KALAMAZOO ? March?s Kalamazoo Venture Tuesday marked the beginning of a new series of university-centered KVT events. The Purdue Research Foundation (PRF) was the featured guest at the March 1 event held at the Southwest Michigan Innovation Center. Three of the Foundation?s emerging companies presented: Andara Life Sciences Inc., Sonarmed Technologies Inc., and QuadraSpec Inc.
This KVT event followed a statement made by Gov. Jennifer Granholm late last month in which she said Kalamazoo has become a model of business success for Michigan. Despite an intense snowstorm, a diverse mix of some 70 venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, business leaders, and bankers attended the program to see this model for economic development in action.
The PRF was created in 1930 by Trustee David E. Ross, born of his concern that industry did not have access to University knowledge and aid the way that farmers had via the University Extension Service. The continuing generosity of Ross and other contributors has made restricted funding available for graduate fellowships, faculty grants, and equipment cost-sharing grants for the benefit of the University’s graduate students, faculty, and research efforts.
Numerous contributions have helped the PRF provide Purdue with scholarship funding and acquire real estate for the expansion of West Lafayette and regional campuses and agricultural centers, as well as to provide specific grants requested by the University. Some of those grants have gone to help the Foundation?s emerging companies, including the three KVT presenting companies.
Kalamazoo Venture Tuesday meetings are held on the first Tuesday each month from 9 a.m. to noon and include company presentations and a panel discussion. A networking lunch follows each meeting. Admission is free but pre-registration is required.
Those interested in attending or presenting at a future meeting, please send contact information to Gail Lindsey at [email protected].
This monthly morning meeting is part of Southwest Michigan First’s Investing In Innovation Forum series. Kalamazoo Venture Tuesday provides informal networking among entrepreneurs (and aspiring entrepreneurs), investors, and others interested in nurturing entrepreneurship in Michigan and the Great Lakes region.
Organizers include Southwest Michigan First, the managing partners of the ARCH Development Fund, and the Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC) at Kalamazoo College. Arch Development Fund I is a venture capital fund organized to provide excellent returns by combining operations and seed investment experience to address the void of seed venture capital in the Upper Midwest. Its investment focus is pre-seed and seed stage opportunities focused around unique intellectual property in the fields of biotechnology/life sciences, wireless, software, Internet infrastructure, and educational content.
