BUILT OREGON
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Mission Statement
We want to build an inclusive and empathetic consumer product ecosystem based on trust, relationships, and the people behind the companies and not solely around the revenue generated, capital raised, or bottom line efficiency.
About This Cause
We want to leverage Oregon's deep legacy of product craftsmanship and innovation to create broad-based and equitable opportunities for consumer product founders and the people their companies employ. We have a deep network of mentors and partners with consumer product expertise, experience, passion, and ingenuity that helps company founders create more supportive and sustainable business in Oregon. Our Core Pillars: How we practice and deliver our mission. Accelerator - Through mentor connections, peer to peer support, and focused work around core business needs, we work with early stage companies to help them become more sustainable and prepared for the next stages of growth. Including the 2022 cohort, we have worked with 41companies with 24 being BIPOC led/run, 22 being women led/run and 8 from outside of the Portland-Metro area. In coordination with the accelerator program, we have recruited 225+ mentors to help support both the accelerator and Bridges companies. Bridges - An innovative partnership and program to help connect product companies founded by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) with retail partners Market of Choice, New Seasons, World Foods, Tender Loving Empire, Basics Market, Green Zebra Grocery and MilkRun. Over the past 2.5 years we have coordinated 95 company presentations to the buyers, which has resulted in 65% being brought onto retail shelves in some capacity. Built Festival - A weeklong series of events culminating in a full day festival designed to bring Oregon’s consumer product ecosystem together through conversation and community building. We have brought together over 2,000 people, hosted 55 speakers, and 30+ community events during the event. Black Community Work- Working within the Black community to create connections, enhance relationships, stimulate business, engage in mentorship, and provide mental health support. In 2022 we are launching a Black Business Growth Accelerator program and over the past 2 years have directed over $200,000 into Black owned businesses in Oregon. Our Manifesto: At Built Oregon, we believe that the prevailing startup mythology of success — one trumpeted through pitch decks, competitions, financing, and a fail fast mentality — has eroded the actual humanity of entrepreneurship. We believe that a business’s success is based on more than data points, strategic plans, or money raised. And we are resolute in our stance that building trust and empathy with one another will always have a far more significant and lasting impact than simply writing a check. Built Oregon’s North Star will always be the people behind the products, the places that mold who they are, and the stories that connect us as human beings. We believe in building an inclusive and empathetic ecosystem that leverages Oregon’s deep legacy of product craftsmanship and innovation — one that is built upon an independent spirit, humility, collaboration, and world-class knowledge — to create broad-based opportunities for entrepreneurs in consumer products and the people their companies employ. We believe these opportunities can help create industry-leading companies and sustainable businesses that provide consistent living-wage jobs. And we believe that those jobs have the potential to lift up people, communities, and the entire state of Oregon. Creating these opportunities, however, comes at a price. The mental health toll that weighs upon each business leader. The emotional strain of navigating ever changing dynamics of the free market. The inequitable aspects and systemic barriers that so many founders continue to face. Not to mention, the constant pressure to provide for loved ones, support employees, and strengthen communities. It is for those reasons that we will never waiver from our North Star. To do this work by leading with empathy. To build a stronger Oregon through trust and relationships. To never stop putting people first.