Portland startups, open source, and tech news, jobs, and events #pdx
In case you haven’t been tracking, former Simple cofounder Shamir Karkal has been quietly building another fintech startup here in Portland. But after today, it might not be “quietly” much longer. You see, that company, Sila, just raised $13 million.
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As mentioned previously today, Portland’s Simple is being shuttered by acquirer BBVA ahead of PNC completing the acquisition of BBVA USA properties. Not only did the move adversely impact many of our fellow Portlanders and the Portland fintech community — as did the similar shuttering of Azlo today — but it also marked the end of a banking story of David and Goliath proportions. Where Goliath won.
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When the news of Simple’s acquisition hit this morning, it immediately dawned on me that I have been so incredibly lucky to be around—recording and blogging—the company’s entire Portland existence. Read More
Portland-based Simple has a very lofty goal: to build a better banking experience. Or to be more blunt: to build a bank that doesn’t suck. And after a year with customers using the platform, Simple appears well on their way to satisfying that goal. Read More
Not so long ago, BankSimple announced that they had decided to consolidate their New York, San Francisco, and Portland offices, by moving their headquarters to Portland.
Today, they announced another change for the company. They’re no longer BankSimple. Now, they’re simply Simple. Read More
While we were all excited to have BankSimple deciding to headquarter in Portland—and we’ve all been looking forward to “a bank that doesn’t suck”—many of us have been wondering about exactly what functionality BankSimple plans to release in their first iteration. Read More
It wasn’t so long ago that Alex Payne moved to Portland. And co-founded a new startup that wasn’t anywhere near Portland. That startup was BankSimple.
As time went on, Alex helped the BankSimple office in Portland grow, made some interesting local hires, and continued to work as the company landed more funding for its cause—reinventing the consumer experience with banks. Read More
It’s always nice to report on Portland funding news. This time, it’s BankSimple—whom we count as a Portland company thanks to their CTO and co-founder Alex Payne and their dev shop being located here in Portland. The company just landed an additional $10 million in financing and added Visa, Bancorp, CBW, Allpoint, and Andera to their partner list. Read More
A few years back, I had the opportunity to run a BarCamp Portland session called “From side project to startup.” I’ve always liked that thought. Because it’s a dream that so many of us have. To work on something we love—even if it’s on the side. And for that project to build so much momentum and find users and find revenue. And that we could make it our job. Day in and day out.
Well, I never believed it would happen to me. But with Silicon Florist and PIE, it has. Read More
Well, Alex Payne, CTO and co-founder of BankSimple, took a few minutes to sit down with Startup Weekly and to share some of his thoughts.
It’s not often that someone tries to reinvent the banking industry. Especially from Portland, Oregon. But that’s exactly what the folks from BankSimple‘s Portland outpost are doing on a daily basis.
What’s it like? Well, Alex Payne, CTO and co-founder of BankSimple, took a few minutes to sit down with Startup Weekly and share some of his thoughts. Read More