There’s a great concept in the book Startup Communities about how folks have to have a long view on building communities. It’s work that takes decades. And that decade starts again every single day.
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Loss (of a) leader: Startup community builder Joe Maruschak is leaving Eugene and Oregon
For some folks, this may come as a shock. For many of us in similar roles, we’re like “Yep. It was only a matter of time.” Joe Maruschak, who has been instrumental in mentoring, advising, and investing in startups in the Eugene, Oregon, and Lane County region, is leaving because the role he’s been serving is not effectively supported from a financial standpoint.
Read MoreThoughts on community and Clickety
One of my favorite things about working with early stage startups is getting the opportunity to use the earliest versions of their products — and then getting to watch those product morph and iterate over time. So when Puppet founder Luke Kanies offered me the opportunity to be an early user of Clickety — his newest startup pursuit — I jumped at the chance. Especially because Clickety had the potential to solve some very specific pain points and knowledge gaps for me.
Read MoreIt’s not the idea; it’s how you do it: What Sara Batterby taught me about entrepreneurship
[Editor: This week, we are mourning the loss of Sara Batterby, who — in a relatively short time — had an outsized impact on our community, becoming a source of empowerment and energy for both the Portland startup community and the cannabis community. Sara’s presence and guidance touched many of us. Ciara Pressler shares some of her learnings from Sara in this guest post.]
Read MoreREMINDER: Virtual Portland Lunch 2.0, this Thursday
While the regularity of Portland Lunch 2.0 isn’t what it used to be, I’m hoping that the opportunity to connect with other folks in the Portland startup community is still a compelling reason to gather. That’s why I put another Portland Lunch 2.0 on the calendar for this week.
Read MoreWhy did you sign up for Portland Startups Slack?
A few years back, I launched the Portland Startups Slack with the hopes of providing another venue for folks in the community to connect and support one another. As traffic tends to ebb and flow, I thought it might be a good time to survey folks as to whether it was still meeting their needs and expectations.
Read MoreInterested in grabbing a super socially distanced lunch with the Portland startup community…?
Maybe it’s the change in the weather. Maybe it’s hearing from more and more folks who have been vaccinated. Maybe it’s the fact that we’ve been in this “demented and sad… but social” event construct for more than a year at this point. Whatever the case, it seems like it might be a good time to gather the community for a good old fashioned — yet virtual — Portland Lunch 2.0.
Read MoreA revered startup meeting spot known for its upstart brews calls it quits: Goodbye, Bailey’s
Every startup community has a few iconic meeting spots. Places where the community seems to naturally aggregate and gather. And where you’re more likely than not to see familiar faces or collections of coworkers from startups in the area. In Portland, we were lucky to have a few of these spots.
Read MoreTrue innovation: Fire ravaged Oregon community finds a creative solution for Internet connectivity
The Oregon wildfires of 2020. Devastating is an understatement. Many communities were razed to the ground in a matter of moments. Others had structures survive but were without left without much needed infrastructure and utilities. One of those communities — Oregon’s McKenzie River Valley — came up with a creative way of rebuilding Internet access.
Read MoreCommunity question: Where does someone without tech skills start when it comes to building SaaS products?
As I mentioned last week, as part of an ongoing effort to help the Portland startup community be more helpful to the Portland startup community, I’m test driving a new way for folks to engage, converse, and collaborate called pe•ple. And I’ll plan on highlighting some of those conversations, here.
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