The Bend Venture Conference kicks off today, featuring some pre-conference seminars and notably the Bend Venture unConference—“lively, casual discussions while enjoying the best of Central Oregon’s tastes and tech talent” taking place today from 12:30 to 5pm at the BendBroadband Vault.

It’s a totally free event but you need to register online to get the pass to go: and time is running out, there’s less than half an hour to do so!

Presentation topics are set by attendees during the first hour of the conference, so the agenda is up to YOU. Attendees are invited to deliver a 5 minute talk (no slides) in one of these three tracks:

• Lessons Learned
• Hacks
• New Ventures

That’s followed by 5 minutes for discussion. Slots fill up every year, so arrive early if you intend to present! Whether it’s sage advice or a funny& irreverent tale, we want your take. Everyone’s encouraged to jump in.

The FoundersPad Speed Pitch Competition

FoundersPad, the startup accelerator in Bend, works with a select few companies for an intense 12-week bootcamp on Lean Startup Principles, Customer Development, and – you guessed it – pitching for investment funds. FoundersPad companies past and present will pitch their hearts out to convince the crowd that they deserve the coveted “Wild Card” spot to pitch in the Concept Stage Competition at BVC the next day. The pitches are fast, the passion is high and it all comes down to your vote – this is an event you don’t want to miss!

What else? How about a flowing keg of great local beer, tours of the BendBroadband Vault datacenter, cocktails made with local spirits, tasty treats from local foodies,a huge expo with information about local tech user groups and other community-minded organizations, the 10 minute talks…and YOU.

It’s put on by Tech Alliance and it’s completely free! (Yes, that means the beer is free too!) If you like events like Ignite Bend then this will totally appeal to you as well.

Go register now! Time is running short!