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

If you’ve ever talked to me about startup accelerators, you know that my current take is that they need to have a focus. The “generic startups accelerator” game is over. Today’s startup accelerators need to pick an area of expertise to stand out in the crowd. Like the Oregon UAS Accelerator. And now, the Oregon AI Accelerator.

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

A good business vs. a useful idea | Seth’s Blog

A business thrives when it can charge a premium–selling something for more than it costs. That means that there has to be a competitive advantage, an asset that produces value. Easy substitutions are a challenge for businesses, but useful ideas are often based on how easy they are to share.

Your November dispatch from the Office of Small Business

Shop Small Saturday is coming up on November 29, a great time to celebrate and support local businesses. City of Portland is going to offer free parking for on-street parking and all five SmartPark locations sponsored by Portland Bureau of Transportation.

There’s a champion. And then there’s the champion of champions. You know that champion that was named the champ once and then goes on to become the champion that defeats all the other champions…? That’s right, champ. And it’s that time of year. Demolicious Champion of Champions 2025 is coming up in a month. So who is in the running…?

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

How to actually raise your round

So let’s talk about what it takes to raise a round. Not because it’s secret. Because it’s messy and non-linear and involves way more psychology than Excel, and admitting that feels like admitting you’re doing it wrong.

What’s bigger and better news than a Portland startup raising a bunch of capital…? That’s easy. A Portland startup landing a major customer that has the potential to result in substantial revenue. Which is exactly what happened this week with Prophetic and namebrand customer DR Horton.