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

Demolicious, a monthly pitch event for early-stage startups, is thrilled to announce the first end-of-the-year Champion of Champions pitch event. Held where it all started at the famed McMenamins Mission Theater, 11 past monthly Demolicious winners will compete to become 2024 Demolicious Champion and take home the coveted championship belt!

This event is free and open to the public, but sign up asap because we expect it to be a complete sell out. A waitlist will be created once RSVPs become full.

How Demolicious works:

Team will have 5 minutes to pitch. The audience will vote. Results of the vote will be awarded the championship belt. Pretty simple right!?! Can't wait to see you there.

Third Friday mornings of every month will be "Coffee w/ Co-Founders." We'll pick different venues but for now we'll start @ Tilt.

This is open to people who have co-founded companies or are looking for a co-founder.

This is a great opportunity to meet other Founders who are doing great things in the Portland area. Just an informal gathering of entrepreneurs who like to talk about what has helped them as well as advice to help others avoid pitfalls of starting up a business

We chat, we laugh, and we exchange ideas. Be sure to bring plenty of business cards!

The third edition of a monthly event we’ve been calling “Coffee w/ Co-Founders” will be held Friday July 25th @ 9am at Breken Kitchen (http://www.brekenkitchen.com/) in NW Portland.

Come by for this very informal meetup as we discuss our current projects and give each other advice about growing a business here in Portland. We have had a great turnout for each of these events, and with this space housing more space, we anticipate a large gathering of Entrepreneurs.

Bring lots of business cards and be prepared to talk to like-minded individuals.

Hope to see you there!

Coffee w/ Co-Founders was an event created to give Founders a venue to talk about challenges, issues, and what's working. It's a way to network and build on the ecosystem that makes Portland an incredible place to start a business.

This is completely informal. Come by, drink coffee, hang out, but most of all, have fun meeting new people who are passionate about what they're working on!

Coffee w/ Co-Founders is a casual meet-up meant to foster conversations about what it's like to be a Founder of a new business. Why complain to your spouse about the challenges around your business when other people out there can relate with what you're going through. Come back, drink some coffee or tea, and have a great conversation. Who knows where it will lead?

We're excited to have a sponsor this month!! Forge Portland will be providing this month's space and even better, FREE COFFEE!!

YES! We've made it to the big leagues people!

We've been excited to see the organic growth of this meetup and look forward to seeing you all in November.

Portland Startup Week is happening from Feb. 2-6th. It's a week full of amazing panels, talks, and events. Coffee w/ Co-Founders X (can't believe this is the 10th one!) will bookend the week with a great informal morning get together of the area's most incredible Entrepreneurs.

Come by, have some coffee, bring lots of business cards, and be ready to meet Portland's next big idea!

We're taking Coffee w/ Co-Founders and moving it out of the coffeeshop this month. We're celebrating our moving into OMSI's workspace by hosting the next Coffee w/ Co-Founders and this time the coffee is on us!

Bring your business cards and be ready to talk to others about what you're working on.

See you all there!

This month we're back in the Pearl! We want to thank CENTRL for offering up their space for the next meetup. As always, make sure you have plenty of business cards.

About Coffee w/ Co-Founders: CwCF was created to be a place where other Entrepreneurs can come together to talk about their projects and see what can be done to help each other out. It's a way to discuss challenges, failures, and successes.

We'll be on the NE side of town thanks to our gracious host Happy Cup Coffee

They will also be providing your morning cup of joe!

This event has been growing and we're happy that more than 600 people have joined the group!! We would love to see all of your happy shining faces at Happy Cup on the 27th! As always, bring plenty of business cards and be ready to talk about what you're working on.

Cheers!

NOTE THE NEW TIME!

We're gonna head back over to Coava this month on the SE side of town. We hope to see everyone there as we head into the holiday season.

The format is pretty laid back. Come by, grab a cup of coffee, and network with other business owners who are working on incredible projects. We can't wait to hear what you're working on!

About Coffee w/ Co-Founders: As a business owner you are faced with many challenges. You're forced to make decisions every day that could make or break your business. Coffee w/ Co-Founders is a way to network with other Entrepreneurs to allow free flowing information with the intent to collaborate and help each other. So often we're challenged and there's very little we can do to express our challenges with the people we work with or the people we care about. Think of Coffee w/ Co-Founders as your own personal support group for business owners. We're all here to help!

First I'd like to apologize to all of you for not being more active. I've been a bit overwhelmed lately so I've not been able to arrange a meetup. However, it's been February since our last get together so this is long overdue!

We're hitting Breken Kitchen on the NW side of town. The space is not very large so we'll do what we can to find a place that doesn't impact the other patrons. Perhaps we can gather on their back deck. Either way, we'll have placards in the area so it's easily identifiable.

Please be sure to patronize this establishment. The worse thing we can do is show up as a big group and not at least buy a cup of coffee (thus the name).

Looking forward to seeing you all there!

Josh Carter Co-Founder/CEO Brightwork http://brightwork.io

About Coffee w/ Co-Founders: This event is meant to be a very informal gathering of entrepreneurs to talk about their projects, challenges, and successes. This event is not just for tech founders. We usually see all types of business owners from a variety of industries.

Portland Startup Week is happening again Feb. 6-10th and, as we did last year, Coffee w/ Co-Founders will meet during this incredible event.

The format is pretty laid back. Come by, grab a cup of coffee, and network with other business owners who are working on incredible projects. We can't wait to hear what you're working on!

Please be aware that we will need to be sensitive to Coava's normal customer traffic. As such, we'll do our best to confine ourselves to the wall in the back side of the shop.

About Coffee w/ Co-Founders: As a business owner you are faced with many challenges. You're forced to make decisions every day that could make or break your business. Coffee w/ Co-Founders is a way to network with other Entrepreneurs to allow free flowing information with the intent to collaborate and help each other. So often we're challenged and there's very little we can do to express our challenges with the people we work with or the people we care about. Think of Coffee w/ Co-Founders as your own personal support group for business owners. We're all here to help!

We're in the NW side of town this month. Breken is a great place to relax, grab a cup of coffee, or get some of their yummy food.

About Coffee w/ Co-Founders: As a business owner you are faced with many challenges. You're forced to make decisions every day that could make or break your business. Coffee w/ Co-Founders is a way to network with other Entrepreneurs to allow free flowing information with the intent to collaborate and help each other. So often we're challenged and there's very little we can do to express our challenges with the people we work with or the people we care about. Think of Coffee w/ Co-Founders as your own personal support group for business owners. We're all here to help!

This month's host and sponsor is CENTRL! This month we'll be at the new Centrl location on the east side of Portland. This incredible space has already been host to a number of great community events. So it makes sense that our community make this one of our stops.

Dillin of Centrl will be speaking to you all about the space and will be giving tours to anyone that would like one. Centrl will also be providing coffee for this month's event.

About Coffee w/ Co-Founders: As a business owner you are faced with many challenges. You're forced to make decisions every day that could make or break your business. Coffee w/ Co-Founders is a way to network with other Entrepreneurs to allow free flowing information with the intent to collaborate and help each other. So often we're challenged and there's very little we can do to express our challenges with the people we work with or the people we care about. Think of Coffee w/ Co-Founders as your own personal support group for business owners. We're all here to help!

This month we're trying something a little different. We're going across the river to Vancouver to check out The Bridge Incubator.

Dave Barcos will play host to this month's meetup to give us a tour of The Bridge Incubator and talk a bit about what he's doing to help build the ecosystem in our sister city across the river. Best of all, FREE COFFEE!!

About Coffee w/ Co-Founders: As a business owner you are faced with many challenges. You're forced to make decisions every day that could make or break your business. Coffee w/ Co-Founders is a way to network with other Entrepreneurs to allow free flowing information with the intent to collaborate and help each other. So often we're challenged and there's very little we can do to express our challenges with the people we work with or the people we care about. Think of Coffee w/ Co-Founders as your own personal support group for business owners. We're all here to help!

What goes well with coffee? Well, PIE of course!!! This month our host will be Rick Turoczy and the PIE cohort at their new home in the Dairy Building. Rick will talk about the new iteration of PIE and you'll get a chance to meet the new cohort.

A HUGE thanks to Deadstock Coffee and Riff Cold Brew for keeping us fueled at the Meetup!

About Coffee w/ Co-Founders: As a business owner you are faced with many challenges. You're forced to make decisions every day that could make or break your business. Coffee w/ Co-Founders is a way to network with other Entrepreneurs to allow free flowing information with the intent to collaborate and help each other. So often we're challenged and there's very little we can do to express our challenges with the people we work with or the people we care about. Think of Coffee w/ Co-Founders as your own personal support group for business owners. We're all here to help!

This month we will sit down with new Relic Chief Product Officer, Jim Gochee. His background as an entrepreneur and his work to help early stage startups makes him the perfect guest speaker for this month's meetup.

Schedule: 10am: Doors open/Networking 10:30am: Q&A w/ Jim 11:30am: Program ends/depart

About Coffee w/ Co-Founders: As a business owner you are faced with many challenges. You're forced to make decisions every day that could make or break your business. Coffee w/ Co-Founders is a way to network with other Entrepreneurs to allow free flowing information with the intent to collaborate and help each other. So often we're challenged and there's very little we can do to express our challenges with the people we work with or the people we care about. Think of Coffee w/ Co-Founders as your own personal support group for business owners. We're all here to help!

WeWork Labs (launched in January of this year) is a new program created by WeWork to help early stage founders learn more about how to take their startups to the next level. This month we'll get to know the founders who call the WeWork Labs at Custom House home and learn more about their business.

About Coffee w/ Co-Founders: As a business owner you are faced with many challenges. You're forced to make decisions every day that could make or break your business. Coffee w/ Co-Founders is a way to network with other Entrepreneurs to allow free flowing information with the intent to collaborate and help each other. So often we're challenged and there's very little we can do to express our challenges with the people we work with or the people we care about. Think of Coffee w/ Co-Founders as your own personal support group for business owners. We're all here to help!

Paige Hendrix Buckner knows a lot about starting and growing a company. Not only has she been helping founders through her efforts at Founders Gym, but she has also been running ClientJoy which is a boutique birch box service with an Oregon focus. This month we'll sit down to talk about her incredible story and learn about some of the challenges she has faced along the way.

About Coffee w/ Co-Founders: As a business owner you are faced with many challenges. You're forced to make decisions every day that could make or break your business. Coffee w/ Co-Founders is a way to network with other Entrepreneurs to allow free flowing information with the intent to collaborate and help each other. So often we're challenged and there's very little we can do to express our challenges with the people we work with or the people we care about. Think of Coffee w/ Co-Founders as your own personal support group for business owners. We're all here to help!

https://www.meetup.com/Portland-Coffee-w-Co-Founders/events/262422869/

NOTE THE NEW TIME FOR THIS MONTH'S MEETUP!

This month we will be sitting down with Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler. A third generation Oregonian, he has been working hard to ensure the Portland ecosystem is robust, inclusive, and thoughtful. Having spent time as the state's Treasurer he has seen first hand the impact that startups can have on the local ecosystem and has been a tireless advocate for the community.

Schedule: 9am: Doors open/Networking 9:30am: Sit down with Mayor Ted Wheeler 10:30am: End

::::Space is limited:::::

About Coffee w/ Co-Founders: As a business owner you are faced with many challenges. You're forced to make decisions every day that could make or break your business. Coffee w/ Co-Founders is a way to network with other Entrepreneurs to allow free flowing information with the intent to collaborate and help each other. So often we're challenged and there's very little we can do to express our challenges with the people we work with or the people we care about. Think of Coffee w/ Co-Founders as your own personal support group for business owners. We're all here to help!

Fundraising for your early stage startup is difficult. It's made even more difficult with the recent trend of smaller pre-revenue funding in the region. This month we will sit down with some area panelist to discuss funding trends, funding alternatives, and what can be done to get early stage companies better access to capital that can help take their companies to the next level.

This will be a "leave your feelings at the door" conversation. We will touch on what is really to blame for the lack of early stage funding access. Whether that means looking at local and regional funding resources that seemed to have dried up, to whether founders have companies that are investible.

Panelists: Josh Carter - Manager, WeWork Labs (Moderator) Nicole Schmidt - CEO/Co-Founder @ krowdsourced Geoff Harris - Partner @ Flying Fish VC Ross Barbieri - Angel Investor/EiR @ Portland State's Business Accelerator

About Coffee w/ Co-Founders: As a business owner you are faced with many challenges. You're forced to make decisions every day that could make or break your business. Coffee w/ Co-Founders is a way to network with other Entrepreneurs to allow free flowing information with the intent to collaborate and help each other. So often we're challenged and there's very little we can do to express our challenges with the people we work with or the people we care about. Think of Coffee w/ Co-Founders as your own personal support group for business owners. We're all here to help!

Join your community in a new type of conference that builds momentum and opportunity around entrepreneurship, led by entrepreneurs and hosted in the entrepreneurial spaces you love. Startup Week is a reflection of your hard work and your community's unique entrepreneurial identity.

For this event we will celebrate the upcoming Portland Startup Week happening April 6-10, 2020 by kicking off and opening up submissions to the general public. We will have speakers, showcase some of the local startups, and you'll get a chance to network with other founders in the community.

Failure is a part of the founder journey. It could be something as small as missing a sales number or as big as a massive business breakup. However you fail it ends up taking a toll on you as a human.

Join us this month as we lead an open discussion and share our stories of failure.

Schedule: 10am: Doors open/Networking 10:30am: Discussion 11:30am: End

::::Space is limited:::::

About Coffee w/ Co-Founders: As a business owner you are faced with many challenges. You're forced to make decisions every day that could make or break your business. Coffee w/ Co-Founders is a way to network with other Entrepreneurs to allow free flowing information with the intent to collaborate and help each other. So often we're challenged and there's very little we can do to express our challenges with the people we work with or the people we care about. Think of Coffee w/ Co-Founders as your own personal support group for business owners. We're all here to help!

Jaime Schmidt started her body care product business in 2010 primarily as a hobby. But it didn’t take long for this ‘maker’ to grow her business from hobby to enterprise. After catching on at local farmers’ markets and co-ops, her natural deodorants earned coveted shelf space at national retailers, and before long, Schmidt was being courted by global companies looking to capitalize on the trends in natural body care that she helped define. Today, Schmidt’s Naturals is a subsidiary of Unilever.

Schedule: 10am: Doors open/Networking 10:30am: Fireside chat w/ Jaime Schmidt 11:30am: End

::::Space is limited:::::

About Coffee w/ Co-Founders: As a business owner you are faced with many challenges. You're forced to make decisions every day that could make or break your business. Coffee w/ Co-Founders is a way to network with other Entrepreneurs to allow free flowing information with the intent to collaborate and help each other. So often we're challenged and there's very little we can do to express our challenges with the people we work with or the people we care about. Think of Coffee w/ Co-Founders as your own personal support group for business owners. We're all here to help!

WeWork Labs is The We Company's global platform for early-stage start-ups and forward-thinking enterprise companies. We empower inventive humans and organizations to shape the present and influence the future.

Portland WeWork Labs Manager, Josh Carter, will be holding open office hours to help local startup founders understand more about what they can be doing to operate more effective and efficiently.

To sign up for one of five 30 minute sessions, please check here: https://doodle.com/meetme/qc/h2CGjJXjCm

After several years on the shelf, we've dusted off this meetup and hope you can all make it! For the first meetup back, we're going to take over one of our favorite coffee shops in all of Portland, Deadstock.

With the weather improving we should be able to hang out outside and allow for safe social distancing (for those still apprehensive about getting back together).

About Coffee w/ Co-Founders: As a business owner you are faced with many challenges. You're forced to make decisions every day that could make or break your business. Coffee w/ Co-Founders is a way to network with other Entrepreneurs to allow free-flowing information with the intent to collaborate and help each other. So often we're challenged and there's very little we can do to express our challenges with the people we work with or the people we care about. Think of Coffee w/ Co-Founders as your own personal support group for business owners. We're all here to help!

After a successful re-launch at Deadstock, we're headed over to Slabtown to check out Good Coffee (thanks to Corey for the recommendation). This location has a nice little outside area for those that are still not eager to get together indoors. Hope to see you all there!

About Coffee w/ Co-Founders: As a business owner you are faced with many challenges. You're forced to make decisions every day that could make or break your business. Coffee w/ Co-Founders is a way to network with other Entrepreneurs to allow free-flowing information with the intent to collaborate and help each other. So often we're challenged and there's very little we can do to express our challenges with the people we work with or the people we care about. Think of Coffee w/ Co-Founders as your own personal support group for business owners. We're all here to help!

The non-profit, Eastside Coffee & Workspace will serve as the backdrop for our next meetup. This amazing space has plenty of room and is a great place to connect with other founders. This all-volunteer staff are talented baristas and can whip up some amazing drinks to help fuel you through the morning.

Hope to see you all there!

Josh & Mark

About Coffee w/ Co-Founders: As a business owner you are faced with many challenges. You're forced to make decisions every day that could make or break your business. Coffee w/ Co-Founders is a way to network with other Entrepreneurs to allow free-flowing information with the intent to collaborate and help each other. So often we're challenged and there's very little we can do to express our challenges with the people we work with or the people we care about. Think of Coffee w/ Co-Founders as your own personal support group for business owners. We're all here to help!

UpStart Collective, a new founder space in Portland to help foster connections through collaboration, is hosting a summer bash/Open House! The evening will be filled with conversation, fun, and music.

No need to RSVP, just show up to the space and have fun!

Review from four weeks ago: I want you to imagine the Hamptons with a bit of european posh and the Irish green thumb with a PNW style that is one of a kind. That's what Kiss Coffee is.

They have covered outdoor seating & indoor vaccinated seating! Please visit the cart to place your order. To sit inside, please show your vax card-or a photo of your vax card-when ordering.

Weather permitting, we'll be hanging out outside.

Hope to see you all there! Josh & Mark

About Coffee w/ Co-Founders: As a business owner you are faced with many challenges. You're forced to make decisions every day that could make or break your business. Coffee w/ Co-Founders is a way to network with other Entrepreneurs to allow free-flowing information with the intent to collaborate and help each other. So often we're challenged and there's very little we can do to express our challenges with the people we work with or the people we care about. Think of Coffee w/ Co-Founders as your own personal support group for business owners. We're all here to help!

Matt Milletto, co-founder of Water Ave Coffee, will be not only providing coffee for this morning's event, he was also be sharing a couple stories of his entrepreneurial journey...so far.

This event will be at the brand spanking new Upstart Collective.

UpStart Collective is roughly 4,000 feet of contemporary office space nestled at the top of a retrofitted industrial tower in inner SE Portland – complete with multiple rooftop patios, colorful conference rooms, a ping pong table, and the occasional visiting office pup.

Much more than a space, it is also both a new experiment and collaboration years in the making. Through the continued efforts of startup leaders in our city (and a generous contribution from our partner, GRAYBOX), UpStart Collective is now a highly subsidized creative space open to founders, funders, tinkerers, creators, doers, and idealists.

Come meet other great founders Learn some stuff Hear some great stories Drink some kick-ass coffee

Hope to see you all there! Josh & Mark

About Coffee w/ Co-Founders: As a business owner you are faced with many challenges. You're forced to make decisions every day that could make or break your business. Coffee w/ Co-Founders is a way to network with other Entrepreneurs to allow free-flowing information with the intent to collaborate and help each other. So often we're challenged and there's very little we can do to express our challenges with the people we work with or the people we care about. Think of Coffee w/ Co-Founders as your own personal support group for business owners. We're all here to help!

Housed in the famous 100+ year-old Schoolhouse building, Electrica Coffee brings together Mexican coffee and Japanese teas for an eclectic cafe experience. Owned by local renowned multi-restaurant owner Angel Medina, Electrica Coffee will serve as the backdrop for our next meetup.

Please be sure to grab a cup of your favorite hot beverage and spend time getting to know this incredible community. We've been excited by the turnout every month and by hearing your stories. We can't wait to hear more.

Hope to see you all there! Josh & Mark

About Coffee w/ Co-Founders: As a business owner you are faced with many challenges. You're forced to make decisions every day that could make or break your business. Coffee w/ Co-Founders is a way to network with other Entrepreneurs to allow free-flowing information with the intent to collaborate and help each other. So often we're challenged and there's very little we can do to express our challenges with the people we work with or the people we care about. Think of Coffee w/ Co-Founders as your own personal support group for business owners. We're all here to help!

We're headed to the suburbs for this month's Coffee w/ Co-Founders. We've heard from a number of people who would like us to move this event to other places outside of Portland. So we'll give this a try and see how it works out.

Morse Coffee is owned by a husband/wife team in downtown Lake Oswego. Their focus is on incredible caffeinated beverages and experiences.

Please be sure to grab a cup of your favorite hot beverage and spend time getting to know this incredible community. We've been excited by the turnout every month and by hearing your stories. We can't wait to hear more. Hope to see you all there! Josh & Mark

About Coffee w/ Co-Founders: As a business owner you are faced with many challenges. You're forced to make decisions every day that could make or break your business. Coffee w/ Co-Founders is a way to network with other Entrepreneurs to allow free-flowing information with the intent to collaborate and help each other. So often we're challenged and there's very little we can do to express our challenges with the people we work with or the people we care about. Think of Coffee w/ Co-Founders as your own personal support group for business owners. We're all here to help!

Come spend the day working in Portland's #1 Founder space, the UpStart Collective. Come hang out, get some work done, and hear more about what the founders of the space are working on. This event is free and open to those founders working on anything that is not a client-based business (accountant, consultant, designer, development and/or marketing agency, etc). Why no service providers? Because the space is designed for founders working on other types of businesses and not having service providers in the space allows them to be open to being vulnerable as well as sharing their challenges without the fear of being "sold to."

Anyone coming to the space must RSVP through this link: https://forms.gle/TE8rLBoDndcWsbia9

If you do not sign up via this link, you will not be given access to the space.

Learn from those that went before you and get dialed in

Panelists: Jim Foote, First Ascent Biomedical (Techstars Boston 2021) Leah Weiss - Skylyte (Techstars Workforce Development 2022) Trang Ho - Masa Fresh (Techstars Social Impact 2021)

Moderator: Sarah Studer, Director of Platform - Techstars Seattle

Currently, either/or is a day-time cafe with a brunch cocktail menu. Come on by for a giant burrito and a latte. They've got DJ's on the weekends too and are open for private events!

“Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced." ~Soren Kierkegaard

Please be sure to grab a cup of your favorite hot beverage and spend time getting to know this incredible community. We've been excited by the turnout every month and by hearing your stories. We can't wait to hear more.

Hope to see you all there! Josh & Mark

As a business owner you are faced with many challenges. You're forced to make decisions every day that could make or break your business. founder.coffee is a way to network with other entrepreneurs to allow free-flowing information with the intent to collaborate and help each other. So often we're challenged and there's very little we can do to express our challenges with the people we work with or the people we care about. Think of founder.coffee as your own personal support group for business owners. We're all here to help!

Oregon is a place that welcomes the weird and is home to some truly unique attractions. So a sneaker-themed coffee shop in Portland doesn’t seem at all out of place. Deadstock Coffee prides itself on its ‘snob-free’ coffee, and it really is an accessible, neighborhood coffee shop… with a bit of a PDX edge. Owned and operated by Ian Williams, Deadstock Coffee is a true Portland iconoclast; a place where sneaker culture and coffee culture are brewed into one unique cup.

Please be sure to grab a cup of your favorite hot beverage and spend time getting to know this incredible community. We've been excited by the turnout every month and by hearing your stories. We can't wait to hear more.

Hope to see you all there! Josh & Mark

As a business owner you are faced with many challenges. You're forced to make decisions every day that could make or break your business. founder.coffee is a way to network with other entrepreneurs to allow free-flowing information with the intent to collaborate and help each other. So often we're challenged and there's very little we can do to express our challenges with the people we work with or the people we care about. Think of founder.coffee as your own personal support group for business owners. We're all here to help!

If you want one of the greatest Lattes known to the world, stop by here and order the COCONUT CREAM HONEY LATTE!!!!!!!!!

Nirvana is poured into a glass and handed to you with sweet gracious smiles of you being a customer.

The team here not only know how to make a coffee, they're cool, relaxed and pleasing to watch maneuver while serving a perfect coffee.

It's a great place to stop by grab a coffee, relax while letting the time go by. I would say check them out as much as you can before the secret is out!

While roaming Portland I stumbled across Honey Latte Cafe. As a former barista I am quite picky about espresso drinks and let me say that the barista knocked it out of the park! ~Christina J on Yelp

I don't know what magic is infused in the Coconut cream honey latte but it is just that...magic. One of the best lattes I have had.

Please be sure to grab a cup of your favorite hot beverage and spend time getting to know this incredible community. We've been excited by the turnout every month and by hearing your stories. We can't wait to hear more. ~Melanie W on Yelp

Above 5-star reviews are from Yelp

Really love their local Portland writer/artist vending machine, very cool place

“What do you want?" "Just coffee. Black - like my soul.” ~Cassandra Clare, City of Bones

Hope to see you all there! Josh & Mark

As a business owner you are faced with many challenges. You're forced to make decisions every day that could make or break your business. founder.coffee is a way to network with other entrepreneurs to allow free-flowing information with the intent to collaborate and help each other. So often we're challenged and there's very little we can do to express our challenges with the people we work with or the people we care about. Think of founder.coffee as your own personal support group for business owners. We're all here to help!

Join us at UpStart Collective for a fun and productive day of co-working! Whether you're tired of working in the same space as service providers or just need a change of scenery, this event is perfect for you. Come work alongside like-minded individuals in our vibrant and collaborative space. Enjoy the opportunity to network, exchange ideas, and find inspiration. Our open community co-working day is a great chance to escape the distractions of home and get things done. Don't miss out on this chance to be a part of our awesome community!

Registration is required to work in the space for the day. Limited space is available.

In the heart of Slabtown, Snow Bunny Coffee offers awesome drinks and bites in an open-air cafe with plenty of parking.

We will do our best to provide some signage so people can identify the group more easily. We've heard you and know that it's a bit awkward to ask, "Are you here for the meetup!" when there's nothing to identify the group.

As always, be there thinking about ways you can help your fellow founders. No selling, no solicitations, just good conversations!

See you there! Josh & Mark

About founder.coffee: As a business owner, you are faced with many challenges. You're forced to make decisions every day that could make or break your business. founder.coffee is a way to network with other entrepreneurs to allow free-flowing information with the intent to collaborate and help each other. So often we're challenged and there's very little we can do to express our challenges with the people we work with or the people we care about. Think of founder.coffee as your own personal support group for business owners. We're all here to help!

This month we're at Rose City Coffee. A nice roomy spot on the SE side of town.

We will do our best to provide some signage so people can identify the group more easily. We've heard you and know that it's a bit awkward to ask, "Are you here for the meetup!" when there's nothing to identify the group.

As always, be there thinking about ways you can help your fellow founders. No selling, no solicitations, just good conversations!

See you there! Josh & Mark

About founder.coffee: As a business owner, you are faced with many challenges. You're forced to make decisions every day that could make or break your business. founder.coffee is a way to network with other entrepreneurs to allow free-flowing information with the intent to collaborate and help each other. So often we're challenged and there's very little we can do to express our challenges with the people we work with or the people we care about. Think of founder.coffee as your own personal support group for business owners. We're all here to help!

Ok let's try this again. We're bringing back Demolicious, but this time we're doing this at the UpStart Collective as a monthly event.

How this all works: If you are a founder, you will apply to pitch here (https://forms.gle/sx81RaT6Nuqj9sWR7). 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.

Who's ready to pitch!?!

This special event is open to entrepreneurs, founders, executives, merchants, artists, makers, doers, tech partners, and agency partners.

Come network with others in the Portland business community. Enjoy a variety of lunch snacks and beverages followed by an engaging presentation by Steve Napolitan that will show you how to grow your business faster, while gaining your ideal life.

Steve Napolitan is a bestselling author, award-winning marketer, and international speaker. He's helped his clients reach millions in additional revenue, while helping them design the life they want and live it now. (Bio and more information below)

Day: Tuesday, March 5, 2024 Time: 11:30a - 1:30p

Where: GRAYBOX / UpStart Collective 7th Floor of the Olympic Mills Commerce Center 107 SE Washington, St., 7th Floor, Portland, OR 97214

Light lunch snacks and beverages will be provided.

Please RSVP

Venue Sponsor: GRAYBOX & UpStart Collective Food & Beverage Sponsor: HistoricPrints.com Special Thank You to Steve Napolitan

What if the person who could further your career was already looking for you?

What if a room full of people knew exactly the insight you sought?

What if your knowledge could be someone else’s Eureka moment?

Welcome to Magnet. Where you can let your net...work.

Here's how it works. At the event, you write down on a sheet of paper something you need help with (aka "your ask") and tape it on the wall, for example:

I need a literary agent.

I need to chat with someone who has started a technology incubator.

I need to connect with someone at GOOD Magazine.

I need to hire a web developer capable of setting up a digital sales platform.

Does anyone have any contacts in Prague?

Does anyone know a good personal trainer?

Does anyone know how I can play a round at Augusta National Golf Club?

It can be anything!

Each sheet will have a unique number associated with it: (1, 2, 3, etc). You’ll have a name tag with that same number.

Everyone’s task will be to look at the board of opportunities and select at least 3 people you’d like to connect with, in whatever capacity.

How do you connect with them? You write your name and "sheet number" on a Post-It note and slap it on their sheet.

UpStart Collective is opening its doors to the local founder community. Working on something cool? Working by yourself somewhere? Feeling like you're doing this all alone? Come hang out with a community of founders working on cool s**t!

We have two locations to choose from. You can come to work out of our original location on the eastside (107 SE Washington St) or our new westside location (2828 S. Corbett).

For the next founder.coffee we're on the north side of town! This cool spot features an incredible library of books for you to read while you are sipping on your favorite caffeinated drink. Owners Nathan and Mary have lived in the neighborhood since 2003, and wanted to create a space where their neighbors could gather together over cups of delicious coffee, great snacks, and beautiful books. Mary was inspired by the library stacks at The University of Texas, where her mother worked, and by the breakfast tacos of her hometown of Austin. Most of the books in The Stacks Community Library were donated by friends and neighbors, and book donations are always accepted!

They also have a wonderful outside area and if the weather is nice, that's where we'll meet!

As always, be there thinking about ways you can help your fellow founders. No selling, no solicitations, just good conversations!

See you there! Josh & Mark

About founder.coffee: As a business owner, you are faced with many challenges. You're forced to make decisions every day that could make or break your business. founder.coffee is a way to network with other entrepreneurs to allow free-flowing information with the intent to collaborate and help each other. So often we're challenged and there's very little we can do to express our challenges with the people we work with or the people we care about. Think of founder.coffee as your own personal support group for business owners. We're all here to help!

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!?!

Every month, UpStart Collective invites the community to join us for some drinks and networking with the founders of the space. Each month we feature a founder working on something incredible who are part of the UpStart Collective family. You will have the opportunity to learn more about what they are working on and ways you can be helpful. Come to hang out, have a drink, and enjoy the view from one of UpStart Collective's 7 balconies.

Doors open at 5pm.

You asked and we listened. Fairlane was suggested by one of our attendees so we're making it the spot for May's founder.coffee. This cool SE spot boasts a lot of room for networking and some incredible drinks. We can't wait to learn more about what you are working on and how we can be helpful.

As always, be there thinking about ways you can help your fellow founders. No selling, no solicitations, just good conversations!

See you there! Josh & Mark

About founder.coffee: As a business owner, you are faced with many challenges. You're forced to make decisions every day that could make or break your business. founder.coffee is a way to network with other entrepreneurs to allow free-flowing information with the intent to collaborate and help each other. So often we're challenged and there's very little we can do to express our challenges with the people we work with or the people we care about. Think of founder.coffee as your own personal support group for business owners. We're all here to help!

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

::::::: Applications for May are STILL OPEN! Please use the form below to apply to pitch.:::::::::::

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: TBA

Will you be the next founder to pitch!?!

It's that time again! Time to raise a glass and celebrate the startup ecosystem and meet incredible founders. UpStart Collective is hosting First Friday, presented by Colliers at the eastside location. The event is free and open to the public. Drinks and light food will be provided.

June Demolicious will be at the new westside UpStart Collective location!

:::::::Please use the form below to apply to pitch for JUNE:::::::::::

APPLY TO PITCH HERE: https://forms.gle/sx81RaT6Nuqj9sWR7

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: TBA

Will you be the next founder to pitch!?!

July Demolicious will be at the westside UpStart Collective location!

::::::: Please use the form below to apply to pitch for JULY :::::::::::

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 (https://forms.gle/sx81RaT6Nuqj9sWR7) (https://forms.gle/sx81RaT6Nuqj9sWR7). 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: Airbuild (C) Cobweb Goddess Mousse BodyFuel The Coffee Purist (moka pot) Project Revolution Sales Span Rising Wines Collective, Inc.

Will you be the next founder to pitch!?!

Join us for our monthly community gathering of founders at the UpStart Collective to connect, learn, network, and enjoy the incredible views from our westside balconies. UpStart Collective's First Friday is a monthly gathering of the founder community to better connect with other founders at the space over drinks and food.

This month we will be featuring UpStart Collective founder, Mirco Fiaschi who is a serial founder working to bring fresh local sustainable foods to the workplace through a low friction vending machine with technology meant to make it easy for patrons to buy the foods they want.

When you arrive at the UpStart Collective building at 107 SE Washington St, enter on the Stark St. side and enter #2505 at the keypad at the outside door. Once inside you can take the elevator up to the 7th floor.

Right to Start, the national nonprofit organization championing entrepreneurship as a civic priority will be spending a day in Portland, Oregon. Enjoy lunch, network with fellow entrepreneurs and leaders, and engage in impactful town hall discussions.

Date: August 7th, 2024

Location: Perkins Coie 1120 NW Couch St, 10th floor Portland, OR 97209

Agenda: 12-12:30 - Lunch Served 12:30-1:00 - Opening Remarks 1:00-1:30 - Town Hall, Small Biz x Policy 1:30-1:45 - Break 1:45-2:15 - Town Hall, Startups x Policy 2:15-2:30 - Closing Remarks

August Demolicious will be at the westside UpStart Collective location!

::::::: Please use the form below to apply to pitch for JULY/AUGUST :::::::::::

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: TBD

Will you be the next founder to pitch!?!

What if the person who could further your career was already looking for you?

What if a room full of people knew exactly the insight you sought?

What if your knowledge could be someone else’s Eureka moment?

Welcome to Magnet. Where you can let your net...work.

Some of the feedback from previous Magnet events: "Genius."

"Amazing!"

"Brilliantly devised. 10/10."

"Where has this been my whole life?"

"Best Networking Event I've ever been to!"

Here's how it works. At the event, you write down on a sheet of paper something you need help with (aka "your ask") and tape it on the wall, for example:

I need a literary agent.

I need to chat with someone who has started a technology incubator.

I need to connect with someone at GOOD Magazine.

I need to hire a web developer capable of setting up a digital sales platform.

Does anyone have any contacts in Prague?

Does anyone know a good personal trainer?

Does anyone know how I can play a round at Augusta National Golf Club?

It can be anything!

Each sheet will have a unique number associated with it: (1, 2, 3, etc). You’ll have a name tag with that same number.

Everyone’s task will be to look at the board of opportunities and select at least 3 people you’d like to connect with, in whatever capacity.

How do you connect with them? You write your name and "sheet number" on a Post-It note and slap it on their sheet.

Our first StartupGrind event for PDX in a long time will focus on Early-stage startups, with discussion with founders who built successful products and bootstrapped through the pre-seed stage. Sponsored by UpStart Collective and First City Foundry

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: https://forms.gle/sx81RaT6Nuqj9sWR7. 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: TBD

Will you be the next founder to pitch!?!

GRAYBOX Summer Bash 2024

We’re back and better than ever! Join GRAYBOX and Upstart Collective for an unforgettable evening on our stunning 7th-story rooftop decks overlooking the beautiful Willamette River.

Come for the frosty beverages, stay for the great music, and enjoy the company of amazing people. An excellent evening to celebrate the end of summer and Upstart Collective’s 2nd birthday!!

Things to know

When: Open to the Public @ 4:30 PM - goes till 🤷 Where: Olympic Mills Rooftop in SE, with breathtaking views of the Willamette River. Open Invite: Everyone’s welcome! Feel free to spread the word and bring your friends.

Come join us for a nice cup of coffee (or tea if that's your thing) and meet fellow founders from around the Portland area.

Please fill out your Offer/Ask document (and if you can help another founder out)

We can't wait to learn more about what you are working on and how we can be helpful.

As always, be there thinking about ways you can help your fellow founders. No selling, no solicitations, just good conversations!

Please fill out your Offer/Ask doc (it'll take two minutes), something you offer other founders for free, and something you're asking you need help with (and help another founder out)

See you there!

Josh & Mark

About founder.coffee: As a business owner, you are faced with many challenges. You're forced to make decisions every day that could make or break your business. founder.coffee is a way to network with other entrepreneurs to allow free-flowing information with the intent to collaborate and help each other. So often we're challenged and there's very little we can do to express our challenges with the people we work with or the people we care about. Think of founder.coffee as your own personal support group for business owners. We're all here to help!

First Fridays are open to the general startup community and a way to connect with fellow founders, ecosystem partners, and general support orgs. Originally started at UpStart Collective as a way to blow off steam and celebrate the completion of another month in business, First Fridays are now open to all and a very low friction way to meet the community at large.

We typically showcase a founder from our community so keep an eye out for an update soon.

Hope to see you there!!

Details September Demolicious will be at the westside UpStart Collective location!

::::::: Please use the form below to apply to pitch for SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER :::::::::::

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: TBD

Will you be the next founder to pitch!?!

First Fridays are open to the general startup community and a way to connect with fellow founders, ecosystem partners, and general support orgs. Originally started at UpStart Collective as a way to blow off steam and celebrate the completion of another month in business, First Fridays are now open to all and a very low friction way to meet the community at large.

We typically showcase a founder from our community so keep an eye out for an update soon.

Hope to see you there!!

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: Shotsy (Defending Champion) Denada Funnr Forcefield Fluency Deviceflow Benvision Goddess Mousse Prophetic

Will you be the next founder to pitch!?!