Collegiate Entrepreneurs Compete at Statewide InventOR Competition

June 2025

College students from 17 higher education institutions across Oregon may be out of school for the summer, but they have one more competition to attend. All year, students have built business plans, prototypes and attended pitch coaching sessions. They competed locally on their school’s campus during the year and earned the right to represent their college or university at the statewide competition at University of Portland on Friday, June 27.

Invent Oregon started in 2017 by Portland State University’s Center for Entrepreneurship with funding from Business Oregon and The Lemelson Foundation. It has grown in size and reputation over the past 8 years, garnering philanthropic and community support from Oregon Community Foundation, The Ford Family Foundation, Roundhouse Foundation and others.

Now with 20 teams competing, guests and participants will get a unique opportunity to learn about the problems these young entrepreneurs are aiming to solve and how they intend to do so. An inspiring range of ideas includes solutions for protecting homes from wildfire to improving plastic recycling processes to devices that improve mental health.  Close to 50 student competitors will have a demonstration booth and a 10-minute pitch presentation on stage. They will compete for $30,000 in cash prizes.  

Interested visitors are encouraged to participate. The event is free and you can register through this link. The pitches begin at 10:00 a.m. Our own Melissa Freeman, Director of Investor Relations, will serve as a judge. We hope to see you there!

Oregon Venture Fund is a proud sponsor of InventOR, an annual collegiate competition for the state’s top student entrepreneurs. For more information, please contact Melissa Freeman, Melissa@OregonVentureFund.com, or visit InventOR.