Join Oregon's entrepreneurs Thursday evening March 19th at 5:00 PM at NedSpace (920 SW Third, between Taylor and Salmon) to explore and answer the question "What Would Your Startup Do With $250,000 in 2009?"

In the last 6 months the economy, access to capital, the cost of talent and the opportunities for innovation have all changed. We think it’s time for the relationship between entrepreneurs and the State of Oregon to change, too (the state needs jobs & entrepreneurs need capital!).

Hear stories of successful, local homegrown companies that have either bootstrapped or raised funds and then grown themselves to success.

Most importantly, though, the goal of this event is to prove to the State of Oregon that there are enough jobs, compelling ideas and entrepreneurs to warrant an immediate investment of $100,000,000 for start ups that want to hire local talent.

We are working to raise a $100M fund that makes small investments in Oregon-based companies who hire Oregon-based employees. Now, in 2009. Not next year or some point in the future. In growing these new startups, we are investing in innovation, creating jobs and building Oregon’s brand with innovators and entrepreneurs.

Please be prepared to answer the following questions:

• Could your company hire $250,000 worth of Oregon-based talent in 2009 to get it to the next level?
• What could your company achieve during 2009 with a $250,000 investment?
• How many new jobs would be created if 400 new Oregon startups were funded?
• How would you like to see $100,000,000 invested in Oregon startups?

Brought to you in part by NedSpace, Oregon Entrepreneurs Network, Reference Capital, Software Association of Oregon and Starve Ups.

NedSpace is proud to host an Oregon entrepreneurial startup event during this unparalleled time of economic chaos.disruption. Be a part of this unparalleled movement!

//Contact Information// Wayne Embree - [email protected], 503.619.4310 Josh Friedman - [email protected], 503.705.7975 Mark Grimes - [email protected], 503.502.0185 Harvey Mathews - [email protected], 503-999-5849

Continuing our round table on Launching and Building Companies, we have invited three distinguished panelists: Jack Raiton, Senior Fellow & Professor, Department of Management at OHSU-OGI and an angel investor, Dr. Rob Wiltbank, Associate Professor of Strategic Management, Willamette University & Partner at Buerk Dale Victor LLC, a Seattle based growth stage VC firm Pen Goodale, Independent Consultant in Research & Business Analysis who previously was the Director of Research at OVP Venture Partners This is a great opportunity to discuss and get insights on conducting market research, assessing revenue potential, building a cohesive business plan, bootstrapping your team and raising capital.

Registration Details: Online - Members: $15; Non Members: $25 Onsite - Members: $20; Non Members: $30 Space limited to 20 people.

We know that investors often look for patterns, referrals and pedigree to make the investment process efficient, safely fitting into established norms.

The unintended consequence is that brilliant founders without the right connections are often passed over. This expresses itself in many ways but often we see that LGBTQIA+, Black, Latinx, and Native American founders are largely left out of the VC ecosystem.

Today, companies are creating specific, application based, Opportunity Funds - their goals being inviting more underrepresented founders into the global ecosystem. This looks like a diverse Investment Committee that includes members from both inside and outside of the investment institution, the goal being to review at early stage investments alongside growth investments.

The result? Underestimated founders have access to direct capital.

Join StartOut Founders, Morrison & Foerster, and Bank of America/Merrill Lynch as we discuss how investors set up these kinds of funds, what current programs look like, how to maintain these funds, and how to bring investors and entrepreneurs into this ecosystem.

Moderator:

Alexa Hall, Startup Program Manager - Google Cloud

Supporting Panelists:

Fredo Silva - Partner, Morrison & Foerster - Event Sponsor

Fredo Silva is one of the Partners of Morrison & Foerster. We are an international law firm with lawyers practicing throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe working with large businesses to secure their funds and support a diverse ecosystem.

Kimelyn Harris - SVP, ESG and Public Policy, Bank of America - Event Sponsor

Kimelyn Harris is an ESG Program Executive for the Racial Equality and Economic Opportunity initiative at Bank of America. In this role, she is responsible for executing programming to support the bank’s $1.25 billion, 5-year effort to advance economic opportunity, health care initiatives and racial equality, for people and communities of color. Kimelyn drives business planning and integration for this companywide initiative while also working to identify and build partnerships with organizations, institutions and community leaders.

Riana Lynn - CEO & Co-Founder, Journey Foods

Riana leads fast-growing software startup Journey Foods. The company is backed by top VCs in North America, Europe and Asia. Riana has served as a top consultant and VC to fortune 500 food and CPG companies. She's currently an angel investor and former Google Entrepreneur in Residence. She is one of just a few dozen black women that have raised more than a million dollars in venture funding. Riana has been featured in Forbes, MIT 35 under 35, USA Today, Fast Company, CNBC, Wired, TechCrunch, Entrepreneur Magazine and more.

A Chicago native and Austin-based that enjoys growing fruit trees, writing film scripts, and exploring black culinary and architectural heritage sites around the world. She currently sits on the board of AGLIFF, one of the country's largest annual and inclusive film fests.

Damola Ogundipe - CEO & Co-Founder, Civic Eagle + Advisor for Lunar Startups

Damola Ogundipe is the co-founder and CEO of Civic Eagle, a company building technology to make government policy tracking easier for people and organizations. Damola is a graduate of The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance. He’s a 2018 Camelback Fellow and 2017 Google for Startups Entrepreneur in Residence. Damola is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. In his free time, he enjoys sports and documentaries.

Dan Vaughn - Senior Director/Associate General Counsel, M&A and Equity for PayPal

Join us for a free webinar on Thursday, March 31 from 1-2 PM to hear from an experienced Seed Fund Manager, Robert Pease of Cascade Seed Fund, an active Angel Investor Raul Krivoy, and entrepreneur Lauren Schneider who co-founded TrovaTrip and has raised funds to launch her company.

Learn what investors expect from you in the way of a business plan, financials, and market validation. Are there "tips" you can learn about successfully raising money to build your business? What does the current market look like for an entrepreneur to raise money?