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OregonStart-Up Ideas

Oregon has Entrepreneurial Spirit

Besides being a great place to enjoy a local brew and a strange donut or two, Oregon is also home to innovative business owners with great entrepreneurial spirit and a zeal for startups.

Oregon Floats More Venture Capital

Why start in Oregon? For the first time in over twenty years, Oregon overtook Washington in terms of venture capital investing. This statistic may be surprising given that many of Oregon’s startup companies are platform play companies.

Platform Play Companies Perform

Platform play companies are businesses that work for other businesses to help them succeed. AppThwack and CloudAbility are two platform play companies started in Portland in 2013 thanks to another platform play company, Pie.

Tap into a Sustainable StartupOregonians are always trying to save the environment while staying healthy themselves. New startups like Safi Water Works combine love of cycling with love for the environment. After just one minute of cycling, Safi Water Works’ invention turns dirty water into a serving of treated, safe drinking water.

Local and Organic Startups

Oregonians love supporting local businesses that use organic, locally grown ingredients and supplies. Salt & Straw started as a two-person ice cream shop that has now spread to three locations in a few short years. A sustainable startup is bound to be better received here.

Food Carts as Simple StartupsOregonians love their food carts. By Travel Oregon’s last count, Portland and surrounding cities are home to over 500 actively operating food carts. New carts sprout up overnight, some are stagnant while others can be seen roaming the city on wheels. None require much startup capital, just a love for food with a little personal flair.

Beyond BeerIt’s true: it really does rain 155 days in Oregon every year. While some may drown their seasonal depression in their beer, Alex Carson, the owner of Lightbar, which opened in Portland in 2013, hopes you’ll come for a light pick-me-up, instead. Carson is literally bringing light therapy in a modern café bar setting to Portlanders suffering from the winter blues.

Connect with Local ResourcesBefore you make your original startup idea a reality, connect with someone who’s already been there. Oregon entrepreneurs will gladly share their business acumen with you over a cup of dark coffee at a local, organic roasting cafe because they’ve learned that at the foundation of every successful startup company is a support group of business owners with resources.