WELCOME!

We're glad you're here! Our goal is to provide updates on the impact of Oregon Venture Fund portfolio companies and venture capital in our region. You'll also find open positions from some of our portfolio companies - in case you or someone you know is looking for their next gig.

Take a look around and let us know what you think. Thanks for being here.

FUND + TEAM NEWS 

OVF FAQs & the OVF Investment Process Explained

Did you know that OVF is the most active venture fund between Seattle & San Francisco, and that we invest over $15M annually in the most promising and ambitious startups in our region? We meet with folks starting a venture-profile business - regardless of stage or sector. Our intent is to understand your vision and the problems you’re solving to see if we can be helpful. Making just 8-10 investments per year allows us to focus our resources and support in a meaningful way. Whether we invest or not, our goal is to always be a value-add to founders. Learn more about working with OVF in our FAQ document or check out our latest video.

Welcome New Council Members

Our advisory board - the Council of Wise OVFs - welcomes five new members this year. The Wise OVFs are a team of engaged Venture Partners who have earned the respect, trust, and confidence of their peers and are proven leaders in entrepreneurship or investing. They are guardians of OVF's mission, values, culture, and brand. We value their impactful input on fund strategy, direction, structure, and policy. This year, we are thrilled to welcome Vanessa Wilkins, Ashish Gupta, Monica Enand, Clare Maxwell and David Nelsen to the council.

OVF's Unique Structure Explained

We do venture differently. Our focus is, and always has been, on the founder and the startup they created. OVF exists to aid in the founder's success - not just funding - but contacts, customer introductions and general support like strategy, training and recruiting. Our unique structure allows us to tap into specific expertise and experience in an effort to make a difference in our community. Learn more on our perspectives page where Partner Lynn Fletcher provides details on our unique structure.

PORTFOLIO NEWS

Eclypsium joins Cyber Defense Collaborative

Eclypsium, the digital supply chain security company protecting critical hardware, firmware, and software, recently became a member of the Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC). Founded by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in 2021, JCDC is an operational collaboration that brings together network defenders from organizations globally to address cybersecurity issues. Read the full press release and learn why this is impactful in the cybersecurity space. Eclypsium is led by co-founder Yuriy Bulygin [pictured].

Join us for a Sustainable Happy Hour

Join Sustainable Northwest, TiE Oregon, and OVF for a special happy hour on Thursday, July 25th from 5:30-8:30pm. We'll gather at Sustainable Northwest's local wood warehouse in SE Portland. Several sustainable startups will pitch their industry-changing ideas and plans and there will be food and beverages. There will also be chances to connect with local startups, investors and other collaborators in sustainability. Join us! Register here.

Salt & Straw Founder Wins Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year

Last month we shared that Kim Malek [pictured], Salt & Straw founder & CEO, had been named a finalist in the 2024 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year awards. We're excited to provide an update and announce that Kim has WON the award - beating out some other very well-deserving competition. BTW, if you're looking to beat the heat, Salt & Straw recently announced their collabs with a number of breweries to bring you their innovative beer-flavored ice cream. Check out the recent Food & Wine article for details.

JOBS

Looking for your next gig? Know someone who is? Below are a few of the open positions at some of our portfolio companies. Please check them out and pass them along. Thanks!

Chief Financial Officer - GearUp

Senior Site Reliability Engineer - Customer.io

Account Executive - International - Wayfinder

Head of Legal - Customer.io

Head of Finance - Hydrolix

Director of Sales - Qualtik

Check out the OVF job board for the complete, up-to-date list of all 110+ openings at a number of our portfolio companies.

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Since its founding, OVF and its investors have invested $180M in 78 companies that have created over 5,500 jobs. 38% of our portfolio companies are founded or led by a woman and 22% by an entrepreneur of color.

Pitchbook places OVF in the top 25% of all global venture funds (2023).

OVF is humbled by the generosity of our corporate partners:

Disclosure: This newsletter is intended to provide general information regarding OVFs investments and impact and not for the purpose of soliciting investors for any fund. Under no circumstances should the information provided be considered an offer to sell, or a solicitation to buy, any security. Such offer or solicitation may only be made to accredited investors and qualified purchasers pursuant to the current offering documents of the relevant OVF Fund. The information provided may not be reproduced or disseminated to any third parties without the written consent of OVF. The past performance of previous OVF Funds and portfolio companies is not necessarily indicative of future results. Investors in OVF Funds may lose investment capital. There can be no assurance that any future OVF Funds or portfolio companies will achieve comparable results.