TechfestNW (TFNW) was an annual technology conference inPortland, Oregon that ran from 2012 to 2021. It was founded byWillamette Week editorMark Zusman, and was the sister festival toMusicfestNW, which ran from 2001 to 2018. The event included innovators, entrepreneurs, tech companies and investors from around the world. It featured main stage speakers, workshops, a startup pitch competition, exhibitor booths, networking opportunities and parties.[1] In 2012,Fortune magazine called it the nextSouth by Southwest (SXSW).[2]
TechfestNW was held in several different venues, including thePortland Art Museum,OMSI,the Armory, and Left Bank Annex. In both 2020 and 2021, it was held online as a "virtual conference" due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.
In 2018, TechfestNW moved venues toPortland State University's Viking Pavilion, which enabled the increase in size and scope of the conference. The themes, which drive speaker and workshop content, were Smart Cities/Smart Transit, Food Tech, Health Tech, and Inclusivity in Tech Culture.[3]
Seventy-five companies from all over the world participated in PitchfestNW, the startup competition within TechfestNW. The top 5 finalists presented on the main stage to a special panel of judges, before the winner, Goodnuss, was ultimately chosen.[4] International startups were judged separately and the 2018 winner was Moduu fromBavaria,Germany.[5]