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Tag: pdx11

Interested in helping PDX11 build its mentor matching system?

If you’re a coding type or a mentoring type, your weekend may have just gotten a little busier. Especially if you’re interested in helping PDX11 build out their “mentor matching software,” a system for connecting would-be mentors with those folks who could use mentorship.

How can you get involved? Join the PDX11 crew this Saturday at Collective Agency for a code sprint. Read More

Mentor? Mentee? Mentor you? Mentor me? Let’s all get mentory, Portland

A few years ago, the primary complaint about the Portland startup scene used to be pretty consistent. “Lack of funding.” It seemed to be the one thing upon which everyone could agree to complain. But then companies like Act-on, ShopIgniter, Urban Airship, Puppet Labs, PHP Fog, and COLOURlovers had to go and shoot that full of holes. Read More

Sad irony: Portland Development Commission (PDC) forced to reduce staff including Gerald Baugh, the Software Cluster lead

If you’ve been even remotely involved in the Portland software scene over the past 18 months or so, you’ve no doubt encountered PDX11, the work of the Portland Development Commission (PDC), or efforts surrounding the “Portland Software Cluster,” an initiative designed to help the businesses and workers in Portland focus on economic pursuits in which it already excels—for the benefit of everyone. Read More

Portland, the city that hacks: PDX-OSGEO, Japan Crisis Camp, and PDX11 civic hackathons, Friday and Saturday

If there’s one thing I love about the City of Portland, it’s the startups. If there’s another thing I love about Portland, it’s the beer. But another thing I like about Portland? It will never pass up an opportunity to get a bunch of folks in the room to hack on stuff. And this weekend is no different.

On April 1 and 2, there are two big hackathons taking place, the PDX-OSGEO / Japan Crisis Camp hackathon on Friday and the PDX11 civic hackathon on Saturday. Read More

If Portland is truly going to foster the startup scene, user groups are a critical component

Nearly four years ago when I started this little blog, one of the huge motivating factors for doing so was Portland’s vibrant user group community. In a town of geekery, openness, collaboration, and collegial interactions, the user groups—be they language focused or discipline focused—are perfectly suited for the way we tinker, the way we work, and the way we create.

Ironically enough, user groups are also underserved. They seem to be doing well enough on their own. They’re grassroots by nature. They just keep going and going without much help. But if we are truly going to foster the Portland startup scene, we must find ways to strengthen the user group community. Read More