This week, we're still digging through all of the conversations about Techstars Seattle being shuttered, creating a list of AI startups, AI companies, and artificial intelligence projects in Oregon, Bend has a new resource for entrepreneurs, and more.

This week — in a special Pacific Northwest startup news version — we cover the history of Techstars Seattle as it closes its doors, hard cider entrepreneur Reverend Nat West runs for Portland City Council District 2, Dtocs takes the Demolicious belt from Kickplan, and the next First Friday is at the new westside location of UpStart Collective.

This week, I test drive a new format and WELCOME YOUR FEEDBACK, Jive cofounder Bill Lynch has a new AI startup, the Wings Conference promises to be a destination event for climate and climate tech, Demolicious title defense, and Panic fulfills all of the Playdate pre-orders.

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.

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.

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

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.

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 🌹

This week in Portland startup news, Rukaiyah Adams speaks at the Portland Business Journal Power Breakfast, Lewis & Clark College hosts their Winterim startup sprint, an Apple iPhone falls from an Alaska Air flight and lives to tell about, and a whole bunch of Portland tech events for the upcoming week.

Tragic news to start 2024, Portland Mercado — a hub of Latine food entrepreneurship — suffered a devastating fire that has completely shuttered the location. In other news, PitchBlack has selected companies for the 2024 event; Scott Hanselman now publishes his podcast on YouTube Podcasts; a ton of events happening in the next week; and predictions from VCs for 2024.

This week, we talk about the Portland startup community year that was and the Portland startup community year that will be. We hear from Ian Williams of Deadstock Coffee as he shares thought on community and connection on the @ItsAboutToGoDownShow . And a reminder that First Friday is next Friday.

PORTLAND NEWS ON STARTUPS

00:00 Portland startup community news

01:10 Portland startup community primer https://www.youtube.com/live/UHYZO6ReDiA

01:29 Portland Startups Slack https://youtu.be/ziVH0BfJ1lM

02:23 2023 Top 10 Portland startup stories https://siliconflorist.com/2023/12/27/silicon-florist-2023-top-10-posts-and-the-worst-performing-post-of-the-year/

06:25 Least popular Portland startup story https://youtu.be/UYVT_iwWJDo

07:06 Ian Williams on community https://youtu.be/SRCCscQvvuo

08:09 First Friday @ Upstart Collective

09:01 See you in 2024 🥂

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