EDCO Announces Growth Stage Finalists for the 2026 Bend Venture Conference
Finalists Poised to Scale Take Center Stage at the 2026 Bend Venture Conference
Bend, Ore. – October 5, 2026 – Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) is pleased to announce the Growth Industries and Growth Tech Stage finalists who will compete at the 2026 Bend Venture Conference (BVC), taking place October 15–16 at the Tower Theatre in downtown Bend.
In just a few days, these exceptional finalists will take to the main stage. The Growth Industries and Growth Tech Stage competitions at BVC highlight companies that have demonstrated significant traction and are poised for rapid expansion. Following considerable due diligence, companies in these categories have historically been awarded funding ranging from $100,000 to $2.5 million from the BVC LLC and partner venture capital (VC) funds.
Growth Industries is for companies whose core differentiation is brand, physical products, science, or engineering. This includes outdoor and lifestyle brands, food and agriculture, consumer products, biotech and life sciences, hardware, and climate-focused hardware and physical solutions. Growth Tech is for companies whose core differentiation is technology. This includes software, AI and platform-driven companies across climate, health, finance, education, enterprise, and other sectors.
In alphabetical order, the finalists for Growth Industries are:
Aquagga (Tacoma, WA) - Destroys deadly forever chemicals (PFAS) from industrial waste streams and groundwater.
Looptworks (Gresham, OR) - The only operational U.S. textile-to-textile recycling platform to help brands/states with policy compliance and circularity with certified recycled fiber.
Osheru, Inc. (Bend, OR) - Opening eyes beautifully! Crafts innovative medical devices for surgeons to delight patients with outstanding outcomes as they grow their practices.
Penderia Technologies (Eugene, OR) - Believes data from sensors improves clinical care and have developed implantable sensors from University of Oregon research for use in orthopedic procedures.
In alphabetical order, the finalists for Growth Tech are:
Caravel Bio (Portland, OR) - The world's best protein engineering platform.
CleanHaus (Portland, OR) - Coordinates short-term rental cleaning and maintenance operations end-to-end: dispatching and confirming cleaners and contractors, solving any issue.
Permeta (Lake Oswego, OR) - Uses proprietary AI to transform permitting and regulatory operations for the energy industry.
Zing Drone Solutions (Pendleton, OR) - Specializes in drone threat detection and remote ID compliance solutions.
“What stands out about this year’s Growth Stage finalists is the progress they’ve already made and the scale of the opportunity in front of them,” said Jon Stark, CEO of EDCO. “These are founders who have moved beyond proving the concept and are now focused on building durable, growing companies. We’re excited to give them a platform to connect with the capital and expertise to support that growth.”
Now in its 23rd year, the Bend Venture Conference is the Pacific Northwest’s largest angel investment conference and a hub for entrepreneurship in the region. Since its inception, BVC investors have awarded more than $14 million to startups. The event is the cornerstone of the High Desert Innovation Week, happening October 13-16 in Bend, a multi-day program that brings together local entrepreneurs, innovators and investors to showcase the region’s startup resources and celebrate its collaborative culture.
The Bend Venture Conference cannot guarantee that investments will be awarded in any specific amount. The final amounts to be distributed depend on the investment commitments received from third-party investors, as well as the ability of the winning companies and investors to agree on the terms and conditions of the investment.