The Michigan Growth Capital Symposium (MGCS) offers attendees the opportunity to learn from leading industry experts on broad range of topics. With six sessions spanning two days, the Symposium agenda appeals to investors and entrepreneurs alike.
IT Investing: Picking Firms to Back – Why It’s Different, This Time
by Early Stage Partners
This panel will offer panelists’ proven expertise and advice for choosing IT firms to invest in. It will also provide insight into how the market has changed and what it means for investment strategies moving forward. Topics to be covered include comparison of IT startups today versus in the .com era, cloud computing and online infrastructure, and the evolving business model of building businesses on top of existing platforms and websites.
Panelists:
Dick Beedon, Founder & Chief Advocacy Officer, Amplifinity
Jacob Cohen, Vice President, Detroit Venture Partners
Jonathan Murray, Managing Director, Early Stage Partners (Panelist/Moderator)
James Pavlik, Partner, Baird Venture Partners
Geographic Expansion of Your Venture Capital Fund: Opportunities, Challenges, and Considerations
by Venture Investors
This panel will present a candid discussion based on the panelists’ experiences in expanding their venture funds, and from observations of other funds efforts to do the same. Topics will include fund raising, deal sourcing and investment, and operational best practices. The panel will also address challenges such as reduction in funding, weaker average VC returns, difficult exits, and unpredictable/unreliable opportunities (specifically for life science companies).
Panelists:
Jim Adox, Managing Director, Venture Investors (Panelist/Moderator)
Keith Crandell, Co-founder and Managing Director, ARCH Venture Partners
Greg Madden, Portfolio Manager, SV Life Sciences
Brandon Park, Principal, Credit Suisse
What Really Goes on Behind the Scenes: Starting and Operating a Venture Capital Firm
by Arboretum Ventures
This panel will give entrepreneurs, angel investors and new venture capital investors an opportunity to learn about the process of forming and operating a venture capital firm. Panelists include experienced VCs from different parts of the country (focusing on different industry sectors) that have played key roles in the creation of their firms. Discussion will target two groups: entrepreneurs (new and veteran), and junior venture professionals. Among the topics to be discussed is a report issued by Silicon Valley finding that the VC industry is contracting – but Michigan is bucking that trend.
Moderator: Tim Petersen, Managing Director, Arboretum Ventures
Panelists:
Blair Garrou, Managing Director, DFJ Mercury
Jason Rottenberg, General Partner, Arsenal Venture Partners
Harry Wilcox, CFO and Partner, Flagship Ventures
Funding the Next Leg of Growth: Planning, Preparing and Completing a Growth Stage Investment
by Plymouth Management Company
This panel will discuss how to best build the foundation for growth taking into account the role of founders and early capital rounds, initial commercialization success, and fine tuning the business model. In addition, panelists will address how to identify and assess growth to accelerate the next leg, as well as how to successfully seek venture capital funding for growth. The panel will spotlight two Michigan early stage growth companies: Lynx Network Group and Relume Technologies, Inc., offering insights from each company’s leadership team and their lead VC investors.
Panelists:
Christopher Barber, Co-Founder, Lynx Network Group
Jeff Bocan, Managing Director, Beringea
Mark Horne, Managing Partner, Plymouth Venture Partners II (Panelist/Moderator)
Crawford Lipsey, CEO, Relume Technologies, Inc.
Michael Wooldridge, Partner, Varnum
U.S. Medical Device Companies Trending to R&D Investments Abroad: How Venture Capital Firms are Adapting
by BioStar Ventures
This panel will discuss the current trend for medical device companies to direct their investments in research and development, animal studies, clinical trials and initial infrastructure outside the U.S. and the impact on the U.S. venture capital sector. It will provide an in-depth look at how venture capital firms are adapting and changing their strategies to these global marketplace changes.
Moderator: Jeffrey O’Donnell, Venture Partner, BioStar Ventures
Panelists:
Steven Almany, MD, FACC, Director of Medical Innovation, William Beaumont Hospital
Matthew Rieke, MD, Partner, Quaker BioVentures
Immanuel Thangaraj, Managing Director, Palo Alto, Essex Woodlands
Life Sciences Investing: What Do Investors Want?
by Pepper Hamilton and Baird Venture Partners
Venture capitalists and venture-backed executives in the life sciences field will discuss the who, what and where of today’s investment environment for companies seeking venture capital, as well as possible funding trends for the future.
Moderator: Michael B. Staebler, Partner, Pepper Hamilton LLP
Panelists:
Matt Hermann, Senior Managing Director, Ascension Health Ventures
Jason Lettmann, Principal, Morgenthaler Ventures
Peter Shagory, Partner, Baird Venture Partners
Marc Singer, Managing Partner, Osage University Partners