This week in Portland startup news… why does $300M in funding for Mercury matter to Portland, an event fail and recovery, a whole new Portland startup pitch event with a twist, and more events and startup news. Let's get into it…PORTLAND STARTUP LINKS- Mercury raises $300M https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/stock-market-today-dow-nasdaq-sp500-03-26-2025/card/exclusive-fintech-banking-startup-mercury-raises-300-million-at-a-3-5-billion-valuation-vXq9qru1qLFSwNB1yyMw- Portland startup community gathering April 8 https://www.meetup.com/pie-portland-startup-community/events/305535888/- A rant on pitch competitions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9AwxrAYZhc&t=1270s- I Hope You Get Rich https://www.asianamericantown.com/pitch-competition- Portland Digital Corps https://calagator.org/events/1250481853- Startup Open Coffee in the Couve https://calagator.org/events/1250481428- Rose City Techies Book Exchange https://calagator.org/events/1250481784- Startup Cafe @ The Hub https://calagator.org/events/1250481824- Face Plant https://www.bizjournals.com/portland/inno/stories/news/2025/03/21/face-plant-vegan-fast-food-lands-on-swan-island.html- Chatham House Rule https://www.chathamhouse.org/about-us/chatham-house-rule- Four takeaways from a startup gathering https://siliconflorist.com/2025/03/26/four-takeaways-from-an-honest-and-open-startup-community-gathering/PORTLAND OREGON STARTUP NEWS00:00 Portland startup news intro01:50 Mercury raises $300M - and has a Portland footprint04:35 Join us April 8 for a Portland startup community gathering06:55 Secret behind the scenes info11:00 Already planning the July event, codenamed "Cookout"12:25 Reflecting on my rant about pitch competitions14:30 I Hope You Get Rich pitch event16:33 Upcoming events next week19:28 Face Plant takes on McDonald's23:50 Takeaways from an intimate startup gatheringFIND RICK TUROCZY ON THE INTERNET AT…- https://patreon.com/turoczy- https://linkedin.com/in/turoczy- https://bsky.app/profile/turoczy.bsky.social- https://siliconflorist.substack.com/ABOUT SILICON FLORIST ----------For nearly two decades, Rick Turoczy has published Silicon Florist, a blog, newsletter, and podcast that covers entrepreneurs, 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#pdx #portland #oregon #startup #entrepreneurTRS-80 photo credit https://www.flickr.com/photos/blakespot/2444864984Lloyd Center Mall credit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snSiCRR1vXo