This week Bend startups are just doing their thing, which is apparently winning money. It was the same story, different venue Wednesday night at the Bend Outdoor Worx Venture Out Festival, the first venture conference dedicated to outdoor companies.
Lots happened at the BendTECH unConference Tuesday afternoon: A line of founders camped out to snag pitch spots, 18 people pitched their best business ideas, the crowd cheered and laughed, and some founders won cash and prizes. There was also a row of people making it rain on the winners. Good times.
Calling all entrepreneurs, startup enthusiasts and people who like interesting things: Next week is your week. There’s a lot going on, and we wanted to offer some tips for not just surviving–but straight-up THRIVING–during the funnest week of the year. Pull out your calendar, because we’re digging in.
The BEST thing about this town is it’s generous and kind community, and we in particular love our coworkers at BendTECH. That’s why it’s been an especially hard week, watching BendTECH’s own manager Jessica Hutchison, a native of Sonoma County, grapple with the news of the fires ravaging her hometown.
People: We’re a week out from the BendTECH unConference and I wanted to make sure you all are aware of some of the new additions and changes to this year’s event, which is a fun and fast pitchfest for entrepreneurs and startup founders. First and foremost, thanks to our amazing sponsors — Kollective, City of Bend, Associated Technologies Council and 1001 Tech Space — we are offering cash and other prizes to the winning pitches.
The future of Bend is a topic that’s always ripe for discussion. How much will the city grow? What will that growth look like? Who will drive it? Will it make the city better or impact the things we love? The Bend Chamber of Commerce will tackle these issues in more in a unique What’s Brewing event scheduled for Tuesday (tomorrow) at 5 p.m. at the Tower Theater.
Julie Harrelson, CEO of the Harrelson Group, Fund Manager of Cascade Angels, has a beloved penchant for taking selfies with entrepreneurs, investors and people of Oregon who support building a strong Oregon through entrepreneurialism. This blog continues a series of selfies + blogs about the amazing people she’s met in the last couple of years. #julieselfie
The last batch of finalists for the Bend Venture Conference was just announced. Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) revealed the four companies that will be competing in the social impact competition, which includes for-profit companies whose business models are integrated with a social or environmental mission. Last year, companies in the Social Impact category won prizes ranging from $50,000 to $100,000.