Portland startups have a long, storied history of engineers building tools for other engineers—from Tektronix oscilloscopes to Puppet. This week, we look at how that open-source builder tradition is roaring back with a fresh $2M round for AI agent infrastructure, alongside major hardware and clean energy headlines across the state.
In this episode, we cover Agility Robotics unveiling their new Digit 5 humanoid robot, PIE alum James McDermott raising $2M for Antfly (led by Heavybit), Mazama Energy raising $135M to tap Oregon geothermal power for AI data centers, Bend Venture Conference early-stage semifinalists, the 10 Latine founders pitching at Pitch Latino Portland, and a very candid Secrets segment.
CHAPTERS
00:00 – Intro
00:54 – Agility Robotics unveils Digit 5 (Humanoid redesign & 20-hr battery)
02:36 – Bend Venture Conference (BVC) early-stage semifinalists
03:53 – Fresh Hop Finder map for craft beer season
05:10 – Built Festival reminder (Sept 25 at The Redd)
06:18 – Antfly raises $2M: Open-source AI retrieval engine backed by Heavybit
10:50 – Mazama Energy raises $135M: Oregon geothermal for AI data centers
15:26 – Pitch Latino Portland: 10 Latine founded startups
18:51 – Secrets
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