If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times—and it seems like an appropriate adage for a port town—“the rising water floats all boats.” So it’s always nice to see new programs that are working to support Portland startups and help them grow into going concerns.
Such is the case with the latest effort from the Portland Development Commission (PDC) and their Central Eastside Industrial District Project—that’s Produce Row to you and me. Introducing the Startup PDX: Challenge, a program based on MassChallenge designed to foster early stage startup growth—and attract startups from outside of Portland to Stumptown.
The Startup PDX:Challenge is a new initiative designed to connect startups to all Portland has to offer; it’s Portland’s next step in the creation of community and value for startups. The Challenge will offer access to accelerator programs and other organizations in unique ways. The Challenge winners will co-locate in Portland’s Produce Row, a neighborhood where the entrepreneurial and DIY spirit thrives.
The startups who win the Challenge will get the nuts and bolts of what they need in a package valued at $40,000 per company.
Free rent and more stuff? That’s not bad at all. And from a startup perspective, access to office space on the eastside streetcar line near all of the of the close-in eastside restaurants and Distillery Row could be a dream come true.
And word around the campfire is that startups that make it into the program get some preferential treatment from the accelerators here in town, as well. #justsayin
Sound interesting? Well submit your startup to be a potential tenant in the new space—whether you’re currently in Portland or not. Applications are due April 4, 2103.
Need more details? Visit Startup PDX: Challenge for more information.
[Full disclosure: PIE is a sponsor of this effort. I work for PIE.]
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