Here’s a roundup of interesting startup links I came across today:
TikTok’s biggest star was detained by ICE, with help from another influencer | TechCrunch
Khaby Lame, currently the world’s top TikTok creator, was recently detained by U.S. immigration officials in Las Vegas and has since left the country, The New York Times reports. According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Lame, an Italian Senegalese influencer known for his silent, deadpan reactions to viral clips, overstayed the terms of his visa after arriving in April. He was reportedly granted voluntary departure and is now abroad.
Don’t Miss BlackOut—the Special City Club Event! – Portland Mercury
Now you can go even deeper with a special City Club event featuring Scribes and three BlackOut writers in a panel discussion titled “State of Racial Justice: A Five Year Retrospective of Portland’s Black Lives Matter Movement” on Wednesday, June 18 at the Old Church.
Birch Biosciences Enters into Global Patent License Agreement with NREL to Advance Enzymatic Plastic Recycling Process
Birch Biosciences, a startup focused on AI-powered enzymatic plastic recycling, today announced a global patent license agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to commercialize a novel enzymatic deconstruction processing technology that breaks down polyethylene terephthalate (PET)—a common plastic used in packaging and textiles—to recover valuable chemical building blocks.
Bill to require big tech to pay Oregon newsrooms advances with fewer legal concerns – oregonlive.com
An Oregon bill that would require big tech companies including Meta and Google to pay money to local newsrooms is trudging forward with less than three weeks left in this year’s legislative session.
Twenty years strong: a love letter to TechCrunch | TechCrunch
TechCrunch is turning 20. I’ve somehow been here half that time, and this has been the best job of my life, which is maybe why the time has gone so fast.
Renee James joins Portland General Electric board of directors – Portland Business Journal
Oregon’s largest electric utility announced the appointment of the former high-ranking Intel exec, who went on to found Ampere Computing, where she is CEO and board chair, on Wednesday. It’s effective immediately.
More Portland startup news
