Strange times. I don’t have any better insights than you do. But I’m trying to make sense of it. Of this weirdness. Of this new abnormal. And trying to find threads or themes or paths that will help us move forward. That will give startups opportunities. And that will give all of us some strange semblance of a light at the end of the tunnel.
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When the pandemic isolation began, many tried and true ways of building connection and community — most notably, meeting face to face with people — disappeared, instantaneously. But the need for community didn’t. If anything, in fact, that need increased. Exponentially. But how are we to maintain and strengthen community in this new normal of self distancing?
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As we move into another week of quarantine, the folks at PIE are working to get you informed — and hopefully entertained — with an ongoing series of conversations with PIE mentors and founders. Next up? PIE mentor Stephen Green, who will be sitting down for an “ask me anything” session.
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Maybe you just moved to Portland. Maybe you’ve recently decided — or have been forced — to consider starting a company of your own and you’re curious about the benefits of startup accelerators. Or maybe you’re just interested in getting more connected to the Portland startup community. Whatever the case, it can often be difficult figuring out where to start or where to go — even during the best of times. Let alone now.
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I’ve tried to get away from promoting active campaigns on fundraising platforms, because I could honestly cover that all day every day. But in this weird new normal, I’m willing to shake it up a bit. Especially because these campaigns are working to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) into the hands of healthcare professionals. And that’s desperately needed.
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I thought I was going to have to cancel the very first PIE Demo Day.
Not in one of those, you know, hollow-threat-coach-voice-yelling “If you startups don’t get your acts together, we’re going to have to cancel demo day!” kind of way. Not at all. I thought we were going to have to cancel it because of forces beyond our control.
I can remember it clearly.
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Happy hours. They’re a thing. For real. And not so long ago, there was a community happy hour that grew into a really, really big thing. And an important and formative thing. But it didn’t start that way.
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Community doesn’t just happen. Ecosystems aren’t just built. In fact, some might say that building community is artificial. It takes effort. And consistency. And communication. And collaboration.
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When folks are talking about startup activity, there are generally a few topics that jump to the fore: starting companies, funding companies, and liquidity events, the euphemism for that point in time when founders, investors, and ideally employees generate wealth from their efforts. But what if that last event — that exit — could also benefit the folks who find the most value in what that company was providing? That’s the concept with Exit to Community.
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Portland might not be the corporate headquarters of New Relic. But it is the engineering headquarters. And, as such, is one of the largest tech employers in the region. So it’s always nice to see them stepping up efforts to support the local community and give back. Like they’ve done with a new effort called NewRelic.org.
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