For outdoor industry startups, Bend isn’t just a good place to start a company, it is a place to stay and grow. Gary Bracelin founded the Bend Outdoor Worx incubator […]

The local ranks of aspiring entrepreneurs are growing, and their business ideas are being received in a new era of the Central Oregon startup ecosystem. The long-supportive, talent-packed community is reinvigorated, evolving and growing.

Inside this issue of Bend Magazine, learn more about the team that keeps Mt. Bachelor running every morning before we even wake up. We also introduce some of the people behind Central Oregon startups and those who helped them succeed. We take you on a snowshoe tour on six accessible trails, followed by a retreat at the Ski Inn and Taphouse in Sisters, Oregon. And if you want to know where dogs work, romp, and rest all winter – we have got you covered there as well. Also inside this issue, we learn more about our local ice skating rinks, Bend Language Institute, Frank Cammack, Consciously Curly Co., local wellness businesses, breakfast all over Bend, winter whiskey sours, Feast Restaurant and Bend’s Perfume Lab. Find the issue all over Central Oregon through December 2024 or click here to find our past issues.

Though by no means as affluent as larger markets such as Portland, Seattle or the Bay Area, there is money in Bend for those with a good idea and the willingness to work for it.

Shanna Koenig Camuso launched the whole food artisanal nut and seed company Gather Nuts in Bend in 2019. The Texas native and certified nutrition consultant came to Central Oregon seeking a milder climate that still offered the outdoor recreation they both loved.

Sisters entrepreneur forgoes early retirement to launch startup with surfer Laird Hamilton.

Adam Krynicki, executive director of the OSU-Cascades Innovation Co-Lab, loves to “nerd out” on the kind of roadblocks that give entrepreneurs headaches.

Matt Smith, a serial entrepreneur and founder of Tribe Pilot, an adventure planning app, is certainly familiar with the concept. But the Bend native sees a different end for his company.

Today Bend boasts a thriving economy that has diversified beyond construction and tourism. It has landed a four-year university and is becoming a hub of technology and outdoor-related businesses.

Once again, Central Oregon PubTalk features one amazing keynote and two new, recently launched startups sure to get your imagination going. Check out the spotlight below for more information on […]

12.1% of Central Oregon workers are remote.

“Working with innovative people who transform problems into positive change—that inspires me.”

Female-run companies receive less than 3 percent of venture capital funding.

Rane Johnson-Stempson is taking on the challenge.

One of the Pacific Northwest’s largest angel funding conferences, Bend Venture Conference awarded $1.83 million in funding to startups in the region last year and drew more than 600 people, […]

Ruffwear’s president Will Blount on growing an international company in Bend and nurturing a collaborative community of outdoor entrepreneurs.

Our September/October issue features five startups in Bend that are poised for growth, the farms and nonprofits that are revolutionizing Central Oregon’s agricultural system and the beta on bikepacking through the region’s backcountry.

In each issue find a list of arts and culture events around town, the latest trends in home architecture and interior design, new restaurants, food carts and chefs in our local culinary scene, along with outdoor adventures and retreats throughout Central Oregon and beyond.

LeadMethod is a software startup based in Bend that closes the gap between leads and sales.

Cairn will deliver the best new outdoor products to your door once a month so that you can always be ready for your next adventure. Cairn is a monthly subscription […]

We recently caught up with Andrews to learn more about the BVC’s social impact, the interest in socially responsible investing.

The No-Bake Cookie Co. went from a project for a family-owned deli to one the next great Bend startups.

Created by Bend Outdoor Worx, the Venture Out Conference is a way for outdoor-based startups to present their businesses and compete for funding. Last year, the conference awarded more than […]

Startups compete for funding from the Cascade Angel Fund at the Bend Venture Conference, the largest of its kind in the Pacific Northwest. There are new pop-up events tied to […]

A maverick scientist and a teenaged ditch-digger once changed the course of Bend’s economy–while staying true to their roots.

The vegan and organic lipstick company isn’t just lip service.

Preston Callicott Five Talent’s CEO on what it takes it to make it in Bend and how tech companies are working together to make this the most liveable city in America. […]

  Though locals and visitors alike once knew October as a quiet month in Bend, Tenth Month changed that this year. The once loosely associated roster of gatherings that constitute […]

An Interview with Brian Vierra The man behind Bend’s Venture Conference talks start-up strategy and what it takes to stay ahead in the high-growth investment game. Interview by Kelly Kearsley For […]

As Turner Waskom sees it, Craft3 is filling a much-needed funding gap for Central Oregon businesses. The Bend office of this Ilwaco, Washington-based community development finance institution makes loans to […]

Editors Note: This article was originally published April, 2016 Jeff Dowell grew up in Bend, playing golf for Bend High School and Central Oregon Community College before moving on to […]

This article was originally published December 2015. Cascade Angel Fund is now Cascade Seed Fund. Meet Julie Harrelson, the woman leading the investment in Oregon’s startups. Founded in 2013, the […]

The software company is among other Growth Stage finalists at the Bend Venture Conference. From October 15 to 16, startups and investors will gather in Bend to recognize entrepreneurship and innovation […]

The twelfth annual Bend Venture Conference will offer entrepreneurs, startups and growing companies the opportunity for investment from notable investors and business leaders. The BVC is considered to be the […]