MusicfestNW was founded in 2001 to fill the void left by the departure of NXNW (North by Northwest Music and New Media Conference and Festival) from Portland. Both festivals were modeled after South by Southwest (SXSW), an annual conglomerate of music, film and interactive media festivals held in Texas. In 2012, MusicfestNW expanded to include a tech conference titled PDX (Portland Digital Experience) which ran throughout the day preceding evening concerts. The conference was founded by Mark Zusman, the editor of Willamette Week.
PDX quickly transformed into a standalone event named TechfestNW. Today’s TechfestNW is a two-day conference held at the Portland Art Museum. Every spring entrepreneurs, founders and investors from across the United States come to Portland to learn about the latest innovation in technology, design and innovation, as well as to network. One of the main goals of the event is to highlight Portland as one of the nation’s next technology centers.
The program of TechfestNW includes esteemed speakers discussing relevant topics about modern tech landscape, workshops, networking events, demonstrations, competitions, parties, and start-up pitches. There are both attendee-led events and those curated by the Techfest team. Past speakers include Jesse Schell (Schell Games), John Markoff (The New York Times), Ward Cunningham (WikiWikiWeb), Kara Swicher (Recode), and others.
TechfestNW also features PitchfestNW, a conference within conference dedicated to startup pitch presentations. The event is specifically designed for startups from the United States and abroad which can apply to pitch, attend workshops and showcase their company. Finalists pitch on the main stage of TechfestNW for a chance to win prizes, cash and media coverage. PitchfestNW also features workshops, masterclasses, mentoring sessions, and other events.
In 2020 and 2021, the event was held online due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Photo: wcep.com
