Month: January 2024

Looking for support and guidance to accelerate the growth of your tech startup? RAIN Catalysts has a new program — funded by the EDA — designed to help you. The program is open to anyone starting a tech company in Oregon or Washington.

For the longest time, Portland was a one (swooshy) shoe town. Which largely tied the ups and downs of that one company to the performance of the local economy. But with an increasing number of footwear and apparel companies now dotting the ecosystem, those fluctuations — while still felt — are not as singularly focused as they once were. Unfortunately, that diversity of businesses has never really been achieved in the Portland tech sector. Intel is the bellwether of the region, like it or not.

Missing the old Oregon Trail game…? Well, get ready to be happy — and nostalgic. Yohei Nakajima has recreated the classic game within a ChatGPT environment.

(h/t GeekWire)

Oregon’s senior US Senator, Ron Wyden, tends to be extra vigilant on the Internet and privacy fronts. But there’s been a noted uptick in activity from his office lately. Recently, he helped illuminate the potential risks around push notification data. And now, he’s sharing that the NSA has been buying data on individuals from data brokers.

A few days ago, I shared some snippets from the UpStart Collective podcast that hinted at the potential for an upcoming expansion and “fund” — although details were limited. Now, more details have emerged, so I wanted to make sure that you had the latest and greatest.

Demolicious has been pulled out of the mothballs to provide a venue for anyone in the startup community to demo anything they’re building — regardless of how unpolished it may be. The initial reboot was held last night. And when the dust cleared — and the votes were counted — Kickplan hoisted the Demolicious Championship Belt.

With all of the activity happening in Washington County, it only stands to reason that they’d have a pitch competition of their own. It’s called Westside Pitch. And if you’re startup on that side of the Willamette, you better be getting your application ready. They’re due February 7, 2024.

Fundraising is never easy. Especially these days. So it’s always nice to see local startups securing the capital they need to grow — and it’s even sweeter when local investors are part of those rounds. That’s what happened with Vancouver, Washington, startup Digs, which announced $7 million in new funding led by Oregon Venture Fund with Portland Seed Fund also in the mix.

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times: podcasts are like blogs were at the turn of the century. It seems like everyone is starting one. Now, there’s a new Portland podcast focused on helping you make the things you make, better. Meet Learn, Make, Learn.