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

I always enjoy highlighting all of the awesome startups in the Portland startup community. But it makes me even happier when those startups get recognition outside of our ecosystem. Which is exactly what happened last week when Portland startup StrateSea was selected for the NATO DIANA 2026 Challenge Program.

Twelve startups took the stage last night at the Mission Theater. Each pitched their heart out for 5 minutes. Some even attempted to pitch longer. But when the dust settled and the votes were tabulated one company emerged victorious. Viddyscribe is the Demolicious Champion of Champions 2025.

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

Opinion: Oregon legislators must reject Trump tax giveaways – oregonlive.com

Oregon should shut down the Qualified Small Business Stock exclusion, a state tax break for millionaires and billionaires investing in tech startups that don’t even need to be in Oregon.

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

Seed Funding In 2025 Broke Records Around Big Rounds And AI, With US Far In The Lead

The only real consistency about the asset class is it’s reliably volatile. Sectors in vogue one year are out a few quarters later. Angel syndicates must increasingly compete with venture big shots. And founders who secure the biggest rounds can’t assume more capital is en route.

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

Why Startups Die – by Mathias Klenk – Tech Founder Stack

Startups have a notorious failure rate – some estimates say 9 out of 10 startups eventually fail. Yet, contrary to what many first-time founders expect, startups rarely fail because a giant competitor swoops in or because of some external “homicide.” Instead, most startups die by “suicide,” meaning their demise is self-inflicted by internal issues.

It always nice to see local founders getting an exit. But seeing one Portland startup acquire another Portland startup is a rarity. So that’s why it was really interesting to see that Brian Forrester’s latest pursuit has ended in a successful exit, as well — to another Portland startup. Beginly has acquired ProviderJobs.

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

Business Oregon Awards $1 Million to Support Oregon Innovators

Business Oregon announces the awardees of the 2025 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Matching Grant Program, designed to help Oregon’s small businesses bridge the gap between federal research funding and successful commercialization. Twenty-eight applications were received and 17 awardees were selected to receive a total of $1,099,545.