Expanded Focus and Name for 2019 Michigan Growth Capital Symposium
Next year's Midwest Growth Capital Symposium will focus on connecting the region's most promising Big 10 University spinouts as well high-growth startups with investors nationwide
ANN ARBOR, Mich., May 15, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The organizers of the Michigan Growth Capital Symposium (MGCS) have announced that, starting next year, it will be known as the Midwest Growth Capital Symposium. This change reflects the fair's focus on the entire tech ecosystem of the Midwest, not just Michigan. Next year's program will also show an increased focus on the tech transfer successes coming out of the region's Big 10 research universities.
"As the cost of living and operating a startup continues to skyrocket on the coasts, investors and entrepreneurs alike have stepped up their search for alternatives, bringing the Midwest ecosystem the attention it deserves," said David Brophy, professor of finance at the University of Michigan and founding director of MGCS. "For the last four decades, MGCS has worked to bring national recognition to the region's best and brightest—but over the years, we've begun attracting an audience that goes beyond Michigan's borders. By changing our name to the Midwest Growth Capital Symposium, we'll reflect the full complement of startup talent in America's Heartland."
The longest running university venture fair of its kind, MGCS has become the premier platform for emerging growth companies seeking funding to connect with investors from around the country. Next year's program will feature an increased focus on tech transfer talent from the Big 10 network of premier Midwestern research universities of Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, Michigan State University, Ohio State University, Indiana University, Purdue University and Northwestern University, as well as a few more universities in the region.
"The quality and quantity of the companies the Midwest produces is key to the health of our entrepreneurial ecosystem," Brophy said. "We have some of the country's best research institutions right here in the Midwest, and we're looking forward to shining a spotlight on the incredible talent they are producing to connect them with the funding and resources they need to succeed."
MGCS is presented by the Center for Venture Capital & Private Equity Finance and the Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, with support from the Michigan Venture Capital Association.
The 37th annual MGCS is taking place today and tomorrow at the Marriott Eagle Crest in Ypsilanti. For more information on the agenda, please visit www.MichiganGCS.com. To join the conversation on Twitter, follow #MichiganGCS.
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.
SOURCE Michigan Growth Capital Symposium
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