Carolynn Duncan, Founder & Director

Carolynn Duncan is a serial entrepreneur and subject matter expert in venture capital/angel investing. She started Portland Ten to create a vehicle where Portland entrepreneurs could learn how to commercialize their projects and increase the quantity of high-growth startups in the state of Oregon.

Carolynn has worked in the hi-tech startup & angel/venture capital networks in Seattle, Portland, southeast Idaho, and Salt Lake City. In the Northwest, she has been affiliated with FundingUniverse and EPIC Ventures.

Prior, she helped launch the Eastern Idaho Entrepreneurial Center, strengthening access to capital, VC, and technology transfer in the state of Idaho. Partners included Idaho National Laboratory, EPIC Ventures, The Development Company, BYU-Idaho, and local angel investors.

Carolynn is also the founder of Hundred Dollar Business, a micro-incubator for rapid development of prototype & concept development, using $100 and 30 days to create & deploy a new venture. She also worked for four startup companies in the Salt Lake City area.

Nick Cottle, Business Development Manager

Nick Cottle is a founder of 7 Summits Sports Inc. and has worked to grow a division of the company called Epic Relays. Nick is also a graduate of Willamette University’s MBA program.

Before becoming an entrepreneur or working for Portland Ten, Nick worked in the corporate world as a Marketing Communications Specialist for the Hewlett-Packard Company and the Director of Public Relations for a professional baseball organization. He received his Bachelor Degree from Brigham Young University in Public Relations.

Nick’s entrepreneurial focus is on strategic business development and he is always seeking opportunities to help grow any business. He lives in Salem, Oregon and has been married to his wife Lexie for five years. He spends any free time he has with his new daughter Brizban.

Jennie Kalberer, Six Week Sprint Program Manager

Jennie Kalberer was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. She graduated from Oregon College of Art and Craft in 2000 with a focus in Ceramics and Drawing.

She worked as an interior designer before receiving her MBA in Finance from the University of Portland.

Jennie is a Founder and Director of Kahnaway Art & Ecology in the Columbia River Gorge, and she consults for start-ups and new venture projects. She also is the owner of Clean Like You Mean It, a natural cleaning products company.

She also serves on the Board of Oregon College of Art and Craft, and volunteers at Chapman Elementary, her son’s grade school.

Madeline White, Office Manager

Madeline is currently a full-time MBA candidate at Willamette University’s Atkinson Graduate School of Management with a focus in entrepreneurship and marketing.  She started working with Portland Ten in January, as a Junior Venture Analyst and is now working as office manager. 

Madeline graduated with honors from Montana State University, Bozeman with a Bachelor of Arts in Media and Theatre Arts.  Her focus was on documentary film making and producing.

Prior to starting graduate school and working with Portland Ten, Madeline worked as a licensed real estate assistant on a highly successful four-person sales team.  She worked as the listing agent, and was thus responsible for the managing, marketing, and maintaining her team’s listings.

Mark Grimes, Advisor

Mark Grimes is a serial entrepreneur, social entrepreneur, and angel investor who has started each of his businesses with cash on hand, no business plan and all have been profitable within 90 days.  Past founder of eyescream interactive, an advertising agency with clients such as P&G, Nextel, Disney, and Outpost.com.  eyescream was one of the top 20 interactive advertising agencies according to Adweek magazine, 40 staff members and annual billings over 7.2 million dollars.  Currently focusing on developing social purpose enterprises and helping other social entrepreneurs develop their business models.

As an angel with a somewhat iffy track record, angel investments include; TechTracker (ACQUIRED), SnapNames (ACQUIRED), Measurecast (ACQUIRED), Printbind (ACQUIRED), CashPile/Merchandising Avenue (DOA), Online Response (DOA), Seminar Source (DOA), helped these companies launch Dogpile(ACQUIRED), MP3.com (PUBLIC).

Current investments & businesses include Better World Media Network, a socially responsible online advertising network; NedSpace, co-working for startups, innovative tech companies, nonprofits and social entrepreneurs.  Ned.com, a member-governed network taking action locally, nationally & globally, in order to make the world a better place.

Rob Wiltbank, Advisor

Rob Wiltbank is assistant professor of strategic management for the Atkinson Graduate School of Management at Willamette University. His research focuses on strategy making under uncertainty, particularly as it relates to venture development. His study of angel investing performance is the first empirical examination of the outcomes achieved by angel investors in the U.S. At Willamette University he teaches courses on New Venture Creation, Strategic Management, and Industry Analysis.

He has published research on top management teams in Organization Science, on non-predictive control strategy in the Strategic Management Journal, and on formal venture capital practices among angel investors in Venture Capital. He is a Batten Institute Research Fellow with the Darden School at the University of Virginia, conducting an in depth study on organic growth in existing corporations, and is on the editorial board of the Journal of Business Venturing. He is also conducting a national study of angel investor performance with the Kauffman Foundation. He holds a Ph.D. in Strategic Management from the University of Washington, and a degree in Finance and Accounting from Oregon State University.

Professor Wiltbank is a partner with Buerk Dale Victor, a Seattle based venture capital firm, and has worked professionally in finance and sales for a major electronics manufacturer, strategic marketing for two startup firms, and consulting and performing due diligence for dozens of private equity investments.

Kristin Wolff, Advisor

Kristin Wolff spends her days finding ways for public, private and third-sector organizations to inspire innovation, realize economic opportunity and build great communities. A native Chicagoan, her insatiable curiosity has taken her to both coasts, to the southwest—and even overseas from time to time. She is currently senior partner with CSW—a Michigan-based public policy firm, where she works with states, cities and organizations across the US on economic, education and workforce issues.

As the owner of Thinkers + Doers—her own Portland-based small business—she helps organizations doing specialized work tell their stories. Wolff participates in numerous local and professional networks, and serves on the boards of Wired Women Web—a network of women technology professionals. She holds an interdisciplinary BA from Miami University of Ohio and an MA in Political Science from the University of Arizona.

Gerald Baugh, Advisor

Gerald is the Business & Industry Manager for Portland Development Commission, an agency created by Portland voters in 1958, which has played a major role in keeping Portland one of America’s most livable cities, by completing projects in waterfront redevelopment, small business loans, affordable housing, new retail opportunities, transit-oriented development, business recruitment and retention.

Previously, Gerald was the Manager of Business Development at City of Vancouver, Regional Coordinator at State of Oregon - Economic & Community Development Dept, Regional Coordinator at State of Oregon, and Commercial Property Casualty Broker at Wausau Insurance. 

Diane Fraiman, Advisor

Diane serves as a Venture Partner with Voyager Capital and focuses on software and digital media investments in the Pacific Northwest, particularly Oregon. With over 30 years of technology company experience in leading marketing, strategy and business development, Diane works with startups in the enterprise software, Internet/Web 2.0, and security software industries throughout the West Coast.

Diane was previously Senior Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for Sanctum, a VC-backed startup providing Web application security software (acquired by Watchfire) and Vice President of Worldwide Marketing for the database company Informix Software (acquired by IBM), both based in Silicon Valley. Prior to her move to Silicon Valley, Diane was Vice President of Marketing for Tektronix (acquired by Danaher) in their Video and Networking Division and a marketing executive with Sequent Computer (acquired by IBM), both based in Oregon. She previously spent 16 years in sales and marketing roles at Digital Equipment Corporation in the US, Europe and Asia Pacific.

Diane graduated with a Bachelors degree from Vanderbilt University in Biomedical Engineering, and received an Executive MBA from Insead in Fountainebleau, France. Diane lives in Portland, Oregon.

Media Kit

Press Releases

Round 2 Founders

Round 2 Announcement

Round 1 Founders

Portland Ten In The News

SiliconFlorist.com: "Incubating 10 $1MM Startups By 2010"

ReadWriteStart: "New Year’s Resolution: VCs Could Spend More In 2010"

SiliconFlorist.com: "Portland Ten II: Your Bootstrapping Bootcamp Awaits"

OregonBusiness.com: "Strike Up The Band"

The Portlander: "Portland Ten Now Accepting Applicants"

SiliconFlorist.com: "Portland Ten Off To A Running Start In 2010"

Portland Business Journal: "PDC Earmarks Startup Funds"

SiliconFlorist.com: "We Have Ignition: Portland’s ShopIgniter Secures $3 Million in Venture Capital

Entrepreneur.com: "How to Spot Trouble On The Horizon: Changing Product Direction."

OregonLive.com, OSBridge: Mayor Sam Adams Gives a Shout Out to Portland Ten (watch here: minutes 12:48-13:50).