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  • GeekWire | Seattle marketing software startup Usermind lays off 15 employees
  • Usermind CEO Michel Feaster. (GeekWire Photo / Kevin Lisota)

    The layoffs continue hitting tech companies. Seattle marketing software startup Usermind said today it cut 15 employees due to economic impact from the COVID-19 crisis.

    Usermind has 61 employees listed on LinkedIn, so the layoffs affected about 25% of its staff. Usermind CEO Michel Feaster called it a heartbreaking decision.

    "This pandemic is forcing unprecedented changes in every business, and our hearts go out to these employees and their families," she said in a statement. "We are facing down our new reality and taking every step possible to work through it together — helping these former employees find new employment and keeping the rest of our employees, customers and partners healthy and safe."

    Founded in 2013, Usermind's "Experience Orchestration Platform" helps clients across retail, banking, insurance, and more pay closer attention to the needs of their customers. The company has raised more than $45 million to date, including a $23.5 million investment round in January 2018 led by Northgate Capital with participation from existing investors Andreessen Horowitz, Menlo Ventures and CRV.

    Companies across various industries are trimming their marketing budgets as they look to cut expenses amid the current economic downturn. That means lost business for startups such as Usermind.

    Earlier this week, fellow Seattle marketing tech startup Amplero laid off 17 people and shut down. Amplero CEO Jamie Miller said "we're sort of the canary in the coal mine."

    "I would bet that there are unfortunately a lot of startups in our situation that have found it almost impossible to create transactions in the marketplace," he added.

    On Tuesday, Seattle pet care startup Rover laid off 41% of its workforce and furloughed another 9%, as nearly 200 employees were affected.

    Leafly, an online cannabis brand based in Seattle, let 91 employees go last week, while AI writing startup Textio laid off 30 people. Co-working startup The Riveter and clothing rental service Armoire temporarily furloughed employees.

    Applications for unemployment benefits in Washington state surged 843% during the week ending March 21. There were 133,478 Washington residents who applied for the program over that time period. That's up more than nine times higher from the week prior.

    The New York Times today reported that more than 50 startups have cut or furloughed around 6,000 employees as IPOs are put on hold and funding dries up.



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