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Month: July 2010

Have you responded to the second PDC software community survey yet? Want to talk about it?

Remember that survey that the Portland Development Commission was running? The second survey of the Portland software community?

Well, time is running out for you to respond. Like really running out. Like it closes today. So if you’re interested in responding, I highly suggest you hop on over to the PDC survey and complete it. Read More

What’d you get me? Portland-based Giftango signs Amazon, JC Penney, Lowe’s, Nike, and a slew of other big brands for virtual gift cards

Gift cards have become the de facto “not sure what to get you” gift for many folks. And when it comes to rewarding employees for a job well done, companies are no different.

But sometimes, managing to deliver a piece of plastic to a bunch of employees is not only impractical, it’s downright expensive and time consuming. That’s when companies need to go virtual. And that’s when Portland startup Giftango becomes the perfect solution—especially given that its virtual gift cards can be delivered via email or mobile device. Read More

Girl in your shirt, it’s not. But a foosball playing Kentucky boy in front of a bunch of VCs ain’t half bad neither.

For many startups, it’s all about getting discovered, getting found, and being recognized. It’s about getting the word out. Getting yourself in front of people. Getting people to recognize your company.

And there’s no better way to do that, than to get Isaiah Mustafa to record a bunch of witty retorts to tweets. But since that’s not an option for you, I’ve got something that may be more your speed. Like having Jeff Hardison wear your startup’s shirt—among a bevy of VCs—as he competes in the TechFlash foosball tournament. Read More

Did you miss Portland Mayor Sam Adams and Tim O’Reilly at the CivicApps awards? Well, here’s what you missed

[HTML2]Didn’t get the chance to attend the Portland CivicApps Awards ceremony? There there, gentle reader. Dry those tears. You see, we tivo’d it for you. We’ve got it all right here. Well, most of it. Okay. Three minutes of it. But still. That’s three minutes more than you would have gotten otherwise, right? Read More

Turn any iOS 4 iPhone into a photo booth with Photomaton. Maybe get your Foursquare Photogenic badge, too.

Anyone who carries an iPhone carries a fairly powerful camera with them. But sometimes, you need something a little more to motivate you to use that camera.

Sometimes, it’s something complex and artsy like Hipstamatic. But sometimes, it’s something simple and awesome like Photomaton, the newest iPhone app from Portland’s own Brandon Sneed. Read More

Jive Software lands an additional $30 million, bringing more Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers money to Portland

So when Jive announces that they’ve secured another $30 million in funding, I’m going to cover it. Because some of that cash is going to come through the Portland office. And because the investor—juggernaut Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers—just happens to be the firm that just dropped $5 million in Puppet Labs’ proverbial pockets.

[HTML3]Yes, yes. There has been much discussion about Jive Software and their decision to move Jive corporate headquarters from Portland, Oregon, to those more southern climes near that bay thing. But fact of the matter is, Jive spent a good deal of time as a startup headquartered right here. And they continue to be part of our community.

So when Jive announces that they’ve secured another $30 million in funding, I’m going to cover it. Because some of that cash is going to come through the Portland office. And because the investor—juggernaut Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers—just happens to be the firm that just dropped $5 million in Puppet Labs’ proverbial pockets. Read More

Interested in the latest in video technology? You won’t want to miss Broadercasting tonight

That’s right. Tonight is Broadercasting, an event hosted in part by local video encoding startup and former Portland Lunch 2.0 host Elemental Technologies.

So maybe CivicApps and award ceremonies aren’t your speed. That doesn’t mean you have to sit and be bored tonight. Oh no, my friend. In the Portland tech scene, there are always at least a dozen things to do on any given night. And I thought this one might pique your video curious interest.

That’s right. Tonight is Broadercasting, an event hosted in part by local video encoding startup and former Portland Lunch 2.0 host Elemental Technologies. Read More

One of these Portland CivicApps is not like the other. It’s the best of the bunch.

The time when all of the CivicApps stand up to see which one is deemed the best and brightest of the Portland CivicApps competition, a contest where developers try to build interesting applications using open municipal data sets provided by the City of Portland.

Well, well, well. It’s that time again. Time to recognize hard work and geekery. The time when all of the CivicApps stand up to see which one is deemed the best and brightest of the Portland CivicApps competition, a contest where developers try to build interesting applications using open municipal data sets provided by the City of Portland.

You remember the CivicApps competition, don’t you? Of course you do. And tonight at NedSpace Downtown, a number of these apps are going to be recognized as part of the CivicApps Awards Ceremony. Read More

REMINDER: Like it cloudy? Don’t miss CloudCamp PDX at OSCON tonight

Whether you’re building Web apps or mobile apps, dealing with infrastructure or finding storage, or simply just trying to scale, there’s likely one term you hear more than any other: the Cloud. You see, the Cloud is where everybody—well at least all the cool kids—are putting their stuff these days. Cloud Cloud Cloud.

But where do you go to find out about using the Cloud more effectively. Well, you go to camp. CloudCamp PDX, that is. But you better hurry and register. It starts tonight, July 19. Read More

Puppet Labs proves Portland open source startups can find funding (to the tune of $5 million)

It’s always nice to hear about Portland startups securing capital. It’s downright exciting when you hear that a local open source startup is getting funding.

And that’s the case today with Puppet Labs—the makers of a leading open source server configuration management and provisioning solution—as they announced that they have closed a $5 million second round, led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Read More