Two Bend businesses — Polaris and Symphony Markets — were among the eight companies awarded a total of $595,000 in investments at the annual Bend Venture Conference this past week.

A third award was given to Bend-based Square Baby, which was a semifinalist in the startup competition. The $150,000 award was through the Oregon Royalty Loan Program designed as an alternate source of funding for growing companies.

The 20th annual conference held at the Tower Theatre on Thursday and Friday caps of a month’s worth of presentations. Each fall, growth and impact stage finalists vie for investment awards from funds established by individual investors, according to the Economic Development for Central Oregon, a nonprofit sponsoring the competition.

A record number of companies participated, said Brian Vierra, EDCO venture catalyst. Three of the 115 companies came from Bend, Vierra said. This year also set a record for ticket sales, Vierra said.

“The 20th year of the annual Bend Venture Conference marked the decisive emergence of Central Oregon from a two-year COVID-19 lull, and to new highs of energy levels and activity,” said Vierra. “Central Oregon, and Bend specifically, has been on the national startup map for years now. It is clear that companies will continue to start or move here and call Bend home.”

The growth stage competition is for businesses that have a proven concept and are earning revenues. The finalists are:

• ToolBelt Inc., a Vancouver, Washington mobile software program for contractors to post projects and connect with trades people. The company received $165,000.

• iDentical Inc., a Mountain View, California dental device company that offers drill-free dental implants. The company was awarded $75,000.

In the impact stage, which is for companies with integrated social and environmental missions. The finalists are:

• Harvest Thermal, a Kensington, California company that makes electric heating, cooling and water system for homes that support renewable energy. The company received $90,000.

• OpConnect Inc. a Portland turnkey electric vehicle charging provider offering hardware and software to fleet vehicle operators. The company received $25,000.

The early stage competition is for companies that have a proof of concept, area earning early revenues and are in the process of testing the market. The finalists are:

• Finnegan the Dragon, a Hillsboro company offering preschool curriculum and mobile gaming targeting language development. The company was awarded $25,000. A $15,000 check was awarded to the company from Peter Horan, founder of Horan Media Tech Advisors LLC.

• Polaris, a Bend AI-powered web product that helps companies identify and detect outages on web applications. The company received $25,000.

• Symphony Markets, a Bend company that is a Securities and Exchange Commission compliant exchange, like the stock market, for music. The company received $25,000.

The Bend Venture Conference is among the largest angel conferences, where investors can invest in young companies, in the country. Over the past two decades it has invested more than $14 million in 59 companies. Next year’s conference will be held Oct. 17-18, 2024.