Startup and tech news, jobs, and events in Portland and Oregon
While some startup communities seem obsessed with the random application of technology, I’ve always been impressed with the Portland startup community’s continued interest in applying technology in ways that make people’s lives better. One of those areas — for decades — has been healthcare. And now, there’s a new player in that realm, specifically around urgent care for kids. Meet Brave Care.
Here in Oregon, we’ve got more than our fair share of amazing consumer product companies. I mean there’s Benchmade, Columbia, Deschutes, Keen, LaCrosse, Nike, Resers, and Tillamook, just to name a few. And there have been exits from companies like 10 Barrel, Brazi Bites, Dakine, Hydroflask, Pacific Foods, Schmidt Naturals, and Stumptown that rival any tech exit. So why in the world don’t isn’t there an accelerator program to connect all of this knowledge and experience with the next generation of consumer products companies?
There are any number of amazing Portland startups. (Clearly. That’s why I’ve been writing about them on this blog for nearly a dozen years.) But every once in a while, a startup comes along that becomes the center of gravity — the proverbial Cinderella story — for a generation of startups around here. Cloudability was very much one of those startups. And today, the denouement of that startup story begins, in the best of ways, with an exit. Cloudability has announced an agreement to be acquired by Apptio.
There was a time, not so long ago, when the Portland startup community used to gather on a regular basis at a happy hour called Beer and Blog. It was a time to catch up with friends. A time to make new connections. A place to send folks when they were looking to get better connected to the community. And it’s how many folks who are still involved in the Portland startup community met one another, originally.
We’re approaching the end of another Women’s History Month, which means you can be expecting a recap of Built Oregon’s month long effort to feature Oregon consumer product companies led by women. But ahead of that, I thought it might be nice to highlight women founders from the Portland startup community who presented at PIE Demo Days.
PIE, the Portland Incubator Experiment, turns 10 this year. And it’s been five years since the last PIE Demo Day, where founders from the accelerator program take the stage to share stories about the companies they’re building. But now, the clock has been reset. PIE Demo Day 2019 took place on March 14 (Pi Day, course). And the replay is already available for your weekend viewing.
After a blistering January of blogging, it’s gotten a little quiet around these parts. I apologize. But rest assured, it’s not you, Portland. It’s me. I’ve been heads down working with the PIE and PIE Shop startups on their PIE Demo Day 2019 pitches. And I’ve been working with my Startup Champions Network peers on the Startup Champions Summit. And, of course, working on Portland Startup Week 2019. All of which has made it super quiet around here. Mea culpa.
Hopefully, you’ve all been tuning in to Stephen Green’s tweets highlighting some amazing black entrepreneurs in Portland. It’s become a tradition designed to help celebrate Black History Month. This year, however, the celebration isn’t just virtual. On the last day of the month, there will be two in person opportunities to celebrate Black History Month and the black entrepreneurs in our community.
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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Portland is nothing if not collaborative. So it would only make sense that a bunch of the Portland startup community would band together to help welcome the newest startup support organization in to town, WeWork Labs Portland. And what better way to show that support than to gather in celebration of the launch of the project.