If there’s one thing I love, it’s early stage startups. The ideas. The optimism. The courage. But sometimes, it’s difficult to garner that courage. Or test that idea. That’s why things like Lab2Market are so great. Read More
Looking for an excuse to head to Bend? Bend Venture Conference applications are open
If you’re a startup type, you owe yourself a trip to Bend. Ton of activity. Great entrepreneurs. And a growing investment community. All within the confines of a smaller and much more tightly knit community. And honestly, there’s no better time to experience all Bend has to offer the startup world than Bend Venture Conference. Read More
The long and the short of it: Nedspace hosts tallest founder in tiniest office
Summer school: Hack Oregon opens applications for next class of Hack University
Here in Oregon, we like to do things a little differently. Even when it comes to something as structured as coding. We’ve got traditional code schools. But we’ve also got Hack Oregon. It’s not a code school, per se. It’s more of a code university, rethinking the model for teaching people to code and work among other developers. Read More
Summer road trips: Two Portland startups accepted to two different Techstars programs
Ah summer. The best time of year to be in Portland. But startups have to be opportunistic. And do whatever they can to succeed. Even if that means leaving the Rose City during the best time to be here. And that’s exactly what Portland startups Brightwork and Chroma are doing. Read More
Getting personal: Lytics Personalization provides a simple way to customize content for a wide variety of web visitors
Remember back in the old days of the web? You know, back when “the Web” was actually a proper noun? When we all got served up the same silly banner advertisement or message every time we visited a site? With the prevalence of personalization the web now affords, that seems trite and dated. But it’s still not easy. Unless you’re using Portland startup Lytics’ newest offering, Lytics Personalization. Read More
Rose City (Tetris) 'Til I Die
The Portland Timbers are no strangers to the world of video games. I mean, they had that little game where Timber Joey bravely lopped of the heads of encroaching Seattle Flounders. But now, the Timbers Army is getting their own treatment, inspired by something for which the Army is well known—one of its chants. Read More
Buy low: How Portland got creative with funding for startups amidst an awful recession
To many folks in the startup community, the Portland Seed Fund has always been here. It’s become such a prominent part of the early stage investments in town. But it wasn’t always that way. And it took some foresight from a variety of local leaders to bet on spending when the economy was in the doldrums to make it happen.
Read MoreWhat investors want startups to know: A conversation with Corey Schmid of Seven Peaks Ventures
It’s no secret that there’s a limited number of investors in Oregon. Which means there’s not a lot of crossover between the startup investment community—unless folks are raising. But there aren’t a lot of conversations, information sharing, or mutual understanding. It’s often just checks—or lack thereof. That’s why it’s always nice to hear from the investors, firsthand, about their world and what sort of things they’re looking for. Read More
Continuing the momentum: Portland Startup Weekend Latino takes place June 24-26, 2016
Much to its credit, Portland is really good at starting things. At trying new stuff. And at leveraging its culture of curiosity and experimentation in ways that result in really interesting concepts. What it’s not often good at is doing something for a second time. And that’s why it’s awesome to see Portland Startup Weekend Latino capitalizing on its momentum from last year to run the for a second year. Read More