Silicon Florist links arrangement for September 30, 2025

Here’s a roundup of interesting startup links I came across today:

How the AI Bubble Ate Y Combinator

While overlap is usually inevitable in accelerator programs, never in its 20-year history have so many YC startups been singularly devoted to one core area of tech. Going through YC’s startup directory reveals that of the 170 startups in the most recent summer batch, 154 are AI startups.

Xcelerate: Two Roundtrip Tickets Anywhere Alaska Airlines Flies

Almost half of Oregon’s small businesses are women-owned. But too many never reach their full potential—because the usual paths to funding, mentorship, and growth weren’t built for women. At Xcelerate Women, we’re changing that. As the only organization in Oregon dedicated to helping women and gender-expansive business owners grow and scale, we’ve supported more than 2,000 business owners with the coaching, mentorship, and education they need to thrive.

SXSW Pitch 2026

SXSW Pitch is a premier startup showcase spotlighting the most ambitious entrepreneurs and disruptive technologies from around the world. Now in its 18th year, this dynamic event invites startups to apply through an open call process for a chance to be featured as a finalist.

Empathy for Dummies – Quarter Mile

Empathy is supposed to be mostly a feelings thing, not an intellectual exercise. But I have a tough time implementing long-term changes because of (what I view as) a weak moral justification. I need to buy in on some level. It was not until I learned a more pragmatic framing that I was able to make lasting progress in this area, and I thought it’d be worth sharing what unblocked me in case you feel the same way.

Tim Berners-Lee Invented the World Wide Web. Now He Wants to Save It | The New Yorker

If you’re reading this online, Berners-Lee wrote the hypertext markup language (HTML) that your browser is interpreting. He’s the necessary condition behind everything from Amazon to Wikipedia, and if A.I. brings about what Sam Altman recently called “the gentle singularity”—or else buries us in slop—that, too, will be an outgrowth of his global collective consciousness.

Startup Cafe @ The Hub » Calagator: Portland’s Tech Calendar

Startup Cafe is a great opportunity for founders and startup partners to connect, learn, and level up. Free coffee and donuts throughout the event!

My petty gripe: not only am I losing my livelihood to AI – now it’s stealing my em dashes too | Artificial intelligence (AI) | The Guardian

The humble em dash is being used as a tell that something is written by a large language model. But it’s James Shackell’s favourite piece of punctuation, and he’s not ready to lose it

Sport Oregon Announces 2025 Oregon Sports Awards

Today, Sport Oregon unveiled its esteemed 2025 class of inductees into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame. The induction will take place at the Oregon Sports Awards ceremony on Thursday, November 6. Marking Sport Oregon’s second year hosting the event, the evening will not only honor these exemplary individuals but also highlight the positive and widespread impact of sport in Oregon.