Portland startups, open source, and tech news, jobs, and events #pdx
Like email, I’ve used digital calendars for decades. And yet, I’ve never quite managed to master them. In fact, more often than not, they’re just a swirling mess of missed opportunities and days filled with back and forth emails about a time and location that seems to work for both of us. There has to be a better way. And Portland startup Appointlet is working to build it.
While PDX Maker Week is still a ways off, recent discussions around RSVPs and attendance have motivated me to start promoting events early and often. Rather than waiting until the last minute. That’s why I wanted to take the opportunity to share an event taking place in collaboration with Maker Week, Science Hack Day Portland.
In addition to the awesome companies who regularly post to the Silicon Florist job board, there have been a few new names posting interesting gigs as of late—and a couple of particularly high profile roles. So I wanted to be sure that you and/or your friends who are searching for new gigs didn’t miss them.
As the Portland startup community continues to grow, we all have the opportunity to meet more and more people. But that can also make it more and more challenging to meet folks with similar interests. And while Portland has more than its fair share of meetup and user groups, there’s always room for more events. That’s why Magnet is launching its Portland chapter and providing new way for folks to network.
As much as I love Portland and our startup community, I’ve got to admit that it has some flaws. It happens. It can’t be perfect. It’s got foibles. And things that are downright broken. We’re actively working to fix some of those flaws. But there’s one particular flaw that I often fear is beyond repair. One that rears its head more often than any other—and creates a crazy amount of stress and heartache for every single local event organizer to whom I’ve spoken.
[Editor: This is a guest post from Jared Wiener, the software industry liaison for Prosper Portland (the organization formerly known as the Portland Development Commission (PDC)). As part of his role, he has helped manage the TechTown Portland program which includes the Diversity Pledge. Here, he provides an update on the progress with that program.]
One of my favorite things about Portland’s original startup scalerator, Starve Ups, is their laser focus on helping founders successfully exit from their companies. Why? Well among other things, it’s the only way we’re going to generate enough wealth to create a truly self sustaining startup ecosystem. So following fast on the news of Starve Ups alum SpaceView’s acquisition, I’m happy to reveal that another Starve Ups alum—and RAIN Eugene alum—has exited, Manage My Co-op.
There was a time when large tech companies would regularly spinoff smaller startups—or at the very least inspire would be entrepreneurs to bail and start something new. You know, kind of like Happy Days spawned Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy. But then something changed. Corporations became more comfortable with multiple disparate product lines—and the revenue that came with them. So spinoff activity slowed. Now, it seems like that trend may be reversing.
It’s summer. Which means good speakers are hard to come by. Luckily, there are still plenty of crappy speakers to go around. Like me. So I’ll be stepping up to say a few words before the cards are dealt and the chips fly at the next Portland Startup Poker 2.0.