NEW LOCATION!
We welcome Cody Goldberg as our inaugural speaker at our new location at the Vancouver Innovations Center, The VIC!
GG Cody QJ Goldberg is a dreamer and a doer. He is the child of bona fide San Francisco hippies and was once babysat by Janis Joplin. He received a BFA in Film/Television studies from New York University's Tisch School of The Arts. At 30, he "dropped out" to play percussion in a wandering tribal band of gypsies called "La Tribu Cosmica." During that magical year in Mexico, he filmed a documentary about the group and its experiences and became fluent in Spanish.
Upon his return, he fell into a successful 14-year career in brand marketing for adidas and Red Bull Energy Drink before making the courageous leap to pursue his life's true purpose. Cody speaks of his jump from a corporate career to running the non- profit Harper's Playground, which he and his wife, April, spearheaded and launched In 2010. Together, they led a groundbreaking movement that resulted in the design, funding, and construction of the first totally inclusive playground in Portland, Oregon - a testament to their unwavering dedication to building a more inclusive world, one playground at a time. Naturally.
Their passion project, Harper’s Playground, was featured on NBC’s TODAY Show, and their family had a day named for them by the mayor of Portland for their efforts.
Goldberg's journey of raising $1.2 million in just over two years without fundraising experience is a testament to his resilience and the power of collaboration, design, and politics. He intertwines lessons from his childhood with dreams of creating a better life for his children and often explains the GQ & J in his name.
In 2024, Cody published his first book, A Kids Book About Play. The book showcases why lifelong play is good for the soul, how play allows us to explore our interests, and teaches us the importance of collaboration and inclusion.
Cody, April, daughters Harper and Lennon, and their dog, Millie, make their home in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, where their dream of inclusivity is a reality.
Startup Conversations is our region’s monthly adrenaline shot of real‑talk entrepreneurship. Now staged inside the Vancouver Innovation Center—the campus where tomorrow’s companies are literally being built—this gathering delivers stories that skip the buzzwords and dive straight into the gritty reality of scaling. Expect to hear the real behind-the-scenes experiences of some of the region's best entrepreneurs. The stories behind their pivots, fundraising war stories, and candid confessions about what finally clicked.
Each session spotlights a founder, funder, or operator who has wrestled big problems into big opportunities. They unpack their decision‑making frameworks, reveal the metrics that mattered, and share the near‑misses that almost derailed them—so you can sidestep the same traps. After a lightning Q&A, we flip the room into open networking engineered for meaningful collisions.
Bring your prototype, your boldest question, or your next investor pitch. You’ll meet teammates you didn’t know you needed and mentors who’ve already fought your fight. The VIC’s collaborative labs, pop‑up demos, and easy parking turn a midweek evening into rocket fuel for momentum.
Startup Conversations is for builders at every stage from ideation to IPO. Show up curious, leave on fire, and watch your next milestone sprint closer. Your community is waiting.
