One of the most rewarding things about covering the Portland startup community is the opportunity to watch things come full circle. Sometimes, that’s extremely positive. Like watching founders start something, build something, and successfully exit something. Sometimes, it’s less positive. Like being around for both the beginning and the end of an effort, successful or otherwise.
Read More
If your startup has been interested in the model of investing that Indie.vc has been pursuing — a model that focuses on investing in companies that are on the path to profitability — then you’ll want to make sure that you carve out some time this Saturday to apply for the next Indie.vc cohort. But you have to hurry. The application window is only open for 24 hours.
Read More
It’s the prevailing myth with startups. You come up with a great idea. Pitch a few venture capitalists. Get millions of dollars in investment. Grow the company rapidly. Exit. Everybody wins. Later rinse repeat.
Read More
I don’t exactly remember where I happened upon Bryce Roberts’ post. But it definitely struck a chord. Any number of folks are discussing how venture capital is broken. But it seemed that few solutions were being offered. Indie.vc is a proposed solution that—at first blush—appears to resonate with some of the same thinking I’ve heard from founders in Portland. Read More
Since I don’t think I’m going to manage to write any barnburners in the last few days of the year, now seemed to be as good of a time as any to share the year end recap for Silicon Florist. So what were the most popular Silicon Florist stories written in 2020? I’m sure you’ll be shocked to learn many of them are pandemic related. Let’s take a look.
Read More
Now, it’s no secret that I’m a fan of Indie.vc. The way they’re rethinking traditional venture capital is right in line with the way companies are built around here. And their focus on generating revenue and founders retaining control has an appeal as well. So just imagine how much more of a fan I became when I heard that someone from Portland and someone who used to live in Portland were selected to help invest some Indie.vc capital.
Read More
I still smile every time I see a startup covered by local media. So you can only imagine my downright giddiness when I woke up to a New York Times article on Zebras Unite, a growing international startup movement cofounded by Portland entrepreneurs Astrid Scholz and Mara Zepeda.
In my opinion, one of the most promising threads in the Portland startup community as of late has been the whole conversation about financing startups. Because not every startup is right for an equity based investment from venture capital. And even if they are, VC brings with it some pressures that can be less than positive for many companies and founders.
