Here’s a roundup of interesting startup links I came across today:
Portland, Ore., Has Worst Housing Crisis Outlook | LendingTree
Portland, Ore., ranks worst, largely due to its lack of available housing and unaffordability. Across the 100 largest U.S. metros, Portland has the fourth-lowest vacancy rate (4.76%) and 13th-highest home value-to-income ratio (5.57). Boise, Idaho, and Bridgeport, Conn., rank second and third overall.
Iterative people
Most people aren’t iterative. They get stuck in the comforts of their own habits or fear of looking foolish.
The fallacies in concentrated fund models: an Unruly fund construction thesis
When you look at the actual data, the pattern is very clear: Lowercase I, probably the best-performing seed fund in history, made ~80 investments in Fund I. First Round was doing 20–25 deals per year at its peak. SV Angel placed hundreds of bets. Elad Gil, Semil Shah, Naval and most others famous SF mega-winners all built high-quality but extremely wide portfolios. Most firms win big by showing up often, and there rarely are any clairvoyants. Power laws don’t reward magic. They reward surface area.
$1M Revenue, $0 Profit: Our D2C Reality Check – Indie Hackers
Let me be completely honest about why we hit $1M in revenue but ended up with basically zero profit. These are the mistakes that kept us from actually making money
That One Time the Ecosystem Tried to Vote on My Accelerator (Spoiler: I Wasn’t Invited)
One small — but mighty — tactic I’ve used is creating entrepreneur-only gatherings. These are founder-organized, founder-invite-only meetings where no stakeholders are present. It’s not a secret club. It’s a safe space. A place where entrepreneurs can speak freely, trade notes on investor weirdness, share hiring pain, and just be real with each other without the pressure of being performative for funders or programs.
Stealthy Camas computing startup has ties to Intel’s former CEO — and Intel’s current chief – oregonlive.com
A Camas startup focused on artificial intelligence and data centers has raised nearly $17 million for a $25 million investment round, according to new regulatory filings.
Luther Lowe of Y Combinator: ‘It’s really important to fight for Little Tech’
Lowe’s current mission is fighting for “Little Tech”, making sure that start-ups have their own voice in Washington and Brussels — whether pushing back against what he sees as onerous regulations or continuing to highlight misbehaviour by some of the world’s most valuable companies.
WHAM Launches Innovator’s Circle to Strengthen Early-Stage Women’s Health Funding Ecosystem | Femtech Insider
“Our vision is to establish this network as a comprehensive resource – a forum where founders can seek guidance, access information, and connect with aligned investors,” Sayani says. “These funds are committed to collaborative work, creating a supportive environment where founders can approach us as a unified team for assistance.
How to land a tech job in the AI era: Founders, recruiters, professors share advice for grads – GeekWire
AI is changing what it means to get a foot in the door in tech. But while the ground is shifting, new grads may be uniquely positioned to adapt.
Texas signs into law online safety bill reportedly opposed by Apple’s Tim Cook | TechCrunch
Gov. Abbott of Texas officially signed into law the online child safety bill that will require Apple and Google’s app stores to verify the age of their users and obtain approval from parents before minors download or make in-app purchases. The law will go into effect on January 1.
Marketers & Margaritas · Luma
You’re a marketer in Portland. You probably don’t work in an office anymore, spend your days optimizing funnels, tweaking copy, and explaining to your mom that “no, your phone isn’t listening to you to sell you ads.” Wouldn’t it be nice to talk to some actual humans who get it?
3 charts: Why nontraditional investors are refocusing on startup unicorns – PitchBook
Nontraditional venture capital investors, including corporate VCs and crossover funds, are retreating from early-stage startups and refocusing on pre-IPO growth companies, according to PitchBook’s Q1 2025 US VC Valuations and Returns Report.
Ending hunger is more than just providing food – it’s about communities and a better economic future • Oregon Capital Chronicle
Why does Food for All Oregonians matter? Walking into a food pantry is a different experience than stepping into a grocery store or farmers market. Food pantries are essential community resources, offering critical support during times of challenge.
Memory Changes Everything – by Nikunj Kothari
Memory-enabled systems introduce a different dynamic: understanding that compounds over time. Modern AI mirrors human memory through three types. Parametric memory works like muscle memory, recognizing faces, riding bikes. Structured memory organizes information into accessible patterns, deliberately arranged facts and concepts. Unstructured memory captures raw experiences, the messy context of daily interactions.
How To Build A Capital-Efficient Startup For Long-Term Value
While, depending on the industry, VC funding can unlock important resources and mentorship, it’s not the only path to success, and often not the most sustainable one. My thoughts here should not be interpreted as a disparagement of venture capitalists or financial investors — I have close personal relationships with individuals who operate successful VC firms. Rather, I’d like to present another alternative capital strategy for founders.
The Most Underrated Early Hire in a Startup
They’re usually the first person in the building who knows how to work a spreadsheet and ask the right questions. The titles vary: Head of Finance, BizOps Lead, Revenue Analyst, Data Analyst — but the outcome is the same: structure where there was none, clarity where there was noise.
Forbes 2025 Midas List – The Top Venture Capital Investors Ranked
The Midas List is compiled annually using a data-driven approach that combines public information with submissions from investors at hundreds of VC firms. To be eligible, investors must have backed companies that either went public or were acquired for at least $200 million in the past five years, or that have at least doubled in private valuation to $400 million or more during that time. Deal credit can be shared between up to two investors. Forbes and TrueBridge place greater emphasis on liquid exits than on unrealized gains, and both early-stage investors who generate significant multiples on invested capital and later-stage investors who return substantial cash can earn a spot. The top-ranked Midas investors typically excel in both areas, with a track record spanning a dozen or more qualifying deals.
More Portland startup news
