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We invest and grow
Next Generation
Sports Companies.

 

We live and
breathe Sports.

 

We turn potential
into performance.

 

WE ARE COMMITTED TO
EQUITY & INCLUSIVITY.

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Who We Are

Founded in 2017

46
Members
27
Companies
7
Invested

We are a diverse team of sports industry/business professionals & investors.
We value inclusion, innovation, and collaboration.
We are a member-based organization that operates as a network.
We strive to improve access to capital and mentoring for underrepresented founders.

Kate Delhagen

OSA Founder

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
Kate is a proven senior leader, board director, entrepreneur, and angel investor with deep digital and commercial experience in consumer goods and service sectors. In 2017, she created a new investor network, Oregon Sports Angels, to focus on early stage sports product and tech companies and teams.

Prior to launching OSA, she concluded a 12-year run at Nike, where she created and led Nike’s Global Digital Wholesale Business Strategy & Operations. She also held senior strategy and general management roles at Nike, lucy activewear, Forrester Research, Starwave (ESPN.com), and Rodale Press.

Kate’s a Built Oregon board member, an active alumni volunteer for Princeton University, a board member for two outdoor brands, and a passionate advisor to several Oregon-based consumer product startups.

FAVORITE SPORTS TO PLAY: I LOVE TO RUN. Also, bike, swim, gym-rat-nastics.

FAVORITE SPORTS WATCH: March Madness. Track & Field. Ninja Warrior.

FAVORITE SPORT MOMENT: Shalane Flanagan’s F* Yeah 2017 NYC Marathon Victory.

WORDS TO LIVE BY: Give more. Get more.

Executive Team

Jim Chi

Founding Member / President

ADVISORY BOARD: SNOWLEDGE + STRIVE

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Jim is an accomplished business leader who has held a wide range of strategic and operational roles with notable brands and retailers like Nike, The Home Depot, and Mohawk Industries.  He has led teams across Product Management, Sourcing, Development, Marketing, and Sales bringing a multi-industry perspective to the Oregon Sports Angels.

He is currently the Principal of Cascade Management supporting the apparel, footwear, and equipment industries.  Along with the product industries, he has also co-founded a coffee company.  Jim also consults for private equity firms restructuring and scaling up brands in their portfolio.

Jim is passionate about promoting design, product management, and sustainability education.  He serves on the Board of Directors for the American Apparel Producers Network and on the Advisory Board of several university business programs in the region.

FAVORITE SPORT TO PLAY: Golf – I love the life lesson: only the next shot matters.

FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH: Anything related to Duke – Basketball, Football, Lacrosse, etc. The Olympics. My son’s lacrosse team.

FAVORITE SPORT MOMENT: 1992 Olympics – All of it. And when Tiger won The Masters for his 15th Major.

WORDS TO LIVE BY OR FAVORITE QUOTE:
Imagination has a great deal to do with winning. —Mike Krzyzewski

Sandy Pressley

Founding Member / Vice President

Advisory Board: Looptworks

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Sandy is a proven leader with 35 years of experience in the Sport and Fitness Industry, the last 29 with the iconic brand, Nike. Her first role with Nike was in Visual Merchandising as the company was beginning to establish a strong and more demanding retail footprint. Over the course of her time at Nike Sandy advanced to hold Vice Presidential leadership positions in Geography General Management, Marketplace Transformation, Product and Merchandising, and Women’s Category.

Never afraid of a new challenge or opportunity to learn and grow, Sandy readily accepted opportunities to live abroad and gain global business and cultural experiences. She held leadership positions in Asia Pacific in Retail Development and in Europe as the Vice President of Product and Merchandising.

One of the things Sandy enjoys most is leading and working with diverse teams to help individuals succeed and teams win. She continues to be a mentor to up-and-coming talent in the Sport and Fitness Industry. Additionally, and regardless of where she lives, Sandy involves herself in her community. She currently serves as a Board Member for p:ear, a non-profit organization devoted to working with, and providing for, homeless youth in the Portland area.

FAVORITE SPORT TO PLAY: Sandy is a fitness enthusiast! She loves riding hard on her Peloton bike to achieve personal best performance and, when off the bike, running to stay in 5K shape.

FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH: Women’s Gymnastics! I was a gymnast growing up and I’m amazed at the level of today’s performance.

FAVORITE SPORT MOMENT: Watching the Olympics – Summer and Winter. I love to hear the athlete’s personal stories and watch them reach their dreams.

WORDS TO LIVE BY OR FAVORITE QUOTE:
Trust your gut! It is usually right.

Jinky Panganiban

Founding Member / Secretary

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Jinky is an accomplished global executive, coach and mentor with over 20 years of international experience in general management, merchandising, strategy, brand and product creation at Nike. She’s managed businesses across Asia, Latin America, U.S. and Europe, in country, regional and global roles.

Jinky started her career with the Nike Distributor in the Philippines as an Apparel Line Manager and culminated her Nike stint as the VP/GM for the Women’s business in Emerging Markets. In this role, she led the launch of the Women’s offense in Asia (except China & Japan), Latin America and Africa, that started a sports movement for tens of thousands of young women in these growing markets.

While at Nike, Jinky was also a huge proponent of Diversity and Inclusion and was an active coach and mentor for both the Asia Pacific Network and the Women of Nike.

Jinky is currently a mentor to start-up founders, for the SPM Program at the University of Oregon and for the Built Oregon Accelerator Program. In addition, her consulting business helps diverse women-owned / led companies grow.

FAVORITE SPORT TO PLAY: Yoga, every day at 9am.

FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH: Basketball, and my heart is with the home team. Go Blazers!

FAVORITE SPORT MOMENT: Tiger Woods staging the greatest comeback in sports at the 2019 Masters.

WORDS TO LIVE BY OR FAVORITE QUOTE:
There are times when it is better to be kind than be right. —Dad

Doug Klucevek

Member / Treasurer

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Doug is an experienced CFO, Finance Executive, and Tech leader with a track record of growing businesses, improving profitability, and new business ventures. He’s currently CFO for Rebound Orthopedics and Neurosurgery, a leading surgical practice in Portland metropolitan area. Previously, Doug has been VP Finance and consulting leader in high tech with years of experience at Intel and Accenture. He has an MBA from the University of Michigan.

FAVORITE SPORT TO PLAY: Currently basketball, both pick-up games and leagues. Will continue trying to play as long as knees hold up.

FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH: Football and Basketball. Originally from Detroit, MI and I remain loyal to Lions, Pistons, Tigers, and Red Wings … despite their limited success.

FAVORITE SPORT MOMENT: Watching Detroit Lions football games with my daughter.

WORDS TO LIVE BY OR FAVORITE QUOTE: Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. – Barack Obama

Announcements

OSA HELPS FUEL ADVENTURES WITH NEW PORTFOLIO COMPANY, HEATHER’S CHOICE

March 8, 2024

Heather’s Choice, providing healthy, tasty, life-ready meals that “fuel your journey”, is now an OSA portfolio company. Founded in Alaska and woman-owned, Heather’s Choice makes lightweight, packable meals and snacks that are ideal for outdoor enthusiasts but also work for the hustle of daily life.

Heather’s Choice offers a wide-range of delicious hand-made and gluten-free breakfast and dinner options along with a variety of coconut cookie “Packaroons” that have become a customer fave. Heather’s Choice products are available online at Heather’s Choice and Amazon and at select retailers including REI.

OSA EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM MAKES BIG TRANSITION

January 22, 2024

Every successful team has a great bench. At OSA, we’re tapping into that bench as we change some roles on the Executive Leadership team that has done an amazing job for the past few years. Read all about the new team here.

How We Work

We Focus

On sports product, technology and innovation companies across the United States.

We Screen

We continually evaluate new ideas and potential deals for our quarterly pitch sessions.

We Invest*

We provide startup funding for sports product, experiential and technology companies that have achieved an early level of market success and consumer adoption.
*Our members are individual investors

We Partner

With other Angel investors, seed and venture funds, local sport & educational institutions. For OSA, investing in startups is a team sport.

How You Benefit

Beyond startup funding, our individual investors mentor, open doors and provide unique networking opportunities to create a competitive advantage for your business.

OSA Pitch Cycle and Events Calendar: 2024

January February March April
Feb 7: Quarterly Pitch Day
May June July August
May 1: Quarterly Pitch Day Aug 7: Quarterly Pitch Day
September October November December
Nov 6: Quarterly Pitch Day

Key:

Screening. OSA is accepting submissions to pitch during these months.

Due Diligence. OSA is not accepting submissions to pitch during these months.

Startups

Pitch Us

Investors

Join Us