Five companies have been selected to compete during the Launch Stage of the 10th annual Bend Venture Conference on Oct. 18, organizers announced Wednesday.

Investors have narrowed down the finalists from 37 companies over the past two months and made their final decision on the top five Tuesday night, said Ruth Lindley, marketing manager of Economic Development for Central Oregon. The five companies will compete for an investment targeted to reach $250,000.

The businesses selected are:

• Droplr, a Bend company offering an online file-sharing service.

• The Flybook LLC, of Bend, which has developed Web-based reservation and business-management software designed for the outdoor industry.

• MedRock, a Portland company that develops and markets medical devices for the physical therapy market.

• Nouvola, of Portland, which helps small to medium-sized companies scale their websites for higher traffic.

• Syndical, a Portland company that has created an online events publishing system.