OEN News2025 Oregon Angel Food Winner Announced
Oregon Angel Food Investors announced the recipient of a $100,000 angel investment at this year’s Oregon Angel Food (OregonAF) Investment Announcement Mixer, hosted by Oregon Entrepreneurs Network (OEN). On Monday, June 2 at the Mission Theater in NW Portland, four craft food and beverage finalists alongside one consumer packaged goods finalist pitched to a room full of investors, food industry professionals, and the public.
This year’s OregonAF investee is Functional Botanicals. The Ashland-based company crafts a luxury, dry face wipe using a combination of essential oils and pressed biodegradable bamboo. Cassandra Davis, founder, pitched at the event while her partner cheered from the audience after traveling from Southern Oregon for the event.
“It is so important to be seen, and I am so grateful to organizations like Oregon Entrepreneurs Network that help small businesses thrive. The experience, from investment preparedness through pitch practice, is invaluable,” said founder of Functional Botanicals, Cassandra Davis.
“BIG congratulations to Functional Botanicals! Cassandra is building an internationally distributed brand while employing a half dozen people in Southern Oregon,” said Cara Turano, President & Executive Director, OEN. “Her product solves a big sustainability challenge for the hospitality industry and elevates guests’ personal hygiene experience. It is really exciting to make OEN’s first investment outside of Portland and in the CPG space. We are so proud of all of this year’s participants and look forward to continuing to support them in their entrepreneurial journey.”
The annual event focuses on Oregon’s innovative food and beverage sector and was the culmination of two cohorts of food and beverage entrepreneurs that had participated in a month-long capital literacy investment readiness education program. Over 30 companies participated in the program over the past 9 months with 8 companies going through the due diligence process with investors. As OEN’s membership has expanded across the state, the Oregon Angel food and beverage program has grown to include consumer packaged goods looking to scale nationally with venture capital as a growth vehicle. “With a 40% increase in membership year over year,” explained Turano, “we are seeing a growing number of CPG entrepreneurs seeking venture capital and have expanded our program to include these founders.”
Oregon Entrepreneurs Network (OEN) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to helping entrepreneurs start up and scale up. The organization hosts a mix of sector-specific Angel Oregon entrepreneur education and angel investment programs each year, including Angel Oregon Life & Bioscience (AOBIO), Oregon Tech (AOTech) and Oregon Angel Food (OregonAF), as well as the annual OEN Entrepreneurship Awards. Learn more at www.oen.org.
