Stu- Stu- Studio! Innovation in Midwest Venture Capital

5301 Winthrop Avenue,Indianapolis IN 46220

27 October, 2021

Description

MEMBERS REMEMBER TO ENTER YOUR SOCIETY ASSOCIATED EMAIL ADDRESS AS PROMO CODE TO SAVE $15. (Details at bottom for how to become a member) Much like the startup ecosystem it services, Venture Capital is an evermoving industry. As more dollars have surged into VC in the past year than ever before, there is a growing focus by investors of all types in markets outside of typical hubs who are interested in broader diversification and greater value alignment. Come join us for a discussion with three Indiana-based venture leaders to learn more about what a venture studio is, what it’s like building early-stage businesses toward finding product-market fit, and why starting in the Midwest provides unique opportunities for both startups and investors alike. Food and beverages are included in your ticket purchase. Moderator Trey Buck, Partner, Gravity Ventures, Board Member, CFA Society Indianapolis Panelists Maria Gibbs, Co-founder, INVANTI Oscar Moralez, Founder, Boomerang John McDonald, Founder, NEXT Studios Maria is the co-founder of INVANTI, a startup studio in South Bend, IN that invests in people to become founders of companies that solve kitchen table problems in small and midsize cities. Maria is also a managing partner of the Beta City Fund, the pre-seed fund associated with the studio. Maria has a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Duke University and a Ph.D. in structural engineering from the University of Notre Dame, where her research focused on developing a human-centered approach to wind mitigation of long span footbridges. She is also an adjunct professor of entrepreneurship in the IDEA Center at the University of Notre Dame. INVANTI is a four-year-old startup studio and pre-seed investment fund in South Bend, focusing on creating scalable, tech-enabled companies that solve "kitchen table" problems in small and mid-size cities. The studio attracts entrepreneurial talent from across the country, taking them from pre-idea to pilot and then helping them transition into early-stage companies. The fund invests in companies that emerge from this process and connects them to customers in the South Bend - Elkhart Region. Oscar Moralez is a serial entrepreneur, university lecturer, mentor/coach, and venture capital investor based in Indiana. In 2020 he founded Boomerang Ventures, a venture studio and venture fund that provides a funding and resource platform for entrepreneurs to bring their healthcare ideas to life. He is also the founder and managing director of VisionTech Partners (VisionTech), which he formed in 2009. VisionTech provides capital and support for early stage technology companies through its VisionTech Angels network and VisionTech Angel Fund. VisionTech Angels is the largest angel-investing group in Indiana and one of the largest and most active in the Midwest with a portfolio of over 50 companies and $23+ million in invested capital. The group is comprised of accredited investors from specific geographic regions in the Midwest, that invest their capital, time and experience towards helping high-growth, high-potential, early-stage technology companies. In 2002, Oscar founded BioStorage Technologies (BST) in Indianapolis. BST was acquired in December 2015 by Brooks Automation (NASDAQ: BRKS) for $127 million, and the company is now part of the Brooks Life Sciences division. Prior to starting BST, Oscar worked in various executive management roles in healthcare, with Covance Clinical Laboratories, Mayo Medical Laboratories and Boulder Community Hospital. In addition to his experience in startups, investing and capital formation, Oscar’s background includes over twenty years of technical, operations and management experience in healthcare and life sciences sectors. He currently serves on, or has served in the past, as a director for various for-profit and not-for-profit boards in Indiana including OrthoPediatrics, SonarMed, Apricity, The Venture Club of Indiana, The Speak Easy, Leaf Software Solutions and the Indiana Center for Biomedical Innovation. Oscar received his Bachelor of Science degree in medical technology from the University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and an MBA from the University of Colorado in Denver. He enjoys sports, traveling, photography and spending time with his family. John has over twenty years of experience as an entrepreneur, most recently as the founder and CEO of ClearObject, a leading Internet of Things company which successfully exited to private equity in 2019, and at IBM, where I led technical sales for their software development tools brand in New York. John is a founder and board member of the Indiana Technology & Innovation Association, chairman of the Technology & Innovation Committee of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, a board member of TechPoint, of the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce and of the Indiana India Business Council. I am also a member of the Social Enterprise Alliance, the advisory council for Hamilton Southeastern Schools, the Workforce Alignment council of Ivy Tech Community College, and the Dean’s Council for the Purdue Polytechnic and President’s Club at Purdue University. John graduated from Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis, and studied business management, computer science, and meteorology before receiving degrees in Software Development and Computer Information Technology from Purdue University at West Lafayette, where I was also the Student Body Vice President and Treasurer. I was named Purdue’s Distinguished Technology Alumnus in 2007 and Lawrence North’s Distinguished Alumnus in 2017. Trey is a dynamic, technical, process-driven entrepreneur with over a decade of experience growing SaaS- and cloud-based Enterprise software solutions. Focusing on customer-driven development, he has successfully led product strategy to turn user requirements into real world tools that drive business growth. Trey has a track record of building solutions customers love within both startups and large enterprises. He leverages this background in angel and venture capital when vetting new ideas, assessing product-market fit, and driving value for invested companies to support growth. Trey is an enthusiastic supporter of the Midwest entrepreneurial economy through investments with Gravity Ventures, judging pitch competitions, and advising local startups. Originally hailing from Austin, Texas, Trey graduated with a Mechanical Engineering degree from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. His family lives in the Indianapolis area and most weekends you can find them watching Premier League soccer, playing video games, and enjoying the outdoors. Gravity Ventures is a member-managed venture fund focusing on angel, pre-seed, and seed capital in the Midwest. Founded in 2008, to-date Gravity has invested in over 40 startups in multiple sectors. Gravity is currently operating through its fifth fund and considering investments in the Indiana- and Midwest region. The diverse member pool is made up solely of individuals seeking to create the next generation of local entrepreneurs by focusing on early stage investments in technology and tech-enabled businesses. Become a local member of the CFA Society Indianapolis today! Click this link to sign up in less than 5 minutes: Membership Sign-up Page Learn more about the benefits of becoming a member here: Member Benefits Flyer Sign-up for our newsletter here: Newsletter Sign-up Form Leading the Indiana investor community forward through expert insights, continuing education & networking opportunities