Portland startups, open source, and tech news, jobs, and events #pdx
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: PDX Women in Tech is the best thing going in the Portland tech community right now. From startups to established corporations, the organization continues to provide an impressive—and ever growing—center of gravity for our community. And now, they’re formalizing the leadership of the organization with the hiring of their first executive director, Elizabeth Stock.
Used to be, back in the day, folks would blog. And sometimes, I’d take a snippet of those amazing blog posts and try to raise the volume a little bit. By posting on my own blog. But that doesn’t happen as much these days. Or when it does, it tends to happen on platforms that have their own volume mechanisms. But Portland founder Mara Zepeda just wrote something that I wanted to make sure that you saw. And so I’m trying to raise the volume a bit. Like we used to. Read More
Editor’s Note: At the end of last year, I published a post on Portland startups I’d be watching in 2016. Like many list posts, people wondered why they weren’t on it. It happens. I can’t list everyone. But even more importantly, I don’t know about everything. So when folks asked for more physical world sort of startups, I asked my friends at ONAMI to create a list. And they have obliged. Read More
As Portland’s moment in the sun continues, with no immediate signs of denouement, one of the questions that remains prevalent is “Will startups and tech change Portland or will Portland change startups and tech?” Join Joaquin Lippincott, CEO of Metal Toad, as he talks with Kerry McClenahan about Portland continuing its momentum to become an international tech hub by 2020. Read More
It’s always nice to see people breaking down silos. And crossing over genres. And media. Portland needs more of that. That’s why I’m intrigued by a local Indiegogo project looking for raise funds for a “Rock ’n’ Roll Art & Design Gala from Mars” to be held during Design Week Portland. Read More
Last week, the Technology Association of Oregon (TAO) held their annual Oregon Technology Awards, an event designed to recognize the achievements of tech companies here in Oregon. Portland’s Cloudability walked away with the honors as “Startup of the Year.” Read More
I’m always a fan of projects that increase the diversity of the tech world and the startup scene. I’ve also been incredibly impressed with how young entrepreneurs are seizing the opportunities before them—sometimes while they’re still in high school. Portland’s ChickTech is hoping to showcase some of that talent. Read More
But thinking that the technical proclivity of our region isn’t affected—and buoyed—by the kids coming up through the school systems is both myopic and dangerous. Especially when it comes to assessing the strength of our community as a tech hub, both now and in the future.
Portland tends to be a town of more imports than locals. But thinking that the technical proclivity of our region isn’t affected—and buoyed—by the kids coming up through the school systems is both myopic and dangerous. Especially when it comes to assessing the strength of our community as a tech hub, both now and in the future. And yes, I’ve ranted on the topic of K-12 education before. Read More
Today, ActiveTrak announced that they had secured their first round of funding. And while an amount was not provided, they did provide details on where the investment will be channeled
One of the most interesting boostrapped companies I’ve followed during my tenure here on Silicon Florist has to be ActiveTrak (the startup formerly known as GadgetTrak). And honestly, I always saw them as a dark horse around here.
They have a compelling consumer-focused product that helps people recover stolen laptops and mobile phones. They get major media coverage more than any local startup I know. And they continue to pitch as hard as any company—they’ve presented at OEN’s Angel Oregon three times—I’ve seen. And yet, they couldn’t really seem to land funding. Until now. Read More