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When is office space more than office space? When it facilitates community and connections that give your startup momentum, expertise and support. BendTECH, Central Oregon’s nonprofit coworking organization is launching its Startup Founders Office with just this in mind.
The Startup Founder Office is an office inside BendTECH coworking reserved for early stage startups. BendTECH plans to offer the space to selected founders in three-month rotations, providing the free space along with a program of support and guidance from investors, finance and marketing professionals and industry-specific experts.
“This program puts entrepreneurs in the heart of Bend’s startup community, giving them the resources and connections they need to launch and grow their companies,” says Tim Reifke, BendTECH’s executive director.
The entrepreneurs-in-residence will benefit from office hours and related programming from the Startup Founders Office sponsors, which include St. Charles Health System, Cascade Angels, Price Fronk, First Republic Bank, Economic Development of Central Oregon, Portland Seed Fund, NowCFO, Founders Pad, OSU-Cascades Innovation CoLab and Technology Association of Oregon. Less formally, founders will get to engage daily with the coworking community, which includes many technical and industry experts and seasoned entrepreneurs.
“The BendTECH coworking space has organically fostered multiple companies, with people meeting each other in the space, offering each other advice and finding the expertise they need — sometimes just two desks away,” says Kelly Kearsley, BendTECH board chair. “The Startup Founders Office provides this benefit in a formal way and extends it to even more founders.”
Upon completing their residency, Startup Founders Office participants receive a 25 percent “startup” discount on coworking membership as they continue to build awesome companies. BendTECH began accepting applications for the first round of office residents February 1, and the board plans to move founders into the space by March 1. Applications for the first rotation are due February 22 at 11:59pm.
Eligibility
Local, early stage (less than $1M in funding) startup founders who want to be connected to Bend’s startup community.
Requirements
- Must be creating a scalable company in Bend.
- Must spend time in office each week.
- Upon completion, must be available as a mentor for future program participants
How to Apply
1. Make a video
We want to get to know you, beyond a form or piece of paper. So to apply, we ask you to submit a video — nothing fancy, it can be just you and/or your cofounders talking about your startup and your vision. Please upload the video to YouTube, and we’ll review.
When making your video, please address:
- Who are you and what is your company?
- Tell us about yourself — what drives you?
- How would being a part of BendTECH’s community benefit you?
- How often would you use the coworking space and resources?
- How would your company contribute to the coworking community and Bend entrepreneur ecosystem?
Please keep your videos to five minutes or under in length. Otherwise, that’s it for rules.
1. Send us email at timr@bendtech.com
- Include your name, company and industry
- Link to YouTube video
Applications due February 22. Rolling application process with new participants selected every three months.
