Tilt Eastside

Let's kick off the week with a beer, good conversations, and networking. Portland Startup Week attendees are welcome to a chill and relaxing meetup to interact with local ecosystem leaders and advocates.

Where: Tilt - Eastside 22 NE 2nd Ave. Suite 100 Portland, Or. 97232

Startup ecosystem builders from around the US are visiting Portland, this week. So we'd like them to meet all of the awesome folks in our startup community.

Ecosystem builders are people who drive long-term change by supporting innovation and entrepreneurship. They work to reduce barriers for entrepreneurs.

Ecosystem builders come from a variety of backgrounds and expertise, including entrepreneurs, government officials, economic developers, grassroots community leaders, university leaders, academics, philanthropists, corporate leaders, and media. What distinguishes Ecosystem Builders is their collaborative nature, systems thinking, selfless approach, and commitment to inclusion.

Ecosystems thrive when people and resources are connected and working together to develop new approaches and solutions for serving entrepreneurs.

Please join us for this casual meet and greet. Share your knowledge about the Portland startup community. And learn what's working in other startup communities around the US.

What if once a month, one of us agreed to block a couple of hours for a series of 10 minute meetings with folks who have been trying to get on your calendar?

I know, crazy right? No wait. There’s more. What if this block of meetings occurred at a coffee shop or maybe even a bar?

Still with me? Because here’s where it gets wacky.

What if we all showed up at that same place those meetings were happening? Because we were invited. Not because it was random or something. And we invited other community members to hang out there too, like a happy hour. Then we ask the folks having meetings to do their homework to make the meeting efficient, to show up early for their meeting time, and to stay late so they get to meet more people — and get connected more quickly. It might even be that in the middle of one of our 10 min meetings, we could just point at someone in the crowd and be like “That’s the person you need to talk to, right there.”

In my head, I’ve been calling the “Bottleneck.” Because that’s what I am. And that’s what I’m trying to solve for. And I thought it might be a solution that could work for you. And our community. And I’m down to beta test it as the meeting-haver if a few of you are willing to join me as the happy hour-ers.