.

Tag: Entrepreneur

GenJuice: Official Gen Y entrepreneur tour swings by Portland June 23

A conference that’s based on both entrepreneurial innovation and the age of those innovators. Introducing the official US Gen Y innovation tour, GenJuice.

There are any number of events and conferences and camps in Portland that work to get likeminded people in the same room. Generally, these revolve around a certain topic. Like a coding language or a blogging platform or cyborgs.

But now, we’re getting the chance to experience something a little different. It’s a conference that’s based on both entrepreneurial innovation and the age of those innovators. Introducing the official US Gen Y innovation tour, GenJuice.

The tour has a crazy schedule. We travel to 13 cities over 40 days. We will be in Portland for two days. On the first day, we travel around the city interviewing young entrepreneurs who we admire. We stream all of these video interviews and videos of us exploring the city on the GenJuice website.

On the last day in each city, we hold our “unconference” event and tweetup for approximately 60-75 attendees all between 17 – 29. At these unconferences, attendees will get a fun introductory performance from local artists, hear a keynote from a seasoned local entrepreneur and lead/contribute to attendee-led discussions.

What’s more, they’re looking for young entrepreneurs to interview. So if you’re one of those type of folks—which I think you may be—why not comment below and we’ll get you connected with the GenJuice folks?

Interested in attending a meetup with the GenJuic folks on June 23? You can sign up to meet with GenJuice on Wednesday afternoon. Need more info? Like GenJuice on Facebook or follow GenJuice on Twitter.

A Portland entrepreneur and a Portland startup made Super Bowl ad appearances? Indeed they did.

You see, two Portland area Silicon Florist favorites made their Super Bowl ad debuts last weekend, entrepreneur Jason Glaspey and travel network BootsnAll Parislogue.

[HTML3]You know, sometimes you’re sitting there, watching one of the largest sporting events on earth. And you think you see something or hear something that has you doing a bit of a double take. Did I just see what I thought I saw? Did that guy just say what I thought he said?

Sure enough. In both cases. You see, two Portland area Silicon Florist favorites made their Super Bowl ad debuts last weekend, entrepreneur Jason Glaspey and travel network BootsnAll. Read More

MioWorks closes doors but leaves with valuable startup lessons in hand

David Abramowski the former CEO of MioWorks has shared some tips from what he learned, in the hopes that other entrepreneurs and startups don’t make similar mistakes.

It’s unfortunate to see Portland and Silicon Forest startups suffer shutdowns, be it at the hands of the economy or otherwise. But on the upside, it’s alway good to see the execs taking lessons away from their efforts. And even better when they share them with the rest of us.

Mike Berkley provided some insights he learned after SplashCast shut down. And now, with the the shuttering of MioWorks—a people-centric project and customer relationship management app that also happened to speak Spanish—David Abramowski the former CEO of MioWorks has shared some tips based on what he learned during the journey, in the hopes that other entrepreneurs don’t make similar mistakes. Read More

Need a little more detail on that startup? Try VentureMash

What’s VentureMash? It’s like a more open version of CrunchBase that allows entrepreneurs to categorize and maintain information on their projects.

When it comes to definitive resources to house information on startups around here, the options are fairly slim. You can track it yourself, you can read the fluff I write here, you can pay for a subscription to a research service, or you can work to embed the information you’re seeking into existing resources like AboutUs.

And that, my friends, is what we in the biz like to call “an opportunity.” Well, leave it to some enterprising entrepreneurs to take that opportunity and run with it. Introducing Portland-based VentureMash. Read More

Angels in Oregon: The definitive guide to early stage investment opportunities for both startups and potential investors

In Oregon and Washington, there are many activities that give startup companies the chance to present to Angel Investors.

[Editor: John Sechrest has put together what is, arguably, the most comprehensive collection of Oregon Angel events and organizations in existence. It’s an honor to have the opportunity to publish this guest post.]

[HTML1]Just as the sun is starting to fade and the rain is starting to be a daily occurrence, the Northwest Startup Ecosystem is starting to bloom.  During the quiet of the summer, seeds were being planted, companies reviewed and now in October, things start to move. In Oregon and Washington, there are many activities that give startup companies the chance to present to Angel Investors.

In Oregon, there is a flow to the year. Beginning with small opportunities to get out in front of people and followed by big events that can put you in front of potential investors. Read More

For Oregon startups, nothing is certain but death and taxes. Perhaps both in conjunction, given these taxes.

What you may not know is that there are some new taxes on the books that—according to Oregonians Against Job-Killing Taxes—may make those two hurdles even higher.

If you’ve ever spent any time in the startup scene in the Silicon Forest, you’ve likely heard that there are two major hurdles for entrepreneurs around here: 1) that the State of Oregon—and sometimes the City of Portland—aren’t terribly friendly to startups and 2) that it’s really difficult to attract capital from investors.

What you may not know is that there are some new taxes on the books that—according to Oregonians Against Job-Killing Taxes—may make those two hurdles even higher.

How so? Well, they’re going to be discussing the impact of those taxes at NedSpace Old Town on Thursday October 22 at 4:30 PM. Read More

Entrepreneurs’ Organization launches Portland Accelerator

Seems like more and more folks are interested in helping Portland startups spin up. Now, a new program called Portland Accelerator is launching a new program in town. It’s designed to serve as a “catalyst that enables first-stage entrepreneurs to catapult their business to the next level.”

And to introduce the program to Portland, the Portland Accelerator folks will be holding a get together on September 15 at Ruby Receptionists. Read More

Startup curious? Startupday 2009 could help awaken your inner entrepreneur

[HTML2]To many, the lure of entrepreneurial pursuits is overwhelming. They’re driven to start stuff. And as such, they can’t help but startup everything from side projects to full-fledged companies. They’re crazy that way.

But what if you’ve got a great idea and nowhere to start? What if you’re not quite sure how to dip you toe in the water? What if you’re not even sure you’d have what it takes to be an entrepreneur?

Well, there’s a new event—put on by the fine folks at Seattle 2.0—this September that may be able to help you make that decision: introducing Startupday 2009. Read More

Portland, Oregon, is the most entrepreneurial town in the world

It seems there’s a bit of contention and kerfuffle about a recent Entrepreneur piece on the most “startup friendly cities in the US.” Why? Because Portland—and a number of other “not seen as startup hub” towns—made it to the list while traditional metropolitan juggernauts—like Boston, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle—were left by the wayside.

I didn’t think much of it when I mentioned the Entrepreneur article—Portland is one of the best entrepreneurial cities—the other day.

But a post by John Cook on the TechFlash blog got me doing some heavy thinking about the list—and Portland in general. Read More

Entrepreneur: Portland is one of the best entrepreneurial cities

[HTML1]From the “telling you what you already know” department, Portland is a great place for startups, it seems. No, I’m serious.

Don’t believe me? Well, how about Entrepreneur magazine? They’ve named Portland, Oregon, one of the best cities in which to be an entrepreneur, nicknaming the Portland “the cooperator.”

Read More