Entrepreneurs, Investors and Executives Flock to the 23rd Annual Minnesota Venture & Finance Conference

450 attracted tops 2008; 13th year with over 400

For Press Coverage:
• Star Tribune (10/2): click here
• Star Tribune (9/21): click here
• The Business Journal (8/14): click here

Fueling and Convening Minnesota's Innovation Economy: The Twenty-Third Year
Since 1987, the Minnesota Venture Capital Association and The Collaborative have co-hosted Minnesota's premier Venture & Finance Conference. This event is one of the most successful in the country in both attendance and capital raised by participants.
• Over 400 investors, entrepreneurs and executives have attended each of the last 13 conferences — 450 attended in 2009.
• More than $3.1 billion in capital has been raised by past presenters.
• Over 70% of venture capital raised in Minnesota in 2008 went to past conference presenting companies.
• Presenting companies have gone on to employ thousands in Minnesota and around the world; 24 have gone public and 38 were acquired or merged.
-- Of course the conference isn't responsible for the participants' success, but we are very proud of our year-in year-out ability to identify Minnesota's strongest up-and-comers.

The room was packed during the presentations and panel discussions

Conference Highlights MN Variety (Clean, Tech, Medical, Healthcare and more)
This year's conference brought together the strongest of Minnesota's entrepreneurs, companies and successful CEOs, executives and investors. High caliber companies were chosen to present – the planning committee, made up of Minnesota investors, selected the 18 companies from a variety of industries to make the seven-minute presentations.

The Entrepreneurial Showcase (our largest in years) was comprised of the 18 presenting companies plus 36 additional promising companies in attendance, who gave one-minute introductions. The Showcase provided additional visibility for the attendees and created ample opportunities for networking.

The 54 companies crossed industries in Minnesota, reflecting the breadth of our economic diversity. Participating companies included: 16 information technology; 14 medical; 5 healthcare IT; 8 cleantech / green chemistry; 11 others (consumer, etc.)

Kickoff Keynote The Conference began with a thought-provoking keynote address by Minnesota’s CEO, Governor Tim Pawlenty. Governor Pawlenty discussed Minnesota’s opportunities and strengths, especially during the current economical climate, and what the future holds for our state and the nation.

CEOs in 2009
The first panel, “CEOs in 2009: Adapting and Thriving in a Challenging Economy,” featured CEOs from some of Minnesota’s most successful and resilient companies talking about how they have succeeded in the difficult economy by seizing opportunity and adapting to change. Panelists included (below from left to right): Dan Carr, CEO, The Collaborative (moderator); Gary Blackford, CEO, Universal Hospital Services; Peter Warwick, CEO, West and Thomson Reuters Legal; Howard Root, CEO, Vascular Solutions; and Jim Dolan, CEO, Dolan Media.

Star-Studded Panel Discusses Financial Crisis and Impacts
The jam-packed day closed with the second panel, “The Federal Factor: The Sweeping Stimulus and Reform Agenda and What it Means for Innovation.” The current level of federal government action is unprecedented in our lifetimes, and this panel explored the potential opportunities and impacts on our businesses and the innovation economy. The discussion focused on financial markets, capital availability, regulation and the resulting impacts on financing innovation from a global, national and Minnesota perspective. Panelists included (below from left to right): Pete McNerney, Partner, Thomas McNerney & Partners (moderator); Gary Stern, retired President, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis; Mark Heesen, President, National Venture Capital Association; Vance Opperman, CEO, Key Investment; and Bill Cooper, CEO, TCF Financial.

Five Workshops Target Important Topics for Company Growth
Yet again, the workshops provided great hands on information to address the specifics that must be known and understood to complete financing and growth objectives. The conference offered five workshops, each of which was led by experts who work with entrepreneurs and investors. This year the workshops were especially well prepared by our conference sponsors and included:

• Financing in a Challenging Economy
• Maximize the Value of Your Board
• Valuation and Negotiation
• Intellectual Property and Financing
• Exit Strategies: Liquidity For You & Your Investors

Unbeatable Networking The day featured several networking breaks as well as a Luncheon in the beautiful Seasons rotunda. Twenty-four investment firms from Minnesota and eight other states were represented during the networking sessions. To wrap up the day, attendees perused the Entrepreneurial Showcase at the annual Conference Reception.

Conference Materials
The take home value was also realized when attendees left with an outstanding conference book, loaded with information including summaries of the Presenting and Entrepreneurial Showcase Companies, profiles of all speakers and co-sponsors, thorough outlines of all the workshops and a list of attendees.

The Conference Planning Committee
A successful conference would not be possible without the substantial time and commitment of the planning committee of the 23rd Annual Minnesota Venture & Finance Conference. This year’s planning committee included: Jeff Hinck, El Dorado Ventures, 2009 President, Minnesota Venture Capital Association; Buzz Benson, SightLine Partners; Dan Carr, The Collaborative; Michael Gorman, Split Rock Partners; Joy Lindsay, StarTec Investments; Pete McNerney, Thomas, McNerney & Partners; Tony Miller, Lemhi Ventures; Vance Opperman, Key Investment; Ed Spencer, Jr., Affinity Capital Management; Dave Stassen, Split Rock Partners; and Gordon Stofer, Cherry Tree Investments.

Event Sponsors
We would also like to thank our co-sponsors whose support has made this event possible.

Feature Sponsors: Baker Tilly; Dorsey & Whitney; Ernst & Young; Faegre & Benson; Fredrikson & Byron; National Venture Capital Association; Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly; Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner; Twin Cities Business.

Co-Sponsors: KPMG; Minnesota Department of Employment & Economic Development; Winthrop & Weinstine; University of St. Thomas – Opus College of Business.

This conference has always been focused on quality content targeted specifically to emerging growth companies and those who build them. We thank all of you who invested your time as participants and as attendees and by so doing, helped to make the conference truly outstanding.

The audience was treated to a plethora of presentations by up-and-coming MN companies