26th Annual Minnesota Venture & Finance
Conference
October 11, 2012
Minneapolis Convention Center
Hosted by The Collaborative and the Minnesota Venture
Capital Association since 1987
Fueling, Convening & Celebrating MN's Innovation Economy: The Twenty-Sixth Year. Since 1987, The Collaborative and the Minnesota Venture Capital Association have co-hosted the Annual Minnesota Venture & Finance Conference with the same goal — bringing together
investors and entrepreneurs to discuss, learn and
network in order to nurture Minnesota's innovation
economy.
Companies & Investing
• Network – Network
and learn from others who are involved
in building companies — this
is the place for growth company financing.
• Presenting
Companies – Hear
presentations from 18 of Minnesota’s
most promising companies.
For
more info, click here
• Entrepreneurial
Showcase – An
additional 20+ companies will give one-minute
introductions – all
will have tables and profiles.
• Luncheon and Reception – Great networking
with companies, investors and attendees. |
Great Speakers, Great Topics
• Brad Cleveland
• Craig Leipold
• Mark Heesen
|
• Matthew Dornquast
• Mark Phillips
• And many more! |
These speakers will delve into a variety of topics, including:
• The State of Venture Investing
• The Future of Innovation:
Health • Cloud • Clean • Commerce • Device • Finance
• Plus select from five workshop topics
For
the full agenda, click here |
For More on the Agenda, Keynotes, Speakers, Panels and Workshops,
click here
Register Today: click here |
2012 Conference Sponsors
The
Collaborative and MVCA would like to thank our sponsors
for their support of this premier annual event serving
and celebrating Minnesota's entrepreneurs, investors and
innovation
economy.
| Reception Sponsor: |
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The
Minnesota Finance Conference with Proven Success
Real
Deals • World Class Speakers • Real
Investors
- More than half of the $5.4 billion of venture capital invested in Minnesota firms in the last 15 years has gone to companies that have presented at the Conference.
- Over 400 investors, entrepreneurs and executives attend each year.
- More than 70% of capital raised by Minnesota companies in the last three years went to past Conference presenting companies.
- Over $3.5 billion in capital has been raised by past Conference presenters.
"The Collaborative has been very good to us over the years. In 2008, we met out first angel investors after our 60 second speech and in 2009, after our 7 minute presentation, we closed a formal round with those same investors and a local group of angels. In 2011 we closed our B round, with El Dorado Ventures, who I also met at our first Venture & Finance Conference."
— Justin Kaufenberg, CEO, TST Media
"The Conference is an exceptional opportunity for both entrepreneurs and investors. Not only do you have the presenters, but the numerous companies represented in the Entrepreneurial Showcase and in the conference materials create a chance to see new deals and potential deals that I might have overlooked when the business plan crossed my desk."
— Dave Stassen, Managing Director, Split Rock Partners
"For a lot of companies, this is as good as it gets. In a few minutes you can get as much exposure as you can get in months on your own. And it really lends to your credibility."
— Phil Soran, Founder, Compellent Technologies; Xiotech
“The Conference was a great event and ranks up there with any venture event in the country in terms of quality, planning and management.“
— Mark Shavlik, VMware; Founder, Shavlik Technologies (sold to VMware in May 2011)
"This continues to be the best conference I attend. It's great to see the level of activity and energy throughout the conference. The companies, both the presenters and those in the showcase, represent an interesting mix of industries and stages, and I plan to follow up with several of them. And the take home materials will be a resource for years to come."
— Paul Knapp, CEO, Space Center Ventures |
"The Conference and The Collaborative's other innovation themed events are a tremendous resource for early stage companies and investors. I attend several times a year and continue to find great value in the top notch content and networking. As an early stage investor, I have found no better venue and highly recommend participating."
— Joy Lindsay, President, StarTec Investments (Angel Investor in 20 MN companies and numerous co-investments)
"Thanks for the chance to share the AbbeyMoor story at the Venture Finance Conference. We made several good contacts to discuss our next financing."
— John Reid, CEO, AbbeyMoor Medical
"Not only was attendance successful in terms of sheer numbers, but the quality of the group was extremely impressive. The Conference was very valuable for us. I cannot imagine a better place for a young, emerging company in the Twin Cities to be than at your Venture Conference. I had the chance to catch up with the dozen or so people I had in mind prior to the event, and I also met and talked at length with a number of new contacts regarding our business and our future financing plans."
— Toby Dayton, President, JobDig
"The Venture Finance Conference was a great event. I was very impressed with the quality of the attendees as well as how the event was managed. The Showcase one-minute introductions worked quite well and gave investors a chance to see many interesting companies. I would certainly recommend this conference to other CEOs."
— John Barrow, President, Coolibar |
|
2012
Conference Planning Committee
Ed
Spencer, Jr., Founder and Chairman, Affinity Capital
Management; 2012 President,
MN Venture Capital Association
Dan
Carr, President, The Collaborative
Buzz Benson, Managing Director, SightLine
Partners
Lisa Crump, CEO, Cairn Ventures
Tom Erickson, Co-President and Director, First Green Partners
Michael Gorman,
Managing Director, Split Rock Partners
Jeff Hinck,
General Partner, El Dorado Ventures
Jodi Hubler, Managing Director,
Lemhi Ventures
Joy Lindsay, President,
StarTec Investments
Pete McNerney, Managing Partner,
Thomas, McNerney & Partners
Vance Opperman, CEO, Key Investment
Dave
Stassen, Managing Director, Split Rock Partners
Gordon Stofer, Managing Partner, Cherry Tree Investments
Location
Minneapolis Convention
Center
1301 Second Avenue South,
Minneapolis
For a map, directions, and
parking information click
here
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