Portland Oregon startups, tech, news, events, jobs, and community

Here’s a roundup of interesting startup links I came across today:

Opinion: Make Democracy capitalist again – GeekWire

I have a confession to make. I’m a Democrat. And a capitalist. Both, at the same time.

Next week, 300 developers from around the world are descending on Portland for TokioConf — the inaugural conference for the Tokio project, one of the most widely used open source frameworks in the Rust programming language ecosystem. And they chose Portland. For their very first one.

You know what I love about the Oregon Regional Innovation Hub network? It’s a constant reminder that the Oregon startup ecosystem extends around the entire state. North, South, East, West. Case in point: Gorge PitchFest is back for 2026 — and the Mid-Columbia Innovation Hub is taking applications.

Why should Portland have all of the AI hackathony and gathering fun around Claude…? It shouldn’t. That’s why it’s nice to see Salem, Oregon, entering the game with Claude Social Night. (On the downside, it’s the same exact night as the TAO AI Sandbox event, April 22, 2026. But alas, such is life. (And isn’t it nice to see competing AI events…?))

I knew it would happen. The second I started blabbing about the fact that I’m not a fan of pitch competitions I’d jinxed myself. Now…? All I seem to get are pings about pitch competitions. Here’s another one: the Technology Association of Oregon AI Startup Innovation Sandbox.

If a founder comes back to be part of the pitch event that they won last year…? That’s a pretty good sign that the pitch competition was valuable. And that’s exactly what’s happening with Akshay Gupta — who won $25,000 in investment during Westside Pitch 2025 with Sez Us. This year…? He’s the emcee. Which leads me to ask: Who is in the running to be emcee next year…?

Here’s a roundup of interesting startup links I came across today:

Missouri town fires half its city council over data center deal – POLITICO

Voters in a small Missouri town, unhappy with the city council’s approval of a $6 billion data center, struck back at the polls last week, ousting all four incumbent council members running for reelection.

Here’s a roundup of interesting startup links I came across today:

The 2026 AI Index Report | Stanford HAI

At Stanford HAI, we believe AI is poised to be the most transformative technology of the 21st century. But its benefits won’t be evenly distributed unless we guide its development thoughtfully. The AI Index offers one of the most comprehensive, data-driven views of artificial intelligence. Recognized as a trusted resource by global media, governments, and leading companies, the AI Index equips policymakers, business leaders, and the public with rigorous, objective insights into AI’s technical progress, economic influence, and societal impact.