Author Archives: Cameron

EDCO Announces the BVC 2021 Growth Stage Finalists

EDCO ANNOUNCES THE GROWTH STAGE FINALISTS PRESENTING AT THE BEND VENTURE CONFERENCE OCTOBER 21-22, 2021

BEND, OR – October 7, 2021 – Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) announces the Growth Stage finalists presenting at the 18^th Annual Bend Venture Conference (BVC) taking place Thursday, October 21 – Friday, October 22, 2021.

The Bend Venture Conference, the largest Angel conference in the West, is an annual celebration of entrepreneurship, bringing together entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders, both virtually and in-person in Bend, Oregon.

Companies in the Growth Stage have previously won investments ranging from $100,000 to $2,500,000. The below companies join the finalists previously announced in the Impact and Early Stage categories.

In alphabetical order, the five Growth Stage finalists are:

DeepSurface (Portland, OR) – A risk-based predictive vulnerability management platform that contextualizes vulnerabilities within a business’s digital infrastructure.
Lora DiCarlo (Bend, OR) – Sex tech products using advanced technology to mimic human touch and movements.
Portl – (Eugene, OR) An innovative tech platform dedicated to empowering creators with equitable tools for monetizing content and building community.
PupPod – (Hood River, OR) – A multispecies gaming platform that provides dogs with software-driven, positive reinforcement games and humans with a powerful tool to be great pet parents.
The Run Experience (Bend, OR) – A daily fitness app with daily audio runs and training programs designed to build a healthy running habit.

Ticket Sales
Tickets to the 18^th Annual Bend Venture Conference are on sale now and are available here.

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

EDCO Announces the 2021 BVC Impact Competition Finalists

EDCO ANNOUNCES THE IMPACT COMPETITON FINALISTS PRESENTING AT THE BEND VENTURE CONFERENCE OCTOBER 21-22, 2021

BEND, OR – September 29, 2021 – Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) announces the finalists presenting in the Impact Competition during the 18^th Annual Bend Venture Conference (BVC) on Thursday, October 21 – Friday, October 22, 2021.

Hosted by EDCO, this year’s BVC will once again feature three competition categories: Growth Stage, Impact and Early Stage, bringing together entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders, both virtually and in-person in Bend, Oregon.

Winners in the Impact Competition could walk away with $100,000 or more. The below four companies join the Early Stage finalists announced last week. The finalists in the Growth Stage competition will be announced next week.

In alphabetical order, the four Impact Competition finalists are:

LeapFrog Design (Bend, OR) – Designs, develops, and commercializes cost-effective, superior performance, residential, rainwater, greywater, and wastewater recycling systems for homebuilders and building owners.
Skip Technology (Portland, OR) – Developing and manufacturing a novel flow, low-cost battery for use in utility scale energy storage, focusing on solar, wind and waves production facilities.
TENZR Health (Vancouver, BC) – Intelligent wearable sensors, gamification and healthcare expertise, providing patients with motivation, guidance and certainty in their recovery.
UV Health Group (Hillsboro, OR) – Designs and produces the SafeAirUV System to eliminate 99.99% of airborne viruses, like COVID-19, from indoor rooms, while people are in the room.

Ticket Sales
Tickets to the 18^th Annual Bend Venture Conference are on sale now and are available here.

BCV Title Sponsors

EDCO Announces the 2021 BVC Early Stage Finalists

EDCO ANNOUNCES THE EARLY STAGE FINALISTS PRESENTING AT THE BEND VENTURE CONFERENCE OCTOBER 21-22, 2021

Tonsil Tech wins PubTalk Audience Award, walks away with $3,000

BEND, Ore. – September 24, 2021 – Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) announces the five finalists advancing in the Early Stage competition for the 18^th Annual Bend Venture Conference (BVC) on Thursday, October 21 – Friday, October 22, 2021. These companies will compete for a minimum investment of $30,000 from Portland Seed Fund.

Eight companies took the stage both virtually and in-person to pitch during last night’s Central Oregon PubTalk. This competition includes companies that have a great idea and are close to “proof of concept.” They are pre-revenue (or very early) and are in the process of testing their product in the market. The Early Stage companies will pitch during BVC on Friday, October 22^nd.

In addition to being a finalist, Tonsil Tech won the audience vote and received a $3,000 cash award, courtesy of Washington Trust Bank.

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

cannecht (Bend, OR) – A digital marketplace to help cannabis operators find and secure service contracts with trusted providers.
KinectAir (Vancouver, WA) – Private aviation made public. Affordable, soon-to-be electric, aircraft booked from your smartphone using local community airports.
LifeAir (Portland, OR) – Saving millions of lives by pioneering the first ventilator that eliminates patient-to-patient transmission of diseases, such as pneumonia and COVID.
Radious (Portland, OR) – An online marketplace for rentable home office and meeting space.
Tonsil Tech (Redmond, OR) – At-home handheld device to remove tonsil stones painlessly and effectively.

Ticket Sales
Tickets to the 18^th Annual Bend Venture Conference are on sale now and are available here.

EDCO ANNOUNCES THE BVC EARLY STAGE SEMI-FINALISTS

Eight companies to present at the September 23^rd PubTalk: Road to BVC

BEND, Ore. – September 14, 2021 – Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) announced the eight finalist companies advancing in the Early Stage competition for the 18^th Annual Bend Venture Conference (BVC) on Thursday, October 21 – Friday, October 22, 2021. This group of companies is one step closer to presenting at BVC.

The following Early Stage semi-finalists will pitch against each other at the September 23^rd PubTalk: Road to BVC. This high-energy entrepreneurial event showcases the BVC Early Stage semi-finalists 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, competing for a minimum investment of $30,000 from Portland Seed Fund.

In alphabetical order, the BVC Early Stage semi-finalists that will compete at the September 23^rd PubTalk are:

cannecht (Bend, OR) – A digital marketplace to help cannabis operators find and secure service contracts with trusted providers.
Field Day (Portland, OR) – An online platform that makes it easy for individuals and organizations to discover and engage with local nonprofits through group volunteer events.
FoxFace Systems (Camas, WA) – Providing an easy and affordable online platform for the affordable housing compliance process.
KinectAir (Vancouver, WA) – Private aviation made public. Affordable, soon-to-be electric, aircraft booked from your smartphone using local community airports.
LifeAir (Portland, OR) – Saving millions of lives by pioneering the first ventilator that eliminates patient-to-patient transmission of diseases, such as pneumonia and COVID.
Radious (Portland, OR) – An online marketplace for rentable home office and meeting space.
Shilling (Portland, OR) – A micro-investing app that bridges the gap between the time you spend on your smartphone (screen time) and investing in the stock market.
Tonsil Tech (Redmond, OR) – At-home handheld device to remove tonsil stones painlessly and effectively.

PubTalk Agenda

5:00 pm to 5:30 pm Networking, drinks & appetizers
5:30 pm to 7:45 pm Early Stage Company Pitches, Audience Vote, Winner Announcement

PubTalk Cost and Registration

In-Person: $26 EDCO & OEN Members (Become a member here.); $36 Non-Members
Virtual: $10 EDCO & OEN Members; $15 Non-Members

In-person attendance will take into account COVID19 precautions and includes appetizers and a free beverage (choice of beer, wine, or soda).

Ticket Sales
Tickets to the September 23^rd PubTalk are on sale now. Register for in-person ticket here; register for virtual tickets here.
Tickets to the 18^th Annual Bend Venture Conference are on sale now and are available here.

Tickets Now Available for the 18th Annual Bend Venture Conference

IN-PERSON & VIRTUAL TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE FOR THE 18TH ANNUAL BEND VENTURE CONFERENCE

BEND, OR (September 3, 2021) – Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) will host the 18^th Annual Bend Venture Conference (BVC) on Thursday, October 21 – Friday, October 22, 2021, both in-person and virtually. Tickets for the 18^thAnnual Bend Venture Conference are on sale now.

Eighteen years. The Bend Venture Conference has championed entrepreneurs, innovators and rule-breakers across the state and the country for nearly two decades. While 2020 and 2021 have been difficult to say the least, BVC returns to support innovators from across the continent.

Connecting entrepreneurs with investors is what we do best. And even in a challenging landscape, we continue to forge forward to support the next wave of visionaries. Last year, we put on a safe and successful conference that was for the first time ever available virtually. This year we are continuing down that path, offering both in-person and virtual access to one of the most prestigious Angel conferences in the U.S.

What you can expect at BVC 2021:

Both in-person and virtual ways to attend
Pre-Conference Seminars – learn directly from the experts
Office Hours – meet one on one with trusted advisors, on the house
BVC Briefs – engaging, digestible keynotes on multiple hot topics
Startup Company Pitches in three different categories: Early, Growth and Impact
Food & Beverage. And lots of it. You will not go home hungry.
Connection – masked, virtually or otherwise. The networking is unbeatable.
All taking place in beautiful Bend, Oregon

So mark your calendars and grab your tickets, whether it’s in person or virtually. Secure your spot early so we know whom to expect, and watch closely as we release additional info over the coming weeks.

We’re excited to bring this annual event back for another year. Make sure you’re a part of it by registering below.

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 on 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

2021 BVC Company Applications Now Open

THE BEND VENTURE CONFERENCE RETURNS OCTOBER 21-22, 2021
COMPANY APPLICATIONS OPEN NOW THRU AUGUST 13^TH

BEND, OR (July 8, 2021) – Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) will again host the annual Bend Venture Conference (BVC) on Thursday, October 21 – Friday, October 22, 2021, in downtown Bend and virtually online. Ticketing, speaker announcements and event details for the 18^th Annual Bend Venture Conference will be announced in the coming months.

Over the past five years, investments, awards and prizes surpassing $10 million were awarded to 40 companies as a result of the conference. BVC is a yearly celebration of entrepreneurship and innovation, connecting investors, companies and business leaders.

APPLY

This year’s conference will feature three competition categories: Growth Stage, Impact and Early Stage. The application period is open now through Friday, August 13^th and companies across the United States are invited to apply.

Growth Stage Competition: This category is open to companies that have a proven concept, have generated initial revenues and are prepared to scale quickly with investment. To apply, click here.
Impact Competition: This category is open to for-profit companies, whose business models are integrated with a mission to have a significant and measurable social or environmental impact. Applicants should be aiming to generate long-term enterprise value and attractive returns on capital. To apply, click here.
Early Stage Competition: This category is open to companies that have a great idea and are close to “proof of concept.” They are pre-revenue (or very early-revenue) and are in the process of testing their product in the market. To apply, click here.

Growth Stage Competition finalists could collect an investment of $250,000 or more. Companies in the Impact Competition have historically competed for investments ranging from $50,000-$100,000. Companies in the Early Stage competition could receive and investment of $25,000 or more. This year’s BVC will feature impressive speakers from across the country representing angel investors, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs.

About Bend Venture Conference (BVC)

About Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO)

2020 Bend Venture Conference: Down to the Wire

BVC Speaker Aidan Reilly Farmlink

2020 Bend Venture Conference Speaker: Aidan Reilly

Co-Founder of The Farmlink Project

Down to the Wire: Saving and Redistributing Food Waste During a Pandemic & Beyond

The Farmlink Project is a not-for-profit grassroots movement that connects farms with food banks to feed thousands in need while supporting essential jobs. Co-founder Aidan Reilly is a rising senior at Brown University studying Political Science with a concentration in comparative politics. Born in Los Angeles, Aidan’s primary interests have largely centered around documentary filmmaking. As reflected in his past work covering the 2018 Nicaraguan Civil Crisis and the ongoing Syrian Refugee Crisis, Aidan has a passion for finding ways the everyday person can resonate with seemingly vast and unsolvable problems. This interest manifested at the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic with his co-creation of The FarmLink Project, an initiative aiming to motivate everyday Americans to fight both food waste and food insecurity in the United States.

Since its beginnings in April of 2020, Farmlink has grown from a small network of college students to a nationwide movement to fix the broken food system in the United States. In the last 6 months, the project has utilized the help of 200 full-time volunteers (average age of 21) to save 13 million pounds of produce from going to waste, and instead get it to communities in need across 40 states. In addition, the project has been able to pay nearly $1 million in wages to farmworkers. The ultimate goal of Farmlink is to democratize access to fresh produce to underserved communities for years to come.

Bend Venture conference moderator Megan Bolt

2020 Bend Venture Conference Moderator: Megan Bolt

Founder of Raddr

Local entrepreneur and OSU-Cascades student, Megan Bolt is currently a Business Administration student at OSU-Cascades where she works as both the Student Outreach Coordinator for the Career Development Center and as a Student Consultant for the Innovation Co-Lab. When not studying, she is rock climbing, fishing, hiking, or working towards developing her own business, Raddr – a company that blends the passion for fishing with the desire for quality, fitting, and fun gear that aims to fit the needs of fishing women everywhere.

bendvc.com

2020 Bend Venture Conference: The Board Game

Betsey Nelson Headshot

2020 Bend Venture Conference Speaker: Betsey Nelson

CFO & Investor

The Board Game: Assembling the Pieces to Complete The Best Team

Betsey is an experienced public company CFO, board member and investor with a passion for helping entrepreneurs scale their operations and build great companies. She currently serves on the boards of three public companies – Berkeley Lights, Nokia and Upwork – as well as several private companies. She has experience on the boards of leading SaaS companies like Autodesk, SuccessFactors and Zendesk, as well as digital media pioneers Pandora Media, Ancestry and CNET. Betsey spent ten years as CFO of Macromedia where she was responsible for leading the finance, IT and ops teams. She earned her MBA in Finance from the Wharton School and her BS Magna Cum Laude from Georgetown University.

The Dyrt

2020 Bend Venture Conference Moderators: Sarah Smith & Kevin Long

Co-Founders of The Dyrt

Sarah Smith is the Co-Founder of The Dyrt and an active member of the Oregon startup community. She developed her love of camping while growing up in northern Minnesota. Before founding The Dyrt, Sarah had a long career in international higher education, living, working (and sometimes camping!) in Japan, England and India. She has a masters degree in Intercultural Management from the School for International Training in Vermont.

Kevin Long is the Co-founder of The Dyrt and a two-time exited entrepreneur as co-founder of Justmeans, a sustainable news distribution platform, and as VP of Marketing at CrowdCompass, an event management mobile app software company. Prior to that, Kevin was the Founder of Global Deaf Education (GDC) which created self-sustaining Deaf Education systems in developing countries. Kevin’s work with GDC won him the Ashoka Fellowship and Reinhard Mohn Bertelsmann Fellowship.

The Dyrt is the largest online camping community and top-ranked camping app with over 1 million campground reviews, photos and tips, helping campers make the most of their camping experiences.

bendvc.com

2020 Bend Venture Conference: Playing to Win

Vernon Davis Logo

2020 Bend Venture Conference Speaker: Vernon Davis

Super Bowl Champion, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and actor

Playing to Win: Betting on an Investment

Vernon Davis is a former American football tight end. The 15-year NFL veteran was selected by the San Francisco 49ers sixth overall in the 2006 NFL Draft and played his first 10 seasons with the 49ers. He landed with the Denver Broncos in 2015 during their Super Bowl 50 run. He joined his hometown team, the Washington Redskins, in 2016 and spent four seasons there before retiring after the 2019-2020 season. Off the field, Vernon is a budding entrepreneur, dedicated philanthropist and actor.

Vernon owns multiple Jamba Juice franchises in Northern California and is committed to opening six more stores in the Washington, D.C. metro area with Mohamed Sanu of the New England Patriots. He also has his very own supplement company, Timeless; is the co-owner of Q-Collar Innovations, a developer of innovative products intended to reduce traumatic brain injury; and the co-owner and marketing advisor for Pescavor Jerky, a sustainable seafood jerky company. In addition, he is partnered in PathWater, a new concept in bottled water that was created as a solution to help end single-use plastic pollution, as well as RASA, an Indian fast-casual restaurant in Washington, D.C. Vernon is also a Limited Partner of Next Play Capital, a venture capital investment platform structured to provide specialized investors access to top venture capital funds and companies.

Navigating the business world is only a portion of his off-the-field endeavors. He also founded the Vernon Davis Foundation, which services at-risk youth of all interests and demographics, and is an aspiring actor who has shared the big screen with the likes of Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron, among others. He has also founded two production companies, Reel 85 and Between the Lines Productions.

2020 Bend Venture Conference Moderator: Paul Evers

Co-Founder & CEO Riff Cold Brewed

A celebrated veteran in brand strategy, design and advertising, Paul Evers led the teams behind the creative development of craft beverage brands such as Humm Kombucha, 21st Amendment, Deschutes Brewery, Odell Brewing, and Crux Fermentation Project – which he co-founded, and served as President and CMO. In 2017, Paul co-founded Riff Cold Brewed along with veterans from Stumptown and LinkedIn. Paul is also a long-time active community member, having played a significant role in launching both the Bend Volunteer Corps and TEDxBend.

bendvc.com

Early Stage Finalists Advancing to BVC

EDCO ANNOUNCES THE FIVE EARLY STAGE FINALISTS PRESENTING AT THE 17^TH ANNUAL BEND VENTURE CONFERENCE OCTOBER 15-16

BEND, Ore. – September 25, 2020 – Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) announced the top five Early Stage finalists advancing to the 17^th Annual Bend Venture Conference (BVC) on Thursday, October 15 – Friday, October 16, 2020. These companies will compete for an investment of $30,000 from Portland Seed Fund.

Ten companies took the stage both virtually and in person to pitch during last night’s Central Oregon PubTalk. The Early Stage competition includes companies that have a great idea and are close to “proof of concept.” They are pre-revenue (or very early) and are in the process of testing their product in the market. The competition will take place the morning of Friday, October 16^th.

Last night, Masa won the audience vote and received a $3,000 cash award, courtesy of Portland Seed Fund and Elevate Capital.

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

ADHERE GEAR Tech Corp. (Portland, OR) – Deploying shared-use luggage and travel gear for passengers to create a safer and cleaner environment for their personal items.
Cozera (Portland, OR) – Creating verified digital identities for remote & in-person identity verification to increase customer satisfaction and deter identity fraud, saving time and money.
Masa (Portland, OR) – The first online farmers market, bringing farmers markets to people via an online marketplace (think Etsy for farmers).
MustDeliver (Portland, OR) – A digital marketplace delivering industry-leading clarity, control & communication between shippers and drivers in the trucking business.
YesOMS (Bend, OR) – A platform for merchants and brand owners to offer a superior user experience to their customers through their own branded mobile application.

Ticket Sales
Tickets to the 17^th Annual Bend Venture Conference are on sale now and are available here.

BCV Title Sponsors

PubTalk Title Sponsors

About Bend Venture Conference (BVC)
The Bend Venture Conference is an annual celebration of entrepreneurship, innovation and connections. Now in its 17^th year, BVC, is one of the largest angel conferences in the country. Over the past six years, more than $11 million has been invested in 38 companies as a result of the conference. This year’s conference will take place both in-person in Bend, Oregon, and virtually online on October 15-16, 2020, gathering entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders. bendvc.com

Press Contact
Elise Rossman
Director of Marketing and Communications, EDCO
541.388.3236 x6
[email protected]

EDCO ANNOUNCES THE GROWTH STAGE FINALISTS PRESENTING AT THE BEND VENTURE CONFERENCE OCTOBER 21-22, 2021

EDCO ANNOUNCES THE IMPACT COMPETITON FINALISTS PRESENTING AT THE BEND VENTURE CONFERENCE OCTOBER 21-22, 2021

EDCO ANNOUNCES THE EARLY STAGE FINALISTS PRESENTING AT THE BEND VENTURE CONFERENCE OCTOBER 21-22, 2021

Tonsil Tech wins PubTalk Audience Award, walks away with $3,000

EDCO ANNOUNCES THE BVC EARLY STAGE SEMI-FINALISTS

Eight companies to present at the September 23rd PubTalk: Road to BVC

IN-PERSON & VIRTUAL TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE FOR THE 18TH ANNUAL BEND VENTURE CONFERENCE

About Bend Venture Conference (BVC)

About Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO)

THE BEND VENTURE CONFERENCE RETURNS OCTOBER 21-22, 2021 COMPANY APPLICATIONS OPEN NOW THRU AUGUST 13TH

About Bend Venture Conference (BVC)

About Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO)

2020 Bend Venture Conference Speaker: Aidan Reilly

Co-Founder of The Farmlink Project

Down to the Wire: Saving and Redistributing Food Waste During a Pandemic & Beyond

2020 Bend Venture Conference Moderator: Megan Bolt

Founder of Raddr

2020 Bend Venture Conference Speaker: Betsey Nelson

CFO & Investor

The Board Game: Assembling the Pieces to Complete The Best Team

2020 Bend Venture Conference Moderators: Sarah Smith & Kevin Long

Co-Founders of The Dyrt

2020 Bend Venture Conference Speaker: Vernon Davis

Super Bowl Champion, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and actor

Playing to Win: Betting on an Investment

2020 Bend Venture Conference Moderator: Paul Evers

Co-Founder & CEO Riff Cold Brewed

EDCO ANNOUNCES THE FIVE EARLY STAGE FINALISTS PRESENTING AT THE 17TH ANNUAL BEND VENTURE CONFERENCE OCTOBER 15-16

Eight companies to present at the September 23^rd PubTalk: Road to BVC

THE BEND VENTURE CONFERENCE RETURNS OCTOBER 21-22, 2021
COMPANY APPLICATIONS OPEN NOW THRU AUGUST 13^TH

EDCO ANNOUNCES THE FIVE EARLY STAGE FINALISTS PRESENTING AT THE 17^TH ANNUAL BEND VENTURE CONFERENCE OCTOBER 15-16