Michigan Growth Capital Symposium to Jointly Host with the Coulter Investment Forum for 36th Annual Event

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Dec. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Organizers of the Michigan Growth Capital Symposium (MGCS), the premier event for Midwest venture capital, today unveiled initial plans for the 2017 conference, which will be held May 16-17 at the Marriott Resort in Ypsilanti, Mich. More than 450 attendees from throughout the Midwest are expected to attend, including leading 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.

For 2017, the Michigan Growth Capital Symposium will be hosted jointly by the Coulter Investment Forum, which will showcase 30 emerging life sciences companies that have originated in Coulter Foundation Research Partnerships at one of 16 national universities. For the 36^th year, approximately 40 companies will be chosen to present to potential investors and stakeholders at the Symposium. Combined, the MGCS and Coulter Investment Forum will host more than 70 companies and 600 attendees.

As in past years, the conference will feature its successful University Research track to showcase the commercialization landscape and emerging startups coming out of Midwest-based schools, as well as guest speakers and panel presentations hosted by some of the nation's leading investors and entrepreneurs. Past keynotes have included James Flynn, Deerfield Capital Management; Adam Lilling, Plus Capital; Brad Keywell, Uptake; and Bill Coughlin, Ford Global Technologies.

New this year, the MGCS will provide companies invited to present with a complimentary KeyStone® Compact report conducted by Corymbus Asset Management, Inc. This FinTech investment advisory company uses an algorithmic approach to analyze and understand risk profiles to provide an investment grade rating in emerging industries. The feedback will place each company relative to others in its industry sector based on three key pillars—industry strength, market strength and management strength—giving them the opportunity to best position themselves in front of potential investors.

"The Midwest continues to be a hotbed for some of the most innovative and motivated entrepreneurs in the world. As a result, the Symposium attracts the best of the best in the venture capital community year after year," said David Brophy, professor of finance and founding director of MGCS. "In addition to the great content and resources we have been able to provide to this audience for more than 30 years, we are honored to join forces with the Coulter Foundation to add even more dimension and excitement to the two-day event."

The annual Michigan Growth Capital Symposium is hosted by the University of Michigan's Center for Venture Capital & Private Equity Finance and the Zell Lurie Institute at the Ross School of Business, with support from the Michigan Venture Capital Association. Organizers are currently enlisting sponsors for the 2017 event, with packages ranging from $1,000-$10,000. Applications for companies to present will be available online in January 2017.

For more information on this year's event or to become a sponsor, 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 Michigan Ross
The Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan is a vibrant and distinctive learning community grounded in the principle that business can be an extraordinary vehicle for positive change in today's dynamic global economy. The Ross mission is to develop leaders who make a positive difference in the world. Through thought and action, members of the Ross community drive change and innovation that improves business and society. Ross is consistently ranked among the world's leading business schools. Academic degree programs include the BBA, MBA, Part-time MBA (Evening and Weekend formats), Executive MBA, Global MBA, Master of Accounting, Master of Supply Chain Management, Master of Management, and PhD. In addition, the school delivers open-enrollment and custom executive education programs targeting general management, leadership development, and strategic human resource management.

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. 

SOURCE The Zell Lurie Institute