EDCO announces 5 Early Stage finalists to present at Bend Venture Conference

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) announced the five finalists advancing in the Early Stage competition for the 18^th Annual Bend Venture Conference on Thursday, Oct. 21 – Friday, Oct. 22. These companies will compete for a minimum investment of $30,000 from Portland Seed Fund.

Eight companies took the stage both virtually and in-person to pitch during last night’s Central Oregon PubTalk. This competition includes companies that have a great idea and are close to “proof of concept.” They are pre-revenue (or very early) and are in the process of testing their product in the market. The Early Stage companies will pitch during BVC on Friday, October 22^nd.

In addition to being a finalist, Tonsil Tech won the audience vote and received a $3,000 cash award, courtesy of Washington Trust Bank.

In alphabetical order, the Early Stage finalists that will compete at BVC are:

1. cannecht (Bend, OR) – A digital marketplace to help cannabis operators find and secure service contracts with trusted providers.
2. KinectAir (Vancouver, WA) – Private aviation made public. Affordable, soon-to-be electric, aircraft booked from your smartphone using local community airports.
3. LifeAir (Portland, OR) – Saving millions of lives by pioneering the first ventilator that eliminates patient-to-patient transmission of diseases, such as pneumonia and COVID.
4. Radious (Portland, OR) – An online marketplace for rentable home office and meeting space.
5. Tonsil Tech (Redmond, OR) – At-home handheld device to remove tonsil stones painlessly and effectively.

Ticket Sales
Tickets to the 18^th Annual Bend Venture Conference are on sale now and are available here.

About Bend Venture Conference (BVC)
Now in its 18^th year, BVC, hosted by EDCO, is one of the largest angel conferences in the country. Over the past five years, more than $10 million has been invested in 40 companies as a result of the conference. This year’s conference will take place October 21-22, 2021, gathering entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders. bendvc.com

About Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO)
EDCO is a non-profit corporation supported by private and public members and stakeholders, whose mission is to create middle-class jobs in Central Oregon by recruiting new employers to move to the region; helping entrepreneurs start new, scalable businesses; and working with businesses that are already here to grow their operations. edcoinfo.com