The Seattle Investor Summit+Showcase, hosted by the Technology Alliance, is a unique opportunity for corporate venture investors and venture capitalists from around the world to learn about the groundbreaking innovations across all sectors emerging from the Pacific Northwest.

Join us June 2nd and 3rd for Seattle's premier investor event! This event is convening the brightest minds in venture capital, corporate innovation, and cutting-edge research with the Pacific Northwest's top startups, to showcase Seattle's electric entrepreneurial ecosystem. This two-day summit is designed to foster collaboration, spark innovation, and drive investment in the most promising startups across various sectors.

What to expect:

  • Strategically Relevant Startups: Discover groundbreaking startups in AI, Industry 4.0, Defense, CleanTech, FinTech, HealthTech, Life Sciences, and more. These innovative companies are ready to showcase their solutions and connect with potential investors and partners.

  • Top VCs: Network with leading venture capitalists from the Pacific Northwest who are actively seeking investment opportunities and strategic partnerships.

  • Leading Enterprises: Engage with top enterprises in the region that are driving corporate innovation and looking to collaborate with startups and researchers.

  • Renowned Researchers: Gain insights from prominent researchers who are at the forefront of technological advancements and industry trends, and who have journeyed from research to commercialization.

Event Highlights:

  • Networking Opportunities: Connect with fellow investors, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders during dedicated networking sessions, VIP events, and informal gatherings.

  • Keynote Speakers: Hear from industry leaders and visionaries who will share their insights on the future of innovation and investment.

  • Panel Discussions: Participate in thought-provoking discussions on the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities in venture capital and corporate innovation.

  • Startup Showcases: Watch live presentations from startups as they pitch their groundbreaking ideas and solutions to a panel of investors and industry experts.

  • Exclusive Meetings: Take advantage of private meeting spaces to have one-on-one discussions with startups, investors, and potential partners.

June 2nd

2:00pm: Registration opens, Networking begins

2:30pm: Welcoming Remarks

2:45pm: A Glimpse into the Life Cycle of Innovation: From Research to Commercialization

3:20pm: From Seed to Scale: Perspectives on Early-Stage Investment

4:00pm: Startup Showcase: Four dynamic tracks led by Seattle’s top VC firms, each track features a curated selection of the Pacific Northwest’s most promising startups

Madrona: Hyperparam, Edge Runner AI, Spice AI, Uplevel, Codified, Gradial AI

PSL: Enzzo.ai, Picco, Atreion, Zucca, Certivo, Gumshoe

Flying Fish: coming soon

Voyager: coming soon

5:45pm: Cocktail Reception sponsored by Orrick - Mingle with peers and the Seattle venture community

June 3rd

8:00am: Registration & Breakfast Networking Reception

9:00am: Welcome to Day 2 Remarks

9:15am: The Future of Innovation: Insights from a Global Tech Leader (Keynote)

10:00am: Morning Networking Break

10:20am: Washington Industry Spotlight: HealthTech

10:45am: Startup Showcase: Four dynamic tracks led by Seattle’s top VC firms, each track features a curated selection of the Pacific Northwest’s most promising startups

Madrona: Hyperparam, Edge Runner AI, Spice AI, Uplevel, Codified, Gradial AI

PSL: Enzzo.ai, Picco, Atreion, Zucca, Certivo, Gumshoe

Flying Fish: coming soon

Voyager: coming soon

12:15pm: Networking Lunch

1:30pm: Washington Industry Spotlight: Fusion Energy

1:50pm: Backing Bold Ideas: VC and CVC Insights on Regional Investment

2:30pm: Changing the Narrative: Myths and Realities of Working with CVCs

3:05pm: Washington Industry Spotlight: Artificial Intelligence

3:25pm: Afternoon Networking Break

3:40pm: Seattle’s Strategic Four: Scaling the Future of Enterprise, Health, Space, and Energy - Highspot (confirmed), Group 14 (invited), Truveta (invited), Stoke Space (invited)

4:45pm: Startup Speed Networking - a unique opportunity for founders to connect directly with investors in an exhibition-style, high-value format. Apply soon to secure your spot! Applications reviewed weekly, rolling acceptances until full. See below for who is a part of this exhibition!

6:00pm: Conclusion

The Agenda

The Panelists

Anthony Pancotti is a Co-Founder at Helion, where he focuses on technology risk reduction, strategic planning, and business development to drive the commercial deployment of fusion energy. With more than 15 years of experience in advanced plasma systems, he plays a key role in shaping Helion’s long-term technology and market strategy. Beyond Helion, Anthony is an entrepreneur and cleantech investor, supporting early-stage startups in energy and industrial technology. He holds a PhD in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Southern California. 

Bill McAleer is Managing Director and Co-founder of Voyager Capital, an early-stage venture firm with over $525 million under management in five funds that is focused on investing in tech opportunities in the Pacific Northwest. He has over 35 years of combined investing and senior executive experience in the technology industry. Prior to co-founding Voyager in 1997, Bill spent three years as Managing Director of e.liance Partners and served as Vice President of Finance, Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of public software company Aldus from 1988 to 1994

Brian Riordan, COO and Co-Founder at Avalanche

Ed Nightingale is currently a Vice President at Microsoft Research Redmond running the Systems and Foundations Organization. He has a wide range of previous experience as an individual contributor, manager, director and vice president. Ed has authored papers in top systems conferences such as OSDI and SOSP. He has co-authored 20 conference and journal publications, has won 7 best paper awards, and even helped to set the world record in disk-to-disk sorting. He was Program Co-Chair for OSDI 2023. Finally, he is a Distinguished Member of the ACM.

Evan Poncelet, is a founding Managing Partner of Dreamward Ventures and Executive Director of Venture Black, a nonprofit supporting Black and ally founders and investors pursuing high-growth, venture-scale opportunities. He is an alumnus of the Seattle Angel Conference, VC Lab Venture Institute, and BLCK VC Black Venture Institute, and brings over 12 years of experience in the software industry as a developer and program manager in Seattle and Silicon Valley. Evan’s passion for economic justice is inspired by his grandfather, who co-founded Liberty Bank in 1968 to combat redlining in Seattle’s Central District.

Geoff Harris is Managing Partner at Flying Fish Ventures, investing in early-stage AI and machine learning startups. Before venture, he spent 15 years at Microsoft in engineering and executive leadership, leading teams in digital media, mobile services, and speech recognition. An active angel investor before joining Flying Fish, Geoff has backed over 40 startups and is dedicated to strengthening Seattle’s startup ecosystem.

Jack Callaghan, Director of Plug and Play Seattle, is a Seattle native with a career rooted in the tech ecosystem. He began in management consulting, supporting go-to-market strategy for clients like Microsoft, VMware, and UiPath. In 2019, he became SVP at Enterprise Ireland, launching its Seattle office and leading U.S. expansion efforts for European startups in B2B SaaS and cybersecurity. He connects innovative startups with corporations and investors across the Pacific Northwest. He studied Economics and Business Administration at the University of Denver. 

Jacob Colker, is an early-stage AI investor dedicated to helping entrepreneurs harness AI's transformative potential. As Co-Founder and Managing Director of the AI2 Incubator, he has guided founders in launching dozens of AI startups that are reshaping industries such as healthcare, finance, retail, and manufacturing. Born out of the Allen Institute for AI and now a separate entity, the AI2 Incubator transforms cutting-edge research into impactful startups, providing founders with access to the latest technology, expert mentorship, funding, AI compute resources, technical talent, and a collaborative environment that accelerates growth.

Joaquín Gallardo, is a Senior Vice President at Silicon Valley Bank’s Seattle office, working with companies in the PNW for the past five years. Joaquin studied Economics at George Mason University and started his career in banking in Washington, DC, before moving to San Francisco where he went to UC Berkley and earned a certificate in full stack development and epically failed at his first startup. He’s since relocated to Seattle, started a family, and continues to help every startup he can to increase their probability of success.

Laura Ruderman is CEO at Technology Alliance. Prior to joining the Technology Alliance in 2019, Laura served as the Interim PAC Director for the Children’s Campaign Fund. Prior to that, she represented the 45th district in the State House of Representatives, where she served as the Vice Chair of the Technology, Telecommunications, and Energy Committee and was elected as the Vice Chair of her party’s caucus. She also held a variety of positions at Microsoft and has been a fundraising professional for a wide range of non-profit organizations.

Luis Ceze, Co-founder and CEO of OctoAI and VP of AI Systems Software at NVIDIA.

Dr. Matt McCluskey, is the Westinghouse Professor of Materials Science and Engineering in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Washington State University. He earned his Ph.D. in Physics from UC Berkeley in 1997, focusing on hydrogen in semiconductors, and completed postdoctoral research at Xerox PARC on semiconductors for blue lasers. He joined the WSU faculty in 1998 and built a research program spanning optics and materials physics. In 2016, he co-founded Klar Scientific to commercialize innovations from his lab, producing confocal spectroscopic microscopes for industry, academia, and national labs.

Minda Brusse, Founding Partner at First Row Partners

Dr. Nicholas Reder, is a board-certified pathologist and CEO of Alpenglow Biosciences, Inc., a 3D spatial biology company. He holds degrees from the University of Michigan, Emory University, and Loyola University Chicago and completed his pathology training at the University of Washington, where he received the Castleman Award, the highest honor for pathologists under 40. He holds five patents. Under his leadership, Alpenglow Biosciences has developed advanced 3D imaging, processing, and AI analysis to accelerate drug development and improve clinical diagnostics.

Peter Mueller is Founding Partner of Breakwater Ventures, a seed-stage venture capital fund based in Seattle. With a focus on software-centric, B2B startups, Peter is passionate about partnering with founders at the earliest stages of their journey, guiding them through the critical challenges of building impactful companies. Before founding Breakwater Ventures, Peter previously served as a partner at SeaChange Fund, was an early product manager at Carta, worked as an equity research analyst at Merrill Lynch, and held an associate role at Concert Golf Partners.

Phoebe Wang, Amazon Climate Pledge Fund

Rich Grant is a Partner at Cerity Partners, where he co-leads the Ventures practice, helping corporations establish and manage their venture capital programs. He joined Cerity Partners in 2024 through its merger with Touchdown Ventures, a firm he co-founded in 2014. With over 20 years in corporate growth and innovation, Rich was a pioneer of the "venture capital as a service" model at Touchdown. Previously, he spent seven years at Comcast Ventures and held strategic development roles at Comcast Interactive Media and Sony Pictures.

Sophia Lu, Vice President at Tola Capital, has deep expertise in AI as both an investor and operator. Before Tola, she played a critical role in driving the strategy and direction of Microsoft’s Cloud and AI businesses, across product strategy, market analysis, M&A due diligence, and customer strategy. Prior to Microsoft, she led digital transformation initiatives at McKinsey for major US financial institutions. Sophia holds a Master’s in Financial Mathematics from Princeton University and a Bachelor’s in Mathematics & Economics from the London School of Economics.

T. A. McCann is Managing Director at Pioneer Square Labs (PSL), a startup studio and venture firm that has launched over 30 companies and raised $200M+ since 2015. Previously, he was Co-founder and CEO of Senosis (acquired by Google) and Co-founder of Rival IQ (acquired by Netbase), providing competitive intelligence for digital marketers. He also founded Gist (acquired by Blackberry), where he later served as VP of Product Strategy, overseeing BBM and social applications. McCann is an active angel investor, serves on multiple boards.

Tim Porter is Managing Director at Madrona. He joined Madrona in 2006 and invests in B2B software companies in the Pacific Northwest. He is currently focuses on intelligent applications and SaaS, cloud-native software infrastructure, the modern data stack, machine learning, DevOps, and cybersecurity. He is also a board member of numerous Madrona portfolio companies.

More speaker bios to be announced soon!

Speed Networking Exhibition

Startup Speed Networking: A Direct Path to Investor Connections

At the Seattle Investor Summit+Showcase, we know that the right conversations can change everything. That’s why we’re offering Startup Speed Networking, a structured but dynamic opportunity designed to help startups and investors connect efficiently and effectively.

How It Works:

  • 30-40 startups (separate from the Startup Showcase) will host tables in an open-format networking session.

  • Investors move freely between conversations, allowing for high-value, targeted discussions.

  • Startups have the chance to pitch, build relationships, and explore investment opportunities in a fast-paced, high-impact setting.

  • This is a separate opportunity from the Startup Showcase, allowing more startups to gain exposure.

Spots are limited to 40 startups—apply today and position yourself at the center of investor deal flow. Meet active VCs and CVCs who are looking for promising startups in AI, health tech, fusion, and beyond.

The Venue

We’re thrilled to announce the Seattle Investor Summit+Showcase will take place at a venue that embodies innovation and global impact: the Microsoft Visitor Center in Redmond, WA. As one of the world’s leading technology hubs, Microsoft’s Visitor Center is the perfect setting for this year’s summit. It’s where ideas come to life, partnerships form, and the future of innovation unfolds.

Why This Venue?

Set in the heart of one of the Pacific Northwest’s most innovative campuses, the Microsoft Visitor Center offers an inspiring backdrop for:

  • Immersive discussions with top investors, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders.

  • Cutting-edge panels and presentations on the next wave of innovation.

  • A dynamic showcase featuring the region’s most promising startups.

Thank you to our Sponsors!

If your company or organization is interested in sponsorship please email: ECA@technology-alliance.com