ANN ARBOR – The 37th annual Michigan Growth Capital Symposium ended this week, to be replaced next year by the Midwest Growth Capital Symposium.
Same event, new name to reflect the event’s focus on the entire tech ecosystem of the Midwest, not just Michigan, so says founder David Brophy, professor of finance at the University of Michigan. Brophy started the first edition in 1981 attracting a handful of presenters and potential investors.
Now the conference has expanded to include three dozen start-ups hitting up hundreds of potential investors for money to fund their companies. This year’s symposium was held at the Eagle Crest Conference Center in Ypsilanti, where it moved about a decade ago when the U-M’s Business School couldn’t handle the 500 or so annual attendees.
Brophy said next year’s program will also show an increased focus on the tech transfer successes coming out of the region’s Big 10 research universities.
“As the cost of living and operating a startup continues to skyrocket on the coasts, investors and entrepreneurs alike have stepped up their search for alternatives, bringing the Midwest ecosystem the attention it deserves,” Brophy said. “For the last four decades, MGCS has worked to bring national recognition to the region’s best and brightest — but over the years, we’ve begun attracting an audience that goes beyond Michigan’s borders. By changing our name to the Midwest Growth Capital Symposium, we’ll reflect the full complement of startup talent in America’s heartland.”
The MGCS is the longest running venture fair of its kind in the nation, dating back to 1981. It is presented by the Center for Venture Capital & Private Equity Finance and the Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies, both programs of the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, with support from the Michigan Venture Capital Association.
For more information, visit www.MichiganGCS.com.
