Shruti GautamA new wave of startups is transforming the technology community in the Seattle area and the surrounding region, fueled by breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, health, energy, and other emerging technologies. That’s the takeaway from one of the biggest updates in the 11-year history of the GeekWire 200, our quarterly ranking of the top privately held technology startups in Seattle and the rest of the Pacific Northwest.
• More than 70 companies, or 35%, are completely new to the GeekWire 200 in this latest update, reflecting the dynamic nature of the industry and changes in our method for calculating the ranking
• Companies moving into the top 10 for the first time include Place (#4), the business-to-business real estate services and technology platform backed by Goldman Sachs and other investors; and Rec Room (#9), the popular virtual reality community that has cemented its place as a leading app on multiple VR platforms.
• Several companies graduated from the GeekWire 200 by reaching their 15th birthdays, which makes them no longer “startups” by our parameters.
• Startups appearing on the GeekWire 200 for the first time reflect hot industries such as robotics and drones ( Agility Robotics, #13; Brinc, #76); developer tools ( Temporal, #66; Statsig, #74); cybersecurity ( Chainguard #111; Vouched, #135), and health and life sciences ( Parse #110; Ozette, #159).
• And like everything else in the tech world, the GeekWire 200 is being transformed by AI and machine learning.
• Many of the companies making their debut on the GeekWire 200 are developing or significantly leveraging AI.
• Several existing companies on the GeekWire 200 made big moves up the list with the latest update.
• Companies such as Carbon Robotics (#37); Proprio (#27); Zuper (#39); and Lexion (#35) all raised fresh funding rounds over the past year to fuel growth.
• Helion Energy (#33) and Zap Energy (#95) also made significant jumps.
• The GeekWire 200 continues to be grounded in publicly available data, starting with LinkedIn employee counts, Facebook followers, and Moz domain authority.
• With this update, the GeekWire news team added an element of editorial judgment based on factors including recent fundings and layoffs, and insights from covering the region’s technology startups.
• Some longtime GeekWire 200 mainstays opened up new spots in the top 10.
• GeekWire removed companies due to mergers, acquisitions, and private equity deals in which they sold a majority of their shares.
• The GeekWire 200 is derived from the broader GeekWire Startup List of more than 1,300 tech startups with headquarters in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia.
• The specific rankings should be taken with a grain of salt, but it has proven to be a highly useful tool.
• Startups can check if they are eligible for the GeekWire 200 by making sure they are included in the broader GeekWire Startup List.
