Yep. It’s a startup competition and reality show focused on makers.

America’s Greatest Makers is in the final week of submissions. Submit amazing ideas for wearable and smart-connected devices by Friday, October 2nd at www.AmericasGreatestMakers.com.

Apply to be part of America’s Greatest Makers, a new reality TV show from Intel, TBS, Executive Producer Mark Burnett and the Creators of Shark Tank. The submission process is easy and can be completed by either an individual or team. Just fill out an online application at www.AmericasGreatestMakers.com and tell us more about your idea of what’s next in the technology revolution. Highlight the “story” behind it, such as your motivation or inspiration, what market need it serves and how it will benefit people.

I can’t wait to see where this goes. Good luck. And get those applications submitted. Pronto.

For more information or to apply, I think you know where to go. But just in case, it’s www.AmericasGreatestMakers.com.

The deal isn’t Portland specific, per se, but Portland startups could definitely benefit from the arrangement. What’s the deal? Well, small business backoffice platform inDinero opened up a Portland office earlier this year. And massive coworking startup WeWork is on track to open in Portland’s Custom House in November. But ahead of that, the two have announced a partnership that makes taxes less arduous for early stage companies.

Given our mutual passion for helping entrepreneurs succeed, it makes sense that we would join forces to provide the most helpful technologies, services, spaces, and communities available for game-changing small businesses.

“inDinero is thrilled to be partnering with WeWork to help so many entrepreneurs and small businesses seeking all the advantages possible to thrive and grow,” says Josh Scherman, our vice president of business development and partnerships. “WeWork does a wonderful job of providing its members with the best facilities, services, and communities and it feels great to be getting a chance to add our expertise in there.”

Just like inDinero is so much more than a traditional accounting firm, WeWork is so much more than a typical co-working space. Through the partnership, WeWork’s 30,000 members now have access to exclusive features and discounts on inDinero’s accounting, payroll, and tax filing services for small businesses.

That means that if you’re a WeWork member, you’re likely to soon be an inDinero user.

For more information on the partnership, see the inDinero blog post. For more on inDinero, see cofounder Jessica Mah’s interview with WeWork.

Hosted at the Agora Journalism Center at the University of Oregon School of Journalism and brought to you by Journalism that Matters, the gathering aims to start a conversation and connect dots around all of the local efforts focused on inclusion.

This highly interactive session will bring a diverse cross section of Portland residents involved in the innovation economy together with Experience Engagement conference attendees — journalists and other community storytellers from around the country.

Our purpose is to connect people across sectors so that we all get a greater appreciation of efforts underway for empowering underrepresented populations in the innovation economy. You may also come away with new relationships, new perceptions, and an idea of your own next step.

The event takes place this Friday, October 2, 2015, starting at 5:30PM. It’s free and tickets are still available.

For more information or to RSVP, visit What’s the Story of Inclusive Competitiveness?

(Image courtesy Tony Webster. Used under Creative Commons.)

If you’re like me, you’re a pretty good buyer—but maybe not so good at shopping. Or maybe you just don’t like the back and forth of trying on clothes. Whatever the case, you’re not alone.

For those who “hate” to shop, there were a variety of gloomy reasons given. People bemoaned about finding time to shop in schedules busy with work, business travel and kids soccer games. When there was a moment of down time, clothes shopping was the last thing on earth they wanted to do. Struggling to “find clothes that fit” was also a common theme.

And that’s where Dorrbell comes in. Literally. How? By bringing the dressing room to you.

Dorrbell is an on-demand fitting room service for apparel and accessories that combines the immediacy of same-day delivery and “try before you buy” experience of a brick-and-mortar store.

Our website showcases products currently on the racks of your nearby retailers. You can select items from multiple stores and have a Dorrbell shopping assistant deliver them to your home in as little as an hour.

You do not pay for merchandise before its delivered. You’re able to try the items on in the comfort and privacy of your own home (mixing and matching with your current wardrobe), and you only pay for the items you keep. Your Dorrbell shopping assistant returns to pick up the items you don’t want.

Sound interesting? Well, it’s currently in closed beta. But, they’re looking for beta testers in the Portland area. So head on over to Dorrbell to put your name on the list. Or read more about what Dorrbell is building.

It starts this Thursday, October 1, 2015, with an hors d’oeuvre, a gathering hosted by Built Oregon entitled “What Builds Bend? Why Craft is Good Business in Central Oregon“:

Central Oregon is a beacon for outdoor and lifestyle enthusiasts — the rivers, mountains, and trails seem to be never ending. But there also seems to be a beacon that shines bright around the consumer products industry. From world class beverages, to industry leading apparel and gear, and on to scalable food companies, the region is bursting from a growth and economic standpoint.

But beyond the lifestyle, what is the Bend story that has, and continues to, attract so many consumer product companies, and more importantly, allowed them to scale?

And then the main course—the Bend Venture Conference—the largest early stage startup event in Pacific Northwest, which is held October 15-16, 2015.

The BVC is the largest Angel Conference in the Pacific Northwest connecting early and growth stage companies with investment opportunities. This premier regional event attracts over 400 top entrepreneurs, investors, and business leaders.

So if you’re in Bend or are looking for a good excuse for a road trip or two, check out these two events. Tickets are still available for both Built Oregon in Bend and Bend Venture Conference.

[Full disclosure: I am a cofounder of Built Oregon.]

Riviera Build has reached v1.0! It is out of beta and ready for everyone to use. It’s build distribution and application management coupled with a powerful API will enable an entirely automated distribution chain for your beta testers and internal users. Join today and get a 30 day Prototyper account for free.

…

Riviera Build focuses on mobile application distribution: distributing a mobile application should never take any of your time, with this in mind we created the easiest and fastest way of sharing an application.

For more information, read the blog post announcing Riviera Build 1.0. Or to try it yourself, visit Riviera Build

• 500 Startups Accelerator (Closing September 30, 2015)
• Beaverton Startup Challenge (Closing September 30, 2015)
• Jaguar Land Rover Incubator Portland (Closing September 30, 2015)
• Startup PDX Challenge (Closing September 30, 2015)
• Y Combinator (Closing October 8, 2015)
• SXSW Accelerator 2016 (Closing November 6, 2015)
• Techstars Seattle (Closing November 18, 2015)

Looks like you have some homework, this weekend.

(Image courtesy Ian Sane. Used under Creative Commons.)

That’s why Portland startup Skyward has been working on services that will help those commercial drones operate more effectively in shared airspace. And now, they’ve publicly launched some of their first services for commercial drones.

Regulators and insurers across the world need to know the who, what, when, where, and how for flight operations. Skyward is the first integrated solution to address this need for drones, and makes it easy for operators to track the specific information and airspace data needed for business, insurance or regulatory requirements. Over 150 operators are already using Skyward in the US, Canada, Caribbean, Australia, and South Africa, for applications like agriculture, industrial inspection, construction, oil and gas surveying, as well as real estate and cinematography. Skyward is a partner in NASA’s UTM program, and a board member of the SUAV Coalition, working with Verizon, Amazon, Google and others to define the future of this industry.

“As the leading provider of UAS insurance in the US, we’ve recognized the overwhelming need for a complete flight management system,” said Terry Miller, President of Transport Risk Management. “Skyward developed the solution we’ve been searching for, and we will be incorporating it into our insurance underwriting process.”

For more information, visit Skyward.

Join us for a spirited, knowledge-packed day scouting the frontiers of responsive web design and development in lovely Portland, Oregon. Responsive Field Day is a welcoming and affordable gathering for web designers and developers.

Organized by Portland’s Cloud Four, the event will be held at Revolution Hall on Friday, September 25. Tickets are still available at a cost of $175.

For more information or to grab your seat, visit Responsive Field Day.

For more information, visit Chirpify.