Bend Venture Conference shares 2026 winners

Last week was a tragic week in Bend, Oregon. And that tragedy will have lasting impact on the community and the folks that call Bend home. At the same time, many of your peers happened to be in town for the annual Bend Venture Conference, the largest and longest running early stage funding conference in the Pacific Northwest. The event continued as best as it could. And several founders walked away with funding.

Thirteen finalists presented across three tracks: Early Stage, Growth Industries and Growth Tech. Together, the companies represented a range of industries and approaches to solving problems, developing new products and bringing innovations to market. Through its connections between founders and investors, BVC helps promising companies gain exposure, pursue funding and build relationships that can support their next stage of growth.

“Bend Venture Conference is about more than investment dollars. It’s about giving entrepreneurs the opportunity to put their ideas in front of people who can help them move forward and connecting investors with companies working to solve real problems and build lasting businesses,” said Jon Stark, CEO of EDCO. “This year’s results reflect the talent and determination of the founders who took the stage, as well as the investors and community members willing to get behind them. We’re proud to bring these people together and help create opportunities for companies to grow.”

The winners…? Early stage was VeriBuy out of Bend, which walked away with a $40k cash award. Growth Industries gave out $125k to Bend’s Osheru and $200k to Eugene’s Penderia Technologies. Portland’s Caravel Bio won $150k and CleanHaus took home $65k. Permeta out of Lake Oswego received $420k.

“This year’s Bend Venture Conference highlighted the strength and diversity of Oregon’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, with $1 million awarded to six outstanding Oregon companies,” said Wendy Morgan, EDCO’s Venture Catalyst Director. “From pioneering medical technologies that improve patient care to innovations that accelerate energy infrastructure development, these founders are solving meaningful challenges and building scalable businesses. Their success will create high-value jobs, attract investment, strengthen Oregon’s economy, and elevate our state’s reputation as a national hub for innovation.”

For more information, see the press release or visit Bend Venture Conference.