This year's Bend Venture Capital Conference winner is more Butch Cassidy than Bill Gates. A Redmond horse equipment manufacturer took home the top prize, a $250,000 cash investment, at the Bend Venture Conference, organizers announced on Thursday afternoon.
RES Equine reportedly wooed potential investors with its equine safety equipment that has high margins and global appeal, according to Economic Development of Central Oregon, which produced the event.
The annual entrepreneurial competition, which is held in downtown Bend at the Tower Theater, drew some 300 investors, entrepreneurs and business professionals. This year’s event also included a new concept competition funded by Bend Broadband. The competition awarded a Portland inventor $10,000 for a software program that helps decode hard to pronounce names.
