Welcome All Founders and Tech Pros

• What we'll do You will drink coffee (and tea for those who are recovering caffeine addicts) and talk with other great founders and companies in our local area.

• What to bring Nada. Just a friendly demeanor and willingness to meet new great founders and talk about your project.

• Important to know This is REALLY not the place you want to come if you are looking for sales leads. This event is a place to meet and share your startup journey and talk about your project. While we appreciate all the members of our community, network marketing and sales reps will find many short unuseful conversations in this crowd. Thanks for understanding.

Do you write science fiction / fantasy, or would you like to? If so, join us!

Newcomers are always welcome! If you have not previously attended, please RSVP and email the host at alternateworlds.writers@gmail.com to receive the week's member submission. We ask that you observe for one session to get a feel for the group.

The host will take sign-ups for submissions each week. Submissions may be up to 9500 words, sent to the organizer via email at alternateworlds.writers@gmail.com by end of day Thursday.

The writer may indicate at the beginning or end of their submission if they prefer readers to address a certain area or question(s). If this is not indicated, it will be assumed the writer is seeking general feedback.

Critique format is round robin, with the writer opening and ending the session, but otherwise giving the floor to group members for sharing their insights, positive and critical, but always delivered in a professional and graceful manner.

Members are free to mark up and write comments on submissions and give/send to the writer, but this is not required. In general, please give the writer and their work the attention and treatment you would expect yourself.

In the interest of building community, discretionary time may be occupied with "write-ins" (co-working sessions), conversation, and/or book clubs.

Members are encouraged to join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/X7h7w62WwU

Midlands Library 805 Southeast 122nd Avenue · Portland, OR

Details We heard your requests, and it's back! After the incredible success last time, we’re excited to bring back our beloved Great Techie Book Exchange to kick off spring. Join us at one of our favorite venues and hosts, White Owl, which offers us plenty of space for lots of books and engaging conversations.

Details Spend an evening with us exchanging our favorite books on a beautiful patio as we welcome the spring season. 🌼 The book exchange is OPTIONAL. If you would like to participate, arrive equipped with a book to donate in exchange for a new, exciting read! Otherwise, feel free to just come hang out with us.

🕰️ Schedule

5:30pm: Arrive at the event, check-in (with or without a book), and grab a name tag 6:00pm: Order a drink and wander around "pitching" your book to others 7:00pm: Drawing for book selections 7:30pm: Refresh your drink, dive into more book discussions or general conversations Feel free to come and go as your schedule and/or social battery allows. Don’t miss this great opportunity to discover new books, have meaningful discussions, and most importantly, HAVE FUN! 🎉

✅ Pro Tips:

Look for our pink Rose City Techie hats [Optional] Bring a book – it could be tech or career-related, but it doesn’t have to be. If it’s a favorite of yours, bring it! Have your LinkedIn QR code, business card, and contact details ready to swap We can't wait to see you there! 🌹

Introducing postmarketOS: Alpine Linux-based distro for smartphones, tablets, and more, that emphasizes device re-use and user freedom.

Clayton has been involved with postmarketOS since 2017, and has been working full-time on it for the past year. His background includes working in HPC, dabbling in hardware and software program management, being a software dev for SteamOS, and a few more random things.

Join us at the Metro Region Innovation Hub for a time of workshops, networking, mentorship, and coffee! This event is the perfect opportunity for founders and startup partners to connect, learn, and level up.

Whether you're just starting out, or a seasoned founder, you'll walk away with some fresh ideas and valuable connections.

Agenda

9:00a - 12:00p - Main Event Space General networking, coffee, and donuts.

9:30a - 10:30a - Workshop 1 Crafting the Ideal Email Marketing Onboarding Sequence - Led by Megan Eckman - Creative Consultant @ Fat Cap Design

11:00a - 12:00p - Workshop 2 Brag Better! An Interactive Workshop to Help You Tell Your Story - Led by Nadya Duke Boone - Executive Coach, Writer, Former Chief Product Officer and Founder @ BragLunch.com

The UpStart Collective is hosting its first First Friday at the new westside location within the Metro Region Innovation Hub. Come hang out, talk to local founders, and raise a glass to making it through another month.

These events are open to all founders, but please, NO SELLING!!

Drinks and small snacks will be provided.

Find us upstairs in the glass walled room

Hosted by Aaron Campf. Online Teams Link: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_YTljOWRlMDAtNThmZS00NzljLWE1YTEtZDhlODMyYzI0OTRi%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%2282ea9e81-6f10-49e0-a1f1-d75b0b4c2e7c%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22143ee9d3-21a4-4da7-a1e8-2472c358110e%22%7d

Or call in (audio only) +1 872-240-8681,,882162595# United States, Chicago Phone Conference ID: 882 162 595#

Please join one of our community group chats

Slack https://join.slack.com/t/mentorshipsaturdays/shared_invite/zt-1mnjewbt2-rWJfxmqf6_JWtSSk~Svj0w

Discord https://discord.gg/nSCxgbcG7U

If there are any issues with joining in person or online please message on here and Slack or Discord

CTRLH/PDX Hackerspace 2025 Workparty Series: A Haven for Tech Enthusiasts!

Saturdays | 12 PM - 5 PM

What’s the Buzz? Curious about the inner workings of a hackerspace? Dive into the world of CTRLH/PDX Hackerspace! It's your chance to explore our community, contribute to its growth, and maybe even apply as a member. Plus, it's when we all get together to give our space some TLC.

Here’s the Deal:

Kanban Adventures: Our Kanban Board is the pulse of our workparty. It's where tasks meet talent. Join us in this unique choreography of creativity and care. Chill & Create: Bring your project, or find one here. It's about collaboration, innovation, and putting your mark on our space. Tours with Insights: New here? Get an exclusive tour and discover the range of equipment and possibilities our space offers. There's a lot more than just tables, chairs, and internet – but we'll let you see for yourself. Who’s Invited? Tech enthusiasts with a spark of curiosity. If you're community-minded and conscientious, you'll fit right in. What’s On Offer: Essentials covered: Tables, chairs, and internet. A full tour will reveal the plethora of tools and equipment available for all your hacking and making needs. Cost? Workparty Events are absolutely free to attend. Feel a connection? Ask about membership for 24/7 access to our tech wonderland, starting at $40 per month. The Golden Rules: Be excellent, be kind, and help keep our community spirit thriving. Volunteers Make the Dream Work: Continuing to make our hackerspace a reality is a team effort. Your contributions are invaluable.

Let's Make Every Saturday Count!

In this 2-day Agile Fluency Game Facilitators' workshop, you will experience the Agile Fluency Game simulation and learn how to facilitate the game for others.

About the Agile Fluency Game

The Agile Fluency Game is a physical board game designed by James Shore and Arlo Belshee, which authentically simulates 2.5 years (10 seasons) on a software development team. Inspired by modern "Euro-style" board game experiences such as Settlers of Catan, the game focuses on the experience of team members using agile practices and approaches. It was developed so that experiments that occur in game play lead to new insights about your real-world options. Game players learn about the benefits and trade-offs of adopting agile practices. Of course, you must also deliver features! Or what's the point?

During game play, you'll decide how to invest your effort. Your quest is to decide how best to spend your limited time. Do you develop features or learn new practices? Which features? Which practices? Features are the only way to earn points, but agile practices help you do more.

Your boss is entirely focused on results. As long as you deliver a great product to your customers, she doesn't care how you do it. She needs to see regular flow of new features, but other than that, the choices are up to you. Your challenge is to find the right mid of features and practices to get the most money possible.

One session with a retrospective on your play may be all you need to stimulate actionable insights. Yet the game challenges prior assumptions, and most players enjoy the opportunity to try for a better score. Each time brings greater understanding of the benefits, trade-offs, and investments you need to succeed.

When and Where to Use the Game

We've used the game with positive results at many different levels of the organization. It's great for: - Introducing agile attitudes and expectations to middle managers, directors, and VPs who don't know a lot about software development. - Encouraging agile engineering practices among a number of teams by playing with cross-team groups. - Identifying potential shifts in workflows and practices by playing with cross-functional dev teams, and the non-dev individuals that work closely with the teams in roles such as QA, architects, marketing, and managers. - Of course, with any learning game the debrief is important, regardless of what group is playing. That's when the real insights occur.

In January, PIE (Portland Incubator Experiment) and a variety of our community partners threw together the beta test for a lowkey networking event for the Portland startup community.

No programming. No activities. Just people meeting people in the community. (We kind of thought of it as one of those "after parties" that take place at a major event — without having the actual major event.)

The result…? 400+ folks showed up. People who have been around forever met new people. People who just moved to town said "This is exactly what I needed." And all in all, a good time was had by all.

So we're doing it again.

https://www.meetup.com/pie-portland-startup-community/events/305535888/

The Portland Power Platform User Group is a community of people excited about the Power Platform tools: Power Apps, Automate, BI, and Copilot Studio. We believe the platform offers rich possibilities, and we keep pace by sharing our learning and doing deep-dive explorations of topics. We run the gamut from new to experienced users and welcome anyone who shares an interest in custom apps and process automation for your business needs.

Some great perks to joining our monthly meetups are networking, knowledge transfer, and community building. We aim to foster a vibrant community that shares success in implementing best practices for the Power Platform.

Visit us on our Meetup page to get details on the presentation topic and speaker. We hope to see you!

We look forward to bringing the Portland Microsoft User Groups together including Fabric, Power Platform, and Azure IN PERSON for a lively evening of networking.

Whether you are a new or experienced user, or simply interested in learning more about working with Microsoft's tools and technologies, we'd love to have you join us for food, drinks, and merriment.

Event Details: ​What is the PNW Battery Collaborative?: A community of battery entrepreneurs, scientists, and enthusiasts united to make the PNW the nation's leading hub of battery innovation.

​​What is this event?: Join us for an evening mixer with fellow battery innovators to exchange ideas, spark new partnerships, and explore opportunities to launch the next big breakthrough in battery technology. The main focus of the event will be a round of lightning talks by local battery innovators (~5 mins each), audience Q&A, and an opportunity for attendees to share announcements and learn about battery jobs/resource opportunities. This event is preceded by multiple meetups and site visits organized by the PNW Battery Collaborative in Seattle and attended by an aggregated total of nearly 200 participants.

​Why now?: The PNW is quickly becoming a key hub for battery innovation in the US. To maintain our region's competitive advantage and effectively support other regions in deploying batteries it is crucial that our local battery community be cohesive and inclusive.

​Who can join?: Any PNW locals working in or interested in supporting the region's battery industry.

​​Run of Show: - 5:30pm-6:00: check-in - ​6:00-6:15: introductions, agenda overview, & battery comms exercise - 6:15-6:35: lightening talks by speakers (listed below) - 6:35-6:50: speaker panel & audience Q&A - 6:50-7:00: audience announcements, resources, & job opportunities - 7:00-7:30: informal networking

​Lightening Talk Speakers:

• Grayson Shor, Founder (PNW Battery Collaborative)

• Duncan Miller, CEO (Rose City Robotics)

• Drew Lebowitz, Principal and Managing Director (PowerSwitch)

• Danny Lu, Senior Vice President (Powin Energy)

• Tyson Bittrich, Market Research Analyst (Mayfield Renewables)

• Shelly Whitlock, Executive Director of Development (Polaris Battery Labs)

​If you would like to speak at this event please reach out to event co-hosts Grayson Shor and Duncan Miller

​​Logistics: ​This event is hosted at the Metro Region Innovation Hub (google link)

​Please arrive between 5:30pm-6:00pm to sign-in. Programming will begin promptly at 6:00pm

​This event is free, please RSVP in advance

​This is an in-person only event

​​Have questions?: Reach out to event co-hosts Grayson Shor & Duncan Miller

​How to stay up to date on Collaborative activities?: Join our events calendar and our LinkedIn page

​========================================

​​Thank you to our generous sponsors: ​Metro Region Innovation Hub: is the hub for business innovation in the Portland metro region.

​Prosper Portland Green Cities: supporting companies producing innovative products, services, and technologies that address the climate crisis and solve environmental challenges.

UpStart Collective: a community-driven collaboration space for founders.

​Portland State University Business Accelerator: supports and serves the entrepreneur ecosystem and local startups from their early stage through growth.

​========================================

​​The views and opinions expressed by speakers during this event are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the official policies, positions, or perspectives of the organizers, sponsors, or affiliated organizations. The event is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Attendees are encouraged to independently evaluate the information shared and seek additional professional advice where applicable.

Location Metro Region Innovation Hub 2130 SW 5th Ave, Portland, OR 97201, USA

MergePHP meets the second Thursday of every month at 16:00 Pacific

Details This is a fun networking event to play pool and talk tech. We will have free tables to play on and Happy Hour runs until 6pm. Everyone is welcome, you do not have to be great at pool to attend!

Portland Design Thinkers is excited to present Emily Traub: AI-Powered UX Research Repository at LinkedIn

Join us to hear how Emily and LinkedIn's Research team transformed their approach from a static database to an interactive AI-powered repository.

This session will take you behind the scenes of their evolution, covering:

• Limitations with their former tool • The setup behind their new repository • Use cases that are currently supported • How they see this tool evolving in the future

Don't miss this opportunity to explore how AI can revolutionize the way we store, access, and leverage research insights across organizations.

About our Speaker: Emily started her UX Research journey in the world of WordPress hosting at WP Engine, focusing on the SMB agency experience. She joined LinkedIn in 2023, leading and co-developing rapid research programs before transitioning to support the Premium team. Outside of her day-to-day work, Emily enjoys exploring how the team can incorporate emerging technologies into its workflows to enhance research efficiency and make it easy for stakeholders to interact with existing research.

CTRLH/PDX Hackerspace 2025 Workparty Series: A Haven for Tech Enthusiasts!

Saturdays | 12 PM - 5 PM

What’s the Buzz? Curious about the inner workings of a hackerspace? Dive into the world of CTRLH/PDX Hackerspace! It's your chance to explore our community, contribute to its growth, and maybe even apply as a member. Plus, it's when we all get together to give our space some TLC.

Here’s the Deal:

Kanban Adventures: Our Kanban Board is the pulse of our workparty. It's where tasks meet talent. Join us in this unique choreography of creativity and care. Chill & Create: Bring your project, or find one here. It's about collaboration, innovation, and putting your mark on our space. Tours with Insights: New here? Get an exclusive tour and discover the range of equipment and possibilities our space offers. There's a lot more than just tables, chairs, and internet – but we'll let you see for yourself. Who’s Invited? Tech enthusiasts with a spark of curiosity. If you're community-minded and conscientious, you'll fit right in. What’s On Offer: Essentials covered: Tables, chairs, and internet. A full tour will reveal the plethora of tools and equipment available for all your hacking and making needs. Cost? Workparty Events are absolutely free to attend. Feel a connection? Ask about membership for 24/7 access to our tech wonderland, starting at $40 per month. The Golden Rules: Be excellent, be kind, and help keep our community spirit thriving. Volunteers Make the Dream Work: Continuing to make our hackerspace a reality is a team effort. Your contributions are invaluable.

Let's Make Every Saturday Count!

Speaker Marilu Lopez, SEGDA

Marilu is the owner and data management consultant at SEGDA, specializing in data strategies and operating models. She co-founded and served as president of the DAMA Mexico Chapter, was the DAMA Regional Coordinator for Latin America, Presidents' Council Chairperson, and is currently DAMA Chapter Services VP. With a background of 30+ years in the financial sector, including 15 years in data management, Marilu holds a CDMP (Certified Data Management Professional) Master and CIMP certifications in Data Governance and Data Quality and is TOGAF-certified. She is the author of “Data Strategies for Data Governance” and an active speaker at international conferences like EDW, DGIQ, and DMZ.

Abstract Data Strategies are the cornerstone for driving AI in advanced analytics. Using a pragmatic, agile, and communicative (PAC) approach, organizations can anchor their Data Management priorities with a maturity model, then clearly define and communicate their strategic path forward using a concise strategy canvas.

Session Synopsis

A Pragmatic, Agile, and Communicative approach to defining the What, Who, and When of Data Management to have good data for AI.

Most organizations are living an urgency to get value out of their data. They are jumping directly to implement MDM initiatives, to move to the cloud, or to implement advanced analytics, and now, to adopt AI, without a real understanding of the problems that need to be solved and the priority to tackle them. There's though an increasing awareness of having to manage data in a better way, but there's no clear understanding of the path to follow. Data Strategy is the key element to prioritize and guide resource allocation in the best way. This session presents how to produce Data Strategies using the PAC (Pragmatic, Agile, and Communicable) (Pragmatic, Agile, and Communicable) Data Strategy Method.

Attendees will take away:

The relevance of a Data Management Maturity Model as an anchor for a Data Strategy The power of a Canvas to communicate Data Strategy The Data Strategies Framework The attainability of the Data Strategy PAC Method

Define your Data Strategies with the appropriate stakeholders in a very pragmatic and agile way and communicate them with the power of a Canvas.

The Portland Azure User Group is a community of people excited about the endless possibilities of cloud computing, data analytics, and security on Microsoft Azure. We believe the Azure platform offers rich possibilities. We keep pace by sharing our learning and doing deep-dive explorations of topics as a community of learners. We run the gamut from new to experienced users and welcome anyone who shares an interest in cloud scalable infrastructure, applications, tools, analytics, identity management, and security.

Some great perks to joining our monthly meetups are networking, knowledge transfer, and community building. We aim to foster a vibrant community that shares success in implementing best practices for Microsoft Azure.

Session Details: Metadata Driven Pipelines for Dynamic Full and Incremental Processing in Azure SQL

Developing ETLs/ELTs can be a complex process when you add in business logic, large amounts of data, and the high volume of table data that needs to be moved from source to target. This is especially true in analytical workloads involving Azure SQL when there is a need to either fully reload a table or incrementally update a table. In order to handle the logic to incrementally update a table or fully reload a table in Azure SQL (or Azure Synapse), we will need to create the following assets: • Metadata table in Azure SQL ◦ This will contain the configurations needed to load each table end to end • Metadata driven pipelines ◦ Parent and child pipeline templates that will orchestrate and execute the ETL/ELT end to end • Custom SQL logic for incremental processing ◦ Dynamic SQL to perform the delete and insert based on criteria the user provides in the metadata table

This session uses Azure SQL DB as the source and sink databases. However, Azure SQL MI, On-Prem SQL, and Synapse Dedicated Pools (along with Synapse Pipelines) will also be compatible for this solution. As a source, you can use databases like MySQL, Oracle, and others. You will just need to adjust the query syntax/connections to match the desired source.

Guest Speaker: Marc Bushong Marc Bushong, Senior Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft, has extensive experience in healthcare and higher education. He excels in Azure architecture, end-to-end solution design, and full-stack Azure development. His career began as a Radiologic Technologist, providing him with a unique perspective on the healthcare industry, from direct patient care to backend data engineering processes.

We're very excited to welcome you to the Portland C++ User's Group (PDXCPP) meetup! Join us in downtown Portland to hobnob, learn, and share with other Modern C++ enthusiasts! Bring your C++ questions, stories of coding adventure, and tales of debugger derring-do!

This month, we will be meeting at the Lucky Labrador Brewpub on SE Hawthorne.

NOTE: We're not really meant to be a "bar group", as kind as the folks at Lucky Lab have been. We are seeking a suitable small venue space, preferably with whiteboards and projectors. If your company is interested in hosting our group, please contact us!

-- Your PDXCPP Organizers

The Portland State Aerospace Society (PSAS for short) is a student-led aerospace engineering group at Portland State University. We build ultra-low-cost, open source rockets, liquid-fuel rocket engines, satellites, and satellite ground stations.

Come on down for our annual open house, where you can see our rockets, rocket engines, and duplicates of Oregon's first and second satellites (our second satellite is in orbit around the Earth right now!). You can also see bits of our 3rd satellite that's going to space in the next year.

Be able to touch real space hardware, and talk with geeky engineers and non-geeky folk, too!

Join us for snacks and aerospace fun! Good for all ages.

The event is free, but please register on Eventbrite so we know you're coming!

Join us to meet other developers as well as some who are further along in their careers. Get to know some friendly people in our industry! 👋 Our goal is to help build community- we want you here! All levels of experience are welcome.

🕒 New Time: Starting networking at 5:30 PM, Presentation at 6:00 PM 📍 Location: ProFocus Headquarters 📍 Address: 10200 Eastridge St, Ste 100, Portland, OR 97225 🥂 Food & Drinks: Enjoy drinks provided by ProFocus, Food is NOT provided this time. Sponsors are welcome to inquire!

Agenda

Kickoff @ 5:30 PM: Networking & introductions Tech Talk @ 6:00 PM: Getting the Most Out of AWS with Rich Coffey. For the first in this series of chats, we focus on how to get the most out of AWS Support. Come out and chat with Rich, Enterprise Support Manager based here in PDX on best practices and design patterns in leveraging the power of AWS Support. Event End 8:00 PM: Please be prepared to leave by 8:15 PM 🔗 Join our Slack community: AWS Portland User Group Don't miss this opportunity to connect, learn, and level up your cloud skills!

Come join the most thrilling tech meet up in all of Portland. Chat tech projects or life stuff. Keep an eye out for nerds with name tags.

Women's Wealth & Wellness: The conversation no one is having.

Join us for Women’s Wealth & Wellness, a dynamic panel discussion focused on empowering women in technology leadership to take charge of their relationship with money. This event will help women understand the connection between money, self-esteem, and success. You will leave this event with tips and actionable strategies for making more confident career and money decisions.

Key Discussion Topics:

Why money matters – resources to improve financial literacy & independence. How financial independence shapes career and life choices. How to talk about money – tips & tricks for salary negotiations. How to navigate financial risks and career transitions with confidence. How financial choices impact your health & wellness. This event is designed for women at all stages of their careers, from emerging leaders to seasoned professionals. Gain insights, share experiences, and walk away with practical steps to strengthen your financial future.

Meet our Panel:

Lori Gilyard, Vice President of IT, Ardon Health, is an experienced IT leader with a strong background in managing large teams and optimizing technology operations. As Vice President of IT at Ardon Health, she oversees IT solutions and support for key business functions. She has led teams of up to 140 full-time employees and contractors, managed outsourced IT production support, and coordinated multiple vendor relationships. Over the past 13 years, her teams have provided IT support and solutions for Human Resources, Quality Assurance, Business Operations, North America Geography, Global Sales, and IT Service Management. Lori focuses on efficient IT management, vendor coordination, and delivering reliable technology support.

Aimee Keeney, Wealth Advisor, Firenze Wealth Management, is an experienced Financial Planner who brings strategy and simplicity to financial planning for busy professionals. She is a collaborator, connector, educator and leader in Financial Services and Risk Protection, with over 25 years experience working with Small Business owners, Individuals and Families. Aimee helps clients understand their relationship to money, build a strong, comprehensive vision, and set realistic goals to secure Retirement and achieve Financial Independence.

Prior to training as a Psilocybin Facilitator, Michelle Harrell, Founder, Tree of Life Facilitation Services & Purple City Retreats enjoyed a successful international corporate career working primarily in Human Resources and Information Technology. For over 20 years, Michelle supported global teams through various change programs, from organizational restructures to implementing new process and technology systems, to standing up entirely new functions and teams. Through her work, she realized how difficult change is for most people and she enjoyed supporting others through their own life transitions, big and small. Living and working abroad while raising two children overseas provided opportunity to work with individuals of all backgrounds, cultures & nationalities. She aims to bring this passion for diversity and personalized service to her facilitation practice. Michelle’s own experiences with psilocybin created a paradigm shift in how she saw herself, how she saw the world and how she related with others, resulting in positive changes to her life overall. She felt called to pivot and make one of the biggest changes in her career, becoming a licensed psilocybin facilitator. She is excited and humbled to serve others as they embark on their own healing journeys to improved mental health, wellness, and relationships.

Vidhya Chanderasekaran is a seasoned technology leader with over 20 years of experience in software engineering. Most recently, she served as Vice President of Engineering and Chief Information Security Officer at Fond, where she oversaw software engineering practices, product delivery, resource planning, budgeting, data privacy, and compliance—ensuring alignment with business goals. Vidhya is known for driving a "shift-left" approach to quality, embedding it throughout the software development lifecycle, and advocates for applying the same principles to security. She has led teams through agile transformations, introduced automated testing, and implemented process improvements to boost efficiency and product reliability. Passionate about team development, Vidhya prioritizes coaching and mentoring to help individuals grow in their careers. She remains committed to continuous learning and staying adaptable in the fast-moving tech industry.

Our Moderator:

Jennifer Waldrip, Vice President, Client & Talent Services at ProFocus Technology, drives growth by leading sales and delivery teams. She focuses on hiring, training, and developing talent while helping shape key growth strategies. With extensive staffing experience, she bridges the corporate and talent worlds. Before joining ProFocus, she consulted with a strong focus on quality. Outside of work, Jennifer enjoys adventures with her husband and three children. She loves the outdoors, especially running, walking, or biking. Passionate about giving back, she serves on the Astoria High School Scholarship Board and volunteers at her church teaching youth and self-reliance courses.

Agenda

4:30 - 5:00 Networking 5:00 - 6:00 Panel Discussion 6:00 - 6:30 Open Group Discussion and Q & A

Details No agenda, no pitch, no bullshit. As always, come geek out, network, and have a good time.

Beers with Engineers is a diverse group of engineers from a variety of fields coming together to share a drink after work, commiserate with like-minded nerds, and learn more about our respective industries.

If it's your first time joining us, welcome! We strive to make our meetup welcoming for both newcomers and returning attendees and inclusive for all current or aspiring engineers, especially those who are often underrepresented in the field.

See you there!

CTRLH/PDX Hackerspace 2025 Workparty Series: A Haven for Tech Enthusiasts!

Saturdays | 12 PM - 5 PM

What’s the Buzz? Curious about the inner workings of a hackerspace? Dive into the world of CTRLH/PDX Hackerspace! It's your chance to explore our community, contribute to its growth, and maybe even apply as a member. Plus, it's when we all get together to give our space some TLC.

Here’s the Deal:

Kanban Adventures: Our Kanban Board is the pulse of our workparty. It's where tasks meet talent. Join us in this unique choreography of creativity and care. Chill & Create: Bring your project, or find one here. It's about collaboration, innovation, and putting your mark on our space. Tours with Insights: New here? Get an exclusive tour and discover the range of equipment and possibilities our space offers. There's a lot more than just tables, chairs, and internet – but we'll let you see for yourself. Who’s Invited? Tech enthusiasts with a spark of curiosity. If you're community-minded and conscientious, you'll fit right in. What’s On Offer: Essentials covered: Tables, chairs, and internet. A full tour will reveal the plethora of tools and equipment available for all your hacking and making needs. Cost? Workparty Events are absolutely free to attend. Feel a connection? Ask about membership for 24/7 access to our tech wonderland, starting at $40 per month. The Golden Rules: Be excellent, be kind, and help keep our community spirit thriving. Volunteers Make the Dream Work: Continuing to make our hackerspace a reality is a team effort. Your contributions are invaluable.

Let's Make Every Saturday Count!

A group of people curious about or working with the Unison programming language (https://www.unison-lang.org).

All are welcome, regardless of experience with programming in general or Unison in particular.

We will likely have a couple short demos and opportunities to ask questions or share.

Get ready, because PNSQC and Innovate QA are hosting their first annual Testathon Bug Bash! Join us for an exciting and fun-filled event, where QA engineers and testers from Portland and Seattle will go head-to-head in a thrilling hunt for the most interesting issues found while testing an interactive web application in alpha/beta testing! Whether you're a seasoned tester or just starting out in QA, this is your chance to showcase your exploratory testing skills, compete with fellow testers, and—most importantly—have a blast while discovering quirky bugs.

The event will kick off with a brief introduction, followed by 1-2 hours of exploratory testing, where you'll work together with your fellow testers in your city and "compete" against the testers located at the other location. There are no time limits, so take your time, dive deep, and see if you can uncover all the potential issues that might be lurking beneath the surface! At the end of the session, we'll gather to share the coolest and most impactful bugs found, celebrate the most creative testers, and award some fun prizes.

It's all about having fun, learning from each other, and embracing the thrill of finding bugs in a collaborative, friendly competition. Will Portland reign supreme, or will Seattle come out on top? Bring your passion for testing, your curiosity, and your competitive spirit—let's find some bugs and make this Testathon one to remember!

This event will be held in-person at both a Portland-based and Seattle-based location, and some light dinner will be included at both locations. PNSQC thanks Trimble for generously donating their space for this event! See the event posted on Innovate QA's Meetup group for details about the Seattle venue.

The Portland Fabric User Group (formerly Portland Power BI User Group) is a community of people excited about the business analytics and AI stack, Microsoft Fabric. We believe the platform offers rich possibilities, and we keep pace by sharing our learning and doing deep-dive explorations of topics. We run the gamut from new to experienced users and welcome anyone who shares an interest in data analytics and AI.

Some great perks to joining our monthly meetups are networking, knowledge transfer, and community building. We aim to foster a vibrant community that shares success in implementing best practices for Fabric and Power BI.

Visit us on our Meetup page to get details on the presentation topic and speaker. We hope to see you!

Portland ecommerce pros—this one’s for you! We’re hosting a no-BS, insight-packed evening designed for brands selling on Amazon, Instacart, Walmart.com, Target, and more. If you’re already seeing traction but want to scale with clarity, or thoughts on whether expanding to a new platform this year is a good move, this is where you want to be.

✅ You’ll Learn:

What’s working across top marketplaces (and what’s not) How to prep for the biggest marketplace shifts of 2025 Inisghts and tactics from 8- and 9-figure operators you can actually apply ✅ Our Excellent Speakers:

Diane Aylsworth, CEO of Aunt Fannie’s Chris Gray, CEO of Brandwoven Greg Resnik, Director at Feedonomics ✅ Let’s talk strategy, predictions, and playbooks—together. 🗓 Wednesday, April 23 | 5:30–7:45 PM 📍 GRAYBOX HQ, Portland

Sponsored by: BigCommerce | GRAYBOX | Great Notion Brewing

CTRLH/PDX Hackerspace 2025 Workparty Series: A Haven for Tech Enthusiasts!

Saturdays | 12 PM - 5 PM

What’s the Buzz? Curious about the inner workings of a hackerspace? Dive into the world of CTRLH/PDX Hackerspace! It's your chance to explore our community, contribute to its growth, and maybe even apply as a member. Plus, it's when we all get together to give our space some TLC.

Here’s the Deal:

Kanban Adventures: Our Kanban Board is the pulse of our workparty. It's where tasks meet talent. Join us in this unique choreography of creativity and care. Chill & Create: Bring your project, or find one here. It's about collaboration, innovation, and putting your mark on our space. Tours with Insights: New here? Get an exclusive tour and discover the range of equipment and possibilities our space offers. There's a lot more than just tables, chairs, and internet – but we'll let you see for yourself. Who’s Invited? Tech enthusiasts with a spark of curiosity. If you're community-minded and conscientious, you'll fit right in. What’s On Offer: Essentials covered: Tables, chairs, and internet. A full tour will reveal the plethora of tools and equipment available for all your hacking and making needs. Cost? Workparty Events are absolutely free to attend. Feel a connection? Ask about membership for 24/7 access to our tech wonderland, starting at $40 per month. The Golden Rules: Be excellent, be kind, and help keep our community spirit thriving. Volunteers Make the Dream Work: Continuing to make our hackerspace a reality is a team effort. Your contributions are invaluable.

Let's Make Every Saturday Count!

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.

Please follow us on Bluesky (@rainsec.org) or Mastodon (rainsec@infosec.exchange) for any last minute updates.

COVID-19 Precautions:

• We meet outside under a covered patio area to reduce transmission risk.
  • There are overhead heaters if it's cold, but dress comfortably!
• If you are feeling sick, stay home!
• If you've had a recent COVID exposure, stay home!

You can also find us on Meetup.com and Smoke Signal (AT Protocol).

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

Find us upstairs in the glass walled room

Hosted by Aaron Campf. Online Teams Link: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_YTljOWRlMDAtNThmZS00NzljLWE1YTEtZDhlODMyYzI0OTRi%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%2282ea9e81-6f10-49e0-a1f1-d75b0b4c2e7c%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22143ee9d3-21a4-4da7-a1e8-2472c358110e%22%7d

Or call in (audio only) +1 872-240-8681,,882162595# United States, Chicago Phone Conference ID: 882 162 595#

Please join one of our community group chats

Slack https://join.slack.com/t/mentorshipsaturdays/shared_invite/zt-1mnjewbt2-rWJfxmqf6_JWtSSk~Svj0w

Discord https://discord.gg/nSCxgbcG7U

If there are any issues with joining in person or online please message on here and Slack or Discord

Welcome All Founders and Tech Pros

• What we'll do You will drink coffee (and tea for those who are recovering caffeine addicts) and talk with other great founders and companies in our local area.

• What to bring Nada. Just a friendly demeanor and willingness to meet new great founders and talk about your project.

• Important to know This is REALLY not the place you want to come if you are looking for sales leads. This event is a place to meet and share your startup journey and talk about your project. While we appreciate all the members of our community, network marketing and sales reps will find many short unuseful conversations in this crowd. Thanks for understanding.

MergePHP meets the second Thursday of every month at 16:00 Pacific

Details This is a fun networking event to play pool and talk tech. We will have free tables to play on and Happy Hour runs until 6pm. Everyone is welcome, you do not have to be great at pool to attend!

If you would like to submit a session/event for PDX Startup Week 2025, please submit here: https://forms.gle/a8j3oxNdTtWh5JZt7

UpStart Collective is opening its westside space to founders of the Portland metro community. Are you working on product-led company? Are you struggling to find your community?

Come spend the day with us!

RSVP req'd: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScwUwicf9qQr4LyT9uPkhivlypxe3DgUh_vhqa97Pu1Ni50FA/viewform?usp=sharing

​Let's kick off the first startup week in Portland in several years the right way. Bring your dancing shoes and be ready to connect with several hundred of your fellow startup community friends. Food and drinks will be served.

The Portland Power Platform User Group is a community of people excited about the Power Platform tools: Power Apps, Automate, BI, and Copilot Studio. We believe the platform offers rich possibilities, and we keep pace by sharing our learning and doing deep-dive explorations of topics. We run the gamut from new to experienced users and welcome anyone who shares an interest in custom apps and process automation for your business needs.

Some great perks to joining our monthly meetups are networking, knowledge transfer, and community building. We aim to foster a vibrant community that shares success in implementing best practices for the Power Platform.

Visit us on our Meetup page to get details on the presentation topic and speaker. We hope to see you!

Portland has one of the most vibrant tech communities in the country, and the more we support our tech ecosystem, the more we'll all experience and create together!

Join us to learn about the cool and amazing technologies being developed by Portlanders. Event volunteers are welcome! Let us know if you'd like to volunteer.

Agenda

5:30pm - Doors Open / Buffet / Drinks / Get to know your community 6:30pm - Program Begins!

Pres. #1: Emre Tekoglu of Spiky Pres. #2: Andrew Wallner of Spoken Pres. #3: Peter Kirwan of Mebot Pres. #4: Zeke Camusio of Data Speaks Pres. #5: Ian Hamilton of Transparent AI

Details No agenda, no pitch, no bullshit. As always, come geek out, network, and have a good time.

Beers with Engineers is a diverse group of engineers from a variety of fields coming together to share a drink after work, commiserate with like-minded nerds, and learn more about our respective industries.

If it's your first time joining us, welcome! We strive to make our meetup welcoming for both newcomers and returning attendees and inclusive for all current or aspiring engineers, especially those who are often underrepresented in the field.

See you there!

We're very excited to welcome you to the Portland C++ User's Group (PDXCPP) meetup! Join us in downtown Portland to hobnob, learn, and share with other Modern C++ enthusiasts! Bring your C++ questions, stories of coding adventure, and tales of debugger derring-do!

This month, we will be meeting at the Lucky Labrador Brewpub on SE Hawthorne.

NOTE: We're not really meant to be a "bar group", as kind as the folks at Lucky Lab have been. We are seeking a suitable small venue space, preferably with whiteboards and projectors. If your company is interested in hosting our group, please contact us!

-- Your PDXCPP Organizers

The Portland Azure User Group is a community of people excited about the endless possibilities of cloud computing, data analytics, and security on Microsoft Azure. We believe the Azure platform offers rich possibilities. We keep pace by sharing our learning and doing deep-dive explorations of topics as a community of learners. We run the gamut from new to experienced users and welcome anyone who shares an interest in cloud scalable infrastructure, applications, tools, analytics, identity management, and security.

Some great perks to joining our monthly meetups are networking, knowledge transfer, and community building. We aim to foster a vibrant community that shares success in implementing best practices for Microsoft Azure.

Session Details: TBD - See Meetup for more details

Guest Speaker: Carter Rabasa Leading DevRel at DataStax, organizing events for developers at CascadiaJS and being a developer in my spare time. Former Microsoft & Twilio.

Join us to meet other developers as well as some who are further along in their careers. Get to know some friendly people in our industry! 👋 Our goal is to help build community- we want you here! All levels of experience are welcome.

Join the Portland AWS User Group for an evening of technical learning with other cloud and security professionals!

🕒 New Time: Starting networking at 5:30 PM, Presentation at 6:00 PM 📍 Location: ProFocus Headquarters 📍 Address: 10200 Eastridge St, Ste 100, Portland, OR 97225 🥂 Food & Drinks: Enjoy drinks provided by ProFocus, Food is NOT provided this time. Sponsors are welcome to inquire!

Agenda

Kickoff @ 5:30 PM: Networking & introductions Tech Talk @ 6:00 PM: TBD 🔗 Join our Slack community: AWS Portland User Group Don't miss this opportunity to connect, learn, and level up your cloud skills!

The Portland Fabric User Group (formerly Portland Power BI User Group) is a community of people excited about the business analytics and AI stack, Microsoft Fabric. We believe the platform offers rich possibilities, and we keep pace by sharing our learning and doing deep-dive explorations of topics. We run the gamut from new to experienced users and welcome anyone who shares an interest in data analytics and AI.

Some great perks to joining our monthly meetups are networking, knowledge transfer, and community building. We aim to foster a vibrant community that shares success in implementing best practices for Fabric and Power BI.

Visit us on our Meetup page to get details on the presentation topic and speaker. We hope to see you!

Find us upstairs in the glass walled room

Hosted by Aaron Campf. Online Teams Link: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_YTljOWRlMDAtNThmZS00NzljLWE1YTEtZDhlODMyYzI0OTRi%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%2282ea9e81-6f10-49e0-a1f1-d75b0b4c2e7c%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22143ee9d3-21a4-4da7-a1e8-2472c358110e%22%7d

Or call in (audio only) +1 872-240-8681,,882162595# United States, Chicago Phone Conference ID: 882 162 595#

Please join one of our community group chats

Slack https://join.slack.com/t/mentorshipsaturdays/shared_invite/zt-1mnjewbt2-rWJfxmqf6_JWtSSk~Svj0w

Discord https://discord.gg/nSCxgbcG7U

If there are any issues with joining in person or online please message on here and Slack or Discord

FOSSY (Free and Open Source Software Yearly) is focused on the creation and impact of free and open source software, uplifting contributors of all experience.

Taking place in Portland, OR, we hope FOSSY will be a community focused event that invites local community, as well as the wider internet and global communites we have formed over the years. Whether you are a long time contributing member of a free software project, a recent graduate of a coding bootcamp or university, or just have an interest in the possibilies that free and open source software bring, FOSSY will have something for you.

With around ten tracks with talks over four days, for community building, development and legal and licensing issues, the conference will provide ample learning and networking opportunities for contributors of all levels of experience. There will be hands on workshops, lightning talks and traditional 50 minute talks.

The Portland Power Platform User Group is a community of people excited about the Power Platform tools: Power Apps, Automate, BI, and Copilot Studio. We believe the platform offers rich possibilities, and we keep pace by sharing our learning and doing deep-dive explorations of topics. We run the gamut from new to experienced users and welcome anyone who shares an interest in custom apps and process automation for your business needs.

Some great perks to joining our monthly meetups are networking, knowledge transfer, and community building. We aim to foster a vibrant community that shares success in implementing best practices for the Power Platform.

Visit us on our Meetup page to get details on the presentation topic and speaker. We hope to see you!

The Portland Azure User Group is a community of people excited about the endless possibilities of cloud computing, data analytics, and security on Microsoft Azure. We believe the Azure platform offers rich possibilities. We keep pace by sharing our learning and doing deep-dive explorations of topics as a community of learners. We run the gamut from new to experienced users and welcome anyone who shares an interest in cloud scalable infrastructure, applications, tools, analytics, identity management, and security.

Some great perks to joining our monthly meetups are networking, knowledge transfer, and community building. We aim to foster a vibrant community that shares success in implementing best practices for Microsoft Azure.

The Portland Fabric User Group (formerly Portland Power BI User Group) is a community of people excited about the business analytics and AI stack, Microsoft Fabric. We believe the platform offers rich possibilities, and we keep pace by sharing our learning and doing deep-dive explorations of topics. We run the gamut from new to experienced users and welcome anyone who shares an interest in data analytics and AI.

Some great perks to joining our monthly meetups are networking, knowledge transfer, and community building. We aim to foster a vibrant community that shares success in implementing best practices for Fabric and Power BI.

Visit us on our Meetup page to get details on the presentation topic and speaker. We hope to see you!

The Portland Power Platform User Group is a community of people excited about the Power Platform tools: Power Apps, Automate, BI, and Copilot Studio. We believe the platform offers rich possibilities, and we keep pace by sharing our learning and doing deep-dive explorations of topics. We run the gamut from new to experienced users and welcome anyone who shares an interest in custom apps and process automation for your business needs.

Some great perks to joining our monthly meetups are networking, knowledge transfer, and community building. We aim to foster a vibrant community that shares success in implementing best practices for the Power Platform.

Visit us on our Meetup page to get details on the presentation topic and speaker. We hope to see you!

The Portland Azure User Group is a community of people excited about the endless possibilities of cloud computing, data analytics, and security on Microsoft Azure. We believe the Azure platform offers rich possibilities. We keep pace by sharing our learning and doing deep-dive explorations of topics as a community of learners. We run the gamut from new to experienced users and welcome anyone who shares an interest in cloud scalable infrastructure, applications, tools, analytics, identity management, and security.

Some great perks to joining our monthly meetups are networking, knowledge transfer, and community building. We aim to foster a vibrant community that shares success in implementing best practices for Microsoft Azure.

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
• Experts 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 companies during coffee breaks, meals and social gatherings at the venue, and karaoke!

The Portland Fabric User Group (formerly Portland Power BI User Group) is a community of people excited about the business analytics and AI stack, Microsoft Fabric. We believe the platform offers rich possibilities, and we keep pace by sharing our learning and doing deep-dive explorations of topics. We run the gamut from new to experienced users and welcome anyone who shares an interest in data analytics and AI.

Some great perks to joining our monthly meetups are networking, knowledge transfer, and community building. We aim to foster a vibrant community that shares success in implementing best practices for Fabric and Power BI.

Visit us on our Meetup page to get details on the presentation topic and speaker. We hope to see you!

The Portland Power Platform User Group is a community of people excited about the Power Platform tools: Power Apps, Automate, BI, and Copilot Studio. We believe the platform offers rich possibilities, and we keep pace by sharing our learning and doing deep-dive explorations of topics. We run the gamut from new to experienced users and welcome anyone who shares an interest in custom apps and process automation for your business needs.

Some great perks to joining our monthly meetups are networking, knowledge transfer, and community building. We aim to foster a vibrant community that shares success in implementing best practices for the Power Platform.

Visit us on our Meetup page to get details on the presentation topic and speaker. We hope to see you!

The Portland Azure User Group is a community of people excited about the endless possibilities of cloud computing, data analytics, and security on Microsoft Azure. We believe the Azure platform offers rich possibilities. We keep pace by sharing our learning and doing deep-dive explorations of topics as a community of learners. We run the gamut from new to experienced users and welcome anyone who shares an interest in cloud scalable infrastructure, applications, tools, analytics, identity management, and security.

Some great perks to joining our monthly meetups are networking, knowledge transfer, and community building. We aim to foster a vibrant community that shares success in implementing best practices for Microsoft Azure.

The NW Electronics Design & Manufacturing Expo (NEDME) exclusive set up and happy hour networking for Registered Exhibitors of tradeshow Oct 22nd

The NW Electronics Design & Manufacturing Expo (NEDME) is the premier trade show and networking event for members of the high-tech industry in the Pacific Northwest. NEDME connects local businesses with engineers, entrepreneurs, buyers, and reps in a fun atmosphere that promotes innovation and learning.

The Portland Fabric User Group (formerly Portland Power BI User Group) is a community of people excited about the business analytics and AI stack, Microsoft Fabric. We believe the platform offers rich possibilities, and we keep pace by sharing our learning and doing deep-dive explorations of topics. We run the gamut from new to experienced users and welcome anyone who shares an interest in data analytics and AI.

Some great perks to joining our monthly meetups are networking, knowledge transfer, and community building. We aim to foster a vibrant community that shares success in implementing best practices for Fabric and Power BI.

Visit us on our Meetup page to get details on the presentation topic and speaker. We hope to see you!