Nate Conroy

Nate Conroy is the Linn-Benton Venture Catalyst with RAIN in Oregon (the Regional Accelerator & Innovation Network). Nate grew up in unincorporated Benton County, before starting a teaching career in the Portland area, and later in rural Honduras. Nate currently lives with his partner Theresa and two young children in Albany, Oregon. While in graduate school he started STEMhero, a mission-driven company with the goal of closing the STEM gap by making data relevant for students and showcasing the real STEM role models (heroes) who work in local utilities. The company does this through a web-based curriculum enhancement, MeterHero (MeterHero.com), which empowers students to collect, analyze and act upon their own granular utility data for authentic, uncanned, and rigorous learning.  To support local entrepreneurs, Nate draws upon his own experience graduating from reputable startup accelerators run by The Water Council, the Midwest Energy Research Consortium, and 4.0 Schools.