2019 Bend Venture Conference: Accelerating Bend
2019 Bend Venture Conference Speaker: Chris DeVore
Managing Partner, Founders’ Co-op
Accelerating Bend: What’s Behind a Successful Accelerator?
Chris DeVore is Managing Partner of Founders’ Co-op and the former Managing Director of Techstars Seattle. Between these two roles Chris has helped over 200 Pacific Northwest startups raise over $1.5 billion in investor capital. Previously a co-founder of Adjacency (acquired by Sapient) and Judy’s Book (backed by Mobius VC and Ignition Partners), Chris also created outdoor retailer Patagonia’s online retailing channel and led product and business strategy teams at AT&T and McCaw Cellular Communications. As a community volunteer, Chris co-chaired the City of Seattle’s Economic Development Commission, partnered with the University of Washington to create Startup Hall (a commercial innovation space located on the UW Campus). Chris holds a BA from Yale and attended the MBA program at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business.
2019 Bend Venture Conference Interviewer: Julianne Brands
Partner, Oregon Venture Fund
If Oregon Venture Fund (OVF) had a mold for recruiting homegrown talent, it would be Julianne Brands. Her family owns a thriving, 100-year-old Oregon-based business, so she knows first-hand the valuable impact businesses can have on local communities.
A former research analyst at an investment bank and an economic policy think tank, Julianne brings expertise in market research, finance, and emerging technology to help solve complex problems for entrepreneurs and investors alike.
When Julianne met the OVF team, it was an easy decision to join. In her own words: “It’s really about the people. We’ve cultivated a community of these intelligent, successful, dedicated, diverse, and deeply passionate investors. We leverage their expertise to help entrepreneurs throughout the lifecycle of their company, and in the process, use our collective wisdom to make better investment decisions.”
