The Pacific Northwest’s emerging technology sector had a strong 2016 that ran counter to the national venture funding and initial public offering marketplace. Where the country experienced a 2016 that saw fewer emerging companies being funded by the venture community, the PNW saw continued strong venture funding that ended with two record-setting quarters in terms of the number of Washington-based entrepreneurial businesses being funded. Further, while our region saw no new public companies in 2015, we experienced three IPOs in 2016, with two well-known technology companies, Apptio and Impinj, completing their IPOs in the second half of 2016.
Washington is the fifth largest state in terms of locally based companies that receive venture funding, and we routinely see more than $1 billion of venture investment flowing into our state. There are a number of elements that have come together to create our vibrant venture investment base, including locally based venture investors, PNW-based global technology companies and a world-class university environment with strong technology and entrepreneurial-focused programs, to name a few.
In addition to these attributes, our community has another secret ingredient that has helped to promote and bind our technology community together, and that is GeekWire. With Valentine’s Day upon us, it seems like a good time to express our appreciation for all things GeekWire! GeekWire has grown from a nascent idea to a powerful force within our tech community — a place where we can celebrate the holidays with our geeky friends, attempt to vanquish our geeky foes upon the ping-pong field of battle, meet new geeks as they introduce new companies and new technologies on Shrek-sized napkins, or hear from brainiac geeks as they share all of the geeky innovations soon to be coming into our lives.
As we celebrate our region’s entrepreneurs through the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® program, GeekWire has been a great force in highlighting our region’s fantastic trailblazers and all that they have accomplished. We are proud to see all that John, Todd and the GeekWire team have been able to achieve over the past number of years, and we are thrilled to continue to partner with GeekWire and all of the geeks in our region that we get to hang out with in this amazing city of Seattle, that through some magical twist of fate, we all get to call home.
The views expressed herein are those of the author individually.
Celebrating visionary trailblazers around the world
For over three decades, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® has recognized entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellent and extraordinary success in areas such as financial performance, innovation, and commitment to their businesses and communities. Entrepreneur Of The Year winners and finalists represent the world’s most influential, innovative and exclusive network of entrepreneurs in more than 145 cities in 60 countries.
In the Pacific Northwest, the Entrepreneur Of The Year program has honored local visionaries and GeekWire news-makers, such as Sunny Gupta of Apptio, Matt Oppenheimer of Remitly, Mark Britton of Avvo, Mark Mader of Smartsheet and Aaron Easterly of Rover.com. If you are a successful entrepreneur or have been inspired by an enterprising trailblazer, submit a recommendation or application here. The application deadline is March 10, 2017.