Portland startups, open source, and tech news, jobs, and events #pdx
Now I realize that I’ve developed—even perhaps cultivated—this persona of being a “rah rah” cheerleader for all things startup in Portland and Oregon. I realize that—at times—I’ve been so Pollyanna saccharine-sweet about the potential for entrepreneurs in our area that it’s made people cringe. I get that. Read More
When it comes to critiques of the Portland startup scene, one of the chief complaints is a shortage of “successful exits” and “repeat entrepreneurs.” We see them here and there. With the Iterasis and the Urban Airships and the AboutUses. But for the most part, those types of Portland startups are few and far between.
But that may be changing. At OEN Angel Oregon yesterday, we not only saw a couple of tech companies walk away with some recognition, we saw some repeat entrepreneurial talent take on their next challenges. Read More
It’s getting to be that time of year again. You know, the time of year when you’re applying for this and that in hopes of having a full dance card in 2011? Well, winning prizes and prestige are great. But lining up funding? Now that’s the real magic.
And that’s why there’s OEN Angel Oregon, an event designed to get interesting startups in front of early stage investors. And if you hurry and apply, you’ll get a few early bird perks to boot Read More
I’m happy to report that GadgetTrak and WeoGeo have been selected for the final round of OEN Angel Oregon 2009 competition, “the nation’s premier investor/entrepreneur matchmaking event.”
That puts the two companies in the running for a first place prize of $150,000 or a second prize of $75,000.
For those of you who haven’t yet encountered these two cool Portland companies, GadgetTrak is “the company that turns your stolen electronic devices into a sentient Neighborhood Watch for nabbing thieves.” While WeoGeo “supplies surveyors, engineers, cartographers, and scientists with the ability to conveniently store, search, and exchange global mapping and geo-content.”
So who is the competition? The Biotech/CleanTech track features DesignMedix and Tau Science Corporation and the Consumer track features Glide Cycle (I could not stop watching their demo video… something strangely mesmerizing about it) and Wicked Quick.
There are also 20 other companies who get to fly through a one minute elevator pitch—but unfortunately I don’t have their names, yet.
Now, I’m hoping the tech folks can do us proud. We’re still trying to recover from 2008, when Angel Oregon selected an apparel company as the winner.
The Angel Oregon 2009 event will be held March 12 at the Governor Hotel. For more information, see OEN Angel Oregon 2009 on Upcoming or Calagator.
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Oregon Entrepreneurs Network (OEN) has announced the seven finalists gunning for funding in its annual Angel Oregon competition. Among the seven are three particular companies who have decidedly focused some angle of their offering on a Web play.
And since we all know the Web is near and dear to my heart, I’m going to focus on them.
I’m not guaranteeing a win. But were I a betting man, I’d be putting my money on one of these:
OsoEco – OsoEco is positioned to exploit a significant gap in the E-commerce market for green products & services by launching the first Web-based “Sustainable Social Shopping” community w/a unique focus on local solutions. Members can connect, discover, research, and recommend green products & services to peers, interest groups and gurus.
Powermand, Inc. – Web service and solution to aggregate many small electric loads into a large virtual load for monetizing as “negawatts.” Low cost service fee per site per month paid by the negawatts customer.
Revelation – Revelation creates web software that optimizes qualitative market research, enabling companies to develop and harness rich understanding of customer experiences, behaviors and needs at a fraction of the time and cost of traditional research techniques.
For more, see the complete list of Angel Oregon participants. Visit Upcoming to RSVP for the event or register to attend at Angel Oregon.