Contact:          Jeff Fishburn

                       OnPR for Oregon Entrepreneurs Network

                       503-802-4408

                       jefff@onpr.com

Portland, Oregon—August 25, 2010 — Oregon Entrepreneurs Network (OEN) and Entrepreneurs Foundation of the Northwest (EFNW) announced today that they will merge to create a single organization devoted to developing businesses and communities around the Northwest. In addition to connecting emerging businesses to expertise and valuable resources, OEN will now incorporate EFNW’s expertise in helping companies develop and implement strategies for community involvement.

“Becoming a part of OEN will allow EFNW to build on its strengths and to continue implementing community involvement programs that match the corporate culture and philanthropic interests of Oregon companies with the many needs in the local community,” said EFNW founding board chair, Hugh Mackworth.

EFNW brings a long history of corporate development and community involvement to the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network. Lisa Sloan, president of EFNW, reports that collectively, EFNW and its member companies have returned $4.5 million to the Portland community since its inception in 1991. EFNW is affiliated with 11 other Entrepreneurs Foundations worldwide and currently has 54 member companies in the northwest.

“We are pleased to welcome EFNW to the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network,” said Linda Weston, president and executive director of OEN. “Economic and job growth depend on a company’s ability to thrive on all levels, including giving back to the community.”

Recent EFNW success stories include a group of start-up companies who raised more than $27,000 to sponsor Portland elementary schools, and a downtown PR firm who donated office space to Community of Writers (COW), a non-profit teacher support program dedicated to improving the quality of writing instruction.

"EFNW and OEN both do great work for entrepreneurs, so the merger is completely natural. It creates a one-stop shop for the nurturing we need to get to the point where we can give back... and now helps us do the giving back, too!" said Ray King, CEO of AboutUs.org and OEN Advisory Board member.

The merger will benefit both organizations and coming at a time when small businesses are both searching for funding and recognizing the need to give back to the community. Since its founding in 1991, EFNW has partnered with companies who recognize that corporate philanthropy is not limited to big budgets or large volunteer forces. Using the same entrepreneurial thinking that makes businesses successful, EFNW will grow within OEN to better serve the community and expose its members to beneficial partnerships in the business and non-profit sectors across Oregon and Southwest Washington.

About Entrepreneurs Foundation of the Northwest

Entrepreneurs Foundation of the Northwest (EFNW) helps small and mid-sized companies develop and implement strategies for community involvement that jointly meet the goals of the company, the passions of the employees and the needs of the community. EFNW is affiliated with 11 other Entrepreneurs Foundations worldwide and currently has 54 member companies in the northwest. For more information, visit www.efnw.org.

About Oregon Entrepreneurs Network

Founded in 1991, the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to providing opportunities for Oregon entrepreneurs and to improving the business climate for emerging companies statewide. The organization has members throughout Oregon and southwest Washington. For more information about OEN, visit www.oen.org.

According to a 2007/2008 Watson Wyatt “Human Communication ROI Study”, companies with the most effective employee communication programs provided a 91% total return to shareholders from 2002-2006 compared with 62% for companies that communicated least effectively. These internal communication-savvy companies are also four times as likely to report high levels of employee engagement as companies that communicate less effectively.

Why, then do business plans and founders of startups and early growth companies rarely mention the term “internal communication” (a.k.a. “employee communication”) let alone include it among high level business plan strategies and as a future business function? Here are just a few unfortunate reasons:

-Internal communication is considered only necessary and of value in larger, more established companies at the level requiring HR staffing.

-Among the many hats worn by founders and their first hires in management roles, the internal communication hat isn’t considered strategic or measureable enough to consider being worn.

-Many founders and early management have no experience with or exposure to internal communication as a strategic function, thereby not even seeing it on their radar screen.

-“Communication” is often associated “Marketing”-- the omnipresent top line business function. Or, internal communication is often considered so synonymous in nature and role that it gets assigned (often lost) within the more visible and glamorous “marketing communications”.

Internal communication in fact and formally is the strategic facilitation of ongoing, proactive dialogue between an organization's leadership and its employees, and the management of information sharing that takes place in the interest of delivering a common business strategy. Naturally roles and responsibilities vary by organization and those with more employees and success find it “easier” to justify the assignment to those wearing other hats or even employing a hat dedicated to internal communication.

But the fact remains that when internal communication as a business function is at least atop startup founders’ minds then the stage is set for early its implementation, its ongoing development, and most importantly having its own line as a strategic function in the company’s business plan. At least the startup management-backed and tracked foundation is in place to apply the same consideration for more responsibilities and/or resources to the function as the company grows. In the meantime, with so few of startups' early contributors having the time to quantitatively measure its value, early stage internal communication efforts are behind the scenes or under the radar making their contributions to:

-Embracement of change

-Process and policy adoption

-Productivity

-Employee engagement, commitment, recruitment, and retention

-Customer satisfaction – delivering the early promise of the company’s developing brand

Scott Etheredge, Intraspeak, Inc. Internal Communications

Those of us who live and work in the Portland-Vancouver-Washington County metro area sometimes forget that it’s the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network.

Robin Cope and Caroline Cummings don’t. They are OEN’s regional coordinators for “the rest” of Oregon – Cope in the Columbia Gorge and Eastern Oregon, and Cummings in the Willamette Valley. Both women can attest to the high level of interest in angel investing – and entrepreneurial spirit – throughout the state.

Cope and Cummings meet regularly with entrepreneurs, investors, and people who would like to become investors in their regions. They’ve both helped launch local versions of PubTalk™, the popular meeting venue for entrepreneurs and angel investors. Cope and Cummings are also deeply involved in regional investment competitions modeled on Angel Oregon.

$100,00 for Stevenson company 4-Tell

The third annual Gorge Angel Conference was held in Hood River on April 27, with 4-Tell Inc. taking the prize: a $100,000 investment from GAIN3 LLC, the 26-investor group that formed up for this year’s event. The funding comes in handy for Stevenson, Wash. – based 4-Tell, which creates recommendation software for e-commerce sites.

The other two finalists – Hood River-based GreenShipping.com and TerraSpatial Technologies – are also likely to benefit from exposure to active angel investors.

“Since 2008, the first year of the Gorge Angel Conference, more than $750,000 has been invested in local companies,” Cope said.

Cope works with investors and entrepreneurs in Hood River, Pendleton, LaGrande, Baker City, Milton Freewater, Hermiston and Joseph. Though the drives are admittedly long, “it’s not stressful at all,” Cope said. “I feel like I’m breathing when I head in that direction.”

Investors in Umatilla and Baker counties have formed investment LLCs with Cope’s help. Investors in and around Joseph are holding PubTalks and may be forming up an LLC sometime soon, Cope said.

Identifying and reaching out to qualified investors is part of her work, as well as helping nascent angel groups organize. Cope also coaches entrepreneurs and small-business owners on presenting to investors.

OEN’s Portland staff and members are also working with Cope. In June, OEN Executive Director Linda Weston will travel to Pendleton and Baker City with Jim Noonan, a veteran angel investor and former president of Portland Angel Network. The two will participate in PubTalk, share information about OEN’s programs and services with Eastern Oregon investors and entrepreneurs, and Noonan will talk about how angels and entrepreneurs work together to grow companies.

The Eastern Oregon model of investment looks different from the Portland version, Cope said. Rather than the software, high-tech and apparel startups that are so prevalent in the Portland-Vancouver metro area, Eastern Oregon companies often concentrate on sustainable agriculture, technology for agriculture and high-value agricultural products such as distilled beverages and beers.

“We’ve adapted and adjusted the programs to meet the needs of local angels and local business owners,” says Cope.

While the region does have some companies primed for angel investment, it’s classic small businesses that dominate the Eastern Oregon economic landscape.

We get them out of their offices and into the forum, where they talk about their companies, their challenges and markets,” Cope said. “We help them formulate their pitch and ask for what they need, whether that’s gap funding, human resources assistance, marketing assistance or other expertise. They can often get what they need right there in their own communities, and their small business can grow into a more entrepreneurial venture.”

Gearing up for Willamette Angel Conference

Like Cope, Cummings works with investors and entrepreneurs throughout her Willamette Valley region, spanning Eugene, Corvallis, Medford, Bend, Ashland and Grants Pass. Cummings also works closely with University of Oregon and Oregon State University. Both schools are sponsors of the Willamette Angel Conference, which holds its second annual session in Eugene on May 13^th.

This year’s conference boasts a $165,000 prize for the winning company, up from $125,000 the year before. The investment group includes 33 investors this year, investing the $5,000 apiece that’s standard for OEN’s Angel Oregon conference.

This year’s finalists were chosen from more than 30 companies based in Oregon and Southwest Washington:

• DeltaPoint Inc., located in Portland, is developing software detect, diagnose and monitor cancer.

• InFuez Inc., based in Portland, makes tiles and countertops out of recycled glass, concrete, stone and earth for houses and commercial buildings.

• Arcimoto LLC of Eugene is developing a small electric commuter car to be sold for $15,000.

• Good Clean Love Inc. of Eugene makes all-natural sexual lubricants, oils, scents, sexual aids and organic, fair-trade chocolates.

• ShopDragon LLC, located in Ashland, is developing web-based e-commerce software and services for small companies.

• VizMe Inc. of Eugene is developing a new, multimedia social sharing company that will include advertising and merchandising.

Cummings’ work includes a wide range of activities, including coordination with local chambers of commerce; facilitating entrepreneurial support group SmartUps; lining up speakers and sponsors for OEN programs; and meeting with both entrepreneurs and investors.

While she enjoys all her work, Cummings has a soft spot for entrepreneurs. She’s got plenty of personal experience to draw on in helping them prepare investor presentations: Cummings started up and led OsoEco, a startup that focused on socially responsible shopping until it shut down in March last year.

“I get to share my lessons learned,” said Cummings of her work with entrepreneurs. “I play the investor role with them, and tell them what red flags I see. I really put them through it before they go in front of an investor group.”

Growing startups means a growing economy

Both Cummings and Cope know that encouraging and facilitating more interaction between companies seeking capital and other support and individuals seeking good investments is a critical piece of Oregon’s economic development.

“It’s empowering to provide ideas for communities to help themselves,” said Cope. “It’s very organic; that’s what makes it exciting and creative.”

Connecting students with Oregon’s hottest start-ups

Wednesday, April 14th 2010

     How would your company like to gain access to some of the brightestyoung business minds in the Portland area? The Oregon Entrepreneur’sNetwork has teamed up with The University of Portland, PortlandState University and Willamette University’s Executive MBA programto connect yourcompany with the energy and drive that will helptake you to the next level.On Wednesday April 14th, OEN will be sponsoring an intern speeddating event that will provide you with the opportunity tointerview potential candidates to satisfy your internship needs.

     The event will start with an hour long workshop focused ondriving maximum value out of internships. Following lunch is six10 minute sessions with up to 3 students per session to explainyour organization’s intern needs and get to know the candidates.Companies will then have the opportunity to spend another 30minutes talking with their preferred candidates in a networkingformat.

Space is limited to 12 companies so reserve your spot now!

Location:  University of Portland campus, Buckley Center, Room 163

Schedule: 11:30am- Workshops start

12:30- Box lunch provided and an opportunity to network

1pm- Speed Dating starts

2:30pm- Event ends

Cost:

Free for OEN membersNon-members must enroll in a 1 year OEN membershipSee http://www.oen.org/membership_join.aspx for membership pricing info.

Companies or students interested in participating should contact Rori Homme at rorih@oen.org or call 503-222-2270.

Presenters at this week’s Oregon Entrepreneurs Network (OEN) PubTalk stepped up to the challenge of pitching their firms on the heels of OEN’s highly successful Angel Oregon 2010 competition held March 5th.

Orbo Sports, Inc., CEO Greg Johnson credits his wife for his initial and ongoing support, with whom he first shared his idea and who responded. “You’re brilliant, honey. Anything you do will succeed.” Orbo Sports is an online sports and lifestyle social network that provides connectivity, collaboration and self-expression for athletes and sports enthusiasts. Orbo Sports offers users a 360 degree online and offline experience and features relevant content about sports and the lifestyle that surrounds them.
greg@orbosports.com
www.orbosports.com
503-703-7749

Public Marketspace, Inc. CEO Nathan J. Wagner discussed what he feels is the number one issue with emerging entrepreneurs—competing on the internet with its cost of entry, available URLs, search engine optimization, and social marketing.  Public Marketspace is an online marketing channel for small businesses. The company’s first product, Publicmarketspace.com, is a social media and eCommerce (SaaS) platform for entrepreneurs, an online public market to attract customers, and a company committed to giving back to the merchant community.
nathan@publicmarketspace.com
www.publicmarketspace.com
503-866-4800

With the recent worldwide popularity of the 3D blockbuster film Avatar, CEO Mike Green made a strong case for his firm Vizitnow3D in the world of online commerce. Vizitnow3D builds revenue-generating navigable 3D replicas of real world environments, accessible via web browsers and mobile phones that can be used as marketing tools by high-traffic destinations. Introducing a disruptive innovative method of bringing consumers and merchants together in real time, Vizitnow3D capitalizes upon the exploding 3D trend by developing a niche in a wide open market.
Mike.green@vizitnow.com
www.vizitnow.com
541-730-2164

Mark April 14th on your calendar for the next OEN PubTalk. Watch for the upcoming announcement that will include the agenda and presenters.

OEN Angel Oregon launch-stage finalist, Coherence Resources, shares its entrepreneurial story in a pre-event interview. Read on to find out when the big idea first came to mind, what keeps them awake at night, and how they’ll ultimately define success.

Coherence Resources, Inc. produces proven wellness solutions for restful sleep and relaxation without pills, masks, wires or sounds. The NightWave® Sleep Assistant is its flagship product. On March 5, 2010, the company will compete against five other launch-stage companies at The Nines Hotel in Portland, Oregon for an estimated investment prize of approximately $175,000. Register to attend the event today.

OEN: Describe the moment when your big idea first came to mind.

CR: Founder Stephen Parsons invented the NightWave(R) sleep assistant while creating a simple handheld device for stress reduction. His prototype utilized a group of small LEDs that projected blue light in a specific direction rather than producing an ambient glow. He tested the device while lying in a darkened bedroom with the light projected onto the ceiling. He discovered that in these conditions, the device produces a state of drowsiness that leads to sleep – and that this was a reliable and repeatable effect. NightWave was born.

OEN: With whom was the idea first shared? What was his/her reaction?

CR: Stephen Parsons first shared the concept with some friends who suffered from insomnia, and then with his business advisor, Keith Wymbs (who later invested in the company to build prototypes and became CEO after initial market testing). The reaction from most people is that it’s brilliant in its simplicity, but it makes complete sense.

OEN: At what stage of your business planning did you experience the most “go” or “no-go” feelings?

CR: We've experienced many “go” and “no-go” feelings throughout the launch experience. Probably the biggest “no-go” feeling came when we were rejected by Angel Oregon in 2009, early in the process. But we didn't listen and reapplied for 2010 – and now we are a finalist!

OEN: What event, decision or conversation transitioned you to the “all-systems-go” point?

CR: The biggest “all-systems-go” feeling came after selling our first $100,000 of product, gathering customer feedback, and realizing that we were helping the great majority of the insomniacs who were trying the solution.

OEN: What keeps you awake at night in regards to your business?

CR: The thing that keeps us awake at night is knowing that we have an effective, affordable, and natural solution available for a massive unsolved problem – but we don't yet have the funds to make enough people aware of the solution. Of the 50,000 people that have hit our website, more than 20% have been convinced to buy.  If we can make 100M insomniacs that exist in the U.S. aware of our solution, we’ll have a nice business.

OEN: How will you ultimately define success for your business?

CR: Helping more than one million people who struggle with sleeplessness re-learn their ability to fall asleep again naturally.

OEN: Tell us about your present and/or past involvement with Oregon Entrepreneurs Network.

CR:

• Company membership with OEN since 2008

• CEO Roundtable Workshops

• Selected for PubTalk presentation

• Business plan and presentation coaching through OEN

• Business advisors brought on board via OEN event

Written by Scott Etheredge

Portland, OR January 13, 2009
Approximately 35% of Amazon.com’s sales revenue and 60% of Netflix’ rental revenue are generated by purchase recommendations provided by these industry giants’ web sites. With a business plan supported by data such as this,   4-Tell, Inc. won Round 3 of the “OEN PubTalk Seed Oregon” event. 4-Tell promises to increase the sales of their midsized online retailer target market with intelligent, automated recommendations of products.
Contact: Keny Levy, Co-founder/CTO, http://www.4-Tell.com ken@4-Tell.com, 509-427-5374

CrowdCompass, Inc. CEO Tom Kingsley made a strong case for his company’s bid for a segment of the $100 billion per year event industry. CrowdCompass technology transforms a smartphone into an “event compass” that assists attendees and exhibitors with event planning, navigating and follow-up.
Contact: Tom Kingsley, CEO, www.crowdcompass.com 503-799-8610

Casting aside all the good intentions and benefits of online shopping, approximately 90% of those shopping for products over $500 begin the sales process online only to travel to a retail store to finalize their review and purchase. vCommerce co-founder and presenter Fritz Brumder hopes to eliminate the need to visit a store via his firm’s untraditional approach to shopping online with a live video retail experience. Fritz returned as a contestant after participating in PubTalk’s opening “5-minute Pitch” on November 12th.
Contact: Fritz Brumder, Co-founder, www.cascadewebdev.com fbrumder@cascadewebdev.com, 503-752-2540

If the shoe fits, wear it. If not, go through the hassles of sending it back and ordering another size. Seth Miller, President & CEO of SureSize, Inc., who delivered this week’s opening “5-Minute Pitch”, hopes to capitalize the high return rates and low profitability faced by online shoe resellers. SureSize is a database company that enables consumers to match their recommended shoe size with the size of their selected style that is most likely to fit. Contact: Seth Miller, President & CEO, www.mysuresize.com seth@suresize.net, 503-913-8672

4-Tell joins Virticus Corporation and ActiveTrak, winners of rounds One and Two respectively, in the championship round to be held February 10, 2010 at Backspace, 115 NW 5th Avenue in Old Town Portland.

A day in Oregon Entrepreneurs Network Venture Northwest 2009

Session 1: Presenting companies of OEN Venture Northwest 2009-Wicked Quick, Giftango, Lucid Commerce

Success story: Dave Moffenbeier of Zeba– Absorbent Technologies

"You could raise money in town, with a great story and distribution strategy" - Dave Moffenbeier

Wicked Quick -                                                  

Wicked Quick is a premium clothing and accessories brand rooted in the world of speed, rebellion and attitude. We currently offer lifestyle product at Nordstrom, Metropark, select Harley Davidson Dealership's and others. We also produce performance gear for professional teams including three-time NASCAR champion team Joe Gibbs Racing.

Giftango –

Giftango is focused on the NEXT stage of gift, loyalty and member cards with virtual cards delivered through computer and mobile phones. This means new promotions, incentives and rewards capabilities for merchants through an all-digital, carbon friendly fulfillment channel that is already proving more popular than plastic.

Lucid Commerce -

Lucid Commerce is the leading provider of media optimization solutions for marketers. Lucid Commerce enables marketers to see exactly what their real return on investment is for every marketing dollar they spend. Lucid Commerce has optimized over $600,000,000 in revenue for its clients.

Session 2: Presenting companies of OEN Venture Northwest 2009- Elemental Technologies, Shore power, Prolifiq and Calidora skin clinics

Success story: Jim Johnson of Tripwire. Tripwire's powerful configuration assessment and change auditing solutions let IT gain configuration control of the entire IT infrastructure.

Elemental Technologies –                          

Elemental Technologies is the leading provider of massively parallel processing solutions for video applications. Using off-the-shelf, programmable graphics processing units (GPUs) for compute-intensive video processing and conversion tasks, Elemental’s products are ideally suited for a variety of video applications including consumer media processing, professional video editing and Internet video processing.

Shore Power –

Shorepower Technologies builds, deploys and operates road-side plug-in stations that allow the nation’s 500,000 long-haul truck drivers to eliminate unnecessary idling during required rest periods, saving drivers an average of $4,000 per year on diesel fuel while significantly reducing associated toxic emissions.

Prolifiq -

Prolifiq provides on-demand software that accelerates sales and helps companies meet regulatory requirements by organizing, sending and tracking approved digital content throughout their sales processes. Prolifiq has transformed the sales operations of leading companies in the life sciences, technology and digital media industries.

Calidora Skin Clinic –                                           

Calidora offers custom tailored aesthetic solutions using cosmetic technologies and products under the care of medical practitioners and aestheticians in a friendly, retail environment. With 7 locations, 4 in Washington and 3 in Southern California, our goal is to become the leading national brand in this emerging, multi-billion dollar industry.

Session 2: Presenting companies of OEN Venture Northwest 2009- Shop Igniter, Advanced Inquiry systems, DesignMedix and Secondporch

Cularis, Inc. –

ShopIgniter is a real-time, social eCommerce platform with an intent-based search engine for Twitter, FaceBook and other popular social networks. It can manage multiple sales channels for products, including their marketing and promotion. Built for boutiques, small businesses and the enterprise, and delivered as a Software as a Service or download, ShopIgniter is a complete end-to-end solution for online sales.

Advanced Inquiry Systems -                  

Advanced Inquiry Systems, Inc. (AISI) is revolutionizing semiconductor test, helping our customers combat rising costs in the midst of falling product prices. Our unique solutions enhance flexibility for device design, greatly reduce test floor WIP, and nearly eliminate pad scrub, enabling at speed wafer test for flash, DRAM and logic devices.

DesignMedix –

DesignMedix develops novel pharmaceutical products for the treatment and prevention of life-threatening infectious diseases based on its proprietary approach to overcoming drug resistance. The company’s lead program for a low cost, safe medicine for malaria is in preclinical studies, with a second program in development for a broad-spectrum antibiotic.

Second Porch -

Second Porch facilitates renting and trading vacation homes through owner’s trusted network, avoiding pitfalls of dealing with strangers. The application spreads awareness of vacation properties across social platforms like Facebook. Owners list and renters search properties free. Revenue comes from premium features via subscription, referral and transaction fees.

Top 3 finalists are: WickedQuick, Prolifiq, Design Medix

Congratulations to Prolifiq , winner of Venture Northwest 2009

A few takeaways from Gerry Langeler

Myth 1 - You can't grow a company here as fast as in the valley. Busted! Mentor graphics is the fastest growing software company.

Myth 2 - You can’t raise Venture Capital in OR. Busted! Dave Moffenbeier has raised a quarter of billion in angel funding

Myth 3 - Nobody has built a major company here in decades. Busted! Tripwire has trumped it.

Myth 4 - Entrepreneurs are easy, it’s investors that are tough - It's a two way street, manage your relationships wisely.

Myth 5 - Nobody has gotten any liquidity here in decades - Keith Oelrich of Insight Schools found liquidity in 15 months.

Myth 6 - Limited Partners have abandoned Venture Capital - Ron Schmitz OR CIO, have dedicated targets for Venture investment