Webinar
Venture Investing in the Heartland: How the Midwest is Going from Rust Belt to Tech Belt
Watch an on-demand webinar on “Venture Investing in the Heartland,” where Alumni Ventures Seed Fund Managing Partner Ron Levin and special guests delve into the opportunities and challenges of investing in the heartland of America’s entrepreneurial landscape.
See video policy below.
Post Webinar Summary
The webinar focused on the potential of investing outside major tech hubs, highlighting the Midwest as a proxy for such opportunities. Levin and co-host Ju’Quan presented Alumni Ventures’ seed fund, emphasizing their pre-seed and seed investments. Panelists included Daniel, Rebecca and Paul, and the discussion covered various aspects of venture investing, touching on the importance of universities and local ecosystems in fostering entrepreneurship. Levin shared his extensive experience in travel tech and venture capital, while Ju’quan Mills, Alumni Ventures’ community manager, introduced himself and detailed his role. The presentation also showcased the diversity and potential of the heartland’s entrepreneurial landscape, with a focus on sectors like semiconductors, energy, and advanced manufacturing, underlining the importance of local innovation and supportive policies.
Discover the potential for high returns by investing outside of the traditional tech hubs and learn how to identify promising startups. Gain insights from seasoned investors who have successfully navigated these territories and explore the untapped potential of heartland investing. Don’t miss this chance to connect with industry leaders, broaden your investment horizons, and diversify your portfolio beyond conventional tech-centric ventures. Our guest panel includes:
Rebecca A. Fannin
CNBC Contributor and Author of Silicon Heartland (Penguin Random House)
Paul Palandjian
CEO and Co-General Partner of O’Leary Ventures, leading a fund with a mandate of investing in companies based in North Dakota
Daniel Walsh
CEO and Founder of VeroSkills based in Birmingham, Alabama
We also discuss the impactful book by author, guest, and CNBC contributor Rebecca A. Fannin, Silicon Heartland, chronicling her return to America’s heartland. In it she provides an optimistic and engaging look at the current entrepreneurial comeback happening in the Midwest, documenting its transformation from Rust Belt to Tech Belt.
Why Attend?
- HomeExplore untapped investment opportunities in markets beyond the traditional tech hubs.
- HomeLearn from experienced venture capitalists and industry insiders who have successfully invested in the heartland.
- HomeDiversify your investment portfolio and capitalize on the potential for high returns in non-traditional startup ecosystems.
About Alumni Ventures
Top 20 VC Investors in North America (2024)
#1 Most Active Venture Firm in the U.S. (2023)
#1 Most Active Venture Firm in the U.S. (2022)
World's Most Innovative Companies (2022)
Note: You must be accredited to invest in venture capital. Important disclosure information can be found at av-funds.com/disclosures.
About your presenters
Ron has spent his career in a variety of entrepreneurial, leadership, and business development roles. He has been an angel investor and advisor to over a dozen technology startups. Ron was Co-Founder and CEO of TravelPerk, a VC-backed travel management platform that is now a “unicorn” company with thousands of employees and customers across the globe. Prior to TravelPerk, he started the B2B division of Booking.com and before that was a consultant with McKinsey & Co. Ron began his career at Lycos, one of the web’s pioneer search engine and web portals. Ron graduated from Babson College and received his MBA from Harvard Business School. He is the author of the impact-focused Higher Purpose Venture Capital Blog.
CNBC Contributor and Author of Silicon Heartland
Rebecca A. Fannin is a leading expert on global innovation, a top-selling author and media entrepreneur. She began her journalistic career in New York City and later Silicon Valley, where she followed the venture capital trail to become one of the first American journalists to write about China’s entrepreneurial boom, reporting from Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Inspired by the entrepreneurs she met and interviewed in China, Rebecca formed Silicon Dragon Ventures , a news, events and thought leadership platform. Rebecca’s career has taken her to the world’s leading hubs of tech innovation. She is a correspondent at CNBC.com, a Forbes columnist for 10 years, and her articles also have appeared in Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Wired, Techonomy, Inc. and Red Herring, where she was international news editor during the dotcom boom.
CEO and Co-General Partner of O’Leary Ventures
Paul is the CEO and Co-General Partner of O’Leary Ventures. O’Leary Ventures is the VC fund of Kevin O’Leary from Shark Tank and the fund has a mandate of investing in companies based in North Dakota. Paul has 30 years of experience as a fiduciary, asset manager, and investor across a broad spectrum of asset classes for institutional investors and high-net-worth family offices.
CEO and Founder of VeroSkills
Daniel Walsh has a diverse work experience. Daniel is currently the CEO and Founder of VeroSkills, based in Birmingham, Alabama. Previously, he was the Co-Founder and President of TrueCoders, a remote coding bootcamp, from September 2017 to March 2021. At TrueCoders, he focused on training students to become software developers and helping them secure jobs in the industry. Before that, he served as the Chief Marketing Officer at Credntia from September 2016 to September 2017. Prior to that, he worked as a Sales and Marketing Specialist at MicroPulse Technologies, Inc. from May 2015 to September 2016. Daniel also had a role as a Marketing Consultant at Platypi from December 2014 to May 2015. Daniel started his career as the CEO of Zappend Inc. from July 2010 to December 2014, where he aimed to simplify the process of developing mobile applications for individuals with innovative ideas.