Venture Capital Conference To Return To Arizona
PHOENIX, AZ (September 22, 2020) — The Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) and Stout Street Capital announced today that venture capitalists and early-stage companies seeking seed and Series A capital will gather for the second time this year, virtually, at Arizona’s largest venture capital conference. UNMET Arizona Fall 2020 will be held online October 12-25.
The event will draw more than 200 institutional venture capital investors from around the country and more than 100 of the fastest-growing tech startups from the central United States, including Arizona. The founders will have the opportunity to network and engage with investors in private meetings on the Thumbraise platform.
UNMET Arizona Fall 2020 follows the successful inaugural spring event, in which 116 startups — including 70 from Arizona, 14 other states and 10 countries — presented virtually to 257 venture capitalists. The goal of the conference is to help early-stage companies located in under-served regions across North America raise capital.
“Providing opportunities for connectivity and networking is a critical part of a healthy innovation ecosystem,” said Sandra Watson, President & CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority. “We’re proud to continue our partnership with Stout Street Capital and present the UNMET Arizona Fall 2020 event to showcase the innovations being advanced by the talented companies selected to pitch.”
“UNMET AZ conferences level the playing field for Arizona based early-stage startups competing with their peers on the coasts, especially in terms of access to institutional venture capital,” said Clay Gordon, Managing Partner at Stout street Capital. “The ACA has been a great influencer and promoter of the AZ startup ecosystem by attracting capital, creating jobs and fostering innovation. We are excited to partner with the ACA to showcase a diverse cohort of AZ companies to over 200 VCs attending the conference.“
In 2019, an estimated $1.1 billion was raised across 206 investment deals in Arizona.
The ACA supports startups at all stages through a comprehensive suite of programs. This includes the flagship Arizona Innovation Challenge (AIC), one of the largest business plan competitions in the country; the Venture Madness pitch competition, presented in partnership with Invest Southwest; the Venture Ready Accelerator mentorship program; and the Venture Partner program, which facilitates introductions between venture capital firms and promising early-stage Arizona companies.
Applications are being accepted to present at the UNMET Arizona Fall 2020 Conference. For more information and to register for the event, visit UNMETConference.com.
Media Contact
Connie Weber
Arizona Commerce Authority
(602) 845-1243
[email protected]
About the Stout Street Capital
Stout Street Capital is a seed-stage fund that invests in underserved markets in the middle of the country and sees an average of 5,000 deals per year and co-invests with over 200 VCs around the country. Stout Street Capital seeks to invest in early-stage companies focused on improving efficiency and generating bottom-line value in large, established sectors in the market. Stout Street Capital is focused on improving the Series A/B-funding eco-system in the middle of the country. UNMET is one of its primary instruments, which will help companies located in the middle of the country to meet investors and attract capital.
About the Arizona Commerce Authority
The Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) is the state's leading economic development organization with a streamlined mission to grow and strengthen Arizona's economy. The ACA uses a three-pronged approach to advance the overall economy: attract, expand, create - attract out-of-state companies to establish operations in Arizona; work with existing companies to expand their business in Arizona and beyond; and help entrepreneurs create new Arizona businesses in targeted industries. For more information, please visit azcommerce.com and follow the ACA on Twitter @azcommerce.