Portland is no stranger to regional offices. Or being an expansion market. We’ve had more than our fair share of companies picking the Rose City as one of their locations. And now, we’ve got another one. But it may very well be one of the most Portlandy ones of the bunch. Why? Because it’s a startup that’s designed to help small business be more successful. Meet Townsquared.
Townsquared is technology for small businesses built from the bottom up. We asked our own small business neighbors what would really make reaching their goals easier. Voilà Townsquared—the only online community where verified small business owners and staff share advice and resources. Neighborhood communities are small and private, comprised exclusively of businesses that operate near one another. And it’s free. Businesses talk about everything from small business loans, accounting, and insurance, to city permits, technology and working with local legislators. We’ve seen that when businesses get together on Townsquared, they strengthen themselves as well as their local communities.
Why Portland? Well, we’ve got quite a few of the small businesses that are perfect for the platform.
“Nationally, Portland is known for it’s vibrant and collaborative independent business community,” said Nipul Patel, cofounder and COO of Townsquared. “We were naturally drawn to that culture of supporting local businesses as it aligns closely to Townsquared’s mission of connecting entrepreneurs to each other and the resources they need to grow their business.”
Townsquared has writer Byron Beck serving as a correspondent. And managed to attract local startup aficionado Stephen Green to the team, as well.
Green, the Portland Business Journal Small Business Advocate of the Year last year, has organized events around Portland like this summer’s Pitch Black. He’s also connected dots between minority business owners and the broader Portland entrepreneurial ecosystem.
At Townsquared he is the San Francisco startup’s Portland city manager. The company has created a closed social network for business owners within certain cities. In addition to Portland, it’s available in San Francisco, Oakland, New York and Seattle.
Seems like a great fit for Stephen. And for Portland. It will be interesting to see how our bevy of small business take to the platform.
For more information or to sign up, visit Townsquared.
