(Photo above: Excitement after the 2016 Bend Venture Conference | courtesy of Bend Venture Conference)
Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) will again host the annual two-day Bend Venture Conference (BVC), now in its 14th year, on Thursday, October 19 – Friday, October 20 at the iconic Tower Theatre in downtown Bend.
This year’s conference will once again feature three competition categories: Growth Stage, Early Stage and Social Impact. The application period is open now through August 11.
⦁ 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. Applicants can be located anywhere in the U.S. To apply, https://gust.com/organizations/bvc-2017-early-and-growth-stage-competition.
⦁ 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. Applicants must be located in Central Oregon. To apply, https://gust.com/organizations/bvc-2017-early-and-growth-stage-competition.
⦁ Social Impact Competition: Now in its second year, 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. Applicants must be located in Oregon. To apply, https://gust.com/organizations/bvc-2017-social-impact-competition.
“Bend Venture Conference truly elevated venture and angel investing in Oregon last year by deploying nearly $4 million to ten companies. It was a banner year with over 90 impressive applicants. We continue to attract some of the most innovative companies in the west to compete for these investments. And at the same time, there’s room for companies of all stages to compete within our three categories,” said Brian Vierra, EDCO’s Venture Catalyst.
Companies in the Social Impact Competition historically compete for investments ranging from $50,000-$100,000. BendBroadband Business returns to sponsor the Early Stage Competition with a $17,500 cash grant, while Growth Stage Competition finalists could collect an investment of $250,000 or more. The 2017 BVC will feature impressive panelists and keynote speakers from across the country representing angel investors, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs, to be announced at a later date.
Jason Moyer, fund manager for the 2017 BVC, LLC said, “During the past several years, BVC has matured from a local angel event, to one of the more valuable conferences in the country. We’re attracting some of the region’s most promising early-stage ventures, along with numerous professionally managed investment funds.”
“The inaugural year of the Social Impact Fund was wildly successful and exceeded all expectations,” noted Ryan Andrews, Fund Manager for the 2017 BVC Social Impact Fund. “We were the very first fund to invest in two companies, OpConnect and Hemex Health, which have both gone on to raise significant additional investment and find market traction. This is a huge accomplishment for any fund and our goal for this year is to continue on that path.”
Tickets to the 14th Annual Bend Venture Conference are on sale now at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2017-bend-venture-conference-tickets-32473407837?aff=pr.
BVC, hosted by EDCO, is one of the largest angel conferences in the country. More than 600 attendees, six funds, 32 prominent investors, and 90 companies participated in 2016’s conference, where nearly $4 million was invested in 10 companies.
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.
