Here’s a roundup of interesting startup links I came across today:
Next Ventures raises $60M fund, partners with OHSU – Portland Business Journal
Next Ventures raised $60 million for its second fund. The Oregon Growth Board, which manages state lottery revenue, invested $5 million, said Strong. Next Ventures joins Portland-based firms including Elevate Capital, Portland Seed Fund and private lender Meriwether Group that have landed state-backed investments.
Market of Choice Opens Doors for Oregon’s Newest Food Brands Through Strong Partnerships
Independent, family-owned grocer Market of Choice has been a supporter of local makers since its founding. As a cornerstone of Oregon’s robust food innovation ecosystem, Market of Choice has nurtured thousands of partnerships with local maker start-ups through its MOJO program alone. Market of Choice doesn’t just stock local products—it makes itself available to assist makers at each step of their journey, whether that means offering guidance through Oregon’s Food Innovation Center, serving as a judge in statewide food entrepreneur pitch fests and food shows, or mentoring new brands directly.
Announcing the Close of Next Ventures II – by Next Ventures
As former athletes, patients, and leaders of world-class performance companies, we’ve long championed preventive strategies that integrate seamlessly across the care continuum. The reality is stark: 85% of health outcomes are shaped by what we call the “upstream layers of care”—fitness, nutrition, mindfulness, and social determinants of health—yet the U.S. healthcare system allocates 85% of its spending to reactive “sick care,” leaving just 15% for proactive wellness. Put differently, we underinvest in the very factors that drive the vast majority of health outcomes.
Accessibility Development Coaching: Engineering Teams Toward Maturity [virtual], Wed, Sep 24, 2025, 5:45 PM | Meetup
We work directly with development teams to level up their accessibility maturity—teaching not just the how of accessible code, but the why of inclusive design. Coaches serve as half engineer, half strategist: diving into code reviews, walking through practical fixes, and helping teams adopt sustainable practices. The goal isn’t just compliance—it’s building teams that confidently deliver accessible products, sprint after sprint, until accessibility becomes as natural as writing a div.
Instrument Makes Fast Company’s 7th Annual List of Best Workplaces for Innovators | LBBOnline
That ethos comes to life in Build Week, an initiative where teams from across the country partner with BIPOC-owned businesses in time-boxed sprints to develop brand platforms, websites, campaign strategies and marketing activations at record speed. The results are transformative for founders and deeply inspiring for employees – proof of what happens when purpose, creativity and technical expertise intersect.
Why Big Investors Are All Ears For Voice AI Startups
Within the vast space, voice AI startups have emerged as a standout, attracting the attention of investors globally, Crunchbase data shows. Over the past 12-18 months, several voice AI companies have seen their valuations triple — a signal of accelerating market demand and perceived long-term worth.
Why Raising Too Much Funding Is Often Fatal
Today, as the bar for traction in subsequent rounds has risen so steeply, this is an even greater concern for founders. Coming to the conclusion that you need to pivot (which many successful startups will) after you’ve already burned millions of venture dollars may be too late, as the runway to hit the metrics for your next round grows shorter.
Hermiston clears the way for data center industry – OPB
The Hermiston City Council voted Monday to annex 800 acres of land for the purpose of attracting more data centers. The city is looking to turn itself into a hub for cloud computing, with just one city councilor voting against the annexation.
Design as Repair – Ron Bronson
Systems fail. They falter, decay, break under pressure, or never quite work in the first place. But most of the time, they do not fail all at once. They leak, jam, get stuck. And when that happens, it is not designers or executives who get the call. It is the people who live inside those systems: They are the ones who keep things running.
Virtual Lunch & Learn: PR in the Age of AI for Life Science/Biotech Startups – Zoom
Join our discussion with CEO and Founder of Seattle-based s2s Public Relations and Communications Eric Schudiske to learn the latest communications strategies to ensure you’re building awareness to reach investors, potential partners, and increase equity in your brand. Don’t forget to complete your homework, grades will be given!
Why serial founders still have a fundraising edge over first-timers – PitchBook
Across all investment stages, repeat entrepreneurs—regardless of whether their prior startups have had a successful exit—are far outpacing first-timers in every metric, from valuation to deal size, according to a PitchBook analysis.
Portland Zine Meetup Is Crafting Community – Portland Mercury
Ruddick and Charlie Manzano, 26, started the weekly meetup in 2023, after they moved to Portland from Ashland, where they’d launched the Southern Oregon Zine Festival.
Who’s running for office in Oregon in 2026? • Oregon Capital Chronicle
Thursday marks the official start of the 2026 election season in Oregon, as candidates for state and local offices are finally able to file for office.
Other Oregon startup stories
