In a day and age where you’re hearing more and more about venture capital firms rethinking the way they invest in companies, it’s always encouraging to see those same firms taking a greater interest in the Portland startup tech scene.
Actually, you’re right. No matter what, it’s always encouraging to see more interest from the Angel and VC folks.
Well get ready to be encouraged. Voyager Capital—who already has a Portland office—has announced that they have brought on Bruce Chizen, the former CEO of a little software company called Adobe, to help keep an eye on the Portland scene.
Chizen is already familiar with Portland to some extent. He currently sits on the board of Elemental. And according to Mike Rogoway over at The Oregonian, he’s also got some family in town. So Chizen has already spent some time with Portland entrepreneurs.
His take? Here’s what he told Mike in the interview.
In addition to Elemental, Chizen said he’s spent time with AboutUs’ founder and CEO Ray King. In his experience, Chizen said, Portland is a tightly-connected community with unusually loyal and dedicated technologists. But to a CEO rooted in the Silicon Valley, Portland’s overall level of activity strikes Chizen as a little thin.
Now while you might bristle at that criticism, it’s entirely constructive. And Chizen obviously sees an opportunity for improvement in Portland. Improvement that Voyager would like to help facilitate.
“I’m very excited about where Voyager Capital is headed,” said Chizen in a press release. “The firm is uniquely positioned in the major technology markets on the West Coast including Silicon Valley, Seattle and Portland. I’ve been impressed by Voyager’s value-add strategies, as well as the depth and experience of the firm’s investment team. I look forward to helping build Voyager’s franchise and accelerate the growth of our portfolio companies.”
For more information, read Mike’s piece about his conversation with Chizen or see the press release from Voyager.
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