Where Amazon & Microsoft Built the Future
AWS (35% market), Azure (22% market). Every cloud company has Seattle office.
Dominance:
57% of global cloud from Seattle
135,000 Amazon/Microsoft employees. Best enterprise training ground globally.
Talent:
20K+ engineers leave FAANG yearly
0% state income tax. 0% capital gains. Save $130K on $1M income vs California.
Savings:
Keep 13% more at exit
AWS, Azure, plus 100+ cloud startups. Every DevOps tool has Seattle presence.
Valve, Bungie, PopCap legacy. Unity, Epic Games offices. 200+ game studios.
Allen Institute for AI, Amazon AI, Microsoft Research. 500+ AI startups.
Tableau, Smartsheet, Auth0 success. B2B DNA from Microsoft heritage.
Downtown Seattle
Bellevue
Seattle
Capitol Hill
Seattle
Voice technology, AI
$200K - $10M
Seed to Series B
Enterprise, AI, Cloud
$2M - $10M
Series A to B
Food tech, Retail tech
$1M - $5M
Series A
Aerospace, Autonomous
$2M - $20M
Series A to C
Pacific NW's largest. 140+ members. $100K-$1M rounds.
Annual event. 500+ angels. $5M+ deployed yearly.
Women investors. $50K-$250K checks. Monthly pitches.
Global network. $250K-$2M rounds. All sectors.
| Company | Employees | Type | Location | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon | 75,000+ | HQ | South Lake Union | Everything |
| Microsoft | 60,000+ | HQ | Redmond | Cloud, AI, Gaming |
| Boeing | 60,000+ | Aerospace HQ | Multiple | Aviation, Space |
| T-Mobile | 8,000+ | HQ | Bellevue | Telecom, 5G |
| Starbucks | 5,000+ | HQ | SODO | Retail Tech |
| Meta (Facebook) | 7,000+ | Major Office | South Lake Union | VR/AR, AI |
| 5,000+ | Major Office | Fremont & Kirkland | Cloud, Engineering | |
| Apple | 2,000+ | Engineering | South Lake Union | AI/ML, Services |
| Salesforce/Tableau | 3,000+ | Major Office | Fremont | Analytics, CRM |
| Oracle | 2,500+ | Engineering | Downtown | Cloud, Database |
Amazon HQ, biotech cluster, newest development
✓ Amazon proximity, new everything, great transit
✗ Expensive, lacks character, very corporate
Google, Adobe, Tableau offices, quirky culture
✓ Fun neighborhood, good restaurants, tech density
✗ Parking nightmare, getting pricey
Young companies, nightlife, diverse community
✓ Vibrant culture, affordable(ish), great for recruiting
✗ Nightlife noise, limited parking
Microsoft nearby, family-friendly, corporate
✓ Great schools, clean, safe, Microsoft proximity
✗ Sterile, car required, less startup energy
Oldest neighborhood, startup labs, co-working
✓ Character, cheaper rent, startup community
✗ Safety concerns, homeless issue
226 cloudy days per year
More than Portland or London
152 days with rain
But usually just drizzle, not downpours
July-September are perfect
75°F, no rain, 16 hours daylight
Seasonal depression is real
30% of transplants struggle first winter
Locals are polite but not friendly. Making friends is harder than other cities. Professional networking works, social networking doesn't.
Amazon - $1.7T Market Cap
Started in Bellevue garage. Now employs 75K locally.
Microsoft - $3T Market Cap
Redmond giant. Still Seattle's tech anchor.
Zillow - $12B Market Cap
Real estate tech leader. 5,000+ employees.
Redfin - $1.5B Market Cap
Tech-powered real estate. Seattle born.
F5 Networks - $10B Market Cap
Application delivery. Enterprise leader.
Convoy - $3.8B Peak Valuation
Digital freight network. Shut down 2023.
Auth0 - $6.5B Exit to Okta
Identity platform. Biggest Seattle exit.
Remitly - $7B Valuation
International money transfer. IPO 2021.
Outreach - $4.4B Valuation
Sales engagement platform.
Icertis - $2.8B Valuation
Contract lifecycle management.
20,000+ people leave Amazon/Microsoft yearly. They have cash, experience, and connections. Target them for hiring, advising, and angel investment.
Pro Tip:
Post-IPO Amazon employees (pre-2010) are sitting on millions. Many angel invest.
Seattle DNA is enterprise software. Consumer plays struggle. B2B SaaS thrives. Every Fortune 500 has Seattle office to recruit from Amazon/Microsoft.
Meetings happen on hikes. Deals close on ski lifts. Team building = camping. REI is the unofficial uniform supplier. Own it or be an outsider.
| Metric | Seattle | SF Bay | Austin | NYC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VC Funding 2024 | $9B | $63B | $4.1B | $29B |
| State Tax | 0% | 13.3% | 0% | 10.9% |
| Avg 1BR Rent | $2,400 | $3,500 | $2,100 | $4,200 |
| Tech Talent | 250K | 480K | 180K | 320K |
| Weather | Rain | Perfect | Hot | Seasons |
Yes and no. November-April is gray and drizzly (not heavy rain). Many people get SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). Vitamin D supplements are essential.
BUT: July-September is absolutely perfect - 75°F, no rain, 16-hour days. The mountains/water are 30 minutes away. People who love outdoors thrive here.
Hard but doable. You can't match their salaries ($300K+ for senior engineers). But many are burned out and want startup energy.
Strategies that work:
Enterprise, 100%. Seattle's DNA is B2B - from Microsoft to Amazon Web Services. VCs here understand enterprise sales cycles, not viral consumer growth.
Consumer can work if it's commerce (Amazon heritage), real estate (Zillow/Redfin), or travel (Expedia). Pure social/mobile apps should go to SF or LA.
Very real. Seattleites are polite but not warm. They'll say "we should get coffee" but never follow up. Making real friends takes 2+ years.
Work-around: Join activity groups (climbing, hiking, sailing). Tech community is actually welcoming. Transplants bond over the shared struggle.
Yes, especially for B2B SaaS. Madrona, Ignition, Voyager all lead Series A rounds. Average Series A in Seattle: $10M (vs $15M in Bay Area).
For Series B+, you'll likely need Bay Area or NYC investors. But they fly up regularly - 2.5 hour flight from SF.
Seattle: Better for startups. Younger talent, more energy, easier recruiting, better culture. South Lake Union or Fremont ideal.
Bellevue: Better for enterprise/growth stage. Near Microsoft, more parking, suburban feel. Good if targeting enterprise customers.
Join the cloud computing capital, tap into Amazon/Microsoft talent, and build the next enterprise unicorn with no state income tax.
Last updated: September 2025 | Data sources: PitchBook, Crunchbase, GeekWire, Seattle Chamber