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

There is no denying the power of “Big Tech.” It permeates our modern existence. Whether we like it or not. And that gives them a ton a power. Which can be disconcerting. At best. But what if smaller startups and tech companies could band together to create a similar — potentially opposing — force…? That’s the idea behind Little Tech Association.

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

Founder Foundations – Info Session | Metro Region Innovation Hub

Learn more about Founder Foundations, our new 6-week primer built for first-time, idea-stage founders in the Portland Metro Area. Designed for those ready to trade professional experience for entrepreneurship, the program will give you real insight into what it actually takes to build a company.

Portland has long been a hub of cybersecurity activity. From big players like Tripwire to more discrete startups like GadgetTrak. And now, we’ve got a college that promises to churn out even more innovative thought leaders. Lewis & Clark has secured a $1 million grant from Google.org for a cybersecurity clinic.

Way way back in the day. Like last century and turn of the century. I used to be a marketing guy. Often brand management fell to me. As did repositioning and rebranding. I used to speak on these topics on a regular basis. And when I did, I always tried to emphasize that 1) It’s not easy work, and 2) Brand touches every part of the business.

Events and RSVPs, even today, continue to be a space ripe for innovation. And sometimes, that innovation is around the underlying business model. That’s the thinking behind Lemonvite. Rather than plastering ads all over the site, it provides a simple, straightforward, and uncluttered invite platform for promoting and managing events.

Always searching for signs of a rebound. From reputable sources. So I was happy to see this little listicle pop up on LinkedIn. As I was scrolling, I was immediately like “Oh. THAT Portland.” But then I kept scrolling. Hopeful. And lo and behold, we were the second place Portland. But still interesting to see this list from LinkedIn.

Back to the whole “what exactly is a Portland — or Oregon — startup these days…?” question. But since they’re a distributed team and Embrace‘s President & Chief Product Officer and VP of engineering live here, I’m going to go ahead and cover this. Palo Alto Networks is acquiring Embrace.

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

(2010) Jive Software lands an additional $30 million, bringing more Kleiner Perkins 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.