Portland startups, open source, and tech news, jobs, and events #pdx
Sure. There are tons of articles, posts, templates, and guidance on how to build the perfect pitch deck for your startup. But until you put that deck in front of an investor, you’re never really sure if it’s actually got what it takes. So every little bit of feedback helps. Like this upcoming event from OEN on “Investor Decks: Content and Design Strategies.”
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Getting a little sad when you realize that Portland Startup Week is almost over? Well turn that frown upside down, my friend. Because there’s another week of amazing programming, gatherings, and open houses all next week with Design Week Portland.
Like the return of spring, it’s always nice to see the return of activity to the Portland startup community. As we shake off the slow down of the holidays, quickly lose that new year smell, and get back to full speed ahead. And this year, it may just be me, but March and April seem pleasantly even more crowded than usual.
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[UPDATE] Unfortunately, an unforeseen travel conflict for the speaker is going to require Design Museum Portland to reschedule this event.
In the cannabis industry — where it often seems that 90% of the dispensaries have chosen green as their main color — the case for imbuing the industry with more creativity and design talent is a compelling one. Because, as we’ve seen before, enabling consumers to differentiate among brands in a increasingly crowded marketplace may be the difference between success and failure — especially for startups.
[Editor’s note: The following is a guest post from Duane Benson of Screaming Circuits.]
Oregon has a long history with electronics hardware design, going back to the early days of Tektronix and Intel. Those two technology pioneers begat hardware startup companies like Radisys, InFocus, Planar, and a host of others. But over the last two decades, the local tech startup scene has been much more about the Internet and software than it has been about chips and solder.
Startups, while exciting and invigorating, are also completely frustrating. So much to do. And so little help. That’s why I’m always a fan of folks who help startups out of this predicament. Like Old Friend. Who has an offering that could help alleviate at least one of those tasks.
It’s only fitting, as I sit here in a hotel lobby in Kansas City following a couple of days of talking about startup communities and startup ecosystems, that I’m listening to Marcelino Alvarez of Portland’s Uncorked Studios talk about community.
These days, I don’t know that many people underestimate the value of design. But many of us realize that we’re still not using it to its full potential. So if you’re one of those folks who wants to get more effective and more strategic about your design and design thinking, you might want to make time to attend the next Design Museum Mornings.
Given the world we live in, we are constantly reminded that nothing has a great deal of permanence. But that’s not all negative. There is much to be learned from the deterioration of things. And there is much be considered. Which is exactly what Design Museum Mornings is doing with Heidi Schwegler, award-winning artist and Chair of MFA in Applied Craft and Design (OCAC/PNCA), at Deconstructing Design.
Portland’s Weeks are starting to become almost as prevalent as Portland’s Camps used to be. And that’s a good thing. Let’s take a second to step away from the most immediate Week—Portland Startup Week—to talk about another awesome upcoming Week that will be valuable to startups, Design Week Portland. Read More