Edco Announces The Five Growth Stage Finalists To Present At The 14th Annual Bend Venture Conference October 19-20

BEND, OR (September 28, 2017) – Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) announced the Top Five Growth Stage finalists to present at the 14^th Annual Bend Venture Conference (BVC) Thursday, October 19 – Friday, October 20 on the iconic Tower Theatre stage in Downtown Bend. The Growth Stage Competition, which includes companies that have a proven concept, have generated initial revenues, and are prepared to scale quickly with investment, will take place on Friday, October 20^th. Last year, companies in the Growth Stage category won prizes ranging from $100,000 to $1,750,000. In alphabetical order, the five Growth Stage finalists are:

1. Drone Complier (Portland, OR) – Provides government compliance management solutions integrated with field services to companies entering or growing in the Drone Industry.
2. Handful (Wilsonville, OR) – Lifestyle products for women that are flattering, versatile and feel great no matter what life throws your way.
3. InvestiPro (Bend, OR) – The first fully-automated application for conducting effective and compliant internal workplace investigations.
4. LeadMethod Bend, OR – The first Channel Revenue Optimization software to get channel partner engagement and feedback in order to increase revenue.
5. Tripgrid (Portland, OR) – Travel management simplified. Tripgrid fixes the complexity of travel planning by providing a simple, intuitive workspace.

“Our 2017 Growth Stage finalists have gone through three rounds of cuts, resulting in a compelling group of companies that span both digital and consumer products, covering industries from UAV and HR to Manufacturing and Travel,” said Brian Vierra, EDCO’s Venture Catalyst. “Our expectation is that these companies will generate interest from the investment community, with several potentially receiving awards.” Hosted by Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO), this year’s BVC will once again feature three competition categories: Growth Stage, Early Stage and Social Impact. Last year, nearly $4 million in funding was awarded to ten companies. Ticket Sales Tickets to the 14^th Annual Bend Venture Conference are on sale now and are available here. About Bend Venture Conference (BVC) BVC, hosted by EDCO, is one of the largest angel conferences in the country. More than 600 attendees, six funds, 32 prominent investors, and 89 companies participated in 2016’s conference, where nearly $4 million was invested in 10 companies. About Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) 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. For more information, visit www.edcoinfo.com. 2017 Title Sponsors: