We’re living in a time of exciting technological innovations. Digital technologies are driving transformative change, reshaping markets, and profoundly changing business and work. The latest advances in artificial intelligence and related innovations are expanding the frontiers of the digital revolution. And the pace of digital transformation is only accelerating. The future is arriving much faster than we had expected.
This is just fine by us. Seattle and the Pacific Northwest have always embraced the future. The 1962 Seattle World’s Fair unveiled the computer, the cordless phone, pushbutton household appliances, and several other futuristic innovations to the world. Ever since, the region’s technological innovations—whether in software, life sciences and health care, aerospace, or other technologies—have foreshadowed the digital revolution and how people all over the world live, shop, and work.
For the past 28 years, Deloitte has celebrated innovation through the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 program, our annual program that recognizes and celebrates the most innovative, fastest-growing private and public technology companies. On November 15, 2022, Deloitte revealed the 500 companies that made the 2022 North America Technology Fast 500 winners list. The winners include 27 companies from the Pacific Northwest (Washington, Oregon, and Idaho)—big and small, public and private, repeat and first-time winners. Of this group, 23 were located in Washington state.
The Fast 500 represents a group of technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences, fintech, and energy tech companies that are working to upend the status quo to solve tough problems and deliver value in impactful new ways. To land on the list, winners must have a proprietary technology and are selected based on percentage fiscal-year revenue growth over a three-year period (2018–2021). For 2022, recognized companies in our region achieved revenue growth ranging from 242% to 9,154%, with one placing in the top 10 and seven in the top 100!
We celebrated the region’s winners at an awards ceremony on November 15. Many thanks to our sponsors AHT Insurance and the Washington Technology Industry Association for powering the event.
To kick off the celebration, I moderated a panel discussion among leaders of three Fast 500 companies in our region: Ez Natarajan, founder and CEO of CoreStack; Yun Zhang, co-founder and CEO of Wyze Labs; and Charles McKinney, co-founder and CEO of Vontive. CoreStack is a business-to-business, software-as-a-service platform that empowers companies to achieve cloud governance. Wyze Labs builds a camera-first smart-home platform that provides convenience, security, and energy savings for the consumer. Vontive provides an embedded mortgage solution for brands that work with real estate investors.
The three CEOs began by sharing a bit about themselves, including the last new thing they learned or experienced and their favorite ways to de-stress. From there, the leaders moved on to reveal stories about their companies’ origins and the challenges and trade-offs they faced as they scaled their businesses. The conversation wrapped with some thoughts about company culture—especially post-COVID-19—as well as the outlook for the technology startup scene in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest more broadly.
To listen to the CEO panel and entire 2022 Pacific Northwest celebration event, click here.
As Washington state chair of the Fast 500 program, I’d like to congratulate our 27 Pacific Northwest-based Fast 500 winners and reiterate our gratitude to sponsors AHT Insurance and the Washington Technology Industry Association. Their dedication and passion for innovation is inspiring and especially needed in these challenging times. I encourage all aspiring entrepreneurs and Washington residents to replay the CEO panel discussion. The insights our CEOs shared are applicable to both the business world and to private life.
For additional details on the Deloitte Technology Fast 500, including the complete list and qualifying criteria, visit www.fast500.com. The application period for the 2023 program will be open from April 3 through June 23. To learn more about the program, selection criteria, and other program-specific information, please visit here.
