Portland startups, open source, and tech news, jobs, and events #pdx
The dynamics of venture funds are very much akin to the dynamics of startups. It’s rarely smooth. It’s often a series of fits and starts. And fundraising. And pivoting. Until a fund really hits its stride. But I’m happy to report that Black Founders Matter is beginning to get some early traction and has announced its first investment as part of the funding for A Kids Book About.
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One of the issues with the current state of the Portland startup community is the negative of a positive. The positive? Formerly early stage funds have found success, returned multiples on invested capital, matured, raised larger funds, and are now writing larger checks for Seed and Series A rounds.
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I told you October is chock full of events… For startup founders, keeping track of all of the accelerator programs can be a challenge. So I wanted to make sure a couple of upcoming events were on your radar. One will help you decide on potential accelerators. Another will help you understand what participating in the culmination of an accelerator—affectionately referred to as “demo day”—is like.
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There’s a new class of startups in a new accelerator. The Oregon Enterprise Blockchain Venture Studio housed at R/GA in Portland has announced their first class of companies.
It’s not like you’re actively trying to procrastinate. It’s just that you’re a founder. And you’ve got a million things to do. And a bunch of fires burning. So I’m not asking you to do anything at the moment. But I did want to remind you of four rapidly approaching deadlines for programs that could be beneficial for your startup.
Working on a Blockchain startup? Curious as to how the Oregon Enterprise Blockchain Venture Studio is going to work? Wondering if your company is a good fit? Well, you can get all of those questions and more answered this week. Because R/GA is hosting an information session on the Oregon Enterprise Blockchain Venture Studio.
If you know me, you know that I’m a firm believer that the accelerator model is far from played out. I see it as an educational platform that you can point at companies, people, institutions… practically anything can be “accelerated” through a combination of peer and expert mentorship. That’s why I was super excited to see that a venture studio — which has a lot in common with the accelerator model — that I’ve been eagerly awaiting is now open for business and taking startup applications. Meet the Oregon Enterprise Blockchain Venture Studio (OEBVS).
I still smile every time I see a startup covered by local media. So you can only imagine my downright giddiness when I woke up to a New York Times article on Zebras Unite, a growing international startup movement cofounded by Portland entrepreneurs Astrid Scholz and Mara Zepeda.
It’s the largest angel conference and the biggest prize purse of any startup pitch competition in the Pacific Northwest. So it’s little wonder that getting on stage to compete in the Bend Venture Conference can be a bit of a challenge. But you know what makes it even more difficult?
If you’re a startup type, you owe yourself a trip to Bend. Ton of activity. Great entrepreneurs. And a growing investment community. All within the confines of a smaller and much more tightly knit community. And honestly, there’s no better time to experience all Bend has to offer the startup world than Bend Venture Conference. Read More