Startup and tech news, jobs, and events in Portland and Oregon
It’s almost the new year. And for many folks, that means it’s prime time to search for a new job. If you’re in that boat, there are a number of startup companies — and established companies like Nike and Stumptown — that are looking to hire.
Sometimes, you find services incredibly valuable, but you can’t seem to find a way to repay them for what they do. That’s what I love about Patreon. it provides a platform that lets folks tell creators how important their work is. And that’s why I’m really happy to see an incredibly valuable resource like Workfrom giving us the chance to give back.
Everyone knows that Apple can be a little stringent when it comes to approving applications and content for the App Store. So it’s no surprise that Portland startup Torch has had to make a couple of attempts to get some content approved. But the reason they’re getting rejected? That’s what’s interesting.
Okay. There’s a lot more to dig into here… but just to get the news out. We’re going to have WeWork Labs in Portland. Great right? Even better? It’s going to be headed up by none other than startup ecosystem builder extraordinaire and the unofficial mayor of Portland Stephen Green.
There was a time that there were nearly a dozen startup accelerators in Portland. All with demo days of various flavors. Some were targeted at investors. Some at corporations. Some at community. But what they all had in common was celebration. Celebrating a group of founders and the companies they were building.
Startup exits—or “liquidity events” as they call them in the biz—are great. And when the exits are multiples of the amount of capital a company has raised, they’re great for both the founders and the investment community. But sometimes the impact of those exits and their impact on the Portland startup community can be a little more nuanced. So I thought I’d share some thoughts on why the recent Cozy and Radar exits are important to our community.
I realize that it’s not going to come as a shock to anyone that Portland needs more diverse speakers and viewpoints and topics in its startup events. You know, something to stem the neverending tide of manels around here. And that’s why I’m really happy to get the chance to share two new events focused on women entrepreneurs.
As much as I love Portland, there are still any number of things — or lack thereof — that can cause a ton of frustration. Like the lack of infrastructure for getting connected to the startup community. Time and time again, I hear from folks how difficult it is to get connected. Because while Portland tends to be a very one-on-one meeting sort of town, it’s not obvious where to start.
We’ve all been there. An unintended awkward situation. At the most inopportune time. Maybe it’s emotionally awkward. Perhaps it’s physical. But it happens. And boy oh boy does everyone later wish we’d been able to avoid that situation altogether. Honing in on that feeling? Cool. Because that’s part of the motivation behind Portland startup AllGo.