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

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

Matching Grant Applications Open for Recipients of Federal SBIR and STTR Program Awards

Business Oregon, through the Oregon Innovation Council (Oregon InC), has opened the application period for eligible businesses to apply for matching grants if they have won a federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) award. Oregon companies that have received federal SBIR/STTR awards after January 1, 2024, can apply for Business Oregon’s SBIR/STTR Matching Grant awards.

For many startup communities, college students — and university research projects — can be a source of both inspiration and innovation that drives startup activity. Now, TiE Oregon is striving to bring more recognition to this important startup pipeline with a new pitch competition, the TiE Collegiate Startup Challenge.

A ways back, I caught wind of a funding announcement from a new Portland startup called Fiveonefour, composed of former Nike folks. Well luckily, we have real journalists in our midst who can tell a more complete story. Malia Spencer over at the Portland Business Journal shares that the total amount raised has actually been $17 million.

So much of what I share here tends to be at the very beginning stages of startup pursuits. So I always welcome the opportunity to show examples of those startups making actual progress with customers. Take this case study from Portland startup UrbanForm and their work in Yamhill County.

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

Why Minimus? Ben Bernstein on Building Better Security – Minimus

Every few hours, we scan the internet for new artifacts. When we find them, we automatically apply the latest security patches and create new, secure artifacts for your team to use. These artifacts are minimal by design—so they’re naturally more secure—and they include all the latest security updates straight from upstream sources. When you use Minimus’ secure artifacts, even if you’ve already shipped your software, you see up to 95% fewer vulnerabilities. That means you get 95% of your time back.

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

Every Industry Is An Airport Lounge Now

I’m not being hyperbolic. Everywhere you go, everything you do, every service you pay for—it feels like customer service simply no longer exists. And even worse, most places you go actually make you feel like an asshole for daring to be a customer in the first place. I catch myself constantly asking, “Why am I putting up with this shit?” right before looking down at the Cheez-Doodles or baseball cap I’ve somehow convinced myself I can’t live without.

You may remember that I encouraged you to submit your application to participate in the TiE Women pitch competition a few months back. And why did I say you should do that…? That’s right. Because you could have the chance to be on a global stage. And apparently, some folks listened. Because Howl at the Spoon now has the opportunity to be on a global stage in India for the TiE Women finals.