Category: Startup

Glimmers of a Portland startup accelerator renaissance? Built Oregon, PIE, and XXcelerate Fund show promise in 2018

Rick Turoczy on February 9, 2018

There was a time, not so long ago, when Portland had an embarrassment of riches on the startup incubator and accelerator front. But as the pendulum swung from early stage to growth stage—and as regional offices and bigger players promised increasingly attractive wages and benefits—the once crowded incubator and accelerator community thinned. But all of that may be changing in 2018.

Read More

REMINDER: PitchfestNW applications are due January 12, 2018

Rick Turoczy on January 10, 2018

It’s a new year. Time to get out there and tell everyone about the awesome company you’re building. And around these parts, there are any number of opportunities to do exactly that. But there’s one chance to take the stage that promises a huge, international crowd of potential investors, partners, and customers: TechfestNW PitchfestNW.

Read More

DazzleCon: Now with even more — and more accessible — Zebra time

Rick Turoczy on October 25, 2017

You’re busy. You’re building a company. You’re improving community. You’re doing things that have impact. But unfortunately, more often than not, that means that time and money are in short supply. So when you are presented with an amazing opportunity to spend some time among your peers but the price point or time commitment are difficult to defend, it’s totally understandable. And the folks at DazzleCon clearly get that.

Read More

Getting everyone on the same page: Talkoot simplifies content management for product companies

Rick Turoczy on April 12, 2017

For as many consumer products as we produce around Portland—and throughout the state—its still rare for Portland’s tech startups and consumer brands to cross paths. It happens. Most notably with companies like Brandlive, embodee, Opal, and Orchestra. But not as often as you’d think.

Read More

Startup Weekend Portland crams founders, builders, and promoters into a 54-hour entrepreneurial hotbox once again

Well get those entrepreneurial juices flowing, my friend. Because it’s getting near Startup Weekend time again. That’s right. Startup Weekend Portland is being held November 12 through the 14th at NedSpace Old Town.

Rick Turoczy on October 28, 2010

So there you are. You’ve got a killer startup idea but you’re having a hard time finding someone to help build it. Or maybe you’ve got no ideas but you’re itching to build something. Maybe you just want to help someone realize his or her dream.

Well get those entrepreneurial juices flowing, my friend. Because it’s getting near Startup Weekend time again. That’s right. Startup Weekend Portland is being held November 12th through the 14th at NedSpace Old Town. Read More

How would you describe the Portland open source, Web, and mobile startup scene? [Updated]

Rick Turoczy on May 18, 2009

A number of us have recently had the opportunity to sit down with Amanda Hess. Amanda is working on a chapter for a larger piece on the Portland entrepreneurial scene, ranging from bikes to beer to restaurants to tech.

During the interviews, she’s been asking folks to describe the Portland tech scene in their own words. When she posed the question to me, I started to stutter through a fumbling response, when I suddenly realized I could do something better.

“Why don’t we ask the community?” I said. Read More

Positive press: The Oregonian points to the potential the startup community holds

Rick Turoczy on April 23, 2009

Hang in there, you entrepreneurial type you. You’re making progress. I know it. You know it. And now, other folks are starting to take notice. Like The Oregonian.

In a recent article entitled “Oregon’s high-tech better off now than in dot-com bust” business and tech reporter Mike Rogoway—one of the mainstream media folks in Portland who clearly “gets it”—had the following to offer about the under the radar startup scene: Read More

Startup Now Oregon form is still up? What gives?

Rick Turoczy on March 26, 2009

Oregon loveOkay okay. I’ll admit, it may look like I’m crying wolf.

But I got a call late last night that we had some more breathing room to fill out the Startup Now Oregon form.

You know the one. The one that will convince the Treasurer for the State of Oregon that we have a ton of viable startups in the area—startups that deserve access to state managed funds.

While we’ve had a bunch of people take a moment to fill out the form—more than 60 at last count—we’d still like to see some more.

What’s more important is that I still don’t see your idea on there. Yes, you. Procrastinator. You know who you are. Don’t make me call you out.

Even if you don’t want, need, or like the idea of the money, it’s still important to make your voice heard. Why? So that the powers that be in Oregon understand what we’ve got going here. Because it’s something special. And it deserves their support.

Remember, geeky or not. Codified or not. Oregon-based or willing to become Oregon-based. Come one, come all.

I’m not putting any deadlines on this, but I’ll likely be pulling the form down within the next few days.

Don’t make me beg—or continue to whine. It’s not pretty. Fill out the form.

[HTML1]

[HTML2]

REMINDER: Oregon startup? Want to be? Interested in $250k funding? Chime in

Rick Turoczy on March 25, 2009

Welcome to the “How many questions can I ask in one headline?” edition of Silicon Florist.

Just a reminder that the submission form for “Startup Now” will close today at 11:59 PM.

How about you take a few seconds to provide some details about one, two, or 12 of your current side projects? Take a moment to reflect on what you could do with $250,000 in the next year, to help bring your product or idea to fruition.

Don’t think you’re worthy? Not interested in getting funding? I’d still encourage you to take a few moments to respond. Really, what could it hurt?

The point is this: rising water floats all boats. And our state treasurer needs convincing that we have a viable entrepreneurial environment filled with viable startups just waiting to take form. What’s more, if these folks can pull off putting together a $100 million fund for Oregon startups, it’s going to help all of us.

Come to think of it, I don’t even care if you live in Oregon right now. If you’d be willing to relocate to Oregon to start your business, you’re more than welcome to fill out the form, as well.

I’m looking forward to seeing you get some money to bring that idea to fruition. And if we can all work together to help the state understand the, um, state of our startup scene, it just might happen.

More than 50 startups—in addition to those who presented at the event—have provided details on how they would reinvest $250,000 in funding in Oregon over the next year. Why haven’t you?

How would you use that money? Complete the Startup Now form.

Mugasha selected for SXSW Accelerator

Rick Turoczy on February 16, 2009

MugashaMugasha—the DJ-set splitting startup founded during Portland Startup Weekend—has been selected to participate in the Microsoft BizSpark Accelerator at SXSW. They are the only Northwest company to make the cut.

SXSW is a big stage for the young company. With the event’s mix of music and technology, it’s sure to give Mugasha access to some noted movers and shakers who will no doubt appreciate the service and its capabilities.

Of course, this isn’t the first time Mugasha has stepped into the limelight. (Akshay Dodeja of Mugasha took the chance to speak with Robert Scoble, last year, and I got the chance to profile them on ReadWriteWeb.) But SXSW marks Mugasha’s first chance to demo their private beta to a large group of people outside the immediate Portland tech scene:

Microsoft BizSpark Accelerator is the newest addition to the SXSW Interactive schedule of activities. Scheduled Monday, March 16 at the Downtown Austin Hilton, the event spotlights some of the web’s most exciting new innovations, enabling the entrepreneurial visionaries behind these new products to demo their creations in front of a live audience of industry professionals and technology trend-setters.

It’s great to see Mugasha—and by association, Portland—getting this sort of recognition.

Even if you’re not going to SXSW, you should give Mugasha a spin—especially if you like electronica. What’s Mugasha do? Basically, it parses DJ set podcasts—usually one long multi-hour track with no song info—into separate song tracks, allowing user to play the songs they want to play and actually know which tunes they’re playing.

For more information or to get an invite to the private beta, visit Mugasha.

1 2 3
%d bloggers like this: