Here’s a roundup of interesting startup links I came across today:
I just spent four days at the AI Engineer World’s Fair in San Francisco with 3,000 other founders/engineers building on the frontier of AI. I also passionately debated ideas with 12 Seattle-based founder friends from Foundations, over our dinners and walks to the conference.
Federal contract opportunities are a great way for small and medium-sized businesses to grow, but achieving and retaining federal compliance standards can be challenging. Business Oregon announces it is helping businesses meet those standards, and awarded $1,762,662 to 14 businesses representing five regions and nine counties in Oregon.
Mix it up and triple down for a special crossover evening to celebrate Teardown in conjunction with our friends at Hardware Happy Hour and Dorkbot at the McMenamins Broadway Pub in Northeast Portland. In addition to mingling amongst these three fantastic communities, this will be a great opportunity to connect with visitors in town for Teardown, a hardware conference packed with talks, workshops, and installations. We will be gathering on the patio and adjoining area, with plenty of area to share projects and demos.
The AI moratorium in the megabill, sources tell WIRED, was spearheaded in the House Energy and Commerce Committee by Representative Jay Obernolte, a California Republican. Obernolte is the chair of the bipartisan House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence, which worked over the course of 2024 to form policy recommendations for how to sponsor and address the growth of AI at the federal level. While the group’s final report did not mention state-level data center laws specifically, it did acknowledge the “challenges” of AI’s high energy demand and made recommendations around energy consumption, including strengthening “efforts to track and project AI data center power usage.”
Today, I know at least 30 coaches around the world who specialize in cofounding teams. More reach out every year, seeking supervision or support. Some come from startup backgrounds. Others, like me, were trained as therapists. This growth is encouraging, but it’s also messy. Cofounder coaching remains an emerging field, lacking clear definitions, standards, and shared language. We’re building the plane while flying it, but the need for this work has never been clearer.
Tigard artificial intelligence startup Rapta raised a $2.7 million seed round and opened an East Coast office in the Orlando area to expand its reach into the aerospace and defense industry along Florida’s Space Coast.
As we look forward, we’re confronting a question that’s both deeply philosophical and embarrassingly practical: How do we, as an incubator team alongside our founders, actually infuse AI into every aspect of our work? Not just the fun stuff like “let’s build an AI that does X,” but the nitty-gritty, everyday operations that make the difference between thriving and just surviving. Basically, how do we evolve to become AI-native ourselves, not just in the shiny products we help build for customers, but in how we actually get shit done every day?
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what traction really means at the pre-seed stage, particularly before a fully built product, paying customers, or hints of revenue. This stage is incredibly nebulous. As a founder, how do you de-risk your idea in a way that creates conviction, not just for yourself, but in the eyes of investors?
Researchers from four universities told Street Roots and ProPublica that sweep-heavy tactics like Portland’s damage safety rather than improve it, placing homeless people at greater risk of harm or death. Current and former staff members at six local service providers, like Rose Haven Executive Director Katie O’Brien, say the city’s approach failed to do what was promised.
The mid-Willamette valley entrepreneurial spirit takes center stage at the Oregon Startup Conference, set for Friday, June 20, 2025, at George Fox University. This premier event brings together founders, investors, and innovators to celebrate and accelerate the region’s burgeoning tech and innovation ecosystem. Thanks to our sponsors at the Oregon Startup Conference, we’re chatting more about this inspiring event with host Malee Ouja!
Joining in with the festivals, parades, and community events celebrating our LGBTQIA+ community throughout the month, we would also like to acknowledge all the small business owners, operators, and employees in the queer community that work so hard to make our city thrive. Thank you! This month we’re also celebrating the launch of our new website, where you can find resources, manage your small business, and connect directly with Office of Small Business district liaisons for personalized support.
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