Description
This week on the GeekWire Podcast: Seattle startup funding drops 40% (https://www.geekwire.com/2026/venture-funding-drops-in-seattle-region-as-ai-boom-reshapes-startup-world/) in the first half of the year while AI money floods everywhere else. We dig into the numbers and the implications for the region. Plus: a Seattle judge deals Kalshi a setback (https://www.geekwire.com/2026/seattle-judge-deals-blow-to-kalshi-rejects-prediction-markets-federal-defense/) , Impinj marks a decade on the Nasdaq (https://www.geekwire.com/2026/the-little-chips-that-could-how-impinj-has-survived-26-years-in-a-market-thats-just-getting-going/) after a 26-year climb, and nearly 40 Seattleites trade their smartphones for flip phones (https://www.geekwire.com/2026/ditch-your-smartphone-for-a-flip-phone-for-a-month-this-group-wants-seattleites-to-try/) for five weeks.
Related Stories
Venture funding drops in Seattle area as AI boom reshapes startup world (https://www.geekwire.com/2026/venture-funding-drops-in-seattle-region-as-ai-boom-reshapes-startup-world/)
Helion raises $465M at $15.5B valuation as it aims to commercialize fusion (https://www.geekwire.com/2026/helion-hits-15-5b-valuation-with-465m-in-new-cash-to-commercialize-fusion-this-decade/)
UK data center startup Nscale bets big on Bellevue for U.S. engineering hub (https://www.geekwire.com/2026/uk-data-center-startup-nscale-bets-big-on-bellevue-for-u-s-engineering-hub-amid-ai-boom/)
Anthropic expands in Seattle as AI boom offers hope for struggling office market (https://www.geekwire.com/2026/anthropic-expands-in-seattle-as-ai-boom-offers-hope-for-struggling-office-market/)
Seattle judge deals blow to Kalshi, rejects prediction market's federal defense (https://www.geekwire.com/2026/seattle-judge-deals-blow-to-kalshi-rejects-prediction-markets-federal-defense/)
How Impinj has survived 26 years in a market that's 'just getting going' (https://www.geekwire.com/2026/the-little-chips-that-could-how-impinj-has-survived-26-years-in-a-market-thats-just-getting-going/)
Ditch your smartphone for a flip phone for a month? (https://www.geekwire.com/2026/ditch-your-smartphone-for-a-flip-phone-for-a-month-this-group-wants-seattleites-to-try/)
With GeekWire co-founders Todd Bishop and John Cook. Edited by Curt Milton.
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