Here’s what Tim Walz said at a Seattle fundraiser, according to tech CEO who co-hosted event

Accolade CEO Raj Singh and his wife Jill were among the hosts at a small, private fundraiser Tuesday in Seattle for Democratic presidential hopeful Kamala Harris and VP nominee Tim Walz.

Walz, the Minnesota governor, made a quick swing through Seattle to attend.

“I think it was a very successful event,” Singh told GeekWire on Wednesday from Prague, where he was visiting Accolade’s offices after co-hosting the fundraiser. “The energy around the Harris-Walz ticket is really strong.”

Costco co-founder Jim Sinegal and his wife Janet hosted the event at their residence in Hunts Point, Wash., just east of Seattle.

Singh, a longtime Seattle tech leader who previously co-founded travel expense giant Concur, said Walz spoke about themes related to “the essential nature of a functioning democracy,” as well as women’s reproductive health and a “more middle class, centric approach toward economic stimulus and growth.”

Singh and his wife are active in politics and community-building, previously backing President Joe Biden’s campaign in 2020.

“We view these moments as important opportunities as an engaged citizen,” Singh said.

Tickets to the fundraiser were as high as $250,000, according to Bloomberg.

Other guests included Microsoft President Brad Smith and former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, according to The Seattle Times.

Singh said Harris and Walz are “quite forward-thinking” when it comes to issues affecting the tech industry, including regulation around artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency.

“Those are very important issues, and they matter to our lives every day in Seattle and San Francisco and all over the world,” Singh said. “But the issues that really inspire me to engage are the protection of a representative democracy, and the protection of a woman’s right to choose.”

Walz left Seattle on Tuesday and headed down to California for another fundraiser hosted by Gov. Gavin Newsom, part of a fundraising push with the election less than a month away.

Singh led Concur for more than two decades before SAP acquired the company for $8.3 billion in 2014. He joined Accolade in 2015. The Seattle-based healthcare technology company went public in 2020.