After leading NanoString for 14 years, Brad Gray is stepping down as CEO as the company completes its acquisition by Bruker for $392.6 million in cash. Gray expressed confidence in Bruker continuing NanoString’s mission to Map the Universe of Biology and ensuring the well-being of customers and colleagues. The CFO, Tom Bailey, is also leaving the company, while most senior leaders are staying on under the new ownership, including Chief Scientific Officer Joe Beechem. The potential sale of NanoString followed a patent infringement case against 10X Genomics, accusing NanoString of infringing on seven patents related to its GeoMx Digital Spatial Profiler.
Founded in 2003, NanoString spun out of the Institute for Systems Biology and went public in 2013. Before joining NanoString in 2010, Gray held positions at Genzyme Genetics and McKinsey & Company. In other key personnel changes across the Pacific Northwest tech scene, the co-founders of Temporal, Samar Abbas and Maxim Fateev, have swapped positions with Abbas taking over as CEO and Fateev as CTO. Temporal, which helps companies write and run cloud applications, launched in 2019 by former Uber colleagues who previously worked on the open-source orchestration engine Cadence.
Lisa Nelson, a tech leader who previously ran Microsoft’s venture fund, joined the board of Spark New Zealand, emphasizing the country’s ability to consistently exceed expectations. Anup Chamrajnagar, former CFO and COO at Certa, joined Seattle marketing startup Gradial as co-founder and chief commercial officer after the company raised $5.4 million in February. Wessel Graatasma, formerly of Solid Optics, joined Seattle cybersecurity startup Cyemptive Technologies as VP overseeing European business. Jessica Fishman, with experience at Powur, AlsoEnergy, and SolarEdge, joined Seattle-based agency Kiterocket as director of renewable energy.
In entertainment news, Amazon’s Prime Video added Dale Earnhardt Jr. to its broadcast booth for the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series coverage starting next year. Earnhardt Jr., a racing legend, is expected to bring his expertise and fan base to enhance the viewing experience for fans. These key personnel changes and acquisitions underscore the dynamic nature of the Pacific Northwest tech scene, with leaders moving between companies and taking on new roles to drive innovation and growth in various sectors, from biotech and telecommunications to marketing and cybersecurity.
