There are a lot of advantages to building a startup in Seattle.
That’s the word from founders we interviewed Wednesday evening at a startup showcase event hosted as part of Seattle Tech Week.
We asked what they like about being a startup founder in Seattle. Here’s what they had to say:
- “There’s less noise. People want to get stuff done. People want to put in the work. They pick something and they commit. It makes it easier to build and recruit.” — David Shim, CEO and co-founder of Read AI
- “We can build in a more quiet, focused environment than the Bay Area. And there’s a lot of talent. It’s very underrated.” — Kiana Ehsani, CEO and co-founder of Vercept
- “The community here is super welcoming. There’s very little attitude. Everybody, up-and-down the ladder, has been willing to listen.” — Pete Schwab, CEO and co-founder of Stronghold Labs
- “We’re so close to Joint Base Lewis-McCord. That’s a really unique benefit for defense companies in Seattle.” — Jon Pan, CEO and co-founder of Exia Labs
- “Seattle has the right energy. It’s a blend of excitement and pragmatism.” — James Lee, co-founder at Variata
- “Seattle is home to some of the brightest people. I love the energy. It has been home to some really great companies — and we’re going to be the next one.” — Priyanka Kulkarni, CEO and co-founder at Casium
Seattle’s elite technical talent and cultural humility were themes in our story this week on the state of Seattle’s startup ecosystem in the AI era.
But our reporting also showed that there is concern about the region’s risk-averse culture, the lack of local capital, and government policy.
Generally, though, the vibe is optimistic.
“I am very, very, very bullish on Seattle, particularly in the AI space,” said Pioneer Square Labs Managing Director Greg Gottesman, speaking at another Seattle Tech Week event on Tuesday.
Related coverage:
- Seattle VCs: Startups must rethink defensibility in the fast-moving AI era
- ‘Take things into your control’: Tips for immigrant entrepreneurs navigating the U.S. visa process
- Can Seattle own the AI era? We asked 20 investors and founders to weigh the city’s startup potential
Related stories about the companies mentioned above:
- Seattle startup Vercept, backed by former Google CEO, lands $16M to automate repetitive tasks on a computer
- Startup radar: Seattle founders tackle big problems, from childcare to cybersecurity
- Automating ‘science of war’: Exia Labs raises $2.5M to build AI for military operations
- ‘I really want to fix this’: Microsoft vet launches Seattle startup to transform work visa applications
- Seattle startup takes a swing at enterprise search with new AI-fueled discovery tool
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