Bio
A Portland transplant, Josh is a business leader with several years experience in building teams, products, and mentoring others who are building the next generation of products and services. Josh, a US Navy Vet, has created a few companies including the digital marketing firm Plunk as well as BrightWork which he took through Techstars in 2016.
What are you up to?
After we spun down BrightWork, I was actively looking for my next opportunity. For years I had been helping a non-profit Techstars program called Patriot Bootcamp as an attendee, speaker, and a mentor. When the leadership at PBC discovered I was looking for a new opportunity, they approached me about joining the organization—which I, of course, accepted. I am absolutely excited to be Patriot Bootcamp’s new Chief Operating Officer and will be working to expand the organization’s footprint as well as work towards creating a way to invest in our military veteran entrepreneurs.
Why Portland?
Years ago, I came to Portland to help with a few projects. I instantly fell in love with the area and its people. I knew I had to live here.
Fast forward to about four-and-a-half years ago and my wife and I finally made the leap. As expected, we have love living here.
As someone involved in startups, Portland is such a collaborative city. People want to be helpful and do so without any thought about how it will benefit them in the long run. This is so much different than other markets like the SF Bay Area where it is very difficult to navigate the ecosystem without a number of high level connections. It’s easier to come to Portland to get things done and still have an incredible work/life balance.
Links
Interested in being featured?
Silicon Florist introduces one person, each day of the work week, to the Portland startup community. If you’re interested in being one of those folks, please let us know a little bit more about you and you’ll be selected at random to be featured.
