Mark Your Calendars!
ANN ARBOR, Mich., March 28, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Organizers of the Michigan Growth Capital Symposium (MGCS) announced it will hold its evening dinner reception at “The Big House,” the University of Michigan’s historic and beloved football stadium. The Symposium has long been regarded as the premier, must-attend event for venture capitalists, technology transfer professionals, founders, CEOs and the best of the Midwest early stage and emerging, high-growth companies that are seeking institutional investment. This year marks the first year that the event will be held jointly with the Coulter Investment Forum to provide access to two premier venture capital investment events at the same time and will host attendees at a special evening reception at the U-M football stadium.
The Michigan Venture Capital Association will be attending MGCS. Stop by our table to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of our MVCA Annual Research Report!
The 36th annual MGCS/Coulter Investment Forum is scheduled to take place May 16-17 at the Marriot Resort in Ypsilanti, Mich., with a dinner reception culminating the first day of programming. More than 600 investors, founders and tech transfer professionals are expected to attend with nearly 100 investment firms from across the nation represented. In addition to networking, panel discussions, engaging keynote speakers and more than 60 presentations from companies actively seeking funding, MGCS attendees that head to the reception at the football stadium will also have the opportunity for a locker room tour and to play ball on the storied field as well as enjoy dinner from above the field.
Both MGCS and The Big House are central figures in the region’s venture capital and football communities, respectively. Though their rich histories and traditions vary, the two revered fixtures in the greater Michigan community also share quite a bit in common:
- Around the same time MGCS first launched in 1980 and a government initiative in 1986 prompted the creation of Michigan-based venture capital firms, the U-M football stadium started to be known by its beloved moniker, The Big House.
- MGCS has a 36-year record as the longest-running academic-based program of its kind in the world, falling just shy of the longest undefeated streak at Michigan Stadium, which is 41 games.
- Since 2001, more than 400 companies have presented at MGCS and raised more than $800M – or nearly 8x the number of blades of grass making up the field at Michigan Stadium at the dedication game in 1927, which was estimated at 106 million.In 2017, MGCS expects attendees from all of the states that are home to Big Ten schools.
- In 2017, MGCS expects attendees from all of the states that are home to Big Ten schools.
“The Big House is home to many of the most exciting college gridiron matchups in the country every fall, just as MGCS is home to the best networking and deal making that happens between Midwest companies and national investors each year. We’re excited to host our guests at the Big House as part of this year’s event,” said David Brophy, professor of finance and founding director of MGCS. “Our lineup of speakers and presenting companies planned for May rival even the most exciting football games, which is a testament to the continued momentum of the region’s venture community.”
For more information on this year’s event, to become a sponsor or to register, please visit http://www.michigangcs.com/.
About the Michigan Growth Capital Symposium
The Michigan Growth Capital Symposium (MGCS) is the original university-based venture investment fair, which was first held in 1981. This decades-old nationally attended event is the largest Midwest fair of its kind that brings together venture capital investors, business angels, start-up companies, university tech transfer officers and research faculty. MGCS provides an opportunity for participants from the venture capital community to connect with Midwest start-ups seeking funding and to learn about emerging innovations that span tech and the life sciences. MGCS is presented by the Center for Venture Capital & Private Equity Finance and the Zell Lurie Institute at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, with support from the Michigan Venture Capital Association.
About the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation
Wallace Coulter dedicated his wealth to continuing to improve health care through medical research and engineering, and established the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation to fund these areas. The Foundation provides leading scientific and medical societies the resources to develop distinctive educational programs designed to improve the quality of care in resource-limited areas. Its’ university-based translational research grant program funds projects at 16 Universities and establishes a business-like commercialization process to accelerate academic innovations to the marketplace. The national Coulter Investment Forum showcases life science companies seeking investment that have been vetted through the Translational Research Partnership Program of participating Universities. The Coulter Foundation also supports American Pacific Islander Association (AAPI) organizations.