Sometimes — often times — things are more difficult than they should be around here. But every once in a while, persistence pays off. Even if takes a decade. Like where this story begins. Way way back in 2016, at the height of the Portland startup community energy around here, Josh Carter — inspired by what he had experienced in Chicago and Austin — approached Portland city government about opening a dedicated space for Portland startups.
He was, to put it quaintly, rebuffed. But that didn’t stop him.
Fast forward to 2022. Where Josh found kindred spirits in Ben Parish and Graybox. Spirts with the added benefit that they had office space to activate and an eagerness to engage with the startup community. That effort led to the launch of UpStart Collective a low cost coworking space for startup founders inside Graybox’s eastside offices.
With that initial proof point going. They took the opportunity to support more founders. The coworking space expanded across the river through a partnership with Portland State University and the Metro Region Innovation Hub. Giving them twice as much space. Which they continued to fill with founders, events, and community.
But they weren’t done yet. And when Jeff Swickard came into the picture so did a whole new opportunity. Which was officially opened — with different politicians than those who had initially rejected the idea and a good old fashioned ribbon cutting — today, April 8, 2026, when Josh and the UpStart team threw open the doors to their new home on the 5th floor of US Bancorp Tower. Big Pink. The heart of downtown Portland.
According to the Portland Business Journal, more than 100 people showed up for the morning ribbon cutting. Entrepreneurs, investors, support organizations, city officials. Mayor Keith Wilson was there. Multnomah County Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards. City Council member Eric Zimmerman. TAO President Skip Newberry spoke.
Looking around there were entrepreneurs, investors, support and advocacy organizations, city officials, and it really felt like going back to the future. There were familiar faces from another time — way back in the 2014/16 when tech startups and tech companies brought a real energy to downtown.
On top of that, we were quite literally back in a place that acted as a host for a lot of those past gatherings. UpStart is in office space once held by software company New Relic, whose Portland office steadily grew for years and hosted community events before the company dramatically pulled back its physical footprint during the pandemic.
For more information, visit UpStart Collective. And go see the space. Either at an upcoming event or for a space to work. It’s worth the trip downtown.
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