INNOVATE® Seattle

Founding Story: Bridging the Gap Between Education and Real-World Experience Youth Growth Network (YGN) was founded with a powerful mission: to bridge the gap between academic learning and the real-world skills students need to thrive in their future careers. Recognizing that traditional education often falls short in providing hands-on experiences,...

SOLVING TODAY’S HARDEST CHALLENGES THROUGH INTELLIGENT PROTEIN DESIGN It’s no secret that the future of more sustainable products is already being driven by cutting-edge technology and groundbreaking innovation. Among the leaders defining this future is Seattle-based industry-leading Protein Design Company, Arzeda. Recognizing the vast potential and opportunity to transform the...

University of Washington Fosters Innovation on the World Stage In pursuit of the lofty goal of accelerating its innovation-to-impact cycle, the University of Washington invited Creative Destruction in, launching a Seattle site with Advanced Manufacturing and Computational Health streams aimed at disrupting production and revolutionizing diagnostic and therapeutic outcomes. In...

In the late 1990s, a visionary goal was conceived by a group of business and academic leaders in Washington state: to cultivate a flourishing landscape of thriving, innovation-driven enterprises within the expanding economy of Washington. At that point, the Washington state economy was based on manufacturing (primarily airplanes), agriculture (wheat,...

LOCAL TECH BANKING VETERANS BRING CANADIAN INFLUENCE TO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST Since its founding in early 2018, CIBC Innovation Banking has been rapidly building its presence in key innovation clusters across the U.S. and Europe.In 2022, its Seattle team began serving the vibrant innovation economy of the Pacific Northwest. John...

THE WORLD’S TRUSTED GATEWAY TO DIGITAL CURRENCIESAND A BETTER FINANCIAL FUTURE Capitalizing on the Promise of Bitcoin Coinme was founded in 2014 with a mission to be the world’s trusted gateway to digital currency and a better financial future. CEO and co-founder Neil Bergquist saw bitcoin’s potential to provide access...

ON THE PATH TO ZERO™ Decarbonization innovator First Mode develops and manufactures clean energy solutions for heavy industry, including the mining sector, which contributes 4-7% of global greenhouse gas emissions annually. In 2022, First Mode in partnership with Anglo American debuted the world’s largest zero-emissions truck by retrofitting a Komatsu...

At Defined.ai, our commitment is to enable the builders of AI with ethically sourced data and deliver conversational AI to digitally low-resourced markets. I had the idea of founding the company when I realized how the Conversational AI market was becoming mainstream, and everyone was building multilingual voice search and...

In the 1990s, Howard Schultz built Starbucks into one of the world’s most iconic consumer businesses. In 1998, after taking Starbucks public, Dan Levitan and Howard founded Maveron. They recognized that digital technologies would integrate into people’s lives in unprecedented ways and that great teams attacking consumer-focused problems would require...

Meet the Startup Visa Lawyer trying to change the law while helping startups and founders grow. Tahmina Watson, founder of Watson Immigration Law in Seattle, fell into immigration law by chance and hasn’t looked back since. She is now a nationally acclaimed, award-winning lawyer, best-selling author, podcast host, and go-to...

REI Co-op believes the vibrancy of the outdoor industry depends on the economic mobility and contributions of diverse communities as customers and creators. In 2020, we accelerated our efforts to advance racial equity across every piece of our business and wanted to set bold goals towards diversifying our supplier base,...

Madrona starts working with leadership teams before the first investment, supporting them with capital and hard work. We have been doing this since 1995 and actively invest in AI, enterprise technology, marketplaces and more. As the tech footprint in Seattle has grown, so have we. Madrona opened a Silicon Valley...

TWO SIBLINGS AND THEIR JOURNEY TO CREATEFRESH VIETNAMESE CUISINE IN SEATTLE Monsoon Siblings Eric and Sophie Banh knew they wanted to do something very different, as the typical formula for Vietnamese restaurants in Seattle in the late 90s was quite limited at the time. There were plenty of good phở...

At Defined.ai, our commitment is to enable the builders of AI with ethically sourced data and deliver conversational AI to digitally low-resourced markets. I had the idea of founding the company when I realized how the Conversational AI market was becoming mainstream, and everyone was building multilingual voice search and...

From The Culture is redefining the tech game, empowering Black founders to thrive in the fast-paced world of startups. Specializing in AI-driven product development, strategic guidance, and expanded market access, this startup studio transforms visionary ideas into scalable ventures. It’s more than an incubator—it’s a community built to amplify Black...

A PHENOMENAL VOYAGE OF EMPOWERING BUSINESSES WITH CUTTING-EDGE IT SOLUTIONS Founding Story: The Birth of Quadrant Resource, LLC In the year 2004, amidst a rapidly evolving technological landscape, a visionary group of IT experts came together to lay the foundation for what would eventually become Quadrant Resource, LLC DBA Quadrant...

Founders Live is a global ecosystem for early-stage founders, startups, and entrepreneurs. They are on a mission to elevate entrepreneurship around the world, connecting entrepreneurs to the people, resources, capital, and exposure they need to truly become successful. The vast (and quickly growing) global platform, spanning 120 cities across more...

Meet the Startup Visa Lawyer trying to change the law while helping startups and founders grow Tahmina Watson, founder of Watson Immigration Law in Seattle, fell into immigration law by chance and hasn’t looked back since. She is now a nationally acclaimed, award-winning lawyer, best-selling author, podcast host, and go-to...

INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP CENTER AT SEATTLE UNIVERSITY. ACCELERATING ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADERS FOR THE COMMON GOOD As uncertainty across environmental and social changes becomes the norm, we need innovative leaders who are prepared to take on those challenges. That is why Seattle University’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (IEC) is where innovation meets...

Leading the Industry Clark Nuber, the largest locally owned CPA firm in Washington state, proudly stands as a majority women-owned firm. The firm consistently ranks among Accounting Today and Inside Public Accounting’s national lists of “Top 100 Firms.” These lists include the Big 4 and many multi-office, national firms, highlighting...

In an era where technology is advancing at breakneck speed, Wyze has emerged as a leader in the smart home revolution. Since 2017, the company has been committed to making cutting-edge products that allow more people to experience the benefits of modern technology in their everyday lives. With an array...

Blake Resnick, the founder and CEO of BRINC, started his engineering career at McLaren Automotive at 14. He later worked at Tesla Motors and DJI, the world’s largest drone company. Growing up in Las Vegas, the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting deeply impacted Blake, leading him to focus on public...

Employee Benefits | Sea-Mountain Insurance THE STARTUP WHISPERER: A GAME-CHANGING APPROACH TO EMPLOYEE BENEFITS. The Company Ellingson Group has redefined what it means to be an employee benefits brokerage by specializing in the unique needs of startups, tech companies, and venture capital firms. These industries are the engines of economic...

INVESTING IN OPPORTUNITIES WHEREINNOVATION MEETS GROWTH. Voyager Capital thrives on working with early-stage entrepreneurs who drive innovation and take risks to create new markets. Founded in 1997 in Seattle, WA, Voyager is an early-stage venture capital firm investing in B2B companies in Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, and Alberta. When you...