Roger Lee and Brian Vierra – EDCO – Bend Venture Conference

On Tuesday, November 27 2018, our lunch speakers will be Roger Lee (CEO) and Brian Vierra (Venture Catalyst) from EDCO, who will be talking to us about the history and purpose of the Bend Venture Conference.

Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) hosted the 15th Annual Bend Venture Conference (BVC) to a sold-out crowd at the Tower Theatre in Downtown Bend this past October. 14 companies presented their ideas to 600 attendees in hopes of gaining investments from prominent funds. Of those 14 finalists, half of them walked away with funding totaling $1,807,500 in both investments and cash prizes. Side investment deals are still being finalized.

Over the past five years, the Bend Venture Conference has awarded upwards of $9.6 million in funding to 41 companies, completely reinventing Oregon’s angel and venture landscape.

At EDCO, Roger is responsible for the tri-county area’s economic development strategy, business recruitment, oversight of the organization and its satellite offices, and development of special projects including industrial parks, expansion of commercial air service and creation of new programs to assist the region’s traded-sector employers and improve the overall business climate.

Brian is an international business entrepreneur and start up/ early stage investor. He successfully founded and directed three businesses in Asia over a 17 year period. He’s currently active as an angel investor in the Pacific Northwest and Venture Catalyst with Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO), consulting for and connecting early stage businesses with resources.