Startup activity often picks up after an economic slump.
That's exactly what's happening in Portland's robust athletic, outdoor and apparel sector. Since the start of the year, the Business Journal has written about numerous new companies selling everything from footwear for nurses to a sales platforms for rare sneakers.
Here's the latest crop of new companies, with links to longer versions of our stories.
The company: Beyond Pulse.
CEO and co-founder: Marc-André Maillet
What it does: The Portland-based startup makes an activity monitor for youth sports.
Founded: 2017.
Venture backing: The company has raised $2.5 million from two angel investors. It plans to raise a Series A round in the fall.
What's next: The company expects a sales boom this year as youth sports resume and the pandemic eases. It's growing in the U.S. and Canada and starting to grow in Europe and Chile. It continues to build sales through partnerships with youth sports federations.
The company: 1HubFashion.
Founder: Bless Kinga.
What it does: An online sales platform for emerging streetwear brands.
Founded: 2020.
Venture backing: The company won a $5,000 Include Award from the Angel Oregon Tech competition. The grants support early-stage Black, Indigenous and people of color founders.
What's next: The company continues building its infrastructure and has momentum internationally. It sells streetwear from brands in Russia, Indonesia, Nigeria and Korea.
The company: Sella.
Founder: Byron Binkley.
What it does: For a flat fee, Sella helps people unload unwanted stuff like record players, electronics and collectibles.
Founded: The company soft-launched in January.
Venture backing: Roughly $1 million in venture capital.
What's next: It's raising a seed round for a full-scale launch in Portland. If that goes well, it'll roll out in Seattle, then nationally.
