Startup Your Startup

Startups & Positive Social Impact Unconference

Sat, Aug 22 · 9:00 AM PDT

Upstart Collective (in Big Pink), 111 SW 5th Ave., Portland, OR, US

How can we build new startups that improve lives, right here in Portland and beyond AND make money?

Every day, entrepreneurs are starting companies that shape how people live, work, and connect. This is a chance to think beyond just growth metrics and ask a harder question: how do we build ventures that create real, lasting value for the communities we serve — locally and globally?

There are many companies that do good in the world AND have built some incredible revenue streams. Ben & Jerry's, Tom's of Maine, Tom's Shoes, Patagonia, Bob's Red Mill, Newman's Own and of course Portland's own Dave's Killer Bread. These are companies that have moved beyond the harsh realities of many that are simply extractive capitalism.

Dave Dahl, co-founder of Dave's KIller Bread will be at the event for a lunch interview during the lunch break.

Join fellow founders, entrepreneurs, and impact-driven builders for a day of open conversation about starting and growing companies with meaning and purpose at their core. We'll dig into sustainable business models, ethical decision-making in the early stages, and practical ways to build something that does well by doing good.

This one-day unconference is built for founders who want to move fast without leaving people behind. Through open, participant-driven sessions, we'll explore what it really takes to launch, grow, and sustain a company that puts positive impact first — not as an afterthought, but as the very foundation.

Bring your ideas, your questions, and your half-formed startup concepts. Let's build something good, together

Unlike most conferences, in and unconference there are no pre-planned presentations or schedules. The day is organized around fostering conversations around the topics you find most interesting and important. All participants are invited and encouraged to participate in discussions on startups and positive social impact topics such as:

Sample Topic Possibilities

• Measuring impact without a research department
• Community-first product development
• B Corp, nonprofit, social enterprise, for-profit or hybrid?
• Ethical considerations
• Avoiding "impact-washing"
• Building a founding team around shared values
• Local partnerships that scale
• When to say no to growth
• Bootstrapping vs. raising impact capital

Do you have startup questions that others can answer or have special skills you can share with others?

Together, we'll create an unconference agenda that delivers actionable, insightful information that you can apply to your career, company and community.

What is an Unconference?

How Does It Work?

Four Principles and One Law
1. Whoever comes is the right people
2. Whenever it starts is the right time
3. Whatever happens is the only thing that could have happened
4. When it’s over it’s over

Law of Two Feet: You, and only you, know when you are learning and contributing as much as you can.” It reminds us that “If you find yourself in a situation where you are neither learning or contributing, use your two feet, and/or whatever you use to get around, to go somewhere you can learn and contribute more

We kick off with informal networking, opening remarks, outline the process, then dive into building the day's agenda around your needs, interests, and areas of expertise.

The process roughly works like this:

• Attendees present their ideas for topics
• We craft a schedule to accommodate the expected audience
• You attend the sessions that interest you and are free to leave them anytime, that's part of the unconference design

This is not a sales event and pitch focused presentations will not be tolerated.

Tickets are limited.

Early Bird Tickets: now thru August 7th: $10
August 8 thru August 14th: $15
August 15th thru August 21st: $20
Day of Event Tickets (at the door, if available): $50

To apply for a scholarship to this event please request by August 1st 2026 by direct messaging (DM'ing) Mark Grimes thru the Meetup website.

The Agenda

• 9:00-9:30 Arrive, get coffee and a bite, settle in, meet someone
• 9:30-10:00 Overview and group agenda setting
• 10:00-10:45 Session 1
• 10:50-11:30 Session 2
• 11:35-12:15 Session 3
• 12:15-1:00 Lunch (provided) Interview w/ Dave Dahl
• 1:00-1:45 Session 4
• 1:50-2:30 Session 5
• 2:35-3:00 Closing remarks

Who should attend?

If you took the time to read through all of this, then YOU! The event is open to anyone with an interest in the topic whether you are student, developer, founder, entrepreneur, social entrepreneur, business owner, nonprofit leader, activist, organizer or just interested individual.

REFUND POLICY: No refunds unless the event is cancelled

All Startup Your Startup events have a Code of Conduct that all participants, members, partners, visitors, vendors, guests must abide.

Parking: there are many parking lots around Big Pink. We would not advise you pay for street parking. .

Thank you to the following people and organizations that made this happen
Kayla Victor at Connecting 4 Justice
Robin Davidson at Better Neighbors
Josh Carter at Upstart Collective
Chris Lambert at Rose City JAM