Oregon Venture Fund makes venture investments in the Portland, Oregon area and throughout Oregon and SW Washington. The fund consists of 180 institutional and [1] angel investors, of whom 85% have run or founded a business. The fund evaluates up to 300 business plans per year, selecting five to seven to invest in annually.[2] In 2018, the fund changed its name from Oregon Angel Fund to Oregon Venture Fund and launched a new $30M fund.[3] Since its inception, Oregon Venture Fund has generated an average annual rate of return of 34% and a return on investment exceeding $3.50 for each dollar invested.[4]

Oregon Venture Fund
FormerlyOregon Angel Fund
Company typePrivate Ownership
IndustryVenture capital
Founded2007; 17 years ago (2007)
Founders
  • Eric Rosenfeld
  • Robert Ward
HeadquartersPortland, Oregon, U.S.
ProductsVenture capital
Total assets$185 million
Number of employees
8
Websiteoregonventurefund.com

Investment strategy edit

About 70 percent of the fund's investments are in technology. 20 percent are medical devices, health care IT, and related fields. And 10 percent are in other areas such as transportation, advanced materials, and consumer.[5] 31% of portfolio companies were founded by, or are headed by, a woman and 23% by a person of color. Some 70 companies in Oregon Venture Fund's portfolio include Absci, Jama,[6] Elemental Technologies,[7] Brandlive,[8] Salt & Straw,[9] and Wildfang.[10]

The Oregon Venture Fund also receives investment from The Oregon Community Foundation,[11] Meyer Memorial Trust, the State of Oregon, and regional colleges and universities, such as University of Oregon, Willamette University, Portland State University, and Lewis & Clark College.[12]

Investments and exits edit

Oregon Venture Fund notable investments and exits include:

Management edit

Co-founded by Robert Ward and Eric Rosenfeld,[47] the fund is now managed by Eric Rosenfeld, Alline Akintore, Deepthi Madhava, Melissa Freeman, Jon Maroney, Matt Compton, Lynn Fletcher, and Mary Geyer.[48]

References edit

  1. ^ "Building better angels: Oregon Angel Fund tops its own fundraising goals". Portland Business Journal.
  2. ^ "What Portland startups need the most — more angels". Portland Business Journal.
  3. ^ "Oregon Angel Fund Rebrands". Portland Business Journal.
  4. ^ Spencer, Malia (2021-09-17). "3 summer exits lift Oregon Venture Fund returns". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
  5. ^ "Inside the Mind of a Portland Angel Investor". Portland Monthly Magazine.
  6. ^ Rogoway, Mike (30 March 2015). "Jama Software secures $20 million venture round, begins hiring surge". The Oregonian.
  7. ^ Earnshaw, Aliza (11 October 2007). "New fund drops $205K on technology company". American City Business Journals.
  8. ^ Rogoway, Mike (9 September 2013). "Portland online retail startup Brandlive raises $1.6 million from Oregon Angel Fund". The Oregonian.
  9. ^ Beer, Jeff (9 December 2019). "Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia invest in Salt & Straw ice cream to make cheat meals more awesome". Fast Company. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  10. ^ Duffy, Clare (28 August 2017). "Wildfang completes $2.3M round of funding, looks to open NY and LA locations". American City Business Journals.
  11. ^ "Oregon Community Foundation re-ups with Oregon Angel Fund". The Oregonian. 6 February 2013.
  12. ^ "Oregon Angel Fund Targets $8M 2015 Fund". Portland Business Journal.
  13. ^ Oregonian/OregonLive, Mike Rogoway | The (2021-07-22). "Absci's IPO values Vancouver biotech startup at $2 billion". oregonlive. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  14. ^ "Victory for V2V: Connected car technology gets Transportation Department's vote". GeekWire. 2016-12-14. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  15. ^ Oregonian/OregonLive, Mike Rogoway | The (2013-09-10). "Portland online retail startup Brandlive raises $1.6 million from Oregon Angel Fund". oregonlive. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  16. ^ Pifer, Rebecca (2023-10-10). "Cigna's Evernorth acquires Bright.md's asynchronous care tech". Healthcare Dive. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
  17. ^ Oregonian/OregonLive, Mike Rogoway | The (2020-11-11). "Portland startup raises another $16m for credit card rewards that pay companies' stock". oregonlive. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  18. ^ Team, Trefis. "Cisco's ClearAccess Deal Could Breathe New Life Into Routers Business". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
  19. ^ "Following Significant Growth, Cloud Campaign Raises $5M to Scale, Hire | Built In Colorado". www.builtincolorado.com. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  20. ^ "Cvent Acquires CrowdCompass to Offer Mobile Apps for Business Events | Cvent". www.cvent.com. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
  21. ^ Oregonian/OregonLive, Mike Rogoway | The (2017-03-25). "Portland online marketer Customer.io raises $3 million". oregonlive. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  22. ^ "Amazon Acquires Elemental Technologies For A Reported $500 Million In Cash". TechCrunch. 3 September 2015. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
  23. ^ Siemers, Erik (2013-01-08). "Digital gift card startup Giftango acquired by InComm". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
  24. ^ Spencer, Malia (2016-04-14). "GlobeSherpa to change name after merging brands with its Daimler subsidiary owner". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
  25. ^ "Intrado acquires Hubb, which builds software for in-person and virtual events". GeekWire. 2021-08-13. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  26. ^ Spencer, Malia (2021-09-17). "JSR Corp. buys Corvallis-based Inpria for $514M". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  27. ^ Rogoway, Mike (2022-06-13). "Portland smart-home startup IOTAS sells to security giant ADT". OregonLive. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
  28. ^ Schlosser, Kurt (2024-03-18). "Jama Software to be acquired for $1.2B in significant exit for Portland-based company". GeekWire. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  29. ^ Spencer, Malia (April 7, 2022). "Portland startup vets grab $3M in seed funding for new venture". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  30. ^ "Sprinklr Acquires Influencer Identification and Marketing Platform Little Bird". www.sprinklr.com. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  31. ^ "Lumen Learning raises $2.5M to help college students save money with open courseware". GeekWire. 2015-04-01. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  32. ^ "Now it can be told: Why Meridian's $26 million all cash exit is incredibly important for the Portland startup scene". Silicon Florist. 2013-06-07. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
  33. ^ "Top Silicon Valley VC firm Accel leads $15M round for Opal, a marketing collaboration startup based in Portland". GeekWire. 2017-02-16. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  34. ^ Chinnock, Chris (2018-03-01). "Osram Acquires Pacific Light Technologies". DisplayDaily. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
  35. ^ Oregonian/OregonLive, Mike Rogoway | The (2016-02-09). "Poached Jobs, restaurant job portal, raises $1.5m". oregonlive. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  36. ^ "Wireless tech company Rigado raises $3M to expand overseas and grow IoT product line". GeekWire. 2017-06-01. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  37. ^ Oregonian/OregonLive, Michael Russell | The (2019-05-22). "New Salt & Straw investment could put ice cream closer to hand". oregonlive. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  38. ^ "HomeAway Acquires Social Vacation Rentals App Second Porch". TechCrunch. 11 May 2011. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
  39. ^ Oregonian/OregonLive, Mike Rogoway | The (2021-07-26). "Portland banking technology startup Sila raises $13m". oregonlive. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  40. ^ "ADTRAN Acquires SmartRG—Leading Provider of Connected Home Software Platforms & Cloud Services". www.businesswire.com. 2018-12-06. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
  41. ^ "Home services giant Frontdoor acquires Portland augmented reality startup Streem". GeekWire. 2019-12-05. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  42. ^ Oregonian/OregonLive, Mike Rogoway | The (2016-01-08). "Portland-based The Clymb sold to California rival". oregonlive. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
  43. ^ Soper, Taylor (2022-03-24). "Autodesk to acquire The Wild, which helps architects and engineers collaborate in 'extended reality'". GeekWire. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  44. ^ "How this travel startup raised $5M from ex-CEOs of Orbitz and Vacasa in the middle of a pandemic". GeekWire. 2021-08-17. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  45. ^ Spencer, Malia (January 14, 2022). "Bend founder snags $6M for education startup". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  46. ^ Oregonian/OregonLive, Anna Marum | The (2017-09-01). "In the Trump era, feminist brand Wildfang is doing just fine". oregonlive. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  47. ^ "Thriving Oregon Angel Fund records strongest year". Portland Business Journal.
  48. ^ "The Team — Oregon Venture Fund". oregonangelfund.com. 29 July 2014.

External links edit