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

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

Taylor Soper named director of Seattle’s AI House after remarkable run at GeekWire – GeekWire

After more than 13 years as a GeekWire reporter and editor, Taylor Soper is preparing for his next big assignment: he’ll soon join AI2 Incubator as director of AI House, the Seattle startup hub that has quickly become a gathering place for AI founders, practitioners, and researchers.

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

Software Bonkers — by Craig Mod

Simply put: It’s a big mess, and no off-the-shelf accounting software does what I need. So after years of pain, I finally sat down last week and started to build my own. It took me about five days. I am now using the best piece of accounting software I’ve ever used.

Okay okay. I know I’m still struggling with the whole “What even is a Portland startup…?” question in this remote first post pandemic world. But this one is more than a Earth Class Mail PO Box mixup. This actually has a real Portland footprint. With known Portland folks. So I’m going with it. Depot has raised $10 million.

Call me old. (No, seriously. Do. Because it’s true.) Back in my day, a hackathon was an entire weekend affair. You showed up on Friday night. You ate terrible pizza. You drank way too much coffee or Mountain Dew or your caffeinated beverage of choice. You maybe even slept under a table. Or fell asleep unintentionally while typing. And if you and your team members managed to gel then maybe by Sunday evening you had something that — if you squinted — kind of worked. Kind of prototypey. And you were super proud of that.

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

Washington House passes 9.9% ‘millionaires tax’ as business leaders warn of ‘seismic shift’ – GeekWire

The bill passed the House with a 51-46 vote. No Republican lawmakers supported the measure and eight Democrats voted against it. One member was excused. It now returns to the Senate for agreement, and then moves to the governor. The legislative session is scheduled to end tomorrow.

I know Marcelo Calbucci from way way back in the world of startups. So when he told me was working on something new, I immediately wanted to help. That new thing…? It’s called Startup Day. And it’s taking place in Seattle on May 15, 2026. And if you act fast, you can grab a ticket at the lowest price available.

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

Portland small businesses grapple with rising costs, reputation challenges – Axios Portland

Portland has long been seen as a haven for small businesses, a city with the ingenuity and creative spirit that fosters off-beat shops, innovative restaurants and funky new brands, but standing up and sustaining those business isn’t easy these days.

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

Oregon Startup leaders raise alarm over undoing QSBS exemptions – Portland Business Journal

What has the startup and investor community up in arms is a provision that removes a tax exclusion for gains made on the sale of qualified small business stocks. These stocks are typically those held by founders or early investors in companies and are seen as the potential upside for the risk that entrepreneurs and investors take in starting a business.