Portland startups, open source, and tech news, jobs, and events #pdx
Portland startup GlobeSherpa—perhaps best known locally as the technology behind the TriMet mobile ticketing app—announced today that they have been acquired by Austin based RideScout. Read More
It’s no secret. Portland’s startup scene is hot. White hot. No, I mean literally. Like high temperature. It’s going to be like 1200 Kelvin, this weekend. So what better way to beat the heat than to hang out in a cool space with some cool storytellers… with air conditioning? None, I say. Absolutely none. Which is why you should swing by the new Story Board space on Friday. Read More
We were pretty early adopters of the—now Techstars owned—Startup Weekend model. It didn’t hurt that the creator of the concept, Andrew Hyde, was an Oregon native. But still, it struck a chord. We got it. It matched our collaborative and collegial spirit. And it just seemed to work. But there was still room for improvement. So we kept mucking with it. Read More
While Portland has a bunch of awesome organizations designed to incubate and accelerate startup activity, we haven’t seen a consumer brand backed accelerator on the scene for nearly three years, since the Nike+ Accelerator powered by TechStars. That’s why I’ve been monitoring the progress on the Jaguar Land Rover incubator with bated breath. And I’m happy to report, they’re continuing to gain momentum. Read More
It’s a well known fact that, far and away, the vast majority of jobs in the United States are created by small business. Oregon is no different. And an important part of the ecosystem that makes that growth possible—at least in the world of tech startups—is early stage angels and seed capital. Well, maybe not this year or next year or the next. Because there will be less of that early stage capital to go around, thanks to the Oregon legislature cutting $2 million from its budget. Read More
So many folks in the startup scene—Portland or otherwise—are locked into a mindset that the more you work the greater your chance of your success. That the hours you plow into work on any given work translate directly into the success of your company. Well, I hate to burst your bubble. But Portland startup Treehouse is turning that overworked concept on its head. Read More
As we work to create a more welcoming and diverse startup and tech scene, it’s important to recognize that there are any number of individuals who have already spent untold hours on this effort over the years. Making inroads without a great deal of support. Laying the foundational groundwork that will enable a more diverse community. And championing the effort tirelessly. Read More
Here in Portland, we love our accelerators. So many great ideas. So many startups. So many great organizations supporting those startups looking to make it. And that’s why I’m always happy when one of those accelerators introduces a bunch of new startups to the startup community. And that’s exactly what Story Board did today when they announced their latest accelerator class. Read More
Every startup community that is not Silicon Valley goes through a phase of wanting to be “the next Silicon Valley.” It’s akin to adolescence. Where you idolize someone whom you have little potential of emulating. (I, for example, was going to be Hunter S. Thompson.) Portland, thankfully, is through that phase. We’ve moved beyond those teenage years of wanting to be the next Bay Area and are focused, instead, on becoming the next great Portland. Read More
For many startups, selling is a big challenge. You’ve worked hard to build something. You’re super proud of what you’ve created. And it clearly solves a problem. Why won’t people just buy it? Why do you have to sell them on it? Well, sooner or later, you’re going to need to sell. And PDX Startup Sales Acceleration is looking to help. With PDX #SalesStack. Read More