Here’s a roundup of interesting startup links I came across today:
I Walked Into Deadstock Before It Was Deadstock
And I never told him this—maybe I did, maybe I didn’t—but watching him gave me permission. Permission to imagine myself in this industry not as a guest, but as a participant.
How to make your startup stand out in a crowded market, according to investors | TechCrunch
Bansal, who built and sold multiple companies before becoming an investor, distilled investor expectations into three core questions.
We’ve Already Run This Experiment – by Angel Medina
In the years leading up to the Great Depression, the United States told itself a story about strength. The economy looked like it was growing. Markets were confident. Industry was productive. And beneath all of that, a quiet belief took hold; that stability could be preserved by narrowing the circle, by deciding who belonged and who didn’t.
Crunchbase Predicts: Why The Race For Talent And Tech Could Accelerate Startup M&A In 2026
“A healthy IPO market tends to increase M&A activity rather than reduce it,” he told Crunchbase News. “Many companies pursue dual-track strategies, simultaneously preparing for an IPO while exploring M&A, which gives them greater flexibility and leverage in negotiations. The threat of a public offering can be used as a bargaining chip to drive up a startup’s sale price.”
AI Is Forcing Us To Write Good Code – by Steve Krenzel
The only guardrails are the ones you set and enforce. If the agentic context is lacking and the guardrails aren’t sufficient, you’ll find yourself in a world of pain1. But if the guardrails are solid, the LLM can bounce around tirelessly until the only path out is the correct one.
Software Engineering in 2026 | Ben Congdon
The primary impact of LLM tooling, so far, is that the marginal cost (both in terms of time and dollars) of producing high quality code has gone down significantly. Of course, producing code is only part of the full job of software engineering, so the bottlenecks for engineering time will shift elsewhere.
P.A.R.T.S.: Teaching Physical AI with the PARTS Common Platform, Sun, Jan 4, 2026, 10:30 AM | Meetup
Join us for another exciting session of Portland’s longest-running robotics meetup! This month, we’re thrilled to welcome Dr. Joe Cole, an honored member of our community, who will be presenting on Teaching Physical AI with the PARTS Common Platform.
Why Everyone Should Learn Robotics | Rose City Robotics
At its core, robotics is about building systems that sense the world, make decisions, and act with purpose. Anyone can learn the fundamentals. The key is to start building.
Intel, Nvidia close $5B share investment deal – Portland Business Journal
Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) completed the issuance and $5 billion sale of more than 214 million shares to AI-chip leader Nvidia the day after Christmas, it revealed in a securities filing on Monday.
Departing City Administrator Mike Jordan Wants Portland to Figure It Out
It’s a year that’s been marked by drama at City Hall on a number of levels: Budget woes brought increasing division between the legislative and administrative branches; Mayor Keith Wilson rushed to open 1,500 shelter beds, sometimes with sloppy results; and the city waited in limbo as the state fought with President Trump in court over the deployment of National Guard troops to Portland.
Seattle no longer tops big cities for share of tech workers | The Seattle Times
New 2024 estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey show the share of Seattle residents working in computer and mathematical occupations has declined, and Seattle is no longer No. 1 among major cities.
Nickel-Zinc Battery Company Raises $30 Million – CleanTechnica
ZincFive has closed an oversubscribed Series F funding round this month, raising $30 million. That brings its total funding raised to $254 million since the company was founded nearly a decade ago in 2016.
