This was a heavy—but important—week in the startup community. We cover several meaningful shifts across the Oregon ecosystem, including Angel Oregon’s evolution into Angel Oregon CPG, expanding its focus beyond food to support a broader range of consumer product startups. There are signs of a possible PDX Women in Tech reboot, new thinking around fundraising in the AI era, and notable moves by Portland startups in health, wellness, and preventative care. We also dig into a concerning tax proposal in Washington that could have serious consequences for founders, early employees, and investors, along with the difficult decision to close one of Portland’s most influential restaurants. Beyond the news, this episode reflects on burnout, language, belonging, and what it really means to build community during moments of pressure and uncertainty. It’s not an easy week—but it’s an honest one. Take care of yourself, and thanks for being part of the work.

TIMESTAMPS

• 00:00 Portland Oregon startup news
• 03:08 OEN Angel Oregon expands
• 07:00 Dayo helps parents help kids
• 09:50 Reperio announces partnership
• 12:22 Washington rethinking QSBS
• 17:39 Republica
• 20:53 Secrets

LINKS

- https://pdxslack.com

- https://readbetweencourses.substack.com/p/the-day-has-come

- https://www.watchtodos.com/

- https://technical.ly/entrepreneurship/portland-high-growth-startups-nasdaq-report/

FIND RICK TUROCZY ON THE INTERNET AT…- https://patreon.com/turoczy- https://linkedin.com/in/turoczy- Portland Oregon startup news on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/portland-oregon-startup-news-silicon-florist/id1711294699- Portland Oregon startup news Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/2cmLDH8wrPdNMS2qtTnhcy?si=H627wrGOTvStxxKWRlRGLQ- Startup Stories on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1Tk7bbzaNYowGouI9ucKC3- Startup Stories on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/startup-stories-with-silicon-florist/id1849468494- The Long Con on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-long-con/id1810923457- The Long Con on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/48oglyT5JNKxVH5lnWTYKA- https://bsky.app/profile/turoczy.bsky.social- https://siliconflorist.substack.com/- https://pdxslack.comABOUT SILICON FLORIST ----------For nearly two decades, Rick Turoczy has published Silicon Florist, a blog, newsletter, and podcast that covers entrepreneurs, founders, startups, entrepreneurship, tech, news, and events in the Portland, Oregon, startup community. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a startup or tech enthusiast, or simply intrigued by Portland's startup culture, Silicon Florist is your go-to source for the latest news, events, jobs, and opportunities in Portland Oregon's flourishing tech and startup scene. Join us in exploring the innovative world of startups in Portland, where creativity and collaboration meet.ABOUT RICK TUROCZY ----------Rick Turoczy has been working in, on, and around the Portland, Oregon, startup community for nearly 30 years. He has been recognized as one of the “OG”s of startup ecosystem building by the Kauffman Foundation. And he has been humbled by any number of opportunities to speak on stages from SXSW to INBOUND and from Kobe, Japan, to Muscat, Oman, including an opportunity to share his views on community building on the TEDxPortland stage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj98mr_wUA0). All because of a blog. Weird.https://siliconflorist.com#pdx #portland #oregon #entrepreneur