Portland Oregon startups, tech, news, events, jobs, and community
Portland startup and tech news, jobs, and events #pdx
I know the headline seems like a rhetorical question. And I apologize. Clearly, we all have. But like so many things in Portland and Oregon, that impact is largely anecdotal at the moment. And nonprofit Built Oregon would like to help quantify it. So that officials at local and state government have a better understanding of the actual numbers of companies impacted.
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In my experience, Portland founders are pretty good at giving back. Through volunteer work. Or donations. Or participating in organizations like Business for a Better Portland. But like so many things Portland, the measurement of that participation is largely anecdotal. That’s why it’s nice to see a survey working to capture more details and metrics on this behavior.
We’ve all heard — and perhaps even subscribed to — the mythology about starting a company. You come up with an idea. Someone recognizes your genius. They give you a bunch of money to build it. And then, before you know it, you’re wealthy beyond your wildest dreams.
Now in its third year, the PDX Women In Tech State of the Community survey continues to provide much needed insights into the dynamics of both the Portland startup community and the broader Portland tech community. But illuminating those insights is only possible if you take a few moments to participate.
Startups are grueling. Even as an employee. For founders? They’re exponentially more of a grind. With the pressure. And the people relying on you. And the investors. As such, founders go through any number of ups and downs. Which often result in burnout. And depression. And those feelings can lead to substance abuse. Or ignoring the problem. Yeah. It’s tough. Really tough.
I always appreciate folks who are looking to be more helpful to the Portland startup community. Especially when they’re asking how they can be helpful. That’s why I’m sharing this survey from OK Studio.
One of the best things about building companies, these days, is how accessible folks are. You don’t have to guess as to what people want. You can just ask them. And that’s why I’m always happy to see startups taking a few minutes to simply talk to their potential customers. And listen.
For all of the fanfare and hype, the Portland startup community — and tech community at large — is still full of problems and faults. A lot of them. And those are issues that we’ll never begin to correct without a stark and objective assessment of the current state of the community. And that’s why I’m so thankful for organizations like PDX Women in Tech who take the opportunity to assess our progress as a community.
Portland Women in Tech represents 30% of the Portland workforce. And to help ensure that they continue to focus on issues and efforts that are important to that ever growing constituency and to hear from voices who might not be part of the organization, they’re requesting feedback from the Portland tech community.
In the tech world, working remotely has become a commonly accepted practice. Heck. Some tech companies don’t even have offices anymore, opting instead to go entirely virtual. But for all of us out there inhabiting coffeeshops and coworking spaces, there’s still a gap in our understanding of this model of working and how it affects us. But Buffer and Portland startup Workfrom are working to fix that.
