Location: Illinois Conference Center (Heritage Hall 5), 111 St. Mary's Road, Champaign, IL 61820
Time: Thursday, October 17, 12 to 2:30 p.m.
Capitalization of startups throughout their growth from early stage to exit is an essential component of economic development in the state if these companies are to maintain a significant presence in Illinois. Speakers led discussions on capital formation, attraction, and allocation to fund companies as they grow through these stages.
- Paul Magelli, Senior Director, Illinois Ventures – Illini Angels
- Nancy Sullivan, CEO, Illinois Ventures
- Bruce Sommer, Managing Partner, NG4 Capital
- Jack Marck, Managing Director, gener8tor
- Tim Hoerr, CEO, Serra Ventures
- Kim Kidwell, Associate Chancellor for Strategic Partnerships and Initiatives
- iVenture Accelerator University of Illinois Teams
Location: Illinois Conference Center (Heritage Hall 5), 111 St. Mary's Road, Champaign, IL 61820
Time: Thursday, October 17, 2:45 to 4:30 p.m.
Innovators and entrepreneurs have various needs in the early stages of a new venture. This event included a pitch workshop and an opportunity for participants to pitch to the audience with needs ranging from capital, co-founders, mentors, business development partnerships, and ecosystem support.
- Manu Edakara, Director of iVenture, Gies College of Business
- Lucy Brennan, Director, Founder’s Team at P33 Chicago
- Nate Hoffmann, Director, Office of Technology Management
- Stephanie Faraci, Senior Associate Director, Grainger Technology Entrepreneur Center
- Cynthia Faullin, Associate Director, EnterpriseWorks
- Elias Kourpas, Professor, Academic Director iVenture
Location: Meet at the Illinois Conference Center (Heritage Hall 5), 111 St. Mary's Road, Champaign, IL 61820
Time: Thursday, October 17, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
The campus tour included stops at the places on campus where the future is being invented, from the Institute of Genomic Biology and the Integrated Biology Research Lab to EnterpriseWorks at Research Park.
Location: EnterpriseWorks, 60 Hazelwood Drive, Champaign, IL 61820
Time: Thursday, October 17, 5 to 6:30 p.m.
The first “live” TechRise pitch competition hosted in central Illinois invited five companies to compete for a $25,000 cash prize. TechRise is a community that facilitates funding, mentorship and support for Chicago’s historically underrepresented founders. The pitch competition will showcase underrepresented or overlooked founders in the Champaign-Urbana area.
- Master of Ceremonies: Phil Rowell, Chief Analytics Officer, Health Catalyst
- Judge: Paul Burton, Founder & Managing Partner, 2Flo Ventures
- Judge: Lori Gold Patterson, CEO, PixoVIN
- Judge: Chika Umedi, Product Manager, Google
- Finalist: Oscar Azofeifa, PowerBox Technology, CEO
- Finalist: Aryan Indarapu, AVEA Robotics, CEO
- Finalist: Shrikar Lekkala, MetaFrazo, CEO & Founder
- Winner: Tessabella Magliochetti, AmnioAlert, President & Co-Founder
- Finalist: Ohm Vyas, ShotHawk, Co-Founder
Location: University of Illinois Foundation Building, 303 St. Mary's Road, Champaign, IL 61820
Time: Thursday, October 17, 7 to 8:30 p.m.
This invite-only event celebrated the 20th anniversary of EnterpriseWorks. EnterpriseWorks is a technology business incubator that supports the University of Illinois and community entrepreneurs in all stages of their startup journey.
