FUNDING & PITCHING OPPORTUNITIES
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April 10
Application Deadline
Oregon BEST is proud to be a Community Partner of VERGE!
Have a solution in energy, transportation, agriculture, water, or infrastructure resilience? Submit a 60-second video to apply for this fast-pitch competition on the main stage of VERGE Hawaii, giving selected finalists the opportunity to pitch to a live audience of about 1,000 business leaders, government officials, investors, and a global online audience.
Oregon BEST's SBIR/STTR Support Center lists funding opportunities from a range of federal agencies in one place for your convenience.
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TELL US ABOUT
YOUR
CLEANTECH INNOVATION.
We offer a wide range of support for startups!
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More events listed on our Events page...
March 28-30
Oregon BEST is proud to be a Community Partner of this event!
A lineup of expert speakers from around the world will address how we can advance cross-laminated timber and the mass timber industry, and how we can increase the use of wood in mid-rise and tall buildings across the world. Portland, OR.
March 28-20
Held annually in London and San Francisco, this summit is the most international gathering of agribusiness leaders, VC investors and agri-tech innovators. San Francisco.
April 13-14
Sponsored by Oregon BEST!
For more than 20 years, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL's) Industry Growth Forum has been the nation's premier clean energy investment event. The Forum features presentations from 30 emerging clean energy companies, provocative panels, one-on-one meetings, and organized networking opportunities. Denver, CO
April 18
Oregon BEST is proud to be a Community Partner of this event!
The state's signature clean energy event connects policy with practice and addresses the industry's current challenges and opportunities. This year's new format will explore the nexus of energy, efficiency, and the state's clean energy economy, with speakers addressing how Oregon can continue as a clean energy leader in a changing political landscape. Portland, OR
April 22
This one-day conference in science entrepreneurship features the startup experiences of science entrepreneurs from around Oregon as well as practical advice from investors, intellectual property lawyers, and other experts. Portland, OR
April 27
Sponsored by Oregon BEST!
Join more than 300 investors, entrepreneurs, and business leaders to get a sneak peek at Oregon's most exciting up-and-coming companies! Portland, OR
May 4
Make it Green is a 30-minute independent documentary, directed and produced by Portland filmmaker Zoe Gieringer, that follows five teams in the 2015 PSU Cleantech Challenge competition as they design, develop, and implement their green tech creations, culminating in presentations at Oregon BEST FEST. The film received a 2017 RACC project grant and is premiering at the Clinton Street Theater at 7:30 p.m.
May 11
Sponsored by Oregon BEST!
Founded in 2009, this annual investor conference builds a strong economy through support of entrepreneurial ventures in Oregon, connecting early stage and seed startups with angel and venture investors. Corvallis, OR
May 17
Sponsored by Oregon BEST!
This event supports business ideas and early entrepreneurial activity that produce a new idea, product, or service that could become a thriving business in Klamath Falls, Oregon, and has the potential for job growth in rural Oregon.
May 17-19
Oregon BEST is proud to be a Community Partner of this event!
This is where leading minds in the green building movement seek solutions to the most daunting global issues of our time. This year's conference will focus on the diverse layers of Genius and Courage, featuring keynotes Van Jones, Kirsti Luke, and Naomi Klein. Seattle, WA
May 19-22
Sponsored by Oregon BEST!
This year's North American Symposium comes to Oregon, which has proven to be a leader in offshore renewable energy development. Are you a graduate student, early-stage researcher, or young professional in offshore renewable energy? Four days of research sharing, idea exchange, workshops, and site visits in a dynamic and informal environment. Corbett, OR
June 20-22
Oregon BEST is proud to be a Community Partner of this event!
This conference focuses on how technology can help Hawaii achieve its ambitious mandate of 100 percent renewable energy by 2045, while making its economy more robust and resilient. Honolulu, HI
June 26
Experience the latest cleantech innovations, ideas, and initiatives, while networking with 500+ cleantech industry leaders, investors, policymakers, and media from across the U.S., Canada, and beyond. See the next-generation of clean technologies from 24 presenting companies, and visit the Cascadia CleanTech Accelerator startup pavilion. Seattle, WA
September 14
Save the Date!
Our signature annual event brings together cleantech entrepreneurs, investors, university researchers, government agencies, students, and others. Read media accounts from last year's event here. World Trade Center. Portland, OR
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Executive Director's Report >>
MASS TIMBER GAINS TRACTION
Happy Spring! Our work leading a regional cross-laminated timber (CLT) feasibility study over the past 18 months will culminate in the publication of a report we authored in collaboration with nine other organizations. When it's published next month, the report will be available on the Oregon BEST website.
Meanwhile the mass timber construction and CLT industry is convening in Oregon next week for a whole series of events, including the
Oregon Mass Timber Summit on Monday, March 27, and the
International Mass Timber Conference on Tuesday-Thursday, March 28-30. I'll be attending the first event and speaking at the second.
It's great to see the work that our organization and several others have been doing to promote the economic potential of CLT manufacturing for Oregon getting real traction and taking shape. I hope I'll see many of you next week!
Thank you for your ongoing interest and support,
David Kenney
President & Executive Director
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ILLUMINATING
SMARTER LIGHTING
Startup designs better LED lighting for theaters, schools, homes
How do you invent a better LED light bulb - one that costs less, saves energy, and can change colors and intensity using just your smart phone? For
Luxium LLC (
see video, right), an Oregon BEST Company in Portland, you tap into a local network of small businesses dedicated to helping startups with product development. At the same time, you challenge teams of product design students at the University of Oregon to come up with their best, out-of-the-box design ideas for packaging the new bulb into stylish fixtures for both commercial and residential users.
More >>
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The experience Oregon BEST brings to the table - the connections and the individuals - has been a huge asset to our business."
- Dexter Turner, CEO, OpConnect
Portland, Oregon |
As electric vehicles take off, startup helps manage charging
 Oregon BEST Company
OpConnect is seeing success as it refines its technology that helps utilities manage EV charging stations and drivers improve their charging experiences. The company was one of two startups receiving $50,000 in the
Social Impact Competition at the Bend Venture Conference and recently won a
YPO Gold Award. The
Jaguar Land Rover Tech Incubator recently selected OpConnect for direct investment and services, engineering and business support, and office space at JLR's Portland R&D facility. OpConnect manages more than 600 charging ports and provides charging services for 5000+ users in eight states.
More >>
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"The collaboration with Oregon BEST has been a great way to gain access to resources not usually available to a small startup."
- Roger Hicks, CEO, Luxium
West Linn, Oregon |
N
EW HOME FOR MFG. RESEARCH
Oregon Tech to open new research facility NW of Portland
Oregon Tech is about to open the 34,000-square-foot
Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center (OMIC), a research and development facility located on 10.5 acres in Scappose, Oregon. OMIC, made possible with the support of State Sen. Betsy Johnson and the Oregon Innovation Council, is a collaboration among industry, government, and higher education to develop tools, techniques, and technologies to help meet regional manufacturing challenges. Oregon Tech contributed $1.75 million toward the $4.15 million facility purchase, with the remaining $2.4 million coming from Business Oregon.
More >>
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"
Oregon BEST has been extremely helpful. Without their funding and support, we would not be where we are today."
- Hugh Mandal, CEO, EcoPro Polymers
Salem, Oregon |
Cascadia CleanTech Accelerator open for applications for 2017
 The
Cascadia CleanTech Accelerator, a partnership between Oregon BEST and the CleanTech Alliance, offers a great chance to fast-track your cleantech startup! Applications for the 12-week, 2017 cohort are open until May 1. Startups receive mentorship from industry leaders, business and financing workshops, customer discovery assistance, visibility, access to non-dilutive funding competitions, and more.
Apply here >>
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"
Oregon BEST has
been really instrumental to our growth and can help with networking, coaching, and other support."
Portland, Oregon |
ESS AND INDOW
LAND FUNDING
Element 8 invests record $6.1 million in 27 cleantech startups
Element 8, the first angel investment group in North America to focus exclusively on cleantech, has invested a record $6.1 million in 27 innovative clean technology companies, including the Oregon BEST Companies
Energy Storage Systems, maker of large, nontoxic flow batteries (
pictured, bottom), and
Indow, manufacturer of thermal window inserts that save energy
 and reduce noise. Companies receiving investment from Element 8 also get strategic and operational guidance to accelerate development and commercialization by building critical relationships across the cleantech ecosystem of investors, customers, peer companies, strategic partners, and research institutions.
More >>
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"The amount of wisdom, experience and knowledge (Oregon BEST) brings to the table is tremendous."
Portland, Oregon
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OREGON BEST COS. SEE SUCCESS
Startups add executives, grow, and are part of cleantech trends
 Agricultural drone maker,
HoneyComb Corp. of Wilsonville, Ore., was included in a story about the projected growth of the global agriculture drone market, predicted to reach $2,978.69 million by 2021.
More >>
IOTAS, the Portland, Ore., developer of a smart home platform that makes it easier for renters and building owners to set and customize settings that reduce energy use, has added a former Nest executive to its board of directors.
More >> Watch the
video >>
eWind Solutions, the Beaverton, Ore., startup developing a tethered kite system that could potentially harvest 4X the energy of static windmill generator systems, is featured in a Daily Journal of Commerce story.
More >>
Energy Storage Systems, the Portland maker of nontoxic redox flow batteries the size of shipping containers, has a
new board chair and was referenced in a Wired magazine story about how cleantech startups are responding in light of the new U.S. administration.
More >>
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OREGON BEST MEMBER RESEARCHERS
IN THE NEWS...
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DAVID XIULEI JI
, assistant professor of chemistry at Oregon State University, is part of a research team that has developed the world's first hydronium-ion battery, a breakthrough that could provide a way forward to the next generation of grid scale stationary batteries able to accommodate more energy generated by solar, wind, and other renewable sources. More >>
 ··· SERGIO PALLERONI, professor of architecture at Portland State University, is part of the design and development of sleeping pods for homeless people. The project is affiliated with the Center for Public Interest Design, developer of architectural solutions for deployment in underserved parts of the world. More >>
··· BELINDA BATTEN,
director of the new $40 million Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center and
a professor of mechanical engineering at Oregon State University, is confident the Trump administration will not impact wave energy research. "Wave energy's strongest support over the last several years has been in Congress," Batten said. More >>
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RICHARD TAYLOR
, a professor of physics at the University of Oregon and director of the UO's Materials Science Institute, is leading a team of UO researchers that is tapping the fractal patterns found in nature to develop a technology that might restore vision in people with retinal diseases. Current implants available only restore the ability to perceive light in patchy gray monochrome.
More >>
 ··· CHRIS HAGEN, a professor of mechanical engineering and director of the
Energy Systems Lab at Oregon State University-Cascades, has received the SAE International Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award, which recognizes top young engineering educators in the U.S. Technology innovated by Hagen is used by
OnBoard Dynamics, an Oregon BEST Company in Bend, Ore.
More >>
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Oregon BEST funds and supports innovative cleantech startups across Oregon. As an economic development catalyst, we connect startups with state and federal resources while preparing them for follow-on investment through a series of focused programs. We provide leadership and leverage our expertise, resources, and relationships to achieve impact beyond our scale. Founded in 2007 as the Oregon Built Environment & Sustainable Technologies Center, Inc. (Oregon BEST), we are an independent nonprofit supported by the Oregon Innovation Council and Business Oregon.
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Oregon BEST
412 SW 12th Avenue, Second Floor PORTLAND, OR 97205
PH: 503.928.7902 · WEB:
oregonbest.org
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