Portland Oregon Startup and Tech News
For many of us, our day to day is focused on very small early stage companies. Sometimes those companies are our own. Sometimes those are companies we know. Those companies we patronize. And those companies we try to help. But all of us could use a reminder about how powerful small businesses are. How important they are to our economy. And how much our support of them can mean.
I know, I know. It’s not exactly a rarity for me to babble about the Portland startup community. What is rare, however, is that someone takes the time to make it intelligible and digestible. But that’s just what Engine has done with their #startupseverywhere series.
It’s Friday. It’s Portland. And it’s about that time. It’s been a long week. You’re super interested in supporting the local economy. And what better way to blow of some steam and support your fellow entrepreneurs than partaking in the tasting of local beverage or two? It’s like the perfect win-win situation. And luckily, you’ve got Barrel Bound to help.
Look. I get it. You’re busy. Doing startups is hard. And time consuming and stressful. But no matter how awesome your product is it won’t go anywhere if no one knows about it. So you’ve got to take time to put yourself out there. And get on stage from time to time. And here’s a great opportunity: the 1776 Challenge Cup Portland.
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times: It’s so much easier to build a diverse company from the ground up than it is to try to retroactively unwind a white dude company later. So the sooner startups start thinking about a diverse workforce, the better off they’ll be in the long run. And if you need help to think about that diversity? There’s a startup for that: ScoutSavvy.
Part of why I continue to annoy you with my awful grammar is that I always love being along for the journey with so many people, companies, and events. And Women Who Code Portland is no different. It’s hard to believe it’s already been three years. It’s also hard to imagine the Portland startup community without this amazing group.
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times: Get your product into your customers’ hands as soon as possible. Sometimes, those users help define product. Sometimes, they reveal significant flaws. And sometimes, they help you realize the product that customers actually want to use.
Ever since I promised Bill Lynch that I would stop publishing pure “we got funded” sorts of stories, I’ve had a challenge. You see, people tend to drop press releases when they raise money. So it’s a good time to cover them. But if I chose to act on those releases, my posts couldn’t just be about the funding, I promised Bill. There had to be another angle.
We’ve been lucky to have a few Portland memes go big. Usually around snow. Like Perfect Conditions. Or the cars sliding down icy hills. But one Portland meme tops them all. Zombie Kid. You know, the one who likes turtles. And that meme just turned 10 years old.
You know me, I’m always a fan of people who stop talking about doing something and actually start doing something. Even if other folks have tried to do that something before. So when a group of folks approached me with the idea of creating an online resource for startups in our community, what did I say?
