(Photos | Courtesy of EDCO)
Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) announced the ten semi-finalist companies advancing in the Early Stage competition for the 17th Annual Bend Venture Conference (BVC) on Thursday-Friday, October 15-16, 2020. This group of companies is one step closer to presenting at BVC, competing for an investment of $30,000 from Portland Seed Fund.
The following Early Stage semi-finalists will pitch against each other at the September 24 PubTalk: Road to BVC. This high-energy entrepreneurial event showcases the BVC Early Stage semi-finalists as they deliver fast-paced, three-minute pitches to a live and virtual crowd. The audience, along with an expert panel of judges, will vote to decide which five companies advance to present at BVC on October 15-16, 2020.
This event will be held in-person and live-streamed virtually straight from three rooms at McMenamins. If you plan to join in-person, know that COVID-19 precautions will be in place and space is highly limited.
In alphabetical order, the ten BVC Early Stage semi-finalists that will compete at the September 24 PubTalk are:
- ADHEREGEAR, LLC (Portland, OR) — Deploying shared-use luggage and travel gear for passengers to create a safer and cleaner environment for their personal items.
- Cozera (Portland, OR) — Creating verified digital identities for remote and in-person identity verification to increase customer satisfaction and deter identity fraud, saving time and money.
- FoxFace Systems (Camas, WA) — Providing an easy and affordable online platform for the affordable housing compliance process.
- Grid Rival (Portland, OR) — A social gaming application for the motorsports-obsessed, fusing fantasy-style gaming and betting with content and built-in social functionality.
- innov8.ag (Walla Walla, WA) — Empowering growers with data, bringing together disparate on- and off-farm data, enabling farmers to make informed management decisions based on machine learning.
- Masa (Portland, OR) — The first online farmers market, bringing farmers markets to people via an online marketplace (think Etsy for farmers).
- Mind Current (Beaverton, OR) — Providing private, personalized, real-time suggestions from experts to enhance employee performance and reduce stress.
- MustDeliver (Portland, OR) — A digital marketplace delivering industry-leading clarity, control and communication between shippers and drivers in the trucking business.
- Tonsil Tech (Bend, OR) — At-home handheld device to remove tonsil stones painlessly and effectively.
- YesOMS (Bend, OR) — A platform for merchants and brand owners to offer a superior user experience to their customers through their own branded mobile application.
PubTalk Agenda
4-4:30pm — Networking, drinks and appetizers
4:30-6:45pm — Early Stage Company Pitches, Audience Vote, Winner Announcement
PubTalk Cost and Registration
In-Person: $26 EDCO & OEN Members (Become a member here); $36 Non-Members
Virtual: $10 EDCO & OEN Members; $15 Non-Members
In-person attendance will take into account COVID19 precautions and includes appetizers and a free beverage (choice of beer, wine or soda).
Ticket Sales
Tickets to the September 24 PubTalk are on sale now. Register for in-person tickets here; register for virtual tickets here.
Tickets to the 17th Annual Bend Venture Conference are on sale now and are available here.
