The Portland startup community—and honestly the Portland community at large—never ceases to amaze me. A few weeks ago, I posted a quickly penned request for the community to consider rallying support for those nearly 800 local folks affected by the Intel layoffs. I expected that a handful of us might be able to throw something useful together. Suffice it to say that I never expected we’d be where we are today. With nearly 200 companies supporting this effort and a free job fair planned for June 1, 2016.
Admittedly, this thing has taken on a life of its own. So to bring everyone up to speed with what has transpired and to encourage you to get involved if you’re interested…
Thanks to Shashi Jain, who has been the internal champion
As many of us can attest, we can count on one hand the number of Intel folks who regularly spend time in the Portland startup scene. But there is one of those folks who is more readily associated with startups than he is with his day job, Shashi Jain. In fact, most folks in the community probably know him from Startup Weekend or a 3D printing or IoT meetup.
But fact of the matter is, Shashi spends his days at Intel. And while the support from our community has been staggering, it would all be for naught without Shashi connecting dots and shepherding communications within Intel. And getting the word out to all of his peers affected by this situation.
So thank you, Shashi, for all that you do. And if you’re an Intel employee, please follow Shashi’s example and share this information as widely as you can.
Thanks so much to our hosts, the Falcon Building
Running any event is difficult. Trying to throw together an event like this with no budget is practically impossible. And getting access to a venue that can host hundreds of people under those constraints? Practically inconceivable.
But that’s exactly what happened.
When the folks at the Falcon Building caught word of what our community was trying to put together, they immediately stepped up to offer their assistance. And their space. It’s the only reason we’re going to be able to do something with this sort of impact on such a short timeframe.
And sure, I’ll lob in the shameless plug here: If you’re a growing startup looking for space, they have space available. And an awesome boxing gym in the basement.
Thank you, Falcon Building crew! We’re looking forward to bringing a whole bunch of amazing people to your space in Old Town.
Need a new job?
Since we’ve started this whole thing, Intel, Jive, and few other companies have announced restructuring and layoffs. Just as difficult, Intel has let folks know that more layoffs are coming. So if you’re one of the employees who was recently let go—or you’re just exploring your options for what’s next—please RSVP to attend our community’s ad hoc job fair.
Have open positions?
While this started in the Portland startup community, it’s expanded far more broadly now. So we’re welcoming any and all employers who are interested in meeting with these talented folks. How do you get involved?
- RSVP to the job fair event as a potential employer
- (and/or) Complete this form to have your company name and jobs added to the growing list of companies supporting this effort—or feel free to make a pull request
Keep being awesome, Portland. We’ll see you and the rest of this amazing community on the afternoon of June 1.
(Image courtesy Ray Terrill. Used under Creative Commons.)
