Portland, Oregon, startup news - Silicon Florist

This week, we talk about Jama Software's $1.2B exit and Oregon Venture Fund sees a 60x return, a new venture capital firm in Seattle started by Techstars alums, Demolicious winner, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek admits having a healthy bit of skepticism about Artificial Intelligence (AI), and TiE Oregon announces finalist for Westside Pitch 2024. Please keep up the good work. ABOUT SILICON FLORIST ---------- For nearly two decades, Rick Turoczy has published Silicon Florist, a blog and podcast that covers founders, startups, entrepreneurship, tech, news, and events in the Portland, Oregon, startup community. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a startup or tech enthusiast, or simply intrigued by Portland's startup culture, Silicon Florist is your go-to source for the latest news, events, jobs, and opportunities in Portland Oregon's flourishing tech and startup scene. Join us in exploring the innovative world of startups in Portland, where creativity and collaboration meet. ABOUT RICK TUROCZY ---------- Rick Turoczy has been working in, on, and around the Portland, Oregon, startup community for nearly 30 years. He has been recognized as one of the “OG”s of startup ecosystem building by the Kauffman Foundation. And he has been humbled by any number of opportunities to speak on stages from SXSW to INBOUND and from Kobe, Japan, to Muscat, Oman, including an opportunity to share his views on community building on the TEDxPortland stage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj98mr_wUA0). All because of a blog. Weird. https://siliconflorist.com #portland

This week, Artificial Intelligence — you know, the AI — it's a thing. We'll talk about the new Oregon Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council, the AI Portland meetup, the Weekly AI Chat, and — of course — Rosie, our helpful AI concierge for the Portland startup community. I also cover BuzzCutt, RAIN Catalysts, and Pitch Latino Seattle. PORTLAND OREGON STARTUP NEWS ABOUT SILICON FLORIST ---------- For nearly two decades, Rick Turoczy has published Silicon Florist, a blog and podcast that covers founders, startups, entrepreneurship, tech, news, and events in the Portland, Oregon, startup community. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a startup or tech enthusiast, or simply intrigued by Portland's startup culture, Silicon Florist is your go-to source for the latest news, events, jobs, and opportunities in Portland Oregon's flourishing tech and startup scene. Join us in exploring the innovative world of startups in Portland, where creativity and collaboration meet. ABOUT RICK TUROCZY ---------- Rick Turoczy has been working in, on, and around the Portland, Oregon, startup community for nearly 30 years. He has been recognized as one of the “OG”s of startup ecosystem building by the Kauffman Foundation. And he has been humbled by any number of opportunities to speak on stages from SXSW to INBOUND and from Kobe, Japan, to Muscat, Oman, including an opportunity to share his views on community building on the TEDxPortland stage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj98mr_wUA0). All because of a blog. Weird. https://siliconflorist.com #portland

This week, I've got a secret to share with you, Agility Robotics names Peggy Johnson CEO, XOXO is back for one more year, Demolicious March has a full slate of startups, and the list of with all 58 Black businesses shared by Stephen Green and Built Oregon during Black History Month is complete. Let's get into it.PORTLAND STARTUP AND TECH NEWS00:00 Portland, Oregon, startup and tech news00:56 58 companies for Black History Month 202402:09 Demolicious March at UpStart Collective westside03:14 Agility Robotics names Peggy Johnson CEO04:56 XOXO is back for one more festival07:08 Portland Startups Slack #social_beer gathering08:40 Podcast exclusive secret reveal ABOUT SILICON FLORIST ---------- For nearly two decades, Rick Turoczy has published Silicon Florist, a blog and podcast that covers founders, startups, entrepreneurship, tech, news, and events in the Portland, Oregon, startup community. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a startup or tech enthusiast, or simply intrigued by Portland's startup culture, Silicon Florist is your go-to source for the latest news, events, jobs, and opportunities in Portland Oregon's flourishing tech and startup scene. Join us in exploring the innovative world of startups in Portland, where creativity and collaboration meet. ABOUT RICK TUROCZY ---------- Rick Turoczy has been working in, on, and around the Portland, Oregon, startup community for nearly 30 years. He has been recognized as one of the “OG”s of startup ecosystem building by the Kauffman Foundation. And he has been humbled by any number of opportunities to speak on stages from SXSW to INBOUND and from Kobe, Japan, to Muscat, Oman, including an opportunity to share his views on community building on the TEDxPortland stage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj98mr_wUA0). All because of a blog. Weird. https://siliconflorist.com #portland

This week's podcast covers Techstars Seattle closure aftermath, AI startups in Oregon, Rosie the AI concierge for Portland startups, a curated list for Black History Month, and the launch of Bend Entrepreneur Lab for local entrepreneurs.

Techstars Seattle closes its doors, Reverend Nat West runs for Portland City Council, and DTOCS wins Demolicious. The next First Friday will be at UpStart Collective's new westside location.

This podcast discusses a new AI startup by a Jive cofounder, the upcoming Wings Conference focusing on climate tech, the Demolicious title defense event, and Panic fulfilling all Playdate pre-orders. The episode explores community support, Black founders initiative, success stories in the Portland startup community, and insights into Portland startup events and Panic company evolution. Additionally, it delves into the Playdate gaming console features and availability.

This week was a rollercoaster of highest highs and lowest lows. PDXWIT, the nonprofit focused on making the Portland Oregon tech community more inclusive was forced to shut its doors, PitchBlack handed out more than $80,000 in prizes, two time Y Combinator alum Darius Monsef has a new AI startup, and more. PORTLAND OREGON STARTUP + TECH NEWS 00:00 This week in Portland Oregon startup and tech news 00:29 PDXWIT is no more https://www.bizjournals.com/portland/inno/stories/news/2024/02/06/pdxwit-shut-down-funding-dei.html 05:48 PitchBlack 2024 names winners 10:45 2x Y Combinator alum has a new startup 14:11 Portland Winter Light Festival ends this weekend 14:21 Super Bowl Sunday ABOUT SILICON FLORIST ---------- For nearly two decades, Rick Turoczy has published Silicon Florist, a blog and podcast that covers founders, startups, entrepreneurship, tech, news, and events in the Portland, Oregon, startup community. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a startup or tech enthusiast, or simply intrigued by Portland's startup culture, Silicon Florist is your go-to source for the latest news, events, jobs, and opportunities in Portland Oregon's flourishing tech and startup scene. Join us in exploring the innovative world of startups in Portland, where creativity and collaboration meet. ABOUT RICK TUROCZY ---------- Rick Turoczy has been working in, on, and around the Portland, Oregon, startup community for nearly 30 years. He has been recognized as one of the “OG”s of startup ecosystem building by the Kauffman Foundation. And he has been humbled by any number of opportunities to speak on stages from SXSW to INBOUND and from Kobe, Japan, to Muscat, Oman, including an opportunity to share his views on community building on the TEDxPortland stage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj98mr_wUA0). All because of a blog. Weird. https://siliconflorist.com #portland

This week, we talk celebrating Black founders throughout Black History Month, GeekWire and TAO Oregon Tech Awards nominations, westside expansion for UpStart Collective, startup accelerators from VertueLab and RAIN Catalysts, and the Portland Winter Light Festival. PORTLAND STARTUP NEWS (FEB 2, 2024) 00:00 Portland Oregon startup and tech news 00:52 Black History Month "One founder each day" 02:10 PitchBlack 2024 02:44 First Friday at UpStart Collective 03:30 2024 GeekWire Awards nominations open 04:31 2024 TAO Oregon Tech Awards nominations open 05:50 UpStart Collective confirms westside expansion plans 07:42 Portland Winter Light Festival (PWLF) begins 08:43 RAIN Catalysts launches virtual startup accelerator 09:10 VertueLab launches 45 Camp Jumpstart accelerator 10:31 Oregon Trail, ChatGPT edition 11:35 Senator Ron Wyden calls out NSA purchasing data on citizens ABOUT SILICON FLORIST ---------- For nearly two decades, Rick Turoczy has published Silicon Florist, a blog and podcast that covers founders, startups, entrepreneurship, tech, news, and events in the Portland, Oregon, startup community. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a startup or tech enthusiast, or simply intrigued by Portland's startup culture, Silicon Florist is your go-to source for the latest news, events, jobs, and opportunities in Portland Oregon's flourishing tech and startup scene. Join us in exploring the innovative world of startups in Portland, where creativity and collaboration meet. ABOUT RICK TUROCZY ---------- Rick Turoczy has been working in, on, and around the Portland, Oregon, startup community for nearly 30 years. He has been recognized as one of the “OG”s of startup ecosystem building by the Kauffman Foundation. And he has been humbled by any number of opportunities to speak on stages from SXSW to INBOUND and from Kobe, Japan, to Muscat, Oman, including an opportunity to share his views on community building on the TEDxPortland stage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj98mr_wUA0). All because of a blog. Weird. https://siliconflorist.com #portland

This week, Digs raises $7 million from Oregon Venture Fund, Portland Seed Fund, and others; the Portland Mercado food carts are back online; Demolicious returns; and the Silicon Forest Tech Summit is in the books, successfully. PORTLAND TECH AND STARTUP NEWS 00:00 Portland startup and tech news 01:04 Portland Mercado food carts are back 01:47 Successful Silicon Forest Tech Summit 03:08 Digs raises $7M with Oregon Venture Fund and Portland Seed Fund 04:30 Demolicious is back 05:59 First Friday and Portland Winter Light Festival 07:18 OVF PDX AI showcase 08:13 Westside Pitch 2024 09:23 Rosie, Portland startup AI helper ABOUT SILICON FLORIST ---------- For nearly two decades, Rick Turoczy has published Silicon Florist, a blog and podcast that covers founders, startups, entrepreneurship, tech, news, and events in the Portland, Oregon, startup community. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a startup or tech enthusiast, or simply intrigued by Portland's startup culture, Silicon Florist is your go-to source for the latest news, events, jobs, and opportunities in Portland Oregon's flourishing tech and startup scene. Join us in exploring the innovative world of startups in Portland, where creativity and collaboration meet. ABOUT RICK TUROCZY ---------- Rick Turoczy has been working in, on, and around the Portland, Oregon, startup community for nearly 30 years. He has been recognized as one of the “OG”s of startup ecosystem building by the Kauffman Foundation. And he has been humbled by any number of opportunities to speak on stages from SXSW to INBOUND and from Kobe, Japan, to Muscat, Oman, including an opportunity to share his views on community building on the TEDxPortland stage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj98mr_wUA0). All because of a blog. Weird. https://siliconflorist.com #portland

This week, we lost a member of the startup community, PitchBlack sells out, Lewis & Clark Winterim 2024 winners, the Silicon Forest Tech Summit, and AI startup WiseOx powers a new AI Portland startup community concierge named Rosie 🌹 PORTLAND STARTUP AND TECH NEWS 2024-01-19 00:00 Portland, Oregon, startup and tech news 00:26 RIP John Skelly https://gofund.me/5e05c02e 01:10 Portland winter weather impacts events 01:30 PitchBlack 2024 is sold out — but there's a waitlist https://pitchblackpdx.com 02:32 Inaugural Silicon Forest Tech Summit https://www.steamcircuit.com/ 03:53 Winners from Lewis & Clark Bates Center Winterim 06:13 An AI concierge answers Portland startup questions https://sflo.me/rosie ABOUT SILICON FLORIST ---------- For nearly two decades, Rick Turoczy has published Silicon Florist, a blog and podcast that covers founders, startups, entrepreneurship, tech, news, and events in the Portland, Oregon, startup community. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a startup or tech enthusiast, or simply intrigued by Portland's startup culture, Silicon Florist is your go-to source for the latest news, events, jobs, and opportunities in Portland Oregon's flourishing tech and startup scene. Join us in exploring the innovative world of startups in Portland, where creativity and collaboration meet. ABOUT RICK TUROCZY ---------- Rick Turoczy has been working in, on, and around the Portland, Oregon, startup community for nearly 30 years. He has been recognized as one of the “OG”s of startup ecosystem building by the Kauffman Foundation. And he has been humbled by any number of opportunities to speak on stages from SXSW to INBOUND and from Kobe, Japan, to Muscat, Oman, including an opportunity to share his views on community building on the TEDxPortland stage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj98mr_wUA0). All because of a blog. Weird. https://siliconflorist.com #portland