Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make it. But luckily, Deepthi shared a recap.
Oregon Venture Fund PDX AI Demo Night – Portland Startup Week edition
Canopii harvests a win at the Startup World Cup Portland regional
The inaugural Startup World Cup Portland Regional ran yesterday afternoon at UpStart Collective. If you recall, this event was to choose a regional winner to advance to the Startup World Cup global finale in San Francisco, November 18–20, 2026, with a $1 million investment on the line. So who is making the trip south to compete in the big show…? Autonomous robotic greenhouse startup Canopii.
Read MoreSilicon Florist links arrangement for May 14, 2026
Here’s a roundup of interesting startup links I came across today:
“AI-Powered” Isn’t a Position
A playbook for building a distinctive brand when too many AI products sound the same, look the same and have the same positioning.
Read MorePortland Business Journal on the conversations at the Oregon Innovation Showcase
Lots of chatter during this year’s Oregon Innovation Showcase. Lots of it definitely fall in the category of “tough love.” I don’t want to steal any of the thunder from Malia Spencer at the Portland Business Journal, who provides a lengthy dive into the voices at the event. But I did want to tease it a bit, with some insights from Diane Fraiman of Voyager Capital.
Read MoreTAO’s Oregon Tech Awards 2026 winners
The Technology Association of Oregon held its 42nd annual Oregon Tech Awards on Tuesday, May 5, at the Hilton Downtown Portland — and the winners across eight categories cover a pretty wide swath of what’s happening in Oregon technology right now.
Read MoreChatting with Oregon AI Accelerator startup DockChron
Navigating the latest “transitional period” for Oregon startups
As you may have — or may not have — heard, Business Oregon is looking to do a halfway report on the Oregon Innovation Plan, a plan designed to guide the current decade of innovation in Oregon. At the same time, we’re eagerly awaiting the insights and findings from the Governor’s Prosperity Council at midyear. And if I’m reading my watch correctly, we might just be in the middle of creating the next Oregon Capital Scan. So I thought it might be interesting to compare those three efforts — Oregon’s 10 year innovation plan (i.e., what we wanted to happen), the most recent Oregon Capital Scan (i.e., what actually happened), and the feedback from the public to the Prosperity Council (i.e., how folks are feeling currently) — to see if there’s anything of consequence.
Read MoreSilicon Florist links arrangement for May 13, 2026
Here’s a roundup of interesting startup links I came across today:
Enduringly Quirky Portland, Oregon Is Better Than Ever | Condé Nast Traveler
From its food-cart scene to its role in pioneering farm-to-table eating, Portland has always been a food lover’s dream. A new wave of young talent is keeping diners on the edge of their seat. Here are the spots everyone is talking about.
Read MorePIGsquad on KOIN
Silicon Florist links arrangement for May 12, 2026
Here’s a roundup of interesting startup links I came across today:
Capital Literacy For Women Entrepreneurs Tickets, Tuesday, June 2 • 5 PM – 8 PM | Eventbrite
Whether you’re bootstrapping your growth, eyeing your first investor, or just curious about your options, this workshop is designed to meet you where you are. We’ll break down the many ways to fund your business- venture capital, angel investment, franchise models, grants, loans, and new crowdfunding platforms -with honesty, transparency, and expert insight.
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