OtherTiE Oregon Expands with New TiE Pearl Tech Incubator
Contributed by Lakshmi Jagannathan, TiE Oregon
TiE Pearl is a space for tech startups to connect, collaborate and create. The space is located within the offices of ISITE Design, a leader in the design and development of digital experiences. The idea behind TiE Pearl is to leverage the resources offered by TiE Oregon and its national and global network of 60 chapters in 17 countries. With over 10000 members and 2500 Charter Members worldwide, TiE offers a unique entrepreneurial community of seasoned entrepreneurs, investors, business leaders and service providers that can help facilitate the germination of ideas into actual businesses.
Since its founding, TiE Oregon Charter Members have invested more than $3 million into Oregon startups such as Zapproved, Geoloqi and Chirpify. This year, a formal angel program has been initiated with an investment group that meets every month and evaluates early-stage companies.
With TiE Pearl what TiE Oregon has created is a supportive environment where TiE members can come in and utilize the resources offered by TiE, such as mentorship and angel funding, and at the same time network with other innovative companies. A great example of a company already in the space is GlobeSherpa, which specializes in mobile payments for transit, parking, events and deals. Nat Parker, CEO and founder of GlobeSherpa says that TiE Pearl is “A space unto itself,” and that “It’s obvious that it is designed by a company that makes design its priority.” With an open area, lots of light, ping pong tables and actual ski gondolas for private conversations TiE Pearl offers a workspace in tune with Portland’s creative vibe.
What differentiates TiE Pearl as an incubator in Oregon is that it offers access to the expertise of the ISITE Design team. ISITE can partner with companies to create the key design and development elements that can help bring a business the recognition and support it needs.
The facility is currently at 75% capacity with a few workstations still available. The incubator will be inaugurated on Wed May 29th by Ted Wheeler, Oregon State Treasurer. TiE leaders attending from Silicon Valley are P.K. Agarwal, CEO, TiE Global, and Vish Mishra, Past President TiE Silicon Valley and Trustee TiE Global.
Other distinguished guests include Oregon State Representative Ben Unger, Erin Flynn, Associate Vice President, Strategic Partnerships at PSU, TiE Oregon Board Members Diane Fraiman Voyager Capital and Nitin Khanna CEO, MergerTech.
