As Spokane's startup ecosystem gains momentum and grows more diverse, our community must continue supporting the incubation and retention of homegrown companies that will further drive economic diversification, job creation, and modernization here.

Let's celebrate that the Spokane area is actively moving away from a complete dependence on traditional industries to a more diverse economy in a variety of sectors that help provide a buffer against economic instability in the region.

Unfortunately, a number of publicly traded companies and corporate headquarters have left the community through mergers, acquisitions, attrition, and other factors in the last two decades, including the recently completed merger between timber real estate investment trust PotlatchDeltic Corp., and Wildlight, Florida-based Rayonier Inc.

Despite these losses, however, the future of the fundraising landscape here is expected to accelerate in 2026 following a combined total of $26.4 million in investments raised by 10 startups who pitched to the Spokane Angel Alliance in 2025, up from 10 startups that raised $15.8 million from investors the prior year.

With the support of organizations such as Ignite Northwest, LaunchPad INW, and StartUp Spokane, companies are continuing to establish and expand in the area, as evidenced by Ignite Northwest's 25 + 5 list of the fastest growing companies in the Spokane region, published in this issue of the Journal.

Last month, one of those featured startups, Colbert-based Omniscia AI, told the Journal about its path for scaled growth in the year ahead. The company, which builds AI systems that serve as digital representatives that interact with customers, is currently fundraising to secure up to $2 million in capital to grow its customer base, which in turn is expected help the business meet its goal of being profitable within a year. Omniscia AI also is developing advanced digital emulations in partnership with women's professional soccer clubs through which the company is expecting significant growth potential across multiple soccer leagues and other vertical markets going forward.

Elsewhere in the startup community, BuyWander Inc., a Spokane Valley-based e-commerce retail returns marketplace that launched in February 2024, has expanded with the opening of a fourth warehouse store, is eyeing a fifth location, and has plans to open between 200 and 300 stores in the U.S. over the next five years. The company projects $70 million in annual revenue by August.

Another company, Blaze Barrier, designated as one of Ignite's five startups to watch, also stands out as an innovative solution to address the real and growing threat of wildfires. While the company awaits manufacturing approval at its new West Plains facility, it's also fundraising $1 million to scale production.

Ignite Northwest's list of young companies also includes startups involved in health care technology, skin care, green energy, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence technologies. Take a look, and you'll find familiar businesses such as Gestalt Diagnostics Inc. and Spiceology Inc. and discover new companies such as Spokane-based tech company Code Lexica Inc.

While our startup economy still has room to grow, let's acknowledge that celebrating the progress we've already made can spark additional growth.