GeekWire started more than six years ago in a loft space in Seattle’s Pioneer Square neighborhood, later expanding to the back tables of a gritty coffee shop in Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood. From those humble origins, we’ve grown into one of the most influential technology news sites on the planet.
And while it’s still “Day One” around our quirky 1,300-square-foot office complex in Seattle’s bustling Fremont neighborhood, we’re ready to open the next chapter.
That’s why we’re excited to announce … GeekWire HQ2.
Your favorite technology news site — born amid stunning Mt. Rainier vistas and splendid Yakima hops-fueled double IPAs — is looking to expand its news operation to a new North American city (preferably one with good BBQ, interesting gossip mongers and a thriving tech scene).
We announced our quest for a temporary second headquarters at the GeekWire Summit on Wednesday afternoon, and we’re now inviting cities from across North America (sorry, not you Portland, we’re already there!) to submit a Request for Proposal (RFP) to host America’s scrappiest technology news site.
If you’d like to host a fast-growing entrepreneurial news organization that desires a temporary second home — at least for the rain-soaked month of February — please submit your bid today here. (Really, please submit today, as the rains are hitting, and we need to get the f**k out of here!)
The deadline to submit for GeekWire HQ2 is Nov. 17.
Why do this? Why not?
Seriously, GeekWire HQ2 represents an opportunity for our journalists to discover new stories and meet new people in the next great North American tech city, perhaps even uncovering a community that will eventually house another powerhouse from the Seattle region. (Yes, call us journalistic pioneers).
We’ll be sending journalists to the chosen city for the month of February 2018, covering that community’s technology scene, including its challenges and opportunities, innovations, leaders and its outlook on the future. We’ll bring up to 1-3 moderately paying jobs to your city for at least a month, representing an economic investment that could top $5,500 in lodging, food and other business expenses.
If you represent a city or regional economic development organization in North America and want to submit your proposal to host GeekWire’s temporary second headquarters, email our team at hq2@geekwire.com to get started. Proposals can be as short as a paragraph or as long as six pages or more. It doesn’t take a lot of words to convince us to come to your city, just the right words!
Here’s the timeline:
- Oct. 11, 2017: GeekWire HQ2 RFP available.
- Nov. 17, 2017: Response deadline to submit proposals for GeekWire HQ2.
- Dec. 2017: Final site selection and annoucement.
You can view the GeekWire HQ2 Request for Proposal (RFP) document here. We look forward to hearing from you.
