2020 Best Tech Startups in Oregon

March 24, 2020November 16, 2022 thetechtribune

The Tech Tribune staff has compiled the very best tech startups in Oregon. In doing our research, we considered several factors including but not limited to:

Revenue potential
Leadership team
Brand/product traction
Competitive landscape

Additionally, all companies must be independent (unacquired), privately owned, at most 10 years old, and have received at least one round of funding in order to qualify.

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1. SheerID

Founded: 2011

Also honored in:

“SheerID is redefining how enterprises create instant trust in a digital world.

Its digital verification platform instantly verifies the identity of individuals and businesses, enabling enterprises to deliver authenticated offers and experiences without friction and without fraud.

By using authoritative data sources to verify credentials in real-time, within an organization’s brand experience, SheerID delivers a seamless customer experience that reduces churn and fuels loyalty to drive revenue growth.”

2. Lytics

Founded: 2012

Also honored in:

“Lytics helps enterprises automate personalized marketing experiences through the industry’s most advanced Customer Data Platform (CDP). Popular retailing, media, consumer goods, banking, and tech brands use Lytics to execute one-to-one marketing programs that their customers welcome.

The Lytics Customer Data (CDP) Platform, the company’s flagship product, was launched in October 2014. The Lytics CDP connects a company’s marketing data about customers and users from multiple sources (e.g., structured and unstructured data from tools, anonymous and known profiles, and other interactions and events from the marketing stack, sales, and support databases) and creates behavior-rich user segments (e.g., likely to churn, most active on mobile, coupon lover).”

3. ESS

Founded: 2011

“ESS Inc. is a leading provider of long-duration (4+ hours) energy storage solutions ideally suited for C&I, utility, microgrid and off-grid applications. Our iron flow battery, the Energy Warehouse (EW), is capable of up to 8 continuous hours of energy delivery with a 20+ year operating life and no capacity degradation. Composed of earth-abundant iron, salt and water for its electrolyte, the EW is a safe, long-lasting solution with the lowest levelized cost of storage (LCOS) per kWh.

ESS was founded in 2011 by a team with deep experience in fuel cells, electrochemistry, advanced material science, and renewable energy. After 5 years of extensive innovation, engineering development, and rigorous validation, backed by ARPA-E and others, we began shipping turn-key battery solutions in 2016. In 2017, BASF, the world’s leading chemical company, became a significant investor in ESS, joining forces with us to deliver energy storage solutions for a sustainable future.”

4. OpenSesame

Founded: 2011

Also honored in: 2020 Best Tech Startups in Portland (Oregon)

“We help companies develop the world’s most productive and admired workforces.

With the most comprehensive catalog of elearning courses from the world’s top publishers, we are here to help you every step of the way, from finding courses, mapping them to your core competencies, syncing them with your LMS to increasing utilization and improving your L&D programs. Not only will you have the flexibility of multiple purchasing options from OpenSesame, you’ll find it simple to use and administer your elearning courses.”

5. PayRange

Founded: 2013

Also honored in:

“Everyday payments made easy.

PayRange was founded in 2013 by Dr. Paresh Patel, a serial entrepreneur and veteran of the automated retail industry. While credit card solutions for machines have been around for two-decades, 95% of the 30 million machines worldwide only accept cash. His patented innovations combine payment, rewards, and convenience into a mobile service that brings premium experiences to unattended retail locations.

Consumers download the free mobile app (iOS, Android) and with flexible funding options, including all major cards and wallets (Apple Pay, Android Pay, and Masterpass), they are empowered to pay machines with ease.”

6. Bigleaf Networks

Founded: 2012

Also honored in: 2019 Best Tech Startups in Beaverton

“At Bigleaf we’ve recognized that the cloud is only as good as your connection. Bigleaf optimizes business Internet for access to cloud applications including VoIP, VDI, and SaaS. If your business relies on the internet then you need Bigleaf.

With previously unavailable features such as Seamless Failover for all applications, Intelligent Load-Balancing, and Dynamic Quality-of-Service over commodity internet, Bigleaf unlocks the power of the cloud.”

7. ZincFive

Founded: 2016

“ZincFive is the world leader in innovation and delivery of nickel-zinc based energy storage and delivery solutions for mission critical industries including Data Centers, Intelligent Transportation, Motive Power and more. ZincFive leverages patented nickel-zinc chemistry within our solutions to provide superior safety and environmental advantages simultaneous with performance delivered through high power density.”

8. RFPIO Inc.

Founded: 2016

Also honored in:

“RFPIO’s cloud-based software is the leading response management platform, helping companies streamline their business proposal efforts, provide high quality responses and create additional revenue opportunities.

Leveraging the industry’s first artificial intelligence (AI) enabled solution, RFPIO is changing the way organizations respond to prospective customers’ requirements, including RFx (RFP, RFI, etc.), security questionnaires (SIG and CAIQ), statements of work (SOW), grants, and more.”

9. OPAL

Founded: 2011

Also honored in:

“Marketing collaboration, evolved.

Opal is the marketing collaboration platform that makes it easy to build, view and share your brand stories—because there’s a better way to work.

The Opal StoryFirst™ framework enables teams with a dedicated environment to create, visualize, align and deploy campaigns across all marketing channels, reducing complexity and connecting teams for better marketing results.”

10. CrowdStreet

Founded: 2013

“CrowdStreet is the premium provider of online commercial real estate investment marketplace, technology and professional services that connects successful investors and CRE firms in order to maximize wealth. Investors can directly access institutional-quality commercial real estate offerings through CrowdStreet’s marketplace. For CRE developers and operators, CrowdStreet Connect provides a platform to manage investors and investments, and to raise capital to grow their business. For more information, please visit www.crowdstreet.com.”