‘AI House’ in Seattle to Be a Hub for AI Startups and Entrepreneurs

AI House in downtown Seattle will become a central hub for AI startups and entrepreneurs, offering a space designed to foster innovation, collaboration, and growth in the artificial intelligence industry. This initiative aims to support emerging AI businesses by providing resources, networking opportunities, and a community of like-minded individuals dedicated to advancing AI technology. AI House will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of AI innovation and entrepreneurship in the region.

Plans are progressing for a new AI-focused hub in downtown Seattle, supported by city and state leaders.

This week, the Seattle-based startup organization and venture firm AI2 Incubator announced it will operate and help fund the new center, named the “AI House.”

The aim is to create a physical space for AI-related events and provide a venue for founders, investors, researchers, and nonprofits to interact.

Seattle boasts a wealth of AI talent, but lacks "a culture of discussing it or gathering at events," said Yifan Zhang, managing director at the AI2 Incubator.

“It doesn’t happen often enough,” Zhang said. “So we’re creating a space where people can gather and foster that type of culture here.”

GeekWire previously reported on the space, which is partially supported by $800,000 in funding approved by Washington state lawmakers earlier this year. Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell spoke about the initiative at the AI2 Incubator’s annual summer party in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood on Thursday evening.

“This is a big deal,” said Harrell, who is a member of the new Artificial Intelligence Safety and Security Board organized by the Department of Homeland Security. The AI House could further establish Seattle as a leader in AI and boost the downtown area, which has struggled to fully recover from the pandemic compared to other U.S. cities.

“This is a way to bring more people downtown, and that’s hugely important,” said Markham McIntyre, director of Seattle’s Office of Economic Development. “Revitalizing downtown is our best economic development strategy.”

McIntyre added that the hub can also help the city understand the opportunities and challenges posed by AI as it considers implementing new technologies. “We’re interested in exploring how the city can be a buyer of AI technology to improve city services and how we deliver those services to residents,” he said.

Sen. Joe Nguyen, who helped secure state legislature funding, said the initial idea for the AI House began with a late-night phone call last year with colleagues, focusing on AI’s economic impact and positioning the state and city accordingly. “It was very bootstrappy,” said Nguyen, who spent nearly a decade at Microsoft before taking office in 2019.

In recent years, Seattle’s startup scene has lost several communities that supported entrepreneurs and operated physical spaces, such as the unexpected departure of Techstars Seattle earlier this year. However, new spaces like Foundations and Founder Nexus are emerging, which some believe are essential for supporting entrepreneurs and the city's startup ecosystem.

AI-specific community groups are also forming, including AI Tinkerers, a popular meetup that started in Seattle and is expanding globally. The exact location of the AI House is still being decided. A “soft launch” is planned for later this year, with an official opening next year, Zhang said.

Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO), an international group led by startup veteran Dave Parker, will be the nonprofit partner for the AI House, facilitating the lease for the physical space, Parker told GeekWire.

“It’s a great way for us as a global nonprofit to connect with the chapter’s home market,” Parker said.

The AI2 Incubator runs an incubator to nurture budding startups and a venture fund that raised $30 million in fresh capital last year. In 2022, the AI2 Incubator spun off from its original home, the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence, to become a separate entity. Zhang, who previously started two companies before joining AI2 Incubator last year, couldn’t disclose details on the organization’s expenditure for the AI House but said it is “a significant priority for us.”

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