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Category: Funding

Portland Seed Fund: Talking with fund manager Angela Jackson of Bridge City Ventures

So instead of just sitting around and bitching about the Portland Seed Fund and talking about what its not, I took the opportunity to reach out to Angela Jackson of Bridge City Ventures

You may have read—or even participated in—the discussion that ensued after Mike Rogoway’s article on the Portland Seed Fund, a new program designed to help fund early stage startups in the Portland area.

I’m happy to see another funding resource for early stage startups around here, but there were some statements in Mike’s article which, admittedly, stuck in my craw. And I may have bitched a little about such. Read More

Virtual gift cards mean real cash for Portland’s Giftango, in the form of $5 million in funding

Portland Oregon based Giftango just secured more than $5 million in Series B funding

Even in this economy, gifts and rewards are big business. And few companies know that better than Portland’s Giftango, a company looking to simplify the distribution and management of “stored value” by helping that industry transition from physical gift cards to virtual ones.

And from the looks of things, other folks are liking what they’re doing. You see, Giftango just secured more than $5 million in Series B funding. Read More

Portland Seed Fund: Y Combinator, it’s not. (Unconstitutional, it may be.)

Portland Seed Fund claims to be loosely based on Y Combinator. I think they may be using the term “loosely” loosely. And it may be unconstitutional in Oregon.

[HTML1]There comes a time—not often mind you—but there comes a time when even I—admittedly often naively optimistic in my cheerleading of the Portland startup scene—have to admit that something just isn’t right. This is one of those times.

Over the weekend, Mike Rogoway at The Oregonian published an overview piece on the new Portland Seed Fund, a project designed to help provide funding for bootstrapping startups to get their legs under them. It’s not Mike’s piece with which I have trouble. I was happy to see it. That with which I have trouble is the Portland Seed Fund comparing its program to Y Combinator, an incubator and mentoring program for tech startups. Read More

Bend Venture Conference: Tech startups ActiveTrak, CPUsage, LogicBox, Manzama, StreamIt, and Web Blox vie for venture funding

It’s getting to be that time of year again. The time when the competitions heat up for startups looking to impress venture capitalists. Okay. Maybe that’s actually all year.

Whatever the case, it’s time for the Bend Venture Conference where startups will be vying for $175,000 in funding. Read More

Jive Software lands an additional $30 million, bringing more Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers money to Portland

So when Jive announces that they’ve secured another $30 million in funding, I’m going to cover it. Because some of that cash is going to come through the Portland office. And because the investor—juggernaut Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers—just happens to be the firm that just dropped $5 million in Puppet Labs’ proverbial pockets.

[HTML3]Yes, yes. There has been much discussion about Jive Software and their decision to move Jive corporate headquarters from Portland, Oregon, to those more southern climes near that bay thing. But fact of the matter is, Jive spent a good deal of time as a startup headquartered right here. And they continue to be part of our community.

So when Jive announces that they’ve secured another $30 million in funding, I’m going to cover it. Because some of that cash is going to come through the Portland office. And because the investor—juggernaut Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers—just happens to be the firm that just dropped $5 million in Puppet Labs’ proverbial pockets. Read More

Second Porch finds a home for a $1 million investment led by Oregon Angel Fund

This week, Second Porch announced that they have secured $1 million in investment led by the Oregon Angel Fund.

During a SXSW panel on startups in smaller metropolitan areas, I spent some time talking about how venture capital was a bit more difficult to come by in towns like Portland. But I’ll be darned if some awesome Portland startups—like Urban Airship, ShopIgniter, and ActiveTrak—aren’t working to prove me wrong. And now? Another Portland startup has joined the list.

This week, Second Porch announced that they have secured $1 million in investment led by the Oregon Angel Fund. Read More

ActiveTrak (formerly GadgetTrak) lands first round of funding for thief-nabbing technology

Today, ActiveTrak announced that they had secured their first round of funding. And while an amount was not provided, they did provide details on where the investment will be channeled

One of the most interesting boostrapped companies I’ve followed during my tenure here on Silicon Florist has to be ActiveTrak (the startup formerly known as GadgetTrak). And honestly, I always saw them as a dark horse around here.

They have a compelling consumer-focused product that helps people recover stolen laptops and mobile phones. They get major media coverage more than any local startup I know. And they continue to pitch as hard as any company—they’ve presented at OEN’s Angel Oregon three times—I’ve seen. And yet, they couldn’t really seem to land funding. Until now. Read More

We have ignition: Portland’s ShopIgniter secures $3 million in venture capital, snags new CEO from lead investor Madrona

Portland-based ShopIgniter—an open source ecommerce platform that’s betting on social media as the next big retail venue—has secured $3 million in venture capital led by Madrona Venture Group.

[HTML2]Well, well, well. Seems like today is an Ignite Portland day in more ways than one.

And it also seems that “can’t get funded in Portland” argument continues to spring leaks in 2010. First, Urban Airship found funding. And now Portland-based ShopIgniter—an open source ecommerce platform that’s betting on social media as the next big retail venue—has secured $3 million in venture capital led by Madrona Venture Group. What’s more, it says just as much that former Yahoo! Matt Compton of Madrona was so impressed, he’s decided to join ShopIgniter as the new CEO. Read More

Urban Airship rapidly ascends with $1.1 million in funding

Urban Airship – which provides infrastructure for mobile messaging services like Apple Push Notifications for iPhones – has secured $1.1 million in funding, led by True Ventures.

[HTML2]It’s not often that I get to break news. So I always tend to cherish the few moments that I do. And this one is special for any number of reasons. One, it’s a Portland startup in the mobile space. Two, they’re receiving a respectable amount of funding to continue doing what they do, faster. Three, it’s a company that’s less than a year old pulling in seven figures of cash. And four, these are people I’m lucky enough to see almost every day.

That’s a lot of reasons to be happy. So I couldn’t be more ecstatic to finally announce that Urban Airship—the company that supports the mobile development community by providing infrastructure for mobile messaging services like Apple Push Notifications for iPhones—has secured $1.1 million in funding, led by True Ventures. Read More

Second Porch secures Oregon Angel Fund commitment

Second Porch—the Portland-based Facebook app that helps vacation home owners market properties to friends and acquaintances—who recently heard that the Oregon Angel Fund had selected the startup to receive angel funding to the tune of $650,000—so long as they meet the requirements of OAF.

It’s the holiday season. And that means all the good startups are getting a little something extra in their stockings. So be good and you might be as lucky as Second Porch—the Portland-based Facebook app that helps vacation home owners market properties to friends and acquaintances—who recently heard that the Oregon Angel Fund had selected the startup to receive angel funding to the tune of $650,000—so long as they meet the requirements of OAF.

Mike Rogoway at The Oregonian caught up with Second Porch to talk about the good news. Read More