SurveyMonkey Powered Online Survey

The much-anticipated and hotly-contested GeekWire Awards celebrate the top innovators, entrepreneurs and technology leaders in the Pacific Northwest.

Hosted live from the Showbox SoDo in Seattle on May 7th, this year’s ceremony features a seated dinner, entertainment, fun surprises and coveted awards handed out in more than a dozen categories.

Interested in sponsoring or purchasing a table? Let us know.

Question Title

*
Workplace of the Year, presented by JLL: It’s not just ping pong tables and kegs of kombucha. This year's winner will display the attributes of an exceptional workplace environment, represented by an unmatched company culture.

Allen Institute for AI (Ai2) - Inside the Allen Institute for AI’s new HQ in Seattle’s first mass-timber office building

Carbon Robotics - Carbon Robotics raises $20M as LaserWeeder maker plans secretive new ‘AI robot’ for farms

DAT Freight & Analytics - New offices along the Seattle waterfront

Humanly - Seattle recruiting tech startup Humanly acquires 3 companies to expand AI hiring platform

Yoodli - AI roleplay startup Yoodli raises $40M, reports 900% revenue growth

Question Title

*
Startup of the Year: This team is on the brink of stardom, but more importantly, innovating, executing, and making a difference. To be eligible for consideration in this category, startups need to be no more than 5 years old in 2026.

Dopl Technologies - Dopl Technologies raises $1.5M to fuel mission of delivering telerobotic care to underserved areas

Dropzone AI - Seattle startup Dropzone AI raises $16.8M to develop autonomous agents for cybersecurity

ElastixAI - Former Apple leaders raise $16M for stealthy Seattle startup building AI inference tech

Loopr AI - Seattle startup Loopr raises cash for AI software that aims to boost quality control in manufacturing

mpathic - Seattle startup uses clinical expertise to make AI models safer and reduce dangerous responses

Question Title

*
Next Tech Titan, presented by Baird: Place your bets on the next dominant force in the Pacific Northwest.

Carbon Robotics - Carbon Robotics raises $20M as LaserWeeder maker plans secretive new ‘AI robot’ for farms

Chainguard - Chainguard lands $280M to help scale cybersecurity startup’s open source software protections

Overland AI - Overland AI raises $100M to meet military demand for autonomous ground vehicles

Stoke Space - Stoke Space adds $350M to funding round as it gets ready for the first launch of its reusable rocket

MotherDuck - Seattle startup MotherDuck raises $52.5M at a $400M valuation to fuel DuckDB analytics platform

Question Title

*
Deal of the Year, presented by Wilson Sonsini: This venture financing deal, acquisition or public offering put plenty of fuel in the tank for a Pacific Northwest company. Eligible deals between April 2025 and April 2026.

Kestra Medical Technologies - Kestra Medical Technologies raises $202M in IPO, prices shares above expected range

Omeros - Omeros sells eye surgery product to Rayner for $126M in cash

Protect AI - Palo Alto Networks to acquire Seattle cybersecurity startup Protect AI

Statsig - Statsig lands $100M at $1.1B valuation, aiming to unify product development as AI upends industry

Temporal - Temporal raises $300M, hits $5B valuation as Seattle-area infrastructure startup rides AI wave

Question Title

*
CEO of the Year: This tech leader has vision, fortitude, creativity, and that impossible to define x-factor.

Aina Abiodun, VertueLab

Karen Huh, Zucca

Luis Poggi, HouseWhisper AI

Sheila Stafford, TeamSense

Tony Huang, Possible Finance

Question Title

*
Young Entrepreneur of the Year: These entrepreneurs are already making waves in the startup world at 30 or younger—and they're just getting started.

Emily Choi-Greene, Clearly AI

Caleb John, Pioneer Square Labs

Kavian Mojabe, MediScan AI

Charles Wu, Orchard Robotics

Bill Zhu, Pokee AI

Question Title

*
Innovation of the Year, presented by Astound Business Solutions: Step into the future. This breakthrough could change the way we live.

Alpenglow Biosciences - Seattle’s Alpenglow moves 3D microscope tech from lab to clinic to help modernize cancer diagnostics

PNNL - Nuclear Waste Transformed: PNNL Scientists Solidify History With Glass

Reveal Dx - Seattle startup RevealDx lands $4.2M to help clinicians diagnose lung cancer

Starcloud - Lumen Orbit changes its name to Starcloud and raises $10M for space data centers

VerAvanti - Seattle-area company VerAvanti lands $31.5M to develop scopes to prevent strokes, heart attacks

Question Title

* Sustainable Innovation of the Year, Presented by Amazon Sustainability: This breakthrough technology will help save planet Earth.

Helion - Sam Altman, SoftBank invest in $425M round for Helion, a Seattle-area startup chasing fusion power

IUNU - AI for greenhouses: Seattle startup IUNU raises $20M for tech that monitors plants

OCOchem - Forget burying unwanted carbon — this Washington startup is turning it into protein, fuel and a frost deicer

Ravel - Ravel’s technology teases the spandex out of tossed apparel to enable enviro friendly recycling

TerraPower - 'Leading nuclear project in the U.S.’: TerraPower closes in on key permits for first next-gen reactor

Question Title

* AI Innovation of the Year: Recognizing groundbreaking advancements in artificial intelligence that are pushing boundaries, solving big challenges, and redefining what’s possible in tech.

Avante - Seattle startup Avante aims to disrupt employee benefits industry

ConverzAI - AI recruiting startup led by former Microsoft manager raises $16M

Envive AI - ‘Commerce is entering the agentic era’: Envive raises $15M to build AI agents for online retailers

Spangle - Former Amazon execs raise $15M for agentic commerce startup that uses AI to generate custom storefronts

Synthesize Bio - Fred Hutch leaders raise $10M for new AI startup aiming to expedite drug discovery

Question Title

* Hardware/Robotics/Physical AI of the Year: Celebrating the hardware pioneers and roboticists giving the digital world a sense of sight, motion, and impact.

AIM - AIM raises $50M to retrofit bulldozers and excavators to operate autonomously

Augmodo - Spatial computing startup Augmodo raises $37.5M for high-tech badges worn by retail store workers

Brinc - Public safety drone maker Brinc raises $75M, forms strategic alliance with Motorola

Orbital Robotics - Orbital Robotics reaches out with a plan to build robotic arms that use AI

Starfish Space - Starfish Space wins $54.5M Space Force contract for another satellite servicing vehicle

Question Title

* Workplace of the Year, presented by JLL: It’s not just ping pong tables and kegs of kombucha. This year's winner will display the attributes of an exceptional workplace environment, represented by an unmatched company culture.

Question Title

* Startup of the Year: This team is on the brink of stardom, but more importantly, innovating, executing, and making a difference. To be eligible for consideration in this category, startups need to be no more than 5 years old in 2026.

Question Title

* Next Tech Titan, presented by Baird: Place your bets on the next dominant force in the Pacific Northwest.

Question Title

* Deal of the Year, presented by Wilson Sonsini: This venture financing deal, acquisition or public offering put plenty of fuel in the tank for a Pacific Northwest company. Eligible deals between April 2025 and April 2026.

Question Title

* CEO of the Year: This tech leader has vision, fortitude, creativity, and that impossible to define x-factor.

Question Title

* Young Entrepreneur of the Year: These entrepreneurs are already making waves in the startup world at 30 or younger—and they're just getting started.

Question Title

* Innovation of the Year, presented by Astound Business Solutions: Step into the future. This breakthrough could change the way we live.

Question Title

* Sustainable Innovation of the Year, Presented by Amazon Sustainability: This breakthrough technology will help save planet Earth.

Question Title

* AI Innovation of the Year: Recognizing groundbreaking advancements in artificial intelligence that are pushing boundaries, solving big challenges, and redefining what’s possible in tech.

Question Title

* Hardware/Robotics/Physical AI of the Year: Celebrating the hardware pioneers and roboticists giving the digital world a sense of sight, motion, and impact.

*
Workplace of the Year, presented by JLL: It’s not just ping pong tables and kegs of kombucha. This year's winner will display the attributes of an exceptional workplace environment, represented by an unmatched company culture.

*
Startup of the Year: This team is on the brink of stardom, but more importantly, innovating, executing, and making a difference. To be eligible for consideration in this category, startups need to be no more than 5 years old in 2026.

*
Next Tech Titan, presented by Baird: Place your bets on the next dominant force in the Pacific Northwest.

*
Deal of the Year, presented by Wilson Sonsini: This venture financing deal, acquisition or public offering put plenty of fuel in the tank for a Pacific Northwest company. Eligible deals between April 2025 and April 2026.

*
CEO of the Year: This tech leader has vision, fortitude, creativity, and that impossible to define x-factor.

*
Young Entrepreneur of the Year: These entrepreneurs are already making waves in the startup world at 30 or younger—and they're just getting started.

*
Innovation of the Year, presented by Astound Business Solutions: Step into the future. This breakthrough could change the way we live.