Investors, capital-seeking entrepreneurs to be matched at Venture Connection during Venture & IP Conference

Venture Connection, an investor-to-entrepreneur matchmaking event, is now accepting applications. The event will take place during the Invent Penn State Venture & IP Conference Oct. 16-17 at the Hershey Lodge in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Venture Connection pairs entrepreneurs and investors based on industry and capital needs, among other key criteria. 

Entrepreneurs wanting to participate in Venture Connection should apply by Aug. 31. They can also be nominated to participate in Venture Connection. Startups and entrepreneurs are not required to be affiliated with Penn State to apply. 

More than 800 meetings between entrepreneurs and investors will take place during Venture Connection over the course of the two-day conference. Entrepreneurs will have allotted time to give an elevator pitch to investors with whom they are matched, while investors will share what they look for in prospects and investment strategies. If there’s a connection between entrepreneurs and investors, private 1-on-1 meetings could then be scheduled. 

“Venture Connection was a fantastic opportunity to connect with a diverse group of investors,” said Jill Michal, co-founder and CEO of Kith + Kin. “The connections felt as if they were curated just for me. The team did a wonderful job matching focus, stage, and investment thesis across a wide array of companies.” 

The Invent Penn State Venture & IP Conference is one of the largest tech startup conferences in the Mid-Atlantic, drawing more than 400 attendees, over 60 startup ventures and more than 40 investment firms from across the United States. The conference showcases innovations from high-growth and emerging markets, including information technology, energy, advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, and health care, among others. 

Investors can also register to host a Venture Connection table. 

In addition to Venture Connection, the conference will feature interdisciplinary panels that bring together academia, industry, economic development, and policy experts on current innovation topics. Other events include a Student Startup Showcase, which features promising Penn State student startups who participated in the Invent Penn State Summer Founders Program or Inc.U Competition, and a Tech Tournament, which showcases disruptive technologies and early-stage companies born of Penn State’s robust and diverse research enterprise. 

Registration to attend the conference is open to the public. 

About Invent Penn State 

Invent Penn State is a commonwealth-wide initiative to spur economic development, job creation and student career success. Invent Penn State blends entrepreneurship-focused academic programs, business startup training and incubation, funding for commercialization, and university/community/industry collaborations to facilitate the challenging process of turning research discoveries into valuable products and services that can benefit Pennsylvanians and humankind.    

This project was financed in part by a grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Community & Economic Development.