What Bend Venture Conference does

Bend Venture Conference (BVC) is the largest angel investment conference in the Pacific Northwest, held annually at the Tower Theatre in downtown Bend, Oregon and owned by Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO), a nonprofit founded in 1981. First held in 2006, BVC runs three competition tracks — Growth Stage (companies with $1M+ revenue or $500K+ raised seeking $250K-$2.5M+ rounds), Early Stage (Oregon-based pre-revenue or sub-$1M revenue startups typically raising under $1M), and Impact (social/environmental mission companies) — with applications managed through the Gust platform. The event draws 600+ attendees including entrepreneurs, angel investors, and business leaders, and has cumulatively deployed over $14M into 59 companies across 250+ participating angels.

BVC operates a complementary investment vehicle, the BVC Funds LLC, managed by figures including Jenn Lynch (also managing partner at Portland Seed Fund) and Brian Vierra (Venture Catalyst at EDCO), which invests $150K-$350K per cycle into winning startups and co-invests alongside regional funds such as Cascade Angels, Seven Peaks Ventures, Elevate Capital, Oregon Venture Fund, Founder First Fund, and Business Oregon, with total co-deployed capital exceeding $4M in past years. The conference is underwritten by a multi-tier sponsor stack anchored by Title Sponsors US Bank and Alliant Insurance Services, and the program has added educational components (Conference Seminars, BVC Briefs) and a virtual attendance option introduced in 2020.

Revenue is generated from conference ticket sales, multi-tier sponsorship, and indirect economics from the BVC Funds LLC; financial figures are not publicly disclosed. BVC does not operate proprietary technology and functions primarily as an event and ecosystem-orchestration platform rather than a technology product company. Notable past winners include RFPIO (2016 winner that later received a $25M investment from K1 Investment Management), Hubb ($2.5M award in 2016), CrowdStreet (2014 winner that closed an $8M Series B), and Talkoot ($1.135M in 2018).

Name

Bend Venture Conference

Legal name

Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO)

Website

http://www.bendvc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bend Venture Conference is an annual angel investment conference in Bend, Oregon, owned by nonprofit EDCO, that connects early-stage and growth-stage startups across the Pacific Northwest with 250+ angel investors and a recurring BVC Fund investment vehicle.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bend

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Conference Ticket Sales: The conference generates revenue through ticket sales for attendees who want to participate in the event, network with investors, and watch company pitches. Semi-finalist companies receive one complimentary ticket with additional complimentary tickets for finalists. Other applicants receive a $125 credit towards conference tickets.
2. Sponsorship Revenue: The conference is supported by multiple sponsor tiers including Title Sponsors (US Bank, Alliant Insurance Services), Presenting Sponsors (Jones & Roth, Portland Seed Fund), Networking Sponsors (Boss Mortgage, Business Oregon, City of Bend), Supporting Sponsors (Columbia Bank, Oregon Venture Fund, Collaborative EDO, Regence, Invent OR, St. Charles HealthCare, Kiln), and Brand & IT Partners (Rover, Hand in Hand Productions, Gust, CMIT Solutions), plus Media Sponsors (Cascade Business News).
3. BVC Fund Investments: The BVC Funds LLC are private investment vehicles that invest in promising startups from the conference. Over $14 million has been invested in 59 companies. Fund sizes typically range from $150,000 to $350,000. Other angel and venture funds invest in tandem, deploying amounts exceeding $4,000,000 in past years. Investors must be accredited as defined by the SEC under Regulation D.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Bend Venture Conference (BVC) is an annual angel investment conference held at the Tower Theatre in downtown Bend, Oregon, connecting early-stage and growth-stage startups with accredited angel investors through structured pitch competitions (Growth Stage, Early Stage, and Impact tracks). BVC also operates the BVC Funds, LLC, a private investment vehicle that has deployed over $14 million across 59 companies since inception, with participating funds syndicating additional capital in excess of $4 million annually.

Product overview

Bend Venture Conference is a single unified annual event product—the largest angel investment conference in the Pacific Northwest. The conference consists of the main BVC competition event featuring Growth Stage and Early Stage tracks, supplemented by the BVC Fund investment vehicle for portfolio companies, Conference Seminars for educational content, BVC Briefs for keynote presentations, and a Past Winners showcase. The event takes place annually at the Tower Theatre in Downtown Bend, Oregon.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bend Venture Conference (Annual Conference) An annual two-day angel investment conference held at the Tower Theatre in downtown Bend, Oregon, featuring Growth Stage and Early Stage startup pitch competitions (plus an Impact track), company presentations, networking, and educational seminars. Designed for entrepreneurs seeking capital and accredited investors seeking curated deal flow.
• BVC Fund (BVC Funds, LLC) A private LLC investment vehicle established annually by BVC to invest directly in the most promising startups emerging from the conference. Typical investment sizes range from $150,000 to $350,000, with other angel and venture funds syndicating in tandem to deploy amounts exceeding $4 million annually. Open to accredited investors as defined by the SEC under Regulation D.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $14 million invested in 59 companies over two decades
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered networking sponsor, presenting sponsor, brand & it partner and speaker partner.

• City of Bendnetworking sponsorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Networking Sponsor providing local government support for the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Bend, Oregon.
• Jones & Rothpresenting sponsorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2025Dine Around Sponsor providing CPA and accounting expertise. Jones & Roth is a CPA and business advisory firm.
• Gustbrand & it partnerTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2025Brand & IT Partner providing the application platform for BVC company applications and public profiles.
• Indiegogospeaker partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 20182018 Impact Keynote Speaker partner with Breanna DiGiammarino, Senior Director of Social Innovation, speaking on crowdfunding for social entrepreneurs.
• Bloomberg Technologyspeaker partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 20182018 Keynote Speaker partner with Emily Chang, Anchor & Executive Producer of Bloomberg Technology, speaking on technology and innovation.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Capital Factory: Texas-based startup accelerator, pitch competition, and venture hub that hosts demo days and angel/VC matchmaking events. Closely comparable to BVC's role as the central startup event in Bend's ecosystem.
• TechCrunch Disrupt Startup Battlefield: Annual high-profile startup pitch competition that connects early-stage founders with top-tier VCs and angel investors, with sizable investment awards. Comparable to BVC's Growth/Early Stage tracks but at a much larger scale.
• Keiretsu Forum: One of the largest global angel investor networks, operating regional chapters that host pitch competitions and syndicated angel rounds. Highly comparable to BVC's angel conference + fund model.
• Cascade Angels: Oregon-based regional angel network that invests in Pacific Northwest startups and co-invests alongside BVC Funds. Direct peer with overlapping LP base and deal flow.
• Angel Capital Association: Industry association representing angel investor groups across the U.S. Comparable as the trade body for the same angel investor community BVC serves and channels into its Funds.
• TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs): Global nonprofit entrepreneur network that runs regional pitch events, mentorship programs, and angel/VC matchmaking. Comparable in mission to EDCO's role hosting BVC.
• SXSW Pitch: Annual startup pitch competition held during the SXSW festival, connecting early-stage companies with investors and media. Similar pitch-competition-plus-networking model to BVC.
• Portland Seed Fund: Oregon-based early-stage venture capital fund that runs pitch competitions (including the Early Stage track at BVC) and invests in Pacific Northwest startups. Direct peer and explicit BVC partner.

Emerging players

• AngelList: Online platform that matches startups with angel investors and runs rolling syndicate-style funding. Comparable on the investor-connectivity side but competes via digital scale rather than live events.

Broad incumbents

• Techstars: Large global accelerator that hosts Demo Days connecting cohort startups with thousands of investors. Overlaps with BVC's pitch-and-network function but operates as a structured accelerator program rather than a single annual conference.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BendVenture
• Facebookfacebook.com/bendventure

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments39 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bend Venture Conference