So this is interesting. For all the positives of the Skyward acquisition today, it still had one issue that has been consistently part of our “liquidity event” stories: it was a solitary event. Portland doesn’t have multiple exits happening in rapid succession. We don’t get the opportunity to build momentum. Or at least we didn’t… but it may be starting. Because Portland based Kavi announced their acquisition by Higher Logic today, too.
Higher Logic, the leader in cloud-based community platforms, announced it has acquired Kavi, the premier online collaboration platform for organizations and consortiums developing industry standards and specifications. Higher Logic will incorporate Kavi Workspace®, Kavi’s long-term project tool, into its community platform. Kavi is currently used by organizations around the world in industries such as mobile technology, software, embedded systems, non-profits, film & technology, publishing, and financial services.
I’m not sure I’ve ever had the opportunity to cover two Portland companies getting acquired in one day. So that makes this notable.
But it’s also poignant. You see, Kavi has a special place in the history of the Portland startup community in which you’re basking today. Many of their employees were among those who helped foment and form this version of our community. They organized events. They sponsored events. They spun off and started new companies. But most importantly, they participated. At Beer and Blog. At Ignite. At Demolicious. At Open Source Bridge. At the community gatherings that made this community, well, a community.
Sure. The Kavi story isn’t the typical Portland startup story—he says, noting that “decades before an exit” he mentioned in his last post. But we would be remiss if we didn’t take a moment to recognize the role Kavi has played here in the Rose City and in our community.
For more information, see the Kavi announcement.
(h/t Darrell Fuhriman and Sean Wiese)
