Here’s a roundup of interesting startup links I came across today:
A good business vs. a useful idea | Seth’s Blog
A business thrives when it can charge a premium–selling something for more than it costs. That means that there has to be a competitive advantage, an asset that produces value. Easy substitutions are a challenge for businesses, but useful ideas are often based on how easy they are to share.
Intel reveals more layoffs in Oregon – Portland Business Journal
Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC) said Thursday afternoon it’s laying off 669 more workers in Oregon.
D.R. Horton taps Prophetic AI to build more homes
D.R. Horton, the nation’s largest homebuilder, is tapping an artificial intelligence tool from Portland, Oregon-based startup Prophetic to build more homes and address the country’s housing shortage.
Multnomah Lags Surrounding Counties in Economic Growth, Causing Deficit for Next Fiscal Year
Because of Portland’s slump, Multnomah County will likely start the 2027 fiscal year, which begins on July 1, with a $10.5 million deficit in its general fund, Renfro said. Revenue is projected to be $789.1 million, while expenses will total $799.6 million.
An Interview with Unity CEO Matthew Bromberg About Turnarounds – Stratechery by Ben Thompson
In this interview — which ended up being primarily about Bromberg, who I found fascinating — we discuss the lessons learned in a career centered around turnarounds. Bromberg helped rescue AOL’s relationship with EA, which led to him being hired by EA and turning around Star Wars: Knights of the Republic. After that he helped turnaround Zynga, and now his task is to turnaround Unity. We discuss each of these steps in his career, and how he is bringing lessons learned to bear to make Unity into a better business.
The 2025 SaaS Benchmarks report: Five key takeaways
Over the past nine (!) years I’ve now surveyed 5,000 private B2B software companies to figure out what’s going on in the industry. The SaaS Benchmarks report has become an annual pulse check into what’s happening with growth rates, headcount, pricing, and efficiency.
The Complete Guide to AI Prototyping Tools
Why AI prototyping represents a revolutionary shift in product building, detailed breakdowns of 14 new tools and how to choose the right one for you and your organization
The Other PMF: Wes Kao’s Framework for Founders Who Want to Communicate — and Lead — Better
Tactical advice for founders on mastering “personality-message fit”: leaning into your natural communication style.
Why We Invested: Huckleberry — Oregon Venture Fund
The premise is deceptively simple: what if reputation, professional growth, and trust could be portable with us from job to job, project to project, team to team? Much like users own their LinkedIn profiles.
Having trouble raising venture capital? You’re probably doing something right.
Venture investors typically make money on fewer than 10% of their investments. This means they aren’t looking for great companies. They’re looking for weird outliers that can 10x or 100x their money.
2025 Holiday Events Guide: Oregon lights, shows, train rides and more
Oregon’s holiday season has a lot to offer, from Jingle Thru Joseph up in the Wallowa Mountains down to Shore Acres Holiday Lights on the southern coast. This year is no exception, with virtually all of the state’s biggest and best traditions back on the calendar.
Portland startup stories
