--- title: 'Worth the read, given the trope about IPOs around Portland' date: '2020-02-20T08:13:03-08:00' type: post word_count: 202 char_count: 1305 tokens: 263 categories: - Oregon - Portland - Startups tags: - ipo - Portland --- # Worth the read, given the trope about IPOs around Portland If you’ve been part of the startup community for any amount of time, you’ve likely heard it. It comes up regularly. That bemoaning the dearth of initial public offerings (IPO) by local companies. And using that as a means of assessing the viability of startup activity in the Portland area—and potentially Oregon—as a whole. Well, part of that may be due to the fact that the [whole industry is experiencing a change in the IPO landscape](https://marker.medium.com/the-end-of-the-ipo-as-we-know-it-85b7220d67b1). > It is unusual to have a year when the stock market did so well overall, while the market for private companies going public proved to be punishing, particularly for the best-known startups. And that makes [this a super interesting read](https://marker.medium.com/the-end-of-the-ipo-as-we-know-it-85b7220d67b1). For Portland. And for the broader startup community, as well. Especially when coupled with this tweet. > Wow, I'm surprised by the number of venture-backed startups exiting to PE firms. > > 3 of the top 4 acquirers last year were PE firms. > > — Leo Polovets (@lpolovets) [February 20, 2020](https://twitter.com/lpolovets/status/1230303047261097984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) - - - - - -