Got a great idea? We want to help it take flight.

If you’re an early- or growth-stage entrepreneur seeking funding or resources to help you reach a critical milestone, this opportunity may be for you. Apply for a chance to:

» Receive a sizable investment (historically $200-300k)

» Hone your pitch and business plan

» Get intensive coaching and mentoring from our network of Angel Investors

The application deadline is Wednesday, Jan. 13 at 11:59 p.m. PST. For more information on our eligibility requirements, timeline, and application process, scroll down or click on the appropriate link below:

Eligibility | Timeline | Review Process

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“The due diligence process was very well-done and extremely professional. I was really impressed by the quality of the investors and their ability to understand the company, including the market opportunity and business model.”

– Paola Moretto, CEO & Co-Founder of Nouvola
Winner of OEN’s Angel Oregon Spring 2014 Investment Award

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About Angel Oregon

OEN’s Angel Oregon attracts the state’s brightest doers, innovators, and big thinkers.

Held in the fall and spring of each year, OEN’s Angel Oregon offers early-stage companies an opportunity to compete for an investment award while receiving valuable coaching from angel investors and serial entrepreneurs.

Meanwhile, new angel investors have a chance to learn about angel investing, conduct due diligence, and network with experienced investors.

OEN launched Angel Oregon in the late ’90s and the Spring Investment Program in 2005, which culminates in the annual Angel Oregon Showcase. During the Showcase, finalist companies present their pitches to a crowd of over 300 investors, business leaders, and entrepreneurs. One winner is awarded a check, historically ranging from $200,000-300,000. Past winners include SpaceView, Nouvola, brandlive, Wild Friends Foods, Chez Marie, OpenSesame, and DesignMedix. See all past winners here.

Since 2005, 612 companies have applied to compete for OEN’s Angel Oregon Investment Award and 89 have been selected to present. From 2005 to 2014, $3 million has been directly invested through OEN’s Angel Oregon LLC Investment Award and there have been four favorable exits. Additional investment has been made outside of the LLCs, and Angel Oregon finalist companies have created more than 740 jobs.

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“Angel Oregon was such a great experience for us. It’s so important to step back and look at the big picture, and really helpful to have experienced people look at your company and ask the important questions.”

– Keeley Tillotson, Co-Founder, Wild Friends Foods
Fall 2013 Angel Oregon Winner

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Apply to our Spring 2016 Program

Eligibility Requirements

The Angel Oregon 2016 Program is only open to companies located in Oregon or Clark County, Washington. This year’s competition will feature two distinct categories – Early Stage and Growth Stage. The Early Stage winner(s) will receive a package of goods and services, including office space for up to six months and access to OEN educational workshops and networking events. The Growth Stage winner will receive a sizable investment, historically between $200,000 and $300,000.

Early Stage:

• Business concept is, or is closed to being, developed
• May still be working on technology and/or proof of concept
• Likely pre-revenue or very early revenue

Growth Stage:

• Complete business plan developed
• Technology developed
• May have had betas or limited rollout
• Ready for market expansion
• May be post-revenue and need growth capital

If you are considering applying in the Growth Stage category, first ask yourself, are you investor ready? Take a look at this helpful slide deck to answer this crucial question.

To help you further evaluate whether your company is ready to apply for investment, please review these considerations that our Angel Oregon investors will be using in their evaluation:

Milestones & Milestone Money

• Have you clearly identified milestones and the impact they will have on your business?
• Is this amount of funding sufficient to attain those milestones?

The Angel Oregon Spring 2016 Program will likely invest between $200K and $300K in the winning company.  These funds should help the winning company attain a significant milestone or milestones.

Company Structure:

• Are you incorporated, are you an LLC, or do you plan to become incorporated in the coming months?

For the final round, Angel Oregon will only consider companies that are incorporated or LLCs. You do not need to be incorporated to apply, but should plan on incorporating during the review and due diligence process.

Product Concept:

• Have you proven your business/product/technology concept?
• Do you have any market validation?
• What makes your product different?

Angel Oregon investors will be looking for companies that have a well-developed concept that has undergone some market testing.

Management Team:

• Do you have at least two key players on your management team?
• Are you working with any advisers or mentors?

Angel Oregon investors like to see more than just a single entrepreneur involved in a company and advisors/mentors involved who add relevant experience/expertise.

Sales/Marketing:

• Do you have a good conceptual view of your go-to-market strategy?
• What are the relevant sales and marketing fundamentals for your business?

Investors will be looking for how well you understand the key drivers to capture sales.

Financials:

• Have you identified your high level funding needs (that tie to your milestones)?
• Where are you in developing financial projections?
• How well do you understand your numbers?
• What are those “make or break” factors that could impact your numbers in the first couple of years?

We understand how tough it is to forecast numbers when you’re still in the early stages of growing your company.  Angel Oregon investors hope to see a solid understanding of the basic numbers and funding needs along with what will impact them, both positive and negative factors.

Timeline

• Jan 13: Company application deadline
• Jan 19-20: Elevator pitches to Angel Oregon Steering Committee and investor group
• Feb 3: First-round applicants selected to proceed; due diligence begins
• Feb 17: Semifinalists announced
• Feb 19: Upstart Day
• March 1: Semifinalist companies present
• March 16: Finalists announced
• March 29: Finalists present
• April 5: Q&A with finalist companies
• April 12: Reception for investors, finalists, and Showcase companies
• April 13: Angel Oregon Showcase; winners announced

 

Application & Review Process

OEN’s Angel Oregon Spring 2016 Program will run from Jan. 13 to April 13. Meetings will be private and only open to accredited investors and competing companies. The due diligence process and award notification will also be private; competing companies may report on their activities but Angel Oregon will not, in order to preserve the 506(b) exemption for companies raising privately. The winners will be announced at OEN’s Angel Oregon Showcase on April 13.

Application Review

Once the application period is closed (Jan. 13, 2016), OEN’s Angel Oregon Spring Program due diligence team will review all applications and determine which companies most closely fit the Program’s criteria.

Elevator Pitch Event

All applicants are invited to make a one-minute pitch to the Angel Oregon Steering Committee and investor group. First-round cuts will be made.

Due Diligence

Angel Oregon Spring Program investors will form due diligence teams around each of the remaining companies. You will be contacted by your due diligence lead and advised of the next steps in the process that will likely include one-on-one meetings and requests for additional information. Due diligence teams will report back to the full contingent of Angel Oregon investors at the next investor meeting. Additional cuts may be made.

Upstart Day

Companies who make the first cut are also invited to attend Upstart Day on Feb. 9, a fast-paced day-long immersion with finance, sales, marketing, technology, product, legal, and strategy experts to help entrepreneurs perfect their investor pitch. Companies who do not make the first cut may be able to attend on a space-available basis.

Presentations

Semifinalist companies will present to the Angel Oregon Spring Program investors. Investors will vote on five finalists, who will return to present to the investor group.

Q&A and Final Vote

inalists will receive additional questions, as well as requests for information and possible meetings. The Angel Oregon Spring Program term sheet will be reviewed with all finalists in advance of the third and final investor meeting. Finalist companies will be asked to attend the final investor meeting to participate in a Q&A with investors. Following final due diligence discussions and the Q&A session, investors will vote on a winner.

Angel Oregon Showcase

The winner will be announced at OEN’s Angel Oregon Showcase, which will take place on April 13 at the Gerding Theater. Presenting companies will have the opportunity to demo and talk about their development plans to an audience of 300+ investors and business leaders. Finalists from the Spring 2016 Program are automatically invited to present at the Showcase, and all applicants to the Spring 2016 Program will be considered for participation in the Showcase. Semi-finalists and finalists will receive complimentary admission.