Do you work at or own a Clark County startup that is thinking about finding venture capitalist investors?
A statewide nonprofit called the Technology Alliance was granted almost $700,000 to expand a program that connects domestic and international corporate venture capitalists with young Washington companies. Although no one from Clark County has joined the program yet, the nonprofit hopes to attract entrepreneurs from Southwest Washington.
The program, called the Corporate Venture Connections series, includes virtual events and meetings to make connections. The next event is Nov. 15 and will focus on agricultural technology.
“All of these events and meetings are virtual, so it’s a perfect opportunity for Clark County startups to access opportunities that are often limited to those in and around King County,” said Laura Ruderman, CEO of the alliance.
Interested startups are urged to visit technology-alliance.com or sign up for The Technology Alliance’s newsletter to be notified of the schedule.
“The result will be more (venture capital) investment dollars to more Washington state startups across innovation fields including life sciences, information and computing technology, climate tech and aerospace,” according to a news release.
Clark County is becoming more appealing to startups because of its quality of life, tax incentives, airport access and proximity to Portland. While it’s hard to know how many startups are in the county, local companies such as ZoomInfo and Absci are blazing the path – both made initial public offerings within the past two years.
The $674,874 grant, which was awarded by the U. S. Department of Commerce, is part of the “Build to Scale” program, which provides annual grants to accelerate technology entrepreneurship by increasing inclusive access to entrepreneurial support and startup capital. Across the country, the 2022 awardees will leverage an additional $48 million in matching funds from a variety of private and public sector sources.
