OEN Member NewsHood River startup Talkoot wins big at Bend Venture Conference (Portland Business Journal)

Hood River startup Talkoot was the big winner at this year’s Bend Venture Conference.

The company, which makes cloud-based software for creative teams to produce and manage copy content, walked away with $1.1 million of investment from several Oregon investor groups.

Talkoot nabbed part of the BVC Growth Stage investment, which totaled $135,000. It also received $500,000 from Bend-based Seven Peaks Ventures; $200,000 from Cascade Angels; and $300,000 from Elevate Capital.

The 15th annual Bend Venture Conference drew 600 attendees to downtown Bend Oct. 18 and Oct. 19. Fourteen companies pitched ideas. Seven received funding.

A total of $1.8 million was awarded this year between the conference’s fund and other investors who announced deals at the event. Over the last five years, 41 companies have received almost $10 million from the event.

“The growth of this conference is really exciting to watch and rewarding to be a part of. It has grown in more ways than just bigger capital deployment. As a result, we’ve seen companies exposed to Bend from across the country, and attendees from across the globe,” said Brian Vierra, venture catalyst for Economic Development for Central Oregon, which organized the event.

The event delivered several other investments.

• CommLoan, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, received $100,000 from the BVC Growth Stage investment. The company created a commercial real estate finance marketplace.
• Caligoo, which has offices worldwide, received $250,000 from Seven Peaks Ventures. The company makes what it calls a “cognitive network” to better connect digital and physical sales funnels.
• Seattle-based Stabilitas received $200,000 from Cascade Angels. The company created an artificial intelligence engine to boost the efficiency of security teams.
• OCO Corp. of Vida, Oregon, received $100,000 from the BVC Impact investment. The company converts carbon dioxide from industrial producers and power plants into formic acid which is a feedstock for other uses in manufacturing, agriculture, transportation and energy production.
• Portland-based Plover Inc received $20,000 from Portland Seed Fund. The company created a car wash machine that uses robotics and only steam and water to wash cars.
• LuDela, of Bend, received $2,500 in the PrideStaff Early Stage award, which was voted on by the conference audience. The company makes a smart scented candle.

Source: www.bizjournals.com