The best of Midwest emerging growth companies continues virtually in 2021
Organizers of the 2021 Midwest Venture Showcase, a partnership between the Midwest Growth Capital Symposium (MGCS) and InvestMidwest, today announced that 55 companies actively seeking funding will be showcased to an audience of top-tier investors, entrepreneurs, researchers and business executives at the virtual event on April 27-28, 2021.
The Midwest companies in the Showcase span the life sciences, medical device, agriculture/food and tech industries. Of the 57 companies, 37 are seeking seed stage funding and 20 are seeking Series A/B funding. The companies hail from 15 states, including Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana, Minnesota, Kansas, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Alabama, Nebraska and Pennsylvania.
The virtual event will also feature 10-15 Tech Transfer spinouts from top research universities seeking pre- seed and seed funding. Participating universities include University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Ohio State University, University of Chicago, University of Louisville, University of Minnesota, Wayne State University, and Western Michigan University.
The Showcase kicks off on April 27 with a morning keynote conversation and panel on the benefits of investing in the Midwest. Other panels include a profile of Midwest Unicorns and a discussion on the importance of Diversity and Inclusion in investing. The afternoon features the investor pitches for Life Science, Medical Devices, Tech, and Food/Ag tracks.
On April 28th, the morning includes talks from several sponsors, ranging from Julie Harris, Bank of America’s head of Global Banking Digital Strategy to panels from CBIZ, Husch Blackwell and the Consulate General of Canada. The University Tech Transfer pitches will be held in the afternoon.
“We’re excited to bring together this mix of speakers and companies,” said Phyllis Ellison, executive director of InvestMidwest. “This is an interesting lineup of topics and speakers, as we start to consider what the venture capital markets look like post-pandemic and after a record year of investing in 2020.”
"This is a strong slate of companies pitching this year,” said David Brophy, founder and director of MGCS. “Investors are continuing to build relationships with high-quality startups as companies find market strengths and new paths during the pandemic. For the second year, the Midwest Venture Showcase virtual event is the perfect place for investors to meet these companies and start connecting."
For more information and to register, please visit www.MidwestVentureShowcase.com, or email Emily Zaycosky and Phyllis Ellison.
