The Ignite format is a popular one with the tech types. And why wouldn’t it be? Presenting twenty slides in five minutes, conveying a topic about which you are exceptionally passionate? That’s awesome for both the presenter and the audience.
And that’s why SAO has adopted that format for SAO TechIgnite. And they’d like you to present. Read More
Part of Portland and Oregon taking on a larger presence in the tech community means engaging with other communities worldwide.
And one community with which we have some interesting connections is the Israeli tech scene. What kind of connections? Well join the Oregon-Israel Business Alliance and the SAO next week to find out. Read More
There’s something interesting happening in the Portland startup scene. Um. Well duh. That’s about the most platitudinal tripe I could have thrown out there. Who am I talking to? You know that. You see it day in and day out.
But, unfortunately, not everyone does. And that’s why an alphabet soup of organizations—the Portland Development Commission (PDC), the Software Association of Oregon (SAO), and the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network (OEN)—are co-hosting a gathering to celebrate startups, this Thursday. Read More
[Full disclosure: I am on the board of the SAO.] When it comes to professional organizations that touch the Portland startup scene, one of the more contentious entities has been the Software Association of Oregon (SAO). The organization has gone through a number of leaders in the past few years. This summer, the organization found itself with an open president seat, once again. And that led to a number of discussions about the SAO and its leadership, point and counterpoint.
Now, Skip Newberry—who currently serves as economic development policy advisor to Portland Mayor Sam Adams—will be taking on the role of president of the SAO. Read More
[Full disclosure: I sit on the board of the Software Association of Oregon (SAO). In that role, I also serve as a member of the marketing committee. I don’t believe this role has jaundiced my coverage, but I wanted to be open about my involvement.]
Who said nonprofits were boring? Being the president of the Software Association of Oregon (SAO) certainly isn’t. The role has proven to be one of the more tumultuous executive seats here in town. Read More
NedSpace is continuing that momentum, striking up a partnership with industry organizations OEN, SAO, and TechAmerica.
Last summer, many people rejoiced in the fact that the City of Portland had chosen to adopt the Portland Economic Development Strategy. Those of us around here were especially happy that a portion of that Strategy contained the recognition of coworking spaces as a crucial and viable part of Portland’s startup culture.
Among those named in the Strategy, was none other than relative newcomer NedSpace, a coworking space that developed a rapid—and perhaps even rabid—following with the startup crowd. Now, true to form, NedSpace is continuing that momentum, striking up a partnership with industry organizations OEN, SAO, and TechAmerica. Read More
And while it will come as little shock to anyone in the startup scene, the feedback says that SAO members would like… (drum roll please) exactly what the folks in the startup tech scene have been doing: smaller informal discussions at brew pubs.
You may remember the Software Association of Oregon survey I mentioned a few months back. You know the one. The one where the SAO was looking to get some feedback on what direction they should be pursuing? Remember? Well, you must. Because more than 40% of the respondents weren’t even SAO members—and I have to assume that means that you were likely one of those who responded.
Well in any case, the results are in. And they’ve been all munched and crunched and whatnot. And while it will come as little shock to anyone in the startup scene, the feedback says that SAO members would like… (drum roll please) exactly what the folks in the startup tech scene have been doing: smaller informal discussions at brew pubs. Read More
Aside from being the first publicly recognized Portland economic development strategy in 15 years, it’s the first time that Portland has formally recognized the open source, mobile, coworking, and startup community.
[HTML2]While the news coming out of yesterday’s Portland City Council meeting will likely be mired in heated he-said she-said debates about the fate of the 39th Avenue / Cesar Chavez hoopla, something very important happened late in the day: Portland’s City Council unanimously passed the Portland Economic Development Strategy.
Why is this so momentous? Well, aside from being the first publicly recognized economic strategy for Portland in 15 years, it’s the first time that Portland has formally recognized the open source, mobile, coworking, and startup community. And that’s a big step forward. As Eva Schweber says, we should be proud. Read More
The new Software Association of Oregon president gets this whole Portland tech startup scene and Twitter to boot. Meet Matt Nees, the new SAO president.
There’s nothing like good news to start the week. So how about this: the SAO has found a new president. And that’s triply good news.
Why? First, it’s good news for the organization, itself, which has been hard at work to become more relevant for the changing Oregon tech industry. Second, it’s good news for Scott Kveton, who just received confirmation that his interim SAO presidency would indeed be as brief as promised. Third, I think it’s good news because this new president gets this whole Portland tech startup scene—and Twitter to boot.
[HTML2]Usually when you get the infamous “customer satisfaction” survey asking for your input, it’s abundantly clear that what the survey is really designed to do is cover someone’s ass. They don’t want your feedback. They want you to give them five stars across the board and tell them you wouldn’t change a thing.
But this latest survey from the Software Association of Oregon is different. I think—nay I believe—they truly want to hear your feedback. Not just the feedback of existing members. They want feedback from everyone in the Silicon Forest tech scene. Long story short, they want your feedback.
And I believe they want you to be blunt.
Why do I believe this? Any number of reasons. Read More
