Portland startups, open source, and tech news, jobs, and events #pdx
If there’s one thing about 2020, it’s made a whole bunch of accelerator programs more accessible for more startups. Because I have yet to hear of one that is holding class in person. So if you’re interested in a really small and focused startup accelerator — like with three companies — you should take a look at Product Club.
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It’s easily the largest startup stage pitch competition in the Pacific Northwest. And when you hold that sort of title — despite any pandemic — the show must go on. In some way or another. That’s why Bend Venture Conference has opened applications for BVC 2020.
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If you’ve been anywhere near the Portland startup community, you likely know what it’s like to start something from nothing, either through your own experience or via someone you know. You understand finding inspiration and running with it — often without a plan. And you get that even starting with the most simple concept is the key — the first important step — to begin actually changing the world.
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So many folks get into building a company with the idea that they’re going to raise venture capital. As if that was the only way to finance a company. And as if they actually understand what raising equity based financing even entails. [Narrator: It isn’t. And they don’t.]
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Origin stories. They tend to be the thing of myth. Glossed over and hazy. Usurped by unnecessarily hyperbolic embellishment. All to accentuate the drama. But leave it to Luke Kanies, founder of the company that would eventually become Portland’s Puppet, to take a different direction. To share a borderline gonzo origin story.
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Music, by its very nature, creates community with artists attracting fans and followers. And, under previous circumstances, concert goers. In real life. In venues. But none of those fans have that opportunity to spend time with likeminded folks in a concert venue. So what if they could connect over their appreciation of an artist or band virtually? Meet Feel With Me.
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Just came across this company — mostly because they’re hiring. Meet Kanchil, a Portland startup focused on helping organizations do a better job of predictively modeling risk.
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When times get bad, like they are now, it can be an ironically positive time for startups. With folks getting laid off and out of work, with the economy tanking, starting your own thing can often be the most reasonable path forward. And given that Oregon offers unemployment benefits to folks who are starting new things, it’s more even likely that laid off folks around here would be pursuing that path.
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Going through one pandemic is more than enough for anyone. Imagine going through two. At the same time. That’s the case with Black-owned businesses and Black community support organizations as they battle both the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing effects of 400+ years of systemic racism. Now, there’s a chance to funnel federal CARES Act dollars into supporting these organizations with The Oregon Cares Fund.
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