John Cook
2026 GeekWire Awards Celebrate Seattle Tech Scene with Over 300 Attendees and Winners Including Carbon Robotics, HouseWhisper AI, and Omeros
The 2026 GeekWire Awards celebrated Seattle's vibrant tech community with over 300 attendees honoring top startups, founders, and leaders across multiple categories at Showbox SoDo. The event highlighted Seattle as a hub for innovation with winners like Carbon Robotics, HouseWhisper AI, and Omeros recognized for their contributions.
2025 GeekWire Gala Hosts 750+ Seattle Tech Enthusiasts with Robots and Honors 'Uncommon Thinkers' Innovators
The 2025 GeekWire Gala brought together over 750 members of Seattle's tech community at Showbox SoDo for an evening of celebration featuring robots, games, and networking. The event also honored the region’s 'Uncommon Thinkers,' recognizing innovative leaders from multiple tech companies.
Pictory Wins Startup of the Year at 2024 GeekWire Awards in Seattle Featuring Live Music and Surprise Guests
The 2024 GeekWire Awards in Seattle celebrated Pacific Northwest tech with winners like Pictory, live music, and surprise guests, hosted at Showbox SoDo. The event featured sponsors such as Astound Business Solutions and included networking, entertainment, and a nostalgic tech theme.
Silicon Valley Bank Collapse Prompts Full Deposit Protection but Signals Banking Challenges for Startups and Tech Industry
Silicon Valley Bank's collapse has led the U.S. government to fully protect all deposits, yet it raises significant challenges for startups and the tech industry, including more complex banking and cash management. Venture capitalists predict difficulties with venture debt financing and potential tech layoffs amid reduced venture capital investing.
OceanGate's Stockton Rush Leads Crewed Submersible Dives to Titanic, Plans Expanding Deep-Sea Exploration Frontiers
OceanGate's president Stockton Rush has pioneered crewed submersible dives to the Titanic wreck, aiming to inspire public interest in ocean exploration. The company plans to expand its deep-sea ventures beyond Titanic expeditions, combining scientific research with commercial tourism.
Founders Co-op General Partner Aviel Ginzburg Discusses NFTs, Web3, Metaverse and Startup Investing on GeekWire Podcast
GeekWire Podcast interviews Aviel Ginzburg, general partner at Seattle seed fund Founders Co-op, about pandemic-era networking, NFTs, crypto, Web3, the Metaverse, and how his firm differentiates in a crowded funding market.
GeekWire Podcast: Boundless CEO Xiao Wang on how pandemic, politics and remote work reshape U.S. tech immigration
GeekWire Podcast hosts discuss how the pandemic, politics, labor shortages, and remote work are reshaping U.S. tech immigration, featuring Xiao Wang, CEO and co-founder of Boundless, on continuing systemic challenges and risks to the country's future.
GeekWire Podcast: Qumulo CEO Bill Richter on Remote Work, Seattle Tech Pay Rise to $158K, and Qumulo’s $1.2B Valuation
GeekWire’s podcast interviews Qumulo CEO Bill Richter about post-pandemic remote work, trends in tech salaries (Seattle up 4.6% to $158,000; U.S. average down 1.1% to $152,000), and implications for hiring, cloud storage, and self-driving cars. Richter discusses Qumulo’s remote-work approach, decentralized decision-making by functional leaders, and the company’s $1.2 billion valuation from its latest funding round.
Former Maveron Investor Jason Stoffer Says He Was Wrong to Pass on Remitly as Company Nears $6.5B IPO
Maveron investor Jason Stoffer passed on investing in Seattle remittance startup Remitly in 2012 due to regulatory and market concerns but now says the company proved him wrong as it prepares a $6.5 billion IPO. Stoffer discusses his analysis of Remitly’s S-1, investing lessons, and related topics on the GeekWire Podcast.
GeekWire Podcast: SPACs propel Seattle startups public — Leafly-like cannabis marketplace, pet-care firm posts first public earnings, Redmond biotech raises $80M
The GeekWire Podcast explores how SPACs are rapidly taking Seattle startups public, highlighting a soon-to-be Nasdaq-listed cannabis marketplace, a pet-care company reporting its first public earnings, and a 3-year-old Redmond biotech that raised $80 million. The episode features intern and guest editor Laurel Deppen discussing local reporting, her Seattle impressions, and lighter cultural segments.
Madrona Venture Group’s Steve Singh Details Six Post-COVID Tech Trends and Reasons for Hope on GeekWire Podcast
Steve Singh, managing director of Madrona Venture Group and former CEO of Docker and Concur, joined GeekWire to discuss reasons for hope and six technology trends to watch as the Pacific Northwest emerges from the pandemic, in a special episode tied to the 2021 virtual GeekWire Awards.
GeekWire names winners at 2021 Awards; SeekOut wins Startup of the Year after $65M raise
The 2021 GeekWire Awards returned as a virtual event honoring over 60 finalists across 14 categories from the Pacific Northwest tech community, featuring celebrity cameos and performances. Winners included SeekOut as Startup of the Year, and among 16 winners eight were women and five were people of color and/or immigrant entrepreneurs.
GeekWire opens community voting for UX Design of the Year finalists — Boundless, Joon, Qumulo Core, Tagboard Producer, Voodle — voting closes April 30
GeekWire’s UX Design of the Year recognizes startups for meaningful, usable product experiences; five finalists — Boundless, Joon, Qumulo Core, Tagboard Producer, and Voodle — are open for community voting through April 30 with winners announced May 20 at the virtual GeekWire Awards.
Ad Lightning CEO Scott Moore says he pulled company from downtown Seattle over safety, homelessness and transit, won’t return
Ad Lightning CEO Scott Moore says he pulled his company out of downtown Seattle because employees don’t feel safe amid crime and homelessness and poor transit, and he doesn’t plan to return until durable solutions are in place; he warns Seattle is losing competitiveness to Eastside cities like Bellevue and Redmond.
U.S. Venture Capital Tops $150B in 2020; Pacific Northwest Raises $4.4B as VC Appetite for Disruption Persists
Despite the pandemic and economic recession, U.S. venture capital investment hit a record above $150 billion in 2020, with the Pacific Northwest raising $4.4 billion (up 15% year-over-year). GeekWire’s John Cook interviews Seattle tech veteran Mike Davidson, who characterizes venture capital as attracted to disruption and offers analysis on why investment climbed.
GeekWire Podcast: Salesforce to buy Slack for $27.7B; AWS surprises at re:Invent; Tanium (valued $9B, $430M revenue) moves HQ to Seattle
GeekWire Podcast discusses Salesforce’s $27.7 billion acquisition of Slack, surprising announcements from AWS at re:Invent, and cybersecurity firm Tanium relocating its headquarters to the Seattle region with $9 billion valuation and $430M revenue, with commentary from Madrona’s Matt McIlwain on regional and cloud/enterprise implications.
GeekWire Podcast: OthersideAI raises $2.6M to use GPT‑3 for drafting emails; Tom Alberg profile and Trivia Challenge return
The GeekWire Podcast covers OthersideAI, a startup using GPT-3 to draft emails that just raised a $2.6 million seed round, discusses Seattle tech investor Tom Alberg’s long career and current focus, and relaunches the GeekWire Trivia Challenge with a chance to win a limited-edition face mask.
GeekWire Podcast: Seattle startup CEOs optimistic for 18 months; Amazon launches Amazon Explore; Spencer Rascoff launches Pacaso
GeekWire Podcast reports Seattle startup CEOs are optimistic about the economy for the next 18 months, Amazon launched a virtual tourism service called Amazon Explore, ex-Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff introduced Pacaso for shared second-home ownership, and the GeekWire Summit will be held virtually Oct. 13–29.
GeekWire: Pacific NW tech funding rises in H1 2020; Accolade prices IPO at $1.2B; GeekWire events go virtual
GeekWire Podcast reports Pacific Northwest tech funding stayed strong in H1 2020 despite the pandemic, with totals ahead of last year and Accolade becoming Seattle’s first 2020 IPO at a $1.2 billion valuation; the episode also previews virtual GeekWire events including Geeks Gaming for Good, a July 16 Roundtable on the Future of Sports, and the July 23 virtual GeekWire Awards.
GeekWire Podcast: Amazon reports 26% Q1 sales growth but 30% profit drop, pledges $4B for COVID response; Bezos warns shareholders
The GeekWire Podcast discusses Amazon’s Q1 results and pandemic response — including $4 billion in COVID-19-related spending and CEO Jeff Bezos warning of costly challenges — plus worker safety concerns and calls for his Congressional testimony. The episode also covers a Madrona-led workplace-reopening toolkit (with input from Amazon, Microsoft, Starbucks) and a COVID-19-driven decline in Pacific Northwest startup funding through April.
Amazon Seeks Cities for $5 Billion Second Headquarters with 50,000 Jobs, Equal to Seattle Campus
Amazon announced plans to build a $5 billion second headquarters in North America, called HQ2, expected to create up to 50,000 jobs and be a full equal to its Seattle operations. The company is inviting cities to submit proposals for hosting the new campus.
