2011 Winners of the Bend Venture Conference
Held at the
Tower Theatre in downtown Bend on October 14th, this year's angel conference attracted over 300
entrepreneurs, investors, and business professionals. In addition to the two winners, Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO), manager of the conference, announced with the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network (OEN) and the Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) the establishment of a Central Oregon business accelerator to be called VentureBox.
Launch Stage Winner: Brett Mills, R.E.S. Equine Products
Photo: Brett Mills, founder and CEO of R.E.S Equine Products.
Redmond-based RES Equine, a manufacturer of protective horse equipment which uses a patent pending closure system, was selected by investors of the BVC, LLC (the conference’s investment arm) for the top prize of $250,000, beating out four other finalists in the category. Of the total prize, $50,000 was supplied by OGA, the maximum amount the State of Oregon Treasury could provide in a new initiative this year to support entrepreneurship through matching funds in the State’s regional investment conferences. The $200,000 balance was raised by the BVC, LLC and constituted the highest investor raise in BVC’s eight year history.
Concept Stage Winner: Sheetal Dube, Audioname
Photo: Sheetal Dube, founder of Audioname In the Concept Stage competition, conference attendees voted for the single startup they considered most viable of the six finalists. Following rapid fire three-minute presentations and challenges from a panel of experts, the audience selected entrepreneur Sheetal Dube, whose Portland-based company Audioname provides a software solution for difficult to pronounce names. Sean Handley, Director of BendBroadband Business Services, presented an outsized $10,000 check to Sheetal, commenting that the funding represents BendBroadband’s support of innovative companies. BendBroadband has committed to underwriting the prize for the winner of the Concept Stage competition in 2011 and in future years.
BVC Revs Up for its 8th Year
Held at Bend's historic Tower Theatre, the Bend Venture Conference connects startup companies with investment opportunities. Now in its eighth year, BVC attracts over 300 of the
Hear first hand accounts why BVC is valuable
Exciting changes to the 2011 Conference!
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Two awards. This year, we’re adding a second category for Concept Stage comp
anies, recognizing that some startups are in the preliminary stages and need help honing their concept. The Concept award winner
receives a $5 to $10K grant--instrumental in
stepping up to the next level. Meanwhile, we’re targeting a raise of $200K prize for the winning Launch Phase entrepreneur. - Investor-driven. The review and selection of companies will be more investor-driven than ever before.
Updated 10/20/2011