Hundreds of investors, entrepreneurs heading to KC for InvestMidwest
March 27, 2017 | Meghan LeVota
A midwestern venture capital forum that has led to over $1 billion in early-stage investments will convene in Kansas City on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 28 and 29.
The 18th annual InvestMidwest conference aims to showcase the best early-stage, high growth tech companies in the region. The event regularly garners more than 300 attendees and is being held at the Sheraton Kansas City at the Westin this year.
Hoping to attract the attention of potential investors in the audience, 45 companies representing 11 states and Canada will give pitches throughout the day. Three industry tracks — life sciences, information technology and food/agriculture/bioenergy — will present simultaneously.
Collectively, companies that have presented at previous InvestMidwest conferences have raised over $1 billion in equity investment over the last 17 years. Seven Kansas City area companies will present, yet the names have not been disclosed.
“This event will reflect a great geographic footprint,” Christine Walsh, executive director of InvestMidwest said in a release. “Over the years, the companies that have applied have shown increased sophistication in approaching the venture capital environment. This process has reflected a substantive strengthening in the Midwest’s entrepreneurial environment.”
In addition to giving high growth firms the opportunity to present to investors, the conference allows for networking and expert speakers. The event kicks off with an opening reception Tuesday evening.
From Kansas City: KCRise Fund managing director Darcy Howe, EyeVerify CEO Toby Rush and Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation entrepreneurial advocate Nathan Kurtz will speak at the breakfast on March 29th. As for the luncheon on the same day, Kansas City area speakers include retired JE Dunn Construction CEO Terry Dunn and TechAccel CEO Michael Helmstetter.
The forum alternates between being hosted in Kansas City, Mo. and St. Louis, Mo. each year. To read more about the forum and its history, click here.
2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
GigaPower coming to northeastern Johnson County
AT&T announced this week that the company is expanding availability of U-Verse with GigaPower, its latest high-speed internet service aiming to compete against Google Fiber. The service is coming to Fairway, Mission Hills and Prairie Village, the company announced Monday. GigaPower appeared in the Kansas City metro area in February in parts of Kansas City,…
KC startup lands six PGA partnerships, more on the way
Jason Gregory is feeling pretty confident his company will be the exclusive partner for at least half of the PGA American independent sections by next year. CaddyX is a golf bag transportation company that takes the leg work out of golfer’s experience by letting them schedule pick up for their clubs with the click of…
Sprint Accelerator opens applications, dons new name
Kansas City’s top business accelerator is now accepting applications for a wider applicant pool after a recent — albeit minimal — name change. The Sprint Mobile Accelerator — formerly the Sprint Mobile Health Accelerator — lightened up its name to better reflect its broader focus on boosting mobile-centric startups. Led by Boulder-based Techstars, the accelerator…
KU lecture series brings Apple co-founder
A Jayhawk fan is coming back to Lawrence for this year’s Anderson Chandler business lecture. Oh, and the fan just happens to be one of Apple Computer Inc.’s co-founders. Steve Wozniak, who founded Apple alongside Steve Jobs, will be speaking at University of Kansas for their 2015 Global Entrepreneurship Week event. Austin Falley, the KU…