Coverage of the GeekWire Awards , presented by Astound Business Solutions , the Pacific Northwest’s annual startup and technology awards.Francis Lo, chief people officer at Adaptive Biotechnologies, accepts the Workplace of the Year Award at the 2023 GeekWire Awards. (GeekWire File Photo / Kevin Lisota)Respect. Inclusion. Satisfaction. Employee-centric. Our judges for the Workplace of the Year category at the 2024 GeekWire Awards used a number of different words and phrases to describe what makes this year’s finalists special.Five startups building everything from a real estate platform to software that recommends what TV shows to watch are also building cultures aimed at keeping employees satisfied.Keep scrolling for descriptions of each finalist, and submit your vote here or below for Workplace of the Year, presented by JLL.Lexion is a Seattle startup that builds AI-powered contract management software.Judge’s take: “Something that stood out to us about Lexion’s workplace is their commitment to a culture of respect and inclusion that has resulted in statistical team diversity not typically seen in the tech industry

Lauren Sato. (Conduit Venture Labs Photo)— Seattle tech leader Lauren Sato joined Seattle hardware startup studio Conduit Venture Labs as an entrepreneur-in-residence. The former CEO of Ada Developers Academy said she will focus on Conduit’s health and performance vertical. “Ada was at a transitional point given the dramatic contraction in the tech talent market, and I am a builder/growth stage leader,” Sato told GeekWire. “So, realigning my skillset to space where I can add a lot of value that I also happen to be passionate about was a natural move.”Sato could not share details about particular projects she is currently working on, but she added that her personal area of expertise is around knee injuries and specifically their impact on female athletes. Sato, who is also part of the team bringing the 2026 FIFA World Cup to Seattle, pointed to the number of athletes in the Women’s World Cup who missed the tournament this summer due to ACL injuries as a focus area

(Bigstock Image)Last month’s Supreme Court ruling striking down affirmative action in college admissions may have ripple effects beyond education and into the corporate workplace.“At a minimum, it is going to impact the racial diversity of hiring pipelines for years to come,” said Kieran Snyder, CEO of workplace language guidance startup Textio.The ruling makes race-based admissions policies illegal at U.S. colleges and universities.“A decrease in diversity at academic institutions puts an increased burden on employers to hire and develop candidates from underrepresented and underestimated groups,” said Mikaela Kiner, CEO of Seattle-based HR firm Reverb.Last year nearly 70 companies, including Apple and Google, signed an amicus brief related to the Supreme Court case supporting affirmative action in higher education.“[DEI] efforts depend on university admissions programs that lead to graduates educated in racially and ethnically diverse environments,” noted the brief.The ruling does not affect existing laws that prohibit employers from making hiring decisions based on race. But many companies have placed more investment and emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives following the death of George Floyd in 2020, Kiner said.Kiner pointed to research showing that diversity and inclusion help companies attract more job seekers, and lead to increased innovation, productivity, and profits.Lori Castillo Martinez, chief equality officer at Salesforce, tweeted that the ruling was a “setback for equality.”Today's U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding race-conscious college admissions is a setback for equality. @Salesforce's commitment to equality doesn't waver, and we will continue to work toward our representation goals, regardless of today's ruling. — Lori Castillo Martinez (@LoriCastilloM) June 29, 2023Legal experts say the ruling could force companies to scale back corporate DEI efforts to ensure they are in compliance with the law