Portland startups, open source, and tech news, jobs, and events #pdx
One of my concerns about the Portland startup community is that it often takes a significant amount of time for companies to find their way to an exit. And for venture funded companies, it’s all about the exit. So it was a pleasant surprise to see two Portland companies involved in an acquisition—especially when one of those companies was still on the earlier stages of growth. Puppet has acquired Reflect.
Unless you’ve been around the Portland startup community for a while, you may not remember Meridian. Even if you have been around a while, the name might not immediately ring a bell. But it should. Because from my perspective, it was one of the more successful startup exits in Portland. Not in total value, but definitely in multiples returned to investors and the speed at which that investment was returned.
Last week, the Web was all abuzz with this nifty new mobile testing environment from Amazon called AWS Device Farm. Folks were waxing philosophic about the magic of being able to test their mobile apps on real physical devices. And we, here in Portland, were sort of scratching our heads. Wasn’t this what AppThwack does? Well, yes. And yes. You see AWS Device Farm is AppThwack. Read More
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: the Meridian exit is the most underrated exit in Portland startup history. And with that info, you also have to recognize that any chance I have to refer to that positive exit, I will. Like today, when it was confirmed that HP was acquiring Aruba for around $3 billion. Read More
Transitioning from a services company can often be a difficult—if not downright impossible—change, even if it’s from services to a virtual product. Let alone a physical product. But Portland’s Meridian—now part of Aruba Networks—has managed to make that change with spectacular results. Transitioning from Spotlight Mobile to Meridian to heading up efforts on Aruba’s new beacon technology. And all right here from Portland. Read More
When Meridian announced that they had been acquired by Aruba Networks, last month, the terms of the deal were not disclosed. But given that Aruba is publicly traded, those numbers were bound to be revealed at some point. As per usual, Mike Rogoway at The Oregonian was the first to find it. Read More
Another Portland company has had a successful exit—and that also means another successful exit for the Oregon Angel Fund. Indoor mapping startup Meridian has been acquired by Aruba Networks. And it will remain in Portland as a wholly owned subsidiary. Read More
Okay okay. Setting the Google Glass link bait headline aside, Jeff Hardison of Portland-based Meridian—a company that’s reinventing the way we find our way around interior spaces—sat down with Robert Scoble to chat about what Meridian is building. Read More
Portland has one of the better airports around. But when you’re hurrying to a flight or trying to grab a bite between planes, every little bit helps. That’s when a lot of folks pull out their phones and look for a little guidance. Read More
While they might not be able to give you hints on what to get your friends and family, Macy’s and Portland based Meridian just made it a heck of lot easier to find your way around the store, itself. Read More