Seattle puts $320,000 towards digital literacy, Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies features strong showing from Washington, and more in this week’s Seattle in the Spotlight.

Seattle Puts $320,000 Towards Digital Literacy

State Scoop | Katya Schwenk | August 15

“Seattle is putting $320,000 towards digital literacy, the city announced this week, in the latest cycle of its annual Technology Matching Fund grants. The funds will go straight to eleven community organizations for projects that bring digital access and tech training to the city’s most underserved and disconnected communities. Among those winning nonprofits is Seattle’s Real Change Homelessness Empowerment Project, which for 25 years has served both as a homelessness advocacy group and a street newspaper for the city. The backbone of the nonprofit is its weekly print paper, which the city’s homeless or low-income residents can sell on the street, to get some income and build community.”

Inc. 5000 List of Fastest-Growing Private Companies Features Strong Showing from Washington

GeekWire | Kurt Schlosser | August 14

“Inc. magazine’s annual list of the 5,000 fastest-growing privately held companies in the United States is loaded with Seattle-area and Washington state notables. The list features 71 Seattle-area companies in industries such as software, consumer products, real estate, manufacturing, education, retail, telecommunications and more…The Inc. 5000 list was started in 1982 to provide a look at the independent small businesses. To qualify, companies had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent — not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies.”

Seattle Transportation Officials Experiment with Ride-Hailing to Fill Transit Gaps

GeekWire | Monica Nickelsburg | August 12

“You’re in Seattle, trying to get to a destination that isn’t easily reached by public transit. What mode of transportation do you turn to? For many people, the answer is Uber and Lyft. While these services are filling in gaps left by public transportation, they come with drawbacks…Transportation authorities in the Seattle region are trying to change that. King County Metro, Sound Transit, and City of Seattle are partnering with a ride-hailing company called Via to fill public transit gaps.”