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Temporal, a Bellevue-based software company, is No. 1 in GeekWire’s Fall 2026 GeekWire 200, replacing fusion startup Helion. The update highlights a Pacific Northwest startup scene spanning AI software and capital-intensive hardware for energy, space, defense, and robotics—but GeekWire cautions that its index is not a scientific ranking.
What changed in the Fall 2026 GeekWire 200
Temporal moved to No. 1 and Helion to No. 2. Stoke Space is No. 3 after rising three places. The rest of the top ten includes Brinc at No. 6, Overland AI at No. 7, Carbon Robotics at No. 8, Echodyne at No. 9, and Dropzone at No. 10, up three places. These positions and company details are reported by GeekWire; they describe the index’s latest update, not a measurement of each company’s overall quality.
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Why Temporal is at the top
GeekWire describes Temporal’s software as helping AI agents run reliably. The publication reports that the Bellevue company raised $550 million at a $12.55 billion valuation. It also reports annualized revenue above $250 million and growth of more than 200% in a year, and names OpenAI, Nvidia, and Netflix among its customers. These are figures as presented by GeekWire in 2026, not independently audited metrics.
Helion remains a major player, with a deadline to watch
Helion, the fusion-energy company that previously held the top position, is No. 2. GeekWire says its Series G round had grown to $500 million and its headcount exceeded 800. The article also notes questions about the company’s timeline for delivering fusion power to Microsoft by 2028. That target is a stated milestone, not evidence that delivery has occurred.
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Hardware is a substantial part of the top ten
GeekWire says six of the top ten companies build advanced machinery, a wide category that includes fusion reactors, rockets, drones, radar, military vehicles, and weed-zapping robots. The mix suggests the region’s startup activity is not limited to software: several companies are raising capital, expanding production capacity, or building physical systems for specialized markets.
Space and launch
Stoke Space is No. 3 after climbing three places. It is developing a reusable rocket and expanding its Moses Lake test site to a planned 550 acres. GeekWire reports the company had raised roughly $1 billion. Starcloud, another space company highlighted in the update, raised $250 million at a reported $2.3 billion valuation, according to GeekWire.
Drones, radar, and autonomous vehicles
Brinc, at No. 6, makes public-safety drones. GeekWire reports a $125 million funding round led by Motorola Solutions and says Brinc is moving to a Seattle headquarters and factory with three times its current production space.
Overland AI is No. 7. GeekWire describes it as a military ground-vehicle autonomy company and reports a $19.7 million Marine Corps contract, calling it the first ground-autonomy company to prime a military production deal.
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Echodyne is No. 9 after rising 33 places. Its compact radar is used to detect drones, and GeekWire reports that it opened a $40 million factory in Woodinville to meet demand.
Robotics for agriculture
Carbon Robotics, ranked No. 8, builds laser-weeding systems. GeekWire highlights a feature that lets farmers tailor the company’s AI model to their crops and fields—an example of AI being applied to a specific physical task rather than offered as a general-purpose assistant.
Rank #4
AI activity extends beyond Temporal
Dropzone, ranked No. 10 and up three places, is an AI security operations company. GeekWire says it more than doubled its headcount over the past year. The update also points to regional companies applying AI in security operations, agriculture, construction, coding, and enterprise software. Taken together, its examples span infrastructure software and tools embedded in industry workflows; they do not establish that AI alone explains a company’s ranking or growth.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to read the GeekWire 200
GeekWire says the index combines objective data, editorial insight, and AI analysis of its coverage. It began in 2013 and has been used by investors, job seekers, service providers, and others following the regional technology community. The publication’s own warning is important: “Our list is not scientific, by any means, and the specific rankings should be taken with a grain of salt.”
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As described by GeekWire, eligible companies are privately held, generally founded within roughly the past 15 years, headquartered in the Pacific Northwest, and led from the region. Companies generally leave after agreeing to be acquired or going public. A startup seeking inclusion must first appear in GeekWire’s broader Startup List; the update says there is no separate submission needed for a company already listed there.
GeekWire does not publish the full scoring formula, data weights, source dataset, or company-level validation records in the update. A change in rank therefore should not be treated as a precise measure of revenue, performance, investment value, or company quality. Funding, hiring, factory expansion, and product milestones are useful context, but they are different signals and do not mean the ranking independently verified each one.
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