EDCO announces Growth Stage, Impact finalists presenting at the Bend Venture Conference

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Economic Development for Central Oregon announced Friday the finalists advancing in the Growth Stage and Impact tracks for the 19^th annual Bend Venture Conference on Thursday, October 20 – Friday, October 21.

BVC is one of the largest angel investment conferences in the West, bringing together entrepreneurs, investors, students, and business leaders from across the Pacific Northwest.

In just two weeks, the following companies will travel from across the country to present on the Tower Theatre stage in downtown Bend. In addition to company pitches, attendees will hear from investment industry leaders, Lily Trager of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management and Mel Strong of NEXT VENTURES VC firm, on the latest research on impact investing and the virtues of untraditional funding perspectives.

Growth Stage

Following considerable due diligence, companies in the Growth Stage category have historically been awarded funding ranging from $100,000 to $2,500,000 from BVC LLC and partner VC funds. Since 2007, BVC LLC has invested in 20 Growth Stage finalist companies.

In alphabetical order, the 2022 BVC Growth Stage finalists are:

1. Bluebird CX (Vancouver, WA) – An automated gifting platform that partners with swag sellers to reach more customers faster.
2. Clean Age (Portland, OR) – Gender inclusive, natural, sustainable personal care products that give teens and preteens the essentials they need to help them establish healthy habits.
3. Minnow Technologies (Seattle, WA) – A cloud-connected delivery hub (called a “pod”) that makes food delivery efficient and reliable.
4. Radious (Portland, OR) – A B2B marketplace for on-demand workspaces in residential neighborhoods.
5. Wild Rye (Sun Valley, ID) – A women’s outdoor brand crafting beautiful and technical mountain apparel that fits, inspires confidence and welcomes more women into the outdoors.

Impact Stage

The Impact competition was launched in 2016 as a separate track for companies that have an integrated social or environmental mission and are prepared to generate long-term financial value.  Since its inception, the BVC Impact LLC fund has invested in eight companies.

In alphabetical order, the 2022 BVC Impact Stagefinalists are:

1. Canopii Inc. (Portland, OR) – A technology company building autonomous greenhouse farming systems to make local food production more viable.
2. Ethicann Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Bethesda, MD) – A biotechnology company developing high-value, cannabinoid-based drug therapies using a development strategy of reformulating approved drugs into safer and equally efficacious drugs.
3. Photon Marine (Portland, OR) – Designing and developing an electric outboard motor system and intelligent fleet management software for commercial boat fleets.
4. VitalFlo Inc. (Portland, OR) – A predictive respiratory medicine company that monitors and forecasts expensive patient outcomes for respiratory disease.

2022 BVC Early Stage finalists were determined at the September PubTalk: The Road to BVC and the list can be found here.  Tickets to the 19^th Annual Bend Venture Conference are on sale now and are available on Eventbrite.

About Bend Venture Conference (BVC)
Now in its 19^th year, BVC, hosted by EDCO, is one of the largest angel conferences in the country. Over the past five years, more than $10 million has been invested in 45 companies as a result of the conference. This year’s conference will take place October 20-21, 2022, gathering entrepreneurs, investors, students, and business leaders. bendvc.com