Here’s a roundup of interesting startup links I came across today:
Wikipedia at 25: A Fireside Chat with Selena Deckelmann CPO/CTO Wikimedia Foundation · Luma
Long before Wikipedia, Selena helped build the Portland tech community many of us grew up in. She founded the Portland PostgreSQL Users Group, co-founded the Open Source Bridge conference, launched PyLadiesPDX and mentored startups at PIE. She then spent 9 years at Mozilla, rising to SVP of Firefox and leading about 400 people. Expect stories from all of it, plus thoughts on AI from a very unique perspective.
StitchStudio snags $8M led by Voyager Capital – Portland Business Journal
An insurance industry software maker with Portland ties has raised $8 million. StitchStudio is based in Chicago but has a Portland-based founder and chief technology officer. The round was led by Seattle-based Voyager Capital, which is active in the Rose City.
(2010) Experience The Brave New World of Media today… or at least on November 17
While we’ve still got a few days left before we’re living in the future envisioned by Aldous Huxley, we do live in a pretty entertaining time where everyone is both a creator and a consumer of media—in all of its various formats. But what does this mean for the world of media? And how is changing the business of media? Well, the folks behind the annual WebVisions conference may have composed a event that can answer that very question. Meet The Brave New World of Media.
News Release: Nov. 11, 2026 “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for Nintendo Switch 2 Sells Over 5.2 Million Units Worldwide in First Four Days”
Nintendo Co., Ltd. (HQ: Kyoto, Minami-ku, Japan; President and Representative Director: Shuntaro Furukawa, “Nintendo” hereafter) announced that The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for Nintendo Switch 2 sold over 5.2 million units worldwide (including 810,000 units sold in Japan) in the first four days following its launch on November 5, 2026. This is the highest global sales for any Nintendo-published Nintendo Switch 2 game in its first four days
Opinion | I Am a Silicon Valley Veteran. We Are Sabotaging Ourselves. – The New York Times
Silicon Valley has a special talent for offering amazing products and then screwing them up with ridiculous ideas about how those products should be used.
SpaceX unveils Starlink Mini 2 with a removable battery that can last up to 4.5 hours – Digital Trends
The new portable satellite dish comes with a removable 71Wh battery that promises up to 4.5 hours of internet connectivity on a single charge. SpaceX is also taking preorders in the US, although access is currently limited to selected customers.
Portland Has Money. It’s Just Not Ours. – Edan Krolewicz
Portland is not a poor city. What it has lost, slowly and mostly through its own choices, is control over its money. Most of the capital in Portland today is owned, managed or directed by people outside the region. Most of the money Portland does control is public money, raised by voters for one purpose at a time.
Bend hopes to bolster biotech sector with Foreign Trade Zone – Portland Business Journal
Oregon has two Foreign Trade Zones, at the ports of Portland and Coos Bay, but it could get a third to benefit bio-manufacturing companies in Bend, if plans come to fruition.
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In Democratic sweep, Oregon progressives grew power, pluck heading into 2027 session • Oregon Capital Chronicle
More than a dozen members of the unofficial progressive caucus, among Oregon’s 90 legislative members, are preparing to put forward ambitious proposals in the six-month legislative session that begins in January, leaders said, and to have the numbers to push back on Gov. Tina Kotek and the unofficial moderate or “mod” caucus if they strongly diverge on policy.
The era of fully autonomous companies
The ecosystem, models, and compliance barriers to make this possible have taken a long time to line up. Just six months ago I was writing about how autonomous companies need human oversight, but a lot changes in six months! The winds are shifting. And by this time next year, there will be millions of autonomous companies and many of them will be profitable. Some of them will be absurdly profitable. Let’s talk about this coming era.
OpenAI lets businesses claim their ChatGPT listing and build their own agent
OpenAI put Businesses in ChatGPT into beta on November 10th, 2026, letting companies claim a profile in Business Hub, correct the information ChatGPT uses about them, and see aggregated data on how often they are mentioned. OpenAI announced the launch in a thread on X and in its Introducing Businesses in ChatGPT post, which frames the audience as the 1.2 billion people OpenAI says use ChatGPT each week.
Aaron Swartz at 40: letters and videos for his birthday · Portland Civic Lab
Aaron would have turned 40 on November 8. We spent the afternoon at 5th Avenue Cinema watching The Internet’s Own Boy, the film about his life. People who knew him, and people still doing the work he started, sent letters and videos to Portland for the day. This page keeps all of it.
Demolicious Champion of Champions 2026, Thu, Dec 3, 2026, 5:30 PM | Meetup
After its epic relaunch in 2024, Demolicious has quickly become the stage for early-stage founders to show off their boldest ideas and biggest dreams. Every month at the UpStart Collective, these fearless founders have pitched in front of a packed, supportive crowd—honing their storytelling skills, building buzz, and giving us all a glimpse at the next wave of job-creating, game-changing companies.
Portland’s Finest Artisan Market 2026 – STEELPORT Knife Co.
Join us for Portland’s Finest Artisan Market at the STEELPORT Knife Co. Factory on Saturday, November 21st, from Noon–3pm! Stock your holiday pantry, shop for premium local gifts, sample delicious bites and drinks, and discover unforgettable holiday hosting and gifting ideas from some of Portland’s finest culinary and artisan brands.
Seattle VC firm Ascend closes $17M fund to back ‘Third Act’ startups in physical AI and hardware – GeekWire
Ascend Fund III will back more physical AI startups building robots, energy systems, defense technology and other ventures that blend software and hardware — part of a larger bet on what the Ascend team likes to call Seattle’s “Third Act.”