Portland startups, open source, and tech news, jobs, and events #pdx
If there’s anything good to come out of the completely ridiculous and negative inequities of the technology and startup scenes, it’s a series of vibrant organizations that celebrate and champion more diverse groups. Especially in regards to women. You know, those folks that comprise 51% of our population?
Talk to anyone about the Portland startup community and there is often a consistent theme: collaboration. Day in and day out, Portland folks are helping one another. Maybe through mentorship. Maybe through connecting dots. And maybe through kicking in a buck where it can help.
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times: Portland is, by its very nature, a collaborative and collegial community. But even so, it’s rare for us to do a good job of getting a bunch of groups together on a regular basis. That’s why I was happy to see the WITCH Summer Soiree. Read More
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: Portland is a great R&D shop. Especially for ideas that involve community and collaboration. Test it here. Iterate. And then look for opportunities to repeat what you’ve learned. That’s why I’m super happy to hear that Portland’s ChickTech—a tech program designed to encourage high school girls and career level women to pursue technology careers—is looking to take its programming to a much larger stage. Read More
One of the more positive aspects of the talent crunch—from which practically every company is suffering—is a renewed effort to diversify the talent base from which to hire. We’ve seen both code schools—organizations endeavoring to make education more accessible—and discussions about diversity continuing to flourish. New Relic’s FutureTalks is no different. Read More
ChickTech: High School—a yearlong program encouraging high school girls to get involved in the technology industry through hands-on events, mentoring, and internships—is kicking off this year’s series of events on March 1st and 2nd. We’ll have 100 girls, most of whom have never had the opportunity to create a technology project before, at the PSU engineering building all weekend working on a unique creation! Read More
Do you ever wonder who will disrupt today’s disrupters? Or who will disrupt your own startup? As the next generation of makers, hackers, and entrepreneurs enters the marketplace, you have opportunities to get to know them. And given that forty-five percent of Portland Public School students are people of color, you can expect our future disrupters to come from diverse backgrounds. Read More
I’m always a fan of projects that increase the diversity of the tech world and the startup scene. I’ve also been incredibly impressed with how young entrepreneurs are seizing the opportunities before them—sometimes while they’re still in high school. Portland’s ChickTech is hoping to showcase some of that talent. Read More