Here’s a roundup of interesting startup links I came across today:
The Fundraising Tactic AI Startups Are Using to Juice Valuations – WSJ
But several VC investors and outside accounting professionals said the back-to-back or multitiered deals are novel and raise questions about how much startups are really worth in an age of frenzied artificial-intelligence investing.
With AI, investor loyalty is (almost) dead: at least a dozen OpenAI VCs now also back Anthropic | TechCrunch
At least a dozen direct investors in OpenAI were announced as backers in Anthropic’s $30 billion raise earlier this month, including Founders Fund, Iconiq, Insight Partners, and Sequoia Capital.
Cowork and plugins for teams across the enterprise | Claude
Admins can now create private plugin marketplaces, with better control over plugins, connectors, and skills. We’ve also added new plugins and connectors across more departments.
I pitched a roller coaster to Disneyland at age 10 in 1978
Today, I work in one of the most rejection-heavy industries there is, acting. To me, inventing and acting are deeply connected: both are about discovery, and both feed my inventing spirit. Successes are rare, but when they come, the joy lasts forever. So I keep auditioning, and I keep inventing.
The engineeringification of everything – by Ian Vanagas
People have been building powerful tools for many roles for a long time now. What makes this time different?
How Staying Small Became AI Startups’ Biggest Flex – WSJ
Startups are using AI tools to keep their staff as small as possible. But some are discovering that becoming too lean carries risks.
Redefining the Software Engineering Profession for AI | Communications of the ACM
Without the hiring of early-in-career developers, the profession’s talent pipeline will collapse, and organizations will face a future without the next generation of experienced engineers.
What Oregon’s Transport Funding Struggles Teach the Nation – fundsforNGOs News
Oregon’s situation offers broader lessons for the nation. The federal Highway Trust Fund faces similar fiscal challenges, with stagnant gas taxes and reliance on general fund transfers to stay solvent. Like Oregon, federal programs have promised more projects than available resources allow, leading to gaps between expectations and results.
12-Year-Old Launches Auto Detailing Startup to Fund E-Bike Dream – Bend Today
A 12-year-old Bend, Oregon resident named Alder Gonzales has started his own auto detailing service, going door-to-door and offering professional car cleaning services to fund his dream of buying an e-bike. Gonzales has seen a surge in business after being featured in a local Facebook group, and he’s now traveling directly to clients’ homes to work on their vehicles using proper cleaning equipment and products.
Portland small business tax exemption: City considers raising threshold to $100K – oregonlive.com
The measure, sponsored by Mayor Keith Wilson and Councilor Eric Zimmerman, would raise the city’s business license tax exemption from $50,000 in gross receipts annually to $75,000 for tax year 2026 and to $100,000 for tax year 2027.
Distributed & Resilient Power Roundtable: The Bend Conversation, Tue, Mar 3, 2026, 5:00 PM | Meetup
This is an invite-only gathering for 30 senior energy professionals to have the honest conversation the industry rarely makes space for – what’s actually driving the shift to distributed and resilient power, what’s working, what’s failing, and what it means for the next decade. No panels. No pitches. Just candid dialogue with people who’ve been in the trenches across every corner of the energy sector.
More Oregon startup news
