Portland startups, open source, and tech news, jobs, and events #pdx
Startups often like to test things. And then iterate. And test again. Before making a big leap. So it stands to reason that an organization that spends its time working with startups would take a similar tact. That’s why local startup accelerator PIE has been working with a handful of companies to beta test its new offering, PIE Shop.
It’s that time of year. Where even though weather isn’t changing, the season is definitely changing. Kids are going back to school. Work is picking back up. And, as such, it’s highly likely that you’ve got a few extra chores on your to-do list. That probably involve cramming some stuff into storage. Granted, it’s no fun. But what if there was someone who as standing by to help you with that?
Over the years, any number of Portland startups have taken the stage for TechCrunch Disrupts. CPUsage, Glider, and Vault, among others. (And oddly enough, two of those three got acquired.) So when TechCrunch comes knocking, looking for more Oregon startups, I’m always happy to help spread the word.
In case you missed it, yesterday was one of those rare Oprah-giving-everyone-a-car sort of days in the early stage startup world. You see, Y Combinator—the most successful startup accelerator in the world—had a glitch that caused them to send acceptance letters to applicants for their Startup School program. And it wasn’t just a handful of folks. Estimates are that it was around 15,000 applicants.
Portland has always been a good town for user groups, where folks gather on a monthly basis to discuss languages and frameworks that are of interest to them. But for all of those amazing gatherings, it’s always nice to see larger user groups taking place in town. Like Sensu Summit.
So remember a few months back… that Portland indie video game that blew up? You know, the one where you play a black woman swatting folks away from uninvitedly touching your hair? No. You got that right. The whitest city in the United States was home to the launch of one of the most viral games of 2017. Which just happened to be one that focused on a common and annoying plight of black women.
Startups, while exciting and invigorating, are also completely frustrating. So much to do. And so little help. That’s why I’m always a fan of folks who help startups out of this predicament. Like Old Friend. Who has an offering that could help alleviate at least one of those tasks.
For all of the fanfare and hype, the Portland startup community — and tech community at large — is still full of problems and faults. A lot of them. And those are issues that we’ll never begin to correct without a stark and objective assessment of the current state of the community. And that’s why I’m so thankful for organizations like PDX Women in Tech who take the opportunity to assess our progress as a community.
It’s always bittersweet. Given the way that we Portlanders—in our garage band mentality—think about things. We love the homegrown stuff. And we want it to succeed. But sometimes it’s hard to let go. Still, seeing PitchBlack rocket into the stratosphere can’t help but make me happy.