BVC, Growth & Impact Fund Manager

Jenn Lynch is a managing partner at Portland Seed Fund, an early stage venture capital fund that invests in capital efficient, high-growth companies in Oregon and and around the Pacific Northwest. Since 2010, Jenn has managed venture funds that have invested in more than 100 companies across a variety of sectors, including software, consumer products, cannabis, clean energy technology, biotechnology, biomedical devices and more.

After finishing her MBA at Columbia Business School, Jenn and her husband relocated to Oregon where she worked at a number of software startups before helping to raise the first fund from which she invested, Upstart Labs. Jenn serves on a number of nonprofit boards, including Oregon Public Broadcasting, the Oregon Alliance for Gun Safety, and she is vice-chair of the Summit West Neighborhood Association. Jenn is a limited partner in the BVC 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 growth funds; and an investor in multiple Cascade Angel Funds. Jenn lives in Bend with her three children, husband, dog and cat, and, when she’s not working, can usually be found in the woods on her gravel bike, logging laps at Juniper or lifting at Boss Sports Performance.

Venture Catalyst, Economic Development for Central Oregon‘s (EDCO)

Brian is a Senior Finance & Operations Leader with over 25 years of global experience developing and leading startup to established midsized organizations within the technology, travel, and tourism arenas. He has deep experience in international operations, with specialties in fundraising and investment opportunities, employing holistic approaches to debt, equity, grant financing, FP&A, and Treasury & FX. He has a reputation for building and leading effective teams and implementing continuous improvement processes across back of the house operations. Most recently, Brian was the VP of Finance and Operations at TrovaTrip, an Oregon-based travel tech startup, from 2021 to 2023. He also ran his own adventure sports outfitter in Southeast Asia for 15 years, prior to moving to Bend.

The Venture Catalyst program was proposed in 2006 by local business leaders Dan Hobin and Nori Juba and championed by U.S. Senator Ron Wyden. With Wyden’s help, a federal appropriations grant was secured in late 2009 for a three-year pilot program to boost the creation of new scalable traded sector businesses in Central Oregon. The Venture Catalyst at EDCO helps promising, scalable, young companies through active coaching and guidance.