Oregon Technology Business Center - Startup, Small Business

Who Is VIP Good For?

Why Sign Up for VIP?

Because when you start a company, you want to focus, follow best practices, and not become overwhelmed. In other words, you want to maximize your odds of success. Based on our 30 years of experience working both in startups and mentoring startups, VIP show you step-by-step best practices for validating your value proposition and your business model, developing a financial plan, protecting your company and your intellectual property, creating a practical strategy for funding your startup, and developing a go-to-market plan.

Who Should Apply?

VIP is for entrepreneurs and startups who are starting a growth business. What does “growth business” mean? It means a business that intends to sell a product or service not just locally, but regionally, nationally or even internationally

VIP – What you get

8 video training modules with practical how-to information for entrepreneurs
8 weekly interactive online workshops where we discuss how to apply that week’s topic to your business
Checklists and and tools that help you apply the VIP topics
Follow-on opportunities for local funding and mentoring
You’ll be part of an entrepreneur cohort–which means you’ll get to know, work with, help, and get help from the other entrepreneurs who are participating in the class. Being an entrepreneur can be lonely–it helps to have a peer group to talk to!
Bottom line: you get better focus, less confusion, and a higher chance of success with your startup

Topics we cover in the Workshops

How to test your value proposition and business model
How to protect your company and your intellectual property
How to analyze your market
How to build a startup team
How to fund your startup
How to develop a Go to Market plan; Startup resource in Oregon
How to develop an effective investor pitch

Funding

This is new! We’re working with partners to create seed funds in each of their regions so we can offer VIP graduates an opportunity to apply for seed funding for entrepreneurs in these counties:

Coos and Douglas (in cooperation with RAIN)
Jackson and Josephine (organized by SOREDI)
Marion, Polk, and Yamhill (organized by SEDCOR)

What does VIP cost?

For entrepreneurs and startups in rural Oregon we can offer a drastically reduced price thanks to a grant from the Janette G. Drew Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation. Entrepreneurs in rural Oregon can register for the entire VIP program for a single payment of $79. What do we define as “rural Oregon”? We have a simple definition: entrepreneurs in Oregon who live east of Gresham, south of Wilsonville, or west of Hillsboro.

For entrepreneurs anywhere other than rural Oregon, the cost for the complete program $249.

Whether you’re in rural Oregon or not, this is money well spent for an entrepreneur incubation program that you can participate in from anywhere!

REVIEW CURRICULUM AND REGISTER

Graduate Feedback

Ralph McCarthy, Northwest Analytical Labs LLC

It was an excellent series of sessions. I learned a tremendous amount. It was amazing. The fact that it’s online is extremely helpful.

Amanda Antel, Find My Doctor

Ralph McCarthy, Northwest Analytical Labs LLC

The sessions covered a nice range of topics. You didn’t go too shallow; you didn’t go too deep either. It was enough to familiarize me with what I have to do for me next few steps. I thought you did a great job.

Katie Deming, MakeMerry

Ralph McCarthy, Northwest Analytical Labs LLC

Katie Deming, MakeMerry

I found the breadth of topics very useful… There were topics that I didn’t know that I didn’t know. I’ve been really grateful for the opportunity to participate.

VIP is presented by OTBC

Who is OTBC

OTBC Success Track Record

OTBC is a non-profit bricks-and-mortar incubator in Beaverton, Oregon. Since 2005, OTBC has been helping entrepreneurs identify and attain their goals at whatever stage they are at, whether it’s validating a market, developing a strategy, developing and executing on a funding plan, or dealing with the challenges of managing and growing a start-up. To do that, OTBC provides mentoring, flexible office space, workshops, networking, and more. OTBC is located in Beaverton, with easy access from Highway 217, free parking, and convenient access to mass transit.

OTBC Success Track Record

OTBC was recognized by the Portland State University Oregon Founders Study as having the most effective mentoring program in the state. Our residents at the OTBC incubator have gone on to raise more than $60 million in funding and create more than 200 jobs. We’re also investors, investing in 5 startups each year, so we’ve experienced startups both as entrepreneurs and as investors, giving us a broad perspective on startup challenges.

VIP Lead Mentors

We’ve Seen What Works–and What Doesn’t

Jim McCreight is the Director of Strategic Partnerships for OTBC.He has helped found six companies over the past 35 years. He was formerly the President of the Museum Trustee Association, a non-profit working to educate and train museum board members in the U.S. and Canada. Prior to MTA Jim was with the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network for nine years where he helped hundreds of entrepreneurs start companies. Jim continues as a volunteer for OEN, served as Chair of the Beaverton Chamber of Commerce and Beaverton Arts Commission, and currently serves as a Trustee on the Maryhill Museum of Art and The High Desert Museum boards. He is a graduate of Portland State University.

Steve Morris is the Executive Director of OTBC. He is a veteran of three investor-funded start-ups and two business-unit startups inside larger companies, and has more than 25 years of management experience in the software, service, and semiconductor test industries at companies such as Hewlett Packard, Integrated Measurement Systems, Cadence Design Systems, Mentor Graphics, Credence Corporation and Teseda Corporation. With hands-on startup CEO/founder experience, he has a broad understanding of startup issues, and an excellent ability to explain even complex startup topics in clear, easy-to-understand way. He holds a B.A. in mathematics from Reed College and a Masters of Science degree from Carnegie-Mellon University Graduate School of Industrial Administration (now The Tepper School of Business).

We’ve Seen What Works–and What Doesn’t

Together, Jim and Steve have more than 30 years of experience working in and with startups and investing in startups – and have helped hundreds of entrepreneurs start and grow companies. Over the last few years they have applied their startup experience to develop the entrepreneur curriculum for VIP and a number of practical VIP startup tools.

REVIEW CURRICULUM & REGISTER

VIRTUAL INCUBATION PROGRAM

WORKSHOPS

Who Is VIP Good For?

Why Sign Up for VIP?

Who Should Apply?

VIP – What you get

Topics we cover in the Workshops

Funding

What does VIP cost?

Graduate Feedback

Ralph McCarthy, Northwest Analytical Labs LLC

Ralph McCarthy, Northwest Analytical Labs LLC

Ralph McCarthy, Northwest Analytical Labs LLC

Amanda Antel, Find My Doctor

Ralph McCarthy, Northwest Analytical Labs LLC

Ralph McCarthy, Northwest Analytical Labs LLC

Katie Deming, MakeMerry

Ralph McCarthy, Northwest Analytical Labs LLC

Katie Deming, MakeMerry

VIP is presented by OTBC

Who is OTBC

OTBC Success Track Record

OTBC Success Track Record

OTBC Success Track Record

OTBC Success Track Record

OTBC Success Track Record

VIP Lead Mentors

We’ve Seen What Works–and What Doesn’t

We’ve Seen What Works–and What Doesn’t

We’ve Seen What Works–and What Doesn’t

We’ve Seen What Works–and What Doesn’t

We’ve Seen What Works–and What Doesn’t