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Startup Growth and Investment Trends

Washington AI startups have attracted a significant level of funding, totaling $4.5 billion between 2013 and 2023. However, while the state ranks 5th in startup activity, it only ranks 7th in investment attraction, suggesting room for growth in later-stage funding availability.

Top Funded AI Startups in Washington

Several AI startups in Washington have attracted substantial investment:

1. 98Point6 ($292M) – AI-driven virtual primary care.
2. Viome Life Sciences ($210M) – AI-powered health and microbiome analysis.
3. Echodyne ($199M) – AI-enhanced radar technology.
4. EchoNous ($194M) – AI-driven medical ultrasound solutions.
5. SeekOut ($188M) – AI-powered recruitment and talent acquisition platform.
6. Amperity ($187M) – AI-driven customer data platform for enterprise marketing.
7. Stackline ($180M) – AI-powered e-commerce optimization and analytics.
8. Center ($140.5M) – AI-enhanced expense management solutions.
9. OctoAI ($132.6M) – AI-powered machine learning deployment platform.
10. Variant Bio ($131.2M) – AI-driven biotech and genetic research.

Investment Landscape: Local and Global Interest

Washington’s AI ecosystem attracts both national and international investors. The state demonstrates a healthy diversity of investment sources, with local, national, and global investors funding AI startups.

Investor Breakdown

• 839 U.S.-based investors (outside of Washington State) have funded AI startups in Washington.
• 246 international investors, particularly from Asia and Europe, show interest in Washington AI companies.
• 194 investors are based in Washington, though many are early-stage investors, leading startups to seek later-stage funding elsewhere (e.g., Silicon Valley, New York).

Investment Stages and Capital Flow

The majority of AI funding in Washington comes from early-stage investors:

• 39.97% from Later Stage VC
• 33.97% from Early Stage VC
• 18.61% from Seed Rounds
• Washington-based investors have $3.8 billion in available capital (dry powder) as of Q2 2024.

Funding Gaps and Challenges

Despite its strong startup activity, Washington faces several funding challenges:

• Few late-stage investors – Many startups relocate or seek investment from California or New York for later-stage funding.
• Minimal federal AI R&D funding – Washington ranks 10th in federally funded university AI research and 14th in federally funded industry R&D.
• Lack of ecosystem activity beyond Seattle – AI startup activity is highly concentrated in King County, with limited presence in other parts of the state.

Founder Demographics in Washington AI Startups

Washington’s AI startup ecosystem, while robust, exhibits a notable demographic disparity among founders:

• Gender Representation: Women comprise only 12% of AI startup founders in Washington, highlighting a significant gender gap in the industry.
• BIPOC Founders: Nearly 40% of AI startup founders in Washington identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), reflecting some diversity in the sector.
• Immigrant Founders: Approximately 32% of Washington AI founders immigrated to the U.S., with 35% from South Asia (primarily India), 23% from Europe, and 16% from China, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan.
• Educational Background: About 60% of founders hold an advanced degree, with 21% having a PhD, 19% holding a Master’s degree, and 17% earning an MBA.
• Top Universities: The University of Washington serves as a key talent hub, with 10% of Washington AI founders holding at least one degree from the institution.

Washington’s AI Startup Future: Opportunities and Threats

Washington’s AI ecosystem is poised for continued growth, but certain threats and opportunities must be addressed:

Opportunities

• Government and industry support – State-backed initiatives like the Washington AI Taskforce and the opening of the AI House in Seattle aim to drive innovation.
• Strong talent pipeline – The University of Washington plays a crucial role in AI talent development, ranking 4th in the nation for AI-related federal R&D funding.
• AI startup diversification – AI startups in robotics, cybersecurity, and edge intelligence are gaining momentum, attracting over $450M in investment.

Threats

• Competition from other AI hubs – Post-pandemic, investment and talent attraction efforts in Silicon Valley, Austin, and Boston pose a challenge to Washington’s AI ecosystem.
• Limited diversity in startup leadership – Women make up only 13% of AI startup founders in Washington, reflecting a significant diversity gap.
• Remote work shifts – With many AI companies embracing remote work, fewer startups and satellite offices may choose to establish a presence in Washington.

Final Thoughts: Positioning Washington as an AI Powerhouse

Washington’s AI startup ecosystem is strong, with top-tier startups, diverse industry applications, and global investor interest. However, to maintain momentum and attract further investment, the state must:

1. Expand late-stage funding opportunities by attracting more venture capital firms focused on Series B+ rounds.
2. Enhance startup support programs through accelerators, incubators, and federal R&D funding.
3. Strengthen AI branding by launching flagship AI conferences and initiatives that highlight Washington’s innovation strengths.
4. Increase diversity in AI leadership by supporting underrepresented founders and expanding access to AI education and resources.

By addressing these areas, Washington can solidify its position as one of the nation’s leading AI innovation hubs, fostering a dynamic and inclusive ecosystem that drives future technological breakthroughs.

Huge thank you to our sponsor, K&L Gates, for hosting our Seattle AI Report Launch Event at their offices in Seattle!

John Bender
Partner, K&L Gates

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WTIA Founder Cohort 12 Launches with a Day-Long Kick-Off Event

Founder Cohort 12 kicked off on January 28th with a full day of workshops and networking at the Fenwick offices in downtown Seattle. Founders were able to collaborate face-to-face and connect with the mentors who’ll work with them throughout the program. “This was our first in-person kickoff since pre-COVID and it was amazing to see all the energy and the connections between founders already starting,” noted Nick Ellingson, Director of Products and Startup Ambassador at WTIA. It was a sentiment echoed by many in attendance.

Kicking Off Cohort 12 at Fenwick

“Cohort 12’s kickoff was filled with such energy and enthusiasm,” remarked Kat Duncan, a partner at Fenwick. “It was great to see startup founders connect and create a foundation for support on their startup journeys. We’re excited to continue our collaboration with WTIA and the Founder Cohort Program, which are cornerstones of Seattle’s startup ecosystem.”

At the kick-off, founders engaged in a variety of activities designed to build camaraderie and lay a firm foundation for their startups. These sessions helped to establish connections that will support them throughout the six-month program.

A clear founder favorite of the day was the founder panel. Moderated by Kat Duncan of Fenwick, successful cohort alumni M.H. Lines (Cohort 1, Stack Moxie), Pradnya Desh (Cohort 4, Advocat), and Kenny Lee (Cohort 7, Aigen), shared their experiences on everything from ideation to fundraising.

Another favorite was the goal-setting workshop, which helped participants clarify their ambitions and chart a course for the future. This exercise aimed to align their vision with actionable steps they can take towards success. Jonathan Cook, Founder and CEO of Trapezoid AI told us, “Coming out of this event, I felt so energized, the next day I worked dawn to dusk and put that energy into tackling the biggest and hairiest tasks on my plate—which I’d planned to spread over weeks.”

The day concluded with a happy hour hosted by Fenwick, after which the founders made their way to the Yard House for a networking dinner. The table was buzzing with all the conversation as founders shared their experiences and learnings from the day.

“As a first-time female founder, I’m immensely grateful to be part of WTIA Founder Cohort 12. Connecting with Seattle’s incredible innovators and alumni has opened doors, empowered me, and created a priceless environment where passionate founders support one another.”  

- Anya Smith, Founder and CEO of Selffull

Helping Startups Launch and Grow

The WTIA Founder Cohort program empowers startups by providing the tools, mentorship, and opportunities they need to thrive. Our focus is not just on growing businesses but nurturing a community that will bolster the tech sector with innovative solutions and equitable practices.

The Founder Cohort Mission

Our mission is to upskill and train the next generation of founders while creating structures for them to build relationships with each other and create a cycle of founders helping founders. Through tailored educational tracks, mentorship, and collaboration, we connect founders with industry leaders and a network of peers, fostering invaluable learning and growth opportunities. Our focus on equity and inclusion ensures that all entrepreneurs, regardless of background, have the chance to succeed. The incorporation of in-person sessions and more personalized guidance will further equip startups to overcome challenges and achieve their business goals.

The Program to Date

Since its inception, the Founder Cohort program has supported 311 startups during the challenging early stages of entrepreneurship. The program structure includes workshops, mentorship, and networking opportunities, providing startups with a comprehensive toolkit for success. To date, cohort alumni have raised over $350M combined with 80% still in business or successfully exiting.

Program Improvements

The addition of in-person sessions like January’s kick-off event is just one enhancement we’ve made to our programming. “I’m excited about the new format,” Ellingson commented, coming out of the kick-off day at Fenwick. “It’s clear that more events like these will be a valuable addition to our programming.”

While most of the program is virtual, face-to-face interactions can be vital in building meaningful relationships, and these sessions provide an opportunity for founders to form deeper connections both with each other and with program mentors. With that in mind, programming now includes more hands-on mentorship opportunities, both in-person and virtually. By working closely with experienced mentors, participants can get feedback specific to the unique challenges of their startup.

With Cohort 12, we also introduced four educational tracks catering to different stages of the startup journey. These tracks—Product, Growth, Financing, and Business Fundamentals—offer specialized content for each startup to receive the support most relevant to them.

These changes were guided by feedback from interviews with alumni and mentors, with the intent that the Founder Cohort program continues to be an indispensable resource for startups looking to grow and thrive as Washington’s technological and economical landscape develops.

Looking Ahead: The Next Six Months for Cohort 12

The program is structured into three phases, each building on the last to provide a deep dive into essential startup topics. From product development and financing to revenue models and first hires, each phase is designed to prepare founders for those early-stage decisions that will shape the trajectory of their startup.

One highlight of the in-person sessions will be a day-long event led by Dave Parker, CEO of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization and author of Trajectory: Startup – Ideation to Product/Market Fit. Known affectionately as “Dave Day,” founders will learn from Dave Parker’s experience in scaling and funding startups. He’s been where the cohort is now—five times, in fact—and has experience as a founder, operator, board member, and advisor, across different industries and stages. Dave Day promises intensive (but fun) workshops, mentoring, and meaningful networking.

As the program progresses, founders will have the opportunity to showcase their progress during a Demo Day, a chance to present their businesses to an audience, including potential investors and partners. This event is a culmination of their hard work and a launchpad for future success. We can’t wait to see how these startups grow over the next six months!

Thank you to our sponsors who make this program possible:

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The Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA) is celebrating 40 years, and I am celebrating both my own 40-year anniversary of working in this industry and the end of my 11 year tenure as its CEO. While the public discourse in the last few years has often focused on the more nettlesome aspects of changes caused by the tech economy, most advancements and achievements in every sector of our economy have been enhanced positively by tech. It has been a privilege to be a part of this industry for my entire professional life. Leading the WTIA for the past decade is a major highlight in my career. As we celebrate our 40th anniversary, I took some time to think back about the many contributions of this great state to the creation of an industry that has transformed our region and the entire world.

Digital and Wireless Communication

It might seem strange to start here in a story about information tech in our region, but the Seattle area tech companies that pioneered desktop software, desktop publishing, online streaming, online retail, and cloud computing would not have had the same global economic success without mobile access to the internet that we almost take for granted today. And that began here, too.

In 1981 McCaw Communications (a Cable TV company in Redmond) started buying newly created cellular spectrum licenses from the FCC that had great potential for cellular communications. In 1982, AT&T agreed to break itself up to end an antitrust lawsuit filed by the US Department of Justice, creating “Baby Bells” in seven regions across the country and allowing other companies to compete for basic phone service. By 1986, McCaw was able to buy MCI’s cellular subsidiary and in 1987 launched McCaw Cellular.

In 1990 McCaw Cellular partnered with what remained of the parent company AT&T to create the first national cell phone carrier in the US. By 1994, that partnership was spun off to create AT&T Wireless, still one of the top three wireless carriers in the US today. Tom Alberg, General Counsel at McCaw, used some of his personal fortune from the launch of AT&T Wireless to launch Madrona Venture Capital, which is now the largest VC in the PNW, one of the earliest investors in Amazon, and one of the top Tech VC firms in the US.

As cell phones became more popular, the shift to digital transmission of phone calls led to innovations in new communication formats including text messages and VoIP. John Stanton (today the Seattle Mariners owner) had built his company Western Wireless while McCaw was shifting its focus from Cable TV to cellular. Western Wireless spun off its digital subsidiary VoiceStream in 1999 so it could grow more rapidly as a stand-alone company. The local telco talent pool and favorable business climate in Washington State made Bellevue the top choice for German firm Deutsche Telekom, which acquired Western Wireless in 2001 and rebranded as T-Mobile USA.

WTIA Launched as WSA to Help Software Companies

In 1984, software was still a tiny experiment in Washington state, compared to the state’s economic juggernauts of Telco, Aerospace, Advanced Manufacturing, Agriculture, and Maritime.

During all the structural and digital transformation taking place in telco, the Washington Software Association (WSA) was launched, although it went through many naming iterations before settling on that simple acronym. WSA was formed to make a case to legislators that our state had a shot at making software a key driver of economic growth but needed a coordinated public and private investment to compete globally.

In 1984, local software companies were still small, representing less than 1000 jobs in total. The top Seattle area software company was WRQ, with a few hundred employees. It had been founded a few years earlier to build software that allowed the newly available desktop PCs to connect to larger, more powerful mainframe computers. Desktop PCs were still mostly used to build spreadsheets, share files, or play games. The “real value” was being able to connect as remote terminals away from the office to access corporate mainframe computers where all the financial and business data were stored. The local software development talent pool was growing thanks largely to the UW, which had a small but high-quality computer science department competing with MIT and Stanford – and their much larger budgets.

Meanwhile, Boston was already a center of technology excellence with hundreds of very successful tech companies like Lotus which made spreadsheets for the new personal computers that had become popular. Thanks to MIT as its polytechnical university as a tech talent hub and Harvard as a business building engine, the Boston region mushroomed in tech companies and jobs. Silicon Valley was also a center of technology excellence with hundreds of successful tech companies, largely thanks to Stanford as a polytechnic hub and business building engine – and a massive surge in local, private capital seeking investment opportunities into those companies.

WSA was formed to help the nascent software industry in our region compete for capital and talent.

Software in Washington State

Almost as a precursor to the stunning growth to come in our region, Aldus launched in 1984 and invented what was then an experiment – desktop publishing to prepare documents for commercial printing. Their success inspired hundreds of other companies to develop applications that used the desktop PC as a business process control tool.

A few years earlier in 1979, Microsoft moved from Albuquerque, NM to its new home in Bellevue, WA. One reason for this relocation was the tech talent pool and the UW computer science program that graduated some of the best and brightest software developers in the world. Microsoft moved to Redmond and went public in 1986, with what then was considered a bizarre new idea. Every single employee, regardless of status or tenure in the company, was awarded options to purchase shares.

Microsoft successfully launched an operating system which allowed independent software developers around the world to build applications that ran on PCs. This open access was in stark contrast to the control that Apple used to restrict its PCs to its own software and a few limited partners. This launched a proliferation of PCs globally, running Microsoft software and inviting innovation from around the globe. Microsoft, as a result of providing its employees access to shares, produced nearly a dozen billionaires and 13,000 millionaires including hundreds of admin assistants, janitors, and groundskeepers. This equitable employee access to shares principle has inspired nearly every tech company since to offer stock options or restricted stock or both. Many senior employees at Microsoft and other local tech companies started leaving their jobs with their newfound wealth in the 1990s to start their own technology companies.

For example, Mike Slade, a former Microsoft executive and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen launched Starwave in 1993 to build a successful digital entertainment company that went on to build ESPN.com among many other media projects with the likes of ABC News, Peter Gabriel, and Sting. Starwave was acquired by Disney in 1998 and if you like your ESPN+ service like me, you now know it was created here in our region. Meanwhile another ex-Microsoft executive, Rob Glaser, launched Progressive Networks in 1994 to provide a distribution channel for politically progressive content. He renamed it Real Networks and went on to pioneer audio and video streaming media on the internet. Spotify and YouTube were inspired by those brilliant inventors. RealNetworks has also produced dozens of entrepreneurs who went on to launch companies. This was not unique to Real by any means. There are hundreds of similar stories about local tech companies launched by former employees of local tech companies.

By the mid 1990s, software in our region was still small compared with Silicon Valley. WSA was part of a team of organizations that successfully lobbied state legislators in Olympia to approve an R&D tax credit to attract private capital, tech talent, and founders to the region. This 1993 tax incentive helped Washington become competitive in the U.S. and was successful for 20 years in helping to accelerate private investment, job growth, and economic prosperity for the entire state.

In 1994, Jeff Bezos quit his job at a New York quantitative hedge fund and drove to Seattle to build his online retail startup, Amazon. He came here to leverage close ties to major national book publishers on the west coast, to poach tech talent from Microsoft and other software companies on the west coast, and take advantage of the favorable tax treatment and cost of living in our state, relative to New York.

During this wild boom era of tech in Seattle, startups were formed by the hundreds every year, often in Pioneer Square, expanding software applications into every aspect of our society and economy. Pioneer Square was a magnet for Seattle startups because of cheap, vacant commercial real estate. It was also then a very hip part of the city filled with bars, nightlife, and restaurants, and at that time a vibrant music and film industry.

While all this growth in software was happening, there were already many tech hardware companies in the region formed with talent from Boeing in Washington and Intel in Oregon. They were members of the much older and more established national American Electronics Association (AeA). WSA merged with the Washington state chapter of AeA in 2009 and became WTIA to serve all of tech, not just software companies.

Given the explosive growth of new tech startups in our region, and given the role of UW in producing software and management talent, and given the volume of professional talent recruited by a few very successful local companies that were then launching those startups, WTIA produced its first cluster map showing the origin of founders. This map (updated in 2015) has become a touchstone for cities and regions around the world who wish to mimic the success of Seattle. This map also helped convince top tier VC firms in the Valley to begin partnering with local Seattle VC firms. Today, Silicon Valley invests $2 for every $1 invested by local Seattle VCs and we have become deeply linked to private capital from all over the world.

In 2004, Google built an office in Kirkland as part of a strategy to branch out of search into office applications. Their CEO Eric Schmidt shared with me at the time that Kirkland allowed Google to more easily poach talent from Microsoft as well as compete locally for inbound talent attracted to the booming tech sector in the region. In 2006, Google formally established itself as a viable competitor to Microsoft in the office application space. Google took the approach of online apps versus Microsoft’s software installed on a PC, which was part of a wider transformation to the now nearly ubiquitous Software as a Service. Today, Google’s local success has attracted more than 150 tech companies from around the U.S. that have engineering offices in the Seattle area.

By this time, the region had grown much in need of professional journalism dedicated to our industry. A small tech blog team, at the now defunct local newspaper Seattle Post Intelligencer, explored launching a new media company with WTIA in 2005. WTIA didn’t have the capital to help launch that effort. The blog team moved to PSBJ for a short time, but Jonathan Sposato – who had made his fortune building two tech startups that he sold to Google – provided the blog team of John Cook and Todd Bishop the capital to launch GeekWire. Their excellent journalism has attracted readership from all over the world.

By 2006 Seattle was abuzz with startups, venture capital from the valley, founders and techies arriving from around the world, all racing to build the next best thing. The mood was vibrant and full of excited energy. Around that time, Amazon came up with a clever idea. They had become a massive retailer selling much more than just books but were still barely squeaking out enough cash to keep the company running. To handle the enormous demand during the holiday retail season, Amazon had built a spectacular infrastructure that sat idle for 9 months of the year. Amazon decided to rent out the idle computing power to other companies.

The sophisticated and robust Amazon system was now available to rent by companies and entrepreneurs who could never afford to build anything like it. This new, highly profitable, and transformative “cloud computing” to serve online merchants and entrepreneurs improved Amazon financials, which allowed it to invest billions of dollars into becoming one of the largest and most successful companies in the world. That contribution to tech in our region cannot be overstated. We are still a global hub for cloud computing today, with Microsoft, Oracle, Google, Salesforce and many other companies all dominating this segment from our region. Combined with the success of machine learning tools to suss out value from the terabytes of data stored in the cloud, we are also now a global hub for artificial intelligence.

By 2010, tech was a massive economic engine for the state and the world. Politics in Olympia had been drifting toward a more progressive agenda. Politics in Seattle even more so. State and local governments began to see all of tech as having attained an unfair share of wealth while causing traffic congestion and housing shortages. In truth, most of the jobs in the region come from the thousands of startups and small, modestly financed companies that employ less than 100 people each. The real reason why traffic congestion and housing shortages appeared is that our political leaders in the 1980s failed to invest in road expansions, public transportation, and zoning changes. Political leaders thought only of Boeing, Weyerhaeuser, Fred Hutch and Costco as “real” companies. They didn’t need massive public investment in infrastructure. In those early years, few believed tech would succeed in our region. They assumed Boston and Silicon Valley were where the growth would happen. And when our local tech hub did succeed overwhelmingly — it was too late to invest into needed roads, transportation, or housing to rapidly catch up with demand.

Since our modest start in 1984, tech in our state has created about 3.5 million jobs in total, and is now about 21 percent of the state’s GDP, and represents over 50 percent of all state exports. The past 40 years have been a wild ride. We have contributed enormously in jobs, innovations, and taxes paid to state and local governments.

WTIA in the Last Decade

By 2013, WTIA was focused mostly on a few dozen tech topic events with declining funding and value to members. Regional politics had started to grow more hostile toward business in general and tech specifically. WTIA positions on tax policies fell on deaf ears.

WTIA interviewed more than 100 tech companies of all sizes and types of tech to establish a new focus. This led to two core efforts. Accelerate workforce development and accelerate startup success in the region. Having Microsoft and Amazon as powerful anchor partners, WTIA was able to recruit hundreds of leaders and volunteers focused on fostering a robust, inclusive, and equity-centered technology-driven economy that empowers thriving communities. Our membership grew 5x in a few years.

I am very proud of what our team has accomplished in the last decade. We retooled a traditional trade association into a mission driven organization, focused on improving access to capital, access to talent, access to jobs, and helping the communities in which we operate.

We helped shift our industry public policy efforts to workforce and education priorities, built programs to serve the startup community, launched the US Blockchain Coalition, assumed operation of the outsourced 501(c)9 WTIA Association Health Plan to better serve member companies, launched a for-profit subsidiary Portalus to provide employee healthcare and retirement plans for startups and small tech companies, and launched the 501(c)3 WTIA Workforce Institute, better known today as Apprenti. Recently, Apprenti was spun out as an independent company, and the remaining consortium comprises nearly 200 volunteers, contractors, a small team of employees, plus dozens of partners that make the services and programs possible.

Here is a small sample of noteworthy WTIA outcomes over the last decade:

• Provided affordable healthcare and retirement benefits to more than 100,000 employees and dependents of early-stage Washington-based tech companies
• Mentored more than 150 US, Korean, and Canadian startups to raise over $300M and successfully launch their products in Washington state
• Established WTIA as the voice for the technology sector among government officials, leading on many policy topics such as gender pay equity, digital privacy, the gig economy, autonomous vehicles, blockchain, and AI guardrails
• Helped raise over $50M for computer science education in Washington public schools
• Trained and placed nearly 4000 women, people of color, and military vets out of low wage jobs into tech careers, with more than $4 billion of generational wealth improvement

Looking Ahead

There is still so much more work to do in our region. WTIA is focused on its mission, but we cannot do the work alone. We must partner well with community-based organizations, trade associations, industry leaders, education leaders, and our elected officials. If we all collaborate well, we can solve thorny issues like housing affordability, equitable access to capital, adult workforce reskilling, and navigating the hurricane of change as AI becomes integrated into more of our society and economy.

Our region has benefited enormously from an influx of talent and capital from all over the country plus some brilliant immigrants who helped build half the tech companies launched here. We have advocated for immigration reform for many years. In this new political era, we must continue to welcome the best and brightest in the world to bring their expertise or start their companies here. We can and must continue to invest in local education and workforce development if we are to continue growing, especially since more than half the established tech companies in our country view hybrid workplaces as key to recruiting and retaining the best talent. Relocation isn’t as essential as it once was to building a team.

Similarly, entrepreneurs came here for decades to build their companies because we had a strong talent pool and we had a business friendly environment. We have rested on our laurels as a region for decades, and now must sharpen our focus to remain competitive. The overall tax burden is becoming less attractive, but the anti-business and anti-tech populist rhetoric is even more problematic. Again, relocation isn’t essential to building most tech companies or working in most tech jobs. If we want jobs to remain and grow here, our region must not only offer an attractive cost of doing business, but we must also have our cities deliver on being an enjoyable, safe, affordable place to live and work for everyone.

While these challenges are personally motivating and even inspiring, it is time for me to move on from serving as CEO. I have had a good run in this industry and have enjoyed my time at WTIA. While I will remain an active investor, advisor, and champion for entrepreneurs, my priorities will include music, endurance paddleboard races, and my family.

I could not be prouder and more excited to have Kelly Fukai step forward to lead this team of employees and volunteers into its next decade of impact. She will be working closely with education and government partners and an industry that continues to contribute wealth, improved production, and meaningful change for the world. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

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When I first arrived in Seattle in 2021, I quickly learned that the slow return to a new normal following the COVID-19 pandemic was supplemented by a longstanding phenomenon: the Seattle freeze. Working for a social impact tech startup at the time, I sought a sense of belonging in this dynamic city known for leading technology innovations and supporting social justice movements. Since becoming Director of SeaCiti in 2023, we’ve focused on supporting and advancing activities that embody the unique positive values Seattle represents. Two truths have guided much of our efforts in the first year: Seattle thrives on its sense of community, and underrepresented tech workers yearn for connections and a sense of belonging in our dynamic city.

In 2023, The Mayor’s One Seattle Civic Partnership launched the inaugural Black Tech Night, a pivotal initiative to foster a welcoming environment for Black tech professionals in Seattle. Attending this event was transformative, highlighting the importance of inclusivity in the tech industry. According to CompTIA’s 2024 State of the Tech Workforce report, Black/African American workers hold approximately 3% of technology occupations in the Greater Seattle region. These statistics reflect the sentiments of Black tech workers who often feel under-resourced and underrepresented in the area.

SeaCiti is honored to carry out the important work created by the City of Seattle’s Office of Economic Development and together through our partners the Tech Night series is dedicated to ensuring that underrepresented communities in tech thrive and stay in our region’s tech ecosystem. Below are some highlights from the Tech Night series:

 

Black Tech Night

 

The first Black Tech Night took place on February 23, 2023, and was a huge success. Held at A Space Inside, the venue was packed with Black techies, non-Black POCs and allies of the Seattle tech community. Attendees celebrated, networked, engaged Black-owned businesses and enjoyed soul food, small bites, and custom cocktails. This February, Black Tech Night celebrated its one year anniversary with a Black History Month panel on Multigenerational Black Experiences in Tech at the Vera Project, with approximately 200 attendees.

 

La Noche Tech

 

With the Latinx community representing approximately 5% of tech occupations in the Greater Seattle region, SeaCiti launched La Noche Tech on May 30th. Over 70

Latinx tech workers and allies attended the event held at River Seattle with the evening dedicated to building community, sharing resources, and discussing Latinx experiences in the tech industry. The event featured panelists from leading tech workforce organizations discussing challenges, opportunities, and tips for navigating the tech world in Seattle. Panelists stressed the importance of community and resources for connecting with underrepresented workers. The event also highlighted local Latinx small businesses and ways for organizations to stay connected to Latinx work in the community.

 

Pride Tech Night

 

On June 25th, we hosted our 2nd annual pride-themed Tech Night, bringing together LGBTQIA+ community members in tech for networking, discussions on allyship, and celebrating Pride Month. This event featured panelists involved in advocacy and allyship with LGBTQIA+ tech workers, discussing inclusion, community building, and intersectional allyship in Seattle. Attendees discussed the importance and challenges of intersectional allyship in the tech workplace and shared ways to find community through ERGs and community organizations.

Looking ahead, we’re optimistic about Seattle and Washington’s ongoing transformation. As our region and tech industry evolve, we have a unique opportunity to embody inclusion and belonging as our competitive advantage. SeaCiti remains committed to championing this evolution by uniting diverse communities and stakeholders to shape a tech sector that reflects and serves Seattle’s vibrant spirit. Join us as we help build an inclusive tech community in Seattle, where everyone has the opportunity to thrive and belong!

SeaCiti is a program of the Washington Technology Industry Association and the Tech Night series is made possible through partnerships with the public and private sectors. We want to extend our gratitude to our tech industry sponsors Microsoft, Zillow, Quadrant, Lyft, Homestreet Bank, Apprenti, and Davis Wright Tremaine, our public sector partner, the Seattle Office of Economic Development, and the many sponsors and community partners involved with this series since it began in 2023.

If you’re interested in supporting this and other SeaCiti programs, please email us at info@seaciti.org to learn more!

The post SeaCiti: Where you ‘Belong’ in Seattle Tech appeared first on WTIA.

Well, that was cool.

The first #SeattleAIWeek just wrapped up after 50+ events and 3,500+ attendees celebrated all things AI in Seattle.  Not bad for version 1!

Back in September, Geekwire covered a Forbes article about the Top 50 AI Startups, and none were from Seattle. What? I don’t think that’s right. 

I’ve been in dozens of committee and board meetings during my time at WTIA where we’ve lamented how often overlooked Seattle is in terms of global tech hubs and innovation economies. We talk about our world-class tech talent, we talk about the enterprises here driving global innovation, and we talk about all our amazing startups. But again and again, we’re overlooked.

So a bunch of us decided to do something about it.

The community came together a few months ago to plan a week-long celebration of AI in Seattle (Take that, Forbes!). With initial funding from Microsoft and the Dept of Commerce ICAP Program, our planning committee kicked off with about 15 people on March 27th. After 2 weeks, we had 15 events committed and were driving towards a public announcement on April 15th.  Then things just kept growing.  Eventually, our weekly meeting had 36 people on the invite, we had new events added daily, and we had volunteers reaching out to help with whatever we needed

So I’m pretty pumped about how all this went. 

Here’s a recap of my experience during the week along with some quotes from folks on the planning committee, some photos, some fun stats (or at least I think they’re fun), and a general summary of the week.

Thanks to everyone who made this possible including 30+ event partners, 13+ sponsors, and the thousands of people that came out to celebrate AI in Seattle!

Monday

Our week kicked off with AI Fundamentals: Demystifying AI Concepts and Terms because why wouldn’t you start from the beginning?  Though while the ceremonial start to #SeattleAIWeek began thusly, my week started transporting a couple car loads of Costco supplies from my house to the NFT Museum (first learning for next year: get supplies delivered directly to venues!)

Then it was set-up time at the Seattle NFT Museum (which btw what a cool place!.  Tech and art collide! Foreshadowing narrator voice: this will be a theme throughout the week). We had about 100 people gathered for a live recording of the Shift AI Podcast (oh and Geekwire wrote about it, no big deal), and then another 125 joined in to party afterwards. #SeattleAIWeek was underway! 

Live Recording of Shift AI Podcast

A goal we had for the week was to bring together the ENTIRE community. No more silos. So it was cool to see all the people that came out to kick off the week: techies, academics, investors, entrepreneurs, folks working in government, artists, and even my mom and stepdad! 

“Seattle AI Week reflects our city’s genuine passion for innovation. I’m excited to see people coming together to explore the promise of AI and to try and understand the potential use cases. Seattle’s tech community is dynamic and forward-thinking, providing the perfect setting for meaningful conversations about this emerging technology,” Boaz Ashkenazy; Co-founder and CEO, Augmented AI and Host of the Shift AI Podcast.

My biggest takeaway from day 1: people are pumped this is happening. Valerie Trask, Founder of Tofinio and Stealth Summit agrees: “These events provide a space for learning and growing together in a way that our community so desperately needs. I’m grateful to have been a part of AI Week.”

Fun Stat for Monday: I got 11,138 event steps in on Monday, part of my approx 50k steps at events for the entire week.

Tuesday

Tuesday I got to enjoy the views from Madrona Venture Labs all day, while two other tracks took place: The Tech Alliance Seattle AI Investor Summit and Business Leader AI 101 Half-Day Workshop and AI Startup Demo Day at AWS Skills Center.  

“Three events at once!?  What madness!”  

There was a method. The Investor Summit showcased the amazing startups we have to offer, and the Business Leader AI 101 taught folks how to implement AI into their businesses.  The theme of my day was AI & _______.  On Monday we got AI & Art, and on Tuesday we got AI & Policy, Ethics, Web3, and Space. There were 600+ attendees across all three events – woah with like 5 weeks notice?  Cool.

I thought the AI & _____ panels were awesome.  Now in full disclosure, I had a big hand in picking the topics so I did choose ones that I nerd out on. But still, these were super interesting. AI touches everything and that provides a ton of opportunity for the region with our strengths in agriculture, maritime, aerospace, forestry, healthcare, and so many other industries that AI affects. Today we had Policy, Ethics, Web3, and Space.

AI & Policy

A cool thing about my job is getting to work with the WTIA Public Policy team – makes me feel like I’m a part of the action! So an hour-long discussion with Microsoft, Google, and Responsible Innovation Labs about privacy, competitiveness, security, and a myriad of other topics related to the complex nature of legislating fast moving technologies was a great way to start my Tuesday. Seems to me Washington can and should be a leader in tech policy – why not us?! Why not now?

AI & Ethics

Then we moved into AI & Ethics, hosted by Seattle U (check out their Ethics & Tech Conference coming June 27th).  One of my highlights was hearing from 3 Seattle U philosophy teachers on the intersection of ethics, philosophy, and AI. As a former philosophy minor, I was locked in. Discussion of how to express philosophical theories through AI algorithms? Yes, please.  

AI & Web3

Seattle has a great Web3 community, and WTIA has been doing a ton of work in that sector the past few years. We’ve educated policymakers on the technology, we’ve worked with the Dept of Revenue on tax strategies for NFTs, and we helped get a Blockchain Work Group passed. My takeaway from this panel was the same takeaway I had for the week – let’s build the future together and capitalize on synergies and strengths. No more silos, please! Web3 can add a lot to AI from incentive structures for sharing data to being a source of truth – let’s build together!

AI & Space

This panel won the award for the most popular event of AI Week. We had 150 registered, 160 on the waitlist, and we sold out two weeks before the event.  We’ll be doing that event again soon. (Shout out to SpaceNorthwest and Seattle Space Week!) Did you know that more than half of the satellites in space were built here and that percentage is growing? Damn, we got some cool stuff going on, y’all! Oh and Geekwire wrote about this one too!

One thing I appreciated about all the panels – we had some disagreement and debate! I love when that happens on panels, and I think that’s especially important for figuring out policy, ethics, and standards on AI. Bhaskar Gangipamula, Co-Founder and President of Quadrant Technologies, said it well when talking about what he enjoyed about the week: “Connecting with so many passionate experts and exchanging ideas has been invaluable in shaping our perspective on the evolving AI landscape. I’m looking forward to more insightful discussions and meetings like these as we continue to explore the incredible potential of AI.” 

Next up for me was networking at the AWS Skills Center and watching some startup demos; and specifically startups building business applications for AI. ChatGPT came out during my last quarter of business school (shout out the Seattle U Executive MBA Program!) and everyone in my class was curious to learn how they could implement AI to become better business leaders and managers. That was the point of the Business Leader AI 101 and the subsequent demos. AI is a tool and we should all be using it.

Takeaway from Tuesday: One constant refrain from Tuesday: “I want to attend multiple things happening at the same time.”  Message received and also me too!  I want to go to the Investor Summit and Business Leader 101 next year – those sounded sweet. 

Fun Fact for Tuesday: We signed and officially submitted the Blockchain Work Group report right before the AI & Web3 panel. Cool things happen at #SeattleAIWeek!!

Wednesday

Wednesday was the first of three straight days at UW Startup Hall.  We had Seattle Enterprise AI Day with OneSixOne Ventures, The Future of AI: Applications in Industry with the Seattle Chamber, and Starting a Career in AI with Parna Khot, who launched multiple AI products at Amazon. I got to attend a bit of all these sessions – each another testament to our strengths and our potential. We’re an enterprise town, and so being a leader in enterprise AI makes so much sense it almost hurts. And we also have a ton of strong industries other than tech – agriculture, maritime, aerospace, space, forestry, clean energy, and so on. The Enterprise AI Day and the Applications in Industry panel shed some light on where we might plant our flag as a state and region to contribute to the future of AI innovation. To build that future, we need to increase and upskill our workforce so it was great to hear Parna go into detail on how folks (whether technical or not) can start upskilling themselves to both leverage and build AI applications.

Said Christopher Kennamer of OneSixOne Ventures, “Seattle AI Week is a testament to the growing interest in Seattle’s ecosystem. With major players like Microsoft, Seattle is finally starting to get the recognition it deserves for being #2 in AI talent in the country.” #2 isn’t bad! But I’m competitive, so let’s get to #1. Luckily, we’ve got the ingredients, and so it’s on us to reach our potential.

After the sessions at UW, I was off to the AI & Creative Community: Rooftop Remix. Omg. There was a robot drummer (yep), two artists painting live, a DJ, an AI cocktail maker, and a photo booth that then printed the photos onto macrons (super tasty too)! Oh and did I mention the robot drummer?  And all while enjoying a landscape that ranged from Mt. Rainier to the stadiums, to the Sound, to all of downtown. Shout out to the 206! No better place to be in the Summer.

This was the droid I was looking for.

This was everything I wanted from AI Week: Seattle coming together to amplify our collective strengths bringing together arts, technology, and everything else. I grew up in Seattle. I love Seattle. But it makes me cranky when I hear about the tech and non-tech divide or when I see us operating in silos. Let’s come together and build the future! Let’s combine our strengths and be a global leader in the intersections.  Rooftop Remix was a microcosm of our potential, and I am so energized by the conversations I had with folks in the arts community about how arts and tech can come together.  No more tech Seattle and non-tech Seattle – it’s just Seattle – we’re creative, we’re nerds, we’re unique, and we rock.

Mark Robinson, CEO of Brandtegic, and who produced the Rooftop Remix agrees:, “Seattle AI Week has been an amazing opportunity to interact and connect with the wide range of people in Seattle- artists, entrepreneurs, creatives, tech professionals, investors – and everyone in between. The huge amount of interesting, innovative, and intelligent people in this city is impressive and good things happen when a diverse group of great people get in the same room.”

Wednesday Takeaway: Cool things happen when tech and arts come together! Also I want more rooftop parties.

Fun Stat for Wednesday: 63 miles driven today! That’s the most driving for a single day all week. For those wondering: 219 miles in total during the week.

Thursday

This is what 171 meetings between startup CEOs and investors over the course of 90 minutes looks like – chaos, connections, and community.

WTIA, Creative Destruction Lab, and UW CoMotion Labs teamed up for a Founder-Investor Speed Meeting.  We had 19 investors and 30 startups represented with each startup getting 5-6 investor meetings during the event.  Including this event, the Investment Showcase, and other events we had well over 250 1×1 conversations between startups and investors during the week (take that again, Forbes! We’re coming for that list next year!)

AI & Healthcare was a consistent theme throughout the week, and we were excited to partner with Life Sciences WA for a discussion about how AI is affecting healthcare. Aylin Kim from Life Sciences WA mentioned that the breakfast panel “drew a diverse crowd of AI enthusiasts eager to learn more from experts in medtech, biotech, and digital health.” Intersections in life sciences and technology, yet another example of where Seattle can lead!

Then it was time for some networking – WTIA was well represented across a variety of events including Seattle Startup Friends, Founders Live, and Happy Hour with Niftmint, Ascend, TF Labs, and WTIA – time to divide and conquer! I hung out at Citizen M with Niftmint, Ascend, and TF Labs. Two conversations stuck out for me: the first was with a VC from out of town who came to Seattle for the week and had great things to say about our ecosystem and the companies he met during the speed networking event (we had multiple VCs come from out of town for that event – cool!). The other was with an artist who wanted to partner on events to bring the tech and arts communities together. Yes, please and may I invite my robot drummer friend?

Takeaway from Thursday: We had a lot of folks fly in for the week, and I think we can grow that next year. And I wasn’t the only one who noticed. Pablo Casilimas from OneSixOne Ventures noticed too: “Seattle AI Week was packed with high-quality events connecting AI leaders, investors, and founders from all around the country! I love seeing the continued growth of Seattle’s tech ecosystem.”

Friday

I’m the furthest thing from a morning person and I don’t like coffee, so waking up at 6am is my own personal Mt Everest. But here we are, a car filled with another load from Costco and off to UW Startup Hall for our final day. That morning we had a sneak peak of an AI Landscape Report we’re developing in partnership with Moonbeam; an overview of the CHIPS Act and related legislation that is providing funding for AI and related development; and a working session to conduct some initial ecosystem mapping and SWOT analysis for AI in our region. But first, coffee networking.

Networking was lively and it took a few announcements to get folks into the room for the first session. Luckily some blessed soul at Startup Hall had bought a bullhorn to use during the investor speed-meeting the day before, and I made great use of it on Friday. The sneak peak (full report coming in September) provided contextual data on the local startup ecosystem, government funding, workforce development, and similar, shedding light on our strengths as well as areas for improvement (like winning SBIR/STTR funding – shout out WA Apex Accelerator that has some amazing resources in these areas). That segued into a conversation on the CHIPS Act and other federal funding streams that are pointing at AI, semiconductors, and other technologies – TLDR: we (Washington state) are late on a lot of these opportunities, but we haven’t totally missed the boat. There’s a ton of organizations working tirelessly to win these awards too, and there is urgency. That urgency led us to the economic development working session, where we did ecosystem mapping, PESTEL analysis, and SWOT analysis to begin defining opportunities for programs, resources, and projects that we can build as a community to unlock CHIPS Act and similar funding. The time is nigh and we have to move if we want to retain and grow our leadership. Move it or lose it, people!

Then it was BBQ time at TF Labs. No better place to be in Seattle summer than on a rooftop by a BBQ. My record for burgers grilled at one TF Labs & WTIA BBQ is 160, set last summer. This time around I was a little tired and could only get to 70 before I had to bestow the honors of grillmaster upon another. The great thing about being grillmaster is that you get a chance to chat with everyone. I got to talk with a ton of founders, which is always my favorite:  a Korean founder that moved to Seattle and is using AI to better manage brain health; a founder building a PropTech company who moved here from Colombia last week and was able to supercharge her networking through AI Week; and about 68 other people (I figure 70 burgers = about 70 conversations) connected to AI in all kinds of ways – investors, entrepreneurs, engineers, artists, folks who just dipped their toes into AI this week, and probably some folks who just smelled the BBQ and came running. What a great way to end the week.

The BBQ was the official end to the week, and I think Trent Gillespie, CEO of Stellis.ai, said it best: “Seattle AI Week was a smashing success, forging strong connections across our community and accelerating AI innovation.” (Also shout out to Trent who taught a class on innovation for my MBA program and it was AMAZING).

While my last official event of the week was over, I did have one more event. It wasn’t officially a part of AI Week, but it was related. WTIA wrapped our week with a dinner to celebrate the culmination of our Market Accelerator program in partnership with the Korean Innovation Center. We’d been hosting 8 Korean AI startups the past couple of weeks to help them build connections in the area and to promote Seattle as a tech hub to Korean government agencies. As I sat at dinner, drinking a walnut bitters old-fashioned, it struck me that this program was a decent metaphor for AI week overall. 

We’ve run 5 previous Korean startup market accelerator programs, but last year there were some questions about whether or not it would happen again. Folks at HQ weren’t sure if they wanted to focus on the Seattle market anymore, but they were in town and wanted to get lunch and discuss. So we took them out for sandwiches and told them the story of Seattle. We talked to them about our tech talent, our robust startup ecosystem, the enterprises that are headquartered here, the world-class research institutions, and the cross-sector innovation and collaboration. We got an email a week or two later that HQ had changed their mind and they wanted to build another program in Seattle. And all because we told the story about how amazing Seattle is.

This year was about celebrating amongst ourselves. Next year we tell the world. See y’all at #SeattleAIWeek2025!

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