Hello, world. PIE here, again. It's good to be back :)

We are looking for the next batch of entrepreneurs and startups. 
Hopefully, you're one of them. 

tl;dr: PIE applications are due June 12, 2012. We're looking 
for 6 startups. Class starts in mid-July. http://piepdx.com

But before we go forward, a quick look back:

We are incredibly proud of what the startups in the first 
official class of PIE have accomplished, and the participating 
startups themselves seemed pretty excited about their PIE 
experiences. We had success and... learning. We were happy with 
the progress our accelerator made in its first iteration, but we 
found lots of places to improve: some connections were too weak 
and some program elements were less-than-stellar. 

After the last class graduated, we took some time to step back 
and assess the entire PIE program, to identify the gaps, and to 
dig into the places we felt didn't meet expectations -- or failed 
outright. We asked our alums, our mentors, our startups, and our 
sponsors to chime in as well. The feedback was blunt, insightful, 
and passionate.  

We took the feedback. We argued. We endeavored to think of all 
the ways we could make PIE deliver MORE value to people like you.  
We took all of that, and we crafted this next iteration of PIE. 

So why should you consider applying for the next class of PIE? 
Well, you'll have the opportunity to:

Sit with some of the most creative people in the world: 
Startups can be creative with technology. But what about promoting 
those efforts? When it comes to communications, few manage them 
better -- or more creatively -- than Wieden+Kennedy. We've 
restructured our relationship with W+K to give startups access 
to the type of creative power generally only available to those 
with substantial marketing teams and budgets. As W+K Executive 
Creative Director Mark Fitzloff put it: "The PIE/W+K relationship 
has been a fantastic collaboration between two very different 
creative communities. The W+K creative teams are anxious to apply 
their skills to amplifying a whole new crop of innovative ideas." 

Talk to some of the most influential investors:
Not every startup wants to pursue outside funding. But every 
startup should be talking to investors to hone their stories and 
gain insights about the market. To ensure that's happening, we've 
been working to improve our relations with the investment 
community. We'll be rotating through a series of local and 
visiting investors, from early stage Angels to later stage 
Venture Capitalists. 

Share space with some of the most promising startups: 
A great mentoring relationship is predicated on unfettered access 
to someone who has been through it all before. PIE is no different. 
That's why we are pleased to announce that PIE graduates 
Cloudability and Athletepath will remain residents in PIE as 
"startups in residence," offering our next batch of startups 
massively valuable insight, guidance on how to the most of PIE, 
and a live window into the "what happens next" phase of building 
a successful startup.

Get a more diverse view of your potential: 
If you want a global proposition, you need to consider every 
market. Not just the US. We are excited to announce that PIE will 
be partnering with Nairobi's iHub and W+K Tokyo's Open Office to 
allow PIE startups to informally test feasibility and viability 
across the spectrum of economies, from emerging markets to 
hotbeds of consumerism.

Discuss concepts with global brands: 
We loved our partners for the last PIE class. We learned a lot 
together. PIE is continuing to work with Google, Coca Cola, 
and Nike. And we've had the opportunity to explore a first project 
with Intel. We also reworked the program to ensure that both the 
brands and the startups are getting benefits out of the 
relationship.

Last but not least, we've increased the level of staffing support 
at PIE to provide a better experience for our startups. Kirsten 
Golden (kirsten@piepdx.com) will be officially joining Rick 
Turoczy as PIE crew. She'll be taking on the role of PIE's Class 
Manager, serving as the primary point of contact for our startups 
currently engaged in the program.  Whether startups need to vent 
or need a kick in the ass, she'll be there. She'll be PIE's 
primary startup liaison and ombuds(wo)man. (She'll also talk about
herself in third person, apparently.)

So we are excited to get back to work. To help teams move further 
faster. And to be part of another great class of amazing 
entrepreneurs. 

Sorry for the delay. Buckle up. And apply now. Applications are 
due June 12, 2012. Class begins in mid-July.

http://piepdx.com/

Sincerely,

Kirsten

Kirsten Golden
Class Manager, PIE
kirsten@piepdx.com
http://piepdx.com


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