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

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

The Shape of Artificial Intelligence – by Alberto Romero

We are the earliest historians of this weird, elusive technology, and as such, it’s our duty to begin a conversation that’s likely to take decades (or centuries, if we remain alive by then) to be fully fleshed out, once spatial and temporal distance reveal what we’re looking at.

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

Why Do A.I. Chatbots Use ‘I’? – The New York Times

Shneiderman and a host of other experts in a field known as human-computer interaction object to this approach. They say that making these systems act like humanlike entities, rather than as tools with no inner life, creates cognitive dissonance for users about what exactly they are interacting with and how much to trust it.

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

These Startups Went From Zero To Unicorn In Under 3 Years

Predictably, it’s an AI-centric group. The three most highly valued among recently funded unicorns founded in the past three years — xAI, Mistral AI and Safe Superintelligence — are all generative AI companies. Overall, a whopping 36 out of the 46 companies on the list are in AI industry categories.

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

Tiger Global’s risky billion-dollar investments in global tech startups – Rest of World

The New York-based hedge fund and venture firm had earned a global reputation for its fast-paced, “spray-and-pray” style of investing, writing giant checks far and wide in hopes that a small number of them would yield outstanding returns. Tiger rarely took board seats, assumed a hands-off approach to oversight, and while it invested in companies at all stages of their life cycle, it became known for driving up company valuations in late-stage deals. In 2021, it was the most prolific venture investor in the world, striking nearly one deal a day. That year, it closed a $6.65 billion fund. By the following year, it raised nearly double that amount, closing — and promptly spending — a $12.7 billion fund in early 2022.

The Portland startup community has its fair share of “firsts.” Those early concepts — from coining “Web 2.0” to the earliest versions of what would become SaaS — didn’t always translate into success, but they played a crucial role on the pathway to continued innovation. Fintech is no different. Portland was home to one of the very first startups that would become commonly known as “neobanks.” And it continues to rethink how people interact with money on a regular basis. And so it should come as little surprise that one of the leading neobanks, Mercury, has a presence here. And Portland-based product manager Alexey Likuev has some news.

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

What’s Next After You Lose Someone’s Money — Charlie O’Donnell – Coach, Author, VC

It’s perfectly reasonable to feel a bit awkward after you’ve lost someone’s money, regardless of whether they’re an individual angel or a venture capital investor. Just because it isn’t technically a VC’s own money wouldn’t make it any less of a black eye within their firm, right?

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.