Oregon Angel Food and Beverage (OregonAF) is designed to support early-stage food and beverage startups based in Oregon and Southwest Washington by offering investment-readiness education, connectivity within the local food and beverage community, and the opportunity to receive an equity investment from local angel investors.
This program is one in a series of Angel Oregon events facilitated by Oregon Entrepreneurs Network in collaboration with Xcelerate Women.
2024 will feature two three-week investment-readiness education series for food and beverage startups at any stage of development. Cohort 1 launches Wednesdays, March 20th – April 10th and Cohort 2 will be presented Wednesdays, August 21st – September 18th.
PRICING & REGISTRATION
- OregonAF Cohort 2: OEN Member Select ⋅ $100.00
- OregonAF Cohort 2: Non-Member Select ⋅ $150.00
INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY
Early stage companies ready for dilutive capital investment may apply to this program. The investment opportunity will be open and finalized during Spring cohort.
What is an early stage company eligible to apply for investment through OregonAF?
- Food or Beverage Makers in Oregon or SW Washington
- No CBD products; no food tech or F&B-adjacent
- Minimum of ~$10K/sales each of the last three months
- Leadership team with relevant past experience
- Ready to scale regional/national brand
The application will require a pitch deck and financials. Interested founders should be able to demonstrate traction for a proof of concept in the form of prior funding (via grants, loans, “friends & family”) and have a clear sense of the company’s valuation.
PROGRAM DETAILS
EDUCATION SESSIONS
- OregonAF SECOND cohort in 2024 will featuring a three-week investment-readiness education series for food and beverage startups at any stage of development.
- Cohort 2: Education Series
Wednesdays, August 21st – September 4th – 8:30 – 10:00 am on Zoom
- Cohort 2: Education Series
PITCH PRACTICE
- In-Person Practice Pitch sessions.
- Cohort 2: Pitch Practice
Wednesday, September 18th – 11:00 am – 1:00 pm – Tonkon Torp.
INVESTMENT MIXER
- OregonAF Investment Mixer will be held in-person on Thursday, June 6th from 5:00 – 7:00 pm at the Mission Theater in Portland.
EDUCATION SESSIONS
All education sessions will be conducted via Zoom. Content portions will be recorded and will be available to all registered participants following the session.
Protecting Your Investment
Wednesday, August 21st
8:30 – 10:00 am
In the competitive food and beverage industry, protecting your brand is essential to maintaining a competitive edge. How do you protect the intangible assets of your product? And how do you prevent competitors from copying your work, intellectual assets, know-how?
Intellectual property (IP) protection is a necessity for companies to protect the value in your product and processes. The exclusive rights associated with IP are applicable to nearly all aspects of the industry from initial recipes and ingredients to manufacturing, labeling, branding and marketing of finished products.
Join a discussion about the important role of IP protection in protecting brands and innovation in the food and beverage industry.
Session Focus
- Trademarks
- Trade dress
- Copyrights
- Design and Utility Patents
- Trade Secrets
From Kitchen to Market: Scaling for Food Distribution
Wednesday, August 28th
8:30 – 10:00 am
Scaling up production is a bold move, and not to be taken lightly. Preparing your food and beverage business for growth poses a unique set of challenges and opportunities.
From financing, to technology and automation that meet new demands. Upscaling processes and new packing and distribution models. Scalability is really about capacity – do you have the systems, staff, equipment and mechanization in place to accommodate growth?
This OregonAF session will focus on navigating the path of business growth and how to plan ahead in order to successfully scale up.
Session Focus
- Packaging
- Manufacturing
- Distribution models
- Food safety
Investment Routes for your Food & Beverage Startup
Wednesday, September 4th
8:30 – 10:00 am
Starting a food and beverage business can be an exciting endeavor, but it also requires significant planning and financing.
In order to finance an idea, entrepreneurs must first understand their target market and the competitive landscape, determine how much capital they need for their venture, and identify potential sources of funding.
This OregonAF session will explore the types of funding available to founders and go deep into navigating funding based on the stage of your business and the developmental phase of your product.
Session Focus:
- Term Sheets
- Trademark IP
- Banks
- Government Grants
- Accelerators & Incubators
- Venture Capital
- Angel Funding
Presented By: Bank of America
Moderator
Art Avitia
Senior Relationship Manager
Bank of America
Panelists
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
WHY IS OREGONAF IMPORTANT FOR FOUNDERS AND ENTREPRENEURS?
- To build your business: learn how best to finance growth, meet investors, connect with mentors, and solve operational problems
- To build community: connect with fellow founders and investors in the food and beverage sector, learn the stories behind home-grown successes, and grow your network
- To build the local economy: earn investment, find local suppliers, and meet local talent
WHO IS INVOLVED?
- FOUNDERS: Food and beverage founders and founding teams of all kinds – beverages, snacks, confections & chocolates, pantry, etc. – are welcome to register for the education sessions.
- ANGELS: accredited investors invest collectively in a food or beverage company and help grow the regional bioscience sector are welcome.
- MENTORS: specialists of all kinds support founders with their time and talents in packaging, promotional strategy, production, distribution, retail merchandising, online sales, intellectual property, financial modeling, inventory management, or go to market planning.
THANK YOU SPONSORS
