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

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

Silicon Valley bets $200M on AI data centers floating in the ocean – Ars Technica

The latest investment round of $140 million is intended to help the company Panthalassa complete a pilot manufacturing facility near Portland, Oregon, and speed up deployments of wave-riding “nodes” designed to generate electrical power, according to a May 4 press release. Instead of sending renewable energy to a land-based data center, the floating nodes would directly power onboard AI chips and transmit inference tokens representing the AI models’ outputs to customers worldwide via satellite link.

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

Full-Cycle Sales Rep (Commission-Only, Contractor) Job at Topsail

This is a full-cycle sales role responsible for sourcing opportunities, running the sales process, and closing new business. You’ll work closely with the founders and Topsail leadership along the way, with the opportunity to help shape the sales motion as we grow. This is a strong fit for someone who enjoys building, wants meaningful upside, and is comfortable selling in an early-stage environment where support is available but initiative is expected.

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

Write some software, give it away for free

If you think of software development as a hobby like painting or playing an instrument or getting exercise in the woods, then it starts to make a lot more sense why someone would wish to take a loss on it. The real gain isn’t always money; it’s experience, discovery, new perspectives, and sometimes personal goals.

Turns out, when I said Portland Startup Week had “a whole bunch of AI stuff in a variety of flavors” and then didn’t list any of it that — surprise — people actually wanted a list of AI events that are happening next week. Fair. Happy to oblige.

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

AI best practices: If at first you don’t succeed, prompt, prompt again – GeekWire

What follows is practical advice on how to use AI as a power tool rather than a slot machine. For a simple request, it’s overkill, but if you’re serious about prompting, read on.

Our friends at Latino Founders just opened applications for its Next Wave Startup Lab — Climate Edition — a 3-day crash-course-style workshop running May 29–31, 2026, in Portland. Applications are rolling, but they close the same day the workshop kicks off.