GeekWire Awards: CEO of the Year Finalists innovate across fintech, climate, real estate and more

The finalists for CEO of the Year at the 2026 GeekWire Awards are leading startups and organizations in various sectors of the creative economy, including fintech, climate technology, leading workforce software, food and beverage AI, and real estate technology.

This award, sponsored by Wilson Sonsini, celebrates leaders with vision, energy, intelligence, and the impossible to define ix-factor. The CEO of the Year Finalists are: Tony Huang of Possible Finance, Aina Abiodun of VertueLab, Shelia Stafford of TeamSense, Karen Huh of Zucca, and Luis Poggi of HouseWhisper AI.

Now in its 18th year, the GeekWire Awards is the premier event to recognize the top leaders, companies and achievements in Pacific Northwest tech, bringing together hundreds of people to celebrate innovation and entrepreneurial spirit. It takes place on May 7 at Showbox SoDo in Seattle.

The CEO of 2025 was AI founder and CEO David Shim, who led the Seattle-based company to more than $80 million in funding for its AI meeting assistant and productivity tools.

Read on for information about the 2026 CEO of the Year finalists, selected by a panel of independent judges from public submissions. You can help choose a winner:Cast your vote hereor in the embedded form below. Voting continues until April 16.

Tony Huang is the founder and CEO of Possible Financea fintech startup that provides small dollar loans and check advances to people who need quick cash without a traditional credit check. The company had its first full year of consolidated profits last year and more than $100 million in annual revenue. Possible has given money to 1.6 million unique people and Huang says it has saved “everyday hard-working Americans” more than $700 million — “costs that would have been incurred if Possible had not existed.” The company is also recruiting at its new headquarters in the city with a number of roles currently open.

Huang was previously a lead project manager at Axon, a leading manufacturer of non-lethal Taser guns, police software, and equipment including vehicle body cameras and police.

Aina Abiodun is the president and executive director of VertueLaba long-term non-profit organization that supports climate technology entrepreneurs at all stages as a sponsor, accelerator and connector. Last year, VertueLab supported 120 innovators through various programs, helped secure nearly $30 million in grant funding, and saw the challenge of 781 jobs created by its portfolio companies. VertueLab also established the first-ever Seattle Climate Innovation Hub, home to more than 150 climate-focused companies.

Abiodun has launched startups providing climate technology financing and consulting in the field, served as CEO of a Berlin healthcare company, and led product strategy and innovation for multiple companies, among other roles.

Shelia Stafford is the CEO of TeamSensea software platform used by employers to report absences and communicate with employees. The technology is based on SMS texts, there is no app to download, no training and it is available in the native language of the employees. It serves hundreds of thousands of front-line workers in all types of manufacturing, transportation, healthcare, universities, field operations, mining, and more.

Stafford’s background includes three years at General Motors as a project manager and engineer and nearly 10 years at Whirlpool Corp. He was also director of the creative studio at Everett, Wash.-based industrial giant Fortive.

Karen Huh is the founder and CEO of Zuccaa startup that uses generative AI to help food and beverage companies rethink product development. Launched from Pioneer Square Labs in March 2025, Zucca raised $5 million in seed funding last July, and in February launched Smart Specs and Smart NFP (patent pending), which together house formulas, nutrition facts panels, specs, and other related facts. The features are already being used by food and beverage brands with active product pipelines.

Huh was formerly the CEO of Joywell Foods. He also spent over 10 years at Starbucks, was a VP at Bulletproof 360, and was an entrepreneur in residence at PSL.

Luis Poggi is the founder and CEO of HouseWhisperthe implementation of real estate technology that uses AI to help reduce the administrative burden that reduces certain agents. HouseWhisper emerged from Stealth last year with $10 million in funding to support its conversational AI that acts as the ultimate 24/7 personal assistant, helping agents stay organized with customer tracking, scheduling, CRM updates and more.

Poggi rose to VP of product and engineering during his more than 10 years at Zillow. He previously spent nearly three years at travel giant Expedia.

Astound Business Solutions is the presenting sponsor of the 2026 GeekWire Awards. Thanks also to gold sponsors Amazon Sustainability, Baird, BECU, JLL, First Tech and Wilson Sonsini, and silver sponsors Prime Team Partners.

The event will feature a VIP reception, dinner and fun social gatherings. Tickets are going fast. A limited number of partial table sponsorships and full sponsorships are available. Contact events@geekwire.com to place your team today.

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