Challenging the status quo at every turn.

Washington State regularly comes out on top when it comes to being ranked as a great place for businesses to set up shop.

Of course, you don’t have to tell companies like Amazon, Apple, Expedia, Facebook, Microsoft and SpaceX that. These leaders in their respective industries already know that Washington State has a rich tradition of innovation and invention, from ushering in the dawn of the personal computer age to building the next generation of NASA rocket engines.

In Washington, we transform the world by creating something that no one has thought of before – an entirely new way of doing things, from new products and services to new trends that go on to become cultural icons.

The state has a long history of being a convergence zone for progress, a place where ideas meet, blend, mix and take on a new life of their own. People and entire industries comingle, cooperate and collaborate in endless cycles to come up with the next big things that take the world by storm.

But we are hardly content to rest on our laurels. Our creative economy is focused on continual improvement and reinvention, making incremental and sometimes revolutionary improvements to existing products, services and markets. We change the world a little every day, driven by a passion to build a brighter future.

Creativity, innovation and invention are in our DNA. Whether it occurs in the research and development labs of our world-class universities, in a business incubator or an innovation cluster accelerator, we thrive on not only finding new discoveries but bringing them successfully to market. We lead where others follow by nurturing a creative economy that cross-pollinates ideas across industries, breaks down barriers, opens doors, welcomes new ideas and challenges the status quo. We are curious, savvy and educated risk-takers.