Five startup companies have been selected to compete in the launch stage of the Bend Venture Conference on Oct. 17 for an estimated $498,400 — the most money ever committed by investors in the history of the 11-year conference — Economic Development for Central Oregon announced today.

The process started with an initial pool of about 40 applicants, said Brian Vierra, EDCO venture catalyst. Eight companies made presentations last month to about 25 investors who are part of BVC LLC. Committees studied the financial records and business models, a process called due diligence, of each company, he said, and members of the BVC LLC investment fund voted Wednesday night for the final five:

• Amplion, a Bend medical-technology business that provides information to pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies.

• Bright.md, a Portland company that builds software intended to cut the cost of health-care visits.

• CrowdStreet, the commercial real estate crowdfunding site conceived in Bend that recently relocated to Portland.

• Homeschool, a Portland designer of snowboard apparel.

• Poached Jobs, a hiring platform created in Portland for industries with high turnover rates, such as the restaurant industry.

— Rachael Rees