Stout Street Capital Pitch Conference Transitions to App-Based Format
Stout Street Capital, a Denver-based venture capital firm, announces today that UNMET Arizona 2020, a conference designed to fill the unmet need for Series A/B venture investments in fast-growing startups located in the middle of the country, has transitioned to an app-based conference. Pitches, investor decks and meetings will now be facilitated via video pitch platform, Thumbraise.
Presented by Stout Street Capital in partnership with the Arizona Commerce Authority, UNMET Arizona 2020 looks to build upon the success of the UNMET conference series' inaugural event in Denver which facilitated an estimated $50 million in Seed Stage and Series A investments. Bringing together more than 100 fast-growing non-coastal tech startups together with nearly 200 institutional venture capital investors, UNMET Arizona is expected to generate $100 million in investments.
"These unprecedented times are forcing many of us to look at how we can conduct business without travel," said John Francis, founding partner of Stout Street Capital. "As we evaluated the possibilities for UNMET Arizona, an event focused on bringing together a critical mass of high-quality companies, we knew many of the low-tech substitutes for conferences wouldn't be effective. By engaging Thumbraise, we're not only able to offer an event at a time when raising capital is challenging, but provide a solution that has seen unprecedented investor interest."
"Events like UNMET are an important part of filling the need for venture investments for startups located in the middle of the country," said David Kerr, managing partner of Allos Ventures, a participating VC fund. "As a Midwest-based venture capital firm, we know the high potential of tech between the coasts, as well as how virtual conferences can be used to help facilitate investments. The UNMET Arizona virtual conference addresses both."
Previously scheduled to take place on May 13-14, 2020 in Scottsdale, Ariz., all pitches and networking will now be hosted on the Thumbraise mobile app. Thumbraise enables investors and founders to meet inside of public or privately hosted networks for one-on-one meetings. Using a mobile platform, founders can create short-form video pitches that are like Instagram Stories to give a brief pitch of their company.
"Under Governor Ducey's leadership, Arizona has established an incredible reputation as the best place to test, launch and scale new ideas and new technologies," said Sandra Watson, President & CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority. "The UNMET Conference will serve as yet another tool helping to increase early-stage deal flow and showcase Arizona as a hub for technology and innovation."
For more information about UNMET, please visit unmetconference.com.
To learn more about Stout Street Capital, please visit stoutstreetcapital.com
About 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. For more information, please visit www.stoutstreetcapital.com.
About 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 www.azcommerce.com and follow the ACA on Twitter @azcommerce.
News published on and distributed by:
