Portland startups, open source, and tech news, jobs, and events #pdx
While any number of startup accelerator programs have been struggling to convert to a virtual program during this time, always virtual programs — like Founder Gym — hasn’t missed a beat. Because they’ve always been virtual. Their latest class just graduated. And it included a number of Portland area participants.
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It makes sense that I’m composing this post while sitting in a Workfrom cafe. I mean, it’s a virtual cafe. But still. More on that later. What’s top of mind right now is that Workfrom has received a $50,000 non dilutive investment from Google for Startups as part of the Black Founders Fund.
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What do you do when you have insomnia? Well, of course you… What’s that? Oh. Wait what? Oh yeah. That’s a good idea. Damn. But I meant that you could also… Huh? Oh. Oh man. Yeah. That’s super solid. Truly. Shoot. I totally should have thought of that. What I meant to say was — maybe I should rephrase — what do I do when I have insomnia? That’s right. I spend time sifting through the new Y Combinator alum database to figure out which Oregon companies have been through the most preeminent of startup accelerator programs. Duh.
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You’ve no doubt heard it said that getting started is easy. It’s the ability to keep going that’s difficult. Which makes the continued activity around 31 startups admirable. Even if none of these companies hit their goal of being cashflow positive in 90 days.
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When folks are building new things, they have a tendency to build them from their own perspective. And with that, comes the danger of building something that is inaccessible for part — if not all — of the target market they’re looking to serve. That’s why it’s never too early to think about accessibility, so that products are available to and usable by the broadest user base possible.
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It’s practically inevitable. During a downturn, startups are often forced to freeze hiring and reduce headcount. It happens time and time again. And it’s a grim situation for anyone who has to live through it. But from a purely objective viewpoint, having a better understanding of the actual metrics can be an important part of understanding and projecting the potential for recovery from a downturn. So I’m sharing this layoff tracker so folks can keep an eye on it.
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There are any number of venture capital firms outside of Oregon that regularly invest in the Portland startup community. One of those firms — which also boasts a few Portland exits — is Madrona Venture Group out of Seattle. Since they’ve already exhibited a willingness to invest in Portland, I thought it might be valuable for Portland startups to have a better understanding of Madrona’s investment themes for 2020.
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Six weeks. In the world of startups, that might as well be an eternity. But, in reality, it will be here sooner than you think. And so, in many ways, PIE Demo Day 2020 is practically here. So if you’re even remotely interested in seeing some of the newest startups in Portland, it’s probably best that you grab a ticket soon. Like right now.
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Okay okay okay. Maybe I’m still a bit sore that Techstars passed Portland up to make Seattle its Northwest presence. (Admittedly, they made the right decision.) Or maybe it’s the fact that we were only home to a Techstars for a brief shining three months thanks to the inaugural “powered by” program.
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In its latest collection, Supermaker focuses on mental and behavioral health for founders, remote workers, and freelancers.
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