Portland startups, open source, and tech news, jobs, and events #pdx
We love our shiny new tech around these parts. Even if it’s not quite ready for mass consumption. That’s why I was excited to see that Portland’s Torch 3D was accepting applications for an early sneak peek at its virtual/augmented/mixed reality editing environment.
One of the things that has defined the maturity of the Portland startup community has been a notable lack of serial founders, folks who have had the experience of building and exiting from a company who then take the opportunity to build their next company. Slowly but surely, that’s starting to change. Take, for example, Portland startup Streem.
It’s no secret that Portland likes its shiny new technology. We’re among the earliest of adopters and the most curious of hobbyists with all sorts of newfangled stuff. And that means that once a technology enters the popular lexicon, we tend to be fairly well phrased in its applications and potential. So when it comes to technology like Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Artificial Intelligence, folks in Portland have a great deal to say. And they’ll be doing exactly that during the next Portland Business Journal Power Breakfast.
It’s no secret that the Portland startup community has more than its fair share of virtual reality and augmented reality activity. But it’s only going to be a truly interesting, compelling, and vibrant with a variety of voices and experiences. That’s why it’s awesome to see folks like Kerri Lynne Thorp who are working to ensure that everyone feels welcome in this burgeoning community.
As we all know, when you’re in a startup, money is tight. But every little bit of exposure has the potential of completely changing the course of your company. How do you reconcile the two? You take advantage of discounts, scholarships, and grants. Like this one that Business Oregon is offering up to help fund a trip to London for VR/AR folks.
It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of what’s happening in Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality in Portland. It seems to be the perfect mixture of Portland curiosity, creativity, and coding. The only thing holding it back at this point is more folks covering the space. That’s why I’m happy to see the New School VR podcast becoming, ahem, a reality. Read More
Nothing like breaking in a new space. And the recently announced Instrument Cookie Shop is starting things off with a bang. By bringing Kent Bye of Voices of VR and Paul Reynolds formerly of Magic Leap to help launch the Cookie Shop, a popup VR space designed to explore interesting topics for the Portland tech community. Read More
One good story deserves another, so speaking of Oregon Story Board… Virtual Reality isn’t the only reality they’re exploring in Portland. Following up on the grant they garnered from Microsoft, the digital storytelling accelerator now offers Augmented Reality development training specifically designed for the Microsoft HoloLens environment. Read More
Augmented reality. So it simply makes sense that Mobile Portland—the best user group for mobile types—is providing some insight into augmented reality, tonight.
If you ask me—not that you did but let’s just pretend—what the hottest topic in the Portland startup scene is, I would be compelled—nay obligated—to say “Mobile.” And I would probably punctuate that with something terribly intelligent like, “… duh.”
But it’s true. Portland is crazy about mobile development. As such, it has managed to carve out a community that is doing some incredibly compelling things. And one of the most interesting new facets of mobile development? Augmented reality. So it simply makes sense that Mobile Portland—the best user group for mobile types—is providing some insight into augmented reality, tonight. Read More