Seattle’s Foundations Expands to San Francisco, Bridging Two Tech Ecosystems

In a bold move that signals the evolving landscape of the Pacific Northwest’s tech scene, Seattle-based startup community Foundations is setting its sights on the Golden Gate City. The organization, which has quickly become a cornerstone for early-stage founders in the Emerald City, is opening a 5,000-square-foot satellite location in San Francisco—its first expansion beyond Washington state borders.

This isn’t about abandoning Seattle’s vibrant startup ecosystem, insists co-founder and general partner Aviel Ginzburg. Rather, it’s a strategic play to give Seattle’s ambitious entrepreneurs the best of both worlds. As Ginzburg puts it, “It’s about giving our community the best of both worlds. No more choosing sides; we’re bridging the gap to empower founders wherever their journey takes them.”

The timing feels particularly significant. While Seattle remains an engineering powerhouse with exceptional quality of life, the gravitational pull of San Francisco’s AI boom and dense network of ambitious startups has become increasingly difficult to ignore. Ginzburg notes that one or two Foundations member companies relocate to San Francisco every month, with teams that stay in Seattle spending more time in the Bay Area.

“Seattle remains an incredible place for deep tech work, with its engineering depth and quality-of-life perks, but SF’s density of ambitious startups, AI innovation, and investor networks are unmatched, and the divide is growing,” Ginzburg wrote in a recent blog post.

The expansion comes as Seattle entrepreneurs face mounting challenges, particularly around hiring. Last week, GeekWire reported on founders leaving Seattle for San Francisco, drawn by the city’s AI momentum and the serendipitous encounters that are harder to find in Seattle’s more spread-out tech scene.

Foundations isn’t alone in this cross-coastal strategy. Seattle VC firm Madrona opened a Silicon Valley office in 2022, with managing director Matt McIlwain telling GeekWire that having a presence in Silicon Valley “gives us some information flow, some people flow that’s highly complimentary to what we do here.” Investment firm Flying Fish similarly expanded beyond the Pacific Northwest in 2022 to back more AI and ML startups.

The San Francisco office, expected to open in the second quarter, mirrors the size of Foundations’ original Capitol Hill location. Members will have access to both spaces, allowing them to tap into Seattle’s grounded talent pool and the Bay Area’s electric pace without having to choose sides.

Tyler Brown, Foundations’ other co-founder, is already based in San Francisco to help run the new office, while Ginzburg plans to increase his Bay Area visits. Meanwhile, Foundations is adding another 5,000 square feet in Seattle at the Capitol Hill location, though plans to expand to the Eastside have been delayed.

Since launching two years ago to fill the gap left by Techstars Seattle’s departure, Foundations has grown to 290 active members and worked with 68 founders-in-residence who have collectively raised more than $70 million. The organization operates as a benefit corporation, a legal structure that allows it to prioritize both profit and social good while funding operations without requiring equity exchanges with participating entrepreneurs.

Ginzburg frames the move as a response to shifting market dynamics, with stronger startup momentum in the Bay Area and growing hurdles for Seattle-based founders. He’s particularly concerned about proposed legislation in Olympia, including bills that would tax gains from qualified small business stock, which he says “is just going to increase our headwinds.”

By expanding to San Francisco, Foundations is essentially “slaying the false choice,” as Ginzburg puts it. The organization is updating its mission from “making Seattle a better place to be a founder” to “make Seattle founders successful”—regardless of where they’re physically located.

This expansion represents more than just a new office; it’s a recognition that in today’s interconnected tech ecosystem, success often requires straddling multiple innovation hubs. As Seattle continues to produce world-class engineering talent and deep tech innovation, Foundations is ensuring its community can access the capital, networks, and serendipity that have traditionally been concentrated in the Bay Area.

The move also highlights the increasingly symbiotic relationship between Seattle and San Francisco’s tech scenes. Rather than viewing them as competitors, Foundations is positioning itself as the connective tissue between two complementary ecosystems—one known for its engineering depth and quality of life, the other for its unparalleled density of ambitious startups and investor networks.

As the lines between these tech hubs continue to blur, Foundations’ expansion may well serve as a blueprint for how startup communities can evolve to meet the changing needs of founders in an increasingly distributed yet interconnected world.

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