2026 Annual Meeting of the Oregon Venture Fund
May 2026
Lynn Fletcher
With over 250 attendees, the Oregon Venture Fund’s 2026 Annual Meeting at the Portland Art Museum was a fun, insightful, and inspiring gathering and tribute to the hard work of our portfolio entrepreneurs. We extend heartfelt thanks to our investors, portfolio leaders, and special guests for joining us and making the event a memorable celebration. We were delighted to offer a special entrance to the David Hockney exhibit as the cherry on top.
Our annual meeting is designed to inform and inspire, honor and thank our entrepreneurs and investors, strengthen our fund’s culture and sense of community, and, above all, create an enjoyable experience for everyone.
This year’s activities reflected these goals by engaging attendees in meaningful discussions, recognizing achievements, and fostering connections that strengthen our community.
Co-host:
The Oregon Community Foundation, led by CEO Lisa Mensah, continues to be a close and trusted partner of OVF and an exemplary stakeholder of our region’s economic success. OCF leads and supports efforts to amplify community-driven growth and build a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem in Oregon.
Special Guest:
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson encouraged the audience to adopt a forward-looking perspective. He highlighted the recent progress made in public safety and addressing homelessness and emphasized the ongoing need for innovation to help revitalize Portland.
Company Updates:
Wilfred Gomes, CEO of Mueon, shared his vision for reinventing server architecture to boost performance and efficiency in data centers. We invite you to read more about the company and why we invested here.
Alex Bovee, CEO of C1, discussed the importance of their solution for managing the growing number of AI identities in company environments, ensuring security, visibility, and compliance. Please read more about the company and why we invested here.
Yuriy Bulygin, CEO at Eclypsium, presented their solution to secure firmware now and into the future, as AI, robotics, and edge machinery continue to grow. Learn more about Eclypsium here.
Fireside Chats:
Nicole Schmidt, CEO of Source, offered insights into the furniture, fixtures, and equipment procurement industry and the company’s expanding client base of owners/managers of hotels, office buildings, and apartments. Read about why we invested here and additional details here in the featured company section of our website.
Chas Ballew, CEO of Conveyor, explained how they use AI to automate complex, security-driven processes, freeing up teams to focus on relationship-driven selling. Learn about why we invested here.
We were inspired by the depth of vision and insights from our featured leaders. We look forward to following their progress.
OVFie Awards & OVF Community Giving Fund:
We recognized investors receiving the coveted crystal OVFie Awards for their many contributions to the fund and our venture community, and to Honey Mama’s for their leadership and efforts to reduce waste in food manufacturing. In appreciation, the Oregon Venture Fund Giving Fund contributed $2,500 in Honey Mama’s honor to the charity of their choice: Urban Gleaners. Read more about the OVF Community Giving Fund here.
The Loyal Order of the OVFs:
Each year we recognize folks that have invested with OVF for 10 years or more. Since 2007, approximately 900 entities and individuals have invested with us. We are honored and proud to have such a large, longstanding, and growing base of business and tech leaders investing in our region.
Impact:
With a 16% net IRR and 3.1X net return to its investors over a 19-year period, OVF has invested >$200M into 88 startups and growth companies with a presence in Oregon and Southern Washington. Those companies have grown to $6.9B in aggregate market value and employ over 7,000 people.
With Gratitude:
As we look ahead and approach our 20th anniversary as a fund, we do so with optimism and excitement. The Oregon Venture Fund remains dedicated to supporting forward-thinking entrepreneurs and fostering an environment where innovative ideas can thrive. We believe that our community’s collective energy and collaboration will drive even greater achievements in the coming year.
We are deeply grateful for the passion and commitment that each of you brings to our community. Your support is the foundation of everything we accomplish, and we look forward to continuing our journey of growth and innovation together.