A New Chapter Begins: Introducing the Founders Hub Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

This August, Latino Founders will begin operating from a new home.

Located in the heart of downtown Portland, the Founders Hub Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship is a 15,000-square-foot space built with one purpose in mind: helping entrepreneurs build great companies.

The Founders Hub is more than an office. It is a long-term investment in Oregon's entrepreneurial ecosystem and in the people who are creating the state's next generation of businesses.

At a time when conversations about Oregon's economy often focus on the companies leaving, we believe it is equally important to recognize the entrepreneurs choosing to stay. Every day, founders across the state are launching companies, hiring employees, developing new technologies, opening storefronts, and investing in their communities.

Those entrepreneurs deserve the infrastructure, resources, and community needed to succeed.

For nearly a decade, Latino Founders has worked alongside entrepreneurs from the earliest stages of their journey. We have seen what happens when founders gain access to mentorship, education, capital, and a strong network. Businesses grow. Jobs are created. Families build wealth. Communities become stronger.

That belief is what inspired the Founders Hub.

Building the Infrastructure Entrepreneurs Need

Entrepreneurship rarely happens alone. Behind every successful company is a network of people, resources, and opportunities that help transform an idea into a business.

The Founders Hub was designed to bring those pieces together under one roof.

Entrepreneurs will have access to collaborative workspaces, educational programming, mentorship, networking opportunities, investor engagement, and the practical resources needed to launch and grow scalable companies.

Just as important, the Hub provides something every founder deserves: a place where they know they belong.

Whether someone is building a software company, a climate technology startup, a healthcare business, a consumer brand, an advanced manufacturing company, or a neighborhood small business, they will find a community committed to helping them succeed. Why This Matters

Economic development is often measured by large announcements or the recruitment of major employers.

Those investments matter, but they tell only part of the story.

Long-term economic growth is built one company at a time.

Every entrepreneur who succeeds creates opportunities that extend far beyond their own business. They hire employees, purchase from local suppliers, mentor future founders, and reinvest in their communities. Those investments continue long after the ribbon cutting.

That is why entrepreneurship should be viewed as long-term infrastructure.

Supporting founders today creates stronger local economies tomorrow. Oregon Has a Generational Opportunity

Oregon already has many of the ingredients needed for a strong economy. We have world-class universities, talented entrepreneurs, globally recognized industries, and communities filled with creativity and resilience.

The challenge is not finding opportunity.

The challenge is creating an environment where entrepreneurs can build their companies here and continue growing them here.

Across Oregon, Latino entrepreneurs are already making that commitment.

They are opening businesses, purchasing commercial buildings, developing technology, and creating jobs across industries that are helping shape the state's future.

While some companies are relocating, thousands of entrepreneurs continue investing their time, talent, and capital in Oregon.

They are betting on Oregon.

The question is whether Oregon is willing to make the same long-term investment in them. The Numbers Tell the Story

The data makes the opportunity difficult to ignore.

According to the 2025 Latino Donor Collaborative report, the U.S. Latino economy reached $4 trillion, making it the fifth-largest economy in the world if it were measured as its own country.

Latino-owned businesses now total 5.7 million and generate nearly $945 billion in annual revenue. They continue growing at a pace that significantly exceeds the national average.

The same trend is taking shape in Oregon.

Today, Oregon's Latino economy contributes approximately $35 billion to the state's GDP. By 2030, that figure is projected to grow to roughly $53 billion.

That growth will not come from somewhere else; it will be built by entrepreneurs who already live here.

These founders are creating companies in climate technology, software, healthcare, consumer products, manufacturing, and the athletic and outdoor industries. They are building businesses that reflect Oregon's strengths while creating jobs and attracting investment throughout the state. Building for the Long Term

Great companies are rarely built overnight.

Many of the businesses that will define Oregon's economy over the next decade are just getting started. Their impact may not be fully visible for years.

That is why economic development requires patience.

It requires consistent investment in entrepreneur support organizations, accelerator programs, access to capital, founder education, innovation districts, rural entrepreneurship, and founders with the potential to build companies that last.

Those investments may not produce immediate headlines, but they create the foundation for sustained economic growth. Entrepreneurship Creates Generational Wealth

For many families, entrepreneurship is about far more than starting a business.

It is an opportunity to build financial stability, create assets that can be passed to future generations, and expand opportunity for the people who come next.

When entrepreneurs succeed, entire communities benefit.

Children grow up seeing business ownership as possible. More jobs are created. Neighborhoods become stronger. Local economies become more resilient.

That ripple effect is why investing in entrepreneurs matters. Looking Ahead

Beginning in August, our team will begin operating from the Founders Hub Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, located at 207 NW Park Avenue in downtown Portland.

This fall, we look forward to opening our doors to entrepreneurs, investors, community partners, policymakers, and supporters from across Oregon for our official Grand Opening celebration.

The Founders Hub represents an important milestone for Latino Founders, but its purpose extends far beyond our organization.

It is a place built for entrepreneurs.

It is an investment in Oregon's future.

And it reflects our belief that the companies shaping the next generation of Oregon's economy are already being built today.

We are proud to help provide the space where we can shape the future together.