Tech influencers see a different side of nation’s largest carrier

By Scott Charlston on July 8, 2015

The evening began playfully, as some of the Emerald City’s most influential tech leaders, thinkers and journalists kicked a connected soccer ball, interacted with a talking robot and piloted a drone inside a new Seattle event space. As one of the fastest-growing big city in the country according to Forbes, and already a tech powerhouse teeming with established titans and ingenious startups, Seattle was the ultimate venue for the event.

The goal of the evening was to show the breadth of Verizon’s innovation beyond cell sites and smartphones. Attendees discovered more than airborne gadgets and network enhancements at nearby CenturyLink Field, home of the Seattle Seahawks. They saw how the company invests in disaster response solutions and partners with entrepreneurs to bring greater independence and freedom to the visually impaired.

The best conversation starter at the event was the VGo robot. Verizon’s Andrew Mucci appeared on the VGo screen, conversing with guests and working the room in Seattle, all from his laptop in New Jersey. Among other uses, the VGo, developed with help from Verizon, enables doctors to see and talk with patients from remote locations, or to help disabled students see, speak and be heard in school.

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Additionally, through contests including Powerful Answers, Verizon Innovative App Challengeand collaborations through the Verizon Innovation Centers, the company is making critical investments to solve some of the world’s biggest challenges in healthcare, education, sustainability and domestic violence. In March, a group of girls from Kennewick, Wash., traveled to the “other Washington” to attend the White House Science Fair after winning “Best in Nation” honors in Verizon’s Innovative App Challenge for providing digital help to teens battling stress, anxiety and depression.

After taking it all in, the reaction from Seattle’s leading social influencers ranged from “blown away” to “very pleasantly surprised.”