Impact Series

Beating Wikipedia by 2 years, Seattle’s HistoryLink remains an innovative online encyclopedia

Wikipedia was a groundbreaking initiative when it went live on Jan. 15, 2001. But a Seattle-based project called HistoryLink actually launched… Read More

Can robotic ‘sensor fish’ save salmon from hydroelectric dams?

Some 71 percent of the world’s renewable energy comes from hydropower and more dams are being built all of the… Read More

Unique partnership brings tech solutions for mental health to lower-wage workers

In a dozen years, 1 in 5 Americans will be retirement age or older. Many will be in good health… Read More

New tool to curb illegal trade of shark fins built with $322K in support from Paul Allen Philanthropies

Customs agents have been relying on their ability to visually match disembodied and sometimes dried and bleached shark fins with… Read More

Forget autonomous cars. How about an electric, self-driving tricycle for a cheaper, safer alternative?

If you’re entertaining futuristic visions of cruising down the highway in your own self-driving, electric car, Tyler Folsom wants to… Read More

New interactive climate tool reveals temperature and rainfall changes in your own backyard (or close to it)

When I opened a new online tool for mapping changing temperatures, snow pack and rainfall across the Pacific Northwest, I… Read More

Jeff Bezos awards $97.5M to the first round of recipients of his Bezos Day 1 Families Fund

Jeff Bezos this morning announced the 24 organizations from across the country that will receive a share of $97.5 million… Read More

Inspirational, innovative groups find support and cash for causes through Social Venture Partners

Pedro Ciriano Perez doesn’t like to call his nonprofit’s approach to teaching computer science “unconventional” — but Geeking Out Kids… Read More

Washington state climate initiative with millions of dollars in support from tech leaders is defeated

Washington voters defeated an initiative to combat climate change that drew endorsements and millions of dollars in support from the… Read More

Climate change initiative’s surprising showdown pits tech leaders against oil and gas industry

Initiative 1631 — the measure on Washington state’s Nov. 6 ballot to address climate change — is turning into an… Read More

Nonprofit Extend the Day uses solar tech to shine a light on studies for students in developing countries

When Jo Lonseth and her dad, Andrew, were designing a solar-powered light for their nonprofit organization Extend the Day, they had… Read More

Bill Gates backs Washington state’s proposed carbon fee amid dire climate change predictions

Bill Gates today pledged his support for a Washington initiative that could make the state the first in the nation… Read More

A nonprofit battles the ‘magnetic media crisis’ by digitizing aging movies before they vanish

In a narrow, windowless, closet of an office in Seattle’s City Hall, two young women are battling against the “magnetic… Read More

Opening the door to inclusion through our 2018 GeekWire Summit non-profit Impact Partners

If you’ve attended one of GeekWire’s events, then you may have experienced that resonating moment that brings attendees back for… Read More

The multibillion-dollar question: What in the world (or universe) will Jeff Bezos do with his riches?

Jeff Bezos transformed the modern economy, using disruptive thinking to reshape how people buy products and read books, and how… Read More

How kids quacking at a cartoon duck fuels bigger ideas about voice technology and access

To win the bonus game in Cookie Monster’s Challenge, a player must say “quack” to a small, white cartoon duck… Read More

How Paul Brainerd’s extraordinary career went from revolutionizing publishing to empowering enviros

The sale in 1994 of Seattle’s Aldus to Adobe for $525 million didn’t end Paul Brainerd’s entrepreneurial run. It just… Read More

Seattle tech duo strike out for Detroit, hoping to spark a surge in startups in the Motor City

As Amazon considers tech hot spots across North America for its so-called HQ2, a more modest enterprise is departing Seattle… Read More

Building a ‘cell tower in a box’ to connect some of the billions of people lacking internet access

Roughly half of the world’s households have internet access, leaving billions of people without a tool that’s become essential for… Read More

One man’s vision for an innovative hub serving tech workers and entrepreneurs of African descent

The event was Amazon’s AWS re:Invent conference last November and the hall was packed. Yet Arif Gürsel felt isolated. “I… Read More

Microsoft says AI is finally ready for broader use to help solve Earth’s environmental woes

REDMOND, Wash. — Lucas Joppa agrees we’re living in the Information Age. But he wishes that the present tech era… Read More

Seattle Children’s 3D-printed models of hearts help families grasp cardio defects

Eleven-year-old Torin Geiger has the same competitive drive that pushes his four brothers and sisters in sports, but he knows… Read More

Can Seattleites learn to play well with others? Ion Collaborators tries to forge relationships

Seattleites do not always play well with others. There’s the notorious “Seattle freeze” — a personality trait that puts a… Read More

Wildlife Computers lets scientists hitch tell-all rides with seals, whales, sharks, fish and seabirds

REDMOND, Wash. — At first, the monitoring tag revealed typical sea lion data. The mini-computer implanted in the animal detected… Read More

Alliance of Angels still helping entrepreneurs take flight, 20 years after initial spark from Tom Alberg, Bill Gates Sr. and Tom Cable

Two decades ago, Bill Gates Sr., Tom Alberg and Tom Cable jointly sent a letter to friends and colleagues with… Read More