Here’s a roundup of interesting startup links I came across today:
Capital Literacy For Women Entrepreneurs Tickets, Tuesday, June 2 • 5 PM – 8 PM | Eventbrite
Whether you’re bootstrapping your growth, eyeing your first investor, or just curious about your options, this workshop is designed to meet you where you are. We’ll break down the many ways to fund your business- venture capital, angel investment, franchise models, grants, loans, and new crowdfunding platforms -with honesty, transparency, and expert insight.
Rival-turned-adviser hints Kotek’s prosperity council to chip at Oregon corporate activity tax • Oregon Capital Chronicle
Knopp, a Republican from Bend, said on Monday that he doesn’t know specifics but that “everybody knows that we need to take a look” at the state’s corporate activity tax and “figure out how to make it work better.” The tax is measured based on a business’ amount of commercial activity in Oregon totaling more than $1 million. Critics have labeled the tax, intended to fund education, Oregon’s “hidden” sales tax.
The Main Path to Truly Creative AI | Daniel Miessler
AI doesn’t have intrinsic hardcoding of drives and subjective experience. So it can’t feel anything. And because it can’t feel anything, it is not driven to create or to emote.
The Wu Tapes: Q&A with Cognition’s Scott Wu – Colossus
Wu first skyrocketed to the attention of other nerd-geniuses in 2003, when he competed in a middle-school math competition as a second grader. A seven-year-old competing in the seventh-grade division, he expected his name to be called at the award ceremony; it wasn’t, an episode he recounts 20 years later the way MJ still takes it all personally.
The Last Company | Altra
We are dramatically underestimating the scale and danger of frontier lab ambition. They’re planning an economic shakeout where every legacy business will need to compete with lab-owned firms where every knowledge-intensive function has been replaced by AI.
Here’s an early look at Multnomah County’s second-largest library in Gresham – oregonlive.com
The doors to the 95,000-square-foot literature haven will open May 16, when officials will host two days of activities to celebrate the bond-funded library. It’s the second largest branch in the county’s library system, boasting unique offerings like a 200-seat auditorium, audiovisual studio, outdoor plaza and rooftop terrace. Downtown Portland’s Central Library is the county’s largest branch.
ZoomInfo announces 600 layoffs – Portland Business Journal
ZoomInfo (Nasdaq: GTM) made the announcement in its first-quarter earnings report. The layoffs will affect 600 employees, many at its Israel-based facility, which will close. The company has maintained an office in Tel Aviv since at least 2019.
Pitch Smarter: A Panel on What Actually Matters to Investors, Thu, May 14, 2026, 1:00 PM | Meetup
Raising capital or preparing to finance growth with a loan? A not-so-fun fact: many early-stage pitches aren’t focused on what actually matters to investors. Join us on Thursday to workshop your pitch and learn how to pitch smarter from a panel of local investors. We’ll pull back the curtain on what they’re actually evaluating, and how to build your pitch around it.
Oregon hopes to move from drone testing hot spot to drone building destination – OPB
While Pendleton and its test range have put the town ahead of the pack in terms of drone activity, Oregon as whole has a relatively healthy drone sector. It supports over 1,000 jobs and generates about $840 million a year, according to Wyno, the president of the Oregon UAS Accelerator.
Work is a Spectrum | Mighty Code
Intertwined with the hype is an enthusiasm about AI agents that are now capable of doing certain kinds of work that previously required a human. That’s new and significant. But the conversation around it has gone sideways.
Oregon’s economy is strong but prosperity is uneven, report finds – Portland Business Journal
Shared prosperity is Oregon’s “core challenge,” they said. Inequality has risen and more than two in five Oregon families earn too little to cover basic necessities, they said. Their policy prescriptions include strengthening workers’ collective bargaining power, reforming the state’s tax system to ensure wealthier Oregonians pay “a fairer share” and investing in public systems, including healthcare, housing and transportation.
More Portland startup news
