Top 8 Startup Investors in Oregon Who Invest in Fintech Startups
Looking for investors to back your Oregon startup? The top startup investors in Oregon include Oregon Venture Fund, Long Way Ventures (formerly Cascade Seed Fund), Elevate Capital, Portland Seed Fund, Seven Peaks Ventures, Rogue Venture Partners, and Ideaship, along with active angels like Nathan Wheeler. These are the early-stage funds and angels backing software, tech, and fintech startups across the state.
AngelMatch lists 300+ investors based in Oregon, so how do some founders raise from them while others struggle to get a reply? The secret is knowing the right investors and doing your research.
Good investors don't just hand you capital. They open doors to new markets, make founder introductions, and act as real partners.
Below is a handpicked list of Oregon startup investors actively backing early-stage companies, including several that fund fintech. For a wider roundup, see our guide to the top angel investors in Oregon.
Top Startup Investors in Oregon Who Back Fintech and Tech Startups
| Investor/Firm | Focused Sectors | Funding Stages | Notable Investments | Total Investments | Investment Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon Venture Fund | Sector-agnostic: software, healthcare, consumer, fintech | Seed through growth | Lumencor and Oregon / SW Washington portfolio companies | 88 portfolio companies | $500K-$4M per round (up to $10M per company) |
| Long Way Ventures (formerly Cascade Seed Fund) | Early-stage software, B2B/enterprise software, consumer brands, tech-enabled finance, healthcare, education | Pre-seed and Seed | Upward (fintech), DeepSurface, Digs, WiseOx, Kickplan | 70+ investments | $100,000-$250,000 |
| Elevate Capital | Sector-agnostic early-stage; women, minority, and veteran-led founders | Seed and early-stage | Blendoor, Hubb, RFPIO | Not publicly disclosed | Not publicly disclosed |
| Portland Seed Fund | Diverse, tech-enabled startups | Pre-seed and Seed | Auth0, ESS Inc. | Not publicly disclosed | Not publicly disclosed |
| Seven Peaks Ventures | Scalable software: AI, digital health, cloud computing | Early-stage and Seed | Not publicly disclosed | Not publicly disclosed | Not publicly disclosed |
| Rogue Venture Partners | Disruptive startups across sectors, including financial services | Early-stage | Not publicly disclosed | Not publicly disclosed | Not publicly disclosed |
| Ideaship | Deep tech and IP-driven startups: cleantech, AI, fintech, blockchain | Seed (patent-capital rounds) | Clickvoyant, Wonderfil, Canopii, Photon Marine, mPathic | Fund III: up to 40 startups | Not publicly disclosed |
| Nathan Wheeler | Computer vision, AI, video, hardware and software | Angel / early-stage | Network Optix, ENTROPIX | Multiple angel investments | $25,000-$250,000 |
Oregon Venture Fund (OVF)
- Website: oregonventurefund.com
- Focused Sectors: Sector-agnostic, including software, healthcare, consumer, and fintech
- Funding Stages: Seed through growth
- Notable Investments: Lumencor and a portfolio of Oregon and SW Washington startups
- Investment Range: $500,000-$4 million per round
Oregon Venture Fund, founded in 2007 as the Oregon Angel Fund and renamed in 2018, is the largest and most active venture fund focused on startups and growth companies in Oregon and Southwest Washington. It is backed by more than 180 institutional and angel investors, including the State of Oregon and the Oregon Community Foundation.
OVF invests roughly $500,000 to $4 million per round and can commit up to $10 million per company over its lifetime. The fund is stage and sector agnostic, so fintech startups are firmly in scope alongside healthcare, consumer, and enterprise software.
Long Way Ventures (formerly Cascade Seed Fund)
- Website: longwayvc.com
- Focused Sectors: Early-stage software, B2B and enterprise software, consumer brands, and tech-enabled services in finance, healthcare, and education
- Funding Stages: Pre-seed and Seed
- Notable Investments: Upward (fintech), DeepSurface, Digs, WiseOx, and Kickplan
- Investment Range: $100,000-$250,000 initial checks
Long Way Ventures is the early-stage fund formerly known as Cascade Seed Fund. Based in Bend, it rebranded in May 2026 after more than a decade operating as Cascade Angels and then Cascade Seed Fund, but the team, led by Managing Directors Julie Harrelson and Robert Pease, and its focus on the greater Cascade region carry over. Long Way Ventures Fund I is Cascade Seed Fund III doing business as Long Way Ventures.
The fund backs founders at the earliest, seed stage across software and tech-enabled sectors, and it actively invests in fintech: portfolio company Upward, a fintech infrastructure platform, closed an $8 million Series Seed+ round with its backing in 2025. Across its funds the firm has made 70+ investments, historically writing initial checks of $100,000 to $250,000 with reserves set aside for follow-on rounds.
Elevate Capital
- Website: elevate.vc
- Focused Sectors: Sector-agnostic early-stage technology, with a focus on women, minority, and veteran-led founders
- Funding Stages: Seed and early-stage
- Notable Investments: Blendoor, Hubb, and RFPIO
Elevate Capital, founded in 2016 by Managing Director Nitin Rai and based in Beaverton, invests in Oregon startups that traditional venture funds often overlook, particularly companies led by women, minorities, and veterans. It runs the Elevate Capital Fund and the Elevate Inclusion Fund, and was selected by Prosper Portland to manage a publicly financed fund aimed at improving diversity among Oregon startups.
Portland Seed Fund
- Focused Sectors: Diverse, tech-enabled startups
- Funding Stages: Pre-seed and Seed
- Notable Investments: Auth0 and ESS Inc.
Portland Seed Fund is an early-stage venture firm investing in Portland and across the Pacific Northwest. It backs diverse, tech-enabled startups at the pre-seed and seed stages and is counted among the region's most active early-stage investors, with portfolio companies including Auth0 and ESS Inc.
Seven Peaks Ventures
- Website: sevenpeaksventures.com
- Focused Sectors: Scalable software, including AI, digital health, and cloud computing
- Funding Stages: Early-stage and Seed
Seven Peaks Ventures, founded in 2013 and based in Bend, is an early-stage venture firm that funds highly scalable software companies, with particular interest in AI, digital health, and cloud computing. It is one of the Oregon early-stage funds supported by the Oregon Community Foundation.
Rogue Venture Partners
- Focused Sectors: Disruptive, innovative startups across sectors, including financial services
- Funding Stages: Early-stage
Rogue Venture Partners is a Portland-based venture firm founded in 2010 that backs early-stage, disruptive founders across a range of sectors, including financial services. The firm's stated aim is to strengthen and raise the profile of Oregon's startup ecosystem.
Ideaship
- Website: ideashipfund.com
- Focused Sectors: Deep tech and IP-driven startups across cleantech, AI, fintech, and blockchain
- Funding Stages: Seed (patent-capital rounds)
- Notable Investments: Clickvoyant, Wonderfil, Canopii, Photon Marine, and mPathic
Ideaship, founded in 2018 and based in Portland, is a patent-capital venture fund and the investment arm of the Global Technology Transfer Group (GTT Group). It invests in early-stage US startups building novel, patentable technology, and it is one of the few Oregon funds that explicitly lists fintech startups among its target sectors, alongside cleantech, AI, and blockchain.
The firm pairs funding with in-house patent strategy support. Its third fund, launched in 2023 at $4.7 million, aims to back up to 40 startups.
Nathan Wheeler
- Focused Sectors: Computer vision, AI, video, and related hardware and software
- Present In: Portland, Oregon
- Notable Investments: Network Optix and ENTROPIX
- Investment Range: $25,000-$250,000
Nathan Wheeler is one of the more active angel investors in Portland, Oregon, and a technology founder in his own right. He is the founder and CEO of Network Optix, a video software platform built for edge computing, and the founder of ENTROPIX.
As an angel, Nathan backs early-stage startups in computer vision, AI, video, and related hardware and software. He looks for strong founding teams and scalable ideas, and typically writes checks of $25,000 to $250,000.
Wrap-Up
Oregon has a real base of early-stage investors ready to back startups, and several of them fund fintech. The question is whether you can pitch them and show your startup is worth the investment.
That usually comes down to a few hours of research, a strong pitch deck, and a clear ask. Do that, and Oregon's investors are within reach. Good luck!
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do startup investors in Oregon typically invest?
It varies by fund. Long Way Ventures, formerly Cascade Seed Fund, has written initial checks of $100,000 to $250,000, while Oregon Venture Fund invests roughly $500,000 to $4 million per round and up to $10 million per company. Angels such as Nathan Wheeler tend to write smaller checks, often $25,000 to $250,000.
Do any Oregon investors fund fintech startups?
Yes. Ideaship lists fintech among its focus sectors, and Rogue Venture Partners backs financial services startups. Sector-agnostic funds like Oregon Venture Fund, Elevate Capital, and Portland Seed Fund also fund fintech companies alongside other software and tech startups.
Where are most of Oregon's startup investors based?
Most cluster around Portland, though Bend is home to active funds too, including Long Way Ventures (formerly Cascade Seed Fund) and Seven Peaks Ventures. AngelMatch lists 300+ investors based in Oregon, so founders outside Portland still have options across the state.
How do I get in front of Oregon startup investors?
Start with focused research, then send a short, tailored pitch backed by a clear pitch deck. Warm introductions from other founders or local accelerators help a lot. Many Oregon funds also source deals through pitch events and demo days, so getting involved locally improves your odds.
