Oregon Startup Blog written by

Home  >  Archive by category 'Blog'

From Portland? At SXSW? Head over to the Portland Tech Community Party tonight

March 14, 2010

So you’re down in Austin at SXSW. Soaking up all kinds of interactive knowledge and goodness. But you’re feeling a little wistful. You’re missing spending time with your Portland tech friends. I mean, that must be why you’re reading this blog post.

Well, buck up little camper. I’ve got some good news for you. There’s a Portland party at SXSW this year. That’s right! See all of your Portland peers all in one spot, Sunday night beginning at 5:30 at the Karma Lounge. What’s that? Not from Portland? Swing by anyway.

The party—sponsored by Portland shops ISITE, Mighty Code, Taplister, Webvisions, Legion of Tech, and Fast Wonder—is simply a chance for Portland folks down at SXSW to meet up with other Portland folks down at SXSW. And it also provides an opportunity to drag along any other folks who might enjoy meeting the Portland crowd.

Oh. And did I mention that there’s werewolf? That’s right. It wouldn’t be a Portland tech event without some breaking out a game of werewolf, know would it? (But don’t worry. Playing werewolf is not required.)

So feel free to come on over to the Karma Lounge. And join the Portland crew for a few drinks.

Related posts

Written by www.oregonstartupblog.com · Filed Under Blog, Startups · Leave a Comment

memePDX 028: Special Portland at SXSW episode

March 12, 2010

Hey it’s Thursday! Oh wait. It’s not Thursday. It’s Friday. Yes, there was a technical glitch while a big chunk of the memePDX team was traveling down to SXSW. So if you grabbed it from iTunes, it was likely broken.

Well Morgan, the one part of the team who remained in Portland, managed to pull a rescue mission and get the file uploaded again. So here, without further delay, is the special SXSW edition of memePDX.

Want to subject yourself to this torture on a regular basis subscribe to this podcast? Get the video feed or the iTunes feed for the video of memePDX. We’re also on Vimeo, because of the whole Portland connection. And of course, if you’re interested in staying in touch, you can always follow memePDX on Twitter. Or you can become a fan of memePDX on Facebook.

(NOTE: For those audiophiles, we’re working on it. Stay tuned.)

Related posts

Written by www.oregonstartupblog.com · Filed Under Blog, Startups · Leave a Comment

Lots of New Faces at Lunch 2.0

March 11, 2010

Yesterday, well over a hundred people gathered at Hive-FX’s office in the SE waterfront for a Reese’s-like Lunch 2.0 co-hosted by Oregon Film (@oregonfilm), Beam Development and Hive (@hivefx).

I’ll explain. If you read here, you’ll know one of Rick’s favorite expressions is the classic:

“You got your peanut butter in my chocolate!”

“You got your chocolate in my peanut butter!”

As with those two great tastes that taste great together, yesterday’s Lunch 2.0 brought together several communities, ones that don’t normally mix, and the result was good.

This particular lunch was the brainchild of Vince Porter (@vinbutterknife), the Executive Director of Oregon Film, who called me up about a year ago to chat. Vince’s vision was a co-mingling of the tech and entertainment/creative/production communities that would inspire conversations and collaboration.

Vince articulated his vision yesterday with examples of these types of collaboration (YouTube, Netflix, TiVo and 3D video) from the last decade that have forever changed the way we consume film and television.

He also debuted Oregon Film’s new blog, Oregon Confluence, which, like any good product is in beta right now. He and Nathan Cherrington, the blogmaster, are looking for feedback, ideas, suggestions and comments on their blog. Check it out and provide your thoughts.

In addition to Vince, the assembled crowd heard from Jonathan Malsin of Beam Development, the company that has transformed several areas of the SE waterfront into great working spaces, and Jim Clark from Hive-FX who said a few words about his studio and their projects.

We also heard from Skip Newberry (@skipnewberry), economic development policy advisor to the Mayor. He mentioned that Portland was answering Google’s RFI for the 1 gbps fiber-to-the-home network, a.k.a. Google Fiber for Communities.

ZOMG WANT!

Anyway, I saw a lot of new faces and saw lots of cross-pollenated conversations happening, so I think the lunch was a rousing success. I, on the other hand, was guilty of chatting with people already knew about SXSW plans. Bad Jake.

Now, if we could only sustain some momentum.

Normally, this is the part where I would suggest people attend the upcoming lunches, but there have been none announced.

Don’t fret, I’ll soon be announcing hosts for April and May, followed shortly, I hope by June and July announcements.

Stay tuned.

Now, the boilerplate:

If you’re interested or know someone who might be interested in hosting a Lunch 2.0, drop a comment or hit me up on Twitter (@jkuramot). Also, check out the how-to primer.

Big thanks to all the hosts who have hosted or plan to host Lunch 2.0.

(Images courtesy Jim Clark. Used with permission.)

Most Commented Posts

Written by www.oregonstartupblog.com · Filed Under Blog, Startups · Leave a Comment

Lots of New Faces at Lunch 2.0

Yesterday, well over a hundred people gathered at Hive-FX’s office in the SE waterfront for a Reese’s-like Lunch 2.0 co-hosted by Oregon Film (@oregonfilm), Beam Development and Hive (@hivefx).

I’ll explain. If you read here, you’ll know one of Rick’s favorite expressions is the classic:

“You got your peanut butter in my chocolate!”

“You got your chocolate in my peanut butter!”

As with those two great tastes that taste great together, yesterday’s Lunch 2.0 brought together several communities, ones that don’t normally mix, and the result was good.

This particular lunch was the brainchild of Vince Porter (@vinbutterknife), the Executive Director of Oregon Film, who called me up about a year ago to chat. Vince’s vision was a co-mingling of the tech and entertainment/creative/production communities that would inspire conversations and collaboration.

Vince articulated his vision yesterday with examples of these types of collaboration (YouTube, Netflix, TiVo and 3D video) from the last decade that have forever changed the way we consume film and television.

He also debuted Oregon Film’s new blog, Oregon Confluence, which, like any good product is in beta right now. He and Nathan Cherrington, the blogmaster, are looking for feedback, ideas, suggestions and comments on their blog. Check it out and provide your thoughts.

In addition to Vince, the assembled crowd heard from Jonathan Malsin of Beam Development, the company that has transformed several areas of the SE waterfront into great working spaces, and Jim Clark from Hive-FX who said a few words about his studio and their projects.

We also heard from Skip Newberry (@skipnewberry), economic development policy advisor to the Mayor. He mentioned that Portland was answering Google’s RFI for the 1 gbps fiber-to-the-home network, a.k.a. Google Fiber for Communities.

ZOMG WANT!

Anyway, I saw a lot of new faces and saw lots of cross-pollenated conversations happening, so I think the lunch was a rousing success. I, on the other hand, was guilty of chatting with people already knew about SXSW plans. Bad Jake.

Now, if we could only sustain some momentum.

Normally, this is the part where I would suggest people attend the upcoming lunches, but there have been none announced.

Don’t fret, I’ll soon be announcing hosts for April and May, followed shortly, I hope by June and July announcements.

Stay tuned.

Now, the boilerplate:

If you’re interested or know someone who might be interested in hosting a Lunch 2.0, drop a comment or hit me up on Twitter (@jkuramot). Also, check out the how-to primer.

Big thanks to all the hosts who have hosted or plan to host Lunch 2.0.

(Images courtesy Jim Clark. Used with permission.)

Most Commented Posts

Written by www.oregonstartupblog.com · Filed Under Blog, Startups · Leave a Comment

Creative crossover day: First Portland Lunch 2.0 then dMob dLux tonight at PIE

March 10, 2010

I’m a big proponent of getting the Portland tech scene—a very creative group in their own right—talking to the more established creative communities here in Portland, like graphic design, apparel, food carts, advertising, craft brewing, and film—just to name a few. It’s always nice to see different creative types getting together.

Well today seems to be a banner day for that. First, Oregon Film hosted a jampacked Portland Lunch 2.0 that brought filmmakers and tech folks together. And now AIGA Portland will be hosting dMob dLux, a gathering of graphic designers and tech types at PIE, tonight.

So if you didn’t get enough socializing at Lunch 2.0—or you missed Lunch 2.0 completely—take some time to swing by to mix and mingle with the AIGA types and other tech folks.

What’s dMob you ask?

This is our monthly gathering for the entire Portland design community. Social interaction and networking is the core of this monthly event. AIGA Portland wants to encourage discussion, business development, and help foster a more dynamic design community here in Portland. Plus, with such a plethora of independent breweries, our choice of venues and beverages is expansive.

Like Lunch 2.0, the dMob gathering is free to attend. What’s more, this time—unlike other dMobs which often take place at a local bar or restaurant—you’ll be getting your drinks free of charge.

Free drinks? Interesting people? Getting more creative crossover going? Sounds like a great time.

The gathering begins around 6:30 PM at 1227 NW Davis in the Pearl. For more information, see dMob dLux: design + tech = <3. For more on today’s Lunch 2.0, wait for Jake’s forthcoming write-up.

Related posts

Written by www.oregonstartupblog.com · Filed Under Blog, Startups · Leave a Comment

ActiveTrak (formerly GadgetTrak) lands first round of funding for thief-nabbing technology

March 9, 2010

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.

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:

The round is led by strategic investor ProtectCell a leader in mobile phone insurance and handset protection, based in Michigan. The investment provides ActiveTrak Inc. capital to accelerate development of its enterprise and mobile security solutions, as well as provide ActiveTrak with direct distribution through 1,300 wireless retailers at the point-of-sale and other sales channels and opportunities.

This has been a good year, so far, for capital in the Portland area. ActiveTrak joins startup peers Urban Airship and ShopIgniter who have also raised money in 2010.

Here’s hoping more Portland startups join them in the near the future. And that those investors who have begun to dip their toes in the Portland startup scene find return in the current investments and gain confidence in the promise of what’s happening around here.

For more information on ActiveTrak’s products, visit GadgetTrak.

Related posts

Written by www.oregonstartupblog.com · Filed Under Blog, Startups · Leave a Comment

Reminder: Oregon Film, Beam Development, Hive-FX Lunch 2.0 is Wednesday

March 8, 2010

Friendly reminder, this Wednesday, March 10, Oregon Film, Beam Development and Hive-FX will be co-hosting Lunch 2.0 at Hive’s offices in the SE waterfront from 12 to 2 PM.

Hive is easy walking distance from AboutUs where we were last month, in case you need some geographical perspective.

This lunch should be interesting, since it theoretically combines several different local communities into a single room, sparking some unusual and enlightening conversations.

I say theoretically because you never know who will/won’t show up and what will/won’t transpire, but I’m pretty confident this one is going to be different.

And different is good.

A quick look at Upcoming tells me we’ve got a pretty solid number planning to come, including a lot of names I’m not recognizing.

Here’s a protip. With the Oscars last night, you have a ready-made conversation starter, sure to spark some interest among the entertainment and creative types.

Anyway, see you there. As always, if you haven’t already, please RSVP on Upcoming and drop a comment if you’re vegan/vegetarian.

Upcoming Portland Lunch 2.0s

Don’t fret. I’ll be announcing April and May soon, and I’m close to nailing down hosts for June and July.

Now, the boilerplate:

If you’re interested or know someone who might be interested in hosting a Lunch 2.0, drop a comment or hit me up on Twitter (@jkuramot). Also, check out the how-to primer.

Big thanks to all the hosts who have hosted or plan to host Lunch 2.0.

Most Commented Posts

Written by www.oregonstartupblog.com · Filed Under Blog, Startups · Leave a Comment

Reminder: Oregon Film, Beam Development, Hive-FX Lunch 2.0 is Wednesday

Friendly reminder, this Wednesday, March 10, Oregon Film, Beam Development and Hive-FX will be co-hosting Lunch 2.0 at Hive’s offices in the SE waterfront from 12 to 2 PM.

Hive is easy walking distance from AboutUs where we were last month, in case you need some geographical perspective.

This lunch should be interesting, since it theoretically combines several different local communities into a single room, sparking some unusual and enlightening conversations.

I say theoretically because you never know who will/won’t show up and what will/won’t transpire, but I’m pretty confident this one is going to be different.

And different is good.

A quick look at Upcoming tells me we’ve got a pretty solid number planning to come, including a lot of names I’m not recognizing.

Here’s a protip. With the Oscars last night, you have a ready-made conversation starter, sure to spark some interest among the entertainment and creative types.

Anyway, see you there. As always, if you haven’t already, please RSVP on Upcoming and drop a comment if you’re vegan/vegetarian.

Upcoming Portland Lunch 2.0s

Don’t fret. I’ll be announcing April and May soon, and I’m close to nailing down hosts for June and July.

Now, the boilerplate:

If you’re interested or know someone who might be interested in hosting a Lunch 2.0, drop a comment or hit me up on Twitter (@jkuramot). Also, check out the how-to primer.

Big thanks to all the hosts who have hosted or plan to host Lunch 2.0.

Most Commented Posts

Written by www.oregonstartupblog.com · Filed Under Blog, Startups · Leave a Comment

Reminder: Oregon Film, Beam Development, Hive-FX Lunch 2.0 is Wednesday

Friendly reminder, this Wednesday, March 10, Oregon Film, Beam Development and Hive-FX will be co-hosting Lunch 2.0 at Hive’s offices in the SE waterfront from 12 to 2 PM.

Hive is easy walking distance from AboutUs where we were last month, in case you need some geographical perspective.

This lunch should be interesting, since it theoretically combines several different local communities into a single room, sparking some unusual and enlightening conversations.

I say theoretically because you never know who will/won’t show up and what will/won’t transpire, but I’m pretty confident this one is going to be different.

And different is good.

A quick look at Upcoming tells me we’ve got a pretty solid number planning to come, including a lot of names I’m not recognizing.

Here’s a protip. With the Oscars last night, you have a ready-made conversation starter, sure to spark some interest among the entertainment and creative types.

Anyway, see you there. As always, if you haven’t already, please RSVP on Upcoming and drop a comment if you’re vegan/vegetarian.

Upcoming Portland Lunch 2.0s

Don’t fret. I’ll be announcing April and May soon, and I’m close to nailing down hosts for June and July.

Now, the boilerplate:

If you’re interested or know someone who might be interested in hosting a Lunch 2.0, drop a comment or hit me up on Twitter (@jkuramot). Also, check out the how-to primer.

Big thanks to all the hosts who have hosted or plan to host Lunch 2.0.

Most Commented Posts

Written by www.oregonstartupblog.com · Filed Under Blog, Startups · Leave a Comment

OEN’s Angel Oregon 2010 and the state of startups and capital in Portland from Carolynn Duncan of Portland Ten

[Editor's note: Thanks to Carolynn Duncan, Director, Portland Ten, for her assistance in covering OEN's Angel Oregon, last week. Her recap and insights follow.]

This year, I was invited to attend OEN’s Angel Oregon, chaired by Angela Jackson, and the Oregon Entrepreneurs’ Network, and to write a guest article highlighting the experience. My hope is that you’ll get a quick download of the day’s events and outcomes, a taste for what the experience of being at OEN’s Angel Oregon is like from a blend of perspectives, a status update on Portland’s startup scene, and finally, that you consider attending and/or participating as an entrepreneur or investor at next year’s event.

For OEN’s Angel Oregon 2010, 48 companies applied, with 15 final presenting companies: Second Porch; DeltaPoint; Fuez; Coherence Resources; Matradee; Copa di Vino; ActiveTrak; Athletepath; Enjoy Life (Divina Sangria); Gamma Therapeutics; Green Goose; Kablooshie; MobSpot; My Home Details; and Zubeo.

Notable to OEN’s Angel Oregon 2010, is the introduction of a $25,000 Seed-stage track for earlier stage startups, and participation from Portland Development Commission and Willamette University Angel Fund (run by MBA students), both co-investing in the $195,000 investment pool.

As for the live experience of attending, let’s just say that private equity conferences are not your mother’s barcamp. Typical attendees include hopeful entrepreneurs, seasoned investors, and a variety of participants in the startup/venture community– incubators, government officials, press, lawyers, accountants, etc., and as such, crisp, dark-colored power suits are a dress code minimum.

My first private equity conference, which I attended as a bootstrapping tech startup founder, provided perspective shifts such as meeting individuals at the coffee bar who introduce themselves, “I’m from X fund; we currently have $785 million dollars under management.” Those interactions give entrepreneurs a useful reminder that the economics of the established business world operate on a much larger scale reality than does a classic garage-based startup, and yet, responding, “I’m from X startup, we have no revenue, no product, not much ramen left, and no hope anymore, thanks, ” makes for interesting conversation dynamics.

For a first time presenter, giving a public investment pitch can be nerve-wracking, not that most entrepreneurs admit it. Founders are hard on themselves before and afterward, critiquing every statement, rehearsing endlessly for perfection, clarity, articulation, and ultimately, to convince and win the investment. Whereas award winners leave with $25,000-$170,000 to take the business to the next level, everyone else walks off the stage, visibly let down, though true to entrepreneurial spirit, already parsing through which backup options they’ll deploy while continuing to look for needed resources for the business.

Ken Westin, founder of ActiveTrak, a software product that tracks stolen electronic devices, is a third-time presenter at OEN’s Angel Oregon, and attributes much of his company’s progress to the process and help from other entrepreneurs, peers, and mentors in the startup community along the way. “What Portland lacks in venture capital, it makes up for in community,” said Westin, who brought the house down, closing his presentation with, “We’re not just a technology company, we’re super heroes”.

Particularly where investment stakes are involved, and in the case of OEN’s Angel Oregon, $195,000, Jackson and her steering committee spent months orchestrating the application and due diligence processes, coaching and streamlining candidates presentation materials and investment pitches, marketing the conference, hosting pre-and-post banquets and social hours, not to mention general event set up/take down.

Investors met weekly prior to the conference, holding due diligence sessions for 3-4 hours, evaluating companies’ potential and current status in management, market, product development, financial projections, and exit strategy. Finalists prepared formal pitches as well as a demo/exhibition booth to display the product, with executive summaries distributed to all conference attendees.

OEN’s Angel Oregon also included a keynote presentation from Rob Wiltbank, PhD., Willamette University, who covered investment stats from previous OEN’s Angel Oregon investments as well as angel investing in general. Regarding OEN’s Angel Oregon’s track record, “33 finalists have generated $85 million in revenue, attracted $67.5 million in investments, had two favorable exits and employed almost 550 people.” In addition, Wiltbank commented that while due diligence efforts are disliked equally by entrepreneurs and investors, doing a minimum of 20 hours of investigative homework on a potential investment can decrease the failure rate of an investment choice from 60% to 40%, with additional due diligence lowering the overall failure rate down to an overall 35%. (If you consider an average angel deal to be approximately $200,000, according to Wiltbank’s statement, doing 20 hours of effort provides a potential $10,000/per hour in saved investment risk.)

But for those entrepreneurs who guesstimate that it is easier or faster to raise capital in lieu of generating revenue to keep the lights on during the early startup phases, Wiltbank commented that running a sales cycle requires an equal amount of time/effort as does fundraising cycle. Said Wiltbank, “If you have to raise capital to keep the company alive, it probably means you don’t have customers. And if there aren’t any customers, then what do you have?”

By the afternoon, attendees-at-large begin critiquing startups as ruthlessly as fund managers; “There’s no way they can make it to $150 million by year 3, not with their current sales pipeline, or with advertising as the sole source of revenue…!” As such, OEN’s Angel Oregon provides the People’s Choice selection, which incorporates the use of text voting, and allows audience members to vote for their favorite company, with results and percentage rankings visible on double large screens at the front of the hall. This year’s People’s Choice winner was MobSpot, cofounded by Benjamin Jacobsen, Justin Heikkinen, and Chris Wesley, launching this Monday and presenting at the upcoming SXSW.

Finally, after deliberating privately, the investment committee returned to the ballroom and finalists were called up to the stage, with DeltaPoint, Inc., founded by Richard Lazar, Lyman Potts, David Nason, and Tony Scaduto, for the Launched Stage track, winning a $170,000 investment; and Enjoy Life, LLC, founded by Maria Corbinos and Magdy Salama, for the Seed Stage track, winning a $25,000 investment.

Closing out the day’s event, Jackson thanked her staff and passed the torch on (literally, a brightly colored cloth torch), to Jim Huston, of Blueprint Ventures, who will chair OEN’s Angel Oregon 2011, and attendees participated in a closing social hour.

So my overall thoughts after attending OEN’s Angel Oregon?

First, that the startup ecosystem in Portland, and the state of Oregon, is no longer in the stagnant zone we felt we were in 12-18 months ago. We have become energized; things have been and are changing, and seeing the climate at OEN’s Angel Oregon definitely confirmed this.

I left with an increased appreciation for the macro ecosystem of entrepreneurship: seeing the fundraising process at a glance; the careful analysis by the investment team, the angst of founders struggling to rustle up the necessary funds to move the business forward; all of the many, many individuals and organizations available to assist Portland startups now and ongoing, whether or not they have or can even qualify for funding currently.

Even a quick review of some of the attending and/or sponsoring organizations: OEN, PDC, OTBC, Willamette University, PSU-BA, Babson Graduate School of Business, SwellPath, Jive, Blueprint Ventures, Lane Powell, Ater Wynne, OnPR, Morgan Stanley, White & Lee, Oregon Business Magazine, University of Oregon, Davis Wright Tremaine, eROI, Starveups, NedSpace, Portland Ten, Silicon Valley Bank, Stoel Rives, Capybara, Madrona Venture Group, and many, many others… they’re available to entrepreneurs, to assist startups in getting up and running.

So, if you’re starting a business, or thinking about starting a business, here are my two takeaways for you: 1) Consider applying for OEN’s Angel Oregon next year, and let the screening process assist you in streamlining your efforts; and 2) If you’re not already engaging with some of the organizations listed above, get connected, and get going! If you get focused now, by the time applications open for next year’s event, you will have accomplished significant developmental milestones (team assembled, prototype built, first revenues in), and as such, you may even be a serious contender for OEN’s Angel Oregon 2011.

Related posts

Written by www.oregonstartupblog.com · Filed Under Blog, Startups · Leave a Comment