Here’s a roundup of interesting startup links I came across today:
North Bank Innovations opens space in Vancouver Innovation Center – Portland Business Journal
North Bank is taking over about 1,200 square feet in a building on the southeast corner of the innovation center, known as The Vic. The space is attached to an additional 30,000 square feet that startups can grow into if needed, said Barcos. Contact Barcos for details on how to join.
Hardware Happy Hour Portland, Tue, Aug 26, 2025, 7:00 PM | Meetup
At Hardware Happy Hour Portland we welcome anyone interested in any kind of hardware from beginner to expert: Arduino DIYers, engineers, hardware start up founders, e-textile experimenters, LED-curious folks, 3D printing enthusiasts or robotics geeks. If you’re working on something even vaguely related please do bring it along. No presentations, no pitch decks, just projects and conversation. Join us and nerd out about electronics!
Open Source Vibe Code Hangout · Luma
The Vibes DIY team is in Portland. We’ll have some light snacks and will buy you a beverage if you dare to make an app while you hang with us. No experience necessary…
Portland entrepreneur unveils new fund for early-stage startups – Portland Business Journal
Carter expects checks to range between $100,000 to $250,000. He’s targeting high-potential startups in artificial intelligence and machine learning, clean tech, software-as-a-service and deep tech in pre-seed and seed stage.
Seattle is a global AI hub — but where are the superstar startups? – GeekWire
Despite the hype around Seattle as a major AI hub, there are no Seattle-area companies listed among the top 100 AI startup funding deals so far this year, according to PitchBook.
Open Source Vibe Code Hangout » Calagator: Portland’s Tech Calendar
The Vibes DIY team is in Portland and we want to hang with you! We’ve got engineers visiting who haven’t been here since JSConf 2011… Come tell them what’s happened here in the since since then! We’re excited to show you what we’re working on. Prizes for people who make an app while we sip beverages. 😎
How Intercom rose from the ashes by betting everything on AI – Lenny’s Newsletter
In this conversation, Eoghan shares the brutal reality of transforming a late-stage SaaS business valued at multiple billions into an AI-first company that’s now growing faster than most public software companies.
‘Knife Town, USA’: How Portland became a hub for designing and manufacturing blades of all kinds – oregonlive.com
Knife industry jobs are densely concentrated in the Portland area, where it employs seven times more people per capita than the nation as a whole, Triska said.
Atlassian’s LEGO Block Strategy for Building and Scaling AI Agents | First Round
Atlassian has over 13,000 global employees and in early 2024, just two of them led a handful of small teams responsible for building all the AI tools and workflows for the entire company.
More Oregon — and Vancouver, Washington — startup stories
