Webinar
Venture Investing in the Heartland: How the Midwest is Going from Rust Belt to Tech Belt
Join us for an exclusive webinar on “Venture Investing in the Heartland,” where Alumni Ventures Seed Fund Managing Partner Ron Levin and special guests will delve into the opportunities and challenges of investing in the heartland of America’s entrepreneurial landscape.
Discover the potential for high returns by investing outside of the traditional tech hubs and learn how to identify promising startups. Gain insights from seasoned investors who have successfully navigated these territories and explore the untapped potential of heartland investing. Don’t miss this chance to connect with industry leaders, broaden your investment horizons, and diversify your portfolio beyond conventional tech-centric ventures. Register now to secure your spot and unlock the potential of Heartland investing.
Our guest panel includes:
Rebecca A. Fannin
CNBC Contributor and Author of Silicon Heartland (Penguin Random House)
Paul Palandjian
CEO and Co-General Partner of O’Leary Ventures, leading a fund with a mandate of investing in companies based in North Dakota
Daniel Walsh
CEO and Founder of VeroSkills based in Birmingham, Alabama
We’ll also discuss the impactful book by author, guest, and CNBC contributor Rebecca A. Fannin, Silicon Heartland, chronicling her return to America’s heartland. In it she provides an optimistic and engaging look at the current entrepreneurial comeback happening in the Midwest, documenting its transformation from Rust Belt to Tech Belt.
Why Attend?
- HomeExplore untapped investment opportunities in markets beyond the traditional tech hubs.
- HomeLearn from experienced venture capitalists and industry insiders who have successfully invested in the heartland.
- HomeDiversify your investment portfolio and capitalize on the potential for high returns in non-traditional startup ecosystems.
About Alumni Ventures
Climate Investing
Why Its Really Different This Time
Alumni Ventures
Consolidates in Manchester Millyard
VC Firm Wins
Best Alternative Investment Platform
Climate Tech VCs
Most active U.S. VCs in climate tech
NH Tech Alliance
Member Monday features Alumni Ventures
New Opportunities
Industry disruption means access to VC
Chicago Expansion
AV expands to Chicago with a 6th office
Most Active VCs
Many big-name firms active in March
AV’s VentureCorps
Launch of new VC apprenticeship program
Anyone noticed?
Most active VC is far from The Valley
* You must be accredited to invest in venture capital. Important disclosure information can be found at avg-funds.com/disclosures.
About your presenters
Ron has spent his career in a variety of entrepreneurial, leadership, and business development roles. He has been an angel investor and advisor to over a dozen technology startups. Ron was Co-Founder and CEO of TravelPerk, a VC-backed travel management platform that is now a “unicorn” company with thousands of employees and customers across the globe. Prior to TravelPerk, he started the B2B division of Booking.com and before that was a consultant with McKinsey & Co. Ron began his career at Lycos, one of the web’s pioneer search engine and web portals. Ron graduated from Babson College and received his MBA from Harvard Business School. He is the author of the impact-focused Higher Purpose Venture Capital Blog.
Mike has been involved in almost every facet of venturing, from angel investing to venture capital, new business and product launches, and innovation consulting. He is currently CEO of Alumni Ventures Group, the managing company for our fund, and launched AVG’s first alumni fund, Green D Ventures, where he oversaw the portfolio as Managing Partner and is now Managing Partner Emeritus. Mike is a serial entrepreneur who has started multiple companies, including Kid Galaxy, Big Idea Group (partially owned by WPP), and RDM. He began his career at VC firm TA Associates. He holds an undergraduate degree in Engineering Science from Dartmouth and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Luke is an experienced entrepreneur with a focus on marketing, sales operations, and customer experience. He has a background in private equity, and has scaled several startups as employee #1, including bootstrapped, angel-backed and venture backed companies. His first company, Urban Escapes, was acquired by LivingSocial. He is also the Founder of the AVG Venture Fellow Program. Luke has an AB in Environmental Studies from Dartmouth College.