BVC BRIEF #1
Raising Killer Dough: How Dave Dahl Helped Build Dave’s Killer Bread
Dave Dahl
Creator and Co-Founder, Dave’s Killer Bread
Dave Dahl is best known as the creator and co-founder of Dave’s Killer Bread. An inspirational figure, Dave once led a troubled past, having served over 15 years in prison prior to his business success. In 2015, Dave’s Killer Bread was sold to Flower Foods, the 2nd-largest bakery in the country for $275 million. Today, millions of people enjoy the #1 organic bread in America that bears his iconic cartoon-figure, guitar-strumming likeness.
Dave currently hosts the podcast “Felony Inc.” where he has candid conversations with formerly incarcerated entrepreneurs.
Dave’s overarching goal is to inspire and enable better people, businesses and communities—in his words, “to help anyone who is willing to do the work to enjoy the journey like I have…to create their own success story.”
Interviewed by
Robert Ricciardelli
Robert has had a successful career, with more than 30 years of executive sales and management experience in Fortune 200 companies. He has served as a coach, consultant and trusted advisor.
Currently, he is the Regional Consultant for TriNet, providing HR support and Technology for small and medium businesses. Additionally, he is also the founder of Converging Zone which inspires inclusivity and collaboration while being a catalyst for businesses and nonprofits to grow their communities. Previously, he was a talk show host and VP of sales for former Bend startup Choose Growth.
Robert is a networker and an experienced philanthropic adventurer. He resides in Seattle WA, with his wife Joyce.
BVC BRIEF # 2
Barriers to Female Founders: Where are All the Ladies?
Allie Magyar is a skilled entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience driving successful technology-enabled service companies. She founded Hubb to build a technology solution that directly addressed the needs of meeting planners as they manage the overload of information involved in managing an event. As CEO of Hubb, she is responsible for directing the company’s strategic direction with an emphasis on key partnerships, integrations, and growth. Allie is also passionate about driving positive corporate culture and is a frequent speaker on women empowerment and diversity in the workplace.
Diane Fraiman
Managing Director, Voyager Capital
Diane serves as a Managing Director with Voyager and focuses on software and digital media investments in the Pacific Northwest, particularly Oregon. With over 30 years of technology company experience in leading marketing, strategy and business development, Diane works with startups in the enterprise software, Internet/mobile/social, and security software industries throughout the West Coast.
Diane was previously Senior Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for Sanctum, a VC-backed startup providing Web application security software (acquired by Watchfire) and Vice President of Worldwide Marketing for the database company Informix Software (acquired by IBM), both based in Silicon Valley. Prior to her move to Silicon Valley, Diane was Vice President of Marketing for Tektronix (acquired by Danaher) in their Video and Networking Division and a marketing executive with Sequent Computer (acquired by IBM), both based in Oregon. She previously spent 16 years in sales and marketing roles at Digital Equipment Corporation in the US, Europe and Asia Pacific.
Diane is on the boards of Act-On Software, Stackery, TiE Oregon, University of Oregon Seed Fund Advisory Board, the Oregon State University Advantage Accelerator, and Providence Child Center. She is also a board observer of Chirpify, Lytics and SheerID.
BVC BRIEF # 3
Accelerating Bend: What’s Behind a Successful Accelerator?
Chris DeVore
Managing Partner, Founders’ Co-op
Chris DeVore is Managing Partner of Founders’ Co-op and the former Managing Director of Techstars Seattle. Between these two roles Chris has helped over 200 Pacific Northwest startups raise over $1.5 billion in investor capital. Previously a co-founder of Adjacency (acquired by Sapient) and Judy’s Book (backed by Mobius VC and Ignition Partners), Chris also created outdoor retailer Patagonia’s online retailing channel and led product and business strategy teams at AT&T and McCaw Cellular Communications. As a community volunteer, Chris co-chaired the City of Seattle’s Economic Development Commission, partnered with the University of Washington to create Startup Hall (a commercial innovation space located on the UW Campus). Chris holds a BA from Yale and attended the MBA program at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business.
Interviewed by
Julianne Brands
Partner, Oregon Venture Fund
If Oregon Venture Fund (OVF) had a mold for recruiting homegrown talent, it would be Julianne Brands. Her family owns a thriving, 100 year old Oregon-based business, so she knows first-hand the valuable impact businesses can have on local communities.y
A former research analyst at an investment bank and an economic policy think tank, Julianne brings expertise in market research, finance, and emerging technology to help solve complex problems for entrepreneurs and investors alike.
When Julianne met the OVF team, it was an easy decision to join. In her own words: “It’s really about the people. We’ve cultivated a community of these intelligent, successful, dedicated, diverse, and deeply passionate investors. We leverage their expertise to help entrepreneurs throughout the lifecycle of their company, and in the process, use our collective wisdom to make better investment decisions.”
BVC BRIEF #4
Winter is Coming: Startups & Investing in Uncertain Times
A discussion with Matt Abrams, Bruce Cleveland, Luke Kanies, and Patricia Moss.
Matt Abrams
General Partner, Seven Peaks Ventures
Matt is a General Partner with Seven Peaks Ventures with primary focus areas and expertise in: Enterprise Data & Analytics; Artificial (AI) & Machine Intelligence; and Information + Data Trust, Integrity and Security.
He also focuses heavily on Augmented Reality (AR), Blockchain and Quantum technologies and spends a significant amount of time within the healthcare sector. Matt also serves as an Innovation strategy & technology advisor to Enterprise, Governmental and Healthcare organizations. In addition, he currently serves on the board of Northwestern’s Master’s of Science in Analytics (MSiA) program as well as the Cyber Security Analysis Center (CSAC), an organization partnering with a network of academic institutions and select private sector entities focused on helping solve the threats faced by rural and underfunded critical infrastructure organizations.
Bruce Cleveland
Founding Partner, Wildcat Venture Partners
Bruce Cleveland is a Founding Partner at Wildcat where he focuses on early-stage software startups that enable digital transformation across business, government, and education markets. Bruce enjoys working with companies that use technology and data to increase revenue and decrease costs. He is interested in growing entrepreneurial hubs outside of Silicon Valley, with a particular focus on the Pacific Northwest. Bruce also is committed to sharing his knowledge and experience through the Traction Gap Framework®, which helps entrepreneurs navigate the critical go-to-market period between initial product release (IPR) and reaching minimal viable traction (MVT). Previously, he founded GreenFig, held senior executive roles with companies such as Apple, AT&T, Oracle and Siebel Systems. Bruce’s last operational role was as a member of the founding executive team of Siebel Systems, where he served as senior vice president and general manager of Marketing and Products. In this role, Forbes and IDC credited him with creating the most effective B2B alliance program in the software industry.
Founder and Executive Chair, Puppet
Founder and former CEO of Puppet, Luke started the company because he figured he’d be better off failing to start a software company than successfully getting an MBA. He grew it to 500 people and more than $50m in revenue, helping to start the DevOps movement along the way. Since stepping down from Puppet, he has been researching and writing at http://lukekanies.com/ about tools, venture capital, and crypto.
Patricia Moss
Former CEO & Vice Chairman, Cascades Bancorp & Bank of the Cascades
Patricia served as CEO of Cascade Bancorp and Bank of the Cascades from 1998 to 2012, previous to that time she served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer.
She currently serves as a board member of First Interstate Bank Systems, (FIBK), MDU Resources (MDU) and as a trustee to funds under the Aquila Group of Funds. She currently serves on the Oregon Investment Council and recently served on the Oregon Growth Board. She has served on several public boards and one private company board, ranging from banking, mutual funds, natural resources, health care, utilities and construction as well as multiple non-profit boards.
Patricia’s active involvement in local organizations is evidence of her strong commitment to community leadership. She has served as a board member or chairman for Central Oregon Community College, St. Charles Medical Center, Bend Chamber of Commerce, Greater Bend Rotary, United Way, and Central Oregon Regional Advisory Board for Higher Education, Oregon State University Advisory Board, Oregon Ethics in Business and participated in several other community roles and fundraising campaigns.
She and her husband, Greg, have been fortunate to live and raise their family in Bend, OR for more than 40 years; they are outdoors enthusiasts and cyclists.
BVC BRIEF #5
What They Don’t Tell You: Lessons Learned From Growing Fast
A real discussion about starting, funding and growing a direct to consumer brand from concept to scale.
Robert Pease
Managing Director, Cascade Seed Fund
Robert Pease is Managing Director of Cascade Seed Fund, an early stage investment fund focused technology and consumer products companies in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest, as well as Fund Manager and Venture Partner to the predecessor Cascade Angels Funds. His background includes being a founder, CEO, and go-to-market executive at six venture-backed startups where he has seen success, failure, and everything in between. He began his career as a management consultant with Accenture based in Washington, DC. Pease holds a BBA in Finance from the University of Georgia and an MBA from the University of Tennessee. He has the privilege of living in Bend, Oregon with his amazing wife and two daughters.
Kelly Oriard
Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Slumberkins
Kelly Oriard is the co-CEO and co-Founder of Slumberkins, a Direct-to-Consumer, e-commerce, children’s brand on a mission to promote emotional wellness and provide tools to help raise caring, confident, and resilient children. The brand is refreshing the plush toy industry, and resonating with parents that find community on social media platforms and seek out modern, new, and intentional products to bring into their homes. Slumberkins is on the forefront of brand building online as they expand into children’s entertainment by bringing the characters to life in a preschool television series produced by the Jim Henson Company.
Callie Christensen
Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Slumberkins
Callie Christensen is the co-CEO and co-Founder of Slumberkins, a Direct-to-Consumer, e-commerce children’s brand on a mission to promote emotional wellness and provide tools to help raise caring, confident, and resilient children. The brand is refreshing the plush toy industry, and resonating with parents that find community on social media platforms and seek out modern, new, and intentional products to bring into their homes. Slumberkins is on the forefront of brand building online as they expand into children’s entertainment by bringing the characters to life in a preschool television series produced by the Jim Henson Company.
BVC BRIEF #6
The Next Big Thing: When Finance and Technology Collide
A conversation with Tore Steen, Shamir Karkal and Matt Compton
Tore Steen
CEO & Co-Founder, CrowdStreet
Tore co-founded CrowdStreet in 2014 on a mission to democratize access to commercial real estate investing. He has deep internet and software industry experience in strategy, business development, sales, and marketing for both publicly traded and private companies.
Prior to CrowdStreet, Tore helped take Janrain from early-stage growth phases to a leadership position in the social identity space. He has also held senior leadership roles as the Vice President of Business and Corporate Development at WebTrends and Director of Business Development at EarthLink.
Tore earned a Master of Business Administration from Duke University and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Notre Dame.
Shamir Karkal
Co-Founder, Simple Bank
A true FinTech pioneer, Shamir Karkal played a crucial part in building the infrastructure that would pave the way for online banking. In 2009, he co-founded Simple, the first bank of its kind in the United States, and later headed the Open Platform at BBVA.
Shamir was drawn to serve smaller companies, co-founding Sila in 2018 with the goal of empowering financial innovations.
Shamir studied physics and computer science at Bangalore University and is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business. He lives with his family in Portland, Oregon, and enjoys jiu-jitsu, long-range target shooting, and studying history whenever possible.
Matt Compton
General Partner, Oregon Venture Fund
Matt has been an active startup investor and advisor in Oregon for the past decade. Previously, he held various product, partnership, and marketing leadership roles at Yahoo! during their rapid growth period from 2002 to 2007. In 2008, he moved back to Oregon and began investing with the Oregon Angel Fund, leading our investment in Jama Software. He has been a venture-backed CEO and, most recently, was COO of Simple Financial where he led its growth to 350 employees.
Matt has served on the boards of several early and growth stage companies including Jama and Simple Financial and is currently on the board of REI. He received a dual BA in Economics and International Relations from Claremont McKenna College and an MBA from Kellogg School of Management.
Competition Moderators
Jenn Lynch
Partner, Portland Seed Fund
Early Stage Moderator
Jenn has 5 years of experience as both an angel investor and venture capitalist through her work with PSF and her own fund, Upstart Labs. She currently serves as the manager for PSF’s curriculum for entrepreneurs where she leverages her network of experienced executives and service providers. Jenn’s early career was spent as a web developer, product manager, and product marketer at software companies including BrassRing, Yahoo! Hotjobs, and Unicru. She later went on to manage design and professional services at Portland-based interactive marketing agency, StepChange Group (now called Dachis Group). Jenn also remains active in the local community by sitting on the boards of Oregon Public Broadcasting, Schoolhouse Supplies, and the Oregon Alliance for Gun Safety. She has earned an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School and a B.S. in Journalism from the Medill School at Northwestern University.
Eric Rosenfeld
Co-Founder, Oregon Venture Fund
Growth Stage Moderator
Eric Rosenfeld is a co-founder of the Oregon Venture Fund (OVF). OVF is a professionally managed, collaborative venture capital fund backed by the leaders of Oregon’s business, technology and entrepreneurial communities. The fund and its investors have invested $91M in 61 local startups that have grown to employ 3,790 Oregonians. OVF is the only venture fund offering investors and entrepreneurs free ice cream or beer for life when a fund generates a >10X return.
A fourth-generation Oregonian and former entrepreneur, Eric believes strongly in the transformative impact business and technology leaders can have when collaborating to support a new generation of local growth companies. Eric is past board chair of The Catlin Gabel School, the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation, and the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network. He received his MBA from The Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne, Switzerland, and has degrees in Industrial Engineering and American Studies from Stanford.
Rachel Jagoda Brunette
Program Officer, The Lemelson Foundation
Impact Stage Moderator
Rachel Jagoda Brunette manages The Lemelson Foundation’s work to cultivate a regional ecosystem for inventors and high growth entrepreneurs. Her grantmaking efforts focus on building a pathway from education to enterprise for the next generation of inventors and their companies with a special focus on opportunities for marginalized and underserved populations. Prior to joining the Foundation, Rachel worked in government as professional staff for the US House Committee on Science and Technology handling legislation and oversight of federal programs related to STEM education, security, transportation, and small business R&D. She lives in Portland with her husband, three daughters, and far too many pets.