The GeekWire 200 is GeekWire’s quarterly ranking of privately held startups in the Pacific Northwest. Its Fall 2026 edition, ranked as of September 2026, places Temporal first, Helion second, and Stoke Space third. It is a publisher-created snapshot of the region’s startup activity—not a scientific measure of company quality or a recommendation to invest.
What the GeekWire 200 measures
GeekWire builds the index from its larger Startup List. Companies are generally privately held, founded within roughly the previous 15 years, headquartered in the Pacific Northwest, and led from the region. The index is updated quarterly, so a company’s position and even its inclusion can change. See the live GeekWire 200 index for the current entries.
![LLC Beginner's Guide [All-in-1]: Everything on How to Start, Run, and Grow Your First Company Without Prior Experience. Includes Essential Tax Hacks, Critical Legal Strategies, and Expert Insights](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41o3X44QPLL._SL160_.jpg)
GeekWire says companies generally leave the list after agreeing to an acquisition or going public. Its methodology also describes other removal events, including certain mergers and majority-sale transactions. The exact eligibility and exit circumstances can depend on the company and the latest editorial policy.
How GeekWire ranks startups
The ranking combines company growth and scale with signals of public traction and editorial judgment. GeekWire’s methodology describes these inputs:
Recommended Free Tools
#1 Best Overall
- If you want to build a better future, you must believe in secrets.
- The great secret of our time is that there are still uncharted frontiers to explore and new inventions to create. In Zero to One, legendary entrepreneur and investor Peter Thiel shows how we can find singular ways to create those new things.
- Employee change: Growth over the previous 12 months, assessed both as a percentage and by the number of jobs added.
- Company scale: Larger companies receive credit for maintaining scale, although GeekWire says growth carries more weight.
- LinkedIn followers: A rough indicator of public traction, adjusted with a curve intended to give younger companies a fairer chance.
- Editorial context: Recent funding, layoffs, and GeekWire’s reporting can inform the results.
A 2025 methodology update also described AI tools being used to aggregate data, generate rankings, and help verify information. GeekWire has not presented the resulting list as a scientific assessment; its Fall 2026 article says readers should take the specific rankings “with a grain of salt.” Read the 2025 methodology update for GeekWire’s account of its approach.
Who is at the top of the Fall 2026 list?
GeekWire’s Fall 2026 article says the rankings are as of September 2026. Its live index showed the following top three when accessed October 8, 2026:
| Rank | Company | Employees listed | One-year employee change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Temporal | 633 | 97% |
| 2 | Helion | 595 | 69% |
| 3 | Stoke Space | 441 | 46% |
These employee counts and changes are figures displayed by GeekWire, not independently audited measurements. They are snapshots and may have changed since access. GeekWire’s Fall 2026 article also reported that Temporal had a $12.55 billion valuation after a $550 million Series E, Helion had raised a $500 million Series G, and Stoke Space had raised roughly $1 billion. Those are publisher-reported figures from its September 2026 article, not independent verification. For the edition’s context and company developments, see GeekWire’s Fall 2026 article.
How to use the ranking
The index can help readers get a high-level view of the region’s startup community. GeekWire identifies job searches, customer prospecting, investment scouting, and ecosystem research as common uses. For a more useful comparison than rank alone, consider:
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
- Rank and movement: A position is meaningful only in relation to the edition and the company’s previous standing.
- Growth and scale together: Percentage growth can make a smaller firm look especially fast-growing, while jobs added and total headcount provide a different sense of scale.
- Industry and location: The index spans different kinds of businesses across the Pacific Northwest; compare companies in a relevant sector and geography.
- Company developments: Read the reporting behind a rank to understand which funding, hiring, layoffs, or other events GeekWire considered.
None of these comparisons establishes that a company is a good investment, employer, supplier, or product maker. The list reflects GeekWire’s chosen inputs and editorial judgment; it is not an independently validated score of financial prospects or product performance.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How current are the rankings?
Rankings, headcounts, and company status can change between editions. The Fall 2026 top three and employee figures above are tied to the September 2026 edition and the live page as accessed October 8, 2026. Check the live index for the latest displayed list rather than treating those figures as permanent.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Rank #4
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
