BEND, Ore. – October 23, 2022 – Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) hosted the 19^th Annual Bend Venture Conference (BVC) at the Tower Theatre in Downtown Bend. During the conference, 14 finalists presented their ideas and business models to an audience of hundreds in hopes of gaining investment from prominent funds. Of those finalists, seven companies were awarded a total of $665,000 in investments. Additional investment deals are still being finalized.

“After months of meetings between our companies and investors, it is hugely rewarding to see the response. Companies and investors from around the country have been exposed to Bend and we’ll continue to foster these relationships and offer resources and support,” explained Deanne Buck, EDCO’s Venture Catalyst. “This program wouldn’t be possible without our partners and Oregon-based funding entities including Portland Seed Fund and Elevate Capital.”

Each fall, the BVC LLC fund and the BVC Impact LLC fund are raised from individual investors to invest in the conference Growth Stage and Impact finalists. Beginning in August, applicants for both tracks began meeting with investors from both funds. Meanwhile, applicants in the Early Stage track were evaluated by investors at Portland Seed Fund, who have led the BVC Early Stage investment since 2018.

Jenn Lynch, Fund Manager for the BVC Growth Stage and Impact funds, said, “The BVC Conference Fund investors were so impressed with the caliber of the businesses that elected to pitch. The investors put in a significant amount of work in the weeks preceding the conference – they’re truly invested in these businesses in more ways than one. We’re thrilled to welcome these new companies to the BVC Fund portfolio and look forward to their success.”

This year’s award breakdown is as follows:

Growth Stage

The Growth Stage Competition is for companies that have a proven concept and initial revenues. The finalists that walked away with investment awards this year are:

• Minnow Technologies (Seattle, WA) – A cloud-connected delivery hub (called a “pod”) that makes food delivery efficient and reliable was awarded $185,000 from the BVC LLC.
• Wild Rye (Sun Valley, ID) – A women’s outdoor brand crafting beautiful and technical mountain apparel that fits, inspires confidence and welcomes more women into the outdoors was awarded $65,000 from the BVC LLC.

Impact

The Impact Competition features for-profit companies with integrated social or environmental missions. The companies that received investments this year are:

• Ethicann Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Bethesda, MD) – A biotechnology company developing high-value, cannabinoid-based drug therapies using a development strategy of reformulating approved drugs into safer and equally efficacious drugs was awarded $60,000 from the BVC Impact LLC.
• Photon Marine (Portland, OR) – A company that designs and develops an electric outboard motor system and intelligent fleet management software for commercial boat fleets was awarded $45,000 from the BVC Impact LLC, with follow on investments of $150,000 from Elevate Innovation Gap Fund II and $40,000 from Portland Seed Fund.

Early Stage

Each year Portland Seed Fund (PSF) commits to writing a $30,000 check to at least one BVC Early Stage company. Steve Eichenlaub and Angela Jackson, Managing Directors of Portland Seed Fund IV, evaluated applications and met with founders over the last few months.

“We were blown away. The quality gets better each and every year. In the end, we ended up writing four $40,000 checks,” exclaimed Jackson.

Ultimately, Portland Seed Fund IV awarded $160,000 across four finalists – three Early Stage and one Impact – at Friday’s conference. These companies will join the ranks of Clean Age and Reperio as Portland Seed Fund IV’s latest investments.

The BVC Early Stage companies that received investments are:

• DailyChela.com (Portland, OR) – An OTT app for Latinos that solves the problem of the lack of Latino news, opinion and sports on Roku, IOS and Android was awarded $40,000 from PSF.
• Osheru (Bend, OR) – A device that simplifies upper eyelid surgery to make this vision and appearance enhancing procedure available to anyone was awarded $40,000 from PSF.
• Range Revolution (Madras, OR) – The world’s first leather luggage company using only traceable and regenerative hides was awarded $40,000 from PSF.

**All investments are awarded following considerable due diligence of each of the presenting finalists. Investments and follow-on deals are still being finalized.

BEND, Ore. – October 7, 2022 – Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) announces the finalists advancing in the Growth Stage and Impact tracks for the 19^th Annual Bend Venture Conference (BVC) on Thursday, October 20 – Friday, October 21, 2022.  BVC is one of the largest angel investment conferences in the West; bringing together entrepreneurs, investors, students, and business leaders from across the PNW.

In just two weeks, the following companies will travel from across the Country to present on the Tower Theatre stage in downtown Bend. In addition to company pitches, attendees will hear from investment industry leaders, Lily Trager of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management and Mel Strong of NEXT VENTURES VC firm, on the latest research on impact investing and the virtues of untraditional funding perspectives.

Growth Stage

Following considerable due diligence, companies in the Growth Stage category have historically been awarded funding ranging from $100,000 to $2,500,000 from BVC LLC and partner VC funds. Since 2007, BVC LLC has invested in 20 Growth Stage finalist companies.

In alphabetical order, the 2022 BVC Growth Stage finalists are:

1. Bluebird CX (Vancouver, WA) – An automated gifting platform that partners with swag sellers to reach more customers faster.
2. Clean Age (Portland, OR) – Gender inclusive, natural, sustainable personal care products that give teens and preteens the essentials they need to help them establish healthy habits.
3. Minnow Technologies (Seattle, WA) – A cloud-connected delivery hub (called a “pod”) that makes food delivery efficient and reliable.
4. Radious (Portland, OR) – A B2B marketplace for on-demand workspaces in residential neighborhoods.
5. Wild Rye (Sun Valley, ID) – A women’s outdoor brand crafting beautiful and technical mountain apparel that fits, inspires confidence and welcomes more women into the outdoors.

Impact Stage

The Impact competition was launched in 2016 as a separate track for companies that have an integrated social or environmental mission and are prepared to generate long-term financial value.  Since its inception, the BVC Impact LLC fund has invested in eight companies.

In alphabetical order, the 2022 BVC Impact Stage finalists are:

1. Canopii Inc. (Portland, OR) – A technology company building autonomous greenhouse farming systems to make local food production more viable.
2. Ethicann Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Bethesda, MD) – A biotechnology company developing high-value, cannabinoid-based drug therapies using a development strategy of reformulating approved drugs into safer and equally efficacious drugs.
3. Photon Marine (Portland, OR) – Designing and developing an electric outboard motor system and intelligent fleet management software for commercial boat fleets.
4. VitalFlo Inc. (Portland, OR) – A predictive respiratory medicine company that monitors and forecasts expensive patient outcomes for respiratory disease.

2022 BVC Early Stage finalists were determined at the September PubTalk: The Road to BVC and the list can be found here.  Tickets to the 19^th Annual Bend Venture Conference are on sale now and are available on Eventbrite.

About Bend Venture Conference (BVC)
Now in its 19^th year, BVC, hosted by EDCO, is one of the largest angel conferences in the country. Over the past five years, more than $10 million has been invested in 45 companies as a result of the conference. This year’s conference will take place October 20-21, 2022, gathering entrepreneurs, investors, students, and business leaders. bendvc.com

About Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO)
EDCO is a non-profit corporation supported by private and public members and stakeholders, whose mission is to create middle-class jobs in Central Oregon by recruiting new employers to move to the region; helping entrepreneurs start new, scalable businesses; and working with businesses that are already here to grow their operations. edcoinfo.com

Press Contact
Nicole Mcnew
Director of Marketing and Communications, EDCO
541-388-3236 x6
[email protected]

BEND, Ore. – September 23, 2022 – Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) announces the five finalists advancing in the Early Stage competition for the 19^th Annual Bend Venture Conference (BVC) on Thursday, October 20 – Friday, October 21, 2022. These companies will compete for a minimum investment of $30,000 from Portland Seed Fund.

Nine Early Stage companies took the stage both virtually and in-person to pitch during last night’s Central Oregon PubTalk. Community members and investors gathered to vote for which companies should progress to the stage for BVC and the audience favorite, TapeDeck, received a $3,000 cash award, courtesy of Washington Trust Bank.

“This event brings the excitement of live pitching and fast-paced competition, thanks to the talented entrepreneurs who set their sights on Central Oregon and the Bend Venture Conference,” said Angela Jackson, Managing Director and General Partner at Portland Seed Fund. “In addition to our $30,000 cash investment, Portland Seed Fund collaborates with the BVC Funds to connect these companies to local investors and mentoring.”

Jon Stark, CEO at EDCO added, “Startups are a critical component to the regional economy, and we’re excited to provide a platform to inspire, support and build community around entrepreneurship. Congratulations to all the finalists on making it to the ​BVC stage. This year’s collection of companies has been an inspiring mix of ideas and products that we are excited to watch scale.”

In alphabetical order, the Early Stage finalists that will compete at BVC are:

1. DailyChela.com (Portland, OR) – An OTT app for Latinos that solves the problem of the lack of Latino news, opinion and sports on Roku, IOS and Android.
2. Instinct (Hillsboro, OR) – Wireless sensor networks that detect wildfires and bring real-time environmental monitoring to the fingertips of forest and natural resource managers.
3. Osheru (Bend, OR) – A device that simplifies upper eyelid surgery to make this vision and appearance enhancing procedure available to anyone.
4. Range Revolution (Madras, OR) – The world’s first leather luggage company using only traceable and regenerative hides.
5. TapeDeck (Tigard, OR) – A mobile app that connects people online through conversation.

BVC Growth and Impact finalists will be announced early next month.  Tickets to the 19^th Annual Bend Venture Conference are on sale now.

About Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO)
EDCO is a non-profit corporation supported by private and public members and stakeholders, whose mission is to create middle-class jobs in Central Oregon by recruiting new employers to move to the region; helping entrepreneurs start new, scalable businesses; and working with businesses that are already here to grow their operations. edcoinfo.com

September 15, 2022 – Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) announced the semifinalist companies advancing in the Growth and Impact Stage competitions for the 19^th Annual Bend Venture Conference (BVC) on Thursday, October 20 – Friday, October 21, 2022.  The nine semifinalists in the Early Stage competition category were announced earlier this week.

Each year, new BVC Growth and Impact funds are raised to invest in the most promising ​companies that compete in the annual conference.  In the weeks preceding the conference, investors meet with ​semifinalist companies at a series of pitch meetings to narrow the companies to a list of finalists, which will be announced ​in early October.  ​Following the due diligence process, investors determine which finalists will receive investments from the funds at the Bend Venture Conference on October 21.

“Since 2007, the BVC Funds have supported 28 great companies and founding teams in an effort to grow the investment ecosystem in Central Oregon,” said Jenn Lynch, BVC Growth and Impact Fund Manager.  “We’re already hard at work this fall looking at these great new companies in search of our next winner.”

The semifinalists below have one more round of cuts to go before qualifying to present at this year’s conference. Companies have historically won investments ranging from $100,000 to $2,500,000.

In alphabetical order, the BVC Growth Stage semifinalists are:

1. Altitude Functional Beverages (Bend, OR) – A functional beverage producer incorporating CBD into routine-based beverages like coffee and alcohol replacements.
2. Bluebird CX (Vancouver, WA) – An automated gifting platform that partners with swag sellers to reach more customers faster.
3. Cannecht (Bend, OR) – A digital marketplace to help cannabis operators find and secure service contracts with trusted providers.
4. Clean Age (Portland, OR) – Gender inclusive, natural, sustainable personal care products that give teens and preteens the essentials they need to help them establish healthy habits.
5. Healers Petcare, Inc. (Vancouver, WA) – An innovative pet products company that engineers, manufactures, and markets a full range of pet health products.
6. Minnow Technologies (Seattle, WA) – A cloud-connected delivery hub (called a “pod”) that makes food delivery efficient and reliable.
7. Phenix Solutions, Inc. (McMinnville, OR) – Professional aviators that design, certify, and manufacture heavy lift, remote piloted aircrafts and specialized equipment used for unmanned aerial missions.
8. ProMedix Inc. (Portland, OR) – A revolutionary, noninvasive wearable sensor for accelerating sepsis detection at the bedside – whether in hospital, or remote patient monitoring settings.
9. Radious (Portland, OR) – A B2B marketplace for on-demand workspaces in residential neighborhoods.
10. Wild Rye (Sun Valley, ID) – A women’s outdoor brand crafting beautiful and technical mountain apparel that fits, inspires confidence and welcomes more women into the outdoors.

In alphabetical order, the BVC Impact Stage semifinalists are:

1. Canopii Inc. (Portland, OR) – A technology company building autonomous greenhouse farming systems to make local food production more viable.
2. Ethicann Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Bethesda, MD) – A biotechnology company developing high-value, cannabinoid-based drug therapies using a development strategy of reformulating approved drugs into safer and equally efficacious drugs.
3. Pacific Diabetes Technologies, Inc. (Tigard, OR) – Developers of SynerG™, a single through-the-skin device that is able to measure glucose and deliver insulin for people with diabetes.
4. Photon Marine (Portland, OR) – Designing and developing an electric outboard motor system and intelligent fleet management software for commercial boat fleets.
5. SolarX|Works (Bend, OR) – An applied solar company with patented cooling and control systems that meet the challenge of a sustainable cold chain and help improve post-harvest yield.
6. Upcycle & Co. (San Diego, CA) – Makers of Upcycle Active Fertilizer, which not only grows plants, but regenerates, conditions, and improves the earth with every use.
7. Veana Therapeutics, Inc. (Portland, OR) – A privately held clinical stage biotechnology company developing effective and safer treatments for cancer patients.
8. VitalFlo Inc. (Portland, OR) – A predictive respiratory medicine company that monitors and forecasts expensive patient outcomes for respiratory disease.

Ticket Sales
Tickets to the 19^th Annual Bend Venture Conference are on sale now and are available here.

Press Contact
Nicole Mcnew, Director of Marketing and Communications, EDCO
541.388.3236 | [email protected]

BEND, Ore. – September 13, 2022 – Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) announced the nine semifinalist companies advancing in the Early-Stage competition for the 19^th Annual Bend Venture Conference (BVC) on Thursday, October 20 – Friday, October 21, 2022. This group of companies is one step closer to presenting at BVC.

The following Early-Stage semifinalists will pitch against each other at the September 22^nd PubTalk: Road to BVC. This high-energy entrepreneurial event showcases the BVC Early-Stage semifinalists as they deliver fast-paced, three-minute pitches to a live and virtual crowd. The audience, along with an expert panel of judges, will vote to decide which companies advance to present at BVC, where finalists will compete for a minimum investment of $30,000 from Portland Seed Fund.

In alphabetical order, the BVC Early-Stage semifinalists that will compete at the September 22^nd PubTalk are:

1. DailyChela.com (Portland, OR) – An OTT app for Latinos that solves the problem of the lack of Latino news, opinion and sports on Roku, IOS and Android.
2. Glassbuilding (Bend, OR) – A document agnostic AI platform that democratizes negotiation of a commercial lease while promoting industry transparency, authenticity and trust.
3. GoCrew Health (Portland, OR) – A white labeled, HIPAA compliant communications platform that allows healthcare providers and patients to communicate easily and effectively.
4. Instinct Environmental Company (Hillsboro, OR) – Wireless sensor networks that detect wildfires and bring real-time environmental monitoring to the fingertips of forest and natural resource managers.
5. Osheru (Bend, OR) – A device that simplifies upper eyelid surgery to make this vision and appearance enhancing procedure available to anyone.
6. qChange (Bend, OR) – A real-time technology that objectively measures and grows soft skills in the flow of work.
7. Range Revolution (Madras, OR) – The world’s first leather luggage company using only traceable and regenerative hides.
8. TapeDeck (Tigard, OR) – A mobile app that connects people online through conversation.
9. Tough Cutie (Austin, TX) – A women’s outdoor brand dedicated to helping women and people of color step into their authority in the outdoors.

PubTalk Agenda
4:00 pm to 5:00 pm Networking, drinks and appetizers
5:30 pm to 7:45 pm Early-Stage Company Pitches, Audience Vote, Winner Announcement

PubTalk Cost and Registration
In-Person: $26 EDCO and OEN Members (become a member here); $36 Non-Members
Virtual: $10 EDCO and OEN Members; $15 Non-Members
In-person attendance includes appetizers and a free beverage (choice of beer, wine or soda).

PubTalks Title Sponsors

BVC Title Sponsors

About Bend Venture Conference (BVC)

Now in its 19^th year, BVC, hosted by EDCO, is one of the largest angel conferences in the country. Over the past five years, more than $10 million has been invested in 45 companies as a result of the conference. This year’s conference will take place October 20-21, 2022, gathering entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders. Tickets to the 19^th Annual Bend Venture Conference are on sale now.  Find out more at bendvc.com.

About Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO)
EDCO is a non-profit corporation supported by private and public members and stakeholders, whose mission is to create middle-class jobs in Central Oregon by recruiting new employers to move to the region; helping entrepreneurs start new, scalable businesses; and working with businesses that are already here to grow their operations. Learn more at edcoinfo.com.

ANNOUNCING THE WINNERS OF THE 18^TH ANNUAL BEND VENTURE CONFERENCE

Seven Companies Awarded a Total of $550,000 at this Year’s Conference

BEND, Ore. – October 22, 2021 – Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) hosted the 18^th Annual Bend Venture Conference (BVC) from Downtown Bend. Fourteen companies presented on the Tower Theatre stage to a hybrid audience and seven companies were awarded with a total of $550,000 in investments and cash.

This August, companies from across the U.S. applied to the conference looking for investment and exposure. These companies represent some of the best in innovation across multiple industries.

This year’s award breakdown is as follows:

Growth Stage Competition

The Growth Stage Competition, for companies that have a proven concept and initial revenues, had three winners.

• Winners of BVC, LLC, Investment Awards*:

• • DeepSurface (Portland, OR) – A risk-based predictive vulnerability management platform that contextualizes vulnerabilities within a business’s digital infrastructure, was awarded $200,000.
  • Lora DiCarlo (Bend, OR) – Makers of sex tech products using advanced technology to mimic human touch and movements, was awarded $100,000.
  • The Run Experience (Bend, OR) – A daily fitness app with daily audio runs and training programs designed to build a healthy running habit, was awarded $50,000.

*The investment arm of the conference, BVC, LLC, awarded the Growth Stage investments following considerable due diligence of each of the five presenting finalists. Investments and follow-on deals are still being finalized.

Impact Competition

The Impact Competition, for-profit companies with an integrated social or environmental mission, had two winners, awarded by the BVC Impact LLC.

• Winners of the BVC Impact LLC, Investment Awards*:

• • Skip Technology (Portland, OR) – Developers and manufacturers of a novel flow, low-cost battery for use in utility scale energy storage, focusing on solar, wind and waves production facilities, was awarded $100,000.
  • TENZR Health (Vancouver, BC) – Intelligent wearable sensors, gamification and healthcare expertise, providing patients with motivation, guidance and certainty in their recovery, was awarded $50,000.

*The Impact investment arm of the conference awarded an investment following considerable due diligence of each of the four presenting finalists. Investments and follow-on deals are still being finalized.

Early Stage Competition

The Early Stage Competition included companies that are pre-revenue (or very early) and are in the process of testing their product in the market. The two winning Early Stage companies are:

• Winners of the Portland Seed Fund Early Stage Competition:
  • Radious (Portland, OR) – An online marketplace for rentable home office and meeting space, was awarded $25,000.
  • Tonsil Tech (Bend, OR) – Makers of an at-home handheld device to remove tonsil stones painlessly and effectively, was awarded $25,000.

About Bend Venture Conference (BVC)
Now in its 18^th year, BVC, hosted by EDCO, is one of the largest angel conferences in the country. Over the past five years, more than $10 million has been invested in 40 companies as a result of the conference. This year’s conference will take place October 21-22, 2021, gathering entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders. bendvc.com

About Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO)
EDCO is a non-profit corporation supported by private and public members and stakeholders, whose mission is to create middle-class jobs in Central Oregon by recruiting new employers to move to the region; helping entrepreneurs start new, scalable businesses; and working with businesses that are already here to grow their operations. edcoinfo.com

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