Case Study:
Building a capital bridge from Bend, Oregon, to Silicon Valley
Dino Vendetti had an idea: Build a tech ecosystem in a growing hub outside Silicon Valley and connect it to capital FROM the Valley. He launched Seven Peaks Ventures in 2013 as Bend, Oregon’s first venture capital fund alongside the FoundersPad accelerator.
From the start, Cogenta positioned Vendetti as a regional VC champion building a bridge between Pacific Northwest entrepreneurs and Silicon Valley investors. Cogenta launched initiatives like the Big Bend Theory contest to bring entrepreneurs to Bend, and Bend Bonfire, a highly curated gathering of leaders from startup communities including Boulder, Salt Lake City, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. As Seven Peaks' profile grew, so did its wins. Notably, DocuSign founder Tom Gonser sought out and joined the partnership in 2016, and CB Insights featured Seven Peaks as Oregon’s most active VC in 2017 and 2018.
Length of partnership: 7+ years
