Opportunity Knocks is organizing a one-day leadership seminar taught by Rod Ray, former CEO of Bend Research. Rod helped build and grow Bend Research before it was acquired by Capsugel in 2013 (Capsugel was later acquired by Lonza).
The Bend Venture Conference happened for the 15th year in a row. To be sure, at this point the event happens – it’s a thing – and yet I find myself always somewhat amazed that so many investors, entrepreneurs, and startup supporters come to Bend, millions of dollars are doled out to promising companies, and respected keynote speakers have inspiring conversations on stage.
The BendTECH unConference is back for its 9th year, bigger and better than ever. The unConference, scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 16th, is a fun-loving, crowd-pleasing, startup-celebrating pitch fest. Entrepreneurs line up to snag one of the first-come, first-serve pitch spots and then compete on stage to win cash awards. Winners are determined by audience vote.
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.
The second annual BendTECH Startup Resource Fair is coming up quick. Scheduled for Thursday, June 7 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., the fair features 32 organizations and businesses who want to help YOU get your startup launched and growing. Right now, try to name 32 local and state resources that entrepreneurs can reach out to …. can you do it? There’s that many and way more.
Do you have an outdoor industry related startup? Are you looking for investment? Our friends at Bend Outdoor Worx are now taking applications for the 2018 BreakOut (which was previously known as Venture Out). The event features early and growth stage outdoor startups pitching their ideas and companies for the opportunity to win various awards and investments.
Sometimes someone gets a crazy idea and then that crazy idea becomes the coolest thing ever. That’s the case with the upcoming One Tech Meetup to Rule Them All, presented by the Technology Association of Oregon and hosted by BendTECH. The idea came out of a discussion about how to connect all of the growing tech meetups, find their overlaps and share some resources. The result is a BIG meetup scheduled for 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. May 7th.
The EDCO PubTalk this Thursday features three startup founders who all happen to be BendTECH coworking members, and an angel funding group focused on sports products and services. If you’re not going you should. I’ll be there in the front row, possibly ringing a cowbell (I WON’T, BUT I’LL BE RINGING ONE IN MY HEART) because I’m such a fan of these founders. So who are they? Here’s the lineup, courtesy of the EDCO news release: