Here’s a roundup of interesting startup links I came across today:
Pre ~ Real accountability for startup founders
Pre is the AI startup mentor that lives inside a brutally effective accountability system. It won’t waste your time, and it won’t let you waste it either.
Behind Boulder Care’s Portland ad blitz – Portland Business Journal
“The message is resonating in Portland, and we have the chance to show the nation a better way in addressing the addiction crisis,” Boulder founder and CEO Stephanie Strong said in an interview.
Portland Indie Game Squad 2025 showcase, game jam 2026 – Portland Business Journal
PIGSquad has been around since 2011 and helped grow the local industry cluster. It hosts meetups and events throughout the year where people can build games, find collaborators and test their games. The group’s work shifted hard to remote and virtual events for about four years surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic.
Why Open Source AI From China Is Eating Silicon Valley’s Lunch – VC Cafe
But whispers in the VC community have just turned into a shout: The future of practical AI adoption is being built on something far more streamlined, cost-effective, and critically, open-source models, and it’s coming from China.
Ilya Sutskever – We’re moving from the age of scaling to the age of research
Ilya & I discuss SSI’s strategy, the problems with pre-training, how to improve the generalization of AI models, and how to ensure AGI goes well.
Private Equity : The New Distribution Channel for AI Startups | Tomasz Tunguz
While public companies have decreased from 6,639 in 2000 to 3,550 in 2024, PE-owned companies in the US have grown from 1,950 to 14,300. The rate of growth continues to accelerate.
Essential SaaS Metrics for a Series A Fundraise – The SaaS CFO
When I talk to scaling founders, I like to say that metrics and financial maturity serve two goals. First, the right numbers help you confidently lead your business. Second, those same numbers will be requested by potential buyers and investors during due diligence.
What a CTO should know about tech | deadSimpleTech
My intention is, over the course of a few articles, to discuss what about technology a technical leader does or doesn’t need to know, using Clausewitz and Jomini’s writings on military theory as a framing device to discuss the nature of leadership in a field where expertise is of vital importance.
Tech predictions for 2026 and beyond | All Things Distributed
We are on the verge of something fundamentally different. We’ve caught glimpses of a future that values autonomy, empathy, and individual expertise. Where interdisciplinary cooperation influences discovery and creation at an unrelenting pace. In the coming year, we will begin the transition into a new era of AI in the human loop, not the other way around. This cycle will create massive opportunities to solve problems that truly matter.
Lessons Learned from Tenki AI’s Launch – by Michael Ulin
I can’t overstate how liberating it felt to finally launch, even with just an MVP.
‘Not a squeak’: Veteran tech workers face new reality amid layoffs and tough job market – GeekWire
For years, tech workers were told there was a talent shortage. Recruiters chased them. But in 2025, leaders who built their whole careers on growing headcount and mastering organizational processes are getting “mowed down right now in stunning numbers,” said Laura Close, CEO of Close Cohen, a job search and executive coaching firm.
More Oregon startup stories
