Inside the GeekWire Awards: What’s next for AI, the economy, and startups

This week on the GeekWire Podcast, we go inside the GeekWire Awards, our annual event recognizing the top leaders, companies, and innovations in the Pacific Northwest. We talked with finalists including Gaurav Oberoi (above) the CEO of Lexion, which this week announced an agreement to be acquired by Docusign for $165 million. Read more and listen here.

• A sold-out crowd at Showbox SoDo cheered on more than 60 finalists and winners across a dozen categories. Read the recap. 

• Robert “The Drunken Tenor” McPherson got the crowd fired up again, this time with a hot number about tech from a bygone era. Watch the video.

• Check out images from the event, including photo booth pics and GIFs.

Did you catch the aurora borealis last night? Certain members of the GeekWire team slept right through it, but family members joined the throngs outdoors to view and capture vivid images of the northern lights in our neck of the woods, courtesy a rare solar storm. (Photo above by Amy Bishop from Sunset Hill Park.) Also see this timelapse by Tim Durkan over the downtown Seattle skyline. The phenomenon is expected to be visible in Seattle through Sunday.

Seattle startup Dopl, makers of a telerobotic ultrasound system, wants to eliminate the long distances that some rural patients must travel to be diagnosed and treated by specialists concentrated in urban areas. Read more.

Upcoming events: Tech and startup community gatherings on our radar next week in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest.

• May 11: Women Entrepreneur Business Solution Competition

• May 13: Nordic Innovation Summit

• May 13: Unlocking Creativity: Video Games & the New Creative Economy

• May 16: Pitch & Run with Ascend and Friends

Check out the GeekWire Calendar for more.

Hot Links:

• How “Acquired” became an unlikely hit podcast, and has listeners from Silicon Valley to Wall Street obsessed with its deep, deep dives on companies. (The Wall Street Journal)

• The City of Seattle awarded $545,000 to 18 community organizations to provide digital equity programs and services. (City of Seattle)

• Recent cutbacks and missteps by Microsoft’s Xbox team raise questions about its strategic direction and ability to compete. (IGN)