Seattle is ripe with innovation.
From aerospace to biotechnology to software to retail, startup companies in this moss-covered part of the globe are breaking traditional boundaries, creating groundbreaking ideas that truly could change how we see the world.
With that in mind, we’re excited to announce the Seattle 10, presented in partnership with the Museum of History & Industry and the new Bezos Center for Innovation.
This is a list of some of the most promising emerging technology companies in the region.
Limiting the list to just 10 startup companies was no easy task — a sign that the region is spawning innovative companies in all sorts of interesting areas. In fact, we’re hopeful that this is the beginning of an annual partnership between GeekWire and MOHAI where we identify and celebrate some of the top innovators in our region.
In this batch, we looked for a diverse set of companies that were less than six years old and had revolutionary technologies that could one day translate into large businesses. That led us to entrepreneurs who are innovating in the areas of education; big data; biotechnology; sensors and, even, asteroid mining.
Now, here’s the really fun part.
As a member of the Seattle 10, each company will get the opportunity to sketch their business concepts on giant six-foot by six-foot cocktail napkins. Those napkins, which were delivered to the companies last week, will be displayed at MOHAI, making their debut at the big GeekWire Gala on Dec. 4th.
We’re excited to see how these innovators visually express their business ideas.
Thanks to everyone who submitted their companies for consideration, and we’re looking forward to everyone in the community joining us at the GeekWire Gala at MOHAI where the 10 cocktail napkins will be unveiled publicly for the first time.
Without further ado, here’s the Seattle 10 for 2013 with short descriptions from each company about how they will change the world.
SNUPI, co-founder Jeremy Jaech:
“In our increasingly busy lives, we all seek peace of mind that our home, and what’s in it, is safe. The SNUPI Team has tackled just that, creating a sensor system that monitors home hazards related to moisture, temperature and humidity. We’ve incorporated user-friendly guidance and convenient modes of communication to allow for an interactive experience, so you’re always in the know. Our product is environmentally conscious, using a battery that lasts for over ten years, and letting you maintain your home’s resources for a sustainable future. SNUPI is here to give the world safer, healthier and smarter homes.”
Previously on GeekWire: Meet Wally: This $299 low-power sensor network detects water leaks and mold
Presage Biosciences, founder Jim Olson:
“Cancer patients are desperate for a cure. Today, doctors select drugs for cancer patients as best they can. However, drugs that work for one patient often don’t work for another. They suffer the side effects, but without any benefit. Presage takes an unprecedented, modern approach to uncovering how a person’s tumor responds to drugs, but before treating them and subjecting them to drug toxicity. Using 3D microinjection, Presage’s platform aims to directly measure a patient’s tumor responds to microdoses of different drugs. Armed with such data, we believe future oncologists will provide far more effective treatments, and cures, for cancer patients.”
Previously on GeekWire: Geek of the Week: Dr. Jim Olson’s ‘Project Violet’ is crowdfunding potential cures for cancer
Porch, founder Matt Ehrlichman:
“More than $500 billion is spent annually on improving homes. It’s your biggest asset — emotionally and financially. The $1 billion gorilla in the home improvement space today charges consumers for reviews from strangers. Homeowners deserve better. The answer is with data. Porch has insights into 75 percent of U.S. homes and 90 million home projects. Now, homeowners can find the right professionals based on who neighbors have used, friend endorsements, and professional history on similar homes. Porch will change the way you live.”
Previously on GeekWire: Porch launches nationally, promising to bring radical transparency to home improvement market
Planetary Resources, president Chris Lewicki
“We are asteroid miners. Our team of entrepreneurs and engineers is on a mission to expand humanity’s economic sphere of influence off-Earth and into the Solar System. The reason is simple: Those same resources that drove exploration throughout history and over which wars are fought exist in near-infinite quantities on asteroids. These space rocks contain water, rocket fuels, structural and precious metals in great abundance. The technology and know-how to harness these resources now exists. And in doing so, we can provide stability on Earth and a catalyst for humankind to prosper wherever we choose to call home.”
Previously on GeekWire: Planetary Resources pulls in cash from nation’s largest engineering firm to help mine asteroids
Modumetal, founder Christina Lomasney:
“Modumetal is a new class of nano-layered materials that represent a disruptive change in both the performance and manufacturing efficiency of advanced materials. Across the Bronze Age, the Iron Age and even through the Age of Steel, manufacturing has depended on heat-based processing. Modumetal is shifting away from the heat-based source of energy in metals manufacturing, using a patented process with electricity as its energy source to create an entirely new class of nano-layered materials that is redefining the performance of metals at competitive cost, for industrial scale applications.”
Previously on GeekWire: Materials science upstart Modumetal heats up with new cash, names Concur CEO Steve Singh to board
Innovega, president and CTO Randy Sprague:
“As humans, we gain awareness of our surroundings through our senses. No sense is more critical to the understanding of our environment than our vision. Clearly, the most accessible pathway into our brains is through our eyes. What if we could enlarge this pathway to allow additional information into our brains? What if we could make the information available on the internet more naturally accessible? Could this lead to better learning, better understanding, and better enjoyment? Would this not change the world? Innovega seeks to enhance the natural eyesight functions to allow viewing digital content simultaneously with the surrounding environment.”
Previously on GeekWire: Look out, Google: Startup making high-tech glasses an (augmented) reality
Hointer, founder Nadia Shouraboura:
“Hointer is a retail technology incubator. Through the use of technology, (we are) changing the way people shop — making it simple and fun. At Hointer, customers tap their phones, hear the whoosh sound and watch the jeans magically appear in their fitting rooms in under 30 seconds. Wrong size? Tap your phone again and whoosh, here is the next size up. Ready to check out? Swipe a card and you are done. At Hointer an intelligent computer brain runs the store, makes decisions, collects enormous amount of data and helps store associates to better assist customers.”
Previously on GeekWire: Amazon vet’s new robot-powered apparel startup aims to revolutionize how we buy clothes
HasOffers, CEO Peter Hamilton:
“HasOffers and MobileAppTracking provide attribution analytics for mobile and desktop advertising. We’re changing the world of marketing and advertising because that attribution is completely unbiased. Our clients have full ownership and visibility in their data and the ability to work with any advertising partners like Google, Facebook, Twitter and MillennialMedia and share that performance data to drive better customer life time value. We strive to provide the best solutions for collecting, managing, and displaying data for our clients with accuracy and transparency.”
Previously on GeekWire: Fast-growing HasOffers raises $9.4M, promises to keep ‘bootstrapper spirit’ alive
CreativeLive, co-founder Chase Jarvis:
“CreativeLive combines the best elements of learning with the best instructors while removing typical constraints like access, geography and cost. It’s also a tool that empowers people to learn real skills to enhance their career or hobby to help them move up in their field, or turn their true passion into a day job.”
Previously on GeekWire: CreativeLive lands $21.5M, looks to upend online learning with live broadcasts
Context Relevant, founder Stephen Purpura:
“We help people make intelligent decisions from messy, imperfect data. To advance analytics by a generational leap, we built technology that automated complex processes to extract value from the data people had available and not the curated data that they thought they needed. We enable instant understanding of the needs and wants of people in context with the rapidly changing world around them. This improves lives by helping banks to avoid disaster by quickly understanding risk and by offering people the right solution at the right time.”
Previously on GeekWire: Data analytics startup Context Relevant scores $7M series A from Madrona, Bloomberg and others
Thanks again to everyone for participating in the Seattle 10, presented by MOHAI. And make sure to join us on Dec. 4th at the GeekWire Gala to meet these innovative startup companies, and to party with us in true geek holiday style! Tickets and details here.
