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Tag: Startups

Why is Portland a good town for startups?

Rick Turoczy on March 2, 2011

You know me. I’ll rarely pass up a chance to champion Portland as the perfect place to start your startup. And if you read the blog, you know I’ll rarely pass up the opportunity to feature Portland startup darling Urban Airship, either. Throw in a Pete Grillo mention and I simply have to post.

But I was worried I was getting caught up in my fanboi-ness. So I let it sit for a week. Guess what? I still think it’s good stuff. So I’m running it. Here’s Scott Kveton, CEO of Urban Airship, on Portland, his company, and being an entrepreneur via Startup Weekly. Read More

Portland Ten thinks bigger, plans expansion to become the United States 100 or Global 1000 or something

Rick Turoczy on January 25, 2011

Let’s say you’re a startup that’s interested in helping other startups grow and prosper. You’ve had a successful run at the local level. But you’re still looking to continue to expand and improve your programs. What to do?

Well, you might consider expanding outside the Portland area. Increase your reach. And take your program nationwide. That’s exactly what the Portland Ten—a local “startup bootcamp”—is proposing to do. Read More

Clicky talks about their business, startups, venture capital, and differences between Portland and the Valley

Clicky, a four-year old Web analytics startup here in Portland—that also provides the analytics right here on Silicon Florist—sat down to chat with Startup Weekly recently. During the interview, they cover everything from building a startup to comparing Portland and the Valley to venture capital.

Rick Turoczy on January 12, 2011

While it’s great to read about startups in Portland, sometimes—actually often—you’d like to hear the story directly from the people who are building the startups. That’s what’s happening with Startup Weekly, a new show that talks to Portland area entrepreneurs.

The guys who built Clicky, a four-year old Web analytics startup here in Portland—that also provides the analytics right here on Silicon Florist—sat down to chat with Startup Weekly recently. During the interview, they cover everything from building a startup to comparing Portland and the Valley to venture capital. Read More

Everything is a product management problem

Everything is a product management problem. Not just the product. Not just features. Not just platforms. Everything you do.

Rick Turoczy on November 9, 2010

I was going through some posts I had written years ago for other blogs when I happened upon one that—while originally targeted at helping folks reassess their careers—seemed to play really well in the realm of being an entrepreneur and building startups.

The basis of the post is this: Everything is a product management problem. Not just the product. Not just features. Not just platforms. Everything you do. Read More

Portland startups take note: Kleiner Perkins is going after the social Web in a big way

Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers just launched a $250 million fund focused on social Web startups.

Rick Turoczy on October 21, 2010

[HTML3]It’s true. Most of the time I try to keep an increasingly myopic eye on the startup and tech scene in Portland, Oregon, and the surrounding areas. Not even all startups mind you. Mostly those focused on Web apps, mobile, and open source pursuits. In all honesty, there’s more than enough there to cover.

But every once in a while, there’s some earth shattering news that forces me to look outside the region. And to cover more broad reaching stories. And it just so happens one of those stories broke today. You see, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers just launched a $250 million fund focused on social Web startups. Read More

Checking in on Portland Ten and its drive to incubate 10 $1 million Portland startups by October 2010

The Portland Ten started in early 2009 with a very ambitious goal: Incubating 10 $1 million startups by 2010. Was that goal insurmountable or achievable?

Rick Turoczy on October 20, 2010

We’ve all heard the criticism about early stage funding for Portland startups. But one of the most noticeable gaps—and less talked about problems—in our startup culture is the lack of mentors and expert guidance for young startups. We simply don’t seem to have enough veterans with enough successful exits… yet. But many people are actively working to resolve that issue.

One group that’s trying to fix that problem—and provide startups with the mentorship and structure they need—is the Portland Ten led by Carolynn Duncan. The Portland Ten started in early 2009 with a very ambitious goal: Incubating 10 $1 million startups by 2010. Was that goal insurmountable or achievable? Read More

Startup School: Zuckerberg on startups, the “Instant startup mix” that is Silicon Valley, and just liking to build things

Rick Turoczy on October 18, 2010

If you were under a rock this weekend or—heaven forbid—actually spent some time unplugged, you may have missed the Startup School interview with Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg. Yeah, that guy. The one in the movie.

Like Facebook or not, like Zuckerberg or not, this interview provides an interesting glimpse into Facebook’s somewhat frenetic beginnings, why the Silicon Valley is so good at germinating startups, and the motivation entrepreneurs feel. Read More

Mike Rogoway is kicking my ass… and that’s awesome.

If you’re tuned into tech scene in the Portland area, you’re no doubt a reader of the Silicon Forest blog. And if you’re not, you should be. It’s written by Mike Rogoway, the tech and business writer for The Oregonian.

Rick Turoczy on October 8, 2010

[HTML1]If you’re tuned into tech scene in the Portland area, you’re no doubt a reader of the Silicon Forest blog. And if you’re not, you should be. It’s written by Mike Rogoway, the tech and business writer for The Oregonian.

And lately, to be honest, Mike and his blog—even his printed pieces for that matter—have been kicking my ass. Quite soundly, I might add. And that, gentle reader, is a very very good thing. Dare I say awesome, even? Read More

Puppet Labs proves Portland open source startups can find funding (to the tune of $5 million)

Rick Turoczy on July 19, 2010

It’s always nice to hear about Portland startups securing capital. It’s downright exciting when you hear that a local open source startup is getting funding.

And that’s the case today with Puppet Labs—the makers of a leading open source server configuration management and provisioning solution—as they announced that they have closed a $5 million second round, led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Read More

Breaking out of your shell: Webtrends 101 offers an incubator space for Portland digital marketing startups

Now, Webtrends is helping small businesses by offering up an incubator of its own—Webtrends 101, a space designed specifically for fledgling Portland digital marketing companies.

Rick Turoczy on June 24, 2010

[HTML2]As more and more Portland types begin to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams, there has become a need for locations where small teams can work side by side—without it taking a great deal of investment to make it happen. To support this growing market, we’ve seen reasonably priced office space like the Leftbank Project and Olympic Mills, coworking locations like NedSpace and Souk, and hybrid workspaces like the Portland Incubator Experiment (PIE).

Now, Webtrends is doing its part to help small businesses launch by offering up an incubator of its own—Webtrends 101, a space designed specifically for fledgling Portland digital marketing companies. Read More

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