Here’s a roundup of interesting startup links I came across today:
Software Bonkers — by Craig Mod
Simply put: It’s a big mess, and no off-the-shelf accounting software does what I need. So after years of pain, I finally sat down last week and started to build my own. It took me about five days. I am now using the best piece of accounting software I’ve ever used.
AI Builders Roundtable: What’s Actually Working (And What Isn’t), Thu, Mar 19, 2026, 5:00 PM | Meetup
This is an invite-only gathering of AI talent based in the Greater Bend Area. If you’re leading AI strategy at a growth-stage company, building your own product, or advising startups on implementation, this is your room.
March 2026 Central Oregon PubTalk at Open Space Tickets, Thursday, Mar 19 from 4:30 pm to 7 pm | Eventbrite
EDCO’s Central Oregon PubTalk is a happy hour aimed at bringing together different facets of the business community in one place to network, share ideas and further local businesses. Drinks and snacks will be included at the event.
Coding After Coders: The End of Computer Programming as We Know It – The New York Times
In the era of A.I. agents, many Silicon Valley programmers are now barely programming. Instead, what they’re doing is deeply, deeply weird.
Allen Institute for AI CEO Ali Farhadi steps down as nonprofit navigates shifting AI landscape – GeekWire
Asked why Farhadi couldn’t pursue that work at Ai2, Hilf cited the financial realities of competing against tech giants at the largest scale of AI model development as a nonprofit. He said the board has to weigh whether philanthropic dollars are best spent trying to keep pace.
OSU Robotics Professor Jonathan Hurst Helped Create a $2.5 Billion Company That Makes Humanoid Robots With AI Intelligence
While Hurst will not divulge details, analysts estimate that Agility has raised more than $640 million and is valued at approximately $2.5 billion. Hurst says Oregon State University owns some equity in the company.
Temporarily banning data centers draws more interest from state, local officials • Oregon Capital Chronicle
Lawmakers in at least 11 states — Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin — have introduced legislation this session that would temporarily ban data centers, according to Good Jobs First, a watchdog group that focuses on economic development incentives.
The Shape of the Thing – by Ethan Mollick
Practical agents, jagged exponential improvement, and the ability to radically experiment with the nature of work combine to form a sort of rolling and unpredictable environment for AI advances. As AI capability crosses thresholds, it unlocks radical new use cases that change people’s views, sometimes overnight, about what AI can do.
Tower raises $6.4M to fix Claude-powered data pipelines’ ‘last mile’ meltdown — TFN
Serhii Sokolenko and Brad Heller, both former Snowflake engineers, started Tower because they saw a need for platforms that combine data processing with AI. They want to shift the focus from just writing code to delivering reliable production using real data.
Source — Oregon Venture Fund
We feel that Source can be the next iconic AI-native purchasing company based here in Portland, and we are excited to support Nicole and her team along this journey.
Seattle’s downtown paradox: Commercial engine sputters amid improved safety and visitor growth – GeekWire
“We need big employers in the city,” he said. “I was with some small businesses earlier this week, and they said, ‘You know, our best customers are big employers. They are our lifeblood … If you’re a restaurant, if you’re a barbershop downtown, you’re relying on people in those upper floors.”
Next Wave | Latino Founders
We’re looking for startup founders who are ready to scale a high-impact business and deepen their connection to the community. Our program is open to founders of all gender identities, cultures, and backgrounds who align with our mission.
LOCAL ft. Fuchsia Lin, Joaquin Lopez, Kevin Truong & Daren Todd | CreativeMornings/Portland, OR
💜 For the theme LOCAL, we’re welcoming a panel of four previous Portland speakers back to share updates on their creative projects and connections to place and community.
Axiom Math Tackles One of AI’s Hardest Problems: Code Verification
The company she and her team are building, Axiom Math, is tackling one of the most consequential problems in AI: how to verify the output of non-deterministic systems. And, specifically, how do you know when AI-generated code is provably correct, with enough rigor to stake a critical system on it? Today, Axiom announced $200 million in new funding to deliver scalable verification solutions.
Oregon UAS Innovation Showcase – Oregon’s Premier Unmanned Systems Demo Day – Oregon UAS Accelerator
Join us virtually or in-person for high-energy pitch sessions featuring all 35 Cohort 3 companies. Companies are strategically grouped by market focus across two days to maximize investor relevance.
Ben Horowitz on What Makes the Best Fundraising Pitch
In a recent fireside chat with a16z speedrun General Partner Jonathan Lai, Ben made the case that the fundamentals haven’t changed nearly as much as people think. Strategy is still about articulating a clear “why.” Product management is still about shipping the right product at the right time. And the best fundraising pitch is still the one you actually believe.
How PostHog Built a Marketing Engine That Actually Drives Growth
What happens when marketing isn’t an afterthought but wired into the product, the pricing, the content, the culture, all of it, and built into the system from day one? You get a startup like PostHog.
Strategic choices: When both options are good
Your unique set of choices makes you “the best” according to your target market. A strategy that never says “no” is not a strategy. It should say “no” most of the time; that’s a signal that you are actually focusing.
More Oregon startup news
