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
I love a good metaphor. So when the team at Craft CMS—a tech company mostly new to Bend—compared one of their primary competitors to a chicken nugget (they’re more of a custom sandwich, made on artisanal bread, with heirloom tomatoes and other delicious things) I had to know more.
Coming in hot from the land of things-you-didn’t-know-you-needed-but-now-must-have is a Bluetooth-enabled, speaker featuring flames that dance to the beat of your tunes. Designed by Bend-based inventor Tyrone Hazen, the Fireside Audiobox made its Kickstarter debut today.
In your dreams, you’ve designed the NEXT BIG THING, raised more than you ever hoped on Kickstarter, and life is good. Then, those dreams turn quickly into a protracted maze of international commerce, foreign manufacturing pitfalls, taxes, port strikes, and the high cost of fulfillment. Portland entrepreneur Kevin Bates actually moved to China to make Aruboy a success. Central Oregon startups may find help closer to home.
Niki Singlaub travels a lot for work and wanted a water bottle that folded to fit into his pocket while going through airport security. Then he could pop it open and fill it up before boarding. But even after diving deep into the depths of Amazon (there’s things you can’t unsee people) Singlaub couldn’t find what he needed. So being a product designer by trade and an entrepreneur at heart, he made one.
Scott Oliphant discovered Bend six years ago on a motorcycle trip. After some misadventures on the road, he ended up here to recharge and Bend stayed on his mind long after he returned to Texas. He saw the opportunity to move his company, Impossible Engine, here in 2014 from Austin.
Our #50startups project marches forward today with Cairn, a Bend-based subscription box company for outdoor enthusiasts. Founder Rob Little started the business in March as an extension of an idea he had while an MBA student at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business.
Sometimes you just want to ride a mechanical bull. But before you can saddle up, you have to sign a release of liability waiver indemnifying the tavern of any responsibility lest you get bucked off and break something. Smartwaiver provides easy-to-use, digital release of liability waivers for just such scenarios. Co-founder and CEO Mark Silliman sat down with BendTECH to talk about his fifth startup, lessons learned and how big wall climbing relates to entrepreneurship.