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WednesdayFeb 4 2026Portland Tech Club LaunchWebsite
NTEN's Tech Clubs are local gathering spaces for folks who are interested in putting technology to work for missions and movements. Whether you work in a nonprofit, foundation, or community group, or maybe provide technology products, services, and strategies to those group, this is the space for you. In future events, we plan to cover a diversity of topics from AI to security, open source development to the future of the web.
Come to the launch event to network with others who care about technology for good, and help us identify topics for future events, nominate yourself or other folks you know as presenters, or even join us in volunteering to ensure we build a strong network this year. Help us launch the Portland Tech Club together!
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"Imagine all the People": A Talk on Digital Futures, Computer-Human Interaction, and Radical Innovaton by author Dr. Alexander Reid RossWebsite
Join the Computer-Human Interaction Forum of Oregon for a Talk on Digital Futures by author, activist, and professor Alexander Reid Ross
“Imagine All the People”: Socio-Ecological-Technical Imaginaries and Utopian MovementsJohn Lennon’s famous directive to “imagine all the people” is virtually impossible for social movements that require enemies and scapegoats to foster egalitarian visions of the future. Building on research into the far right, this talk describes the emergence of powerful socio-ecological-technical imaginaries in the 21st Century and their relation to social movements and community organization. Discussing the rising movement against data centers and right-wing social media, it locates imaginaries in the complex, mimetic struggles for freedom in which technology seems to threaten as much as it promises. In the contexts of theories like “abundance,” accelerationism, and eco-modernism, it possible today, as utopianism and pessimism surge, for “all the people” to fit into our imagined past, present, and future?
Alexander Reid Ross is an award-winning geographer working at the intersection of human-natural systems, focusing on climate, water, and the political far right. He holds a doctorate from Portland State’s Earth, Environment, Society program, and his work has appeared in the Oregon Historical Quarterly, the Hydrological Sciences Journal, The Public Historian, and the Annals of the American Association of Geographers Review of Books. He has produced three books, with a forthcoming work on Shakespeare and the concept of the sublime due out later this year.
All are welcome. Free to enter, small donations to cover expenses encouraged. Feel free to bring a bottle of wine, some snacks, or seom refreshments to consume and share.
Tomorrow
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ThursdayFeb 5 2026Portland Linux/Unix Group General Monthly Meeting: Certificate Transparency with Jacob Hoffman-Andrews
WebsiteSummary:
A few things like the recent update to the Certificate Transparency ecosystem to allow the “static CT API”, which is much cheaper to operate; and the new IETF working group PLANTS for Merkle Tree Certificates and why it’s relevant to Post-Quantum cryptography. I’ll provide an intro about what Certificate Transparency is.
Bio:
Jacob Hoffman-Andrews leads EFF's work on the Let's Encrypt project, which assists over 400 million domain names in providing HTTPS encryption to their visitors. His areas of interest also include AI, online authentication (in particular multifactor authentication and passkeys), trusted execution environments and attestations, browser security, DNS, and memory safety. Besides Let's Encrypt's Boulder software, he is a maintainer of the go-jose package, rustdoc, and ureq.
Next two weeks
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FridayFeb 6 2026Up & Running - A one-day mini conference on resourcing your early stage startupWebsite
Hosted by the Metro Region Innovation Hub and HERE, this is a first-of-its-kind, day-long conference to help founders and tech startups navigate the obstacle course of early stage business development.
Seeking Investment capital? A brand strategy? Wondering about your sales funnel? No matter your challenge, this is the place to get you past the confusion. Experts and prospective business partners in multiple disciplines will be on hand for you to learn from, huddle with, and grow your local network.
The day will feature panel discussions, presentations, Q&A sessions and 1-on-1 advising with business investors and professional service consultants.
This mini-conference is best suited for early stage startups that involve technology-based innovation. As this is an educational conference, pitching, selling, and solicitations will be prohibited.
Lunch is included. Space is limited to the first 80 registrants. Walk-in registrations will not be available.
Registration closes February 5. Early pricing ends January 28 ($35 registration fee beginning 1/28).
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Emerging Professionals of Portland (EPOP) Exclusive!
Portland Metro Chamber is thrilled to host the first EPOP Exclusive of the season with The Performing Arts Scene in Portland! Come enjoy a talk about the performing arts scene and enjoy complimentary breakfast bites.
Panelists:
Luke Burbank : Host / LiveWire Radio & Correspondant / CBS Sunday Morning Paul Snyder : President & CEO / Oregon Symphony Dani Rowe : Artistic Director / Oregon Ballet Theater Poison Waters : Drag Performer / Darcelle XV Showplace
Moderator: Jessi Duley: Founder & CEO / Burncycle & the Reckless Optimist
You may be familiar with our monthly signature EPOP Last Tuesday events, and after a 4 year hiatus, we are excited to bring back our EPOP Exclusives.
EPOP Exclusives are geared toward connecting professionals and community members with established civic and business leaders in the Portland region. EPOP Exclusives include a moderated Q&A session with a featured panel of experts as well as an opportunity to network with like-minded emerging professionals.
Join us at ShowBar at Revolution Hall!
Complimentary breakfast bites.
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Score Meet-a-Mentor eventWebsite
Step into the Portland small business community’s best-kept secret: a team of seasoned volunteer mentors who’ve seen—and solved—almost every challenge a business can face. For more than 60 years, SCORE has been matching entrepreneurs with one‑on‑one advisors from every sector you can imagine: tech, retail, food, creative, nonprofits, professional services, trades, and more. Whether you’re just sketching an idea or scaling a growing company, you can tap into that experience for free, as often as you need it.
Our mentors reflect Portland’s diversity across industries, career stages, and lived experiences. At this event, you’ll meet some of them, hear how they work with clients, and get a feel for what a confidential, tailored mentoring relationship could look like for you. You’ll also get plugged into workshops, webinars, and a deep library of practical tools—all at no cost.
Need funding? An SBA representative will speak and be available to answer your questions about financing, loan programs, and how to position your business to qualify for capital. If you’ve ever wondered how to actually get money in the door to grow your business, this is your chance to ask directly. This, combined with conversations with a free mentor, can set your business up for success.
Come if you’re serious about moving your business forward and want a trusted, long‑term ally on your side, without adding another line item to your budget.
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SaturdayFeb 7 2026Mentorship Saturdays @ Roseline Cafe & OnlineWebsite
Thanks to Roseline Coffee for providing a physical location! Find inside the hotel and to the right, likely on the couches
Coffee, bagels and people working on their careers and code! We have 2-5 mentors every month ready to help people get started in the industry, get help with a particular problem, or get career advice. We offer resume reviews, portfolio reviews, and sometimes mock interviews (time permitting).
Or call in (audio only)
+1 872-240-8681,,882162595# United States, Chicago
Phone Conference ID: 882 162 595#
Thanks to Capital One Café for providing a physical location!
Discord https://discord.gg/nSCxgbcG7U
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SundayFeb 8 2026Portland Area Robotics Society (PARTS) Monthly MeetingWebsite
Show & Tell with Geoff Rhoads (Transformative Optics Corporation)
Join us for an interactive, behind-the-scenes look at cutting-edge optical technology with Geoff Rhoads, founder of Transformative Optics Corporation.
Rather than a traditional slide deck, Geoff will lead a show-and-tell style presentation featuring images of array cameras, sample outputs, and the company’s unique lens designs. The format is intentionally informal and conversational, with plenty of opportunities to ask questions as the visuals unfold. We’ll wrap up with an open Q&A session (about 5–15 minutes) for deeper discussion.
If you’re interested in robotics, computer vision, imaging systems, or novel optical hardware, this will be a great chance to see real technology in action and engage directly with some of the inventors behind it.
As always, all experience levels are welcome—come curious and ready to ask questions!
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TuesdayFeb 10 2026Virtual Lunch & Learn: Built from the Core: Values that GuideWebsite
Built from the Core: Values that Guide is a focused, one-hour virtual webinar designed for entrepreneurs navigating the complexity of building and scaling bioscience ventures. Participants will identify their core values and examine how those values show up in real-world professional decisions, particularly in high-stakes, regulated environments. Through a practical, values-based decision tool, founders will learn how to bring clarity and consistency to tough choices involving science, speed, and more. The session closes with actionable strategies to stay grounded amid uncertainty, enabling entrepreneurs to lead with intention, credibility, and confidence as they grow their organizations.
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AI & sustainability learning session (dinner included)Website
Sick of hearing about AI yet? Same, but also... we would like for an expert to sit us down and talk about it.
For our February LEARN night, we're going to host an expert speaker on AI, the threats we know about, the threats we need to talk about, and the opportunities it can create that we need to pay attention to.
The plan
5~5:45 pm | arrive, eat dinner, chit chat
5:45~7 pm | interactive Q&A (more announced soon!)
7-8 pm | peer learning + the vibes will continue; pick up the conversation with new people and make friends
Please arrive by 5:30pm so you have time to eat before the programming begins.
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WednesdayFeb 11 2026Women Who Dare PDX: Founder Talk–
NedSpaceWebsiteThe Power in the Pause, The Bravery in the Shift
You’re invited to an inspiring morning with Shi Choong, Founder & Event Producer of Women Who Dare PDX. This intimate speaker event will explore the deeper mission behind WWD and the transformational theme for 2026: “The Power in the Pause, The Bravery in the Shift.” This event is for women and allies who support women empowerment and lifting women up.
In this session, Shi will share: ✨ Her personal journey of courage, reinvention, and leadership ✨ Why intentional pauses and pivotal life shifts shape who we become ✨ How Women Who Dare creates spaces for women to be seen, heard & celebrated ✨ What to expect at the March 8, 2026 WWD Conference
If you’re navigating change, seeking clarity, or craving a community that supports your evolution—this conversation will speak to your heart. Bring a friend, your journal, or simply your open mind. Prepare to feel inspired, grounded, and ready to rise.
RSVP (free): https://www.meetup.com/startup-your-startup/events/312356008/
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Feb 11th Tech Lunch At Papaccino'sWebsite
Come hang out with other tech people for lunch every other Wednesday at Papaccino’s from 12 ~ 2pm.
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ThursdayFeb 12 2026Portland Monthly BEAM Meet & ChatWebsite
Let’s get together for an informal BEAM PDX hangout: coffee, conversation, and light co-working.
This is a low-key monthly meetup for folks working with Elixir, Erlang, Gleam, and other BEAM languages, aimed at reconnecting the local community and rebuilding momentum after a long quiet stretch. We'll holding this on the second Thursday of each month.
There will be opportunities to:
- Ask questions about Elixir and other BEAM languages
- Share what you’ve been working on (or stuck on)
- Get help with programming or design problems
- Co-work: get things done with like-minded folks nearby
- Brainstorm ideas for future talk-based meetups and identify potential speakers
Bring your laptop if you’d like. It's totally optional.
New to BEAM languages, or just curious? You’re very welcome.
Please RSVP so we know roughly how many people to expect. If your plans change, un-RSVP when you can.
This meetup is also part of our transition away from Meetup to a new home for the group, where we’ll be organizing future events.
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Better Futures Club
WebsiteBetter Futures Club is a weekly event (alternating Tuesdays and Thursdays) focused on imagining and making better futures.
Imagine an artist community, a think tank, and a research center in the same building. People in all of those fields working alongside each other imagining and creating different futures together. Cross pollination and inspiration. Liberal Arts and STEM and R&D. Photographers, physicists, authors, astronomers, musicians, makers, mathematicians, designers, developers, fashionistas, climatologists and all manner of imaginative optimists.
All Better Futures Club events are covered by the Contributor Covenant Code of Conduct (https://www.contributor-covenant.org)
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SundayFeb 15 2026Portland Linux/Unix Group's Monthly Linux ClinicWebsite
That PLUG Clinic you like is coming back into style!
The PLUG Clinic returns again this month on February 15, from 1pm-5pm. Note the different venue this month, we are back at the Albina Branch Library. If you need help with your Linux computer, or want to offer help, you are welcome!
Volunteer helpers are as desirable as helpees. Helping is fun and rewarding. If you've ever helped out at a PLUG Clinic before, come checkout the space!
Thanks to the taxpayers of Multnomah County for the beautiful new building!
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TuesdayFeb 17 2026action party for an AI-resilient future (dinner included)Website
Make friends who care about stuff at Soapbox Portland, the city's most fun community space for climate action! We're having a party for people who care about the planet. Same time, same place, every week. You're invited. Request a reparative ticket here if you need one.
It's time to take action on AI and how it's affecting our planet, minds, and communities!
The plan (more details to be announced soon!)
5~5:45 pm | arrive, eat dinner, chit chat
5:45~6:15 pm | context-setting & affinity activity
7-8 pm | action time!
Please arrive by 5:30pm so you have time to eat before the programming begins.
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Portland Accessibility and User Experience Meetup (PDX A11Y UX) - Making Accessibility the Default: Continuous Accessibility Practices [virtual]–
OnlineWebsiteTopic
Often relegated to episodic efforts such as late-stage audits and ad hoc projects, digital accessibility is most effective and efficient when it is the organization’s default mode of operation. Making the shift to continuous accessibility leads to better outcomes across the board, including improving the experience of disabled users, mitigating the risk of accessibility-related lawsuits, improving brand reputation, and even creating a positive return on investment (ROI).
In this talk we provide practical strategies for embedding accessibility into daily routines and technical systems, demonstrating how to start small and scale over time. Key topics include:
- Establishing a repeatable accessibility routine and improving it over time.
- The importance of data and metrics, such as bug counts and time-to-resolution (TTR), to establish a baseline and measure progress.
- Rallying cross-functional allies to drive change (yes, even without C-suite mandates).
- Creating a unified system where human workflows and technical tools work in concert.
A real world case study illustrates how the strategic application of automated regression testing and clear bug prioritization led to a profound cultural shift where accessibility is treated like any other product quality concern. Attendees will leave with actionable ideas for initiating and sustaining cultural change, making the case for accessibility as a core business principle.
Agenda
The event begins at 6 pm; join early, starting at 5:45 pm for networking.
- 5:45–6:00pm Networking
- 6:00–6:15pm Introductions and announcements
- 6:15–6:45pm Presentation
- 6:45–7:15pm Q&A and discussion
About the presenters
Devon Persing is your neighbor to the north in Seattle, WA. Before joining "big" tech as an accessibility professional around 2012, she worked in "small" tech as a UI designer, front-end web developer, and usability advocate in libraries, higher education, and local government. She has an MS in Information and is disabled, chronically ill, and neurodivergent, and as a result her approach to digital accessibility centers information literacy, organization dynamics, and disability justice. Her current focus as a solo consultant is on helping people do accessibility work that is more holistic, inclusive, cooperative, and sustainable. She wrote a book called The Accessibility Operations Guidebook with that goal in mind.
Portlander by birth and by choice, Andrew Hedges is COO for Assistiv Labs, an accessibility tooling company based in the PNW. His 28-year career as a web developer and engineering leader has taken him to companies from Apple to Zapier. As a longtime advocate for improving the usability of websites for people with disabilities, Andrew would love nothing more than for accessibility to become the default so we can finally realize the original promise of the web to democratize access to information for everyone.
RSVP
Please RSVP for the Zoom link.
Accommodation requests
If you have any accommodation requests, don't hesitate to contact us before the event to discuss.
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Get your resume seen! Talks to help your tech job searchWebsite
This event is hybrid; a Zoom link will be emailed to registered attendees closer to the date, but please note that the talk itself doesn't start until 6:30!
February is right in the middle of peak hiring season, and PNSQC has a couple of speakers lined up to help you land that next role in a very competitive market.
First, Jeremy Elwood will give his talk titled The Paradox of Plenty: A Modern Hiring Story. It's a reflection on finding a job, but told from the employer's perspective: exploring what actually differentiated successful candidates from the rest, why resume screening failed to surface the strongest candidates, and what to look for in a successful candidate. Along the way, it offers concrete advice for everyone: how job seekers can better present their experience, approach take-home challenges, and prepare for interviews; and how hiring managers can ask better questions, design meaningful evaluations, and reduce unnecessary pain in the process. Ultimately, the talk aims not only to surface systemic problems in modern software engineer hiring, but also to offer practical guidance and cautious optimism for navigating (and surviving) the "paradox of plenty".
Heather Wilcox is excited to follow with her talk titled Resume Tips and Tricks, which will go further in depth on how to write a resume that hiring managers will notice, along with other helpful hints for survival in the era of AI. As an experienced hiring manager and job seeker herself, Heather has reviewed hundreds (maybe thousands?) of resumes. She can tell you that the AI and recruiter generated resumes are usually easy to spot and often treated with a certain amount of disdain and distrust. But, at the same time, you need your information to get past the AI screeners and into the hands of a real human. It's not an easy needle to thread, but she's done it and so can you!
Schedule (all times in PT): 6-6:30 PM: Light refreshments (soft drinks, pizza) and networking 6:30-7:30 PM: Talks/Presentation 7:30-8 PM: Q&A and more networking
Thanks to Trimble this month for lending us their space for the evening!
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Better Futures Club
Website
Better Futures Club is a weekly event (alternating Tuesdays and Thursdays) focused on imagining and making better futures.
Imagine an artist community, a think tank, and a research center in the same building. People in all of those fields working alongside each other imagining and creating different futures together. Cross pollination and inspiration. Liberal Arts and STEM and R&D. Photographers, physicists, authors, astronomers, musicians, makers, mathematicians, designers, developers, fashionistas, climatologists and all manner of imaginative optimists.
All Better Futures Club events are covered by the Contributor Covenant Code of Conduct (https://www.contributor-covenant.org)