Amazon. She also worked as a EVP at Business Roundtable, a Washington, D.C., lobbyist association that works exclusively with CEOs.
— Microsoft Federal president Rick Wagner stepped down, according to a report by Breaking Defense. Wagner held the position since July 2020. Prior to his role at Microsoft, Wagner was president of IT services company ManTech.
— After selling her startup OwnTrail, Seattle tech vet Rebekah Bastian joined Seattle 3D printer maker Glowforge as senior vice president of product.
— SeaCiti, a nonprofit of the Washington Technology Industry Association that aims to help tech workers create local impact, hired Terrence Stevenson as director. Stevenson previously was a manager at social impact startup ScaleWith and founded PeaceAtlas.
— Joseph Lu, founder of Portland, Ore.-based battery technology company Powin, is launching another power-related business. The new startup plans to hire 400 people in Tualatin, Ore., by the end of 2024.
—Whitney Beltrán left her position as project narrative director at Bellevue, Wash.-based computer game studio Hidden Path Entertainment. She announced that she is launching her own video game studio.
—IntuitiveX CEO Jeffrey Roh said the medical innovation incubator is partnering with Advanced Neurosurgery of Hawaii to launch a new surgical venture. Roh, who is moving to Hawaii, founded Seattle-based IntuitiveX in 2016.
— Seattle-based Discuss, a startup that offers a video-based platform to conduct market research, hired Jesse Thomson as vice president of engineering. He worked as a software engineering manager at Qualtrics for seven years.
