(Ben Nahir, Ph.D., Partner at Elevate Capital, awards Eric Redmond and Heidi Eggert of Permeta a symbolic funding check at the 2026 BVC event | Photo by Leah Etling)
The 2026 Bend Venture Conference (BVC) concluded October 16 at Bend’s Tower Theatre, celebrating innovation and entrepreneurship with the presentation of awards and funding across three competition categories.
The 23rd annual event brought together entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders to recognize and support promising companies and emerging ventures statewide.
Permeta: Accelerating the Permitting Process
Lake Oswego-based Permeta is tackling one of the biggest obstacles facing energy development: the lengthy and complicated permitting process. CEO and co-founder Eric Redmond introduced the company’s AI-powered operating system for permits, designed to help developers navigate regulatory requirements and move projects forward faster.
According to Redmond, approximately 500 gigawatts of energy projects are stalled in permitting, with trillions of dollars in capital tied up in approval processes that can stretch for decades.
Permeta’s technology uses purpose-built AI workflows that follow established rules and regulatory structures, rather than relying on general-purpose AI. Redmond described the platform as a “regulator’s brain in a box,” with tools designed to address known permitting challenges.
Initially targeting solar, battery storage and carbon storage projects, the year-old company was the top growth stage honoree of BVC, walking away with $420,000 in funding — $170,000 from BVC and $250,000 from Elevate Capital, a Portland-based venture capital firm.
Caravel: Reinventing Protein Engineering
Portland-based Caravel is developing technology that could dramatically accelerate the discovery and development of engineered proteins.
Founder and CEO Trevor Nicks, PhD, explained how the company has reinvented the process of making and measuring proteins using temporary synthetic cells. Its technology precisely controls what enters these cells and what they produce, enabling researchers to generate and analyze millions of proteins daily.
The company plans to release its first public dataset on potential cancer therapeutics. Caravel was awarded $150,000 from the Intrepid Oregon Fund.
CleanHaus: Bringing AI to Vacation Rental Operations
Wearing a janitor’s jumpsuit and toting a mop bucket to the stage, CleanHaus CEO Nat Parker presented an AI-powered operations platform designed to address the logistical challenges of managing vacation rental properties.
While existing proptech software has focused on revenue management, Parker said the work between guest bookings remains fragmented, with property managers juggling text messages, spreadsheets and scheduling to coordinate guests, cleaners and contractors.
CleanHaus was awarded $50,000 in BVC funding plus an additional $15,000 from Horan MediaTech Advisors.
Other highlights
Early stage and growth industry contenders were also honored Friday.
In the growth industry track, Penderia Technologies of Eugene, which develops implantable sensors designed for use in orthopedic procedures, was awarded $200,000 by Launch Oregon, the University of Oregon Foundation’s venture fund.
Another growth industry contender, Osheru Inc., a medical device startup based in Bend that focuses on simplifying upper eyelid surgery for ophthalmic surgeons, was awarded $125,000 by BVC. Osheru was also a BVC honoree in 2022 as an early-stage startup.
Early stage Bend startup VeriBuy, which uses AI to streamline vehicle inspections, trade-ins and more, received a $40,000 cash award provided by community members, among whom are Bend Wealth Advisors, Scott and Annie Allan, Horan MediaTech Advisors, Taylor Brooks, Rod Ray, and Hannah M. Austin and Peter Stewart Skei of The Auskei Charitable Fund.
