Portland startups, open source, and tech news, jobs, and events #pdx
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times: Everyone in Portland has a side project or three. So I know there are a bunch of you out there who have been mucking around with LED lights or 3D printing or Raspberry Pi. Truth be told, it’s likely you’ve formulated some Frankensteinian concoction of all of the above. Well, now it’s time for you to show that creation off.
Every once in a while, there is a moment. Where something strikes a chord. When it taps into an unspoken need. Crystallizes a not-yet-codified opinion. Becomes a rallying cry. And rarely—but magnificently—sometimes that moment gains momentum of its own. And becomes a movement.
It’s been a long, long time since I’ve taken the chance to feature Portland tech and startup jobs from the Silicon Florist job board. I mean, there’s a listing that comes out every week in the Silicon Florist newsletter. But seriously, who has time for email? So I thought I’d put up a post. You know, to make it easier on all of you job seekers.
A lot of my discussions around the Portland tech community and its current momentum tend to concern companies and individuals exploring alternative realities—virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality. And that should come as a surprise to… absolutely no one. Like many new technologies, Portland’s early adopters have been mucking around with VR and AR for years.
There was a time when you couldn’t swing a wearable without someone releasing a new fitness tracking app. But, regardless of how many iterations of the concept were released, they all seemed to do basically the same thing: count steps. And maybe count calories. So when Portland’s Uncorked Studios started approaching a new solution with adidas, they cut to the core of the issue.
Portland is lucky to have a ton of awesome coworking spaces to host our startups and creative types. But what if you’re in need of some temporary creative space for a photoshoot or offsite? That’s the question that Nashville-based AVVAY is working to solve. And they just launched their service in Portland.
Every October, any number of investors descend upon Bend to take part in the largest cash prize startup competition in the Pacific Northwest, the Bend Venture Conference. It’s arguably the most valuable investor gathering in the state. But you know what? It’s only truly valuable if there are awesome startups there. That’s where you come in.