Twelve startups are finalists for this year’s Oregon Entrepreneurs Network awards. The honors will be given Nov. 16 at an event at The Armory.
This year’s emcee will be Paige Hendrix Buckner, CEO of the nonprofit All Raise.
The awards program recognizes the founders of companies across three stages of business as well honors for Trailblazers and Entrepreneurial Achievement. This year the group is adding a new category recognizing people or organizations that are Community Catalysts. The Community Catalysts will be announced this fall.
More than 200 nominations came in from across the state. The finalists were selected by a panel of judges from across Oregon and across industries, said Cara Turano, executive director of OEN in a written statement.
“Each of these companies and individuals deserve to be celebrated for the work they are doing building the robust, diverse and collaborative entrepreneurial ecosystem in the region,” she said.
The Early Stage finalists are:
- CardCraft and founder Damola Omotosho. The company offers personalized cards mailed for any occasion.
- Grove Cookie Company and founders Grayson Hogard and Marie Hogard. The company makes small batch cookies for pickup or nationwide delivery.
- Howl at the Spoon and founder Melanie Jenkinson. The company makes single-serve sauces.
The Development Stage finalists are:
- Altitude Beverages and founders Thomas Angel and Laura Melgarejo-Silva. The company makes beverages that include supplements like CBD.
- Espiku and founder Bahman Abbasi. The company develops water treatment and mineral extraction technology that are efficient, cost-effective and modular.
- Sqwad and founders Nick Lawson and Lee Jorgensen. The company helps sports teams and sponsors run digital, in-game engagements.
The Growth Stage finalists are:
- Burch Energy Services and founder David Burchfield. The company connects building owners with teams to audit and design clean energy projects and all with an eye toward inclusion and creating job opportunities.
- Chapul Farms and founder Patrick Crowley. The company builds and operates modular insect farms to turn organic waste into animal feed and fertilizer in a closed loop system.
- Rock Paper Coin and founders Elizabeth Sheils and Nora Sheils. The company created software that digitizes payments and contract management for wedding and event planning.
Trailblazer award finalists are:
- Adre and founder Anyeley Hallová. The company is an equity-centered real estate developer.
- Hopscotch and founders Nicole Jensen and Hunter Inman. The company is an experiential art gallery.
- Precision Analytical and founders Mark Newman, Andy Tyssen and Katie Newman. The company developed a novel way to test hormones used by health care providers to explore different hormone issues with patients.
The Entrepreneurial Achievement finalists are:
- Jake Weatherly, co-founder and CEO of SheerID. The company helps client brands manage consumer discounts based on a consumer’s identity.
- Paresh Patel, founder and CEO of PayRange. The company created hardware and software to allow vending and other coin-operated machines take digital payments.
- Junea Rocha, co-founder and chief marketing officer of Brazi Bites. The company makes Latin-inspired frozen foods, including a well-known Brazilian cheese bread.
OEN is a statewide nonprofit that offers support and education for founders. The group also hosts a series of angel investment conferences: Angel Oregon Tech, Angel Oregon Bio and Oregon Angel Food.
