Portland Oregon Startup and Tech News
I know, I know. It’s not exactly a rarity for me to babble about the Portland startup community. What is rare, however, is that someone takes the time to make it intelligible and digestible. But that’s just what Engine has done with their #startupseverywhere series.
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times: It’s so much easier to build a diverse company from the ground up than it is to try to retroactively unwind a white dude company later. So the sooner startups start thinking about a diverse workforce, the better off they’ll be in the long run. And if you need help to think about that diversity? There’s a startup for that: ScoutSavvy.
You know me, I’m always a fan of people who stop talking about doing something and actually start doing something. Even if other folks have tried to do that something before. So when a group of folks approached me with the idea of creating an online resource for startups in our community, what did I say?
For early stage startups, the idea of briefing industry analysts may seem like something to pursue in the distant future. But for the types of business-to-business companies Portland builds, they can be a great way to get in front of large corporate customers and buyers—especially if they think you’re cool. Like the way Gartner feels about Portland startup Lucid Meetings.
As the Portland startup community continues to work toward being more inclusive, a recent report from the Kapor Center couldn’t be more well-timed. The “Tech Leavers Study” captures evidence on why people “voluntarily” left jobs in the tech industry. The findings aren’t surprising. But the quantification of the detrimental impact of toxic startup cultures is. To the tune of $16 billion a year.
People always say that once you’ve caught the startup bug, it’s hard to shake it. And I can’t think of any better example than Linda Weston. After 17 years of heading up the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network, she decided to “retire.” But as any founder knows, “retire” is just a euphemism for “take time to see if any of my side projects have legs.” And Linda is no different. Read More
Every year, as the year draws to a close, I like to go back and thumb through the stories that appeared on Silicon Florist. To take a look at everything from the companies mentions to the number of words I managed to shove into a mangled headline. As always, it’s an opportunity to visualize the year as an old school word cloud. Read More
The virtuous cycle. We hear about it all the time. Someone starts a company, successfully exits that company, generates wealth for founders and employees, and then that group uses those new financial resources to reinvest in the community. Which leads to someone starting a company… Read More
One of my favorite things about the ever increasing popularity of startups is the fact that they’re no longer beholden to any single location. You don’t have to be in the Valley. You don’t have to be in the city. You just have to start. Wherever you are. So it makes sense that organizations designed to support entrepreneurs are extending their resources to help. Read More
If Portland’s Stephen Green has said it once, he’s said it a million times: “If you can’t see it… you can’t be it.” It’s an incredibly succinct way of describing the need for role models with whom you can relate. And that’s why he’s making sure that Portland’s black founders get seen. With PitchBlack, a regular gathering that showcases Portland’s community of black entrepreneurs. Read More
