.

Portland Incubator Experiment continues to take form

Back when I first mentioned the Portland Incubator Experiment (PIE) a collaborative project between Wieden + Kennedy and some folks in the Portland startup scene details were admittedly nebulous.

Rick Turoczy on August 17, 2009

[HTML4]Back when I first mentioned the Portland Incubator Experiment (PIE)—a collaborative project between Wieden + Kennedy and some folks in the Portland startup scene—details were, admittedly, nebulous. And understandably, to some, it seemed as if the folks at PIE were being intentionally vague. So I promised to keep providing more details as time went on.

Well, now some more folks involved in the experiment—like Renny Gleeson of W+K, Scott Kveton, and Jason Glaspey, all of whom are helping head up PIE—have provided some of their thoughts on what PIE is trying to accomplish.

Again, it still might be too vague for some folks. But it’s continuing to get a little more concrete and fleshed out. So, I wanted to share the latest thinking.

With the original announcement, one of the areas that struck folks as strange was the fact that W+K seemed pretty quiet about the whole affair. That’s why it’s good to have Renny’s take on the W+K perspective:

So why hasn’t W+K made a lot of noise about it? That’s my fault. Believe it or not, I’d rather talk about what comes out of the space than what MIGHT come out of the space. I am sick of bombastic claims of the “new better different” bilge that agencies crap out regularly. Show me, I say. Don’t talk – demonstrate.[HTML2]

For another thing, it’s not owned by W+K – PIE is a collaborative that everyone inside will participate in. Hopefully it will foster interconnections between previously disparate groups and corresponding quantum leaps in thinking.

But what about other PIE residents—besides me—and their take on the project? Well, Cami Kaos brought the Strange Love Live crew down to the PIE space to chat sat with Kveton and Glaspey about where things were going and what PIE is trying to accomplish.

[HTML1]

If you’ve got a few minutes, sit back and listen to their thoughts. As a bonus, you’ll get some details on Urban Airship, too.

I’ll continue to provide more details as they come available. Or for more information directly from the proverbial PIE hole, visit the Portland Incubator Experiment or follow PIEpdx on Twitter.

[HTML3]

Published by Rick Turoczy

More than mildly obsessed with the Portland startup community. Founder and editor at Silicon Florist. Cofounder and general manager at PIE. Follow me on Twitter: @turoczy

  3. Filling in some more details on PIE « Florist « Web Florist August 10, 2011 at 3:07 pm

    […] Portland Incubator Experiment continues to take form (14) […]

  5. Anonymously Amused July 3, 2011 at 10:12 pm

    My favorite thing to do is to look back at articles and see how things have changed.

    For instance this one: “I lost interest as soon as I heard Scott Kveton was involved. So far as I can tell everything he touches is unsuccessful”. <<- this comment is hilarious in hindsight now because it is so untrue.

    You have to take risks and do things in order to be successful. Now that Urban Airship exists, people don't remember Vidoop or anything else. Thank goodness someone kept taking risks.

  6. Rick Turoczy May 3, 2011 at 5:29 pm

    Brent, As far as PIE goes, it’s a series of continued tweaks and adjustments. Not much to report yet. Slowly but surely.

  7. Brent Rogers May 3, 2011 at 3:12 pm

    So, what’s the latest from PIE?

  10. Rick Turoczy August 20, 2009 at 4:06 pm

    @kiala I don’t think you’re being dicks. I think everyone is asking reasonable questions. Questions that currently don’t have good answers.

    Frankly, my continuing to pontificate on the “potential of the space” or the “opportunity I perceive” is only so much rainbows and unicorns bullshit until we actually do something. Until we have something to show for it.

    So until we get there, I’d rather just shut up and try to do that. Otherwise it’s just hollow words and promises.

    And no, we don’t work for W+K, but we do get the chance to contract with them on projects, as any other contractor would.

    @dane After three years of working by myself at home, I’m interested to see what happens when I work with people day-in and day-out again. In the space, I’m getting the chance to work directly with people whom I respect and who have very different skill sets than mine. To me, that’s worth it.

  11. Kiala August 20, 2009 at 2:00 pm

    Honestly, Rick –

    We’re not trying to be dicks…we just want to understand how exactly this helps the Portland Tech scene because it sounds like it’s just helping you, Weiden+Kennedy, and their clients.

    Explain please.

  12. Dane August 20, 2009 at 1:57 pm

    Give up intellectual property rights for my personal projects in exchange for a fancy clubhouse?

    No thanks.

    I’ll stick to my garage, although I’ve heard that Kveton has quite the vantage point from his PIE desk.

    This just all doesn’t make sense to me… can you someone explain to me what I get by going to this place instead of just working from home?

  13. Kiala August 20, 2009 at 1:39 pm

    So basically you guys work for Weiden + Kennedy.

    Am I wrong about this?

  14. Rick Turoczy August 17, 2009 at 9:55 pm

    @Jeremy Thanks for the catching that grammar error. Corrected.

  15. Jeremy Logan August 17, 2009 at 9:46 pm

    @article: “have provided some of there thoughts on what PIE is trying to accomplish” should read “have provided some of their thoughts on what PIE is trying to accomplish”

    @Jmartens: I lost interest as soon as I heard Scott Kveton was involved. So far as I can tell everything he touches is unsuccessful.

  16. Jmartens August 17, 2009 at 9:06 pm

    @ #2

    at least I am man enough to say who I am when I comment. Get a fukin life, loser.

  17. NotJeffMartens August 17, 2009 at 8:54 pm

    *whine*

  18. Jmartens August 17, 2009 at 8:46 pm

    I’m gonna be blunt and direct with my questions…its easier that way.

    The question I ultimately have is why should I care?

    I don’t know why I should care because I still don’t see what it has to offer to Portland and the startup/tech/creative community.

    I don’t see what it has to offer the Portland community because it appears to be an exclusive, friends of friends thing that isn’t open to anyone else.

    I hope my assumptions are wrong, but that’s how it looks from my perspective.

Comments are closed.