Beaverton Startup Challenge Winners Announced

BEAVERTON, OR —The five winners of the 2022 Beaverton Startup Challenge were announced Monday. The contest, in its seventh year, is run by the Oregon Technology Business Center (OTBC) — a non-profit incubator that helps entrepreneurs in Beaverton —along with West Side Startup Fund angel investors and the city of Beaverton.

The winning businesses, chosen this year from a pool of 5o applicants, will receive at least $25,000 in a cash convertible-note investment and one year of mentoring, office space and other services at the OTBC, according to organizers.

Each year, the contest seeks "for-profit, early-stage growth businesses with ambition and potential to succeed," according to the application.

Applicant teams must have at least two members, with at least one person working on the startup full time. Businesses are expected to be beyond the idea stage, have completed a significant amount of customer-need validation and have a good sense of potential market opportunity.

The Challenge launched in 2015. Since 2016, it has been seeded with a $50,000 grant from city of Beaverton. This year, 18 local angel investors donated over $150,000 for the Challenge.

According to organizers, 30 winning companies have been selected since 2015, and they have raised more than $50 million in funding, hired more than 100 employees and substantially grown revenue.

The winners of the 2022 Beaverton Startup Challenge are:

• CampsEZ: Makes it easy for parents to find and register for activities, camps and sports for their kids.
• DIY Bar: A craft workshop-meets-bar concept that has pivoted to also selling kits to individuals and businesses for team-building.
• Howl at the Spoon: Artisan sauces made by hand in small batches for home, backpacking or travel.
• Khalsa Salsa: Combines bold Indian spices with classic fresh ingredients of Mexican salsa for a first-of-its-kind fusion.
• Sport Source: Connects coaches, athletes, trainers and families with spaces to play, move, train or exercise.

According to the OTBC, applications for the 2023 Challenge will open in August of 2022.