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All posts by Rick Turoczy

More than mildly obsessed with the Portland startup community. Founder and editor at Silicon Florist. Cofounder and general manager at PIE. Follow me on Twitter: @turoczy

Portland startup AheadComputing raises $30 million

I’ve been talking about the hardware renaissance that’s beginning to take shape around here. You see, as AI computing resources become more and more scarce, I hypothesize that we’re going to see people working to advance the technology to make things more efficient and effective. And a local startup helmed by Intel alums is definitely running that playbook. AheadComputing just raised $30 million bringing it to $53 million raised in total.

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Silicon Florist links arrangement for January 20, 2026

Here’s a roundup of interesting startup links I came across today:

How Wicked Saints Studios Turned A Mission-Driven Game Into A Creator-Embedded Campaign For Real-World Connection

The approach reflects Wicked Saints’ broader thesis that games can be designed not just for engagement, but for activation. Founded in 2020, the studio was created to address a problem its co-founder and CEO, Jessica Murrey, encountered repeatedly across journalism, public-service media, and global peacebuilding: social-impact initiatives are effective at raising awareness, but far less reliable at helping people believe they can take action.

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Silicon Florist links arrangement for January 16, 2026

Here’s a roundup of interesting startup links I came across today:

Eight Companies to Watch in 2026 — Oregon Venture Fund

Within the Oregon Venture Fund portfolio, eight stand out as rocket ships with a real chance of reaching escape velocity in 2026. Each is generating at least $10M to $150M in ARR and growing more than 40% year over year. Given their momentum and potential economic impact, they deserve to be household names, at least in the Pacific NW.

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