(Photo above: Zealios Co-founder Austin Britts surveys an Economic Development of Central Oregon PubTalk audience about their sunblock preferences | by Krystal Marie Collins)
Central Oregon companies include Early Stage Semi Finalists CushCore, Pierce Footwear and Wedgis and Growth Stage Semi Finalists RipClear, SnoPlanks and Zealios.
Bend Outdoor Worx (BOW), Central Oregon’s outdoor industry accelerator, announced the semi finalists for the new Venture Out Festival being held at the Tower Theatre, Bend, Oregon the evening of October 12. Produced by BOW and the Oregon Outdoor Alliance (OOA), the Venture Out Festival is the first venture event solely focused on the outdoor industry. The event will feature two awards – the $10,000 Breakout Award presented by Bend Radio Group and HydroFlask and the $100,000 Ready to Roll investment award presented by Trigen Investments.
The selection process began with an impressive submission of applications from over 30 outdoor companies. Seven early stage companies and seven growth stage companies were chosen for the first pitch day where they presented to a panel made up of the BOW mentors and extended mentors (including Scott Allan of HydroFlask and Rob Little of Cairn) as well as Brian Vierra of Economic Development of Central Oregon (EDCO) and Bryan Azur of Trigen Investments.
After thoughtful consideration and deliberation, the group determined the semi finalists in each category. Due diligence and a final review process will decide the final three in each category that will go on to the stage at the Venture Out Festival.
The early stage semi finalists for the Breakout Award include:
Bosky Optics (Portland Oregon), an unconventional performance eyewear company using natural & sustainable materials – Boskyoptics.com
CushCore (Bend, Oregon), developers of the world’s first “Inner-Tire Suspension System – cushcore.com
Pierce Footwear (Bend, Oregon), performance footwear that solves lacing issues with folks of special needs, limited mobility and athletes of all ages – piercefootwear.com
Tougher (Corvallis, Oregon) durable and functional work wear designed specifically for women – weartougher.com
Wedgis (Bend, Oregon) innovative swimwear that wedges into a tiny, waterproof, and lightweight pouch designed to take anywhere.
And the growth stage semi finalists for the Ready to Roll Investment Award include:
Fat Chance Bicycles (Ashland, Oregon), an iconic high-end mountain bike brand of the 80’s & 90’s re-launched in 2015 – fatchance.bike
iOmounts (Basalt, Colorado), simplest and most versatile universal mounting system for mobile devices including mounts for outdoor products such as the Nomad for mountain bikes – iOmounts.com
RipClear (Bend, Oregon), lens protectors for optics that adhere directly to the lens with military rated clarity with patented technology – ripclear.com
SnoPlanks (Bend, Oregon) handcrafted bamboo snowboards and skis – Snoplanks.com
Zealios (Bend, Oregon), performance personal care products for endurance athletes – teamzealois.com
The Venture Out Festival is sponsored by Trigen Investments, Bend Radio Group, HydroFlask, DrinkTanks, US Bank, and Hand in Hand Productions. Tickets will be available at the door and online. For more information visit bendoutdoorworx.com.
After assessing common needs from outdoor industry businesses, Bend Outdoor Worx (BOW) was initially conceived in 2013 by Gary Bracelin, a long-time Bend resident and outdoor industry expert. BOW was officially launched in April 2014, when additional industry experts Eric Meade, Justin Rae, and Will Blount joined Bracelin. The founders represent various skill sets and a multitude of experience with successful organizations. In August of 2015, outdoor professional Miki Keller joined the group. BOW also has a deep pool of extended mentors that lend their expertise periodically, as well as Winter Summers Law, and Price Fronk & Co, LLP. For additional information on BOW, contact Gary Bracelin, gbracelin@gmail.com.
BOW’s Manifesto
We’re dreamers, radicals, achievers, believers and vanguards with a shared belief and a common goal. We’re an independent organization with independent spirit – and we love the outdoors. We embrace the unpredictable nature and the grit it takes to navigate the hurdles and obstacles in our industry. In fact, we enjoy it. We’re fearless, but we value vulnerability. We encourage risk, but we support solid strategy. We’re not even remotely interested in the status quo. We’re interested in lending our expertise, our stories and our respect for the crazy-but-we-love-it volatility of the outdoor industry to help our companies adapt, adjust and achieve. WE’RE HERE TO LEAD OUTDOOR INDUSTRY ENTREPRENEURS.
