After several years of virtual events, Portland Incubator Experiment Demo Day is going back to in-person. At least partially.
The startup accelerator is hosting a hybrid version of its annual event. The startup presentations, which have historically been live onstage, will instead be individual videos posted on PIE’s YouTube channel ahead of the event. Then on Aug. 10, the group will host a trade show where current PIE startups as well as alumni will be available to talk about what they are building.
“We would rather have members of the community stop by Demo Day for a few minutes to meet specific founders — or to wander the trade show floor — than require them to sit through all of the presentations before getting access to the startups that interest them,” said Rick Turoczy, cofounder and general manager of PIE, in a written statement.
The trade show will start at 4 p.m. at The Redd, 831 S.E. Salmon St., in Portland. Tickets are not required but people are asked to register online so organizers can plan appropriately.
Startups in the current PIE class include artificial intelligence-enabled applications, new social networks and different takes on extended reality (or XR). PIE works with software and application-based startups to help those founders launch and grow companies.
This current class has 18 startups. PIE is funded through a grant from Prosper Portland.
Since 2020 PIE has been running virtual programs. Last year, it incorporated a virtual trade show element to Demo Day.
“We tested a virtual trade show format during the pandemic that provided a more interactive environment for attendees than previous demo days — and the feedback from both attendees and founders was extremely positive,” said Turoczy. “This year, we’re excited to test that more interactive format in person for the benefit of the entire Portland startup community.”
The group has always leaned heavily on the “experiment” portion of its name. The group has evolved since it started in 2009 as a coworking space. Over the years it has launched related accelerators that focus on other types of companies: PIE Shop works with companies making hardware or physical products and the Built Accelerator, which is in partnership with the nonprofit Built Oregon and focuses on consumer products.
Over the last 15 years PIE has seen funding partners including corporations and government entities. The group is currently under the umbrella of Built Oregon. PIE is an important part of the city’s startup ecosystem and was a key player in creating the software startup community when the city was still most widely known for hardware.
