Top 8 Startup Investors in Oregon Who Invest in Fintech Startups

Oregon’s fintech sector is on fire. In 2023 alone, tech startups in the state raised over $1.2 billion in venture funding, fueling innovation across industries like fintech, AI, cloud computing, and cybersecurity.

But how do these startups raise such huge amounts of funding while others struggle to attract investors' attention?

The secret is knowing the right investors and doing strong research!

Good investors won’t just provide you with capital. They ensure your startup serves in better markets, founders make new connections, and they teach you as a partner.

Don’t know where to find these investors?

We’ve got you covered. Below is a handpicked list of the top 8 startup investors in Oregons who are actively backing the next wave of fintech innovation.

Top 8 Startup Investors in Oregon Who Invest in Fintech Startups

VergePointe

• Website: : Private Equity — VergePointe
• Focused Sectors: Tech, healthcare, software, real estate, fintech, clean tech, Ag, energy
• Funding Stages: Early and Late
• Notable Investments: 
• Total Investments: 20+

VergePointe Capital, established in 1989, is a private equity firm based in Lake Oswego, Oregon. The firm was co-founded by Craig Olson, Matthew Vance, and Scott Roberts, who serve as Managing Directors.

VergePointe Capital specializes in investing in established private companies. They are interested in opportunities involving buyouts, family successions, recapitalizations, and growth equity transactions. Their investment criteria include funding companies with annual revenues between $10 million and $50 million and with EBITDA ranging from $1 million to $10 million.

The investment range of VergePoint Capital is around $10M.

Endeavour Capital

• Website: : Home - Endeavour
• Focused Sectors: Industries including food and consumer, transportation and logistics, business services, niche manufacturing, and healthcare.​
• Funding Stages: Growth equity and buyout investments.​
• Notable Investments: Burgerville, Pacific Market International, Bristol Farms.​
• Total Investments: Over 50 companies.​

Endeavour Capital, founded in 1991 by Rocky Dixon and John von Schlegell, is a private equity firm headquartered in Portland, Oregon.

The firm specializes in partnering with Portland businesses that are looking for expansion and have scalable business models. Endeavour Capital seeks to invest in companies with EBITDA ranging from $5 million to $50 million.

Their typical equity investments range between $25 million and $150 million, with a flexible approach to ownership positions. The firm generally maintains investment horizons of 5 to 12 years, allowing for a patient and strategic growth process.

Most of their investments are made from fundraisers, pitching competitions, and accelerator events.

Right Side Capital Management (RSCM)

• Website: rightsidecapital.com
• Focused Sectors: “Capital efficient” tech startups across virtually all technology sectors – enterprise software, healthcare IT, fintech, hardware, consumer apps, etc. (very broad sector coverage)​
• Funding Stages: Pre-seed and Seed stage (high-volume seed investing).
• Notable Investments: Solisa, Consusis, and AskSAMIE
• Total Investments: 2000+ companies funded

Right Side Capital Management (RSCM) is a San Francisco-based venture capital firm founded in 2010 by David Lambert.

Since its inception, RSCM has invested in over 2,000 companies, with more than 1,000 currently active. The firm's portfolio boasts notable successes, including four unicorns, two IPOs, and 184 acquisitions.

RSCM employs a quantitative, data-driven approach to identify startups that align with their investment philosophy. Their major focus is on:

• Business Model: Assessment is based on the target market and revenue model.:

• Traction: Evaluation of user engagement and growth metrics.:

• Unit Economics and Growth Path: Analysis of profitability and scalability.:

• Capital Efficiency: Preference for startups that maximize output with minimal capital.:

The firm typically invests in companies raising $500,000 or less, focusing on those with revenue-generating products. Pre-money valuations and note caps have ranged from $700,000 to $3.5 million.

Cascade Seed Fund

• Website: cascadeseedfund.com
• Focused Sectors: Early-stage software and tech-driven startups aligned with four themes – enterprise/B2B software (data & AI automation), future of work technologies, consumer products/experiences, and tech-enabled essential services (healthcare, education, finance)​
• Funding Stages: Pre-seed and Seed-stage venture investments
• Notable Investments: WiseOx, Opre, EVA, and Platformr 
• Total Investments: 60+ companies funded since 2014​

Cascade Seed Fund was established in 2019 by Managing Directors Julie Harrelson and Robert Pease. The firm focuses on early-stage startups in Portland through their investment funds.

Cascade Seed Fund seeks to partner with founders at the earliest stages, serving as coach, mentor, and believer from the beginning. The firm typically makes initial investments of up to $250,000, reserving capital for future financing rounds. They focus on capital-efficient businesses with potential for significant growth, emphasizing fair, inclusive, and positive innovation.

Ideaship

• Website: ideashipfund.com
• Focused Sectors: Early-stage deep tech and IP-driven startups.
• Funding Stages: Seed (patent financing rounds).
• Notable Investments: Clickvoyant, Phuc Labs, and Wonderfil 
• Total Investments: 75 companies

Ideaship, established in 2018 by co-founders Masa Murayama and Michael Lubitz JD, is a Portland, Oregon-based venture capital firm specializing in patent capital funding for early-stage startups. The firm offers in-house patent department services, external patent counsel funding, and fundraising support to enhance the patent portfolios and overall business potential of its portfolio companies.

Since its inception, Ideaship has invested in 88 companies, with 69 currently active in its portfolio. The firm has achieved 16 exits to date.

The firm focuses on early-stage companies within North America, aiming to enhance their patent portfolios and overall business potential. The team of investors seeks startups with innovative technologies in sectors such as GreenTech, CleanTech, Artificial Intelligence, and Wearables.

The average check size of Ideaship is around $1M.

Andreessen Horowitz (a16z)

• Website: a16z.com
• Focused Sectors: Broad tech focus, including fintech, artificial intelligence (AI/biotech & health), consumer internet, cryptocurrency, enterprise IT, gaming, and education​
• Funding Stages: Early-stage venture and later-stage growth investments (seed through growth equity)​
• Notable Investments: : Recent deals include Shield AI, Universal, Echo Neurotechnologies, ElevenLabs, and Intangible​
• Total Investments: : 1,519 companies funded

Andreessen Horowitz, often referred to as a16z, is a prominent venture capital firm that is headquartered in Menlo Park, California. Currently, the firm manages around $42 billion in assets, being one of the most active VC firms in the US.

Andreessen Horowitz invests in both early-stage startups and more established growth companies. They seek startups that are addressing both macro and micro technological challenges and are introducing groundbreaking technologies or business models that have the potential to disrupt existing markets. The investors also look for companies with the potential for rapid growth and the ability to scale their operations efficiently.

The investment range of Andreessen Horowitz is around $10M for growth stage companies and around $1M/500K for early stage startups.

Joe Powers

• Focused Sectors: Largely industry-agnostic; invests in a broad mix from software and IT to manufacturing and consumer tech​
• Present In: Northeastern United States (Maine)
• Notable Investments: Pumpspotting​, VETRO FiberMap, and Anodyne Health

Joe Powers is the Managing Director of the Maine Venture Fund (MVF), a position he has held since 2019.

Before MVF, he has worked with many startup technology firms, such as Tesla, Zoox, and Clean Marine Energy. Joe also co-founded Ripso.

As an angel investor, Joe prefers to invest in that are led by experienced founders and are dealing with a critical problem in the relative sectors. The startup must also have a strong management team and should be able to generate 2-4x ROI.

Through MVF, he typically co-invests with individual investors, angel groups, and other venture capital funds, with a typical investment amount of $400,000 over time.

Nathan Wheeler

• Focused Sectors: Computer vision, AI, hardware, and related software startups​
• Present In: Portland, Oregon, USA​
• Notable Investments: Entropix and Network Optix

Nathan Wheeler is an angel investor based in Portland, Oregon, with a focus on early-stage technology startups.

Professionally, Nathan has served as Chief Executive Officer at Howden Germany HoldCo GmbH since December 2018. Before this role, he held positions at various technology firms, including Network Optix and Humankind Investments.

As an investor, Nathan prefers to invest in early-stage companies, where he wants to partner with the founders and help them scale. In evaluating investments, Nathan prioritizes startups that demonstrate strong leadership, innovative solutions, and the potential for scalability. His average check size is around $250,000.

Wrap-Up:

In a nutshell, Oregon has tons of fintech investors who are ready to invest in startups.

The question is, can you pitch to these investors and convince them that your startup is worth the investment?

Although this sounds challenging at first, it only takes a few hours of research, preparing a good pitch deck, and applying for investment.

Good luck!