Articles by Kurt Schlosser

‘One of a kind’: Tributes pour in for S. ‘Soma’ Somasegar, beloved tech mentor and friend

A consistent picture emerged: Somasegar was kind, generous with his time, humble, and a steadying presence. To many, those qualities mattered even more than the investments and decisions he made. Read More

Former Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell has a new gig — startup CEO

Seattle-based Filium was started by apparel industry veterans Raj Shah and Akhil Shah in 2015, and makes technology that allows natural fabrics to repel odors, stains and liquids. Read More

Student rocketry team soars in U.S. competition despite losing their motor in the mail

Washington Youth Aerospace, a team made up of six ninth graders from Bellevue’s Interlake High School, finished second in the annual competition. The finals featured 100 teams from a record pool of 1,107 teams that competed in the overall challenge. Read More

Starbucks layoffs impact 252 jobs at Seattle support center, including VPs and other senior roles

A Washington Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification said that the cuts “will result in the relocation or contracting out of certain of the employer’s operations or the partners’ positions.” Read More

A whiff of social media supremacy: Seahawks schedule release is a spritz in the face of NFL opponents

The release of 2026 NFL team schedules on Thursday night marked the return of the “social media Super Bowl” — and the actual Super Bowl champs were might in the mix. Read More

Can AI replicate an army of associates? These lawyers are betting their new firm on it

Talairis Law Group is built around the idea that AI can handle much of the work that associates at big law firms have traditionally done — and that startups shouldn’t have to pay big law prices for it. Read More

Cowboy Space raises $275M as it seeks 40-60 employees for new satellite and rocket hub in Seattle

Of its 41 open positions, 18 are based in Seattle, spanning roles in avionics, mechanical engineering, spacecraft design, and software. Read More

Students pitch startups in regional TiE Young Entrepreneurs finals, vying to three-peat in global contest

This year’s Seattle-area cohort included students across 20 teams, pitching ventures in industries including artificial intelligence, children’s nutrition, ocean plastic recycling, mental health and healthcare. Read More

Leading AI chatbots avoid harm but fall short in high-risk conversations, startup’s new benchmark finds

Seattle-based mpathic released mPACT, a clinician-led benchmark that evaluates how leading AI models handle conversations involving suicide risk, eating disorders, and misinformation. Read More

Let there be light: Redfin powers up ‘Sunscore,’ an interactive map to track property sunlight

The 3D map offers a property-level sun-path visualization, tracking sunlight and the shadows cast by surrounding terrain, buildings and trees. Read More

Photos: Inside the 2026 GeekWire Awards

The shimmering scene inside Showbox SoDo — highlighted by crystal accents to mark the event’s 15th anniversary — included an especially geeky and futuristic acrobatic dance performance by members of Maison de V’s circus and dance community. Read More

2026 GeekWire Awards revealed: Big winners — and big love for Seattle — at annual tech celebration

More than 300 members of the Pacific Northwest tech scene packed the Showbox SoDo to honor the year’s top startups, founders, leaders and deal makers across a dozen awards categories. Read More

Report: Boston Celtics investors set to bid on Seahawks

Wyc Grousbeck and Aditya Mittal are reportedly submitting a letter of interest to the Paul G. Allen estate for the NFL team. Read More

GeekWire test ride: Lime’s new bike packs a zippy punch into a compact, easier-to-use device

The new bikes are more compact than previous versions, easy to get on, adjust and get off, and they’re quick off the line via throttle, pedal assist or a combination of both to reach speeds of 15 mph. Read More

Tin Can launches program to help schools and neighborhoods go smartphone-free together

Wednesday’s launch comes as parents across the country have been organizing collective efforts to delay smartphone adoption — a movement built on the idea that individual decisions only go so far. Read More

Seattle-area tech vets buy a cricket team — in Boston — to further feed the sport’s talent pipeline

The five co-owners of the newly acquired New England Eagles, a Minor League Cricket franchise, are all based in the Pacific Northwest and have combined leadership experience at Microsoft, Zuper, T-Mobile, Capital One, and Bee Talent Solutions. Read More

Seattle schools’ new cellphone rules are in effect — what it means for different kids, and why now

For years, the rules around cellphones in Seattle Public Schools depended largely on which school — or even which classroom — a student walked into. That ended today. Read More

Seattle mayor’s ‘bye’ to millionaires who leave state over taxes is no laughing matter to some in tech

The debate over progressive taxation in Washington state has been building for months, with the tech community largely alarmed by what it sees as a hostility toward business in the region. Read More

Microsoft and Amazon join Pentagon’s push to build AI-first military with classified network deals

The agreements — which also include OpenAI, Google, Nvidia, SpaceX and the startup Reflection — will give those firms’ AI systems access to the military’s most classified network environments. Read More

Tired of talk that goes nowhere? This Seattle startup is using AI to turn civic debate into action

Convexus is a mother-daughter led civic technology platform designed to help local governments, nonprofits, and community groups move past fragmented debate and toward coordinated action. Read More

Mark Zuckerberg and Tim Cook, Seahawks owners? Tech moguls’ reported interest quickly spiked

Front Office Sports reported Thursday that Zuckerberg and Cook are among at least four interested parties considering making offers for the team. They are the first serious names to emerge in a sale that could fetch upwards of $7 billion. Read More

Seattle high schooler’s Google Doodle pays tribute to hair and family history as a superpower

Kameirah Johnson, a senior at Seattle’s Lakeside School, is one of five students nationwide whose artwork will appear on the Google homepage later this month. Read More

Seattle-area billboard takes a page from Bay Area playbook: ‘Startup energy should be more visible’

Tech company billboards are a big part of the landscape in Silicon Valley. Summation CEO Ian Wong said the Seattle/Bellevue area “has world-class technical talent, but the scene here has always been understated.” Read More

GeekWire Awards voting is now closed: Thanks for casting ballots to pick the best in Pacific NW tech

Now in its 18th year, the GeekWire Awards is the premier event recognizing the top leaders, companies and breakthroughs in Pacific Northwest tech. Read More

GeekWire Awards: From AI safety to robotic ultrasounds, meet the Startup of the Year finalists

The finalists are: mpathic, ElastixAI, Dropzone AI, Dopl Technologies, and Loopr AI. Read More

Microsoft’s NFL tech goes beyond the tablet: What AI is doing for coaches, players, and scouts

Just as with business workflows, the tools are changing how teams operate on and off the field. One big benefit of AI, Microsoft says, is speed: getting the right information to the right person fast enough to shape the next play call or adjustment. Read More

GeekWire Awards: Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalists tackling AI, robotics, and more

The finalists in this category, presented by Prime Team Partners, are: Emily Choi-Greene (Clearly AI); Caleb John (Pioneer Square Labs); Kavian Mojabe (MediScan AI); Charles Wu (Orchard Robotics); and Zheqing (Bill) Zhu (Pokee AI). Read More

Latest AI (coffee) buzz: Starbucks launches ChatGPT app to help customers discover their next drink

Customers can access the app by enabling it inside ChatGPT’s app directory. Start a conversation prompt with “@starbucks” to customize orders and choose a location to order from. Read More

AI-powered hiring startup Humanly acquires Anthill to boost employee engagement

Humanly said that the acquisition adds “post-hire engagement capabilities” to its offerings, which include helping organizations attract, screen, and interview job candidates. Read More

These fifth graders vibe coded a real-world Braille tool — and wowed their Microsoft teacher

The students in a computer science class at the Global Idea School, an independent, non-profit elementary school in Redmond, Wash., learned vibe coding through GitHub Spark and built a Braille 3D Generator, a tool that turns text into printable, tactile 3D Braille models in seconds. Read More

Top Stories from Kurt Schlosser

Sidewalk scooter riders, beware: AI-powered ‘Lime Vision’ will soon call you out

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