#bvc2016

10 Things You Might Not Know About the Bend Venture Conference

1. Lucky 13

The Bend Venture Conference is the largest angel conference in the Pacific Northwest. Now in its 13th year, BVC (as those time-crunched, acronym-loving people like to call it) draws in over 450 attendees and prominent investors to celebrate the spirit of entrepreneurship and bold thinking.

2.  Hello, dreamers and doers

Think Bend Venture Conference is just for tech companies? Nope.  BVC is dedicated to supporting the entrepreneurial ambitions of diverse companies, from equine equipment to medical catheters to snowboards to software. BVC is for the dreamers and doers of the world. It’s powered by a community of individuals and businesses inspired by entrepreneurship and the gumption and creativity needed to make bold ideas come to life.

3.  Getting social

This year’s conference will feature a new competition category: Social Impact. It’s open to for-profit companies located in Oregon with a social or environmental mission built into their business model. This year’s award will range from $75,000 to $150,000 (with $75K already committed). An investor group will select the winner after the Thursday panel discussion.

Doing good along the way definitely has its perks.

4.  Changing lives

After listening to the pitches, the BVC audience will choose the Early Stage winner, businesses with great ideas that are closing in on “proof of concept.” The category originally started with 22 Central Oregon businesses vying for the $15,000 cash prize, then was whittled down to 10, and finally five competitors were chosen at the September 22nd Central Oregon PubTalk. The Early Stage competition is one of the most electrifying parts of the Bend Venture Conference.

5.  Moolah. Lots and lots of moolah.

Over $900,000 in funding is already committed to this year’s conference, with more expected over the next few weeks. BVC conference organizers (Economic Development for Central Oregon, or EDCO) anticipate the total amount to exceed all previous years.. Quite often, more than one business in the Growth Stage category walks away with investment money. In fact, last year all five Growth Stage companies received investment dollars.

6.  The ultimate power duo

Bend Venture Conference’s two keynote speakers have set the dial to dazzle this year. Thursday’s Social Impact keynote speaker is Rebekah Bastian, Vice President of Product at Zillow. She will speak on how she has used her position at the company as a platform to discuss social issues. Rebekah launched Zillow’s Community Pillar program to help connect low-income renters with affordable housing.

On Friday, Loni Stark from Adobe will speak to the crowd about go-to marketing strategies and global product positioning. She brings a unique perspective to those companies working their way through early product iterations. Loni is the Senior Director of Strategy and Product Marketing as well as a mentor at Alchemist Accelerator, named one of the top five accelerators in the U.S. in 2015.

7.  Go ahead, rub some elbows

Often cited as the highlight of the Bend Venture Conference, Thursday night’s networking reception gives attendees the chance to mix and mingle with hundreds of friends and new connections. Held at Broken Top Club in Bend, the event includes food, drink and spirited conversation.

8.  The whole enchilada

Your ticket to Bend Venture Conference gets you into every single seminar, keynote and gathering held during the two days. Events include: pre-conference seminars, the Social Impact competition, the Thursday night networking reception, a full-day of conferencing on Friday (including a Dine Around lunch ticket), and the Friday afternoon Awards Reception.

If 13 years of BVC history tells us anything, tickets for the conference WILL sell out. Get yours now.

9.  Where they are now?

BVC companies receiving funding have gone on to do amazing things. For example:

Since winning 2015’s Growth Stage competition, Perfect Company added to their lineup of revolutionary kitchen scales for use with interactive recipes. Their product is now sold across the internet and can be found at Best Buy.

Elemental Technologies, a company providing software-defined video solutions for multiscreen content delivery, was acquired by Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS) in September of 2015. Elemental won the 2007 BVC Growth stage competition.

Big things emerge from Bend Venture Conference.

10.  Dream on

The most revered aspect of Bend Venture Conference is that anyone with a dream can apply for funding. All it takes is one crazy idea backed by determination, perspiration and contagious passion. Start getting your big idea ready for 2017. The world is waiting for you.

Dream on.

Surround yourself with radical thinkers and trailblazing entrepreneurs at the Bend Venture Conference on October 13-14, 2016. Held in the vibrant mountain town of Bend, Oregon, BVC will inspire how you think about life, work and play.