Here’s a roundup of interesting startup links I came across today:

The TriMet Story

January 1969: Mayor Terry Schrunk appointed a seven-member Mass Transit Advisory Commission*, who ultimately became the foundation of TriMet’s first board of directors. On January 14, the Portland City Council passed a resolution to create the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon, called TriMet, to take over the local bus systems and provide regional transit service.

Miovision partners with TomTom to tackle the world’s traffic congestion | BetaKit

Miovision has helped reduce average travel times in Boston, Pittsburgh, and Portland by 25 percent.

New study says Oregon tops nation for inbound out-of-state movers. Will economic growth follow? • Oregon Capital Chronicle

“We prefer to have that confirmed by more traditional, public sources like the census or the DMV right, but certainly worth reporting, and in and of itself, it’s encouraging,” Tapogna said. “Let’s hope it shows up reflected in other public data as well.”

Vibe Coding Without System Design is a Trap

The problem: AI is very good at helping you build something. It’s not very good at helping you build something well.

18 Predictions for 2026 – Jakob Nielsen on UX

I have 18 concrete predictions for this year. Limiting one’s thinking to a one-year horizon is tough since most major changes take longer to play out. Consequently, many of my predictions may not fully materialize by December 2026, but I expect to be directionally correct. We will see major movements along these lines, even in a single year.

How to Build a Silicon Valley Network — Chris Neumann

One of the big questions our founders had during week one was how to get to know quality people while in San Francisco. Here are some of the top tips for “breaking into Silicon Valley”, as shared by our speakers

Growth Is Now a Trust Problem – by Elena Verna

How are you supposed to grow in this new landscape? It ain’t easy. But there’s a new playbook that I’m seeing emerge, and it’s all built around one simple concept: Trust.

How I actually get good advice – by Charles Cook

Every 6 months, I spend 2 weeks intensively gathering advice from people who are much more experienced and successful than me at what we do at PostHog.

AddyOsmani.com – How to write a good spec for AI agents

TL;DR: Aim for a clear spec covering just enough nuance (this may include structure, style, testing, boundaries) to guide the AI without overwhelming it. Break large tasks into smaller ones vs. keeping everything in one large prompt. Plan first in read-only mode, then execute and iterate continuously.

Personal Taste Is the Moat | A Geek’s Page

AI can now tell you whether code works. It reviews patches, spots bugs, suggests fixes, and explains trade-offs. Correctness is becoming cheap. Competence is being commoditized. But there’s something AI cannot do: tell you whether something should exist.

Gov. Tina Kotek taps Tim Knopp as chief prosperity officer – Portland Business Journal

Gov. Tina Kotek announced Wednesday that former Republican State Senator Tim Knopp will serve as her new Chief Prosperity Officer, part of an agenda she announced in December to boost Oregon’s economic growth.

Vibe Code PDX | Meetup

Vibe Code PDX is a casual, collaborative meetup for people who want to build real things using vibe coding and modern AI tools.

Happy Hour with Tech Professionals, Wed, Jan 21, 2026, 5:30 PM | Meetup

This event is open to anyone who wants to engage with Bend’s tech community. From old friends to people new to town, all are welcome. Even better, bring a friend. There’s no agenda other than getting to know each other.

Startup Conversations in the Couve – William Simpson of Golden Grail Group, Tue, Jan 20, 2026, 9:00 AM | Meetup

William has spent more than two decades building and scaling businesses in highly regulated, fast-moving environments—where the rules shift, the stakes are real, and mistakes are expensive.