Symposium will include venture capital "coaching"

Madison, Wis. - What do venture coaching, the "Elevator Pitch Olympics," and venture readiness workshops have in common?

All will be components of the second annual Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium, which will be held on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 30 and 31, at Monona Terrace Convention Center. The symposium is co-produced by the Wisconsin Technology Council, a non-profit science and technology adviser to state government.

The symposium, which is open to companies from all technology sectors, is designed for early-stage companies from Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest. It will include professional coaching from venture and service professionals, an instructional track led by Courtney Price and Mack Davis of the Denver-based VentureQuest, Ltd., and a well-received feature called the "Elevator Pitch Olympics" in which attendees make short investor presentations.

Elevator pitching will be open to selected companies that register for the conference, and each pitch will be scored and constructively critiqued by members of the investment community.

The symposium's other highlights include: • The "Power of Angel Investing" seminar, which will be produced by the Wisconsin Angel Network and the Ewing Kauffman Foundation. The seminar is for accredited investors who are either angel investors or who may want to become "angels," and it centers on due diligence.

• A workshop on how early-stage companies can better compete for federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grants.

• A technology showcase featuring developments at Wisconsin's leading research institutions, including the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery project.

• An address by Dr. Thomas "Rock" Mackie, a co-founder of TomoTherapy, Inc., a Wisconsin biotechnology success story in the field of medical technology.

For more information, call 608-442-7557 or visit the Wisconsin Technology Council's website. More information about the "Power of Angel Investing" seminar can be obtained by visiting the Wisconsin Angel Network website.

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