Tag Archives: Central Oregon PubTalk

EDCO Announces the 2021 BVC Early Stage Finalists

EDCO ANNOUNCES THE EARLY STAGE FINALISTS PRESENTING AT THE BEND VENTURE CONFERENCE OCTOBER 21-22, 2021

Tonsil Tech wins PubTalk Audience Award, walks away with $3,000

BEND, Ore. – September 24, 2021 – Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) announces the five finalists advancing in the Early Stage competition for the 18^th Annual Bend Venture Conference (BVC) on Thursday, October 21 – Friday, October 22, 2021. These companies will compete for a minimum investment of $30,000 from Portland Seed Fund.

Eight companies took the stage both virtually and in-person to pitch during last night’s Central Oregon PubTalk. This competition includes companies that have a great idea and are close to “proof of concept.” They are pre-revenue (or very early) and are in the process of testing their product in the market. The Early Stage companies will pitch during BVC on Friday, October 22^nd.

In addition to being a finalist, Tonsil Tech won the audience vote and received a $3,000 cash award, courtesy of Washington Trust Bank.

In alphabetical order, the Early Stage finalists that will compete at BVC are:

cannecht (Bend, OR) – A digital marketplace to help cannabis operators find and secure service contracts with trusted providers.
KinectAir (Vancouver, WA) – Private aviation made public. Affordable, soon-to-be electric, aircraft booked from your smartphone using local community airports.
LifeAir (Portland, OR) – Saving millions of lives by pioneering the first ventilator that eliminates patient-to-patient transmission of diseases, such as pneumonia and COVID.
Radious (Portland, OR) – An online marketplace for rentable home office and meeting space.
Tonsil Tech (Redmond, OR) – At-home handheld device to remove tonsil stones painlessly and effectively.

Ticket Sales
Tickets to the 18^th Annual Bend Venture Conference are on sale now and are available here.

About Bend Venture Conference (BVC)
Now in its 18^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 40 companies as a result of the conference. This year’s conference will take place October 21-22, 2021, gathering entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders. bendvc.com

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. edcoinfo.com

April 2021 PubTalk: Kara Buckley and the World of Sports

April 2021 PubTalk Keynote Speaker: Kara Buckley

United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee | Oregon Sports Angels

Sports at the Intersection of Impact and Innovation

Relive the keynote speech from the April 2021 Central Oregon PubTalk, as Kara Buckley talks about the intersection of impact and innovation in the world of sports. Including her involvement with the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee and Oregon Sports Angles.

Check out the full event to hear pitches and updates from local companies and start-ups. Click here to see pitching company Zipcan, company updates from Bend Soap Company and Riff, and of course our keynote Kara Buckley.

About Kara

Throughout Kara’s career, she has worked across the highest levels of sports. Including the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, FIFA World Cup, League of Legends, Special Olympics, and UEFA Champions League.

With LA28 (the home of the 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games) and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Team, she built and launched the first-of-it’s-kind Athlete Marketing Platform. While working at Visa, she pioneered Visa’s Rio 2016 “Acceptance” campaign by supporting ten athletes competing on the Refugee Olympic Team.

PubTalk Company lineup

Pitching Company: Zipcan

CEO Fritz Brumder | CPO Spenser Lea

Realize the full power of video collaboration for your brand beyond hosting meetings. Zipcan provides the ability to add video chat capabilities to your website or application in just a few seconds. Just embed a code snippet and unlock a 2-way video experience within your platform. With Zipcan you can create new products, engage customers and connect your community.

Company Update: Riff

CEO Paul Evers

Riff is a purpose-driven coffee company on a mission to explore and celebrate 100% of the coffee plant’s agricultural value. They are passionate about building a purpose-led company that creates widely desired, good for you and good for the planet beverages. The brand launched their first line of ready-to-drink cold-brewed coffees in 2018 and quickly garnered many awards and accolades.

PubTalk keynote and update companyBend Soap Company

Company Update: Bend Soap Company

Founder & Owner Dwight Johnson

Created 10 years ago out of Dwight and Marilee Johnson’s mission to find safe, natural, and nourishing products to help soothe their son’s eczema, Bend Soap Company is a family-run company dedicated to creating toxin-free goat milk soap. Today, their all-natural skincare products have helped thousands of families enjoy healthy skin with nourishing and wholesome ingredients at an affordable price

About PubTalk

EDCO’s Central Oregon PubTalk, held the fourth Thursday of the month, is a happy hour aimed at bringing together different facets of the business community in one place to network, share ideas, and further local businesses.

March 2021 PubTalk: Randy Adams and Failure

March 2021 PubTalk Keynote Speaker: Randy Adams

Managing Partner, C-Level Solutions | Strategic Advisor

Three Failures of a Serial Entrepreneur

Experience the March 2021 Central Oregon PubTalk keynote speech given by, Randy Adams. Randy dives into his own experiences as a serial entrepreneur and the three failures to avoid.

Check out the full event to hear pitches and updates from local companies and start-ups. Click here to see pitching company Boundless, an update from Josie’s Best Gluten Free Mixes, and of course our keynote Randy Adams.

About Randy

Randy Adams has a vast background of knowledge, having been a serial entrepreneur for over 35 years. He’s founded nine venture-backed technology companies including autonomous vehicle insurance, digital avatars, software-publishing, IT, e-commerce, and two celebrity-based digital media companies (ever heard of Will Ferrell or Marlon Wayans?). He’s published more than 30 consumer software applications that have collectively sold more than 20 million copies worldwide. Raised more than $100M in venture capital. Had five successful start-up exits return more than $1B to investors…and the list goes on.

He is credited with raising the initial funds for Yahoo, creating the first desktop publishing app for the PC, managing the team that created PDF and Acrobat, and creating the first e-commerce site on the web. Currently, he runs C-Level Solutions, providing consulting services for early-stage companies.

PubTalk Company lineup

Pitching Company: Boundless

Co-Founder Ian Gregg

Flying on commercial airlines can be inefficient, unpredictable and exhausting. Boundless was created to raise your transportation expectations by defining a new category of travel: personal aviation. They aim to make your final travel destination more accessible for both pilots and passengers. Think of it as a charter solution for the environmentally and cost-conscious individual. Boundless is empowering people to move seamlessly between home, work and play with an elevated mobility solution.

Company Update: Josie’s Best Gluten Free Mixes

Founder & CEO Josie Johnson

Some of Founder & CEO Josie Johnson’s main passions are cooking and baking. But when allergies led her to go gluten-free, Josie’s Best was born. Josie’s Best produces gluten-free and allergen-free baking mixes from Sisters, Oregon. Recently, they were featured on Good Morning America, further spreading the word of their delicious mixes.