Bend Venture Conference 2026 reveals Growth Stage semifinalists

We’re about a month out from the annual Bend Venture Conference, the largest and longest running Angel conference in the Pacific Northwest. So it’s time for them to start revealing the companies that are being considered for the main stage. Now, we know who the BVC Growth Stage Semifinalists are.

Following the close of applications, investors and partners carefully reviewed each submission to select the top startups advancing in the Early, Growth Industries and Growth Tech tracks. Growth Industries is for companies whose core differentiation is brand, physical products, science, or engineering. This includes outdoor and lifestyle brands, food and agriculture, consumer products, biotech and life sciences, hardware, and climate-focused hardware and physical solutions. Growth Tech is for companies whose core differentiation is technology. This includes software, AI and platform-driven companies across climate, health, finance, education, enterprise, and other sectors.

The semifinalists for the Growth Stages will be further narrowed down in early October, with finalists advancing to present on the main stage at the Tower Theatre at the BVC on October 16th.

So who made the cut…? Well there are two buckets, tech and “growth industries.”

Tech

• Caravel Bio (Portland, OR) – The world’s best protein engineering platform.
• Cura (Eugene, OR) – Modernizing 911 — the access, the call, the response — one press, for anyone, from anywhere.
• Permeta (Lake Oswego, OR) – Uses proprietary AI to transform permitting and regulatory operations for the energy industry. 
• SHAED (Minneapolis, MN) – Commercial vehicle procurement is fragmented across thousands of disconnected dealers, upfitters and fleets. SHAED is the B2B platform that connects them.
• Slay Development Works (Bend, OR) – Performance engineering system for mountain biking, using athlete and terrain digital twins to predict race performance and prescribe the training to win.
• Synter (Portland, OR) – AI Agents for growth marketing.
• Zing Drone Solutions (Pendleton, OR) – Specializes in drone threat detection and remote ID compliance solutions.

Growth industries

• Aquagga (Tacoma, WA) – Destroys deadly forever chemicals (PFAS) from industrial waste streams and groundwater.
• Crease Beast (Lewes, DE) – Provides innovative shoe care solutions designed to maintain the appearance and longevity of your sneakers.
• CTNS Co., Ltd. (Seattle, WA) – An intelligent battery pack integration platform company that standardizes battery packs, autonomously manufactures them with AX and manages them with data.
• Galena Innovations, Inc. (Nampa, ID) – The first integrated AI-powered diagnostic and treatment platform to predict and prevent spontaneous preterm birth.
• Looptworks (Portland, OR) – The only operational U.S. textile-to-textile recycling platform to help brands/states with policy compliance and circularity with certified recycled fiber.
• Momotaro Apotheca (Portland, OR) – Women’s health company with certified organic products treating recurrent infections.
• Osheru, Inc. (Bend, OR) – Opening eyes beautifully! Crafts innovative medical devices for surgeons to delight patients with outstanding outcomes as they grow their practices. 
• Penderia Technologies (Eugene, OR) – Believes data from sensors improves clinical care and have developed implantable sensors from University of Oregon research for use in orthopedic procedures.

The event takes place October 15 and 16, 2026, in Bend, Oregon. Tickets are currently on sale starting at $150.

For more information or to grab a ticket, visit Bend Venture Conference.

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