The Portland Incubator Experiment, often abbreviated as PIE or PIE PDX or stylized as Pie, is a

business incubator Business incubator is an organization that helps startup companies and individual entrepreneurs to develop their businesses by providing a fullscale range of services starting with management training and office space and ending with venture ca ...

based in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

that provides mentorship and resources to select startup companies. Co-founded by Renny Gleeson and Rick Turoczy, PIE is run by the Portland-based

advertising agency An advertising agency, often referred to as a creative agency or an ad agency, is a business dedicated to creating, planning, and handling advertising and sometimes other forms of promotion and marketing for its clients. An ad agency is generally ...

Wieden+Kennedy Wieden+Kennedy (W+K; earlier styled ''Wieden & Kennedy'') is an American independent global advertising agency best known for its work for Nike. Founded by Dan Wieden and David Kennedy, and headquartered in Portland, Oregon, it is one of the l ...

(W+K). The program was informally launched in 2009 before converting to a formal structure in 2011. PIE participants are chosen by a selection committee, following an application process. Startups receive seed money and spend three months developing their businesses with support from W+K and participating mentors. Companies that have provided financial assistance and mentorship include

The Coca-Cola Company The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation founded in 1892, best known as the producer of Coca-Cola. The Coca-Cola Company also manufactures, sells, and markets other non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups, ...

Google Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...

Intel Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the developers of the x86 seri ...

, Nike, Inc. and

Target Corporation Target Corporation (doing business as Target and stylized in all lowercase since 2018) is an American big box department store chain headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the seventh largest retailer in the United States, and a compon ...

. The program's inaugural "class" supported eight businesses primarily focused on mobile technology, most of which were Portland-based. PIE's 2012 class included a wider variety of business models. Following graduation, startups are provided with an opportunity to pitch their business plans; several companies have received investments as a result.

Program structure

The Portland Incubator Experiment (PIE), co-founded by Renny Gleeson and Rick Turoczyis, is a

based in

that advises and provides resources to startup companies. The program, "informally launched" in 2009 and converted into a structured program in 2011, is run by the Portland-based

(W+K). Following an application process, startups are chosen by a selection committee. Participants receive $18,000 in seed money in exchange for six percent stakes and spend three months at W+K's Northwest Portland offices, developing their businesses with assistance from "mentors, W+K, big brands and other startups". Program rounds are often referred to as "classes", from which participating businesses "graduate". The Portland Incubator Experiment is similar to the Portland Seed Fund, a public-private program (funded in part by the cities of Hillsboro and Portland and the

Oregon Lottery The Oregon Lottery is run by the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). History The Oregon Lottery was authorized by Oregon Ballot Measure 5 which was passed by voters in the 1984 ...

) that encourages

entrepreneurship Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values th ...

and invests in startups.

Classes and results

2011

Applications for the inaugural class were due on August 8, 2011. PIE received 290 applications from interested entrepreneurs, sixty percent of which resided outside Oregon. PIE initially selected nine companies to participate in the incubator project, but one withdrew early. Program participants in 2011 included: * Athletepath, a

social networking service A social networking service or SNS (sometimes called a social networking site) is an online platform which people use to build social networks or social relationships with other people who share similar personal or career content, interests, act ...

"connecting races and results" * Cloudability, a software service that "compares how companies use cloud services with what they spend" * DailyPath, a service that provides "short" inspirational messages, helping people to reach their goals * MoPIX, a platform that helps video producers release custom

iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...

application software Application may refer to: Mathematics and computing * Application software, computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks ** Application layer, an abstraction layer that specifies protocols and interface methods used in a c ...

* Revisu, a

cloud In meteorology, a cloud is an aerosol consisting of a visible mass of miniature liquid droplets, frozen crystals, or other particles suspended in the atmosphere of a planetary body or similar space. Water or various other chemicals may co ...

site that "connects designers and clients for feedback and approval" * Spotsi, a platform for mobile

multimedia Multimedia is a form of communication that uses a combination of different content forms such as text, audio, images, animations, or video into a single interactive presentation, in contrast to tradition ...

"tours" * Stayhound, a social networking service for locating pet sitters * VendScreen, a technology that adds "Android-based touchscreen devices to vending machines", offers cashless transactions, provides nutrition information and stores data Seven of the companies were based in Portland; the eighth (Los Angeles–based MoPIX) planned to open a two-person office in the city. According to Turoczy, each " ada part in the city's budding mobile technology scene". W+K connected entrepreneurs with some of its clients, including

, Nike, Inc. and

. Financial assistance and mentorship was also provided by

. In January 2012, the participating companies offered eight-minute presentations, pitching their products to a crowd of 400 at the

Bagdad Theater The Bagdad Theatre is a movie theater in the Hawthorne District of Portland, Oregon, United States. It originally opened in 1927 and was the site of the gala premiere of '' One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' in 1975, and of ''My Own Private Id ...

. VendScreen announced that it had received a $12 million investment for its technology. Athletepath and Cloudability also confirmed investments of $300,000 and $1.25 million, respectively. ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...

'' reported in February 2012 that two of Stayhound's three founders left after the class ended, seeking stable income. In July 2012, the ''

Willamette Week ''Willamette Week'' (''WW'') is an alternative weekly newspaper and a website published in Portland, Oregon, United States, since 1974. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business, and culture. History Early history ''Willame ...

'' reported that Cloudability had received $8.7 million in investments.

2012

PIE began accepting applications for its second class in February 2012. However, the application process was postponed in order to confirm "expert" participation. PIE also made changes to "improve the mentorship program and the overall experience for entrepreneurs". The application deadline was extended to June 12. 300 applications were submitted despite little promotion from PIE. Companies were chosen by a "loose" selection committee consisting of at least eight people. According to Turoczy, the program's second class included a greater variety of business plans, with "fewer daily deal pitches... and fewer location-based check-in companies". Businesses selected to participate included: * AppThwack, a service for testing application software and

website A website (also written as a web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Examples of notable websites are Google Search, Google, Facebook, Amaz ...

s on

Android Android may refer to: Science and technology * Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human * Android (operating system), Google's mobile operating system ** Bugdroid, a Google mascot sometimes referred to ...

smartphone A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whic ...

s and

tablet computer A tablet computer, commonly shortened to tablet, is a mobile device, typically with a mobile operating system and touchscreen display processing circuitry, and a rechargeable battery in a single, thin and flat package. Tablets, being comput ...

s * KS12, a studio that "tells stories which blur the line between documentary and fiction, artwork and essay" * Lytics.io, an

API An application programming interface (API) is a way for two or more computer programs to communicate with each other. It is a type of software Interface (computing), interface, offering a service to other pieces of software. A document or standa ...

that provides

analytics Analytics is the systematic computational analysis of data or statistics. It is used for the discovery, interpretation, and communication of meaningful patterns in data. It also entails applying data patterns toward effective decision-making. It ...

to developers * Plexus Engine, a tool suite for influencer marketing and "expert discovery and engagement" * Portland Women's Software Academy, a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

focused on "educating and encouraging would-be software developers" * Stublisher, a service for "capturing and curating event experiences" * Vadio, a service that turns "terrestrial" radio station websites into live video channels The program began on July 16. Participants received assistance from sponsors at The Coca-Cola Company, Google,

, Nike and other Oregon technology professionals. PIE added a staff position for the program, designating Wieden+Kennedy's Kirsten Golden as "class manager".

References

External links

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Incubator
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