GeekWire: A venture capitalist’s passionate speech — a rallying cry, really — about Seattle

AI House Managing Director Jacob Colker spoke at a Seattle Tech Week event about the enormous potential for Seattle's startup ecosystem — and how AI House aims to play a role in boosting founders and their companies in our city.

From GeekWire co-founder and publisher John Cook:

AI House co-founder and managing director Jacob Colker may be Seattle’s number one cheerleader. In posts on LinkedIn, panel discussions and recent news stories, Colker is reminding Seattleites that this is a pretty special place.

That all bubbled up at a Seattle Tech Week startup showcase event on Tuesday when the venture capitalist gave a passionate speech about the positive attributes of Seattle — a city that despite a robust innovation economy, spectacular scenery and a great showing during the World Cup is a bit down on itself lately.

Colker, channeling the best motivational speaker vibes, let loose at the Showbox Market.

“I am here because Seattle is at the forefront and has an opportunity to have a massive impact on this next wave of technology,” he said. “But we are missing a major piece of making that happen.”

That missing piece, he explained, is community and connection.

AI House is our effort to bring Seattle’s extraordinary but fragmented communities together in one town square. Because great ecosystems are not built through occasional dinners or distant introductions. They are built through proximity: founders trading lessons in the hallway, researchers meeting future co-founders, investors discovering ideas earlier, and customers helping shape products in real time. When ambitious people gather in the same place, knowledge travels faster, relationships deepen, and opportunities compound. Proximity creates momentum, and AI House exists to turn that momentum into the next wave of world-changing startups, coming out of SEATTLE.

Read GeekWire's full story here, and watch Jacob's speech here.