It’s a familiar feeling. For the third time in four years, the Seattle Sounders FC and Toronto FC will meet in the MLS Cup to settle the question of soccer supremacy. But there’s also something familiar about what’s going on off the pitch. The two cities aren’t just competing in professional soccer — the names Seattle and Toronto are consistently showing up on lists identifying the world’s premier technology hubs. Whether it’s tech talent, job growth, livability or places where Amazon’s HQ2 could have landed, Toronto is a mainstay in the tech-hotspot mix that seems to always include Silicon Valley… Read More
His name is Andy Hartpence, and he normally raps about video games, computer science and robots. But this week the Seattle nerdcore hip hop artist’s sly and silly rhymes about his favorite soccer club — Sounders FC — earned him prime tickets to Sunday’s sold out MLS Cup at CenturyLink Field. Hartpence is the winner of the #GeekiestSoundersFan contest, a fun competition in which geeks from across the Seattle area competed for two pitchside tickets in the Slalom Experience seats. You can watch Hartpence’s winning performance below, giving shout outs to contest co-hosts GeekWire and Slalom Consulting, as well as… Read More
This weekend’s MLS Cup match between Seattle Sounders FC and Toronoto FC is almost here, and Geekwire readers are getting fired up. When we put out the call for the Geekiest Sounders Fan, we knew that Sounders fans would not disappoint. Raps, haikus, cheers and epic artwork and photos show that there are some passionate Sounders geeks out there. Thanks to our partners at Slalom Consulting, one of these Sounders geeks is going to win a pair of epic, pitch-side seats in the Slalom Experience for Sunday’s championship match. Mr. Sounder, the legendary Sounders defender Zach Scott, has been busy… Read More
Seattle startup Katalyst has raised $5.6 million for an at-home workout experience that uses full-body electrical muscle stimulation (EMS), a training technique that’s popular in countries such as Germany, Japan and Brazil. The round was led by London-based investor Octopus Ventures, whose partner Jo Oliver sits on the startup’s board. Katalyst’s business model is similar Peloton, the maker of virtual spin classes and fancy stationary bikes that went public in September. Like Peloton, Katalyst will sell high-end hardware and a subscription to on-demand virtual workouts. But instead of guiding you on a bike ride, Katalyst will gently electrocute your muscles… Read More
We’ve got MLS Cup fever here at GeekWire — as you may have noticed with a Rave Green color change to your favorite technology news site. For the third time in four years, the Seattle Sounders FC — GeekWire’s hometown club — are headed to North America’s soccer championship against Toronto FC on Sunday, November 10. The match sold out in minutes last Friday, with 69,000 screaming soccer fans expected at Seattle’s CenturyLink Field. It’s going to be incredible as Nico, Raul, Stefan and crew take the pitch, and hopefully hoist the cup. Now, we want you to join the… Read More
