StumpTECH

Top Tech Talent is Getting It Done in Portland

The Portland tech scene is in the midst of resurgence and companies are developing innovative solutions to the problems faced by businesses and customers across the world. But it’s not just the products and ideas that make our tech industry seem so promising, it’s the influx of highly skilled and talented individuals in this field who are choosing to work out of Portland to "create what’s next” in the industry.

Simple is reinventing personal banking with a modern online and mobile experience, no surprise fees, and great customer service. They promise to take care of you and let the banks take care of your money. Simple chose to relocate to Portland less than a year ago and last week ramped up their product release. To accomplish this milestone, Simple is relying on leading technical talent.

Simple was started out of founder Josh Reich’s frustrations with the American banking system. Josh has played leading roles in tech startups such as CTO, Chief Strategist, and Director of Technical Research in his work history. Add to that CEO and co-founder with Simple. He is well-regarded for his strong analytical talents, leadership ability, and the skill to grasp the entirety of a situation. As proof of that, Josh added Alex Payne as a co-founder and technology expert to the team. Before joining Simple, Alex worked at Twitter where he was one of the company’s first hires. While at Twitter, Alex worked primarily on building the company’s developer platform, and later on the service’s core infrastructure. And the talent at Simple expands beyond the co-founders. According to Simple’s Director of Finance Ryan Hildebrand:

"Simple moved its HQ to Portland from Brooklyn and San Francisco for a combination of reasons. We are reinventing a centuries-old industry that has grown too complex… Portland provides the right environment for us to grow our team and solidify our culture. We found that we have access to a strong technical community and are proud to be in a growing startup center. Portland offers a great quality of life that has already attracted a number of our engineers to make the move from all over the world. Further, the city gives us access to a pool of creative, intelligent, and affordable talent.”

Simple isn’t the newest company to relocate to Portland and bring with it leading industry talent. Joe Stump, formerly of Digg and SimpleGeo (before SimpleGeo was acquired by Urban Airship) relocated to Portland merely four months ago from San Francisco. Joe came to Portland as a co-founder of Sprint.ly and they have already made significant progress. Joe is a veteran of Boulder, Seattle and San Francisco, and earned the reputation as a leading software talent in each city. For Joe, locating in Portland allowed him to focus on his business in a place he wanted to be:

"Portland offers all of the usual amenities of a big city with a cost of living and work-life-balance that is unheard of in many metropolitan areas. The food, wine, and nightlife scene is on par with, and arguably better, than many bigger cities. Specific to technology, but by removing ourselves from the echo chamber of San Francisco, we're better able to focus on our products and customers. It also lets us fly under the radar a bit more.”

It seems the top tech talent is catching on to what we already know. Portland is a great community where people are willing to work together, it’s an affordable place to live, and it allows you to focus in and get things done.

Jared Wiener, PDC, Software Industry Liaison