Looking to raise capital for your AI or data science-based venture? Considering creating a startup in this space? Join the TAO AI & Data Community to hear from and engage with VCs, CEOs and funders in this informative event focused on best practices in finding external capital to launch or grow your business. Panels include some of the leading PNW VCs as well as alternative funding sources, and from CEOs with recent successful fundraising experience. This event will fill up fast, so register now!

Join the Portland State Aerospace Society (PSAS) for an open house on Wednesday April 17th from 5:00pm to 9:00pm in the PSU Engineering Building!

We'll be showing off all of our open source a aerospace projects, including:

• The engineering unit of OreSat0, Oregon's first satellite.
• OreSat0.5, our next CubeSat going to space in July!
• Liquid fuel rocket engines and our rocket engine test stand
• Amateur rockets
• Satellite ground stations

We'll have snacks and a lot of very enthusiastic students. Come on down and nerd out with us around aerospace!

Portland Design Thinkers is thrilled to host our next speaker Nandini Nayak: Herding the Cats with Service Blueprinting.

In any human experience-centered program, bringing vision to optimized execution requires continuous cross-functional alignment and collaboration, which often falls apart! Nan will discuss how she has used Service Blueprinting as a key framework to drive alignment in complex organizations. You will learn how UX and Service Design are complementary, the difference between journey mapping and service blueprinting, and why it is important to take a systems view to be a successful design professional.

About our speaker: Nan is an experienced Digital Strategy and Transformation leader with a Human-Centered mindset. She has spent a career at Hewlett Packard and Accenture driving strategic design programs and practices serving audiences across industry segments. Nan holds a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology

Join us at the AI Portland Meetup for an insightful panel discussion on the intersection of generative image AI and the creative industries. Our panelists, each with their unique expertise, will shed light on how professionals in various creative fields are harnessing the power of AI tools while preserving the essence of their craft.

April's Panelists:

Aaron Hockley, Author and Photographer Aaron Hockley is a photographer, author, and speaker who merges his expertise in photography and technology to help others find success. He’s a PPA Master Photographer and Photographic Craftsman and has represented Team USA in the World Photographic Cup. He writes and speaks about technical aspects of photography, photo businesses, and the industry as a whole. He's spoken to audiences of photographers, marketers, and media professionals on stages of all sizes nationwide. Aaron’s recent ventures have focused on how Artificial Intelligence impacts how photographers capture, edit, and manage their images with an eye toward the shifting future of the industry. Find Aaron: https://techphotoguy.com https://youtube.com/@techphotoguy https://instagram.com/techphotoguy

Karly Hand, Brand Developer & Creative Lead Seasoned brand developer and creative director Karly Hand blends strategic insight with creative vision to craft compelling brand narratives. With a distinguished portfolio spanning two decades, she has cultivated and propelled lifestyle brands like Aspen Snowmass, Verb Products, Smith Optics, Microsoft, and Adidas, shaping their identities and communicating their core value through strategic, artful brand expressions.

Karissa Liloc, Principal Product Manager Karissa Liloc (she/her) is a Principal Product Manager at Getty Images focused on Generative AI and other tools that make it easier for customers to find and use imagery. Previously at Disney and Gap, Inc, she has a track record of bringing cross-functional teams together to provide solutions to user problems and business challenges. Her most recent work has been bringing Generative AI by Getty Images to market, offering commercially safe, easy-to-use, AI image generation that compensates creators.

Emily Maass, Attorney Emily represents cutting edge companies as privacy and product counsel, general counsel, and a data protection and cybersecurity advisor. She helps clients navigate complex privacy frameworks, contract negotiations, regulatory compliance, and daily business operations, and she provides ongoing counsel for product development, launch, and management. Emily supports companies in AI, web3, gaming, automation, and software applications serving a broad range of industries.

This event promises a deep dive into the world of generative image AI, providing valuable insights for photographers, designers, AI enthusiasts, and anyone interested in the intersection of technology and creativity. Whether you're an artist seeking to enhance your craft or a business professional curious about the possibilities of AI, this meetup is your opportunity to gain a comprehensive understanding of the subject and engage in thought-provoking discussions.

We're back for another Happy Hour, this time at Wayfinder! Our newest organizers, Victoria Dower and Anatoliy Dzhuga will be your hosts for the evening. Victoria is a strategy, marketing, and operations wizard with tons of hardware experience, particularly in civic tech. Anatoliy is a stellar mechanical design engineer specializing in product development, and informal member.

Our monthly Hardware Meetups happen in 25+ cities around the world, bringing together hardware professionals to show projects, talk their businesses, and network with other engineers, entrepreneurs, designers, suppliers, and more. Whether you're a hardware pro or just hardware curious, we hope to see you there.

Bring demos! We'll have tables ready for you.

Thank you to our partners Kickstarter helps creative projects come to life. Backers have pledged over $6B to projects on our platform, helping artists, musicians, filmmakers, designers, and other creators make their ideas a reality.

informal is a freelance collective for the most talented independent professionals in hardware. Whether you're looking for a single contractor, a fractional consultant, a full-time employee, or an entire team, informal has the perfect collection of people for the job.

If you want to help support the next meetup, please reach out to [email protected] for sponsorship inquiries.

See you soon!

PostgreSQL 17 is in feature freeze. The expected release date is sometime this September.

We will review freely available presentations available on the internet to see what we can can expect in the next major release.

Come learn what's new, share experiences with changes, or just meet with local peers! Casual, informal.

Please RSVP in the MeetUp link to help us gauge expected attendance. https://www.meetup.com/pdxpug/events/300096141/

Meet folks from the Portland Startups Slack IRL

A meeting of folks interested in BSD operating systems and related technologies to get together, eat pizza, drink beer, and talk about what interesting things have been going on

Are you ready to take your startup to the next level? Join us for an insightful event tailored specifically for early-stage startups like yours, where we'll delve into the various funding options available to fuel your growth.

At this event, you'll have the opportunity to:

• Gain valuable insights into alternative funding avenues and understand how these options can kickstart your entrepreneurial journey.
• Learn about the nuances of angel investment, including how to attract angel investors, what they look for in startups, and how to navigate the angel investment landscape effectively.
• Explore the world of venture funding and understand the key considerations for securing venture capital, including pitching strategies, valuation, and investor expectations.
• Network with fellow entrepreneurs, investors, and industry experts to forge meaningful connections and potentially uncover new opportunities for collaboration and support.

Whether you're seeking your first round of funding or looking to expand your existing funding sources, this event is designed to equip you with the knowledge and resources you need to make informed decisions for your startup's future success.

Panel: Donn Dimond, TiE Oregon Angels Stephanie Kunert, Bank of America Brandon Ross, Elevate Capital

OVF is excited to hold the second PDX AI Demo Night!

​The goal of this event is to showcase the AI products coming from the founder and engineering community through lightening demos and Q&A.

​Join us for a fun evening of learning & networking, as we revel in the latest AI demos from:

​ Digs

​ Hello Wonder

​ Skypoint

​ Squidgies

​Agenda:

​ 6:00-6:30pm: Welcome w/ Food & Drinks

​ 6:30-7:15pm: AI Demos

​ 7:15-8:00pm: Networking

​Please be sure to register now, as we have limited capacity and seats will fill quickly!

​The location and any additional details will be provided to registrants prior to the event.

UPDATE: April Demolicious will be at the new westside UpStart Collective location!

:::::::Applications for April are CLOSED! Please use the form below to apply to pitch in May:::::::::::

Demolicious is back! This monthly pitch event brings together founders and the community to learn about what is being built here and around Portland.

How this all works: If you are a founder, you will apply to pitch here. Don't worry. "Apply" simply means you want to pitch, but there's no real competitive process to be accepted. We just want to see what you're working on before we put you in front of a room full of people.

You will be given 3 minutes to pitch at the event.

The audience will be given a number to text and vote for their favorite one. The one with the most votes will go home with the Demolicious Championship belt.

The belt is not for you to keep as you will have to come back and "defend" it. However, you will be allowed to put your startup sticker (if applicable) on the belt for all to see and to live on forever in infamy!

We will post the projects/companies that will be pitching a week prior to the event. Which means you have until then to fill out the form.

Teams Pitching: Ecobadlandz (defending champ) Social Director Talent Llama Perfect Memory AI Fanwagn Flow Wingman Green Canary Software

Will you be the next founder to pitch!?!

Oregon’s Climate Tech Conference

She Flies With Her Own Wings Oregon’s state motto calls us to address the pressing challenges of our planetary moment. We will gather at the center of Portland to highlight the solutions, conversations, and leaders who are deploying and scaling climate innovations and solutions.

RainSec is an informal group of like-minded security professionals who meet to network and discuss topics of interest in a non-work, non-vendor setting.

While our target audience is experienced information security professionals, this is a public event open to any interested parties. If you have a friend or colleague who might benefit, please pass an invite along.

Follow @PDXRainSec on Twitter for last minute updates.

Because COVID-19 still presents significant risk to some members of our community, we ask that you observe the following and make your own risk assessment decision regarding your attendance:

• If outdoor seating is available and weather permits, we will be outside.
• If you are feeling sick, stay home!
• If you've had a recent COVID exposure, stay home!
• If you are not vaccinated, stay home!
• If you are otherwise considered high risk for COVID, please stay home until you feel it is safe to gather in large groups (20-40 people). We don't want to be the cause of anyone's illness or death.

You can also find us on Meetup.com and Google Groups.

If you're looking for more security-focused community meetups in the Portland area, check out pdx-infosec.com.

Back for its 2nd year, the Silicon Forest Tech Connect is happening May 1st at White Owl in Portland, OR.

Who Should Attend? Whether you’re looking to engage with local tech companies, recruit tech talent, recreate the magic of TechCrawl, or just want to network with your experienced IT peers, the Silicon Forest Tech Connect is a can’t-miss event in Portland this spring.

What to Expect: Open networking with tech professionals and leaders Booths from local tech meetups, community partners, and tech companies Complimentary drink ticket with RSVP and light refreshments courtesy of ProFocus Technology A chance to win cool prizes

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to connect, collaborate, and contribute to the growth of the Silicon Forest tech ecosystem. See you there! RSVP required.

For Companies/Partners/Sponsors: Space for community partners, meetup groups, and tech companies interested in hosting a booth is limited. Secure your spot by emailing [email protected].

Are you looking for a meaningful volunteer opportunity? CODE PDX is here to help! We are designers, developers, and product managers, both experts and learners, coming together to make our city better for everyone. We welcome all skill levels and disciplines.

CODE PDX is made up of individuals who are interested in changing Portland for the better. We work with local government to fix local services, utilize open data to improve citizen knowledge, and work for the betterment of all. We are just getting started, so there are plenty of opportunities to use your skills. Even if you are not a tech type, we can still have opportunities for you to contribute. So come by and become part of a movement to improve our community!

PDX2600 is a monthly open forum for hackers in Portland Oregon. It happens on the first Friday of every month. There are no memberships, no leaders, and no real structure. Only the free exchange of ideas.

For forty years Oregon Technology Awards has celebrated excellence and achievement in the region's technology industry.

This coming May, our community will gather to recognize 8 companies for their accomplishments, leadership, and commitment to the industry and community.

We will also honor a Student of the Year and 3 Teachers in the Portland Metro Area.

Why Participate? Pitch Club is an event where entrepreneurs learn the criteria and methods used by real investors to evaluate their venture as a potential investment. This is done by recreating a typical investor meeting where a few companies pitch and receive feedback from TiE Oregon Charter Members. These meetings follow the same basic agenda of an investor meeting with three sections: the pitch, Q&A, and investor discussion & decision.

Who facilitates Pitch Club? Pitch Club is organized by Kari Naone, TiE Oregon Executive Director and led by Tom Kingsley, a TiE Charter Member who is an investor and successful entrepreneur.

What to expect? Please minimally prepare for a 5-minute pitch. If time permits each person could get up to 10 minutes so be prepared for that as well. This can include a slides/ppt that will be presented from your computer. Directly after pitching, Q&A and discussion will take place.

Those who attend pitch club will walk away with a better understanding of what investors look for in a pitch and how to answer the questions possible investor will ask. In addition, each presenter will receive a digital copy of their pitch and feedback from their peers and TiE Charter Members.

Interested in sponsoring Pitch Club - please contact [email protected].

re you looking for a meaningful volunteer opportunity? CODE PDX is here to help! We are designers, developers, and product managers, both experts and learners, coming together to make our city better for everyone. We welcome all skill levels and disciplines.

CODE PDX is made up of individuals who are interested in changing Portland for the better. We work with local government to fix local services, utilize open data to improve citizen knowledge, and work for the betterment of all. We are just getting started, so there are plenty of opportunities to use your skills. Even if you are not a tech type, we can still have opportunities for you to contribute. So come by and become part of a movement to improve our community!

RainSec is an informal group of like-minded security professionals who meet to network and discuss topics of interest in a non-work, non-vendor setting.

While our target audience is experienced information security professionals, this is a public event open to any interested parties. If you have a friend or colleague who might benefit, please pass an invite along.

Follow @PDXRainSec on Twitter for last minute updates.

Because COVID-19 still presents significant risk to some members of our community, we ask that you observe the following and make your own risk assessment decision regarding your attendance:

• If outdoor seating is available and weather permits, we will be outside.
• If you are feeling sick, stay home!
• If you've had a recent COVID exposure, stay home!
• If you are not vaccinated, stay home!
• If you are otherwise considered high risk for COVID, please stay home until you feel it is safe to gather in large groups (20-40 people). We don't want to be the cause of anyone's illness or death.

You can also find us on Meetup.com and Google Groups.

If you're looking for more security-focused community meetups in the Portland area, check out pdx-infosec.com.

PDX2600 is a monthly open forum for hackers in Portland Oregon. It happens on the first Friday of every month. There are no memberships, no leaders, and no real structure. Only the free exchange of ideas.

What other event can say that they practice real-time failover in action? Join us again to hear talks from industry experts and community leaders discuss the newest approaches in monitoring and observability. Find out which tools and techniques are in use at some of the largest web architectures in the world.

An Inclusive Event for Monitoring and Observability Practitioners

Monitorama events bring together the brightest minds among the open source development and operations communities. Our goal is to continue to push the boundaries of observability software and practices, all while having a great time in a casual setting.

This event takes place in the beautiful city of Portland, Oregon. If you haven't already experienced Monitorama, this is a great chance to make our acquaintance.

TICKETS: $400

CascadiaJS is the JavaScript conference for the Pacific Northwest. This year’s event will bring together an amazing group of web developers from across the Pacific Northwest (and beyond). You will find every kind of developer you can imagine:

• Code newbies all the way to senior executives
• Front-end, back-end and full-stack engineers
• Expertise in popular frameworks
• Members of under-represented groups in tech

Over the course of 2 days, you’ll hear 20+ amazing talks by experts in their fields, covering everything from GenAI to TypeScript to leadership. There will be ample opportunities for you to connect with other developers and hiring companies, during coffee breaks, meals and social gatherings at the venue, and karaoke!

RainSec is an informal group of like-minded security professionals who meet to network and discuss topics of interest in a non-work, non-vendor setting.

While our target audience is experienced information security professionals, this is a public event open to any interested parties. If you have a friend or colleague who might benefit, please pass an invite along.

Follow @PDXRainSec on Twitter for last minute updates.

Because COVID-19 still presents significant risk to some members of our community, we ask that you observe the following and make your own risk assessment decision regarding your attendance:

• If outdoor seating is available and weather permits, we will be outside.
• If you are feeling sick, stay home!
• If you've had a recent COVID exposure, stay home!
• If you are not vaccinated, stay home!
• If you are otherwise considered high risk for COVID, please stay home until you feel it is safe to gather in large groups (20-40 people). We don't want to be the cause of anyone's illness or death.

You can also find us on Meetup.com and Google Groups.

If you're looking for more security-focused community meetups in the Portland area, check out pdx-infosec.com.

Why Participate? Pitch Club is an event where entrepreneurs learn the criteria and methods used by real investors to evaluate their venture as a potential investment. This is done by recreating a typical investor meeting where a few companies pitch and receive feedback from TiE Oregon Charter Members. These meetings follow the same basic agenda of an investor meeting with three sections: the pitch, Q&A, and investor discussion & decision.

Who facilitates Pitch Club? Pitch Club is organized by Kari Naone, TiE Oregon Executive Director and led by Tom Kingsley, a TiE Charter Member who is an investor and successful entrepreneur.

What to expect? Please minimally prepare for a 5-minute pitch. If time permits each person could get up to 10 minutes so be prepared for that as well. This can include a slides/ppt that will be presented from your computer. Directly after pitching, Q&A and discussion will take place.

Those who attend pitch club will walk away with a better understanding of what investors look for in a pitch and how to answer the questions possible investor will ask. In addition, each presenter will receive a digital copy of their pitch and feedback from their peers and TiE Charter Members.

Interested in sponsoring Pitch Club - please contact [email protected].

Yeah, no kidding! We’re bringing XOXO back this August 22–24 to Revolution Hall in Portland, one last time.

After the last XOXO in 2019, we had decided to start wrapping things up, planning for one final festival in September 2020. Then obviously the pandemic arrived, derailing our plans entirely, and turns out, postponing them for almost four years.

Since 2019, XOXO sat unfinished in our imaginations, while we’ve watched the world continue to become a more challenging place for independent artists and creators. Many in our community are out of work, crushed by widespread layoffs across the media, games, and tech industries. It feels like many technology companies and platforms are doing everything they can to hurt artists instead of supporting them.

More than ever, we need community and solidarity, to hear each other’s stories, to experience and share our work with each other, to come together and organize to make things better.

Why Attend? Pitch Club is an event where entrepreneurs learn the criteria and methods used by real investors to evaluate their venture as a potential investment. This is done by recreating a typical investor meeting where a few companies pitch and receive feedback from TiE Oregon Charter Members. These meetings follow the same basic agenda of an investor meeting with three sections: the pitch, Q&A, and investor discussion & decision.

Who facilitates Pitch Club? Pitch Club is organized by Kari Naone, TiE Oregon Executive Director and led by Tom Kingsley, a TiE Charter Member who is an investor and successful entrepreneur.

What to expect? Please minimally prepare for a 5-minute pitch. If time permits each person could get up to 10 minutes so be prepared for that as well. This can include a slides/ppt that will be presented from your computer. Directly after pitching, Q&A and discussion will take place.

Those who attend pitch club will walk away with a better understanding of what investors look for in a pitch and how to answer the questions possible investor will ask. In addition, each presenter will receive a digital copy of their pitch and feedback from their peers and TiE Charter Members.

Interested in sponsoring Pitch Club - please contact [email protected].

WordCamp is a conference that focuses on everything WordPress. WordCamps are informal, community-organized events that are put together by WordPress users like you. Everyone from casual users to core developers participate, share ideas, and get to know each other.

Save the date because the first hacklandia happens this October at the old Portland State University Business Accelerator/new westside UpStart Collective location! You will have the opportunity to come to build an idea you have been thinking about or join a team that will be formed to create over 48 hours.

RSVP here: https://hacklandia.splashthat.com/

Space is limited to 150 RSVPs so don't wait. This event will fill up fast!

Why Participate? Pitch Club is an event where entrepreneurs learn the criteria and methods used by real investors to evaluate their venture as a potential investment. This is done by recreating a typical investor meeting where a few companies pitch and receive feedback from TiE Oregon Charter Members. These meetings follow the same basic agenda of an investor meeting with three sections: the pitch, Q&A, and investor discussion & decision.

Who facilitates Pitch Club? Pitch Club is organized by Kari Naone, TiE Oregon Executive Director and led by Tom Kingsley, a TiE Charter Member who is an investor and successful entrepreneur.

What to expect? Please minimally prepare for a 5-minute pitch. If time permits each person could get up to 10 minutes so be prepared for that as well. This can include a slides/ppt that will be presented from your computer. Directly after pitching, Q&A and discussion will take place.

Those who attend pitch club will walk away with a better understanding of what investors look for in a pitch and how to answer the questions possible investor will ask. In addition, each presenter will receive a digital copy of their pitch and feedback from their peers and TiE Charter Members.

Interested in sponsoring Pitch Club - please contact [email protected].

API World is the world's largest API and microservices conference

Now in its 13th year — it brings together 1,250 In-Person & 3,250 online technical professionals, engineers, and integration partners to learn, network, and build the API economy — with 150+ speakers and over 300 hours of content.

With 3 conferences inside: the API Lifecycle Conference, the API Innovation Conference, and Microservices World, our tracks & topics include: Microservices Architecture, API Design/Architecture, API Strategy/Enterprise Modernization, IoT & APIs, Service Mesh, Containers, Kubernetes, Emerging APIs, AI APIs, API Security, and more.

If you build or use APIs or microservices, you need to be at API World 2024. We created the conference and expo with the goal of organizing the API Economy -- and our mission is to be vendor-neutral and to facilitate connections, knowledge, trust, and business within the community of API providers, integration partners & API consumers.

Why Participate?

Pitch Club is an event where entrepreneurs learn the criteria and methods used by real investors to evaluate their venture as a potential investment. This is done by recreating a typical investor meeting where a few companies pitch and receive feedback from TiE Oregon Charter Members. These meetings follow the same basic agenda of an investor meeting with three sections: the pitch, Q&A, and investor discussion & decision.

Who facilitates Pitch Club? Pitch Club is organized by Kari Naone, TiE Oregon Executive Director and led by Tom Kingsley, a TiE Charter Member who is an investor and successful entrepreneur.

What to expect? Please minimally prepare for a 5-minute pitch. If time permits each person could get up to 10 minutes so be prepared for that as well. This can include a slides/ppt that will be presented from your computer. Directly after pitching, Q&A and discussion will take place.

Those who attend pitch club will walk away with a better understanding of what investors look for in a pitch and how to answer the questions possible investor will ask. In addition, each presenter will receive a digital copy of their pitch and feedback from their peers and TiE Charter Members.

Interested in sponsoring Pitch Club - please contact [email protected].