Other2025 Oregon Entrepreneurship Award Finalists Announced
Oregon Entrepreneurs Network (OEN) today announced the finalists for five categories in the 2025 OEN Entrepreneurship Awards. The winners will be revealed at a ceremony with the theme Choose Your Own Adventure on Thursday, November 13, 2025.
OEN retained the same awards categories as last year including the Tom Holce Community Catalyst Award that recognizes three individuals or organizations annually that create opportunities for connection, education and services in support of founders and entrepreneurs. The winners of the Community Catalyst award were announced last week.
The awards event this year will be emceed by Dr. Kim Freeze Ecosystem Steward at Southern Oregon Innovation Hub, Professor at Rogue Community College, and Founder of The Seed Collective Catalyst. This year’s event will take place at the Hilton Downtown Portland with expanded space for pre- and post-event networking and the awards presentation format will mimic last year’s with auditorium seating and special snacks for the audience.
OEN Entrepreneurship 2025 Award Finalists include:
EARLY STAGE AWARD:
- Accent Innovations | Dr. Katie Pierson, Founder
- Ahead Computing | Debbie Marr, Jonathan Pearce, Srikanth Srinivasan, and Mark Dechene, Co-Founders
- HER (Hormonal Exams Reimagined) | Rylee Ramsey, Founder
DEVELOPMENT STAGE AWARD:
- Birch Biosciences | Johan Kers, and Emily Duncan, Co-Founders
- Caravel Bio | Trevor Nicks, Founder
- Neurosom | Viral Sheth, Corin Tucker, and Dr Don Tucker, Co-Founders
GROWTH STAGE AWARD
- Digs | Ryan Fink, and Ty Frackiewicz, Co-Founders
- Hemex Health | Patti White, and Peter Galen, Co-Founders
- ZincFive | Tim Hysell, and Dan Sisson, Co-Founders
TRAILBLAZER AWARD
- Graze Social | Devin Gaffney, and Andrew Lisowski, Co-Founders
- OneApp | Tyrone Poole, Founder
- Photon Marine | Marcelino Alvarez and Nick Schoeps, Co-Founders
ENTREPRENEURIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
- Kristy Athens | Founder, Good Groceries
- Jenny Nguyen | Founder, The Sports Bra
- Nathan Wildfire | Founder, Missing Middle Housing Fund
“Announcing the 2025 OEN Entrepreneurship Award finalists is like opening a new chapter in a shared adventure that our whole entrepreneurial community is writing together,” said OEN Executive Director Cara Turano. “Entrepreneurs in Oregon and SW Washington are explorers. Charting new paths, taking bold risks, and building futures that didn’t exist before. With more than 225 nominations showcasing the depth and diversity of the region’s entrepreneurial community, narrowing down to these finalists was a challenge for the statewide panel of judges. We can’t wait to celebrate the twists, turns, and triumphs of these entrepreneurial adventures this November.”
The 2025 OEN Entrepreneurship Awards will be held from 5:00-11:00 pm on November 13th at the Hilton Downtown Portland. Seating packages and limited sponsorships can be purchased by contacting Sarah Norris (sarah@oen.org). Individual tickets can be purchased at www.oen.org/2025-awards.
Oregon Entrepreneurs Network (OEN) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to helping local entrepreneurs start up and scale up. The organization hosts entrepreneur education and angel investment programs, including Angel Oregon Tech (AOTech), Angel Oregon Bio (AOBIO) and Oregon Angel Food (OregonAF), in addition to the annual OEN Entrepreneurship Awards. Learn more at www.oen.org.
