Corvallis has its own version of the popular television show, Shark Tank. For those who have watched it you know that prospective inventors and business entrepreneurs present their ideas for new businesses and products looking for investors who might support them. In Corvallis, that same concept occurs at the Willamette Angel Conference, which will be held May 11 at the Whiteside Theater. Local individuals present their new business ideas and products looking for investors from our area to help boost our local economy.
Marc Manley, Executive Director of Oregon RAIN and organizer of the Willamette Angel Conference, shared the economic value of this conference in our community. Agility Robotics, a program proposed by an OSU professor, is an example of an endeavor that came through the Conference.
On in 10 projects succeed to make a return on investment and it is usually an 8 to 10 year process for the project to come full circle, says Manley. He explained that the range of funding required is usually around $400,000 and the average investors will contribute $100 to $300k.
