In the midst of all this COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus insanity, I received a very clearheaded email from Livelihood NW, one of the entrepreneur support organizations here in Portland, with a list of simple actions that would help small businesses owners impacted by pandemic to survive.
Read MoreMonth: March 2020
Wondering what gear you need to present in this new all remote only environment?
No matter how well set up you’ve been as a remote employee, we’re all struggling with adapting to this new all remote, all of the time environment. That’s why I really appreciated the latest video from Portland’s Aaron Parecki on what sort of equipment makes for a more effective remote presentation setup — including lighting.
Read MoreConcerned about the COVID-19 impact on Portland restaurants and food carts? Grubhub has a solution
Like many of us, I’ve been thinking a lot about our local food carts, restaurants, brewpubs, and coffeeshops in this new world order of social distancing and avoiding crowded spaces. How can we support these critical components of our Portland culture and economy without exposing ourselves and others to possible infection? (I honestly can’t believe I just typed that sentence. Oof.)
Read MoreConvertKit The Creator Fund launches to help creators impacted by COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus
Everyone loves to brag about what companies are headquartered in their town. But what about fully remote companies with no actual headquarters? What about them? Well, I say if Portland boasts a bulk of employees — like say Automattic or Zapier — or if some key execs — like ConvertKit — live here in town, then we can claim them as a Portland company.
Read MoreIs your startup impacted by COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus? Built Oregon wants to tell local and state governments
I know the headline seems like a rhetorical question. And I apologize. Clearly, we all have. But like so many things in Portland and Oregon, that impact is largely anecdotal at the moment. And nonprofit Built Oregon would like to help quantify it. So that officials at local and state government have a better understanding of the actual numbers of companies impacted.
Read MoreChatting with Latino Founder Hour podcast about Portland, startups, and, of course, founders
Any opportunity to join the Sylvia Salazar and Edgar Navas on the Latino Founder Hour podcast is an honor. But a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to do something even more special: join them for their 100th episode.
Read MoreTechfestNW reschedules due to concerns of COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus
Things are weird, Portland. And not in a “Keep Portland Weird” kind of way. And it shows no signs of slowing, given the growing concern about the spread of COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus. Today, annual destination tech event TechfestNW announced that they were postponing their annual event until August.
Read MoreThinking about taking your startup team remote? Get REMOTE: Office not required for free
The funny thing about startups is that they all start as remote. I mean, it’s a kitchen table. Or a coffeeshop. Or a brew pub. That’s the kind of place your company starts. With you. With an idea. And maybe a laptop.
Read MoreTen cities captured 50% of the growth in tech jobs: Portland is not one of them
There was a time when Portland was continually on lists. Best place to live. Most bikeable. Fastest growing. New tech hubs. But despite those perceptions, we’re not seeing the growth in the tech sector we had foretold. According to the Brookings, cities like Phoenix, Charlotte, Madison, and Provo are attracting more tech talent than Portland.
Read MoreAn experiment in heartbreak: PIE Demo Day 2020 moves to online, only
I thought I was going to have to cancel the very first PIE Demo Day.
Not in one of those, you know, hollow-threat-coach-voice-yelling “If you startups don’t get your acts together, we’re going to have to cancel demo day!” kind of way. Not at all. I thought we were going to have to cancel it because of forces beyond our control.
I can remember it clearly.
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