- Oregon startups raised about $950 million in venture capital in 2025, an 80% rebound after two weak years.
- Agility Robotics drove the surge with a roughly $400 million round at about a $1.75 billion pre-money valuation (about $2.1 billion post), led by WP Global with SoftBank.
- Other notable raises included Hydrolix’s $80 million Series C and Eclypsium’s $45 million Series C.
- Despite bigger rounds, Oregon still faces talent shortages, thin exit pipelines, and the need to build stronger AI/robotics clusters tied to universities.
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In 2025, Oregon’s VC ecosystem demonstrated a marked recovery, reaching nearly $950 million in investments into young companies, according to a report by NVCA and PitchBook. This figure represents a steep 80% increase over the prior two years, highlighting the state’s resurgence in attracting capital. Behind this growth are several standout rounds.
Firstly, Agility Robotics, based in Salem, secured approximately $400 million in new funding at a pre-money valuation of $1.75 billion. The round was led by WP Global with involvement from SoftBank. Agility’s Digit robot, built for warehouse automation, now has enhancements in battery life, safety, and general autonomy—evidence of strong product development and real deployments (including at Amazon and GXO) that justify investor confidence.
Complementing Agility’s raise, two other major companies contributed significantly: Hydrolix, the Portland-based streaming data lake startup, closed an $80 million Series C (led by QED Investors) and reported roughly $40 million in annual recurring revenue with 8× growth in 2024. Eclypsium, a supply chain security company in Portland, raised $45 million in a combined equity and debt Series C, bringing its total to about $85 million.
These companies cluster around AI, robotics, security, observability, and big data—areas seeing strong tailwinds globally. However, despite financial capital flowing, human capital appears to lag: Agility Robotics noted difficulty filling senior technical roles in Oregon, often recruiting from out-of-state. Moreover, while rare large raises capture headlines, smaller firms continue to face challenges scaling, exiting, or attracting sustained institutional support.
Strategic implications include the opportunity for Oregon to build deeper clusters—particularly around robotics and AI at physical scale—by linking academia, state policy, and private capital. Also, investors seeking diversification may find strength in Oregon’s growing capabilities in security, AI, and data infrastructures. Yet open questions remain about whether local infrastructure (talent, supply chain, scaling capabilities) can support sustained growth, and whether exit pathways (IPOs, acquisitions) will rise commensurately.
Supporting Notes
- Oregon startups raised nearly $950 million in venture capital in 2025, marking an 80% jump over the previous two years.
- 37 Oregon companies raised VC last year, with a median deal size of about $16 million.
- Agility Robotics reportedly secured $400 million in a funding round at a pre-money valuation of $1.75 billion.
- Agility’s total funding as of mid-2025 was around $683 million, with valuation at about $2.1 billion.
- Hydrolix, headquartered in Portland, closed an $80 million Series C led by QED, with revenue close to $40 million and eightfold year-over-year growth in 2024.
- Eclypsium raised $45 million (equity plus debt) in its Series C, bringing its equity funding to $85 million. Backers included Qualcomm Ventures among others.
- Agility reported challenges recruiting engineering leadership locally; its CEO, CFO, and CTO are based outside Oregon, and some roles filled only by bringing people in rather than relocating them.
- Agility’s Digit robot’s specifications: ~5 feet 9 inches tall; payload up to ~35 pounds; uses LiDAR, cameras & sensors; improvements in battery, safety, grasping capability, and autonomous docking.