Oregon AI Accelerator launches second cohort with 14 startups

The Oregon AI Accelerator has opened its second cohort at Portland State University, bringing 14 AI-native startups into an 11-week program that ends with Demo Day on Dec. 17. The class spans healthcare, infrastructure, government, and workforce tools, signaling another regional push to turn AI founders into investor-ready companies.

Why it matters: - OAIX is trying to speed up AI startup formation in Oregon and the broader Pacific Northwest. - The accelerator is equity-free, which lowers the cost for founders to participate. - The program connects startups with mentors, investors, and industry partners through Propel PSU at Portland State University. - Google is the anchor sponsor.

What happened: - The Oregon AI Accelerator welcomed 14 AI-native startups into its second cohort on Oct. 1, 2026. - The startups were selected from more than 50 applications. - The Fall 2026 cohort runs for 11 weeks and ends with Demo Day on Thursday, Dec. 17, 2026. - OAIX is hosted by Propel PSU at Portland State University in Portland.

The details: - OAIX's inaugural cohort drew 175 applications and graduated 19 companies. - By Demo Day, 14 of those companies were generating revenue and 4 had raised capital. - Founders in the new cohort are building in healthcare, digital health, enterprise software, AI infrastructure, finance, compliance, government technology, workforce software, education, and industry tools. - CareCost Estimate, based in Portland and led by Erin Rose, is software that produces cost estimates and insurance clearance requirements for physician-administered drugs in minutes rather than hours. - Cloud Ten, based in Portland and led by Ian Rowan, is an adaptive sleep environment that learns how each person sleeps and adjusts light, sound, and temperature accordingly. - Cold Connect, based in Ashland and led by Mark Morrison, Eli Anderson-Justis, and Mickey Fishback, delivers off-grid vaccine refrigeration backed by predictive AI that turns cold-chain data into rapid action. - SENSE Family Autism Care, based in Portland and led by Steven Rauner and Matthew Elliott, gives parents a way to deliver a research-backed somatic therapy for autistic children at home while families wait for services. - Airbrx, based in Portland and led by Ben Tallman, Amit Beria, Michael Bissell, and Abram Erickson, offers a caching gateway that cuts cloud data warehouse costs by serving repeat queries without re-architecture. - Agile Integrations, based in Portland and led by Jonathan Klinshaw, builds a quantum-inspired optimization engine for complex scheduling, routing, and control problems on standard hardware. - Turtledown PBC, based in Portland and led by Indy Leonard, is building Crema, a governance layer that adds version control and human approval to the product specs that AI coding agents generate. - Vantage Compute, based in Bend and led by James Beedy and Kyle Bizon, is a cloud-agnostic platform that automates setup and operation of GPU and high-performance computing environments. - ControlBridge.AI, based in Vancouver, Wash., and led by Casey Atwater, uses AI agents to run financial controls and produce auditable evidence for SOX compliance. - Manifest, based in Portland and led by Mohamed Mohamed and Abdullah Yahya, is a system for government software contractors to pursue technical RFPs and deliver the work they win. - Caliko, based in Portland and led by Sarah Verducci, helps leadership teams turn business goals into workforce plans, including where work can shift to AI. - enrops, based in Portland and led by Dr. Arielle Hammond, is an operating system for after-school and youth enrichment programs covering registration, payments, attendance, and staffing. - Helm, based in Portland and led by Sam Speed, provides decision intelligence for apparel and footwear brands to model product and merchandising decisions before committing to them. - Premisys, based in Portland and led by Prabhat K Gupta, connects factory and business data to improve quality, uptime, and production decisions for manufacturers. - Investors, mentors, and partners interested in Demo Day can learn more at oregonaix.com.

Between the lines: - The inaugural cohort's revenue and fundraising results suggest OAIX is positioning itself as more than a networking program. - The mix of founders includes operators from enterprise software, manufacturing, finance, education, and public-sector work, which fits the accelerator's emphasis on practical AI applications. - Portland State is using Propel PSU to make the university a hub for regional startup activity and to tie founders to research, talent, and local partners.

What's next: - The second cohort will spend the next 11 weeks refining products, sharpening pitches, and preparing for Demo Day. - OAIX says its goal is to help founders become investor-ready. - More information is available at oregonaix.com.