The Oregonian published an article last Thursday on OTBC, the incubator for high-tech startups (full disclosure: OTBC is my day job!) As per the article, OTBC is helping startups get traction.
The … 3-year-old high-tech business
incubator is showing its first return on an investment of
$1.3 million in taxpayer support. Two businesses have "graduated" from the Open
Technology Business Center after attracting about $19
million in capital investment. One of those businesses is
bringing 55 new jobs to Beaverton.
According to a report recently released by the National Governors Association:
The benefits of supporting and encouraging angel investment can be great. Angel investors
typically have investment portfolios in excess of $250,000 in multiple companies. The local
businesses in which they invest create high-skill, high-wage jobs and make important
contributions to states and their communities. The presence of angel groups also reduces the
relocation of successful entrepreneurs to the coasts for early-stage financing so that states realize greater economic impact from entrepreneurial startups. Angels have already started to organize in many states, and gubernatorial support will magnify the benefits of angel activity.
Ways States can help:
• Promote seminars on private equity investment for current and potential angel investors;
• Assist entrepreneurs by connecting them with existing entrepreneurship education and
services;
• Facilitate the formation of statewide angel group networks to organize and empower local
leadership and build investor knowledge;
• Ensure that angel investors are well-represented on state economic development advisory
boards, along with entrepreneurs, universities, and other industry representatives; and
• Identify and collect metrics to monitor the impact on policies to encourage angel
investment.
Download the full report: State Strategies to Promote Angel Investment for Economic Growth.
A recent Business Week article observed that social networking users seem to be growing less responsive to ads. What a surprise!
… the forecasts for torrid growth may prove unrealistic. Besides the
slowing user growth and declining time spent on these sites, users
appear to be growing less responsive to ads, according to several
advertisers and online placement firms. If advertisers can’t figure out
how to reverse these trends, social networking could end up as a niche
market in the online ad world, smashing hopes and valuations across
Silicon Valley.
There are arguments for and against using Friends and Family financing. A recent San Jose Mercury News article talks about the advantages .
I keep running across articles, like this one from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Start Tribune, that raise concerns over ethanol:
As the rush to petroleum substitutes gains momentum, a (University) study says a
switch to biofuels would increase greenhouse gas emissions.
A recent New York Times article notes that "The Seattle start-up ecosystem is vibrant, and growing rapidly"
TechVibes is maintaining a list of Portland startups ranked by the amount of web traffic they have. The top 10 are:
| Rank |
+ |
/- |
Name |
Alexa |
|
Compete |
|
Average |
|
| 1 |
|
|
AboutUs |
2,077 |
 |
1,382 |
 |
1,730 |
|
| 2 |
|
|
Discogs |
1,055 |
|
7,977 |
|
4,516 |
|
| 3 |
N |
|
Kongregate |
4,376 |
|
11,547 |
|
7,962 |
|
| 4 |
|
1 |
MyOpenID |
55,261 |
|
51,435 |
|
53,348 |
|
| 5 |
|
2 |
Splashcast |
95,989 |
|
25,980 |
|
60,985 |
|
| 6 |
|
1 |
Earth Class Mail |
71,034 |
|
61,538 |
|
66,286 |
|
| 7 |
|
1 |
Jive Software |
68,134 |
|
67,884 |
|
68,009 |
|
| 8 |
|
4 |
Sandy |
56,285 |
|
94,146 |
|
75,216 |
|
| 9 |
|
|
Gone Raw |
135,649 |
|
90,491 |
|
113,070 |
|
| 10 |
|
2 |
Cliq |
255,901 |
|
38,472 |
|
147,187 |
|
See the full list at this TechVibes page.
The Portland Business Journal reported that local startup Tyfone raised millions of dollars from a Singapore investor. Tyfone develops banking technology for cell phones.
If you’ve been putting off building that cool new thing you have an idea for — because you just don’t have access to a machine shop with all the right equipment — that may be about to change. To quote from the TechShop website:
TechShop is a membership-based DIY workshop that gives you access to a huge
variety of tools and equipment, tons of friendly and easy classes, and a
community of amazing people who share your interest in making things.
Check out their community meetup on Feb. 12 from 7pm to 10pm. RSVP here.
