Portland and Seattle are known rivals in the world of sports, but what about the world of entrepreneurship? While Seattle may have a more tech-oriented reputation, Portland is not without its entrepreneurial merits, as it has been posited that founders in the Portland area generally exhibit more openness and extraversion than those in Seattle.
This info is based on research provided by the Founder Institute, which was reported last year by Taylor Soper in the GeekWire article, “This data shows how Seattle, San Francisco, and Portland entrepreneurs think differently”. Since launching in 2009, the Founder Institute has required applicants to take its “Predictive Admissions Test”, which helps assess the entrepreneurial potential of founders. The test measures the most important traits of successful entrepreneurs, including conscientiousness, emotional stability, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and fluid intelligence.
The Founder Institute’s data showed that while entrepreneurs in Seattle are generally more emotionally stable and conscientious, suggesting a somewhat better business mindset, Portland entrepreneurs’ high openness implies more creativity and risk-taking, and their high extraversion results in more assertiveness and sociability.
Interestingly enough, entrepreneurs in Portland shared traits that were similar to those in Silicon Valley, generally regarded as the heart of the global startup scene and a hub of technological innovation.
The Portland Founder Institute is currently accepting applications. Apply today!
Check out the infographic below for a more detailed breakdown of “Entrepreneur DNA” in Portland vs. Seattle:
