OEN NewsLetter from Amanda

Dear OEN Friends,

As one of my favorite venture capitalist friends likes to say, I’m just going to bottom-line this…

I’m writing to share news that I have accepted a new role within the entrepreneurial community and will be transitioning out of OEN by this fall. This was a very difficult decision, and one I labored over. I feel really good about the progress we’ve made as a community these last couple of years to steer OEN through a critical inflection point and begin rebuilding the team and network.

The sector-based Angel Oregons have emerged as a strong platform for engaging a full cross-section of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. The inaugural AOBIO finale felt like a stunning success, and I believe that what came together in that beautiful room will continue to grow and flourish. OregonAF 2022 is about to kick off with a new cohort of kick-ass food and beverage makers and an even deeper bench of mentors and talent. AOTECH is alive and well thanks to the June PubTalk PitchSLAM and is poised to come roaring back in full force next year. Integrating the Emerge Initiative into all these programs in partnership with Black Founders Matter has been profound, and I’m grateful to the BFM team for leaning into the work with us.

A past board member recently told me that they believe OEN is the healthiest it’s been in 10 years, and I take huge pride in having helped make that happen. OEN Executive Director is now a great job for someone new to step into, and the board is committed to hiring an ED who can build on the foundation this team has laid and help take OEN’s work to the next level.

Speaking of team, they are the best! Alex, Luis and Mike have been a joy to work with and I hope you’ll rally around to support them through this transition. As has long been planned, Mike will formally join the SEDCOR team in Salem on July 1st in order to maximize local support for his role as MidValley Venture Catalyst. Alex and Luis will stay focused on OEN’s big fall events, while the board of directors, led by chair John Williams, conducts an executive search. Please come out to the June 8th and July 13th PubTalks to show your support for this team!

I will begin working half-time today, focused on making our summer PubTalks and OregonAF the very best ever. I’ll also be backing up Alex as she leads the way to a sparkling live celebration of Oregon entrepreneurship at the OEN Awards. With the other half of my time I’ll be learning the ropes at Portland-based patent equity fund, Ideaship. Once we’ve identified and onboarded a next-level leader for OEN, I’ll transition to Ideaship full time.

So the search is on! Please help spread the word about “next-level OEN” and help us find the leader who will take us there. I intend to be an active OEN Member supporting that new leader, and I hope to see you right there with me.

Cheers,
Amanda