OEN NewsAnnouncing the Winners of Our 22nd Annual OEN Tom Holce Entrepreneurship Awards
Now the moment we’ve all been waiting for! We are pleased to announce the winners of our 22nd annual OEN Tom Holce Entrepreneurship Awards, presented Thursday, October 22 at the Oregon Convention Center. The awards program is Oregon’s largest annual entrepreneurial gathering, celebrating the region’s best and brightest entrepreneurs.
The winners in each category include:
LAUNCH STAGE CATEGORY WINNER—Bright.md, Ray Costantini, Co-Founder
Bright.md licenses a software platform to primary care groups, automating up to 90% of provider time spent on the low-acuity conditions, such as colds, flus, and earaches, that make up more than half of their visit volume. The company was chosen because it capitalizes on a big opportunity with great market timing, is led by a charismatic CEO with the right experience and credentials, has demonstrated impressive execution and success at raising money, and has a solid business model that serves a real need.
The two other finalists for this category were:
- ONtheGO Platforms — Working to fundamentally alter how people interact with technology by utilizing as little hardware as possible.
- Valliscor — Providing innovative solutions to access high-value organic building blocks for the pharmaceutical, biotech and agrochemical industries.
DEVELOPMENT STAGE CATEGORY WINNER—Cairn, Rob Little, Co-Founder & CEO
Cairn offers a subscription gift box providing ideas, inspiration and new products to adventurers, and outdoor enthusiasts. In addition to a $25 monthly subscription service, Cairn collects customer demographic data and product reviews, which they give back to the brands they work with. The company was chosen because it delights its clients while providing an invaluable service. It also demonstrates a thoughtful business model, flawless execution, and excellent leadership.
The two other finalists for this category were:
- Green Zebra Grocery — A neighborhood store making it easy and convenient to access high quality, delicious, and healthy food.
- Time & Oak — Giving you the tools to craft and create your favorite whiskey (customized to taste) in as little as 24 hours.
GROWTH STAGE CATEGORY WINNER—DiscoverOrg, Henry Schuck, Founder & CEO
DiscoverOrg provides sales and marketing intelligence software to aid businesses in sales, outbound and inbound marketing, and staffing. The company was chosen because it has shown strong growth; has cultivated a vibrant, engaging, collaborative work place; and offers a win-win service that works.
The two other finalists for this category were:
- Billups — A media specialist agency with expertise in ideation/concept development, media planning, buying, production, posting and post-buy evaluations.
- Janrain — Specializing in customer identity management to better engage customer and personalize/consolidate customer data.
ENTREPRENEURIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER—Eric Breon, CEO, Vacasa
As CEO of Vacasa, the only full-service vacation rental management platform, Eric Breon is successfully improving and reshaping a fragmented industry. He was chosen because he has achieved remarkable results in a short period of time and has successfully scaled, creating an impressive number of jobs. Breon exhibits true entrepreneurialism and vision, and is committed to positively impacting the communities where Vacasa operates.
The two other finalists for this category were:
- Sadie & Chris Lincoln, barre3
- Bryce Clemmer, Vadio, Inc.
OEN GAME CHANGER AWARD WINNER—AbSci, LLC
AbSci is a manufacturing platform that will dramatically reduce the costs of next-generation protein based pharmaceutical therapies. The winner for OEN’s inaugural Game Changer Award was determined by an audience vote during the Awards ceremony on October 22.
The two other finalists for this category were:
- REMzen — Revolutionizing how we sleep with an intelligent slumber mask — that tracks quality of sleep and wakes users using spectral light at the optimal point in the sleep cycle to avoid grogginess.
- Civil Co. — Civil comment sections are places where people can gather online and comment, constructively criticize, and debate without the constant threat of harassment, intimidation and abuse.
OEN WYATT STARNES AWARD WINNER—Robert Haydock, CEO and Founder, Scratch-it
Scratch-it is an enterprise class-cloud platform created to improve traffic and increase customer engagement. Within two years, Robert Haydock has guided Scratch-it from a gimmick ‘scratchable’ product being laughed at by investors and the startup community, to a robust software platform being sold to the strongest enterprise brands. He was chosen because the judges were impressed by his humility and unique journey.
The three other finalists for this category were:
- Monica Borrell, CEO of Cardsmith
- Matt Hixson, CEO of Tellagence
- Esteban Vollenweider, co-founder of Third Ocean
