Portland startups, open source, and tech news, jobs, and events #pdx
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said a million times: PitchBlack is the best pitch event in Portland. So many amazing founders. And so many amazing pitches. This year was the most competitive of all, With 12 folks standing up and pitching their hearts out. But when the crowd’s votes were counted, one effort stood out as the clear winner: The Fab Lab with Crazy Aunt Lindsey.
According to The Oregonian, a public memorial service will be held for Sam Blackman at the Portland Art Museum on Sunday, September 10, 2017. The service begins at 10AM.
Sam’s family has asked that those wishing to make donations in remembrance direct those donations to the following organizations:
Our community is still reeling from the news of the death of Sam Blackman. But that pales in comparison to what his family is going through. In an effort to help — and to capture Sam’s legacy in the Oregon tech community — the Technology Association of Oregon is working to gather memories and photos.
Sam Blackman was going to be the mayor of Portland. He might have even been governor of Oregon. And potentially a senator. But I was always convinced that he was going to be the mayor. He never told me that he wanted to be. I just knew that someday, he would be.
I don’t really know what to say. And I hate that I may be the first one to share this news with you but I felt like you should know. Sam Blackman, cofounder and CEO of Elemental, has passed away. He was 41.
As the Portland startup community works against the unfortunately predominant homogenous tech culture to take advantage of the opportunities availed by more diverse and inclusive teams, many companies are struggling to find ways of attracting and engaging with more diverse talent. A number of companies have sprung up to assist in this pursuit. Among them, ScoutSavvy. But if you’re looking for their help, you’ll want to search under their new name: forEach.
After 10 years, I’m doubling down on my efforts to help make the Portland startup community even better and more awesome than it already is. But let’s be honest. I’m not really the most creative person. So rather than me try to guess what all of the problems or opportunities with our community are, I thought it would be wise to get your input and insights. And so did Built Oregon and PIE.
It’s a challenge to come up with any good news about the rental market, these days. But leave it to Portland startup Cozy to provide a bright spot. Now, in addition to its other services that ease the stress of being a landlord or a renter, Cozy can help you secure renter’s insurance—or verify it, if you’re a landlord.
Now that the eclipse stuff has calmed down and you’re (hopefully) no longer sitting in traffic, I thought it might be a good time to remind you about all of the awesome companies who are hiring in Portland right now. And all of the awesome people—like more than 100 of them—who are looking for gigs in the Portland startup community.
Over the past ten years, we’ve seen a change in venture capital in Oregon. Previously dominant VCs have stopped investing or become less active while a series of new players have entered the market. And outside investment—folks from other states who have invested in Oregon companies—has definitely seen an upswing. But who are the new leaders in VC in Oregon startups—and are they local? PitchBook crunched some numbers for us.