Lumen Learning co-founders
Lumen Learning co-founder Kim Thanos and VP of Strategy & Communications Julie Curtis at the Oregon Technology Awards media reception.

Some of Portland’s most up-and-coming startups were honored at the Oregon Technology Awards program on Thursday evening.

Hosted by the Technology Association of Oregon, more than 600 people attended the annual event that awarded six emerging companies, including startups like Skyward and Lumen Learning that recently raised funding rounds in the past month.

Here are the winners:

  • Technology Company of the Year, Pre-revenue: Skyward.io
  • Technology Company of the Year, Emerging: Cloudability
  • Technology Company of the Year, Rising Star: Cedexis
  • Technology Company of the Year, Growth: Puppet Labs
  • Technology Company of the Year, Enterprise: Qorvo
  • Most Influential Technology Company not headquartered in Oregon: Salesforce
  • Most Disruptive Technology: Lumen Learning
  • Technology Executive of the Year: Elemental CEO Sam Blackman
  • Lifetime Achievement Award: Bill Campbell, Head of Sustainability and Structuring at Equilibrium Capital Group, LLC
Elemental CEO Sam Blackman speaks at TechFestNW. Elemental is one of Portland's most successful startups in recent years.
Elemental CEO Sam Blackman.

Portland is certainly on the up-and-up as a tech startup city, with several successful startups that have sprouted up in the last decade.

Part of what makes Portland attractive is the cheaper cost of living compared to Seattle or the Bay Area, on top of the region’s livability.

“We won’t compete with Facebook and Google on starting salaries, but we will compete on being a great place to live, work, and raise a family,” Elemental’s Blackman said in September at TechFestNW.

Photo via Flickr user Stuart Seeger.
Photo via Flickr user Stuart Seeger.

There’s also a recent pattern of big tech companies like eBay, Salesforce, and Airbnb setting up satellite offices in the region.

When you put it all together, Portland is certainly a unique city with a lot to offer for budding entrepreneurs.

“You can build great teams here, and you can do them in very large markets,” Portland-based venture capitalist Fraiman told GeekWire in October. “You can have an outstanding environment for growth and you can do that in a highly capital efficient environment — which, to be honest with you, is a beautiful thing.”

We spoke with several Portland founders and CEOs about their thoughts on the Rose City startup scene at the media reception on Thursday, and we’ll post excerpts from our conversations in the next few days on GeekWire.

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