With economic turmoil spreading from financial markets to local communities, it’s a tough season for raising funds to start or support good causes. Join us for this free event on December 10th to explore diverse ideas and new models for “financing the good.”

Panelists representing banking, angel investing, micro-philanthropy, and grant funding will discuss innovative approaches for funding social change that reflect shifts in the way their organizations do business. Specifically, they will highlight opportunities for "average" Portlanders to obtain funding for their social change projects and visions.

During the workshop segment, learn tips and tricks for obtaining one of Portland's community building or environmental grants, discover how community currency can fund social change, talk with a lawyer about how to apply for a 501(c)(3), learn how a social stock market generates seed funding for launching good ideas and how to implement "sustaining strategies."

Panelists: Mark Moffenbier, Shorebank Pacific Mark Holloway, Social Venture Partners Portland Amy Pearl, ChangeXchange Social Stock Market Joy Hunt, Vision into Action Grants

Workshops Angela Southwick, Neighbors West-Northwest Neighborhood Grants Emily Rice, Community Watershed Stewardship Program Environmental Grants Janelle Geddes, Metro Grants John Brown, Rooms for Peace Alan Rosenblith, Community Prosper, community currency Nancy Murray, Community Development Legal Clinic

The forum is sponsored by Portland-based nonprofit, Springboard Innovation. Springboard's mission is to launch community-led community change. The purpose of the forum is to empower "average" Portlanders with the resources and tools needed to take action to solve problems our society is facing.

June's Forum focuses on sustainability. How do you implement innovation in a way that creates lasting change? How do you preserve and maintain the change you've worked for? This month's forum will guide you through both of these considerations, the two sides of real sustainability. Join us to share your ideas and discuss emerging local and national concepts and projects and how they are sustaining the good! The Springboard Social Innovation Forum offers a monthly event designed to support those interested in creating a better future. Our focus is to help practitioners or potential practitioners of social projects push beyond discussion and debate into action. Each Forum will inspire and teach with ideas, powerful role models, and stories. Speakers, content experts, panels, and workshops will help you improve your strategies for planning and launching effective social ventures. The Forum will create a context to connect, learn, and take action around ideas that lead to tangible change—all in a venue designed for building community. Cost is $5.00 at the door.

OEN's Venture Northwest (formerly Venture Oregon) is an annual conference that draws institutional investors and investment bankers from across the Western U.S. who are interested in emerging Northwest businesses and the region's growth segments. It's a great way for investors to connect with the area's hottest emerging Northwest businesses.

Northwest businesses that have presented at Venture Northwest have raised over $1.3 billion in venture capital since 1996 and over $68 million in angel investment.*

*Not all Northwest businesses that presented had investments reported in Venture Source.

Please visit the OEN Event calendar to register to attend this event.

The Willamette Angel Conference is an investor conference, connecting early stage and seed businesses with angel and venture investors. Entrepreneurs and start-ups can submit their business plans for review and coaching, ultimately vying for a minimum $140,000 investment. Connecting Start up Businesses with Qualified Investors

The Willamette Valley boasts a high number of businesses that highlight the rugged individuality, forward thinking, technology and entrepreneurship that are part of Oregon's proud heritage.

Attendees will include members of organized angel groups, individual angels, prospective angels, and early-stage investment firms as well as entrepreneurial ventures and start ups interested in obtaining angel funding.

Do you know what to expect when applying for funding? Join OEN at Backspace for the skinny on local Angel Investment avenues. We’ve invited four local angel investment organizations to give an overview of their programs and share what kind of investments they make. You’ll learn the ins and outs of how to obtain funding including: how to apply, and tips about what investors are looking for, and how best to stand out against the competition.

Moderator: Rob Wiltbank, Willamette University

Panelists:

Julie Gulla, Portland Angel Network

Jim Huston, Portland Seed Fund

Angela Jackson, Keiretsu Forum

Eric Pozzo, Oregon Angel Fund

Pre-Register and Save

OEN members can save by pre-registering online. Online registration for this event closes Wednesday, April 13th at 12:00 pm. Please register at the door after that time, no discounts will be applied.

5-Minute Pitch

PubTalk is a lively forum where very early-stage entrepreneurs from any industry get a chance to test their company pitch in front of an audience of their peers. Presenters and attendees alike, learn from the challenging questions, which test the presenting entrepreneur’s business model. Companies who would like to apply to present at an upcoming PubTalk can apply here: http://www.oen.org/5_minute_pitch.aspx.

Sponsors

Ater Wynne Comcast Business Services

The Willamette Angel Conference is an investor conference, connecting early stage and seed businesses with angel and venture investors. Entrepreneurs and start-ups can submit their business plans for review and coaching, ultimately vying for a minimum $140,000 investment. Connecting Start up Businesses with Qualified Investors

The Willamette Valley boasts a high number of businesses that highlight the rugged individuality, forward thinking, technology and entrepreneurship that are part of Oregon's proud heritage.

Attendees will include members of organized angel groups, individual angels, prospective angels, and early-stage investment firms as well as entrepreneurial ventures and start ups interested in obtaining angel funding.

Raising equity capital can be a daunting task for entrepreneurs. OEN is proud to offer a workshop that provides entrepreneurs who are planning to try and raise capital from Angel Investors, an overview on what it takes to prepare.

The workshop covers a road map of how to improve your investor readiness. Topics will include: • Who is an Angel Investor - and what motivates them to invest. • Understanding Angel Investor realities. • Where to find Angels. • Investor readiness and preparation • The Due Diligence process. • Criteria of an ideal Angel Deal.

Dennis Powers, Cornerstone Management Resources Mr. Powers is the Managing Partner of Cornerstone Management Resources and has over 35 years experience in technology ventures. He has been an officer and/or director in a number of companies that have successfully gone from early formation to successful exits. He has experience on several boards of directors, is an active angel investor, and volunteer in the entrepreneurial community.

Learn about angel investing and OEN’s Angel Oregon experience and process at the Angel Oregon 2012 Investor Information Session & Reception. OEN's Angel Oregon is an annual investment conference for concept and launch stage companies. Investors looking for an opportunity to diversify their investment portfolios, learn more about angel investing, as well as have fun and network with the Oregon entrepreneurial community should attend.

Presenters:

•Drew Smith, Investor Recruitment Chair, Angel Oregon 2012 •Shelley Gunton, Chair, Angel Oregon 2012 •Bill Stevens , LLC Manager Panel of angel investors who have benefitted from their experience with Angel Oregon. Other AO12 Steering Committee members

**Note: Attendees must meet the SEC accredited investors' criteria. See requirements in the following link: http://www.sec.gov/answers/accred.htm.

This event will include a lively discussion of the potential returns of a Wellness Program, setting goals, and effectively marketing to increase employee engagement. We will include real life examples of what works and what doesn't work in the wellness arena, and describe some cutting edge programs.

What Will You Learn?

• How to provide employees with tools to be healthy and financially strong, cultivate their careers and support their communities
• How to enhance business results through a total wellness program
• How to enhance employee engagement by setting goals and marketing
• How to involve "at risk” employees in your wellness program

Panelists:

• Anne Donovan, SPHR, is president of Xenium HR with 20 dedicated years served at the Stoller Group of Companies. In additional to PHR and SPR certifications, Anne holds a certificate for Human Resource Management from Portland State University. Anne will describe Xenium’s rollout of a major wellness initiative in 2012, and identify Best Practices in the wellness arena.

• Monique Little, First Tech Federal Credit Union’s Chief People Officer, will describe the credit union’s comprehensive approach to total employee wellness called WiredWell. This program focuses on health, financial strength, career cultivation and community involvement. Monique will describe how this program enhanced First Tech’s employee engagement, satisfaction and business results.

• David Mays is a founder of Portland based Walker Tracker, a company that designs and implements activity programs for corporations and organizations. Walker Tracker engages walkers in 77 countries. David will describe setting wellness program goals and marketing, as well as sharing the three components to involve "at risk” employees in your wellness program.

Moderator:

• Sarah J. Ryan, Managing Partner of the Portland office of Jackson Lewis LLP, specializes in employment law and routinely advises companies regarding employee issues. Sarah will provide a brief highlight of the legal issues that must be considered in implementing a wellness program.

Who Should Attend?

• Corporate benefits administrators
• HR Executives
• Corporate risk advisors
• Company executives

For more Information and to Register, Click here

Interested in the local startup ecosystem and how to do more faster? Join Techstars Seattle, PIE, and local entrepreneurs for a night of networking and learning about Techstars' 3 month entrepreneurship bootcamp. Hear how some of Portland's own Techstars alumni got started, where they failed, and what made them successful.

Agenda:

6:00 pm Registration

6:30 pm Panel

Moderator: Chris DeVore, Managing Director, Techstars Seattle Panelists: Brad Heller, Reflect; JR Storment, Cloudability

7:30 pm Networking

8:00 pm Event close

Want to meet one-on-one with Chris DeVore, Managing Director before the event? Sign up for office hours: https://tsseattlepdxofficehours.youcanbook.me/. Space is limited!

Want to apply to Techstars Seattle? Application close October 15! Learn more at the event or the application process by contacting Jaren Schwartz at [email protected].

RSVP for the event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/want-more-for-your-startup-learn-how-techstars-seattle-can-help-tickets-27075228738

Free money, got your attention, huh?

SBIR Round Table: Free Money for Your Innovative Technologies Do you have an innovative tech idea but no money for research and development (R&D)?

You might be surprised to learn that the Federal government spends $2.5 billion annually in the forms of grants and contracts for small businesses to work with agencies on projects from the Department of Defense all the way down to the Environmental Protection Administration.

This program, Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR), is intended to encourage domestic small businesses to engage in high-growth R&D.

Join us for a panel session, where local entrepreneurs will highlight tips, pitfalls and how the SBIR program helped their business. Space is limited, so please register to reserve your spot.

What you can expect?

Meet and learn from local entrepreneurs who have successfully secured non-dilutive Federal funding that afforded them the opportunity to engage in high growth research and development.

Meet with local resource partners who can help you apply for SBIR grants and capitalize on the opportunities that the SBIR program can afford your business.

Date: Wednesday, April 19 Time: 5:30- 7:00 pm Place: NedSpace 707 SW Washington St., #1100 Portland, OR 97205

Partial Panel List

SweetSense Inc. Evan Thomas, CEO SweetSense is doing a fabulous job helping global aid organizations bring infrastructure to the developing world.

eWindSolutions Katie Schaefer, cofounder & Director of Strategic Partnerships Understands and played an important role in the SBIR process.

Imagars LLC (tentative) Baldur Steingrimsson, President New American entrepreneur from Iceland – developing a tool that can help designers identify design oversights early in the process and better collaborate among design team members.

All NedSpace events have a Code of Conduct which all participants, members, partners, visitors, vendors, guests must abide by.

RSVP, tix are limited: https://www.meetup.com/Startup-Your-Startup/events/238679561/

Pitch Club is an ongoing monthly series where entrepreneurs can practice their pitch and business plan. Tom Kingsley creates a dynamic and realistic environment. Participants are given the opportunity to role-play being an investor to other entrepreneurs giving them a better understanding of what the investors are looking for.

We will be kicking off the night with a special guest speaker from Ruby Receptionists!!

Get Knock-your-socks-off Service with the Ruby Service Pyramid

A great customer experience is not only the biggest driver of customer loyalty but also a primary method for building valuable word-of-mouth buzz that brings in new business. During our time together, I’ll share Ruby’s recipe for delivering legendary service, which includes building a foundation for trust, loyalty and relationships, and how you too can use this formula to attract and retain customers.

Guest Speaker

Christina Burns is the VP of Service at Ruby Receptionists. She’s been in the customer service industry for over a decade, and has learned some incredibly valuable lessons over the years. She has a passion for sharing information and encouraging businesses to focus on customer experience as a key business metric, and she wholeheartedly believes that fantastic customer service can make the world a better place.

USE THE PROMO CODE CALAGATOR TO TAKE 50% OFF

About the workshop: Raising money from angel investors is often a critical step in the founder journey, yet there is little in the way of tactical support, or clearly defined methodology, to support this area of work. Founders can feel unprepared or intimidated by a project that, more than any other, requires competence and confidence.

Courting Angels: A Tactical Guide To Raising Money For Your Startup is a concise workshop designed to demystify this process and provide a step by step approach for entrepreneurs tasked with raising capital to grow. It is based on a unique, proven and teachable methodology that has delivered unparalleled results for founders who have used it.

Snacks and Drinks provided!

About the speaker: Sara Batterby is most recently the Founder of Hifi Farms, a cannabis cultivation company in Oregon. Prior to cannabis she was a long time entrepreneur and a partner in an angel fund in Silicon Valley. She has delivered this workshop to thousands of founders at conferences all around the country and has used this methodology to raise millions for her own business and for the businesses of those she works with on an advisory and consulting basis.

Description Portland Startup Week begins April 1 (no joke!), and Sila will be hosting a conference in the middle of all the events.

Finnovation PDX is a chance for the FinTech community - its leaders, employees, investors, supporters, and customers - to come together, deepen connections, celebrate wins, and share lessons and insights.

The event will be broken up into 4 thought-provoking segments:

VC & Investment - How are VCs viewing the rise of FinTech startups, especially blockchain and crypto-specific businesses?

Consumers - With pioneering companies like Simple leading the way, how has the consumer experience around banking, finance, and FinTech evolved?

Product + Engineering - What kinds of tools and resources are changing how FinTech products get made?

Founders - The experience of building and scaling a FinTech company is radically different than it was 10 years ago. How are founders changing their approach?

Following the event please join us at the Portland City Grill (30th Floor of the U.S. Bancorp Tower) for Happy Hour, and Sila's Beta Launch!

Agenda:

11:30 - Lunch, mingle, grab a seat

12:00 - Kick off keynote with Matt Compton

12:20 - VC & Investment Panel: The Investor’s Perspective. Featuring moderator Matt Compton & panelists Hope Cochran, Geoff Harris, & Stephen Green

1:10 - Consumer Panel: Evolution of the Consumer Experience. Featuring moderator Josh Reich & panelists Randy Fernando, Melissa Geyer, Andy Van Oostrum, & Amy Pearl

2:00 - Grab a snack and check out the demo of Sila’s brand spanking new beta!

2:15 - Product Panel: FinTech Product Innovation. Featuring moderator Shamir Karkal & panelists Ian Collins, Laura Spiekerman & Angela Angelovska-Wilson

3:05 - Founders Panel: Scaling a Fintech Company. Featuring moderator Kasey Jones & panelists David Nelsen, Alexandra Horrigan, & Isaac Hines

4:10 - Final Talk with David Nelsen

5pm - Finnovation Happy Hour & Sila Beta Launch Party!!!

Meet the Speakers & Panelists:

David Nelsen Bumped

David Nelsen: Founder & CEO at Bumped, David leads the first ever FinTech company to leverage stock ownership to build one-to-one relationships between brands and their customers. Prior to Bumped, David was CEO and co-founder of Giftango, a digital payments company that brought the digital gift card to market for many of the largest global brands.

Laura Spiekerman Alloy

Laura Spiekerman: Co-founder & CRO at Alloy, where she builds APIs for financial services to manage identity verification from signup through the life of the customer. Laura also has over 8 years of experience in the financial world, including advanced work with mobile payments at Knox Payments & Kopo Kopo.

Andy Van Oostrum Cognigy

Andy Van Oostrum: VP of North American Sales at Cognigy, a conversational AI platform, Andy enables the partner ecosystem and drives client engagement in the categories of both voice and text virtual assistants. Andy is also a digital strategist, and largely sits at the intersection of marketing and technology. He worked in the Sitecore ecosystem for 10 years, and has held board positions at the American Marketing Association, Portland Advertising Federation, and SOLVE.

Melissa Geyer Seed

Melissa Geyer: CXO at Seed, a business banking startup based in Portland, Melissa builds and scales customer experience-driven FinTech support teams. She also worked previously at consumer bank Simple, where she served as Director of Customer Relations for the startup as it launched.

Geoff Harris Flying Fish

Geoff Harris: Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Flying Fish, a Venture Capital firm based in Seattle. Geoff also serves on the Seattle Angel Board of Directors, a non-profit with a mission of educating both entrepreneurs and potential angel investors, and is heavily involved in promoting angel investing within Seattle in an effort to grow the funding ecosystem for local startups. Prior to his work in investing Geoff spent 15 years at Microsoft in Engineering Leadership and Executive Leadership positions.

Alexandra Horigan Aspiration

Alexandra Horigan: Founding team member & VP of Strategic Initiatives at Aspiration, a socially conscious financial firm. Prior to Aspiration, Alexandra spent half a decade on Wall Street in sales, and as a broker for Intercontinental Exchange and Cantor Fitzgerald. Alexandra is a graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder, a former competitive skier, and most importantly, a mom to two boys.

Amy Pearl seedpay

Amy Pearl: Director of Community Develpment at seedpay, a financial services social enterprise that leverages blockchain technology to strengthen communities. Previously Amy was founder and CEO of Hatch Innovation, where she helped launch new local investing laws to promote community capital. She believes in working upstream to develop new tools for positive disruption.

Matt Compton Oregon Venture Fund

Matt Compton: General Partner at Oregon Venture Fund, Matt's been an active startup investor and advisor in Oregon for the past decade. Previously he held various product, partnership, and marketing leadership roles at Yahoo! during their rapid growth period from 2002 to 2007. In 2008, he began investing with the Oregon Angel Fund, and has also served on the boards of several early and growth stage companies, including Jama and Simple Financial - currently Matt is on the board of REI.

Isaac Hines Sila

Isaac Hines: Co-founder & COO at Sila, Isaac also has 20 years of experience in the energy sector, where Isaac served as finance director and general manager and oversaw upwards of $200m in projects.

Angela Angelovska-Wilson Sila

Angela Angelovska-Wilson: Co-founder & CLO at Sila, Angela also plays a major role in the world of blockchain technology regulations as a lawyer at DLx Law in New York City. She has an extensive wealth of experience in law, and serves as a CCO for Digital Asset Holdings LLC.

Shamir Karkal Sila

Shamir Karkal: Co-founder & CEO at Sila, Shamir was also co-founder of Simple, a Portland-based bank that is digital-only, with no physical branches. He also managed the development of Open APIs at BBVA and was an Entrepreneur in Residence at the Omidyar Network.

Kasey Jones BetterGrowth

Kasey Jones: Founding partner at BetterGrowth, a growth strategy agency that helps early-stage B2B companies accelerate revenue growth. Kasey also has extensive experience in sales and marketing in Portland, having worked at Keboola, Postano, and Good Data.

Randy Fernando: Managing Director at Acorns

Hope Cochran: Managing Director at Madrona Venture Group

Ian Collins: Senior Product Designer at Acorns

Josh Reich: Co-Founder & former CEO at Simple

Stephen Green: Director of Operations at PENSOLE

Whether you’re bootstrapping or investment-backed, pre-revenue or turning a profit, just started up or have been operating for years, there are steps you need to take to stay on top of your finances, maintain compliance, and establish or maintain a strong foundation.

In this workshop, you will learn:

Why accounting is important for an entrepreneur to know Overview of cash flow vs. balance sheet Financial terms to know when talking to others involved in supporting your business The key players every entrepreneur should have within their financial support system About the speaker:

Michael Rewkiewicz is a partner in the Assurance and Advisory Practice at Frank, Rimerman + Co. and leads the firm’s Venture Fund Group. He has extensive experience in advising venture backed companies. Michael specializes in audits of venture funds, private equity funds and debt funds ranging from $10m into the billions in terms of committed capital.

Questions about this event? Please contact Katie Spoden at [email protected].

This event is created by Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, University of Chicago, and Frank, Rimerman + Co. LLP.