If you’re not familiar with the Oregon Capital Scan, it’s an effort in which a variety of folks from around the state engage, every two years. The “scan” is an effort to look back and determine the impacts and needs for capital in Oregon as it applies to business creation and growth. The Oregon Capital Scan for 2020 was just released.
Since 2014, the Lundquist College of Business has been responsible for the biennial survey of flows of capital into and through the state’s businesses. The 2020 report covers the activity in Oregon during the 2018-2019 timeframe and some data from 2020, including an overview of CARES Act funding through Paycheck Protection Program loans.
The Capital Scan captures data on a variety of capital types, ranging from city and county grants for local business to late-stage venture capital investments in high-growth companies. Newly included in the 2020 edition are data covering credit union business lending and reporting on activity of the largest banks through data from the Community Reinvestment Act.
Findings of specific interest to the startup community include an uptick in Angel activity and a downturn in Venture Capital investing after a five year growth streak. But most notable was this finding:
Oregon has strong local VCs for early stages of company growth. The top 5 most active VC firms in Oregon since 2014 are all Oregon based. However, these firms have relatively limited assets under management, which limits potential follow-on funding or larger initial rounds.
For more insights, download the 2020 Oregon Capital Scan.
(Hat tip Mitch Daugherty)
