GeekWire co-founders Todd Bishop, left, and John Cook open the 2024 GeekWire Awards at Showbox SoDo in Seattle on Thursday. (GeekWire Photo / Kevin Lisota)After giving a nod to tech’s bygone era of gadgets and gimmicks, we celebrated the new entrepreneurs shaping the future of innovation in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest on Thursday night at the GeekWire Awards.The annual event, now in its 15th year, brought a sold-out crowd to Showbox SoDo in Seattle, where more than 60 finalists across a dozen categories competed for awards ranging from Startup of the Year to Next Tech Titan to Workplace of the Year, and more.Much like it has been for the past year, artificial intelligence was a recurring buzzword running through the evening, as evidenced by the number of finalists and winners seizing on the technology.“It’s an exciting moment and a transformational time in all our lifetimes because of the way generative AI has taken the industry by storm,” said Deal of the Year winner Madhan Subhas, co-founder of Seattle-area startup Rhythms.Rob McPherson sings his song about bygone tech onstage at the GeekWire Awards in Seattle on Thursday. (GeekWire Photo / Kevin Lisota)But long before AI, the innovation of yesteryear was just as celebrated and equally instrumental in getting us where we are today. The “Land Before Tech” theme of the night had a prehistoric feel with dinosaurs and table centerpieces made of outdated VHS tapes, Polaroid cameras and more. It was all punctuated by a performance by Robert “The Drunken Tenor” McPherson. With lyrics set to Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” performing in front of a rapid-fire video montage, McPherson touched on seemingly every gadget or gizmo that ever seemed cutting edge to the majority of the people in the room.We threw it in a fire

The 2023 GeekWire Awards at Showbox SoDo in Seattle. (GeekWire File Photo / Kevin Lisota)The GeekWire Awards are back, and we’re looking forward to partying with Seattle’s tech community Thursday at Showbox SoDo.If you’re planning on attending the special event, read the FAQ below for key information such as where to park, what to wear, who’s up for awards and what else to expect when we gather to celebrate the top innovators, entrepreneurs, scientists and educators in the Pacific Northwest.Special thanks to Astound Business Solutions, the presenting sponsor of the 2024 GeekWire Awards.Also, thanks to gold-level and category sponsors: Wilson Sonsini, JLL, Blink UX, BECU, Baird, First Tech, Baker Tilly, WTIA, Silicon Valley Bank, and T-Mobile. And thanks to silver level sponsors: Prime Team Partners, Submittable, and Cosmogence. And supporting sponsors: Choose Washington, ALLtech, Showbox SoDo, and Roanoke.When: Thursday, May 9, 5:30 to 9 p.m. PT.Where: Showbox SoDo, 1700 1st Ave. South Seattle, WA 98134Attire: We are geeks, not fashion consultants so come in what’s most comfortable

Ophir Ronen, founder and CEO of CalmWave, accepts the award for UX Design of the Year at the 2023 GeekWire Awards. (GeekWire File Photo / Kevin Lisota)The finalists for UX Design of the Year at the 2024 GeekWire Awards are helping end users across home building, investing, AI-generated speech, data analysis, and schedule and expense tracking for gig workers. The award is intended to recognize a product that has a user experience that is meaningful, usable and delightful for those end-users. The five finalists are Digs, Copper, Row Zero, WellSaid Labs, and Solo.Keep scrolling for descriptions of each finalist, provided through the nomination process. And submit your vote here or below for UX Design of the Year, presented by Blink UX.Digs End user: Residential home builders, vendors, and homeowners.Describe how the UX benefits an end user: The UX of Digs takes the complicated process of collaboration on a home build and makes it intuitive and simple to use with familiar UX similar to many favorite social media and collaboration platforms. Add in automatic organization and AI-powered search and the user has a powerful yet easy-to-use experience that enhances the build process for everyone involved.CopperEnd user: Kids, teens, and parents.Describe how the UX benefits an end user: Starting from obtaining SEC approval for teens to be able to build an investment portfolio that is focused on driving financial knowledge through investing real money in the stock market, the team has distilled a tremendous amount of complexity into a user experience that has driven over 2.6 million members to start their journey in wealth building