OEN NewsMake a Nomination for a 2016 OEN Tom Holce Entrepreneurship Award
Calling Oregon’s best and brightest startup companies and entrepreneurs!
The OEN Tom Holce Entrepreneurship Awards program honors the skill and courage that it takes for entrepreneurs to create a business out of an idea.
Nominate an entrepreneur or team | Nominate a company | Nominate a product or service
“The OEN Awards nomination and judging process was a catalyst for getting out of my barre3 bubble and meeting incredible leaders in our community. Both judges and fellow nominees have become an important part of my support network. Thank you OEN!”
– Sadie Lincoln, barre3
Nominate an entrepreneur or founding team
Entrepreneurial Achievement Award
Honoring an entrepreneur or founding team with a record of outstanding achievement in the last 18 months
Individuals or founding teams are considered eligible for the Award for Entrepreneurial Achievement if they found and/or operate a new for-profit enterprise or venture, assuming material risk and personal accountability for the venture’s survival. Individual nominees do not have to have been on the founding team, but do need to have assumed significant risk to their career and/or personal assets. This award is not meant to honor a long career of achievement, but rather to recognize outstanding achievement in the last 18 months. You may nominate yourself or your founding team, or make a nomination on a person or team’s behalf.
The winner will be recognized at our 2016 OEN Tom Holce Entrepreneurship Awards on Wednesday, October 26.
Nominations for our 2016 Entrepreneurial Achievement Award are now closed.
Wyatt Starnes Memorial Award
Honoring the region’s most promising early-stage tech entrepreneur
The Wyatt Starnes Memorial Award was created in 2014 to honor the legacy of William Wyatt Starnes, founder and CEO of SignaCert and cofounder of Tripwire Inc. OEN is seeking early-stage tech entrepreneurs in Oregon or Southwest Washington who will carry on Wyatt’s legacy.
The winner will receive $3,000 in cash, plus a one-year OEN scholarship, and will be recognized at our 2016 OEN Tom Holce Entrepreneurship Awards on Wednesday, October 26.
To be considered, you must embody Wyatt’s distinguishing qualities — demonstrating enthusiasm, willingness to work hard toward a goal, fearlessness when it comes to taking big risks, and commitment to changing the world for the better.
Applications for our Wyatt Starnes Memorial Award closed on Friday, August 5, 2016.
Nominate a product or service
Game Changer Award
Revenue for the current year of under $5 million
Are you not only building a company but revolutionizing an industry in the process? Whatever game you’re changing, we want to know about it. Our “Game Changer” Award honors an innovative new product or service that has great potential to disrupt its industry.
Nominations for our Game Changer Award closed on Friday, August 5, 2016.
Nominate a company
Startup Stage
Projected revenue for the current year less than $0.5 million
Companies in the Startup Stage category may be in the process of setting up, developing and testing the products, processes, or services they intend to market or are currently marketing. Projected revenues for the current calendar year from sales of products or services are in the range of $0-0.5 million and the amount of invested capital in these companies is less than $5 million.
Nominations for this category closed on Wednesday, July 20, 2016.
Development Stage
Past-year revenue of at least $0.5 million and projected revenue for the current year of $0.5-$8 million
Development Stage companies are in the early stages of fully launching their businesses on the market. They are in the process of establishing their production, marketing, sales, distribution and administrative functions and may be hiring employees or contractors to support their operations. These companies have recognized revenues at a minimum of $0.5 million in the previous calendar year. They also have projected revenues for the current year in the range of $0.5-$8 million and should either show a historical trend toward positive cash flow or have a credible plan to reach that objective in the near- to mid term.
Nominations for this category closed on Wednesday, July 20, 2016.
Company Award: Growth Stage
Past-year revenue of at least $8 million and projected revenue for the current year of over $8 million
Growth Stage companies have a fully-marketable product or service, have earned a degree of market acceptance and have acquired a critical mass of customers. Their efforts are aimed not at remaining viable but at increasing market share, moving into new markets, adapting products or services to new uses and customers or increasing efficiency and cash flow. These companies have recognized revenues at a minimum of $8 million in the previous calendar year. They also have projected revenues for the current year in excess of $8 million and, if not profitable, are generating cash flow and are financially self-sustaining.
Nominations for this category closed on Wednesday, July 20, 2016.
what is the point of this offering networking for new businesses? I have very small sales with very big potential and new partner for growth. It appears the minimum sales is .5 million. if I was selling .5 million, I wouldnt need networking. I’m only selling a couple thousand units a year. Please clarify and if this is worth my time. Respectfully, Allen
My business partner and I are in the process of exploring the development of an application that supports our cpompany Merit By Sight’s mission of helping professionals prepare for their next career move. We are in the initial stages of findings API/UX designers to build a functional MVP to test the viability with “real” users. The app involves pulling information from digital data sources automatically. We can probably cover the cost of a minimal viable product and prototype ourselves, but we envision that we will need outside funding to fully implement our vision of the app that will benefit professionals by having their job history easily available when they need it. Can you advise us as to how and when we can apply for entrepreneurial funding?
Allen it is always worth it!
Perseverance is a must.
The Beatles “Revolution” comes to mind when i go about my day believing in what i do.