Tag Archives: BVC

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 18th 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:

  1. DeepSurface (Portland, OR) – A risk-based predictive vulnerability management platform that contextualizes vulnerabilities within a business’s digital infrastructure.
  2. Lora DiCarlo (Bend, OR) – Sex tech products using advanced technology to mimic human touch and movements.
  3. Portl – (Eugene, OR) An innovative tech platform dedicated to empowering creators with equitable tools for monetizing content and building community.
  4. 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.
  5. 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 18th Annual Bend Venture Conference are on sale now and are available here.

About Bend Venture Conference (BVC)
Now in its 18th 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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2021 BVC Company Applications Now Open

2021 Bend Venture Conference

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

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 18th 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 13th 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)

Now in its 18th 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

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2019 Bend Venture Conference: Raising Killer Dough

Conference Speaker Dave Dahl

2019 Bend Venture Conference Speaker: Dave Dahl

Creator & Co-Founder of Dave’s Killer Bread

Raising Killer Dough: How Dave Dahl Helped Build Dave’s Killer Bread

 

Dave Dahl is best known as the creator and co-founder of Dave’s Killer Bread. An inspirational figure, Dave once led a troubled past, having served over 15 years in prison prior to his business success. In 2015, Dave’s Killer Bread was sold to Flower Foods, the 2nd-largest bakery in the country for $275 million. Today, millions of people enjoy the #1 organic bread in America that bears his iconic cartoon-figure, guitar-strumming likeness.

Dave currently hosts the podcast “Felony Inc.” where he has candid conversations with formerly incarcerated entrepreneurs.

Dave’s overarching goal is to inspire and enable better people, businesses and communities—in his words, “to help anyone who is willing to do the work to enjoy the journey like I have…to create their own success story.”

2019 Bend Venture Conference: Robert Ricciardelli

Robert has had a successful career, with more than 30 years of executive sales and management experience in Fortune 200 companies. He has served as a coach, consultant and trusted advisor.

Currently, he is the Regional Consultant for TriNet, providing HR support and Technology for small and medium businesses. Additionally, he is also the founder of Converging Zone which inspires inclusivity and collaboration while being a catalyst for businesses and nonprofits to grow their communities. Previously, he was a talk show host and VP of sales for former Bend startup Choose Growth.

Robert is a networker and an experienced philanthropic adventurer. He resides in Seattle WA, with his wife Joyce.

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2019 Bend Venture Conference: The Next Big Thing

Speaker Tore Steen

2019 Bend Venture Conference Speaker: Tore Steen

CEO & Co-Founder, CrowdStreet

The Next Big Thing: When Finance and Technology Collide

Tore co-founded CrowdStreet in 2014 on a mission to democratize access to commercial real estate investing. He has deep internet and software industry experience in strategy, business development, sales, and marketing for both publicly traded and private companies.

Prior to CrowdStreet, Tore helped take Janrain from early-stage growth phases to a leadership position in the social identity space. He has also held senior leadership roles as the Vice President of Business and Corporate Development at WebTrends and Director of Business Development at EarthLink.

Tore earned a Master of Business Administration from Duke University and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Notre Dame.

Shamir Karkal Speaker

2019 Bend Venture Conference Speaker: Shamir Karkal

Co-Founder, Simple Bank

The Next Big Thing: When Finance and Technology Collide

A true FinTech pioneer, Shamir Karkal played a crucial part in building the infrastructure that would pave the way for online banking. In 2009, he co-founded Simple, the first bank of its kind in the United States, and later headed the Open Platform at BBVA.

Shamir was drawn to serve smaller companies, co-founding Sila in 2018 with the goal of empowering financial innovations.

Shamir studied physics and computer science at Bangalore University and is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business. He lives with his family in Portland, Oregon, and enjoys jiu-jitsu, long-range target shooting, and studying history whenever possible.

BVC Matt Compton

2019 Bend Venture Conference Speaker: Matt Compton

General Partner, Oregon Venture Fund

The Next Big Thing: When Finance and Technology Collide

Matt has been an active startup investor and advisor in Oregon for the past decade. Previously, he held various product, partnership, and marketing leadership roles at Yahoo! during their rapid growth period from 2002 to 2007. In 2008, he moved back to Oregon and began investing with the Oregon Angel Fund, leading our investment in Jama Software. He has been a venture-backed CEO and, most recently, was COO of Simple Financial where he led its growth to 350 employees.

Matt has served on the boards of several early and growth stage companies including Jama and Simple Financial and is currently on the board of REI.  He received a dual BA in Economics and International Relations from Claremont McKenna College and an MBA from Kellogg School of Management.

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2019 Bend Venture Conference: Investing in Uncertain Times

BVC Speaker Bruce Abrams

2019 Bend Venture Conference Speaker: Matt Abrams

General Partner, Seven Peaks Ventures

Winter is Coming: Startups & Investing in Uncertain Times

Matt is a General Partner with Seven Peaks Ventures with primary focus areas and expertise in: Enterprise Data & Analytics; Artificial (AI) & Machine Intelligence; and Information + Data Trust, Integrity and Security.

He also focuses heavily on Augmented Reality (AR), Blockchain and Quantum technologies and spends a significant amount of time within the healthcare sector.  Matt also serves as an Innovation strategy & technology advisor to Enterprise, Governmental and Healthcare organizations. In addition, he currently serves on the board of Northwestern’s Master’s of Science in Analytics (MSiA) program as well as the Cyber Security Analysis Center (CSAC), an organization partnering with a network of academic institutions and select private sector entities focused on helping solve the threats faced by rural and underfunded critical infrastructure organizations.

Speaker Bruce Cleveland

2019 Bend Venture Conference Speaker: Bruce Cleveland

 Founding Partner Wildcat Venture Partners

Winter is Coming: Startups & Investing in Uncertain Times

Bruce Cleveland is a Founding Partner at Wildcat where he focuses on early-stage software startups that enable digital transformation across business, government, and education markets. Bruce enjoys working with companies that use technology and data to increase revenue and decrease costs. He is interested in growing entrepreneurial hubs outside of Silicon Valley, with a particular focus on the Pacific Northwest. Bruce also is committed to sharing his knowledge and experience through the Traction Gap Framework®, which helps entrepreneurs navigate the critical go-to-market period between initial product release (IPR) and reaching minimal viable traction (MVT). Previously, he founded GreenFig, held senior executive roles with companies such as Apple, AT&T, Oracle and Siebel Systems. Bruce’s last operational role was as a member of the founding executive team of Siebel Systems, where he served as senior vice president and general manager of Marketing and Products. In this role, Forbes and IDC credited him with creating the most effective B2B alliance program in the software industry.

Speaker Luke Kanies

2019 Bend Venture Conference Speaker: Luke Kanies

Founder and Executive Chair, Puppet

Winter is Coming: Startups & Investing in Uncertain Times

Founder and former CEO of Puppet, Luke started the company because he figured he’d be better off failing to start a software company than successfully getting an MBA. He grew it to 500 people and more than $50m in revenue, helping to start the DevOps movement along the way. Since stepping down from Puppet, he has been researching and writing at http://lukekanies.com/ about tools, venture capital, and crypto.

Speaker Patricia Moss

2019 Bend Venture Conference Speaker: Patricia Moss
Former CEO, Vice Chairman, Cascades Bancorp, Bank of the Cascades

Winter is Coming: Startups & Investing in Uncertain Times

Patricia served as CEO of Cascade Bancorp and Bank of the Cascades from 1998 to 2012, previous to that time she served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer.

She currently serves as a board member of First Interstate Bank Systems, (FIBK), MDU Resources (MDU) and as a trustee to funds under the Aquila Group of Funds. She currently serves on the Oregon Investment Council and recently served on the Oregon Growth Board.    She has served on several public boards and one private company board, ranging from banking, mutual funds, natural resources, health care, utilities and construction as well as multiple non-profit boards.

Patricia’s active involvement in local organizations is evidence of her strong commitment to community leadership.  She has served as a board member or chairman for Central Oregon Community College, St. Charles Medical Center, Bend Chamber of Commerce, Greater Bend Rotary, United Way, and Central Oregon Regional Advisory Board for Higher Education, Oregon State University Advisory Board, Oregon Ethics in Business and participated in several other community roles and fundraising campaigns.

She and her husband, Greg, have been fortunate to live and raise their family in Bend, OR for more than 40 years; they are outdoors enthusiasts and cyclists.

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2017 Bend Venture Conference: Keynote Speakers

2017 Bend Venture Conference Speaker: Brad Feld

 Co-Founder of  Foundry Group 

2017 Keynote Speaker

Brad Feld is Co-Founder of the Foundry Group, one of the most well-renowned early stage venture firms in the United States. An early stage investor and entrepreneur with over 20 years’ experience, Feld’s keynote will stream live from Boulder, Colorado, onto the Tower Theatre stage. Moderated in person by Aviel Ginzburg, the talk will focus on where early-stage financing is heading, new trends emerging in the accelerator world, how corporate America is bridging the gap to the startup world, and more.

2017 Bend Venture Conference Speaker: Aviel Ginzburg

Managing Director of Amazon Alexa Accelerator

2017 Keynote Speaker

Seattle-based Aviel Ginzburg is the Managing Director of the Amazon Alexa Accelerator powered by Techstars, a Venture Partner at Founder’s Co-op, and Co-Founder of Simply Measured. Feld is also a Co-Founder of Techstars, where he works with Ginzburg on the Alexa Accelerator Program. Created in partnership with Amazon’s Alexa Fund, the Alexa Accelerator focuses on advancing voice-powered technologies.

2017 BVC keynote Tony

2017 Bend Venture Conference Speaker: Tony Arnerich

 Founder of Arnerich Massena

2017 Impact Keynote Speaker

Tony Arnerich founded Arnerich Massena, one of Portland’s largest investment firms in 1991. Bringing a unique perspective and over 30 years’ experience, Arnerich will discuss the transition from his life in private wealth management to impact investing. Additionally, as an advisor Arnerich works directly with clients across the board: corporate, public, and not-for-profit organizations, as well as high net worth individuals.

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