This week, the federal government kicked off an SBIR road tour to promote their ability to invest in small businesses through grants and technology licensing. It started Tuesday in Portland, followed by Seattle, WA Wednesday then wrapping up in Anchorage, AK.
We can safely say that 2017 was the Year of the Entrepreneur in Bend. According to a report from EagerLaw PC, there was one new business registration in Bend for every 28 residents last year. That gave Bend more registered businesses per capita (for cities larger than 30,000) than anywhere else in the state.
If I had a quarter for every time someone said, “We need a directory of all the business resources in town,” then I could definitely buy you a few beers. Fortunately Opportunity Knocks has now officially launched this very thing. The new Business Resources of Central Oregon is an online directory of everything entrepreneurs need to start, grow and support their business.
The 2016 Bend Venture Conference is officially wrapped up and the big headline is $3.76 MILLION in funding was awarded, and Vancouver, Wash.-based Hubb snagged $2.5 million of that. There were big checks flying everywhere, people were crying tears of happiness and the conference set a funding record for angel conferences in the state.
The Bend Venture Conference will feature two keynote speakers this year, one from Zillow and one from Adobe, EDCO announced today. The BVC is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 13 and Friday, Oct. 14.
Calling all outdoor startups: Bend Outdoor Worx, Central Oregon’s outdoor industry accelerator, is taking applications for its summer cohort. Selected companies receive mentorship from BOW’s industry founders, who have expertise in a variety of disciplines.
If you’re an Oregon startup looking for funding, then you’ve got two weeks to get your application into Cascade Angels. The Bend-based fund is accepting applications through April 15. Cascade Angels expects to invest in two to six companies this year, in amounts ranging from $50,000 to $250,000.
Friends. Brian Gerney, a graduate student at University of North Carolina, is researching how smaller cities and towns grow tech clusters, without “the standard advantages of … large population, major research universities, high number of related firms, etc.” he says.