Anyone familiar with Eugene knows that it’s a significant hub in terms of game development. And one of the primary players in that community has been Pipeworks, a studio founded at the turn of the century that boasts titles like Madden NFL and the update to Terraria among their work. Now, they’ve become the first acquisition of Jagex, which is perhaps best known for RuneScape.
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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.
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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.
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If you’ve spent any time mucking around in startup ecosystems, you’ve no doubt come across the concept of an “innovation district.” The idea, briefly, is to artificially create a dense core of people, institutions, and companies that fosters innovation. Sort of like Portland’s urban growth boundary. But for innovation.
I’ve always had a deep appreciation for the Startup Weekend format. Why? Because in my mind it serves two valuable purposes, really quickly. One one hand, it rapidly unvarnishes the whole startup mystique for would-be entrepreneurs without them actually making the leap. On the other, it’s a great way of identifying those individuals who have the grit and hustle to be great founders.
Early stage investing has definitely changed. Huge seed rounds. Challenging pre-seed rounds. Organized angel groups that behave more like institutional investors. It can be confusing for the uninitiated. That’s why it’s always good to hear from folks who are in the thick of it. Like Shane Johnson, an early stage investor from Eugene, Oregon.
Looking to spend a little time with fellow startup types? Hoping to bring an idea to reality in a short timeframe? Well, there’s no better opportunity to get something going—or collaborate on an idea—than Startup Weekend. And, as luck would have it, there’s one happening this weekend, down in Eugene.
Whenever folks ask me for ways to test drive an idea or find cofounders, one of the programs that is always at the top of my list is Techstars Startup Weekend. Why? Because it’s a 54-hour sprint that gives you a ton of insights into what it takes to test an idea, recruit a team, and build a product—even if you’ve done it before. Your next opportunity to get that experience is Techstars Startup Weekend Eugene.
Many of us know Mozilla as the organization behind the Firefox browser, but they have a number of other projects in which they’re engaged. One of those other projects is the Mozilla Gigabit Community Fund which funds speedy connectivity in support of deserving projects. Like some projects in Eugene.
If you run in early stage startup circles, you’ve likely come across Product Hunt, which over a relatively short period of time has become the de facto place to launch a product—and now, if they’re physical products, ship them as well. What you may not know, however, is the Product Hunt has an Oregon connection.
